Early Detection Of Myocardial Damage Research Articles

Cardiac Troponin Levels in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: "Markers of High Risk or Just Noise''?

Kidney disease is linked to the development of cardiovascular disorders, further increasing morbidity and mortality in this high-risk population. Thus, early detection of myocardial damage is imperative in order to prevent devastating cardiovascular complications within this patient group. Over the years, cardiac biomarkers have been identified and are now widely used in everyday clinical practice. More specifically, available data suggest that cardiac troponin and its regulatory subunits (TnT, TnI, and TnC) reflect the injury and necrosis of myocardial tissue. While cTnC is identical in cardiac and skeletal muscle, TnT and TnI constitute cardiac-specific forms of troponin, and, as such, they have been established by international societies as biomarkers of cardiac damage and diagnostic indicators for acute myocardial infarction. Elevations in the levels of both cardiac troponins (cTnT and cTnI) have been also reported in asymptomatic patients suffering from chronic kidney disease. Therefore, if abnormal, they often generate confusion among clinicians regarding the interpretation and clinical significance of their numerical values in emergency settings. The aim of this review is to explore the reasons behind elevated troponin levels in patients with chronic kidney disease and identify when these elevated levels of biomarkers indicate the need for urgent intervention, considering the high cardiovascular risk in this patient group.

Abstract Db1-01: Anthracyclines …to give or not to give? “For” argument

Abstract Anthracyclines have been one of the mainstays of early breast cancer treatment for decades. In a recent patient-level meta-analysis including data from over 18,000 patients, anthracycline-containing regimens were associated with improvements in disease-free survival and overall survival, regardless of estrogen receptor or nodal status. Importantly, trials specifically designed and powered to assess the safety of anthracyclines omission failed to demonstrate the non-inferiority of taxane-based anthracycline-free regimens and confirmed the benefit of these agents, particularly in patients with node-positive and hormone receptor-negative breast cancer. Several therapies incorporated into the management of early breast cancer were studied in populations largely treated with anthracycline-based chemotherapy backbones in both HER2-negative (i.e., perioperative pembrolizumab, post neoadjuvant olaparib and capecitabine) and HER2-positive disease (i.e., dual HER2 blockade, adjuvant T-DM1). It is uncertain whether the benefits demonstrated by these strategies would be maintained if anthracyclines were omitted. While anthracyclines are associated with some long-term toxicities, particularly with an increased risk of lymphoproliferative malignancies and dose-dependent cardiotoxicity, these adverse events are not associated with an increased risk of death (including deaths from cardiovascular causes) when compared to anthracycline-free regimens. The identification of risk factors for cardiotoxicity, combined with improvements in monitoring strategies, allows improvements in patient selection, early detection of myocardial damage and, possibly, implementation of cardioprotective interventions, leading to improved cardiovascular outcomes. Until high-quality evidence demonstrates the safety of omitting anthracyclines in high-risk populations, these agents should continue to be used in carefully selected patients after individual risk versus benefit assessment to be shared with the patient. Citation Format: Martine Piccart, Guilherme Nader-Marta. Anthracyclines …to give or not to give? “For” argument [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr Db1-01.

A Microenvironment-responsive small-molecule probe and application in quick acute myocardial infarction imaging

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients are at an elevated risk for life-threatening myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury. Early-stage nonradioactive and noninvasive diagnosis of AMI is imperative for the subsequent disease treatment, yet it presents substantial challenges. After AMI, the myocardium typically exhibits elevated levels of peroxynitrite (ONOO−), constituting a distinct microenvironmental feature. In this context, the near-infrared imaging probe (BBEB) is employed to precisely delineate the boundaries of AMI lesions with a high level of sensitivity and specificity by monitoring endogenous ONOO−. This probe allows for the early detection of myocardial damage at cellular and animal levels, providing exceptional temporal and spatial resolution. Notably, BBEB enables visualization of ONOO− level alterations during AMI treatment incorporating antioxidant drugs. Overall, BBEB can rapidly and accurately visualize myocardial injury, particularly in the early stages, and can further facilitate antioxidant drug screening.

