scholarly journals Novel Cardiac-Specific Biomarkers and the Cardiovascular Continuum

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. BMI.S9536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Efstathios Vassiliadis ◽  
Natasha Barascuk ◽  
Athanasios Didangelos ◽  
Morten A Karsdal

The concept of the cardiovascular continuum, introduced during the early 1990s, created a holistic view of the chain of events connecting cardiovascular-related risk factors with the progressive development of pathological-related tissue remodelling and ultimately, heart failure and death. Understanding of the tissue-specific changes, and new technologies developed over the last 25–30 years, enabled tissue remodelling events to be monitored in vivo and cardiovascular disease to be diagnosed more reliably than before. The tangible product of this evolution was the introduction of a number of biochemical markers such as troponin I and T, which are now commonly used in clinics to measure myocardial damage. However, biomarkers that can detect specific earlier stages of the cardiovascular continuum have yet to be generated and utilised. The majority of the existing markers are useful only in the end stages of the disease where few successful intervention options exist. Since a large number of patients experience a transient underlying developing pathology long before the signs or symptoms of cardiovascular disease become apparent, the requirement for new markers that can describe the early tissue-specific, matrix remodelling process which ultimately leads to disease is evident. This review highlights the importance of relating cardiac biochemical markers with specific time points along the cardiovascular continuum, especially during the early transient phase of pathology progression where none of the existing markers aid diagnosis.

Impact ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (5) ◽  
pp. 37-39
Author(s):  
Kimie Nakagawa

Although Vitamin K is known to be required by the human body for blood clotting and bone metabolism, there remain many unknowns about this group of vitamins and there is a lack of biochemical research on vitamin K. Limitations in knowledge about vitamin k may mean that decisions about the vitamin's uptake and bone health may not be optimal. Professor Kimie Nakagawa Laboratory of Hygienic Sciences, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kobe Gakuin University, Japan, is performing detailed investigations on vitamin K to shed light on its specific functions in the human body and contribute to advancements in disease prevention and treatment, including cardiovascular disease. Her studies centre on UBIAD1 (UbiA prenyltransferase domain containing protein 1) and MK-4 (menaquinone-4). She is seeking to elucidate the role of MK-4 in the human body and reveal the unknown functions of UBIAD1. Nakagawa and the teams are doing so using UBIAD1 tissue-specific gene-deficient mice, which they are analysing in order to clarify the significance of biosynthesis of MK-4 in vivo and unravel the role of UBIAD1 and MK-4 in each tissue. Specific research goals for Nakagawa are to elucidate vitamin K conversion mechanisms, establish improved understanding of the physiological function of the vitamin, identify vitamin K converting enzymes and learn and explain more about the physiological function of this enzyme. The team made an important discovery in that UBIAD1 is the enzyme responsible for the conversion of vitamin k to MK-4 and the researchers will continue to build on this groundbreaking finding.


BMC Genomics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Siddharth Sethi ◽  
Ilya E. Vorontsov ◽  
Ivan V. Kulakovskiy ◽  
Simon Greenaway ◽  
John Williams ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Efforts to elucidate the function of enhancers in vivo are underway but their vast numbers alongside differing enhancer architectures make it difficult to determine their impact on gene activity. By systematically annotating multiple mouse tissues with super- and typical-enhancers, we have explored their relationship with gene function and phenotype. Results Though super-enhancers drive high total- and tissue-specific expression of their associated genes, we find that typical-enhancers also contribute heavily to the tissue-specific expression landscape on account of their large numbers in the genome. Unexpectedly, we demonstrate that both enhancer types are preferentially associated with relevant ‘tissue-type’ phenotypes and exhibit no difference in phenotype effect size or pleiotropy. Modelling regulatory data alongside molecular data, we built a predictive model to infer gene-phenotype associations and use this model to predict potentially novel disease-associated genes. Conclusion Overall our findings reveal that differing enhancer architectures have a similar impact on mammalian phenotypes whilst harbouring differing cellular and expression effects. Together, our results systematically characterise enhancers with predicted phenotypic traits endorsing the role for both types of enhancers in human disease and disorders.


