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Introduction: Hyperglycemia and insulin resistance are commonplace in critical illness, especially in patients with sepsis. Recently, several hormones secreted by adipose tissue have been determined to be involved in overall insulin sensitivity in metabolic syndrome-related conditions, including adipocyte fatty-acid binding protein (AFABP). However, little is known about their roles in critical illness. On the other hand, there is evidence that several adipose tissue gene expressions change in critically ill patients. Methods: A total of 120 patients (72 with sepsis, 48 without sepsis) were studied prospectively on admission to a medical ICU and compared with 45 healthy volunteers as controls. Various laboratory parameters and metabolic and inflammatory profiles were assessed within 48 hours after admission. Clinical data were collected from medical records. Results: Compared with healthy controls, serum A-FABP concentrations were higher in all critically ill patients, and there was a trend of higher A-FABP in patients with sepsis. In multivariate correlation analysis in all critically ill patients, the serum A-FABP concentrations were independently related to serum creatinine, fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, TNF-alpha, albumin, and the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II scores. In survival analysis, higher A-FABP levels (> 40 ng/ml) were associated with an unfavorable overall survival outcome, especially in sepsis patients. Conclusions: Critically ill patients have higher serum A-FABP concentrations. Moreover, A-FABP may potentially serve as a prognostic biomarker in critically ill patients with sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Heart failure (HF) had been reported with increased risk of hip fractures. However, the relationship between circulating biomarkers and bone mineral density (BMD) in chronic HF remained unclear. Methods: This is a cross- sectional study which recruited stable chronic HF from registry of the Heart Failure Center of National Taiwan University Hospital. Patients underwent dual- energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) measurements at hip and lumbar spines and biochemical assessments including B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP-32), myostatin, follistatin and osteoprotegerin (OPG). Results: A total of 115 stable chronic HF individuals with left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) <45% (74% of male, mean age at 59) were recruited with 24 patients in NYHA class I, 73 patients in NYHA class II and 18 patients in NYHA class III. Results of BMD showed that Z scores of hip in NYHA III group (20.12±1.15) was significantly lower than who were NYHA II (0.58±1.04). Serum OPG was significantly higher in subjects of NYHA III (9.3±4.6 pmol/l) than NYHA II (7.4±2.8 pmol/l) or NYHA I (6.8±3.6 pmol/l) groups. There's a significant negative association between log transformed serum OPG and trochanteric BMD (R = 20.299, P = 0.001), which remained significant after multivariate analysis. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated an inverse association between serum OPG and trochanteric BMD in patients with HF. OPG may be a predictor of BMD and an alternative to DEXA for identifying at risk HF patients for osteoporosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cardiac extra-cellular matrix (ECM) fibrosis plays an important role in the pathophysiology of heart failure (HF). It may provide electrical heterogeneity and a substrate for arrhythmogenicity, which may cause sudden cardiac death (SCD). Methods: Twenty-one patients with manifestations of HF and a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤50% were enrolled. The median age was 62 years and median LVEF was 33%. Time- and frequency-domain analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) on 24 h ambulatory electrocardiography recording was assessed. Serum markers of ECM turnover including type I and III aminoterminal propeptide of procollagen (PINP and PIIINP), matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 (MMP-2 and MMP-9), and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) were analyzed. Results: The serum PIIINP concentration was correlated significantly with standard deviation of all normal to normal R-R intervals (SDNN) (r=-0.722, p=<0.001), percentage of adjacent NN interval differences >50 ms (pNN50) (r=-0.528, p=0.014), percentage of adjacent NN interval differences >20 ms (pNN20) (r=-0.545, p=0.002), very low frequency (VLF) (r=-0.490, p=0.024), low frequency (LF) (r=-0.491, p=0.024), and high frequency (HF) (r=-0.513, p=0.018). PINP, MMP-2, -9, TIMP-1 were not correlated with time- and frequency-domain analysis of HRV. Conclusions: PIIINP was significantly correlated with time- and frequency-domain analysis of HRV in HF patients. PIIINP is a potential serological marker to evaluate cardiac autonomic control and risk of SCD in HF patients. Clin Chem Lab Med 2010;48:1821-7. