Basic Biology of Oxidative Stress and the Cardiovascular System: Part 1 of a 3-Part Series
Review Article | By Sack MN, Fyhrquist FY, Kovacic JC et al.
The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a fundamental aspect of normal human biology. However, when ROS generation exceeds endogenous antioxidant capacity, oxidative stress arises. If unchecked, ROS production and oxidative stress mediate tissue and cell damage that can spiral in a cycle of inflammation and more oxidative stress. This article is part 1 o...
A Combination of Allogeneic Stem Cells Promotes Cardiac Regeneration
Original Research | By Natsumeda M, Florea V, Hare JM et al.
BACKGROUND - The combination of autologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and cardiac stem cells(CSCs) synergistically reduces scar size and improves cardiac function in ischemic cardiomyopathy. Whereas allogeneic (allo-)MSCs are immunoevasive, the capacity of CSCs to similarly elude the immune system remains controversial, potentially limiting the...
Interleukin-1 Beta as a Target for Atherosclerosis Therapy: Biological Basis of CANTOS and Beyond
Inflammatory pathways drive atherogenesis and link conventional risk factors to atherosclerosis and its complications. One inflammatory mediator has come to the fore as a therapeutic target in cardiovascular disease. The experimental and clinical evidence reviewed here support interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) as both a local vascular and systemic contributor in this regard. Intrinsic vascular wall cells and l...
Impact of Oxidative Stress on the Heart and Vasculature: Part 2 of a 3-Part Series
Review Article | By Münzel T, Camici GG, Kovacic JC et al.
Vascular disease and heart failure impart an enormous burden in terms of global morbidity and mortality. Although there are many different causes of cardiac and vascular disease, most causes share an important pathological mechanism: oxidative stress. In the failing heart, oxidative stress occurs in the myocardium and correlates with left ventricular dysfunction. Reactive oxygen species (...
Review Article | By Niemann B, Newby DE, Kovacic JC et al.
Oxidative stress occurs whenever the release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) exceeds endogenous antioxidant capacity. In this paper, we review the specific role of several cardiovascular risk factors in promoting oxidative stress: diabetes, obesity, smoking, and excessive pollution. Specifically, the risk of developing heart failure is higher in patients with diabetes&n...
Translational Perspective on Epigenetics in Cardiovascular Disease
Review Article | By van der Harst P, de Windt LJ, Chambers JC
A plethora of environmental and behavioral factors interact, resulting in changes in gene expression and providing a basis for the development and progression of cardiovascular diseases. Heterogeneity in gene expression responses among cells and individuals involves epigenetic mechanisms. Advancing technology allowing genome-scale interrogation of epigenetic marks provides a rapidly expanding view of the complexity and diversity of the epig...
LOX-1 in Atherosclerosis and Myocardial Ischemia: Biology, Genetics, and Modulation
Review Article | By Pothineni NVK, Karathanasis SK, Mehta JL et al.
Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1), one of the scavenger receptors for oxidized low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (ox-LDL), plays a crucial role in the uptake of ox-LDL by cells in the arterial wall. Mounting evidence suggests a role for LOX-1 in various steps of the atherosclerotic process, from initiation to plaque destabilization. Studies of the genetic structure of LOX-1 have also uncov...
Biological Phenotypes of Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction
Review Article | By Lewis GA, Schelbert EB, Miller CA et al.
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) involves multiple pathophysiological mechanisms, which result in the heterogeneous phenotypes that are evident clinically, and which have potentially confounded previous HFpEF trials. A greater understanding of the in vivo human processes involved, and in particular, which are the causes and which are the downstream effects, may allow the syndrome ...
Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing: What Is its Value?
Review Article | By Guazzi M, Bandera F, Ozemek C et al.
Compared with traditional exercise tests, cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) provides a thorough assessment of exercise integrative physiology involving the pulmonary, cardiovascular, muscular, and cellular oxidative systems. Due to the prognostic ability of key variables, CPET applications in cardiology have grown impressively to include all forms of exercise intolerance, with a predominant focus on heart failure with reduced or with pr...
Review Article | By Costanzo MR, Ronco C, Abraham WT et al.
More than 1 million heart failure hospitalizations occur annually, and congestion is the predominant cause. Rehospitalizations for recurrent congestion portend poor outcomes independently of age and renal function. Persistent congestion trumps serum creatinine increases in predicting adverse heart failure outcomes. No decongestive pharmacological therapy has reduced these harmful consequences. Simplified ultrafiltration devices permit fluid removal i...