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Int J Exp Pathol 2019 Apr 24. Epub 2019 Apr 24.

ITMO University, St. Petersburg, Russia.

A major translational barrier to the use of stem cell (SC)-based therapy in patients with myocardial infarction (MI) is the lack of a clear understanding of the mechanism(s) underlying the cardioprotective effect of SCs. Numerous paracrine factors from SCs may account for reduction in infarct size, but myocardial salvage associated with transdifferentiation of SCs into vascular cells as well as cardiomyocyte-like cells may be involved too. In this study, bone marrow-derived rat mesenchymal SC (MSCs) were microencapsulated in alginate preventing viable cell release while supporting their secretory phenotype. Read More

J Int Med Res 2019 Apr 24:300060519842778. Epub 2019 Apr 24.

1 Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Jiaxing University, Jiaxing, ZheJiang Province, China.

During the past century, the incidence of myocardial infarction has markedly increased worldwide. Percutaneous coronary intervention with stent implantation is often considered as the first-choice treatment, especially in emergency cases. Current guidelines recommend delayed elective noncardiac surgery for such vulnerable patients. Read More

Cureus 2019 Feb 7;11(2):e4032. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Oncology, Florida Cancer Specialists, Atlantis, USA.

A 36-year-old female with no significant past medical history presented with sudden onset of crushing substernal chest pain. When the emergency medical services (EMS) arrived, she had a cardiac arrest requiring defibrillation two times in the field prior to arriving at the hospital. In the emergency department (ED), the electrocardiogram (ECG) was significant for ST-elevation that suggested acute anterolateral infarct. Read More

Thromb Res 2019 Apr 9;178:101-109. Epub 2019 Apr 9.

Department of Cardiology, Copenhagen University Hospital Herlev and Gentofte, Kildegaardsvej 28, 2900 Hellerup, Denmark.

Introduction: To investigate the patterns of dose reduction of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOAC) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).

Materials And Methods: Using Danish nationwide registries, we identified all non-valvular AF patients initiated on standard-dose NOAC during 2011-2017 who were followed until dose reduction. The absolute risk of dose reduction was presented as cumulative incidence both overall and according to baseline characteristics. Read More

J Cell Biochem 2019 Apr 17. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.

It is known that parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP) contains a nuclear localization sequence (NLS, 87-107), which, together with its C-terminus (107-139), has been shown to positively regulate vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMCs) proliferation and vascular neointima formation, and inhibit cellular apoptosis. The role of PTHrP in ischemic cardiac diseases remains unclear. In this study, we attempted to determine whether PTHrP 87 to 139 can play a role in promoting cardiac function via enhancing angiogenesis after myocardial infarction (MI) occurred. Read More

J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

University of Pennsylvania;

Selective deletion of microsomal PGE2 synthase (mPGES) -1 in myeloid cells retards atherogenesis and suppresses the vascular proliferative response to injury, while it does not predispose to thrombogenesis or hypertension. However, studies using bone marrow transplants from irradiated mice suggest that myeloid cell mPGES-1 facilitates cardiac remodeling and prolongs survival after experimental myocardial infarction (MI). Here we addressed this question using mice lacking mPges-1 in myeloid cells, particularly macrophages (Mac-mPges-1 KO), generated by crossing mPges-1 floxed mice with LysMCre mice, and subjecting them to coronary artery ligation. Read More

Exp Ther Med 2019 May 18;17(5):3989-3998. Epub 2019 Mar 18.

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, P.R. China.

Electrospinning using biocompatible polymer scaffolds, seeded with or without stem cells, is considered a promising technique for producing fibrous scaffolds with therapeutic possibilities for ischemic heart disease. However, no optimal scaffolds for treating ischemic heart disease have been identified thus far. In the present study, it was evaluated whether electrospun silk fibroin (SF)-blended poly(L-lactic acid-co-ε-caprolactone) [P(LLA-CL)] scaffolds that were seeded with cluster of differentiation 117 (c-kit) bone marrow (BM) cells may serve a protective role in cardiac remodeling following myocardial infarction (MI). Read More

World Neurosurg 2019 Apr 10. Epub 2019 Apr 10.

