Colchicine in Cardiovascular Disease: In-Depth Review

Inflammation plays a prominent role in the development of atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases, and anti-inflammatory agents may improve cardiovascular outcomes. For years, colchicine has been used as a safe and well-tolerated agent in diseases such as gout and familial Mediterranean fever. The widely available therapeutic has several anti-inflammatory effects, however, that have proven effective in a broad spectrum of cardiovascular diseases as well. It is considered standard-of-care therapy for pericarditis, and several clinical trials have evaluated its role in postoperative and postablation atrial fibrillation, postpericardiotomy syndrome, coronary artery disease, percutaneous coronary interventions, and cerebrovascular disease. We aim to summarize colchicine's pharmacodynamics and the mechanism behind its anti-inflammatory effect, outline thus far accumulated evidence on treatment with colchicine in cardiovascular disease, and present ongoing randomized clinical trials. We also emphasize real-world clinical implications that should be considered on the basis of the merits and limitations of completed trials. Altogether, colchicine's simplicity, low cost, and effectiveness may provide an important addition to other standard cardiovascular therapies. Ongoing studies will address complementary questions pertaining to the use of low-dose colchicine for the treatment of cardiovascular disease

Efeito de substrato artificial no enraizamento de estacas de calanchoe (Kalanchoe x blossfeldiana cv. singapur, crassulaceae) Artificial substract effect on the rooting of calanchoe (Kalanchoe x blossfeldiana cv. singapur, crassulaceae) cuttings

Dez misturas artificiais foram estudadas para avaliar o efeito sobre o enraizamento de estacas apicais de Kalanchoe x blossfeldiana cv. Singapur, da família Crassulaceae. Essas misturas foram as seguintes: vermiculita + casca de arroz tostada nas proporções 1:1, 2:1 e 3:1; vermiculita + torta de filtro Oliver nas proporções 1:1, 2:1 e 3:1; vermiculita + turfa da região de Atibaia-SP, nas proporções 1:l, 2:le3:l; vermiculita + casca de pinheiro (mistura comercial). Os melhores resultados foram obtidos com a mistura vermiculita + torta de filtro Oliver em todas as proporções, vermiculita + casca de arroz tostada 3:1 e vermiculita + turfa 3:1. Os piores desempenhos foram os das misturas vermiculita + casca de pinheiro e vermiculita + turfa 1:1.<br>Ten different artificial mixtures were studied as rooting media for Kalanchoe x blossfeldiana cv. Singapur cuttings. They were: vermiculite + toasted rice hulls (1:1, 2:1, 3:1); vermiculite + Oliver filter cake (1:1, 2:1, 3:1); vermiculite + peat (1:1, 2:1, 3:1); and vermiculite + pine bark (commercial mixture). The best results were observed for vermiculite + Oliver filter cake (1:1, 2:1, 3:1), vermiculite + toasted rice hulls (3:1) and vermiculite + peat (3:1). The worst results were observed with vermiculite + pine bark and vermiculite + peat (1:1)

Barley starch

This thesis examined barley amylopectin structure and looked for correlations between the structure and physical properties of starch. The structure of amylopectin and gelatinisation and retrogradation of starch were studied in 10 different barley cultivars/breeding lines with differing genetic background. Amylopectin is built up of thousands of chains of glucose monomers, organised into clusters. The detailed fine structure of amylopectin was studied by isolating clusters of amylopectin and their building blocks, which are the tightly branched units building up the clusters. Barley cultivars/breeding lines possessing the amo1 mutation had fewer long chains of DP≥38 in amylopectin and more large building blocks. The structure of building blocks was rather conserved between the different barley cultivars/breeding lines studied and was categorized into different size groups. These different building blocks were shown to be randomly distributed in the amylopectin molecule. The C-chains in amylopectin can be of any length and are a category of chains different from the B-chains. The backbone in amylopectin consists of a special type of B-chains which, when cleaved by α-amylase, become chains of a similar type to C-chains. Gelatinisation and retrogradation (recrystallisation of gelatinised starch) of barley starch was studied by differential scanning calorimetry. The amo1 mutation resulted in a broader gelatinisation temperature range and a higher enthalpy of retrogradation. Other structural features were also found to influence the physical properties of starch. Small clusters and denser structure of the building blocks resulted in higher gelatinisation temperature. Fast retrogradation was observed in barley which had amylopectin with shorter chains and many large building blocks consisting of many chains. Amylopectin structure was also studied in developing barley kernels. Three barley cultivars/breeding lines were grown in a phytotron and kernels were harvested at 9, 12 and 24 days after flowering. The results showed that amylopectin synthesized at later stages of development had a more tightly branched structure. Expression of the enzymes involved in starch biosynthesis is also known to change during endosperm development