~(123)I-MIBG心肌显像预测依那普利对扩张型心肌病患者治疗效果的临床价值

目的探讨123I-MIBG心肌显像在治疗前预测依那普利对扩张型心肌病(DCM)患者治疗效果的临床价值。方法对24例DCM患者于依那普利治疗前行早期(20min)及延迟(3h)123I-MIBG心肌显像,采用心/上纵隔(H/M)比和心脏放射性洗脱率(WR)作为相对半定量计数分析,与超声心功能参数进行对比。根据123I-MI-BG心肌显像延迟相的H/M分为3组延迟H/M≥1.7为组Ⅰ,1.5<延迟H/M<1.7为组Ⅱ,延迟H/M≤1.5为组Ⅲ。组Ⅰ和组Ⅱ在平均治疗4.5个月后重复以上检查。结果治疗前3组间超声心功能参数比较均无统计学差异。治疗后组Ⅰ的左室射血分数(LVEF)和左室收缩末径(LVDs)明显改善,早期H/M和延迟H/M均明显改善(P<0.05),而WR无明显变化。治疗后组Ⅱ的延迟H/M明显改善(P<0.05),而早期H/M和WR均无明显变化,心功能参数也无改善。组Ⅰ和组Ⅱ患者均能耐受依那普利治疗,而组Ⅲ患者均不能耐受依那普利治疗。结论123I-MIBG心肌显像在治疗前预测依那普利对DCM患者的治疗效果方面有一定价值。     

肥厚型心肌病预后评估的研究进展

肥厚型心肌病是最常见的遗传性心脏病,其临床表现及预后极富多样性。该病患者的不良转归主要有:猝死、心力衰竭以及心房颤动所致的栓塞事件等。现就影响肥厚型心肌病预后的因素作一综述。     

Anti-mitochondrial antibodies in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (anti-M7) are directed against flavoenzymes with covalently bound FAD

Anti-mitochondrial antibodies (anti-M7) in sera from patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and myocarditis recognize, besides mitochondrial antigens, bacterial sarcosine dehydrogenase. The common target antigen was identified as the covalently bound FAD of mitochondrial and bacterial flavoenzymes. Thus, anti-M7-positive serum reacted on Western blots exclusively with covalently flavinylated enzymes. The antigenic specificity of anti-M7 sera was reproduced by an antiserum raised in rabbits with 6-hydroxy- D -nicotine oxidase. The heart mitochondrial membrane antigen recognized by anti-M7 serum was identified as the flavoprotein subunit of succinate dehydrogenase, the antigens in rat liver mitochondrial matrix as the flavoenzymes dimethylglycine dehydrogenase and sarcosine dehydrogenase. Anti-M7 serum contained a specific anti-flavoenzyme antibody fraction. Nanomolar concentrations of FAD and riboflavin inhibited the immune reaction on Western blots and in ELISA, and incubation with FAD-agarose depleted the anti-M7 activity of the serum. N-terminally deleted dimethylglycine dehydrogenase proteins were only immunoprecipitated by anti-M7 sera when the FAD was covalently incorporated. An affinity constant (K_D) of 10^?8 M was established for the anti-flavoenzyme antibodies by competitive ELISA. Of patients with cardiomyopathy and myocarditis, 36% and 25%, respectively, were anti-flavoenzyme-positive by Western blot and ELISA, but only two of 15 patients with other heart diseases and none of 50 healthy controls.     

Incidence and Clinical Significance of Ventricular Late Potentials in Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy Compared to Coronary Artery Disease

Objective: This prospective study was designed to compare incidence and clinical significance of ventricular late potentials between patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC) and postinfarct patients (CAD) using exactly the same method of signal-averaged electrocardiography (SAECG) in both patient groups. Methods: Time-domain analysis of SAECG was performed in 120 consecutive patients with IDC, 120 patients with CAD, and 60 healthy controls. Ventricular late potentials were detected in 27 of 120 patients with IDC (23%) compared to 41 of 120 patients with CAD (34%; P < 0.05). Results: Ventricular late potentials were found in 2 of 60 controls (3%). During 15 ± 7 months follow-up, serious arrhythmic events occurred in 17 of 120 patients with IDC (14%) and in 13 of 120 patients with CAD (11%). The sensitivity of ventricular late potentials for future arrhythmic events was 35% for IDC compared to 77% for CAD (P < 0.05). The positive predictive value of late potentials detected by time-domain analysis was 22% for IDC versus 24% for CAD (P = ns). Conclusion: In this selected patient population with IDC and CAD, time-domain analysis of SAECG revealed a lower incidence of ventricular ate potentials in patients with IDC as compared to postinfarct patients. Whereas ventricular late potentials had a high sensitivity but a low positive predictive value for identification of postinfarct patients with serious arrhythmic events during follow-up, both sensitivity and positive predictive value of ventricular late potentials for future serious arrhythmic events were low in the setting of IDC.     

Isolated noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium

Isolated noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium is a recently described anomaly. We report the first case of this anomaly presenting as a restrictive cardiomyopathy, and the first association of this entity with endocardial fibrosis.     

