Iron Deficiency in Patients with Advanced Heart Failure.

Background and Objectives: Iron deficiency (ID) is a common comorbidity in patients with heart failure. It is associated with reduced physical performance, frequent hospitalisations for heart failure decompensation, and high cardiovascular and overall mortality. The aim was to determine the prevalence of ID in patients with advanced heart failure on the waiting list for heart transplantation.

Effect of immunosuppressive therapy in inflammatory cardiomyopathy: data from The Czech Inflammatory Cardiomyopathy Immunosuppressive Trial.

Introduction: The indications for specific treatment in the cases of inflammatory cardiomyopathy are based on limited data from several small clinical trials.

Aim: A comparison of the effect of two dose regimens of combined immunosuppressive therapy by adding them to conventional heart failure therapy and comparing them with conventional heart failure therapy alone in patients with inflammatory cardiomyopathy.

Methods And Study Population: We enrolled 20 patients; mean age 46.

Identification of a Diagnostic Set of Endomyocardial Biopsy microRNAs for Acute Cellular Rejection Diagnostics in Patients after Heart Transplantation Using Next-Generation Sequencing.

Introduction: Acute cellular rejection (ACR) of heart allografts represents the most common reason for graft failure. Endomyocardial biopsies (EMB) are still subject to substantial interobserver variability. Novel biomarkers enabling precise ACR diagnostics may decrease interobserver variability.

Viral genome changes and the impact of viral genome persistence in myocardium of patients with inflammatory cardiomyopathy.

Introduction: Viral infections are considered the most frequent cause of myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).

Material And Methods: We investigated the changes in viral presence and the impact of viral genome persistence in the myocardium on echocardiographic parameters, functional status and some laboratory parameters in a 6-month follow-up. Fifty-four patients with recent onset DCM, left ventricular ejection fraction < 40% and biopsy-proven myocarditis (> 14 mononuclear leukocytes/mm and/or > 7 T-lymphocytes/mm) were enrolled.

[Heart transplantation and infection].

Heart transplantation (HTx) is a method of treatment for patients with end-stage heart failure with severe symptoms despite complex therapy. Post-transplant difficulties include acute rejection and infectious complications, which are the most common reason of morbidity and mortality in the first year after heart transplant. It requires the patient to remain on immunosuppressive medication to avoid the possibility of graft rejection.