Department of Neurosurgery, Chonnam National University Hospital and Medical School, Gwangju, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:

Background: The unilateral interhemispheric approach is a well-known operative technique for distal anterior cerebral artery (DACA) aneurysms. However, this approach presents several risks, such as postoperative venous infarction due to occasional sacrifice of the parasagittal bridging vein or postoperative frontal lobe damage due to retraction force. To overcome these risks, we used a bifrontal craniotomy with a straight dural incision and cutting of the superior sagittal sinus (SSS). Read More

Eur Spine J 2019 Apr 10. Epub 2019 Apr 10.

Oncological Orthopedics and Reconstructive Surgery, IRCCS - Galeazzi Orthopedic Institute, Milan, Italy.

Purpose: To review a series of patients > 60 years affected by primary spine bone tumors, who have undergone surgery, and to describe their clinical presentation, results and complications associated with surgical treatment.

Methods: A review of all patients > 60 years affected by primary spine bone tumor surgically treated with en bloc spondylectomy from 1993 to 2015 was performed. Thirty-seven cases were identified, and clinical and radiological characteristics, therapy, complications and survival were evaluated. Read More

Cell Death Dis 2019 Apr 9;10(4):319. Epub 2019 Apr 9.

The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, 410013, China.

Clinical outcomes of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) have almost doubled the overall survival over the last decade owing to the use of proteasome inhibitor such as bortezomib (BTZ). However, some patients with MM develop primary resistance to BTZ, whereas others develop resistance after treatment. In this study, we investigated relationships between BTZ resistance and dysfunction of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in patients with MM. Read More

Curr Vasc Pharmacol 2019 Apr 8. Epub 2019 Apr 8.

Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Endocrinology Unit, Federico II University Medical School of Naples. Italy.

Vitamin D and calcium are considered crucial for the treatment of bone diseases. Both vitamin D and calcium contribute to bone homeostasis but also preserve muscle health by reducing the risk of falls and fractures. Low vitamin D concentrations result in secondary hyperparathyroidism and contribute to bone loss, although the development of secondary hyperparathyroidism varies, even in patients with severe vitamin D deficiency. Read More

J Bone Joint Surg Am 2019 Apr;101(7):572-579

Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Surgery (B.R., D.P., H.K., D.W., R.J., and H.J.K.), and Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (D.P. and H.J.K.), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Background: Although the prevalence of displaced femoral neck fractures in the elderly population is increasing worldwide, there remains controversy as to whether these injuries should be managed with hemiarthroplasty or total hip arthroplasty. Although total hip arthroplasties result in better function, they are more expensive and may have higher complication rates. Our objective was to compare the complication rates and health-care costs between hemiarthroplasty and total hip arthroplasty for displaced femoral neck fractures in the elderly population. Read More

Acta Radiol Open 2019 Mar 27;8(3):2058460119834691. Epub 2019 Mar 27.

Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc, Institut de recherche expérimentale et clinique, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.

The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appearance of an "established" bone marrow infarct is well-known, consisting of an area of preserved bone marrow signal surrounded by a serpiginous line. We report the uncommon observation of the very early phases of appearance of a bone marrow infarct, showing its progressive de novo appearance on MR images paralleling clinical symptoms and high-dose systemic steroid administration in a young female patient, presenting with acute knee pain. The initial knee MR examination performed one week after pain onset showed no abnormality. Read More

Mol Med Rep 2019 Apr 3. Epub 2019 Apr 3.

Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, Tongji Hospital of Tongji University, Shanghai 200065, P.R. China.

Previous studies suggest that granulocyte colony‑stimulating factor (G‑CSF) can promote bone marrow derived progenitor cells to mediate cardiovascular repair, potentially reversing mechanical dysfunction in chronic ischaemic heart disease and post myocardial infarction. Two models were used in the present study both using a surgical ameroid constrictor to induce arterial stenosis. The first model used the carotid artery of rabbits. Read More

Case Rep Hematol 2019 27;2019:8612031. Epub 2019 Feb 27.

Department of Hematology and Oncology, Kita-Harima Medical Center, Hyogo, Japan.

A 67-year-old male, with a known diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndromes with multilineage dysplasia (MDS-MLD) was admitted to our hospital with a primary complaint of subcutaneous bleeding in his left thigh. Laboratory data showed anaemia and prolongation of activated partial thromboplastin time (85.8 s, normal range 24-39 s) without thrombocytopenia. Read More

Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2019 May 30;513(1):99-104. Epub 2019 Mar 30.

