Detection of parvovirus mRNAs as markers for viral activity in endomyocardial biopsy-based diagnosis of patients with unexplained heart failure.

Erythroparvovirus (B19V) genomes have been detected in various organs of infected individuals including endothelial cells of the heart muscle. However, the role of B19V as a causative pathogen of myocardial damage is still unknown. The majority of reports focus on the presence of viral DNA ignoring proof of viral RNAs as important markers for viral activity.

Evolutionary History of Endogenous Human Herpesvirus 6 Reflects Human Migration out of Africa.

Human herpesvirus 6A and 6B (HHV-6) can integrate into the germline, and as a result, ∼70 million people harbor the genome of one of these viruses in every cell of their body. Until now, it has been largely unknown if 1) these integrations are ancient, 2) if they still occur, and 3) whether circulating virus strains differ from integrated ones. Here, we used next-generation sequencing and mining of public human genome data sets to generate the largest and most diverse collection of circulating and integrated HHV-6 genomes studied to date.

Development of a new mouse model for coxsackievirus-induced myocarditis by attenuating coxsackievirus B3 virulence in the pancreas.

Aims: The coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) mouse myocarditis model is the standard model for investigation of virus-induced myocarditis but the pancreas, rather than the heart, is the most susceptible organ in mouse. The aim of this study was to develop a CVB3 mouse myocarditis model in which animals develop myocarditis while attenuating viral infection of the pancreas and the development of severe pancreatitis.

Methods And Results: We developed the recombinant CVB3 variant H3N-375TS by inserting target sites (TS) of miR-375, which is specifically expressed in the pancreas, into the 3'UTR of the genome of the pancreo- and cardiotropic CVB3 variant H3.

Protease-activated receptor 2 deficiency mediates cardiac fibrosis and diastolic dysfunction.

Aims: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and pathological cardiac aging share a complex pathophysiology, including extracellular matrix remodelling (EMR). Protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) deficiency is associated with EMR. The roles of PAR1 and PAR2 have not been studied in HFpEF, age-dependent cardiac fibrosis, or diastolic dysfunction (DD).

Telbivudine Reduces Parvovirus B19-Induced Apoptosis in Circulating Angiogenic Cells.

Human parvovirus B19 (B19V) infection directly induces apoptosis and modulates CXCR4 expression of infected marrow-derived circulating angiogenic cells (CACs). This leads to dysfunctional endogenous vascular repair. Treatment for B19V-associated disease is restricted to symptomatic treatment.

High-resolution respirometry in human endomyocardial biopsies shows reduced ventricular oxidative capacity related to heart failure.

The lifetime risk of developing heart failure is approximately 20%, and survival rates remain poor. Myocardial mitochondrial function has been suggested to play a pivotal role in heart failure pathophysiology. Human studies on ex vivo mitochondrial function have mostly been limited to atrial tissue obtained during open heart surgery and have provided contradictory results.

Disconnect between Fibrotic Response and Right Ventricular Dysfunction.

Remodeling and fibrosis of the right ventricle (RV) may cause RV dysfunction and poor survival in patients with pulmonary hypertension. To investigate the consequences of RV fibrosis modulation and the accompanying cellular changes on RV function. Expression of fibrotic markers was assessed in the RV of patients with pulmonary hypertension, the murine pulmonary artery banding, and rat monocrotaline and Sugen5416/hypoxia models.

CCR5del32 genotype in human enteroviral cardiomyopathy leads to spontaneous virus clearance and improved outcome compared to wildtype CCR5.

Background: Enteroviral cardiomyopathy is a life-threatening disease, and detection of enterovirus (EV) RNA in the initial endomyocardial biopsy is associated with adverse prognosis and increased mortality. Some patients with EV infection may spontaneously eliminate the virus and recover, whereas those with virus persistence deteriorate and progress to heart failure. Interferon-beta (IFN-β) therapy eliminates the virus, resulting in increased survival of treated patients.

Telbivudine in chronic lymphocytic myocarditis and human parvovirus B19 transcriptional activity.

