Heart Failure and PAHs,OHPAHs, and Trace Elements Levels in Human Serum: Results from a Preliminary Pilot Study in Greek Population and the Possible Impact of Air Pollution

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have been associated with environmental pollutants. The scope of this study is to assess any potential relation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), their hydroxylated derivatives, and trace elements with heart failure via their direct determination in human serum of Greek citizens residing in different areas. Therefore, we analyzed 131 samples including cases (heart failure patients) and controls (healthy donors), and the respective demographic data were collected. Significantly higher concentrations (p < 0.05) were observed in cases’ serum regarding most of the examined PAHs and their derivatives with phenanthrene, fluorene, and fluoranthene being the most abundant (median of >50 μg L⁻¹). Among the examined trace elements, As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, and Pb were measured at statistically higher concentrations (p < 0.05) in cases’ samples, with only Cr being significantly higher in controls. The potential impact of environmental factors such as smoking and area of residence has been evaluated. Specific PAHs and trace elements could be possibly related with heart failure development. Atmospheric degradation and smoking habit appeared to have a significant impact on the analytes’ serum concentrations. PCA–logistic regression analysis could possibly reveal common mechanisms among the analytes enhancing the hypothesis that they may pose a significant risk for CVD development.     

Impact of Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 during Periodontitis and Cardiovascular Diseases

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) has been shown to play a key role in endothelial function and perhaps pivotal in the correlation between periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease (CVD). For the study, the impact of MMP-9 of periodontitis and CVD on serum and saliva concentrations was analyzed. For the study patients with periodontitis (n = 31), CVD (n = 31), periodontitis + CVD (n = 31), and healthy patients (n = 31) were enrolled. Clinical and demographic characteristics as well as serum and salivary MMP-9 were evaluated. MMP-9 concentrations in serum and saliva were statistically elevated in patients with CVD (p < 0.01) and in patients with periodontitis plus CVD (p < 0.001) compared to patients with periodontitis and healthy subjects. Multivariate regression analysis showed that c-reactive protein (hs-CRP) was the only significant predictor for MMP-9 serum (p < 0.001), whereas hs-CRP (p < 0.001) and total cholesterol (p = 0.029) were the statistically significant salivary MMP-9 predictors. This study evidenced that patients with CVD and periodontitis + CVD presented elevated MMP-9 concentrations in serum and saliva compared to patients with periodontitis and healthy subjects. Furthermore, hs-CRP was a negative predictor of serum and salivary MMP-9.     

Role of Gut Microbiota,Probiotics and Prebiotics in the Cardiovascular Diseases

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in identifying and applying new, naturally occurring molecules that promote health. Probiotics are defined as “live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer health benefits on the host”. Quite a few fermented products serve as the source of probiotic strains, with many factors influencing the effectiveness of probiotics, including interactions of probiotic bacteria with the host’s microbiome. Prebiotics contain no microorganisms, only substances which stimulate their growth. Prebiotics can be obtained from various sources, including breast milk, soybeans, and raw oats, however, the most popular prebiotics are the oligosaccharides contained in plants. Recent research increasingly claims that probiotics and prebiotics alleviate many disorders related to the immune system, cancer metastasis, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. However, little is known about the role of these supplements as important dietary components in preventing or treating cardiovascular disease. Still, some reports and clinical studies were conducted, offering new ways of treatment. Therefore, the aim of this review is to discuss the roles of gut microbiota, probiotics, and prebiotics interventions in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.     

食盐与心血管结局

介绍了食盐与心血管结局关系的最新研究结果,食盐摄入量与心血管结局之间呈J形关系;低盐和高盐都增加心血管危险;不支持普遍减盐推荐。     

2型糖尿病并发大血管病变的危险因素分析与自我管理

探讨2型糖尿病合并大血管病变的相关危险致病因素, 以期指导制定自我管理方案. 采用回顾性病例-对照研究方法, 选2型糖尿病患者85例, 根据是否合并大血管病变, 分为单纯2型糖尿病组(T2DM组, n=41)及合并大血管病变组(T2DM+MV组, n=44), 选同期的40例非糖尿病患者作为对照, 比较各组患者的一般资料及入院时的血压、血清镁、空腹血糖、糖化血红蛋白和血脂水平等参数. 结果表明 糖尿病病程(比值比(OR)=1.268, 95%置信区间(CI) 1.076~1.496)、空腹血糖(OR=2.147, 95% CI 1.167~3.949)及糖化血红蛋白水平(OR=4.936, 95% CI 1.575~15.470)是2型糖尿病患者并发大血管病变的独立危险因素, 而血清镁水平则是独立保护性因素(OR=0.001, 95% CI 0.000~0.014). 同时表明, 在2型糖尿病早期自我管理中, 积极控制血糖及维持血清镁在较高水平是预防大血管病变的有效途径.     

