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BMC Cardiovasc Disord 2018 Dec 12;18(1):232. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Department of Medicine, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.

Background: The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important treatment goal that could serve as low-cost prognostication tool in resource poor settings. We sought to validate the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) and evaluate its use as a predictor of 3 months all-cause mortality among heart failure participants in rural Uganda.

Methods: The Mbarara Heart Failure Registry Cohort study observes heart failure patients during hospital stay and in the community in rural Uganda. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2018 Sep;97(39):e12259

State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Disease, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.

Background: The histologic difference between alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM) is unclear. The present study aimed to identify the quantitative pathologic features of ACM compared with IDCM.

Methods: Specimens from 6 regions (anterior left ventricle [LV], lateral LV, inferior LV, interventricular septum [IVS], anterior right ventricle [RV], and inferior RV) were sampled from each explanted heart. Read More

J Am Coll Cardiol 2018 Sep;72(13):1452-1462

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.

Background: Alcohol-induced cardiotoxicity is incompletely understood. Specifically, the long-term impact of alcohol use on ventricular remodeling or dysfunction, its modulators, and effect thresholds among young adults remain controversial.

Objectives: The authors sought to evaluate a potential relationship between alcohol intake and cardiac remodeling, assessed by echocardiography, over 20 years of follow-up. Read More

Bull Exp Biol Med 2018 Sep 17;165(5):613-616. Epub 2018 Sep 17.

V. V. Za-kusov Research Institute of Pharmacology, Moscow, Russia.

The expression of Epac proteins (exchange protein directly activated by cAMP) and calmodulin (CaM) was assessed by the content of the corresponding mRNA in biopsy specimens of cardiac atrium, left ventricle, and thoracic aorta of rats with alcoholic cardiomyopathy. In the myocardium, overexpression of Еpac1, Ерас2, and СаМ mRNA was found. The content of Epac2 mRNA in the left ventricle was elevated by 2. Read More

Bull Exp Biol Med 2018 Sep 17;165(5):617-620. Epub 2018 Sep 17.

V. V. Zakusov Research Institute of Pharmacology, Moscow, Russia.

Using a translation model of alcoholic cardiomyopathy in rats we showed the presence of an additional abnormal excitation focus in the area of the pulmonary vein lacunae in the left atrium and enhanced heterogeneity of the atrium depolarization pattern. These changes can determine electric instability of the myocardium and induce malignant heart rhythm disturbances including, sudden cardiac death. Read More

Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl 2018 Nov 24;92:151-160. Epub 2018 Jun 24.

Department of Biotechnology, Kalasalingam University, Krishnankoil 626126, Tamilnadu, India; International Research Center, Kalasalingam University, Krishnankoil 626126, Tamilnadu, India. Electronic address:

Cardiomyopathy is the leading cause of mortality in the world and economic burdens on national economies. A cardiac patch approach aims at regenerating an infracted heart by providing healthy functional cells to the injured region via a film carrier substrate, and providing mechanical and electrical support. Selenium acts as an important element in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases but their health-related effects have not been fully explored. Read More

Clin Cardiol 2018 Nov 19;41(11):1423-1429. Epub 2018 Nov 19.

Department of Cardiology, Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Background: Numerous studies have shown conflicting results regarding the natural history and outcomes with alcoholic cardiomyopathy (AC).

Hypothesis: Determining the trends in hospitalization among patients with AC and associated outcomes will facilitate a better understanding of this disease.

Methods: We conducted our analysis on discharge data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project-Nationwide Inpatient Sample (HCUP-NIS) from 2002 through 2014. Read More

Ann Transplant 2018 Sep 4;23:622-630. Epub 2018 Sep 4.

1st Department of Cardiology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.

BACKGROUND Prolonged QT interval is an integral part of the definition of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between QT corrected (QTc) and the etiology and the severity of liver disease in relation to the complications of cirrhosis in candidates for orthotropic liver transplantation (OLTx). MATERIAL AND METHODS From 360 consecutive patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD) consulted by a designated cardiologist, 160 patients underwent OLTx. Read More

Scand Cardiovasc J 2018 Aug 30:1-20. Epub 2018 Aug 30.

a Department of Cardiology , Angang General Hospita , NO 3, Jianshen Street, Tiedong District , Anshan City , Liaoning Province , China.