Pathology of inverted Takotsubo cardiomyopathy

Myocardial dysfunction without coronary involvement may occur in acute cerebral diseases. The inverted Takotsubo pattern has been recently recognized as a novel heart neurologic stress-related syndrome. We report on the case of a 40-year-old woman presenting with massive subarachnoid hemorrhage and brain death. Echocardiography revealed an extensive left ventricular circumferential akinesis except at the apex. Histologic analysis of the heart confirmed the absence of myocardial infarction and revealed only sparse foci of myocyte necrosis with contraction bands in the akinetic areas.     

Juvenile sudden death in a family with polymorphic ventricular arrhythmias caused by a novel RyR2 gene mutation: evidence of specific morphological substrates

We report on a family with a history of sudden death and effort-induced polymorphic ventricular arrhythmias. The index case was a 17-year-old boy who died suddenly and at postmortem had evidence of fibrofatty replacement in the right ventricular free wall, consistent with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, as well as calcium phosphate deposits within the myocytes. A molecular genetics investigation carried out in the paraffin-embedded myocardium of the subject and in blood samples of family members disclosed a missense mutation in exon 3 (230C-->T; A77V) of the cardiac ryanodine receptor type 2 gene. The carriers showed effort-induced polymorphic ventricular tachycardia in the setting of normal resting electrocardiogram and trivial echocardiographic abnormalities, consistent with catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. The observation of both arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy type 2 and catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia in the same family suggests that the two entities might correspond to different degrees of phenotypic expression of the same disease. This experience underscores the importance of a precise autopsy diagnosis in the case of sudden cardiac death, including molecular genetics, and the mission of pathologists to guide further clinical investigation of family members.     

Dystrophin disruption in enterovirus-induced myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy: from bench to bedside

Genetic defects of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex (DGC) cause hereditary dilated cardiomyopathy. Enteroviruses can also cause cardiomyopathy and we have previously described a mechanism involved in enterovirus-induced dilated cardiomyopathy: The enteroviral protease 2A directly cleaves dystrophin in the hinge 3 region, leading to functional dystrophin impairment. During infection of mice with coxsackievirus B3, the DGC in the heart is disrupted and the sarcolemmal integrity is lost in virus-infected cardiomyocytes. Additionally, dystrophin deficiency markedly increases enterovirus-induced cardiomyopathy in vivo, suggesting a pathogenetic role of the dystrophin cleavage in enterovirus-induced cardiomyopathy. Here, we extend these experimental findings to a patient with dilated cardiomyopathy due to a coxsackievirus B2 myocarditis. Endomyocardial biopsy specimens showed an inflammatory infiltrate and myocytolysis. Immunostaining for the enteroviral capsid antigen VP1 revealed virus-infected cardiomyocytes. Focal areas of cardiomyocytes displayed a loss of the sarcolemmal staining pattern for dystrophin and -sarcoglycan identical to previous findings in virus-infected mouse hearts. In vitro, coxsackievirus B2 protease 2A cleaved human dystrophin. These findings demonstrate that in human coxsackievirus B myocarditis a focal disruption of the DGC can principally occur and may contribute to the pathogenesis of human enterovirus-induced dilated cardiomyopathy.     

Investigation of de novo variation in pediatric cardiomyopathy

Pediatric cardiomyopathies can be caused by variants in genes encoding the sarcomere and cytoskeleton in cardiomyocytes. Variants are typically inherited in an autosomal dominant manner with variable expressivity. De novo variants have been reported, however their overall frequency is largely unknown. We sought to determine the rate of de novo, pathogenic and likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants in children with a diagnosis of hypertrophic, dilated, or restrictive cardiomyopathy (HCM, DCM, or RCM), and to compare disease outcomes between individuals with and without a de novo variant. A retrospective record review identified 126 individuals with HCM (55%), DCM (37%), or RCM (8%) ≤18 years of age who had genetic testing. Overall, 50 (40%) had positive genetic testing and 18% of P/LP variants occurred de novo. The rate of de novo variation in those with RCM (80%) was higher than in those with HCM (9%) or DCM (20%). There was evidence of germline mosaicism in one family with RCM. Individuals with de novo variants were more likely than those without to have a history of arrhythmia (p = .049), sudden cardiac arrest (p = .024), hospitalization (p = .041), and cardiac transplantation (p = .030). The likelihood of de novo variation and impact on family risk and screening should be integrated into genetic counseling.     

骨髓间充质干细胞分化为血管内皮细胞的实验研究

目的 :探讨骨髓间充质干细胞 (MSCs)自体移植后在扩张型心肌病(DCM)微环境中分化为血管内皮细胞的可行性。方法 :以日本大耳白兔为研究对象 ,分离培养扩增MSCs,盐酸阿霉素耳缘静脉注射复制兔DCM模型 ,将 5溴脱氧尿嘧啶 (BrdU)标记的MSCs移植到DCM心肌内 ,4周后观察移植细胞的增殖分化情况。结果 :细胞移植 4周后 ,实验组心肌内有BrdU标记的阳性细胞 ,有一部分参与组成新生血管 ,对照组中没有发现 ,且实验组毛细血管密度大于对照组 ,差异具有显著性 (P<0 .0 1)。结论 :MSCs自体移植到扩张型心肌病后可以分化为血管内皮细胞。