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aims of this study were to clarify the influence of cardiac diastolic and peripheral vascular function on the exercise capacity of patients with coronary bypass surgery (CABG) and diabetes mellitus (DM) by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and flow-mediated vasodilatation (FMD), and to investigate interrelations between exercise capacity and LV diastolic function, endothelial function and biochemical parameters. Methods: We analyzed the exercise capacity, TDI at the mitral annulus and FMD in 51 uncomplicated first-time CABG survivors (23 DM) at an average interval of 21.6 ± 12.2 months after surgery. Results: Diabetics had lower E’, A’, VO2peak, (a-v)O2 difference, and higher E/E’ ratios (p < 0.05) than non-DM patients, but not FMD (p = 0.17). The A and E/E’ ratios correlated negatively with VO2peak after age adjustment (r = –0.336, p = 0.024). In addition, HbA1c, and triglyceride also correlated negatively with VO2peak (r = –0.377, –0.307, respectively, p < 0.05). Conclusions: Diabetics after CABG had more advanced diastolic dysfunction and oxygen extraction impairment than non-DM. It suggests these factors could contribute to lower exercise capacity, risk of developing heart failure despite preserved systolic function and poorer long-term survival of diabetic patients after CABG. Copyright © 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Questions: Does home-based exercise improve exercise capacity and quality of life in people with chronic heart failure? Is it safe? Design: Systematic review with meta-analysis. Participants: Adults with heart failure > 3 months duration. Intervention: Home-based aerobic exercise with or without resistance exercise. Outcome measures: Exercise capacity (measured at the impairment level by peak VO2 and at the activity level by 6-min Walk Test), quality of life (measured by disease-specific scales), and adverse events (measured as death, hospitalisation). Results: 10 randomised controlled trials with 648 participants of New York Heart Association Class II or III were included. Most participants were male ≥ 50 years old with an ejection fraction ≤ 40%. The exercise programs ranged from 6 weeks to 9 months at low to moderate intensity (40-70% of maximum heart rate or heart rate at 70% peak VO2). Home-based exercise increased 6-min walking distance by 41 m (WMD, 95% CI 19 to 63) and peak VO2 by 2.71 ml/kg/min (WMD, 95% CI 0.67 to 4.74) more than usual activity. It did not improve scores on the Minnesota Heart Failure Questionnaire (WMD 0.5 points out of 105, 95% CI-4.4 to 5.4) or increase the odds of hospitalisation (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.19 to 2.92) more than usual activity. Conclusions: Home-based exercise increased exercise capacity safely but did not improve quality of life in patients with chronic heart failure. It could therefore be used to improve the management of people with chronic heart failure who do not have access to hospital-based exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background  The aim of this study was to assess the value of contrast-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) in viability for patients with coronary artery disease and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction (ejection fraction [EF] ≤50%), comparing to gated thallium-201 (201Tl) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET). Methods and Results  One hundred sixteen patients (EF 37.8 � 16.2%) underwent stress-reinjection or rest-redistribution gated-SPECT and CMR (46 FDG-PET) within 1 month. All images were analyzed in a 17-segment and 0–4 scales system. Of 1972 segments, delayed enhancement (DE) on CMR correlated well with 201Tl reduction (r = 0.90, p 201Tl activity) and CMR (≤50% DE) was 96.8% (κ = 0.62). CMR detected more subendocardial scars in 18 subjects (60 segments). Reduced 201Tl activity but none DE were observed in 19 