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.

Similarities and differences in self-reported symptoms and comorbidities between hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and hypermobility spectrum disorders.

Objectives: Patients with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) experience a wide array of symptoms and system disorders. This study aimed to identify whether differences occurred in 115 self-reported symptoms and comorbidities in patients diagnosed with hEDS or HSD.

Methods: In this study we analysed self-reported data from an EDS Clinic intake questionnaire in patients diagnosed with hEDS, HSD or no hypermobile conditions.

Cardiac defects of hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and hypermobility spectrum disorders: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Defective connective tissue structure may cause individuals with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) or hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) to develop cardiac defects.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of adult patients treated in the EDS Clinic from November 1, 2019, to June 20, 2022 to identify those with cardiac defects. Echocardiogram data were collected using a data collection service.

Clinical effectiveness of the psychological therapy Mental Health Intervention for Children with Epilepsy in addition to usual care compared with assessment-enhanced usual care alone: a multicentre, randomised controlled clinical trial in the UK.

Background: Mental health difficulties are common in children and young people with chronic health conditions, but many of those in need do not access evidence-based psychological treatments. The study aim was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of integrated mental health treatment for children and young people with epilepsy, a common chronic health condition known to be associated with a particularly high rate of co-occurring mental health difficulties.

Methods: We conducted a parallel group, multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled trial of participants aged 3-18 years, attending epilepsy clinics across England and Northern Ireland who met diagnostic criteria for a common mental health disorder.

Sex differences in mitochondrial gene expression during viral myocarditis.

Background: Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle most often caused by an immune response to 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.

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.

Children and Young People with Long COVID-Comparing Those Seen in Post-COVID Services with a Non-Hospitalised National Cohort: A Descriptive Study.

Background: Post-COVID services have been set up in England to treat children with ongoing symptoms of Long COVID. To date, the characteristics of children seeking treatment from these services has not been described.

Purpose: (1) to describe the characteristics of children aged 11-17 referred to the Pan-London Post-COVID service and (2) to compare characteristics of these children with those taking part in the United Kingdom's largest research study of Long COVID in children (CLoCk).

Rates Among Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19 Treated With Convalescent Plasma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: To examine the association of COVID-19 convalescent plasma transfusion with mortality and the differences between subgroups in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Patients And Methods: On October 26, 2022, a systematic search was performed for clinical studies of COVID-19 convalescent plasma in the literature from January 1, 2020, to October 26, 2022. Randomized clinical trials and matched cohort studies investigating COVID-19 convalescent plasma transfusion compared with standard of care treatment or placebo among hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 were included.

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.

Laryngological Complaint Prevalence in Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos or Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders.

Objective: The aim was to study laryngological complaints in patients with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) or hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD).

Methods: A total of 363 patients met inclusion for the study by completing questions related to voice, upper airway, and swallowing between July 7, 2020 and July 13, 2022. Demographic data, voice-related questions, and hypermobility diagnosis were analyzed retrospectively.

Establishing an Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Clinic: Lessons Learned.

In a large academic medical center, patient requests from the community and internal referrals for evaluation of suspected hypermobility conditions were being denied consultation because services specific to this condition were not available. We identified this gap and developed a comprehensive evaluation for this unique patient population. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate a solution for improving outcomes in a neglected patient population by establishing an innovative outpatient clinic specifically tailored for patients with EDS.

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.

Access to and safety of COVID-19 convalescent plasma in the United States Expanded Access Program: A national registry study.

Background: The United States (US) Expanded Access Program (EAP) to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) convalescent plasma was initiated in response to the rapid spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19. While randomized clinical trials were in various stages of development and enrollment, there was an urgent need for widespread access to potential therapeutic agents. The objective of this study is to report on the demographic, geographical, and chronological characteristics of patients in the EAP, and key safety metrics following transfusion of COVID-19 convalescent plasma.

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.

Mortality in individuals treated with COVID-19 convalescent plasma varies with the geographic provenance of donors.

Successful therapeutics and vaccines for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have harnessed the immune response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Evidence that SARS-CoV-2 exists as locally evolving variants suggests that immunological differences may impact the effectiveness of antibody-based treatments such as convalescent plasma and vaccines. Considering that near-sourced convalescent plasma likely reflects the antigenic composition of local viral strains, we hypothesize that convalescent plasma has a higher efficacy, as defined by death within 30 days of transfusion, when the convalescent plasma donor and treated patient were in close geographic proximity.

Convalescent Plasma Antibody Levels and the Risk of Death from Covid-19.

Background: Convalescent plasma has been widely used to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) under the presumption that such plasma contains potentially therapeutic antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that can be passively transferred to the plasma recipient. Whether convalescent plasma with high antibody levels rather than low antibody levels is associated with a lower risk of death is unknown.

Methods: In a retrospective study based on a U.

Safety Update: COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma in 20,000 Hospitalized Patients.

Objective: To provide an update on key safety metrics after transfusion of convalescent plasma in hospitalized coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) patients, having previously demonstrated safety in 5000 hospitalized patients.

Patients And Methods: From April 3 to June 2, 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration Expanded Access Program for COVID-19 convalescent plasma transfused a convenience sample of 20,000 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 convalescent plasma.

Results: The incidence of all serious adverse events was low; these included transfusion reactions (n=78; <1%), thromboembolic or thrombotic events (n=113; <1%), and cardiac events (n=677, ~3%).

Effect of Convalescent Plasma on Mortality among Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19: Initial Three-Month Experience.

Importance: Passive antibody transfer is a longstanding treatment strategy for infectious diseases that involve the respiratory system. In this context, human convalescent plasma has been used to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but the efficacy remains uncertain.

Objective: To explore potential signals of efficacy of COVID-19 convalescent plasma.

Early safety indicators of COVID-19 convalescent plasma in 5000 patients.

BACKGROUNDConvalescent plasma is the only antibody-based therapy currently available for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It has robust historical precedence and sound biological plausibility. Although promising, convalescent plasma has not yet been shown to be safe as a treatment for COVID-19.

Early Safety Indicators of COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma in 5,000 Patients.

Background: Convalescent plasma is the only antibody based therapy currently available for COVID-19 patients. It has robust historical precedence and sound biological plausibility. Although promising, convalescent plasma has not yet been shown to be safe as a treatment for COVID-19.

Autistic traits are associated with atypical precision-weighted integration of top-down and bottom-up neural signals.

Bayesian accounts of perception, in particular predictive coding models, argue perception results from the integration of 'top-down' signals coding the predicted state of the world with 'bottom-up' information derived from the senses. This integration is biased towards predictions or sensory evidence according to their relative precision. Recent theoretical accounts of autism suggest that several characteristics of the condition could result from atypically imprecise top-down, or atypically precise bottom-up, signals, leading to a bias towards sensory evidence.

A High Percent Free Prostate Specific Antigen in the Setting of Biochemical Recurrence after Radical Prostatectomy is Associated with Poorer Outcomes: A Validation Study Using Prospectively Collected Biobank Specimens.

Purpose: The role of percent free prostate specific antigen (%fPSA) in patients who have undergone radical prostatectomy and subsequently experienced disease relapse is unclear. We previously conducted 2 retrospective studies and found %fPSA 15 or greater in the setting of biochemical recurrence confers more aggressive disease. To validate that finding we used biobank specimens collected prospectively when patients were first diagnosed with biochemical recurrence.