First Diagnosed Heart Failure Due to Churg-Strauss Syndrome. A Case Report

Churg Strauss Syndrome (CSS)is an autoimmune condition that causes inflammation of small and medium-sized blood vessels. It is a non-infectious systemic vasculitis, which affects mainly the lungs but also other tissues and organs. CSS is considered a highly variable condition in terms of its presentation and its course. The most serious complication of the vasculitic stage is congestive heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. We present a case with first diagnosed heart failure because of CSS and review of the literature

Autophagy induction extends lifespan and reduces lipid content in response to frataxin silencing in C. elegans

Severe mitochondria deficiency leads to a number of devastating degenerative disorders, yet, mild mitochondrial dysfunction in different species, including the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, can have pro-longevity effects. This apparent paradox indicates that cellular adaptation to partial mitochondrial stress can induce beneficial responses, but how this is achieved is largely unknown. Complete absence of frataxin, the mitochondrial protein defective in patients with Friedreich's ataxia, is lethal in C. elegans, while its partial deficiency extends animal lifespan in a p53 dependent manner. In this paper we provide further insight into frataxin control of C. elegans longevity by showing that a substantial reduction of frataxin protein expression is required to extend lifespan, affect sensory neurons functionality, remodel lipid metabolism and trigger autophagy. We find that Beclin and p53 genes are required to induce autophagy and concurrently reduce lipid storages and extend animal lifespan in response to frataxin suppression. Reciprocally, frataxin expression modulates autophagy in the absence of p53. Human Friedreich ataxia-derived lymphoblasts also display increased autophagy, indicating an evolutionarily conserved response to reduced frataxin expression. In sum, we demonstrate a causal connection between induction of autophagy and lifespan extension following reduced frataxin expression, thus providing the rationale for investigating autophagy in the pathogenesis and treatment of Friedreich's ataxia and possibly other human mitochondria-associated disorders

Induction of autophagy by spermidine promotes longevity.

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Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease

Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P = 0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P = 0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P = 0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P = 0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P = 0.31). Conclusions: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1β innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. (Funded by Novartis; CANTOS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01327846.

History of induced abortions and frailty in older Greek women: results from the HELIAD study

Purpose: Women are almost twice as likely as men to develop frailty and early-traumatic experiences related to reproduction may have a role to play. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between a history of induced abortions and risk of frailty. Methods: 1062 women aged ≥ 65 years from the HELIAD study were included in the present cross-sectional study. Frailty was assessed by frailty index and Fried definitions. The history of abortion and of other reproductive experiences (age onset of menstruation, age of menopause, number of offspring, and number of miscarriages) was obtained by all participants. Logistic and linear regression analyses were performed to examine whether the number of abortions was related to frailty. Results: When frailty was defined with frailty index, women with 1 or 2 abortions had 1.7 higher risk of frailty compared to women with no history of abortions, while those with more than 3 abortions had more than a twofold higher risk of frailty. Two supplementary analyses excluding women with surgical operations’ history and women with dementia revealed similar results. When frailty was defined with Fried definition, the analysis was marginally significant when abortion was inserted as a categorical variable. Women with more than 3 abortions showed 2.4 higher risk of frailty compared to women with no history of abortion. Conclusion: The number of induced abortions was associated with moderate higher odds of frailty, when frailty was defined according to frailty index. A similar trend was revealed in the model with Fried definition after trichotomization of abortions. © 2018, European Geriatric Medicine Society

Food Consumption and Frailty Syndrome: Results From the Hellenic Longitudinal Investigation of Aging and Diet Study

[No abstract available

History of induced abortions and frailty in older Greek women: results from the HELIAD study

Purpose: Women are almost twice as likely as men to develop frailty and early-traumatic experiences related to reproduction may have a role to play. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between a history of induced abortions and risk of frailty. Methods: 1062 women aged ≥ 65 years from the HELIAD study were included in the present cross-sectional study. Frailty was assessed by frailty index and Fried definitions. The history of abortion and of other reproductive experiences (age onset of menstruation, age of menopause, number of offspring, and number of miscarriages) was obtained by all participants. Logistic and linear regression analyses were performed to examine whether the number of abortions was related to frailty. Results: When frailty was defined with frailty index, women with 1 or 2 abortions had 1.7 higher risk of frailty compared to women with no history of abortions, while those with more than 3 abortions had more than a twofold higher risk of frailty. Two supplementary analyses excluding women with surgical operations’ history and women with dementia revealed similar results. When frailty was defined with Fried definition, the analysis was marginally significant when abortion was inserted as a categorical variable. Women with more than 3 abortions showed 2.4 higher risk of frailty compared to women with no history of abortion. Conclusion: The number of induced abortions was associated with moderate higher odds of frailty, when frailty was defined according to frailty index. A similar trend was revealed in the model with Fried definition after trichotomization of abortions. © 2018, European Geriatric Medicine Society

Food Consumption and Frailty Syndrome: Results From the Hellenic Longitudinal Investigation of Aging and Diet Study

[No abstract available