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Topic Review
Biomarkers of Diagnosis of Acute Cardiorenal Syndrome
An increasing number of patients have suffered from combined heart and kidney dysfunction largely known as cardiorenal syndrome (CRS). A panel of new biomarkers (in plasma and/or urine) and artificial intelligence support systems could aid in the early identification of CRS patients at risk of developing adverse outcomes.
  • 899
  • 03 Jul 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. 
  • 899
  • 07 Dec 2022
Topic Review
β-Blockers in Heart Failure
Cardiac β-receptor dysfunction in HFrEF is characterized by a reduced β1-receptor density and by the uncoupling of β1- and β2-receptors from the membrane G proteins, resulting in their functional desensitization. This mechanism is mediated by increased G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 activity, resulting in reduced cardiac β-receptor density and reactivity, with consequent reduced cardiac inotropic reserve. In addition, catecholamines themselves are cardiotoxic, contributing to myocardial damage.
  • 898
  • 02 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Cost-Effectiveness of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging
The utilization of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in cardiac imaging became possible with fast acquisition techniques and improved imaging quality, allowing adequate assessment of cardiac function and morphology with a high degree of accuracy and precision. CMR is hailed as the single most important procedure that could revolutionize the standard of care. However, given the relatively long duration of CMR examination, its costs, and multiple limiting patient factors including patient comfort and safety, other diagnostic alternatives with lower cost and shorter turn-around times are typically preferred to attain preliminary information. The cost of CMR is an essential factor for its appropriate utilization and the just allocation of healthcare resources due to cost being a barrier to entry in community settings. In this regard, a cost-effectiveness analysis of CMR can shed light on its diagnostic and prognostic utility.
  • 898
  • 03 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Impact of Dietary Fats on Cardiovascular Disease
Dietary habits have major implications as causes of death globally, particularly in terms of cardiovascular disease, but to precisely define the role of the single components of diet in terms of cardiovascular risk is not an easy task. As an example, complex and multifactorial are the possible nutritional or detrimental effects of dietary fats, due to the huge variety of lipid metabolites originating from either the enzymatic or non-enzymatic oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, cholesterol and phospholipids. The area of research that has allowed the benefit/risk profile of a dietary supplement to be tested with controlled studies is that of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids have showed a potential therapeutic role only in secondary cardiovascular prevention, while controlled studies in primary prevention have consistently produced neutral results.
  • 898
  • 28 Nov 2022
Topic Review
G-Proteins in Cardiovascular Diseases
G-proteins are a family of specialized proteins that can bind to nucleotides, i.e., guanosine triphosphate (GTP) and guanosine diphosphate (GDP); thus, they are also known as guanine nucleotide-binding proteins. G-proteins are either composed of a single subunit (monomeric) or multiple subunits (heterotrimeric). G-proteins and their receptors are extensively expressed in the cardiovascular system and are involved in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases. Much of the G-protein signaling is mediated by several signaling effectors, such as adenylyl cyclase (AC), Ras homology (Rho), cell division cycle 42 (cdc42), phospholipase C (PLC), and SRC, which contribute to various diverse cellular processes.
  • 896
  • 10 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Constraints in Clinical Cardiology
The integration of genetic and molecular components of a disease produces interacting networks, modules and phenotypes with clinical applications in complex cardiovascular entities. With the holistic principle of systems biology, some of the features of complexity and natural progression of cardiac diseases are approached and explained. Two important interrelated holistic concepts of systems biology are described; the emerging field of personalized medicine and the constraint-based thinking with downward causation. Constraints in cardiovascular diseases embrace three scientific fields related to clinical cardiology: biological and medical constraints; constraints due to limitations of current technology; and constraints of general resources for better medical coverage. Systems healthcare and personalized medicine are connected to the related scientific fields of: ethics and legal status; data integration; taxonomic revisions; policy decisions; and organization of human genomic data. 
  • 894
  • 27 May 2021
Topic Review
RhoA Signaling in Immune Cell/Cardiac
One of the key proteins involved in stress-mediated cardiomyocyte signal transduction is a small GTPase RhoA. Importantly, the regulation of RhoA activation is critical for effective immune cell response and is being considered as one of the potential therapeutic targets in many immune-cell-mediated inflammatory diseases.