3D-based strain analysis and cardiotoxicity detection in cancer patients received chemotherapy

BackgroundChemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity has become a prevalent complication. Regular monitoring of patients who received chemotherapy using 3D strain parameters may aid in early detection of myocardial damage and its prevention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of three-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (3D-STI) in diagnosing and predicting the likelihood of cardiotoxicity. This was achieved by conducting a systematic review of original research articles.ObjectivesTo evaluate the role of 3D speckle tracking echocardiography in early detection of cardiotoxicity.MethodsRelevant case control studies published prior to December 2022 were extracted to assess cardiotoxicity by 3D STE in patients after chemotherapy.ResultsA total of 1991 chemotherapy treated patients and control patients were included in the present review via pooling 22 studies.Conclusions3D speckle tracking echocardiography has the utility of non-invasive and objective evaluation of changes in left ventricular function in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.ROSPERO registration NoStudy ID, CRD42023383790 on PROSPERO: International prospective register of systematic reviews.

Early assessment of subclinical myocardial injury in systemic lupus erythematosus by two-dimensional longitudinal layer speckle tracking imaging.

To investigate the feasibility of quantitatively assessing left ventricular function and synchronization and diagnose subclinical myocardial injury in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) using two-dimensional (2D) longitudinal layer speckle tracking imaging (STI). This was a single-center prospective study. A total of 69 patients with SLE were included in the case group and further divided into 2 subgroups, a nonactive and an active group, according to the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) 2000 scoring standard. We selected 30 healthy volunteers as the control group. The global longitudinal strain (GLSglobal), global endocardial longitudinal strain (GLSendo), global epicardial longitudinal strain (GLSepi), and peak strain dispersion (PSD) were obtained. The transmural gradient of longitudinal strain (TGLS) was calculated for the difference in strains between the inner and outer membranes. (I) Compared with the control group, decreased speckle strain parameters and elevated PSD were observed in patients with SLE (GLSglobal: -18.80%±2.41% vs. -21.19%±2.16%, GLSendo: -21.15%±2.47% vs. -24.09±2.49%; GLSepi: -16.58%±2.39% vs. -18.50±1.77%; TGLS: -4.56%±1.24% vs. -5.59%±1.39%; and PSD: 36.61±10.85 vs. 30.00±8.54 ms). More severely impaired layer strains were observed in active-stage patients. Compared with the nonactive group, GLSendo, GLSglobal, GLSepi, TGLS, complement C3, and complement C4 were decreased in the active group, while SLEDAI, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP) were elevated. (II) Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis demonstrated that subendocardial myocardial longitudinal strain was the most powerful tool for detecting myocardial insufficiency early in patients with SLE [area under the curve (AUC) =0.809], especially in patients in the active stage (AUC =0.734), and the optimal cut-off point was -21.35%, with a sensitivity of 71.9% and a specificity of 62.2%. (III) Correlation analysis revealed that GLSendo was moderately correlated with PSD, SLEDAI, ERS, Hs-CRP, and complement C3 (correlation coefficients: 0.535, 0.428, 0.659, 0.559, and -0.440, respectively). Subclinical myocardial injury in patients with SLE can be assessed early using 2D longitudinal STI, and the injury is more obvious in active-stage patients. Endocardial longitudinal strain is a more sensitive index than epicardial longitudinal strain for the early detection of subclinical myocardial injury in patients with SLE, which is a potentially valuable clinical tool to assist in the early detection of myocardial damage.

Molecular biomarkers in cardio-oncology: Where we stand and where we are heading.

Until recently, cardiotoxicity in the setting of a malignant disease was attributed solely to the detrimental effects of chemo- and/or radio-therapy to the heart. On this account, the focus was on the evaluation of well-established cardiac biomarkers for the early detection of myocardial damage. Currently, this view has been revised. Cardiotoxicity is not restricted to a single organ but instead affects the endothelium as a whole. Indeed, it has come into light that not only cancer therapy but also malignant cells per se can impair the cardiovascular system, through a paracrine and endocrine mode of action. Even more intriguingly, a clear interplay between molecular pathways involved in cancer and cardiovascular disease has become prevalent, suggesting a common nominator that governs the pathophysiology of these two entities. Taken together, our strategy in the quest of novel biomarkers in the emerging field of cardio-oncology should be critically reshaped.