Aims: Myocarditis is often associated with parvovirus B19 (B19V) persistence, which can induce vascular damage. Based on the antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties of telbivudine, we aimed to evaluate its efficacy to protect B19V-infected endothelial cells in vitro and to treat chronic lymphocytic myocarditis patients with B19V transcriptional activity.

Methods And Results: We evaluated the endothelial-protective potential of telbivudine in human microvascular endothelial cells-1, which were infected with B19V.

Pathogenic Role of the Damage-Associated Molecular Patterns S100A8 and S100A9 in Coxsackievirus B3-Induced Myocarditis.

Background: The alarmins S100A8 and S100A9 are damage-associated molecular patterns, which play a pivotal role in cardiovascular diseases, inflammation, and viral infections. We aimed to investigate their role in Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3)-induced myocarditis.

Methods And Results: S100A8 and S100A9 mRNA expression was 13.

The forkhead transcription factor Foxo3 negatively regulates natural killer cell function and viral clearance in myocarditis.

Aims: Foxo3 is a transcription factor involved in cell metabolism, survival, and inflammatory disease. However, mechanistic insight in Foxo3 effects is still limited. Here, we investigated the role of Foxo3 on natural killer (NK) cell responses and its effects in viral myocarditis.

Intramyocardial inflammation predicts adverse outcome in patients with cardiac AL amyloidosis.

Aims: To evaluate the influence of endomyocardial biopsy (EMB)-proven intramyocardial inflammation on mortality in patients with cardiac transthyretin amyloid (ATTR) or amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis.

Methods And Results: We included 54 consecutive patients (mean age 68.83 ± 9.

Human Parvovirus B19 (B19V) Up-regulates CXCR4 Surface Expression of Circulating Angiogenic Cells: Implications for Cardiac Ischemia in B19V Cardiomyopathy.

Background: Human parvovirus B19 (B19V) infection and damage of circulating angiogenic cells (CAC) results in dysfunctional endogenous vascular repair (DEVR) with secondary end-organ damage. Trafficking of CAC is regulated by SDF-1α and the respective receptor CXCR4. We thus tested the hypothesis of a deregulated CXCR4/SDF-1α axis in symptomatic B19V-cardiomyopathy.

NOD2 (Nucleotide-Binding Oligomerization Domain 2) Is a Major Pathogenic Mediator of Coxsackievirus B3-Induced Myocarditis.

Background: The cytoplasmatic pattern recognition receptor, NOD2 (nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain 2), belongs to the innate immune system and is among others responsible for the recognition of single-stranded RNA. With Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) being a single-stranded RNA virus, and the recent evidence that the NOD2 target, NLRP3 (NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3) is of importance in the pathogenesis of CVB3-induced myocarditis, we aimed to unravel the role of NOD2 in CVB3-induced myocarditis.

Methods And Results: Endomyocardial biopsy NOD2 mRNA expression was higher in CVB3-positive patients compared with patients with myocarditis but without evidence of persistent CVB3 infection.

High Perforin-Positive Cardiac Cell Infiltration and Male Sex Predict Adverse Long-Term Mortality in Patients With Inflammatory Cardiomyopathy.

Background: The authors analyzed the effects of perforin-dependent infiltration on long-term mortality in patients with inflammatory cardiomyopathy (CMi). We previously demonstrated that left ventricular function deteriorates and progresses to substantial cardiac dysfunction in patients with perforin-positive cardiac cell infiltration.

Methods And Results: Between 2003 and 2013, 2389 consecutive patients with clinically suspected CMi who underwent endomyocardial biopsies were enrolled.

Immunosuppressive treatment in fulminant myocarditis and gene expression pattern associated with, but no histological confirmation of giant cell myocarditis.

A healthy woman with acute onset of pulmonary oedema and severely depressed left ventricular function underwent endomyocardial biopsy under the clinical suspicion of fulminant myocarditis. While awaiting the results of biopsy, the situation deteriorated to Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (INTERMACS) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was implanted. Finally, immunohistochemistry in biopsy specimen corresponded to fulminant lymphocytic myocarditis, although active myocarditis was excluded.

