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Cardiovascular Diseases—a Focus on Atherosclerosis, Its Prophylaxis, Complications and Recent Advancements in Therapies 2.0

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 April 2024) | Viewed by 7242

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Despite tremendous advancements in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and the advent of several new groups of drugs, the burden of morbidity and mortality resulting from atherosclerotic complications is still high. Atherosclerotic plaques are thought to be the essence of the disease, but in fact they are the mere final stage of numerous pathophysiologic processes involved in atherogenesis. These include hyperlipidaemia, diabetes, arterial hypertension, obesity, and many others. All these conditions are associated with an improper lifestyle and with extensive low-level inflammatory state and oxidative stress. The containment strategies recently introduced to control the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) pandemic have resulted in reduced physical activity and the worsening of the dietary habits.

Therefore, it is imperative to refocus on the importance of therapeutic lifestyle changes and propose novel preventive measures to counteract the consequences of the current and potentially future pandemic restrictions. Many drugs that are successfully used in the therapy of specific conditions have shown additional pleiotropic effects that are partly explained by their impact on cytokine signaling, their antioxidant capabilities, and their effects on micro-RNAs. Nevertheless, new therapies based on other mechanisms are needed. It also should be stressed that significant improvements have been achieved in the field of angioplasty, with novel stents and devices to improve the cardiac function, which is important to deal with the complications of atherosclerosis.

For this Special Issue, we urge authors to share their recent work on the epidemiology, prevention, and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, especially in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.

Dr. Łukasz Bułdak
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • atherosclerosis
  • cardiovascular disease
  • oxidative stress
  • inflammation
  • coronavirus

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Review

20 pages, 4012 KiB  
Review
Evidence Accumulates: Patients with Ascending Aneurysms Are Strongly Protected from Atherosclerotic Disease
by Christina Waldron, Mohammad A. Zafar, Bulat A. Ziganshin, Gabe Weininger, Nimrat Grewal and John A. Elefteriades
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(21), 15640; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242115640 - 27 Oct 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2348
Abstract
Ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms may be fatal upon rupture or dissection and remain a leading cause of death in the developed world. Understanding the pathophysiology of the development of ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms may help reduce the morbidity and mortality of this disease. [...] Read more.
Ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms may be fatal upon rupture or dissection and remain a leading cause of death in the developed world. Understanding the pathophysiology of the development of ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms may help reduce the morbidity and mortality of this disease. In this review, we will discuss our current understanding of the protective relationship between ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms and the development of atherosclerosis, including decreased carotid intima–media thickness, low-density lipoprotein levels, coronary and aortic calcification, and incidence of myocardial infarction. We also propose several possible mechanisms driving this relationship, including matrix metalloproteinase proteins and transforming growth factor-β. Full article
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23 pages, 2227 KiB  
Review
ADAM10 and ADAM17, Major Regulators of Chronic Kidney Disease Induced Atherosclerosis?
by Sanne L. Maas, Marjo M. P. C. Donners and Emiel P. C. van der Vorst
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(8), 7309; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24087309 - 15 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2214
Abstract
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major health problem, affecting millions of people worldwide, in particular hypertensive and diabetic patients. CKD patients suffer from significantly increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality, mainly due to accelerated atherosclerosis development. Indeed, CKD not only affects [...] Read more.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major health problem, affecting millions of people worldwide, in particular hypertensive and diabetic patients. CKD patients suffer from significantly increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality, mainly due to accelerated atherosclerosis development. Indeed, CKD not only affects the kidneys, in which injury and maladaptive repair processes lead to local inflammation and fibrosis, but also causes systemic inflammation and altered mineral bone metabolism leading to vascular dysfunction, calcification, and thus, accelerated atherosclerosis. Although CKD and CVD individually have been extensively studied, relatively little research has studied the link between both diseases. This narrative review focuses on the role of a disintegrin and metalloproteases (ADAM) 10 and ADAM17 in CKD and CVD and will for the first time shed light on their role in CKD-induced CVD. By cleaving cell surface molecules, these enzymes regulate not only cellular sensitivity to their micro-environment (in case of receptor cleavage), but also release soluble ectodomains that can exert agonistic or antagonistic functions, both locally and systemically. Although the cell-specific roles of ADAM10 and ADAM17 in CVD, and to a lesser extent in CKD, have been explored, their impact on CKD-induced CVD is likely, yet remains to be elucidated. Full article
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19 pages, 1215 KiB  
Review
Inclisiran—A Revolutionary Addition to a Cholesterol-Lowering Therapy
by Adrianna Dec, Aleksandra Niemiec, Eliza Wojciechowska, Mateusz Maligłówka, Łukasz Bułdak, Aleksandra Bołdys and Bogusław Okopień
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(7), 6858; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24076858 - 06 Apr 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2255
Abstract
Hypercholesterolemia plays a crucial role in the development of atherosclerosis, but it remains an undertreated and underdiagnosed disease. Taking into consideration the high prevalence of lipid disorders, long duration of the asymptomatic course of the disease, life-threatening complications resulting from inaccurate therapy, and [...] Read more.
Hypercholesterolemia plays a crucial role in the development of atherosclerosis, but it remains an undertreated and underdiagnosed disease. Taking into consideration the high prevalence of lipid disorders, long duration of the asymptomatic course of the disease, life-threatening complications resulting from inaccurate therapy, and stringent treatment goals concerning LDL cholesterol level in the prevention of cardiovascular events, novel lipid-lowering therapies have been introduced in the last few years. In this article, a drug belonging to the group of small interfering RNA (siRNA) called inclisiran is described. It is a novel molecule that increases the number of LDL receptors (LDLRs) on the surface of hepatic cells by preventing the formation of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) responsible for the degradation of LDLRs. With great potential for lowering plasma LDL cholesterol level, high liver specificity, comfortable dosing regimen, and good tolerance without significant adverse effects, it could play an important part in future hypolipemic therapies. Full article
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