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Topic Review
Alterations in Vascular Chloride Channels and Transporters
Blood pressure is determined by cardiac output and systemic vascular resistance, and mediators that induce vasoconstriction will increase systemic vascular resistance and thus elevate blood pressure. While peripheral vascular resistance reflects a complex interaction of multiple factors, vascular ion channels and transporters play important roles in the regulation of vascular tone by modulating the membrane potential of vascular cells. In vascular smooth muscle cells, chloride ions (Cl−) are a type of anions accumulated by anion exchangers and the anion–proton cotransporter system, and efflux of Cl− through Cl− channels depolarizes the membrane and thereby triggers vasoconstriction. Among these Cl− regulatory pathways, emerging evidence suggests that upregulation of the Ca2+-activated Cl− channel TMEM16A in the vasculature contributes to the increased vascular contractility and elevated blood pressure in hypertension. A robust accumulation of intracellular Cl− in vascular smooth muscle cells through the increased activity of Na+–K+–2Cl− cotransporter 1 (NKCC1) during hypertension has also been reported. Thus, the enhanced activity of both TMEM16A and NKCC1 could act additively and sequentially to increase vascular contractility and hence blood pressure in hypertension.
  • 770
  • 22 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Bariatric Surgery in Obese Patients with Diabetes
Bariatric surgery has been shown to be able to reduce the incidence of obesity-related cardiovascular disease and thus overall mortality. This result has been shown to be the result of hormonal and metabolic effects induced by post-surgical anatomical changes, with important effects on multiple hormonal and molecular axes that make this treatment more effective than conservative therapy in determining a marked improvement in the patient’s cardiovascular risk profile.
  • 768
  • 25 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Mucormycosis in Indian COVID-19 Patients
Mucormycosis, previously known as zygomycosis, is a lethal fungus in which molds called mucormycetes can cause fungal infection. Mucormycosis causes angioinvasive infection among immunocompromised patients, with a mortality rate of 60%. Mucormycosis is the third most prevalent fungal infection in hematology patients, accounting for 8.3–13% of all fungal infections.
  • 764
  • 24 Sep 2021
Topic Review
NcRNAs in Cardiac Action Potential
microRNAs represent the most studied type of small ncRNAs and it has been demonstrated that miRNAs play essential roles in multiple biological contexts, including normal development and diseases. Cardiac arrhythmias are prevalent among humans across all age ranges, affecting millions of people worldwide. While cardiac arrhythmias vary widely in their clinical presentation, they possess shared complex electrophysiologic properties at cellular level that have not been fully studied. 
  • 762
  • 15 Sep 2021
Topic Review
The Genetic Landscape of Patent Foramen Ovale
Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) is a common postnatal defect of cardiac atrial septation. A certain degree of familial aggregation has been reported. Animal studies suggest the involvement of the Notch pathway and other cardiac transcription factors (GATA4, TBX20, NKX2-5) in Foramen Ovale closure. 
  • 762
  • 06 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Hibernating Myocardium and Prognosis in Ischemic Heart Failure
Ischemic heart disease is still the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. There is an increasing number of patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy and heart failure. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most important cause of chronic heart failure accounting for two thirds of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction cases. Hibernating myocardium is defined as a dysfunctional but viable cardiac area with persistently reduced contractility due to reduced coronary blood flow at rest. Myocardial contraction requires a higher amount of energy than that needed for cell survival. 
  • 761
  • 18 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Stem Cell Derived Mitochondrial Transplantation
Stem Cell Derived Mitochondrial Transplantation emerged as an interesting and so far, promising therapeutic option in a variety of diseases, including cardiovascular. In this review an overview on aging effects of stem cells (including stem cell heterogeneity) and mitochondria which might be important for mitochondrial transplantation as well as an overview on the current state in this field together with considerations worthwhile for further investigations are given.
  • 759
  • 01 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Dysregulation of mir-106a in Non-Cancer Diseases
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) comprise a class of non-coding RNA with extensive regulatory functions within cells. MiR-106a is recognized for its super-regulatory roles in vital processes. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, endogenous, non-coding RNAs that control gene expression at the translation and even transcription levels. miRNAs are critical regulators of biological processes, including cellular proliferation, differentiation, development, apoptosis, and modulation of the host response to viral infection.
