Search results for "Atherosclerosis."
showing 10 items of 486 documents
OP0090 THE OCCURRENCE OF SUBCLINICAL AND CLINICAL ATHEROSCLEROSIS IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, RESULTS FROM THE 3-YEAR, MULTICENTER, PROSPECTIVE, OBSERVA…
2019
Background The systemic inflammatory process and the “traditional” cardiovascular (CV) risk factors could synergize the enhancement of CV burden in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) [1]. Objectives To assess the occurrence and the predictive factors of subclinical and clinical atherosclerosis in patients with RA. Methods During 2015, consecutive patients, admitted to Italian Rheumatology Units, were assessed in GIRRCS (Gruppo Italiano di Ricerca in Reumatologia Clinica e Sperimentale) cohort [2]. After that, patients were followed-up in a 3-year, prospective, observational study, assessing the occurrence of subclinical (carotid and/or peripheral arteries atherosclerotic lesions detected by ultrasou…
Bisphosphonates and atherosclerosis: why?
2005
The increasing knowledge on bone calcification processes has revealed some similarities with vascular tissue, where calcifications of arteries and cardiac valves contribute to several cardiovascular problems, such as heart failure, systolic hypertension, and myocardial and peripheral ischemic disease. Bisphosphonates have been used extensively for over two decades for the treatment of diseases associated with excessive bone resorption, i.e., osteoporosis, osteolytic bone metastasis, hypercalcemia and Paget’s disease, by blocking osteoclastic function. Etidronate, pamidronate and clodronate has been shown to inhibit the development of experimental atherosclerosis, and proposed mechanisms fo…
Cardiovascular risk and events in polycystic ovary syndrome
2009
Young women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) present a high risk for cardiovascular disease because of the presence of abdominal obesity, insulin resistance and androgen excess. In addition, they present with endothelial dysfunction and early signs of atherosclerosis (increased carotid intima-media thickness and increased coronary calcium). However, the evidence of increased cardiovascular events during the postmenopausal age is relatively small, although some recent studies have indicated a slight increase in the severity of cardiovascular disease in women who had PCOS during their fertile age. The discrepancy between cardiovascular risk in young age and postmenopausal cardiovascular …
Atherosclerosis, inflammation and Chlamydia pneumoniae
2009
Coronary heart disease is the single most common cause of illness and death in the developed world. Coronary atherosclerosis is by far the most frequent cause of ischemic heart disease, and plaque disruption with superimposed thrombosis is the main cause of the acute coronary syndromes of unstable angina, myocardial infarction, and sudden death. Atherosclerosis is the result of a complex interaction between blood elements, disturbed flow, and vessel wall abnormality, involving several pathological processes: inflammation, with increased endothelial permeability, endothelial activation, and monocyte recruitment; growth, with smooth muscle cell proliferation, migration, and matrix synthesis; …
Evaluation of C-Reactive Protein in Primary and Secondary Prevention
2007
Inflammation is pivotal in atherosclerosis, and C-reactive protein (CRP) is an inflammatory marker that predicts cardiovascular events. Several population-based studies have demonstrated that baseline CRP levels predict future cardiovascular events. CRP testing may thus have a major adjunctive role in the global assessment of cardiovascular risk. Recently, the National Cholesterol Education Program, through the Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines, identified CRP and another marker of inflammation, the fibrinogen, as “emerging risk factors,” suggesting that their measurement may improve the estimations of absolute risk obtained using the traditional cardiovascular risk factors. In terms of…
Cardiovascular Imaging Techniques in Systemic Rheumatic Diseases
2018
The risk of cardiovascular (CV) events and mortality is significantly higher in patients with systemic rheumatic diseases than in the general population. Although CV involvement in such patients is highly heterogeneous and may affect various structures of the heart, it can now be diagnosed earlier and promptly treated. Various types of assessments are employed for the evaluation of CV risk such as transthoracic or transesophageal echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT) to investigate valve abnormalities, pericardial disease, and ventricular wall motion defects. The diameter of coronary arteries can be assessed using invasive quantitative coronarograp…
Rare dyslipidaemias, from phenotype to genotype to management: a European Atherosclerosis Society task force consensus statement
2020
Genome sequencing and gene-based therapies appear poised to advance the management of rare lipoprotein disorders and associated dyslipidaemias. However, in practice, underdiagnosis and undertreatment of these disorders are common, in large part due to interindividual variability in the genetic causes and phenotypic presentation of these conditions. To address these challenges, the European Atherosclerosis Society formed a task force to provide practical clinical guidance focusing on patients with extreme concentrations (either low or high) of plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The task force also recognises the scarcity of qua…
Prevention of Atherosclerosis by Interference with the Vascular Nitric Oxide System
2009
Nitric oxide (NO) produced by endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) represents an anti-atherosclerotic principle. NO bioavailability is decreased in atherosclerosis due to increased NO inactivation by reactive oxygen species and reduced NO synthesis. Various types of vascular pathophysiology are associated with oxidative stress, with NADPH oxidases as the major source of reactive oxygen species. These inactivate NO. Also, oxidative stress is likely to be the main cause for oxidation of the essential NOS cofactor, tetrahydrobiopterin (BH(4)). A lack of BH(4) leads to eNOS uncoupling (i.e., uncoupling of oxygen reduction from NO synthesis in eNOS). Based on these pathomechanisms, the therapeutic pot…
One year after the ESC/EAS guidelines on cholesterol control. What's the new evidence? What's missing?
2021
The recent ESC/EAS 2019 Guidelines for the management of dyslipidaemias are centred on the causal role of low density lipoprotein (LDL), or more generally apolipoprotein B (apoB)-containing lipoproteins, in atherosclerosis as an essential principle. Despite updated goals and recommendations, that have further highlighted the importance of a powerful reduction in LDL-C levels to reduce the individual CV risk, some challenges remain to be addressed in view of future guideline elaboration. In this review, we will summarize the new evidence from clinical trials since 2019 guideline release and discuss the possible challenges for the future.
An Exploratory Look at Bicuspid Aortic Valve (Bav) Aortopathy: Focus on Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms
2019
Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most common congenital heart malformation. BAV patients are at increased risk for aortic valve disease (stenosis/regurgitation), infective endocarditis, thrombi formation and, in particular, aortic dilatation, aneurysm and dissection. This review aims at exploring the possible interplay among genetics, extracellular matrix remodeling, abnormal signaling pathways, oxidative stress and inflammation in contributing to BAV-associated aortopathy (BAV-A-A). Novel circulating biomarkers have been proposed as diagnostic tools able to improve risk stratification in BAV-A-A. However, to date, the precise molecular and cellular mechanisms that lead to BAV-A-A remain …