Early myocardial damage (EMD) and valvular insufficiency result in impaired cardiac function after multiple trauma in pigs

One third of multiple trauma patients present abnormal echocardiographic (ECHO) findings. Therefore, ECHO diagnostic after trauma is indicated in case of hemodynamic instability, shock, after chest trauma and after cardiac arrest. 20 male pigs underwent multiple trauma. Blood samples were collected 4 and 6 h after trauma and concentrations of heart-type fatty acid binding protein (HFABP) as a biomarker for EMD were measured. Myocardial damage was evaluated by scoring Hematoxylin–Eosin stained sections. At baseline, 3 and 6 h after trauma, transesophageal ECHO (TOE) was performed, invasive arterial and left ventricular blood pressure were measured to evaluate the cardiac function after multiple trauma. Systemic HFABP concentrations were elevated, furthermore heart injury score in multiple trauma animals was increased determining EMD. A significant decrease of blood pressure in combination with a consecutive rise of heart frequency was observed. Ongoing depression of mean arterial pressure and diastolic blood pressure were accompanied by changes in ECHO-parameters indicating diastolic and systolic dysfunction. Furthermore, a valvular dysfunction was detected. In this study complex myocardial and valvular impairment after multiple trauma in pigs has been observed. Therefore, detection of EMD and progressive valvular dysfunction might be crucial and therapeutically relevant.

Assessing the Performance of a Novel Point-of-Care Qualitative Assay for Early Diagnosis of Acute Coronary Syndrome

Background: Early and accurate diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is essential for initiating lifesaving interventions. In this article, the diagnostic performance of a novel point-of-care rapid assay (SensAheart^©) is analyzed. This assay qualitatively determines the presence of 2 cardiac biomarkers troponin I and heart-type fatty acid-binding protein that are present soon after onset of myocardial injury. Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study of consecutive patients who presented to the emergency department with typical chest pain. Simultaneous high-sensitive cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) and SensAheart testing was performed upon hospital admission. Diagnostic accuracy was computed using SensAheart or hs-cTnT levels versus the final diagnosis defined as positive/negative. Results: Of 225 patients analyzed, a final diagnosis of ACS was established in 138 patients, 87 individuals diagnosed with nonischemic chest pain. In the overall population, as compared to hs-cTnT, the sensitivity of the initial SensAheart assay was significantly higher (80.4 vs. 63.8%, p = 0.002) whereas specificity was lower (78.6 vs. 95.4%, p = 0.036). The overall diagnostic accuracy of SensAheart assay was similar to the hs-cTnT (82.7% compared to 76.0%, p = 0.08). Conclusions: Upon first medical contact, the novel point-of-care rapid SensAheart assay shows a diagnostic performance similar to hs-cTnT. The combination of 2 cardiac biomarkers in the same kit allows for very early detection of myocardial damage. The SensAheart assay is a reliable and practical tool for ruling-in the diagnosis of ACS.

Early Detection of Myocardial Damage: A Multimodality Approach.

Cardiovascular diseases are possible complications of antineoplastic treatment and may lead to premature morbidity and mortality among cancer survivors. A symptom-based follow-up is ineffective, and there are growing evidences that early detection of myocardial damage in patients treated with antineoplastic drugs is the key point to prevent the occurrence of damage and improve the prognosis of these patients. Different techniques have been proposed to monitor cardiac function in oncologic patients such as cardiac imaging (echocardiography, nuclear imaging, and cardiac magnetic resonance) and biomarkers (troponin and natriuretic peptides). The European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging/American Society of Echocardiography consensus document encourages an integrated approach to early detect cardiotoxicity.

Role of Speckle Tracking Echocardiography in the Evaluation of Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy: Review and Meta-analysis of the Literature.

Diagnosis and management of Cancer therapeutics-related cardiac dysfunction is of crucial importance in breast cancer (BC) patients. The role of advanced echocardiographic techniques, such as deformation imaging, in the diagnosis and characterization of patients receiving cancer therapy has so far involved relatively small studies in the research setting. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis and systematic review of observational studies evaluating myocardial changes during chemotherapy detected through conventional echocardiographic parameters, such as 2D left ventricular ejection fraction (2D LVEF), and 2D Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE). The literature search retrieved 487 research works, articles, of which 17 were found to be pertinent with this topic. After full article review, 16 studies were considered suitable for the present analysis. Two separate analyses, one for the anthracyclines-based therapeutic regimen and one for the trastuzumab based therapeutic regimen, were performed. A significant reduction in 2D LVEF and 2D STE parameters during cancer therapy was found in both the investigations. Peak systolic global longitudinal strain demonstrated to be the most consistent 2D STE parameter in detecting early myocardial changes among all the studies. Thus, we confirmed the role of 2D STE for the early detection of myocardial damage, suggesting its crucial role in monitoring BC patients and eventually driving the introduction of cardioprotective treatment.

