Echocardiographic characteristics of professional tennis players at the Roland Garros French Open.

BACKGROUND: Intensive sport may induce cardiac modifications. No recent study has been performed in elite tennis players. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to analyze the cardiac characteristics in a population of professional tennis players. METHODS: During the 2004 French Open Tennis Tournament, we offered complete echocardiographic screening to all professional tennis players. The study population consisted of 160 subjects: 80 tennis players (50 men and 30 women) and age- and sex-matched control groups (n = 80). RESULTS: Indexed left ventricular mass was significantly higher in tennis players (P < .0001). Left ventricular hypertrophy was present in 18 male (36%) and 6 female (20%) tennis players versus 2 men (4%) and no woman in the control groups (P < .0001 and P = .02, respectively). All indexed right and left atrial measurements were significantly higher in tennis players (P < .003). The incidence of left and right atrial dilation was significantly higher in tennis players (P < or = .0001). Indexed right atrial area and left atrial volume were significantly higher in baseline players as compared with offensive players and to control groups (P < .0001), whereas there was no significant difference in left ventricular mass according to the style of play (P > .75). No significant between-group difference was observed in Doppler data. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, professional tennis players presented significant cardiac differences, as compared to a control group, with moderate left ventricular hypertrophy, bilateral atrial dilation, and normal systolic and diastolic functions. Atrial dilation is related to the style of play (baseline or offensive) and should be considered as physiological in tennis players.

Shear mode coupling and tilted grain growth of A1N thin films in BAW resonators.

Polycrystalline A1N thin films were deposited by RF reactive magnetron sputtering on Pt(111)/Ti electrode films. The substrates were tilted by an angle ranging from 40 degrees to 70 degrees with respect to the target normal. A low deposition temperature and a high sputter gas pressure were found ideal for tilted growth. The resulting grain tilt angle amounts to about half the substrate tilt angle. For coupling evaluation, 5 GHz solidly mounted resonator structures have been realized. The tilted grain A1N films exhibited a permittivity in the 9.5-10.5 range and loss tangent of 0.3%. Two shear modes as well as the longitudinal mode could be clearly identified. The coupling coefficient k2(eff) of the fundamental thickness shear mode (TS0) was found to be about 0.5%, which is compatible with a c-axis tilt of about 6 degrees.

Assessment of patent foramen ovale in carcinoid heart disease.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Carcinoid syndrome may involve right carcinoid heart disease (CHD), secondary to the release of vasoactive substances. Left CHD is rare, as the inactivation of serotonin by the lung protects the left heart. We attempted to evaluate the prevalence of CHD and patent foramen ovale (PFO) with serial contrast transthoracic echocardiographic studies and to determine the markers of right and left CHD progression. METHODS: Forty-one consecutive patients with proved digestive endocrine tumor and carcinoid syndrome were prospectively enrolled. All patients underwent serial conventional and contrast transthoracic echocardiographic studies. Right and left CHD, PFO, radiological examinations, and biological carcinoid markers were systematically assessed. RESULTS: Left CHD was present in 5 patients at baseline and in 13 patients (32%) during follow-up (P = .03). The 13 patients with left CHD also had PFO, and no left CHD occurred without PFO (P < .0001). Right CHD was present in 16 patients (39%) at baseline and in 25 patients (61%) at the end of follow-up (P = .04). The prevalence of right and left CHD was significantly higher in patients with PFO (88% and 76%, respectively; P < .04). A progression of right and left CHD was present, respectively, in 19 and 9 patients but was mainly found in patients with PFO (15 and 9 patients; P < .0001). The main marker of CHD progression was the presence of PFO (odds ratio 44.2, 95% confidence interval 4.4-447.7; P = .001). CONCLUSIONS: PFO is a new marker of CHD progression and should be systematically assessed with routine contrast transthoracic echocardiography in patients with carcinoid syndrome to determine patients at high risk of CHD progression.

Echocardiographic automated cardiac output measurement of pulmonary output and quantification of intracardiac shunt.

BACKGROUND: The quantification of intracardiac shunt (ICS) with echocardiographic pulsed-wave Doppler (PWD) method using pulmonary-to-systemic flow ratio (QP/QS ratio) remains difficult and may induce false quantification of pulmonary output. We sought to validate the recent echocardiographic automated cardiac output measurement (ACM) for the calculation of pulmonary output and the quantification of ICS in adults. METHODS: One hundred and twenty consecutive patients were divided in 1) 40 patients who underwent echocardiographic and invasive explorations (group I) with groups IA (quantification of ICS using ACM, PWD and invasive oximetric methods in 20 patients) and IB (calculation of pulmonary output with ACM, PWD and thermodilution methods in 20 patients); 2) 80 patients underwent calculation of aortic and pulmonary outputs using echocardiographic ACM and PWD methods (group II). RESULTS: The feasibility of ACM and conventional PWD methods for the calculation of pulmonary output was respectively 93.3% and 90%. Correlations between ACM and invasive pulmonary output were strong (r2=0.92 vs. r2=0.80 for PWD). The best correlation and agreement between invasive and echocardiographic QP/QS ratio were observed with ACM (r=0.96 vs. r=0.82 for PWD). Intracardiac shunts were best-classified with ACM, as compared to PWD (respectively 94% and 72%); sensitivities and specificities for evaluation of significant ICS were 92.3% and 100% with ACM (85% and 40% with PWD). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that ACM is a reliable and accurate echocardiographic method for calculating pulmonary output and quantifying ICS in adults and may be routinely performed in clinical practice.

Pulse mode shear horizontal-surface acoustic wave (SH-SAW) system for liquid based sensing applications.

In this work, we describe a novel pulse mode shear horizontal-surface acoustic wave (SH-SAW) polymer coated biosensor that monitors rapid changes in both amplitude and phase. The SH-SAW sensors were fabricated on 36 degrees rotated Y-cut X propagating lithium tantalate (36 YX.LT). The sensitivity of the device to both mass loading and visco-elastic effects may be increased by using a thin guiding layer of cross-linked polymer. Two acoustic modes are excited by the electrodes in this crystalline direction. Metallisation of the propagation path of the 36 YX.LT devices allows the two modes to be discriminated. Successive polymer coatings resulted in the observation of resonant conditions in both modes as the layer thickness was increased. Using the 36 YX.LT devices, we have investigated the application of a novel pulse mode system by sensing a sequence of deposition and removal of a biological layer consisting of vesicles of the phospholipid POPC. A continuous wave system was used to verify the accuracy of the pulse mode system by sensing a series of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) solutions. The data clearly demonstrates the ability of the 36 YX.LT pulse mode system to provide rapid measurements of both amplitude and phase for biosensing applications.