BACKGROUND & AIMS: OBJECTIVE:To assess and compare immediate effects of chest physiotherapy with positive expiratory pressure (PEP) versus oscillating PEP on transcutaneously measured blood-gas tensions in patients with cystic fibrosis. METHODS:Fifteen patients (mean age 12.5 y, range 6.9-21.5 y) participated. The treatments were randomized and performed on 2 separate occasions, 8 weeks apart. Spirometry was conducted before and after each treatment. We transcutaneously measured oxygen tension (P(tO2). RESULTS:There were no changes in spirometry values. During PEP, different trends in blood-gas tension were seen, and there were no consistent changes. During oscillating PEP, P(tO2) increased and P(tCO2) decreased. During oscillating PEP, P(tCO2) was lower and the intra-individual change in P(tCO2) was more pronounced than during PEP. The results obtained immediately after oscillating PEP showed a higher P(tO2) and a lower P(tCO2) than with PEP. CONCLUSION:PEP and oscillating PEP can both cause transitory effects on blood gases in patients with cystic fibrosis. However, oscillating PEP alters blood-gas tensions more than does PEP, and hyperventilation during oscillating PEP may reduce treatment time.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :A 22-year-old male awoke with right foot drop and numbness. Nerve conduction studies, sural nerve biopsy, and molecular genetic analysis were consistent with hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsy (HNPP). Two months later he developed involuntary flexion/extension movements of the right toes with associated intermittent dystonic flexion of the right foot. Over the next 2 months these movements spread to the left foot and hand and myoclonus of the left trapezius and rhomboid appeared. This is the first case report of moving toes syndrome and segmental myoclonus in association with HNPP. The temporal and topographic patterns of spread of the abnormal movements suggest a central mechanism probably induced by peripheral pathology.

背景与目标： : 一名22岁的男性醒来，右脚跌落麻木。神经传导研究，腓肠神经活检和分子遗传学分析与遗传性神经病并伴有压力性麻痹 (HNPP) 一致。两个月后，他出现了右脚趾的不自主屈伸运动，并伴有右脚的间歇性肌张力障碍屈曲。在接下来的2个月中，这些运动扩散到左斜方肌的左脚，手和肌阵挛，并出现菱形。这是第一例与HNPP相关的活动脚趾综合征和节段性肌阵挛的病例报告。异常运动扩散的时间和地形模式表明可能是由周围病理引起的中心机制。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: BACKGROUND:Pulmonary surfactant dysfunction may contribute to the development of ventilator induced lung injury (VILI). Tracheal gas insufflation (TGI) is a technique in which fresh gas is introduced into the trachea and augment ventilation by reducing the dead space of ventilatory system, reducing ventilatory pressures and tidal volume (V(T)) while maintaining constant partial arterial CO2 pressure (PaCO(2)). We hypothesised that TGI limited peak inspiratory pressure (PIP) and V(T) and would minimize conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV) induced pulmonary surfactant dysfunction and thereby attenuate VILI in rabbits with acute lung injury (ALI). METHODS:ALI was induced by intratracheal administration of lipopolysaccharide in anaesthetized, ventilated healthy adult rabbits randomly assigned to continuous TGI at 0.5 L/min (TGI group) or CMV group (n = 8 for each group), and subsequently ventilated with limited PIP and V(T) to maintain PaCO(2) within 35 to 45 mmHg for 4 hours. Physiological dead space to V(T) ratio (V(D)/V(T)), dynamic respiratory compliance (Cdyn) and partial arterial O(2) pressure (PaO(2)) were monitored. After ventilation, lungs were analysed for total phospholipids (TPL), total proteins (TP), pulmonary surfactant small to large aggregates ratio (SA/LA) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and for determination of alveolar volume density (V(V)), myeloperoxidase and interleukin (IL)-8. RESULTS:TGI resulted in significant (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) decrease in PIP [(22.4 +/- 1.8) cmH2O vs (29.5 +/- 1.1) cmH2O], V(T) [(6.9 +/- 1.3) ml/kg vs (9.8 +/- 1.11) ml/kg], V(D)/V(T) [(32 +/- 5)% vs (46 +/- 2)%], TP [(109 +/- 22) mg/kg vs (187 +/- 25) mg/kg], SA/LA (2.5 +/- 0.4 vs 5.4 +/- 0.7), myeloperoxidase [(6.2 +/- 0.5) U/g tissue vs (12.3 +/- 0.8) U/g tissue] and IL-8 [(987 +/- 106) ng/g tissue vs (24 +/- 3) mN/m] of BALF, and significant (P < 0.05) increase in Cdyn [(0.47 +/- 0.02) ml.cmH2O(-1).kg(-1) vs (0.31 +/- 0.02) ml.cmH2O(-1).kg(-1)], PaO(2) [(175 +/- 24) mmHg vs (135 +/- 26) mmHg], TPL/TP (52 +/- 8 vs 33 +/- 11) and Vv (0.65 +/- 0.05 vs 0.44 +/- 0.07) as compared with CMV. CONCLUSIONS:In this animal model of ALI, TGI decreased ventilatory requirements (PIP, V(T) and V(D)/V(T)), resulted in more favourable alveolar pulmonary surfactant composition and function and less severity of lung injury than CMV. TGI in combination with pressure limited ventilation may be a lung protective strategy for ALI.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:Scleroderma is an immune-mediated disease characterized by excess deposition of collagen leading to microvascular occlusion. Morbidity and mortality are often secondary to pulmonary hypertension from injury to pulmonary microvasculature and interstitial lung disease. This study correlated P-wave findings on the 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) with mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) measured by right heart catheterization in patients with scleroderma. METHODS:A retrospective review of 12-lead ECGs in 23 patients referred to a rheumatology clinic with the diagnosis of scleroderma was performed. Right heart catheterization was performed within 1 month of the resting ECG. RESULTS:Linear regression related P-wave amplitude in lead II with mPAP (r = 0.52, P = .011) This model was 73% sensitive and 67% specific for the presence or absence of elevated mPAP. CONCLUSIONS:P-wave amplitude analysis on the ECG may be helpful in the assessment of pulmonary hypertension in patients with scleroderma.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: OBJECTIVE:To assess whether interindividual variation in renal plasma flow or in its response to angiotensin II infusion is associated with interindividual differences in blood pressure in a population-based sample of 287 non-Hispanic whites (143 women and 144 men), aged 20-49.9 years.

