Developing a Model for Cross-Institutional Educational Collaborations: The Chicago Cardio-Oncology Consortium (CCC) Experience.

• The CCCR represents a collaborative educational platform. • The forum can be reproduced to foster the exchange of practical and scientific knowledge/experience. • The created environment enhances clinical knowledge applied to the care of cardio-oncology patients.

Preoperative Right Heart Dysfunction and Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Patients with Left Ventricular Assist Devices.

Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is a common cause of morbidity among patients supported by left ventricular assist devices (LVADs). The aim of this study was to identify if pre-LVAD right ventricular (RV) dysfunction is associated with risk of GIB after LVAD implantation. Of 398 patients implanted with LVADs between July 2008 and July 2016, 130 (33%) developed GIB at a median of 2.

Impact of donor smoking history on post heart transplant outcomes: A propensity-matched analysis of ISHLT registry.

Purpose: Smoking is a major public health issue, and its effect on cardiovascular outcomes is well established. This study evaluates the impact of donor smoking on heart transplant (HT) outcomes.

Methods: HT recipients between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2016, with known donor smoking status were queried from the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) registry.

Elevated Heart Rate Following Heart Transplantation Is Associated With Increased Graft Vasculopathy and Mortality.

Background: The effect of elevated heart rate (HR) on outcomes after heart transplantation (HT) has not been well established. The aim of this study was to assess predictors of elevated HR following HT and its impact on outcomes.

Methods And Results: We retrospectively evaluated 394 patients who underwent HT at 2 academic medical centers from 2005 to 2016.

The effect of donor alcohol abuse on outcomes following heart transplantation.

Background: Current guidelines recommend against the use of hearts from donors that abuse alcohol. We explored the effect of donor alcohol abuse (AA) on cardiac allograft function and outcomes in heart transplant (HTx) recipients.

Methods: Overall, 370 HTx recipients were divided into two groups: (a) the alcoholic donor group (AD, n = 58) and (b) the non-alcoholic donor group (NAD, n = 312).

Early Hemodynamic Changes during Head-Up Tilt Table Testing Can Predict a Neurocardiogenic Response in an African-American Patient Population.

Background: Head-up tilt table testing (HUTT) is time-consuming and associated with increased patient morbidity. Hemodynamic changes that occur during the early phase of HUTT may be predictive of neurocardiogenic syncope.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed in 119 consecutive African Americans ( 57 ± 19) who underwent HUTT for evaluation of syncope of unknown etiology.

Resolution of neurological deficits secondary to spontaneous intracranial haemorrhage and posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) in a patient with hepatitis C-associated cryoglobulinaemia: a role for plasmapheresis.

Essential mixed cryoglobulinaemia or type II cryoglobulinaemia is an important extrahepatic manifestation of chronic hepatitis C. Cryoglobulinaemia results in the deposition of immune complexes in small or medium-sized blood vessels leading to palpable purpura, arthralgia, renal disease and peripheral neuropathy. Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a distinct phenomenon characterised by vasogenic oedema in the posterior circulation of brain.

Hepatitis C virus induced miR200c down modulates FAP-1, a negative regulator of Src signaling and promotes hepatic fibrosis.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) induced liver disease is the leading indication for liver transplantation (LTx). Reinfection and accelerated development of fibrosis is a universal phenomenon following LTx. The molecular events that lead to fibrosis following HCV infection still remains poorly defined.

Critical role for IL-17A/F in the immunopathogenesis of obliterative airway disease induced by Anti-MHC I antibodies.

Background: The IL-17 axis is implicated in pathogenesis of chronic rejection after human lung transplantation. Using a murine model of obliterative airway disease (OAD), we recently demonstrated that Abs to MHC class I antigens can induce immune responses to self-antigens that contributes to immunopathogenesis of chronic rejection. Using a murine model of OAD, we determined the role of IL-17 family members in induction of autoimmunity leading to OAD after ligation of MHC class I.

Ventricular arrhythmias and acute left ventricular dysfunction as a primary and life-threatening manifestation of a mitochondrial crisis: A novel management strategy.

Mitochondrial disorders are genetic diseases that result in a deficiency of energy metabolism (ATP production). A "mitochondrial crisis" can occur in the setting of infection, dehydration, or physiologic stress. The hallmark of a mitochondrial crisis is failure of multiple individual organ systems.

