Distinct Microbial Communities in Dilated Cardiomyopathy Explanted Hearts Are Associated With Different Myocardial Rejection Outcomes.

Background: Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM) myocardial inflammation may be associated with external triggering factors such as infectious agents. Here, we searched if moderate/severe heart transplantation rejection is related to the presence of myocardial inflammation in IDCM explanted hearts, associated with microbial communities.

Method: Receptor myocardial samples from 18 explanted hearts were separated into groups according to post-transplant outcome: persistent moderate rejection (PMR; n = 6), moderate rejection (MR; n = 7) that regressed after pulse therapy, and no rejection (NR; n = 5)/light intensity rejection.

Morphomolecular Characterization of Serum Nanovesicles From Microbiomes Differentiates Stable and Infarcted Atherosclerotic Patients.

Microbial communities are considered decisive for maintaining a healthy situation or for determining diseases. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is an important complication of atherosclerosis caused by the rupture of atheroma plaques containing proinflammatory cytokines, reactive oxygen species, oxidized low-density lipoproteins (oxLDL), damaged proteins, lipids, and DNA, a microenvironment compatible with a pathogenic microbial community. Previously, we found that archaeal DNA-positive infectious microvesicles (iMVs) were detected in vulnerable plaques and in the sera of Chagas disease patients with heart failure.

Dysregulation of microRNAs and target genes networks in human abdominal aortic aneurysm tissues.

Background: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a pathological enlargement of infrarenal aorta close to the aortic bifurcation, and it is an important cause of mortality in the elderly. Therefore, the biomarker identification for early diagnosis is of great interest for clinical benefit. It is known that microRNAs (miRNAs) have important roles via target genes regulation in many diseases.

Archaea Symbiont of Infection May Explain Heart Failure in Chagas Disease.

Archaeal genes present in may represent symbionts that would explain development of heart failure in 30% of Chagas disease patients. Extracellular vesicles in peripheral blood, called exosomes (< 0.1 μm) or microvesicles (>0.

Persistent Inflammatory Activity in Blood Cells and Artery Tissue from Patients with Previous Bare Metal Stent.

Background: Studies have pointed out a higher mortality after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) in patients with stent.

Objective: To evaluate inflammatory markers in peripheral blood cells and in coronary artery tissue samples obtained during CABG in patients with stent compared to controls.

Methods: The case series consisted of two groups, one with previous stent implantation (n = 41) and one control (n = 26).

Prolonged dipyridamole administration reduces myocardial perfusion defects in experimental chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy.

Background: Myocardial perfusion defects (MPD) due to coronary microvascular dysfunction is frequent in chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCC) and may be involved with development of myocardial damage. We investigated whether MPD precedes left ventricular systolic dysfunction and tested the hypothesis that prolonged use of dipyridamole (DIPY) could reduce MPD in an experimental model of CCC in hamsters.

Methods And Results: We investigated female hamsters 6-months after T.

Bacteria arise at the border of mycoplasma-infected HeLa cells, containing cytoplasm with either malformed cytosol, mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum or tightly adjoined smooth vacuoles.

A study with transmission electron microscopy of mycoplasma-contaminated HeLa cells using five cell donors referred to as donors A, B, C, D and E, observations are herein presented. Experiments performed with cells from donors B, C and D, revealed the presence of Mycoplasma hyorhinis after PCR and sequencing experiments. Bacteria probably originated from a cytoplasm with compacted tiny granular particles replacing the normal cytosol territories, or from the contact with the cytoplasm through a clear semi-solid material.

Comparison of the Protective Effects of Individual Components of Particulated -Sialidase (PTCTS), PTC and TS, against High Cholesterol Diet-Induced Atherosclerosis in Rabbits.

Previous studies showed the presence of () and membrane-shed microparticles (MPs) in vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques. H&S Science and Biotechnology developed PTCTS, composed by natural particles from medicinal plants (PTC) combined with -Sialidase (TS), to combat MPs and . Our aim was to determine the effects of the different components of PTCTS in a rabbit model of atherosclerosis.

Previous exercise training increases levels of PPAR-α in long-term post-myocardial infarction in rats, which is correlated with better inflammatory response.

Objective: Exercise is a protective factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, with unclear mechanisms. Changing the myocardial metabolism causes harmful consequences for heart function and exercise contributes to metabolic adjustment modulation. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are also myocardium metabolism regulators capable of decreasing the inflammatory response.

Biomechanical Properties and Microstructural Analysis of the Human Nonaneurysmal Aorta as a Function of Age, Gender and Location: An Autopsy Study.

Introduction: The biomechanical failure properties and histological composition of the human nonaneurysmal aorta were studied.

Methods: Twenty-six human aortas were harvested from fresh cadavers at autopsy. A total of 153 circumferentially oriented strips were obtained from the aortas for biomechanical and histological studies.

Histopathological Correlates of Global and Segmental Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction in Experimental Chronic Chagas Cardiomyopathy.

Background: Chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy in humans is characterized by segmental left ventricular wall motion abnormalities (WMA), mainly in the early stages of disease. This study aimed at investigating the detection of WMA and its correlation with the underlying histopathological changes in a chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy model in hamsters.

Methods And Results: Female Syrian hamsters (n=34) infected with 3.

