Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 23, Issue 8, 2017

Reducing sugars can react non-enzymatically with amino groups of proteins and lipids to form irreversibly cross-linked macroprotein derivatives called as advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Cross-linking modification of extracellular matrix proteins by AGEs deteriorate their tertiary structural integrity and function, contributing to aging-related organ damage and diabetes-associated complications, such as cardiovasc Read More

Cardiovascular disease still remains the primary cause of death worldwide and obesity is becoming recognized as one of the most critical contributing risk factors. The increased prevalence of obesity casts a cloud over the global health and the whole societies and will still be burdened in the future. Therefore, prevention and therapy of obesity is a beneficial strategy for the prevention of chronic cardiovascular disease. Read More

A wide variety of agents have been traditionally used in cardiovascular medicine worldwide and their precise mechanisms of action have been demonstrated to be largely related to the cardiomyocyte mitochondria and apoptosis. Abnormalities in the structure and function of the mitochondria and mutations in mitochondrial DNA can decrease energy production, alter the redox system, impair calcium homeostasis Read More

Epigenetic mechanisms, which are involved in the regulation of gene expression, are tightly controlled. Loss of a proper epigenetic control can lead to global epigenetic alterations frequently observed in various diseases including cancer. Aberrant epigenetic changes induced in malignant cells lead to emergence of neoplastic properties, which inhibit cell differentiation and strict cell cycle control but greatly enhance stemness-re Read More

The burden of cardio-vascular and other age-related non-communicable diseases are rapidly increasing worldwide. Majority of these chronic ailments are curable, if diagnosed at early stages. Candidate biomarkers of early detection are therefore essential for identification of high-risk individuals, prompt and accurate disease diagnosis, and to monitor therapeutic response. The functional significance of circulating nucle Read More

Systemic hypertension and aortic valve stenosis (AVS) are both age-related diseases. Severe aortic stenosis affects ≈2% to 5% of adults age > 65 years. Systemic hypertension is a frequent comorbidity in patients with AVS and is coexistent for a longer period of time before AVS is treated. Essential systemic hypertension, per se, plays an important role in the creation of lesions on the aortic side of the valve, the region of hi Read More

Atherosclerosis is one of the main problems in modern medical practice. This multifactorial disease can remain asymptomatic for a long time before manifesting itself in cardiovascular disorders, causing ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction and even sudden death. Many synthetic drugs have been developed to reduce the symptoms of atherosclerosis, however, their efficacy in terms of reduction of atherosclerotic l Read More

Large-scale epidemiological studies firmly established the association between low plasma levels of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and elevated risk of cardiovascular disease. This relationship is thought to reflect the key biological function of HDL, which involves reverse cholesterol transport from the arterial wall to the liver for further excretion from the body. Other aspects of the cardioprotective HDL functionality i Read More

Over the past two decades, the viewpoint of atherosclerosis has been replaced gradually by a lipiddriven, chronic, low-grade inflammatory disease of the arterial wall. Current treatment of atherosclerosis is focused on limiting its risk factors, such as hyperlipidemia or hypertension. However, treatment targeting the inflammatory nature of atherosclerosis is still very limited and deserves further attention to fight atherosclerosis Read More

Background: Complex hemostatic mechanisms are involved in the pathophysiology of various diseases, including cardiovascular diseases. Among them, dysregulation of platelet activity is linked to the progression of atherosclerosis and mainly involves platelet aggregation and a decrease in blood flow in the vascular endothelium. The major platelet activation pathways mediated by agonists involve the arachidonic acid pathw Read More

Heart failure, hypertension, cirrhosis and nephritic syndrome are among conditions that alter volume and composition of body fluids and are modulated by diuretics. Natural products are important source of diuretics and have been considered remarkable alternative with greater effectiveness and fewer side effects. However, many of these plants used in traditional medicine must be scientifically assessed about th Read More

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Herbal medicine and exercise interventions have individually been shown to be effective in the prevention and management of CVD. However, the complementary roles of herbal medicine and exercise interventions for CVD prevention and management have not been adequately reported. Objective: 1. Identify studies analysing comple Read More

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a complex clinical syndrome that can result from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the ventricle to fill or eject blood. It represents a major public health issue, with a prevalence of over 23 million worldwide. The lifetime risk of developing HF is one in five and the most important risk factors identified are ischemic heart disease, hypertension, smoking, obesity Read More