Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy unmasks high-risk atherosclerotic features in human coronary artery disease.

Coronary plaque rupture remains the prominent mechanism of myocardial infarction. Accurate identification of rupture-prone plaque may improve clinical management. This study assessed the discriminatory performance of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in human cardiac explants to detect high-risk atherosclerotic features that portend rupture risk.

The intestinal microbiota contributes to the development of immune-mediated cardiovascular inflammation and vasculitis in mice.

Unlabelled: Alterations in the intestinal microbiota contribute to the pathogenesis of various cardiovascular disorders, but how they affect the development of Kawasaki disease (KD), an acute pediatric vasculitis, remains unclear. We report that depleting the gut microbiota reduces the development of cardiovascular inflammation in a murine model mimicking KD vasculitis. The development of cardiovascular lesions was associated with alterations in the intestinal microbiota composition and, notably, a decreased abundance of and Oral supplementation with either of these live or pasteurized individual bacteria, or with short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced by them, attenuated cardiovascular inflammation.

Invasive electrochemical impedance spectroscopy with phase delay for experimental atherosclerosis phenotyping.

Distinguishing quiescent from rupture-prone atherosclerotic lesions has significant translational and clinical implications. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) characterizes biological tissues by assessing impedance and phase delay responses to alternating current at multiple frequencies. We evaluated invasive 6-point stretchable EIS sensors over a spectrum of experimental atherosclerosis and compared results with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), molecular positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, and histology.

HIV and COVID-19: two pandemics with significant (but different) central nervous system complications.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) cause significant neurologic disease. Central nervous system (CNS) involvement of HIV has been extensively studied, with well-documented invasion of HIV into the brain in the initial stage of infection, while the acute effects of SARS-CoV-2 in the brain are unclear. Neuropathologic features of active HIV infection in the brain are well characterized whereas neuropathologic findings in acute COVID-19 are largely non-specific.

Inhibition of IL-1 Ameliorates Cardiac Dysfunction and Arrhythmias in a Murine Model of Kawasaki Disease.

Background: Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute febrile illness and systemic vasculitis often associated with cardiac sequelae, including arrhythmias. Abundant evidence indicates a central role for IL (interleukin)-1 and TNFα (tumor necrosis factor-alpha) signaling in the formation of arterial lesions in KD. We aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the development of electrophysiological abnormalities in a murine model of KD vasculitis.

Autonomic Modulation of Atrial Fibrillation.

The autonomic nervous system plays a vital role in cardiac arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation (AF). Therefore, reducing the sympathetic tone via neuromodulation methods may be helpful in AF control. Myocardial ischemia is associated with increased sympathetic tone and incidence of AF.

Pulmonary sarcoidosis: A comprehensive review: Past to present.

Sarcoidosis is a sterile non-necrotizing granulomatous disease without known causes that can involve multiple organs with a predilection for the lung and thoracic lymph nodes. Worldwide it is estimated to affect 2-160/100,000 people and has a mortality rate over 5 years of approximately 7%. For sarcoidosis patients, the cause of death is due to sarcoid in 60% of the cases, of which up to 80% are from advanced cardiopulmonary failure (pulmonary hypertension and respiratory microbial infections) in all races except in Japan were greater than 70% of the sarcoidosis deaths are due to cardiac sarcoidosis.

Sympathetic innervation of the supraclavicular brown adipose tissue: A detailed anatomical study.

Background: The supraclavicular fossa is the dominant location for human brown adipose tissue (BAT). Activation of BAT promotes non-shivering thermogenesis by utilization of glucose and free fatty acids and has been the focus of pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches for modulation in order to improve body weight and glucose homeostasis. Sympathetic neural control of supraclavicular BAT has received much attention, but its innervation has not been extensively investigated in humans.

Flexible 3-D Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Sensors Incorporating Phase Delay for Comprehensive Characterization of Atherosclerosis.

Background: Distinguishing quiescent from rupture-prone atherosclerotic lesions has significant translational and clinical implications. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) characterizes biological tissues by assessing impedance and phase delay responses to alternating current at multiple frequencies.We evaluated invasive 6-point stretchable EIS sensors over a spectrum of experimental atherosclerosis and compared results with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), molecular positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, and histology.

Understanding Cardiac Anatomy and Imaging to Improve Safety of Procedures: The Right Ventricle.

Right ventricular perforation is a catastrophic complication of catheter-based intracardiac interventions. In this context, appreciation of 5 attachments of the right ventricle to the aortoventricular unit is essential to recognize extent of right ventricular free wall. We herein present progressive dissection and virtual and photographic endoscopic images of the hearts without distortion.

Ventricular Parasystole in Cardiomyopathy Patients: A Link Between His-Purkinje System Damage and Ventricular Fibrillation.

Background: The clinical relevance and prognostic implications of ventricular parasystole are unknown.

Objectives: This study sought to assess the prevalence of ventricular parasystole in patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) and ventricular parasystole's association with ventricular arrhythmias and conduction system abnormalities.

