Assessment of genetic and clinical factors in T2D susceptibility among patients with hypertension.

Aims: Hypertension (HTN) and Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) often coexist, therefore understanding the relationship between both diseases is imperative to guide targeted prevention/therapy. This study aims to explore the relationship between HTN and T2D using genome-wide association study (GWAS) analysis and biochemical data to understand the implication of both clinical and genetic factors in these pathologies.

Methods: A total of 2,876 patients were enrolled.

HDL levels modulate the impact of type 2 diabetes susceptibility alleles in older adults.

Background: Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) is influenced by genetic, environmental, and ageing factors. Ageing pathways exacerbate metabolic diseases. This study aimed to examine both clinical and genetic factors of T2D in older adults.

Coronary artery disease patients with rs7904519 (TCF7L2) are at a persistent risk of type 2 diabetes.

Aims: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and coronary artery disease (CAD) often coexist and share genetic factors.This study aimed to investigate the common genetic factors underlying T2D and CAD in patients with CAD.

Methods: A three-step association approach was conducted: a) a discovery step involving 943 CAD patients with T2D and 1,149 CAD patients without T2D; b) an eliminating step to exclude CAD or T2D specific variants; and c) a replication step using the UK Biobank data.

Elevated Lp(a) Levels Correlate with Severe and Multiple Coronary Artery Stenotic Lesions.

Backgrounds And Aims: The role of Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) in increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases is reported in several populations. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation of high Lp(a) levels with the degree of coronary artery stenosis.

Methods: Two hundred and sixty-eight patients were enrolled for this study.

Structural and Electrical Remodeling of the Sinoatrial Node in Diabetes: New Dimensions and Perspectives.

The sinoatrial node (SAN) is composed of highly specialized cells that mandate the spontaneous beating of the heart through self-generation of an action potential (AP). Despite this automaticity, the SAN is under the modulation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). In diabetes mellitus (DM), heart rate variability (HRV) manifests as a hallmark of diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Calcitriol Supplementation Protects Against Apoptosis and Alleviates the Severity of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Induced by Angiotensin II and Anti-TGFβ.

The present study aims to assess the effect of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and its supplementation on the severity of AAA in mice. AAA was induced by AngII and anti-TGF-β administration. Animals were divided into four groups: Sham, mice with AAA, mice with AAA, and VDD, and mice with AAA supplemented with calcitriol.

Long-term intake of phenolic compounds attenuates age-related cardiac remodeling.

With the onset of advanced age, cardiac-associated pathologies have increased in prevalence. The hallmarks of cardiac aging include cardiomyocyte senescence, fibroblast proliferation, inflammation, and hypertrophy. The imbalance between levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant enzymes is greatly enhanced in aging cells, promoting cardiac remodeling.

Transient Receptor Potential Canonical 3 and Nuclear Factor of Activated T Cells C3 Signaling Pathway Critically Regulates Myocardial Fibrosis.

Aims: Cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) are emerging as major contributors to myocardial fibrosis (MF), a final common pathway of many etiologies of heart disease. Here, we studied the functional relevance of transient receptor potential canonical 3 (TRPC3) channels and nuclear factor of activated T cells c3 (NFATc3) signaling in rodent and human ventricular CFs, and whether their modulation would limit MF.

Results: A positive feedback loop between TRPC3 and NFATc3 drove a rat ventricular CF fibrotic phenotype.

Identification of Phenolic Compounds-Rich Grape Pomace Extracts Urine Metabolites and Correlation with Gut Microbiota Modulation.

The high diversity of phenolic compounds (PC) found in food matrices makes it challenging to analyze their bioavailability and their impact on health and functional metabolism. It is well recognized that PC do modulate the composition of the gut microbiota (GM), however, the literature still lacks significant data concerning the link between the metabolic fate of the ingested compounds and their bioactivity, mainly when considering the secondary metabolites produced. In this study, we assessed the metabolic fate of PC for a period covering 14 months of daily intake to identify the metabolites that could be responsible for the effects of PC on the GM observed in our previous work.

The Impact of Long-Term Intake of Phenolic Compounds-Rich Grape Pomace on Rat Gut Microbiota.

Unlabelled: The aim of this work is to evaluate the impact on the rat microbiota of long-term feeding with phenolic compounds (PC) rich grape pomace extracts. Thirty, 2-mo-old rats, were divided into 5 groups. Four groups were treated with different concentrations of PC (2.

Basic Signaling in Cardiac Fibroblasts.

Cardiac fibroblasts are commonly known as supporting cells of the cardiac network and exert many essential functions that are fundamental for normal cardiac growth as well as for cardiac remodeling process during pathological conditions. This review focuses on the roles of cardiac fibroblasts in the formation and regulation of the extracellular matrix components, and in maintaining structural, biochemical and mechanical properties of the heart. Additionally, though considered as non-excitable cells, we review the functional expression in cardiac fibroblasts of a wide variety of transmembrane ion channels which activity may contribute to key regulation of cardiac physiological processes.

β-Cyclodextrin-assisted extraction of polyphenols from vine shoot cultivars.

This work optimized the β-cyclodextrin (β-CD)-assisted extraction process of polyphenols from vine shoots. The efficiency of β-CD was compared to that of ethanol in terms of the quantity and antioxidant capacity (AC) of the extracted polyphenols. Response surface methodology permitted the optimization of the β-CD concentration, time, and temperature.