Ultrasound studies of dilated cardiomyopathy in Dobermanns and English cocker spaniels

The basic hypothesis tested in this study was that dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy have abnormal ventricular function, and that this can be detected noninvasively using M-mode, two-dimensional (2D), and Doppler echocardiography, and also by measuring myocardial ultrasonic integrated backscatter. An additional hypothesis was that different breeds of dogs affected with DCM have a different clinical course, and that differences in ventricular function between these breeds can be detected by echocardiography or integrated backscatter measurements that might account for the different prognosisThe aims of this study therefore were (1) to identify echocardiographic variables that distinguished normal dogs from dogs with DCM; (2) to identify differences in ventricular function using echocardiography between Dobermanns and English cocker spaniels with DCM; and (3) to measure ultrasonic integrated backscatter in normal dogs and in Dobermanns and Cocker spaniels with DCM.In this group of Dobermanns, median survival time was 98 days (range 16 - 508 days), whereas median survival in the cocker spaniels was 512 days (range 51 to >1388 days), with 6/11 still alive at the time of writing (p < 0.002). All the measured M-mode variables differed significantly between the normal dogs and the dogs with DCM. Compared with the Dobermanns, the cocker spaniels had significantly increased LV free wall thickening and increased LV diastolic diameter when indexed to body surface area. All the 2D echocardiographic variables were significantly different between the normal dogs and dogs with DCM when corrected for body size, but there were no significant differences between Dobermanns and cocker spaniels. Significant differences were found between normal and DCM dogs in some but not all of the Doppler echocardiographic variables. Cocker spaniels had higher mitral A wave velocities than the normal dogs, and decreased mitral E/A ratios compared with both the other groups. Dobermanns had shorter isovolumic relaxation times than the other groupsIn the second part of this study, measurements were made of ultrasonic integrated backscatter in selected regions of the left ventricle in normal dogs and dogs with DCM. Ultrasonic integrated backscatter is a measurement of the power of the ultrasound signal returned from the myocardium to the transducer. This backscattered signal reflects basic tissue properties, and exhibits dynamic variation with contractile function that may represent fundamental alterations in the shape, size and distribution of scatterers within the myocardium. Consistent cyclic variation in integrated backscatter was observed in the LV free wall and septum of the normal dogs, but this pattern was not consistently seen in the DCM dogs. Differences were not seen between the Dobermanns and cocker spaniels, although the number of cocker spaniels measured was small.In conclusion, the DCM dogs had evidence of markedly reduced systolic function compared with the normal dogs. The affected dogs had left atrial and left ventricular dilation with thinner left ventricular walls. Although there was little evidence of any difference in systolic function between the two affected breeds, there was evidence of different diastolic function, with a tendency for Dobermanns to show a restrictive pattern of transmitral filling, and cocker spaniels to show evidence of delayed relaxation. The different pattern of diastolic dysfunction in the two breeds is consistent with the prognostic value ascribed to transmitral flow patterns in human DCM patients: delayed relaxation patterns have been associated with improved survival times in man. Reduced cyclic variation of ultrasonic integrated backscatter was also seen in the dogs affected with DCM, although no differences were found between the two affected breeds

Biomarker changes with systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and cardiac troponin-I (cTnI) are biomarkers commonly evaluated in cats with suspected heart disease. Many cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) have systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve (SAM), but its influence on circulating NT-proBNP or cTnI concentrations is currently unknown. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: Cats with HCM and SAM (HCMSAM+ ) have higher NT-proBNP and cTnI concentrations than do cats with HCM but without SAM (HCMSAM- ). ANIMALS: One hundred forty cats with HCM: 70 with SAM and 70 without SAM. METHODS: Retrospective case-to-case study. Cats were recruited if diagnosed with HCM by echocardiography and results were available for NT-proBNP or cTnI concentrations or both. Cats with SAM were matched to those without SAM for clinical presentation, left atrial (LA) size and left ventricular (LV) fractional shortening. RESULTS: A total of 119 NT-proBNP and 123 cTnI results were available. The HCMSAM+ cats had higher median concentrations than did HCMSAM- cats for NT-proBNP (729 pmoL/L; interquartile range [IQR], 275-1467 versus 65 pmoL/L; IQR, 25-271; P < .001) and cTnI (0.27 ng/mL; IQR, 0.10-0.81 versus 0.07 ng/mL; IQR, 0.01-0.43; P = .002). In general linear models for both NT-proBNP and cTnI, the independent explanatory variables were SAM, congestive heart failure, maximal LV wall thickness, and LA size. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: For cats with HCM and equivalent LA size and LV systolic function, those with SAM had higher NT-proBNP and cTnI concentrations than did those without SAM. Presence of SAM should be considered when interpreting biomarker concentrations in cats with HCM

