Mass spectrometry-based proteomic profiling of extracellular vesicle proteins in diabetic and non-diabetic ischemic stroke patients: a case-control study.

Acute ischemic stroke is the most common cause of neurologic dysfunction caused by focal brain ischemia and tissue injury. Diabetes is a major risk factor of stroke, exacerbating disease management and prognosis. Therefore, discovering new diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets is critical for stroke prevention and treatment. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), with their distinctive properties, have emerged as promising candidates for biomarker discovery and therapeutic application. This case-control study utilized mass spectrometry-based proteomics to compare EVs from non-diabetic stroke (nDS = 14), diabetic stroke (DS = 13), and healthy control (HC = 12) subjects. Among 1288 identified proteins, 387 were statistically compared. Statistical comparisons using a general linear model (log2 foldchange ≥0.58 and FDR-p≤0.05) were performed for nDS vs HC, DS vs HC, and DS vs nDS. DS vs HC and DS vs nDS comparisons produced 123 and 149 differentially expressed proteins, respectively. Fibrinogen gamma chain (FIBG), Fibrinogen beta chain (FIBB), Tetratricopeptide repeat protein 16 (TTC16), Proline rich 14-like (PR14L), Inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase subunit epsilon (IKKE), Biorientation of chromosomes in cell division protein 1-like 1 (BD1L1), and protein PR14L exhibited significant differences in the DS group. The pathway analysis revealed that the complement system pathways were activated, and blood coagulation and neuroprotection were inhibited in the DS group (z-score ≥2; p ≤ 0.05). These findings underscore the potential of EVs proteomics in identifying biomarkers for stroke management and prevention, warranting further clinical investigation.

Integrative Analyses of Circulating Proteins and Metabolites Reveal Sex Differences in the Associations with Cardiac Function among DCM Patients.

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is characterized by reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and left or biventricular dilatation. We evaluated sex-specific associations of circulating proteins and metabolites with structural and functional heart parameters in DCM. Plasma samples (297 men, 71 women) were analyzed for proteins using Olink assays (targeted analysis) or LC-MS/MS (untargeted analysis), and for metabolites using LC MS/MS (Biocrates AbsoluteIDQ p180 Kit). Associations of proteins (n = 571) or metabolites (n = 163) with LVEF, measured left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDDmeasured), and the dilation percentage of LVEDD from the norm (LVEDDacc. to HENRY) were examined in combined and sex-specific regression models. To disclose protein-metabolite relations, correlation analyses were performed. Associations between proteins, metabolites and LVEF were restricted to men, while associations with LVEDD were absent in both sexes. Significant metabolites were validated in a second independent DCM cohort (93 men). Integrative analyses demonstrated close relations between altered proteins and metabolites involved in lipid metabolism, inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction with declining LVEF, with kynurenine as the most prominent finding. In DCM, the loss of cardiac function was reflected by circulating proteins and metabolites with sex-specific differences. Our integrative approach demonstrated that concurrently assessing specific proteins and metabolites might help us to gain insights into the alterations associated with DCM.

Incidence and impact of venous thromboembolism in hospitalized patients with acute pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: Acute pancreatitis (AP) and venous thromboembolism (VTE) remain common and potentially lethal disease entities. AP might be an important trigger of systemic inflammtion and may activate the coagulation system with increased VTE risk. METHODS: The German nationwide inpatient sample was screened for patients admitted due to AP (ICD-code K85) 2005-2019. AP hospitalizations were stratified for VTE as well as risk-factors and the impact of VTE on in-hospital case-fatality rate were investigated. RESULTS: Overall, 797,364 hospitalizations of patients due to AP (aged in median 56.0 [IQR 44.0-71.0] years), 39.2 % females) were detected in Germany 2005-2019. Incidence of VTE in hospitalized AP patients was 1764.8 per 100,000 hospitalizations (1.8 %) with highest VTE rate between 5th and 6th decade. Cancer (OR 1.656 [95 %CI 1.513-1.812], P < 0.001), any surgery (OR 4.063 [95 %CI 3.854-4.284], P < 0.001), and heart failure (OR 1.723 [95 %CI 1.619-1.833], P < 0.001) were independently associated with VTE occurrence. Case-fatality (8.8 % vs. 2.7 %, P < 0.001) was more than 3-fold higher in AP patients with than without VTE. VTE was associated with increased case-fatality in AP patients (OR 3.925 [95 %CI 3.684-4.181], P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: VTE is a life-threatening event in hospitalized AP patients associated with an almost 4-fold increased case-fatality rate. Cancer, any surgery, thrombophilia and heart failure were important risk factors for occurrence of VTE in AP.

