While the study population is too small to justify definitive conclusions, the data demonstrates the importance for availability of echocardiography in endemic areas for EMF.

In a prior study, published in 2009 in the journal Circulation (2), some of the authors have described the role of echocardiography in the screening for rheumatic heart disease (RHD). In a large patient population of children from Mozambique, the authors describe that early case detection is vital in RHD in children to minimize the risk of advanced valvular heart disease. The data evaluated the currently utilized World Health Organization (WHO) criteria for echocardiographic diagnosis of subclinical RHD and conclude that adding morphological features to diagnostic criteria might have significant consequences in terms of case detection rates.

1. Mocumbi AO, Carrilho C, Sarathchandra P, Ferreira MB, Yacoub M, Burke M.Echocardiography accurately assesses the pathological abnormalities of chronic endomyocardial fibrosis. Int J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2011;27:955-64.

PMID: 21110101

2. Marijon E, Celermajer DS, Tafflet M, El-Haou S, Jani DN, Ferreira B, Mocumbi AO, Paquet C, Sidi D, Jouven X. Rheumatic heart disease screening by echocardiography: the inadequacy of World Health Organization criteria for optimizing the diagnosis of subclinical disease. Circulation. 2009;120:663-8

The journal Cardiovascular Diagnosis and Therapy (CDT) invites artists to submit artwork to our feature entitled Art and Medicine. We also encourage submission of manuscripts related to the role of art in medicine.

• Submission of artwork should include a high-resolution image of the work and a brief one-page description of the artist and the artwork including a ‘credit line’ (see examples on the website: https://www.amepc.org/index/index )
• Submission of artwork and manuscripts should follow the general guidelines of the journal, available on the website, https://www.amepc.org/cdt (Author Guidelines)

The primary goal of the journal CDT is to promote rapid exchange of scientific information related to cardiovascular care between clinicians and scientists worldwide and to become a globally respected source of up-to-date information about all aspects of Cardiovascular Diagnosis and Therapy. Art and Medicine will be a permanent feature of the journal.

The General Assembly in its resolution A/RES/65/238 decided that the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases shall be held on 19 and 20 September 2011 in New York and that the high-level meeting shall address the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases worldwide, with a particular focus on developmental and other challenges and social and economic impacts, particularly for developing countries.

For more details, please visit https://www.un.org/en/ga/president/65/issues/ncdiseases.shtml

Feature:
- Cardiovascular Disease and Global Climate Change

- Cardiovascular Disease and Lifestyle