Objectives: To investigate the effects of atorvastatin on the ultrastructure and lipid metabolism of AC16 cardiomyocytes in response to alcohol-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS).

Design: The expression of the ERS-related factor GRP78 in the established ERS model was determined by western blotting. Alcohol-exposed cardiomyocytes were treated with various concentrations of atorvastatin, and GRP78 expression was measured. Read More

Can J Addict 2017 Dec;8(2):23-25

British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Chronic excessive alcohol consumption is the leading cause of an acquired dilated cardiomyopathy. Here we report a case of a 25-year-old male with a severe alcohol use disorder, who presents with a viral prodrome and is found to be in cardiogenic shock secondary to a non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy. The case highlights the pathophysiology of chronic ethanol exposure on cardiac function and the importance of early screening for risky drinking. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2018 Aug;97(31):e11744

Medical School of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China.

Background: Alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is considered one of the main causes of left ventricular dysfunction and is the leading cause of nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in developed countries. However, very few studies have investigated the relationship between clinical characteristics and prognosis in ACM.

Aims: This study aimed to identify risk factors related to a poor outcome in ACM patients. Read More

Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2018 Oct 13;42(10):1970-1978. Epub 2018 Aug 13.

Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular Mechanisms of Cardiological Disorders, Wuhan, China.

Background: Chronic drinking leads to myocardial contractile dysfunction and dilated cardiomyopathy, and cardiac fibrosis is a consequence of these alcoholic injuries. Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) hydrolyzes epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) to less bioactive diols, and EETs have cardioprotective properties. However, the effects of sEH inhibition in ethanol (EtOH)-induced cardiac fibrosis are unknown. Read More

Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2018 May 30. Epub 2018 May 30.

Department of Physiology, LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Background: Alcohol is among the most commonly abused drugs worldwide and affects many organ systems, including the heart. Alcoholic cardiomyopathy is characterized by a dilated cardiac phenotype with extensive hypertrophy and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling. We have previously shown that chronic ethanol (EtOH) administration accelerates the progression to heart failure in a rat model of volume overload. Read More

Dokl Biol Sci 2018 Mar 22;479(1):41-43. Epub 2018 May 22.

Zakusov Research Institute of Pharmacology, Moscow, Russia.

Chronotopography of atrial subepicardium depolarization has been studied in a rat model of alcoholic cardiomyopathy. Formation of independent sources of initial atrial activity has been detected in the right and left atria. These sources induced the formation of several depolarization fronts that propagated autonomously, and this can be regarded as the cause of atrial arrhythmia. Read More

J Am Coll Cardiol 2018 May;71(20):2303-2305

Center for Research Development and Scholarship, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Nashville, Tennessee. Electronic address:

J Am Coll Cardiol 2018 May;71(20):2293-2302

Heart Failure and Inherited Cardiac Diseases Unit, Department of Cardiology, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Madrid, Spain; CIBER in Cardiovascular Diseases, Madrid, Spain; University Francisco de Vitoria (UFV), Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain. Electronic address:

Background: Alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is defined by a dilated and impaired left ventricle due to chronic excess alcohol consumption. It is largely unknown which factors determine cardiac toxicity on exposure to alcohol.

Objectives: This study sought to evaluate the role of variation in cardiomyopathy-associated genes in the pathophysiology of ACM, and to examine the effects of alcohol intake and genotype on dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) severity. Read More

Cell Tissue Res 2018 May 11. Epub 2018 May 11.

Department of General Pathology, Institute of Pathology, University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.

Diseases associated with the accumulation of lipid droplets are increasing in western countries. Lipid droplet biogenesis, structure and degradation are regulated by proteins of the perilipin family. Perilipin 5 has been shown to regulate basal lipolysis in oxidative tissues. Read More

Cell Physiol Biochem 2018 3;46(6):2284-2296. Epub 2018 May 3.

Department of Anesthesiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.

