European journal of clinical investigation
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · May 2021
ReviewUpdating concepts on atherosclerotic inflammation: from pathophysiology to treatment.
Atherosclerosis is recognized as a systemic low-grade inflammatory disease. Furthermore, the dysregulation of the inflammatory response and its timely resolution is a pivotal process in determining the clinical manifestations of cardiac and cerebral acute ischaemia following atherothrombosis. ⋯ Although a large amount of evidence from animal models of atherothrombotic disease, and promising results of clinical trials, anti-inflammatory treatments against atherosclerosis are not yet recommended. A deepest understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the mechanisms driving resolution of the acute inflammation will probably allow to identify the optimal molecular target.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · May 2021
ReviewThe long and winding road to target protein misfolding in cardiovascular diseases.
In the last decades, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) have remained the first leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the world. Although several therapeutic approaches have been introduced in the past, the development of novel treatments remains an important research goal, which is hampered by the lack of understanding of key mechanisms and targets. Emerging evidences in recent years indicate the involvement of misfolded proteins aggregation and the derailment of protein quality control in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. Several potential interventions targeting protein quality control have been translated from the bench to the bedside to effectively employ the misfolded proteins as promising therapeutic targets for cardiac diseases, but with trivial results. ⋯ At present, no therapeutic strategies have been reported to attenuate proteotoxicity in patients with CVD due to a lack of specific biomarkers for pinpointing upstream events in protein folding defects at a subclinical stage of the diseases requiring an intensive collaboration between basic scientists and clinicians.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · May 2021
Impact of frailty and atrial fibrillation in elderly patients with acute coronary syndromes.
There is scarce information on the prognostic role of frailty and atrial fibrillation (AF) in elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). ⋯ Frailty but not AF status was independently associated with follow-up adverse events. Frailty status and high Charlson index were independent conditions associated with adverse events during the follow-up. The impact of functional status has a bigger prognostic role over AF status in elderly patients with ACS.
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Age at menarche (AAM) is an important indicator of physiological development in women, and delayed AAM has been associated with chronic illnesses. We investigated predictive factors at diagnosis that influence AAM in adolescents with chronic respiratory diseases. ⋯ AAM in patients with CF and asthma was significantly higher than in healthy adolescents, and menses abnormalities were observed in the last two groups. Inflammation influences the reproductive function in chronic respiratory disease.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · May 2021
Association of beta-hydroxybutyrate with development of heart failure: Sex differences in a Dutch population cohort.
In the failing heart, energy metabolism is shifted towards increased ketone body oxidation. Nevertheless, the association of beta-hydroxybutyrate (β-OHB) with development of heart failure (HF) remains unclear. We investigated the association between plasma β-OHB and the risk of HF in a prospective population-based cohort. ⋯ This prospective study suggests that high plasma concentrations of β-OHB are associated with an increased risk of HFrEF, particularly in women. The mechanisms responsible for the sex differences of this association warrant further study.