Impaired Modulation of the Autonomic Nervous System in Adult Patients with Major Depressive Disorder.

Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) have an increased risk for cardiac events. This is partly attributed to a disbalance of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) indicated by a reduced vagal tone and a (relative) sympathetic hyperactivity. However, in most studies, heart rate variability (HRV) was only examined while resting. So far, it remains unclear whether the dysbalance of the ANS in patients with MDD is restricted to resting or whether it is also evident during sympathetic and parasympathetic activation. The aim of this study was to compare the responses of the ANS to challenges that stimulated the sympathetic and, respectively, the parasympathetic nervous systems in patients with MDD. Forty-six patients with MDD (female 27 (58.7%), mean age 44 ± 17 years) and 46 healthy controls (female 26 (56.5%), mean age 44 ± 20 years) underwent measurement of time- and frequency-dependent domains of HRV at rest, while standing (sympathetic challenge), and during slow-paced breathing (SPB, vagal, i.e., parasympathetic challenge). Patients with MDD showed a higher heart rate, a reduced HRV, and a diminished vagal tone during resting, standing, and SPB compared to controls. Patients with MDD and controls responded similarly to sympathetic and vagal activation. However, the extent of modulation of the ANS was impaired in patients with MDD, who showed a reduced decrease in the vagal tone but also a reduced increase in sympathetic activity when switching from resting to standing. Assessing changes in the ANS during sympathetic and vagal activation via respective challenges might serve as a future biomarker and help to allocate patients with MDD to therapies like HRV biofeedback and psychotherapy that were recently found to modulate the vagal tone.

A genome-wide association study of mass spectrometry proteomics using the Seer Proteograph platform.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) with proteomics are essential tools for drug discovery. To date, most studies have used affinity proteomics platforms, which have limited discovery to protein panels covered by the available affinity binders. Furthermore, it is not clear to which extent protein epitope changing variants interfere with the detection of protein quantitative trait loci (pQTLs). Mass spectrometry-based (MS) proteomics can overcome some of these limitations. Here we report a GWAS using the MS-based Seer Proteograph™ platform with blood samples from a discovery cohort of 1,260 American participants and a replication in 325 individuals from Asia, with diverse ethnic backgrounds. We analysed 1,980 proteins quantified in at least 80% of the samples, out of 5,753 proteins quantified across the discovery cohort. We identified 252 and replicated 90 pQTLs, where 30 of the replicated pQTLs have not been reported before. We further investigated 200 of the strongest associated cis-pQTLs previously identified using the SOMAscan and the Olink platforms and found that up to one third of the affinity proteomics pQTLs may be affected by epitope effects, while another third were confirmed by MS proteomics to be consistent with the hypothesis that genetic variants induce changes in protein expression. The present study demonstrates the complementarity of the different proteomics approaches and reports pQTLs not accessible to affinity proteomics, suggesting that many more pQTLs remain to be discovered using MS-based platforms.

