Real-time three-dimensional echocardiography predicts cardiotoxicity induced by postoperative chemotherapy in breast cancer patients

BACKGROUND

The anthracycline chemotherapeutic drugs are cardiotoxic. Studies have found some indicators related to cardiotoxicity. However, there is currently no accurate indicator that can predict cardiac toxicity early.

AIM

To explore the diagnostic value of real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) in predicting cardiac toxicity in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

METHODS

Female breast cancer patients who underwent radical mastectomy and postoperative chemotherapy at the Affiliated Hanzhou First People’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine were recruited. All patients were routinely administered with chemotherapy for four cycles (T1-T4) after surgery. Two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography, RT3DE, and serological examinations were performed after each cycle of chemotherapy. Patients were divided into a toxic group and a non-toxic group based on whether patients had Δ left ventricular ejection fraction > 10% after one year of chemotherapy. Repeated measurement analysis of variance was used to compare the changes in 2D echocardiographic indicators, serological indicators, and RT3DE indicators before and after chemotherapy. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent predictive indicators for cardiac toxicity in postoperative chemotherapy patients. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was performed to analyze the diagnostic value of potential indicators in the diagnosis of cardiotoxicity.

RESULTS

A total of 107 female breast cancer patients were included in the study. T4 maximum peak velocity in early diastole (E peak)/mitral annulus lateral tissue Doppler (e' peak) (E/e'), serological indicators [T4 cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and T4 pro-brain natriuretic peptide (Pro-BNP)], T3 minimum left atrial volume (LAV), T4 LAVmin, T3 LAV before the start of the P wave (LAVprep), and T4 LAVprep in the toxicity group were significantly higher than those in the non-toxic group. Multivariate logistic regression found that T4 cTnI, T4 Pro-BNP, T3 LAVmin, T4 LAVmin, T3 LAVprep, and T4 LAVprep had potential predictive value for cardiac toxicity (P < 0.05). ROC results showed that T4 LAVmin had the highest accuracy for diagnosing cardiac toxicity [area under the curve (AUC) = 0.947; sensitivity = 78.57%; specificity = 94.62%], followed by T4 LAVprep (AUC = 0.899; sensitivity = 100%; specificity = 66.67%). The accuracies of LAVprep and LAVprep in predicting cardiac toxicity were higher than those of T3 LAVmin and T3 LAVprep.

CONCLUSION

RT3DE of left atrial volume can be used to predict the cardiotoxicity caused by chemotherapy, and it is expected to guide the clinical adjustment of dose and schedule in time.

Lung Ultrasound Score Predicts the Extravascular Lung Water Content in Low-Birth-Weight Neonates with Patent Ductus Arteriosus

BACKGROUND Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a common congenital cardiac abnormality in premature infants. In low-birth-weight infants weighing less than 2500 g, if the PDA continues to open, abnormal circulation hemodynamics and pulmonary edema may occur. This study aimed to investigate the role of lung ultrasound score in the assessment of pulmonary edema in low-weight neonates with PDA. MATERIAL AND METHODS Two hundred and twenty-one neonates with low birth weight were selected as the subjects, children with PDA as the observation group, and children with closed ductus arteriosus as the control group. On the fourth postnatal day, lung ultrasound examination and 6-segment lung ultrasound scoring were performed. RESULTS All 221 infants (94 in the observation group, 127 controls) underwent ultrasound examinations of the lungs. Intergroup differences in gestational age, birth weight, length of hospital stay, and left ventricular ejection fraction were not statistically significant. There was a significant difference in lung ultrasound score (t=0.005, P=0.000) and aortic root ratio to left atrial (t=0.085, P=0.000), which was negatively correlated with gestational age (r=-0.235, P=0.000) and positively correlated with PDA diameter (r=0.261, P=0.011). CONCLUSIONS Low-birth-weight children often have PDA. Its continued opening changes the circulation hemodynamics in children. Lung ultrasound score can semi-quantitatively evaluate the extravascular lung water content, identifying the need to intervene and follow up the hemodynamic significance of PDA over time.

Synthesis design of artificial magnetic metamaterials using a genetic algorithm

In this article, we present a genetic algorithm (GA) as one branch of artificial intelligence (AI) for the optimization-design of the artificial magnetic metamaterial whose structure is automatically generated by computer through the filling element methodology. A representative design example, metamaterials with permeability of negative unity, is investigated and the optimized structures found by the GA are presented. It is also demonstrated that our approach is effective for the synthesis of functional magnetic and electric metamaterials with optimal structures. This GA-based optimization-design technique shows great versatility and applicability in the design of functional metamaterials.

In vivo 1H magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy of the rat spinal cord using an inductively-coupled chronically implanted RF coil

An inductively coupled, chronically implanted short-solenoid coil was used to obtain in vivo localized 1H NMR spectra and diffusion-weighted images from a rat spinal cord. A 5 x 8 mm two-turn elliptically shaped solenoid coil was implanted in rats at the site of a T-12 vertebral-level laminectomy. Excitation was achieved solely by a 3 x 3 cm external surface coil, and signal detection was achieved by inductively coupling the external coil to the implanted coil. The image signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) obtained with the inductively-coupled implanted coil was compared with that obtained using a linear or a quadrature external surface coil. The implanted coil provided a gain by over a factor of 3 in SNR. The implanted coil was used to measure localized 1H spectra in vivo at the T13/L1 spinal-cord level within a 1.85 x 1.85 x 4.82 mm (16.5 microL) volume. With 256 averages, a approximately 3-s repetition delay and respiratory gating, a high-quality spectrum was acquired in 13 min. In addition, water translational diffusion was measured in three orthogonal directions using a stimulated-echo imaging sequence, with a short echo time (TE), to produce a quantitative map of diffusion in a rat spinal cord in vivo.