Cardiovascular science: opportunities for translating research into improved care

Abstract

Cardiovascular research is progressing on many fronts, as highlighted in the collection of Reviews in this issue of the JCI. MicroRNAs that regulate cardiac function have been implicated in cardiac disorders, and efforts to develop therapeutic antagomirs are underway. The genetic bases of several cardiac disorders, including cardiomyopathies that cause heart failure and channelopathies that underlie cardiac arrhythmias, have been elucidated. Genetic testing can identify asymptomatic individuals at risk, potentially leading to effective preventative measures. Growing evidence supports the role of chronic inflammation in atherosclerosis, providing new opportunities for therapeutic intervention. For heart failure, recent work suggests that cardiac regeneration using stem/progenitor cells, gene transfer, new drugs that restore normal Ca 2+ cycling, and agents that reduce reperfusion injury following myocardial infarction are all viable new approaches to managing disease. Cumulatively, it seems likely that the clinical advances emerging from ongoing research will, in the foreseeable future, reduce the number of deaths in the industrialized world from cardiovascular disease.

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Signaling in Hypoxia and Inflammation

“…Ischemic diseases share common risk factors, pathophysiology and etiology (1, 2). It is well known that ischemia initiates an intense inflammatory response that is clinically relevant and worsens the ischemic injury (3, 4). In stroke, cerebral ischemia is accompanied by infiltration of inflammatory cells, which is initiated by ischemia-induced expression of cytokines, adhesion molecules and other inflammatory mediators.…”

Phosphoinositide-Dependent Kinase 1 and mTORC2 Synergistically Maintain Postnatal Heart Growth and Heart Function in Mice

“…ilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), usually diagnosed as idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC), is characterized as ventricular dilation and impaired heart contractility (systolic and diastolic functions) (1). The causes of DCM are not well defined, and from human studies, sarcomere and cytoskeletal gene mutations, abnormalities of the dystrophin-sarcoglycan complex, myocarditis, toxics, and muscle dystrophy are regarded as some of the inducing factors of DCM (1)(2)(3).…”

“…The causes of DCM are not well defined, and from human studies, sarcomere and cytoskeletal gene mutations, abnormalities of the dystrophin-sarcoglycan complex, myocarditis, toxics, and muscle dystrophy are regarded as some of the inducing factors of DCM (1)(2)(3). DCM is often the long-term outcome of cardiac hypertrophy due to increased workload, such as hypertension and valve disease (4).…”

Introduction: What Is Translational Research

“…(iii) Create better opportunities for universities to commercialize their discoveries, and (iv) Promote the regulation of the effi cacy and quality of the process and its products. To give some more concrete ideas on what can be expected from Translational Cardiovascular Research, E. Braunwald [ 61 ] describes the following aspects in which hopes exist for the next years from Translating Research into improved care: Research in microRNAs, dilated cardiomyopathy, adaptive immunity in atherogenesis, cardiac hypertrophy and failure, gene therapy, regenerative therapy, sudden cardiac death, myocardial reperfusion injury, nitrosylation. Actually all of them are addressed in this book.…”