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Biomedicines
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Atherosclerosis: Pathophysiology and Associations with Other Diseases
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Atherosclerosis: Pathophysiology and Associations with Other Diseases

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular and Translational Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2023) | Viewed by 7182

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Maria Grau

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Serra Húnter Fellow, Department of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Interests: cardiovascular diseases; epidemiology; eHealth; public health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death in Western countries. Their common basis is adverse structural and functional changes within vascular walls, specifically atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis, which tend to coexist, causing progressive, diffuse, and age-related deterioration in all vascular beds. Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory and degenerative process that mainly occurs in large- and medium-sized arteries, and is morphologically characterized by asymmetric focal thickenings of the innermost layer of the artery, known as the intima. Arteriosclerosis refers to the degenerative stiffness in the arterial beds, defined as the reduced capability of an artery to expand and contract in response to pressure changes.

The scope of this Special Issue is to unravel the molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and the association between atherosclerotic diseases and other disorders, and to describe the clinical and therapeutic implications of such associations.

Dr. Maria Grau
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomedicines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • atherosclerosis
  • epidemiology
  • cardiovascular diseases
  • coronary artery disease
  • peripheral artery disease
  • stroke
  • noncommunicable diseases

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 289 KiB  
Article
Subclinical Carotid Atherosclerosis in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis at Low Cardiovascular Risk
by Elena V. Gerasimova, Tatiana V. Popkova, Daria A. Gerasimova, Yuliya V. Markina and Tatiana V. Kirichenko
Biomedicines 2023, 11(3), 974; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11030974 - 21 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1332
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the rate of subclinical carotid atherosclerosis and clinical significance of immunoinflammatory markers in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at low cardiovascular risk. Materials and Methods: The study included 275 RA patients and a control group of 100 participants without autoimmune [...] Read more.
Objective: To evaluate the rate of subclinical carotid atherosclerosis and clinical significance of immunoinflammatory markers in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at low cardiovascular risk. Materials and Methods: The study included 275 RA patients and a control group of 100 participants without autoimmune diseases. All study participants were at low cardiovascular risk, calculated by the QRISK3 scale (<20%), and free of cardiovascular disease. Ultrasound examination of carotid arteries was performed to measure cIMT and to detect atherosclerotic plaques (ASP) in carotid arteries. sIСАМ-1, sVСАМ, and sCD40L levels were determined by enzyme immunoassay. Results: Carotid ASP was observed more frequently in RA patients (27%) than in the control group (17%), p = 0.03. The frequency of ASP in RA patients did not depend on the disease’s stage or activity. There was a significant correlation between cIMT and age, cardiovascular risk determined by QRISK3, level of total cholesterol, LDL, and blood pressure in RA patients, p < 0.05 in all cases. No correlation between cIMT and blood levels of sCD40L, sVCAM, and sICAM was found. In RA patients, a higher concentration of sVCAM was detected in the carotid ASP group compared to the non-atherosclerotic group. sCD40L was associated with cIMT and total cholesterol in the ASP group and with total cholesterol and blood pressure in non-atherosclerotic patients. Conclusions: Subclinical atherosclerotic lesions of the carotid arteries were observed significantly more frequently in RA patients with low cardiovascular risk than in the control group. The results of the study demonstrate the association between cIMT, traditional cardiovascular risk factors, and immunoinflammatory markers in RA patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Atherosclerosis: Pathophysiology and Associations with Other Diseases)
10 pages, 857 KiB  
Article
Prior Cancer Is Associated with Lower Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk at First Acute Myocardial Infarction
by Chieh Yang Koo, Huili Zheng, Li Ling Tan, Ling-Li Foo, Derek J. Hausenloy, Wee-Joo Chng, Soo Chin Lee, Arthur Mark Richards, Lieng-Hsi Ling, Shir Lynn Lim, Chi-Hang Lee and Mark Y. Chan
Biomedicines 2022, 10(11), 2681; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10112681 - 23 Oct 2022
Viewed by 1479
Abstract
Background: Patients with cancer are at increased risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). It is unclear if the Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) risk score at incident AMI is reflective of this higher risk in patients with prior cancer than those without. Methods: We [...] Read more.
Background: Patients with cancer are at increased risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). It is unclear if the Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) risk score at incident AMI is reflective of this higher risk in patients with prior cancer than those without. Methods: We linked nationwide AMI and cancer registries from 2008 to 2019. A total of 18,200 eligible patients with ASCVD risk score calculated at incident AMI were identified (1086 prior cancer; 17,114 no cancer). Results: At incident AMI, age-standardized mean ASCVD risk was lower in the prior cancer group (18.6%) than no cancer group (20.9%) (p < 0.001). Prior to incident AMI, smoking, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes mellitus were better controlled in the prior cancer group. However post-AMI, prior cancer was associated with lower guideline-directed medical therapy usage and higher all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 1.85, 95% confidence interval 1.66–2.07). Conclusions: AMI occurred despite better control of cardiovascular risk factors and lower age-standardized estimated mean 10-year ASCVD risk among patients with prior cancer than no cancer. Prior cancer was associated with lower guideline-directed medical therapy post-AMI and higher mortality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Atherosclerosis: Pathophysiology and Associations with Other Diseases)
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10 pages, 959 KiB  
Article
TERT and TET2 Genetic Variants Affect Leukocyte Telomere Length and Clinical Outcome in Coronary Artery Disease Patients—A Possible Link to Clonal Hematopoiesis
by Trine B. Opstad, Svein Solheim, Alf-Åge R. Pettersen, Are A. Kalstad, Harald Arnesen and Ingebjørg Seljeflot
Biomedicines 2022, 10(8), 2027; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10082027 - 19 Aug 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1815
Abstract
Inherited and acquired mutations in hematopoietic stem cells can cause clonal expansion with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), a condition known for the clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP). Inherited genetic variants in two CHIP-associated genome loci, the telomerase gene telomerase enzyme [...] Read more.
Inherited and acquired mutations in hematopoietic stem cells can cause clonal expansion with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), a condition known for the clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP). Inherited genetic variants in two CHIP-associated genome loci, the telomerase gene telomerase enzyme reverse transcriptase (TERT) (rs7705526) and the epigenetic regulator ten–eleven translocation 2 (TET2) (rs2454206), were investigated in 1001 patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) (mean age 62 years, 22% women), with regards to cardiovascular outcome, comorbidities, and leukocyte telomere length. Over 2 years, mutated TERT increased the risk two-fold for major clinical events (MACEs) in all patients (p = 0.004), acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in male patients (p = 0.011), and stroke in female patients (p < 0.001). Mutated TET2 correlated with type 2 diabetes (p < 0.001), the metabolic syndrome (p = 0.002), as well as fasting glucose, HbA1c, and shorter telomeres (p = 0.032, p = 0.003, and p = 0.016, respectively). In conclusion, our results from stable CAD patients highlight TERTs’ role in CVD, and underline TET2s’ role in the epigenetic regulation of lifestyle-related diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Atherosclerosis: Pathophysiology and Associations with Other Diseases)
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Review

