Myeloperoxidase and N-terminal proatrial natriuretic peptide as predictors for atrial fibrillation recurrence in patients undergoing redo ablation.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a progressively developing arrhythmia. Electroanatomic remodeling may play an important role, both in the development of the disease and in the perpetuation and thus in the recurrence of AF.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate potential biomarkers myeloperoxidase (MPO), N-terminal proatrial natriuretic peptide (NT-proANP), intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and matrix metalloproteinase-2 and their predictive value for AF recurrence in patients undergoing redo ablation.

Novel Biomarkers as Potential Predictors of Decompensated Advanced Chronic Heart Failure-Single Center Study.

Heart failure (HF) remains a major therapeutic and diagnostic challenge nowadays. Albeit, acute decompensated HF is associated with several clinical signs such as dyspnea or edema, it remains a challenge to use easy accessible and suitable tools, such as biomarkers, to distinguish between patients at risk for an acute decompensation of their heart failure and compensated, stable HF patients. Existing biomarkers, such as natriuretic peptides or troponin, are not specific and can be elevated due to several other disease conditions, such as myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation, or valve diseases.

Insulin-like Growth Factor-Binding Protein 2 in Severe Aortic Valve Stenosis and Pulmonary Hypertension: A Gender-Based Perspective.

Severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) and pulmonary hypertension (PH) are life-threatening cardiovascular conditions, necessitating early detection and intervention. Recent studies have explored the role of Insulin-like Growth Factor-Binding Protein 2 (IGF-BP2) in cardiovascular pathophysiology. Understanding its involvement may offer novel insights into disease mechanisms and therapeutic targets for these conditions.

Heat Shock Protein 70 Constitutes a Promising Novel Biomarker in Differential Diagnosis between Takotsubo Syndrome and Non-ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

(1) : Due to similar clinical presentation and a lack of specific biomarkers, initial differentiation between Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) remains challenging in daily practice. Heat Shock Protein 70 (HSP70) is a novel biomarker that is recognized for its potential in the diagnosis and differentiation of cardiovascular conditions. (2) : Data from a total of 156 patients were analyzed (32.

A second space age spanning omics, platforms and medicine across orbits.

The recent acceleration of commercial, private and multi-national spaceflight has created an unprecedented level of activity in low Earth orbit, concomitant with the largest-ever number of crewed missions entering space and preparations for exploration-class (lasting longer than one year) missions. Such rapid advancement into space from many new companies, countries and space-related entities has enabled a 'second space age'. This era is also poised to leverage, for the first time, modern tools and methods of molecular biology and precision medicine, thus enabling precision aerospace medicine for the crews.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is characterized by alterations of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter complex proteins: insights from patients with aortic valve stenosis versus hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.

Hypertrophies of the cardiac septum are caused either by aortic valve stenosis (AVS) or by congenital hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). As they induce cardiac remodeling, these cardiac pathologies may promote an arrhythmogenic substrate with associated malignant ventricular arrhythmias and may lead to heart failure. While altered calcium (Ca) handling seems to be a key player in the pathogenesis, the role of mitochondrial calcium handling was not investigated in these patients to date.

Soluble Suppression of Tumorigenicity 2 (sST2) in Patients with Predominantly Decompensated Right Heart Failure-A Prospective Observational Study.

Right heart failure is a major challenge in clinical practice. Soluble Suppression of Tumorigenicity-2 (sST2), a member of the interleukin-1-receptor family, may have clinical prognostic value. The aim of this study was to analyze whether sST2 correlates with signs of acute right heart decompensation.

MicroRNA-30d-5p-A Potential New Therapeutic Target for Prevention of Ischemic Cardiomyopathy after Myocardial Infarction.

(1) Background and Objective: MicroRNAs (miRs) are biomarkers for assessing the extent of cardiac remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI) and important predictors of clinical outcome in heart failure. Overexpression of miR-30d-5p appears to have a cardioprotective effect. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate whether miR-30d-5p could be used as a potential therapeutic target to improve post-MI adverse remodeling.

Diverging Concentrations of Soluble Suppression of Tumorigenicity (sST2) Analyzed by two Different Assays - a Limitation for its use in Clinical Practice?

Background: Soluble suppression of tumorigenicity (sST2) constitutes a novel biomarker with diagnostic and prognostic implications in several diseases. However, recent evidence suggests that different enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits could result in diverging serum concentrations measured.

Methods: Serum concentrations of sST2 were measured in blood of 215 patients with aortic valve stenosis using two commercially available ELISA-assays (Presage® ST2 assay and R&D).

sST2 Levels Show No Association with Helicobacter pylori Infection in Asymptomatic Patients: Implications for Biomarker Research.

Introduction: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a prevalent stomach bacterium that can cause a range of clinical outcomes, including gastric cancer. In recent years, soluble suppression of tumorigenicity-2 (sST2) has gained attention as a biomarker associated with various diseases, such as gastric cancer.

Effects of Angiotensin Receptor-Neprilysin Inhibitors (ARNIs) on the Glucose and Fat Metabolism Biomarkers Leptin and Fructosamine.

(1) Background: Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) remains a major health burden. Angiotensin-Receptor-Neprilysin-Inhibitors (ARNIs) are an established HFrEF therapy which increases natriuretic peptide levels by inhibiting neprilysin. Leptin is a lipid metabolism parameter, which is also involved in glucose metabolism and is suggested to correlate with HF burden.

Cell-Free Double-Stranded DNA to DNase Ratio Predicts Outcome after Primary Survived Cardiac Arrest.

(1) Double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and deoxyribonuclease (DNase) as surrogate parameters for accumulating inflammatory hazards are insufficiently studied in resuscitation research. (2) Blood samples of 76 individuals after CA were analyzed 24 and 96 h after ICU admission. Plasma levels of dsDNA, interleukin-8, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and activity of DNase were assessed along with baseline characteristics, intensive care measures, and outcome data.

