Cardiology Commons^™

Myofilament Calcium Sensitivity: Consequences Of The Effective Concentration Of Troponin I, Jalal K. Siddiqui, Svetlana B. Tikunova, Shane D. Walton, Bin Liu, Meredith Meyer, Pieter P. De Tombe, Nathan Neilson, Peter M. Kekenes-Huskey, Hussam E. Salhi, Paul M.L. Janssen, Brandon J. Biesiadecki, Jonathan P. Davis

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Control of calcium binding to and dissociation from cardiac troponin C (TnC) is essential to healthy cardiac muscle contraction/relaxation. There are numerous aberrant post-translational modifications and mutations within a plethora of contractile, and even non-contractile, proteins that appear to imbalance this delicate relationship. The direction and extent of the resulting change in calcium sensitivity is thought to drive the heart toward one type of disease or another. There are a number of molecular mechanisms that may be responsible for the altered calcium binding properties of TnC, potentially the most significant being the ability of the regulatory domain of TnC to …

Dna Methylation Signatures Of Chronic Low-Grade Inflammation Are Associated With Complex Diseases, Symen Ligthart, Carola Marzi, Stella Aslibekyan, Michael M. Mendelson, Karen N. Conneely, Toshiko Tanaka, Elena Colicino, Lindsay L. Waite, Roby Joehanes, Weihua Guan, Jennifer A. Brody, Cathy Elks, Riccardo Marioni, Min A. Jhun, Golareh Agha, Jan Bressler, Cavin K. Ward-Caviness, Brian H. Chen, Tianxiao Huan, Kelly Bakulski, Elias L. Salfati, Whi-Empc Investigators, Giovanni Fiorito, Charge Epigenetics Of Coronary Heart Disease, Simone Wahl, Katharina Schramm, Jin Sha, Dena G. Hernandez, Allan C. Just, Jennifer A. Smith, Donna K. Arnett

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: Chronic low-grade inflammation reflects a subclinical immune response implicated in the pathogenesis of complex diseases. Identifying genetic loci where DNA methylation is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation may reveal novel pathways or therapeutic targets for inflammation.

Results: We performed a meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) of serum C-reactive protein (CRP), which is a sensitive marker of low-grade inflammation, in a large European population (n = 8863) and trans-ethnic replication in African Americans (n = 4111). We found differential methylation at 218 CpG sites to be associated with CRP (P < 1.15 × 10^–7) in the discovery panel …

Epigenetics Of Lipid Phenotypes, Sergi Sayols-Baixeras, Marguerite R. Irvin, Donna K. Arnett, Roberto Elosua, Stella W. Aslibekyan

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Dyslipidemia is a well-established risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the main cause of death worldwide. Blood lipid profiles are patterned by both genetic and environmental factors. In recent years, epigenetics has emerged as a paradigm that unifies these influences. In this review, we have summarized the latest evidence implicating epigenetic mechanisms—DNA methylation, histone modification, and regulation by RNAs—in lipid homeostasis. Key findings have emerged in a number of novel epigenetic loci located in biologically plausible genes (eg, CPT1A, ABCG1, SREBF1, and others), as well as microRNA-33a/b. Evidence from animal and cell culture models suggests a complex interplay …

Acute Appendicitis: A Potential Complication Of Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device Support, Joshua S. Roark, Akinniran A. Abisogun, Jason N. Katz

The VAD Journal

Acute appendicitis, while common in younger patients, is an unusual cause for hospitalization among older adults. We report a case series of 3 individuals who had been previously implanted with a continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD) for end-stage heart failure, and who subsequently developed acute appendicitis. Both axial-flow technology and nonpulsatile systemic blood flow have been implicated as potential causes for bleeding and thrombosis in contemporary LVAD populations(1-3). This case series represents the first report of acute appendicitis as an adverse event following LVAD implantation and represents a patient demographic that would historically be at very low-risk for this …

The Utility Of Remote Hemodynamic Monitoring Devices In Patients With A Ventricular Assist Device, Bennet George, Amanda Hart, Sarah Branam, Maya Guglin

The VAD Journal

Remote intracardiac hemodynamic monitoring is a growing area of interest to help aid in the management of patients with chronic congestive heart failure. The utility of remote hemodynamic monitoring has not previously been investigated with a ventricular assist device population. We present two cases of patients with ventricular assist devices in which we employed remote hemodynamic monitoring data to aid in patient management.

Cardiac Remodeling And Dysfunction In Childhood Obesity: A Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Study, Linyuan Jing, Cassi M. Binkley, Jonathan D. Suever, Nivedita Umasankar, Christopher M. Haggerty, Jennifer Rich, Christopher D. Nevius, Gregory J. Wehner, Sean M. Hamlet, David K. Powell, Aurelia Radulescu, H. Lester Kirchner, Frederick H. Epstein, Brandon K. Fornwalt

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Background: Obesity affects nearly one in five children and is associated with increased risk of premature death. Obesity-related heart disease contributes to premature death. We aimed to use cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) to comprehensively characterize the changes in cardiac geometry and function in obese children.

Methods and results: Forty-one obese/overweight (age 12 ± 3 years, 56 % female) and 29 healthy weight children (age 14 ± 3 years, 41 % female) underwent CMR, including both standard cine imaging and displacement encoded imaging, for a complete assessment of left ventricular (LV) structure and function. After adjusting for age, LV mass index …

Development And Application Of Gadolinium Free Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Fibrosis Imaging For Multiscale Study Of Heart Failure In Patients With End Stage Renal Disease, Tori A. Stromp

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is a powerful tool to noninvasively image ventricular fibrosis. Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) CMR identifies focal and, with T1 mapping, diffuse fibrosis. Despite prevalent cardiac fibrosis and heart failure, patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) are excluded from LGE. Absence of a suitable diagnostic has limited the understanding of heart failure and obstructed development of therapies in the setting of ESRD. A quantitative, gadolinium free fibrosis detection method could overcome this critical barrier, propelling the advancement of diagnostic, monitoring, and therapy options. This project describes the development of a gadolinium free CMR technique and application …