Search results for " aortic"
showing 10 items of 302 documents
On the prospect of serum exosomal miRNA profiling and protein biomarkers for the diagnosis of ascending aortic dilatation in patients with bicuspid a…
2018
Background: To determine the impact of circulating miRNA and protein activity on the severity of ascending aortic dilatation in patients with bicuspid (BAV) and tricuspid aortic valve (TAV). Methods: By reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, exosomal circulating expression levels (versus healthy aorta) of miRNAs and absolute levels of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2, -3 and -9), tissue inhibitors (TIMP-1, -2, -3 and -4), and soluble receptors for advanced glycation end products AGEs (sRAGE) were evaluated in ascending dilated aortas of 71 patients with different valve morphotype. Results: Less-dilated ascending aorta exhibited a specific miRN…
Chronic inflammation: A key role in degeneration of bicuspid aortic valve.
2019
Abstract Introduction Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most common congenital valvular heart defect resulting from abnormal aortic cusp formation during heart development, where two of the three normal and equal sized cusps fuse into a single large cusp resulting in a two cusps aortic valve. Over the past years, much interest has been given in understanding the pathogenesis of BAV and its complications. In this review, we focused on the role of inflammation, involved in the degeneration of BAV and the development of its complications. Role of inflammation From a pathophysiological point of view, BAV may rapidly progress into aortic stenosis (AS) and is related to aortopathy. Several histo…
Identification of circumferential regional heterogeneity of ascending thoracic aneurysmal aorta by biaxial mechanical testing
2019
Abstract Ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm (ATAA) in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) can present an asymmetrical aortic dilatation compared with patients with tricuspid aortic valve (TAV). This pattern of aneurysm dilatation led us to hypothesize that biomechanical differences likely induced by regional heterogeneity of material properties can underlie the observed asymmetric enlargement discrepancies between BAV ATAA and TAV ATAA. This study aimed to characterize the mechanical properties and associated aortic tissue stiffness changes along the circumferential direction of aortic rings collected from surgically-repaired patients with ATAA. Biaxial material testing was performed …
Patterns of ascending aortic dilatation and predictors of surgical replacement of the aorta: A comparison of bicuspid and tricuspid aortic valve pati…
2019
Abstract Background Predictors of thoracic aorta growth and early cardiac surgery in patients with bicuspid aortic valve are undefined. Our aim was to identify predictors of ascending aorta dilatation and cardiac surgery in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). Methods Forty-one patients with BAV were compared with 165 patients with tricuspid aortic valve (TAV). All patients had LV EF > 50%, normal LV dimensions, and similar degree of aortic root or ascending aorta dilatation at enrollment. Patients with more than mild aortic stenosis or regurgitation were excluded. A CT-scan was available on 76% of the population, and an echocardiogram was repeated every year for a median time of 4 ye…
SGLT-2 (Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2) Inhibition Reduces Ang II (Angiotensin II)-Induced Dissecting Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in ApoE (Apolipoprote…
2019
Objective: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a pathological condition of permanent vessel dilatation that predisposes to the potentially fatal consequence of aortic rupture. SGLT-2 (sodium-glucose cotransporter 2) inhibitors have emerged as powerful pharmacological tools for type 2 diabetes mellitus treatment. Beyond their glucose-lowering effects, recent studies have shown that SGLT-2 inhibitors reduce cardiovascular events and have beneficial effects on several vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis; however, the potential effects of SGLT-2 inhibition on AAA remain unknown. This study evaluates the effect of oral chronic treatment with empagliflozin—an SGLT-2 inhibitor—on dissecting …
Regulation of PDE5 expression in human aorta and thoracic aortic aneurysms
2019
AbstractAneurysms and dissections affecting thoracic aorta are associated with smooth muscle cell (SMC) dysfunction. NO/cGMP signaling pathway in smooth muscle cells has been shown to be affected in sporadic thoracic aortic aneurysms. We analyzed the mRNA levels of PDE5, a cGMP-hydrolyzing enzyme highly expressed in aortic SMCs, that regulates arterious vascular tone by lowering cGMP levels. We found that aortic tissue obtained from Marfan, tricuspid and bicuspid thoracic aneurysms expressed lower levels of PDE5 mRNA compared to control aortas. In particular, we found that affected aortas showed lower levels of all the PDE5A isoforms, compared to control aortas. Transfection of vascular SMC…
On the role of material properties in ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms
2019
One of the obstacles standing before the biomechanical analysis of an ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm (ATAA) is the difficulty in obtaining patient-specific material properties. This study aimed to evaluate differences on ATAA-related stress predictions resulting from the elastostatic analysis based on the optimization of arbitrary material properties versus the application of patient-specific material properties determined from ex-vivo biaxial testing. Specifically, the elastostatic analysis relies the on the fact that, if the aortic wall stress does not depend on material properties, the aorta has to be statistically determinate. Finite element analysis (FEA) was applied to a group of …
Computational modeling of bicuspid aortopathy: Towards personalized risk strategies.
2019
This paper describes current advances on the application of in-silico for the understanding of bicuspid aortopathy and future perspectives of this technology on routine clinical care. This includes the impact that artificial intelligence can provide to develop computer-based clinical decision support system and that wearable sensors can offer to remotely monitor high-risk bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) patients. First, we discussed the benefit of computational modeling by providing tangible examples of in-silico software products based on computational fluid-dynamic (CFD) and finite-element method (FEM) that are currently transforming the way we diagnose and treat cardiovascular diseases. Then…
An overview of the molecular mechanisms underlying development and progression of bicuspid aortic valve disease
2019
Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is a common congenital heart malformation frequently associated with the development of aortic valve diseases and severe aortopathy, such as aortic dilatation, aneurysm and dissection. To date, different genetic loci have been identified in syndromic and non- syndromic forms of BAV. Among these, genes involved in the regulation of extracellular matrix remodelling, epithelial to mesenchymal transition and nitric oxide metabolism appear to be the main contributors to BAV pathogenesis. However, no- single gene model explains BAV inheritance, suggesting that more factors are simultaneously involved. In this regard, characteristic epigenetic and immunological profiles…
Role of Adipokines and Perivascular Adipose Tissue in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Animal and Human Observatio…
2021
Improved understanding of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) pathogenesis is required to identify treatment targets. This systematic review summarized evidence from animal studies and clinical research examining the role of adipokines and perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) in AAA pathogenesis. Meta-analyses suggested that leptin (Standardized mean difference [SMD]: 0.50 [95% confidence interval (CI): −1.62, 2.61]) and adiponectin (SMD: −3.16 [95% CI: −7.59, 1.28]) upregulation did not significantly affect AAA severity within animal models. There were inconsistent findings and limited studies investigating the effect of resistin-like molecule-beta (RELMβ) and PVAT in animal models of AAA. Clin…