subjects (76 segments; more inferior) who had lower EF and larger end-systolic volume (p  Conclusion  The extent of DE correlated 201Tl activity well. CMR could detect more small infarcts, while FDG-PET could detect more viability. CMR could distinguish between artifacts or infarction on SPECT, especially in poor LV function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose : To test the feasibility of first-pass contrast-enhanced myocardial perfusion imaging at 3 Tesla and to evaluate the change in perfusion index between normal, remote and ischemic myocardium, we obtained perfusion index from healthy subjects and patients with coronary artery stenosis. Materials and Methods : First-pass contrast-enhanced perfusion imaging was performed on 12 patients and 32 age-matched healthy subjects in both rest and dipyridamole-induced stress states. After bolus injection of contrast agent, Gd-DTPA with dose of 0.025 mmol/kg body weight and injection time of 1.5 s, three short-axis images from apex to base of the left ventricle (LV) were acquired for 80 cardiac cycles using saturation recovery turbo FLASH sequence. The maximal upslope (Upslope) was derived from the signal-time curves of the LV cavity and myocardium to measure myocardial perfusion. Within 72 hours after cardiovascular magnetic resonance examination, patients received coronary angiography, and the results were correlated with cardiovascular magnetic resonance results. Results : Using our protocol of contrast agent administration, sufficient perfusion contrast was obtained without susceptibility-induced signal drop-out at the interface between LV cavity and the myocardium. In healthy volunteers, Upslope showed no dependence on myocardial segments or coronary territories. Upslope increased significantly from rest to stress in normal myocardium (0.09 ± 0.03 vs. 0.16 ± 0.05, p < 0.001) and remote myocardium (0.09 ± 0.03 vs. 0.13 ± 0.03, p < 0.001), whereas in ischemic myocardium the change was insignificant (0.11 ± 0.03 vs. 0.10 ± 0.04, p = ns). This resulted in significant difference in the ratio of Upslope at stress to that at rest, representing myocardial perfusion reserve, between ischemic and non-ischemic myocardium (0.96 ± 0.41 vs. 1.71 ± 0.42, p < 0.001 for ischemic vs. normal myocardium; 0.96 ± 0.41 vs. 1.59 ± 0.40, p < 0.001 for ischemic vs. remote myocardium). Conclusions : First-pass gadolinium-enhanced myocardial perfusion imaging at 3 Tesla is feasible. The Upslope ratio can differentiate ischemic from non-ischemic myocardium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) is a recently approved treatment modality for patients with angina and heart failure. However, the efficacy of EECP on left ventricular (LV) function has not been well established.The study was aimed to determine whether EECP leads to an improvement in objective parameters of LV function. Patients with coronary artery disease (n = 10) who showed evidence of stress-induced myocardial ischemia despite conventional medical or surgical therapies were enrolled and received EECP therapy for a total of 35 h. The therapeutic effects of EECP were examined by thallium-201 single-photon emission computed tomography (201Tl-SPECT). Compared with baseline, the lung/heart ratio at stress decreased significantly from 0.40 ± 0.08 to 0.35 ± 0.08 (p= 0.001) at 1 month and 0.33 ± 0.10 (p = 0.03) at 6 months following EECP treatment. LV ejection fraction marginally improved from 56.7 ± 7.7% to 57.6 ± 5.9% (p = 0.382) at 1 month and to 60.1 ± 8.6% (p = 0.062) at 6 months after EECP therapy, although not statistically significant. We concluded that EECP improved LV function, shown as the reduction of lung/heart ratio at stress, in patients with coronary artery disease, up to 6 months after EECP treatment. Copyright © 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of the study was to investigate the value of longitudinal follow-up of dobutamine thallium-201 single photon emission tomography (201Tl SPECT) in the development of significant cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) after orthotopic heart transplantation. Methods: We studied 38 cardiac recipients (mean age 57 ± 12 years) who underwent at least two follow-up dobutamine 201Tl SPECT since January 1998. All patients had normal coronary angiography and normal left ventricular function initially. Results: After 2.3 ± 1.8 years, 12 patients developed significant CAV and there were 4 cardiac deaths (1 died suddenly). Of the 99 scans retrospectively