Systemic iron deficiency (SID), even in the absence of anaemia, worsens the prognosis and increases mortality in heart failure (HF). Recent clinical-epidemiological studies, however, have shown that a myocardial iron deficiency (MID) is frequently present in cases of severe HF, even in the absence of SID and without anaemia. In addition, experimental studies have shown a poor correlation between the

Aims Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a highly lethal disease with progressive dilatation of the abdominal aorta accompanied by degradation and remodelling of the vessel wall due to chronic inflammation. Platelets play an important role in cardiovascular diseases but their role in AAA is poorly understood. Methods and Results The present study revealed that platelets play a crucial role in promoting

While chronic heart failure (CHF) treatment has considerably improved patient prognosis and survival, the therapeutic management of acute heart failure (AHF) has remained virtually unchanged in the last decades. This is partly due to the scarcity of pre-clinical models for the pathophysiological assessment and, consequently, the limited knowledge of molecular mechanisms involved in the different AHF

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Its prevalence is rising due to ageing populations and the increasing incidence of diseases such as chronic kidney disease, obesity and diabetes which are associated with elevated cardiovascular risk. Despite currently available treatments, there remains a huge burden of cardiovascular disease-associated morbidity for patients and healthcare

Aims Cardiotoxicity is one major reason why drugs do not enter or are withdrawn from the market. Thus, approaches are required to predict cardiotoxicity with high specificity and sensitivity. Ideally, such methods should be performed within intact cardiac tissue with high relevance for humans and detect acute and chronic side effects on electrophysiological behaviour, contractility, and tissue structure

Background and aim Mitochondria are plastic organelles that continuously undergo biogenesis, fusion, fission, and mitophagy to control cellular energy metabolism, calcium homeostasis, hormones, sterols and bile acids (BAs) synthesis. Here we evaluated how the impairment of mitochondrial fusion in hepatocytes affect diet induced liver steatosis and obesity. Methods and Results Male mice selectively

Aims Obesity is an epidemic that is a critical contributor to hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. Current paradigms suggest that endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS/NOS3) in the vessel wall is the primary regulator of vascular function and blood pressure. However, recent studies have revealed the presence of eNOS/NOS3 in the adipocytes of white adipose tissues and perivascular adipose

Aims Regular exercise training benefits cardiovascular health and effectively reduces the risk for cardiovascular disease. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play important roles in cardiac pathophysiology. However, the role of circRNAs in response to exercise training and biological mechanisms responsible for exercise-induced cardiac protection remain largely unknown. Methods and results RNA sequencing was

Aims Adiponectin may play an important protective role in heart failure and associated cardiovascular diseases. We hypothesized that plasma adiponectin is associated observationally and causally, genetically with risk of heart failure, atrial fibrillation, aortic valve stenosis, and myocardial infarction. Methods and results In the Copenhagen General Population Study, we examined 30,045 individuals

Aims Resistant hypertension is associated with a high risk of cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and mortality. Yet, its management is challenging. This study aims to establish the comparative effectiveness of pharmacologic and interventional treatments by conducting a network meta-analysis. Methods and Results MEDLINE, Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials and Web of Science Core Collection

Aims RNA binding proteins play essential roles in mediating RNA splicing and are key post-transcriptional regulators in the heart. Our recent study demonstrated that RBPMS (RNA-binding protein with multiple splicing) is crucial for cardiac development through modulating mRNA splicing, but little is known about its functions in the adult heart. In this study, we aim to characterize the postnatal cardiac

Aims CRISPR/Cas9 gene-edits of cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR2) in human induced pluripotent stem cells derived-cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) provides a novel platform for introducing mutations in RyR2 Ca2+ binding residues and examining the resulting EC-coupling remodeling consequences. Methods and Results Ca2+-signaling phenotypes of mutations in RyR2 Ca2+ binding site residues associated with cardiac

Objective There is little information on the regulation of cholesterol homeostasis in the brain. Whether cholesterol crosses the blood-brain barrier is under investigation, but the present understanding is that cholesterol metabolism in the brain is independent from that in peripheral tissues. Lipoprotein receptors from the LDL receptor family (LRPs) have key roles in lipid particle accumulation in

Background and aims Tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) represents a classical proinflammatory cytokine and its increased levels positively correlate with the severity of many cardiovascular diseases. Surprisingly, some heart failure patients receiving high doses of anti- TNF-α antibodies showed serious health worsening. This work aimed to examine the role of TNF-α signalling on the development and progression

Aims Mutation of the PRDM16 gene causes human dilated and non-compaction cardiomyopathy. The PRDM16 protein is a transcriptional regulator that affects cardiac development via Tbx5 and Hand1, thus regulating myocardial structure. The biallelic inactivation of Prdm16 induces severe cardiac dysfunction with post-natal lethality and hypertrophy in mice. The early pathological events that occur upon Prdm16

AIM Empagliflozin (EMPA), a potent inhibitor of the renal sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) and an effective treatment for type-2 diabetes, has been shown to have cardioprotective effects, independent of improved glycaemic control. Several non-canonical mechanisms have been proposed to explain these cardiac effects, including increasing circulating ketone supply to the heart. This study aims to

