Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) modulates stress-induced autophagy in endothelial cells.

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), a cardiac hormone involved in the regulation of water/sodium balance and blood pressure, is also secreted by endothelial cells, where it exerts protective effects in response to stress. Autophagy is an intracellular self-renewal process involved in the degradation of dysfunctional cytoplasmic elements. ANP was recently reported to act as an extracellular regulator of cardiac autophagy.

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: the diagnostic assessment.

Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension (CTEPH) presents a significant diagnostic challenge due to its complex and often nonspecific clinical manifestations. This review outlines a comprehensive approach to the diagnostic assessment of CTEPH, emphasizing the importance of a high index of suspicion in patients with unexplained dyspnea or persistent symptoms post-acute pulmonary embolism. We discuss the pivotal role of multimodal imaging, including echocardiography, ventilation/perfusion scans, CT pulmonary angiography, and magnetic resonance imaging, in the identification and confirmation of CTEPH.

Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension: the therapeutic assessment.

Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension (CTEPH) is a severe and complex condition that evolves from unresolved pulmonary embolism, leading to fibrotic obstruction of pulmonary arteries, pulmonary hypertension, and potential right heart failure. The cornerstone of CTEPH management lies in a multifaceted therapeutic approach tailored to individual patient profiles, reflecting the disease's heterogeneity. This review delves into the current therapeutic strategies for CTEPH, including surgical pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA), balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA), and targeted pharmacological treatments such as PDE5 inhibitors, endothelin receptor antagonists, sGC stimulators, and prostanoids.

Radiomic Parameters for the Evaluation of Response to Treatment in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients with Liver Metastasis: Findings from the CAVE-GOIM mCRC Phase 2 Trial.

Background: CAVE is a single arm, Phase 2 trial, that demonstrated anti-tumor activity of cetuximab rechallenge plus avelumab in patients with RAS wild type (wt) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

Objective: We conducted a post hoc analysis to identify potential radiomic biomarkers for patients with CRC liver metastasis (LM).

Patients And Methods: Patients with LM that could be measured by enhanced contrast phase computed tomography (CT) imaging at baseline and at first response evaluation were included.

Towards the Fifth Pillar for the Treatment of Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction: Vericiguat in Older and Complex Patients.

Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) represents an emerging epidemic, particularly affecting frail, older, and multimorbid patients. Current therapy for the management of HFrEF includes four different classes of disease-modifying drugs, commonly referred to as 'four pillars', which target the neurohormonal system that is overactivated in HF and contributes to its progression. These classes of drugs include β-blockers, inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, and sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors.

Mitophagy modulation for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Background: Defects of mitophagy, the selective form of autophagy for mitochondria, are commonly observed in several cardiovascular diseases and represent the main cause of mitochondrial dysfunction. For this reason, mitophagy has emerged as a novel and potential therapeutic target.

Methods: In this review, we discuss current evidence about the biological significance of mitophagy in relevant preclinical models of cardiac and vascular diseases, such as heart failure, ischemia/reperfusion injury, metabolic cardiomyopathy and atherosclerosis.

Effects of two-month treatment with a mixture of natural activators of autophagy on oxidative stress and arterial stiffness in patients with essential hypertension: A pilot study.

Background And Aims: Trehalose, spermidine, nicotinamide, and polyphenols are natural substances that exert pro-autophagic and antioxidant properties. Their role in blood pressure (BP) regulation and preservation of vascular function in essential hypertension is unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a mixture of these agents on BP level, markers of oxidative stress, autophagy, endothelial function, and vascular stiffness in outpatients with grade 1 uncomplicated essential hypertension.

Non-Oncological Radiotherapy: A Review of Modern Approaches.

Despite being usually delivered in oncological patients, radiotherapy can be used as a successful treatment for several non-malignant disorders. Even though this use of radiotherapy has been scarcely investigated since the 1950s, more recent interest has actually shed the light on this approach. Thus, the aim of this narrative review is to analyze the applications of non-oncological radiotherapy in different disorders.

