1,720,980 research outputs found
Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF): lupus in fabula?
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Review and metaanalysis of the frequency of familial dilated cardiomyopathy.
No full textSeveral studies have investigated the frequency of familial dilated cardiomyopathy (FDC). However, no systematic review and meta-analysis on this topic are available. Therefore, using the PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane, and the ISI Web of Science databases, relevant reports published through December 2010 were identified. For the summation of prevalence findings, prevalence point estimates and 95% confidence intervals were computed using the logit transformation formula. An aggregate estimate of clinically confirmed FDC of 23% (95% confidence interval 0.17 to 0.31) was found. However, the prevalence rates reported across these studies varied widely, ranging from 2% to 65%, and the analysis showed very high heterogeneity (Q = 295, p <0.001, I(2) = 93%). Meta-regression analysis between logit event rate and year of publication explained 23% of between-study variance (p <0.05). Cumulative meta-analysis confirmed the influence of year of publication on the reported prevalence of FDC among the different studies. However, most of the observed heterogeneity may be explained by the fact that the various studies used different preselected criteria for the diagnosis of FDC. In conclusion, data obtained from trials performed using standardized criteria are needed to better define the true prevalence of FDC
Chiusura transcatetere percutanea di un difetto interatriale tipo forame ovale guidata con ecocardiografia intracardiaca in una paziente anziana
No full textIntracardiac echocardiography guidance is replacing transesophageal echocardiography for percutaneous transcatheter closure of atrial septal defects eliminating the risks of endotracheal and esophageal intubation with a reduced procedure length. This case demonstrate that intracardiac echocardiography allows the correct Amplatzer disks implantation with percutaneous catheter closure in an elderly patient with short interventional times
Chatting Second Messengers: PIP3 and cAMP
No full text3’-5’-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5 trisphosphate (PIP3) are pleiotropic second messengers generated in response to activation of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) by a wide array of hormones and neurotransmitters. Although these small molecules engage distinct and seem-ingly unrelated downstream signal transducers, a growing body of evidence points to a strict cooperation of cAMP and PIP3 cascades in the control of cardiomyocyte functions. Dynamic macromolecular complexes of cAMP and PIP3 molecular switches assemble into spatially and temporally restricted microdomains. Deci-phering how this compartmentalization complexes form and affect the interactions between the two signaling systems is of crucial importance, since both pathways are severely deregulated in major cardiac diseases, such as heart failure. This chapter summarizes recently described mechanisms governing the bidirectional crosstalk between cAMP and PIP3 signaling pathways in the pathophysiological control of cardiovascular function. In particular, we will describe how membrane-located PIP3 affects both initiation and termination of cAMP signaling as well as the negative feedback loop whereby the small and diffusible intracellular messen-ger, cAMP, influences PIP3 productio
PI3K signaling in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: mechanisms, targets, and therapy
No full textChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive respiratory disorder characterized by irreversible chronic inflammation and airflow obstruction. It affects more than 64 million patients worldwide and it is predicted to become the third cause of death in the industrialized world by 2030. Current available therapies are not able to block disease progression and to reduce mortality, underlying the need of a better understanding of COPD pathophysiological mechanisms to identify new molecular therapeutic targets. Recent studies demonstrated that phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling is prominently activated in COPD and correlates with an increased susceptibility of patients to lung infections. PI3Ks have thus emerged as promising alternative drug targets for COPD and a wide array of pan-isoform and isoform-selective inhibitors have been tested in preclinical models and are currently being evaluated in clinical studies. Here, we summarize the recent knowledge on the involvement of PI3K enzymes in the pathophysiology of COPD, and we will discuss the most recent results arising from the preclinical as well as the clinical testing of PI3K inhibitors as novel therapeutics for COPD
Autophagy and cancer therapy cardiotoxicity: From molecular mechanisms to therapeutic opportunities
No full textCardiotoxicity is a major drawback of anticancer therapies, often hindering optimal management of cancer. Among the most cardiotoxic agents are anthracyclines (AC) that, despite being cardiotoxic, are highly effective in the treatment of a wide variety of cancers, spanning from hematological malignancies to solid tumors. Modern imaging techniques can identify patients at risk of developing cardiotoxicity, but treatment options are still limited and ineffective, partly because the molecular mechanisms underlying AC cardiac side effects are still incompletely understood. Although AC cardiotoxicity was initially ascribed to the trigger of cell-damaging oxidative stress, antioxidants fail to prevent anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity (AIC), suggesting the involvement of additional mechanisms. Among these, the cellular recycling process, named autophagy, recently emerged to play a key role in AIC, but whether autophagy activation is beneficial or detrimental in this context is still controversial. This review will summarize recent evidence on the role of autophagy in AIC in the attempt to reconcile the controversial findings in the field. Finally, we will describe major regulator of cardiac autophagy that may represent good candidates for therapeutic intervention in AIC
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Mitral peak early diastolic filling velocity to deceleration time ratio as a predictor of prognosis in patients with chronic heart failure and preserved or reduced ejection fraction.
No full textAbstract
OBJECTIVE:
Doppler derived mitral peak early diastolic filling velocity to deceleration time ratio (E/DT) has been proposed as parameter for predicting prognosis in general population. This study prospectively investigates the incremental prognostic value of E/DT over clinical, conventional echocardiographic and mitral-Doppler variables in patients hospitalized for decompensated heart failure (HF).
METHODS:
We analyzed 95 HF patients (mean age 64.8 ± 12.2 years) hospitalized at our institution from January 2010 to March 2012. The primary end-point was cardiac death or hospitalization, whichever occurred first. Cox regression analysis was performed to identify significant predictors of outcomes.
RESULTS:
During follow-up (median 37.7 months) 13 patients died and 44 were hospitalized for a cardiac event. At univariable analysis, New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class, furosemide dosage, lateral tricuspidal annular plane systolic excursion, deceleration time and E/DT were predictive of outcome. At multivariable analysis, E/DT was the only predictor of prognosis (hazard ratio = 1.02, P = 0.018), giving incremental prognostic information to clinical and other echocardio-graphic measures (global chi-square from 15.4 to 25.2; P = 0.032).
CONCLUSIONS:
E/DT gives independent and incremental prognostic information in HF patients
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