Aims The heart rejuvenating effects of circulating growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11), a TGF-β superfamily member that shares 90% homology with myostatin (MSTN), remains controversial. Here, we aimed to probe the role of GDF11 in acute myocardial infarction (MI), a frequent cause of heart failure and premature death during ageing. Methods and results In contrast to endogenous Mstn, myocardial

Aims Long QT Syndrome Type 2 (LQTS2) is associated with inherited variants in the cardiac hERG K+ channel. However, the pathogenicity of hERG channel gene variants is often uncertain. Using CRISPR-Cas9 gene-edited hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs), we investigated the pathogenic mechanism underlying the LQTS-associated hERG R56Q variant, and its phenotypic rescue by the type 1 hERG activator

Aims Endurance exercise is associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). We previously established that adverse atrial remodeling and AF susceptibility induced by intense exercise in mice requires the mechanosensitive and pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF). The cellular and mechanistic basis for these TNF-mediated effects is unknown. Methods and Results We studied

Current antithrombotic therapies used in clinical settings either target the coagulation pathways or platelet activation receptors (P2Y12 or GPIIb/IIIa), as well as the cyclooxygenase (COX) enzyme through aspirin. However, they are associated with bleeding risk and are not suitable for long-term use. Thus, novel strategies which provide broad protection against platelet activation with minimal bleeding

Aims Myocardial infarction (MI) is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Most metabolomics studies investigating metabolites predicting MI are limited by the participant number and/or the demographic diversity. We sought to identify biomarkers of incident MI in the Consortium of Metabolomics Studies (COMETS). Methods and Results We included 7,897 individuals aged on average 66 years from

Background and Aims Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with tachycardia-induced cellular electrophysiology alterations which promote AF chronification and treatment resistance. Development of novel antiarrhythmic therapies is hampered by the absence of scalable experimental human models that reflect AF-associated electrical remodelling. Therefore, we aimed to assess if AF-associated remodelling

Aims Cardiac fibrosis drives the progression of heart failure in ischemic and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Therefore, the development of specific antifibrotic treatment regimens to counteract cardiac fibrosis is of high clinical relevance. Hence, this study examined the presence of persistent fibroblast activation during longstanding human heart disease at a single-cell resolution to identify putative

Aims The sympathetic nervous system increases HR by activating β-adrenergic receptors (β-ARs) and increasing cAMP in sinoatrial node (SAN) myocytes while phosphodiesterases (PDEs) degrade cAMP. Chronotropic incompetence, the inability to regulate heart rate (HR) in response to sympathetic nervous system activation, is common in hypertensive heart disease; however, the basis for this is poorly understood

Carotid atherosclerotic disease continues to be an important cause of stroke, often disabling or fatal. Such strokes could be largely prevented through optimal medical therapy and carotid revascularization. Advancements in discovery research and imaging along with evidence from recent pharmacology and interventional clinical trials and registries and the progress in acute stroke management have markedly

Aim Mutations in the DSP gene encoding desmoplakin, a constituent of the desmosomes at the intercalated discs (IDs), cause a phenotype that spans arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). It is typically characterized by biventricular enlargement and dysfunction, myocardial fibrosis, cell death, and arrhythmias. The canonical WNT (cWNT)/β-catenin pathway is implicated in

Aims Apart from cardiotoxicity, the chemotherapeutic doxorubicin (DOX) induces vascular toxicity, represented by arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction. Both parameters are of interest for cardiovascular risk stratification as they are independent predictors of future cardiovascular events in the general population. However, the time course of DOX-induced cardiovascular toxicity remains unclear

Aims Acute myocardial infarction (MI) causes inflammation, collagen deposition, and reparative fibrosis in response to myocyte death and, subsequently, a pathological myocardial remodelling process characterized by excessive interstitial fibrosis, driving heart failure (HF). Nonetheless, how or when to limit excessive fibrosis for therapeutic purposes remains uncertain. Galectin-3, a major mediator

Aims Vascular calcification (VC) predicts the morbidity and mortality in cardiovascular diseases. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) osteogenic transdifferentiation is the crucial pathological basis for VC. To date, the molecular pathogenesis is still largely unclear. Notably, C5a-C5aR1 contributes to the development of cardiovascular diseases, and it’s closely related to physiological bone mineralization

Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) has been well established as a critical contributor to atherosclerosis and consequently, as an attractive therapeutic target for anti-atherosclerotic drug candidates. Many publications have demonstrated that disrupting VCAM-1 function blocks monocyte infiltration into the subendothelial space, which effectively prevents macrophage maturation and foam cell

Aims Damage of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a hallmark of brain injury during the early stages of ischemic stroke. The subsequent endothelial hyperpermeability drives the initial pathological changes and aggravates neuronal death. Transient receptor potential melastatin 2 (TRPM2) is a Ca2+-permeable nonselective cation channel activated by oxidative stress. However, whether TRPM2 is involved in

