The 2024 edition of the Guidelines for the Clinical Application of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function in Hypertension acts as a comprehensive framework for evaluating cardiovascular remodeling and function in hypertension through echocardiography.This document provides an in-depth overview of ultrasound techniques and diagnostic criteria related to cardiovascular remodeling and function in hypertensive patients,alongside an analysis of the advantages and limitations of various ultrasound methods and their clinical implications.The purpose of this interpretation is to offer a detailed elucidation of the guidelines,aimed at assisting echocardiographiers and clinical professionals in effectively understanding and implementing them.This will help standardize cardiovascular ultrasound examinations and diagnostic procedures for hypertension,ultimately guiding the clinical application of ultrasound in this context.

Right ventricular-pulmonary artery coupling(RVPAC)refers to the relationship between right ventricular contractility and afterload.Normal RVPAC is maintained only when right ventricular function and pulmonary vascular resistance are appropriately matched.When right ventricular contractility cannot increase to match afterload,thus resulting in right ventricular dysfunction.RVPAC plays an important role in pathophysiology and progression of many cardiovascular diseases,which is crucial for the prognosis of patients.Therefore,early and accurate evaluation of RVPAC has great significance for patient's condition assessment,clinical decision-making,risk stratification and prognosis judgment.There are many evaluation methods currently,which can be divided into invasive and non-invasive methods,among which the non-invasive methods are mainly correlated with ultrasound.This review summarizes pathological mechanism and evaluation methods of RVPAC,advantages and disadvantages of each method and application value of RVPAC in various cardiovascular diseases.

Recently developed three-dimensional echocardiography rendering technology，which includes transillumination imaging and tissue transparency imaging，is based on powerful artificial intelligence algorithm and employs unique visualization methods. This novel technology enables intuitive and realistic visualization of the heart's three-dimensional structure and blood flow images，providing richer and more accurate imaging information for evaluating cardiac anatomy and function. They demonstrate unique value in the diagnosis and treatment of structural heart diseases. This article reviews the applications and prospects of three-dimensional echocardiographic rendering techniques in structural heart disease.

Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound（LIPUS），with its remarkable advantages of higher safety and better penetrability，has gradually become a novel method of physical adjuvant therapy. Previous studies have verified that LIPUS can modulate the immune response of different immune cells such as macrophage，T lymphocyte，and neutrophil by reducing the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Therefore，it plays a crucial role on acceleration of fracture healing，expedition of wound repair，and repairation of myocardial injury. The review summarizes the regulatory effects and potential mechanisms of LIPUS on abnormal immune cell responses triggered by various diseases.

Objective:To explore the application value of echocardiography in the management of pediatric mitral valve replacement.Methods:Thirty-three children who underwent mitral valve replacement at Union Hospital Tongji Medical College Huazhong University of Science and Technology from January 2009 to June 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical data and preoperative and postoperative echocardiographic data were collected. The differences in ultrasound parameters among preoperative，1-week postoperative，1-month postoperative and 1-year postoperative were compared.Results:Of the 33 children，there were 4 cases（12.12%）of mitral stenosis，33 cases（100%）of mitral regurgitation and 4 cases（12.12%）of mitral stenosis combined with regurgitation. Mechanical valve replacement was performed in 30 cases（90.91%）and bioprosthetic valve replacement in 3 cases（9.09%）. Compared with the preoperative period，the left atrial internal diameter and left ventricular end-diastolic internal diameter were significantly reduced at 1-week postoperatively，1-month postoperatively，and 1-year postoperatively，respectively（all P <0.05）.The left ventricular mass was significantly reduced and the left ventricular end-diastolic sphericity index was significantly increased（both P < 0.05）at 1-month postoperatively compared with preoperatively. The left ventricular ejection fraction was significantly higher at 1-year postoperatively compared with 1-week postoperatively（ P <0.05）. Conclusions:After pediatric mitral valve replacement，the left ventricular dimensions decrease，and cardiac function progressively recovers. Echocardiography is an essential tool for accurate preoperative assessment and postoperative follow-up in pediatric mitral valve replacement.

