This Article Free upon publication Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Search for Related Content Related Collections Related Articles

(Circulation. 2006;114:529.)
© 2006 American Heart Association, Inc.

Issue Highlights

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

	PERFORMANCE OF TOP-RANKED HEART CARE HOSPITALS ON EVIDENCE-BASED PROCESS MEASURES, by Williams et al.

 
The US News & World Report annual publication of "America’s Best Hospitals" attracts considerable attention each year, but the validity of the ranking is not known. Investigators from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations sought to determine how ranked and unranked hospitals compared on the publicly reported quality-of-care measures for patients admitted with acute myocardial infarction and heart failure. Williams and colleagues compare 41 ranked hospitals and 733 unranked hospitals with respect to their performance on 6 acute myocardial infarction and 4 heart failure process measures. The study determined if the ranked hospitals, in aggregate, performed better and then investigated how well the ranking discriminated between hospitals by their performance. The results provide important information about the value of this popular system. See p 558.

	INHIBITION OF UROKINASE-TYPE PLASMINOGEN ACTIVATOR OR MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASES PREVENTS CARDIAC INJURY AND DYSFUNCTION DURING VIRAL MYOCARDITIS, by Heymans et al.

 
The mechanisms by which viral myocarditis leads to cardiac injury and failure are not fully understood. In this issue of Circulation, Heymans et al examined the role of the proteinases urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in mediating cardiac inflammation, injury, and subsequent failure during coxsackievirus-B3 induced myocarditis. The expression and activity of uPA and MMP-9 was increased in mice 7 days after infection with coxsackievirus-B3. In mice with deletion of uPA or inhibition of MMPs by adenoviral gene overexpression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1, there was decreased cardiac inflammation and reduced myocardial necrosis, decreased cardiac fibrosis at 35 days, and prevention of cardiac dilatation and dysfunction. These data implicate these proteinases in the pathogenesis of viral myocarditis and . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Related Articles:

Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty for Treatment of Critical Hand Ischemia

Roberto Ferraresi, Marco Ferlini, Fabiola Sozzi, Guido Pomidossi, Carlo Caravaggi, and Gian B. Danzi
Circulation 2006 114: e232-e234. [Extract] [Full Text]

Gastroesophageal Reflux Facilitates Esophageal Imaging During Pulmonary Vein Ablation

Lorne J. Gula, Allan C. Skanes, Emoke Posan, Andrew D. Krahn, Raymond Yee, and George J. Klein
Circulation 2006 114: e235-e236. [Extract] [Full Text]

Hybrid Cardiac Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography/Computed Tomography Imaging With Myocardial Perfusion Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography and Multidetector Computed Tomography Coronary Angiography for the Assessment of Unstable Angina Pectoris After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Eduard Ghersin, Zohar Keidar, Shmuel Rispler, Diana Litmanovich, Rachel Bar-Shalom, Ariel Roguin, Adrian Soil, Ora Israel, and Ahuva Engel
Circulation 2006 114: e237-e239. [Extract] [Full Text]

Letter Regarding Article by Newby et al, "Long-Term Adherence to Evidence-Based Secondary Prevention Therapies in Coronary Artery Disease"

Matthew R. Jezior and Lance E. Sullenberger
Circulation 2006 114: e240. [Extract] [Full Text]

Inhibition of Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator or Matrix Metalloproteinases Prevents Cardiac Injury and Dysfunction During Viral Myocarditis

Stephane Heymans, Matthias Pauschinger, Armando De Palma, Angela Kallwellis-Opara, Susanne Rutschow, Melissa Swinnen, Davy Vanhoutte, Fangye Gao, Raimund Torpai, Andrew H. Baker, Elisabeth Padalko, Johan Neyts, Heinz-Peter Schultheiss, Frans Van de Werf, Peter Carmeliet, and Yigal M. Pinto
Circulation 2006 114: 565-573. [Abstract] [Full Text]

Performance of Top-Ranked Heart Care Hospitals on Evidence-Based Process Measures

Scott C. Williams, Richard G. Koss, David J. Morton, and Jerod M. Loeb
Circulation 2006 114: 558-564. [Abstract] [Full Text]

Transapical Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Humans: Initial Clinical Experience

Samuel V. Lichtenstein, Anson Cheung, Jian Ye, Christopher R. Thompson, Ronald G. Carere, Sanjeevan Pasupati, and John G. Webb
Circulation 2006 114: 591-596. [Abstract] [Full Text]

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. Sack, P. Kahlert, L. Bilodeau, L. A. Pierard, P. Lancellotti, V. Legrand, J. Bartunek, M. Vanderheyden, R. Hoffmann, P. Schauerte, et al. Percutaneous Transvenous Mitral Annuloplasty: Initial Human Experience With a Novel Coronary Sinus Implant Device Circ Cardiovasc Interv, August 1, 2009; 2(4): 277 - 284. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Seeburger, V. Falk, M. A. Borger, J. Passage, T. Walther, N. Doll, and F. W. Mohr Chordae Replacement Versus Resection for Repair of Isolated Posterior Mitral Leaflet Prolapse: A Egalite Ann. Thorac. Surg., June 1, 2009; 87(6): 1715 - 1720. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. R Sajja, G. Mannam, B. R S Dandu, S. Pathuri, S. Sompalli, and A. Anjaneyulu Outcomes of Mitral Valve Repair for Chronic Ischemic Mitral Regurgitation Asian Cardiovasc Thorac Ann, January 1, 2009; 17(1): 29 - 34. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Roshanali, M. H. Mandegar, M. A. Yousefnia, H. Rayatzadeh, and F. Alaeddini A Prospective Study of Predicting Factors in Ischemic Mitral Regurgitation Recurrence After Ring Annuloplasty Ann. Thorac. Surg., September 1, 2007; 84(3): 745 - 749. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]