These data--showing sustained amelioration of cardiac function in a post-MI pig HF model--demonstrate the therapeutic potential of βARKct gene therapy for HF.

Retinal microvascular dilatation in response to flicker light is impaired in CHF. RVA may represent a new and useful method to non-invasively monitor microvascular abnormalities in heart failure in an easy and standardized way without the use of radiation.

The endothelium has increasingly been recognized as a smart barrier and a key regulator of blood flow in microand macrovascular beds. Endothelial dysfunction marks a stage of atherosclerosis and is an important prognostic marker for cardiovascular disease. Yet, some people who tend to be slim and physically active and with rather low blood pressure show a propensity to respond to certain stimuli such as emotional stress with endothelial-mediated vascular dysregulation (Flammer syndrome). This leads to characteristic vascular symptoms such as cold hands but also a risk for vascularmediated diseases such as normal-tension glaucoma. It is the aim of this review to delineate the differences between Flammer syndrome and its Bcounterpart^endothelial dysfunction in the context of cardiovascular diseases.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) represents the most common cause of death worldwide. The consumption of natural polyphenol-rich foods, and cocoa in particular, has been related to a reduced risk of CVD, including coronary heart disease and stroke. Intervention studies strongly suggest that cocoa exerts a beneficial impact on cardiovascular health, through the reduction of blood pressure (BP), improvement of vascular function, modulation of lipid and glucose metabolism, and reduction of platelet aggregation. These potentially beneficial effects have been shown in healthy subjects as well as in patients with risk factors (arterial hypertension, diabetes, and smoking) or established CVD (coronary heart disease or heart failure). Several potential mechanisms are supposed to be responsible for the positive effect of cocoa; among them activation of nitric oxide (NO) synthase, increased bioavailability of NO as well as antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. It is the aim of this review to summarize the findings of cocoa and chocolate on BP and vascular function.

Aims Dynamic retinal vessel analysis is a novel, non‐invasive method to assess microvascular function. The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether retinal microcirculation is impaired in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) compared to patients with heart failure due to CAD (ischaemic heart failure, IHF). Methods and results A total of 150 adults were enrolled to prospectively assess micro‐ and macrovasculature. The pre‐defined primary outcome was flicker‐induced arterial dilatation (FIDa) in patients with CAD [n = 40; median age 63 years, interquartile range (IQR) 53–70] and IHF (n = 40; median age 63 years, IQR 59–71) compared to healthy controls (HC, n = 70; median age 57 years, IQR 41–69). Secondary outcomes included arterial stiffness, flow‐mediated dilatation, biomarkers, and ergospirometry parameters. Patients with CAD demonstrated impairment in FIDa that was even more pronounced in patients with IHF (CAD: 1.93 ± 0.28% vs. IHF: 0.41 ± 0.28%, P < 0.001; FIDa in HC: 3.69 ± 0.21%, both P < 0.001) adjusting for age, sex, concomitant medication, and co‐morbidities. While pulse wave velocity was increased and flow‐mediated dilatation reduced in CAD and IHF patients (both P < 0.001 compared to HC), neither differed between CAD and IHF patients. N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide (r = −0.49, P < 0.001,) and high‐sensitivity troponin T (r = −0.28, P = 0.003) correlated with FIDa. Intriguingly, mean metabolic equivalents (5.3 ± 2.3 kcal/kg/h, n = 39) showed a positive correlation with FIDa (r = 0.58, P < 0.001). Conclusion This study demonstrates a decline of retinal arterial function in CAD patients that is significantly more pronounced in the presence of reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, suggesting a continuum of microvascular damage.

No abstract

No abstract

Adapting CM protocols to automatically selected tube voltage levels allows for low-volume CM CTA examinations of CABG grafts with diagnostic image quality.