  • 759
  • 03 Aug 2023
Topic Review
The Liver in Heart Failure
Heart failure (HF) is a clinical syndrome due to heart dysfunction, but in which other organs are also involved, resulting in a complex multisystemic disease, burdened with high mortality and morbidity. This article focuses on the mutual relationship between the heart and liver in HF patients. Any cause of right heart failure can cause hepatic congestion, with important prognostic significance. Cardiac biomarkers have been studied extensively in cardiology as a non-invasive diagnostic and monitoring tool for HF. However, their usefulness in assessing liver congestion in HF patients is still being researched. On the other hand, several prognostic scores based on liver biomarkers in patients with HF have been proposed in recent years, recognizing the important burden that liver involvement has in HF.
  • 759
  • 03 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Finerenone on Cardiovascular and Chronic Kidney Diseases
Patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) show high rates of cardiorenal outcomes. Several studies suggest that the activation of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) induces cardiac and renal injury, including inflammation and fibrosis. Finerenone is a novel non-steroidal selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA) with a stronger mineralocorticoid receptor binding potential than eplerenone and spironolactone. Finerenone has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects in preclinical studies.
  • 758
  • 08 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Dysregulated Calcium Handling in Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy
Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy is a syndrome of blunted cardiac systolic and diastolic function in patients with cirrhosis. Since contractility and relaxation depend on cardiomyocyte calcium transients, any factors that impact cardiac contractile and relaxation functions act eventually through calcium transients. In addition, calcium transients play an important role in cardiac arrhythmias. 
  • 758
  • 20 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Porcine Bioprostheses In Situ “Humanization”
This entry describes bioprostheses conversion into viable permanently functional tissue in humans. This process includes gradual degradation of the porcine tissue, with concomitant neo-vascularization and reconstruction of the implanted bioprosthesis with human cells and extracellular matrix. Such a reconstruction process is referred to in this review as “humanization”. Humanization was achieved with porcine bone-patellar-tendon-bone (BTB), replacing torn anterior-cruciate-ligament (ACL) in patients. In addition to its possible use in orthopedic surgery, it is suggested that this humanization method should be studied as a possible mechanism for converting implanted porcine bioprosthetic heart-valves (BHV) into viable tissue valves in young patients. Presently, these patients are only implanted with mechanical heart-valves, which require constant anticoagulation therapy. The processing of porcine bioprostheses, which enables humanization, includes elimination of α-gal epitopes and partial (incomplete) crosslinking with glutaraldehyde. Studies on implantation of porcine BTB bioprostheses indicated that enzymatic elimination of α-gal epitopes prevents subsequent accelerated destruction of implanted tissues by the natural anti-Gal antibody, whereas the partial crosslinking by glutaraldehyde molecules results in their function as “speed bumps” that slow the infiltration of macrophages, enabling gradual degradation of the bioprosthesis and replacement of the porcine tissue with human fibroblasts and the collagen fibers and matrix components they produce.
  • 756
  • 09 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Diet and Exercise Impacts on Metabolic Diseases
Epigenetic reprogramming predicts the long-term functional health effects of health-related metabolic disease. This epigenetic reprogramming is activated by exogenous or endogenous insults, leading to altered healthy and different disease states. The epigenetic and environmental changes involve a roadmap of epigenetic networking, such as dietary components and exercise on epigenetic imprinting and restoring epigenome patterns laid down during embryonic development, which are paramount to establishing youthful cell type and health.
  • 756
  • 24 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Macrophage Heterogeneity and Functions in Cardiovascular Diseases
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of hospitalization and death worldwide, especially in developing countries. The increased prevalence rate and mortality due to CVDs, despite the development of several approaches for prevention and treatment, are alarming trends in global health. Chronic inflammation and macrophage infiltration are key regulators of the initiation and progression of CVDs. Macrophage polarization is a unique phenotypic phenomenon where macrophages exhibit a particular functional response to the microenvironment. Macrophage activation produces distinct functional phenotypes that maintain homeostasis primarily by modulating the release of pro-and anti-inflammatory cytokines.
  • 753
  • 16 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Impact of CF-LVAD on Gastrointestinal Vasculature and GIB
Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have been increasingly used in patients with advanced heart failure, either as a destination therapy or as a bridge to heart transplant. Continuous flow (CF) LVADs have revolutionized advanced heart failure treatment. However, gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) remain a major concern in this patient population.
