Kerckhoff Klinik

Initial treatment strategies and outcomes across haemodynamic thresholds and risk stratification in incident systemic sclerosis–associated pulmonary arterial hypertension: a EUSTAR analysis

OBJECTIVE: Real-world initial treatment strategies in SSc-PAH remain incompletely described. We aimed to characterise these strategies across haemodynamic thresholds and risk strata and evaluate outcome associations. METHODS: We analysed treatment-naïve SSc-PAH patients in EUSTAR...

The Influence of Deep Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest on the Incidence of Postoperative Acute Kidney Injury After Pulmonary Endarterectomy

Background: Pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is performed using phases of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA). DHCA has been discussed as a risk factor for cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury (...

Incidence and Predictors of Complications After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation According to VARC‐3 Criteria: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

BACKGROUND: Despite continuous advancements in devices and techniques, transcatheter aortic valve implantation remains associated with complications impacting outcomes. In 2021, the Valve Academic Research Consortium (VARC) introduced the VARC-3 criteria to better classify proced...

Chikungunya virus uses the tetraspanins CD63, CD9, and CD151 to replicate in human synovial fibroblasts

The arthritogenic alphavirus chikungunya virus (CHIKV) causes debilitating long-lasting joint pain. Host factors used by CHIKV to infect joint cells are largely unknown. Here, we evaluated the role of the 19 tetraspanins expressed in primary human synovial fibroblasts in virus in...

Optimizing efficacy to safety ratio of glucocorticoids in rheumatoid arthritis models by leveraging PPARα agonism

ABSTRACT Objectives Glucocorticoids remain essential therapies for several immune- and inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but are notorious for their (metabolic) side effects. Given the anti-inflammatory and metabolically favorable actions of peroxisome-proli...

Timing of PCI in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic-Valve Implantation

BackgroundApproximately one half of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic-valve implantation (TAVI) have concomitant coronary artery disease. Although percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is often performed before TAVI, the preferred treatment strategy has not been establi...

CD8+ effector memory and regulatory T cell dynamics predict subclinical atherosclerotic plaque formation in healthy aging

<title>Abstract</title> Background Subclinical atherosclerotic plaque (SAP) develops silently in older adults. Early biological changes that predict plaque formation are not well defined. We examined whether immunological, and metabolic or functional measures identify vascular vu...

Cardiac Opioid System and Its Role in Heart Failure and Ischemia–Reperfusion Injury

Opioid receptors and peptides act as modulators of cardiac and vascular function. These effects are mediated not only by central mechanisms but also via a local cardiac opioid system, which has gained increasing attention for its potential role in cardiovascular disease and perio...