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Braz J Med Biol Res 2019 Feb 14;52(2):e7809. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Hospital Municipal Dr. Mario Gatti, Campinas, SP, Brasil.

Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy historically has been confused as alcoholic cardiomyopathy. The key points for diagnosis of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy have been well explained, however this entity was neglected for a long time. Nowadays the diagnosis of this entity has become important because it is a factor that contributes significantly to morbidity-mortality in cirrhotic patients. Read More

Biomed Pharmacother 2019 Feb 18;112:108584. Epub 2019 Feb 18.

Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt. Electronic address:

Stem cell therapy represents a promising therapeutic avenue for cardiac disorders, including heart failure. Although stem cell transplantation showed encouraging preliminary results, the outcomes of clinical studies are still unsatisfactory. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of two therapeutic approaches, in vivo co-delivery of sodium hydrogen sulfide (NaHS) concomitant with bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) transplantation and in vitro preconditioning of BMSCs with NaHS, both of which are intended to promote the success of stem cell therapy in rats with isoprenaline-induced heart failure. Read More

Scand J Clin Lab Invest 2019 Feb 20:1-8. Epub 2019 Feb 20.

a Department of Cardiology , Rigshopsitalet , Copenhagen , Denmark.

The interaction between hemodynamics and kidney function in heart failure (HF) is incompletely understood. We investigated the association between invasive hemodynamic parameters and measured glomerular filtration rate (mGFR) by plasma clearance of 51-chromium-labeled ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (Cr-EDTA) in patients with advanced HF and tested the hypothesis that patients with reduced mGFR have lower cardiac index (CI) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) as well as higher central venous pressure (CVP) and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP). We retrospectively studied 242 patients (mean age 50 ± 13 years) referred for evaluation for heart transplantation or implantation of a left ventricular assist device with a left ventricular ejection fraction < 45% on optimal medical therapy, who underwent right heart catheterization (RHC) and measurement of Cr-EDTA clearance. Read More

ESC Heart Fail 2019 Feb 19. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

Department of Cardiology, Rigshospitalet, 2142, 9 Blegdamsvej, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Aims: Patients with heart failure (HF) are known to have a reduced pulmonary diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (D ), but little is known about how lung function relates to central haemodynamics. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between haemodynamic variables and pulmonary diffusion capacity adjusted for alveolar volume in congestive HF patients and to analyse how predicted D /V affects mortality in relation to the haemodynamic status.

Methods And Results: We retrospectively studied right heart catheterization (RHC) and lung function data on 262 HF patients (mean age 51 ± 13 years) with a left ventricular ejection fraction < 45% referred non-urgently for evaluation for heart transplantation (HTX) or left ventricular assist device (LVAD). Read More

Medicines (Basel) 2019 Feb 18;6(1). Epub 2019 Feb 18.

Samklang Konsult, Garvargatan 17, SE 112 21 Stockholm, Sweden.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an established treatment for severe disorders of the pediatric hematopoietic system. However, there is a need for supportive interventions due to physiological and psychological strain. Music therapy is used in health care to help patients through difficult experiences and enable well-being. Read More

Bioengineering (Basel) 2019 Feb 15;6(1). Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a debilitating condition that afflicts tens of millions of people worldwide and is responsible for more deaths each year than all cancers combined. Because donor hearts for transplantation are in short supply, a safe and durable means of mechanical circulatory support could extend the lives and reduce the suffering of millions. But while the profusion of blood pumps available to clinicians in 2019 tend to work extremely well in the short term (hours to weeks/months), every long-term cardiac assist device on the market today is limited by the same two problems: infections caused by percutaneous drivelines and thrombotic events associated with the use of blood-contacting surfaces. Read More

Circulation 2019 Feb;139(8):1080-1093

Heart and Vascular Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, OH. Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, OH.

This in-depth review of sex differences in advanced heart failure therapy summarizes the existing literature on implantable cardioverter defibrillators, biventricular pacemakers, mechanical circulatory support, and transplantation with a focus on utilization, efficacy/clinical effectiveness, adverse events, and controversies. One will learn about the controversies regarding efficacy/clinical effectiveness of implantable cardioverter defibrillators and understand why these devices should be implanted in women even if there are sex differences in appropriate shocks. Individuals will learn about the sex differences with biventricular pacemakers with respect to ventricular remodeling and reduction in heart failure hospitalizations/mortality, as well as, possible mechanisms. Read More

Circulation 2019 Feb;139(8):1005-1006

Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA.

