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Biomedical subjects

Charles Mady

Publications and source records attributed to Charles Mady.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Myocardial delayed enhancement by magnetic resonance imaging in patients with Chagas' disease: a marker of disease severity.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to investigate whether myocardial delayed enhancement (MDE) by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could quantify myocardial fibrosis (MF) in patients with Chagas' heart disease (CHD), thus defining the severity of the disease. BACKGROUND: Myocardial fibrosis secondary to ischemic disease can be imaged using MDE. Advanced CHD is characterized by progressive MF. METHODS: Fifty-one patients with CHD were enrolled: 15 seropositive asymptomatic participants in the indeterminate phase (IND); 26 patients with known clinical CHD; and 10 patients with known CHD and ventricular tachycardia (VT). Using a 1.5-T MRI system, we acquired left ventricular (LV) short-axis slices using cine-MRI (LV function) and inversion-recovery gradient-echo (MDE). RESULTS: Myocardial fibrosis by MRI was present in 68.6% of all patients, in 20% of IND, 84.6% of CHD, and 100% of VT (p < 0.001). Quantified MF increased progressively across disease severity subgroups (0.9 +/- 2.3% in IND; 16.0 +/- 12.3% in CHD; and 25.4 +/- 9.8% in VT, p < 0.001) and New York Heart Association functional classes (I: 7.5 +/- 9.5%; II: 21.9 +/- 13.8%; and III: 25.3 +/- 9.9% of LV mass, p < 0.001). Left ventricular ejection fraction and MF had significant negative correlation (r = -0.78, p < 0.001), similar to the segmental MF and function: 4.9 +/- 15.1% of MF in normal function, 32.5 +/- 32.5% in mildly hypokinetic, 57.8 +/- 31.4% in severely hypokinetic, and 72.3 +/- 36.2% in akinetic and dyskinetic segments, respectively (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In CHD, MDE by MRI quantifies MF that not only can be detected in the early asymptomatic stages but parallels well-established prognostic factors and provides unique information for clinical disease staging.

Chagas Cardiomyopathy↗

Effect of enalapril on left ventricular diameters and exercise capacity in asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients with regurgitation secondary to mitral valve prolapse or rheumatic heart disease.

The effects of 12 months of therapy were evaluated in 47 mildly symptomatic patients with moderate to severe mitral valve regurgitation; 26 patients received enalapril and 21 received a placebo. Enalapril was associated with a significant reduction in left ventricular diameter and mitral regurgitation volume, with no evidence of change in systolic function indexes. However, enalapril did not hinder progressive aerobic impairment to effort.

Adult↗

[Research of markers for the genes of the heavy chain of cardiac beta-myosin and myosin binding protein C in relatives of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy].

OBJECTIVE: To study the molecular markers for the genes of the heavy chain of cardiac beta-myosin and the myosin binding protein C in relatives of carriers of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. METHODS: Twelve families who had anamnesis, physical exam, electrocardiogram, echocardiogram and blood collection for the genetic study through the chain reaction of polymerase. RESULTS: From the 227 relatives, 25% were ill-taken, with 51% men, with an average age of 35+/-19 (2 to 95) years old. The genetic analysis showed a connection with the gene of the cardiac b-myosin in a family and, in another, a connection with the gene of the myosin-binding protein C. In five families, the connections with the two genes were excluded; in two, the connection with the gene of the myosin-binding protein C, but for the b-myosin gene the results were non-conclusive; in two families, the results were non-conclusive for both genes and in one the connection for the b-myosin gene was excluded. The results were non-conclusive for the gene of the myosin-binding protein C. CONCLUSION: In our environment, other genes, different from those described in the literature, may prevail, or there are other genetic differences related to the origin of our population and/or environmental factors.

Adolescent↗

[Relation between left atrial dimension and exercise capacity in endomyocardial fibrosis].