2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-261
Author(s):  
Jessica E. Fellmeth ◽  
Kim S. McKim

Abstract While many of the proteins involved in the mitotic centromere and kinetochore are conserved in meiosis, they often gain a novel function due to the unique needs of homolog segregation during meiosis I (MI). CENP-C is a critical component of the centromere for kinetochore assembly in mitosis. Recent work, however, has highlighted the unique features of meiotic CENP-C. Centromere establishment and stability require CENP-C loading at the centromere for CENP-A function. Pre-meiotic loading of proteins necessary for homolog recombination as well as cohesion also rely on CENP-C, as do the main scaffolding components of the kinetochore. Much of this work relies on new technologies that enable in vivo analysis of meiosis like never before. Here, we strive to highlight the unique role of this highly conserved centromere protein that loads on to centromeres prior to M-phase onset, but continues to perform critical functions through chromosome segregation. CENP-C is not merely a structural link between the centromere and the kinetochore, but also a functional one joining the processes of early prophase homolog synapsis to late metaphase kinetochore assembly and signaling.


Author(s):  
Noora Wael Rasheed ◽  
Ooroba Jameel Taresh

       Some studies indicated a relationship between increased serum levels of osteoprotegerin with arterial calcification and as a result, it leads to the risk of cardiovascular disease. In our study group we selected patients with osteoporosis, with similar age and body mass index for the assessment of the relationship between cardiovascular disease and osteoprotegerin serum level. We took into account the analysis of correlation and association between the presence of distinct patterns of atherosclerosis and associated diseases like high blood pressure,  diabetes mellitus, low HDL cholesterol, increased LDL cholesterol, increased triglycerides and was the case of presence of any type of dyslipidemia, in case of pre-existent treatment. Objective of study was the assessment of osteoprotegerin value as predictive marker for cardiovascular and metabolic risk in osteoporotic patients. Our results showed significant correlations of parathyroid hormone, osteocalcin and biochemical markers of bone with glucose metabolism and lipid were found in our research, maintaining crosstalk between calcium and biochemical markers of bone and cardiovascular risk. The serum level of Osteoprotegerin has been shown to have a large predictive value for the metabolic syndrome as a cardiovascular risk standard in patients with osteoporosis. The osteoprotegerin serum levels were increased in the patients with metabolic syndrome as a protective response facing the atherosclerotic lesions.


Author(s):  
Prithiv K R Kumar

Renal failure is a major health problem. The mortality rate remain high despite of several therapies. The most complex of the renal issues are solved through stem cells. In this review, different mechanism for cure of chronic kidney injury along with cell engraftment incorporated into renal structures will be analysed. Paracrine activities of embryonic or induced Pluripotent stem cells are explored on the basis of stem cell-induced kidney regeneration. Several experiments have been conducted to advance stem cells to ensure the restoration of renal functions. More vigour and organised protocols for delivering stem cells is a possibility for advancement in treatment of renal disease. Also there is a need for pressing therapies to replicate the tissue remodelling and cellular repair processes suitable for renal organs. Stem cells are the undifferentiated cells that have the ability to multiply into several cell types. In vivo experiments on animal’s stem cells have shown significant improvements in the renal regeneration and functions of organs. Nevertheless more studies show several improvements in the kidney repair due to stem cell regeneration.


2020 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justyna Hajtuch ◽  
Karolina Niska ◽  
Iwona Inkielewicz-Stepniak

Background: Cancer along with cardiovascular diseases are globally defined as leading causes of death. Importantly, some risk factors are common to these diseases. The process of angiogenesis and platelets aggregation are observed in cancer development and progression. In recent years, studies have been conducted on nanodrugs in these diseases that have provided important information on the biological and physicochemical properties of nanoparticles. Their attractive features are that they are made of biocompatible, well-characterized and easily functionalized materials. Unlike conventional drug delivery, sustained and controlled drug release can be obtained by using nanomaterials. Methods: In this article, we review the latest research to provide comprehensive information on nanoparticle-based drugs for the treatment of cancer, cardiovascular disease associated with abnormal haemostasis, and the inhibition of tumorassociated angiogenesis. Results: The results of the analysis of data based on nanoparticles with drugs confirm their improved pharmaceutical and biological properties, which gives promising antiplatelet, anticoagulant and antiangiogenic effects. Moreover, the review included in vitro, in vivo research and presented nanodrugs with chemotherapeutics approved by Food and Drug Administration. Conclusion: By the optimization of nanoparticles size and surface properties, nanotechnology are able to deliver drugs with enhanced bioavailability in treatment of cardiovascular disease, cancer and inhibition of cancer-related angiogenesis. Thus, nanotechnology can improve the therapeutic efficacy of the drug, but there is a need for a better understanding of the nanodrugs interaction in the human body, because this is a key factor in the success of potential nanotherapeutics.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 147-171
Author(s):  
Cia-Hin Lau ◽  
Chung Tin

