Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Food Funct 2022 Jun 21. Epub 2022 Jun 21.

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, 83 Wenhua Road, Shenyang, Liaoning 110016, P. R. China.

Polydatin has attracted much attention as a potential cardioprotective agent against ischemic heart disease and diabetic cardiomyopathy. However, the effect and mechanism of polydatin supplementation on alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) are still unknown. This study aimed to determine the therapeutic effect of polydatin against ACM and to explore the molecular mechanisms with a focus on SIRT6-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling and mitochondrial function. Read More

Intractable Rare Dis Res 2022 May;11(2):84-86

Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey.

Alström syndrome (AS) is a rare autosomal recessive monogenic disorder caused by mutations of the () gene, located on chromosome 2p13. It is a progressive multisystemic disease characterized mostly by obesity, sensorineural hearing loss, visual impairments, cardiomyopathy, insulin resistance and/or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), metabolic dysfunctions, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and chronic progressive kidney disease. Generally, the first clinical symptoms of the disease appear in the first years of life with a major variation of onset age. Read More

Clin Ter 2022 May;173(3):280-291

Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Urology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.

Abstract: Alcohol is a legal and yet detrimental psychoactive substance, capable of establishing addiction and impacting the physical, mental, social, and economic health of people. Alcohol intake causes a large variety of tissue damages severely impacting the nervous system, digestive and cardiovascular systems and causing oral cavity, oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal, esophageal, colon-rectal, laryngeal, liver and intrahepatic bile duct, and breast cancers. Alcohol can also play a role in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus, cardiomyopathy and hemorrhagic strokes. Read More

Circ Heart Fail 2022 May 20:101161CIRCHEARTFAILURE121009459. Epub 2022 May 20.

Department of Cardiology, Hillerød Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. (C.T.-P.).

Alcohol is often cited to be a common cause of cardiomyopathy and heart failure. However, in most available population-based studies, a modest-to-moderate alcohol consumption has been associated with favorable effects on the cardiovascular system, including a lowered risk of heart failure, compared with no alcohol consumption. Available genetic epidemiological data have not supported a causal association between alcohol consumption and heart failure risk, suggesting that alcohol may not be a common cause of heart failure in the community. Read More

Transl Pediatr 2022 Apr;11(4):589-594

Department of Endocrinology, Children's Hospital Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China.

Background: Alstrom syndrome (ALMS) is a rare genetic disorder. ALMS is characterized by progressive bilateral sensorineural hearing impairment, cone-rod dystrophy, infantile-onset cardiomyopathy, hypertriglyceridemia, accelerated non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, renal dysfunction and insulin-resistant diabetes mellitus (DM). DM typically develop in childhood or adolescence. Read More

Theranostics 2022 4;12(7):3237-3250. Epub 2022 Apr 4.

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Tumor Microenvironment and Inflammation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.

Impaired mitochondrial function contributes to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Acylglycerol kinase (AGK) is a subunit of the translocase of the mitochondrial inner membrane 22 (TIM22) protein import complex. AGK mutation is the leading cause of Sengers syndrome, characterized by congenital cataracts, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, skeletal myopathy, lactic acidosis, and liver dysfunction. Read More

Nitric Oxide 2022 Jul 30;124:15-23. Epub 2022 Apr 30.

Endocrine Physiology Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address:

Decreased heart levels of nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen sulfide (HS) in type 2 diabetes (T2D) are associated with a higher risk of mortality following ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. This study aimed to determine the effects of co-administration of sodium nitrite and sodium hydrosulfide (NaSH) on IR injury in the isolated heart from rats with T2D. Two-month-old male rats were divided into 5 groups (n = 7/group): Control, T2D, T2D + nitrite, T2D + NaSH, and T2D + nitrite + NaSH. Read More

Cureus 2022 Mar 28;14(3):e23570. Epub 2022 Mar 28.

Department of Medicine, Roger Williams Medical Center, Providence, USA.

