cardio

AIM: Microvascular inflammation is associated with cardiac syndrome X (CSX). High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) reveals antiatherogenic features with stimulating endothelial NO production, inhibiting oxidative stress and vascular inflammation. We investigated relationship between HDL-C and inflammatory markers in CSX. METHODS: Hundred patients with CSX and control group of 80 subjects were evaluated. Hematologic indices, lipid levels and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were studied in patients underwent coronary angiography...

BACKGROUND: Skeletal muscle wasting is associated with poor prognosis and increased mortality in heart failure (HF) patients. Glycolytic muscles are more susceptible to catabolic wasting than oxidative ones. This is particularly important in HF since glycolytic muscle wasting is associated with increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, the main ROS sources involved in muscle redox imbalance in HF have not been characterized. Therefore, we hypothesized that NADPH oxidases would be hyperactivated in the plantaris muscle of infarcted rats, contributing to oxidative stress and hyperactivation of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), ultimately leading to atrophy...

PURPOSE: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a disorder characterized by elevated pulmonary arterial pressure which leads to cardiac hypertrophy and dysfunction. Current treatments have marginal impact and additional therapies are required. Melatonin is a natural product shown to be cardioprotective against hypertension and myocardial ischemia. We propose that melatonin treatment may be cardioprotective in a model of monocrotaline (MCT) induced PAH. METHODS: Male Long Evans rats (150-175g) were injected with MCT (80mg/kg) which induced PAH after 28 days...

PURPOSE: Searching for new biomarkers to predict the progress of coronary artery disease (CAD), we studied the evolution of lipid and inflammatory parameters, along with five mi-RNAs, in plasma of CAD patients under treatment for 1 year. METHODS: Subjects were assigned to 5 groups: healthy subjects (C, 10), subjects with risk factors (RF, 10), stable angina (SA, 22), unstable angina (UA, 21) and 1 month post myocardial infarction (MI, 11) patients. Blood was collected at inclusion and after 1 year of standard treatment...

PURPOSE: Impaired sarcoplasmic reticular (SR) Ca2+ uptake resulting from decreased SR Ca2+-ATPase type 2a (SERCA2a) expression or activity is characteristic of heart failure (HF) with its associated ventricular arrhythmias. Recent attempts at gene therapy of these conditions explored strategies enhancing SERCA2a expression and/or activity as novel approaches to HF management. We here explore the role of Pak1 in maintaining ventricular Ca2+ homeostasis and electrophysiological stability under both physiological and...

PURPOSE: Antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) constitute a defence against oxidative stress by scavenging key reactive oxygen species (ROS). In the context of acute coronary syndromes (ACS), the variance and prognostic significance of these enzymes is not clearly defined. Patients with low levels of GPx and SOD activity may have less capacity to scavenge ROS leading to an increased risk of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE). This study aimed to test the hypothesis that patients with low levels of GPx and SOD activity would have a higher risk of MACE following an ACS...

PURPOSE: Diabetic cardiomyopathy, a cardiac manifestation of diabetes mellitus (DM), is characterised by specific structural, molecular and functional alterations of the myocardium. Upon this concept we investigated whether type-1 or type-2 diabetes lead to different alterations in cardiac function or histological and molecular changes. METHODS: Our experiments were carried out in a rat model of type-1 (streptozotocin induced) and type-2 DM (Zucker Diabetic Fatty rats)...

OBJECTIVES: The aim was to perform a review of the efficacy and safety of new oral anticoagulants (NOAs) in the management of venous thromboembolism (VTE). METHODS: This was a systematic review and meta-analysis. On March 26, 2014, Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane trial register were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the NOAs dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, and edoxaban with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) in VTE treatment and secondary prevention...

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BACKGROUND: The comparative effectiveness of treatments for atrial fibrillation (AF) is uncertain. PURPOSE: To evaluate the comparative effectiveness of rate- and rhythm-control therapies. DATA SOURCES: English-language studies in PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews between January 2000 and November 2013. STUDY SELECTION: Two reviewers independently screened citations to identify comparative studies that assessed rate- or rhythm-control therapies in patients with AF...

Remodelling is a response of the myocardium and vasculature to a range of potentially noxious haemodynamic, metabolic, and inflammatory stimuli. Remodelling is initially functional, compensatory, and adaptive but, when sustained, progresses to structural changes that become self-perpetuating and pathogenic. Remodelling involves responses not only of the cardiomyocytes, endothelium, and vascular smooth muscle cells, but also of interstitial cells and matrix. In this Review we characterise the remodelling processes in atherosclerosis, vascular and myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion injury, and heart failure, and we draw attention to potential avenues for innovative therapeutic approaches, including conditioning and metabolic strategies...

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is now recognized as a major and growing public health problem worldwide. Yet significant uncertainties still surround its pathophysiology and treatment, leaving clinicians in a dilemma regarding its optimal management. Whether HFpEF and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) are two distinct entities or two ends of a common spectrum remains a matter of debate. In particular, the lack of benefit observed with renin-angiotensin system blockers has raised questions regarding our understanding of the pathophysiology of HFpEF...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

INTRODUCTION: The lipid lowering class of drugs known as "Statins" are being increasing recognized for their pleiotropic effects which include anti-inflammation, antioxidant, vasodilatation, improved endothelial function and stabilization of atherosclerotic plaques. These effects may counteract, to some extent, the deleterious impact of surgical stress on various organ systems during the perioperative period. AREAS COVERED: A literature review was undertaken to examine current evidence for the effect of perioperative statin use on postoperative morbidity and mortality...

Periprocedural myocardial infarction (PMI) is a common complication associated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), occurring in approximately 15% to 20% of patients undergoing the procedure. The established diagnostic criteria for PMI is an increase in cardiac biomarkers, specifically creatine kinase-MB levels > 3 times the upper limit of normal. As PMI has been associated with an increased risk of mortality after PCI, investigative efforts have been directed at therapies that can potentially decrease PMI...

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is currently considered to be an inflammatory disorder. Evidence suggests that the chronic intermittent hypoxia and, possibly, sleep loss and fragmentation associated with OSA increase the levels of various markers of inflammation, oxidative stress, and procoagulant and thrombotic activity. These alterations may contribute to the development of endothelial and metabolic dysfunction, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disorders associated with OSA. However, these alterations are also associated with OSA comorbidities, making it difficult to discern which effects are attributable to OSA and/or these other conditions...

The endothelium is the common target of all cardiovascular risk factors, and functional impairment of the vascular endothelium in response to injury occurs long before the development of visible atherosclerosis. The endothelial cell behaves as a receptor-effector structure which senses different physical or chemical stimuli that occur inside the vessel and, therefore, modifies the vessel shape or releases the necessary products to counteract the effect of the stimulus and maintain homeostasis. The endothelium is capable of producing a large variety of different molecules which act as agonists and antagonists, therefore balancing their effects in opposite directions...

Recent studies have reported positive associations between pulse pressure (PP) and markers of inflammation. These studies are intriguing because they suggest that elevations in PP could induce an inflammatory state and thereby increase the risk of inflammation- related diseases such as atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. In the present chapter, we review potential mechanisms by which an elevated PP could increase inflammation. We also review human-based studies that have investigated the association between PP and inflammatory biomarkers such as C-reactive protein...