Lung-to-Heart Nano-in-Micro Peptide Promotes Cardiac Recovery in a Pig Model of Chronic Heart Failure.

BACKGROUND: The lack of disease-modifying drugs is one of the major unmet needs in patients with heart failure (HF). Peptides are highly selective molecules with the potential to act directly on cardiomyocytes. However, a strategy for effective delivery of therapeutics to the heart is lacking. OBJECTIVES: In this study, the authors sought to assess tolerability and efficacy of an inhalable lung-to-heart nano-in-micro technology (LungToHeartNIM) for cardiac-specific targeting of a mimetic peptide (MP), a first-in-class for modulating impaired L-type calcium channel (LTCC) trafficking, in a clinically relevant porcine model of HF. METHODS: Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) was induced in Göttingen minipigs by means of tachypacing over 6 weeks. In a setting of overt HFrEF (left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] 30% ± 8%), animals were randomized and treatment was started after 4 weeks of tachypacing. HFrEF animals inhaled either a dry powder composed of mannitol-based microparticles embedding biocompatible MP-loaded calcium phosphate nanoparticles (dpCaP-MP) or the LungToHeartNIM only (dpCaP without MP). Efficacy was evaluated with the use of echocardiography, invasive hemodynamics, and biomarker assessment. RESULTS: DpCaP-MP inhalation restored systolic function, as shown by an absolute LVEF increase over the treatment period of 17% ± 6%, while reversing cardiac remodeling and reducing pulmonary congestion. The effect was recapitulated ex vivo in cardiac myofibrils from treated HF animals. The treatment was well tolerated, and no adverse events occurred. CONCLUSIONS: The overall tolerability of LungToHeartNIM along with the beneficial effects of the LTCC modulator point toward a game-changing treatment for HFrEF patients, also demonstrating the effective delivery of a therapeutic peptide to the diseased heart.

Blood Pressure Continuous Measurement through a Wearable Device: Development and Validation of a Cuffless Method.

The present study aims to develop and validate a cuffless method for blood pressure continuous measurement through a wearable device. The goal is achieved according to the time-delay method, with the guiding principle of the time relation it takes for a blood volume to travel from the heart to a peripheral site. Inversely proportional to the blood pressure, this time relation is obtained as the time occurring between the R peak of the electrocardiographic signal and a marker point on the photoplethysmographic wave. Such physiological signals are recorded by using L.I.F.E. Italia's wearable device, made of a sensorized shirt and wristband. A linear regression model is implemented to estimate the corresponding blood pressure variations from the obtained time-delay and other features of the photoplethysmographic wave. Then, according to the international standards, the model performance is assessed, comparing the estimates with the measurements provided by a certified digital sphygmomanometer. According to the standards, the results obtained during this study are notable, with 85% of the errors lower than 10 mmHg and a mean absolute error lower than 7 mmHg. In conclusion, this study suggests a time-delay method for continuous blood pressure estimates with good performance, compared with a reference device based on the oscillometric technique.

Validation of a new wearable device for type 3 sleep test without flowmeter.

BACKGROUND: Ventilation monitoring during sleep is performed by sleep test instrumentation that is uncomfortable for the patients due to the presence of the flowmeter. The objective of this study was to evaluate if an innovative type 3 wearable system, the X10X and X10Y, is able to correctly detect events of apnea and hypopnea and to classify the severity of sleep apnea without the use of a flowmeter. METHODS: 40 patients with sleep disordered breathing were analyzed by continuous and simultaneous recording of X10X and X10Y and another certified type 3 system, SOMNOtouch, used for comparison. Evaluation was performed in terms of quality of respiratory signals (scores from 1, lowest, to 5, highest), duration and classification of apneas, as well as identification and duration of hypopneas. RESULTS: 580 periods were evaluated. Mean quality assigned score was 3.37±1.42 and 3.25±1.35 for X10X and X10Y and SOMNOtouch, respectively. The agreement between the two systems was evaluated with grades 4 and 5 in 383 out of 580 cases. A high correlation (r2 = 0.921; p<0.001) was found between the AHI indexes obtained from the two systems. X10X and X10Y devices were able to correctly classify 72.3% of the obstructive apneas, 81% of the central apneas, 61.3% of the hypopneas, and 64.6% of the mixed apneas when compared to SOMNOtouch device. CONCLUSION: The X10X and X10Y devices are able to provide a correct grading of sleep respiratory disorders without the need of a nasal cannula for respiratory flow measurement and can be considered as a type 3 sleep test device for screening tests.