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Aims There is a lack of evidence regarding the benefits of beta-blocker treatment after invasively managed acute myocardial infarction (MI) without reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Methods and results The tREatment with Beta-blockers after myOcardial infarction withOut reduced ejection fracTion (REBOOT) trial is a pragmatic, controlled, prospective, randomized, open-label blinded endpoint (PROBE design) clinical trial testing the benefits of beta-blocker maintenance therapy in patients discharged after MI with or without ST-segment elevation. Patients eligible for participation are those managed invasively during index hospitalization (coronary angiography), with LVEF >40%, and no history of heart failure (HF). At discharge, patients will be randomized 1:1 to beta-blocker therapy (agent and dose according to treating physician) or no beta-blocker therapy. The primary endpoint is a composite of all-cause death, non-fatal reinfarction, or HF hospitalization over a median follow-up period of 2.75 years (minimum 2 years, maximum 3 years). Key secondary endpoints include the incidence of the individual components of the primary composite endpoint, the incidence of cardiac death, and incidence of malignant ventricular arrhythmias or resuscitated cardiac arrest. The primary endpoint will be analysed according to the intention-to-treat principle. Conclusion The REBOOT trial will provide robust evidence to guide the prescription of beta-blockers to patients discharged after MI without reduced LVEF.

Objective: To quantify the acute effects of dobutamine in postoperative low cardiac output syndrome (LCOS) using transthoracic echocardiographic, hemodynamic, and blood biomarker monitoring and to assess its association with clinical outcomes. Design: Observational prospective study. Setting: Single university hospital. Participants: Patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Echocardiographic parameters, hemodynamic data, and plasma biomarkers were obtained before and early after inotrope initiation. The diagnostic value of transthoracic echocardiographic parameters and their association with clinical outcome were evaluated, Thirty-eight LCOS patients and 12 control patients were included. The left ventricular outflow tract velocity time integral was significantly lower in LCOS patients (11.75 v 19.08 cm; p < 0.001) and showed a marked improvement after dobutamine administration (similar to 37% increase). Dobutamine improved left and right ventricular function, increased mean arterial pressure and urine output, and lowered lactate levels. The duration of dobutamine support, but not in-hospital mortality, was associated with echocardiographic estimates of cardiac performance early after dobutamine initiation. Conclusions: Early transthoracic echocardiographic assessment and the acute response to inotropic therapy may provide rapid and highly valuable information in the diagnostic workup and risk evaluation of patients with suspected LCOS after cardiac surgery. (C) 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Echocardiography offers rapid and cost-effective estimations of left ventricular (LV) mass, but its accuracy in patients with cardiac disease remains unclear. LV mass was measured by M-mode-based linear method and two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE)-based area-length method in pig models and correlation with actual LV weight was assessed. Twenty-six normal, 195 ischemic heart disease (IHD), and 33 non-IHD HF pigs were included. A strong positive linear relationship to the actual LV weight was found with 2DE-based area-length method (r = 0.82, p < 0.001), whereas a moderate relationship was found with M-mode method in the overall population (r = 0.68, p < 0.001). Two correlation coefficients were significantly different (p < 0.001), and were driven mainly by incremental overestimation of LV mass in heavier hearts using the M-mode method. IHD and LV dilation were the factors contributing to overestimation using M-mode method. 2DE-based area-length method provides a better estimation of LV weight in swine models of HF, particularly in those with IHD.

Pulmonary regurgitation (PR) is a frequent complication after repair of congenital heart disease. Lymphocyte expression of adrenoceptors (1 and 2) and kinases (GRK2, GRK3, and GRK5) reflects the neurohumoral changes that occur in heart failure (HF). The main objective of this study was to describe the gene expression of these molecules in circulating lymphocytes in patients with severe PR.