Hemodial Int 2019 Feb 19. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

Department of Cardiology, Herlev-Gentofte Hospital University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Introduction: Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) is a high-risk infection and feared complication related to hemodialysis. This study aimed to investigate incidence and risk factors for SAB depending on hemodialysis access type.

Methods: The Danish National Registry on Regular Dialysis and Transplantation was used to identify patients from January 1, 1996 to December 31, 2011 with end-stage kidney disease. Read More

Nat Biotechnol 2019 Feb 18. Epub 2019 Feb 18.

Department of Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Transplant and Stem Cell Immunobiology-Lab, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Autologous induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) constitute an unlimited cell source for patient-specific cell-based organ repair strategies. However, their generation and subsequent differentiation into specific cells or tissues entail cell line-specific manufacturing challenges and form a lengthy process that precludes acute treatment modalities. These shortcomings could be overcome by using prefabricated allogeneic cell or tissue products, but the vigorous immune response against histo-incompatible cells has prevented the successful implementation of this approach. Read More

Exp Clin Transplant 2019 Jan;17(Suppl 1):264-269

From the Department of Public Health, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey.

Objectives: In our country, there are few publications evaluating emergency department visits among kidney, liver, and heart transplant recipients. Here, we examined emergency department visits of transplant recipients after initial hospital discharge following organ transplant performed in a medical faculty hospital in Ankara, Turkey.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed hospital records of 1144 transplant recipients (700 kidney, 332 liver, and 112 heart) who underwent living-donor and deceased-donor organ transplant procedures in a university hospital between 2007 and 2017 and were admitted to the emergency department during the same period. Read More

Exp Clin Transplant 2019 Jan;17(Suppl 1):254-256

From the Organ Procurement Unit (OPU), Lung Transplantation Research Center (LTRC), National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBMU), Tehran, Iran.

Objectives: Livers from deceased donors compose nearly 30% of all organ transplants, and about 700 liver transplants are carried out per year. Marginal livers (extended-criteria donors), however, are not usually accepted by recipient teams, and there is only one center for these procedures in Iran. The final decision is made according to criteria that are much more conservative than other globally accepted ones. Read More

Exp Clin Transplant 2019 Jan;17(Suppl 1):242-245

From the Lung Transplantation Research Center (LTRC), National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBMU), Tehran, Iran.

Objectives: Donor characteristics can directly affect transplant outcomes. In this study, we examined donor patterns in an organ procurement unit, which covered one-third of the population in Tehran, Iran over the past 12 years (2005 to 2018).

Materials And Methods: Demographic data of donors, including sex, age, cause of death, blood group, outcome of donation, number of organs per donor, and comorbidities (including diabetes mellitus and hypertension), were assessed. Read More

Exp Clin Transplant 2019 Jan;17(Suppl 1):216-219

From the Department of Radiology, Baskent University, School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess initial and follow-up computed tomography findings of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in solid-organ transplant recipients and to examine the most common computed tomography patterns during hospitalization.

Materials And Methods: From January 2011 to September 2016, the total number of solid-organ transplant patients at our institution was 784. These patients consisted of 550 kidney, 164 liver, and 67 heart transplant recipients. Read More

Exp Clin Transplant 2019 Jan;17(Suppl 1):153-155

From the Department of Transplantation, Servicios de Salud Del Estado de Queretaro, Hospital General de Querétaro, Querétaro, México.

Chronic kidney disease is defined as irreversible and progressive damage of the kidney. Chronicity is defined by the presence of renal dysfunction for at least 3 months, and renal dysfunction is defined through combinations of investigation (abnormal radiologic findings, abnormal urine or abnormal biochemistry reflecting renal dysfunction) and/or documentation of glomerular filtration rate below 60 mL/min/1.73 m². Read More

Exp Clin Transplant 2019 Jan;17(Suppl 1):123-127

From the Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, Başkent University, Ankara, Turkey.