Gene therapy and transgenic research have advanced quickly in recent years due to the development of CRISPR technology. The rapid development of CRISPR technology has been largely benefited by chemical engineering. Firstly, chemical or synthetic substance enables spatiotemporal and conditional control of Cas9 or dCas9 activities. It prevents the leaky expression of CRISPR components, as well as minimizes toxicity and off-target effects. Multi-input logic operations and complex genetic circuits can also be implemented via multiplexed and orthogonal regulation of target genes. Secondly, rational chemical modifications to the sgRNA enhance gene editing efficiency and specificity by improving sgRNA stability and binding affinity to on-target genomic loci, and hence reducing off-target mismatches and systemic immunogenicity. Chemically-modified Cas9 mRNA is also more active and less immunogenic than the native mRNA. Thirdly, nonviral vehicles can circumvent the challenges associated with viral packaging and production through the delivery of Cas9-sgRNA ribonucleoprotein complex or large Cas9 expression plasmids. Multi-functional nanovectors enhance genome editing in vivo by overcoming multiple physiological barriers, enabling ligand-targeted cellular uptake, and blood-brain barrier crossing. Chemical engineering can also facilitate viral-based delivery by improving vector internalization, allowing tissue-specific transgene expression, and preventing inactivation of the viral vectors in vivo. This review aims to discuss how chemical engineering has helped improve existing CRISPR applications and enable new technologies for biomedical research. The usefulness, advantages, and molecular action for each chemical engineering approach are also highlighted.


Author(s):  
John R Burnett ◽  
Samuel D Vasikaran

Atherosclerotic heart disease and osteoporosis are both diseases of old age. Evidence is accumulating for a link between vascular and bone disease. Calcification is a common feature of atherosclerotic plaques, and osteoporosis is associated with both atherosclerosis and vascular calcification. However, the relationship of vascular calcification to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis remains incompletely understood. Hormone replacement therapy has beneficial effects in the prevention of both atherosclerosis and osteoporosis. Bisphosphonates inhibit bone resorption and are used in the treatment of osteoporosis, whereas the statins inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis and are used for the treatment of atherosclerosis. We have reviewed recent advances in the knowledge of the actions of bisphosphonates and statins at the cellular, molecular and end-organ levels in order to examine the relationship between cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis and to explore the link between lipids and bones. These studies suggest that the mechanism of actions of these two classes of drugs at the cellular level may not be mutually exclusive. There are some early clinical data to complement these findings, suggesting that statins increase bone density and bisphosphonates may have a beneficial effect in vivo on plasma lipid levels and on the atherosclerotic process. Properly designed prospective studies that examine the effect of statins on bone density and fractures, as well as the effects of bisphosphonates on lipid profiles, atherosclerotic progression and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality are needed to define clearly the clinical effects and potential new roles for these agents.


BMC Genomics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vengala Rao Yenuganti ◽  
Dirk Koczan ◽  
Jens Vanselow

Abstract Background Metabolic stress, as negative energy balance on one hand or obesity on the other hand can lead to increased levels of free fatty acids in the plasma and follicular fluid of animals and humans. In an earlier study, we showed that increased oleic acid (OA) concentrations affected the function of cultured bovine granulosa cells (GCs). Here, we focus on genome wide effects of increased OA concentrations. Results Our data showed that 413 genes were affected, of which 197 were down- and 216 up-regulated. Specifically, the expression of FSH-regulated functional key genes, CCND2, LHCGR, INHA and CYP19A1 and 17-β-estradiol (E2) production were reduced by OA treatment, whereas the expression of the fatty acid transporter CD36 was increased and the morphology of the cells was changed due to lipid droplet accumulation. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that associated pathways of the putative upstream regulators “FSH” and “Cg (choriogonadotropin)” were inhibited and activated, respectively. Down-regulated genes are over-represented in GO terms “reproductive structure/system development”, “ovulation cycle process”, and “(positive) regulation of gonadotropin secretion”, whereas up-regulated genes are involved in “circulatory system development”, “vasculature development”, “angiogenesis” or “extracellular matrix/structure organization”. Conclusions From these data we conclude that besides inhibiting GC functionality, increased OA levels seemingly promote angiogenesis and tissue remodelling, thus suggestively initiating a premature fulliculo-luteal transition. In vivo this may lead to impeded folliculogenesis and ovulation, and cause sub-fertility.


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