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Archive for the ‘Pharmacotherapy of Cardiovascular Disease’ Category

ODYSSEY Outcomes trial evaluating the effects of a PCSK9 inhibitor, alirocumab, on major cardiovascular events in patients with an acute coronary syndrome to be presented at the American College of Cardiology meeting on March 10.

Posted in Atherogenic Processes & Pathology, Frontiers in Cardiology and Cardiovascular Disorders, Heart Failure (HF), inflammation independent of lipid levels, Lipid metabolism, Lipidomics, Lipids, Origins of Cardiovascular Disease, PCSK9 Inhibitor Therapy, Pharmacotherapy of Cardiovascular Disease, tagged on February 28, 2018| Leave a Comment »

ODYSSEY Outcomes trial evaluating the effects of a PCSK9 inhibitor, alirocumab, on major cardiovascular events in patients with an acute coronary syndrome to be presented at the American College of Cardiology meeting on March 10.

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

 

For PCSK9 inhibitors, the effect on major adverse cardiovascular events has always fallen short of expectations based on cholesterol lowering.

But cardiovascular risk reduction is complicated. There is more to the puzzle than cholesterol. Some drugs lower both cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular events, but some people think that the two effects are actually not that closely related.

Milton Packer MD

https://www.medpagetoday.com/blogs/revolutionandrevelation/71435

In a previous trial (FOURIER), another PCSK9 inhibitor had only a modest benefit on its primary endpoint, and it did not reduce cardiovascular death, although the magnitude of cholesterol lowering was striking.

In another trial (SPIRE), a third PCSK9 inhibitor, the clinical trial was terminated prematurely by Pfizer because of reduction of the effect of the drug (a humanized but not fully humanized antibody) due to development of neutralizing antibodies in some of the patients. Actually, in patients treated for more than a year who did not develop neutralizing antibodies, a beneficial effect was seen.

The ODYSSEY Outcomes trial is evaluating the effects of a PCSK9 inhibitor,alirocumab, on major cardiovascular events in patients with an acute coronary syndrome within the prior year. The drug lowers serum cholesterol dramatically, and some are hopeful that that effect will translate into an important reduction in the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events. If you believe that cholesterol reduction inevitably leads to the prevention of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction and stroke, then you would have high expectations for the ODYSSEY trial.

ODYSSEY. The trial uses a somewhat more aggressive treatment strategy and has a longer follow-up period than its predecessors. So maybe the benefit will be large. Maybe the drug will even reduce cardiovascular death or all-cause mortality.

In order to enrich the population for cardiovascular events, the trial enrolled patients with an acute coronary syndrome within the prior year. These patients are at high risk of having a recurrence. The problem is that risk is not necessarily related to changes in cholesterol, especially the events occurring early in the trial. And in this type of trial, the analysis tends to give extra weight to early events.

Trials like ODYSSEY are often designed to stop early if the results are unbelievably impressive. The ODYSSEY trial wasn’t stopped early.

the patients entering the ODYSSEY trial are starting out with a serum LDL <100 mg/dL or even <90 mg/dL. Is cholesterol really playing an important role at that level, especially when compared with noncholesterol factors?

SOURCE

https://www.medpagetoday.com/blogs/revolutionandrevelation/71435

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Highlighted Progress in Science – 2017

Posted in Anemia, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Cardiovascular and Vascular Systems, Cell Biology, Cell Biology, Signaling & Cell Circuits, Chemical Biology and its relations to Metabolic Disease, Circulating Progenitor Cells, Diabetes Mellitus, Disease Biology, Disease Biology, Small Molecules in Development of Therapeutic Drugs, Inflammatory Pathophysiology, Innovations, Lipid metabolism, Lipidomics, Metabolomics, Neurological Diseases, Neuroscience, Nutrition Disorders, Obesity, Pharmacotherapy of Cardiovascular Disease, Proteomics, Stem Cells for Regenerative Medicine, Stress Disorders, Systemic Inflammatory Response Related Disorders, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 17, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Highlighted Progress in Science – 2017

Reporter: Sudipta Saha, PhD

 

  1. Lungs can supply blood stem cells and also produce platelets: Lungs, known primarily for breathing, play a previously unrecognized role in blood production, with more than half of the platelets in a mouse’s circulation produced there. Furthermore, a previously unknown pool of blood stem cells has been identified that is capable of restoring blood production when bone marrow stem cells are depleted.

 

  1. A new drug for multiple sclerosis: A new multiple sclerosis (MS) drug, which grew out of the work of UCSF (University of California, San Francisco) neurologist was approved by the FDA. Ocrelizumab, the first drug to reflect current scientific understanding of MS, was approved to treat both relapsing-remitting MS and primary progressive MS.

 

  1. Marijuana legalized – research needed on therapeutic possibilities and negative effects: Recreational marijuana will be legal in California starting in January, and that has brought a renewed urgency to seek out more information on the drug’s health effects, both positive and negative. UCSF scientists recognize marijuana’s contradictory status: the drug has proven therapeutic uses, but it can also lead to tremendous public health problems.

 

  1. Source of autism discovered: In a finding that could help unlock the fundamental mysteries about how events early in brain development lead to autism, researchers traced how distinct sets of genetic defects in a single neuronal protein can lead to either epilepsy in infancy or to autism spectrum disorders in predictable ways.

 

  1. Protein found in diet responsible for inflammation in brain: Ketogenic diets, characterized by extreme low-carbohydrate, high-fat regimens are known to benefit people with epilepsy and other neurological illnesses by lowering inflammation in the brain. UCSF researchers discovered the previously undiscovered mechanism by which a low-carbohydrate diet reduces inflammation in the brain. Importantly, the team identified a pivotal protein that links the diet to inflammatory genes, which, if blocked, could mirror the anti-inflammatory effects of ketogenic diets.

 

  1. Learning and memory failure due to brain injury is now restorable by drug: In a finding that holds promise for treating people with traumatic brain injury, an experimental drug, ISRIB (integrated stress response inhibitor), completely reversed severe learning and memory impairments caused by traumatic brain injury in mice. The groundbreaking finding revealed that the drug fully restored the ability to learn and remember in the brain-injured mice even when the animals were initially treated as long as a month after injury.

 

  1. Regulatory T cells induce stem cells for promoting hair growth: In a finding that could impact baldness, researchers found that regulatory T cells, a type of immune cell generally associated with controlling inflammation, directly trigger stem cells in the skin to promote healthy hair growth. An experiment with mice revealed that without these immune cells as partners, stem cells cannot regenerate hair follicles, leading to baldness.

 

  1. More intake of good fat is also bad: Liberal consumption of good fat (monounsaturated fat) – found in olive oil and avocados – may lead to fatty liver disease, a risk factor for metabolic disorders like type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Eating the fat in combination with high starch content was found to cause the most severe fatty liver disease in mice.

