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BACKGROUND: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in pediatric solid organ transplant recipients has been reported in association with use of calcineurin inhibitors. However, data on the incidence and prevalence of HCM in adult posttransplant patients are limited. We sought to describe the clinical characteristics of solid organ transplant recipients who were diagnosed with HCM from 2011 to 2021 at a single center. METHODS: Patients who had undergone solid organ transplant and exhibited left ventricular hypertrophy with left ventricular wall thickness ≥13 mm on transthoracic echocardiography were included. Clinical history, pedigree analysis, clinical genetic testing, transthoracic echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, treatment, and follow-up testing results were collected. Categorical variables were described as n (%). Continuous variables were described with medians and interquartile ranges and compared using the Wilcoxon rank-sum and Kruskal-Wallis tests. A 2-sided P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Three lung, 5 kidney, and 4 liver transplant recipients from 12 different families were included. Seven patients (58%) did not carry a preexisting diagnosis of hypertension, and none had a history of aortic or subaortic stenosis. A majority of patients exhibited asymmetric septal hypertrophy (67%; medial septal thickness versus left ventricular posterior wall thickness 17 versus 13 mm; P < 0.001) and dynamic left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction (58%). All patients were managed long term with calcineurin inhibitors. Clinical genetic testing in 6 patients identified 2 with disease-causing variants in 2 sarcomere genes, myosin binding protein-C and myosin heavy chain 7. Four patients (33%) underwent successful septal reduction therapy for treatment of symptomatic LVOT obstruction. CONCLUSIONS: Symptomatic HCM with dynamic LVOT obstruction can develop in solid organ transplant recipients, and genetic testing can identify individuals with sarcomeric HCM. Medical management and septal reduction therapies are treatment options for severe symptomatic disease.

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BACKGROUND: Procedural improvements combined with the contemporary clinical profile of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) may have influenced the incidence and outcomes of infective endocarditis (IE) following TAVR. We aimed to determine the temporal trends, characteristics, and outcomes of IE post-TAVR. METHODS: Observational study including 552 patients presenting definite IE post-TAVR. Patients were divided in 2 groups according to the timing of TAVR (historical cohort [HC]: before 2014; contemporary cohort [CC]: after 2014). RESULTS: Overall incidence rates of IE were similar in both cohorts (CC vs HC: 5.45 vs 6.52 per 1000 person-years; P = .12), but the rate of early IE was lower in the CC (2.29‰ vs 4.89‰, P < .001). Enterococci were the most frequent microorganism. Most patients presented complicated IE (CC: 67.7%; HC: 69.6%; P = .66), but the rate of surgical treatment remained low (CC: 20.7%; HC: 17.3%; P = .32). The CC exhibited lower rates of in-hospital acute kidney injury (35.1% vs 44.6%; P = .036) and in-hospital (26.6% vs 36.4%; P = .016) and 1-year (37.8% vs 53.5%; P < .001) mortality. Higher logistic EuroScore, Staphylococcus aureus etiology, and complications (stroke, heart failure, and acute renal failure) were associated with in-hospital mortality in multivariable analyses (P < .05 for all). CONCLUSIONS: Although overall IE incidence has remained stable, the incidence of early IE has declined in recent years. The microorganism, high rate of complications, and very low rate of surgical treatment remained similar. In-hospital and 1-year mortality rates were high but progressively decreased over time.

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The COVID-19 pandemic caused a sudden halt in normal day-today movements & interactions across the world. Restrictive measures were implemented to lessen the spread of the virus, however, it altered social interactions. In times of stress, persons usually turn to social support for comfort. However, this pandemic has forced individuals to be isolated. Although the physical health of individuals has been addressed somewhat, their mental health has not been prioritized. Young adults in relationships were either isolated with or away from their partner, while single young adults were generally without a stable companion. With the impacts discovered from this research, new measures can be adopted in society & health facilities to mediate the harmful effects this pandemic caused & will cause on the mental health of young adults with respect to dating and relationships.

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[Figure: see text].