Methods: This study retrospectively evaluated patients who underwent ICD interrogation at a single center between June 1, 2019, and August 31, 2020, and reviewed all available ICD and electrocardiogram data.

Platelets exacerbate cardiovascular inflammation in a murine model of Kawasaki disease vasculitis.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is the leading cause of acquired heart disease among children. Increased platelet counts and activation are observed during the course of KD, and elevated platelet counts are associated with higher risks of developing intravenous immunoglobulin resistance and coronary artery aneurysms. However, the role of platelets in KD pathogenesis remains unclear.

Case Report: Complete pathologic response to neoadjuvant selpercatinib in a patient with resectable early-stage fusion-positive non-small cell lung cancer.

The LIBRETTO-001 trial demonstrated the activity of the selective rearrangement during transfection (RET) inhibitor selpercatinib in advanced fusion-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and resulted in the drug's approval for this indication. A cohort that included neoadjuvant and adjuvant selpercatinib was opened on LIBRETTO-001 for early-stage fusion-positive NSCLC with the primary endpoint of major pathologic response. A patient with a stage IB (cT2aN0M0) fusion-positive NSCLC received 8 weeks of neoadjuvant selpercatinib at 160 mg twice daily followed by surgery.

Part 1: Mucormycosis: prevalence, risk factors, clinical features, and diagnosis.

Introduction: Mucormycosis (MCR) is caused by filamentous molds within the Class Zygomycetes and Order Mucorales. Infections can result from inhalation of spores into the nares, oropharynx, or lungs, ingestion of contaminated food or water, or inoculation into disrupted skin or wounds. In developed countries, MCR occurs primarily in severely immunocompromised hosts.

Myocarditis and endomyocardial biopsy: achieving consensus diagnosis on 100 cases.

The two histopathology benchmarks used to diagnose myocarditis are the Dallas Criteria, developed in 1984 and the European Society of Cardiology criteria, developed in 2013, which added immunohistochemistry for the detection of CD3+ T cells (lymphocytes) and CD68+ macrophages. Despite their near universal acceptance, the extent to which pathologists use these criteria or their own criteria to consistently render the diagnosis of myocarditis on endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is unknown. We digitally scanned slides from 100 heart biopsies, including a trichrome stain and immunostaining, that were chosen as representative of myocarditis, non-myocarditis, and borderline myocarditis, as diagnosed per one institution's use of the Dallas Criteria.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Pulmonary Sarcoidosis: A Review.

Importance: Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory granulomatous disease of unknown cause that affects an estimated 2 to 160 people per 100 000 worldwide and can involve virtually any organ. Approximately 10% to 30% of patients with sarcoidosis develop progressive pulmonary disease.

Observation: Among patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis, the rate of spontaneous remission without serious sequelae ranges from 10% to 82%.

Targeting IRE1 endoribonuclease activity alleviates cardiovascular lesions in a murine model of Kawasaki disease vasculitis.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is the leading cause of noncongenital heart disease in children. Studies in mice and humans propound the NLRP3/IL-1β pathway as the principal driver of KD pathophysiology. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress can activate the NLRP3 inflammasome, but the potential implication of ER stress in KD pathophysiology has not been investigated to our knowledge.

Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia of Single Transplant Lung Sparing Native Fibrotic Lung.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

Autophagy-mitophagy induction attenuates cardiovascular inflammation in a murine model of Kawasaki disease vasculitis.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is the leading cause of acquired heart disease among children. Murine and human data suggest that the NLRP3-IL-1β pathway is the main driver of KD pathophysiology. NLRP3 can be activated during defective autophagy/mitophagy.

Extrapulmonary sarcoidosis with a focus on cardiac, nervous system, and ocular involvement.

Sarcoidosis is a poorly understood granulomatous disease that involves the lungs and/or intrathoracic lymph nodes in more than 90% of cases. Although pulmonary sarcoidosis is the leading cause of mortality in this disease, this review focuses on three sites of extrapulmonary involvement (heart, nervous system, and eyes), since involvement of any of these sites can be catastrophic, leading to death, debilitation, or blindness. Patients with cardiac, ocular and neurosarcoidosis necessitate a multidisciplinary approach with careful and long-term follow-up.

MicroRNA-223 Regulates the Development of Cardiovascular Lesions in LCWE-Induced Murine Kawasaki Disease Vasculitis by Repressing the NLRP3 Inflammasome.

Kawasaki disease (KD), an acute febrile childhood illness and systemic vasculitis of unknown etiology, is the leading cause of acquired heart disease among children. Experimental data from murine models of KD vasculitis and transcriptomics data generated from whole blood of KD patients indicate the involvement of the NLRP3 inflammasome and interleukin-1 (IL-1) signaling in KD pathogenesis. MicroRNA-223 (miR-223) is a negative regulator of NLRP3 activity and IL-1β production, and its expression has been reported to be upregulated during acute human KD; however, the specific role of miR-223 during KD vasculitis remains unknown.