METHODS:After seven days of eating a high-sodium diet (260 mmol/day), the renal plasma flow was determined by measuring the clearance of p-aminohippurate before and after infusion of 3 ng/kg per min angiotensin II. Multiple linear regression methods were used to assess whether measures of the renal plasma flow and of its response to angiotensin II infusion were predictive of systolic or diastolic blood pressures measured prior to administration of the high-sodium diet, on day 6 of the high-sodium diet, or during the renal clearance procedure on day 7 prior to angiotensin II infusion.

RESULTS:There was some evidence that measures of the renal plasma flow and of its response to angiotensin II infusion during the high-sodium diet were statistically significant predictors of measures of blood pressure in women; there was less evidence for this for blood pressures in men. Interindividual variation in measures of the renal plasma flow and of its response to angiotensin II infusion explained less than 10% of the interindividual variation in any measure of the blood pressure in both sexes.

CONCLUSION:These results suggest that interindividual variation in renal plasma flow ad in its response to angiotensin II infusion during a high-sodium diet will be of limited utility in elucidating the basis for interindividual differences in blood pressure.

背景与目标： 目的 : 在基于人群的287非西班牙裔白人 (143名女性和144名男性) 样本中，评估肾血浆流量或对血管紧张素II输注的反应的个体差异是否与血压的个体差异相关，年龄在20-49.9岁之间。
方法 : 在食用高钠饮食 (260 mmol/天) 7天后，通过在每分钟输注3 ng/kg血管紧张素II之前和之后测量对氨基马尿酸盐的清除率来确定肾血浆流量。使用多元线性回归方法来评估肾血浆流量及其对血管紧张素II输注的反应的测量是否可以预测高钠饮食第6天在给予高钠饮食之前测得的收缩压或舒张压。钠饮食，或在输注血管紧张素II之前第7天的肾脏清除过程中。
结果 : 有证据表明，高钠饮食期间肾脏血浆流量的测量及其对血管紧张素II输注的反应是女性血压测量的统计学显着预测指标; 男性血压的证据较少。肾血浆流量测量及其对血管紧张素II输注的反应的个体差异解释了男女血压测量中个体间差异的10%。
结论 : 这些结果表明，在高钠饮食中对血管紧张素II输注的反应中，肾血浆流量ad的个体差异在阐明血压个体差异的基础方面将是有限的。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :The possible combined effects of caffeine and exercise on blood pressure (BP) regulation were examined in 34 healthy, normotensive (BP less than 135/85 mm Hg) young men (mean age 27 +/- 3 years) in a placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover design. Each subject performed submaximal and symptom-limited maximal supine bicycle exercise 1 hour apart after ingestion of placebo or caffeine (3.3 mg/kg). Heart rate, BP, cardiac output and peripheral vascular resistance were compared for placebo and caffeine days. Postdrug baseline showed that caffeine increased systolic and diastolic BP and peripheral vascular resistance (p less than 0.001 for each) and decreased heart rate (p less than 0.01) but did not change stroke volume or cardiac output. BP and vascular resistance effects of caffeine remained during submaximal exercise resulting in an additive increase in BP while negative chronotropic effects of caffeine disappeared. At maximal exercise substantially more subjects (15 on caffeine vs 7 on placebo, p less than 0.02) had systolic BP greater than or equal to 230 mm Hg and/or greater than or equal to 100 mm Hg for diastolic BP. Plasma norepinephrine levels were not significantly different across days, but epinephrine was higher at maximal exercise and cortisol was increased post-drug and throughout maximal exercise on caffeine days. Data indicate that caffeine increases BP additively during submaximal exercise and may cause excessive BP responses at maximal exercise for some individuals. The pressor effects of caffeine appear to be due to increasing vascular resistance rather than cardiac output.

背景与目标： : 在安慰剂对照中，在34名健康，血压正常 (血压低于135/85mm Hg) 的年轻男性 (平均年龄27/- 3岁) 中检查了咖啡因和运动对血压 (BP) 调节的可能综合作用，双盲交叉设计。每个受试者在摄入安慰剂或咖啡因 (3.3 mg/kg) 后1小时间隔进行次最大和症状受限的最大仰卧自行车运动。比较安慰剂和咖啡因天数的心率，血压，心输出量和外周血管阻力。药物后基线显示，咖啡因增加收缩压和舒张压以及周围血管阻力 (每个p小于0.001) 和降低心率 (p小于0.01)，但不改变中风量或心输出量。在次最大运动期间，咖啡因的BP和血管阻力效应仍然存在，导致BP的累加性增加，而咖啡因的负变时性效应消失了。在最大运动时，明显更多的受试者 (咖啡因组15例，安慰剂组7例，p小于0.02) 的收缩压大于或等于230毫米Hg和/或舒张压大于或等于100毫米Hg。血浆去甲肾上腺素水平在不同的日子没有显着差异，但肾上腺素在最大运动时较高，皮质醇在服药后和咖啡因的整个最大运动中增加。数据表明，咖啡因在次最大运动期间会增加BP，并可能导致某些人在最大运动时产生过多的BP反应。咖啡因的升压作用似乎是由于血管阻力增加而不是心输出量增加所致。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Studies show that both low physical activity (PA) and adiposity are associated with a higher risk of hypertension. However, the relationship between PA and blood pressure in adolescents is controversial and other studies have reported that no association was observed. Of particular interest is the evaluation of whether the association between PA and high blood pressure is independent of adiposity. A sample of 3764 Brazilian adolescents who attend high schools was selected using random cluster sampling. Data were collected using the Global School-based Student Health Survey, anthropometry, and blood pressure readings. The prevalence of high blood pressure was 14.6% (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 13.5-15.7), higher amongst males (20.0%; 95%CI 18.0-22.1) compared with females (10.9%; 95%CI 9.7-12.3). Sixty-six per cent of the adolescents were reported to be insufficiently active. The prevalence of high blood pressure was 12.8% (95%CI 11.0-14.7) amongst active compared with 15.4% (95%CI 14.0-16.9) amongst insufficiently active adolescents. The association between PA and high blood pressure was observed only amongst females after adjusting for waist circumference (odds ratio (OR) 1.67; 95%CI 1.21-2.31) and body mass index (OR 1.71; 95%CI 1.23-2.37). Notwithstanding levels of adiposity, higher PA levels are associated with a lower prevalence of high blood pressure amongst females, although not amongst males.

