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Apoptosis 2020 Aug;25(7-8):590-604

Cardiac Hypertrophy Laboratory, Department of Molecular Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, 625 021, Tamil Nadu, India.

Chronic alcohol consumption induces myocardial damage and a type of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy termed alcoholic cardiomyopathy, where mitochondrial ultrastructural damages and suppressed fusion activity promote cardiomyocyte apoptosis. The aim of the present study is to determine the role of mitochondrial fission proteins and/or other proteins that localise on cardiac mitochondria for apoptosis upon ethanol consumption. In vivo and in vitro chronic alcohol exposure increased mitochondrial Drp1 levels but knockdown of the same did not confer cardioprotection in H9c2 cells. Read More

J Nucl Cardiol 2020 Jun 18. Epub 2020 Jun 18.

Turku PET Centre, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate subjects with high-risk alcohol cardiotoxicity and patients with alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) via dynamic C-Acetate positron emission tomography (PET) imaging as a myocardial oxidative metabolic probe.

Methods And Results: We recruited 37 subjects with chronic alcohol consumption [18 with moderate consumption (MC), 19 with heavy consumption (HC)], 5 ACM patients, and 12 healthy controls to receive dynamic C-Acetate PET scans. PET imaging data were analyzed to calculate kinetic parameters (e. Read More

Mol Cell Biochem 2020 Aug 13;471(1-2):189-201. Epub 2020 Jun 13.

Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Pauley Heart Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298-0204, USA.

Abusive chronic alcohol consumption can cause metabolic and functional derangements in the heart and is a risk factor for development of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy. microRNA 214 (miR-214) is a molecular sensor of stress signals that negatively impacts cell survival. Considering cardioprotective and microRNA modulatory effects of sildenafil, a phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitor, we investigated the impact of chronic alcohol consumption on cardiac expression of miR-214 and its anti-apoptotic protein target, Bcl-2 and whether sildenafil attenuates such changes. Read More

Tunis Med 2020 Mar;98(3):206-210

The presence of cardiocirculatory dysfunction in liver cirrhosis has been described since 1960 and it was exclusively attributed to alcoholic cardiomyopathie. Only in the last two decades, the term of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy (CCM) was introduced to describe cardiac dysfunction in patients with cirrhosis. This entity is currently underdiagnosed because the disease is usually latent and manifests when the patient is under stress. Read More

Georgian Med News 2020 Mar(300):81-85

Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University; Institute of Cell Biology of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

The article clarifies the diagnostic criteria for syntropic heart damage - cardiomyopathy in patients with Alcoholic Liver Cirrhosis before the clinical signs of heart damage appear. As a result of the examination of 64 patients with Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy, of which 51 patients were identified without clinical signs of heart damage (study group 1), 13 patients with clinical signsof heart damage (study group 2), and 23 patients without cardiomyopathy (comparison group), it was found that: 1) in patients with Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy (both with and without manifestation of clinical signs of heart damage), there is a violation of its diastolic and systolic functions, which can be diagnosed by change of parameters of the natriuretic peptide in the blood plasma, the frequency of supraventricular premature beats and premature ventricular contractions, the duration of the QT interval, the maximum blood flow velocity in the phase of early filling of the left ventricle and the left atrium systole, their ratio, the myocardial functional capacity index, end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes of the left ventricle and left atrium; 2) in patients with Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy without clinical manifestations, significantly lower (p<0.05) indicators of the natriuretic peptide, the frequency ofextrasystoles, the end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes of the left ventricle and left atrium, and a higher rate of ejection fraction of the left ventricle were revealed than in patients with the clinical manifestation of this disease; 3) we found high accuracy, specificity and sensitivity of the indicators of the natriuretic peptide, the QT interval (maximum, maximum corrected, average, mid-corrected), maximum blood flow velocity in the phase of early filling of the left ventricle and of the systole of the left atrium, their ratio, as well as the myocardial functional capacity index in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis with an asymptomatic course of cardiomyopathy that allows to use them to verify the diagnosis of Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy until the first clinical signs of myocardial damage appear. Read More

Gut 2020 Apr 22. Epub 2020 Apr 22.

