Recent insights into pathophysiology and management of mechanical complications of myocardial infarction.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Mechanical complications of myocardial infarction are a group of postischemic events and include papillary muscle rupture resulting in ischemic mitral regurgitation, ventricular septal defect, left ventricle free wall rupture, pseudoaneurysm, and true aneurysm. Advances made in management strategies, such as the institution of 'Code STEMI' and percutaneous interventions, have lowered the incidence of these complications. However, their presentation is still associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Early diagnosis and appropriate management is crucial for facilitating better clinical outcomes. RECENT FINDINGS: Although the exact timing of a curative intervention is not known, emerging percutaneous and transcatheter approaches and improving mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices have greatly enhanced our ability to manage and treat some of the complications postinfarct. SUMMARY: Although the incidence of mechanical complications of myocardial infarction has decreased over the past few decades, these complications are still associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. The combination of early and accurate diagnosis and subsequent appropriate management are imperative for optimizing clinical outcomes. Although more randomized clinical trials are needed, mechanical circulatory support devices and emerging therapeutic strategies can be offered to carefully selected patients.

Statins as Potential Therapeutics for Esophageal Cancer.

Esophageal cancer is a malignancy that has a poor prognosis, which is mainly due to patients presenting once the cancer is in the advances stages. Chemotherapy has been the mainstay for treating esophageal cancer. However, these agents are not consistently effective and fail to differentiate between the different subtypes of esophageal cancers. Targeted therapies have slowly been introduced into the clinical setting, and initial results seem to be promising. Nevertheless, these medications are not universally cheap and also have non-negligible side effects. Therefore, identifying other classes of drugs which could possess anti-esophageal cancer properties is appealing. In addition to expediting the research and development phases of drug discovery, these agents will have known side effect profiles. Statins are a class of cholesterol-lowering medications that have been prescribed for decades. There is a growing body of literature that has shown the anticancer properties of statins in the setting of various malignancies. Herein, we summarize and assimilate the current evidence pertaining to the potential anti-esophageal cancer benefits of statins. We also discuss the limitations of the published studies and consider the future role statins can play in treating patients with esophageal cancers.

Targeting the Mevalonate Pathway for Treating Esophageal Cancer.

PURPOSE: To asseess whether the mevalonate pathway can be targeted in managing patients with esophageal cancer. METHODS: This a narrative review of peer-revieweed publications indexed in MedLine PubMed. The search was conducted by using "Esophageal cancer", "Mevalonate pahtway", "Statins", and "Translational research." RESULTS: The mevalonate pathway is an important metabolic pathway that is involved in various cellular functions. Its downstream products are essential for cell-signaling, cell membrane integrity, protein synthesis, and cellular respiration. Statins, a class of medications that are best known as lipid-lowering drugs, inhibit the rate-limiting enzyme of this pathway. Many studies have shown that a variety of cancerous cells have a dysregulated mevalonate pathway. Esophageal cancer is a malignancy that has a poor prognosis, which is mainly due to patients presenting once the cancer is in the advances stages. Chemotherapy has been the mainstay for treating esophageal cancer. However, these agents are not consistently effective and fail to differentiate between the different subtypes of esophageal cancers. Identifying other classes of drugs which could possess anti esophageal cancer properties is appealing. CONCLUSION: There is a growing body of literature that has shown the anti-cancer properties of statins in the setting of various malignancies. Herein, we summarize the current literature as it pertains to how the mevalonate pathway can be targeted by statins for potentially treating esophageal cancer.