Echocardiographic Assessment of Epicardial Adipose Tissue Thickness as Independent Predictor in Coronary Artery Disease.

This study aimed to assess the utility of echocardiography-measured EAT tickness (EATT) as an independent predictor for CAD, examining its correlation with oxidative stress levels in epicardial tissue and the complexity of the disease in patients undergoing open-heart surgery. This study included a total of 25 patients referred for cardiac surgery with 14 in the CAD group and 11 in the non-CAD group. Epicardial fat was sampled from patients subjected to open-heart surgery. EATT was higher in the CAD group compared to the non-CAD group (8.15±2.09 mm vs. 5.12±1.8 mm, p=0.001). The epicardial ROS level was higher in the CAD group compared to the non-CAD group (21.4±2.47 nmol H2O2/g tisssue/h vs. 15.7±1.55 nmol H2O2/g tisssue/h, p<0.001). EATT greater than 6.05 mm was associated with CAD, with a sensitivity of 86% and specificity of 73%. Echocardiographically measured EATT is a significant, independent predictor of CAD. Its relationship with increased EAT oxidative stress levels suggests a potential mechanistic link between EATT and CAD pathogenesis. These findings highlight the importance of EATT as a diagnostic tool in assessing the complexity of CAD in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Impairment of mitochondrial respiration in platelets and placentas: a pilot study in preeclamptic pregnancies.

Preeclampsia (PE) is a major complication of pregnancy with partially elucidated pathophysiology. Placental mitochondrial dysfunction has been increasingly studied as major pathomechanism in both early- and late-onset PE. Impairment of mitochondrial respiration in platelets has recently emerged as a peripheral biomarker that may mirror organ mitochondrial dysfunction in several acute and chronic pathologies. The present study was purported to assess mitochondrial respiratory dys/function in both platelets and placental mitochondria in PE pregnancies. To this aim, a high-resolution respirometry SUIT (Substrate-Uncoupler-Inhibitor-Titration) protocol was adapted to assess complex I (glutamate + malate)- and complex II (succinate)-supported respiration. A decrease in all respiratory parameters (basal, coupled, and maximal uncoupled respiration) in peripheral platelets was found in preeclamptic as compared to healthy pregnancies. At variance, placental mitochondria showed a dichotomous behavior in preeclampsia in relation to the fetal birth weight. PE pregnancies with fetal growth restriction were associated with decreased in coupled respiration (oxidative phosphorylation/OXPHOS capacity) and maximal uncoupled respiration (electron transfer/ET capacity). At variance, these respiratory parameters were increased for both complex I- and II-supported respiration in PE pregnancies with normal weight fetuses. Large randomized controlled clinical studies are needed in order to advance our understanding of mitochondrial adaptive vs. pathological changes in preeclampsia.

Assessment of Platelet Mitochondrial Respiration in a Pediatric Population: A Pilot Study in Healthy Children and Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Characterization of mitochondrial respiration in peripheral blood cells has recently emerged as a potential biomarker for the assessment of the severity of hematological malignancies (HM) in adults. Whether changes in platelet respiratory function occur in children with or without HM it is unknown. The present pilot study was double-aimed: (i) to investigate whether platelet respiration is age-dependent in non-HM children and (ii) to assess the platelet mitochondrial respiration in children with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Blood samples obtained from age-grouped children (10-11, 13-14 and 16-17 years) with non-HM and children with ALL (10-11 years) were used to isolate platelets via differential centrifugation. High-resolution respirometry studies of isolated platelets were performed according to a protocol adapted to evaluate complex I and II-supported respiration. An age-related decrease in respiration was observed in the non-HM pediatric population and had comparable values for the 13-14 and 16-17 years. groups. In children with ALL, a significant increase in C I-supported active respiration and decrease in maximal noncoupled respiration were found at the disease onset. In conclusion, in a pediatric population, platelet mitochondrial respiration is age-dependent. Platelet respiratory dysfunction occurs in children with newly-diagnosed ALL, an observation that warrants further investigation of this change as a disease biomarker.

Pleiotropic Effects of Eugenol: The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown.

Phytocompounds and medicinal herbs were used in traditional ancient medicine and are nowadays increasingly screened in both experimental and clinical settings due to their beneficial effects in several major pathologies. Similar to the drug industry, phytotherapy is interested in using nanobased delivery systems to view the identification and characterization of the cellular and molecular therapeutic targets of plant components. Eugenol, the major phenolic constituent of clove essential oil, is a particularly versatile phytochemical with a vast range of therapeutic properties, among which the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticarcinogenic effects have been systematically addressed. In the past decade, with the emerging understanding of the role of mitochondria as critical organelles in the pathophysiology of noncommunicable diseases, research regarding the role of phytochemicals as modulators of bioenergetics and metabolism is on a rise. Here, we present a brief overview of the major pharmacological properties of eugenol, with special emphasis on its applications in dental medicine, and provide preliminary data regarding its effects, alone, and included in polyurethane nanostructures, on mitochondrial bioenergetics, and glycolysis in human HaCaT keratinocytes.

Vitamin D alleviates oxidative stress in adipose tissue and mesenteric vessels from obese patients with subclinical inflammation.

Obesity is an age-independent, lifestyle-triggered, pandemic disease associated with both endothelial and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) dysfunction leading to cardiometabolic complications mediated via increased oxidative stress and persistent chronic inflammation. The purpose of the present study was to assess the oxidative stress in VAT and vascular samples and the effect of in vitro administration of vitamin D. VAT and mesenteric artery branches were harvested during abdominal surgery performed on patients referred for general surgery (n = 30) that were randomized into two subgroups: nonobese and obese. Serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and vitamin D were measured. Tissue samples were treated or not with the active form of vitamin D: 1,25(OH)2D3 (100 nmol/L, 12 h). The main findings are that in obese patients, (i) a low vitamin D status was associated with increased inflammatory markers and reactive oxygen species generation in VAT and vascular samples and (ii) in vitro incubation with vitamin D alleviated oxidative stress in VAT and vascular preparations and also improved the vascular function. We report here that the serum level of vitamin D is inversely correlated with the magnitude of oxidative stress in the adipose tissue. Ex vivo treatment with active vitamin D mitigated obesity-related oxidative stress.