 

  1. Chemical toxicity in almost every daily use products: Unregulated chemicals are increasingly prevalent in products people use every day, and that rise matches a concurrent rise in health conditions like cancers and childhood diseases, Thus, researcher in UCSF is working to understand the environment’s role – including exposure to chemicals – in health conditions.

 

  1. Cytomegalovirus found as common factor for diabetes and heart disease in young women: Cytomegalovirus is associated with risk factors for type 2 diabetes and heart disease in women younger than 50. Women of normal weight who were infected with the typically asymptomatic cytomegalovirus, or CMV, were more likely to have metabolic syndrome. Surprisingly, the reverse was found in those with extreme obesity.

 

References:

 

https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2017/12/409241/most-popular-science-stories-2017

 

https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2017/03/406111/surprising-new-role-lungs-making-blood

 

https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2017/03/406296/new-multiple-sclerosis-drug-ocrelizumab-could-halt-disease

 

https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2017/06/407351/dazed-and-confused-marijuana-legalization-raises-need-more-research

 

https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2017/01/405631/autism-researchers-discover-genetic-rosetta-stone

 

https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2017/09/408366/how-ketogenic-diets-curb-inflammation-brain

 

https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2017/07/407656/drug-reverses-memory-failure-caused-traumatic-brain-injury

 

https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2017/05/407121/new-hair-growth-mechanism-discovered

 

https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2017/06/407536/go-easy-avocado-toast-good-fat-can-still-be-bad-you-research-shows

 

https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2017/06/407416/toxic-exposure-chemicals-are-our-water-food-air-and-furniture

 

https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2017/02/405871/common-virus-tied-diabetes-heart-disease-women-under-50

 

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What Level of Blood Pressure (BP) should be Treated? Comments on the New Guidelines

Posted in Frontiers in Cardiology and Cardiovascular Disorders, HTN, Origins of Cardiovascular Disease on January 24, 2018| Leave a Comment »

What Level of Blood Pressure (BP) should be Treated? Comments on the New Guidelines

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

 

UPDATED on 2/27/2018

ACC, AHA Fire Back at Charge of BP Guideline Conflicts

Open Payments system ‘replete with erroneous data’

by Crystal Phend,Senior Associate Editor, MedPage Today

February 14, 2018

 

“We remain completely convinced of the high value of the Hypertension Guideline for the long-term heart and brain health of the American public and have found nothing that would dispute the motives or actions of our distinguished volunteer authors. We have, however, noted areas where our processes could be improved and have modified them.”

Based on the Open Payments database, Romano had initially alleged that Kim Williams Sr., MD, of Rush University and past president of the ACC, who was on the guideline writing committee, “received $19,594 in 2015 and $20,000 in 2016 in grant funding from Boston Scientific. Boston Scientific sells a device called the Vessix renal denervation system to treat hypertension. He disclosed no relationship with Boston Scientific.”

https://www.medpagetoday.com/cardiology/hypertension/71158

 

ACC: 130/50 vs 140/90

Last year, the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology and many other cardiology organizations announced that the threshold for identifying hypertension had been officially lowered. The threshold for diagnosing and treating hypertension was now 130/80.

The document relies in part on the findings of the SPRINT trial, but no one really understands the blood pressures in that study. Strangely, the document applies its recommendations to people who were not even represented in the SPRINT trial. For example, it applies its recommendations to those with heart failure, even though there is no scientific basis for doing so.

Nevertheless, suddenly, 46% of Americans had hypertension. On the previous morning, 32% had the disease. Within 24 hours, millions of people were given a new label.

Furthermore, millions of people who thought they had well-controlled blood pressure (because it was below 140/90) now learned that they needed to do more to bring their blood pressures down.

In December, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) said they were not endorsing the new hypertension guideline.

American College of Physicians which proposed a target systolic blood pressure of 150 for people who were 60 years or older. Earlier this week, the ACP doubled down, issuing a statement criticizing the lower threshold.

The Fake Hypertension War – Medical politics and mud fights

by Milton Packer MD

https://www.medpagetoday.com/blogs/revolutionandrevelation/70716

Packer recently consulted for Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cardiorentis, Daiichi Sankyo, Gilead, Novo Nordisk, Relypsa, Sanofi, Takeda, and ZS Pharma. He chairs the EMPEROR Executive Committee for trials of empagliflozin for the treatment of heart failure. He was previously the co-PI of the PARADIGM-HF trial and serves on the Steering Committee of the PARAGON-HF trial, but has no financial relationship with Novartis.

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FDA approval on 12/1/2017 of Amgen’s evolocumb (Repatha) a PCSK9 inhibitor for the prevention of heart attacks, strokes, and coronary revascularizations in patients with established cardiovascular disease

Posted in Atherogenic Processes & Pathology, Frontiers in Cardiology and Cardiovascular Disorders, Origins of Cardiovascular Disease, PCSK9 Inhibitor Therapy, Pharmacotherapy of Cardiovascular Disease on December 1, 2017| Leave a Comment »

FDA approval on 12/1/2017 of Amgen’s evolocumb (Repatha) a PCSK9 inhibitor for the prevention of heart attacks, strokes, and coronary revascularizations in patients with established cardiovascular disease

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

 

Evolocumab was first FDA approved in 2015 for patients with

  • familial hypercholesterolemia and
  • others who fail to achieve LDL cholesterol lowering through diet and maximally-tolerated statin therapy.

In the Repatha cardiovascular outcomes study (FOURIER), Repatha reduced the risk of

  • heart attack by 27 percent, the risk of
  • stroke by 21 percent and the risk of
  • coronary revascularization by 22 percent.2

 

U.S. Repatha Indication

Repatha is a PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9) inhibitor antibody indicated:

  • to reduce the risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, and coronary revascularization in adults with established cardiovascular disease.
  • as an adjunct to diet, alone or in combination with other lipid-lowering therapies (e.g., statins, ezetimibe), for treatment of adults with primary hyperlipidemia (including heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia [HeFH]) to reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C).
  • as an adjunct to diet and other LDL‑lowering therapies (e.g., statins, ezetimibe, LDL apheresis) in patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) who require additional lowering of LDL‑C.

The safety and effectiveness of Repatha have not been established in pediatric patients with HoFH who are younger than 13 years old.

The safety and effectiveness of Repatha have not been established in pediatric patients with primary hyperlipidemia or HeFH.