Department of Internal Medicine I, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology & Metabolism, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Tirol, Austria.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a public health problem, affecting up to a third of the world's adult population. Several cohort studies have consistently documented that NAFLD (especially in its more advanced forms) is associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality and that the leading causes of death among patients with NAFLD are cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), followed by extrahepatic malignancies and liver-related complications. A growing body of evidence also indicates that NAFLD is strongly associated with an increased risk of major CVD events and other cardiac complications (ie, cardiomyopathy, cardiac valvular calcification and cardiac arrhythmias), independently of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Read More

J Cardiovasc Magn Reson 2020 04 16;22(1):23. Epub 2020 Apr 16.

Center for Biomedical Imaging Research, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tsinghua University School of Medicine, Haidian District, Beijing, 100084, China.

Background: Chronic alcohol consumption initially leads to asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction, but can result in myocardial impairment and heart failure if ongoing. This study sought to characterize myocardial tissues and oxidative metabolism in asymptomatic subjects with chronic alcohol consumption by quantitative cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) and 11C-acetate positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT).

Methods: Thirty-four male subjects (48. Read More

Am J Case Rep 2020 Apr 14;21:e920263. Epub 2020 Apr 14.

Department of Surgery, Division of Transplantation, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.

BACKGROUND Takotsubo syndrome is a transient, reversible, stress-induced cardiomyopathy that affects only 1.4% of liver transplant patients and can cause complications, including cardiogenic shock, arrhythmia, and thromboembolism. Hepatic artery thrombosis is also rare, affecting just 2-4% of these patients, but can have disastrous consequences. Read More

Nutrients 2020 Feb 22;12(2). Epub 2020 Feb 22.

Alcohol Unit, Internal Medicine Department, Hospital Clínic, Institut de Recerca August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), University of Barcelona, 08007 Catalunya, Spain.

Alcoholic-dilated Cardiomyopathy (ACM) is the most prevalent form of ethanol-induced heart damage. Ethanol induces ACM in a dose-dependent manner, independently of nutrition, vitamin, or electrolyte disturbances. It has synergistic effects with other heart risk factors. Read More

Int J Cardiol 2020 04 28;304:61-68. Epub 2020 Jan 28.

Aurora Cardiovascular Services, Aurora Sinai/Aurora St. Luke's Medical Centers, Milwaukee, WI, USA.

Background: Limited national US data are available regarding the prevalence of and trends in different arrhythmias and the use of electrophysiological procedures in patients with alcoholic cardiomyopathy.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that used the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database (2007-2014). Hospitalizations of adults with alcoholic CMP were identified with the ICD-9 code (425. Read More

An Sist Sanit Navar 2020 Apr 20;43(1):9-13. Epub 2020 Apr 20.

Instituto de Salud Pública y Laboral de Navarra. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP)..

Background: Alcohol consumption is a risk factor for many health problems. Mortality from causes of death wholly attributable to alcohol consumption by sex and income level was studied and trends in the 1993-2017 period were analyzed in Navarre (Spain).

Methods: Deaths due to alcohol-induced mental disorders, dependence and abuse, alcoholic cardiomyopathy, alcoholic cirrhosis and other alcoholic liver diseases, and accidental alcohol poisoning were selected through codes ICD-9 and ICD-10. Read More

Fa Yi Xue Za Zhi 2019 Dec 25;35(6):721-725. Epub 2019 Dec 25.

School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, China.

Abstract: With the rapid development of the social economy in China, the incidence of diseases caused by excessive drinking is gradually increasing as well. Alcoholic cardiomyopathy refers to long-term high intake of ethanol, and has typical dilated cardiomyopathy characteristics, such as, hemodynamic changes, symptoms, signs, and morphological features. It is a kind of cardiomyopathy that excludes other causes of dilated cardiomyopathy. Read More

Clin Res Hepatol Gastroenterol 2020 Jun 9;44(3):e54-e58. Epub 2020 Jan 9.

Service d'hépatologie, CHRU Jean-Minjoz, Besançon, France.

A 64-year-old cirrhotic woman was admitted for alcoholic hepatitis associated with renal failure. Subsequently, she displayed symptoms of alcohol withdrawal progressing to delirium tremens. During hospitalization, she developed acute respiratory distress. Read More

Cent Eur J Public Health 2019 Dec;27(Supplement):S48-S54

Department of Addictology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General University Hospital in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic.

Objective: The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between alcohol-related mortality in Slovak regions, as represented by Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) III level.

Methods: We used data from mortality reports spanning 1996-2017 in the Slovak Republic. Data was provided by the National Health Information Centre in Slovakia. Read More

Exp Ther Med 2019 Dec 7;18(6):4313-4321. Epub 2019 Oct 7.

Department of The Fourth Cardiovascular, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150000, P.R. China.

The present study aimed to investigate variations in the Ras homolog gene family, member A (RhoA)-Rho-associated protein kinase 2 (ROCK2)-myosin light chain (MYL) pathway in a rat model of alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) and the role of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor drugs. Rat models of ACM were established via alcoholic gavage + free access to alcohol. The structural and functional changes of the heart were analyzed by hematoxylin-eosin staining, Masson's trichrome staining, immunohistochemistry staining, western blotting and fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Read More

J Nepal Health Res Counc 2019 Nov 13;17(3):357-361. Epub 2019 Nov 13.

Department of Medicine, Liver Unit, Bir hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Background: The clinical picture in cirrhosis is dominated by the classical complications such as ascites, bleeding varices, portal hypertension and encephalopathy. Cardiac dysfunction in patients with cirrhosis, which contributes significantly to the morbidity and, mortality though prevalent, is less studied and not widely recognized entity since it is largely asymptomatic at rest, with overt heart failure seen mainly during pharmacological stress, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, liver transplantation.

Methods: It is a cross sectional study done on patients admitted in wards or attending to outpatient department of Liver unit, Bir Hospital, between May 2015 to May 2016. Read More

Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi 2019 Nov;99(41):3237-3242

Department of Cardiology, the Affiliated Hangzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Hangzhou 310000, China.

To explore the clinical classification and characteristics of patients with alcoholic myocardial injury in the early and late stages, and to improve the understanding of early diagnosis of alcoholic myocardial injury. From December 2016 to December 2018, a total of 102 patients with long-term history of excessive alcohol consumption, cardiovascular symptoms and evidence of myocardial injury who were admitted to the cardiology outpatient clinic of Hangzhou First People's Hospital, the Third People's Hospital of Yuhang, Dajiangdong Hospital, the Second People's Hospital of Fuyang, and the People's Hospital of Linan were enrolled. According to diagnostic criteria of alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM), the patients were divided into ACM group (36 cases) and non-ACM group (66 cases). Read More

Panminerva Med 2020 Mar 25;62(1):26-37. Epub 2019 Oct 25.

Unit of Cardiology, Ospedali Riuniti University Hospital of Foggia, Foggia, Italy.

Introduction: Several systemic conditions, inflammatory disease, infections and alcoholism, may affect both the heart and the liver. Common conditions, such as the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), may increase the risk of cardiac dysfunction. Patients with acute decompensated HF (ADHF) may develop acute ischemic hepatitis and, chronic HF patients may develop congestive hepatopathy (CH). Read More

Int J Biol Sci 2019 7;15(11):2471-2483. Epub 2019 Sep 7.

Pediatric Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, the University of Louisville, Norton Healthcare, Louisville, KY 40202, USA.

Prolonged intermittent hypoxia (IH) has been shown to impair myocardial function (mainly via oxidative stress and inflammation) and modify gut microbiota in mice. Gut microbiota plays an important role in health and disease, including obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Probiotics refer to live microorganisms that confer health benefits on the host after administration in adequate amounts. Read More

Heart 2020 May 24;106(9):686-690. Epub 2019 Sep 24.

