RNAs in Brain and Heart Diseases

Unveiling the Multifaceted Problems Associated with Dysrhythmia

Dysrhythmia is a term referring to the occurrence of spontaneous and repetitive changes in potentials with parameters deviating from those considered normal. The term refers to heart anomalies but has a broader meaning. Dysrhythmias may concern the heart, neurological system, digestive system, and sensory organs. Ion currents conducted through ion channels are a universal phenomenon. The occurrence of channel abnormalities will therefore result in disorders with clinical manifestations depending on the affected tissue, but phenomena from other tissues and organs may also manifest themselves. A similar problem concerns the implementation of pharmacotherapy, the mechanism of which is related to the impact on various ion currents. Treatment in this case may cause unfavorable effects on other tissues and organs. Drugs acting through the modulation of ion currents are characterized by relatively low tissue specificity. To assess a therapy's efficacy and safety, the risk of occurrences in other tissues with similar mechanisms of action must be considered. In the present review, the focus is shifted prominently onto a comparison of abnormal electrical activity within different tissues and organs. This review includes an overview of the types of dysrhythmias and the basic techniques of clinical examination of electrophysiological disorders. It also presents a concise overview of the available pharmacotherapy in particular diseases. In addition, the authors review the relevant ion channels and their research technique based on patch clumping.

The Individual and Societal Burden of Treatment-Resistant Depression: An Overview

Major depressive disorder is characterized by depressed mood and/or anhedonia with neurovegetative symptoms and neurocognitive changes affecting an individual's functioning in multiple aspects of life. Treatment outcomes with commonly used antidepressants remain suboptimal. Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) should be considered after inadequate improvement with two or more antidepressant treatments of adequate dose and duration. TRD has been associated with increased disease burden including higher associated costs (both socially and financially) affecting both the individual and society. Additional research is needed to better understand the long-term burden of TRD to both the individual and society.

(Epi)transcriptomics in cardiovascular and neurological complications of COVID-19

Although systemic inflammation and pulmonary complications increase the mortality rate in COVID-19, a broad spectrum of cardiovascular and neurological complications can also contribute to significant morbidity and mortality. The molecular mechanisms underlying cardiovascular and neurological complications during and after SARS-CoV-2 infection are incompletely understood. Recently reported perturbations of the epitranscriptome of COVID-19 patients indicate that mechanisms including those derived from RNA modifications and non-coding RNAs may play a contributing role in the pathogenesis of COVID-19. In this review paper, we gathered recently published studies investigating (epi)transcriptomic fluctuations upon SARS-CoV-2 infection, focusing on the brain-heart axis since neurological and cardiovascular events and their sequelae are of utmost prevalence and importance in this disease.

Cardiovascular RNA markers and artificial intelligence may improve COVID-19 outcome: a position paper from the EU-CardioRNA COST Action CA17129

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been as unprecedented as unexpected, affecting more than 105 million people worldwide as of 8 February 2020 and causing more than 2.3 million deaths according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Not only affecting the lungs but also provoking acute respiratory distress, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is able to infect multiple cell types including cardiac and vascular cells. Hence a significant proportion of infected patients develop cardiac events, such as arrhythmias and heart failure. Patients with cardiovascular comorbidities are at highest risk of cardiac death. To face the pandemic and limit its burden, health authorities have launched several fast-track calls for research projects aiming to develop rapid strategies to combat the disease, as well as longer-term projects to prepare for the future. Biomarkers have the possibility to aid in clinical decision-making and tailoring healthcare in order to improve patient quality of life. The biomarker potential of circulating RNAs has been recognized in several disease conditions, including cardiovascular disease. RNA biomarkers may be useful in the current COVID-19 situation. The discovery, validation, and marketing of novel biomarkers, including RNA biomarkers, require multi-centre studies by large and interdisciplinary collaborative networks, involving both the academia and the industry. Here, members of the EU-CardioRNA COST Action CA17129 summarize the current knowledge about the strain that COVID-19 places on the cardiovascular system and discuss how RNA biomarkers can aid to limit this burden. They present the benefits and challenges of the discovery of novel RNA biomarkers, the need for networking efforts, and the added value of artificial intelligence to achieve reliable advances.