Eligible patients with high cholesterol (LDL-C ≥70 mg/dL or non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [non-HDL-C] ≥100 mg/dL) and established cardiovascular disease at more than 1,300 study locations around the world were randomized to receive Repatha subcutaneous 140 mg every two weeks or 420 mg monthly plus high- or moderate-intensity effective statin dose; or placebo subcutaneous every two weeks or monthly plus high- to moderate-intensity statin dose. Statin therapy was defined in the protocol as at least atorvastatin 20 mg or equivalent daily with a recommendation for at least atorvastatin 40 mg or equivalent daily where approved. The study was event driven and continued until at least 1,630 patients experienced a key secondary endpoint.

About Repatha® (evolocumab)
Repatha® (evolocumab) is a human monoclonal antibody that inhibits proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9). Repatha binds to PCSK9 and inhibits circulating PCSK9 from binding to the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor (LDLR), preventing PCSK9-mediated LDLR degradation and permitting LDLR to recycle back to the liver cell surface. By inhibiting the binding of PCSK9 to LDLR, Repatha increases the number of LDLRs available to clear LDL from the blood, thereby lowering LDL-C levels.1

About Amgen in the Cardiovascular Therapeutic Area
Building on more than three decades of experience in developing biotechnology medicines for patients with serious illnesses, Amgen is dedicated to addressing important scientific questions to advance care and improve the lives of patients with cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide.8 Amgen’s research into cardiovascular disease, and potential treatment options, is part of a growing competency at Amgen that utilizes human genetics to identify and validate certain drug targets. Through its own research and development efforts, as well as partnerships, Amgen is building a robust cardiovascular portfolio consisting of several approved and investigational molecules in an effort to address a number of today’s important unmet patient needs, such as high cholesterol and heart failure.

Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia (HoFH): In 49 patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia studied in a 12-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 33 patients received 420 mg of Repatha subcutaneously once monthly. The adverse reactions that occurred in at least 2 (6.1 percent) Repatha-treated patients and more frequently than in placebo-treated patients, included upper respiratory tract infection (9.1 percent versus 6.3 percent), influenza (9.1 percent versus 0 percent), gastroenteritis (6.1 percent versus 0 percent), and nasopharyngitis (6.1 percent versus 0 percent).

Immunogenicity: Repatha is a human monoclonal antibody. As with all therapeutic proteins, there is a potential for immunogenicity with Repatha.

Please contact Amgen Medinfo at 800-77-AMGEN (800-772-6436) or 844-REPATHA (844-737-2842) regarding Repatha® availability or find more information, including full Prescribing Information, at www.amgen.com and www.Repatha.com.

References

  1. Repatha® U.S. Prescribing Information. Amgen.
  2. Sabatine MS, Giugliano RP, Keech AC, et al, for the FOURIER Steering Committee and Investigators. N Engl J Med. Evolocumab and Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease. 2017;376:1713-22.
  3. Cannon CP, et al. N Engl J Med. 2004;350:1495-1504.
  4. LaRosa JC, et al. N Engl J Med. 2005;352:1425-1435.
  5. Pederson TR, et al. JAMA. 2005;294:2437-2445.
  6. Search Collaborative Group Lancet 2010;376:1658–69.
  7. Cannon CP, et al. N Engl J Med. 2015;372:2387-2397.
  8. World Health Organization. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) fact sheet. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs317/en/. Accessed October 30, 2017.

 

SOURCE: Amgen

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2017 Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults – A REPORT OF THE American College of Cardiology/ American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines

Posted in Frontiers in Cardiology and Cardiovascular Disorders, HTN, Origins of Cardiovascular Disease on November 14, 2017| Leave a Comment »

2017 Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults – A REPORT OF THE American College of Cardiology/ American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

The new Hypertension Guideline changes the definition of hypertension, which is now considered to be any systolic BP measurement of 130 mm Hg or higher—or any diastolic BP measurement of 80 mm Hg or higher.

 

SOURCE

http://professional.heart.org/idc/groups/ahamah-public/@wcm/@sop/@smd/documents/downloadable/ucm_497446.pdf

 

 

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SNP-based Study on high BMI exposure confirms CVD and DM Risks – no associations with Stroke

Posted in Atherogenic Processes & Pathology, BioBanking, BioIT: BioInformatics, BioIT: BioInformatics, NGS, Clinical & Translational, Pharmaceutical R&D Informatics, Clinical Genomics, Cancer Informatics, Biological Networks, Gene Regulation and Evolution, Biomarkers & Medical Diagnostics, Cardiac and Cardiovascular Surgical Procedures, Computational Biology/Systems and Bioinformatics, Diabetes Mellitus, Disease Biology, Epigenetics and Cardiovascular Risks, Frontiers in Cardiology and Cardiovascular Disorders, Genome Biology, Genomic Testing: Methodology for Diagnosis, HTN, Meta-analysis of transcriptome data, Origins of Cardiovascular Disease, Vascular Diseases on July 10, 2017| Leave a Comment »

SNP-based Study on high BMI exposure confirms CVD and DM Risks – no associations with Stroke, Volume 2 (Volume Two: Latest in Genomics Methodologies for Therapeutics: Gene Editing, NGS and BioInformatics, Simulations and the Genome Ontology), Part 1: Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)

SNP-based Study on high BMI exposure confirms CVD and DM Risks – no associations with Stroke

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

Genes Affirm: High BMI Carries Weighty Heart, Diabetes Risk – Mendelian randomization study adds to ‘burgeoning evidence’

by Crystal Phend, Senior Associate Editor, MedPage Today, July 05, 2017

 

The “genetically instrumented” measure of high BMI exposure — calculated based on 93 single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with BMI in prior genome-wide association studies — was associated with the following risks (odds ratios given per standard deviation higher BMI):

  • Hypertension (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.48-1.83)
  • Coronary heart disease (CHD; OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.09-1.69)
  • Type 2 diabetes (OR 2.53, 95% CI 2.04-3.13)
  • Systolic blood pressure (β 1.65 mm Hg, 95% CI 0.78-2.52 mm Hg)
  • Diastolic blood pressure (β 1.37 mm Hg, 95% CI 0.88-1.85 mm Hg)

However, there were no associations with stroke, Donald Lyall, PhD, of the University of Glasgow, and colleagues reported online in JAMA Cardiology.

The associations independent of age, sex, Townsend deprivation scores, alcohol intake, and smoking history were found in baseline data from 119,859 participants in the population-based U.K. Biobank who had complete medical, sociodemographic, and genetic data.

“The main advantage of an MR approach is that certain types of study bias can be minimized,” the team noted. “Because DNA is stable and randomly inherited, which helps to mitigate errors from reverse causality and confounding, genetic variation can be used as a proxy for lifetime BMI to overcome limitations such as reverse causality and confounding, a process that hampers observational analyses of obesity and its consequences.”

