Circulation research
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Circulation research · Jun 2019
Macrophage Smad3 Protects the Infarcted Heart, Stimulating Phagocytosis and Regulating Inflammation.
TGF (transforming growth factor)-β is critically involved in myocardial injury, repair, and fibrosis, activating both Smad (small mothers against decapentaplegic)-dependent and non-Smad pathways. The in vivo role of TGF-β signaling in regulation of macrophage function is poorly understood. We hypothesized that in the infarcted myocardium, activation of TGF-β/Smad signaling in macrophages may regulate repair and remodeling. ⋯ We demonstrate that Smad3 critically regulates function of infarct macrophages, by mediating acquisition of a phagocytic phenotype and by contributing to anti-inflammatory transition. Smad3-dependent actions in macrophages protect the infarcted heart from adverse remodeling.
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Circulation research · Jun 2019
Gut Microbial Associations to Plasma Metabolites Linked to Cardiovascular Phenotypes and Risk.
Altered gut microbial composition has been linked to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), but its functional links to host metabolism and immunity in relation to CVD development remain unclear. ⋯ This study presents the largest metagenome-based association study on plasma metabolism and microbiome relevance to diet, inflammation, CVD risk, and cardiometabolic phenotypes in both population-based and clinical obesity cohorts. Our findings identified novel bacterial species and pathways that associated to specific lipoprotein subclasses and revealed functional links between the gut microbiome and host health that provide a basis for developing microbiome-targeted therapy for disease prevention and treatment.