Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 20, Issue 4, 2014

In recent years, the scientific community has gained significant insight into the complex interaction between inflammation and the cardiovascular system in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which leads to increased cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality in these patients. Our common understanding of this association is that persistent inflammation contributes to the development of premature atherosclerosis. Read More

Rituximab is an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody often used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Infusion reactions sometimes develop following rituximab administration. Delayed complications are rare. Acute coronary syndromes are listed as sideeffects of rituximab therapy. We report two cases of acute myocardial infarction following rituximab therapy for RA and review the literature regarding cardiac events in Read More

Background: Whether systemic treatments for psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis affect cardiovascular comorbidities is a clinically significant question. Objective: To examine the effects of biologic agents and other Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDs) used to treat psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis on cardiovascular risk factors and adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Methods: MEDLINE (1980-October 2012), Web of Read More

Background: Epidemiologic data support the association of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Shared pathogenesis in endothelial dysfunction may underlie psoriasis and atherosclerosis. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors may modulate endothelial dysfunction seen in patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Objective: To perform a systematic review that investigated Read More

Epidemiological studies indicate increased mortality rates in cohorts of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Psoriasis is associated with an enhanced cardiovascular risk. The excess mortality in psoriasis and PsA is predominantly due to coronary artery disease. The aim of this review is to overview the biomarkers and/or mediators of increased cardiovascular risk in patients with psoriasis and PsA. We searched through M Read More

Cardiac involvement in systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a frequent visceral complication that considerably affects the prognosis of the disease. The pathophysiologic hallmark is myocardial fibrosis which can progress leading to arrhythmia, right and/or left heart dysfunction and failure. Symptoms range from unusual to prominent and from mild to dramatic, but clinically overt disease is a poor prognostic factor. Primary Read More

Primary antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a disease characterized by the presence of autoantibodies reacting with proteins bound to phospholipids, leading to thrombosis and gestation abnormalities. Prothrombotic states and impaired clot dissolution are believed to contribute to the occurrence of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) in APS. Whether preventive anticoagulation therapy in pati Read More

Platelets are intimately involved in hemostasis, inflammation, innate and adaptive immunity, tissue regeneration and other physiological and pathological processes. Their granular structure is programmed to release a wide range of bioactive substances in response to agonists. Upon activation, platelet membranes display thrombotic and inflammatory agents, which may take an active part in the pathophysiology of au Read More

Giant-cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common vasculitis affecting large vessels in the elderly. It is associated with ischemic events that account for important disability. Despite the increasing insight in the mechanisms involved in the arterial wall inflammation, the events that lead to eventual occlusion of the vessels lumen are unknown. Cohort studies on risk factors for ischemic events and aspirin efficiency in GCA provide inco Read More

Insight is provided herein into the novel mechanisms of cardiometabolic risk. Previous reports, including the epidemiological work of the Turkish Adult Risk Factor study, indicated that proinflammatory state and oxidative stress are crucial for evaluating cardiometabolic risk. Autoimmune pathways in the course of oxidative stress are major determinants of cardiorenal and metabolic risk. The latter encompasses metabolic Read More

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in many developed countries. It is characterized by complex endocrine, paracrine and juxtacrine interactions between immune and vascular cells, as well as several tissues and organs. Oxidative stress and inflammation have an important role in the promotion of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Considering the complicated mechanisms and signals Read More

Leptin has received much attention since its cloning in 1994. Initially, leptin research centered on satiety, energy balance and sympathetic activation. However, hyperleptinemia has since been identified as an independent risk factor for various cardiovascular pathologies including atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. Over the last decade, multiple studies have implicated leptin as an important mediator in endot Read More

Increased plasma levels of both leptin and C reactive protein (CRP) have been reported in a number of conditions, including obesity, and have been linked to cardiovascular pathophysiological processes and increased cardiovascular risk; interestingly these two biomarkers appear to be able to reciprocally regulate their bioavailability, through complex mechanisms that have not been completely clarified yet. Here we first review Read More

Many experimental and clinical studies have demonstrated that elevated leptin concentration in patients with obesity/metabolic syndrome contributes to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disorders including arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis, restenosis after coronary angioplasty and myocardial hypertrophy. Receptor tyrosine kinases belonging to the ErbB family, especially ErbB1 (epidermal growth factor receptor Read More

This review concerns the influence of leptin on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). VSMC express different isoforms of the leptin receptor (Ob-R) able to activate a wide range of intracellular signalling pathways, mediating many relevant biological actions. In particular, leptin promotes processes deeply involved in atherogenesis, such as VSMC migration, hypertrophy, proliferation, osteogenic differentiation and metallop Read More

Epidemiological evidence strongly links excess body weight with an increased risk to develop atherothrombotic complications. Obesity is frequently associated with systemic and local inflammation as well as elevated circulating leptin levels, and clinical studies found hyperleptinemia to correlate not only with measures of adiposity, but also with circulating biomarkers of an increased metabolic and cardiovascular risk or surrogate Read More

A world-wide obesity epidemic is threatening to have a major impact on the prevalence of chronic and acute vascular diseases. In addition to weight loss interventions, which have met with modest success to date, it will be important to understand mechanisms by which obesity promotes vascular disease processes. Studies of leptin, a hormone produced by the adipocyte, have supported the concept that adipocyte-specific Read More

The identification of the adipocyte as a source of production of biologically-active peptides has materialized into an active area of research related to the role of these peptides in physiology and pathophysiology. Moreover, this research has resulted in the identification of the adipocyte as an endocrine organ producing potent bioactive compounds. An increasing number of these adipokines are being identified, the first of whic Read More