ST2 and Multimarker Testing in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure

Most data on heart failure biomarkers have been derived from patient cohorts with chronic disease. However, risk prediction in patients admitted with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) remains a challenge. ADHF is not a single disease: it presents in various manners, and different causes may underlie ADHF, which may be reflected by different biomarkers. Soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (ST2) has been shown to be a strong independent predictor of short-, mid-, and long-term outcome in ADHF. Furthermore, combining biomarkers may help further improve the prognostic power of ST2. The ProBNP Investigation of Dyspnea in the Emergency Department study showed that elevated plasma levels of ST2 together with elevated levels of 4 other biomarkers have clear incremental values to predict outcome in ADHF. The Multinational Observational Cohort on Acute Heart Failure study is an international collaborative network that recruited 5,306 patients hospitalized for ADHF that demonstrated that ST2 and midregional pro-adrenomedulin had independently strong value to predict 30-day and 1-year outcome in patients with ADHF. The Multinational Observational Cohort on Acute Heart Failure study also showed that C-reactive protein plus ST2 better classified risk in patients with ADHFs than ST2 alone. Combining biomarkers for risk prediction or risk stratification might have clinical and more importantly pathophysiological meaning

Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy: Molecular Basis and Distilling Complexity to Advance

Cardiomyopathies are heterogeneous diseases of the myocardium associated with abnormal findings of chamber size, wall thickness, and/or functional contractility. In particular, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is mainly characterized by ventricular chamber enlargement with systolic dysfunction and normal left ventricular (LV) wall thickness. Although DCM is thought to be induced mainly by genetic or environmental factors, in the majority of cases, the cause is unknown. With an estimated prevalence of 1:2500 and an incidence of 1:18,000 per year in adults, DCM is the most frequent indication for heart transplantation, which represents an enormous cost burden on healthcare systems. These figures warrant greater accuracy in patient diagnosis and prognosis and further insight into the underlying basis of DCM. Here, we discuss past and recent findings on the molecular mechanisms involved in DCM. Dilated cardiomyopathy has been linked to the overactivation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2), which in turn is related to activation of low-density lipoprotein receptor–related protein-1 (LRP-1). Moreover, a redistribution of LRP-1 into cholesterol-enriched plasma membrane domains (lipid rafts) and alterations in cardiac DNA methylation have been reported in failing hearts. In conclusion, more comprehensive analyses of myocardial lipid rafts and epigenetic mechanisms may advance our understanding of DCM causes and progression. In turn, this understanding may promote the development of innovative treatments

Potential role for clinical calibration to increase engagement with and application of home telemonitoring: a report from the HeartCycle programme

Aims: There is a need for alternative strategies that might avoid recurrent admissions in patients with heart failure. home telemonitoring (HTM) to monitor patient's symptoms from a distance may be useful. This study attempts to assess changes in HTM vital signs in response to daily life activities (variations in medication, salt intake, exercise, and stress) and to establish which variations affect weight, blood pressure, and heart rate. Methods and results: We assessed 76 patients with heart failure (mean age 76 ± 10.8 years, 75% male, mainly in NYHA class II/III and from ischaemic aetiology cause). Patients were given a calendar of interventions scheduling activities approximately twice a week before measuring their vital signs. Eating salty food or a large meal were the activities that had a significant impact on weight gain (+0.3 kg; P < 0.001 and P = 0.006, respectively). Exercise and skipping a dose of medication other than diuretics increased heart rate (+3 bpm, P = 0.001 and almost +2 bpm, P = 0.016, respectively). Conclusions: Our HTM system was able to detect small changes in vital signs related to these activities. Further studies should assess if providing such a schedule of activities might be useful for patient education and could improve long-term adherence to recommended lifestyle changes

Mechanisms governing the therapeutic effect of mesenchymal stromal cell-derived extracellular vesicles: A scoping review of preclinical evidence

Compelling evidence supports the therapeutic benefit of extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs are nanostructures with a lipid bilayer membrane that are secreted by multiple cells, including mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), as means of cellular communication. MSC-EVs, resembling their MSC origin, carry protected immunomodulatory and pro-regenerative cargoes to targeted neighboring or distant cells and tissues. Though treatments focused on MSC-EVs have emerged as greatly versatile approaches to modulate multiple inflammatory-related conditions, crucial concerns, including the possibility of increasing therapeutic outcomes by pre-conditioning parental MSCs or engineering derived EVs and clarification of the most relevant mechanisms of action, remain. Here, we summarize the large amount of preclinical research surrounding the modulation of beneficial effects by MSC-EVs

