18F-FSPG PET/MRI or PET/CT Imaging of Cardiac Sarcoidosis or Inflammation

The investigators will evaluate the detection of cardiac sarcoidosis or inflammation using 18F-FSPG PET/MRI.

A retrospective, observational study consisting of patients who presents with typical/atypical chest pain and have an ensuing negative ischemic evaluation

“The purpose of this clinical trial is to learn about the safety and effects of the study vaccine (called COMIRNATY) for the potential prevention of COVID-19. This study is seeking participants who:
Are age <21 years. Have presentation to participating medical center with evaluation in Emergency Room and/or hospitalization. Received either the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or booster dose(s) of COMIRNATY within 7 days of symptom onset. Meet criteria of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention case definition of probable or confirmed myocarditis/pericarditis Are capable of giving signed informed consent/assent (by parents/legal guardians of minors and/or patients), which includes compliance with the requirements and restrictions listed in the Informed Consent/Assent Document and in this protocol OR meets criteria for waiver of consent. This study will examine the potential long-term effects associated with myocarditis/pericarditis following vaccination with COMIRNATY. The association of myocarditis/pericarditis in participants who received the study vaccine (COMIRNATY) compared with those associated with COVID-19 will also be examined. This will help us determine if COMIRNATY is safe and effective, and if there is a myocarditis/pericarditis association that should be noted. Participants will take part in this study for up to 5 years. During this time, they will receive complete cardiac imaging tests, and have follow up visits per guidance stated in the study protocol."

The goal is to assess for myocardial edema on cardiac MRI during SLE flare to assess for myocardial inflammation.

The overall goal of this project is to evaluate the clinical potential of fast quantitative myocardial tissue characterization using recently emerged Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CMR) techniques to aid the diagnosis, treatment, and follow up of patients with myocardial diseases, such as ischemic heart disease, cardiomyopathies, and myocarditis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients have a higher prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis than the general population. In addition, RA patients experience higher rates of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). There is evidence that myocardial mechanics and left ventricular diastolic function are more abnormal in the RA population and these changes occur earlier than in the general population. Recently a study suggested that RA patient have abnormal myocardial inflammation during a disease flare and that this is improved with anti-inflammatory treatment. This study is aimed at describing the prevalence of myocardial inflammation in patients during active RA disease flares and comparing that with RA patients who are in remission. Investigators hope to show that abnormalities in myocardial inflammation on PET imaging correlate with abnormalities in myocardial strain on echocardiography. Coronary CT will be performed to establish the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis and whether its presence affects changes in either myocardial inflammation or myocardial strain. The hypothesis is that patients with evidence of myocardial inflammation during the course of their RA disease are more likely to develop HFpEF during their lifetime. Although the present study will not be of a duration to assess outcome, it will provide descriptive data which may help guide future prospective study of patients with RA which may help guide appropriate cardiovascular testing in this high risk population.

Hypothesized that occult inflammation is clinically under-recognized in patients with symptomatic PVCs with and without Left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and can be a potential link between the 2 conditions. Aimed to evaluate the incidence of underlying inflammation using the Positron emission tomography (PET) scan in patients presenting with symptomatic PVCs enrolled retrospectively in the MAVERIC registry.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients have a higher prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis than the general population. In addition, RA patients experience higher rates of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). There is evidence that myocardial mechanics and left ventricular diastolic function are more abnormal in the RA population and these changes occur earlier than in the general population. Recently a study suggested that RA patient have abnormal myocardial inflammation during a disease flare and that this is improved with anti-inflammatory treatment. This study is aimed at describing the prevalence of myocardial inflammation in patients during active RA disease flares and comparing that with RA patients who are in remission. Investigators hope to show that abnormalities in myocardial inflammation on PET imaging correlate with abnormalities in myocardial strain on echocardiography. Coronary CT will be performed to establish the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis and whether its presence affects changes in either myocardial inflammation or myocardial strain. The hypothesis is that patients with evidence of myocardial inflammation during the course of their RA disease are more likely to develop HFpEF during their lifetime. Although the present study will not be of a duration to assess outcome, it will provide descriptive data which may help guide future prospective study of patients with RA which may help guide appropriate cardiovascular testing in this high risk population.

This study aims to evaluate the effects of abatacept, a CTLA4-Ig fusion protein that binds CD80/86 (B7-1/B7-2), on subclinical myocarditis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) through its effect on T cell subpopulations. RA patients without clinical CVD, biologic naïve, and with inadequate response to methotrexate (MTX), will undergo cardiac FDG PET/CT imaging to assess myocardial inflammation. Studies that investigate the impact of treatment on subclinical myocarditis in RA, a possible contributor to heart failure, while exploring potential underlying mechanisms (i.e., different T cell subpopulations), are needed for a better understanding of their relevance in the pathogenesis of heart failure in RA and survival improvement in these patients with excess risk for cardiovascular death. If the investigator hypothesis is confirmed and treatment with abatacept decreases and/or suppresses or prevents myocardial inflammation in RA, this will have multidisciplinary implications that could lead to changes in the current management of RA patients at high risk for cardiovascular events. Similarly, identification of T cell subpopulations in RA patients with myocardial FDG uptake will shed light into the underlying cellular mechanisms of myocardial injury and serve to guide the use of therapies that prevent their pathogenicity. The objectives of this study are to compare the change in myocardial FDG uptake in RA patients treated with abatacept vs adalimumab, and identify T cell subpopulations associated with myocardial FDG uptake in each treatment arm. RA patients will be randomized in an unblinded, 1:1 ratio to treatment with abatacept vs adalimumab. A cardiac FDG PET/CT will be performed at baseline and 16 weeks post-biologic treatment. T cell subpopulations associated with myocardial FDG uptake will be evaluated at both points in time with their transcriptional phenotype outlined by RNAseq.

This study evaluates positron emission tomography for the diagnosis of immune checkpoint inhibitor-related myocarditis. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown promising results in various malignancies however, several immune related adverse events have been described of which myocarditis carries the highest reported mortality. Diagnostic procedures, such as positron emission tomography, help find and diagnose myocarditis and provide functional or disease activity information as opposed to the largely structural/anatomic information.