 

Other related articles published in this Open Access Online Scientific Journal include the following:

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    Cardiovascular Original Research: Cases in Methodology Design for Content Co-Curation: The Art of Scientific & Medical Curation

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Regulatory MicroRNAs in Aberrant Cholesterol Transport and Metabolism

Posted in Atherogenic Processes & Pathology, Cardiovascular Pharmacogenomics, Cardiovascular Research, Cardiovascular Tissue, Cell Biology, Signaling & Cell Circuits, Chemical Biology and its relations to Metabolic Disease, Frontiers in Cardiology and Cardiovascular Disorders, Genome Biology, Lipid metabolism, mRNA Therapeutics, Myocardial metabolism, Myocardial ischemia, myocardial perfusion, Myocardial adenine nucleotide metabolism, Origins of Cardiovascular Disease, PCSK9 Inhibitor Therapy, Pharmacotherapy of Cardiovascular Disease, tagged , , , , on March 4, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Regulatory MicroRNAs in Aberrant Cholesterol Transport and Metabolism

Curator: Marzan Khan, B.Sc

Aberrant levels of lipids and cholesterol accumulation in the body lead to cardiometabolic disorders such as atherosclerosis, one of the leading causes of death in the Western World(1). The physical manifestation of this condition is the build-up of plaque along the arterial endothelium causing the arteries to constrict and resist a smooth blood flow(2). This obstructive deposition of plaque is merely the initiation of atherosclerosis and is enriched in LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) as well foam cells which are macrophages carrying an overload of toxic, oxidized LDL(2). As the condition progresses, the plaque further obstructs blood flow and creates blood clots, ultimately leading to myocardial infarction, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases(2). Therefore, LDL is referred to as “the bad cholesterol”(2).

Until now, statins are most widely prescribed as lipid-lowering drugs that inhibit the enzyme 3-hydroxy-3methylgutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGCR), the rate-limiting step in de-novo cholesterol biogenesis (1). But some people cannot continue with the medication due to it’s harmful side-effects(1). With the need to develop newer therapeutics to combat cardiovascular diseases, Harvard University researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital discovered 4 microRNAs that control cholesterol, triglyceride, and glucose homeostasis(3)

MicroRNAs are non-coding, regulatory elements approximately 22 nucleotides long, with the ability to control post-transcriptional expression of genes(3). The liver is the center for carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Stringent regulation of endogenous LDL-receptor (LDL-R) pathway in the liver is crucial to maintain a minimal concentration of LDL particles in blood(3). A mechanism whereby peripheral tissues and macrophages can get rid of their excess LDL is mediated by ATP-binding cassette, subfamily A, member 1 (ABCA1)(3). ABCA1 consumes nascent HDL particles- dubbed as the “good cholesterol” which travel back to the liver for its contents of triglycerides and cholesterol to be excreted(3).

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) meta-analysis carried out by the researchers disclosed 4 microRNAs –(miR-128-1, miR-148a, miR-130b, and miR-301b) to lie close to single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with abnormal metabolism and transport of lipids and cholesterol(3) Experimental analyses carried out on relevant cell types such as the liver and macrophages have proven that these microRNAs bind to the 3’ UTRs of both LDL-R and ABCA1 transporters, and silence their activity. Overexpression of miR-128-1 and miR148a in mice models caused circulating HDL-C to drop. Corroborating the theory under investigation further, their inhibition led to an increased clearance of LDL from the blood and a greater accumulation in the liver(3).

That the antisense inhibition of miRNA-128-1 increased insulin signaling in mice, propels us to hypothesize that abnormal expression of miR-128-1 might cause insulin resistance in metabolic syndrome, and defective insulin signaling in hepatic steatosis and dyslipidemia(3)

Further examination of miR-148 established that Liver-X-Receptor (LXR) activation of the Sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c (SREBP1c), the transcription factor responsible for controlling  fatty acid production and glucose metabolism, also mediates the expression of miR-148a(4,5) That the promoter region of miR-148 contained binding sites for SREBP1c was shown by chromatin immunoprecipitation combined with massively parallel sequencing (ChIP-seq)(4). More specifically, SREBP1c attaches to the E-box2, E-box3 and E-box4 elements on miR-148-1a promoter sites to control its expression(4).

Earlier, the same researchers- Andres Naars and his team had found another microRNA called miR-33 to block HDL generation, and this blockage to reverse upon antisense targeting of miR-33(6).

These experimental data substantiate the theory of miRNAs being important regulators of lipoprotein receptors and transporter proteins as well as underscore the importance of employing antisense technologies to reverse their gene-silencing effects on LDL-R and ABCA1(4). Such a therapeutic approach, that will consequently lower LDL-C and promote HDL-C seems to be a promising strategy to treat atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases(4).

References:

1.Goedeke L1,Wagschal A2,Fernández-Hernando C3, Näär AM4. miRNA regulation of LDL-cholesterol metabolism. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2016 Dec;1861(12 Pt B):. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2016 Dec;1861(12 Pt B):2047-2052

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26968099

2.MedicalNewsToday. Joseph Nordgvist. Atherosclerosis:Causes, Symptoms and Treatments. 13.08.2015

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/247837.php

3.Wagschal A1,2, Najafi-Shoushtari SH1,2, Wang L1,2, Goedeke L3, Sinha S4, deLemos AS5, Black JC1,6, Ramírez CM3, Li Y7, Tewhey R8,9, Hatoum I10, Shah N11, Lu Y11, Kristo F1, Psychogios N4, Vrbanac V12, Lu YC13, Hla T13, de Cabo R14, Tsang JS11, Schadt E15, Sabeti PC8,9, Kathiresan S4,6,8,16, Cohen DE7, Whetstine J1,6, Chung RT5,6, Fernández-Hernando C3, Kaplan LM6,10, Bernards A1,6,16, Gerszten RE4,6, Näär AM1,2. Genome-wide identification of microRNAs regulating cholesterol and triglyceride homeostasis. . Nat Med.2015 Nov;21(11):1290

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26501192

4.Goedeke L1,2,3,4, Rotllan N1,2, Canfrán-Duque A1,2, Aranda JF1,2,3, Ramírez CM1,2, Araldi E1,2,3,4, Lin CS3,4, Anderson NN5,6, Wagschal A7,8, de Cabo R9, Horton JD5,6, Lasunción MA10,11, Näär AM7,8, Suárez Y1,2,3,4, Fernández-Hernando C1,2,3,4. MicroRNA-148a regulates LDL receptor and ABCA1 expression to control circulating lipoprotein levels. Nat Med. 2015 Nov;21(11):1280-9.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26437365

5.Eberlé D1, Hegarty B, Bossard P, Ferré P, Foufelle F. SREBP transcription factors: master regulators of lipid homeostasis. Biochimie. 2004 Nov;86(11):839-48.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15589694