Background/aims: Chronic heavy alcohol consumption may result in alcoholic cardiomyopathy. This study was designed to screen differentially expressed microRNAs and circular RNAs in heart tissue of mice with alcoholic cardiomyopathy to reveal the underlying molecular mechanism.

Methods: Having established a murine alcoholic cardiomyopathy model, we screened differentially expressed microRNAs and circular RNAs in three heart samples from the alcohol-treated and control groups by high-throughput microarray analysis. Read More

Contrast Media Mol Imaging 2018 28;2018:9193403. Epub 2018 Feb 28.

Department of Nuclear Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, 1 Shuaifuyuan, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100730, China.

Objective: Kinetic modeling of dynamic C-acetate PET imaging provides quantitative information for myocardium assessment. The quality and quantitation of PET images are known to be dependent on PET reconstruction methods. This study aims to investigate the impacts of reconstruction algorithms on the quantitative analysis of dynamic C-acetate cardiac PET imaging. Read More

Pharmacol Res 2018 Jul 19;133:141-150. Epub 2018 Apr 19.

Institute of Research for Food Safety & Health IRC-FSH, University "Magna Graecia", Nutramed Consortium, Catanzaro, Italy; San Raffaele IRCCS Pisana, Rome, Italy. Electronic address:

Chronic ethanol (EtOH) consumption causes early detrimental consequences in many tissues including the myocardium, though the molecular mechanisms leading to the alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) still remain to be elucidated. Here, we studied several biomolecular changes occurring in cardiomyoblasts after their exposure to sublethal concentrations of EtOH and the potential synergistic effect with methylmercury (MM) or doxorubicin (DOXO), which are known to produce direct myocardial dysfunction. In addition, the possible role of autophagic responses and Nuclear Factor kappa-B (NFkB) modulation in early post-alcoholic myocardial damage has been investigated. Read More

Rev Esp Cardiol (Engl Ed) 2018 Aug 9;71(8):612-619. Epub 2018 Apr 9.

Unidad de Insuficiencia Cardiaca y Cardiopatías Familiares, Servicio de Cardiología, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Madrid, Spain; CIBER Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CIBERCV), Madrid, Spain; Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain. Electronic address:

Introduction And Objectives: Recovery of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) has been described in alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) after a period of alcohol withdrawal. Nevertheless, the prognostic impact of LVEF recovery in ACM and its determinants have not been studied. We sought to define the role of LVEF improvement in the long-term outcome of ACM and to identify predictors of LVEF recovery in these patients. Read More

Egypt Heart J 2017 Mar 10;69(1):29-35. Epub 2016 Oct 10.

Department of Pathology, Assiut University, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut, Egypt.

Background: The diagnosis of myocarditis is still a challenge. The true incidence of the disease is unknown due to great variation in clinical manifestations.

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the demographic features and in-hospital prevalence of myocarditis in patients undergoing transarterial endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) for unexplained cardiomyopathy. Read More

Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2018 06 16;1864(6 Pt A):2003-2009. Epub 2018 Mar 16.

Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, PR China; Center for Cardiovascular Research and Alternative Medicine, Biomedical Science Graduate Program, University of Wyoming College of Health Sciences, Laramie, WY 82071, USA. Electronic address:

Alcoholism is accompanied with a high incidence of cardiac morbidity and mortality due to the development of alcoholic cardiomyopathy, manifested as dilation of one or both ventricles, reduced ventricular wall thickness, myofibrillary disarray, interstitial fibrosis, hypertrophy and contractile dysfunction. Several theories have been postulated for the etiology of alcoholic cardiomyopathy including ethanol/acetaldehyde toxicity, mitochondrial production of reactive oxygen species, oxidative injury, apoptosis, impaired myofilament Ca sensitivity and protein synthesis, altered fatty acid extraction and deposition, as well as accelerated protein catabolism. In particular, buildup of long-lived or dysfunctional organelles has been reported to contribute to cardiac structural and functional damage following alcoholism. Read More

Heart 2018 Oct 13;104(20):1663-1669. Epub 2018 Mar 13.

Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany.

Objectives: (1) A comprehensive mortality assessment of alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) and (2) examination of under-reporting using vital statistics data.

