Your browser does not fully support modern features. Please upgrade for a smoother experience.
Subject:
All Disciplines Arts & Humanities Biology & Life Sciences Business & Economics Chemistry & Materials Science Computer Science & Mathematics Engineering Environmental & Earth Sciences Medicine & Pharmacology Physical Sciences Public Health & Healthcare Social Sciences
Sort by:
Most Viewed Latest Alphabetical (A-Z) Alphabetical (Z-A)
Filter:
All Topic Review Biography Peer Reviewed Entry Video Entry
Topic Review
Peptidic Connexin43 Therapeutics
Connexin (Cx43)-formed channels have been linked to cardiac arrhythmias and diseases of the heart associated with myocardial tissue loss and fibrosis. These pathologies include ischemic heart disease, ischemia-reperfusion injury, heart failure, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. A number of Cx43 mimetic peptides have been reported as therapeutic candidates for targeting disease processes linked to Cx43, including some that have advanced to clinical testing in humans. These peptides include Cx43 sequences based on the extracellular loop domains (e.g., Gap26, Gap 27, and Peptide5), cytoplasmic-loop domain (Gap19 and L2), and cytoplasmic carboxyl-terminal domain (e.g., JM2, Cx43tat, CycliCX, and the alphaCT family of peptides) of this transmembrane protein. Additionally, RYYN peptides binding to the Cx43 carboxyl-terminus have been described.
  • 930
  • 16 May 2021
Topic Review
The Exosomes and Cardiovascular Diseases
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Accumulating evidences have highlighted the importance of exosomes and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in cardiac physiology and pathology.
  • 930
  • 08 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Cardiometabolic Care
The mechanisms leading to the development of heart failure (HF) in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients are multifactorial. Assessing the risk of HF development in patients with DM is valuable not only for the identification of a high-risk subgroup, but also equally important for defining low-risk subpopulations. DM and HF have been recognized as sharing similar metabolic pathways. Moreover, the clinical manifestation of HF can be independent of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) classification. Consequently, approaching HF should be through structural, hemodynamic and functional evaluation. 
  • 929
  • 27 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Familial Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a common cause of non-ischaemic heart failure, conferring high morbidity and mortality, including sudden cardiac death due to systolic dysfunction or arrhythmic sudden death. Within the DCM cohort exists a group of patients with familial disease.
  • 929
  • 07 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Inherited Arrhythmogenic Syndromes
Inherited arrhythmogenic syndromes are the primary cause of unexpected lethal cardiac episodes in young people. It is possible that the first sign of the condition may be sudden death. Inherited arrhythmogenic syndromes are caused by genetic defects that may be analyzed using different technical approaches. A genetic alteration may be used as a marker of risk for families who carry the genetic alterations. Therefore, the early identification of the responsible genetic defect may help the adoption of preventive therapeutic measures focused on reducing the risk of lethal arrhythmias.
  • 929
  • 13 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Pediatric Cardiomyopathies
Pediatric inherited cardiomyopathies (CMPs) and channelopathies (CNPs) remain important causes of death in this population, therefore, there is a need for prompt diagnosis and tailored treatment. Conventional evaluation fails to establish the diagnosis of pediatric CMPs and CNPs in a significant proportion, prompting further, more complex testing to make a diagnosis that could influence the implementation of lifesaving strategies. Genetic testing in CMPs and CNPs may help unveil the underlying cause, but needs to be carried out with caution given the lack of uniform recommendations in guidelines about the precise time to start the genetic evaluation or the type of targeted testing or whole-genome sequencing. A very diverse etiology and the scarce number of randomized studies of pediatric CMPs and CNPs make genetic testing of these maladies far more particular than their adult counterpart. The genetic diagnosis is even more puzzling if the psychological impact point of view is taken into account. This review aims to put together different perspectives, state-of-the art recommendations—synthetizing the major indications from European and American guidelines—and psychosocial outlooks to construct a comprehensive genetic assessment of pediatric CMPs and CNPs.
