Circulation. 2005;112:777
(Circulation. 2005;112:777.)
© 2005 American Heart Association, Inc.
Issue Highlights
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UTILITY OF CARDIAC MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF HYPERTROPHIC CARDIOMYOPATHY, by Rickers et al.
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The diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) traditionally
requires echocardiographic demonstration of hypertrophy without
inciting cause. However, there are limitations to echocardiography
in terms of resolution of particular ventricular regions as
well as technically challenging patients for obtaining high-quality
images. These points are of particular importance when the diagnosis
of HCM is in question and wall thickness measures take on great
significance. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging overcomes
many of these limitations. In this issue of
Circulation, Rickers
and colleagues perform echocardiograms and CMR imaging in patients
referred for diagnosis of HCM. A small but significant minority
of patients had CMR images with wall thickness diagnostic for
HCM in the absence of echocardiographic evidence, and thickness
of the anterolateral wall was on average significantly greater
on CMR imaging than on echocardiography. These data strongly
suggest that the approach to the diagnosis of HCM in the contemporary
era should involve CMR imaging, particularly when diagnosis
is challenging. See p
855.
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DIFFERENTIAL INFLUENCE OF CHEMOKINE RECEPTORS CCR2 AND CXCR3 IN DEVELOPMENT OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS IN VIVO, by Veillard et al.
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There can be no question that inflammation plays an important
role in both the development and clinical manifestations of
atherosclerosis. Nevertheless, our understanding of precisely
how inflammation modulates the atherosclerotic process remains
naïve. In this issue, Veillard and coworkers provide us
with important evidence that not all immune modulation has predictable
effects on atherosclerosis. These investigators found that some
chemokine receptors are only important in the early stages of
atherosclerosis but not in more mature stages of the disease.
These data have important implications for designing immune-modulating
therapies for human subjects who typically come to medical attention
only in the latter stages of atherosclerotic disease development.
See p
870.
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COMPROMISED LCAT FUNCTION IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED ATHEROSCLEROSIS, by Hovingh et al.
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HDL is rapidly becoming the next prime target for lipid modification
in our fight to prevent cardiovascular disease. As a consequence,
understanding how the manipulation of HDL-C levels impacts the
process of atherosclerosis is of considerable importance. In
this issue of
Circulation, Kees Hovingh and colleagues provide
clear evidence that gene defects in lecithin cholesteryl ester
transferase (LCAT), an enzyme component of the HDL particle,
are strongly associated with an increase in atherosclerosis.
These data emphasize the importance of LCAT as a mediator of
HDL antiatherogenic activity and provide evidence that LCAT
could represent a therapeutic target to modulate vascular disease.
See p
879.
Visit http://www.circ.ahajournals.org:
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Images in Cardiovascular Medicine
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Severe Pulmonary Artery Stenosis Caused by Extrinsic Compression
of a Calcified Circular Ring. See p
e76.
Myocardial Infarction Caused by Occlusion of Cabrol Conduit Graft. See p e79.
Aortic Coarctation Visualized by 16-Row Detector Multislice Computed Tomography. See p e81.
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Correspondence
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See p
e82.
Related Articles:
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Utility of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Diagnosis of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
- Carsten Rickers, Norbert M. Wilke, Michael Jerosch-Herold, Susan A. Casey, Prasad Panse, Neeta Panse, Jochen Weil, Andrey G. Zenovich, and Barry J. Maron
Circulation 2005 112: 855-861.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
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Severe Pulmonary Artery Stenosis Caused by Extrinsic Compression of a Calcified Circular Ring
- Woong Chol Kang, Chul Hyun Park, Wook-Jin Chung, Seung Hwan Han, Tae Hoon Ahn, and Eak Kyun Shin
Circulation 2005 112: e76-e78.
[Full Text]
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Myocardial Infarction Caused by Occlusion of Cabrol Conduit Graft
- Bernhard Witzenbichler, Peter Schwimmbeck, and Heinz-Peter Schultheiss
Circulation 2005 112: e79-e80.
[Full Text]
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Aortic Coarctation Visualized by 16-Row Detector Multislice Computed Tomography
- Georg Fröhlich, Michael Pörner, and Rainer Wessely
Circulation 2005 112: e81.
[Full Text]
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Letter Regarding the Article by Xue et al, "Functional Integration of Electrically Active Cardiac Derivatives From Genetically Engineered Human Embryonic Stem Cells With Quiescent Recipient Ventricular Cardiomyocytes" Response
- Richard B. Robinson, Michael R. Rosen, Peter R. Brink, Ira S. Cohen, Tian Xue, and Ronald A. Li
Circulation 2005 112: e82-e83.
[Full Text]
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Differential Influence of Chemokine Receptors CCR2 and CXCR3 in Development of Atherosclerosis In Vivo
- Niels R. Veillard, Sabine Steffens, Graziano Pelli, B. Lu, Brenda R. Kwak, Craig Gerard, Israel F. Charo, and François Mach
Circulation 2005 112: 870-878.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
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Compromised LCAT Function Is Associated With Increased Atherosclerosis
- G. Kees Hovingh, Barbara A. Hutten, Adriaan G. Holleboom, Wilma Petersen, Patrick Rol, Anton Stalenhoef, Aeilko H. Zwinderman, Eric de Groot, John J.P. Kastelein MD, and Jan Albert Kuivenhoven
Circulation 2005 112: 879-884.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]