  • 748
  • 21 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Myocarditis Following mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination
The development of the mRNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 is unprecedented in the history of Vaccinology. The prototypes of the mRNA vaccine are BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna), which gained widespread use to prevent severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. As per CDC guidelines, these vaccines have undergone extensive testing and trials, and myocarditis and pericarditis occurred after the mRNA vaccines were not reported in trials.
  • 746
  • 17 Aug 2021
Topic Review
High-Density Lipoproteins as Bidirectional Lipid Vectors
The anti-atherogenic properties of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) have been explained mainly by reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) from peripheral tissues to the liver. The RCT seems to agree with most of the negative epidemiological correlations between HDL cholesterol levels and coronary artery disease. However, therapies designed to increase HDL cholesterol failed to reduce cardiovascular risk, despite their capacity to improve cholesterol efflux, the first stage of RCT. Therefore, the cardioprotective role of HDL may not be explained by RCT, and it is time for new paradigms about the physiological function of these lipoproteins. It should be considered that the main HDL apolipoprotein, apo AI, has been highly conserved throughout evolution. Consequently, these lipoproteins play an essential physiological role beyond their capacity to protect against atherosclerosis.
  • 746
  • 27 May 2022
Topic Review
Imaging Cardiovascular in Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients have a higher risk of developing early cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although vascular calcification (VC) is one of the strongest predictors of CVD risk, its diagnosis among the CKD population remains a serious clinical challenge. Imaging methods, henceforward referred to as imaging biomarkers, have played a crucial role in the diagnosis of VC, with important insights into cardiovascular risk. One of the reasons that may explain the struggle for accurate VC diagnosis in CKD patients is that the calcification characteristics change alongside renal deterioration and CKD progression. Novel circulating biomarkers like Fetuin-a, Matrix Gla Protein (MGP) and Gla Rich Protein (GRP), representing a more direct and unique reflection of the molecular dynamics involved in VC mechanisms, could complement VC clinical diagnostic and add value to patient care.
  • 746
  • 30 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Gut Microbiota for Atherosclerosis Disease
The increasing number of studies on the relationship between the gut microbiota and atherosclerosis have led to significant interest in this subject. The gut microbiota, its metabolites (metabolome), such as TMAO, and gut dysbiosis play an important role in the development of atherosclerosis. Furthermore, inflammation, originating from the intestinal tract, adds yet another mechanism by which the human ecosystem is disrupted, resulting in the manifestation of metabolic diseases and, by extension, cardiovascular diseases. 
  • 746
  • 22 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Therapy of Cardiac-Atrial-Appendage-Stem-Cells and Pyridoxamine
Myocardial infarction (MI) occurs when the coronary blood supply is interrupted. As a consequence, cardiomyocytes are irreversibly damaged and lost. Unfortunately, current therapies for MI are unable to prevent progression towards heart failure. As the renewal rate of cardiomyocytes is minimal, the optimal treatment should achieve effective cardiac regeneration, possibly with stem cells transplantation. In that context, our research group identified the cardiac atrial appendage stem cells (CASCs) as a new cellular therapy. However, CASCs are transplanted into a hostile environment, with elevated levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which may affect their regenerative potential. In this study, we hypothesize that pyridoxamine (PM), a vitamin B6 derivative, could further enhance the regenerative capacities of CASCs transplanted after MI by reducing AGEs’ formation. Methods and Results: MI was induced in rats by ligation of the left anterior descending artery. Animals were assigned to either no therapy (MI), CASCs transplantation (MI + CASCs), or CASCs transplantation supplemented with PM treatment (MI + CASCs + PM). Four weeks post-surgery, global cardiac function and infarct size were improved upon CASCs transplantation. Interstitial collagen deposition, evaluated on cryosections, was decreased in the MI animals transplanted with CASCs. Contractile properties of resident left ventricular cardiomyocytes were assessed by unloaded cell shortening. CASCs transplantation prevented cardiomyocyte shortening deterioration. Even if PM significantly reduced cardiac levels of AGEs, cardiac outcome was not further improved. Conclusion: Limiting AGEs’ formation with PM during an ischemic injury in vivo did not further enhance the improved cardiac phenotype obtained with CASCs transplantation. Whether AGEs play an important deleterious role in the setting of stem cell therapy after MI warrants further examination. 
  • 745
  • 04 Sep 2021
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