The arylhydrocarbon receptor (AhR), but not the AhR-nuclear translocator (ARNT), is increased in hearts of patients with cardiomyopathy.

The objective of this study was to investigate the expression of the arylhydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and its partner AhR-nuclear translocator (ARNT) in left ventricle specimens from explanted hearts from patients with cardiomyopathy (CMP). Explanted hearts from 16 patients with ischemic (n=9, age 63+/-12 years) and dilative (n=7, age 54+/-12 years) CMP, undergoing heart transplantation were examined. Healthy donor hearts from five accident victims served as controls.

Enhanced accumulation of the isoprostane, 8-epi-PGF2 alpha, in human aortic and pulmonary valves of patients with coronary heart disease.

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the isoprostane 8-epi-PGF2 alpha differently accumulates in semilunar valves of patients suffering from coronary heart disease (CHD, n = 19) as compared to valves from healthy heart donors (controls, n = 6). Sections from isolated aortic and pulmonary valves were analyzed by semiquantitative immunohistochemistry. The 8-epi-PGF2 alpha-content was determined by using a specific radioimmunoassay.

Accumulation of oxidized LDL in human semilunar valves correlates with coronary atherosclerosis.

Objective: Recent data indicate that oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) has several proatherogenic effects, e.g. induction of macrophage chemoattractants, adhesion molecules, cytokines, type-1 plasminogen activator inhibitor and platelet-derived growth factor A-chain by smooth muscle cells.

Measuring extracellular matrix turnover in the serum of patients with idiopathic or ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy and impact on diagnosis and prognosis.

Circulating levels of extracellular matrix components were measured by radioimmunoassays and tested if they were useful for clinical staging in chronic heart failure. In 41 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (33 idiopathic and 8 ischemic cases), the serum concentrations of procollagen type III aminoterminal peptide (PIIINP), type I collagen telopeptide (ICTP), and basement membrane laminin were significantly higher than in 30 healthy controls regardless of the underlying etiology. Patients with serum values of PIIINP, ICTP, and laminin > 7 micrograms/L, 7.

Endomyocardial HLA expression is increased to the same extent in idiopathic and secondary dilated cardiomyopathy.

In a total of 22 failing hearts from human transplant recipients, the expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, the CD phenotype of infiltrating mononuclear cells, and the number of fibroblasts were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Compared with 10 non-failing control hearts, significantly higher morphometric area fractions of HLA-ABC and HLA-DR with a concomitant increase of CD3-, CD4- and CD8-positive cells were found to be comparable in 12 patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy and in 10 patients with secondary heart failure. Furthermore, the similarity of T-cell activation in idiopathic and secondary variants of the disease were substantiated by the following observations: (1) the site-specific distribution of MHC molecules and mononuclear cells in the myocardium was comparable in idiopathic and secondary dilated cardiomyopathy; (2) 6 individuals with lymphocytic aggregates in their myocardium in association with the highest levels of HLA-ABC expression were equally distributed among idiopathic and secondary patient subsets; and (3) expression of HLA-ABC and HLA-DR correlated with that of an endothelial cell marker, von Willebrand factor, in failing myocardia of both study groups.