Perivascular adipose tissue and coronary vascular disease

Coronary perivascular adipose tissue is a naturally occurring adipose tissue depot that normally surrounds the major coronary arteries on the surface of the heart. Although originally thought to promote vascular health and integrity, there is a growing body of evidence to support that coronary perivascular adipose tissue displays a distinct phenotype relative to other adipose depots and is capable of producing local factors with the potential to augment coronary vascular tone, inflammation, and the initiation and progression of coronary artery disease. The purpose of the present review is to outline previous findings about the cardiovascular effects of coronary perivascular adipose tissue and the potential mechanisms by which adipose-derived factors may influence coronary vascular function and the progression of atherogenesis

Perivascular Adipose Tissue and Coronary Vascular Disease

Coronary perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) is a naturally occurring adipose tissue depot that normally surrounds the major coronary arteries on the surface of the heart. While originally thought to promote vascular health and integrity, there is a growing body of evidence to support that coronary PVAT displays a distinct phenotype relative to other adipose depots and is capable of producing local factors with the potential to augment coronary vascular tone, inflammation, and the initiation and progression of coronary artery disease. The purpose of the present review is outline previous findings regarding the cardiovascular effects of coronary PVAT and the potential mechanisms by which adipose-derived factors may influence coronary vascular function and the progression of atherogenesis

Effects of Postprandial Hypertriglyceridemia on Ischemic-Reperfusion Injury

Background: Cardiovascular disease, including ischemic-reperfusion injury, is the number one cause of mortality in the United States. Among numerous contributing factors, a westernized high fat diet can negatively affect cardiovascular health or compound existing cardiovascular disease. To date, studies have focused on the effects of ischemic-reperfusion injury and high fat meal(s) on the endothelium separately, but have not investigated the impact they have together. Primary Aim: The primary aim of this study was to assess the impact of a single high fat meal followed by an ischemic-reperfusion injury on endothelial-dependent vasodilation. Methods: Subjects consumed either a single high fat meal or placebo, at least seven days apart. The high fat meal was appropriated to each individual and contained 1.5 grams of fat per kg of body weight. Endothelial function was assessed with a flow-mediated dilation technique via ultrasound measurements of the right brachial artery in both the placebo and high fat meal conditions before and after ischemic reperfusion injury. The ischemic-reperfusion period consisted of 20-minutes of occlusion distal to the ultrasound measurement followed by 20-minutes of reperfusion. Occlusion was achieved in both the ischemic-reperfusion period and flow-mediated dilation periods with use of rapid blood pressure cuff inflation. Results: The high-fat meal by itself significantly impaired the flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery. After the ischemic-reperfusion injury there was still significant impairment in the dilation of the endothelium. These results suggest that the high fat meal has a lasting effect in impairment of the endothelium that prolongs the endothelial health following a negative cardiovascular event such as ischemic-reperfusion injury. This can help to explain how a normal population is directly affected by the consumption of even one high fat meal, and how the effect can carry a lasting impact on their endothelial health

The Function and Roles of ADAMTS-7 in Inflammatory Diseases

The ADAMTS proteinases are a group of multidomain and secreted metalloproteinases containing the thrombospondin motifs. ADAMTS-7 is a member of ADAMTS family and plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of arthritis. Overexpression of ADAMTS-7 gene promotes the breakdown of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) matrix and accelerates the progression of both surgically induced osteoarthritis and collagen-induced arthritis. Moreover, ADAMTS-7 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) form a positive feedback loop in osteoarthritis. More significantly, granulin-epithelin precursor, a growth factor has important roles in bone development and bone-associated diseases, disturbs the interaction between ADAMTS-7 and COMP, and prevents COMP degradation. This review is based on our results and provides an overview of current knowledge of ADAMTS-7, including its structure, function, gene regulation, and inflammatory diseases involvement

A Correlative Study of Epicardial Fat Thickness with Circulating Lipids and Hepatic Steatosis in Diabetic Population

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia due to disturbances in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. Epicardial fat thickness (EFT) has been correlated with cardiovascular risk factors. We herein aimed to assess EFT in diabetic patients. We evaluated 62 patients with diabetes and 62 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects. Anthropometric characteristics [age, sex, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (WC)] and laboratory findings [fasting plasma glucose (FPG), postprandial plasma glucose (PPG), low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), and triglycerides (TG)] were assessed. Transthoracic echocardiography was used to evaluate EFT. All the study subjects were also subjected for assessment of hepatic steatosis. There were no significant differences between the case and control groups in terms of age, gender, and BMI., Waist circumference and systolic blood pressure. Diastolic blood pressure was found to be significantly higher in the case group than control group (p<0.05). When compared with the control group, the mean EFT was significantly higher in all diabetic subgroups (p<0.001) than controls. The presence of hepatic steatosis had significant positive correlation with EFT. We concluded that EFT levels to be increased in all diabetic patients. Furthermore, EFT significantly correlated with the patients' WC and hepatic steatosis and triglyceride