Pulmonary regurgitation (PR) is a frequent complication after repair of congenital heart disease. Three different GRK isoforms (GRK2, GRK5, and GRK3) and two beta-adrenoceptors (beta 1-AR and beta 2-AR) are present in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and their expression changes as a consequence of the hemodynamic and neurohumoral alterations that occur in some cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, they could be useful as biomarkers in PR. A prospective study was conducted to describe the expression (TaqMan Gene Expression Assays) of beta-ARs and GRKs in PBMC isolated (Ficoll (R) gradient) from patients with severe PR before and after pulmonary valve replacement and establish if this expression correlates to clinical status. 23 patients with severe PR were included and compared with 22 healthy volunteers (controls). PR patients before the PVR had a significantly lower expression of beta 2-AR (513.8 +/- 261.2 mRNA copies) vs. controls (812.5 +/- 497.2 mRNA copies), so as GRK2 expression (503.4 +/- 364.9 copies vs. 858.1 +/- 380.3 mRNA copies). The expression of beta 2-AR and GRK2 significantly decreases in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients, as well as in patients under treatment with beta-blockers and non-treated patients. The expression of beta 2-AR and GRK2 in PR patients recovers the normal values after pulmonary valve replacement (754,8 +/- 77,1 and 897,8 +/- 87,4 copies, respectively). Therefore, changes in the expression of beta 2-AR and GRK2 in PBMC of PR patients, could be considered as potential biomarkers to determine clinical decisions.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a pathophysiological condition defined as an increase in mean pulmonary arterial pressure >= 25 mmHg at rest assessed by right heart catheterization. Based on hemodynamic criteria, precapillary PH is characterized by a mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure 15 mmHg. Postcapillary PH is one of the most common forms of PH, often caused by left ventricular dysfunction and heart failure. In this chapter, we describe protocols for creating a large animal model of postcapillary PH. It is induced by open chest surgery (lateral thoracotomy) to band the pulmonary veins. The model is characterized by low mortality, relatively easy surgical procedure with well reproducible results, and pulmonary and cardiac remodeling at the structural, functional, and molecular levels. The presence of right ventricular (RV) remodeling is of significant importance since right heart failure is the main cause of death in patients suffering from PH. One of the advantages of the model described in this chapter is that both adaptive and maladaptive forms of RV remodeling can be observed during the progression of the disease. This can help understand the progressive pathophysiology of RV failure in humans. Besides the description of the model, a detailed guidance of the RV functional assessment in pigs for both invasive (heart catheterization) and noninvasive (echocardiography) approaches is provided.

A wide range of approaches have been described to develop animal models of pulmonary vascular disease (PVD). Clinical heterogeneity in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) has prompted development of different techniques to create PH models in several animal species with the objective to recapitulate specific PH/PVD phenotypes. Chronic thromboembolic PH (CTEPH) is a clinically important phenotype of PH with a documented prevalence of 0.4-9.1% in patients with history of pulmonary embolism. A wellestablished large animal model of CTEPH is thus necessary for studying this disease in preclinical research. Different experimental protocols with inconsistent outcomes have been reported in the literature. We have focused on characterizing PH large animal models in a common framework; pulmonary hemodynamics, right ventricular (RV) function, and histological characterization of PVD. This research framework allows optimal evaluation of novel diagnostic tools, as well as new therapeutic strategies. The purpose of this protocol is to describe approaches to create experimental CTEPH models using recurrent pulmonary embolizations of dextran microspheres in swine. The key features of this experimental modeling approach are (1) nonsurgical, fully percutaneous techniques, (2) a minimum of four embolization procedures, with 1-2 month time period, (3) mild to moderate PH hemodynamics (mean PA pressure increase similar to 20-60%), (4) severe pulmonary vascular remodeling, (5) mild RV remodeling, and (6) a high reproducibility and low mortality (< 10%).

AIMS: The ESC-HF Pilot survey was aimed to describe clinical epidemiology and 1-year outcomes of outpatients and inpatients with heart failure (HF). The pilot phase was also specifically aimed at validating structure, performance, and quality of the data set for continuing the survey into a permanent Registry.METHODS: The ESC-HF Pilot study is a prospective, multicentre, observational survey conducted in 136 Cardiology Centres in 12 European countries selected to represent the different health systems across Europe. All outpatients with HF and patients admitted for acute HF on 1 day per week for eight consecutive months were included. From October 2009 to May 2010, 5118 patients were included: 1892 (37%) admitted for acute HF and 3226 (63%) patients with chronic HF. The all-cause mortality rate at 1 year was 17.4% in acute HF and 7.2% in chronic stable HF. One-year hospitalization rates were 43.9% and 31.9%, respectively, in hospitalized acute and chronic HF patients. Major regional differences in 1-year mortality were observed that could be explained by differences in characteristics and treatment of the patients.CONCLUSION: The ESC-HF Pilot survey confirmed that acute HF is still associated with a very poor medium-term prognosis, while the widespread adoption of evidence-based treatments in patients with chronic HF seems to have improved their outcome profile. Differences across countries may be due to different local medical practice as well to differences in healthcare systems. This pilot study also offered the opportunity to refine the organizational structure for a long-term extended European network.

