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Topic Review
Autoimmune Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis can be classified into primary simple atherosclerosis, which occurs with age, and secondary autoimmune atherosclerosis, which was also coined as accelerated atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is the main cause of cardiovascular diseases in autoimmune rheumatic diseases.
  • 1.4K
  • 15 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm and Dissection
The main challenge in diagnosing and managing thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection (TAA/D) is represented by the early detection of a disease that is both deadly and “elusive”, as it generally grows asymptomatically prior to rupture, leading to death in the majority of cases. Gender differences exist in aortic dissection in terms of incidence and treatment options. Efforts have been made to identify biomarkers that may help in early diagnosis and in detecting those patients at a higher risk of developing life-threatening complications. As soon as the hereditability of the TAA/D was demonstrated, several genetic factors were found to be associated with both the syndromic and non-syndromic forms of the disease, and they currently play a role in patient diagnosis/prognosis and management-guidance purposes.
  • 1.4K
  • 02 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Saliva biomarkers for Heart Failure
Heart Failure (HF) is a clinical syndrome characterized by symptoms such as dyspnoea or fatigue on exertion or at rest, and clinical signs (i.e. lower extremity oedema, elevated jugular venous pressure, pulmonary crackles, etc.) caused by a structural and/or functional cardiac abnormality, ultimately leading to reduced cardiac output. Despite advances in the knowledge on HF, decisions on diagnosis and treatment of HF remain challenging. In everyday clinical practice, biomarkers such as plasma natriuretic peptides such as brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal fragment BNP (NT-proBNP), play an important role in HF diagnosis, therapy monitoring and risk stratification, while many other serum biomarkers have also been studied without definite evidence on how to use them in clinical practice. Biomarkers that could be measured in other biological fluids other than blood, easily and non-invasively, and outside the hospital setting, have attracted research interest. During the last years, saliva has emerged as a body fluid for this purpose.  This review assessed the potential role of salivary biomarkers in diagnosis and progression monitoring of patients with HF. 18 salivary biomarkers were analyzed and the levels of all biomarkers studied were found to be higher in HF patients compared to controls, except for amylase, sodium, and chloride that had smaller saliva concentrations in HF patients. Natriuretic peptides are the most commonly used plasma biomarkers in the management of HF. Their saliva levels show promising results, although the correlation of saliva to plasma values is weakened in higher plasma values. In most of the publications, differences in biomarker levels between HF patients and controls were found to be statistically significant. Due to small number of patients included, larger studies need to be conducted in order to facilitate the use of saliva biomarkers in clinical practice.
  • 1.4K
  • 19 May 2021
Topic Review
Computer Modeling of the Heart
Computer modeling of the electrophysiology of the heart has undergone significant progress. A healthy heart can be modeled starting from the ion channels via the spread of a depolarization wave on a realistic geometry of the human heart up to the potentials on the body surface and the ECG.
  • 1.4K
  • 25 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Bioavailability of Thymol in Humans and Animals
Herbal additives may have possible health benefits in animals and humans, particularly thymol, whose phenolic group is responsiblefor the neutralisation of free radicals, and information concerning its detection through body action,bioavailability and mechanisms in rabbits. Plants containing thymol have been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes. Although a great number of in vitro studies of cardiovascular and cancer diseases are available, in vivo studies that confirm these findings have not been sufficiently reported. To determine the beneficial dose, further clinical studies are necessary, with preclinical comprehensive research on animal models.
  • 1.4K
  • 22 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Implications of Ferroptosis in Cardiovascular Disease
Ferroptosis has recently been demonstrated to be a novel regulated non-apoptotic cell death characterized by iron-dependence and the accumulation of lipid peroxidation that results in membrane damage. Ferroptosis plays an essential role in the development of diverse cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), such as hemochromatosis-associated cardiomyopathy, doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity, ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, heart failure (HF), atherosclerosis, and COVID-19–related arrhythmias.
  • 1.4K
  • 07 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Mitral Paravalvular Leak
Paravalvular leak incidence after mitral surgical replacement ranges from 7% to 17%. Between 1% and 5% of these are clinically significant. Large PVLs can cause important clinical manifestations such as heart failure or haemolysis. Current guidelines consider that surgical reparation is the gold-standard therapy in symptomatic patients with paravalvular leak. However, these recommendations are based in non-randomized observational registries. On the other hand, transcatheter paravalvular leak closure has shown excellent results with a low rate of complications, and nowadays it is considered the first option in selected patients in some experienced centres.