analyzed, patients with significant CAV had elevated values of inhomogeneity score, lung/heart ratio (LHR) at stress and lower left ventricular ejection fraction (all p < 0.05). The higher values of inhomogeneity were significantly correlated with higher stress LHR (r = 0.301, p = 0.021), and lower ejection fraction (r = –0.379, p < 0.001). Progressive inhomogeneity was noted in all heart recipients, and more rapid, although statistically insignificant, in patients who developed significant CAV. Ten patients had inadequate chronotropic response to dobutamine infusion up to 40 μg/kg/min in the follow-up studies. The late onset of chronotropic incompetence was an independent predictor of CAV development (p = 0.03). Conclusions: Progressive inhomogeneity of myocardial perfusion, higher lung uptake at stress and chronotropic incompetence assessed by dobutamine 201Tl myocardial SPECT provide incremental diagnostic value in detecting significant CAV. Copyright © 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We intended to analyse the associations between blood glucose (BG) level and clinical outcomes of in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA). Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study in a single medical centre and evaluated patients who experienced IHCA between 2006 and 2014. We used multivariable logistic regression analysis to study associations between independent variables and outcomes. We calculated the mean BG level for each patient by averaging the maximum and minimum BG levels in the first 24 h after arrest, and we used mean BG level for our final analysis. Results: We included a total of 402 patients. Of these, 157 patients (39.1 %) had diabetes mellitus (DM). The average mean BG level was 209.9 mg/dL (11.7 mmol/L). For DM patients, a mean BG level between 183 and 307 mg/dL (10.2-17.1 mmol/L) was significantly associated with favourable neurological outcome (odds ratio [OR] 2.71, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.18-6.20; p value = 0.02); a mean BG level between 147 and 317 mg/dL (8.2-17.6 mmol/L) was significantly associated with survival to hospital discharge (OR 2.38, 95 % CI 1.26-4.53; p value = 0.008). For non-DM patients, a mean BG level between 143 and 268 mg/dL (7.9-14.9 mmol/L) was significantly associated with survival to hospital discharge (OR 2.93, 95 % CI 1.62-5.40; p value < 0.001). Conclusions: Mean BG level in the first 24 h after cardiac arrest was associated with neurological outcome for IHCA patients with DM. For neurological and survival outcomes, the optimal BG range may be higher for patients with DM than for patients without DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate whether home or ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring was associated with preclinical hypertensive cardiovascular target organ damage (TOD)., Methods: We enrolled participants with prehypertension and stage 1 hypertension from 11 medical centers within the Taiwan hypertension-associated cardiac disease consortium. Recordings of clinical BP measurement, ambulatory BP monitoring for 24 hours, and home BP monitoring during morning and evening were made. The measured parameters of target organ damage included left ventricular mass index (LVMI), left atrial volume index (LAVI), and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV)., Results: Data were collected from 561 study participants (mean age, 65.0 ± 10.8 years; men, 61.3%). Morning and evening home BP values were slightly higher than the daytime and nighttime ABP values (difference for systolic morning-daytime/evening-nighttime, 7.3 ± 14.2/11.3 ± 18.5 mm Hg, P < .001; for diastolic, 5.4 ± 9.4/7.3 ± 12.1, P < .001). Daytime ambulatory (r = 0.114), nighttime ambulatory (r = 0.130), morning home (r = 0.310), and evening home (r = 0.220) systolic BPs (SBPs) were all associated with LVMI (all P < .05). The correlation coefficient was significantly greater for the relationship between daytime home SBP and LVMI than for the relationship between ambulatory SBP and LVMI (P < .01). The goodness of fit of the association between SBP and LVMI improved by adding home daytime SBP to the other SBPs (P < .001). Similar findings were observed for LAVI, but not for PWV., Conclusion: These findings indicate that morning SBP assessed by home monitoring appears to be a better predictor than other BP measures to determine preclinical hypertensive cardiovascular damage in patients with early-stage hypertension.