  • 928
  • 05 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Fibrinogen and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Diseases
Atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD), including coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral arterial disease, represent a significant cause of premature death worldwide. Biomarkers, the evaluation of which would allow the detection of ASCVD at the earliest stage of development, are intensively sought. Moreover, from a clinical point of view, a valuable biomarker should also enable the assessment of the patient’s prognosis. It has been known for many years that the concentration of fibrinogen in plasma increases, inter alia, in patients with ASCVD. On the one hand, an increased plasma fibrinogen concentration may be the cause of the development of atherosclerotic lesions (increased risk of atherothrombosis); on the other hand, it may be a biomarker of ASCVD, as it is an acute phase protein. In addition, a number of genetic polymorphisms and post-translational modifications of fibrinogen were demonstrated that may contribute to the risk of ASCVD.
  • 928
  • 14 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Cardiac Sarcoidosis
Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is an unusual, but potentially harmful, manifestation of systemic sarcoidosis (SA), a chronic disease characterized by organ involvement from noncaseating and nonnecrotizing granulomas. Lungs and intrathoracic lymph nodes are usually the sites that are most frequently affected, but no organ is spared and CS can affect a variable portion of SA patients, up to 25% from post-mortem studies. The cardiovascular involvement is usually associated with a bad prognosis and is responsible for the major cause of death and complications, particularly in African American patients. Furthermore, the diagnosis is often complicated by the occurrence of non-specific clinical manifestations, which can mimic the effect of more common heart disorders, and imaging and biopsies are the most valid approach to avoid misdiagnosis.
  • 925
  • 31 May 2021
Topic Review
Traditional and Novel Biomarkers for Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction
Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) is related to a broad variety of clinical scenarios in which cardiac microvasculature is morphologically and functionally affected, and it is associated with impaired responses to vasoactive stimuli. Although the prevalence of CMD involves about half of all patients with chronic coronary syndromes and more than 20% of those with acute coronary syndrome, the diagnosis of CMD is often missed, leading to the underestimation of its clinical importance. The established and validated techniques for the measurement of coronary microvascular function are invasive and expensive. An ideal method to assess endothelial dysfunction should be accurate, non-invasive, cost-effective and accessible. There are varieties of biomarkers available, potentially involved in microvascular disease, but none have been extensively validated in this heterogeneous clinical population. The investigation of potential biomarkers linked to microvascular dysfunction might improve the assessment of the diagnosis, risk stratification, disease progression and therapy response. 
  • 925
  • 26 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Congenital Heart Defects
Congenital heart defects (CHD) are malformations present at birth that occur during heart development. Increasing evidence supports a genetic origin of CHD.
  • 924
  • 16 Jun 2021
Topic Review
The Electrocardiogram in Reflex Syncope
The baseline electrocardiogram (ECG) is less informative in neurally mediated syncope (NMS) than in arrhythmic syncope. However, some of the ECG patterns present in NMS can have diagnostic and prognostic value in such patients. This work reviews known ECG findings related to the cardioinhibitory reflex, as well as recently studied ECG patterns present in patients with NMS, such as the isolated very low QRS voltage.
  • 924
  • 26 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Heart Failure after Cardiac Surgery
Heart disease requires a surgical approach sometimes. Cardiac-surgery patients develop heart failure associated with ischemia induced during extracorporeal circulation. This complication could be decreased with anesthetic drugs. The cardioprotective effects of halogenated agents are based on pre- and postconditioning (sevoflurane, desflurane, or isoflurane) compared to intravenous hypnotics (propofol). 
  • 922
  • 22 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Oral and Parenteral P2Y12 Inhibitor Antiplatelet Agents
Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), consisting of the combination of aspirin and an inhibitor of the platelet P2Y12 receptor for ADP, remains among the most investigated treatments in cardiovascular medicine. While a substantial amount of research initially stemmed from the observations of late and very late stent thrombosis events in the first-generation drug-eluting stent (DES) era, DAPT has been recently transitioning from a purely stent-related to a more systemic secondary prevention strategy. Oral and parenteral platelet P2Y12 inhibitors are currently available for clinical use. The latter have been shown to be extremely suitable in drug-naïve patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), mainly because oral P2Y12 inhibitors are associated with delayed efficacy in patients with STEMI and because pre-treatment with P2Y12 inhibitors is discouraged in NSTE-ACS, and in patients with recent DES implantation and in need of urgent cardiac and non-cardiac surgery. More definitive evidence is needed, however, about optimal switching strategies between parenteral and oral P2Y12 inhibitors and about newer potent subcutaneous agents that are being developed for the pre-hospital setting.
