Sex differences in cardiac remodeling post myocardial infarction with acute cigarette smoking

Gender Effect on Clinical Profiles, Pharmacological Treatments and Prognosis in Patients Hospitalized for Heart Failure

Heart failure (HF) is a significant disease affecting 1-2% of the general population. Despite its general aspects, HF, like other cardiovascular diseases, presents various gender-specific aspects in terms of etiology, hemodynamics, clinical characteristics, therapy, and outcomes. As is well known, HF with preserved ejection fraction more frequently affects females, with diabetes and arterial hypertension representing the most critical determinants of HF. On the other hand, women are traditionally underrepresented in clinical trials and are often considered undertreated. However, it is not clear whether such differences reflect cultural behaviors and clinical inertia or if they indicate different clinical profiles and the impact of sex on hard clinical outcomes. We aimed to review the sex-related differences in patients affected by HF.

Effects of Electronic Cigarette Vaping on Cardiac and Vascular Function, and Post-myocardial Infarction Remodeling in Rats

The effect of electronic cigarette (E-cig) vaping on cardiac and vascular function during the healing phase of myocardial infarction (MI), and post-MI remodeling was investigated. Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to left coronary artery ligation to induce MI. One week later, rats were randomized to receive either 12 weeks of exposure to purified air (n = 37) or E-cig vapor (15 mg/ml of nicotine) (n = 32). At 12 weeks, cardiac and vascular function, and post-MI remodeling were assessed. Baseline blood flow in the femoral artery did not differ between groups, but peak reperfusion blood flow was blunted in the E-cig group (1.59 ± 0.15 ml/min) vs. the air group (2.11 ± 0.18 ml/min; p = 0.034). Femoral artery diameter after reperfusion was narrower in the E-cig group (0.54 ± 0.02 mm) compared to the air group (0.60 ± 0.02 mm; p = 0.023). Postmortem left ventricular (LV) volumes were similar in the E-cig (0.69 ± 0.04 ml) and air groups (0.73 ± 0.04 ml; p = NS); and myocardial infarct expansion index did not differ between groups (1.4 ± 0.1 in E-cig group versus 1.3 ± 0.1 in air group; p = NS). LV fractional shortening by echo did not differ between groups at 12 weeks (E-cig at 29 ± 2% and air at 27 ± 1%; p = NS). Exposure to E-cig during the healing phase of MI was associated with altered vascular function with reduced femoral artery blood flow and diameter at reperfusion, but not with worsened LV dilation or worsened cardiac function.

From multi-omics approaches to personalized medicine in myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a prevalent cardiovascular disease characterized by myocardial necrosis resulting from coronary artery ischemia and hypoxia, which can lead to severe complications such as arrhythmia, cardiac rupture, heart failure, and sudden death. Despite being a research hotspot, the etiological mechanism of MI remains unclear. The emergence and widespread use of omics technologies, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and other omics, have provided new opportunities for exploring the molecular mechanism of MI and identifying a large number of disease biomarkers. However, a single-omics approach has limitations in understanding the complex biological pathways of diseases. The multi-omics approach can reveal the interaction network among molecules at various levels and overcome the limitations of the single-omics approaches. This review focuses on the omics studies of MI, including genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and other omics. The exploration extended into the domain of multi-omics integrative analysis, accompanied by a compilation of diverse online resources, databases, and tools conducive to these investigations. Additionally, we discussed the role and prospects of multi-omics approaches in personalized medicine, highlighting the potential for improving diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of MI.

Immune Cells in Cardiac Injury Repair and Remodeling

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Immune cells are emerging as central cellular components of the heart which communicate with cardiac resident cells during homeostasis, cardiac injury, and remodeling. These findings are contributing to the development and continuous expansion of the new field of cardio-immunology. We review the most recent literature on this topic and discuss ongoing and future efforts to advance this field forward.

RECENT FINDINGS

Cell-fate mapping, strategy depleting, and reconstituting immune cells in pre-clinical models of cardiac disease, combined with the investigation of the human heart at the single cell level, are contributing immensely to our understanding of the complex intercellular communication between immune and non-immune cells in the heart. While the acute immune response is necessary to initiate inflammation and tissue repair post injury, it becomes detrimental when sustained over time and contributes to adverse cardiac remodeling and pathology. Understanding the specific functions of immune cells in the context of the cardiac environment will provide new opportunities for immunomodulation to induce or tune down inflammation as needed in heart disease.

Association between tobacco smoking and heart disease in older adults: a cross-sectional study based on the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey

Background

The association between the risk of heart disease and tobacco smoking has been studied in previous work, but there are arguments among various population. We aimed to investigate the association between heart disease incidence and smoking status among older adults.

Methods

A cross-sectional analysis was conducted with 10,891 older adults in the 2 most recent waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS), 2011-2014 and 2014-2018. The data included individual weighting variables to ensure they were nationally representative. The parameters consisted of age, sex, body mass index (BMI), smoking status, and disease history was collected. Smoking measures included current/former/never status, pack-years and the time to first cigarette. Heart disease included coronary artery disease, arrhythmias, heart failure, valve diseases and other heart conditions. Respondents with missed values were excluded. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed.

Results

Among the 10,006 respondents included in the analyses, 4,501 (44.9%) were men. The median age was 88 years old [interquartile range (IQR), 78-96]. A total of 6,713 respondents (67.1%) were nonsmokers, 1,695 respondents (16.9%) were former smokers, and 1,598 respondents (16.0%) were current smokers. The incidence of heart disease was significantly higher in smokers compared with nonsmokers (14.5% vs. 12.8%, P=0.018). Female smokers and those over 80 years old had higher morbidity than male smokers. After adjusting for sex, age, BMI, hypertension, diabetes, area of residency, alcohol status, and exercise status, smokers still had an increased risk of heart disease [odds ratio (OR) 1.29, 95% confidential interval (CI): 1.10-1.50, P=0.001]. The incidence of heart disease also increased with higher intensity of smoking for each additional pack-year (OR 1.01, 95% CI: 1.00-1.02, P=0.011).

Conclusions

For elderly adults, current or former smoking was largely associated with heart disease incidence, especially in females and those over 80 years old. These variables could be considered for inclusion in future heart disease risk prediction models.