Defining the Role of Trimetazidine in the Treatment of Cardiovascular Disorders: Some Insights on Its Role in Heart Failure and Peripheral Artery Disease

Trimetazidine is a cytoprotective drug whose cardiovascular effectiveness, especially in patients with stable ischemic heart disease, has been the source of much controversy in recent years; some have gone so far as to treat the medication as a ‘placebo drug’ whose new side effects, such as Parkinsonian symptoms, outweigh its benefits. This article is an attempt to present the recent key studies, including meta-analyses, on the use of trimetazidine in chronic heart failure, also in patients with diabetes mellitus and arrhythmia, as well as in peripheral artery disease. This paper also includes the most recent European Society of Cardiology guidelines, including those of 2013, on the use of trimetazidine in cardiovascular disease

The effects of statins on blood pressure: current knowledge and future perspectives

Statin therapy has gained interest in the field of hypertension due to the potential role of different statin agents in blood pressure (BP) lowering [1-3]. The potential mechanisms involved include the downregulation of the angiotensin II-type 1 receptor, the decrease of vasoconstrictor endothelin-1 levels, and the increase in the endothelial production of nitric oxide (NO), an effect that is correlated with the upregulation of endothelial NO synthase expression [4-6]. Furthermore, we have recently reported the effects of statin treatment on endothelial function, oxidative stress and inflammation in patients with hypertension and normal cholesterol levels [7]. Yet, despite the beneficial effects shown by statins in hypertensive animal models as well as in small clinical studies, the results from meta-analyses and large clinical trials have been controversial. Indeed, the Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial-Lipid Lowering Arm (ASCOT-LLA) [8] demonstrated that the combination of amlodipinebased therapy and atorvastatin was highly effective in preventing cardiovascula

Why patients with familial hypercholesterolemia are at high cardiovascular risk? Beyond LDL-C levels

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Incretins and microRNAs: Interactions and physiological relevance

MicroRNAs (miRNA) are one class of the small regulatory RNAs that can impact the expression of numerous genes including incretin hormones and their G protein-coupled receptors. Incretin peptides, including GLP-1, GLP-2, and GIP, are released from the gastrointestinal tract and have an crucial role in the glucose hemostasis and pancreatic beta-cell function. These hormones and their analogs with a longer half-life, glucagon like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1RA), modify the expression of miRNAs. Dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-4) is an enzyme that degrades the incretin hormones and is inactivated by DPP-4 inhibitors, which are a class of compounds used in the management of type 2 diabetes. DPP-4 inhibitors may also increase or reduce the expression of miRNAs. In this review, we describe the possible interactions between miRNAs and incretin hormones and the relevance of such interactions to physiological processes and diseases

Statyny — leki stosowane w Polsce wciąż za rzadko lub w zbyt małych dawkach

Hipercholesterolemia jest najczęstszym czynnikiem ryzyka chorób układu sercowo-naczyniowego w populacji polskiej. Większość chorych nie ma świadomości obecności tego czynnika ryzyka, kolejna duża grupa pacjentów, mimo świadomości choroby, nie stosuje ani niefarmakologicznych, ani farmakologicznych metod obniżania stężenia cholesterolu. W artykule przedstawiono niepokojące dane epidemiologicznie dotyczące hipercholesterolemii w populacji polskiej, wskazując jednocześnie sposoby poprawienia diagnostyki i leczenia tego zaburzenia

Atorvastatin in patients with overweight and obesity

Nadwaga i otyłość stanowią jeden z najpoważniejszych, i według danych WHO — narastających, problemów klinicznych w populacjach krajów uprzemysłowionych, przyczyniając się do rozwoju wielu powikłań zdrowotnych. Najczęstszymi konsekwencjami nadwagi i otyłości są choroby układu sercowo-naczyniowego, zespół metaboliczny i cukrzyca. W artykule autorzy omawiają możliwości zastosowania atorwastatyny jako leku zmniejszającego niebezpieczeństwo występowania tych powikłań, wskazując jednocześnie na bezpieczeństwo podawania go chorym z nadwagą lub otyłością. Opisano również powiązania otyłości z nadmiarem tłuszczowej tkanki nasierdziowej, której rola w rozwoju chorób układu sercowo-naczyniowego jest dotychczas niedostatecznie poznana, a może być istotna parametrem oceny ryzyka.Overweight and obesity is one of the most serious and according to WHO data growing clinical problems in populations of industrialized countries, contributing to the development of many health complications. The most common consequences of overweight and obesity are diseases of the cardiovascular system, metabolic syndrome and diabetes mellitus. In the article, the authors discuss the possibility of applying atorvastatin as a drug reducing the possibility of risk occurrence of these complications, pointing out the safety of this drug in patients who are overweight or obese. They also describe the relationship between obesity and excess epicardial adipose tissue, whose role in the development of cardiovascular diseases hasn’t been so far sufficiently known and might be significant risk predictor

Multi-criterion fault diagnosis of rolling bearings

In this paper, the possibilities of rolling bearing diagnostics, according to the PN and ISO standards, utilising the dimensionless discriminants of vibroacoustic processes, CPB frequency analysis and envelope detection methods are presented. The test bench, the measuring system, as well as the obtained results are described in detail. The authors’ own algorithm for the course of action during the process of detecting damage torolling bearings, involving the multi-criterion diagnostic utilising the afore methods is also described