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether exercise capacity is related to left atrial dimension (LAD) in patients with biventricular endomyocardial fibrosis. METHODS: This study comprised 38 patients in sinus rhythm, with a mean age of 37.5 +/- 11.5 years (range, 11 to 59 years), 25 of whom were women. They were divided into 2 groups according to the NYHA functional class on hospital admission as follows: group A (12 patients) and group B (26 patients). All patients underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing to determine their maximum oxygen consumption (VO2 max), and their left atrial dimension was determined on echocardiography. RESULTS: The VO2max values for groups A and B were 21.8 +/- 4.8 mL.kg(-1).min(-1) and 13.7 +/- 3.5 mL.kg(-1).min(-1), respectively, and the left atrial dimensions were 3.7 +/- 0.7 cm and 4.4 +/- 0.7 cm for groups A and B, respectively. A significant and inverse correlation was found between VO2max and LAD in the groups studied. CONCLUSION: The increase in left atrial dimension is associated with impairment in exercise capacity in patients with endomyocardial fibrosis. Our findings support the use of left atrial dimension to estimate a more complex and difficult to assess index of functional capacity, such as VO2max.

Adolescent↗

[Quantitative assessment of left ventricular regional wall motion in endomyocardial fibrosis].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze left ventricular (LV) regional wall motion in patients with endomyocardial fibrosis (EMF). METHODS: The study comprised 88 patients, 59 of the female sex, with a mean age of 39+/-13 years (range, 9 to 65) and with echocardiographic and angiographic evidence of left ventricular EMF. The intensity of fibrous tissue buildup on contrast cineventriculography was classified as mild, moderate, or severe. The overall left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was determined by using the area-length method on ventriculography. The motion was measured in 100 equidistant chords perpendicular to the centerline drawn in the middle of the final diastolic and systolic contours and normalized to cardiac size. Five left ventricular segments were analyzed: A--apical; AL--anterolateral; AB--anterobasal; IA--inferoapical; IB--inferobasal. Abnormality was expressed in units of standard deviation of the mean motion in a normal population of reference, comprised of 103 patients with normal LV according to clinical and electrocardiographic data, and angiographic standards. RESULTS: Mean LVEF was 0.47+/-0.12. Fibrous tissue buildup in the left ventricle was mild in 12 patients, moderate in 40, and severe in 36. The regions with the poorest ventricular wall motion were A (-1.4+/-1.6 standard deviation/chords) and IA (-1.6+/-1.8 standard deviation/chords) compared with that in AB (-0.3+/-1.9 standard deviation/chords), AL (-0.5+/-1.8 standard deviation/chords) and IB (-0.9+/-1.3 standard deviation/chords). No relation was observed between the intensity of fibrous tissue buildup and regional ventricular wall motion. CONCLUSION: A change in LV regional wall motion exists in EMF, and it is independent of the intensity of fibrous tissue buildup qualitatively assessed. Nonuniform involvement of the LV should be considered when planning surgery for this disease.

Adolescent↗

Identification of multiple HLA-A*0201-restricted cruzipain and FL-160 CD8+ epitopes recognized by T cells from chronically Trypanosoma cruzi-infected patients.

Chronic Chagas disease occurs in 16 million individuals chronically infected by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi in Latin America, and may lead to a dilated cardiomyopathy in 10-30% of patients. A vigorous cellular immune response holds parasitism in check. However, up to now, few T. cruzi proteins have been shown to be recognized by CD8+ T cells from Chagas disease patients. In this study, we designed 94 peptides derived from T. cruzi proteins cruzipain and FL-160, predicted to bind to HLA-A2 molcules. After in vitro binding assays to HLA-A*0201, 26 peptides were selected, and their recognition by PBMC from Chagas disease patients was tested with the IFN-gamma ELISPOT assay. All 26 peptides were recognized by PBMC from at least one patient. Furthermore, a tetrameric HLA-A*0201 complex built with the cruzipain 60-68 peptide that was frequently recognized in the periphery also bound to CD8+ T cells from a heart-infiltrating T cell line obtained from a single patient with Chagas disease cardiomyopathy. Thus, our results suggest that the recognition of CD8+ T cell epitopes in cruzipain and FL-160 may have a pathogenic or protective role in chronic Chagas disease.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

[Maximal functional capacity, ejection fraction, and functional class in Chagas cardiomyopathy. Are these indices related?].