Department of Cardiology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, PR China; Cardiovascular Research Institute, Wuhan University, Wuhan, PR China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Cardiology, Wuhan, PR China. Electronic address:

After myocardial infarction (MI), increased platelet number and size are inversely related to the outcomes of patients. Our previous study confirmed an excessive thrombopoiesis taking place in the bone marrow after MI. However, the mechanisms remain unknown. Read More

J Cell Biochem 2019 Mar 30. Epub 2019 Mar 30.

Department of Cardiology, Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.

Objective: High association between microRNA-497 (miR-497) inhibition and the improvement of myocardial infarction (MI) has been proved. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) therapy is regarded as a highly promising approach to MI treatment. We studied the functional role of miR-497 inhibition in the transplantation of BMSCs for MI treatment. Read More

Cardiovasc Res 2019 Mar 29. Epub 2019 Mar 29.

Department of Cardiology, Campus Benjamin Franklin.

Background: Inflammation is a key driver of atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction (MI), and beyond proteins and microRNAs (miRs), long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated in inflammation control. To obtain further information on the possible role of lncRNAs in the context of atherosclerosis, we obtained comprehensive transcriptome maps of circulating immune cells (PBMCs) of early onset MI patients. One lncRNA significantly suppressed in post-MI patients was further investigated in a murine knockout model. Read More

Aging Clin Exp Res 2019 Mar 26. Epub 2019 Mar 26.

Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Medanta-The Medicity, Gurgaon, New Delhi, India.

Adequate calcium intake during childhood is necessary to achieve optimal peak bone mass and this has the potential by increasing bone reserves, to modulate the rate of age-associated bone loss. However, data regarding the efficacy of calcium obtained either through the diet or in the form of medicinal supplementation, for prevention of bone loss and osteoporotic fractures in the elderly is conflicting. Calcium alone is unlikely to be of benefit for this purpose though the co-administration of calcium and vitamin D may have modest fracture risk benefits. Read More

J Am Heart Assoc 2019 Apr;8(7):e010860

1 Department of Cardiovascular Medicine Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Tokushima Japan.

Background Toll-like receptor ( TLR ) 9 recognizes bacterial DNA , activating innate immunity, whereas it also provokes inflammation in response to fragmented DNA released from mammalian cells. We investigated whether TLR 9 contributes to the development of vascular inflammation and atherogenesis using apolipoprotein E-deficient ( Apoe ) mice. Methods and Results Tlr9-deficient Apoe ( Tlr9 Apoe ) mice and Apoe mice on a Western-type diet received subcutaneous angiotensin II infusion (1000 ng/kg per minute) for 28 days. Read More

Am J Case Rep 2019 Mar 23;20:381-384. Epub 2019 Mar 23.

Department of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University of Colorado, Denver, CO, USA.

BACKGROUND Hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) is defined as hypereosinophilia with eosinophil mediated organ damage or dysfunction, provided that other causes of organ damage have been excluded. CASE REPORT An 83-year-old female presented with worsening dyspnea for 3 weeks. She was initially diagnosed with bronchitis and prescribed oral antibiotics along with prednisone taper. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2019 Mar 21;20(6). Epub 2019 Mar 21.

Clinic of Internal Medicine II, Department of Cardiology, Paracelsus Medical University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria.

Although reperfusion therapy has improved outcomes, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is still associated with both significant mortality and morbidity. Once irreversible myocardial cell death due to ischemia and reperfusion sets in, scarring leads to reduction in left ventricular function and subsequent heart failure. Regenerative cardiovascular medicine experienced a boost in the early 2000s when regenerative effects of bone marrow stem cells in a murine model of AMI were described. Read More

J Bone Metab 2019 Feb 28;26(1):25-30. Epub 2019 Feb 28.

Department of Food and Nutrition, Yeonsung University, Anyang, Korea.

Background: The health condition of old age is affected by various factors such as economic level, disease condition, and nutrition. With the aging population in Korea, the ratio of single-person households increased rapidly. Research on the health status and nutrition of the elderly in the single-person household is very insufficient. Read More

Nat Rev Cardiol 2019 Mar 20. Epub 2019 Mar 20.

Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Department of Cardiovascular, Neural and Metabolic Sciences, San Luca Hospital, Milan, Italy.

