Meditation has been found to be an efficient strategy for coping with stress in healthy individuals and in patients with psychosomatic disorders. The main objective of the present study was to investigate the psychophysiological mechanisms of beneficial effects of meditation on cardiovascular reactivity. We examined effects of long-term Sahaja Yoga meditation on cardiovascular reactivity during affective image processing under "unregulated" and "emotion regulation" conditions. Twenty two experienced meditators and 20 control subjects participated in the study. Under "unregulated" conditions participants were shown neutral and affective images and were asked to attend to them. Under "emotion regulation" conditions they down-regulated negative affect through reappraisal of negative images or up-regulated positive affect through reappraisal of positive images. Under "unregulated" conditions while anticipating upcoming images meditators vs. controls did not show larger pre-stimulus total peripheral resistance and greater cardiac output for negative images in comparison with neutral and positive ones. Control subjects showed TPR decrease for negative images only when they consciously intended to reappraise them (i.e. in the "emotion regulation" condition). Both meditators and controls showed comparable cardiovascular reactivity during perception of positive stimuli, whereas up-regulating of positive affect was associated with more pronounced cardiac activation in meditators. The findings provide some insight into understanding the beneficial influence of meditation on top-down control of emotion and cardiovascular reactivity.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2015.01.002 | DOI Listing |
Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol
January 2025
British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, School of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine & Sciences, King's College London, United Kingdom. (M.W., M.F., R.O., L.S., M.M., C.M.S.).
Background: The ECM (extracellular matrix) provides the microenvironmental niche sensed by resident vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Aging and disease are associated with dramatic changes in ECM composition and properties; however, their impact on the VSMC phenotype remains poorly studied.
Methods: Here, we describe a novel in vitro model system that utilizes endogenous ECM to study how modifications associated with age and metabolic disease impact the VSMC phenotype.
PNAS Nexus
January 2025
Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6BQ, United Kingdom.
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), hepatic fibrosis, and portal hypertension constitute an increasing public health problem due to the growing prevalence of obesity and diabetes. C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) is an endogenous regulator of cardiovascular homeostasis, immune cell reactivity, and fibrotic disease. Thus, we investigated a role for CNP in the pathogenesis of MASLD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
January 2025
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism and Center for Musculoskeletal Disease Research, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham, #587, Little Rock, AR, 72205, USA.
Phosphatidylcholine is a ubiquitous phospholipid. It contains a phosphocholine (PC) headgroup and polyunsaturated fatty acids that, when oxidized, form reactive oxidized phospholipids (PC-OxPLs). PC-OxPLs are pathogenic in multiple diseases and neutralized by anti-PC IgM antibodies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Am Chem Soc
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Research Unit of Nanocatalytic Medicine in Specific Therapy for Serious Disease, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2021RU012), Shanghai 200050, P. R. China.
Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is one of the most lethal complications of diabetes and is induced by the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cardiomyocytes due to sustained high glucose levels, leading to cardiac oxidative damage and final sudden death. Drugs and antioxidants currently applied to the clinical therapy of DCM fail to scavenge ROS efficiently, resulting in compromised therapeutic efficacy. Herein, a nanocatalytic antioxidative therapeutic strategy is proposed for DCM treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Cardiovasc Drugs
January 2025
Department of Pharmacy, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Background: Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have demonstrated promising effects in lowering cardiovascular incidents among patients with acute coronary syndrome. However, their influence on early platelet reactivity after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) remains unclear.
Objectives: This research sought to investigate the effects of entirely human anti-PCSK9 antibodies on platelet function as measured by thrombelastography and 12-month postoperative results in patients receiving PPCI and treated with ticagrelor-based dual antiplatelet therapy.
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