Seroconversion after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is protective against severe COVID-19 disease in heart transplant recipients.

Background: Heart transplant (HTX) recipients are prone to develop complications after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Vaccination is often ineffective due to weaker immunogenicity. In this high-volume single-center study, we aimed to determine factors influencing seroconversion after vaccination and predictors of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Extracorporeal photopheresis in the treatment of cardiac allograft rejection: A single-centre experience.

Despite novel immunosuppressive (IS) protocols, adverse effects of IS drugs continue to have notable negative impact on patient and cardiac allograft survival after heart transplantation (HTx). Therefore, IS regimens with less toxic side effects are sorely needed. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) in combination with tacrolimus-based maintenance IS therapy in the treatment of allograft rejection in adult HTx recipients.

Pseudoaneurysm of the ascending aorta: case report of a donor-derived Pseudomonas infection in a heart transplant recipient.

Background: Mycotic aortic pseudoaneurysm is a rare complication after heart transplantation (HTX) with remarkable mortality. Intrathoracic infection is a well-documented predisposing factor for this disease. Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Candida species are commonly isolated from resected specimens of the pseudoaneurysms.

Largely Accelerated Arterial Aging in Rheumatoid Arthritis Is Associated With Inflammatory Activity and Smoking in the Early Stage of the Disease.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients have a shorter life expectancy than the general population primarily due to cardiovascular comorbidities. To characterize arterial aging in RA. Coronary calcium score (CCS) were available from 112 RA patients; out of these patients, follow-up CCS were measured for 54 randomly selected individuals.