Circulating microRNAs in obese and lean heart failure patients: A case-control study with computational target prediction analysis.

Aims: MicroRNAs (miRs) regulate processes involved in both cardiac remodeling and obesity. We investigated if the expression of selected miRs in patients with heart failure (HF) is influenced by the presence of obesity.

Methods: In this case-control study, we compared plasma levels of miR-21, -130b, -221, -423-5p, and the -221/-130b ratio in 57 age- and gender-matched subjects: 40 HF patients (20 obese HF and 20 lean HF) and 17 lean healthy controls.

Association study of polymorphisms in the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) gene with susceptibility and prognosis of heart failure.

Background: Functional polymorphisms in the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) gene have been implicated in several vascular diseases. However, to date, no study investigated the association of RAGE polymorphisms with heart failure (HF).

Objective: In this study we tested the hypothesis that the 63-bp insertion/deletion, the -374T>A (rs1800624) and the -429T>C (rs1800625) polymorphisms in the RAGE gene might be associated with susceptibility to HF and could predict all-cause mortality in Brazilian outpatients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction.