A Latent Cardiomyocyte Regeneration Potential in Human Heart Disease.

Background: Cardiomyocytes in the adult human heart show a regenerative capacity, with an annual renewal rate of ≈0.5%. Whether this regenerative capacity of human cardiomyocytes is employed in heart failure has been controversial.

Predicting Survival of End-Stage Heart Failure Patients Receiving HeartMate-3: Comparing Machine Learning Methods.

HeartMate 3 is the only durable left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) currently implanted in the United States. The purpose of this study was to develop a predictive model for 1 year mortality of HeartMate 3 implanted patients, comparing standard statistical techniques and machine learning algorithms. Adult patients registered in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (STS-INTERMACS) database, who received primary implant with a HeartMate 3 between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2019, were included.

A latent cardiomyocyte regeneration potential in human heart disease.

Cardiomyocytes in the adult human heart show a regenerative capacity, with an annual renewal rate around 0.5%. Whether this regenerative capacity of human cardiomyocytes is employed in heart failure has been controversial.

Interleukin-10: A Potential Pre-Cannulation Marker for Development of Acute Kidney Injury in Patients Receiving Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Introduction: Acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients treated with veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is associated with high mortality. The objective of this study was to investigate whether cytokine levels before the initiation of ECMO treatment could predict AKI. We also aimed to investigate the impact of AKI on 30-day and 1-year mortality.

Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation versus standard medical management for massive pulmonary embolism.

Purpose: There is limited research on the use and outcomes of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) treatment for massive pulmonary embolism (PE). This study compared VA-ECMO treatment for massive PE versus patients treated medically.

Materials And Methods: Patients diagnosed with massive PE at one hospital system were reviewed.

Cholinergic regulation of vascular endothelial function by human ChAT T cells.

Endothelial dysfunction and impaired vasodilation are linked with adverse cardiovascular events. T lymphocytes expressing choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), the enzyme catalyzing biosynthesis of the vasorelaxant acetylcholine (ACh), regulate vasodilation and are integral to the cholinergic antiinflammatory pathway in an inflammatory reflex in mice. Here, we found that human T cell ChAT mRNA expression was induced by T cell activation involving the PI3K signaling cascade.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a bridge to advanced heart failure therapies.

Background: Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is a key support modality for cardiogenic shock. The 2018 United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) heart transplant allocation algorithm prioritizes VA-ECMO patients.

Objective: To evaluate the role of VA-ECMO in bridging to advanced heart failure therapies.

Repurposing drugs to treat cardiovascular disease in the era of precision medicine.

Drug repurposing is the use of a given therapeutic agent for indications other than that for which it was originally designed or intended. The concept is appealing because of potentially lower development costs and shorter timelines than are needed to produce a new drug. To date, drug repurposing for cardiovascular indications has been opportunistic and driven by knowledge of disease mechanisms or serendipitous observation rather than by systematic endeavours to match an existing drug to a new indication.

Optimizing Care of Patients With Right Bundle Branch Block Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

Objectives: To evaluate the use of temporary-permanent pacemaker (TPP) in patients with right bundle branch block (RBBB) undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). We also sought to identify key predictors of permanent pacemaker (PPM) within 30 days of TAVR in this population.

Background: RBBB is a well-recognized risk factor for PPM post TAVR.

Pandemic-Associated Delays in Myocardial Infarction Presentation in Predominantly Rural Counties With Low COVID-19 Prevalence.

Fewer ST-elevation myocardial infarctions (STEMIs) presentations and increased delays in care occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic in urban areas. Whether these associations occurred in a more rural population has not been previously reported. Our objective was to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on time-to-presentation for STEMI in rural locations.

Effect of Cyclosporine on Cytokine Production in Elective Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A Sub-Analysis of the CiPRICS (Cyclosporine to Protect Renal Function in Cardiac Surgery) Study.

Objectives: The augmented inflammatory response to cardiac surgery is a recognized cause of postoperative acute kidney injury. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of preoperative cyclosporine treatment on cytokine production and delineate factors associated with postoperative kidney impairment.

Design: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-center study.

Decreased frequency of transplantation and lower post-transplant survival free of re-transplantation in LVAD patients with the new heart transplant allocation system.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of the new heart transplant (HT) allocation system in left ventricular assist device (LVAD) supported patients listed as bridge to transplantation (BTT).