Infectious agents and inflammation in donated hearts and dilated cardiomyopathies related to cardiovascular diseases, Chagas' heart disease, primary and secondary dilated cardiomyopathies.

Background: Clinical and experimental conflicting data have questioned the relationship between infectious agents, inflammation and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of infectious agents and inflammation in endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) specimens from patients with idiopathic DCM, explanted hearts from different etiologies, including Chagas' disease, compared to donated hearts.

Methods: From 2008 to 2011, myocardial samples from 29 heart donors and 55 patients with DCMs from different etiologies were studied (32 idiopathic, 9 chagasic, 6 ischemic and 8 other specific etiologies).

Synergistic anti-inflammatory effect: simvastatin and pioglitazone reduce inflammatory markers of plasma and epicardial adipose tissue of coronary patients with metabolic syndrome.

Background: The inappropriate secretion of adipocytokines plays a critical role in chronic inflammatory states associated with obesity-linked type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis. The pleiotropic actions of simvastatin and pioglitazone on epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) are unknown. This study assessed the anti-inflammatory actions of simvastatin and pioglitazone on EAT in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and metabolic syndrome (MS).

Gap junction reduction in cardiomyocytes following transforming growth factor-beta treatment and Trypanosoma cruzi infection.

Gap junction connexin-43 (Cx43) molecules are responsible for electrical impulse conduction in the heart and are affected by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta). This cytokine increases during Trypanosoma cruzi infection, modulating fibrosis and the parasite cell cycle. We studied Cx43 expression in cardiomyocytes exposed or not to TGF-beta T.

Do Archaea and bacteria co-infection have a role in the pathogenesis of chronic chagasic cardiopathy?

Unlabelled: Chronic cardiopathy (CC) in Chagas disease is a fibrotic myocarditis with C5b-9 complement deposition. Mycoplasma and Chlamydia may interfere with the complement response. Proteolytic enzymes and archaeal genes that have been described in Trypanosoma cruzi may increase its virulence.

Particulate emboli capture by an intra-aortic filter device during aortic valve replacement.

Objective: This study aims to analyze the embolic activity in patients with calcified aortic stenosis who underwent aortic valve replacement using intra-aortic filtration with an EMBOL-X System device (Edwards Lifesciences Inc., Mountain View, CA, USA).

Methods: From January 2007 to July 2007, 13 consecutive patients with calcified aortic stenosis, who underwent isolated aortic valve replacement using intra-aortic filtration by an EMBOL-X System for 5 minutes after aortic clamp release, were evaluated.

Clinical, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic findings in significant cardiac amyloidosis detected only at necropsy: comparison with cases diagnosed in life.

Background: Currently, many cases of heart amyloidosis still fail to be diagnosed.

Objective: To disclose factors related to the difficulty in attaining the diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis.

Methods: We compared the clinical, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic data of 17 patients in whom amyloidosis was diagnosed only at the necropsy (group I) with data from 9 patients in whom the disease was diagnosed in life (group II).

Influence of chronic liver disease on coronary atherosclerosis vulnerability features.

Introduction: A lower incidence of acute myocardial infarction was reported in patients with chronic liver disease.

Objective: To analyze the impact of chronic liver disease on characteristics associated with vulnerability of human coronary artery atherosclerotic plaques.

Methods: One hundred fourteen hearts were collected from 3 groups of individuals: A--38 chronic liver disease patients who died while on the waiting list for liver transplantation; B--38 individuals who died of natural causes; and C--38 individuals who died of accidental causes.

Polymerase chain reaction in endomyocardial biopsies for monitoring reactivation of Chagas' disease in heart transplantation: a case report and review of the literature.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been used to detect microbiological agent recurrence after heart transplantation of viral-induced cardiomyopathies. We report a case of reactivation of Chagas' disease after heart transplantation in which parasites could be detected in the endomyocardial biopsy using hematoxylin-eosin-stained sections, immunohistochemistry, and PCR for Trypanosoma cruzi DNA. Interestingly, PCR results remained positive in the endomyocardial biopsy 53 days after the beginning of successful treatment, pointing to the possibility of chronic persistence of parasites in the myocardium after the reactivation of Chagas' disease.

[Chlamydia pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae in calcified nodes of stenosed aortic valves].

Objective: We investigated whether Chlamydia pneumoniae (CP) and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) are present in aortic valve stenosis (AS).

Methods: Immunohistochemistry was utilized to identify CP antigens, in situ hybridization to identify MP DNA, and electron microscopy was used to evaluate the following three groups: Normal - 11 normal autopsy valves; Atherosclerosis - 10 autopsy valves from patients with systemic atherosclerosis and no AS; and AS - 14 surgical specimens of AS analyzed in 3 sub-regions: AS-Preserved - peripheral, preserved regions; AS-Fibrosis - peri-calcified fibrotic tissue; and AS-Calcification - calcified nodules.

Results: The positive area fraction of CP antigen median values were 0.

Density of Chlamydia pneumoniae is increased in fibrotic and calcified areas of degenerative aortic stenosis.

Background: The process of aortic degeneration associated with calcified aortic stenosis shares many similarities with coronary artery atherosclerosis. Inflammation and infection are involved in both diseases. Chlamydia pneumoniae has been identified in atherosclerotic plaques.