Circulation research
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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.
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Circulation research · Mar 2019
Molecular Imaging Visualizes Recruitment of Inflammatory Monocytes and Macrophages to the Injured Heart.
Paradigm shifting studies have revealed that the heart contains functionally diverse populations of macrophages derived from distinct embryonic and adult hematopoietic progenitors. Under steady-state conditions, the heart is largely populated by CCR2- (C-C chemokine receptor type 2) macrophages of embryonic descent. After tissue injury, a dramatic shift in macrophage composition occurs whereby CCR2+ monocytes are recruited to the heart and differentiate into inflammatory CCR2+ macrophages that contribute to heart failure progression. Currently, there are no techniques to noninvasively detect CCR2+ monocyte recruitment into the heart and thus identify patients who may be candidates for immunomodulatory therapy. ⋯ These findings demonstrate the sensitivity and specificity of 68Ga-DOTA-ECL1i in the mouse heart and highlight the translational potential of this agent to noninvasively visualize CCR2+ monocyte recruitment and inflammatory macrophage accumulation in patients.
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Circulation research · Mar 2019
Nut Consumption in Relation to Cardiovascular Disease Incidence and Mortality Among Patients With Diabetes Mellitus.
The evidence regarding the potential health benefits of nut consumption among individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus is limited. ⋯ Higher consumption of nuts, especially tree nuts, is associated with lower CVD incidence and mortality among participants with diabetes mellitus. These data provide novel evidence that supports the recommendation of incorporating nuts into healthy dietary patterns for the prevention of CVD complications and premature deaths among individuals with diabetes mellitus.
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Circulation research · Mar 2019
Selective BMP-9 Inhibition Partially Protects Against Experimental Pulmonary Hypertension.
Although many familial cases of pulmonary arterial hypertension exhibit an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance with the majority having mutations in essential constituents of the BMP (bone morphogenetic protein) signaling, the specific contribution of the long-term loss of signal transduction triggered by the BMPR2 (type 2 BMP receptor) remains poorly characterized. ⋯ Taken together, our data indicate that the loss of BMP9, by deletion or inhibition, has beneficial effects against pulmonary hypertension onset and progression.