Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Nicolas L. Palaskas, Ana Segura, Laura Lelenwa, Bilal A. Siddiqui, Sumit K. Subudhi, Juan Lopez-Mattei, Jean B. Durand, Anita Deswal, Bihong Zhao, L. Maximilian Buja, Cezar Iliescu
Summary: A grading system was developed for ICI myocarditis based on degree of inflammatory infiltrate, with some patients able to continue ICI without immunosuppressive therapy and have good cardiovascular outcomes. Further studies are needed to identify low-risk patients who can safely receive ICI therapy.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HEART FAILURE
(2021)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Renzo Marcolongo, Stefania Rizzo, Alessia Cerutti, Elena Reffo, Biagio Castaldi, Anna Baritussio, Cristina Basso, Giovanni Di Salvo, Alida L. P. Caforio
Summary: This study reported three cases of pediatric autoimmune/immune-mediated myocarditis successfully treated with immunosuppressive therapy (IT). IT was associated with a substantial and sustained recovery of cardiac function in the patients, regardless of their heterogeneous clinical and pathological features. Combination IT was well tolerated and enabled tapering and weaning off steroids.
Review
Immunology
Chun-Yan Cheng, Anna Baritussio, Andrea Silvio Giordani, Sabino Iliceto, Renzo Marcolongo, Alida L. P. Caforio
Summary: Many systemic immune-mediated diseases can cause myocarditis with varying histopathological and clinical features. This review aims to describe the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and prognosis of myocarditis associated with these diseases.
AUTOIMMUNITY REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Franziska Seidel, Bernd Opgen-Rhein, Axel Rentzsch, Martin Boehne, Bardo Wannenmacher, Dorothee Boecker, Katja Reineker, Maria Grafmann, Gesa Wiegand, Tobias Hecht, Daniela Kiski, Marcus Fischer, Konstantin Papakostas, Bettina Ruf, Jennifer Kramp, Marcus Khalil, Michael Kaestner, Michael Steinmetz, Gunther Fischer, Sevinc Oezcan, Noa Freudenthal, Ulrich Schweigmann, Regina Hellwig, Thomas Pickardt, Karin Klingel, Daniel Messroghli, Stephan Schubert
Summary: Endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) provides important information for clinical decision-making in pediatric myocarditis patients. Children with fulminant clinical presentation, high amounts of mononuclear cell infiltrates, healing/chronic inflammation, and young age have the highest risk for major adverse cardiac events (MACE).
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CARDIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Juexing Li, Lei Zhou, Zhenhua Li, Shangneng Yang, Liangyue Tang, Hui Gong
Summary: Weighted gene co-expression network analysis revealed crucial hub genes and biological signaling pathways associated with SIC. The hub genes were found to be closely related to cardiac metabolism and cell death processes in SIC patients, suggesting potential new targets and therapeutic strategies for the treatment of SIC.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Ariana Rostami, Scott Bratman, Kathy Han
Summary: Liquid biopsy approaches for detecting viral DNA play a crucial role in diagnosing virally-associated cancers. The CaptHPV method based on next-generation sequencing is discussed for its potential in detecting plasma HPV DNA in HPV-associated cancers and its potential clinical utility.
CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Anna Baritussio, Chun-yan Cheng, Giulia Lorenzoni, Cristina Basso, Stefania Rizzo, Monica De Gaspari, Francesco Fachin, Andrea Silvio Giordani, Honoria Ocagli, Elena Pontara, Maria Grazia Peloso Cattini, Elisa Bison, Nicoletta Gallo, Mario Plebani, Giuseppe Tarantini, Sabino Iliceto, Dario Gregori, Renzo Marcolongo, Alida Linda Patrizia Caforio
Summary: The role of inflammation markers in myocarditis is unclear. This study found that elevated CRP at diagnosis can identify patients with clinically suspected myocarditis and less severe clinical features, but does not contribute to predicting survival. The strongest predictors of death/heart transplant are reduced LVEF, biopsy-proven diagnosis, and positive ANA.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Daniel Kiblboeck, Karin Klingel, Martin Genger, Selina Traxler, Nathalie Braunsteiner, Clemens Steinwender, Joerg Kellermair
Summary: The European Medicine Agency reported a case series of suspected acute myocarditis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. Endomyocardial biopsies were found to be crucial in establishing a correct diagnosis of myocarditis. Despite rare severe adverse events, the value of COVID-19 immunization for the global community should not be undermined.
