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Background The alarmin S100A8/A9 has been shown to be of importance in several inflammatory cardiovascular disorders. We recently demonstrated the pivotal role of cardiac S100A8/A9 in human and experimental Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3)-induced myocarditis (MC). Purpose We aimed to evaluate whether serum S100A8/A9 levels are a marker in patients with a recent onset of MC Methods Serum S100A8/A9, hsCRP, and NT pro-BNP levels were analyzed in patients with a recent onset of MC (≤30 days (d), n=29; ejection fraction (EF): 44.3%±13%), dilated cardiomyopathy patients with inflammation (DCMi: n=112; EF: 28.8%±12%) or without inflammation (DCM: n=58; EF: 26.7%±9%), and controls (co: n=25; EF: 68.5%±5%). Blood samples and endomyocardial biopsies (EMB) were collected at time point (T1). In a subgroup, S100A8/A9 serum levels and EMB were available at T1 (n=10) and follow-up (T2, n=10, mean follow-up 8 months). Results MC ≤30 d patients showed a 4.5-fold (p Conclusions These results support an additional value for S100A8/A9 serum levels as a potential diagnostic biomarker and as a tool to monitor the course of the disease. We provide first evidence that S100A8/A9 is connected to the NOD2-NLRP3 pathway in these patients. Acknowledgement/Funding Novartis

Chronic viral infections of the heart are considered one antecedent event leading to progressive dysfunction of the myocardium, often with an impaired prognosis due to a virus- or immune-mediated myocardial injury. Symptomatic treatment does not influence the viral cause of heart failure, and the effect of antiviral treatment has not been determined, yet.In this phase II study 143 patients with symptoms of heart failure and biopsy-based confirmation of the enterovirus (EV), adenovirus, and/or parvovirus B19 genomes in their myocardial tissue were randomly assigned to double-blind treatment, and received either placebo (n = 48) or 4 × 10(6) (n = 49) and 8 × 10(6) IU (n = 46) interferon beta-1b (IFN-β-1b) for 24 weeks, in addition to standard heart failure treatment. Patients with active myocarditis or other specific causes of heart failure were excluded. Compared to placebo, virus elimination and/or virus load reduction was higher in the IFN-β-1b groups (odds ratio 2.33, p = 0.048), similarly in both interferon groups and both strata. IFN-β-1b treatment was associated with favourable effects on NYHA functional class (p = 0.013 at follow-up week 12), improvement in quality of life (Minnesota Heart Failure score; p = 0.032 at follow-up week 24) and patient global assessment (follow-up week 12 to follow-up week 24; p = 0.039). The frequency of adverse cardiac events was not higher in the IFN-β-1b groups compared to the placebo group.Immunomodulatory IFN-β-1b treatment is a well-tolerated and safe treatment option, leading to effective virus clearance or reduction of the virus load in patients with chronic viral cardiomyopathy. Favourable clinical effects assess quality of life, NYHA functional class, and patient global assessment. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT001185250.

Aims Circulating adiponectin (APN) is an immunomodulatory, pro-angiogenic, and anti-apoptotic adipocytokine protecting against acute viral heart disease and preventing pathological remodelling after cardiac injury. The purpose of this study was to describe the regulation and effects of APN in patients with inflammatory cardiomyopathy (DCMi). Methods and results Adiponectin expression and outcome were assessed in 173 patients with DCMi, 30 patients with non-inflammatory DCM, and 30 controls. Mechanistic background of these findings was addressed in murine experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM), a model of human DCMi, and further elucidated in vitro . Adiponectin plasma concentrations were significantly higher in DCMi compared with DCM or controls, i.e. 6.8 ± 3.9 µg/mL vs. 5.4 ± 3.6 vs. 4.76 ± 2.5 µg/mL ( P < 0.05, respectively) and correlated significantly with cardiac mononuclear infiltrates (CD3+: r 2= 0.025, P = 0.038; CD45R0+: r 2= 0.058, P = 0.018). At follow-up, DCMi patients with high APN levels showed significantly increased left ventricular ejection fraction improvement, decreased left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, and reduced cardiac inflammatory infiltrates compared with patients with low APN levels. A multivariate linear regression analysis implicated APN as an independent prognostic factor for inhibition of cardiac inflammation. In accordance with these findings in human DCMi, EAM mice exhibited elevated plasma APN. Adiponectin gene transfer led to significant downregulation of key inflammatory mediators promoting disease. Mechanistically, APN acted as a negative regulator of T cells by reducing antigen specific expansion ( P < 0.01) and suppressed TNFα-mediated NFκB activation ( P < 0.01) as well as release of reactive oxygen species in cardiomyocytes. Conclusion Our results implicate that APN acts as endogenously upregulated anti-inflammatory cytokine confining cardiac inflammation and progression in DCMi.

The role of endomyocardial biopsies in patients with clinically suspected acute myocarditis, myocarditis in the past, and dilated cardiomyopathy is discussed controversially. In fact, it is still under discussion whether information obtained from endomyocardial biopsies is relevant for further clinical decisions. Therefore this Critical Perspective will deal with the question, which patient should undergo endomyocardial biopsy investigations for an etiopathogenic differentiation of the disease and for the possible choice of immunomodulatory treatment strategies.

A previously healthy 39-year-old man was admitted to our department with biventricular cardiac decompensation (New York Heart Association class IV) and acute onset of angina pectoris after a flulike disease 1 week earlier. The ECG on admission displayed ST elevations in II, III, and aVF. Troponin T on admission was increased (2.20 mg/L, normal value