OBJECTIVE: Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and maximal functional capacity (VO2max) have both been shown to be related to a poor long-term survival in Chagas' disease patients. The aim of this study was to estimate the potential association of VO2max, LVEF, and NYHA functional class in patients with Chagas' disease cardiomyopathy. METHODS: One hundred four male patients, aged 40.3+/-9.0 years (range, 18 to 65), with a definite diagnosis of Chagas disease cardiomyopathy were studied. LVEF and VO2max were both classified into 3 degrees: LVEF 0.50 and VO2max < or = 10, 10 < VO2max < or = 20, and VO2max > 20 ml.kg(-1).min(-1), respectively. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients (29.8%) were in NYHA functional class II, 41 (39.4%) in functional class III, and 32 (30.8%) in functional class IV. The corresponding values of VO2max and LVEF for functional classes II, III, and IV were 21.5+/-4.0 ml.kg(-1).min(-1), 18.3+/-5.8 ml.kg(-1).min(-1), and 14.7+/-4.9 ml.kg(-1).min(-1) and 0.50+/-0.6, 0.35+/- 0.9, and 0.29+/-0.7, respectively. LVEF = < or = 0.30 and VO2max = < or = 10 ml.kg(-1).min(-1) were found in the majority of patients in NYHA functional class IV. Conversely, patients in functional class II were mostly those with LVEF > 0.50 as well as VO2max > 20 ml.kg(-1).min(-1). CONCLUSION: A convincingly good association exists between NYHA functional class, functional capacity and LVEF in patients with Chagas' disease cardiomyopathy. These data may be helpful in the management of heart failure in Chagas' disease patients.

Adolescent↗

[Acute renal failure after intravenous use of immunoglobulin to treat myocarditis].

The patient is a 60-year-old female with functional class III/IV (NYHA) heart failure of an immunomediated etiology (autoimmune myocarditis). After unsuccessful therapeutic attempts, intravenous immunoglobulin was used, leading to deterioration in renal function, a rare complication of that therapy. After hemodialysis, the patient's renal function was restored, and the chronic heart failure improved to functional class I.

Acute Kidney Injury↗

Relationships among exercise capacity, hypertrophy, and left ventricular diastolic function in nonobstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

AIM: The aim of this study was to analyze the relationships among exercise capacity (EC), hypertrophy, and diastolic function in nonobstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (NOHCM). METHODS AND RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients with NOHCM were studied. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) was determined by appropriate echocardiographic indexes. For diastolic function evaluation, the following were measured: the early (E) and late (A) waves, E/A, and deceleration time of E of the mitral flow; the systolic (S), diastolic (D), and atrial reversal (AR) waves, S/D, and the atrial systolic filling fraction of the pulmonary vein flow; and the early (Ea), late (Aa) waves, Ea/Aa, and E/Ea by tissue Doppler imaging. The difference between the duration of AR and A waves (DurAR - DurA), the peak VO2, and anaerobic threshold (AT) were also determined. In these patients, the E/Ea ratio was 8.9 +/- 3.2 and DurAR - DurA was 22.6 +/- 32.6 milliseconds. The peak VO2 and AT correlated with D (r = 0.55, P = .003 and .51, P = .007, respectively) and Ea/Aa (r = 0.56, P = .007 and .45, P = .03, respectively). There was no correlation between EC and LVH. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with NOHCM demonstrated evidences of elevated left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic pressure with normal filling pressure. EC compromise may be attributed to relaxation changes with inadequate filling of the left ventricle.

