Biomedical subjects

Marco Metra

Publications and source records attributed to Marco Metra.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2026

New Evidence in Heart Failure: 2026 Update.

Heart failure (HF) remains a major cause of morbidity, mortality, impaired quality of life and healthcare expenditure worldwide. The global burden of HF continues to increase due to population aging, improved survival, and the growing prevalence of cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic comorbidities. Simultaneously, the pace of scientific progress in HF has accelerated considerably. Recent advances have refined our understanding of HF epidemiology, prognosis, and disease trajectories, including emerging concepts of HF improvement, remission, and recovery. The Second Universal Definition of HF has also updated the classification framework, moving beyond the traditional ejection fraction-based categories. HF is now broadly classified into two major phenotypes: heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Novel mechanistic insights highlight the role of inflammation, immune activation, metabolic dysfunction, mitochondrial biology, and multisystem interactions in HF progression. There has also been significant progress in the characterization and management of major comorbidities, including chronic kidney disease (CKD), diabetes, obesity, atrial fibrillation (AF), pulmonary hypertension, frailty, malnutrition, and cancer. Diagnostic innovations include novel biomarkers, multi-omics technologies, artificial intelligence-based approaches, advanced imaging techniques, congestion assessment tools, and emerging digital health solutions. Important advances have occurred in specific HF aetiologies, including cardiomyopathies, cardiac amyloidosis (CA), myocarditis, arrhythmia-induced cardiomyopathy (AiCM), and Chagas cardiomyopathy. Therapeutic developments continue to reshape HF management across the spectrum of left ventricular ejection fraction. Recent evidence has focused on optimization of guideline-directed medical therapy in HFrEF, expansion of evidence-based therapies in HFpEF, and growing roles for sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors, finerenone, incretin-based therapies, and transcatheter valve interventions. Collectively, these advances support the transition from a predominantly phenotype-based approach towards a more personalized and biologically informed model of HF care, with the potential to further improve outcomes across the entire HF spectrum.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2026

Lactate Dehydrogenase and Outcomes in Patients With HF and Reduced Ejection Fraction: Insights From GALACTIC-HF.

BACKGROUND: Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is a cytoplasmic enzyme found in most cells. Increased LDH levels are a nonspecific measure of cellular injury and may be prognostically important in heart failure (HF). OBJECTIVES: This study aims to assess the relationship between LDH and clinical characteristics and outcomes in heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). METHODS: Using data from GALACTIC-HF, a phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of omecamtiv mecarbil (OM) in patients with HFrEF, the relationship between LDH and clinical outcomes was analyzed. The incremental value of LDH added to a validated prognostic model (PREDICT-HF) was also calculated using Harrell's C statistic, integrated discrimination index (IDI), and net reclassification index (NRI). RESULTS: In GALACTIC-HF, baseline LDH data were available for 8,179 patients, including 6,138 outpatients. Patients with higher LDH were more frequently female and had worse HF status. They were also more likely to have elevated serum creatinine, liver enzymes, creatine kinase, NT-proBNP, and high-sensitivity troponin I. Compared with patients in the lowest LDH (Q1: 155 U/L [25th-75th percentile: 144-163 U/L]), the HRs for the primary outcome (first HF event or cardiovascular death) were Q2: 183 U/L (25th-75th percentile: 177-188 U/L); HR: 1.15 [95% CI: 1.02-1.31]; Q3: 207 U/L (25th-75th percentile: 201-215 U/L); HR: 1.39 [95% CI: 1.23-1.58]; and Q4: 253 U/L (25th-75th percentile: 236-280 U/L); HR: 1.84 [95% CI: 1.62-2.08], respectively. Even after adjustment, elevated LDH remained independently associated with higher HR. When added to the PREDICT-HF risk model, baseline LDH improved Harrell's C statistic, IDI, and NRI for the primary outcome. CONCLUSIONS: In GALACTIC-HF, higher LDH levels were independently associated with a higher risk of clinical outcomes in HFrEF. (Global Approach to Lowering Adverse Cardiac Outcomes Through Improving Contractility in Heart Failure [GALACTIC-HF]; NCT02929329; EudraCT number: 2016-002299-28).

Humans↗

PubMed2025

Clinical Phenotype and Prognosis of Asymptomatic Patients With Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloid Infiltration.

IMPORTANCE: Patients with transthyretin (ATTR) cardiac amyloid infiltration are increasingly diagnosed at earlier disease stages with no heart failure (HF) symptoms and a wide range of cardiac amyloid infiltration. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the clinical phenotype and natural history of asymptomatic patients with ATTR cardiac amyloid infiltration. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cohort study analyzed data of all patients at 12 international centers for amyloidosis from January 1, 2008, through December 31, 2023. Inclusion criteria were asymptomatic ATTR cardiac amyloid infiltration, defined as an absence of HF history, HF signs and symptoms, diuretic therapy, and plasma cell dyscrasia with evidence of myocardial uptake on bone scintigraphy. If plasma cell dyscrasia was present, histologic confirmation of ATTR amyloid was required. EXPOSURE: Asymptomatic ATTR cardiac amyloid infiltration. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcomes were all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality. The secondary outcomes were unplanned HF hospitalization, unplanned CV-related hospitalization, and a composite outcome of CV mortality and HF hospitalization. RESULTS: The study comprised 485 patients with asymptomatic ATTR cardiac amyloid infiltration (mean [SD] age, 74.9 [9.9] years, 85.8% male, 112 [23.1%] with hereditary ATTR amyloidosis), with 369 (76.1%) having grade 2 or 3 and 116 (23.9%) having grade 1 cardiac uptake at baseline. Patients with grade 2 or 3 uptake exhibited significantly more cardiac functional and structural abnormalities vs patients with grade 1 uptake. At 3 years, compared with grade 1 uptake, patients with grade 2 or 3 uptake had greater development of HF (54.3% [95% CI, 47.7%-61.3%] vs 23.1% [95% CI, 14.8%-35.1%]), greater outpatient diuretic initiation and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide progression (35.0% [95% CI, 28.0%-43.2%] vs 12.4% [95% CI, 6.3%-23.7%]), and greater HF hospitalization (8.7% [95% CI, 5.9%-12.9%] vs 0%) and unplanned CV hospitalization (20.0% [95% CI, 15.7%-25.3%] vs 4.3% [95% CI, 1.6%-11.3%]). Over a median follow-up of 37 months (IQR, 20-64 months), the all-cause death rate was similar between patients with grade 1 vs 2 and 3 uptake; however, those with grade 2 or 3 compared with grade 1 uptake had a significantly higher risk of CV mortality (unadjusted hazard ratio, 5.30; 95% CI, 1.92-14.65). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This study shows that asymptomatic ATTR cardiac amyloid infiltration encompasses a wide spectrum of disease severity, with patients with grade 2 or 3 cardiac uptake experiencing an increased rate of CV events and CV mortality and patients with grade 1 uptake experiencing a lower CV event rate and predominantly non-CV mortality. These findings support the use of disease-modifying treatments in asymptomatic patients with grade 2 or 3 uptake and highlight the need of large-scale studies to assess their role in grade 1 uptake.

Humans↗