  • 894
  • 27 Jul 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.
  • 893
  • 23 Jun 2021
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.
  • 892
  • 13 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Endothelial Ion Channel Therapy-Targets for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Endothelial cells (ECs) form a multifunctional signal-transducing surface that performs diverse tasks depending on its localization in the vessel tree. A diverse variety of ion channels is expressed in the plasma and organelle membranes that control the function of these cells. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a severe disease characterized by vascular remodeling in pulmonary arteries attributable to persistent vasoconstriction, proliferation, inflammation, and in situ thrombosis.  Ion channels play a crucial role in the pathophysiology of the disease and can be carefully considered as new therapeutic targets relevant for PAH.
  • 891
  • 08 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Echocardiographic Markers for Arrhythmias and Cardiac Magnetic Resonance
Cardiovascular diseases remain among the leading causes of death worldwide and sudden cardiac death (SCD) accounts for ~25% of these deaths. Despite its epidemiologic relevance, there are very few diagnostic strategies available useful to prevent SCD mainly focused on patients already affected by specific cardiovascular diseases. Unfortunately, most of these parameters exhibit poor positive predictive accuracy. Moreover, there is also a need to identify parameters to stratify the risk of SCD among otherwise healthy subjects. 
  • 891
  • 09 May 2022
Topic Review
Sympathetic–Vascular Interactions
Sympathetic–vascular interactions means that the sympathetic nervous system plays a pivotal role in the short- and long-term regulation of different cardiovascular functions. In recent decades, increasing evidence has demonstrated that sympathetic neural influences are involved not only in the vasomotor modulation of small resistance arteries but also in the control of large arteries. Sympathetic activity and vascular function, which are key factors in the pathophysiology and prognosis of cardiovascular disease, are linked by a close relationship. Evidence from experimental studies indicates that the sympathetic nervous system is critically influenced, at the central and also at the peripheral level, by the most relevant factors regulating vascular function, namely nitric oxide, reactive oxygen species and endothelin. Additionally, there is evidence of a reciprocal influence between endothelial function and sympathetic mechanisms. 
  • 890
  • 03 Sep 2021
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.
  • 890
  • 12 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Interventions
Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a common valvular pathology, estimated to affect 1.6 million people in the United States alone. Even though guidelines recommend either medical therapy or surgical treatment for TR, the misconception of TR as a benign disease along with the high mortality rates of surgical intervention led to undertreating this disease and commonly describing it as a “forgotten” valve.
  • 889
  • 07 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Multimodality Imaging
Multimodality imaging is the basis of the diagnosis, follow-up, and surgical management of bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) patients.
  • 887
  • 09 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Role of Smoking in the Pathogenesis of COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has a high prevalence and is an important cause of hospitalization, disability, and mortality worldwide. The development and progression of COPD are characterized by airway inflammation and subsequent damage to the lung parenchyma. Prolonged exposure to particles and gases in cigarette smoke is a major risk factor for COPD development.
  • 886
  • 18 May 2023
Topic Review
Dual Antiplatelet Therapy after Coronary Stenting
Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), comprising aspirin and a P2Y12 receptor inhibitor, is the cornerstone of post-percutaneous coronary intervention treatment to prevent stent thrombosis and reduce the risk of adverse cardiovascular events.
  • 884
  • 22 Nov 2023
Topic Review
APJ in Myocardial Infarction- and Hypertension-Induced Heart Failure
The widely expressed G protein-coupled apelin receptor (APJ) is activated by two bioactive endogenous peptides, apelin and ELABELA (ELA). The apelin/ELA-APJ-related pathway has been found involved in the regulation of many physiological and pathological cardiovascular processes. Increasing studies are deepening the role of the APJ pathway in limiting hypertension and myocardial ischaemia, thus reducing cardiac fibrosis and adverse tissue remodelling, outlining APJ regulation as a potential therapeutic target for heart failure prevention.
  • 883
  • 10 May 2023
Topic Review
Biomarkers in Peripartum Cardiomyopathy
Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a form of heart failure, often severe, that occurs in previously healthy women at the end of their pregnancy or in the first few months after delivery. In PPCM, the recovery of heart muscle function reaches 45–50%.
  • 883
  • 16 Jan 2024
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