Infections, immunity and atherosclerosis: Pathogenic mechanisms and unsolved questions

Thymic emigration patterns in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with metformin

“…Diabetes mellitus is known to increase susceptibility to infections and cancers because of hyperglycaemia‐induced dysfunction of the immune system . Moreover, several molecular and biological mechanisms have been described that are possibly involved in the complex relationship between infections, immune response, vascular wall damage and atherosclerosis onset and progression . Not much is known about the influence of diabetic conditions on the immune regulation including total thymic output, although it might significantly influence immune response.…”

“…9,10 Moreover, several molecular and biological mechanisms have been described that are possibly involved in the complex relationship between infections, immune response, vascular wall damage and atherosclerosis onset and progression. 11 Not much is known about the influence of diabetic conditions on the immune regulation including total thymic output, although it might significantly influence immune response. Metformin is the most commonly used anti-diabetic agent for type 2 diabetes.…”

Commentary: Bacterial infiltration in structural heart valve disease—Do these new insights have profound consequences?

“…There is growing evidence that microbes have a role in noninfectious diseases, such as certain cancers 1 and even coronary artery disease. 2 In the case of structural heart valve disease (sVHD), classic risks such as hyperlipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, and deranged calcium metabolism are fairly well understood. Various investigators, however, have both detected bacteria in degenerated heart valve tissue 3 and have proposed mechanisms whereby bacteria promote tissue calcification 4 and therefore could have a role in the pathogenesis of sVHD.…”

Heat Shock Proteins and Cardiovascular Disease

“…A decrease in cardiovascular risk markers has been reported in some studies; for example, plasma cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, fibrinogen, and IL-8; and a reduction of restenosis rates after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty [48][49][50]. Other studies have reported no significant effect [51]. Pesonen and coworkers [52] reported that the presence of antibodies to several microorganisms was positively associated with carotid intimal thickening, an atherosclerotic marker, in young children.…”