Adolescent↗

Benign outcome in a long-term follow-up of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Selected patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) have 3% to 4% annual mortality as compared to only 0.5% to 1.5% in nonselected patients. Our aim was to evaluate survival and prognostic factors in HCM in patients in a tertiary care center. METHODS: From 1980 to 1997, 214 patients were prospectively studied, with a mean follow-up of 7 years (range 1-25 years); there were 102 male and 112 female patients, aged 37 +/- 16 years (range 3-76 years). All patients had 12-lead electrocardiogram, 24-hour Holter monitor, and surface echocardiography. Univariate analysis was performed for known adverse factors such as young age, family history, syncope, functional class, atrial fibrillation, ventricular hypertrophy, left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, and nonsustained ventricular tachycardia. RESULTS: There were 22 deaths (10%), 15 directly related to HCM (sudden in 11). The cumulative survival rates were 94.5% at 5 years, 91% at 10 years, and 87.9% at 15 years. The annual mortality rate was 1%. Only New York Heart Association functional class III/IV and maximal ventricular wall thickness >30 mm were associated with HCM-related cardiac death. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that even a referred population of HCM patients may have a relatively benign outcome. Prognosis is related to advanced functional class and degree of left ventricular hypertrophy.

Adolescent↗

Plasma amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide quantification in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: Plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a sensitive functional marker in heart disease including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The utility of plasma amino-terminal pro-BNP (NT-proBNP) quantification in heart disease has been investigated, but there are no published data regarding this test in HCM. METHODS: Plasma NT-proBNP was assessed in 71 patients with HCM and in 40 healthy subjects. Symptomatic status was assessed according to the New York Heart Association classification. M-mode and Doppler echocardiographic data were obtained in all patients and healthy subjects to study their correlations and comparisons (Spearman and Mann-Whitney tests). RESULTS: Median NT-proBNP was 848 pg/mL in patients and 28 pg/mL in the control group (P < .0001). Patients in New York Heart Association functional class I/II had a median NT-proBNP of 669 pg/mL as compared with 3357 pg/mL for patients in class III/IV (P < .0001). Amino-terminal pro-BNP levels correlated positively with left atrial diameter (r = 0.40, P = .0005), septal thickness (r = 0.35, P = .002), and mitral flow velocity/mitral annulus velocity (E/Ea) ratio (r = 0.42, P < .0001). There was a weak correlation with obstruction (r = 0.23, P = .05), and a significant difference in the medians was observed between obstructive (1651 pg/mL) and nonobstructive (669 pg/mL) HCM groups (P = .01). Patients with Doppler E/Ea ratios > or = 10 had higher NT-proBNP levels than patients with E/Ea < 10 (P < .0001). Multivariate analysis showed that NT-proBNP correlated independently with left atrial diameter (P < .01), hypertrophy (P < .01), and E/Ea (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: In HCM, plasma NT-proBNP levels are elevated and correlate positively with symptoms of heart failure, hypertrophy severity, and Doppler echocardiographic signs of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. Further studies are necessary to assess the usefulness of the test in clinical practice and its role as a prognostic marker.

Adult↗

Visualization of coronary arteries using intravenous contrast agent and real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography in a patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography is a recently developed imaging technique that provides unique information on spatial geometry in real time. We described an asymptomatic patient with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy for whom 3-dimensional echocardiography was performed after intravenous injection of perfluorocarbon-filled microbubbles. It resulted in enhancement of the left ventricular endocardial border delineation and myocardial perfusion in the hypertrophic septum. A clear visualization of the entire course of the left anterior descending coronary artery and its septal perforator branches was obtained. This case illustrates the potential of real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography to improve the anatomic evaluation of coronary arteries, especially when combined with contrast agents.

Adult↗

Recovery of systolic and diastolic function after ablation of incessant supraventricular tachycardia.

We report a case of a 26-year-old woman who presented to our hospital with arrhythmia and heart failure. She had an incessant supraventricular tachycardia, which was not reversible with electrical cardioversion. Echocardiogram showed a severe LV systolic and diastolic dysfunction. After radiofrequency catheter ablation, LV function returned to normal. This article is intended to show a case with tachycardiomyopathy, which is considered the most frequently unrecognized curable cause of heart failure, and to demonstrate that early treatment allows the recovery to a normal LV systolic and diastolic function, preventing irreversible structural cardiac damage. It is very likely that some patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy and chronic atrial fibrillation or other chronic arrhythmia actually have a curable tachycardiomyopathy.

