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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.

Background— Investigation of disease pathogenesis confined to protein-coding regions of the genome may be incomplete because many noncoding variants are associated with disease. We aimed to identify novel predictive markers for the course of enterovirus (CVB3) cardiomyopathy by screening for noncoding elements influencing the grossly different antiviral capacity of individual patients. Methods and Results— Transcriptome mapping of CVB3 cardiomyopathy patients revealed distinctive cardiac microRNA (miR) patterns associated with spontaneous virus clearance and recovery (CVB3-ELIM) versus virus persistence and progressive clinical deterioration (CVB3-PERS). Profiling of protein-coding genes and 754 miRs in endomyocardial biopsies of test cohorts was performed at their initial presentation, and those spontaneously eliminating the virus were compared with those with virus persistence on follow-up. miR profiling revealed highly significant differences in cardiac levels of 16 miRs, but not of protein-coding genes. Evaluation of this primary distinctive miR pattern in validation cohorts, and multivariate receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, confirmed this pattern as highly predictive for disease course (area under the curve, 0.897±0.071; 95% confidence interval, 0.758–1.000). Eight miRs were strongly induced in CVB3-PERS (miRs 135b, 155, 190, 422a, 489, 590, 601, 1290), but undetectable in CVB3-ELIM or controls. They are predicted to target multiple immune response genes, and 2 of these were confirmed by antisense-mediated ablation of miRs 135b, 190, and 422a in the monocytic THP-1 cell line. Conclusions— An immediate clinical application of the data is cardiac miR profiling to assess the risk of virus persistence and progressive clinical deterioration in CVB3 cardiomyopathy. Patients at risk are eligible for immediate antiviral therapy to minimize irreversible cardiac damage.

Aims Foxo3 is a transcription factor involved in cell metabolism, survival, and inflammatory disease. However, mechanistic insight in Foxo3 effects is still limited. Here, we investigated the role of Foxo3 on natural killer (NK) cell responses and its effects in viral myocarditis. Methods and results Effects of Foxo3 on viral load and immune responses were investigated in a model of coxsackie virus B3 myocarditis in wild-type (WT) and Foxo3 deficient mice. Reduced immune cell infiltration, viral titres, and pro-inflammatory cytokines in cardiac tissue were observed in Foxo3(-/-) mice 7 days post-infection (p.i.). Viral titres were also attenuated in hearts of Foxo3(-/-) mice at Day 3 while interferon-gamma (IFN gamma) and NKp46 expression were up-regulated suggesting early viral control by enhanced NK cell activity. CD69 expression of NK cells, frequencies of CD11b(+)CD27(+) effector NK cells and cytotoxicity of Foxo3(-/-) mice was enhanced compared to WT littermates. Moreover, microRNA-155 expression, essential in NK cell activation, was elevated in Foxo3(-/-) NK cells while its inhibition led to diminished IFN gamma production. Healthy humans carrying the longevity-associated FOXO3 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs12212067 exhibited reduced IFN gamma and cytotoxic degranulation of NK cells. Viral inflammatory cardiomyopathy (viral CMI) patients with this SNP showed a poorer outcome due to less efficient virus control. Conclusion Our results implicate Foxo3 in regulating NK cell function and suggest Foxo3 playing an important role in the antiviral innate immunity. Thus, enhanced FOXO3 activity such as in the polymorphism rs12212067 may be protective in chronic inflammation such as cancer and cardiovascular disease but disadvantageous to control acute viral infection.

SUMMARY Chromosomally integrated human herpesvirus 6 (ciHHV-6) is a condition in which the complete HHV-6 genome is integrated into the host germ line genome and is vertically transmitted in a Mendelian manner. The condition is found in less than 1% of controls in the USA and UK, but has been found at a somewhat higher prevalence in transplant recipients and other patient populations in several small studies. HHV-6 levels in whole blood that exceed 5.5 log10 copies/ml are strongly suggestive of ciHHV-6. Monitoring DNA load in plasma and serum is unreliable, both for identifying and for monitoring subjects with ciHHV-6 due to cell lysis and release of cellular DNA. High HHV-6 DNA loads associated with ciHHV-6 can lead to erroneous diagnosis of active infection. Transplant recipients with ciHHV-6 may be at increased risk for bacterial infection and graft rejection. ciHHV-6 can be induced to a state of active viral replication in vitro. It is not known whether ciHHV-6 individuals are put at clinical risk by the use of drugs that have been associated with HHV-6 reactivation in vivo or in vitro. Nonetheless, we urge careful observation when use of such drugs is indicated in individuals known to have ciHHV-6. Little is known about whether individuals with ciHHV-6 develop immune tolerance for viral proteins. Further research is needed to determine the role of ciHHV-6 in disease. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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.