背景与目标： : 研究表明，低体力活动 (PA) 和肥胖都与高血压的高风险相关。然而，PA与青少年血压之间的关系存在争议，其他研究报告未观察到关联。特别令人感兴趣的是评估PA与高血压之间的关联是否独立于肥胖。采用随机整群抽样的方法，选取了3764名就读高中的巴西青少年样本。数据是使用全球学校学生健康调查，人体测量学和血压读数收集的。高血压的患病率为14.6% (95% 置信区间 (CI) 13.5-15.7)，男性 (20.0%; 95% CI 18.0-22.1) 高于女性 (10.9%; 95% CI 9.7-12.3)。据报告，66% 的青少年活动不足。在活跃的青少年中，高血压的患病率12.8% (95% CI 11.0-14.7)，而在不活跃的青少年中，高血压的患病率为15.4% (95% CI 14.0-16.9)。仅在调整腰围 (比值比 (OR) 1.67; 95% CI 1.21-2.31) 和体重指数 (OR 1.71; 95% CI 1.23-2.37) 后，在女性中观察到PA与高血压之间的关联。尽管肥胖程度较高，但女性中PA水平较高与高血压患病率较低有关，尽管男性中并非如此。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: GENERAL PURPOSE:To provide information from a review of literature about economic evaluations of preventive strategies for pressure injuries (PIs). TARGET AUDIENCE:This continuing education activity is intended for physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurses with an interest in skin and wound care. LEARNING OBJECTIVES/OUTCOMES:After participating in this educational activity, the participant should be better able to:1. Identify the purpose and methods used for this study.2. Compare costs and effectiveness related to preventative strategies for PIs. ABSTRACT:BACKGROUND: Pressure injuries (PIs) are a common and resource-intensive challenge for acute care hospitals worldwide. While a number of preventive strategies have the potential to reduce the cost of hospital-acquired PIs, it is unclear what approach is the most effective. OBJECTIVE:The authors performed a narrative review of the literature on economic evaluations of preventive strategies to survey current findings and identify important factors in economic assessments. DATA SOURCES:Ovid, MEDLINE, NHS Economic Evaluation Databases, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic ReviewsSELECTION CRITERIA: Potentially relevant original research articles and systematic reviews were considered. DATA EXTRACTION:Selection criteria included articles that were written in English, provided data on cost or economic evaluations of preventive strategies of PIs in acute care, and published between January 2004 and September 2015. Data were abstracted from the articles using a standardized approach to evaluate how the items on the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards checklist were addressed. DATA SYNTHESIS:The searches identified 192 references. Thirty-three original articles were chosen for full-text reviews. Nineteen of these articles provided clear descriptions of interventions, study methods, and outcomes considered. CONCLUSIONS:Limitations in the available literature prevent firm conclusions from being reached about the relative economic merits of the various approaches to the prevention of PIs. The authors' review revealed a need for additional high-quality studies that adhere to commonly used standards of both currently utilized and emerging ways to prevent hospital-acquired PIs.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :Chondrolipoma is an extremely rare variant of lipoma with cartilaginous metaplasia. The presence of nonlipomatous components can lead to a variety of entities in the differential diagnosis from the radiologic findings. We describe an unusual case of a chondrolipoma occurring in the right ankle of a 9-year-old female. Physical examination showed a 3.5-cm, elastic-hard, poorly mobile, nontender mass adherent to the Achilles tendon. Plain radiographs revealed a faintly calcified soft tissue mass without bone involvement. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a well-defined mass with 2 components with heterogeneous signal intensity, suggesting the coexistence of a fatty area and another nonlipomatous component. Marginal excision of the tumor was performed. Histologically, the tumor was composed of mature adipose tissue studded with islands of mature hyaline cartilage. Based on these findings, the tumor was diagnosed as a chondrolipoma. The patient had no evidence of local recurrence within 9 months of follow-up. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of chondrolipoma originating from the ankle in a child.