Objective:To evaluate the left ventricular（LV）function in heart transplant（HTx）patients with post-transplant diabetes（PTDM），and to examine the relevance of PTDM and LV function to the patient's prognosis.Methods:Two hundred and thirteen adult HTx patients who underwent echocardiography at Union Hospital，Tongji Medical College，Huazhong University of Science and Technology between January 2018 and January 2022 were prospectively included. The patients were divided into PTDM group（ n=86）and Non-PTDM group（ n=127）. LV function parameters were acquired using conventional and two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography（2D-STE），and were compared between the two groups. The primary endpoints included all-cause mortality or transplant-related readmission. Results:Compared with Non-PTDM group，the LV mass of PTDM group was higher，the LV ejection fraction，LV global longitudinal strain（GLS），peak systolic global longitudinal strain rate，and early diastolic global longitudinal strain rate（dGLSr）were lower（all P＜0.05）. After a median follow-up period of 37.6（29.3）months，27 patients experienced clinical events. A multivariate analysis revealed that PTDM（ HR=2.198，95% CI=1.018-4.743， P=0.045）and low GLS（ HR=6.456，95% CI=2.889-14.426， P＜0.001）were independent predictors of adverse clinical events after adjustment for dGLSr，body mass index and age. After subdividing the two groups into 4 subgroups by the cutoff value of GLS（16.5%），the prognosis was worst for HTx patients with PTDM and low GLS. Conclusions:HTx patients with PTDM have worse LV systolic and diastolic function than those without PTDM. Management of HTx patients with PTDM may be improved using GLS guidance.

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) with increasing global prevalence lacks effective therapeutic targets to halt or reverse its progression. Therapeutic targets supported by causal genetic evidence are more likely to succeed in randomized clinical trials. In this study, we integrated large-scale plasma proteomics, genetic-driven causal inference, and experimental validation to identify prioritized targets for DKD using the UK Biobank (UKB) and FinnGen cohorts. Among 2844 diabetic patients (528 with DKD), we identified 37 targets significantly associated with incident DKD, supported by both observational and causal evidence. Of these, 22% (8/37) of the potential targets are currently under investigation for DKD or other diseases. Our prospective study confirmed that higher levels of three prioritized targets-insulin-like growth factor binding protein 4 (IGFBP4), family with sequence similarity 3 member C (FAM3C), and prostaglandin D2 synthase (PTGDS)-were associated with a 4.35, 3.51, and 3.57-fold increased likelihood of developing DKD, respectively. In addition, population-level protein-altering variants (PAVs) analysis and in vitro experiments cross-validated FAM3C and IGFBP4 as potential new target candidates for DKD, through the classic NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3)-caspase-1-gasdermin D (GSDMD) apoptotic axis. Our results demonstrate that integrating omics data mining with causal inference may be a promising strategy for prioritizing therapeutic targets.

Diabetic kidney disease(DKD)with increasing global prevalence lacks effective therapeutic targets to halt or reverse its progression.Therapeutic targets supported by causal genetic evidence are more likely to succeed in randomized clinical trials.In this study,we integrated large-scale plasma proteomics,genetic-driven causal inference,and experimental validation to identify prioritized targets for DKD using the UK Biobank(UKB)and FinnGen cohorts.Among 2844 diabetic patients(528 with DKD),we identified 37 targets significantly associated with incident DKD,supported by both observational and causal evi-dence.Of these,22％(8/37)of the potential targets are currently under investigation for DKD or other diseases.Our prospective study confirmed that higher levels of three prioritized targets-insulin-like growth factor binding protein 4(IGFBP4),family with sequence similarity 3 member C(FAM3C),and prostaglandin D2 synthase(PTGDS)—were associated with a 4.35,3.51,and 3.57-fold increased likeli-hood of developing DKD,respectively.In addition,population-level protein-altering variants(PAVs)analysis and in vitro experiments cross-validated FAM3C and IGFBP4 as potential new target candidates for DKD,through the classic NLR family pyrin domain containing 3(NLRP3)-caspase-1-gasdermin D(GSDMD)apoptotic axis.Our results demonstrate that integrating omics data mining with causal inference may be a promising strategy for prioritizing therapeutic targets.

The 2024 edition of the Guidelines for the Clinical Application of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function in Hypertension acts as a comprehensive framework for evaluating cardiovascular remodeling and function in hypertension through echocardiography.This document provides an in-depth overview of ultrasound techniques and diagnostic criteria related to cardiovascular remodeling and function in hypertensive patients,alongside an analysis of the advantages and limitations of various ultrasound methods and their clinical implications.The purpose of this interpretation is to offer a detailed elucidation of the guidelines,aimed at assisting echocardiographiers and clinical professionals in effectively understanding and implementing them.This will help standardize cardiovascular ultrasound examinations and diagnostic procedures for hypertension,ultimately guiding the clinical application of ultrasound in this context.