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Liga Vidusa, Oskars Kalejs, Aija Maca-Kaleja, Ilze Strumfa
Summary: By analyzing recent evidence-based literature, it is found that there is still uncertainty regarding the use, informativeness, safety, and necessity of endomyocardial biopsy. Non-invasive diagnostic approaches are increasingly applicable in most cases, with endomyocardial biopsy only necessary in specific circumstances.
Article
Pediatrics
Ferran Gran, Andrea Fidalgo, Paola Dolader, Marta Garrido, Alexandra Navarro, Jaume Izquierdo-Blasco, Joan Balcells, Marta Codina-Sola, Paula Fernandez-Alvarez, Anna Sabate-Rotes, Pedro Betrian, Joaquin Fernandez-Doblas, Raul Abella, Ferran Roses-Noguer
Summary: Distinguishing between acute myocarditis and genetic cardiomyopathy in pediatric patients can be challenging, with differences in clinical presentation that may be effectively differentiated through invasive and non-invasive measures. Some patients with genetic cardiomyopathy can also fulfill the diagnostic criteria of inflammatory cardiomyopathy, highlighting the importance of further research to develop predictive models for differentiation.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Masato Kojima, Takanori Harada, Takahiro Fukazawa, Sho Kurihara, Ryo Touge, Isamu Saeki, Shinya Takahashi, Eiso Hiyama
Summary: In this study, single-cell next-generation sequencing of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from neuroblastoma (NB) patients was performed. The findings showed that the isolation rate of CTCs was associated with disease progression, and single-cell RNA sequencing revealed upregulated genes related to angiogenesis and cell cycle in CTCs. These results indicate the utility of single-cell CTC sequencing in characterizing NB tumor biology and metastasis mechanisms.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Mara Pilati, Micol Rebonato, Roberto Formigari, Gianfranco Butera
Summary: This article discusses the role of endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) as a diagnostic tool in pediatric heart failure. Due to its invasiveness and risk of complications, its role in the diagnosis of pediatric heart failure has not been well established.
JOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR DEVELOPMENT AND DISEASE
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Lien-Hung Huang, Ting-Min Hsieh, Chun-Ying Huang, Yueh-Wei Liu, Shao-Chun Wu, Peng-Chen Chien, Ching-Hua Hsieh
Summary: Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common cause of primary liver cancer deaths worldwide, with major risk factors including cirrhosis, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus infection, and chronic alcohol abuse. Differences in gene expression profiles and infiltrating immune cells between Asian and non-Asian patients with HCC were found in this study, potentially leading to improvements in prognosis prediction and therapeutic targeting.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Florent Huang, Enrico Ammirati, Maharajah Ponnaiah, Santiago Montero, Victor Raimbault, Darryl Abrams, Guillaume Lebreton, Vincent Pellegrino, Joshua Ihle, Maurizio Bottiroli, Romain Persichini, Marisa Isabel Barrionuevo-Sanchez, Albert Ariza-Sole, Pauline Yeung Ng, Simon Wai Ching Sin, Raj Ayer, Hergen Buscher, Slimane Belaid, Clement Delmas, Rita Ferreira, Roberto Roncon Albuquerque Jr, Teresa Lopez-Sobrino, Jeroen J. H. Bunge, Christoph Fisser, Guillaume Franchineau, Jamie Mccanny, Shinichiro Ohshimo, Alessandro Sionis, Francisco Jose Hernandez-Perez, Eduardo Barge-Caballero, Martin Balik, Henrique Muglia, Sunghoon Park, Dirk W. Donker, Beatriz Porral, Nadia Aissaoui, Armand Mekontso Dessap, Virginia Burgos, Mathieu Lesouhaitier, Justin Fried, Jae-Seung Jung, Sandra Rosillo, Vincent Scherrer, Saad Nseir, Hadrien Winszewski, Pablo Jorge-Perez, Antoine Kimmoun, Rodrigo Diaz, Alain Combes, Matthieu Schmidt, FULLMOON Study Grp
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the clinical impact of the timing of endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) in adult patients with fulminant myocarditis. The results showed that early EMB was associated with a higher survival rate free of heart transplantation or left ventricular assist device at 1 year, highlighting its potential to improve patient prognosis.
