Welcome to Cardiology Today – Recorded November 01, 2025. This episode summarizes 5 key cardiology studies on topics like donation after brain death and exercise intolerance. Key takeaway: Machine Perfusion Boosts Heart Transplant Outcomes. Article Links: Article 1: Proteomic and metabolomic profiling nominates druggable targets and biomarkers for pulmonary arterial hypertension-associated myopathy and exercise intolerance in male monocrotaline rats. (The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation) Article 2: National utilization and outcomes of heart transplantation using ex situ machine perfusion. (The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation) Article 3: Heart transplantation in Ukraine during wartime: A retrospective cohort study of standard vs marginal donor heart transplantation outcomes. (The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation) Article 4: Trajectories of FEV1 after lung transplantation and patient outcomes. (The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation) Article 5: Impact of donor specific antibodies on longitudinal lung function and baseline lung allograft dysfunction. (The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation) Full episode page: https://podcast.explainheart.com/podcast/machine-perfusion-boosts-heart-transplant-outcomes-11-01-25/ Featured Articles Article 1: Proteomic and metabolomic profiling nominates druggable targets and biomarkers for pulmonary arterial hypertension-associated myopathy and exercise intolerance in male monocrotaline rats. Journal: The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation PubMed Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40651676 Summary: This study aimed to uncover mechanisms underlying skeletal muscle dysfunction and exercise intolerance in pulmonary arterial hypertension by using proteomic and metabolomic profiling. Researchers evaluated exercise capacity, muscle histopathology, mitochondrial density, proteomics, and metabolomics/lipidomics in quadriceps muscles of monocrotaline rats, a model for pulmonary arterial hypertension. The findings identified specific changes in muscle biology across different fiber types and nominated potential druggable targets and biomarkers. This research establishes foundational knowledge for developing targeted therapies to improve exercise capacity in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Article 2: National utilization and outcomes of heart transplantation using ex situ machine perfusion. Journal: The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation PubMed Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40645313 Summary: This national study evaluated the utilization and outcomes of ex situ machine perfusion for heart transplantation in the United States, including adult recipients between October 2018 and September 2023 from the United Network for Organ Sharing database. The researchers compared outcomes between machine perfusion and non-machine perfusion transplants from both donation after brain death (D.B.D.) and donation after circulatory death (D.C.D.) donors. The findings revealed increasing adoption of machine perfusion and provided pragmatic national data on its effectiveness and patient outcomes. This research demonstrates the growing impact and success of machine perfusion in expanding the donor pool and optimizing heart transplantation. Article 3: Heart transplantation in Ukraine during wartime: A retrospective cohort study of standard vs marginal donor heart transplantation outcomes