ACVIM consensus statement guidelines for the classification, diagnosis, and management of cardiomyopathies in cats

Cardiomyopathies are a heterogeneous group of myocardial disorders of mostly unknown etiology, and they occur commonly in cats. In some cats, they are well-tolerated and are associated with normal life expectancy, but in other cats they can result in congestive heart failure, arterial thromboembolism or sudden death. Cardiomyopathy classification in cats can be challenging, and in this consensus statement we outline a classification system based on cardiac structure and function (phenotype). We also introduce a staging system for cardiomyopathy that includes subdivision of cats with subclinical cardiomyopathy into those at low risk of life-threatening complications and those at higher risk. Based on the available literature, we offer recommendations for the approach to diagnosis and staging of cardiomyopathies, as well as for management at each stage

Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) for the assessment of myocardial disarray, fibrosis and ventricular mass in a feline model of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) is a high-resolution imaging modality that provides accurate tissue characterization. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) occurs as a spontaneous disease in cats, and is characterized by myocardial hypertrophy, disarray and fibrosis, as in humans. While hypertrophy/mass (LVM) can be objectively measured, fibrosis and myocyte disarray are difficult to assess. We evaluated the accuracy of micro-CT for detection and quantification of myocardial disarray and fibrosis by direct comparison with histopathology. 29 cat hearts (12 normal and 17 HCM hearts) underwent micro-CT and pathologic examination. Myocyte orientation was assessed using structure tensor analysis by determination of helical angle (HA), fractional anisotropy (FA) and myocardial disarray index (MDI). Fibrosis was segmented and quantified based on comparison of gray-scale values in normal and fibrotic myocardium. LVM was obtained by determining myocardial volume. Myocardial segments with low FA, low MDI and disruption of normal HA transmural profile on micro-CT were associated with myocardial disarray on histopathology. FA was consistently lower in HCM than normal hearts. Assessment of fibrosis on micro-CT closely matched the histopathologic evaluation. LVM determined by micro-CT was higher in HCM than normal hearts. Micro-CT can be used to detect and quantify myocardial disarray and fibrosis and determine myocardial mass in HCM

An Overview of the IberSpeech-RTVE 2022 Challenges on Speech Technologies

Evaluation campaigns provide a common framework with which the progress of speech technologies can be effectively measured. The aim of this paper is to present a detailed overview of the IberSpeech-RTVE 2022 Challenges, which were organized as part of the IberSpeech 2022 conference under the ongoing series of Albayzin evaluation campaigns. In the 2022 edition, four challenges were launched: (1) speech-to-text transcription; (2) speaker diarization and identity assignment; (3) text and speech alignment; and (4) search on speech. Different databases that cover different domains (e.g., broadcast news, conference talks, parliament sessions) were released for those challenges. The submitted systems also cover a wide range of speech processing methods, which include hidden Markov model-based approaches, end-to-end neural network-based methods, hybrid approaches, etc. This paper describes the databases, the tasks and the performance metrics used in the four challenges. It also provides the most relevant features of the submitted systems and briefly presents and discusses the obtained results. Despite employing state-of-the-art technology, the relatively poor performance attained in some of the challenges reveals that there is still room for improvement. This encourages us to carry on with the Albayzin evaluation campaigns in the coming years.This work was partially supported by Radio Televisión Española through the RTVE Chair at the University of Zaragoza, and Red Temática en Tecnologías del Habla (RED2022-134270-T), funded by AEI (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación); It was also partially funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant 101007666; in part by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the European Union “NextGenerationEU”/ PRTR under Grants PDC2021-120846C41 PID2021-126061OB-C44, and in part by the Government of Aragon (Grant Group T3623R); it was also partially funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (OPEN-SPEECH project, PID2019-106424RB-I00) and by the Basque Government under the general support program to research groups (IT-1704-22), and by projects RTI2018-098091-B-I00 and PID2021-125943OB-I00 (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and ERDF) as well