Background Parvovirus B19 (B19V)-DNA is frequently detected in endomyocardial biopsies (EMBs) from patients with acute myocarditis (AMC) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), but also in various healthy tissues. The clinical relevance of this DNA-persistence is unclear. Objectives To investigate potential pathogenic influences of B19V-DNA in EMBs, we analyzed B19V-specific adaptive immune responses in AMC/DCM patients and healthy controls. Study design 15 AMC/DCM patients with detectable B19V-DNA in EMBs and 51 controls were analyzed for signs of acute B19V-infections and virus-specific immune responses by PCR, ELISA, Western line, and ELISpot-assays. Results Productive B19V-infection was determined in three patients. Slightly lower levels of B19V-specific T-cells were observed in patients as compared to the controls, no differences were observed in virus-specific serology. Viral DNA-load in EMBs could not be correlated to the number of B19V-specific T-cells. No differences in T-cell response, viremia and/or serological markers indicative for viral pathogenesis were observed in patients with inflammatory cardiomyopathy. Conclusions Discrepancies in B19V-specific adaptive immunity were not observed in AMC/DCM patients as compared to controls. The data indicate that the exclusive detection of B19V-DNA in EMBs is not sufficient to associate B19V with AMC/DCM but should be complemented with additional virological and immunological parameters in further studies.

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.

ObjectivesWe investigated the myocardial localization and expression of tissue factor (TF) and alternatively spliced human tissue factor (asHTF) in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).BackgroundTissue factor is expressed in cardiac muscle and may play a role in maintaining myocardial structure.MethodsMyocardial biopsies were obtained from patients with a normal or mildly impaired ejection fraction (EF) (≥50%) and moderate to severely reduced EF (

Parvovirus B19 infections are acquired by majority in the childhood and persist lifelong within bone marrow precursor cells and the vascular endothelium in a high percentage of the general population. Because many infected patients remain asymptomatic, the clinical has remained doubtful. The study

Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) and HHV-7 are ubiquitous human pathogens with lymphotropic and neurotropic potential. Both viruses infect cells that express the CD46 complement receptor. Based on their biological properties and their receptor-dependent cellular tropism, HHV-6 and HHV-7 are detected in cells of different organs and consequently associated with various diseases. In addition to modulation of immune responses, HHV-6 and HHV-7 can directly infect endothelial cells and subsequently enter adjacent tissues. If the cardiovascular system is affected, HHV-6 and HHV-7 infections can be causative for myocarditis, vasospastic endothelial dysfunction, and development of post-infectious or post-inflammatory cardiomyopathies. Reactivation of HHV-6 is often associated with a higher percentage of chest pain, while inhibition of viral RNA is associated with clinical improvement of treated patients. This may be a therapeutic option for HHV-6-positive patients with unexplained cardiac symptoms.

Severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) mice have been used as an animal model to study both the direct cytopathic effect of enteroviruses on the heart in the absence of an effective immune system and to investigate the role of immune mediated processes in the pathogenesis of human myocarditis. The infection of SCID mice with coxsackievirus B3 resulted in severe myocarditis with very high titers of the virus in the myocardium and severe necrosis of myocytes. This direct cytopathic effect caused an impairment of the myocardial function and resulted in a high mortality rate of the infected animals. For the study of the immune mechanisms in human myocarditis, peripheral blood leukocytes of patients with myocarditis, having an impaired left ventricular function without viral persistence in the myocardium, were transferred into SCID mice. As controls peripherals blood leukocytes of normal donors were used. At 60 days after transfer, human immunoglobulines could be demonstrated in the peripheral blood of the SCID mice, however, human autoantibodies against the adenine nucleotide translocator, a myocardial autoantigen, were only present in the animals receiving peripheral blood leukocytes from patients with myocarditis. Cellular infiltrates of human leukocytes in the myocardium and an impaired left ventricular function were also only observed in animals reconstituted with peripheral blood leukocytes from patients. These effects were T cell dependent as shown by differential transfer. These results are of interest for the treatment of human myocarditis, suggesting the avoidance of an immunosuppressive therapy in acute or chronic myocarditis with viral persistence to prevent a direct cytophatic effect in the absence of an effective immune system. However, in the setting of a chronic, (auto-)immunological myocarditis with the proven absence of entero- or adneoviral sequences an immunomodulatory therapy seems to be effective and safe.

