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Objectives: To compare 3T T1 mapping to conventional T2-weighted (T2W) imaging for delineating myocardial oedema one week after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), and to explore the confounding effects of microvascular obstruction (MVO) on each technique.Methods: T2W spectral attenuated inversion recovery and native T1 mapping were applied in 10 healthy volunteers and 62 STEMI patients, and late gadolinium enhancement was included for infarct localisation at 1 week and at 6 months post-STEMI. Segmental T1 values and T2W signal intensity ratios were calculated; oedema volumes and salvage indices were determined in patients using image thresholding-a receiver operator characteristic (ROC) derived T1 threshold, and a 2SD T2W threshold; and the results were compared between patients with/without MVO (n=35/27).Results: Native T1 mapping delineated oedema with significantly better discriminatory power than T2W-as indicated by ROC analysis (area-under-the-curve, AUC=0.89 versus 0.83, p=0.009; and sensitivity/specificity=83/83% versus 73/73%). The optimal ROC threshold derived for T1 mapping was 1241ms, which gave significantly larger oedema volumes than 2SD T2W (p=0.006); with this threshold, patients with and without MVO showed similar oedema volumes, but patients with MVO had significantly poorer salvage indices (p<0.05) than those without. Neither method was significantly affected by MVO, the volume of which was seen to increase exponentially with infarct size.Conclusions: Native T1 mapping at 3T can delineate oedema one week post-STEMI, showing larger oedema volumes and better discriminatory power than T2W imaging, and it is suitable for quantitative thresholding. Both techniques are robust against MVO-related magnetic susceptibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Health services worldwide face the challenge of providing care for increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) populations. The aims of this study were to determine whether CALD patients hospitalized with acute heart failure (HF) are at increased risk of rehospitalization and emergency department (ED) visitation after discharge, compared to non-CALD patients, and within CALD patients to ascertain the impact of limited English proficiency (LEP) on outcomes., Methods and Results: A cohort of 1613 patients discharged from hospital following an episode of acute HF was derived from hospital administrative datasets. CALD status was based on both country of birth and primary spoken language. Comorbidities, HF subtype, age, sex and socioeconomic status, and hospital readmission and ED visitation incidences, were compared between groups. A Cox proportional hazard model was employed to adjust for potential confounders. The majority of patients were classified as CALD [1030 (64%)]. Of these, 488 (30%) were designated as English proficient (CALD-EP) and 542 (34%) were designated CALD-LEP. Compared to non-CALD, CALD-LEP patients exhibited a greater cumulative incidence of HF-related readmission and ED visitation, as expressed by an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) [1.27 (1.02-1.57) and 1.40 (1.18-1.67), respectively]; this difference was not significant for all-cause readmission [adjusted HR 1.03 (0.88-1.20)]. CALD-EP showed a non-significant trend towards increased rehospitalization and ED visitation., Conclusion: This study suggests that CALD patients with HF, in particular those designated as CALD-LEP, have an increased risk of HF rehospitalization and ED visitation. Further research to elucidate the underlying reasons for this disparity are warranted., (Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author(s) 2019. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Oral consumption of inorganic nitrate, which is abundant in green leafy vegetables and roots, has been shown to increase circulating plasma nitrite concentration, which can be converted to nitric oxide in low oxygen conditions. The associated beneficial physiological effects include a reduction in blood pressure, modification of platelet aggregation, and increases in limb blood flow. There have been numerous studies of nitrate supplementation in healthy recreational and competitive athletes; however, the ergogenic benefits are currently unclear due to a variety of factors including small sample sizes, different dosing regimens, variable nitrate conversion rates, the heterogeneity of participants' initial fitness levels, and the types of exercise tests used. In clinical populations, the study results seem more promising, particularly in patients with cardiovascular diseases who typically present with disruptions in the ability to transport oxygen from the atmosphere to working tissues and reduced exercise tolerance. Many of these disease-related, physiological maladaptations, including endothelial dysfunction, increased reactive oxygen species, reduced tissue perfusion, and muscle mitochondrial dysfunction, have been previously identified as potential targets for nitric oxide restorative effects. This review is the first of its kind to outline the current evidence for inorganic nitrate supplementation as a therapeutic intervention to restore exercise tolerance and improve quality of life in patients with cardiovascular diseases. We summarize the factors that appear to limit or maximize its effectiveness and present a case for why it may be more effective in patients with cardiovascular disease than as ergogenic aid in healthy populations.

Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) occurs particularly in post-menopausal women, being precipitated in many cases by severe emotional stress. We describe six patients in whom TTC occurred in association with therapeutic ingestion or overdose of the serotonin/noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor venlafaxine, or its metabolite desvenlafaxine. Importantly, two of the six cases were not post-menopausal women. An increased risk of TTC may account for some of the reported cardiovascular adverse effects of venlafaxine and similar agents., (Copyright © 2012 Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)