Acute-Phase Inflammatory Reaction Predicts CMR Myocardial Scar Pattern and 2-Year Mortality in STEMI Patients Undergoing Primary PCI.

(1) Background: The inflammatory response following MI plays an important role in the healing, scar formation, and left ventricle (LV) remodeling. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging can accurately quantify the extent of myocardial scarring. The study aimed to investigate: (a) the relationship between acute inflammatory response and the CMR parameters of the scarring extent, and (b) the predictive power of inflammatory biomarkers and myocardial scarring for 2-year mortality.

Imaging Cardiovascular Inflammation in the COVID-19 Era.

Cardiac complications are among the most frequent extrapulmonary manifestations of COVID-19 and are associated with high mortality rates. Moreover, positive SARS-CoV-2 patients with underlying cardiovascular disease are more likely to require intensive care and are at higher risk of death. The underlying mechanism for myocardial injury is multifaceted, in which the severe inflammatory response causes myocardial inflammation, coronary plaque destabilization, acute thrombotic events, and ischemia.

Intracoronary Imaging for Assessment of Vascular Healing and Stent Follow-up in Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffolds.

Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffolds (BVS) are polymer-based materials implanted in the coronary arteries in order to treat atherosclerotic lesions, based on the concept that once the lesion has been treated, the material of the implanted stent will undergo a process of gradual resorption that will leave, in several years, the vessel wall smooth, free of any foreign material and with its vasomotion restored. However, after the first enthusiastic reports on the efficacy of BVSs, the recently published trials demonstrated disappointing results regarding long-term patency following BVS implantation, which were mainly attributed to technical deficiencies during the stenting procedure. Intracoronary imaging could play a crucial role for helping the operator to correctly implant a BVS into the coronary artery, as well as providing relevant information in the follow-up period.

Modern Concepts in Regenerative Therapy for Ischemic Stroke: From Stem Cells for Promoting Angiogenesis to 3D-Bioprinted Scaffolds Customized via Carotid Shear Stress Analysis.

Ischemic stroke is associated with a tremendous economic and societal burden, and only a few therapies are currently available for the treatment of this devastating disease. The main therapeutic approaches used nowadays for the treatment of ischemic brain injury aim to achieve reperfusion, neuroprotection and neurorecovery. Therapeutic angiogenesis also seems to represent a promising tool to improve the prognosis of cerebral ischemia.

Impact of inflammation-mediated response on pan-coronary plaque vulnerability, myocardial viability and ventricular remodeling in the postinfarction period - the VIABILITY study: Protocol for a non-randomized prospective clinical study.

Introduction: While the role of inflammation in acute coronary events is well established, the impact of inflammatory-mediated vulnerability of coronary plaques from the entire coronary tree, on the extension of ventricular remodeling and scaring, has not been clarified yet.

Materials And Methods: The present manuscript describes the procedures of the VIABILITY trial, a descriptive prospective single-center cohort study. The main purpose of this trial is to assess the link between systemic inflammation, pan-coronary plaque vulnerability (referring to the plaque vulnerability within the entire coronary tree), myocardial viability and ventricular remodeling in patients who had suffered a recent ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Impact of inflammation-mediated myocardial fibrosis on the risk of recurrence after successful ablation of atrial fibrillation - the FIBRO-RISK study: Protocol for a non-randomized clinical trial.

Introduction: Interventional ablation has been demonstrated to represent an effective therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), leading to restoration and maintenance of sinus rhythm in the majority of cases. However, recurrence of AF is encountered in 35% to 40% of cases, and the causes for this frequent complication have not been elucidated so far.

Material And Methods: Here we present the study protocol of the FIBRO-RISK trial, a prospective, single-center, cohort study which aims to investigate the impact of inflammatory-mediated myocardial fibrosis on the risk of recurrence after successful catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation.

Right Ventricle Remodeling and Function in Scleroderma Patients.

Scleroderma, known also as systemic sclerosis (SSc), is a severe disease associated with high mortality rates, and right ventricular (RV) remodeling and dysfunction, along with pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH), are among the most important internal organ manifestations of this disease. PAH has a higher prevalence in patients with SSc compared to the general population and represents a significant predictor of mortality in SSc. In patients with SSc, the morphological remodeling and alteration of RV function begin even before the setting of PAH and lead to development of a specific adaptive pattern of the RV which is different from the one recorded in patients with IAPH.