1,720,969 research outputs found
[Rheumatic heart disease: state of the art and future perspectives]. FT Aggiornamenti e prospettive future in tema di cardiopatia reumatica.
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Echocardiographic patterns of incomplete Shone's syndrome in adults
No full text"Abstract. BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: Whilst several cases of complete Shone's complex have been reported in children, the incomplete form--characterized by two or three components--has rarely been described in adults. Because of the wide spectrum of severity of each pattern, the correct diagnosis may be challenging. Moreover, as the hemodynamic interdependence between defects is thought to be a major determinant of clinical outcome and long-term follow up, it is crucial to consider the lesions as part of the same Shone's syndrome.. . METHODS: Between May 2005 and December 2009, six male patients (mean age 38 +\/- 8 years) were referred to the authors' institute with progressive worsening of heart failure symptoms related to valvular disease. All patients had a clinical history of surgery for coarctation of the aorta (CoA), and all but one had a bicuspid aortic valve. Standard transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiographies were performed in all patients to identify the valvular heart disease responsible for clinical deterioration.. . RESULTS: Unexpected findings of dysplastic mitral valvular apparatus compatible with parachute deformity of the mitral valve (PMV) or 'PMV-like' morphology were disclosed in all patients. The association with major anatomic abnormalities (bicuspid aortic valve, subaortic ridge, and previous CoA surgical repair) was highly suggestive of adult incomplete Shone's syndrome.. . CONCLUSION: The findings of the present case series emphasized the need for a greater awareness regarding the rare incomplete Shone's syndrome in adulthood, as it occurs far more frequently than might be expected following a random diagnosis. The findings also highlight the additional value of a carefully performed step-by-step echocardiographic study to support the clinical decision-making in this array of left heart anomalies.. .
Calcified left ventricular endomyocardial fibrosis
No full text"Endomyocardial fibrosis (EMF) is a rare condition, but in certain tropical. countries it is a major cause of illness and death. Moreover, the etiology of the disease is unknown, it has no specific treatment, and it carries a poor prognosis. As both the heart and the peritoneum may be affected by the. inflammation and deposition of fibrous tissue, even left ventricular EMF may. present with gross ascites mimicking right-heart failure. Notwithstanding. attempts to standardize the diagnostic criteria, the clinical presentation may. still be challenging. The case is described of calcified left ventricular EMF presenting with right-heart failure in the absence of right ventricular fibrosis.
The pivotal role of echocardiography in the assessment of multivalvular heart disease
No full textMultivalvular heart disease (MHD) accounts for approximately 15% of the patients undergoing valve surgery in the EuroHeart Survey and for 8.6% of all valvular surgical interventions. Most clinical studies on valvular heart disease are focused on single-valve disease and very few data stress the difficulties encountered in the diagnostic assessment and clinical decision making of multiple defects, also concerning the reciprocal hemodynamic influence or the overlap of surgical indications. Many fields related to multiple valve disease are not encountered in the European Guidelines on Valvular Heart Disease (ESC) or the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA). Increasing age and new trends of mixed population have newly aroused interest in multivalvular heart disease in the developed countries, still in need of new clinical insights. According to the high comorbidities of candidates, the appropriate diagnostic framework necessary for the correct diagnosis and best clinical outcome may still be challenging. The paper reviews multivalvular heart disease (except congenital heart disease) from aetiology and background definition to surgical outcome, with special emphasis on echocardiographic assessment and clinical interpretation
Cardiac Valve Involvement in Systemic Diseases: A Review
No full textIncreasing age and new trends of mixed populations have newly aroused interest in valvular heart disease in the developed countries still in need of new clinical insights. In the clinical setting of systemic diseases, the proper assessment of cardiovascular abnormalities may be challenging, and the characterization of valvular involvement might help to recognize the underlying disease and cardiac sequelae. Prompt identification of valvular lesions may, therefore, also be useful for differential diagnosis. This article reviews the cardiac involvement in systemic diseases from etiology and background definition to echocardiographic assessment and clinical interpretation. The authors have no funding, financial relationships, or conflicts of interest to disclose
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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