Methods: A modelling study estimated sex-specific mortality rates for each country, which were subsequently aggregated by region and globally. Input data on ACM mortality were obtained from death registries for n=91 countries. Read More

Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2018 May 14;42(5):897-903. Epub 2018 Apr 14.

Department of Family Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of excessive alcohol consumption on heart reflected by various echocardiographic parameters according to the presence or absence of flushing reaction that might reflect acetaldehyde metabolism.

Methods: A total of 854 Korean men without significant cardiovascular diseases who underwent echocardiography and participated in the Korean Healthy Twin Study were used as subjects of this study. These subjects were classified into 3 categories: nondrinker, moderate drinker (≤196 g/wk), and heavy drinker (>196 g/wk) within 2 strata of flushing reaction to alcohol drinking. Read More

Dig Dis Sci 2018 05 8;63(5):1355-1362. Epub 2018 Mar 8.

Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging, Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark.

Background: The relation between excessive alcohol consumption and coronary arteriosclerosis has remained controversial. The etiology of cirrhosis has been considered a substantial risk factor for development of arteriosclerotic lesions. The coronary artery calcium-score derived from coronary CT angiography is a robust marker of coronary arteriosclerosis. Read More

Int J Cardiol 2018 04;257:220-221

Center for Cardiology- Cardiology I, University Medical Center Mainz, Langenbeckstrasse 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany; Center for Thrombosis and Hemostasis Mainz, University Medical Center Mainz, Langenbeckstrasse 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany; German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK)- Partner site Rhine-Main, Germany. Electronic address:

Int J Cardiol 2018 04;257:150-159

Department of Emergency, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China; Chest Pain Center, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China; Key Laboratory of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine of Shandong Province, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China; Institute of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China; Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling & Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education & Chinese Ministry of Public Health, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China. Electronic address:

Background: Angiotensin II (Ang II) in the local cardiac renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is closely associated with alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM). Inhibition of local cardiac RAS has great significance in the treatment of ACM. Although aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) has been demonstrated to protect against ACM through detoxification of aldehydes, the precise mechanisms are largely unknown. Read More

Free Radic Biol Med 2018 03 8;117:168-179. Epub 2018 Feb 8.

Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular Mechanisms of Cardiological Disorders, Wuhan 430030, China. Electronic address:

Chronic excessive drinking leads to myocardial contractile dysfunction and dilated cardiomyopathy, where ethanol toxicity plays an essential role. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) epoxygenases metabolize arachidonic acids to form epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), which exert beneficial roles in the cardiovascular system, but their role in alcoholic cardiomyopathy is elusive. This study was designed to evaluate the effects and mechanisms of CYP2J2 gene delivery on ethanol-induced myocardial dysfunction with focus on autophagy and apoptosis. Read More

Yakugaku Zasshi 2018 ;138(2):211-219

Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Sciences.

　Posey et al. have reported multiple molecular diagnoses in 4.5% of cases (101/2076) in which whole-exome sequencing was informative. Read More

World J Hepatol 2017 Nov;9(33):1253-1260

Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi 110070, India.

Heart failure (HF) following liver transplant (LT) surgery is a distinct clinical entity with high mortality. It is known to occur in absence of obvious risk factors. No preoperative workup including electrocardiogram, echocardiography at rest and on stress, reasonably prognosticates the risk. Read More

Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg 2018 Apr;26(4):703-705

Intensive Care Unit, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire La Réunion, Site Félix Guyon, Saint-Denis, France.

Even though alcoholism is a major health concern, alcoholic cardiomyopathy is a little-known pathology. The exact prevalence remains elusive (20-40% of dilated cardiomyopathy). However, it can lead to dilated cardiomyopathy, heart failure and refractory cardiogenic shock. Read More

Sud Med Ekspert 2017;60(6):9-12

Department of Pathological Anatomy with the course of forensic medicine, Saint-Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University, Ministry of Health of the Russia, Saint-Petersburg, Russia, 194100; Department of Forensic Medicine and Jurisprudence Science, I.P. Pavlov First Saint-Petersburg State Medical University, Saint-Petersburg, Russia, 197022.