Guideline-endorsed follow-up after percutaneous valve therapies-non-attendance of TAVI and MitraClip patients.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous valve therapies (PVT) are performed on a large number of patients. With increasing procedural volume, the need for follow-up has also increased. Follow-up in the heart valve clinic is endorsed by recent guidelines but utilization is unknown, making resource allocation in the clinic difficult. Central follow-up in valve centers may not be feasible for all patients in the future. METHODS: In our center, follow-up for PVT patients is scheduled at 1 month and 12 months after the index procedure. Patients are reminded of their appointment by invitation letters or phone calls. We analyzed 150 consecutive patients who underwent transcutaneous aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and MitraClip implantation (n = 300) at our center. RESULTS: At 1 month, 72.7% of patients attended their follow-up, while at 12 months the rate dropped to 58%. Patients who underwent TAVI were older than the MitraClip patients (82.7 vs. 76.1 years) but had lower mean logEuroSCORE (22.6% vs. 25.9%). There was no significant difference in 1­year mortality between TAVI and MitraClip patients (20% vs. 17.3%). By contrast, the rate of missed follow-up visits was higher for TAVI compared to MitraClip patients (52% vs. 33.3%; p = 0.002). Female patients less frequently attended follow-up (p = 0.005), whereas age, EuroSCORE, NYHA class, ejection fraction, and health status (EQ-5DVAS) were not predictors of attendance in multivariable analysis. Although the result of the EQ-5D assessment was not associated with mortality or attendance, completing the questionnaire was associated with overall survival (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In our heart valve clinic, we observed a high percentage of missed follow-up appointments (42% at 12 months) despite a structured follow-up plan. Factors significantly associated with non-attendance in multivariable analysis were female gender and having a TAVI rather than MitraClip. Future follow-up concepts should take such findings into account, and decentralized approaches need to be explored.

Loss of the TRPM4 channel in humans causes immune dysregulation with defective monocyte migration.

BACKGROUND: TRPM4 is a broadly expressed, calcium-activated, monovalent cation channel that regulates immune cell function in mice and cell lines. Clinically, however, partial loss- or gain-of-function mutations in TRPM4 lead to arrhythmia and heart disease, with no documentation of immunologic disorders. OBJECTIVE: To characterize functional cellular mechanisms underlying the immune dysregulation phenotype in a proband with a mutated TRPM4 gene. METHODS: We employed a combination of biochemical, cell biological, imaging, omics analyses, flow cytometry, and gene editing approaches. RESULTS: We report the first human cases to our knowledge with complete loss of the TRPM4 channel, leading to immune dysregulation with frequent bacterial and fungal infections. Single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing point to altered expression of genes affecting cell migration, specifically in monocytes. Inhibition of TRPM4 in T cells and the THP-1 monocyte cell line reduces migration. More importantly, primary T cells and monocytes from TRPM4 patients migrate poorly. Finally, CRISPR knockout of TRPM4 in THP-1 cells greatly reduces their migration potential. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that TRPM4 plays a critical role in regulating immune cell migration, leading to increased susceptibility to infections.

Nanoparticle enrichment mass-spectrometry proteomics identifies protein-altering variants for precise pQTL mapping.

Proteogenomics studies generate hypotheses on protein function and provide genetic evidence for drug target prioritization. Most previous work has been conducted using affinity-based proteomics approaches. These technologies face challenges, such as uncertainty regarding target identity, non-specific binding, and handling of variants that affect epitope affinity binding. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics can overcome some of these challenges. Here we report a pQTL study using the Proteograph™ Product Suite workflow (Seer, Inc.) where we quantify over 18,000 unique peptides from nearly 3000 proteins in more than 320 blood samples from a multi-ethnic cohort in a bottom-up, peptide-centric, mass spectrometry-based proteomics approach. We identify 184 protein-altering variants in 137 genes that are significantly associated with their corresponding variant peptides, confirming target specificity of co-associated affinity binders, identifying putatively causal cis-encoded proteins and providing experimental evidence for their presence in blood, including proteins that may be inaccessible to affinity-based proteomics.

