Topic Review
Factors Affecting the Lipoprotein(a) Levels
Lipoprotein(a) is a variant of LDL-C, distinguished by the covalent binding of ApoB100 to a unique glycoprotein called apolipoprotein(a) via a disulfide thioester bond.
  • 6
  • 28 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Stem and Progenitor Cell for Ischemic Heart Disease
Despite improvements in contemporary medical and surgical therapies, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a significant cause of worldwide morbidity and mortality; more specifically, ischemic heart disease (IHD) may affect individuals as young as 20 years old. Typically managed with guideline-directed medical therapy, interventional or surgical methods, the incurred cardiomyocyte loss is not always completely reversible; however, recent research into various stem cell (SC) populations has highlighted their potential for the treatment and perhaps regeneration of injured cardiac tissue, either directly through cellular replacement or indirectly through local paracrine effects. Different stem cell (SC) types have been employed in studies of infarcted myocardium, both in animal models of myocardial infarction (MI) as well as in clinical studies of MI patients, including embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), Muse cells, multipotent stem cells such as bone marrow-derived cells, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and cardiac stem and progenitor cells (CSC/CPCs). These have been delivered as is, in the form of cell therapies, or have been used to generate tissue-engineered (TE) constructs with variable results. 
  • 19
  • 27 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Current Knowledge of Enterococcal Endocarditis
Enterococci are a unique type of bacteria due to their ability to withstand a broad range of different environmental parameters such as pH, temperature, salinity, bile acids, and so on. They are resistant to many antibiotic compounds and have the flexibility to flourish as both common commensal and opportunistic pathogens in a broad range of clinical settings.
  • 27
  • 26 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Classification and Hemodynamic Definitions of Pulmonary Hypertension
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) refers to a pathologic elevation of the mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in a wide range of medical conditions. These conditions are classified according to similarities in pathophysiology and management in addition to their invasive hemodynamic profiles. The 2022 ESC/ERS guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension present the newest clinical classification system and includes significant updates to the hemodynamic definitions. Pulmonary hypertension is now hemodynamically defined as an mPAP > 20 mmHg, reduced from the previous threshold of ≥25 mmHg, due to important insights from both normative and prognostic data. Pulmonary vascular resistance has been extended into the definition of pre-capillary pulmonary hypertension, with an updated threshold of >2 Wood Units (WU), to help differentiate pulmonary vascular disease from other causes of increased mPAP. Exercise pulmonary hypertension has been reintroduced into the hemodynamic definitions and is defined by an mPAP/cardiac output slope of >3 mmHg/L/min between rest and exercise. While these new hemodynamic thresholds will have a significant impact on the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension, no evidence-based treatments are available for patients with mPAP between 21–24 mmHg and/or PVR between 2–3 WU or with exercise PH. 
  • 36
  • 21 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Paraoxonase 1 and Its Implications in Various Diseases
Paraoxonase enzymes have a protective role due to their ability to contribute to antioxidant and anti-inflammatory pathways, especially paraoxonase 1 (PON1). PON1 is diminished in infectious diseases, it can be used as a marker, and it can lead to lower protection against the microorganism; therefore, it can play a part in the development of antibiotic resistance.
  • 20
  • 21 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Postoperative Myocardial Infarction after Non-Cardiac Surgery
In patients undergoing major non-cardiac surgery, perioperative myocardial infarction (PMI) is a threatened complication. Every year, not less than 300 million non-cardiac surgery interventions are performed in the world. Perioperative mortality after non-cardiac surgery is estimated at 2% in patients over 45 years of age. Cardiovascular events account for half of these deaths, and most are due to perioperative myocardial infarction (MINS). The diagnosis of postoperative myocardial infarction, before the introduction of cardiac biomarkers, was based on symptoms and electrocardiographic changes and its incidence was largely underestimated. The incidence of MINS when a standard troponin assay is used ranges between 8 and 19% but increases to 20–30% with high-sensitivity troponin assays. Higher troponin values suggesting myocardial injury, both with or without a definite diagnosis of myocardial infarction, are associated with an increase in 30-day and 1-year mortality. 
  • 39
  • 20 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Flow Mediated Skin Fluorescence for Vascular Dysfunction Identification
Arterial blood pressure monitoring plays an important role in preventive medicine, allowing, in selected cases, the identification of vascular dysfunction. Extensive research, encompassing both healthy subjects and patients with a range of vascular issues, has consistently demonstrated the efficacy of the Flow Mediated Skin Fluorescence (FMSF) technique in identifying cases of impaired vascular function, including many cases of silent vascular dysfunction that are not manifested by changes in blood pressure. 
  • 82
  • 15 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Valve-in-Valve Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement
Bioprosthetic heart valves (BHV) have been increasingly implanted instead of mechanical valves in patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). Structural valve deterioration (SVD) is a common issue at follow-up and can justify the need for a reintervention. In the evolving landscape of interventional cardiology, valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement (ViV TAVR) has emerged as a remarkable innovation to address the complex challenges of patients previously treated with SAVR and has rapidly gained prominence as a feasible technique especially in patients at high surgical risk. On the other hand, the expanding indications for TAVR in progressively younger patients with severe aortic stenosis pose the crucial question on the long-term durability of transcatheter heart valves (THVs), as patients might outlive the bioprosthetic valve.
  • 34
  • 15 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Drug-Coated Balloons
Drug-coated balloons (DCB) are a well-established option for treating in-stent restenosis endorsed by European Guidelines on myocardial revascularization. However, in recent years, a strategy of “leaving nothing behind” with DCB in de novo coronary stenosis has emerged as an appealing approach.
  • 29
  • 12 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Interleukin-1 Blockers in Recurrent Pericarditis
Diseases of the pericardium encompass a spectrum of conditions, including acute and recurrent pericarditis, where inflammation plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis and clinical manifestations. Anti-inflammatory therapy indeed forms the cornerstone of treating these conditions: NSAIDs, colchicine, and corticosteroids (as a second-line treatment) are recommended by current guidelines. However, these medications come with several contraindications and are not devoid of adverse effects. There has been an increased focus on the role of the inflammasome and potential therapeutic targets. Recurrent pericarditis also shares numerous characteristics with other autoinflammatory diseases, in which interleukin-1 antagonists have already been employed with good efficacy and safety. 
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  • 11 Mar 2024
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