Inflammatory biomarkers of coronary heart disease.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. CHD is characterized by formation of arterial plaques which are mainly comprised of lipids, calcium and inflammatory cells. These plaques narrow the lumen of coronary arteries leading to episodic or persistent angina. Rupture of these plaques leads to the formation of thrombus, which as a result of cessation of blood flow, causes myocardial infarct and death. CHD is exacerbated by risk factors including obesity, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. Diagnosis is established by the level of blood cholesterol, triglycerides and lipoproteins Inflammation is considered significant in the pathogenesis of CHD and for this reason, severity and prognosis of CHD is assessed by the levels of inflammatory biomarkers, including interleukin-6, C-reactive protein (CRP), complement, CD40 and myeloperoxidase (MPO).

Cardioprotective Effects of SIRT6 in a Mouse Model of Transverse Aortic Constriction-Induced Heart Failure.

SIRT6, a member of the NAD (+)-dependent class III deacetylase sirtuin family, plays important roles in the maintenance of cardiovascular homeostasis. Telomere shortening is a risk factor for age-associated diseases, including heart disease. In the present study, we investigated the role of SIRT6 and telomerase in a mouse model of transverse aortic constriction (TAC)-induced heart failure. SIRT6, telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), and telomere repeat binding factor (TRF)-1 were significantly downregulated in TAC mice compared with their expression in sham-operated mice. Lentiviral vector-mediated overexpression of SIRT6 upregulated TERT and TRF1 and increased the survival of mice after TAC. Echocardiography and hemodynamic measurements as well as histological analyses indicated that SIRT6 overexpression attenuated TAC-induced heart dysfunction and decreased TAC-induced cardiac inflammatory responses, reducing cardiac fibrosis and decreasing infarct size. Taken together, our findings indicate that SIRT6 protects the myocardium against damage and this effect may be mediated by the modulation of telomeres. Our findings linking SIRT6 and telomere integrity in the heart warrant further investigation into the underlying mechanisms and support SIRT6 as a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Inflammatory biomarkers of coronary heart disease.

Coronary heart disease (CHD), characterized by inflammation and accumulation of plaques mainly comprised of lipids, calcium and inflammatory cells in the walls of coronary arteries. CHD is exacerbated by specific cardiovascular risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. The current review focuses on the critical role of traditional inflammatory biomarkers, including interleukin-6, C-reactive protein (CRP), complement, CD40 and myeloperoxidase (MPO), in the pathogenesis of CHD.

The Association between Ideal Cardiovascular Health Metrics and Extracranial Carotid Artery Stenosis in a Northern Chinese Population: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Past epidemiologic studies have indicated that the ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and stroke. Carotid artery stenosis (CAS) causes approximately 10% of ischemic strokes. The association between ideal CVH and extracranial CAS has not yet been assessed. In the current study, extracranial CAS was assessed by carotid duplex ultrasonography. Logistic regression was used to analyze the association between ideal CVH metrics and extracranial CAS. A total of 3297 participants (52.2% women) aged 40 years and older were selected from the Jidong community in China. After adjusting for sex, age and other potential confounds, the odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for extracranial CAS were 0.57 (0.39-0.84), 0.46 (0.26-0.80) and 0.29 (0.15-0.54), and for those quartiles, quartile 2 (9-10), quartile 3 (11) and quartile 4 (12-14), respectively, compared with quartile 1 (≤8). This negative correlation was particularly evident in women and the elderly (≥60 years). This cross-sectional study showed a negative correlation between the ideal CVH metrics and the prevalence of extracranial CAS in northern Chinese adults.

Diagnostic value of Flash dual-source CT coronary artery imaging combined with dual-energy myocardial perfusion imaging for coronary heart disease.

The present study aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of Flash dual-source CT coronary angiography (DS-CTA) combined with dual-energy myocardial perfusion imaging (DS-CTP) for coronary heart disease (CHD), as a single-stage examination. A total of 60 patients with CHD underwent DS-CT examination, as well as coronary angiography (CAG), as the reference standard. The patients were divided into <50% and ≥50% stenosis groups based on their coronary angiograms. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of the method for diagnosing stenosis of ≥50% were evaluated via DS-CTA combined with DS-CTP. Of the 60 patients, 59 showed satisfactory results that conformed to the diagnostic requirements. Using CAG as the reference standard, the sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values of the Flash DS-CT results in the ≥50% vascular stenosis group were 83.7, 92.7, 88.9 and 89.1%, respectively. The respective values for DS-CTA combined with DS-CTP for diagnosing CHD were 94.2, 91.1, 88.0 and 95.8%. Therefore, the results obtained indicate that DS-CTA combined with DS-CTP has a high diagnostic value for CHD. DS-CT is advantageous for diagnosing and prognosticating CHD.