Acute exposure to simulated nocturnal traffic noise and cardiovascular complications and sleep disturbance-results from a pooled analysis of human field studies.

OBJECTIVES: A series of human field studies demonstrated that acute exposure to simulated nocturnal traffic noise is associated with cardiovascular complications and sleep disturbance, including endothelial dysfunction, increased blood pressure, and impaired sleep quality. A pooled analysis of these results remains to be established and is of tremendous interest to consolidate scientific knowledge. METHODS: We analyzed data from four randomized crossover studies (published between 2013 to 2021 and conducted at the University Medical Center Mainz, Germany). A total of 275 subjects (40.4% women, mean age 43.03 years) were each exposed to one control scenario (regular background noise) and at least to one traffic noise scenario (60 aircraft or train noise events) in their homes during nighttime. After each night, the subjects visited the study center for comprehensive cardiovascular function assessment, including the measurement of endothelial function and hemodynamic and biochemical parameters, as well as sleep-related variables. RESULTS: The pooled analysis revealed a significantly impaired endothelial function when comparing the two different noise sequences (0-60 vs. 60-0 simulated noise events, mean difference in flow-mediated dilation -2.00%, 95% CI -2.32; -1.68, p < 0.0001). In concordance, mean arterial pressure was significantly increased after traffic noise exposure (mean difference 2.50 mmHg, 95% CI 0.54; 4.45, p = 0.013). Self-reported sleep quality, the restfulness of sleep, and feeling in the morning were significantly impaired after traffic noise exposure (all p < 0.0001). DISCUSSION: Acute exposure to simulated nocturnal traffic noise is associated with endothelial dysfunction, increased mean arterial pressure, and sleep disturbance.

Enlarged cross-sectional area of the left vagus nerve in patients with major depressive disorder.

Purpose: Autonomic dysfunction and a chronic low-grade inflammation are supposed to play a role in the etiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). The vagus nerves (VN) form a major part of the parasympathetic nervous system and of the gut-brain axis. They are supposed to exert anti-inflammatory and epithelial barrier protective effects in the gut. A reduced vagal activity was described in patients with MDD. We aimed to examine the VN in patients with MDD with high-resolution ultrasound (HRUS) and hypothesized that the cross-sectional area (CSA) and the echogenicity of the VNs were altered in comparison to healthy controls. Materials and methods: The echogenicity (gray scale mean) and the CSA of the cervical VNs at the level of the thyroid gland and both median nerves were examined with HRUS in 50 patients with MDD and 50 matched healthy controls. Results: The left VN-CSA was significantly larger in the MDD group compared to the control group (1.7 ± 0.4 mm2 versus 1.5 ± 0.4 mm2; p = 0.045). The CSA of the right VN and both median nerves (MN) were similar between groups. In MDD subgroup analyses, recurrent depressive disorders were the main contributing factor for the left VN-CSA enlargement. Echogenicity was not altered in the VN and MN between groups. Conclusion: The enlargement of the left VN-CSA in patients with MDD, and especially in these patients with recurrent depressive disorders, might turn out as a promising imaging biomarker. Longitudinal studies are warranted to examine whether the VNs-CSA change in the course of MDD.

Proteomic analysis of 92 circulating proteins and their effects in cardiometabolic diseases.