Thrombus Structural Composition in Cardiovascular Disease

Thrombosis is a major complication of cardiovascular disease, leading to myocardial infarction, acute ischemic stroke (AIS), or venous thromboembolism. Thrombosis occurs when a thrombus forms inside blood vessels disrupting blood flow. Developments in thrombectomy to remove thrombi from vessels have provided new opportunities to study thrombus composition which may help to understand mechanisms of disease and underpin improvements in treatments. We aimed to review thrombus compositions, roles of components in thrombus formation and stability, and methods to investigate thrombi. Also, we summarize studies on thrombus structure obtained from cardiovascular patients and animal models. Thrombi are composed of fibrin, red blood cells, platelets, leukocytes, and neutrophil extracellular traps. These components have been analyzed by several techniques, including scanning electron microscopy, laser scanning confocal microscopy, histochemistry, and immunohistochemistry; however, each technique has advantages and limitations. Thrombi are heterogenous in composition, but overall, thrombi obtained from myocardial infarction are composed of mainly fibrin and other components, including platelets, red blood cells, leukocytes, and cholesterol crystals. Thrombi from patients with acute ischemic stroke are characterized by red blood cell- and platelet-rich regions. Thrombi from patients with venous thromboembolism contain mainly red blood cells and fibrin with some platelets and leukocytes. Thrombus composition from patients with myocardial infarction is influenced by ischemic time. Animal thrombosis models are crucial to gain further mechanistic information about thrombosis and thrombus structure, with thrombi being similar in composition compared with those from patients. Further studies on thrombus composition and function are key to improve treatment and clinical outcome of thrombosis

Fatty liver is associated with blood pathways of inflammatory response, immune system activation and prothrombotic state in Young Finns Study

Fatty liver (FL) disease is the most common type of chronic liver disease. We hypothesized that liver's response to the process where large droplets of triglyceride fat accumulate in liver cells is reflected also in gene pathway expression in blood. Peripheral blood genome wide gene expression analysis and ultrasonic imaging of liver were performed for 1,650 participants (316 individuals with FL and 1,334 controls) of the Young Finns Study. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed for the expression data. Fourteen gene sets were upregulated (false discovery rate, FDR < 0.05) in subjects with FL. These pathways related to extracellular matrix (ECM) turnover, immune response regulation, prothrombotic state and neural tissues. After adjustment for known risk factors and biomarkers of FL, we found i) integrin A4B1 signaling, ii) leukocyte transendothelial migration, iii) CD40/CD40L and iv) netrin-1 signaling pathways to be upregulated in individuals with FL (nominal p < 0.05). From these all but not ii) remained significantly upregulated when analyzing only subjects without history of heavy alcohol use. In conclusion, FL was associated with blood gene sets of ECM turnover, inflammatory response, immune system activation and prothrombotic state. These may form a systemic link between FL and the development of cardiovascular diseases

Cardiovascular and Autonomic Nervous System Function: Impact of Glucose Ingestion, Hydration Status and Exercise in Heated Environments

Cardiovascular function is under the influence of autonomic nervous system, both of which can be assessed non-invasively. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine these non-invasive markers of cardiovascular and autonomic function and their relationships with exercise training, glucose ingestion and hydration status. A series of three studies were conducted to gain insight to various influences on cardiovascular and autonomic function. The first study examined the influence of exercise training of brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (BAFMD) using meta-analytic techniques. Sixty-six studies included in the analysis demonstrated exercise training improves BAFMD compared to controls. Results indicated exercise training significantly alters BAFMD, a well-known factor associated with prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Exercise training interventions including greater intensity and duration may optimize increases in BAFMD. The second study observed glucose ingestion alters autonomic nervous system function, shifting the sympathetic/parasympathetic balance to higher sympathetic activity. Higher exercise intensity decreased fasting heart rate variability 24-hrs after cessation of exercise whereas lower exercise intensity did not alter heart rate variability. Acute exercise increased heart rate variability after an oral glucose tolerance test, but was not affected by exercise intensity. The last study determined the effect of chronic dehydration on cardiovascular and sweat responses during exercise in a heated environment. Dehydration altered blood and urine markers of hydration status, but did not change cardiovascular and sweat response to exercise in the heat. . In addition, BAFMD was related to the change in weighted skin temperature and body temperature during exercise in the heat, and increased LF/HF at rest was associated with increased peak heat storage. Together these data suggest resting cardiovascular health may influence the ability to thermoregulate during exercise in the heat