The Fractalkine Receptor CXCR1 Links Lymphocyte Kinetics in CMV-Seropositive Patients and Acute Myocardial Infarction With Adverse Left Ventricular Remodeling.

Aims: Latent cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Virus-specific CXCR1 effector memory T-cells may be instrumental in this process due to their pro-inflammatory properties. We investigated the role of CXCR1 (fractalkine receptor) in CMV-related lymphocyte kinetics and cardiac remodeling in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI).

Effect of ciclosporin on safety, lymphocyte kinetics and left ventricular remodelling in acute myocardial infarction.

Aims: Following a favourable pilot trial using a single bolus of ciclosporin, it has been unclear why 2 large studies (CYCLE and CIRCUS) failed to prevent reperfusion injury and reduce infarct size in STEMI (ST elevation myocardial infarction). The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of ciclosporin on myocardial injury, left ventricular remodelling and lymphocyte kinetics in patients with acute STEMI undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Methods: In this double-blind, single centre trial, we randomly assigned 52 acute STEMI patients with an onset of pain of <6 hours and blocked culprit artery to a single bolus of ciclosporin (n = 26) or placebo (n = 26, control group) prior to reperfusion by stent percutaneous coronary intervention.

Kinetics Analysis of Circulating MicroRNAs Unveils Markers of Failed Myocardial Reperfusion.

Background: Failed myocardial reperfusion occurs in approximately 50% of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). It manifests as microvascular obstruction (MVO) on cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. Although prognostically important, MVO is not routinely screened for.

Overcoming Heparin-Associated RT-qPCR Inhibition and Normalization Issues for microRNA Quantification in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Background:  Cardiac-enriched micro ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) are released into the circulation following ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Lack of standardized approaches for reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) data normalization and presence of RT-qPCR inhibitors (e.g.

Aneurysmal dilation of the ascending thoracic aorta and the aortic arch following surgical repair of type A dissection.

This report describes the case of a 71-year-old lady who was diagnosed with a Stanford type A dissecting aortic aneurysm which resulted in paraplegia secondary to spinal artery injury at T12 level. She had surgical repair with a tube graft. At a routine review CT scan 2 years postdissection, she presents with asymptomatic but significant dilation, of maximum diameter 78 mm, of the superior part of the ascending thoracic aorta, extending into the arch, suggestive of false aneurysm formation at the surgical anastomoses.

Telomerase expression in the mammalian heart.

While the mammalian heart has low, but functionally significant, levels of telomerase expression, the cellular population responsible remains incompletely characterized. This study aimed to identify the cell types responsible for cardiac telomerase activity in neonatal, adult, and cryoinjured adult hearts using transgenic mice expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP), driven by the promoter for murine telomerase reverse transcriptase (mTert), which is a necessary and rate-limiting component of telomerase. A rare population of mTert-GFP-expressing cells was identified that possessed all detectable cardiac telomerase RNA and telomerase activity.