Department of Anesthesiology, Division of Intensive Care Medicine, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.

Objective: To study social and clinical characteristics of victims of sudden cardiac death (SCD) due to alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM).

Methods: The study population comprised a subset of Fingesture cohort. All subjects were verified SCD victims determined to have ACM as cause of death in medico-legal autopsy between 1998 and 2017 in Northern Finland. Read More

Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2019 11 8;43(11):2344-2353. Epub 2019 Oct 8.

From the, Department of Cardiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan, China.

Background: (Pro)renin receptor (PRR), a novel member of the renin-angiotensin system, participates in various cardiovascular diseases. However, the role of PRR in alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM), which is caused by alcohol intake and manifests as myocardial damage and cardiac dysfunction, remains unclear.

Methods: PRR gene silencing was achieved by transfecting recombinant adenovirus expressing anti-PRR short hairpin RNA (PRR-shRNA). Read More

Cardiol Res 2019 Aug 31;10(4):236-240. Epub 2019 Jul 31.

Department of Medicine, BronxCare Hospital Center, Bronx, NY 10457, USA.

The etiology of cardiomyopathy in a HIV patient is multifactorial. Identifying the etiology of cardiomyopathy in a HIV patient needs extensive evaluation. Common causes include ischemic cardiomyopathy, myocarditis due to viral infections and opportunistic infections, cocaine abuse, alcoholic heart disease, drug toxicity or due to nutritional deficiencies. Read More

J Clin Med 2019 Jul 31;8(8). Epub 2019 Jul 31.

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

Background: Based on civil registries, 26,000 people died from alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) in 2015 globally. In the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017 study, garbage coded deaths were redistributed to ACM, resulting in substantially higher ACM mortality estimates (96,669 deaths, 95% confidence interval: 82,812-97,507). We aimed to explore the gap between civil registry and GBD mortality data, accounting for alcohol exposure as a cause of ACM. Read More

Kardiologiia 2019 Jul 24;59(6S):61-64. Epub 2019 Jul 24.

I. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University).

We present a case of a patient with pronounced edematous‑ascitic syndrome. Initially, its causes were considered to be alcoholic cardiomyopathy (right ventricular failure) with heart rhythm disturbances and liver cirrhosis. Targeted treatment had a low clinical effect, which served as a basis for revising the diagnostic concept. Read More

Microrna 2020 ;9(2):112-120

Faculdade de Ciencias Medicas/ Universidade de Pernambuco - FCM/UPE, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.

Introduction: Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy (ACM) is a disease with a difficult diagnosis. The real mechanisms related to its pathophysiology are not fully understood.

Objective: The aims of this study were to investigate whether miR-133b and miR-138 could be associated with ACM. Read More

Addiction 2019 09 15;114(9):1670-1678. Epub 2019 Jul 15.

Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Cambridge, Honorary Consultant Cardiologist, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.

Alcohol use is an important preventable and modifiable cause of non-communicable disease, and has complex effects on the cardiovascular system that vary with dose. Observational and prospective studies have consistently shown a lower risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in people with low levels of alcohol consumption when compared to abstainers (the 'J'-shaped curve). Maximum potential benefit occurs at 0. Read More

Nihon Shokakibyo Gakkai Zasshi 2019 ;116(7):607-616

Department of Hepatology, Japanese Red Cross Society Himeji Hospital.

Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy (CCM) is a chronic cardiac dysfunction in patients with cirrhosis and is characterized by altered diastolic relaxation, blunted contractile response to stress, and electrophysiological abnormalities;however, causes of CCM are unknown. Moreover, reduced cardiac afterload due to cirrhosis-related vasodilatation often masks cardiac insufficiency, whereas rapid hemodynamic overload reveals the presence of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy. Herein, we present the case of previously unrecognized cirrhotic cardiomyopathy that became overt with the development of severe acute cardiac failure. Read More

Alcohol Alcohol 2019 Jul;54(4):386-395

Center for Research Development and Scholarship, Vanderbilt School of Nursing, Nashville, TN, USA.