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14 pages, 534 KiB  
Review
Atherosclerosis, Cardiovascular Disease, and COVID-19: A Narrative Review
by Carles Vilaplana-Carnerero, Maria Giner-Soriano, Àngela Dominguez, Rosa Morros, Carles Pericas, Dolores Álamo-Junquera, Diana Toledo, Carmen Gallego, Ana Redondo and María Grau
Biomedicines 2023, 11(4), 1206; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11041206 - 18 Apr 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1737
Abstract
Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory and degenerative process that mainly occurs in large- and medium-sized arteries and is morphologically characterized by asymmetric focal thickenings of the innermost layer of the artery, the intima. This process is the basis of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), the [...] Read more.
Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory and degenerative process that mainly occurs in large- and medium-sized arteries and is morphologically characterized by asymmetric focal thickenings of the innermost layer of the artery, the intima. This process is the basis of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), the most common cause of death worldwide. Some studies suggest a bidirectional link between atherosclerosis and the consequent CVD with COVID-19. The aims of this narrative review are (1) to provide an overview of the most recent studies that point out a bidirectional relation between COVID-19 and atherosclerosis and (2) to summarize the impact of cardiovascular drugs on COVID-19 outcomes. A growing body of evidence shows that COVID-19 prognosis in individuals with CVD is worse compared with those without. Moreover, various studies have reported the emergence of newly diagnosed patients with CVD after COVID-19. The most common treatments for CVD may influence COVID-19 outcomes. Thus, their implication in the infection process is briefly discussed in this review. A better understanding of the link among atherosclerosis, CVD, and COVID-19 could proactively identify risk factors and, as a result, develop strategies to improve the prognosis for these patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Atherosclerosis: Pathophysiology and Associations with Other Diseases)
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