RANTES and CD40L under Conditions of Long-Term Physical Exercise: A Potential Link to Adaptive Immunity.

Regular physical exercise was found to be associated with an improved immune response in previous studies. RANTES and CD40L play a pivotal role in host defense, and individuals lacking adequate expression are prone to virus and opportunistic infections. A total of 98 participants were enrolled in this study.

Main pulmonary artery diameter in combination with cardiovascular biomarkers: new possibilities to identify pulmonary hypertension in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis.

Background: Echocardiography is currently the noninvasive method of choice to screen patients with severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) for pulmonary hypertension (PH) by estimating systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP). However, radiological options are also available by determining the main pulmonary artery (MPA) diameter in the setting of CT angiography. The aim of the present study was to compare cardiovascular biomarkers with the MPA diameter to allow other ways of detecting PH in patients with severe AS.

Systolic Pulmonary Artery Pressure and Cardiovascular Biomarkers-New Non-Invasive Ways to Detect Pulmonary Hypertension in Patients with Severe Aortic Valve Stenosis Undergoing TAVR?

Background: Patients with severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) frequently present with pulmonary hypertension (PH). The gold standard for detection of pulmonary hypertension is right heart catheterization, which is not routinely performed as a preoperative standard in cardiology centers today, neither before surgical valve replacement nor before transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure. Echocardiographic determination of systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) provides an opportunity to assess the presence or absence of PH.

Differential Diagnosis between Takotsubo Syndrome and Acute Coronary Syndrome-A Prospective Analysis of Novel Cardiovascular Biomarkers for a More Selective Triage.

Introduction: Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is clinically indistinguishable from an ACS. Despite the implementation of clinical scoring systems and novel biomarkers, coronary angiography currently remains necessary for differential diagnosis.

Methods: 93 patients with chest pain and the suspicion of TTS were enrolled in two study centers.

Endothelialization and Inflammatory Reactions After Intracardiac Device Implantation.

Background: Due to the advances in catheter-based interventional techniques, a wide range of heart diseases can now be treated with a purely interventional approach. Little is yet known regarding biological effects at the intracardiac implantation site or the effects on endothelialization and vascular inflammation in an in vivo environment. Detailed knowledge of ongoing vascular response, the process of endothelialization, and possible systemic inflammatory reactions after implantation is crucial for the clinical routine, since implants usually remain in the body for a lifetime.

Severe Aortic Valve Stenosis and Pulmonary Hypertension: A Systematic Review of Non-Invasive Ways of Risk Stratification, Especially in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

Patients with severe aortic valve stenosis and concomitant pulmonary hypertension show a significantly reduced survival prognosis. Right heart catheterization as a preoperative diagnostic tool to determine pulmonary hypertension has been largely abandoned in recent years in favor of echocardiographic criteria. Clinically, determination of echocardiographically estimated systolic pulmonary artery pressure falls far short of invasive right heart catheterization data in terms of accuracy.

Analysis of Selected Cardiovascular Biomarkers in Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy and the Most Frequent Cardiomyopathies.

Among the causes of diagnosed cardiomyopathy, Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) plays a minor role, with an occurrence of 50,000-100,000 cases per annum in the United States. In clinical practice, a differentiation of a TTC toward an ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICMP) or a dilatative cardiomyopathy (DCMP) appears to be challenging, especially in a subacute setting or in atypical types of TTC. To investigate this issue, we analyzed serum levels of sST2, GDF-15, suPAR, HFABP, and clinical parameters including echocardiography in 51 patients with TTC, 52 patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICMP) and 65 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCMP).

Soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 as outcome predictor after cardiopulmonary resuscitation: an observational prospective study.

Prognostication after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is complex. Novel biomarkers like soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2) may provide an objective approach. A total of 106 post-CPR patients were included in this single-center observational prospective study.

The differential diagnostic value of selected cardiovascular biomarkers in Takotsubo syndrome.

Introduction: Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is clinically indistinguishable from an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). In the absence of valid markers for differential diagnosis, coronary angiography has been indispensable.

Methods: In our study, we evaluated the serum levels of sST-2, GDF-15, suPAR and H-FABP in 92 patients with the suspicion of TTS (51 TTS and 41 ACS patients) and 40 gender matched controls (no coronary artery disease or signs of heart failure) at baseline.

The Value of Fetuin-A as a Predictor to Identify Takotsubo Patients at Risk of Cardiovascular Events.

Introduction: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) remains a life-threatening disease with the risk of decompensated heart failure and arrhythmias. Valid markers for the prediction of outcome are unavailable. The novel biomarkers fetuin-A, matrix metalloproteinases-2 (MMP-2), myeloperoxidase (MPO), Syndecan-1 and CD40-L show promising results for risk stratification of cardiovascular patients.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha-an underestimated risk predictor in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)?

Background: Systemic inflammation has been identified as a major cardiovascular risk factor in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), yet currently, it is not adequately portrayed in scores for pre-interventional risk assessment. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive ability of TNF-α in TAVR.

Methods: A total of 431 patients undergoing transfemoral TAVR were enrolled in this study.

Long-term physical activity modulates adipsin and ANGPTL4 serum levels, a potential link to exercise-induced metabolic changes.

Background: Within the presented prospective study, we aimed to illuminate the effect of long-term physical exercise on serum levels of adipsin (complement factor D) and angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4). Although past studies already outlined the effects of acute exercise, our trial design aimed to depict the development under long-term physical activity conditions.

Methods: Ninety-eight participants were included in the study and were asked to perform eight months of moderate physical activity for at least 150 minutes/week and/or vigorous-intensity exercise for at least 75 minutes/week.