Hypertension is an important risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and for events such as myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure and chronic kidney disease and is a major determinant of disability-adjusted life-years. Despite the importance of hypertension, the pathogenesis of essential hypertension, which involves the complex interaction of several mechanisms, is still poorly understood. Evidence suggests that interplay between bone marrow, microglia and immune mediators underlies the development of arterial hypertension, in particular through mechanisms involving cytokines and peptides, such as neuropeptide Y, substance P, angiotensin II and angiotensin-(1-7). Read More

J Bone Joint Surg Am 2019 Mar;101(6):504-513

The Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Background: The use of aspirin as prophylaxis against venous thromboembolism (VTE) following total joint arthroplasty (TJA) has increased in popularity; however, the potential cardioprotective effects of aspirin when administered as VTE prophylaxis remain unknown. The present study investigated the influence of VTE prophylaxis, including aspirin, on mortality following TJA.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 31,133 patients who underwent primary TJA from 2000 to 2017. Read More

Clin Nucl Med 2019 May;44(5):e372-e374

Pathology, Shiga General Hospital, Moriyama, Japan.

We report a case of splenic marginal zone B-cell lymphoma discovered in a 73-year-old man with cold agglutinin disease. PET/CT revealed splenomegaly with focally intense uptake of F-FDG and diffusely increased bone marrow uptake, which was considered to be secondary to hemolytic anemia. Splenectomy was performed. Read More

Cancer 2019 Mar 12. Epub 2019 Mar 12.

Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.

Background: Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP)-associated mutations increase the risk of atherosclerotic heart disease. Comorbidities significantly impact the prognosis of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). The objective of this study was to determine the association and impact of CHIP mutations with comorbidities in patients with MDS. Read More

Eur J Prev Cardiol 2019 Mar 11:2047487319834399. Epub 2019 Mar 11.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.

Aims: Recent clinical studies demonstrated the association between myocardial infarction (MI) and osteoporotic fractures. We examined whether MI causes bone loss and the effects of exercise training on bone in mice after MI.

Methods: We created a MI model in 16-week-old male apolipoprotein E-deficient mice ( n = 42), which were randomly assigned to exercise group (MI-Ex) and sedentary group (MI-Sed). Read More

Cardiovasc Pathol 2019 Feb 10;40:47-54. Epub 2019 Feb 10.

Department of Cardiology, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Germany. Electronic address:

Objective: We aimed to elucidate the local role of FGF23 after myocardial infarction in a mouse model induced by left anterior descending artery (LAD) ligation. APPROACH AND RESULTS: (C57BL/6 N) mice underwent MI via LAD ligation and were sacrificed at different time-points post MI. The expression and influence of FGF23 on fibroblast and macrophages was also analyzed using isolated murine cells. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2019 Mar 6;20(5). Epub 2019 Mar 6.

Department of Oral Implantology, Osaka Dental University, 1-5-17 Otemae Chuo-ku, Osaka 540-0008, Japan.

Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that have multipotent differentiation and a self-renewal ability. They have been useful not only for dental diseases, but also for systemic diseases. Extensive studies have suggested that DPSCs are effective for various diseases, such as spinal cord injuries, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, cerebral ischemia, myocardial infarction, muscular dystrophy, diabetes, liver diseases, eye diseases, immune diseases, and oral diseases. Read More

Hell J Nucl Med 2019 Jan-Apr;22(1):2-3. Epub 2019 Mar 7.

Nuclear Medicine Unit, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the best known haemoglobinopathy, caused by a mutation substituting valina for glutamic acid at position 6 of the beta-globin chain of adult hemoglobin A, resulting in hemoglobin S (HbS). The homozygous HbS disease (HbSS), an autosomal recessive disorder, is the most common form and the Mediterranean area, along with sub-Saharian African and India, have the highest prevalence (1%-15%). In particular, Sicily with a prevalence of 2%-5%, is among the most interested regions. Read More

Rinsho Ketsueki 2019;60(2):106-111

Department of Hematology, Kyoto City Hospital.

A 64-year-old man presented to the emergency department with sudden-onset upper abdominal pain and pain in the left chest area. His platelet count was 121.7×10/µl. Read More

Cardiovasc Res 2019 Mar 4. Epub 2019 Mar 4.

Department of Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.