Biomarkers in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a heterogeneous disorder developing from multiple aetiologies with overlapping pathophysiological mechanisms. HFpEF diagnosis may be challenging, as neither cardiac imaging nor physical examination are sensitive in this situation. Here, we review biomarkers of HFpEF, of which the best supported are related to myocardial stretch and injury, including natriuretic peptides and cardiac troponins. An overview of biomarkers of inflammation, extracellular matrix derangements and fibrosis, senescence, vascular dysfunction, anaemia/iron deficiency and obesity is also provided. Finally, novel biomarkers from -omics technologies, including plasma metabolites and circulating microRNAs, are outlined briefly. A cardiac-centred approach to HFpEF diagnosis using natriuretic peptides seems reasonable at present in clinical practice. A holistic approach including biomarkers that provide information on the non-cardiac components of the HFpEF syndrome may enrich our understanding of the disease and may be useful in classifying HFpEF phenotypes or endotypes that may guide patient selection in HFpEF trials

Limited Value of Cystatin-C over Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate for Heart Failure Risk Stratification

Background: to compare the prognostic value of estimated glomerular filtration rate, cystatin-C, an alternative renal biomarker, and their combination, in an outpatient population with heart failure.Estimated glomerular filtration rate is routinely used to assess renal function in heart failure patients. We recently demonstrated that the Cockroft-Gault formula is the best among the most commonly used estimated glomerular filtration rate formulas for predicting heart failure prognosis.Methodology: a total of 879 consecutive patients (72% men, age 70.4 years [P25-75 60.5-77.2]) were studied. The etiology of heart failure was mainly ischemic heart disease (52.7%). The left ventricular ejection fraction was 34% (P25-75 26-43%). Most patients were New York Heart Association class II (65.8%) or III (25.9%). During a median follow-up of 3.46 years (P25-75 1.85-5.05), 312 deaths were recorded. In an adjusted model, estimated glomerular filtration rate and cystatin-C showed similar prognostic value according to the area under the curve (0.763 and 0.765, respectively). In Cox regression, the multivariable analysis hazard ratios were 0.99 (95% CI: 0.98-1, P = 0.006) and 1.14 (95% CI: 1.02-1.28, P = 0.02) for estimated glomerular filtration rate and cystatin-C, respectively. Reclassification, assessed by the integration discrimination improvement and the net reclassification improvement indices, was poorer with cystatin-C (−0.5 [−1.0;−0.1], P = 0.024 and −4.9 [−8.8;−1.0], P = 0.013, respectively). The value of cystatin-C over estimated glomerular filtration rate for risk-stratification only emerged in patients with moderate renal dysfunction (eGFR 30-60 ml/min/1.73 m2, chi-square 12.9, P<0.001). Conclusions: taken together, the results indicate that estimated glomerular filtration rate and cystatin-C have similar long-term predictive values in a real-life ambulatory heart failure population. Cystatin-C seems to offer improved prognostication in heart failure patients with moderate renal dysfunction

Development of a Novel Heart Failure Risk Tool : The Barcelona Bio-Heart Failure Risk Calculator (BCN Bio-HF Calculator)

Background: A combination of clinical and routine laboratory data with biomarkers reflecting different pathophysiological pathways may help to refine risk stratification in heart failure (HF). A novel calculator (BCN Bio-HF calculator) incorporating N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP, a marker of myocardial stretch), high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT, a marker of myocyte injury), and high-sensitivity soluble ST2 (ST2), (reflective of myocardial fibrosis and remodeling) was developed. Methods: Model performance was evaluated using discrimination, calibration, and reclassification tools for 1-, 2-, and 3-year mortality. Ten-fold cross-validation with 1000 bootstrapping was used. Results: The BCN Bio-HF calculator was derived from 864 consecutive outpatients (72% men) with mean age 68.2±12 years (73%/27% New York Heart Association (NYHA) class I-II/III-IV, LVEF 36%, ischemic etiology 52.2%) and followed for a median of 3.4 years (305 deaths). After an initial evaluation of 23 variables, eight independent models were developed. The variables included in these models were age, sex, NYHA functional class, left ventricular ejection fraction, serum sodium, estimated glomerular filtration rate, hemoglobin, loop diuretic dose, β-blocker, Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor/Angiotensin-2 receptor blocker and statin treatments, and hs-cTnT, ST2, and NT-proBNP levels. The calculator may run with the availability of none, one, two, or the three biomarkers. The calculated risk of death was significantly changed by additive biomarker data. The average C-statistic in cross-validation analysis was 0.79. Conclusions: A new HF risk-calculator that incorporates available biomarkers reflecting different pathophysiological pathways better allowed individual prediction of death at 1, 2, and 3 years