Objectives: The outcomes of heart transplantation are very favorable, but inflammation still plays a critical role in deterioration of chronic transplants. Periodontal diseases are not limited to supporting the structures of the teeth, but they also cause systemic inflammation. Based on the importance of inflammation in heart transplant recipients and the association between periodontal disease and systemic inflammation, this study explored whether periodontitis may be a modifier of serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in heart transplant patients. Read More

Scand Cardiovasc J 2019 Feb 19:1-22. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

j Department of Medicine , Karolinska Institutet and Heart and Vascular Theme, Karolinska University Hospital , Stockholm , Sweden.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess complications and mortality and its predictors, with continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (CF-LVADs) in the Nordic Countries.

Design: This was a retrospective, international, multicenter cohort study.

Results: Between 1993 - 2013 442 surgically implanted long-term mechanical assist devices were used among 8 centers in the Nordic countries. Read More

Circulation 2019 Feb 19:CIR0000000000000598. Epub 2019 Feb 19.

Sensitization, defined as the presence of circulating antibodies, presents challenges for heart transplant recipients and physicians. When present, sensitization can limit a transplantation candidate's access to organs, prolong wait time, and, in some cases, exclude the candidate from heart transplantation altogether. The management of sensitization is not yet standardized, and current therapies have not yielded consistent results. Read More

Clin Transplant 2019 Feb 18:e13498. Epub 2019 Feb 18.

Department of Medicine and Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California.

We report a case of a 64-year-old woman who developed transfusion-dependent anemia after cardiac transplantation, the etiology of which was unknown after initial comprehensive evaluation. At the suggestion of the Transplant Infectious Diseases consultant, microbial agents with red blood cell tropism pertinent to this patient such as Parvovirus B 19 (B19V) were investigated. The B19V viral load by PCR in peripheral blood was >100,000,000 copies/ml and after treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), her anemia resolved. Read More

Br J Dermatol 2019 Feb 18. Epub 2019 Feb 18.

Departments of 1Dermatology and 2Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.

Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) is a intralesional oncolytic virotherapy, licensed in the European Union (EU) for locoregional advanced melanoma of American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stages IIIB, IIIC and IVM1a. Organ transplant recipients (OTRs) are so far excluded from all clinical trials dealing with immunotherapies due to the risk of transplant rejection. A 58-year-old caucasian male with a history of a heart and kidney transplantation in 2014 was diagnosed with melanoma (Breslow thickness of 1. Read More

Am J Hematol 2019 Feb 17. Epub 2019 Feb 17.

Hematology, Oncology & Cardiovascular Medicine, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan.

Clin Transplant 2019 Feb 17:e13497. Epub 2019 Feb 17.

Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA.

Background: Strongyloides stercoralis infects 100 million people worldwide. Mortality rates in hyperinfection syndrome exceed 50%. Donor-derived Strongyloides infection has occurred after heart, kidney, kidney-pancreas and liver transplantation; yet, only 10% of the U. Read More

J Heart Lung Transplant 2019 Mar 21;38(3):295-305. Epub 2018 Dec 21.

Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery.

Background: Donors with characteristics that may increase the likelihood of disease transmission with transplantation are noted as increased risk via Public Health Service criteria. This study aimed to establish the implications of declining an increased-risk donor (IRD) organ offer in lung transplantation.

Methods: Adult candidates waitlisted for isolated lung transplantation in the United States using the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network /United Network of Organ Sharing registry from 2007 to 2017 were identified. Read More

Circulation 2019 Feb 18. Epub 2019 Feb 18.

Department of Cardiology, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway.

Background: There is no consensus on how, when, or at what intensity exercise should be performed after heart transplantation (HTx). We have recently shown that high-intensity interval training (HIT) is safe, well tolerated, and efficacious in the maintenance state after HTx, but studies have not investigated HIT effects in the de novo HTx state. We hypothesized that HIT could be introduced early after a HTx, and that it could lead to clinically meaningful increases in exercise capacity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Read More

Int J Surg Case Rep 2019 Feb 10;55:218-222. Epub 2019 Feb 10.

Department of Gastroenterological and Transplant Surgery, Applied Life Sciences, Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan. Electronic address:

Introduction: Transient Left Ventricular Apical Balloon Syndrome (LV-ABS) is an unknown acute dysfunction of the left ventricle, which develops under emotional or physical stress events like the major surgical postoperative period.