基于表面增强拉曼光谱技术的心肌生物标志物检测

心血管疾病(CVD)是全球最主要的死亡原因,急性心肌梗死(AMI)是心血管疾病致死的主要病因,安全快速地诊断AMI对于降低患者的死亡率至关重要。因常用的检测方法如心电图(ECG)缺乏足够的敏感性,寻找并针对AMI生物标志物开展高灵敏检测已成为早期检测AMI重要手段。心肌肌钙蛋白I(cTnI)、肌酸激酶同工酶(CK-MB)和肌红蛋白(Myo)是目前公认的检测AMI的重要心肌生物标志物。在过去的几十年里,许多生物传感器被开发出来用于检测心肌生物标志物,其中基于表面增强拉曼光谱(SERS)的心肌生物标志物检测技术迅速发展,并表现出独特的技术优势和广阔的应用前景。本文首先介绍了多种心肌生物标志物及其与AMI的关联,在此基础上概述主要的心肌生物标志物检测方法的原理、优势及局限性,重点介绍近年来新兴的SERS技术及其在心肌生物标志物传感方面的最新研究进展,并对该技术在AMI诊断方面的应用前景以及有待突破的瓶颈进行了讨论和展望。     

Snake Venom Components: Tools and Cures to Target Cardiovascular Diseases

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are considered as a major cause of death worldwide. Therefore, identifying and developing therapeutic strategies to treat and reduce the prevalence of CVDs is a major medical challenge. Several drugs used for the treatment of CVDs, such as captopril, emerged from natural products, namely snake venoms. These venoms are complex mixtures of bioactive molecules, which, among other physiological networks, target the cardiovascular system, leading to them being considered in the development and design of new drugs. In this review, we describe some snake venom molecules targeting the cardiovascular system such as phospholipase A2 (PLA2), natriuretic peptides (NPs), bradykinin-potentiating peptides (BPPs), cysteine-rich secretory proteins (CRISPs), disintegrins, fibrinolytic enzymes, and three-finger toxins (3FTXs). In addition, their molecular targets, and mechanisms of action—vasorelaxation, inhibition of platelet aggregation, cardioprotective activities—are discussed. The dissection of their biological effects at the molecular scale give insights for the development of future snake venom-derived drugs.     

Biotechnological Innovations from Ocean: Transpiring Role of Marine Drugs in Management of Chronic Disorders

Marine drugs are abundant in number, comprise of a diverse range of structures with corresponding mechanisms of action, and hold promise for the discovery of new and better treatment approaches for the management of several chronic diseases. There are huge reserves of natural marine biological compounds, as 70 percent of the Earth is covered with oceans, indicating a diversity of chemical entities on the planet. The marine ecosystems are a rich source of bioactive products and have been explored for lead drug molecules that have proven to be novel therapeutic targets. Over the last 70 years, many structurally diverse drug products and their secondary metabolites have been isolated from marine sources. The drugs obtained from marine sources have displayed an exceptional potential in the management of a wide array of diseases, ranging from acute to chronic conditions. A beneficial role of marine drugs in human health has been recently proposed. The current review highlights various marine drugs and their compounds and role in the management of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, and cardiovascular disorders, which has led to the development of new drug treatment approaches.     

Toxicity and the cardiovascular activity of organotin compounds: a review

A comprehensive review on toxicity of organotin compounds including sources of their intake and mode of action, and cardiovascular activity of organotin compounds is presented. Further research to develop novel useful organotin compounds having hypertensive activity needs to be carried out. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Associations between Neurocardiovascular Signal Entropy and Physical Frailty

In this cross-sectional study, the relationship between noninvasively measured neurocardiovascular signal entropy and physical frailty was explored in a sample of community-dwelling older adults from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA). The hypothesis under investigation was that dysfunction in the neurovascular and cardiovascular systems, as quantified by short-length signal complexity during a lying-to-stand test (active stand), could provide a marker for frailty. Frailty status (i.e., “non-frail”, “pre-frail”, and “frail”) was based on Fried’s criteria (i.e., exhaustion, unexplained weight loss, weakness, slowness, and low physical activity). Approximate entropy (ApEn) and sample entropy (SampEn) were calculated during resting (lying down), active standing, and recovery phases. There was continuously measured blood pressure/heart rate data from 2645 individuals (53.0% female) and frontal lobe tissue oxygenation data from 2225 participants (52.3% female); both samples had a mean (SD) age of 64.3 (7.7) years. Results revealed statistically significant associations between neurocardiovascular signal entropy and frailty status. Entropy differences between non-frail and pre-frail/frail were greater during resting state compared with standing and recovery phases. Compared with ApEn, SampEn seemed to have better discriminating power between non-frail and pre-frail/frail individuals. The quantification of entropy in short length neurocardiovascular signals could provide a clinically useful marker of the multiple physiological dysregulations that underlie physical frailty.