Methods: Adult patients who were listed for HT between October 18, 2016 and October 17, 2019, and were supported with an LVAD, enrolled in the UNOS database were included in this study. Patients were classified in the old or new system if they were listed or transplanted before or after October 18, 2018, respectively.

Predicting post-operative right ventricular failure using video-based deep learning.

Despite progressive improvements over the decades, the rich temporally resolved data in an echocardiogram remain underutilized. Human assessments reduce the complex patterns of cardiac wall motion, to a small list of measurements of heart function. All modern echocardiography artificial intelligence (AI) systems are similarly limited by design - automating measurements of the same reductionist metrics rather than utilizing the embedded wealth of data.

Long-term survival in patients with post-LVAD right ventricular failure: multi-state modelling with competing outcomes of heart transplant.

Background: Multicenter data on long term survival following LVAD implantation that make use of contemporary definitions of RV failure are limited. Furthermore, traditional survival analyses censor patients who receive a bridge to heart transplant. Here we compare the outcomes of LVAD patients who develop post-operative RV failure accounting for the transitional probability of receiving an interim heart transplantation.

Drug Repurposing: Claiming the Full Benefit from Drug Development.

Purpose Of Review: Drug development has evolved over the years from being one-at-a-time to be massive screens in an industrial manner. Bringing a new therapeutic agent from concept to bedside can take a decade and cost billions of dollars-with most concepts failing along the way. Of the few compounds that make it to clinical testing, less than one out of eight make it to approval.

Increased frequency of heart transplantation, shortened waitlist time and preserved post-transplant survival in adults with congenital heart disease, on the new heart transplant allocation system.

Historically, adult congenital patients have longer waitlist time and worse outcomes on the heart transplant waitlist as well as poorer early post-transplant survival. A new heart transplantation allocation system was implemented in the United States on October 18, 2018. The effect of the new allocation system on adult congenital patients is unknown.

Improved survival after heart transplantation in patients bridged with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the new allocation system.

Background: Historically, patients bridged on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to heart transplantation (HT) have very high post-transplant mortality. In the new heart transplant allocation system, ECMO-supported patients have the highest priority for HT. However, data are lacking on the outcomes of these critically ill patients.

Changes in heart transplant waitlist and posttransplant outcomes in patients with restrictive and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with the new heart transplant allocation system.

Historically, patients with restrictive (RCM) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) experienced longer wait-times for heart transplant (HT) and increased waitlist mortality. Recently, a new HT allocation system was implemented in the United States. We sought to determine the impact of the new HT system on RCM/HCM patients.

Functional coculture of sympathetic neurons and cardiomyocytes derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells.

Sympathetic neurons (SNs) capable of modulating the heart rate of murine cardiomyocytes (CMs) can be differentiated from human stem cells. The electrophysiological properties of human stem cell-derived SNs remain largely uncharacterized, and human neurocardiac cocultures remain to be established. Here, we have adapted previously published differentiation and coculture protocols to develop feeder-free SNs using human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs).

Epigenomic analysis of Parkinson's disease neurons identifies Tet2 loss as neuroprotective.

Parkinson's disease (PD) pathogenesis may involve the epigenetic control of enhancers that modify neuronal functions. Here, we comprehensively examine DNA methylation at enhancers, genome-wide, in neurons of patients with PD and of control individuals. We find a widespread increase in cytosine modifications at enhancers in PD neurons, which is partly explained by elevated hydroxymethylation levels.

Wnt Activation and Reduced Cell-Cell Contact Synergistically Induce Massive Expansion of Functional Human iPSC-Derived Cardiomyocytes.

Modulating signaling pathways including Wnt and Hippo can induce cardiomyocyte proliferation in vivo. Applying these signaling modulators to human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) in vitro can expand CMs modestly (<5-fold). Here, we demonstrate massive expansion of hiPSC-CMs in vitro (i.

S100A9 Links Inflammation and Repair in Myocardial Infarction.

Rationale: The alarmin S100A9 has been identified as a potential therapeutic target in myocardial infarction. Short-term S100A9 blockade during the inflammatory phase post-myocardial infarction inhibits systemic and cardiac inflammation and improves cardiac function long term.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of S100A9 blockade on postischemic cardiac repair.