Almanac 2014: cardiomyopathies

Genetics of Human and Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy

“…DCM is characterised by cardiac ventricular chamber enlargement and systolic dysfunction which often leads to congestive heart failure and death [ 13 ]. The aetiology of DCM is complex in that genetic factors, myocardial ischemia, hypertension, toxins, infections, and metabolic defects have been implicated in human disease [ 14 ].…”

Cardiac mMCP-4+ mast cell expansion and elevation of IL-6, and CCR1/3 and CXCR2 signaling chemokines in an adjuvant-free mouse model of tree nut allergy

“…Consequently, if this situation also happens in humans with nut allergies, it would have significant clinical implications in both developing novel treatments (e.g., novel cardiac mast cell stabilizers, antagonist to IL-6/Chemokines/their receptors identified here; novel methods to deliver these antidotes locally within the heart) and improving the diagnosis of near fatal reactions with novel cardiac function monitoring methods (e.g., via developing novel methods to monitor cardiac tissue levels of specific mediators and analyze elevated levels of mediators identified in this study in the blood and/or using non-invasive methods) (Santone et al 2008;Hsu et al 2014;Guttmann et al 2014). Furthermore, a nut induced systemic allergic reaction may have to be dealt similar to acute myocardial infarction ('heart attack').…”

Genomic Insights into Cardiomyopathies: A Comparative Cross-Species Review

“…Enlargement of the cavity and thinning and weakening of the walls of the left ventricle generally progresses to the right ventricle over time. The inability to pump properly leads to heart failure and clot formation in the heart in some species [ 36 ]. DCM is estimated to have a prevalence of 0.036% in humans but this is thought to be an underestimate and, in common with the other cardiomyopathies, the incidence is increasing with better testing and recognition [ 37 , 38 , 39 ].…”