  • 921
  • 12 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Cardiac Natriuretic Peptides, Their Receptors and Metabolism
Cardiac natriuretic peptides (NPs), atrial NP (ANP) and B-type NP (BNP) are true hormones produced and released by cardiomyocytes, exerting several systemic effects. Together with C-type NP (CNP), mainly expressed by endothelial cells, they also exert several paracrine and autocrine activities on the heart itself, contributing to cardiovascular (CV) health. NPs prevent cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, arrhythmias and cardiomyopathies, counteracting the development and progression of heart failure (HF). Moreover, some studies revealed that a protein structurally similar to NPs mainly produced by skeletal muscles and osteoblasts called musclin/osteocrin is able to interact with the NPs clearance receptor, attenuating cardiac dysfunction and myocardial fibrosis and promoting heart protection during pathological overload. 
  • 920
  • 07 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Percutaneous Coronary Intervention of Chronic Total Occlusion
Percutaneous coronary intervention of chronic total occlusion (CTO PCI) is a challenging procedure with high complication rates and, as not yet fully understood long-term clinical benefits. Ischemic symptom relief in patients with high ischemic burden is to date the only established clinical indication to undergo CTO PCI, supported by randomized controlled trials.
  • 920
  • 10 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Antithrombotic Therapy in Patients with AF Undergoing PCI
The antithrombotic management of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) poses numerous challenges. Triple antithrombotic therapy (TAT), which combines dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with oral anticoagulation (OAC), provides anti-ischemic protection but increases the risk of bleeding. Therefore, TAT is generally limited to a short phase (1 week) after PCI, followed by aspirin withdrawal and continuation of 6–12 months of dual antithrombotic therapy (DAT), comprising OAC plus clopidogrel, followed by OAC alone.
  • 920
  • 27 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Segmental Disharmony
In very rare circumstances, individuals can be found in whom, when the atrial chambers are in their expected position, and the cavities of the atrial chambers are in continuity with their morphologically appropriate or inappropriate ventricles, the ventricular topology is incongruent with the connections present.
  • 919
  • 27 May 2022
Topic Review
Electrocardiogram-AI and Cardiovascular System
The electrocardiogram (ECG) is among the most commonly utilized clinical tests for patient monitoring and assessment because it is easy to acquire and provides extensive information about patients’ cardiac health. Instead, continuous, real-time, remote monitoring allows for a more rigorous oversight of patients’ conditions, even compared to in-hospital observation. Wearable devices to address monitoring are now a prominent focus of industry, which in turn provides strong motivation for applying artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to ECG signals for automated disease detection and prediction.
  • 919
  • 29 May 2023
Topic Review
Induced Cardiomyocyte Proliferation
Spontaneous cardiomyocyte regeneration has been demonstrated in embryonic and neonatal mammals after genetic ablation, apical resection, or myocardial infarction. Adult cardiomyocyte proliferation and turnover have been reported to be minimal in human heartsand rodents. Cardiomyocyte division was also demonstrated to occur at a very low rate after acute and chronic infarction in humans.
  • 919
  • 13 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Environment, Gut Microbiota, and CAD
Gut microbiota has been shown to affect the cardiovascular system through different mechanisms, representing a potentially modifiable risk factor for atherosclerosis. This opens new perspectives on therapeutic and preventive strategies for coronary artery disease (CAD). Gut microbiota strongly varies depending on several environmental and lifestyle factors, such as pollution and diet, and maintains a symbiotic relationship with the gut mucosa, with substantial metabolic, immunological, and gut protective functions in the healthy individual.
  • 919
  • 23 Jun 2021
  • Page
  • of
  • 45
Featured Entry Collections
>>

Featured Reprints

>>
Encyclopedia of Digital Society, Industry 5.0 and Smart City
Encyclopedia of Engineering
Encyclopedia of Social Sciences
Encyclopedia of Medieval Royal Iconography
Academic Video Service
Feedback

Quick Survey

Encyclopedia MDPI is conducting a targeted survey to identify the specific barriers hindering efficient research. We invite you to spend 3 minutes defining the priorities for our next generation of structured knowledge tools.
Take Survey