Early detection of myocardial dysfunction in poorly treated pediatric thalassemia children and adolescents: Two Saudi centers experience.

Background & ObjectiveCardiac complications are among the most serious complications in Beta Thalassemia Major Patients. Our aim was to evaluate the value of tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) for early detection of myocardial dysfunction in pediatric and adolescent patients with B-TM before development of overt heart failure or cardiomyopathy.Patients and methods100 thalassemic patients below 18 years old and 100 healthy, age & sex matched controls were enrolled in our case-control study. Cases were selected from those attending outpatient clinics and inpatient wards, King Abdulaziz University hospital and Alhada Armed Forces Hospital, Saudi Arabia, between January 2014 and January 2015. They were subjected to echo-Doppler examination for both septal and lateral walls of the basal mitral and tricuspid annuli assessing the systolic myocardial velocity (S wave), early diastolic myocardial velocity (Ea wave) and late diastolic myocardial velocity (Aa wave).ResultsPatients with thalassemia have RV and LV dysfunction on the basis of abnormal TDI derived myocardial velocities. There was a statistically significant differences between patients and controls regarding (Aa) and (S) of the septal wall of the basal mitral annulus and (Ea) of the lateral wall of the mitral annulus. Also patients with thalassemia have significantly higher (S) of the basal tricuspid annulus. These abnormalities were not detected by conventional echo-Doppler.ConclusionClinically asymptomatic thalassemic children and adolescents who had normal global functions by conventional echo-Doppler were found to have abnormal left ventricular and right ventricular dysfunctions detected by TDI. TDI is superior to Echo-Doppler in detection of early myocardial damage in asymptomatic thalassaemic patients.

2D Strain in left ventricular non compaction: the clue for differential diagnosis with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Introduction: Left ventricular non compaction (LVNC) is a rare cardiomyopathy. Differential diagnosis from other myocardial disorders such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) may be challenging. It has been described that myocardial strain helps to differentiate LVNC from dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and controls. Our purpose is to compare deformation and rotation of LVNC with HCM and controls. Methods: We included 27 patients with LVNC (40.7% with EF≥45%), diagnosed by echocardiography (n=5), magnetic resonance imaging (n=6) or both tests (n=16), 43 HCM and 15 controls. Longitudinal strain (LStrain) was evaluated using 12 individual segments from 2 and 4 chamber views. Parasternal short axis view was used for evaluation of basal and apical rotation (R). 12 individual segments were analyzed for LStrain evaluation. In the LVNC group 255 individual segments were studied, of whom 59 were not compacted (23.1%). Results: L Strain was reduced in LVNC and HCM compared to controls (table 1). A reduction in apical R and torsion was specifically observed in the LVNC patients. Within this group, L Strain and apical rotation values were even lower when EF was <45%, with an uniform clockwise basal and apical R. View this table: LVNC, HCM and controls: Comparative Conclusions: L strain is reduced in both cardiomyopathies, but reduction of apical R is specifically observed in LVNC. This could respond to the lack of compaction in mid and apical segments during embryonic development of the heart. Future applications of this technique include differential diagnosis with HCM and early detection of myocardial damage in disease carriers.

Two‐Dimensional Speckle Tracking Echocardiography for Early Detection of Myocardial Damage in Young Patients with Fabry Disease

