Integrin expression during reverse remodeling in the myocardium of heart failure patients.

Background: The main anchoring proteins of myocardial cells with each other and with the extracellular matrix are integrins present in the membranes of myocardial cells. These integrins are important for maintaining the architecture of the myocardial tissue and the mechanotransduction in the heart. Heart failure leads to various alterations in the myocardium, such as changes in morphology, and in expression of mRNAs, miRNAs, and proteins.

Osteopontin: a potential biomarker for heart failure and reverse remodeling after left ventricular assist device support.

Background: Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support in end-stage heart failure (HF) leads to recovery of the patient's condition, size reduction of cardiomyocytes, and also volume reduction and change in the composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Myocardial expression of ECM osteopontin (OPN) protein increases with the severity of HF. We analyzed whether OPN messenger RNA expression in heart tissue and/or OPN protein in plasma are associated with reverse remodeling during LVAD support.

Expression of BNIP3 in invasive breast cancer: correlations with the hypoxic response and clinicopathological features.

Background: Bcl-2/adenovirus E1B 19 kDa-interacting protein 3 (BNIP3) is a pro-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family induced under hypoxia. Low or absent expression has recently been described in human tumors, including gastrointestinal tumors, resulting in poor prognosis. Little is known about BNIP3 expression in invasive breast cancer.

Histopathological comparison between endofibrosis of the high-performance cyclist and atherosclerosis in the external iliac artery.

Introduction: High performance athletes, predominantly professional cyclists, can develop symptomatic arterial flow restriction in one or both legs during exercise. The ischemic symptoms are caused by endofibrosis and/or kinking of the external iliac artery. Because these athletes are young and have no classic risk factors for atherosclerosis, endofibrosis and atherosclerosis are considered different disease entities.

Type IV collagen degradation in the myocardial basement membrane after unloading of the failing heart by a left ventricular assist device.

After left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support in patients with end-stage cardiomyopathy, cardiomyocytes decrease in size. We hypothesized that during this process, known as reverse remodeling, the basement membrane (BM), which is closely connected to, and forms the interface between the cardiomyocytes and the extracellular matrix, will be severely affected. Therefore, the changes in the myocardial BM in patients with end-stage heart failure before and after LVAD support were studied.

The chemokine and chemokine receptor profile of infiltrating cells in the wall of arteries with cardiac allograft vasculopathy is indicative of a memory T-helper 1 response.

Background: Despite improvement in short-term patient survival after heart transplantation (HTx), long-term survival rates have not improved much, mainly because of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV). Cytokines and chemokines are considered to play an important role in CAV development.

Methods And Results: We focused on coronary arteries of HTx patients and made an inventory of the infiltrating cells and the expression of cytokines as well as chemokines and chemokine receptors (C+CR) in the different layers of the vessel wall with CAV.

Brain natriuretic peptide is produced both by cardiomyocytes and cells infiltrating the heart in patients with severe heart failure supported by a left ventricular assist device.

Background: Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a cardiac neurohormone synthesized in cardiac ventricles as a result of increased wall stress. Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support in patients with end-stage heart failure results in reduced wall stress and therefore may change BNP levels in the heart.

Methods: BNP plasma levels were measured in 17 patients with end-stage HF before LVAD implantation and at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after LVAD support.

Similar left and right ventricular sarcomere structure after support with a left ventricular assist device suggests the utility of right ventricular biopsies to monitor left ventricular reverse remodeling.

Background: To evaluate whether the morphology of the contractile filaments in cardiomyocytes of patients with end-stage heart failure, treated with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), is identical in the left- and right ventricle (LV, RV) and in the interventricular septum (IVS) and can be monitored by biopsies taken with a bioptome. The application of an LVAD as a bridge to recovery of cardiac function requires monitoring of myocyte recovery. The use of RV biopsies for this purpose might be feasible, if morphologic findings in the RV coincide with those in the LV.

Cardiomyocyte death in patients with end-stage heart failure before and after support with a left ventricular assist device: low incidence of apoptosis despite ubiquitous mediators.

Background: Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation in patients with end-stage heart failure results in impressive hemodynamic improvement. The effects on myocardial apoptosis and its mediators are unknown.

Methods: Myocardial biopsies from 17 patients at the time of LVAD implantation and after explantation, at the time of heart transplantation (HTx), were examined by terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) reaction and with antibodies against Fas ligand (FasL), Fas, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha receptor 1 (TNF-R1), TNF-alpha receptor 2 (TNF-R2), TNF-alpha, TNF-alpha-converting enzyme (TACE), poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR), caspase-3 and FLICE inhibitory protein (FLIP).

Left ventricular assist device in end-stage heart failure: persistence of structural myocyte damage after unloading. An immunohistochemical analysis of the contractile myofilaments.

Objectives: We sought to evaluate the contractile proteins in cardiomyocytes of patients with end-stage heart failure (HF) before and after mechanical support with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD).

Background: Improvement of myocyte dysfunction has been suggested after LVAD support.

Methods: Fourteen patients' myocardial biopsies taken at the time of LVAD implantation and after explantation, at the time of heart transplantation, were processed for routine hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemistry using monoclonal antibodies against actin, myosin, tropomyosin, troponin C and T and titin.