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BACKGROUND: The present investigation studied the effects of systemic administration of resveratrol (RSV) on the development of experimental periodontitis (EP) and on the release of markers of inflammation, bone metabolism, and oxidative stress in diabetic rats. METHODS: Seventy-five male rats were divided into five groups: DM+PLAC: Diabetes Mellitus + placebo solution; DM+INS: DM + insulin therapy; DM+RSV: DM + RSV; DM+RSV+INS: DM + RSV and insulin; NDM: non-diabetic. Streptozotocin was used to induce DM and EP was induced by the placement of a ligature at the fist mandibular and the second maxillary molars. Euthanasia occurred 30 days after the initiation of the study and mandible specimens were subjected for morphometric analysis of bone level. Gingival tissues from mandibular molars were collected for quantification of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers by multiplex assay system and ELISA assay, respectively. Maxillary gingival tissues were processed for real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR) assessment of markers of bone metabolism and oxidative stress. RESULTS: Morphometric analysis revealed greater bone loss in DM+PLAC and DM+INS in comparison to the other treatments (P < 0.05). RSV used in conjunction with INS reduced the levels of interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, IL-17, interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD) (P < 0.05). RSV alone reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphatase oxidase (NADPH oxidase) levels, in comparison to DM+INS and DM+RSV+INS (P < 0.05). All treatments upregulated mRNA levels for osteoprotegerin (OPG) in comparison to PLAC (P < 0.05). Sirtuin 1 (SIRT) mRNA levels were lower in PLAC when compared to DM+RSV, DM+RSV+INS and NDM (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: RSV reduced the progression of EP and the levels of NADPH oxidase. Co-treatment with RSV and insulin reduced the levels of pro-inflammatory factors (either proteins or mRNA) and increased the levels of SOD. The data also demonstrated that treatment with RSV and INS alone or in combination had beneficial effects on bone loss.

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Periodontitis is a highly prevalent disease. As it progresses, it causes serious morbidity in the form of periodontal abscesses and tooth loss and, in the latter stages, pain. It is also now known that periodontitis is strongly associated with several nonoral diseases. Thus, patients with periodontitis are at greater risk for the development and/or exacerbation of diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular diseases, among other conditions. Although it is without question that specific groups of oral bacteria which populate dental plaque play a causative role in the development of periodontitis, it is now thought that once this disease has been triggered, other factors play an equal, and possibly more important, role in its progression, particularly in severe cases or in cases that prove difficult to treat. In this regard, we allude to the host response, specifically the notion that the host, once infected with oral periodontal pathogenic bacteria, will mount a defense response mediated largely through the innate immune system. The most abundant cell type of the innate immune system - polymorphonuclear neutrophils - can, when protecting the host from microbial invasion, mount a response that includes upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines, matrix metalloproteinases, and reactive oxygen species, all of which then contribute to the tissue damage and loss of teeth commonly associated with periodontitis. Of the mechanisms referred to here, we suggest that upregulation of reactive oxygen species might play one of the most important roles in the establishment and progression of periodontitis (as well as in other diseases of inflammation) through the development of oxidative stress. In this overview, we discuss both innate and epigenetic factors (eg, diabetes, smoking) that lead to the development of oxidative stress. This oxidative stress then provides an environment conducive to the destructive processes observed in periodontitis. Therefore, we shall describe some of the fundamental characteristics of oxidative stress and its effects on the periodontium, discuss the diseases and other factors that cause oxidative stress, and, finally, review potentially novel therapeutic approaches for the management (and possibly even the reversal) of periodontitis, which rely on the use of therapies, such as resveratrol and other antioxidants, that provide increased antioxidant activity in the host.