Natural Activators of Autophagy Increase Maximal Walking Distance and Reduce Oxidative Stress in Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease: A Pilot Study.

Trehalose, spermidine, nicotinamide, and polyphenols have been shown to display pro-autophagic and antioxidant properties, eventually reducing cardiovascular and ischemic complications. This study aimed to investigate whether a mixture of these components improves maximal walking distance (MWD) in peripheral artery disease (PAD) patients. Nitrite/nitrate (NOx), endothelin-1, sNOX2-dp, H2O2 production, H2O2 break-down activity (HBA), ATG5 and P62 levels, flow-mediated dilation (FMD), and MWD were evaluated in 20 PAD patients randomly allocated to 10.

Mitochondria and Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiomyopathy: A Complex Interplay.

Cardiotoxicity has emerged as a major side effect of doxorubicin (DOX) treatment, affecting nearly 30% of patients within 5 years after chemotherapy. Heart failure is the first non-cancer cause of death in DOX-treated patients. Although many different molecular mechanisms explaining the cardiac derangements induced by DOX were identified in past decades, the translation to clinical practice has remained elusive to date.

Aging-Related Decline of Autophagy in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation-A Post Hoc Analysis of the ATHERO-AF Study.

Background: Aging is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The autophagy process may play a role in delaying aging and improving cardiovascular function in aging. Data regarding autophagy in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients are lacking.

An Overview of the Molecular Mechanisms Associated with Myocardial Ischemic Injury: State of the Art and Translational Perspectives.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in western countries. Among cardiovascular diseases, myocardial infarction represents a life-threatening condition predisposing to the development of heart failure. In recent decades, much effort has been invested in studying the molecular mechanisms underlying the development and progression of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and post-ischemic cardiac remodeling.

The impact of autophagy modulation on phenotype and survival of cardiac stromal cells under metabolic stress.

Cardiac stromal cells (CSCs) embrace multiple phenotypes and are a contributory factor in tissue homeostasis and repair. They can be exploited as therapeutic mediators against cardiac fibrosis and remodeling, but their survival and cardioprotective properties can be decreased by microenvironmental cues. We evaluated the impact of autophagy modulation by different pharmacological/genetic approaches on the viability and phenotype of murine CSCs, which had been subjected to nutrient deprivation or hyperglycemia, in order to mimic relevant stress conditions and risk factors of cardiovascular diseases.

MRI Radiomics in Prostate Cancer: A Reliability Study.

Background: Radiomics can provide quantitative features from medical imaging that can be correlated to clinical endpoints. The challenges relevant to robustness of radiomics features have been analyzed by many researchers, as it seems to be influenced by acquisition and reconstruction protocols, as well as by the segmentation of the region of interest (ROI). Prostate cancer (PCa) represents a difficult playground for this technique, due to discrepancies in the identification of the cancer lesion and the heterogeneity of the acquisition protocols.

H9c2 Cardiomyocytes under Hypoxic Stress: Biological Effects Mediated by Sentinel Downstream Targets.

The association between diabetes and cardiovascular diseases is well known. Related diabetes macro- and microangiopathies frequently induce hypoxia and consequently energy failure to satisfy the jeopardized myocardium basal needs. Additionally, it is widely accepted that diabetes impairs endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activity, resulting in diminished nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability and consequent endothelial cell dysfunction.

Accelerating the Heart Histo-Pathology through Physical Exercise.

Chronic cardiac muscle inflammation and fibrosis are key features of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Around 90% of 18-year-old patients already show signs of DMD-related cardiomyopathy, and cardiac failure is rising as the main cause of death among DMD patients. The evaluation of novel therapies for the treatment of dystrophic heart problems depends on the availability of animal models that closely mirror the human pathology.

Botanical Origin of Pesticide Residues in Pollen Loads Collected by Honeybees During and After Apple Bloom.

Honeybees closely rely on insect-pollinated plants for their survival. Each forager bee displays a tendency of loyalty toward specific plant species during the many daily foraging flights. Due to the ease of collection, pollen loads have been extensively used as a proxy for detection of pesticide residues.