EUROPEAN HEART JOURNAL
(2023)
Review
Biology
Justyna Grzechocinska, Agata Tyminska, Andrea Silvio Giordani, Julia Wysinska, Ewa Ostrowska, Anna Baritussio, Alida Linda Patrizia Caforio, Marcin Grabowski, Renzo Marcolongo, Krzysztof Ozieranski
Summary: Immunosuppressive therapy, particularly the combination of azathioprine and steroids, is crucial in preventing the progression of myocarditis, and ensuring its safety and appropriateness in treating autoimmune/immune-mediated, virus-negative myocarditis.
Article
Pediatrics
Taro Fukuta, Yoshihiko Kawano, Maiko Ikeda, Jun-ichi Kawada, Yoshinori Ito, Shinya Hara
Summary: PVB19 infection can cause facial nerve palsy, which is a rare case. Facial nerve palsy related to PVB19 infection diagnosed by PCR and serology has not been reported before.
CASE REPORTS IN PEDIATRICS
(2022)
Article
Virology
Makoto Yamaguchi, Jun-ichi Kawada, Yuka Torii, Kazunori Haruta, Takako Suzuki, Kazuhiro Horiba, Yoshiyuki Takahashi, Yoshinori Ito
Summary: Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) provides an improvement over real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for the quantification of cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA, especially in blood specimens. Patients with high CMV DNA loads at diagnosis, measured by ddPCR, are more likely to experience developmental delays at 36 months. However, there is no association between urine CMV DNA load and symptoms or developmental delay.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Yuka Torii, Jun-Ichi Kawada, Kazuhiro Horiba, Toshihiko Okumura, Takako Suzuki, Yoshinori Ito
Summary: In this study, exosomal miRNA expression profiles in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and sera of patients with HHV-6-associated acute encephalopathy with reduced subcortical diffusion (AED) and febrile seizure (FS) were investigated. Comparative analysis revealed that certain miRNAs were exclusively expressed in the CSF exosomes of AED patients, suggesting their potential as novel diagnostic biomarkers for AED.
JOURNAL OF NEUROVIROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Yuka Torii, Kazuhiro Horiba, Jun-ichi Kawada, Kazunori Haruta, Makoto Yamaguchi, Takako Suzuki, Hideko Uryu, Naoyuki Kashiwa, Keiji Goishi, Tomoo Ogi, Yoshinori Ito
Summary: This study developed a method for detecting drug resistance mutations in UL97 and UL54 genes using long-read sequencing, and found that antiviral drug resistance can emerge in patients with long-term cCMV therapy.
BMC INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Kazuhiro Horiba, Yuka Torii, Yuta Aizawa, Makoto Yamaguchi, Kazunori Haruta, Toshihiko Okumura, Takako Suzuki, Yoshihiko Kawano, Jun-ichi Kawada, Shinya Hara, Akihiko Saitoh, Christian G. Giske, Tomoo Ogi, Yoshinori Ito
Summary: This study utilized Nanopore and Illumina sequencing platforms to perform metagenomic sequencing of CSF samples from CNSI patients, aiming to detect pathogens and host immune responses. The results showed that Nanopore sequencing can more accurately detect pathogens, which is of great significance for elucidating the pathogenesis of CNSI.
OPEN FORUM INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Shoko Ozeki, Jun-Ichi Kawada, Daiki Yamashita, Chika Yasufuku, Takuya Akano, Masahiro Kato, Konomi Suzuki, Chihiro Tano, Kazuki Matsumoto, Shu-Hei Mizutani, Ayumi Mori, Nobuhiro Nishio, Hiroyuki Kidokoro, Yoshihiro Yasui, Yoshiyuki Takahashi, Yoshiaki Sato
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic and social activity restriction led to epidemiological changes in pediatric RSV infections, with the majority of RSV-infected patients aged 2 years and above not developing severe symptoms. The symptoms of RSV during the COVID-19 outbreak were equivalent to or milder than in previous seasons.