Presentation Of Case: A 68-year-old woman diagnosed with hepatitis C cirrhosis was admitted for living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). No evidence for underlying cardiac or pulmonary disease was found. Read More

Clin Physiol Funct Imaging 2019 Feb 15. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Lund University, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Cardiology, Lund, Sweden.

Aims: Assessment following heart transplantation (HTx) is routinely performed using transthoracic echocardiography. Differences in long-term mortality following HTx related to donor-recipient matching have been reported, but effects of gender on cardiac size and function are not well studied. The aims of this study were to evaluate differences in echocardiographic characteristics of HTx recipients defined by gender. Read More

Clin Transplant 2019 Feb 15:e13496. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Background: Systemic right ventricular [RV] failure may progress necessitating referral for orthotropic heart transplantation [OHT]. Pulmonary hypertension [PH] frequently coexists in adult congenital heart disease and can complicate the assessment for OHT.

Methods: Single-center case series of six patients [median age 34. Read More

Transl Res 2019 Feb 5. Epub 2019 Feb 5.

Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado.

Pulmonary fibrosis refers to the development of diffuse parenchymal abnormalities in the lung that cause dyspnea, cough, hypoxemia, and impair gas exchange, ultimately leading to respiratory failure. Though pulmonary fibrosis can be caused by a variety of underlying etiologies, ranging from genetic defects to autoimmune diseases to environmental exposures, once fibrosis develops it is irreversible and most often progressive, such that fibrosis of the lung is one of the leading indications for lung transplantation. This review aims to provide a concise summary of the recent advances in our understanding of the genetics and genomics of pulmonary fibrosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in particular, and how these recent discoveries may be changing the clinical approach to diagnosing and treating patients with fibrotic interstitial lung disease. Read More

Am J Transplant 2019 Feb 15. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Renal-Electrolyte and Hypertension Division, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.

The advent of direct-acting antiviral therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) has generated tremendous interest in transplanting organs from HCV-infected donors. We conducted a single-arm trial of orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT) from HCV-infected donors into uninfected recipients, followed by elbasvir/grazoprevir treatment after recipient HCV was first detected (NCT03146741; sponsor: Merck). We enrolled OHT candidates aged 40-65 years; LVAD support and liver disease were exclusions. Read More

Transplantation 2019 Feb 6. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Evidence-Based Practice Research Program, Mayo Clinic, MN, USA.

Background: This systematic review was commissioned to identify new variables associated with transplant outcomes that are not currently collected by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN).

Methods: We identified 81 unique studies including 1,193,410 patients with median follow-up of 36 months posttransplant, reporting 108 unique risk factors.

Results: Most risk factors (104) were recipient-related; few (4) were donor-related. Read More

Eur J Clin Invest 2019 Feb 14:e13089. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa - Italian Cardiovascolar Network, 10 largo Benzi, 16132, Genoa, Italy.

Background: Ultrasound evaluation of carotid intima media thickness (cIMT) has been extensively used for potentially improving cardiovascular (CV) risk stratification in several patients' categories. Subjects with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have been investigated by both imaging and molecular biomarker approaches with contrasting results. Here, we focused on the role of osteopontin (OPN) as biomarker of subclinical atherosclerosis associated with SLE. Read More

Dis Markers 2019 14;2019:9429323. Epub 2019 Jan 14.

Department of Urology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.

Renal ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury is one of the most important risk factors for the occurrence of delayed graft function (DGF) after kidney transplantation; however, its mechanism remains not fully understood. In the present study, we screened differentially expressed genes in a murine model of renal IR injury by using high-throughput assays. We identified as one of the most significantly downregulated genes among 2218 differentially expressed genes (≥2-fold, < 0. Read More

Exp Mol Med 2019 Feb 14;51(2):16. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Institute for Clinical Diabetology, German Diabetes Center, Leibniz Center for Diabetes Research, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany.

The lifetime risk of developing heart failure is approximately 20%, and survival rates remain poor. Myocardial mitochondrial function has been suggested to play a pivotal role in heart failure pathophysiology. Human studies on ex vivo mitochondrial function have mostly been limited to atrial tissue obtained during open heart surgery and have provided contradictory results. Read More

Diabetes Care 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Department of Renal and Pancreatic Transplantation, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, U.K.

Objective: People with type 1 diabetes and kidney failure have an increased risk for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Simultaneous pancreas and kidney transplantation (SPKT) improves survival, but the long-term risk for MACE is uncertain.

