BACKGROUND: This study delineated the interrelationships between subclinical alterations in the left heart, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), Alzheimer\'s disease (AD) biomarkers, and cognition.
METHODS: Multiple linear regressions were conducted in 1244 cognitively normal participants (mean age = 65.5; 43% female) who underwent echocardiography (left atrial [LA] and left ventricular [LV] morphologic or functional parameters) and CSF AD biomarkers measurements. Mediating effects of AD pathologies were examined. Differences in cardiac parameters across ATN categories were tested using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and logistic regressions.
RESULTS: LA or LV enlargement (characterized by increased diameters and volumes) and LV hypertrophy (increased interventricular septal or posterior wall thickness and ventricular mass) were associated with higher CSF phosphorylated (p)-tau and total (t)-tau levels, and poorer cognition. Tau pathologies mediated the heart-cognition relationships. Cardiac parameters were higher in stage 2 and suspected non-Alzheimer\'s pathology groups than controls.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggested close associations of subclinical cardiac changes with tau pathologies and cognition.
CONCLUSIONS: Various subclinical alterations in the left heart related to poorer cognition. Subclinical cardiac changes related to tau pathologies in cognitively normal adults. Tau pathologies mediated the heart-cognition relationships. Subclinical cardiac changes related to the AD continuum, especially to stage 2. The accumulation of cardiac alterations magnified their damage to the brain.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to evaluate echocardiographic measurements in Han Chinese preterm and term infants and to build percentile curves of normal echocardiographic measurements values related to the weight.
METHODS: From December 2014 to December 2021, a total of 797 male infants and 773 female infants born in * were included in the study. The echocardiographic measurements of each subject were as follows: left ventricular internal diameter at end-diastole (LVIDd), left ventricular internal diameter at end-systole (LVIDs), left ventricular posterior wall thickness at end-diastole (LVPWd), left ventricular posterior wall thickness at end-systole (LVPWs), interventricular septal thickness at end-diastole (IVSd), interventricular septal thickness at end-systole (IVSs), ascending aorta diameter (AO), left atrium (LA) dimension, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS) and left ventricular mass (LVM). The correlations between echocardiography measurements and birth weight (BW), length (L), gestational age (GA), and body surface area (BSA) were analyzed.
RESULTS: There was a good correlation between the echocardiographic measurements and birth weight and percentile curves of the echocardiographic measurements were established according to different birth weight. The echocardiographic measurements were not affected by gender. However, LVEF and LVFS did not change with BW or gender.
CONCLUSIONS: The percentile curves of normal values make it possible to classify echocardiographic measurements for left heart structures and function as normal or abnormal and is helpful for the diagnosis of neonatal heart disease in preterm and term infants.

Intracardiac thrombus in the left atrium and atrial appendage (LA/LAA) and left ventricle (LV) increases the risk of systemic thromboembolism and causes potentially devastating diseases such as ischemic stroke and acute ischemia in abdominal organs and lower extremities. Detecting the presence and monitoring the resolution of left heart intracardiac thrombus are of vital importance for stratifying patients and guiding treatment decisions. Currently, echocardiography is the most frequently used method for the above clinical needs, followed by computed tomography. An increasing number of studies have been performed to investigate the value of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) as an alternative imaging modality given its several unique strengths. This article provides an overview of the clinical relevance of the LA/LAA and LV thrombus as well as the diagnostic performance of the current imaging modalities and emerging CMR techniques.

BACKGROUND: Shone\'s complex is a rare syndrome characterized by congenital left heart defects that can differ among the patients.
OBJECTIVE: To use echocardiography in the diagnosis of Shone\'s complex and analyze the causes of missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis.
METHODS: This was a retrospective study of patients who underwent echocardiography and repair surgery from February 14, 2008, to November 22, 2019. The patients were followed once a year at the outpatient clinic after surgery.
RESULTS: Sixty-six patients were included. The patients were 2.7 (0.8-5.6) years of age, and 54.5% were male. Ten (15.2%) had a history of heart surgery. The most common heart defect was the Annulo-Leaflet mitral ring (ALMR) (50/66, 75.8%), followed by coarctation of the aorta (CoA) (43/66, 65.2%). The patients had a variety of combinations of defects. Only two (3.0%) patients had all four defects. None of the patients had a family history of congenital heart disease. The preoperative echocardiographic findings were examined against the intraoperative findings. Echocardiography missed an ALMR in 31 patients (47.0%), a parachute mitral valve (PMV) in one patient (1.5%), subaortic stenosis in one patient (1.5%), and CoA in two patients (3.0%).
CONCLUSIONS: Echocardiography is an effective method to diagnose the Shone\'s complex. Due to this disease\'s complexity and interindividual variability, Improving the understanding of the disease can reduce misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis.

OBJECTIVE: Clinical decision making in children with heart disease relies on detailed measurements of cardiac structures using two-dimensional and M-mode echocardiography. However, no echocardiographic reference values are available for the Chinese children. We aimed to establish z-score regression equations for left heart structures in a population-based cohort of healthy Chinese Han children.
METHODS: Echocardiography was performed in 545 children with a normal heart. The dimensions of the aortic valve annulus (AVA), aortic sinuses of Valsalva (ASV), sinotubular junction (STJ), ascending aorta (AAO), left atrium (LA), mitral valve annulus (MVA), interventricular septal end-diastolic thickness (IVSd), interventricular septal end-systolic thickness (IVSs), left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVIDd), left ventricular end-systolic diameter (LVIDs), left ventricular posterior wall end-diastolic thickness (LVPWd), left ventricular posterior wall end-systolic thickness (LVPWs) were measured. Regression analyses were conducted to relate the measurements of left heart structures to body surface area (BSA). Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS) were calculated. Several models were used, and the adjusted R2 values were compared for each model.
RESULTS: AVA, ASV, STJ, AAO, LA, MVA, IVSd, IVSs, LVIDd, LVIDs, LVPWd, and LVPWs had a cubic relationship with BSA. LVEF and LVFS fell within a narrow range.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide reference values for z scores and regression equations for left heart structures in Han Chinese children. These data may help make a quick and accurate judgment of the routine clinical measurement of left heart structures in children with heart disease.