CHENYANG CHEN^1,*, JUAN WEN¹, WEI HUANG¹, JIANG LI^2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.11, pp. 2423-2433, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.044459

Abstract Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a chronic and progressive disease that is strongly associated with dysregulation of glucose metabolism. Alterations in nuclear receptor subfamily 4 group A member 1 (NR4A1) activity alter the outcome of PAH. This study aimed to investigate the effects of NR4A1 on glycolysis in PAH and its underlying mechanisms. Methods: This study included twenty healthy volunteers and twenty-three PAH patients, and plasma samples were collected from the participants. To mimic the conditions of PAH in vitro, a hypoxia-induced model of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell (PASMC) model was established. The proliferation of PASMCs was assessed… More > Graphic Abstract

Shota Kawai¹, Takashi Kido^1,*, Yuta Teguri¹, Koji Miwa¹, Tomomitsu Kanaya¹, Yoichiro Ishii², Hisaaki Aoki², Futoshi Kayatani², Sanae Tsumura¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.18, No.4, pp. 399-411, 2023, DOI:10.32604/chd.2023.042243

Abstract Objectives: We sought to determine the long-term outcomes and mortality-associated factors after systemic-to-pulmonary artery shunt (SPS) in patients with heterotaxy syndrome. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all patients with a functional single ventricle and heterotaxy syndrome who underwent SPS at our center from January 2001 to April 2022. Results: This study involved 84 patients. Restrictive pulmonary blood flow requiring early modulation was presented in 34 (40%) patients. Compared with patients without restrictive pulmonary blood flow (N = 50 [60%]), the postnatal survival of these 34 patients was significantly lower at 10 years (log rank: p = 0.04), but the statistical significance… More >

Sameh Abd El-Ghany^1,2, A. A. Abd El-Aziz^1,3,*

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.75, No.2, pp. 4633-4648, 2023, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2023.035779

Abstract Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the most authentic cardiovascular afflictions because it is an uncommonly overwhelming heart issue. The breakdown of coronary cardiovascular disease is one of the principal sources of death all over the world. Cardiovascular deterioration is a challenge, especially in youthful and rural countries where there is an absence of human-trained professionals. Since heart diseases happen without apparent signs, high-level detection is desirable. This paper proposed a robust and tuned random forest model using the randomized grid search technique to predict CAD. The proposed framework increases the ability of CAD predictions by tracking down risk… More >

Kristina Krzelj^1,#,*, Irena Ivanac Vranesic^2,#, Kristina Maric Besic², Zeljko Duric¹, Darko Anic¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.18, No.2, pp. 207-212, 2023, DOI:10.32604/chd.2023.027453

Abstract Main pulmonary artery aneurysms are rare, mostly asymptomatic and discovered accidentally. The main pulmonary artery aneurysms may be idiopathic or secondary to underlying diseases such as pulmonary hypertension, Behcet’s disease, connective tissue disorders, congenital heart disease, vasculitis, syphilis, tuberculosis and endocarditis. There are some indices that dextrocardia is associated with anomalies of the pulmonary arteries and pulmonary valve. A rare occurrence of main pulmonary artery aneurysms results in a lack of recommendations, so the remaining challenges are whether main pulmonary artery aneurysms should be treated, how, and when. The decision on surgical intervention or conservative treatment of the main pulmonary… More > Graphic Abstract

Andrei George Iosifescu^1,2,*, Roxana Enache^1,3, Ioana Marinică⁴, Corina Radu², Vlad Anton Iliescu^1,2

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.18, No.1, pp. 67-72, 2023, DOI:10.32604/chd.2023.026598

Abstract Left main coronary compression syndrome (LMCS) may complicate pulmonary artery aneurysms (PAA), usually developed in the context of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We report the case of a 51-year-old female patient with an atrial septal defect (unsuitable for device closure) complicated by a PAA generating a 90% left main stenosis. The significant PAH held us back from immediate surgery. After specific dual PAH-targeted therapy (sildenafil and bosentan), the atrial septal defect could be closed with a unidirectional valved patch; the PAA-induced LMCS was treated by reductive arterioplasty. The postoperative course was uneventful. Follow-up showed clinical improvement, but PAH treatment was… More > Graphic Abstract

