Perspectives on Stem Cell Therapy in Diabetic Neuropathic Pain.

Diabetes mellitus-related morbidity and mortality are primarily caused by long-term complications such as retinopathy, nephropathy, cardiomyopathy, and neuropathy. Diabetic neuropathy (DN) involves the progressive degeneration of axons and nerve fibers due to chronic exposure to hyperglycemia. This metabolic disturbance leads to excessive activation of the glycolytic pathway, inducing oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, ultimately resulting in nerve damage.

Diabetes-Induced Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy: Impact on Heart Function and Prognosis.

Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is a severe complication of the advance stage of diabetes. More than 50% of diabetic patients diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy will have CAN, with clinical manifestations including tachycardia, severe orthostatic hypotension, syncope, and physical exercise intolerance. Since the prevalence of diabetes is increasing, a concomitant increase in CAN is expected and will reduce quality of life and increase mortality.

Heart Failure in Menopause: Treatment and New Approaches.

Aging is an important risk factor for the development of heart failure (HF) and half of patients with HF have preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) which is more common in elderly women. In general, sex differences that lead to discrepancies in risk factors and to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) have been attributed to the reduced level of circulating estrogen during menopause. Estrogen receptors adaptively modulate fibrotic, apoptotic, inflammatory processes and calcium homeostasis, factors that are directly involved in the HFpEF.

Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy in Diabetic Cardiomyopathy.

The incidence and prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) are increasing worldwide, and the resulting cardiac complications are the leading cause of death. Among these complications is diabetes-induced cardiomyopathy (DCM), which is the consequence of a pro-inflammatory condition, oxidative stress and fibrosis caused by hyperglycemia. Cardiac remodeling will lead to an imbalance in cell survival and death, which can promote cardiac dysfunction.

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Therapies on Fibrotic Heart Diseases.

Stem cell therapy is a promising alternative approach to heart diseases. The most prevalent source of multipotent stem cells, usually called somatic or adult stem cells (mesenchymal stromal/stem cells, MSCs) used in clinical trials is bone marrow (BM-MSCs), adipose tissue (AT-MSCs), umbilical cord (UC-MSCs) and placenta. Therapeutic use of MSCs in cardiovascular diseases is based on the benefits in reducing cardiac fibrosis and inflammation that compose the cardiac remodeling responsible for the maintenance of normal function, something which may end up causing progressive and irreversible dysfunction.

ROCK Inhibition as Potential Target for Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a cardiovascular disease caused by extensive vascular remodeling in the lungs, which ultimately leads to death in consequence of right ventricle (RV) failure. While current drugs for PH therapy address the sustained vasoconstriction, no agent effectively targets vascular cell proliferation and tissue inflammation. Rho-associated protein kinases (ROCKs) emerged in the last few decades as promising targets for PH therapy, since ROCK inhibitors demonstrated significant anti-remodeling and anti-inflammatory effects.

Bicuspid aortic valve: theoretical and clinical aspects of concomitant ascending aorta replacement.

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is associated with annuloaortic ectasia, dissection and ascending aortic aneurysm. The high incidence of this congenital malformation and aortic disease suggests a close correlation between the two phenomena. Abnormalities in different phases of cell migration of the neural crest might be responsible for the occurrence of abnormalities in the aortic valve, media layer of the ascending aorta and vessels of the aortic arch.

Vascular matrix remodeling in patients with bicuspid aortic valve malformations: implications for aortic dilatation.

Background: Patients with bicuspid aortic valve malformations are at an increased risk of aortic dilatation, aneurysm formation, and dissection. Vascular tissues with deficient fibrillin-1 microfibrils release matrix metalloproteinases, enzymes that weaken the vessel wall by degrading elastic matrix components. In bicuspid aortic valve disease a deficiency of fibrillin-1 and increased matrix metalloproteinase matrix degradation might result in aortic degeneration and dilatation.