F-FDG PET/CT brain glucose metabolism as a marker of different types of depression comorbidity in chronic heart failure patients with impaired systolic function.

Aims: Depression is an important issue in heart failure (HF). The study investigated whole-brain and regional brain glucose metabolism in HF patients and its association with depression comorbidity.

Methods And Results: Twenty-nine hospitalized patients with symptomatic systolic HF (left ventricular ejection fraction <40%), New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II-IV and mean age of 55.

Pathway-Specific Aggregate Biomarker Risk Score Is Associated With Burden of Coronary Artery Disease and Predicts Near-Term Risk of Myocardial Infarction and Death.

Background: Inflammation, coagulation, and cell stress contribute to atherosclerosis and its adverse events. A biomarker risk score (BRS) based on the circulating levels of biomarkers C-reactive protein, fibrin degradation products, and heat shock protein-70 representing these 3 pathways was a strong predictor of future outcomes. We investigated whether soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR), a marker of immune activation, is predictive of outcomes independent of the aforementioned markers and whether its addition to a 3-BRS improves risk reclassification.

Ranolazine triggers pharmacological preconditioning and postconditioning in anesthetized rabbits through activation of RISK pathway.

We tested the hypothesis that ranolazine (Ran) is cardioprotective in a model of ischemia /reperfusion and we elucidated the intracellular mechanism. Anesthetized rabbits were subjected to is chemia and reperfusion and were divided into 5 groups: 1) Control, 2) Preconditioning (PreC), 3) Postconditioning (PostC), 4) RanA and 5) RanB, respectively treated with intravenous ranolazine, either 10min before or during index ischemia. Ranolazine was initially given over 60s and then from the beginning and throughout the whole reperfusion period.

Immunosenescence in patients with chronic systolic heart failure.

Aim: Chronic heart failure (CHF) is characterized by hemodynamic compromise, neurohormonal and immune activation. We sought to examine the presence and severity of immunosenescence and its relation with the stages of CHF.

Methods: We enrolled 86 consecutive stable systolic CHF patients and examined the relationship of leukocyte and lymphocyte subpopulation counts by flow cytometry with their functional status according to New York Heart Association (NYHA) class.

Correction of human phospholamban R14del mutation associated with cardiomyopathy using targeted nucleases and combination therapy.

A number of genetic mutations is associated with cardiomyopathies. A mutation in the coding region of the phospholamban (PLN) gene (R14del) is identified in families with hereditary heart failure. Heterozygous patients exhibit left ventricular dilation and ventricular arrhythmias.

Cardioprotection by H2S engages a cGMP-dependent protein kinase G/phospholamban pathway.

Aims: H2S is known to confer cardioprotection; however, the pathways mediating its effects in vivo remain incompletely understood. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the contribution of cGMP-regulated pathways in the infarct-limiting effect of H2S in vivo.

Methods And Results: Anaesthetized rabbits were subjected to myocardial ischaemia (I)/reperfusion (R), and infarct size was determined in control or H2S-exposed groups.

What is Wrong With Cardiac Conditioning? We May be Shooting at Moving Targets.

Early recanalization of the occluded culprit coronary artery clearly reduces infarct size in both animal models and patients and improves clinical outcomes. Unfortunately, reperfusion can seldom be accomplished before some myocardium infarcts. As a result there has been an intensive search for interventions that will make the heart resistant to infarction so that reperfusion could salvage more myocardium.

Plasma activity of B-type natriuretic peptide in patients with biventricular heart failure versus those with right heart failure due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is an established prognostic indicator in patients with left ventricular systolic heart failure (LHF). However, no efficient data exist regarding the differences in plasma BNP activity between patients with biventricular heart failure and those with right heart failure (RHF) due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Objective: This study investigates BNP in RHF due to COPD in comparison to RHF due to LHF, and estimates the relation of BNP levels with clinical and echocardiographic parameters.

Depressive Symptoms in Patients with Congenital Heart Disease: Incidence and Prognostic Value of Self-Rating Depression Scales.

Objective: To determine the presence of depressive symptoms in adolescent and adult patients with CHD and their impact on prognosis, using self-rating depression scales.

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: Outpatient clinic of a tertiary center.

Efficacy and safety of functional electrical stimulation of lower limb muscles in elderly patients with chronic heart failure: A pilot study.

Background: Exercise training is an established modality in chronic heart failure. Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is an effective alternative mode of training in patients unwilling or unable to exercise; however, it has not been investigated in elderly patients. We sought to investigate the effects of FES on functional status, quality of life, emotional status and endothelial function in chronic heart failure patients aged 70 years or higher.

