Sex differences in mitochondrial gene expression during viral myocarditis.

Background: Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle most often caused by viral infections. Sex differences in the immune response during myocarditis have been well described but upstream mechanisms in the heart that might influence sex differences in disease are not completely understood.

Methods: Male and female BALB/c wild type mice received an intraperitoneal injection of heart-passaged coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) or vehicle control.

Estimation of prevalence of autoimmune diseases in the United States using electronic health record data.

Background: Previous epidemiologic studies of autoimmune diseases in the United States (US) have included a limited number of diseases or used meta-analyses that rely on different data collection methods and analyses for each disease.

Methods: To estimate the prevalence of autoimmune diseases in the US, we used electronic health record data from six large medical systems in the US. We developed a software program using common methodology to compute the estimated prevalence of autoimmune diseases alone and in aggregate that can be readily used by other investigators to replicate or modify the analysis over time.

Alterations of PINK1-PRKN signaling in mice during normal aging.

The ubiquitin kinase-ligase pair PINK1-PRKN identifies and selectively marks damaged mitochondria for elimination via the autophagy-lysosome system (mitophagy). While this cytoprotective pathway has been extensively studied upon acute and complete depolarization of mitochondria, the significance of PINK1-PRKN mitophagy is less well established. Here we used a novel approach to study PINK1-PRKN signaling in different energetically demanding tissues of mice during normal aging.

Exercise After Acute Myocarditis: When and How to Return to Sports.

Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the myocardium secondary to infectious and noninfectious insults. The most feared consequence of myocarditis is sudden cardiac death owing to electrical instability and arrhythmia. Typical presenting symptoms include chest pain, dyspnea, palpitations and/or heart failure.

Sex differences in left-ventricular strain in a murine model of coxsackievirus B3 myocarditis.

Myocarditis is typically caused by viral infections, but most cases are thought to be subclinical. Echocardiography is often used for initial assessment of myocarditis patients but is poor at detecting subtle changes in cardiac dysfunction. Cardiac strain, such as global longitudinal strain (GLS) and global circumferential strain (GCS), represents an increasingly used set of measurements which can detect these subtle changes.

Reconstituted Extracellular Vesicles from Human Platelets Decrease Viral Myocarditis in Mice.

Patients with viral myocarditis are at risk of sudden death and may progress to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Currently, no disease-specific therapies exist to treat viral myocarditis. Here it is examined whether reconstituted, lyophilized extracellular vesicles (EVs) from platelets from healthy men and women reduce acute or chronic myocarditis in male mice.

COVID-19, Myocarditis and Pericarditis.

Viral infections are a leading cause of myocarditis and pericarditis worldwide, conditions that frequently coexist. Myocarditis and pericarditis were some of the early comorbidities associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19. Many epidemiologic studies have been conducted since that time concluding that SARS-CoV-2 increased the incidence of myocarditis/pericarditis at least 15× over pre-COVID levels although the condition remains rare.

Sex and age differences in sST2 in cardiovascular disease.

Aims: The goal of this study was to determine whether sex and age differences exist for soluble ST2 (sST2) for several cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).

Methods: We examined sST2 levels using an ELISA kit for myocarditis ( = 303), cardiomyopathy ( = 293), coronary artery disease (CAD) ( = 239), myocardial infarct (MI) ( = 159), and congestive heart failure (CHF) ( = 286) and compared them to controls that did not have CVDs ( = 234).

Results: Myocarditis occurred in this study in relatively young patients around age 40 while the other CVDs occurred more often in older individuals around age 60.

Extracellular vesicles as personalized medicine.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are released from all cells in the body, forming an important intercellular communication network that contributes to health and disease. The contents of EVs are cell source-specific, inducing distinct signaling responses in recipient cells. The specificity of EVs and their accumulation in fluid spaces that are accessible for liquid biopsies make them highly attractive as potential biomarkers and therapies for disease.

Exercise After Acute Myocarditis: When and How to Return to Sports.

Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the myocardium secondary to infectious and noninfectious insults. The most feared consequence of myocarditis is sudden cardiac death owing to electrical instability and arrhythmia. Typical presenting symptoms include chest pain, dyspnea, palpitations and/or heart failure.

The evolving regulatory landscape in regenerative medicine.

Regenerative medicine as a field has emerged as a new component of modern medicine and medical research that encompasses a wide range of products including cellular and acellular therapies. As this new field emerged, regulatory agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rapidly adapted existing regulatory frameworks to address the transplantation, gene therapy, cell-based therapeutics, and acellular biologics that fall under the broader regenerative medicine umbrella. Where it has not been possible to modify existing regulation and processes, entirely new frameworks have been generated with the intention of providing flexible, forward-facing systems to regulate this rapidly growing field.

Upregulation of Endothelin-1 May Predict Chemotherapy-Induced Cardiotoxicity in Women with Breast Cancer.

As survival in breast cancer patients from newer therapies increases, concerns for chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity (CIC) have offset some of these benefits, manifesting as a decline in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Patients receiving anthracycline-based chemotherapy followed by trastuzumab are at risk for CIC. Previous research evaluating whether clinical biomarkers predict cardiotoxicity has been inconsistent.

Trpc6 Promotes Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiomyopathy in Male Mice With Pleiotropic Differences Between Males and Females.

Doxorubicin is a widely used and effective chemotherapy, but the major limiting side effect is cardiomyopathy which in some patients leads to congestive heart failure. Genetic variants in have been associated with the development of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity, suggesting that TRPC6 may be a therapeutic target for cardioprotection in cancer patients. Assessment of deficiency to prevent doxorubicin-induced cardiac damage and function was conducted in male and female B6.

Sex-Specific Effects of Plastic Caging in Murine Viral Myocarditis.

Background: Myocarditis is an inflammatory heart disease caused by viral infections that can lead to heart failure, and occurs more often in men than women. Since animal studies have shown that myocarditis is influenced by sex hormones, we hypothesized that endocrine disruptors, which interfere with natural hormones, may play a role in the progression of the disease. The human population is exposed to the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA) from plastics, such as water bottles and plastic food containers.

Sex differences in inflammation, redox biology, mitochondria and autoimmunity.

Autoimmune diseases are characterized by circulating antibodies and immune complexes directed against self-tissues that result in both systemic and organ-specific inflammation and pathology. Most autoimmune diseases occur more often in women than men. One exception is myocarditis, which is an inflammation of the myocardium that is typically caused by viral infections.

BPA Alters Estrogen Receptor Expression in the Heart After Viral Infection Activating Cardiac Mast Cells and T Cells Leading to Perimyocarditis and Fibrosis.

Myocarditis is an inflammatory heart disease that leads to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and heart failure. Sex hormones play an important role in the development of myocarditis with testosterone driving disease in males and estrogen being cardioprotective in females. The human population is widely exposed to the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA) from plastics such as water bottles, plastic food containers, copy paper, and receipts.