Long-term alcohol abuse can cause alcohol-related liver injury (acute alcoholic hepatitis, acute liver failure, hepatic steatosis, fibrosis, or cirrhosis), as well as cardiac injury. Alcoholic cardiomyopathy is a severe consequence of chronic alcohol abuse. Incidence of alcoholic cardiomyopathy ranges from 1-2% of all heavy alcohol users. Read More

Int J Med Mushrooms 2022 ;24(2):31-40

Sahyadri Bio Labs Pvt, Ltd., Pannissery, Koonammoochy P.O, Thrissur - 680504, Kerala, India; Department of Microbiology, Amala Cancer Research Centre, Amala Nagar, Thrissur-680 555, Kerala, India.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the polysaccharide-protein complex isolated from the fruiting bodies (GLFPPC) and cultured mycelia (GLMPPC) of a highly valued medicinal mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum, to alleviate doxorubicin (DOX)-induced cardiotoxicity. GLFPPC and GLMPPC were isolated from aqueous-alcoholic extracts of fruiting bodies and cultured mycelia of G. lucidum by repeated ethanol precipitation, dialysis, treatment with Sevag reagent, and freeze drying. Read More

J Cardiol Cases 2022 Apr 11. Epub 2022 Apr 11.

Department of Cardiology, Yashoda Hospital, Somajiguda, Hyderabad, India.

As a primary cause, intracardiac thrombi are seen in a variety of cardiac conditions such as acute anterior myocardial infarctions and dilated cardiomyopathy. However, there are secondary predisposing conditions that increase the risk of clot formation in normally functioning ventricles. Migration or embolization of thrombus produced elsewhere, such as pulmonary thrombo-embolism, may occur at times. Read More

Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 2022 06 7;32(6):1343-1352. Epub 2022 Mar 7.

Heart Failure Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. Electronic address:

Aim: Diastolic dysfunction is the decreased flexibility of the left ventricle due to the impaired ability of the myocardium to relax and plays an important role in the pathogenesis of heart failure. Lipid metabolism is a well-known contributor to cardiac conditions, including ventricular function. In this article, we aimed to review the literature addressing the connections between lipids, their storage, and metabolism with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. Read More

Eur J Intern Med 2022 Jul 10;101:76-85. Epub 2022 Apr 10.

Department of Medical Sciences, Hepatology and Gastroenterology Unit, Catholic University of Rome, l.go Gemelli, 8, Rome 00168, Italy. Electronic address:

Background: The development of alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is related to chronic excessive alcohol use. However, features of early-stage ACM are still unclear. We assessed echocardiographic characteristics of patients with alcohol dependence (DSM-IV criteria) during a six-month treatment period. Read More

Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2022 06 5;34(6):707-716. Epub 2022 Apr 5.

Division of Hepatology, Ospedale San Giuseppe MultiMedica IRCCS, University of Milan, Milan.

Objectives: The association between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and carotid atherosclerosis is still controversial. The present study was designed to assess the relationship between left ventricular systolic mechanics, noninvasively assessed by two-dimensional (2D) speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) and common carotid artery (CCA) intima-media thickness (IMT), in patients with nonadvanced NAFLD.

Methods: All consecutive NAFLD patients diagnosed with liver stiffness measurement (LSM) <12. Read More

Clin Exp Hepatol 2021 Dec 26;7(4):390-395. Epub 2021 Nov 26.

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Methodist University Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.

Aim Of The Study: Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy encompasses systolic dysfunction, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD), and conduction abnormalities. This study aims to investigate the impact of LVDD on mortality in patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT).

Material And Methods: A retrospective review of 400 consecutive patients who underwent LT at our institution was performed. Read More

Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2022 Jun 11;46(6):1011-1022. Epub 2022 Apr 11.

School of Life Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.

Background And Aims: Excessive alcohol consumption predisposes drinkers to develop alcoholic cardiomyopathy. Although cardiomyocyte loss is the hallmark of cardiomyopathy, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. This study examined the potential mechanism of alcohol-induced cardiomyocyte death in a mouse model of alcoholic cardiomyopathy. Read More

Am J Transplant 2022 Mar 31. Epub 2022 Mar 31.

Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Cardiac diseases are one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality following liver transplantation (LT). Prior studies have shown that cardiac diseases affect close to one-third of liver transplant recipients (LTRs) long term and that their incidence has been on the rise. This rise is expected to continue as more patients with advanced age and/or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis undergo LT. Read More

Cell Death Discov 2022 Mar 28;8(1):134. Epub 2022 Mar 28.

Department of Cardiology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, 100191, China.

Alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is a myocardial injury caused by long-term heavy drinking. Existing evidence indicates that high levels of oxidative stress are the key to pathological cardiomyopathy caused by long-term exposure to high concentrations of alcohol, while angiotensin II (AngII) and its type 1 receptor (AT1R) play an important role in excessive drinking. Whether oxidative stress-induced damage in ACM is related to AngII and AT1R is unclear, and the effects of alcohol on the electrophysiology of myocardial cells have not been reported. Read More

Rev Cardiovasc Med 2022 Mar;23(3):91

Liver Unit, University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada.

The curative therapy for patients with end-stage liver disease is liver transplantation. However, liver transplantation challenges the cardiovascular system, and is associated with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Immediately after implantation of the liver graft, changes in cardiac preload and afterload increase the cardiac workload. Read More

Bioengineered 2022 04;13(4):8926-8936

Department of cardiovascular medicine, Ninth Hospital of Xi'an, Xi'an City, Shanxi Province, China.

LOX-1 triggers myocardial fibrosis, but its roles and mechanisms in alcoholic cardiomyopathy and the involvement of the downstream signaling pathways had not been fully reported. We planned to explore how LOX-1 facilitated myocardial fibrosis in alcoholic cardiomyopathy. The in vitro and in vivo alcoholic cardiomyopathy model was established by alcohol treatment to rats' cardiac fibroblasts and rats, respectively. Read More

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022 18;13:785819. Epub 2022 Feb 18.

Nantes Université, CNRS, INSERM, l'institut du thorax, Nantes, France.

Lipodystrophies belong to the heterogenous group of syndromes in which the primary defect is a generalized or partial absence of adipose tissue, which may be congenital or acquired in origin. Lipodystrophy should be considered in patients manifesting the combination of insulin resistance (with or without overt diabetes), dyslipidemia and fatty liver. Lipodystrophies are classified according to the etiology of the disease (genetic or acquired) and to the anatomical distribution of adipose tissue (generalized or partial). Read More

FASEB J 2022 04;36(4):e22237

Center for Metabolic Disease Research and Department of Physiology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), including all types of disorders related to the heart or blood vessels, are the major public health problems and the leading causes of mortality globally. (Pro)renin receptor (PRR), a single transmembrane protein, is present in cardiomyocytes, vascular smooth muscle cells, and endothelial cells. PRR plays an essential role in cardiovascular homeostasis by regulating the renin-angiotensin system and several intracellular signals such as mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling and wnt/β-catenin signaling in various cardiovascular cells. Read More

Sci Rep 2022 02 22;12(1):2996. Epub 2022 Feb 22.

Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2-B5 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.

Although patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease have been reported to have cardiac dysfunction, and appropriate model has not been reported. We established a novel mouse model of diet-induced steatohepatitis-related cardiomyopathy and evaluated the effect of pemafibrate. C57Bl/6 male mice were fed a (1) chow diet (C), (2) high-fat, high-cholesterol, high-sucrose, bile acid diet (NASH diet; N), or (3) N with pemafibrate 0. Read More

J Clin Med 2022 Jan 31;11(3). Epub 2022 Jan 31.

Heart Failure Clinic and Cardiology Service, University Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, 08916 Badalona, Spain.

We assessed differences in long-term all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality in heart failure (HF) outpatients based on the etiology of HF. Consecutive patients admitted to the HF Clinic from August 2001 to September 2019 ( = 2587) were considered for inclusion. HF etiology was divided into ischemic heart disease (IHD), dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), hypertensive heart disease, alcoholic cardiomyopathy, drug-induced cardiomyopathy (DICM), valvular heart disease, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Read More

J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2022 Jan 11;9(1). Epub 2022 Jan 11.