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BACKGROUND: No data exist about the characteristics of infective endocarditis (IE) post-transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) according to transcatheter valve type. We aimed to determine the incidence, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of patients with IE post-TAVR treated with balloon-expandable valve (BEV) versus self-expanding valve (SEV) systems. METHODS: Data from the multicenter Infectious Endocarditis After TAVR International Registry was used to compare IE patients with BEV versus SEV. RESULTS: A total of 245 patients with IE post-TAVR were included (SEV, 47%; BEV, 53%). The timing between TAVR and IE was similar between groups (SEV, 5.5 [1.2-15] months versus BEV, 5.3 [1.7-11.4] months; P=0.89). Enterococcal IE was more frequent in the SEV group (36.5% versus 15.4%; P<0.01), and vegetation location differed according to valve type (stent frame, SEV, 18.6%; BEV, 6.9%; P=0.01; valve leaflet, SEV, 23.9%; BEV, 38.5%; P=0.01). BEV recipients had a higher rate of stroke/systemic embolism (20.0% versus 8.7%, adjusted OR: 2.46, 95% CI: 1.04-5.82, P=0.04). Surgical explant of the transcatheter valve (SEV, 8.7%; BEV, 13.8%; P=0.21), and in-hospital death at the time of IE episode (SEV, 35.6%; BEV, 37.7%; P=0.74) were similar between groups. After a mean follow-up of 13±12 months, 59.1% and 54.6% of the SEV and BEV recipients, respectively, had died (P=0.66). CONCLUSIONS: The characteristics of IE post-TAVR, including microorganism type, vegetation location, and embolic complications but not early or late mortality, differed according to valve type. These results may help to guide the diagnosis and management of IE and inform future research studies in the field. (AU)

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OBJECTIVE: To examine the external validity of a well-known congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) clinical prediction model using a population-based cohort. STUDY DESIGN: Newborns with CDH born in California between 2007 and 2012 were extracted from the Vital Statistics and Patient Discharge Data Linked Files. The total CDH risk score was calculated according to the Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Study Group (CDHSG) model using 5 independent predictors: birth weight, 5-minute Apgar, pulmonary hypertension, major cardiac defects, and chromosomal anomalies. CDHSG model performance on our cohort was validated for discrimination and calibration. RESULTS: A total of 705 newborns with CDH were extracted from 3 213 822 live births. Newborns with CDH were delivered in 150 different hospitals, whereas only 28 hospitals performed CDH repairs (1-85 repairs per hospital). The observed mortality for low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups were 7.7%, 34.3%, and 54.7%, and predicted mortality for these groups were 4.0%, 23.2%, and 58.5%. The CDHSG model performed well within our cohort with a c-statistic of 0.741 and good calibration. CONCLUSIONS: We successfully validated the CDHSG prediction model using an external population-based cohort of newborns with CDH in California. This cohort may be used to investigate hospital volume-outcome relationships and guide policy development.

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OBJECTIVE: To comprehensively evaluate and compare utilization, outcomes, and especially costs of transfemoral (TF), transapical (TA), and transaortic (TAO) transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). METHODS: All Medicare fee-for-service patients undergoing TF (n = 4065), TA (n = 691), or TAO (n = 274) TAVR between January 1, 2011, and November 30, 2012, were identified using Health Care Procedure Classification Codes present on Medicare claims. Hospital charges from Medicare claims were converted to costs using hospital-specific Medicare cost-to-charge ratios. RESULTS: TA and TAO patients were similar in age, race, and common comorbidities. Compared with TF patients, TA and TAO patients were more likely to be female and to have peripheral vascular disease, chronic lung disease, and renal failure. Thirty-day mortality rates were higher among TA and TAO patients than among TF patients (TA, 9.6%; TAO, 8.0%; TF, 5.0%; P < .001). Adjusted mortality beyond 1 year did not differ by access. TA patients were more likely to require cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Increased adjusted mortality was associated with CPB (hazard ratio, 2.13; P < .01) and increased 30-day cost ($62,000 [interquartile range (IQR)], $45,100-$86,400 versus $48,800 [IQR, $38,100-$62,900]; P < .01). Cost at 30 days was lowest for TF ($48,600) compared with TA ($49,800; P < .01) and TAO ($53,200; P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: For patients ineligible to receive TF TAVR, TAO and TA approaches offer similar clinical outcomes at similar cost with acceptable operative and 1-year survival, except for higher rates of CPB use in TA patients. CPB was associated with worse survival and increased costs.

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