6.Harvard Medical School. News. MicoRNAs and Metabolism.

https://hms.harvard.edu/news/micrornas-and-metabolism

7. MGH – Four microRNAs identified as playing key roles in cholesterol, lipid metabolism

http://www.massgeneral.org/about/pressrelease.aspx?id=1862

 

Other related articles published in this Open Access Online Scientific Journal include the following:

 

  • Cardiovascular Diseases, Volume Three: Etiologies of Cardiovascular Diseases: Epigenetics, Genetics and Genomics,

on Amazon since 11/29/2015

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018PNHJ84

 

HDL oxidation in type 2 diabetic patients

Larry H. Bernstein, MD, FCAP, Curator

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2015/11/27/hdl-oxidation-in-type-2-diabetic-patients/

 

HDL-C: Target of Therapy – Steven E. Nissen, MD, MACC, Cleveland Clinic vs Peter Libby, MD, BWH

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2014/11/07/hdl-c-target-of-therapy-steven-e-nissen-md-macc-cleveland-clinic-vs-peter-libby-md-bwh/

 

High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL): An Independent Predictor of Endothelial Function & Atherosclerosis, A Modulator, An Agonist, A Biomarker for Cardiovascular Risk

Curator: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2013/03/31/high-density-lipoprotein-hdl-an-independent-predictor-of-endothelial-function-artherosclerosis-a-modulator-an-agonist-a-biomarker-for-cardiovascular-risk/

 

Risk of Major Cardiovascular Events by LDL-Cholesterol Level (mg/dL): Among those treated with high-dose statin therapy, more than 40% of patients failed to achieve an LDL-cholesterol target of less than 70 mg/dL.

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD., RN

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2014/07/29/risk-of-major-cardiovascular-events-by-ldl-cholesterol-level-mgdl-among-those-treated-with-high-dose-statin-therapy-more-than-40-of-patients-failed-to-achieve-an-ldl-cholesterol-target-of-less-th/

 

LDL, HDL, TG, ApoA1 and ApoB: Genetic Loci Associated With Plasma Concentration of these Biomarkers – A Genome-Wide Analysis With Replication

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2013/12/18/ldl-hdl-tg-apoa1-and-apob-genetic-loci-associated-with-plasma-concentration-of-these-biomarkers-a-genome-wide-analysis-with-replication/

 

Two Mutations, in the PCSK9 Gene: Eliminates a Protein involved in Controlling LDL Cholesterol

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2013/04/15/two-mutations-in-a-pcsk9-gene-eliminates-a-protein-involve-in-controlling-ldl-cholesterol/

Artherogenesis: Predictor of CVD – the Smaller and Denser LDL Particles

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2012/11/15/artherogenesis-predictor-of-cvd-the-smaller-and-denser-ldl-particles/

 

A Concise Review of Cardiovascular Biomarkers of Hypertension

Curator: Larry H. Bernstein, MD, FCAP

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2016/04/25/a-concise-review-of-cardiovascular-biomarkers-of-hypertension/

 

Triglycerides: Is it a Risk Factor or a Risk Marker for Atherosclerosis and Cardiovascular Disease ? The Impact of Genetic Mutations on (ANGPTL4) Gene, encoder of (angiopoietin-like 4) Protein, inhibitor of Lipoprotein Lipase

Reporters, Curators and Authors: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN and Larry H. Bernstein, MD, FCAP

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2016/03/13/triglycerides-is-it-a-risk-factor-or-a-risk-marker-for-atherosclerosis-and-cardiovascular-disease-the-impact-of-genetic-mutations-on-angptl4-gene-encoder-of-angiopoietin-like-4-protein-that-in/

 

Excess Eating, Overweight, and Diabetic

Larry H Bernstein, MD, FCAP, Curator

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2015/11/15/excess-eating-overweight-and-diabetic/

 

Obesity Issues

Larry H. Bernstein, MD, FCAP, Curator

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2015/11/12/obesity-issues/

 

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Reversing Heart Disease: Combination of PCSK9 Inhibitors and Statins – Opinion by Steven Nissen, MD, Chairman of Cardiovascular Medicine at Cleveland Clinic

Posted in Atherogenic Processes & Pathology, Frontiers in Cardiology and Cardiovascular Disorders, Origins of Cardiovascular Disease, PCSK9 Inhibitor Therapy, Pharmacotherapy of Cardiovascular Disease, Vascular Diseases, tagged , , , , on December 29, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Reversing Heart Disease: Combination of PCSK9 Inhibitors and Statins – Opinion by Steven Nissen, MD, Chairman of Cardiovascular Medicine at Cleveland Clinic

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

UPDATED on 1/31/2024

Lipoprotein(a) Is Markedly More Atherogenic Than LDL: An Apolipoprotein B-Based Genetic Analysis

Original Research

J Am Coll Cardiol. 2024 Jan, 83 (3) 385–395
Editorial Comment: Particle Number and Characteristics of Lipoprotein(a), LDL, and apoB: Perspectives on Contributions to ASCVD∗

Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) is recognized as a causal factor for coronary heart disease (CHD) but its atherogenicity relative to that of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) on a per-particle basis is indeterminate.

Conclusions

We conclude that the atherogenicity of Lp(a) (CHD risk quotient per unit increase in particle number) is substantially greater than that of LDL. Therefore, Lp(a) represents a key target for drug-based intervention in a significant proportion of the at-risk population.

SOURCE

https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2023.10.039

The term “atherogenicity” is used since 1986 [5] referring to the accumulation of intracellular lipids, which is a trigger of cellular atherogenesis

Atherogenic dyslipidemia (AD) refers to elevated levels of triglycerides (TG) and small-dense low-density lipoprotein and low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). In addition, elevated levels of large TG rich very low-density lipoproteins, apolipoprotein B and oxidised low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and reduced levels of small high-density lipoproteins plays a critical role in AD. All three elements of AD per se have been recognised as independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. LDL-C/HDL-C ratio has shown excellent risk prediction of coronary heart disease than either of the two risk markers. Asian Indians have a higher prevalence of AD than western population due to higher physical inactivity, low exercise and diet deficient in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA).

SOURCE

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3872713/

UPDATED on 2/25/2019
https://www.medpagetoday.com/cardiology/prevention/78202?xid=nl_mpt_SRCardiology_2019-02-25&eun=g99985d0r&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CardioUpdate_022519&utm_term=NL_Spec_Cardiology_Update_Active

While nearly 10% of middle-age adults in China have high risk for cardiovascular disease, only 0.6% of these high-risk individuals use statins and 2.4% take aspirin, a national screening project reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

UPDATED on 5/5/2017

Europeans Mull PCSK9i Post-FOURIER Fallout on Clinical Practice

Patrice Wendling, May 04, 2017

But it was panelist Dr Stephen Nicholls (University of Adelaide, Australia) who took aim at the elephant in the packed auditorium. At an annual cost of about $14,100 for evolocumab and $14,600 for alirocumab (Praluent, Sanofi/Regeneron), the important question facing cardiologists is who will be eligible for these drugs “in a world where we can’t just write a scrip for every FOURIER-type patient; we won’t be allowed to.”