Sweet's syndrome as a dermatological manifestation of underlying coronary artery disease.

We report an unusual case of a 50-year-old female with no significant past medical history who reported with a sudden eruption of painful erythematous papules accompanied by fever. Clinical and pathological findings were consistent with acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis (or Sweet's syndrome). Two weeks later, she complained of chest pain and was diagnosed with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction.

Immune response to extracellular matrix collagen in chronic hepatitis C-induced liver fibrosis.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and its recurrence after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) are associated with the remodeling of extracellular matrix (ECM) components [particularly collagen (Col)], which leads to fibrosis. Our aim was to determine whether the development of antibodies (Abs) to self-antigen Col in HCV-infected patients correlates with the fibrosis stage and the peripheral cytokine response. Patients with chronic HCV infection, patients with HCV recurrence after OLT who had undergone a biopsy procedure, and healthy control subjects were enrolled.

A role for antibodies to human leukocyte antigens, collagen-V, and K-α1-Tubulin in antibody-mediated rejection and cardiac allograft vasculopathy.

Background: We determined the role of donor-specific antibodies (DSA) and antibodies (Abs) to self-antigens, collagen-V (Col-V), and K-α1-Tubulin (KAT) in pathogenesis of acute antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) and cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) after human heart transplantation (HTx).

Methods: One hundred thirty-seven HTx recipients, with 60 early period (≤ 12 months) and 77 late period (>12 months), were enrolled in this study. Circulating DSA was determined using LUMINEX.

Donor-specific antibodies to human leukocyte antigens are associated with and precede antibodies to major histocompatibility complex class I-related chain A in antibody-mediated rejection and cardiac allograft vasculopathy after human cardiac transplantation.

Humoral immune responses to mismatched donor human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-related chain A (MICA) have been reported to contribute to immunopathogenesis of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) in the early period and cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) in the late period after cardiac transplantation (HTx). The goal of this study is to define the roles of donor-specific antibodies (DSA) and anti-MICA in AMR and CAV. A total of 95 post-HTx recipients were enrolled; 43 patients in the early period (≤ 12 months post-HTx) and 52 patients in the late period (>12 months post-HTx).

Characterization of immune responses to cardiac self-antigens myosin and vimentin in human cardiac allograft recipients with antibody-mediated rejection and cardiac allograft vasculopathy.

Background: Herein we study the role of donor-specific antibodies (DSA) to mismatched human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and antibodies (Abs) to the cardiac self-antigens myosin (MYO) and vimentin (VIM) in the pathogenesis of acute antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) in the early post-transplant period (EP, <12 months) and cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) in the late post-transplant period (LP, >12 months) after heart transplantation (HTx).

Methods: One hundred forty-eight HTx recipients (65 in EP, 83 in LP) were enrolled in the study. Development of DSA was determined by Luminex.

Identification of immunodominant HLA-B7-restricted CD8+ cytotoxic T cell epitopes derived from mammaglobin-A expressed on human breast cancers.

Mammaglobin-A (MGBA), a 10-kD protein, is over expressed in 80% of primary and metastatic human breast cancers. Breast cancer patients demonstrate high frequencies of CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) specific to MGBA. Defining CD8(+) CTL responses to HLA class I-restricted MGBA-derived epitopes assumes significance in the context of our ongoing efforts to clinically translate vaccine strategies targeting MGBA for prevention and/or treatment of human breast cancers.

Increased erythrocyte C4D is associated with known alloantibody and autoantibody markers of antibody-mediated rejection in human lung transplant recipients.

Background: Immune responses to mismatched donor human leukocyte antigens (HLA) are important in the pathogenesis of chronic rejection. This study evaluated whether erythrocyte-bound C4d (E-C4d) is associated with known alloimmune and autoimmune markers of antibody-mediated rejection after human lung transplantation (LTx).

Methods: Flow cytometry was used to analyze 22 LTx recipients and 15 healthy individuals for E-C4d.

Hepatopulmonary syndrome - past to present.

Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) is the one of the complication of liver cirrhosis with portal hypertension, irrespective of etiology, age and sex. It has also been observed in non cirrhotic portal hypertension and in acute hepatic conditions. Presence of hypoxemia or abnormal alveolar arterial oxygen tension with intrapulmonary vasodilation in liver cirrhosis is termed as HPS.