The clinical phenotype of human dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) encompasses a broad spectrum of etiologically distinct disorders. We obtained the cardiac expression profile of a DCM subtype (DCMi-B19) characterized by cardiac inflammation and parvovirus B19 (B19) persistence, to identify possible new therapeutic targets in humans. By microarray analysis and TaqMan PCR endomyocardial biopsies from DCMi-P19 patients (n=8) were compared to controls w/o cardiac disease. In DCMi-B19 an expression profile with dysbalance between several gene regulatory networks was observed. Tab. 1/2 classify deregulated genes in a group closely correlated (p Table 1: EF-Independent Gene Deregulation Table 2: EF-Correlated Gene Deregulation

Introduction: Inflammation and/or viral infection are both relevant for extracellular matrix remodeling. Therefore the effects of myocardial inflammation on ECM remodeling are analyzed in this study. # Methods and results: Endomyocardial biopsies were obtained from 20 patients with established DCM (2.11±0.44 CD3 cells/mm 2 ) and 29 DCMi patients (18.91±6.41 CD3 cells/mm 2 ) comparable in age (51.45±3.15 vs. 48.48±2.39 years), LVEDD (72.7±2.2 vs. 69.76±1.06mm) and EF (26±2.99 vs. 25.86±2.0%). Total collagen content was quantified by picosiriusredstaining while the MMP2, MMP3 and TIMP1 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. The MMP1, MMP3 and TIMP1 and ICTP expression in the serum was quantified by Elisa. and levels of IL6 and IL8 were measured by BioPlexAssays. Furthermore various cytokines and proteases were evaluated by real-time-PCR. In DCMi patients both CD3-lymphocyte infiltration (8.95fold, pP P P P P Conclusion: Myocardial inflammation in patients with DCMi leads to an imbalance in the MMP/TIMP-system, which attributes to the development of myocardial fibrosis.

Introduction: The biopsy based analyse, with histological, immunohistological and molecular biological analysis of myocardial tissues, represents the only possible tool to investigate the basement of inflammatory cardiomyopathy. Since development of this disease assume involvement of extracellular matrix remodelling, the analyze of this process were aimed in this article. Methods and results: Endomyocardial biopsies from patient with inflammatory cardiomyopathy (n=170) were analysed by RT-PCR, Furthermore, histological, immunohistological and biochemical methods (ELISA) were used to estimate the matrix proteins amount in myocardial tissues (n=36). All results were obtained by comparison of patient groups regarding to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), EF>60 versus EF60 group. The escalating number of active CD3 cells correlated positively with BNP (ρ=0.624, p Conclusion: Myocardial inflammation lead to an imbalance in the MMP/TIMP system with development of myocardial fibrosis with significant correlation to LV-dysfunction. Extracellular matrix remodeling with an imbalance in the MMP/TIMP system plays an important role in the development of left ventricular dysfunction in inflammatory heart disease

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

Summary Purpose. When combined with anthracyclines, the humanized anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin TM ) provides significant clinical benefit for women with HER2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer. However, its use is limited by severe cardiotoxicity. To clarify whether myocardial HER2 and HER4 expression in response to anthracycline exposure and cardiac damage contributes to cardiotoxicity, we assessed expression of HER2 and HER4 in pathologically altered myocardium. Experimental design. Cardiac biopsies from 60 patients with severe heart disease and cardiac tissue from 35 patients with breast cancer were obtained. Twenty-five of the patients with breast cancer had previously received anthracyclines. Three of 10 anthracycline-naive patients with breast cancer had received trastuzumab. Expression of HER2 and HER4 was analyzed immunohistochemically (HER2: HercepTest TM /A0485 (Dako), Cy3 detection (Dianova); HER4: Ab-4 (NeoMarkers)). FISH analysis (Ventana) was used to assess HER2 gene amplification. Results. Immunohistochemistry revealed weak HER2 membrane staining in six cardiac biopsies, appearing as dotted staining of the whole cell membrane and intensified HER2 signal using fluorescent Cy3 labeling. No HER2 membrane staining was detected in the remaining 54 cardiac biopsies or in the myocardium of the 35 patients with breast cancer. HER2 gene amplification was not observed. All specimens showed the mild cytoplasmatic HER4 staining of normal myocardium. No strong HER4 expression was detected. Conclusions. Cardiac alterations are not associated with an strong increase in HER2 and HER4 levels. IHC detects potential low-level HER2 expression in some samples. However, a more sensitive technique may be needed for studies of the role of HER2 in cardiac tissue. These data do not exclude a role for inhibition of cardiac HER2 expression by trastuzumab in the onset of heart failure in trastuzumab-treated patients.