  • 1.4K
  • 11 Apr 2022
Topic Review
SR-B1 in Cardiovascular Disease
The scavenger receptor B class type 1 (SR-B1) was identified as the high-affinity HDL receptor, which facilitates the selective uptake of cholesterol ester (CE) into the liver via HDL and is also implicated in the plasma clearance of LDL, very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)). Thus, SR-B1 is a multifunctional receptor that plays a main role in the metabolism of different lipoproteins. 
  • 1.4K
  • 03 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Nrf2 and HO-1 in Atherosclerosis
Oxidative stress mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays a key role in the atherosclerotic process. ROS not only oxidize LDL, they also promote several pro-atherogenic effects, including inflammation, apoptosis, and alteration of vascular tone. The imbalance between pro- and antioxidant agents drives to the formation and progression of atherosclerotic plaque lesions. In this sense, the transcription factor Nuclear factor–erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is known to activate the expression of more than 250 antioxidant enzymes—such as heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), glutathione peroxidase, or glutamate-cysteine ligase —making it a master regulator of oxidative stress. Nrf2 has been associated with different cardiovascular-related pathologies—such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, hypertension, or heart failure. Currently, Nrf2 signaling pathway is considered an important defense mechanism against cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).
  • 1.4K
  • 11 Oct 2021
Topic Review Video
The Link between Cardiovascular Disease and Exosomes
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. In recent decades, clinical research has made significant advances, resulting in improved survival and recovery rates for patients with CVD. Despite this progress, there is substantial residual CVD risk and an unmet need for better treatment. The complex and multifaceted pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the development of CVD pose a challenge for researchers seeking effective therapeutic interventions. Consequently, exosomes have emerged as a new focus for CVD research because their role as intercellular communicators gives them the potential to act as noninvasive diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic nanocarriers. In the heart and vasculature, cell types such as cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle, cardiac fibroblasts, inflammatory cells, and resident stem cells are involved in cardiac homeostasis via the release of exosomes. Exosomes encapsulate cell-type specific miRNAs, and this miRNA content fluctuates in response to the pathophysiological setting of the heart, indicating that the pathways affected by these differentially expressed miRNAs may be targets for new treatments.
  • 1.4K
  • 04 May 2023
Topic Review
Chronic Renal Failure and Cardiovascular Disease
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is highly prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), with a linear increase in the risk of cardiovascular mortality with decreasing eGFR. The concomitant renal disease often poses a major challenge in decision making as symptoms, cardiac biomarkers, and noninvasive studies for evaluation of myocardial ischemia have different sensitivity and specificity thresholds in this specific population.
  • 1.3K
  • 11 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Wearable Sensing Technologies
Standards for the fatigue testing of wearable sensing technologies are lacking. The majority of published fatigue tests for wearable sensors are performed on proof-of-concept stretch sensors fabricated from a variety of materials. Due to their flexibility and stretchability, polymers are often used in the fabrication of wearable sensors. Other materials, including textiles, carbon nanotubes, graphene, and conductive metals or inks, may be used in conjunction with polymers to fabricate wearable sensors.
  • 1.3K
  • 10 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Mitochondrial Morphology/Dynamics in Heart Failure
The mitochondria are mostly abundant in the heart, a beating organ of high- energy demands. Their function extends beyond being a power plant of the cell including redox balance, ion homeostasis and metabolism. They are dynamic organelles that are tethered to neighboring structures, especially the endoplasmic reticulum. Together, they constitute a functional unit implicated in complex physiological and pathophysiological processes. Their topology in the cell, the cardiac myocyte in particular, places them at the hub of signaling and calcium homeostasis, making them master regulators of cell survival or cell death. Perturbations in mitochondrial function play a central role in the pathophysiology of myocardial remodeling and progression of heart failure. 
  • 1.3K
  • 11 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Sympathetic Activation after Myocardial Infarction
Myocardial infarction often leads to progressive structural and electrophysiologic remodeling of the left ventricle. Histological and functional studies have demonstrated extensive alterations of sympathetic nerve endings at the peri-infarct area and flow-innervation mismatches that create a highly arrhythmogenic milieu.