He suggested initially this will include patients with familial hypercholesterolemia and only those with established atherosclerotic CVD whose LDL-C remains unacceptably high despite therapy. Future FOURIER subanalyses may define other eligible high-risk groups.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/879523?nlid=114642_3802&src=WNL_mdplsnews_170505_mscpedit_card&uac=93761AJ&spon=2&impID=1342003&faf=1#vp_2

 

 

UPDATED on 3/14/2017

PCSK9 Inhibitor Access Snarled in Red Tape, Rejections

Patrice Wendling, March 21, 2017

To determine whether this experience is happening nationwide, Navar and colleagues examined first PCSK9 prescriptions in 45,029 patients (median age 66 years; 51% female) between August 1, 2015 and July 31, 2016 in the Symphony Health Solutions database, which covers 90% of retail, 70% of specialty, and 60% of mail-order pharmacies in the US.

Nearly half (48%) of prescribers were cardiologists, and 37% were general practitioners. Most patients (52%) had government insurance, typically Medicare, and 40% had commercial insurance.

In the first 24 hours after being submitted to the pharmacy, 79.2% of prescriptions were rejected. Ultimately, 52.8% of all PCSK9 prescriptions were rejected.

Of special note, 34.7% of prescriptions for the pricy lipid-lowering drugs were abandoned at the pharmacy.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/877515?nlid=113592_3802&src=WNL_mdplsnews_170324_mscpedit_card&uac=93761AJ&spon=2&impID=1314983&faf=1

 

How 2 Drugs Lower Cholesterol Remarkably — and Reverse Heart Disease

Study shows promise for combination of newer drug and statins

How 2 Drugs Lower Cholesterol Remarkably --- and Reverse Heart Disease

Newer cholesterol-lowering drugs combined with more conventional medicine reduces bad cholesterol to incredibly low levels, a new study shows. Perhaps even more important, the combination also reduces the heart-attack-inducing plaque that forms inside the arteries, the study says.

The study was led by cardiologist Steven Nissen, MD, Chairman of Cardiovascular Medicine at Cleveland Clinic. Results appeared recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

The study looked at the use of a drug called evolocumab by people who took statins to lower the amount of LDL, or bad, cholesterol in their blood. Evolocumab is a drug called a PCSK9 inhibitor. This is a newer kind of medicine that can make LDL cholesterol levels plummet.

The people who took statins and evolocumab had greater reductions in atherosclerosis compared with people who took statins and a placebo.  Atherosclerosis is  a disease in which plaque builds up inside your arteries.  The condition can lead to serious problems, including heart attack, stroke, or even death.

The results are an intriguing indicator — rather than definite proof — that evolocumab may have benefit for patients taking statins, Dr. Nissen says. Researchers are still awaiting the results of large clinical trials investigating whether evolocumab is safe and will prevent heart attack, stroke or death. The first results of these studies are expected in April 2017.

Special ultrasound

In the study, researchers treated for 18 months 968 high-risk people who had extremely high levels of blood cholesterol.

Participants were randomly assigned to take either a statin and a placebo, or a statin and evolocumab.

Researchers monitored the participants’ cholesterol levels. They also used a special ultrasound probe to measure the amount of plaque in their arteries at the beginning and the end of the study. 

“We were able to show that getting the bad cholesterol levels down to really low levels, down to the 20s and 30s, can actually remove plaque from the coronary arteries,” Dr. Nissen says. “This going to levels that we’ve never been able to achieve before.”           

Low cholesterol, less plaque

Results show the group treated with statins and a placebo reduced their LDL cholesterol levels to 93 on average. At the same time, the group treated with the combination of the statin plus evolocumab got down to an average bad cholesterol level of 36.6.

“No one’s ever reached levels that low in a clinical trial,” Dr. Nissen says.

Participants who took evolocumab also had less plaque in their arteries at the end of the study — essentially reversing their heart disease.

“We, for the first time now, have shown that this new class of drugs, the PCSK9 inhibitors, has a favorable effect on the development of plaques on the coronary artery and can actually regress those plaques,” Dr. Nissen says. “And it turns out about two-thirds of patients actually had less plaque at the end of 18 months than they started with.” 

PCSK9 inhibitors, which are expensive, are not for everybody, Dr. Nissen says. Currently, the drug is used in addition to statins for the highest-risk patients with particularly high cholesterol.

SOURCE

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Vena Cava Filters: Device for Prevention of Pulmonary Embolism and Thrombosis

Posted in Atherogenic Processes & Pathology, Atrial Fibrilation (a-Fib), Cardiac Pacing and Arrhythmias, Cardiac and Cardiovascular Surgical Procedures, Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension (CTEPH) and Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH), Coagulation Therapy and Internal Bleeding, congestive heart failure, Frontiers in Cardiology and Cardiovascular Disorders, Heart Failure (HF), Medical Devices R&D and Inventions, Origins of Cardiovascular Disease, Peripheral Arterial Disease & Peripheral Vascular Surgery, Pharmacotherapy of Cardiovascular Disease, Vascular Diseases, Vena Caval Filters: Device for Prevention of Pulmonary Embolism and Thrombosis, tagged , , , , , on October 4, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Inferior Vena Cava Filters: Device for Prevention of Pulmonary Embolism and Thrombosis

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

 

UPDATED on 7/18/2018

 

Original Investigation
Cardiology
July 13, 2018

Association of Inferior Vena Cava Filter Placement for Venous Thromboembolic Disease and a Contraindication to Anticoagulation With 30-Day Mortality

Tyson E. Turner, MD, MPH1; Mohammed J. Saeed, MBChB, MPH2; Eric Novak, MS1; et alDavid L. Brown, MD1
Author Affiliations Article Information
JAMA Network Open. 2018;1(3):e180452. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.0452
Key Points

Question  What is the association of inferior vena cava filter placement with 30-day mortality in patients with venous thromboembolic disease and a contraindication to anticoagulation?

Findings  In this cohort study, using 2 different statistical methods with adjustment for immortal time bias, inferior vena cava filter placement in patients with venous thromboembolic disease and a contraindication to anticoagulation was associated with an increased risk of 30-day mortality.

