Current Vascular Pharmacology - Volume 9, Issue 5, 2011

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Aim of the present Consensus Statement is to provide a comprehensive and up to-date document on the pathophysiology, atherogenicity and clinical significance of low density lipoproteins (LDL) subclasses. We sub-divided our Statement in 2 sections: section I discusses the pathophysiology, atherogenicity and measurement issues, while section II is focused on the effects of drugs and lifestlyle modifications. Read More

One of the critical points in the pathogenesis of aortic aneurysms (AAs) is the disruption of the balance between vascular extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and degradation. AAs are common features in some genetically determined diseases of the connective tissue, such as Marfan and Ehlers-Danlos. Acquired factors determining an enhanced inflammatory state of the arterial wall also play a key role. Previous studies ha Read More

A causal relationship between exposure to smoking and increase in blood pressure (BP) is not yet clearly demonstrated. Some observations suggest a transient increase while smoking a cigarette or when exposed to passive smoking. Late stable hypertension may also occur as a consequence of smoking. This could be attributed to the progression of atherogenesis triggered by smoking (e.g. endothelial dysfunction). Endothelial dy Read More

Aldosterone, a steroid hormone with mineralocorticoid activity, is far more than merely a salt-and-water hormone. Aldosterone has a number of non-classical, mineralocorticoid receptor (MR)-mediated actions, including tissue remodeling, modulation of vascular tone and stimulating inflammation and fibrosis, which may fuel progression of end organ damage. Aldosterone breakthrough during blockade of the renin-an Read More

The antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disease in which recurrent vascular thrombosis, pregnancy morbidity or a combination of these events is associated with the persistent presence of circulating antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL). Evidence shows that the dominant antigenic targets for aPL in APS are phospholipid-binding plasma proteins such as β2glycoprotein I and prothrombin. The pathogenic role of aPL in Read More

Pharmacologic therapy represents the mainstay of treatment for heart failure in children. However, medical therapy for this population is not widely standardized. This is mainly due to the heterogeneity of potential etiologies, the specific challenge of patients with univentricular physiology and the lack of evidence-based prospective randomized clinical trials in pediatric patients. In fact, most current strategies are based lar Read More

The wet form of age related macular degeneration (AMD), known also as exudative or neovascular, is characterized by the formation of a pathological choroidal neovascular membrane (CNV) responsible for most cases of severe blindness. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a homodimeric glycoprotein acting as a growth factor selective for endothelial cells; it regulates angiogenesis and enhances vascular per Read More