  • 1.3K
  • 26 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Current Management Strategies for Neurogenic Hypertension
Hypertension is a significant risk factor for renal impairment, other cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, and multiple end-organ damages. Nevertheless, a large pool of recent studies affirms a relatively higher incidence of sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) (as indicated by high levels of norepinephrine and plasma catecholamines) in hypertension unresponsive to conventional treatment, which is also referred to as resistance hypertension or neurogenic hypertension (NH). This strong association between an increase in SNA and elevated blood pressure (BP) forms the basis of NH: a form of hypertension mainly driven by a sympathetic mechanism. The complex nature of NH makes curative treatment difficult. Therefore, the current therapeutic approach to tackling NH aims at bringing BP under control to prevent any cardiovascular events and associated end-organ damage. In addition, surgical procedures that have been explored for NH management interfere with the sympathetic influence on cardiac function. Although several surgical approaches were adopted, only a few progresses toward preclinical stages and still lead to inconclusive outcomes. Both therapeutic and surgical approaches that have been implemented for the management of NH will be briefly discussed.
  • 1.3K
  • 20 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Evolution of an Atherosclerotic Plaque
Atherosclerosis is a condition mediated by immune mechanisms, which is realized by the accumulation of lipoproteins in the wall of arterial vessels, leading to its focal thickening and the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in medium- and large-caliber arteries. Lipids, inflammatory infiltrates, smooth muscle cells, and connective tissue composes an atherosclerotic plaque, and a fibrous cap covers it. Damage to the latter leads to the fact that the internal contents of the plaque interact directly with the blood, which can cause thrombosis, and in the case of fragmentation of both the plaque and the blood clot on its surface—embolism in the distal vascular bed.
  • 1.3K
  • 20 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Antioxidants in Arrhythmia Treatment
Antioxidants are substances that can prevent damage to cells caused by free radicals. Production of reactive oxygen species and the presence of oxidative stress play an important role in cardiac arrhythmias.
  • 1.3K
  • 15 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Coronary Syndromes and High-Altitude Exposure
High-altitude (HA) locations (more than 2500 m above sea level) are reached by millions of people on a daily basis, aspect largely due to the ease of transport in recent years, mainly by air travel. Mountain areas cover 24% of Earth’s surface: 33% of Eurasia, 19% of South America, 24% of North America, and 14% of Africa.
  • 1.3K
  • 06 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Perioperative Right Ventricular Dysfunction in Cardiac Surgery
Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction frequently occurs after cardiac surgery and is linked to adverse postoperative outcomes, including mortality, reintubation, stroke, and prolonged ICU stays. While various criteria using echocardiography and hemodynamic parameters have been proposed, a consensus remains elusive. Distinctive RV anatomical features include its thin wall, which presents a triangular shape in a lateral view and a crescent shape in a cross-sectional view. Principal causes of RV dysfunction after cardiac surgery encompass ischemic reperfusion injury, prolonged ischemic time, choice of cardioplegia and its administration, cardiopulmonary bypass weaning characteristics, and preoperative risk factors. Post-left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation RV dysfunction is common but often transient, with a favorable prognosis upon resolution. There is an ongoing debate regarding the benefits of concomitant surgical repair of the RV in the presence of regurgitation. According to the literature, the gold standard techniques for assessing RV function are cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and hemodynamic assessment using thermodilution. 
  • 1.3K
  • 04 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Multimodality Imaging in Detection Women's Ischemic Heart Disease
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and disability, accounting for approximately one in three deaths worldwide. It is the leading cause of death in the United States; coronary artery disease (CAD) and ischemic heart disease (IHD) remain the leading causes of death attributable to cardiovascular disease in men and women. The incidence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is increasing due to an increase in cardiac risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia in addition to an aging population. However, age-adjusted mortality rates are decreasing, likely due to improved medical therapies allowing patients to live longer with IHD. Although cardiovascular disease is more common in men, women with CAD have a worse short and long-term prognosis. In addition, women with symptoms of angina or who have had an abnormal cardiac stress test are less likely to be referred for additional diagnostic testing and initiated on guideline directed medical therapies.
  • 1.3K
  • 31 Oct 2022
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