Presence of bacterial DNA in thrombotic material of patients with myocardial infarction.

Infectious agents have been suggested to be involved in etiopathogenesis of Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS). However, the relationship between bacterial infection and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has not yet been completely clarified. The objective of this study is to detect bacterial DNA in thrombotic material of patients with ACS with ST-segment elevation (STEMI) treated with Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PPCI). We studied 109 consecutive patients with STEMI, who underwent thrombus aspiration and arterial peripheral blood sampling. Testing for bacterial DNA was performed by probe-based real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). 12 probes and primers were used for the detection of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Chlamydia pneumoniae, viridans group streptococci, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Tannarella forsythia, Treponema denticola, Helycobacter pylori, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Staphylococus aureus,  Prevotella intermedia and Streptococcus mutans. Thus, DNA of four species of bacteria was detected in 10 of the 109 patients studied. The most frequent species was viridans group streptococci (6 patients, 5.5%), followed by Staphylococus aureus (2 patients, 1.8%). Moreover, a patient had DNA of Porphyromonas gingivalis (0.9%); and another patient had DNA of Prevotella intermedia (0.9%). Bacterial DNA was not detected in peripheral blood of any of our patients. In conclusion, DNA of four species of endodontic and periodontal bacteria was detected in thrombotic material of 10 STEMI patients. Bacterial DNA was not detected in the peripheral blood of patients with bacterial DNA in their thrombotic material. Bacteria could be latently present in plaques and might play a role in plaque instability and thrombus formation leading to ACS.

Safety and efficacy of allogeneic adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells for treatment of dogs with inflammatory bowel disease: Endoscopic and histological outcomes.

Systemic administration of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been shown to be safe and efficacious in humans with Crohn's disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety of an intravenous (IV) infusion of adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) and to assess macroscopic and histological effects in the digestive tract of dogs with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Eleven dogs with confirmed IBD received a single ASC infusion (2 × 10(6) cells/kg bodyweight). Full digestive endoscopic evaluation was performed pre-treatment and between 90 and 120 days post-treatment with mucosal changes being assessed using a fit-for-purpose endoscopic scale. Endoscopic biopsies from each digestive section were evaluated histologically according to the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Gastrointestinal Standardization Group criteria. The pre- and post-treatment canine IBD endoscopic index (CIBDEI) and histological score (HS) were calculated and compared using the Wilcoxon test. Remission was defined as a reduction of >75% of the CIBDEI and HS compared with pre-treatment. No acute reactions to ASC infusion or side effects were reported in any dog. Significant differences between pre- and post-treatment were found in both the CIBDEI (P = 0.004) and HS (P = 0.004). Endoscopic remission occurred in 4/11 dogs with the remaining dogs showing decreased CIBDEI (44.8% to 73.3%). Histological remission was not achieved in any dog, with an average reduction of the pre-treatment HS of 27.2%. In conclusion, a single IV infusion of allogeneic ASCs improved gastrointestinal lesions as assessed macroscopically and slightly reduced gastrointestinal inflammation as evaluated by histopathology in dogs with IBD.

Safety and efficacy of allogeneic adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells for treatment of dogs with inflammatory bowel disease: Clinical and laboratory outcomes.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects in experimental colitis, and promising clinical results have been obtained in humans with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The aim of this study was to determine the safety and feasibility of adipose tissue-derived MSC (ASC) therapy in dogs with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Eleven dogs with confirmed IBD received one ASC intravascular (IV) infusion (2 × 10(6) cells/kg bodyweight). The outcome measures were clinical response based on percentage reduction of the validated Clinical Inflammatory Bowel Disease Activity Index (CIBDAI) and Canine Chronic Enteropathy Clinical Activity Index (CCECAI), as well as normalisation of C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin, folate and cobalamin serum concentrations at day 42 post-treatment. The Wilcoxon test was used to compare variables before and after treatment. No acute reaction to ASC infusion and no side effects were reported during follow-up in any dog. Six weeks post-treatment, the CIBDAI and CCECAI decreased significantly and albumin, cobalamin and folate concentrations increased substantially. Differences in CRP concentrations pre- and post-treatment were not significant (P = 0.050). Clinical remission (defined by a reduction of initial CIBDAI and CCECAI >75%) occurred in 9/11 dogs at day 42. The two remaining dogs showed a partial response with reduction percentages of 69.2% and 71.4%. In conclusion, a single IV infusion of allogeneic ASCs was well tolerated and appeared to produce clinical benefits in dogs with severe IBD.

Gene expression profiling for monitoring graft rejection in heart transplant recipients.

Heart transplantation is a life-prolonging therapy for many patients with stage D heart failure and other forms of advanced heart disease. However, graft rejection and/or immunosuppression-related side effects are major causes of morbidity and death among heart transplant patients. Graft rejection monitoring remains a challenge. It would be desirable to be able to detect rejection early enough and specifically enough to prevent allograft dysfunction without unnecessary overimmunosuppression. Hitherto, the main technique employed in monitoring the rejection status of a transplanted heart has been endomyocardial biopsy (EMB), which allows rejection to be screened for and monitored on the basis of the extent and distribution of lymphocytic infiltrates and associated myocardial damage. However, EMB has significant limitations: it is invasive, its sensitivity is limited by sampling efficacy, and it suffers from considerable between-observer variability. Although many noninvasive techniques have been investigated, none so far has proved able to match the performance of EMB. Currently, a multiparametric approach is employed that comprises clinical examination for signs or symptoms of heart failure, EMBs, drug level monitoring, allograft function tests (mainly echocardiographic studies), and screening for allograft vasculopathy. Gene expression profiling may be a promising tool for this purpose.

Absence of enteroviral RNA in hearts explanted from patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: The role of enterovirus infection in the pathogenesis of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) remains unclear. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of enterovirus in hearts explanted from patients with DCM and to compare it with enterovirus prevalence in hearts explanted from patients with other etiologies and in healthy donor hearts. METHODS: A total of 138 cardiac samples were analyzed, 70 from heart donors and 68 from transplant recipients (22 with DCM). A highly sensitive enterovirus-specific nested RT-PCR was used to test for enterovirus. RESULTS: All tests were negative except for one positive result that was attributed to carryover because sequencing of the amplification product showed it to be identical to the positive control. CONCLUSIONS: In this study the sample of explanted hearts nested RT-PCR showed no evidence of the presence of enteroviral RNA. This suggests that if enterovirus had a role in the genesis of DCM, it does not require or lead to the persistence of the virus in myocardial tissue.