Fabry disease (FD) is characterized by left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Conventional echocardiography is not sensitive enough to perform the preclinical diagnosis To assess whether longitudinal myocardial strain of the left ventricle (LV), using speckle tracking, is useful to detect early myocardial involvement in FD. Forty-four patients with FD who were diagnosed with genetic testing were prospectively included and were compared to a sex-matched control group. They were divided into three groups: 22 with LVH (Group I), 22 without LVH (Group II), and 22 healthy volunteers (Group III). LV longitudinal strain was measured from the apical views. An ANOVA test was used for multiple comparisons for variables with a normal distribution, and a Kruskal-Wallis test was used for variables with non-Gaussian distribution. Longitudinal LV strain was different in the three groups: it was ≥-15% in at least one segment in all Group I patients, in 50% of patients of Group II and in no patient of Group III. Seventy percent of the segments with abnormal strain in Group II were located in the basal regions (32/46). These findings show that the presence of at least one strain value ≥-15% demonstrates subclinical myocardial dysfunction in patients with preclinical FD. Longitudinal myocardial LV strain measured with speckle tracking is a useful tool to detect early myocardial involvement in young patients with FD. This information allows the detection and treatment of myocardial dysfunction at an early stage, which is of high clinical importance.

Immunohistochemical detection of early myocardial damage in two sudden deaths due to intentional butane inhalation. Two case reports with review of literature

The abuse of household and other commercially available products containing volatile organic solvents is underrecognized. Not infrequently intentional butane inhalation results in high morbidity and mortality. A fatal outcome of butane abuse can be caused by asphyxia, cardiac arrhythmia or trauma. The reported number of cases in which death was the consequence of pure butane inhalation is limited, and in most cases a mixture of propellants was involved. This report covers two cases of sudden death due to the sniffing of a cigarette lighter refill containing butane. Autopsy was followed by toxicological, pathohistological and immunohistochemical analysis. Butane gas was confirmed in samples of blood, urine, brain and lungs by the gas chromatography method – “headspace” technique. Histology showed almost identical changes in the lungs and heart in both cases. The morphology of heart damage on standard H/E stains was of special interest because it displayed all the characteristics of chronic and acute myocardial hypoxia found in the absence of atherosclerotic heart disease. In order to confirm early cardiac death caused by asphyxia due to butane inhalation a panel of immunohistochemical agents was used: Myoglobin, Desmin, Fibronectin, Fibrinogen and CC9.

HIGH SENSITIVE TROPONIN T RULES OUT MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION 2 HOURS FROM ADMISSION IN CHEST PAIN PATIENTS.

Results: The median (25th-75th percentile) time from onset of chest pain was 5.3 (3.3-7.7) hours. One hundred and fourteen (49%) patients had a MI and another 10 (4%) had other reasons for myocardial damage. Hs-TnT had higher sensitivity than conventional Tn assays to detect MI (table) and myocardial damage. The AUC (95%CI) to detect myocardial damage was on admission 0.97 (0.95-0.99) for Hs-TnT, 0.95 (0.93-0.98) for standard TnT and 0.95 (0.91-0.98) for TnI Conclusions: Using decision-limits according to recommendations, Hs-TnT is more sensitive than conventional Tn assays for early detection of myocardial damage and is able to rule out MI 2 hours from admission.

Echocardiography in Chagas Heart Disease

Chagas heart disease is a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality in Latin America. Echocardiography provides useful diagnostic and prognostic information and is an important tool in the management of patients with Chagas disease. A search for relevant publications was obtained from MEDLINE, LILACS, and SCIELO sources. Acute Chagas myocarditis is a rare disorder in which pericardial effusion is frequent. Echocardiography may exclude pericardial tamponade in case of heart failure. Chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy evolves for several decades after the infection. Epidemiological history, positive serology, and suggestive clinical and ECG abnormalities establish the diagnosis. About three quarters of chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy subjects remain asymptomatic with normal (indeterminate form) or abnormal ECGs. Early Doppler abnormalities includes prolongation of isovolumic contraction and relaxation times. Systolic function frequently is normal, but dysfunction may be elicited by stress tests. Half or more of symptomatic patients have a left ventricular apical aneurysm and other segmental contractile abnormalities similar to those seen in coronary heart disease. The dilated nonsegmental form is indistinguishable from dilated cardiomyopathy. Results from univariate and multivariate Cox survival analyses indicate that impaired systolic function and increased ventricular dimensions have significant value in predicting cardiac morbidity and mortality. Cardiac ultrasound commonly is used in the follow-up of patients and in the assessment of various therapeutic modalities. Echocardiographic and Doppler techniques provide useful structural and functional information in the detection of early myocardial damage, risk assessment of prognosis, disease progression, and management of patients with Chagas disease.

Biochemical markers of myocardial injury.