Aims: The Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) is an intracellular innate immune receptor activated by nucleic acids shed from dying cells leading to activation of the innate immune system. Since innate immune system activation is involved in the response to myocardial infarction (MI), this study aims to identify if TLR7 is involved in post-MI ischemic injury and adverse remodeling after MI.

Methods And Results: TLR7 involvement in MI was investigated in human tissue from patients with ischemic heart failure, as well as in a mouse model of permanent left anterior descending artery occlusion in C57BL/6J wild type and TLR7 deficient (TLR7-/-) mice. Read More

Neuroreport 2019 Apr;30(6):428-433

Department of Prosthodontics, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology.

Ischemic stroke is a common life-threatening disease. Epidemiological studies have shown that chronic periodontitis is closely related to ischemic stroke. However, it remains unknown whether periodontitis plays a direct role in the injury of cerebral ischemia. Read More

Nat Commun 2019 02 27;10(1):959. Epub 2019 Feb 27.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Medicine and School of Engineering, 35294, Birmingham, AL, USA.

Myocardial microRNAs (myo-miRs) are released into the circulation after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). How they impact remote organs is however largely unknown. Here we show that circulating myo-miRs are carried in exosomes and mediate functional crosstalk between the ischemic heart and the bone marrow (BM). Read More

J Clin Med 2019 Feb 22;8(2). Epub 2019 Feb 22.

Division of Cardiology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA.

Soluble ST2 (sST2) has recently emerged as a promising biomarker in the field of acute cardiovascular diseases. Several clinical studies have demonstrated a significant link between sST2 values and patients' outcome. Further, it has been found that higher levels of sST2 are associated with an increased risk of adverse left ventricular remodeling. Read More

Korean Circ J 2019 Apr 24;49(4):314-325. Epub 2019 Jan 24.

Department of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Center, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Ischemic heart disease can lead to myocardial infarction (MI), a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Adoptive transfer of multiple stem cell types into failing human hearts has demonstrated safety however the beneficial effects in patients with cardiovascular disorders have been modest. Modest improvement in patients with cardiac complications warrants identification of a novel stem cell population that possesses effective reparative properties and improves cardiac function after injury. Read More

Int J Stroke 2019 Feb 22:1747493019834191. Epub 2019 Feb 22.

1 Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.

Background: Stroke is a major cause of disability and mortality. Poorer outcome after stroke is associated with concomitant inflammatory and infectious disease. Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the dental supporting structures and is a prominent risk factor for many systemic disorders, including cardiovascular disease and stroke. Read More

Cell Physiol Biochem 2019 18;52(1):40-56. Epub 2019 Feb 18.

Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kyung Hee University Hospital, Hoegi-Dong, Republic of Korea.

Background/aims: Therapies using stem/progenitor cells have been experimentally and clinically investigated to regenerate damaged hearts. Substance-P (SP) induces bone marrow (BM) stem cell mobilization and suppresses inflammation in ischemic injuries. This study investigated the role of SP in BM stem cell mobilization and immune responses for tissue repair after ischemic-reperfusion injury (IRI), in comparison with that of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF). Read More

Calcif Tissue Int 2019 Feb 21. Epub 2019 Feb 21.

IIFP, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Departamento de Ciencias Biologicas, Calle 47 y 115-La Plata, 1900, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Gaucher disease (GD) is the most prevalent lysosomal storage disease, and bone involvement is the most disabling condition. The aim of the present study was to evaluate bone involvement in adult patients with GD, using an observational cross-sectional study. Patients were evaluated using X-rays, bone densitometry (BMD), trabecular bone score (TBS), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and biochemical bone markers. Read More

PLoS One 2019 21;14(2):e0212230. Epub 2019 Feb 21.

School of Medicine and Public Health, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.

Introduction: The prevalence of heart failure increases in the aging population and following myocardial infarction (MI), yet the extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling underpinning the development of aging- and MI-associated cardiac fibrosis remains poorly understood. A link between inflammation and fibrosis in the heart has long been appreciated, but has mechanistically remained undefined. We investigated the expression of a novel protein, extracellular matrix protein 1 (ECM1) in the aging and infarcted heart. Read More

Hum Gene Ther 2019 Mar 27. Epub 2019 Mar 27.