AimsThe ESC-HF Pilot survey was aimed to describe clinical epidemiology and 1-year outcomes of outpatients and inpatients with heart failure (HF). The pilot phase was also specifically aimed at validating structure, performance, and quality of the data set for continuing the survey into a permanent Registry.MethodsThe ESC-HF Pilot study is a prospective, multicentre, observational survey conducted in 136 Cardiology Centres in 12 European countries selected to represent the different health systems across Europe. All outpatients with HF and patients admitted for acute HF on 1 day per week for eight consecutive months were included. From October 2009 to May 2010, 5118 patients were included: 1892 (37%) admitted for acute HF and 3226 (63%) patients with chronic HF. The all-cause mortality rate at 1 year was 17.4% in acute HF and 7.2% in chronic stable HF. One-year hospitalization rates were 43.9% and 31.9%, respectively, in hospitalized acute and chronic HF patients. Major regional differences in 1-year mortality were observed that could be explained by differences in characteristics and treatment of the patients.ConclusionThe ESC-HF Pilot survey confirmed that acute HF is still associated with a very poor medium-term prognosis, while the widespread adoption of evidence-based treatments in patients with chronic HF seems to have improved their outcome profile. Differences across countries may be due to different local medical practice as well to differences in healthcare systems. This pilot study also offered the opportunity to refine the organizational structure for a long-term extended European network. © 2013 The Author.

Objectives: To investigate theepidemiology and clinical features of infections caused by Enterobacteria producing plasmid-mediated AmpC beta-lactamases (pAmpC), which are emerging as a cause of resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins. Methods: A prospective multicentre cohort of patients with infection/colonisation due to pAmpC-producing Enterobacteriaceae was performed in 7 Spanish hospitals from February throughout July 2009. pAmpCs were characterised by PCR and sequencing. Results: 140 patients were included; organisms isolated were Escherichia coli (n=100), Proteus mirabilis (n=20), Klebsiella pneumoniae (n=17), and others (n=3). Overall, 90% had a chronic underlying condition. The acquisition was nosocomial in 43%, healthcare-associated in 41% (14% of those were nursing home residents), and community in 16%. Only 5% of patients had no predisposing feature for infection with multidrug-resistant bacteria. Nineteen percent of patients were bacteraemic. Inappropriate empirical therapy was administered to 81% of bacteraemic patients, who had a crude mortality rate of 48%. The most frequent enzyme was CMY-2 (70%, predominantly in E. coli and P. mirabilis) followed by DHA-1 (19%, predominantly in K. pneumoniae). Conclusion: pAmpC-producing Enterobacteriaceae caused nosocomial, healthcare-associated and community infections mainly inpredisposed patients. Invasive infections were associated with high mortality which might be partly related to inappropriate empirical therapy. (C) 2011 The British Infection Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

26th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition; 4197-4200, California regulators recently approved a plan proposed by Southern California Edison (SCE) to install 500 MW of distributed photovoltaic (PV) energy in its utility service territory over the next 5 years. The installations will include 250 MW of utility-owned solar and 250 MW of independently owned solar. SCE expects that the majority of these systems will be commercial-scale rooftop PV systems connected at various points in the distribution system. Each of the SCE rooftop PV systems will typically have a rating of 1-3 MW. To understand the impact of high-penetration PV on the distribution grid, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and SCE brought together a team of experts in resource assessment, distribution modeling, and planning to help analyze the impacts of adding high penetration of PV into the distribution system. Through modeling and simulation, laboratory testing, and field demonstrations, the team will address the issues identified in the analysis by fully examining the challenges, developing solutions, and transitioning those solutions to the field for large-scale deployment. This paper gives an update on the project and discusses technical results of integrating a large number of distributed PV systems into the grid.