Cardiovascular & Haematological Disorders - Drug Targets - Volume 10, Issue 4, 2010

This special issue contains a clustering of articles pertaining to the inflammatory aspects of cardiovascular disease. Over the last several decades, various aspects of cardiac pathology have demonstrated an inflammatory basis. This is especially true of atherosclerotic heart disease, where our understanding has evolved from a bland role for lipids to a very profoundly inflammatory state characterized by expression of various in Read More

C-reactive protein (CRP) is secreted by hepatocytes as a pentameric molecule made up of identical monomers, circulates in the plasma as pentamers, and localizes in atherosclerotic lesions. In some cases, localized CRP was detected by using monoclonal antibodies that did not react with native pentameric CRP but were specific for isolated monomeric CRP. It has been reported that, once CRP is bound to certain ligand Read More

Chronic heart failure is a major public health problem causing considerable morbidity and mortality. Recent studies have shown that an elevated plasma level of homocysteine is a strong independent risk factor for heart failure, in addition to atherosclerotic disease. Preclinical studies have demonstrated that induced hyperhomocysteinemia acts via multiple pathogenic mechanisms, including inflammation and oxidative stre Read More

Atherosclerotic vascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. The clinical manifestations include coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular disease, renovascular disease and peripheral vascular disease. Initially considered a bland occlusive disease mediated to a great extent by lipids, atherosclerosis can now be considered an inflammatory disease, in its own Read More

Atherosclerotic coronary heart disease (CHD) is a major health problem worldwide. Epidemiological studies have identified the role of several modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors in the pathogenesis of CHD. Aggressive risk modification has led to a significant improvement in the morbidity and mortality from CHD. However, there is a growing need to identify better modalities of risk prediction in CHD. Many of thes Read More

Atrial fibrillation (AF) remains the most commonly encountered sustained arrhythmia in clinical practice and contributes to increased morbidity and mortality. Management of AF poses a challenge due to the refractory nature of the arrhythmia and the associated thromboembolic complications. Recent studies have implicated both systemic and local cardiac inflammation in the development as well as persistence of AF. This has b Read More

Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death in the United States. Although it is recognized that moderate intensity long-term exercise can decrease the chances of dying from cardiovascular disease by favorably modifying risk factors such as hypertension, obesity, hyperlipidemia, and insulin resistance, physical activity also enhances longevity by mechanisms independent of these risk factors. This review briefly summa Read More

The beneficial effects of restoration of coronary flow in patients with acute myocardial infarction may be hampered by inadequate tissue perfusion. Among other factors, it is likely that platelets contribute substantially to this phenomenon. Platelets may compromise blood flow at the microvascular level by forming a part of microemboli, by adhering to reperfused, capillary or venular endothelium or to attached leukoc Read More

Nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role in states of erythrocyte dysfunction, including sickle cell disease (SCD), malaria, and banked blood preservation. By understanding the role of nitric oxide in these conditions, which are accompanied by hemolysis, vasoocclusion, and erythrocyte dysfunction, new therapeutic targets may be identified to treat complications of these disease states. Furthermore, the role of the eryth Read More

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) such as atherosclerosis, hypertension and diabetes, are major global health problems and one of the leading causes of death. Thrombosis associated with multiple CVDs such as atherosclerosis and diabetes further increase morbidity by causing myocardial infarction or stroke. The members of Protein Kinase C (PKC) family are serine threonine kinases, abundantly expressed in cells that main Read More