背景与目标： : 软骨脂肪瘤是脂肪瘤的一种极其罕见的变异型软骨化生。非脂肪瘤性成分的存在可导致放射学发现的鉴别诊断疾病中的各种实体。我们描述了一个9岁女性右脚踝发生软骨脂肪瘤的不寻常病例。体格检查显示跟腱附着有3.5厘米，弹性坚硬，移动不良，不柔软的肿块。X线平片显示微弱的钙化软组织肿块，没有骨受累。磁共振成像显示出一个明确的质量，其中有2个成分，信号强度不均匀，表明脂肪区域和另一种非脂肪瘤成分并存。进行了肿瘤的边缘切除术。从组织学上讲，肿瘤由成熟的脂肪组织组成，这些脂肪组织散布着成熟的透明软骨岛。根据这些发现，该肿瘤被诊断为软骨脂肪瘤。在随访的9个月内，患者没有局部复发的证据。据我们所知，这是第一例起源于儿童脚踝的软骨脂肪瘤。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: :The Grieshaber Air System was designed to maintain intraocular pressure during ophthalmologic surgery. It also has been used to maintain pressure in leaking endotracheal tube cuffs. It is a very useful device, especially if the intubation is difficult or the patient's position precludes replacement of the endotracheal tube. Two patients are presented in whom the system was used to maintain endotracheal tube cuff pressure.

背景与目标： : Grieshaber空气系统旨在在眼科手术期间保持眼内压。它也已用于维持气管导管袖口泄漏的压力。这是一种非常有用的设备，尤其是在插管困难或患者的位置无法更换气管插管的情况下。介绍了两名患者，其中该系统用于维持气管导管袖带压力。

BACKGROUND & AIMS: INTRODUCTION:Abnormal ankle-brachial index (ABI) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in hemodialysis patients. However, whether the decrease in ABI over time carries the prognostic value is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess whether the decrease in ABI over time was a good predictor of poor cardiovascular (CV) prognosis in hemodialysis patients. METHODS:This study enrolled 234 routine hemodialysis patients and 173 patients completed the follow-up. The ABI was measured by an ABI-form device at baseline and at the first year follow-up. The ΔABI was defined as ABI measured at the first year follow-up minus ABI measured at baseline. Progressors of ABI were defined as patients with ΔABI < -0.3. CV events were defined as CV death, hospitalization for unstable angina, nonfatal myocardial infarction, hospitalization for arrhythmia, hospitalization for congestive heart failure and stroke. RESULTS:The follow-up period was 37.8 ± 11.1 months. In the multivariate analysis, progressors of ABI (hazard ratio, 2.71; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-6.68, P = 0.03), decreased albumin and increased high-sensitivity C-reactive protein were associated with increased CV events. CONCLUSIONS:This longitudinal study showed ΔABI < -0.3 was independently associated with an increase in CV events. Hence, a great decrease in ABI over time might be a useful indicator of poor CV prognosis in hemodialysis patients.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: OBJECTIVES:To evaluate the durability of all-in-one adhesive systems bonded to dentine with and without simulated hydrostatic pulpal pressure (PP). METHODS:Flat dentine surfaces of extracted human molars were prepared. Two all-in-one adhesive systems, One-Up Bond F (OBF) (Tokuyama Corp., Tokyo, Japan), and Fluoro Bond Shake One (FBS) (Shofu Co., Kyoto, Japan) were applied to the dentine surfaces under either a PP of 0 or 15cm H(2)O. Then, resin composite build-ups were made. The specimens bonded under pressure were stored in 37 degrees C water for 24h, 1 and 3 months under 15cm H(2)O PP. Specimens not bonded under pressure were stored under zero PP. After storage, the specimens were sectioned into slabs that were trimmed to hourglass shapes and subjected to micro-tensile bond testing (muTBS). The data were analysed using two-way ANOVA and Holm-Sidak HSD multiple comparison tests (alpha=0.05). RESULTS:The muTBS of OBF fell significantly (p<0.05) when PP was applied during bonding and storage, regardless of storage time. In contrast, although the muTBS of OBF specimens bonded and stored without hydrostatic pressure storage fell significantly over the 3 months period, the decrease was less than half as much as specimens stored under PP. In FBS bonded specimens, although there was no significant difference between the muTBS with and without hydrostatic pulpal pressure at 24h, by 1 and 3 months of storage under PP, significant reductions were seen compared with the control group without PP. CONCLUSION:The muTBS of OBF bonded specimens was lowered more by simulated PP than by storage time; specimens bonded with FBS were not sensitive to storage time in the absence of PP, but showed lower bond strengths at 1 and 3 months in the presence of PP.