Clinical and echocardiographic correlates of serum copper and zinc in acute and chronic heart failure.

Aim: Emerging evidence suggests a pathophysiological role of micronutrient dyshomeostasis in heart failure, including promotion of adverse remodeling and clinical deterioration. We sought to evaluate serum copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) levels in acute (AHF) and chronic (CHF) heart failure.

Methods: We studied 125 patients, 71 % male, aged 69 ± 11 years, 37 % with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF ≥40 %) (HFPEF), including 81 with AHF and 44 with CHF; 21 healthy volunteers served as controls.

Increased benefit of interleukin-1 inhibition on vascular function, myocardial deformation, and twisting in patients with coronary artery disease and coexisting rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: We investigated the effects of anakinra, an interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, on coronary and left ventricular function in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Methods And Results: In a double-blind crossover trial, 80 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (60 with CAD and 20 without) were randomized to a single injection of anakinra or placebo and after 48 hours to the alternative treatment. At baseline and 3 hours after treatment, we assessed (1) flow-mediated dilation of brachial artery; (2) coronary flow reserve, ejection fraction, systemic arterial compliance, and resistance by echocardiography; (3) left ventricular global longitudinal and circumferential strain, peak twisting, untwisting velocity by speckle tracking; and (4) interleukin-1β, nitrotyrosine, malondialdehyde, protein carbonyl, and Fas/Fas ligand levels.

Pharmacological postconditioning of the rabbit heart with non-selective, A1 , A2A and A3 adenosine receptor agonists.

Objectives: We investigated the effects of novel selective and non-selective adenosine receptor agonists (ARs) on cardioprotection.

Methods: Male rabbits divided into six groups were subjected to 30-min heart ischaemia and 3-h reperfusion: (1) control group, (2) postconditioning (PostC) group, (3) group A: treated with the non-selective agonist (S)-PHPNECA, (4) group B: treated with the A1 agonist CCPA, (5) group C: treated with the A2A agonist VT 7 and (6) group D: treated with the A3 agonist AR 170. The infarcted (I) and the areas at risk (R) were estimated as %I/R.

Genes and genetic variations involved in the development of hypertension: focusing on a Greek patient cohort.

Introduction: Essential hypertension (HTN) is a multifactorial disease involving environmental, genetic and other factors. Over the past years, genetic studies of essential HTN have increased dramatically but the molecular mechanisms involved are still unknown. As part of a research program coordinated by Boston university (USA), we studied the role of various genes and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the inheritance or the onset of HTN in African-American, Caucasian-American and Greek families.

Oleuropein prevents doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy interfering with signaling molecules and cardiomyocyte metabolism.

Oleuropein, a natural phenolic compound, prevents acute doxorubicin (DXR)-induced cardiotoxicity but there is no evidence regarding its role in chronic DXR-induced cardiomyopathy (DXR-CM). In the present study, we investigated the role of oleuropein in DXR-CM by addressing cardiac geometry and function (transthoracic echocardiography), cardiac histopathology, nitro-oxidative stress (MDA, PCs, NT), inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, Big ET-1), NO homeostasis (iNOS and eNOS expressions), kinases involved in apoptosis and metabolism (Akt, AMPK) and myocardial metabonomics. Rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: Control, OLEU-1 and OLEU-2 [oleuropein at 1000 and 2000 mg/kg in total, respectively, intraperitoneally (i.

A case-control validation of Type D personality in Greek patients with stable coronary heart disease.

Background: Type D personality has been associated with a variety of emotional and social difficulties as well as with poor prognosis in patients with established coronary heart disease (CHD). We examined the psychometric properties and validity of the Type D Scale-14 (DS14) and the prevalence of Type D personality among Greek patients with CHD while taking into account demographic; clinical, such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia; as well as psychological variables such as depression, anxiety, and psychological stress.

Methods: Ninety-six patients with stable coronary heart disease and 80 healthy participants from the general population completed the Greek version of the DS14 and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

Assessment of left ventricular and atrial diastolic function using two-dimensional (2D) strain imaging in patients with β-thalassemia major.

Background: β-thalassemia major is a unique disease characterized by early severe diastolic dysfunction, due to iron myocardial deposition alone, while left ventricular systolic dysfunction and failure seem to be multifactorial in aitiology.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate left ventricular diastolic dysfunction using a new echo index as speckle tracking in comparison with the conventional methods.

Material And Methods: Eighty-eight consecutive patients (38 male, 50 female) aged 36 ± 8.