OPEN FORUM INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Toshihiko Okumura, Kazuhiro Horiba, Nobuyuki Tetsuka, Yoshiaki Sato, Yuichiro Sugiyama, Kazunori Haruta, Makoto Yamaguchi, Takako Suzuki, Yuka Torii, Jun-ichi Kawada, Tomoo Ogi, Masahiro Hayakawa, Yoshinori Ito
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the microorganisms associated with neonatal respiratory distress and to determine the usefulness of less invasive collection specimens such as plasma and gastric fluid. The results showed a higher diagnosis rate of infection when using gastric fluid samples for detecting respiratory distress in neonates, especially with Ureaplasma strains associated with chorioamnionitis. These findings are important for guiding the treatment strategy for neonatal respiratory distress and reducing antibiotic use.
JOURNAL OF MATERNAL-FETAL & NEONATAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Pathology
Kazunori Haruta, Suguru Takeuchi, Makoto Yamaguchi, Kazuhiro Horiba, Takako Suzuki, Yuka Torii, Atsushi Narita, Hideki Muramatsu, Yoshiyuki Takahashi, Yoshinori Ito, Jun-ichi Kawada
Summary: In this study, a novel pathogen detection technology called droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) was developed and compared with real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) for detecting human adenovirus DNA. The results showed that ddPCR exhibited better reproducibility and sensitivity, as well as equivalent quantifiability, compared with qPCR. Therefore, ddPCR has the potential to provide a more accurate DNAemia detection, determine cutoff values for treatment initiation, and enable antiviral efficacy assessment.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS
(2023)
Letter
Immunology
Makoto Yamaguchi, Ken-ichi Iwata, Yuto Fukuda, Kazunori Haruta, Takako Suzuki, Yuka Torii, Yoshinori Ito, Jun-ichi Kawada
PEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS DISEASE JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Makoto Yamaguchi, Kazuhiro Horiba, Kazunori Haruta, Suguru Takeuchi, Takako Suzuki, Yuka Torii, Shinji Kawabe, Sho Wada, Takanari Ikeyama, Yoshinori Ito, Tomoo Ogi, Jun-ichi Kawada
Summary: This study evaluated the utility of nanopore sequencing for detecting RNA viruses in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of pediatric patients with respiratory failure. The results showed that nanopore sequencing could detect RNA viral pathogens with equivalent sensitivity and genome coverage as Illumina sequencing, and it had the advantage of shorter sequencing time.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL VIROLOGY PLUS
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Makoto Yamaguchi, Nobuyuki Tetsuka, Toshihiko Okumura, Kazunori Haruta, Takako Suzuki, Yuka Torii, Jun-ichi Kawada, Yoshinori Ito
Summary: Antiviral agents administered as post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) are effective and safe for preventing secondary Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infections in immunocompromised pediatric patients.
INFECTION PREVENTION IN PRACTICE
(2022)
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Peiyue Zhang, Cuiyuan Huang, Haiyin Liu, Mengting Zhang, Li Liu, Yuhong Zhai, Jing Zhang, Jian Yang, Jun Yang
Summary: NFAT is a widely expressed transcriptional activator that is involved in regulating the immune system, heart and brain development, and mediating pathological processes such as cardiac hypertrophy. Oxidative stress, characterized by excessive production of reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial dysfunction, calcium overload, and subsequent lipid peroxidation, inflammation, and apoptosis, is associated with various pathological processes. Calcium overload activates NFAT through the calcium-calcineurin pathway, which is the main regulatory mode of NFAT factors. This review focuses on the effects of NFAT transcription factors on reactive oxygen species production, calcium overload, mitochondrial dysfunction, redox reactions, lipid peroxidation, inflammation, and apoptosis in response to oxidative stress. The aim is to provide a reference for understanding the functions and characteristics of NFAT in different stages of oxidative stress and related potential targets.
JOURNAL OF CARDIOLOGY
(2024)