Journal of the American Heart Association
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Mitochondrial dysfunction has been shown to play an important role in the development of atherosclerosis and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2), an enzyme responsible for the detoxification of reactive aldehydes, is considered to exert protective function in mitochondria. We investigated the influence of Alda-1, an activator of ALDH2, on atherogenesis and on the liver steatosis in apolipoprotein E knockout (apoE(-/-)) mice. ⋯ Collectively, Alda-1 inhibited atherosclerosis and attenuated NAFLD in apoE(-/-) mice. The pattern of changes suggests a beneficial effect of Alda-1 in NAFLD; however, the exact liver functional consequences of the revealed alterations as well as the mechanism(s) of antiatherosclerotic Alda-1 action require further investigation.
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Tenascin-C (TN-C), an extracellular matrix glycoprotein, appears at several important steps of cardiac development in the embryo, but is sparse in the normal adult heart. TN-C re-expresses under pathological conditions including myocarditis, and is closely associated with tissue injury and inflammation in both experimental and clinical settings. However, the pathophysiological role of TN-C in the development of myocarditis is not clear. We examined how TN-C affects the initiation of experimental autoimmune myocarditis, immunologically. ⋯ Our results demonstrated that TN-C aggravates autoimmune myocarditis by driving the dendritic cell activation and Th17 differentiation via Toll-like receptor 4. The blockade of Toll-like receptor 4-mediated signaling to inhibit the proinflammatory effects of TN-C could be a promising therapeutic strategy against autoimmune myocarditis.
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Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is an emerging inflammatory and immune biomarker. Whether suPAR level predicts the presence and the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD), and of incident death and myocardial infarction (MI) in subjects with suspected CAD, is unknown. ⋯ Elevated levels of plasma suPAR are associated with the presence and severity of CAD and are independent predictors of death and MI in patients with suspected or known CAD.
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Few studies have investigated functional capacity self-assessment tools in either prediction of future major adverse cardiac outcomes beyond all-cause mortality or direct comparisons with clinically available biomarkers. ⋯ A simple self-assessment tool of functional capacity in stable patients undergoing elective diagnostic cardiac evaluation provides independent and incremental prognostic value for prediction of both significant coronary angiographic disease and long-term adverse clinical events.
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Observational Study
Trends in the clinical and pathological characteristics of cardiac rupture in patients with acute myocardial infarction over 35 years.
There is little known about whether the clinical and pathological characteristics and incidence of cardiac rupture (CR) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have changed over the years. ⋯ With the development of medical treatment, the incidence and mortality rate of CR have decreased. However, first myocardial infarction, anterior infarct, female sex, and old age remain important risk factors for CR. Adjunctive cardioprotection against reperfusion-induced myocardial hemorrhage is emerging in the current PPCI era.