Prognostic Value of Cardiovascular MRI in Asymptomatic Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Aortic Regurgitation: A Network Meta-Analysis.

Purpose To determine the prognostic significance of cardiac MRI parameters in patients with moderate-to-severe aortic regurgitation (AR) and minimal or no symptoms through a network meta-analysis. Materials and Methods This systematic review and network meta-analysis searched in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases for articles published from January 1, 2000, to March 1, 2024, investigating the prognostic value of cardiac MRI parameters in patients with moderate-to-severe AR. The composite outcome included all-cause death, heart failure hospitalization, aortic valve replacement, new-onset heart failure symptoms, New York Heart Association class progression, and left ventricular ejection fraction less than 50%.

Preparation of Ru-Based Systems Through Metal Carbonyl Cluster Decomposition for the Base-Free 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) Oxidation.

Metal carbonyl clusters, which can be seen as monodispersed and atomically defined nanoparticles stabilized by CO ligands, were used to prepare Ru-based catalysts with tuned basic properties to conduct the 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) aerobic oxidation to produce 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) in base-free conditions. The controlled decomposition of the carbonyl cluster [HRu(CO)], a methodology not yet applied to Ru catalysts for this reaction, on different supports focusing on controlling and tuning the basic properties of support allowed the formation of small Ru nanoparticles with a mean diameter of around 1 nm. The catalytic systems obtained resulted in more activity in the HMF oxidation than those prepared through a more common salt-impregnation technique, and the deposition of Ru nanoparticles on materials with basic functionalities has allowed avoiding the use of basic solutions in the reaction.

Current trends and challenges in the clinical use of cardiovascular magnetic resonance: a survey from the Italian Society of Cardiology.

Aims: Challenges related to the use of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) remain a key issue to secure its full clinical impact. This survey aimed to assess the awareness of CMR clinical utility and to collect data on its local usage levels, operational barriers, and report efficacy, with the goal of identifying key obstacles to its effective implementation across Italy.

Methods And Results: The CMR Working Group of the Italian Society of Cardiology promoted an online survey targeting Italian physicians involved in direct care of patients with cardiovascular disease.

Benefits of combined hind-foot alignment and medial arch reconstruction surgery in children with flexible flatfoot: a case-series analysis.

Introduction: Although surgical alignment of the rear-foot might be sufficient to achieve acceptable correction of pronation-distortion deformity, concomitant correction of the medial arch might improve functional results.

Methods: We present our experience with combined hind-foot alignment and medial arch reconstruction by in-situ naviculocuneiform arthrodesis for treatment of flexible flatfoot in children. We retrospectively evaluated clinical data available from pediatric (< 18 years old) patients treated for flexible flatfoot in our department.

Minimally Invasive Lapidus Arthrodesis Associated with Distal Osteotomy of M1: A Combined Procedure for Hallux Valgus Correction.

: Hallux valgus is a common painful condition with tri-planar deformity of the first ray. Surgical correction consists of distal osteotomy of the first metatarsal and its lateral translation. However, in the case of hypermobility of the first cuneo-metatarsal joint (TMTJ), the associated Lapidus procedure is indicated to correct deformities along all three anatomical planes.

Cardiac MRI study of adverse events in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: a prospective cohort study of cardiac adverse events.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) revolutionized cancer therapy, yet require management of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Fulminant myocarditis is a rare irAE, but lower-severity cardiac events are being reported more frequently, leading to an unmet need for irAE prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment, especially for long-life-expectancy patients. We recruited 57 patients, stratified according to therapy regime (monotherapy (30%) or combination (33%) cohort) or history of cardiac disease or presence of at least two cardiovascular risk factors other than prior or active smoking (cardiovascular cohort (37%)).

Imaging predictors of adverse prognosis in Fabry disease cardiomyopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Cardiac involvement represents the main cause of death in patients with Fabry disease (FD). Echocardiography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) have an established diagnostic role, but their prognostic value remains unresolved. This systematic review and meta-analysis sought to assess the prognostic implications of imaging parameters in FD.

Immunosuppressive therapy to treat newly diagnosed primary heart involvement in patients with systemic sclerosis: An Italian cardiac magnetic resonance based study.

Background: Primary heart involvement (pHI) is frequent in systemic sclerosis (SSc), and is associated with a poor prognosis. Therapeutic strategies to treat SSc-pHI are not yet defined.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of immunosuppressive therapy on cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) features in patients with CMR-proven SSc-pHI.