BACKGROUND: Human plasma contains a wide variety of circulating proteins. These proteins can be important clinical biomarkers in disease and also possible drug targets. Large scale genomics studies of circulating proteins can identify genetic variants that lead to relative protein abundance. METHODS: We conducted a meta-analysis on genome-wide association studies of autosomal chromosomes in 22,997 individuals of primarily European ancestry across 12 cohorts to identify protein quantitative trait loci (pQTL) for 92 cardiometabolic associated plasma proteins. RESULTS: We identified 503 (337 cis and 166 trans) conditionally independent pQTLs, including several novel variants not reported in the literature. We conducted a sex-stratified analysis and found that 118 (23.5%) of pQTLs demonstrated heterogeneity between sexes. The direction of effect was preserved but there were differences in effect size and significance. Additionally, we annotate trans-pQTLs with nearest genes and report plausible biological relationships. Using Mendelian randomization, we identified causal associations for 18 proteins across 19 phenotypes, of which 10 have additional genetic colocalization evidence. We highlight proteins associated with a constellation of cardiometabolic traits including angiopoietin-related protein 7 (ANGPTL7) and Semaphorin 3F (SEMA3F). CONCLUSION: Through large-scale analysis of protein quantitative trait loci, we provide a comprehensive overview of common variants associated with plasma proteins. We highlight possible biological relationships which may serve as a basis for further investigation into possible causal roles in cardiometabolic diseases.

Auto-immunoproteomics analysis of COVID-19 ICU patients revealed increased levels of autoantibodies related to the male reproductive system.

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) manifests many clinical symptoms, including an exacerbated immune response and cytokine storm. Autoantibodies in COVID-19 may have severe prodromal effects that are poorly understood. The interaction between these autoantibodies and self-antigens can result in systemic inflammation and organ dysfunction. However, the role of autoantibodies in COVID-19 complications has yet to be fully understood. Methods: The current investigation screened two independent cohorts of 97 COVID-19 patients [discovery (Disc) cohort from Qatar (case = 49 vs. control = 48) and replication (Rep) cohort from New York (case = 48 vs. control = 28)] utilizing high-throughput KoRectly Expressed (KREX) Immunome protein-array technology. Total IgG autoantibody responses were evaluated against 1,318 correctly folded and full-length human proteins. Samples were randomly applied on the precoated microarray slides for 2 h. Cy3-labeled secondary antibodies were used to detect IgG autoantibody response. Slides were scanned at a fixed gain setting using the Agilent fluorescence microarray scanner, generating a 16-bit TIFF file. Group comparisons were performed using a linear model and Fisher's exact test. Differentially expressed proteins were used for KEGG and WIKIpathway annotation to determine pathways in which the proteins of interest were significantly over-represented. Results and conclusion: Autoantibody responses to 57 proteins were significantly altered in the COVID-19 Disc cohort compared to healthy controls (p ≤ 0.05). The Rep cohort had altered autoantibody responses against 26 proteins compared to non-COVID-19 ICU patients who served as controls. Both cohorts showed substantial similarities (r 2 = 0.73) and exhibited higher autoantibody responses to numerous transcription factors, immunomodulatory proteins, and human disease markers. Analysis of the combined cohorts revealed elevated autoantibody responses against SPANXN4, STK25, ATF4, PRKD2, and CHMP3 proteins in COVID-19 patients. The sequences for SPANXN4 and STK25 were cross-validated using sequence alignment tools. ELISA and Western blot further verified the autoantigen-autoantibody response of SPANXN4. SPANXN4 is essential for spermiogenesis and male fertility, which may predict a potential role for this protein in COVID-19-associated male reproductive tract complications, and warrants further research.

Uncovering a neurological protein signature for severe COVID-19.

Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has sparked a global pandemic with severe complications and high morbidity rate. Neurological symptoms in COVID-19 patients, and neurological sequelae post COVID-19 recovery have been extensively reported. Yet, neurological molecular signature and signaling pathways that are affected in the central nervous system (CNS) of COVID-19 severe patients remain still unknown and need to be identified. Plasma samples from 49 severe COVID-19 patients, 50 mild COVID-19 patients, and 40 healthy controls were subjected to Olink proteomics analysis of 184 CNS-enriched proteins. By using a multi-approach bioinformatics analysis, we identified a 34-neurological protein signature for COVID-19 severity and unveiled dysregulated neurological pathways in severe cases. Here, we identified a new neurological protein signature for severe COVID-19 that was validated in different independent cohorts using blood and postmortem brain samples and shown to correlate with neurological diseases and pharmacological drugs. This protein signature could potentially aid the development of prognostic and diagnostic tools for neurological complications in post-COVID-19 convalescent patients with long term neurological sequelae.