High Prevalence of Infectious Adeno-associated Virus (AAV) in Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Indicative of T Lymphocytes as Sites of AAV Persistence.

Unlabelled: Seroepidemiology shows that infections with adeno-associated virus (AAV) are widespread, but diverse AAV serotypes isolated from humans or nonhuman primates have so far not been proven to be causes of human disease. In view of the increasing success of AAV-derived vectors in human gene therapy, definition of the in vivo sites of wild-type AAV persistence and the clinical consequences of its reactivation is becoming increasingly urgent. Here, we identify the presumed cell type for AAV persistence in the human host by highly sensitive AAV PCRs developed for the full spectrum of human AAV serotypes.

Mitochondrial haplogroups and expression studies of commonly used human cell lines.

We developed a multiplex fragment length analysis (MFLA) for clearly assigning mitochondrial haplogroups mostly endemic in Europe for future cardiac diagnostics. As a technical proof, 23 commonly used human cell lines were haplotyped as reference standards. The functional analysis on mtDNA copies per cell revealed no correlation to haplogroups but a relatively high rate of mitochondria per cell and at the same time a very low expression of all mitochondrial and some nuclear encoded mitochondrial related genes.

Absent MicroRNAs in Different Tissues of Patients with Acquired Cardiomyopathy.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can be found in a wide range of tissues and body fluids, and their specific signatures can be used to determine diseases or predict clinical courses. The miRNA profiles in biological samples (tissue, serum, peripheral blood mononuclear cells or other body fluids) differ significantly even in the same patient and therefore have their own specificity for the presented condition. Complex profiles of deregulated miRNAs are of high interest, whereas the importance of non-expressed miRNAs was ignored.

Long-term outcome of patients with virus-negative chronic myocarditis or inflammatory cardiomyopathy after immunosuppressive therapy.

Aim: To analyze the long-term outcome after immunosuppressive treatment of patients with virus-negative chronic myocarditis or inflammatory cardiomyopathy (CMi).

Methods And Results: We investigated 114 patients with endomyocardial biopsy (EMB)-proven virus-negative chronic myocarditis or CMi, who were treated with prednisone and azathioprine for 6 months. Myocardial inflammation was assessed by quantitative immunohistology.

Complete Genome Sequence of Germline Chromosomally Integrated Human Herpesvirus 6A and Analyses Integration Sites Define a New Human Endogenous Virus with Potential to Reactivate as an Emerging Infection.

Human herpesvirus-6A and B (HHV-6A, HHV-6B) have recently defined endogenous genomes, resulting from integration into the germline: chromosomally-integrated "CiHHV-6A/B". These affect approximately 1.0% of human populations, giving potential for virus gene expression in every cell.

Myocarditis and inflammatory cardiomyopathy: from diagnosis to treatment.

Based on the definition in the European Society of Cardiology statement, myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the myocardium diagnosed by established histological, immunological, and immunohistochemical criteria, whereas inflammatory cardiomyopathy is myocarditis in association with cardiac dysfunction. Actual incidences of myocarditis and CMi are difficult to determine. Studies addressing the issue of sudden cardiac death in young people report a highly variable autopsy prevalence of myocarditis, ranging from 2-42% of cases.

MicroRNA Profiling of CSF Reveals Potential Biomarkers to Detect Alzheimer`s Disease.

The miRBase-21 database currently lists 1881 microRNA (miRNA) precursors and 2585 unique mature human miRNAs. Since their discovery, miRNAs have proved to present a new level of epigenetic post-transcriptional control of protein synthesis. Initial results point to a possible involvement of miRNA in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Impaired Endothelial Regeneration Through Human Parvovirus B19-Infected Circulating Angiogenic Cells in Patients With Cardiomyopathy.

Human parvovirus B19 (B19V) is a common pathogen in microvascular disease and cardiomyopathy, owing to infection of endothelial cells. B19V replication, however, is almost restricted to erythroid progenitor cells (ErPCs). Endothelial regeneration attributable to bone marrow-derived circulating angiogenic cells (CACs) is a prerequisite for organ function.