Jinlong Liu^1,2,#, Jing Shi^3,#, Weiru Luo¹, Zhirong Tong^1,2, Lefei Yang³, Peixuan Sun³, Tianyi Li³, Jun Du^3,*, Qian Wang^3,*

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.18, No.1, pp. 41-55, 2023, DOI:10.32604/chd.2023.025005

Abstract Background: The assessment of renal function is important to the prognosis of patients needing Fontan palliation due to the reconstructed compromised circulation. To know the relationship between the kidney perfusion and hemodynamic characteristics during surgical design could reduce the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) and the postoperative complications. However, the issue is still unsolved because the current clinical evaluation methods are unable to predict the hemodynamic changes in renal artery (RA). Methods: We reconstructed a three-dimensional (3D) vascular model of a patient requiring Fontan palliation. The technique of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was utilized to explore the changes of… More > Graphic Abstract

Sanjiban Sekhar Roy¹, Ching-Hsien Hsu^2,3,4,*, Akash Samaran¹, Ranjan Goyal¹, Arindam Pande⁵, Valentina E. Balas⁶

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.136, No.1, pp. 241-255, 2023, DOI:10.32604/cmes.2023.019644

Abstract Coronary artery disease (CAD) has become a significant cause of heart attack, especially among those 40 years old or younger. There is a need to develop new technologies and methods to deal with this disease. Many researchers have proposed image processing-based solutions for CAD diagnosis, but achieving highly accurate results for angiogram segmentation is still a challenge. Several different types of angiograms are adopted for CAD diagnosis. This paper proposes an approach for image segmentation using Convolution Neural Networks (CNN) for diagnosing coronary artery disease to achieve state-of-the-art results. We have collected the 2D X-ray images from the hospital, and… More >

Yifan Li¹, Zewen Chen², Jian Zhuang², Zhiwei Zhang^1,*

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.17, No.5, pp. 541-549, 2022, DOI:10.32604/chd.2022.024907

Abstract A congenital coronary artery fistula (CCAF) combined with giant coronary aneurysm (CAA) is a rare congenital cardiac abnormality. We reported an 8-year-old patient who underwent transcatheter closure of both inlet and outlet of a proximal left coronary artery (LCA)-to-left ventricular (LV) fistula with CAA of 41 mm × 28 mm in diameter, during which acute occlusion of left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) occurred immediately after device implantation at the inlet of fistula. We managed to prevent the patient from major adverse cardiac events by conservative therapy with dual antiplatelet agents instead of surgical removal of the device. The patient… More > Graphic Abstract

Benjamin Zielonka^1,2,*, David M. Harrild^1,2, Sunil J. Ghelani^1,2, Eleni G. Elia^1,2, Christopher W. Baird^3,4, Andrew J. Powell^1,2, Rahul H. Rathod^1,2

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.17, No.5, pp. 591-603, 2022, DOI:10.32604/chd.2022.021509

Abstract Background: The right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit (RVPAC) may impair right ventricular (RV) function in patients with functional single right ventricles. Modification of the RVPAC using a ring-reinforced end with dunked insertion into the RV through a limited ventriculotomy may reduce the impact on RV function. We compared RV segmental strain between patients with a traditional RVPAC and ring-reinforced RVPAC using feature tracking cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. Methods: Patients with CMR examinations after Stage I operation with RVPAC between 2000 and 2018 were reviewed. Ventricular mass, volumes, late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), and peak radial and circumferential strain of… More >

Phung Nhu Hai¹, Nguyen Chi Thanh^1,*, Nguyen Thanh Trung², Tran Trung Kien¹

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.73, No.3, pp. 5925-5941, 2022, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2022.031027

Abstract Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the most common pathological conditions and the major global cause of death. Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is a non-invasive method and plays an essential role in diagnosing CAD. However, there is currently a shortage of doctors who can diagnose using SPECT-MPI in developing countries, especially Vietnam. Research on deploying machine learning and deep learning in supporting CAD diagnosis has been noticed for a long time. However, these methods require a large dataset and are therefore time-consuming and labor-intensive. This study aims to develop a cost-effective and high-performance… More >