Myocarditis is a significant cause of sudden cardiac death in competitive athletes and can occur with normal ventricular function. 1 Recent studies have raised concerns of myocardial inflammation after recovery from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), even in asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients. 2 Our objective was to investigate the use of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in competitive athletes recovered from COVID-19 to detect myocardial inflammation that would identify high-risk athletes for return to competitive play.Methods | We performed a comprehensive CMR examination including cine, T1 and T2 mapping, extracellular volume fraction, and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), on a 1.5-T scanner (Magnetom Sola; Siemens Healthineers) using standardized protocols, 3 in all competitive athletes referred to the sports medicine clinic after testing positive for COVID-19 (reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction) between June and August 2020. The Ohio State University institutional review board approved the study, and informed consent in writing was obtained from participating athletes. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was performed after recommended quarantine (11-53 days). Electrocardiogram, serum troponin I, and transthoracic echocardiogram were performed on day of CMR imaging.

This cohort study assesses the prevalence of myocarditis in athletes with COVID-19 and compare screening strategies for safe return to play.

No abstract

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has emerged as an important physiological and pathophysiological signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system influencing vascular tone, cytoprotective responses, redox reactions, vascular adaptation, and mitochondrial respiration. However, bioavailable levels of H2S in its various biochemical metabolite forms during clinical cardiovascular disease remain poorly understood. We performed a case-controlled study to quantify and compare the bioavailability of various biochemical forms of H2S in patients with and without cardiovascular disease (CVD). In our study, we used the reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography monobromobimane assay to analytically measure bioavailable pools of H2S. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were also identified using DNA Pyrosequencing. We found that plasma acid labile sulfide levels were significantly reduced in Caucasian females with CVD compared with those without the disease. Conversely, plasma bound sulfane sulfur levels were significantly reduced in Caucasian males with CVD compared with those without the disease. Surprisingly, gender differences of H2S bioavailability were not observed in African Americans, although H2S bioavailability was significantly lower overall in this ethnic group compared to Caucasians. We also performed SNP analysis of H2S synthesizing enzymes and found a significant increase in cystathionine gamma-lyase (CTH) 1364 G-T allele frequency in patients with CVD compared to controls. Lastly, plasma H2S bioavailability was found to be predictive for cardiovascular disease in Caucasian subjects as determined by receiver operator characteristic analysis. These findings reveal that plasma H2S bioavailability could be considered a biomarker for CVD in an ethnic and gender manner. Cystathionine gamma-lyase 1346 G-T SNP might also contribute to the risk of cardiovascular disease development.