BACKGROUND Obesity in adults is associated with increased left ventricular (LV) mass. The mechanism for this is unclear, however. We tested the hypothesis that insulin resistance is an important independent contributing factor to LV mass in the healthy obese population. METHODS AND RESULTS The study population consisted of 40 normotensive, nondiabetic, otherwise healthy obese subjects with bo...

AIMS The relationship of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) to incident heart failure (HF) not attributable to myocardial infarction (MI) has not been defined. We assessed whether LVH is an independent predictor of MI-independent HF. METHODS AND RESULTS LVH was assessed by echocardiographic LV mass index (in g/m2.7) and excess of LV mass (eLVM, in % of the observed value) relative to the amou...

Background Global longitudinal strain (GLS) and global circumferential strain (GCS) have emerged as important new markers of left ventricular (LV) function. Aortic stenosis (AS) creates pressure overload which produces LV hypertrophy and increased mass. Ejection fraction (EF) is the traditional parameter of LV systolic function, but the effects of increased LV mass on GLS and GCS are unclear. O...

BACKGROUND Severe aortic stenosis (AS) most often presents with reduced aortic valve area (<1 cm2), normal stroke volume index (≥35 mL/m2), and either high mean gradient (≥40 mm Hg; normal-flow high-gradient AS) or low mean gradient (normal-flow low-gradient [NFLG] AS). The benefit of aortic valve replacement (AVR) among NFLG patients is controversial. We compared the impact of NFLG condition o...

BACKGROUND Genetic contribution to left ventricular (LV) structure is generally recognized, but whether and how this influence varies by ethnicity or with age is unknown. METHODS Participants were 517 European-American (EA) and African-American (AA) twin pairs (mean age: 14.6 +/- 3.0) at visit 1 and 422 EA and AA twin pairs at follow-up 4.1 years later. Echocardiograms were obtained on both v...

BACKGROUND Obesity and cardiometabolic dysfunction are associated with increased risk of heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases. We sought to examine the association of cardiometabolic traits with left ventricular (LV) cardiac mechanics. We hypothesized that specific obesity-related phenotypes are associated with distinct aspects of LV strain. METHODS AND RESULTS We evaluated the ass...

BACKGROUND Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is the gold standard non-invasive method for determining left ventricular (LV) mass and volume but has not been used previously to characterise the LV remodeling response in aortic stenosis. We sought to investigate the degree and patterns of hypertrophy in aortic stenosis using CMR. METHODS Patients with moderate or severe aortic stenosis, n...

BACKGROUND Fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4) is expressed in both adipocytes and macrophages. Recent studies have shown secretion of FABP4 from adipocytes and association of elevated serum FABP4 level with obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, and atherosclerosis. However, little is known about role of FABP4 in cardiac function. METHODS From the database of the Tanno-Sobetsu Study, da...

Background Even though left atrial (LA) size and function are intimately related to left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction, the role of LA with regard to LV systolic function is less clear. Consequently, we examined the potential association that might exist between measures of longitudinal LV systolic shortening and LA dilation using LA volume index (LAVI). Methods In this retrospective...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the utility of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR)-derived myocardial strain measurement for the prediction of poor outcomes in patients with acute myocarditis. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed data from 37 patients with acute myocarditis who underwent CMR. Left ventricular (LV) size, LV mass index, ejection fraction and presence of myocardial late g...