Aims: The aims of this study were to: examine differences in alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) prevalence, temporal trends and the distribution of socio-demographic factors and comorbidities by sex; and investigate differences in selected inpatient outcomes between women and men with ACM.

Methods: We used the 2002-2014 Nationwide Inpatient Sample databases. Overall and sex-specific rates of ACM were estimated across sociodemographic, clinical, and hospital characteristics. Read More

Mayo Clin Proc Innov Qual Outcomes 2019 Jun 27;3(2):221-225. Epub 2019 May 27.

Department of Medicine, Hospitalist Division, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA.

Cardiac beriberi, or heart failure due to thiamine deficiency, is considered rare in the developed world. The diagnosis is often only considered in limited populations such as those with chronic alcoholism. Alternatively, the disease can be mislabeled as "alcoholic cardiomyopathy" or "nonischemic cardiomyopathy. Read More

Int J Med Sci 2019 20;16(4):548-555. Epub 2019 Apr 20.

Department of Ophthalmology.

Diabetes mellitus is a global issue with increasing incidence rate worldwide. In an uncontrolled case, it can advance to various organ-related complications leading to an increase in morbidity and mortality. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) Metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) appears to be a fairly novel lncRNA that is relevant to diabetes and its role in diabetic-related diseases initiation and progression have long been a subject of attention to many scholars. Read More

JACC Heart Fail 2019 06 8;7(6):457-465. Epub 2019 May 8.

BHF Cardiovascular Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom. Electronic address:

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes (and the effect of sacubitril/valsartan) according to etiology in the PARADIGM-HF (Prospective comparison of angiotensin-receptor-neprilysin inhibitor [ARNI] with angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor [ACEI] to Determine Impact on Global Mortality and morbidity in Heart Failure) trial.

Background: Etiology of heart failure (HF) has changed over time in more developed countries and is also evolving in non-Western societies. Outcomes may vary according to etiology, as may the effects of therapy. Read More

Curr Cardiol Rev 2019 05 8. Epub 2019 May 8.

1st Internal Medicine Department, Evaggelismos General Hospital, Athens. Greece.

It is widely known that liver cirrhosis, regardless of the etiologies is accompanied by severe hemodynamic changes. The principal pathophysiological mechanisms are the hyper-dynamic circulation with increased cardiac output, heart rate along with reduced systemic vascular resistance. Thus, counteractive mechanisms may develop that eventually lead to systolic as well as diastolic dysfunction and rhythm disturbances, in order to keep a steady homeostasis in the human body. Read More

Oxid Med Cell Longev 2019 13;2019:4546975. Epub 2019 Mar 13.

Department of Cardiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China.

Alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) caused by alcohol consumption manifests mainly as by maladaptive myocardial function, which eventually leads to heart failure and causes serious public health problems. The (pro)renin receptor (PRR) is an important member of the local tissue renin-angiotensin system and plays a vital role in many cardiovascular diseases. However, the mechanism responsible for the effects of PRR on ACM remains unclear. Read More

Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2019 07 23;43(7):1452-1461. Epub 2019 May 23.

Department of Forensic Pathology, School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.

Background: The Lieber-DeCarli alcoholic liquid diet is a classical method for establishing animal models of alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM). No study has reported whether the AIN-93 diet, which is widely used as a standard diet for both long-term and short-term studies with laboratory animals, could be used to construct the ACM animal model. The present study intended to investigate whether the AIN-93 diet could be used to establish a mouse ACM model. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2019 Mar;98(13):e14961

Department of Liver Intensive Care Unit.

