June 03, 2021
A novel microRNA measured in plasma, first discovered in mice and then isolated in humans for the first time, eventually might provide a simpler way to diagnose acute myocarditis, a preliminary study suggests.
Expressed by type 17 helper T (Th17) lymphocytes, levels of the microRNA accurately distinguished patients with acute myocarditis from those with acute MI, with an area under the receiver-operating-characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.927, according to researchers led by Rafael Blanco‑Domínguez, MSc, and Raquel Sánchez‑Díaz, PhD (both National Center for Cardiovascular Research, Madrid, Spain).
The biomarker’s ability to identify patients with acute myocarditis was confirmed through comparisons with other groups of patients, as well, including those with MI with nonobstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) and a variety of autoimmune diseases, the investigators report in a study published in the May 27, 2021, issue of the
See eTable 1 in Supplement 2 for definitions of each analysis population. Among those receiving aluminum hydroxide (alum) for the first dose, 5 participants received WIV04 (n = 2) and HB02 (n = 3) vaccines for the second dose and were not included in the safety analysis population of the alum-only group (13 458 – 5 = 13 453), but were included in the WIV04 and HB02 groups, respectively. Three participants who received WIV04 for the first dose and HB02 for the second dose and 3 participants who received HB02 for the first dose and WIV04 for the second dose were included in both groups (WIV04: 13 459 + 2 + 3 = 13 464; HB02: 13 465 + 3 + 3 = 13 471). To measure neutralization antibody levels, the first 900 participants from each study site were selected. There were 9 participants in the WIV04 group, 7 in the HB02 group, and 8 in alum-only group who had adverse events or serious adverse events (SAEs) after the first dose and did not receive the secon