Research Design And Methods: We assessed the frequency and risk factors for MACE (defined as fatal cardiovascular disease and nonfatal myocardial infarction or stroke) and related nonfatal MACE to allograft failure in SPKT recipients with type 1 diabetes who underwent transplantation between 2001 and 2015 in the U. Read More

Int J Cardiol 2019 Jan 27. Epub 2019 Jan 27.

Cardiomyopathy Service, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, United Kingdom.

Background: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a genetically determined heart muscle disorder. The incidence of heart failure (HF) in ARVC has been reported at 5-13%. We aimed to define the genotype and disease progression of ARVC patients with HF. Read More

J Am Coll Cardiol 2019 Feb;73(6):698-716

Division of Cardiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.

Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a rescue therapy that can stabilize patients with hemodynamic compromise, with or without respiratory failure, for days or weeks. In cardiology, the main indications for ECMO include cardiac arrest, cardiogenic shock, post-cardiotomy shock, refractory ventricular tachycardia, and acute management of complications of invasive procedures. The fundamental premise underlying ECMO is that it is a bridge-to recovery, to a more durable bridge, to definitive treatment, or to decision. Read More

Cardiovasc Pathol 2019 Jan 3;40:7-11. Epub 2019 Jan 3.

Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. Electronic address:

Background: Cardiac iron overload following liver transplantation in patients without hemochromatosis but with severe hepatic iron deposition has been reported to result in heart failure and/or death in case reports and small case series. However, the frequency and causes of cardiac iron overload following liver transplantation and its relationship to cardiac dysfunction in patients without severe hepatic iron deposition are unclear.

Methods: The primary inclusion criteria for this study were liver transplantation followed by autopsy or cardiac transplantation within 1 year. Read More

PLoS One 2019 14;14(2):e0208301. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Department of Cardiology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.

Background: Clinical and experimental data give evidence that transplantation of stem and progenitor cells in myocardial infarction could be beneficial, although the underlying mechanism has remained elusive. Ventricular tachyarrhythmia is the most frequent and potentially lethal complication of myocardial infarction, but the impact of mono nuclear cells on the incidence of ventricular arrhythmia is still not clear.

Objective: We aimed to characterize the influence of splenic mononuclear cell populations on ventricular arrhythmia after myocardial infarction. Read More

Turk J Med Sci 2019 Feb 11;49(1):212-216. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Background/aim: The number of patients with heart transplantation has dramatically increased in the last decade. Considerable studies have suggested that the interval from the peak to the end of the electrocardiographic T wave (Tp-e) may correspond to the transmural dispersion of repolarization and increased Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio are associated with malignant ventricular arrhythmias. We analyzed the dispersion of myocardial repolarization using electrocardiographic Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QTc ratio in patients with heart transplantation. Read More

Am J Transplant 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Department of Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California.

The innate immune system is a critical regulator of the adaptive immune responses that lead to allograft rejection. It is increasingly recognized that endogenous molecules released from tissue injury and cell death are potent activators of innate immunity. Mitochondria, ancestrally related to bacteria, possess an array of endogenous innate immune activating molecules. Read More

Front Immunol 2019 29;10:67. Epub 2019 Jan 29.

Laboratory of Transplantation Immunobiology, Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

Th9 cells orchestrate allergic lung inflammation by promoting recruitment and activation of eosinophils and mast cells, and by stimulating epithelial mucus production, which is known to be mainly dependent on IL-9. These cells share developmental pathways with induced regulatory T cells that may determine the generation of one over the other subset. In fact, the FOXP3 transcription factor has been shown to bind locus and repress IL-9 production. Read More

Front Immunol 2019 29;10:49. Epub 2019 Jan 29.

Gastrointestinal Microbiology Research Group, Institute of Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Berlin Institute of Health, Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

The globally rising incidences of multidrug-resistant (MDR) (Psae) in humans and live-stock animals has prompted the World Health Organization to rate MDR Psae as serious threat for human health. Only little is known, however, regarding factors facilitating gastrointestinal Psae-acquisition by the vertebrate host and subsequently induced inflammatory sequelae. In the present study, we addressed whether subacute ileitis predisposed mice harboring a human gut microbiota for intestinal MDR Psae carriage and whether inflammatory responses might be induced following peroral challenge with the opportunistic pathogen. Read More

Sci Rep 2019 Feb 13;9(1):1881. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.