Not only alcoholic cirrhosis related to cardiac dysfunction, cirrhosis caused by nonalcoholic etiology including hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection also related to impaired cardiac health. The aims of present study were to perform a noninvasive evaluation of cardiac function and to evaluate exercise performance in HBV related cirrhotic patients without typical symptoms of cardiac disease.Seventy-nine HBV related cirrhotic patients and 103 matched subjects without a previous history of cardiac involvement were recruited. Read More

Diabetes Metab J 2020 Apr 28;44(2):267-276. Epub 2019 Feb 28.

Huh's Diabetes Center and the 21st Century Diabetes and Vascular Research Institute, Seoul, Korea.

Background: Impaired diastolic heart function has been observed in persons with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and/or with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, it is unclear whether NAFLD fibrotic progression, i.e. Read More

Clin Res Hepatol Gastroenterol 2019 08 8;43(4):e48-e53. Epub 2019 Mar 8.

Attending Physician, Interventional Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Banner University Medical Center-Phoenix, Arizona 85006, USA. Electronic address:

Introduction: Acute decompensated heart failure is a known complication following orthotopic liver transplant. Among those, there are some cases of takostubo type cardiomyopathy (TC), commonly referred to as "broken heart syndrome". While the exact mechanism of TC is unknown, it frequently proceeds a physical or emotional stressor. Read More

Radiology 2019 May 5;291(2):338-339. Epub 2019 Mar 5.

From the Department of Radiology (B.A.V.) and School of Medicine (J.A.C.L.), Johns Hopkins University, 600 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21287.

Circ Heart Fail 2019 03;12(3):e005652

Heart Failure Unit, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona (Barcelona), Spain (J.L., M.d.A., M.D., E.Z, P.M., E.S.-V., J.S., A.B.-G.).

Background: Long-term trajectories of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in heart failure (HF) patients with preserved EF (HFpEF) remain unclear. Our objective was to assess long-term longitudinal trajectories in consecutive HFpEF patients and the prognostic impact of LVEF dynamic changes over time.

Methods And Results: Consecutive ambulatory HFpEF patients admitted to a multidisciplinary HF Unit were prospectively evaluated by 2-dimensional echocardiography at baseline and at 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 years of follow-up. Read More

J Am Coll Cardiol 2019 03;73(8):948-963

Emory Clinical Cardiovascular Research Institute, Division of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia. Electronic address:

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are both manifestations of end-organ damage of the metabolic syndrome. Through multiple pathophysiological mechanisms, CVD and NAFLD are associated with each other. Systemic inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, hepatic insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and altered lipid metabolism are some of the mechanisms by which NAFLD increases the risk of CVD. Read More

Mol Med Rep 2019 Apr 14;19(4):3179-3189. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, P.R. China.

Ethanol has a toxic effect on the heart, resulting in cardiomyocyte damage. Long‑term high intake of ethanol leads to a non‑ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy termed alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM). However, the pathogenesis of alcoholic cardiomyopathy remains unclear. Read More

Braz J Med Biol Res 2019 Feb 14;52(2):e7809. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Hospital Municipal Dr. Mario Gatti, Campinas, SP, Brasil.

Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy historically has been confused as alcoholic cardiomyopathy. The key points for diagnosis of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy have been well explained, however this entity was neglected for a long time. Nowadays the diagnosis of this entity has become important because it is a factor that contributes significantly to morbidity-mortality in cirrhotic patients. Read More

BMC Cardiovasc Disord 2018 12 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

BMC Cardiovasc Disord 2018 10 29;18(1):203. Epub 2018 Oct 29.

Department of Nuclear Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Changzhou, 213003, Jiangsu, China.

Background: In diabetes, dysregulated substrate utilization and energy metabolism of myocardium can lead to heart failure. To examine the dynamic changes of myocardium, most of the previous studies conducted dynamic myocardial PET imaging following euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp, which involves complicated procedures. In comparison, the whole-body F-FDG PET/CT scan is a simple and widely used method. 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

Heart 2018 10;104(20):1639-1640

Division of Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.

J Am Coll Cardiol 2018 09;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