Prognostic value of mitral annular systolic plane excursion and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) has a variable prognosis; left atrial size, presence of clinical signs and left ventricular systolic function have been shown to predict outcomes. Mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE) and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) assess longitudinal ventricular systolic function and are decreased in cats with HCM. The aim of the study was to ascertain whether MAPSE and TAPSE have prognostic value in HCM and if cats with pleural effusion have lower MAPSE and TAPSE than cats with pulmonary oedema

Retrospective evaluation of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in 68 dogs

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of clinical data on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in dogs. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To investigate signalment, clinical signs, diagnostic findings, and survival in dogs with HCM. ANIMALS: Sixty-eight client-owned dogs. METHODS: Retrospective multicenter study. Medical records were searched between 2003 and 2015. The diagnosis of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy was made by echocardiographic examination. RESULTS: Three hundred and forty-five dogs with LV hypertrophy were identified, of which 277 were excluded. The remaining 68 dogs were 0.3 to 14 years old and predominantly <10 kg (85%), and without a sex predilection. Twenty-four % were Shih Tzu and 24% terrier breeds. Most (80%) had a systolic heart murmur. Owner-determined exercise intolerance (37%) and syncope (18%) were most commonly reported signs. The majority (84%) of dogs had symmetrical LV hypertrophy, whereas asymmetrical septal and LV free wall hypertrophy was observed in 9% and 6% of dogs, respectively. Isolated basal interventricular septal hypertrophy was not observed. Commonly recorded were systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve (60%) and LV diastolic dysfunction (89% of dogs where diastolic function was evaluated). Six dogs died unexpectedly, and 3 developed congestive heart failure. Known survival times were between 1 day and 114 months after diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in dogs should be considered as a differential diagnosis if LV hypertrophy is identified. Small breed dogs are overrepresented, and it is uncommon for dogs with HCM to develop CHF although sudden death can occur

Ubiquitous Computing for Mobile Environments

The increasing role and importance of ubiquitous computing and mobile environments in our daily lives implies the need for new solutions. The characteristics of agents and multi-agent systems make them very appropriate for constructing ubiquitous and mobile systems. This chapter presents some of the advances in practical and theoretical applications of multi-agent systems in the fields of ubiquitous computing and mobile environments carried out by several AgentCities.ES research groups

Time spent with cats is never wasted: Lessons learned from feline acromegalic cardiomyopathy, a naturally occurring animal model of the human disease

<div><p>Background</p><p>In humans, acromegaly due to a pituitary somatotrophic adenoma is a recognized cause of increased left ventricular (LV) mass. Acromegalic cardiomyopathy is incompletely understood, and represents a major cause of morbidity and mortality. We describe the clinical, echocardiographic and histopathologic features of naturally occurring feline acromegalic cardiomyopathy, an emerging disease among domestic cats.</p><p>Methods</p><p>Cats with confirmed hypersomatotropism (IGF-1>1000ng/ml and pituitary mass; n = 67) were prospectively recruited, as were two control groups: diabetics (IGF-1<800ng/ml; n = 24) and healthy cats without known endocrinopathy or cardiovascular disease (n = 16). Echocardiography was performed in all cases, including after hypersomatotropism treatment where applicable. Additionally, tissue samples from deceased cats with hypersomatotropism, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and age-matched controls (n = 21 each) were collected and systematically histopathologically reviewed and compared.</p><p>Results</p><p>By echocardiography, cats with hypersomatotropism had a greater maximum LV wall thickness (6.5mm, 4.1–10.1mm) than diabetic (5.9mm, 4.2–9.1mm; Mann Whitney, p<0.001) or control cats (5.2mm, 4.1–6.5mm; Mann Whitney, p<0.001). Left atrial diameter was also greater in cats with hypersomatotropism (16.6mm, 13.0–29.5mm) than in diabetic (15.4mm, 11.2–20.3mm; Mann Whitney, p<0.001) and control cats (14.0mm, 12.6–17.4mm; Mann Whitney, p<0.001). After hypophysectomy and normalization of IGF-1 concentration (n = 20), echocardiographic changes proved mostly reversible. As in humans, histopathology of the feline acromegalic heart was dominated by myocyte hypertrophy with interstitial fibrosis and minimal myofiber disarray.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>These results demonstrate cats could be considered a naturally occurring model of acromegalic cardiomyopathy, and as such help elucidate mechanisms driving cardiovascular remodeling in this disease.</p></div