Transplantation of cardiomyocytes (CMs) derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC-CMs) is a promising treatment for heart failure, but residual undifferentiated hiPSCs and malignant transformed cells may lead to tumor formation. Here we describe a highly sensitive tumorigenicity assay for the detection of these cells in hiPSC-CMs. The soft agar colony formation assay and cell growth analysis were unable to detect malignantly transformed cells in hiPSC-CMs. Read More

Ann Transplant 2019 Feb 14;24:84-92. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Department of Respiratory Medicine, Federation of Translational Medicine of Strasbourg (FMTS), University Hospitals, Strasbourg, France.

BACKGROUND Although central airway stenosis (CAS) is a common complication after lung transplantation, its consequences have been poorly evaluated. The objective of our study was to evaluate the impact of CAS on lung function after lung transplantation. MATERIAL AND METHODS All lung transplant recipients from June 2009 to August 2014 in a single center (Strasbourg, France) were retrospectively reviewed. Read More

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Lillehei Heart Institute, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455;

Optimal cell-based therapies for the treatment of muscle degenerative disorders should not only regenerate fibers but provide a quiescent satellite cell pool ensuring long-term maintenance and regeneration. Conditional expression of Pax3/Pax7 in differentiating pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) allows the generation of myogenic progenitors endowed with enhanced regenerative capacity. To identify the molecular determinants underlying their regenerative potential, we performed transcriptome analyses of these cells along with primary myogenic cells from several developmental stages. Read More

Can J Cardiol 2019 Feb 29;35(2):221-224. Epub 2018 Nov 29.

Department of Cardiology, Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec, Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Electronic address:

Mitochondrial diseases are a heterogeneous group of rare hereditary disorders that may manifest with single organ involvement or as multisystemic disease. The pathophysiology of mitochondrial disease is complex and related to mutations of genes encoding mitochondrial proteins that are crucial to the cellular respiratory chain. Given its almost exclusive aerobic metabolism, the heart is particularly susceptible to mitochondrial dysfunction and commonly involved in mitochondrial disorders. Read More

J Am Heart Assoc 2019 Feb;8(4):e009555

1 Department of Cardiology Erasmus MC Rotterdam the Netherlands.

Background Remodeling biomarkers carry high potential for predicting adverse events in chronic heart failure ( CHF ) patients. However, temporal patterns during the course of CHF , and especially the trajectory before an adverse event, are unknown. We studied the prognostic value of temporal patterns of 14 cardiac remodeling biomarker candidates in stable patients with CHF from the Bio-SHiFT (Serial Biomarker Measurements and New Echocardiographic Techniques in Chronic Heart Failure Patients Result in Tailored Prediction of Prognosis) study. Read More

Circ Heart Fail 2019 Feb;12(2):e005454

Advanced Heart Failure and Transplantation Center, University Medical Center Ljubljana, Slovenia (G.P., B.V.).

Ventricular assist device (VAD) technology has evolved significantly over the past decades and currently represents one of the most important treatment strategies for patients with advanced chronic heart failure. There is increasing evidence that in selected patients undergoing long-term VAD support, improvement of myocardial structure and function may occur. However, there seems to be a significant discrepancy between structural and functional recovery of the failing myocardium, as only a small fraction of VAD-supported patients demonstrate reverse structural remodeling and eventually reach clinically significant and stable, functional improvement. Read More

Medicina (Kaunas) 2019 Feb 12;55(2). Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Department of Nephrology, Transplantation and Internal Medicine, Medical University of Silesia, 40-027 Katowice, Poland.

Background And Objective: Reliable assessment of the fluid status in hemodialysis (HD) patients is often difficult. A lung ultrasound with an assessment of the B-lines ("lung comets" (LCs)) number is a novel hydration status measure. However, the occurrence of left ventricular dysfunction may have a significant effect on pulmonary congestion and further modulate the LC number. Read More

G Ital Nefrol 2019 Feb;36(1)

Cattedra di Cardiochirurgia Università di Foggia.

In Italy in 2017 out of 2738 assessments of death, there was a 28.7% of oppositions of family members to the removal of organs post-mortem. This opposition is a serious limitation to the development of transplantation programs. Read More