Meaning  Randomized clinical trials are needed to define the role of inferior vena cava filter placement in patients with venous thromboembolic disease and a contraindication to anticoagulation.

 

Abstract

Importance  Despite the absence of data from randomized clinical trials, professional societies recommend inferior vena cava (IVC) filters for patients with venous thromboembolic disease (VTE) and a contraindication to anticoagulation therapy. Prior observational studies of IVC filters have suggested a mortality benefit associated with IVC filter insertion but have often failed to adjust for immortal time bias, which is the time before IVC filter insertion, during which death can only occur in the control group.

Objective  To determine the association of IVC filter placement with 30-day mortality after adjustment for immortal time bias.

Design, Setting, and Participants  This comparative effectiveness, retrospective cohort study used a population-based sample of hospitalized patients with VTE and a contraindication to anticoagulation using the State Inpatient Database and the State Emergency Department Database, part of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, from hospitals in California (January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2011), Florida (January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2013), and New York (January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2012). Data analysis was conducted from September 15, 2015, to March 14, 2018.

Exposure  Inferior vena cava filter placement.

Main Outcomes and Measures  Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were constructed with IVC filters as a time-dependent variable that adjusts for immortal time bias. The Cox model was further adjusted using the propensity score as an adjustment variable.

Results  Of 126 030 patients with VTE, 61 281 (48.6%) were male and the mean (SD) age was 66.9 (16.6) years. In this cohort, 45 771 (36.3%) were treated with an IVC filter, whereas 80 259 (63.7%) did not receive a filter. In the Cox model with IVC filter status analyzed as a time-dependent variable to account for immortal time bias, IVC filter placement was associated with a significantly increased hazard ratio of 30-day mortality (1.18; 95% CI, 1.13-1.22; P < .001). When the propensity score was included in the Cox model, IVC filter placement remained associated with an increased hazard ratio of 30-day mortality (1.18; 95% CI, 1.13-1.22; P < .001).

Conclusions and Relevance  After adjustment for immortal time bias, IVC filter placement was associated with increased 30-day mortality in patients with VTE and a contraindication to anticoagulation. Randomized clinical trials are needed to determine the efficacy of IVC filter placement in patients with VTE and a contraindication to anticoagulation.

 

EDITORIAL

Requiem for Liberalizing Indications for Vena Caval Filters?

Samuel Z. Goldhaber
http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.116.022730 Published: May 24, 2016

Use of inferior vena caval (IVC) filters has proliferated.

  • In 1979, ≈2000 vena caval filters were inserted.
  • In 1999, the number of IVC filters inserted annually had increased ≈25-fold to 49 000.
  • Retrievable IVC filters were first approved in 2003 and gained popularity rapidly.
  • By 2006, retrievable IVC filters accounted for about half of all IVC filters that were inserted.
  • The largest proportional increase in IVC filter use was subsequently in patients at risk for pulmonary embolism (PE) but who had had neither PE nor deep vein thrombosis (DVT).1

The Controversy by Samuel Z. Goldhaber, MD

Appropriate use of IVC filters is a hot topic. On the one hand,

  • filters hold the promise of reducing PE rates by trapping moderate and large DVT that have detached from the deep veins of the legs and pelvis and that are hurtling toward the heart. On the other hand, we do not have clear-cut definitions of which patients with PE and DVT will benefit most from this technology.
  • an array of complications can ensue, including
  1. caval perforation,2
  2. caval thrombosis,
  3. fracture,
  4. fragment embolization,
  5. intracardiac migration,3
  6. cardiac perforation, and
  7. cardiac tamponade.4

In a systematic review of retrievable IVC filters, only 34% were retrieved, and the majority remained in place permanently. Most of the complications from retrievable filters occurred with long-term use.5

Guidelines

However, it is premature to hammer nails into the coffin and to gather as a medical community for a requiem that celebrates no indication for liberalizing indications for placing an IVC filter. Instead, we need to shift the focus of the questions that we investigate and pour resources into further randomized and observational trials of IVC filter insertion in special highrisk populations.

There remain important groups of patients who may benefit from IVC filters with reduction in PE and PE-associated mortality (Table 2). In some cases, tantalizing data suggest that these populations warrant filters. In other cases, we lack data to guide us. Patients with massive PE—accompanied by cardiogenic shock requiring vasopressors to support blood pressure—are desperately ill. They are clinically unstable. An additional PE under these circumstances can be the fatal blow. Data from the National Inpatient Sample and the International Cooperative PE Registry suggest that filters in these patients may be lifesaving.

Patients with severe PE who undergo acute surgical pulmonary embolectomy are vulnerable to recurrent PE, especially during the early postoperative period where full anticoagulation cannot be immediately implemented. I have had personal experience managing this type of patient where the embolectomy is successful but the patient dies of recurrent PE.19

Table 1. Generally Accepted Consensus Recommendations for IVC Filter Insertion in Patients With VTE

  • Major bleeding on full-dose anticoagulation
  • Major contraindication to full-dose anticoagulation
  • New-onset acute PE (especially recurrent PE) despite well-documented fulldose anticoagulation for an existing VTE

IVC indicates inferior vena caval; PE, pulmonary embolism; and VTE, venous thromboembolism.

 

Table 2. Special Populations Where Benefits of IVC Filter Insertion May Outweigh Risks

  • Massive PE or high-risk submassive PE
  • Surgical pulmonary embolectomy
  • Cancer patients with VTE or at high risk of VTE with concomitant high risk of bleeding if anticoagulated
  • Surgical patients (especially during preoperative evaluation) at high risk of VTE with concomitant high risk of bleeding if anticoagulated

IVC indicates inferior vena caval; PE, pulmonary embolism; and VTE, venous thromboembolism.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.116.022730

References

1. Stein PD, Matta F, Hull RD. Increasing use of vena cava filters for prevention of pulmonary embolism. Am J Med. 2011;124:655–661. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2011.02.021.

2. Jia Z, Wu A, Tam M, Spain J, McKinney JM, Wang W. Caval penetration by inferior vena cava filters: a systematic literature review of clinical significance and management. Circulation. 2015;132:944–952. doi: 10.1161/ CIRCULATIONAHA.115.016468

3. Owens CA, Bui JT, Knuttinen MG, Gaba RC, Carrillo TC, Hoefling N, Layden-Almer JE. Intracardiac migration of inferior vena cava filters: review of published data. Chest. 2009;136:877–887. doi: 10.1378/ chest.09-0153.

4. Nicholson W, Nicholson WJ, Tolerico P, Taylor B, Solomon S, Schryver T, McCullum K, Goldberg H, Mills J, Schuler B, Shears L, Siddoway L, Agarwal N, Tuohy C. Prevalence of fracture and fragment embolization of Bard retrievable vena cava filters and clinical implications including cardiac perforation and tamponade. Arch Intern Med. 2010;170:1827–1831. doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2010.316.