This article presents the results of the retrospective analysis of the protocols of forensic medical autopsies and histological studies of the cerebral tissues together with the data obtained by their statistical treatment. The objective of present work was to study and evaluate the structural changes in the cerebral tissues associated with sudden cardiac death from alcoholic cardiomyopathy. It was shown that the morphological changes in the endothelial lining of the microcirculatory bed of the cerebral tissue can be a consequence of both the direct cytotoxic action of ethanol or its metabolites and the influence of cellular modulators liberation of which results in enhanced vascular permeability associated with trophic disturbances in the tissue. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2018 Oct 4;73(5):393-397. Epub 2017 Dec 4.

a Department of Cardiology , University Hospital , Ghent , Belgium.

Introduction Juvenile hemochromatosis is a rare but severe form of hereditary hemochromatosis that typically presents early in life and can be fatal if left untreated. Case presentation We present the case of a 30-year-old man with a clear symptomatology of juvenile hemochromatosis, but in whom the diagnosis was initially mistaken for alcoholic liver disease because of known excessive use of alcohol, with the consequence that an adequate treatment was postponed. Discussion In this report, we discuss the diagnosis and treatment of juvenile hemochromatosis, focusing on the interaction between hemochromatosis and alcohol induced liver disease and how to differentiate both. Read More

Int J Mol Med 2017 Dec 16;40(6):1781-1791. Epub 2017 Oct 16.

Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, P.R. China.

Myocardial fibrosis is one of the most important pathological features of alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM). Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) exerts protective effects in various types of cardiovascular disease, which has been demonstrated by many previous studies. However, there is a lack of adequate research on the effect of H2S on myocardial fibrosis in ACM. Read More

Ultrasound Med Biol 2018 01 13;44(1):292. Epub 2017 Oct 13.

Clinic of Cardiology, Kartal Kosuyolu Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.

Alcohol Alcohol 2017 Nov;52(6):638-646

Department of Medicine, MacKay Medical College, No. 46, Sec. 3, Zhongzheng Rd. New Taipei City Sanzhi Dist. 252, New Taipei City 25245, Taiwan.

Aims: Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages is associated with cardiac remodeling and cardiomyopathy. We examined the possible association of alcohol use, common Asian genetic variants in genes involved in alcohol metabolism, and cardiac structures/functions alterations.

Methods: A prospective, community-dwelling survey among individuals with available complete echocardiography examined the associations of alcohol use, cardiac structure/functions, and three common alcohol metabolizing genetic variants, including aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2), alcohol dehydrogenase 1B (ADH1B) and cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoform 2E1 (CYP2E1). Read More

Exp Ther Med 2017 Oct 8;14(4):2763-2770. Epub 2017 Aug 8.

Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001, P.R. China.

The present study aimed to investigate whether rapamycin has therapeutic potential as a treatment for alcoholic cardiomyopathy. Rats were divided into eight groups (n=7 in each group): The control group; the alcohol group; abstinence in the first week; abstinence in the third week; abstinence in the fourth week; abstinent+rapamycin (AB-RAP) until the first week (AB-RAP 1); AB-RAP until the third week (AB-RAP 3); and AB-RAP until the fourth week (AB-RAP 4). Subsequently, echocardiography, and hematoxylin-eosin and Masson's staining were performed, followed by electron microscopy and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling assay. Read More

Toxicol Sci 2017 10;159(2):392-401

Chinese-American Research Institute for Diabetic Complications & School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Chashan University-Town, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.

Heavy consumption of alcohol induces cardiomyopathy and is associated with metabolic changes in the heart. The role of altered metabolism in the development of alcoholic cardiomyopathy remains largely unknown but is examined in the present study. The effect of chronic alcohol consumption on cardiac damage was examined in mice fed an alcohol or isocaloric control diet for 2 months. Read More

Bull Exp Biol Med 2017 Sep 26;163(5):627-631. Epub 2017 Sep 26.

V. V. Zakusov Research Institute of Pharmacology, Moscow, Russia.

We developed a translation model of alcoholic cardiomyopathy in rats. By the end of forced alcoholization (the rats received 10% ethanol solution as the only source of fluid for 24 weeks; mean daily ethanol consumption was 5.0-6. Read More

J Transl Int Med 2017 Mar 31;5(1):64-67. Epub 2017 Mar 31.