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: OBJECTIVE:Acute pulmonary hypertension may cause right ventricular (RV) contractile failure. While it has been assumed that restoration of normal loading conditions after acute pulmonary hypertension is sufficient for complete recovery of RV function, this has not been rigorously examined. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that acute RV pressure overload produces RV contractile dysfunction that persists following restoration of control loading conditions. METHODS:We subjected 18 autonomically-blocked, chloralose-anesthetized, open-chest pigs to 1 h of pulmonary artery constriction to increase RV systolic pressure from 35 +/- 1 to 55 +/- 1 mmHg, followed by 2 h of measurements after pulmonary artery constriction release. We determined regional RV free wall function from pressure-segment length loops and preload recruitable stroke work relations, and global RV function from stroke work vs. end-diastolic pressure relations. RESULTS:As expected, RV free wall systolic shortening diminished during pulmonary artery constriction, but the endo/epi blood flow ratio, lactate uptake, and coronary venous pH were not significantly changed. Following release of pulmonary artery constriction, RV systolic and diastolic pressure returned to control values. Nonetheless, contractile dysfunction persisted, with depressed RV free wall systolic shortening (70 +/- 22% of control), RV regional external work (59 +/- 11% of control at control end-diastolic length), and global RV stroke work (56 +/- 14% of control at control end-diastolic pressure). Depressed regional work was due to a parallel, rightward shift of the preload recruitable stroke work relation. Five pigs identically instrumented but not subjected to pulmonary artery constriction showed no significant over 3 h. CONCLUSIONS:Acute pulmonary hypertension causes RV contractile dysfunction that persists at least 2 h after restoration of control loading conditions. Contractile dysfunction is not attributable to RV ischemia during pressure overload.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: PURPOSE:To evaluate the influence of heart rate (HR) on magnetic resonance coronary angiography (MRCA) image quality in diastolic and systolic phases. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Twenty-seven healthy volunteers (9 men; 33+/-9 years, HR 53-110 bpm), were evaluated with the electrocardiography and three-dimensional navigator-gating MRCA in a 1.5-T MR scanner (Avanto, Siemens) in diastolic and systolic phases (steady-state free precession; TR/TE/flip angle=3.2 ms/1.6 ms/90 degrees). The timing of scanning was individually adapted to the cardiac rest periods obtained in the prescanning, by visually identifying when the movement of right coronary artery was minimized during diastole and systole. Images of two phases were side-by-side compared on a four-point scale (from 1=poor to 4=excellent visibility; score of 3 or 4 as diagnostic). RESULTS:Of 13 subjects with HR < or =65 bpm (low HR group, mean 59.8+/-4.9 bpm, range 53-65), the image quality scores were significantly better than that with higher heart rates (73.9+/-9.0 bpm, range 68-110) in diastolic MRCA. The image quality was significantly improved during systole in high HR group. Overall, 91.3% of low HR group had MRCA image of diagnostic quality acquired at diastole, while 88.3% of high HR group had diagnostic images at systole by segmental analysis (p=NS). CONCLUSIONS:MRCA at systole offered superior quality in patients with high heart rates.