1 Vascular Pathophysiology Area, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain.

Microvascular dysfunction and resulting tissue hypoxia is a major contributor to the pathogenesis and evolution of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Diverse gene and cell therapies have been proposed to preserve the microvasculature or boost angiogenesis in CVD, with moderate benefit. This study tested in vivo the impact of sequential delivery by bone-marrow (BM) cells of the pro-angiogenic factors vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGFA) and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) in a myocardial infarction model. Read More

Exp Clin Transplant 2019 01;17(Suppl 1):181-187

From the Department of Internal Medicine, Cukurova University Faculty of Medicine, Adana, Turkey.

Objectives: In patients with advanced-stage chronic kidney disease, renal insufficiency, arterial stiffness, and vascular calcification are strong predictors of cardiovascular risk. Signal peptide-CUB-EGF-like protein-1 (SCUBE1) levels increase during platelet activation and acute ischemic events. Here, we evaluated associations between SCUBE1 levels and electrocardiographic/echocardiographic findings, epicardial adipose tissue thickness, and carotid intimamedia thickness in patients with chronic kidney disease. Read More

Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2019 Apr;39(4):583-592

Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention (IPEK), LMU Munich, Germany (C.W., R.R.K.).

With the incidence and impact of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and its clinical manifestations still rising, therapeutic options that target the causal mechanisms of this disorder are highly desired. Since the CANTOS trial (Canakinumab Antiinflammatory Thrombosis Outcome Study) has demonstrated that lowering inflammation can be beneficial, focusing on mechanisms underlying inflammation, for example, leukocyte recruitment, is feasible. Being key orchestrators of leukocyte trafficking, chemokines have not lost their attractiveness as therapeutic targets, despite the difficult road to drug approval thus far. Read More

J Bone Jt Infect 2019 1;4(1):10-15. Epub 2019 Jan 1.

Department of Orthopaedics, Elisabeth-Tweesteden Hospital, Tilburg, The Netherlands.

The Girdlestone resection arthroplasty (GRA) is a salvage procedure for a recurrent or persistent prosthetic joint infection of the hip. This procedure negatively impacts the functional outcome and presumably also diminishes health status (HS) and quality of life (QOL). However, studies investigating the QOL after GRA are lacking. Read More

Lancet Oncol 2019 Mar 6;20(3):408-419. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA.

Background: Abiraterone acetate plus prednisone or prednisolone improves progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Radium-223 improves overall survival and delays the onset of symptomatic skeletal events in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer and bone metastases. We assessed concurrent treatment with abiraterone acetate plus prednisone or prednisolone and radium-223 in such patients. Read More

JAMA Neurol 2019 Feb 7. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Department of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.

Importance: In the Insulin Resistance Intervention After Stroke (IRIS) randomized clinical trial, pioglitazone, an insulin-sensitizing agent, reduced the risk for recurrent stroke or myocardial infarction (MI) among patients with insulin resistance. However, insulin resistance is not commonly measured in clinical practice.

Objective: To analyze the effects of pioglitazone in patients with good adherence as well as intention-to-treat effects of pioglitazone in patients with prediabetes in the IRIS trial. Read More

Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2019 Mar 4;510(3):456-461. Epub 2019 Feb 4.

Department of Cardiology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, PR China. Electronic address:

Platelet, apart from its classic role of homeostasis, serves also as a crucial immune cell component that contributes to the aggravation of atherosclerosis. It has been reported that myocardial infarction (MI) triggers leukocytosis in the bone marrow and spleen, which accelerates post-MI atherosclerosis. However, it remains unclear whether thrombopoiesis is also enhanced after MI. Read More

Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2019 Feb 7;244(2):147-156. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine and Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.

Impact Statement: By compiling findings from recent studies, this review will garner novel insight on the dynamic and complex role of BMP signaling in diseases of inflammation, highlighting the specific roles played by both individual ligands and endogenous antagonists. Ultimately, this summary will help inform the high therapeutic value of targeting this pathway for modulating diseases of inflammation. Read More

Chronic Obstr Pulm Dis 2018 Sep 19;5(4):267-276. Epub 2018 Sep 19.

Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is a genetic disorder which most commonly manifests as pulmonary emphysema. Accordingly, alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) augmentation therapy aims to reduce the progression of emphysema, as achieved by life-long weekly slow-drip infusions of plasma-derived affinity-purified human AAT. However, not all AATD patients will receive this therapy, due to either lack of medical coverage or low patient compliance. Read More