5. Angel LF, Tapson V, Galgon RE, Restrepo MI, Kaufman J. Systematic review of the use of retrievable inferior vena cava filters. J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2011;22:1522–1530.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.jvir.2011.08.024.

19. Aklog L, Williams CS, Byrne JG, Goldhaber SZ. Acute pulmonary embolectomy: a contemporary approach. Circulation. 2002;105:1416–1419.

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Xarelto (Rivaroxaban): Anticoagulant Therapy gains FDA New Indications and Risk Reduction for: (DVT) and (PE), while in use for Atrial fibrillation increase in Gastrointestinal (GI) Bleeding Reported

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2012/11/04/xarelto-rivaroxaban-anticoagulant-therapy-gains-fda-new-indications-and-risk-reduction-for-dvt-and-pe-while-in-use-for-atrial-fibrillation-increase-in-gastrointestinal-gi-bleeding-reported/

Venous Thromboembolism (VTE): Blood Clots in Leg and Lungs – No. 3 Cardiovascular Killer Globally – Is Leading Cause of Premature Death and Disability in Hospitals

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2014/10/13/venous-thromboembolism-vte-blood-clots-in-leg-and-lungs-no-3-cardiovascular-killer-globally-is-leading-cause-of-premature-death-and-disability-in-hospitals/

The Relation between Coagulation and Cancer affects Supportive Treatments

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Pathophysiology in Hypertension: Opposing Roles of Human Adaptive Immunity

Posted in Atherogenic Processes & Pathology, Frontiers in Cardiology and Cardiovascular Disorders, Gene Regulation and Evolution, HTN, Immunology, Innovation in Immunology Diagnostics, Origins of Cardiovascular Disease, Vascular Diseases, tagged on August 19, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Pathophysiology in Hypertension: Opposing Roles of Human Adaptive Immunity

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

T regulatory lymphocytes counteract hypertensive effects by suppressing innate and adaptive immune responses and T effector lymphocytes promote differentiation towards pro-inflammatory T helper cells

 

Dual opposing roles of adaptive immunity in hypertension

 

Noureddine Idris-Khodja, Muhammad Oneeb Rehman Mian, Pierre Paradis, Ernesto L. Schiffrin

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehu119 1238-1244 First published online: 30 March 2014

Abstract

Hypertension involves remodelling and inflammation of the arterial wall. Interactions between vascular and inflammatory cells play a critical role in disease initiation and progression. T effector and regulatory lymphocytes, members of the adaptive immune system, play contrasting roles in hypertension. Signals from the central nervous system and the innate immune system antigen-presenting cells activate T effector lymphocytes and promote their differentiation towards pro-inflammatory T helper (Th) 1 and Th17 phenotypes. Th1 and Th17 effector cells, via production of pro-inflammatory mediators, participate in the low-grade inflammation that leads to blood pressure elevation and end-organ damage. T regulatory lymphocytes, on the other hand, counteract hypertensive effects by suppressing innate and adaptive immune responses. The present review summarizes and discusses the adaptive immune mechanisms that participate in the pathophysiology in hypertension.

  • Blood pressure
  • Adaptive immunity
  • Inflammation
  • T effector lymphocytes
  • T regulatory lymphocytes
  • Cytokines

Conclusion

Experimental and clinical evidence discussed in this review strongly suggests that adaptive immunity, represented by T effector and regulatory lymphocyte subsets, plays a dual role in hypertension (Figure 2). Increased sympathetic outflow as a consequence of stimulation of the CNS by hypertensive stimuli may result in mild blood pressure elevation, causing tissue injury and formation of neoantigens2 and/or damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs).80 Activation of innate APCs by DAMPs, or by pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) generated in response to low-grade infection,80,81 and direct stimulation by CNS, may be the cause of activation of CD4+, and perhaps CD8+, T effector lymphocytes, and differentiation of CD4+ T cells towards pro-inflammatory Th1/Th17 phenotypes.41 Th1/Th17 effector lymphocytes contribute to the progression of hypertension by producing pro-inflammatory mediators, including ROS, IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-17, to promote low-grade inflammation.24,41,42,51,52 T regulatory lymphocytes, on the other hand, counteract hypertensive abnormalities by suppressing innate and adaptive immune responses, perhaps by secreting IL-10.65–71 As such, circulating levels of Tregs or their immune-suppressive activity may be affected in hypertension.

 SOURCE

http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/35/19/1238

Idris-Khodja et al. (2014) Dual opposing roles of adaptive immunity in hypertension. European Heart Journal (doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehu119)

 

Adaptive Immunity

Figure 1

Differentiation of naïve T lymphocytes into various subsets in a normal immune response. Antigen-presenting cells (dendritic cells and monocyte/macrophages) present antigens on major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-II to naïve T cells (Th0) in secondary lymphoid tissues, leading to T-cell clonal expansion and differentiation into effector T cells, such as T helper (Th)1, Th2, and Th17 or T regulatory (Treg) cells according to combined stimulation by different cytokines. Th effector lymphocytes and Tregs migrate into tissues such as the vasculature, particularly at the level of the adventitia and perivascular fat. The effector lymphocytes (Th1 and Th17) cells activate other immune cells and participate in inflammation by producing pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interferon-γ, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-17. T regulatory lymphocytes suppress innate and adaptive responses via production of anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and transforming growth factor-β. CD, cluster of differentiation; DC, dendritic cell; MΦ, macrophage; NK cell, natural killer cell; Tc, cytotoxic T cell; TCR, T-cell receptor.

IMAGE SOURCE

http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/35/19/1238

 

Hypertention

 

IMAGE SOURCE

http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/35/19/1238

Figure 2

Proposed role of T effector and regulatory lymphocytes in hypertension. Slight elevation in blood pressure (BP) in response to hypertensive stimuli (angiotensin II, aldosterone, endothelin-1, salt and genetic susceptibility) occurs due to increased central signalling, perhaps causing mild tissue injury and formation of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and neoantigens. This may lead to activation of innate antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and, subsequently, activation and polarization of naïve CD4+ T effector lymphocytes (Th0) towards pro-inflammatory T helper (Th)1/Th17 phenotypes. Th1/Th17 may contribute to vascular and kidney damage via production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-17 and lead to maintenance of hypertension and progression of end-organ damage. T regulatory lymphocytes counteract hypertension and associated injury by producing IL-10 or by other mechanisms, and suppression of innate and adaptive immune responses. CD, cluster of differentiation; CNS, central nervous system; MHC-II, major histocompatibility complex-II; PAMPs, pathogen-associated molecular patterns; TCR, T-cell receptor.

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