Introduction : Previous studies have revealed abnormal resting‐state brain activity in patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD); however, the results are inconsistent. Thus, we conducted a coordinate‐based meta‐analysis of whole‐brain resting‐state functional neuroimaging studies in ESRD to identify the most consistent neural activity alterations in ESRD patients and explore their relation to serological indicators. Methods : A comprehensive literature search strategy was applied to select pertinent studies up to December 2022 in PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases. Voxel‐wise meta‐analysis was conducted via the latest meta‐analytic algorithm, seed‐based d mapping with permutation of subject images software. Meta‐regression analyses were also conducted to explore the potential effect of clinical variables on resting‐state neural activity. Results : Eleven studies comprising 304 patients with ESRD and 296 healthy controls (HCs) were included. Compared with HCs, ESRD patients showed decreased brain activity in the default mode network (DMN) regions, including the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex/medial prefrontal cortex, bilateral midcingulate cortex/posterior cingulate cortex, bilateral precuneus, and right angular gyrus. The neural activities in the bilateral midcingulate cortex, bilateral midcingulate cortex/posterior cingulate cortex, and right angular gyrus were significantly associated with serological indexes including hemoglobin, urea, and creatinine levels. Conclusion : The present study provides a quantitative overview of brain activity alterations in patients with ESRD, and the results confirm the essential role of the DMN in ESRD patients, which may be the potential neural basis of their cognitive deficits. Additionally, some serological indicators may be used as predictive markers for progressive impairment of brain function.

Myocardial infarction with nonobstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) is a potentially multipathogenic syndrome that affects a subgroup of patients who present with acute myocardial infarction yet have no significant coronary artery disease on angiography. We herein describe a 71-year-old man with typical angina who showed inferior ST-segment elevation on electrocardiography and an increased troponin-I level. Emergency coronary angiography showed no angiographic stenosis. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) with two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (2D-STI) were performed after coronary angiography. Good consistency was observed between the CMR findings and MCE with 2D-STI findings in identifying the potential causes of MINOCA. We explored an imaging method that is potentially more effective and accurate than CMR, namely MCE combined with 2D-STI, to identify myocardial abnormalities when angiography reveals no obstruction. This application of MCE with 2D-STI may optimize timely treatment. MINOCA has various causes, and the patient in this case was discharged with aspirin, verapamil, and atorvastatin on the presumption that the infarct had arisen from either plaque disruption or coronary spasm. In this study, we analyzed the etiology, clinical diagnosis, and treatment of MINOCA with reference to the relevant literature.

Accessory mitral valve tissue (AMVT) is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly, which is associated with other congenital heart diseases. It is diagnosed in neonates or childhood and rarely in adulthood. Nevertheless, AMVT is an incidental finding or described as isolated. Echocardiography, especially three-dimensional echocardiography is considered as an optimal imaging technique for AMVT diagnosis. We herein presented an asymptomatic adult AMVT cases with significant left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and surgical excision was recommended.

We reported a very rare case, a 59-year-old female whose heart myxoma was present in both atrium, the mass in biatrial was connected to each other at the oval foramen, resembling "dumbbell-like." By means of multimodality echocardiography techniques such as transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), and Real-time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (RT-3D TEE), we have clarified the diagnosis. The patient underwent open-heart surgery to remove the biatrial myxoma which adhered to the oval fossa, with a slightly wider base and smooth lobulated surface. This case demonstrates the importance of multimodality echocardiography in the diagnosis of atypical myxomas.

Background: Accessory mitral valve tissue (AMVT) is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly, which is associated with other congenital heart diseases. It is diagnosed in neonates or childhood and rarely in adulthood. Nevertheless, AMVT is an incidental finding or described as isolated. Echocardiography, especially three-dimensional(3D) echocardiography is considered as an optimal imaging technique for AMVT diagnosis.Case presentation: We herein presented the two asymptomatic adult cases with AMVT, who presented with varying degrees of symptomatic left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction. One presented with mild LVOT obstruction and no surgery was required, and another one with significant LVOT obstruction was recommended for surgical excision.Conclusions: We emphasized the usefulness of echocardiography in the morphology detection of AMVT, and the importance of operation guidance and follow-up.