Advanced Heart Failure Unit, Department of Cardiology, Bellvitge University Hospital, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907 Barcelona, Spain.

Aims: Non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDCM) is characterized by left ventricular (LV) chamber enlargement and systolic dysfunction in the absence of coronary artery disease. Left ventricular reverse remodelling (LVRR) is the ability of a dilated ventricle to restore its normal size, shape and function. We sought to determine the frequency, clinical predictors and prognostic implications of LVRR, in a cohort of heart failure (HF) patients with NIDCM. Read More

J Transl Med 2022 01 3;20(1). Epub 2022 Jan 3.

Institute of Health Informatics, University College London, London, UK.

Background: People with liver disease are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), however, there has yet been an investigation of incidence burden, risk, and premature mortality across a wide range of liver conditions and cardiovascular outcomes.

Methods: We employed population-wide electronic health records (EHRs; from 1998 to 2020) consisting of almost 4 million adults to assess regional variations in disease burden of five liver conditions, alcoholic liver disease (ALD), autoimmune liver disease, chronic hepatitis B infection (HBV), chronic hepatitis C infection (HCV) and NAFLD, in England. We analysed regional differences in incidence rates for 17 manifestations of CVD in people with or without liver disease. Read More

Curr Opin Anaesthesiol 2022 Feb;35(1):96-104

Department of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.

Purpose Of Review: As the population of the world is aging the number of geriatric patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT) is also increasing. They pose a unique challenge for the caregivers, as they have age-related physiological changes, multiple comorbidities and cirrhosis-related pathologies.

Recent Findings: Twenty-two percent of patients who undergo LT are older than 65 years. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2022 03 1;363(3):273-278. Epub 2021 Dec 1.

Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.

Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is an acute neurological disorder caused by thiamine deficiency that is frequently missed in non-alcoholic patients. Coma and cardiomyopathy are uncommon presentations of WE that have been rarely reported in the literature. We report the case of a 36-year-old male with a known history of schizophrenia who presented with coma and vasopressor refractory hypotension. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2021 Nov 20;22(22). Epub 2021 Nov 20.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8654, Japan.

With the development and advancement of next-generation sequencing (NGS), genetic analysis is becoming more accessible. High-throughput genetic studies using NGS have contributed to unraveling the association between cardiomyopathy and genetic background, as is the case with many other diseases. Rare variants have been shown to play major roles in the pathogenesis of cardiomyopathy, which was empirically recognized as a monogenic disease, and it has been elucidated that the clinical course of cardiomyopathy varies depending on the causative genes. Read More

BMC Public Health 2021 11 17;21(1):2116. Epub 2021 Nov 17.

Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 33 Ursula Franklin Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2S1, Canada.

Background: Lithuania possesses one of the highest alcohol per capita consumption and has previously implemented alcohol control policies to reduce the alcohol-attributable burden. The aim of this study was to investigate Lithuanian cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality rate trends between 2001 and 2018 and to explore a possible link between CVD mortality rate and alcohol control policy implementation.

Methods: Lithuanian population mortality and alcohol consumption data for 2001-2018 were obtained from Statistics Lithuania and The State Register of Death Cases and Their Causes, Institute of Hygiene. Read More

Minerva Med 2021 Dec 21;112(6):786-791. Epub 2021 Oct 21.

Unit of Addiction and Hepatology, Alcohological Regional Center, San Martino Hospital, ASL3, Genoa, Italy -

Background: Long-lasting heavy alcohol intake has been progressively recognized as a leading cause of nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy, involving 10% of all people who use alcohol. It is of huge importance to identify the earliest markers of this dysfunction and it is known that the newest echocardiographic techniques such as speckle tracking may allow to do it. In this study we investigated if standard basal echocardiogram features allow to obtain predictors of asymptomatic cardiac dysfunction in alcoholics. Read More