Retrospective evaluation of the efficacy of ultrasound-guided intra-articular hyaluronic-acid-based injections (Hyalubrix) in patients with glenohumeral osteoarthritis.

Objective: Intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid (HA) have been reported to alleviate pain, reduce disability, and improve joint function in glenohumeral osteoarthritis (GH-OA). This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a HA-based formulation (Hyalubrix®) in reducing the pain of patients with GH-OA and improving both patient's shoulder functions and quality of life (QoL).

Methods: Data collected during the standard clinical practice of the center was retrospectively analyzed.

Leveraging Deep Learning for Time-Series Extrinsic Regression in Predicting the Photometric Metallicity of Fundamental-Mode RR Lyrae Stars.

Astronomy is entering an unprecedented era of big-data science, driven by missions like the ESA's Gaia telescope, which aims to map the Milky Way in three dimensions. Gaia's vast dataset presents a monumental challenge for traditional analysis methods. The sheer scale of this data exceeds the capabilities of manual exploration, necessitating the utilization of advanced computational techniques.

Intramural Hematoma and Acute Pulmonary Embolism Following Pacemaker Implantation: A Case Report.

Bleeding complications after pacemaker implantation pose risks, including infection and prolonged hospital stay. A case involving aortic intramural hematoma (IMH) arising from subclavian vein access during implantation and concomitant acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is presented. In the present case, IMH probably resulted from subclavian artery vasa vasorum trauma during vein puncture and guidewire advancement, leading to IMH and hemothorax.

Prognostic value of right ventricular involvement in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Right ventricular (RV) involvement has been reported in one out of three patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), however its prognostic significance remains unknown. We aimed to assess the prognostic value of RV involvement in patients with HCM through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: A literature search was performed on PubMed, ClinicalTrials.

Mitral annulus disjunction in consecutive patients undergoing cardiovascular magnetic resonance: Where is the boundary between normality and disease?

Background: The presence of mitral annulus disjunction (MAD) has been considered a high-risk feature for sudden cardiac death based on selected study populations. We aimed to assess the prevalence of MAD in consecutive patients undergoing clinically indicated cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), its association with ventricular arrhythmias, mitral valve prolapse (MVP), and other CMR features.

Methods: This single-center retrospective study included consecutive patients referred to CMR at our institution between June 2021 and November 2021.

CT imaging post-TAVI: Murphy's first law in action-preparing to recognize the unexpected.

Transfemoral aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been long considered the standard of therapy for high-risk patients with severe aortic-stenosis and is now effectively employed in place of surgical aortic valve replacement also in intermediate-risk patients. The potential lasting consequences of minor complications, which might have limited impact on elderly patients, could be more noteworthy in the longer term when occurring in younger individuals. That's why a greater focus on early diagnosis, correct management, and prevention of post-procedural complications is key to achieve satisfactory results.

Arrhythmic Mitral Valve Prolapse Phenotype: An Unsupervised Machine Learning Analysis Using a Multicenter Cardiac MRI Registry.

Purpose To use unsupervised machine learning to identify phenotypic clusters with increased risk of arrhythmic mitral valve prolapse (MVP). Materials and Methods This retrospective study included patients with MVP without hemodynamically significant mitral regurgitation or left ventricular (LV) dysfunction undergoing late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiac MRI between October 2007 and June 2020 in 15 European tertiary centers. The study end point was a composite of sustained ventricular tachycardia, (aborted) sudden cardiac death, or unexplained syncope.

Cardiac Masses and Pseudomasses: An Overview about Diagnostic Imaging and Clinical Background.

A cardiac lesion detected at ultrasonography might turn out to be a normal structure, a benign tumor or rarely a malignancy, and lesion characterization is very important to appropriately manage the lesion itself. The exact relationship of the mass with coronary arteries and the knowledge of possible concomitant coronary artery disease are necessary preoperative information. Moreover, the increasingly performed coronary CT angiography to evaluate non-invasively coronary artery disease leads to a rising number of incidental findings.

Fabry Disease: More than a Phenocopy of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Fabry disease (FD) is a genetic lysosomal storage disease with frequent cardiovascular involvement, whose presence is a major determinant of adverse clinical outcomes. As a potentially treatable cause of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, the early recognition of FD is crucial to initiate enzyme replacement therapy and improve long-term prognosis. Multimodality imaging plays a central role in the evaluation of patients with FD and helps in the differential diagnosis of other conditions presenting with LVH.