The serum markers of myocardial injury are used to help in establishing the diagnosis of myocardial infarction. The older markers like aspartate amino-transferase, creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase etc. lost their utility due to lack of specificity and limited sensitivities. Among the currently available markers cardiac troponins are the most widely used due to their improved sensitivity specificity, efficiency and low turn around time. Studies have shown that cardiac troponins should replace CKMB as the diagnostic 'gold standard' for the diagnosis of myocardial injury. The combination of myoglobin with cardiac troponins has further improved the accuracy in the diagnosis of acute coronary syndromes and thereby reducing the hospital stay and patients' money. Among the other new markers of early detection of myocardial damage, heart fatty acid binding protein, glycogen phosphorylase BB and myoglobin/carbonic anhydrase III ratio seem to be the most promising. But the search for the most ideal marker of myocardial injury is still on.

Heart fatty acid binding protein as a marker for postmortem detection of early myocardial damage

Depletion of heart fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) from cardiomyocytes with varying post-ischemia intervals was studied in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) model of rat, and 22 human autopsy cases were studied with streptavidin-peroxidase conjugated method (S-P). It was observed that as early as 15 min after ischemia, the depletion of H-FABP could be detected in model rats. With the ischemic time prolonged, the depletion of H-FABP was more and more evident. In all human cases with myocardial infarction, absent H-FABP staining could be found in infarcted area. And in some suspected early myocardial infarction cases, depletion of H-FABP staining could be demonstrated in areas that showed normal hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The blood samples from model rats before ligation, at varying post-ischemia intervals and various postmortem time were measured for plasma concentration of H-FABP with enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA) method. At 15 min after myocardial ischemia, the concentration of H-FABP was 4 times higher (546.0 ± 85.3 μg/l) than that of the baseline level (103.7 ± 94.1 μg/l). With the continuation of ischemic time, the concentration of H-FABP increased and peaked at 4 h (1953.5 ± 405.3 μg/l), then decreased. The plasma concentration of H-FABP decreased slightly with postmortem time, but was still significant higher at any postmortem intervals than that of baseline level within 48 h after death. The results suggest that H-FABP staining can detect very early ischemic damages in human myocardium and the elevated plasma concentration of H-FABP in rat was an indicator of AMI, which was not affected by autolysis.

Serial Assessment of Myocardial Properties Using Cyclic Variation of Integrated Backscatter in an Adriamycin-Induced Cardiomyopathy Rat Model

Although adriamycin (Doxorubicin) is one of the most effective and useful antineoplastic agents for the treatment of a variety of malignancies, its repeated administration can induce irreversible myocardial damage and resultant heart failure. Currently, no marker to detect early cardiac damage is available. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether an assessment of the acoustic properties of the myocardium could enable the earlier detection of myocardial damage after adriamycin chemotherapy. Forty Wistar rats were treated with adriamycin (2 mg/kg, i.v.) once a week for 2, 4, 6 or 8 weeks consecutively. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was calculated using M-mode echocardiography data. The magnitude of cardiac cycle dependent variation of integrated backscatter (CVIB) of the myocardium was measured in the mid segment of the septum and in the posterior wall of the left ventricle, using a real time two dimensional integrated backscatter imaging system. LVEF was significantly lower in the adriamycin-treated 8-week group than in the controls (75 ± 9 vs 57 ± 8%, p < 0.05). Myocyte damage was only seen in the 8-week adriamycin-treated group. However, no significant changes of CVIB were observed between baseline or during follow-up in the ADR or control group. In conclusion, serial assessment of the acoustic properties of the myocardium may not be an optimal tool for the early detection of myocardial damage after doxorubicin chemotherapy in a rat model.

Heart-Fatty Acid-Binding Protein as a Marker for Early Detection of Acute Myocardial Infarction and Stroke

Heart-fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) is a small cytosolic protein involved in intracellular fatty acid transport. This protein, highly concentrated in the heart, is quickly released into plasma after myocardial injury. Results from numerous studies suggest that H-FABP is an excellent marker for the early detection of myocardial damage. H-FABP is also expressed in the brain, although in lower concentrations than in the heart. Recent preliminary studies also investigated the usefulness of H-FABP for the diagnosis of acute and chronic neurological disorders. These potential applications of H-FABP in clinical practice are reviewed in this article, with a strong focus on the early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction and stroke.