背景与目标：

BACKGROUND & AIMS: AIM:Anthracycline agents are undermined by their cardiotoxicity. As life expectancy following treatment is greatly improved, techniques that ensure early detection and timely management of cardiotoxicity are essential. The aim of the present study was to evaluate left ventricular (LV) systolic function with LV ejection fraction (LVEF) and two-dimensional myocardial strain up to 12 months after anthracycline chemotherapy, specifically in HER2/neu negative breast cancer patients. METHODS:Seventy-eight consecutive anthracycline naïve breast cancer patients were studied before and immediately after anthracycline chemotherapy. Fifty HER2/neu negative patients were studied over 12 months with serial echocardiograms at four time points. All patients were treated with standard regimens containing anthracyclines. RESULTS:Global systolic strain was significantly reduced immediately after, and 6 months after anthracyclines (-19.0 ± 2.3% to -17.5 ± 2.3% (P<0.001) and -18.2 ± 2.2% (P=0.01) respectively). A non-uniform reduction in strain was observed each time with relative sparing of the LV apex. LVEF remained largely unchanged at both time points. Global strain normalised by 12 months in the majority of patients. Persistently reduced strain was observed in 16% (n=8); these patients had a greater reduction in strain at 6 months (≤ -17.2%), and had received higher cumulative anthracycline doses. CONCLUSION:Myocardial strain imaging is more sensitive than LVEF for the early detection and intermediate term monitoring of LV systolic function following anthracycline chemotherapy in HER2/neu negative breast cancer patients, and may aid in the development of improved monitoring protocols.

背景与目标：