Splenic Volume Index Determined Using Computed Tomography upon Admission Is Associated with Readmission for Heart Failure Among Patients with Acute Decompensated Heart Failure

Splenectomy unveils thrombocytosis in underlying myeloproliferative neoplasms with extrahepatic portal vein obstruction

Extrahepatic portal vein obstruction (EHPVO) is a rare disease with myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) as the most common cause. We report that hypersplenic hematologic changes in EHPVO might be eliminated by MPN. Through experience with splenectomy for variceal control with EHPVO, we suspected that spleen might mask MPN-induced thrombocytosis, and that MPN might have a significant influence on excessive thrombocytosis after splenectomy. To clarify the influence of MPN and spleen on platelet trends, we conducted a retrospective hospital database analysis, evaluating 8 EHPVO patients with splenectomy (2 males, 6 females; from 17 years to 64 years, mean 38.3 years). Three (37.5%) of 8 were diagnosed as MPN by JAK2V617F mutation. The perioperative serum platelet counts in EHPVO without MPN were 10.5, 35.4, and 36.6 (x104/μL) preoperatively, after 1 week and 3 weeks, respectively. The platelet counts in EHPVO with MPN were 34.2, 86.4, and 137.0 (x104/μL), respectively. Splenectomy and MPN showed positive interaction on platelet increasing with statistical significance. We also examined the spleen volume index (SpVI: splenic volume (cm3) / body surface area (m2) and postoperative platelet elevations ratio (PER: 3-week postoperative platelet counts / preoperative platelet counts). However, both SpVI and PER showed no significant difference with or without MPN. Histological examination revealed splenic congestion in all 8 EHPVO cases, and splenic extramedullary hematopoiesis in 2 of 3 MPN. In EHPVO with MPN, hypersplenism causes feigned normalization of platelet count by masking MPN-induced thrombocytosis; however, splenectomy unveils postoperative thrombocytosis. Spleen in EHPVO with MPN also participates in extramedullary hematopoiesis.

Microglia-mediated inflammatory destruction of neuro-cardiovascular dysfunction after stroke

Stroke, a serious systemic inflammatory disease, features neurological deficits and cardiovascular dysfunction. Neuroinflammation is characterized by the activation of microglia after stroke, which disrupts the cardiovascular-related neural network and the blood-brain barrier. Neural networks activate the autonomic nervous system to regulate the cardiac and blood vessels. Increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier and the lymphatic pathways promote the transfer of the central immune components to the peripheral immune organs and the recruitment of specific immune cells or cytokines, produced by the peripheral immune system, and thus modulate microglia in the brain. In addition, the spleen will also be stimulated by central inflammation to further mobilize the peripheral immune system. Both NK cells and Treg cells will be generated to enter the central nervous system to suppress further inflammation, while activated monocytes infiltrate the myocardium and cause cardiovascular dysfunction. In this review, we will focus on microglia-mediated inflammation in neural networks that result in cardiovascular dysfunction. Furthermore, we will discuss neuroimmune regulation in the central-peripheral crosstalk, in which the spleen is a vital part. Hopefully, this will benefit in anchoring another therapeutic target for neuro-cardiovascular dysfunction.

The cardiosplenic axis: the prognostic role of the spleen in heart failure

Despite the number of available methods to predict prognosis in patients with heart failure, prognosis remains poor, likely because of marked patient heterogeneity and varied heart failure etiologies. Thus, identification of novel prognostic indicators to stratify risk in patients with heart failure is of paramount importance. The spleen is emerging as a potential novel prognostic indicator for heart failure. In this article, we provide an overview of the current prognostic tools used for heart failure. We then introduce the spleen as a potential novel prognostic indicator, before outlining the structure and function of the spleen and introducing the concept of the cardiosplenic axis. This is followed by a focused discussion on the function of the spleen in the immune response and in hemodynamics, as well as a review of what is known about the usefulness of the spleen as an indicator of heart failure. Expert insight into the most effective spleen-related measurement indices for the prognostication of patients with heart failure is provided, and suggestions on how these could be measured in clinical practice are considered. In future, studies in humans will be required to draw definitive links between specific splenic measurements and different heart failure manifestations, as well as to determine whether splenic prognostic measurements differ between heart failure classes and etiologies. These contributions will provide a step forward in our understanding of the usefulness of the spleen as a prognostic predictor in heart failure.