Division of Hepato-gastroenterology of Internal Medicine Department at Lviv Regional Clinical Hospital, Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, Ukraine.

Liver cirrhosis is a worldwide gastroenterological condition, characterized by a slow, progressive and irreversible replacement of liver cells by fibrous tissue (scar) that prevents liver function. This condition often leads to the development of other syndromes. Cardiac complications can be indicated through abnormal QTc interval and arrhythmias, thereby their analysis aids in the prevention of cardiovascular events. Read More

Eur J Intern Med 2017 Sep 21;43:1-5. Epub 2017 Jun 21.

Department of Medical Sciences, Hepatology and Gastroenterology Unit, Catholic University of Rome, Italy.

Excessive alcohol consumption represents one of the main causes of non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy. Alcoholic cardiomyopathy is characterized by dilation and impaired contraction of one or both myocardial ventricles. It represents the final effect of alcohol-induced toxicity to the heart. Read More

Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992) 2017 Apr;63(4):336-340

General Pathology Sector, Biological and Natural Sciences Institute (ICBN), Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro (UFTM), Uberaba, MG, Brazil.

Introduction:: Alcoholism is a major public health problem, which has a high social cost and affects many aspects of human activity. Liver disease is one of the first consequences of alcohol abuse, and steatosis, liver cirrhosis and hepatitis may occur. Other organs are also affected with pathological changes, such as pancreatitis, cardiomyopathies, dyslipidemias and atherosclerosis. Read More

Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2017 08 9;89:125-135. Epub 2017 Jun 9.

Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Penn State College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, United States. Electronic address:

Putative mechanisms leading to the development of alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) include the interrelated cellular processes of mitochondria metabolism, oxidative stress and apoptosis. As mitochondria fuel the constant energy demands of this continually contracting tissue, it is not surprising that alcohol-induced molecular changes in this organelle contribute to cardiac dysfunction and ACM. As the causal relationship of these processes with ACM has already been established, the primary objective of this review is to provide an update of the experimental findings to more completely understand the aforementioned mechanisms. Read More

Alcohol 2017 06 20;61:9-15. Epub 2017 Apr 20.

Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, CAMH, 33 Russell Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 2S1, Canada; Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, Chemnitzer Str. 46, 01187 Dresden, Germany. Electronic address:

Alcohol has a direct toxic impact on the heart, and while there is an ICD code for alcoholic cardiomyopathy, the burden of alcohol-attributable cardiomyopathy is not clear. For the usual estimation of this burden via population-attributable fractions, one would need to determine the risk relationships, i.e. Read More

Acta Cardiol 2017 Feb;72(1):28-35

a Department of Ultrasound , the Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University , China.

Background Chronic excessive alcohol intake has been reported as a possible cause of dilated cardiomyopathy. Two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) is a novel method for the angle-independent and objective quantification of myocardial deformation. This study sought to assess left atrial function changes among alcoholics related to the duration of heavy drinking by 2D-STE. Read More

Lancet 2017 07 6;390(10091):276-288. Epub 2017 Jun 6.

Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

Background: Tildrakizumab is a high-affinity, humanised, IgG1 κ antibody targeting interleukin 23 p19 that represents an evolving treatment strategy in chronic plaque psoriasis. Previous research suggested clinical improvement with inhibition of interleukin 23 p19. We did two phase 3 trials to investigate whether tildrakizumab is superior to placebo and etanercept in the treatment of chronic plaque psoriasis. Read More

Popul Health Metr 2017 05 25;15(1):20. Epub 2017 May 25.

Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, Chemnitzer Str. 46, 01187, Dresden, Germany.

Background: The global impact of alcohol consumption on deaths due to cardiomyopathy (CM) has not been quantified to date, even though CM contains a subcategory for alcoholic CM with an effect of heavy drinking over time as the postulated underlying causal mechanism. In this feasibility study, a model to estimate the alcohol-attributable fraction (AAF) of CM deaths based on alcohol exposure measures is proposed.

Methods: A two-step model was developed based on aggregate-level data from 95 countries, including the most populous (data from 2013 or last available year). Read More