Comprehensive Characterization of Protein Turnover by Comparative SILAC Labeling Analysis in 3T3-L1.

A balance between the synthesis and degradation of proteins is referred to as protein turnover, which is crucial for cellular protein homeostasis. Proteome-wide analysis of protein turnover in adipocytes, which are well-known for their role in energy storage and their link to obesity and metabolism disorders, is yet to be conducted. Thus, with this objective in mind, our investigation utilized a comparative analysis of time-dependent SILAC labeling to assess protein turnover in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, spanning a period of 0 to 144 h. We observed that relatively faster or slower protein half-lives in several protein groups were associated with the PPARγ signaling pathway, energy metabolism, extracellular matrix, ubiquitin-proteasome system, RNA splicing, Golgi complex, and lysosome. It is anticipated that these protein half-life profiles will provide greater clarity on the life cycle of adipocyte proteome and shed light on how they maintain protein homeostasis.

Predisposing factors for admission to intensive care units of patients with COVID-19 infection-Results of the German nationwide inpatient sample.

Background: Intensive care units (ICU) capacities are one of the most critical determinants in health-care management of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, we aimed to analyze the ICU-admission and case-fatality rate as well as characteristics and outcomes of patient admitted to ICU in order to identify predictors and associated conditions for worsening and case-fatality in this critical ill patient-group. Methods: We used the German nationwide inpatient sample to analyze all hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis in Germany between January and December 2020. All hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection during the year 2020 were included in the present study and were stratified according ICU-admission. Results: Overall, 176,137 hospitalizations of patients with COVID-19-infection (52.3% males; 53.6% aged ≥70 years) were reported in Germany during 2020. Among them, 27,053 (15.4%) were treated in ICU. COVID-19-patients treated on ICU were younger [70.0 (interquartile range (IQR) 59.0-79.0) vs. 72.0 (IQR 55.0-82.0) years, P < 0.001], more often males (66.3 vs. 48.8%, P < 0.001), had more frequently cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and cardiovascular risk-factors with increased in-hospital case-fatality (38.4 vs. 14.2%, P < 0.001). ICU-admission was independently associated with in-hospital death [OR 5.49 (95% CI 5.30-5.68), P < 0.001]. Male sex [OR 1.96 (95% CI 1.90-2.01), P < 0.001], obesity [OR 2.20 (95% CI 2.10-2.31), P < 0.001], diabetes mellitus [OR 1.48 (95% CI 1.44-1.53), P < 0.001], atrial fibrillation/flutter [OR 1.57 (95% CI 1.51-1.62), P < 0.001], and heart failure [OR 1.72 (95% CI 1.66-1.78), P < 0.001] were independently associated with ICU-admission. Conclusion: During 2020, 15.4% of the hospitalized COVID-19-patients were treated on ICUs with high case-fatality. Male sex, CVD and cardiovascular risk-factors were independent risk-factors for ICU admission.

Urine-based multi-omic comparative analysis of COVID-19 and bacterial sepsis-induced ARDS.

BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a life-threatening condition during critical illness, is a common complication of COVID-19. It can originate from various disease etiologies, including severe infections, major injury, or inhalation of irritants. ARDS poses substantial clinical challenges due to a lack of etiology-specific therapies, multisystem involvement, and heterogeneous, poor patient outcomes. A molecular comparison of ARDS groups holds the potential to reveal common and distinct mechanisms underlying ARDS pathogenesis. METHODS: We performed a comparative analysis of urine-based metabolomics and proteomics profiles from COVID-19 ARDS patients (n = 42) and bacterial sepsis-induced ARDS patients (n = 17). To this end, we used two different approaches, first we compared the molecular omics profiles between ARDS groups, and second, we correlated clinical manifestations within each group with the omics profiles. RESULTS: The comparison of the two ARDS etiologies identified 150 metabolites and 70 proteins that were differentially abundant between the two groups. Based on these findings, we interrogated the interplay of cell adhesion/extracellular matrix molecules, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction in ARDS pathogenesis through a multi-omic network approach. Moreover, we identified a proteomic signature associated with mortality in COVID-19 ARDS patients, which contained several proteins that had previously been implicated in clinical manifestations frequently linked with ARDS pathogenesis. CONCLUSION: In summary, our results provide evidence for significant molecular differences in ARDS patients from different etiologies and a potential synergy of extracellular matrix molecules, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction in ARDS pathogenesis. The proteomic mortality signature should be further investigated in future studies to develop prediction models for COVID-19 patient outcomes.

Four decades of experience of prosthetic valve endocarditis reflect a high variety of diverse pathogens.

Prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) remains a serious condition with a high mortality rate. Precise identification of the PVE-associated pathogen/s and their virulence is essential for successful therapy and patient survival. The commonly described PVE-associated pathogens are staphylococci, streptococci, and enterococci, with Staphylococcus aureus being the most frequently diagnosed species. Furthermore, multi-drug resistance pathogens are increasing in prevalence and continue to pose new challenges mandating a personalized approach. Blood cultures in combination with echocardiography are the most common methods to diagnose PVE, often being the only indication, it exists. In many cases, the diagnostic strategy recommended in the clinical guidelines does not identify the precise microbial agent, and frequently, false-negative blood cultures are reported. Despite the fact that blood culture findings are not always a good indicator of the actual PVE agent in the valve tissue, only a minority of re-operated prostheses are subjected to microbiological diagnostic evaluation. In this review, we focus on the diversity and the complete spectrum of PVE-associated bacterial, fungal, and viral pathogens in blood and prosthetic heart valve, their possible virulence potential, and their challenges in making a microbial diagnosis. We are curious to understand if the unacceptable high mortality of PVE is associated with the high number of negative microbial findings in connection with a possible PVE. Herein, we discuss the possibilities and limits of the diagnostic methods conventionally used and make recommendations for enhanced pathogen identification. We also show possible virulence factors of the most common PVE-associated pathogens and their clinical effects. Based on blood culture, molecular biological diagnostics, and specific valve examination, better derivations for the antibiotic therapy as well as possible preventive intervention can be established in the future.

Differences and commonalities in the genetic architecture of protein quantitative trait loci in European and Arab populations.

Polygenic scores (PGS) can identify individuals at risk of adverse health events and guide genetics-based personalized medicine. However, it is not clear how well PGS translate between different populations, limiting their application to well-studied ethnicities. Proteins are intermediate traits linking genetic predisposition and environmental factors to disease, with numerous blood circulating protein levels representing functional readouts of disease-related processes. We hypothesized that studying the genetic architecture of a comprehensive set of blood-circulating proteins between a European and an Arab population could shed fresh light on the translatability of PGS to understudied populations. We therefore conducted a genome-wide association study with whole-genome sequencing data using 1301 proteins measured on the SOMAscan aptamer-based affinity proteomics platform in 2935 samples of Qatar Biobank and evaluated the replication of protein quantitative traits (pQTLs) from European studies in an Arab population. Then, we investigated the colocalization of shared pQTL signals between the two populations. Finally, we compared the performance of protein PGS derived from a Caucasian population in a European and an Arab cohort. We found that the majority of shared pQTL signals (81.8%) colocalized between both populations. About one-third of the genetic protein heritability was explained by protein PGS derived from a European cohort, with protein PGS performing ~20% better in Europeans when compared to Arabs. Our results are relevant for the translation of PGS to non-Caucasian populations, as well as for future efforts to extend genetic research to understudied populations.