Adult↗

Reference values from M-mode and Doppler echocardiography for normal Syrian hamsters.

AIMS: Echocardiography has recently been introduced to small animal research, allowing serial measurements of cardiac diseases. In addition, the hamster model has been increasingly used, as it mimics many human heart conditions. However, no reference range of echocardiographic values reflecting normal left ventricular (LV) function exists for hamsters. The purpose of this study was to provide one. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study group consisted of 118 10-week-old, female, Syrian golden hamsters, which underwent high-resolution echocardiography. LV mass was calculated using the corrected cube formula, and LV systolic and diastolic function were assessed by fractional shortening and mitral inflow pulsed-wave Doppler, respectively. The myocardial performance index (MPI) measured the time spent in isovolumic activity and reflected both systolic and diastolic function. The mean+/-SD LV mass, fractional shortening, and MPI were 0.19+/-0.04 g, 44.7+/-6.6%, and 0.39+/-0.1, respectively. E and A waves were differentiated in 52% of all animals. Logistic regression adjusted with a cutoff of 378 bpm revealed that the risk of E/A wave fusion was 35 times greater (95% CI: 12.6; 98.4) in animals with a heart rate >378 bpm. CONCLUSION: This study documents echocardiographic characteristics in normal Syrian hamsters, which can be used as control values for future studies.

Animals↗

Assessment of the ventricular function of patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by using magnetic resonance imaging.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the mechanisms that may be involved in the evolution of right and left ventricular dysfunction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: Magnetic resonance imaging was used in 11 control patients (group C) and 27 patients with COPD, who were divided into 2 groups, COPDc and COPDs, according to the presence or absence of right ventricular dysfunction, respectively. Doppler echocardiography was used for assessing the degree of pulmonary hypertension. RESULTS: The right ventricular diameter was similar in the 3 groups, COPDs, COPDc and C (29+/-8 mm; 31+/-7 mm; and 30+/-6 mm; respectively, P=NS). Right ventricular hypertrophy was observed only in the COPD groups (8+/-2 mm and 9+/-3 mm vs 5+/-1 mm; P<0.01). The percentage of systolic right ventricular lateral wall thickening (%RVLWT) in the 3 groups were as follows: 86+/-82% vs 41+/-35% vs 86+/-89%; P=NS). Different left ventricular ejection fractions were observed in the groups as follows: 69+/-9% vs 55+/-16% vs 76+/-6%; P < 0.01. A positive and significant linear correlation was observed between the left ventricular (LV) diastolic diameter and the LV systolic volume (r = 0.72; P < 0.01). No correlation was observed between the pulmonary volumes, arterial blood gas analysis, and ventricular function. CONCLUSION: No correlation was observed between the severity of pulmonary function and the degree of ventricular function impairment. Whether a preserved %RVLWT means the possibility of reversibility of right ventricular function remains to be elucidated. However, the presence of the phenomenon of ventricular interdependence was confirmed.

Aged↗

[Left atrial myxoma: three-dimensional echocardiographic assessment].

The patient was a 70-year-old female with antecedents of diabetes mellitus and hypertension, being followed up in the outpatient care clinic due to chronic anemia after corrective surgery for angiodysplasia of the proximal jejunum, in whom an image suggestive of left atrial myxoma was found on routine transthoracic echocardiography. Then multiplanar transesophageal echocardiography and 3-dimensional echocardiography were performed, showing the latter better anatomical details of the tumor. The patient underwent exeresis of the mass with anatomicopathological confirmation of the tumor. Three-dimensional echocardiography proved to be a technique that can provide additional contributions to the diagnostic investigation of structural heart diseases.

Aged↗