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare cardiovascular disorder leading to pulmonary hypertension and, often fatal, right heart failure. Sex-differences in PAH are evident, which primarily presents with a female predominance and increased male severity. Disturbed transduction of the transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) signaling family and gene mutations in the Bone morphogenetic protein receptor

Aims No effective therapy is available in clinics to protect the heart from ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Endothelial cells are activated after I/R, which may drive the inflammatory response by releasing ATP through pannexin1 (Panx1) channels. Here, we investigated the role of Panx1 in cardiac I/R. Methods and results Panx1 was found in cardiac endothelial cells, neutrophils, and cardiomyocytes

Aims Regulated necrosis (necroptosis) and apoptosis are important biological features of myocardial infarction, ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, and heart failure. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying myocardial necroptosis remain elusive. Ischemic preconditioning (IPC) is the most powerful intrinsic cardioprotection against myocardial I/R injury. In this study, we aimed to determine whether

Aims Mitochondria play a vital role in cellular metabolism and energetics and support normal cardiac function. Disrupted mitochondrial function and homeostasis cause a variety of heart diseases. Fam210a (family with sequence similarity 210 member A), a novel mitochondrial gene, is identified as a hub gene in mouse cardiac remodeling by multi-omics studies. Human FAM210A mutations are associated with

Background The brain controls the heart by dynamic recruitment and withdrawal of cardiac parasympathetic (vagal) and sympathetic activity. Autonomic control is essential for the development of cardiovascular responses during exercise, however, the patterns of changes in the activity of the two autonomic limbs, and their functional interactions in orchestrating physiological responses during exercise

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which are RNA transcripts exceeding 200 nucleotides, were believed to lack any protein-coding capacity. But advancements in -omics technology have revealed that some lncRNAs have small open reading frames (sORFs) that can be translated by ribosomes to encode peptides, some of which have important biological functions. These encoded peptides subserve important biological

Aims Circadian clocks play important role in immunoregulation. We aimed to investigate cardiac circadian clock specific pathways and compare cardiac grafts procured at different timing on survival after transplantation to explore novel criteria for donor selection. Methods and Results In primate heart, Phase Set Enrichment Analysis (PSEA) showed rhythmic transcripts were enriched in antigen processing

Aims Vascular calcification is prevalent in pathological processes such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD) and atherosclerosis, but effective therapies are still lacking by far. Canagliflozin (CANA), an SGLT2 inhibitor, has been approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus and exhibits beneficial effects against cardiovascular disease. However, the effect of CANA on vascular calcification

Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most prevalent clinical arrhythmia, is associated with atrial remodeling manifesting as acute and chronic alterations in expression, function, and regulation of atrial electrophysiological and Ca2+-handling processes. These AF-induced modifications crosstalk and propagate across spatial scales creating a complex pathophysiological network, which renders AF resistant to

Aims Inflammatory cytokines play a critical role in the progression of calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD), for which there is currently no pharmacological treatment. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that interleukin-8 (IL-8), known to be involved in arterial calcification, also promotes aortic valve calcification (AVC) and to evaluate whether pharmacologically blocking the IL-8 receptor

Aims Treatment with sodium-glucose co-transporter 2(SGLT2)-inhibitors reduces risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality, but the mechanism is unclear. We hypothesized that a functional genetic variant in SLC5A2, known to be associated with familial renal glucosuria, would mimic pharmacological SGLT2-inhibition, and thus provide an opportunity to examine potential mediators of the effects on lower

Electronic cigarette use has grown exponentially in recent years, and while their popularity has increased, the long-term effects on the heart are yet to be fully studied and understood. Originally designed as devices to assist with those trying to quit traditional combustible cigarette use, their popularity has attracted use by teens and adolescents who traditionally have not smoked combustible cigarettes

Aims Phenotypic transition of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) from a contractile to a synthetic state is involved in the development of cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, hypertension, and post-angioplasty restenosis. Arginine methylation catalyzed by protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) has been implicated in multiple cellular processes, however, its role in VSMC biology

AIMS To define endotypes of carotid subclinical atherosclerosis. METHODS AND RESULTS We integrated demographic, clinical, and molecular data (n = 124) with ultrasonographic carotid measurements from study participants in the IMPROVE cohort (n = 3340). We applied a neural network algorithm and hierarchical clustering to identify carotid atherosclerosis endotypes. A measure of carotid subclinical atherosclerosis

The contribution of the right ventricle (RV) to cardiac output is negligible in normal resting conditions when pressures in the pulmonary circulation are low. However, the RV becomes relevant in healthy subjects during exercise, and definitely so in patients with increased pulmonary artery pressures both at rest and during exercise. The adaptation of RV function to loading rests basically on an increased

Background Myocardial infarction is a major cause of death worldwide. Effective treatments are required to improve recovery of cardiac function following myocardial infarction, with the aim of improving patient outcomes and preventing progression to heart failure. The perfused but hypocontractile region bordering an infarct is functionally distinct from the remote surviving myocardium and is a determinant