Medicinal Macrofungi as Cosmeceuticals: A Review.

Macrofungi (mushrooms) have been studied for their nutritional value and medicinal properties. However, progress in the biotechnological application of macrofungi in the cosmetic industry as cosmeceuticals and nutricosmetics remains slow. Currently, the cosmetic industry is in a constant search for valuable natural ingredients or extracts with relevant bioactive properties (e.g., antiaging, anticollagenase, antielastase, antihyaluronidase, antipigmentation, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antityrosinase) to design formulations. Edible medicinal mushrooms are an unlimited source of nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. They can be used as a source of ingredients to develop organic cosmeceuticals, nutriceuticals, and nutracosmetics for topical and oral administration.

The Cardioprotective Properties of Agaricomycetes Mushrooms Growing in the Territory of Armenia: Review.

Several edible and medicinal Agaricomycetes mushrooms possess biologically active compounds with different therapeutic effects, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypocholesterolemic, hypoglycemic, anti-hypertensive, fibrinolytic, and thrombolytic, and have potential use as cardioprotective remedies. Previous studies have shown that mushrooms possessing cardioprotective effects (CPEs) contain a high amount of vitamins and minerals and low fat content, which make them applicable as a supplementary dietary and functional food for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The current review evaluates the resource value of 31 edible and nonedible medicinal Agaricomycetes mushrooms with potential CPEs growing in the territory of Armenia and discusses the future perspectives of their usage in biotechnology and biomedicine.

Ischemic Stroke and Heart Failure: Facts and Numbers. An Update.

Heart failure (HF) is a severe clinical syndrome accompanied by a number of comorbidities. Ischemic stroke occurs frequently in patients with HF as a complication of the disease. In the present review, we aimed to summarize the current state of research on the role of cardio-cerebral interactions in the prevalence, etiology, and prognosis of both diseases. The main pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the development of stroke in HF and vice versa are discussed. In addition, we reviewed the results of recent clinical trials investigating the prevalence and prevention of stroke in patients with HF.

Early rehabilitation after stroke: relationship between the heart rate variability and functional outcome.

AIMS: Impaired autonomic nervous system regulation is frequently observed in patients with stroke. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the impact of cardiac autonomic tone on functional outcome after the early post-stroke rehabilitation. METHODS AND RESULTS: One hundred and three consecutive patients (67 ± 11 years, body mass index (BMI) 27.1 ± 5.4 kg/m2 , 64% men) with ischaemic (84% of patients) and haemorrhagic stroke were studied. Depressed heart rate variability (HRV), as a surrogate marker of increased sympathetic tone, was defined by the standard deviation of NN intervals < 100 ms and HRV triangular index ≤ 20 assessed from a 24 h Holter electrocardiogram at admission to rehabilitation (23 ± 16 days after stroke). Twenty-two per cent of patients had depressed HRV at baseline and were comparable with patients with normal HRV with regard to their functional [Barthel Index (BI), modified Rankin Scale (mRS), and Rivermead Motor Assessment (RMA)] and biochemical status. After a 4-week follow-up, 70% of patients with depressed HRV showed a cumulative functional disability, defined by mRS ≥ 4, BI ≤ 70, and RMA ≤ 5, in contrast to patients with normal HRV (35%, P = 0.003). Patients with depressed HRV showed a worse functional status by BI (-16%, P < 0.001), RMA (-12%, P < 0.05), and mRS (+16%, P < 0.01), compared with patients with normal HRV. Cumulative functional disability was associated with depressed HRV (odds ratio 4.25, 95% confidence interval 1.56-11.54, P < 0.005) after adjustment for age, sex, and body mass index (odds ratio 4.6, 95% confidence interval 1.42-14.97, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of autonomic cardiovascular dysregulation in patients with subacute stroke was associated with adverse functional outcome after the early post-stroke rehabilitation.

Cardiac muscle wasting in individuals with cancer cachexia.

AIMS: Cachexia is a severe complication of cancer that adversely affects the course of the disease and is associated with high rates of mortality. Patients with cancer manifest symptoms, such as fatigue, shortness of breath, and impaired exercise tolerance, which are clinical signs of chronic heart failure. The aim of this study was to evaluate cardiac muscle wasting in cancer individuals. METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively analysed 177 individuals who died of cancer, including 58 lung, 60 pancreatic, and 59 gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, and 42 cancer-free controls who died of other, non-cardiovascular reasons. Cancer cachexia (CC) was defined based on clinical and/or pathological diagnosis, body mass index (BMI) <20.0 kg/m2 and/or oedema-free body weight loss of 5.0% during the previous year or less. The pathology reports were analysed for BMI, heart weight (HW), and left and right ventricular wall thicknesses (LVWT and RVWT, respectively). The analysis of clinical data included recording of biochemical parameters and medication data of study patients. CC was detected in 54 (30.5%) subjects. Individuals with CC had a significantly lower HW than non-cachectic subjects (363.1 ± 86.2 vs. 447.0 ± 128.9 g, P < 0.001) and control group (412.9 ± 75.8 g, P < 0.05). BMI correlated with HW in cases with GI cancer (r = 0.44, P < 0.001), lung cancer (r = 0.53, P < 0.0001), and pancreatic cancer (r = 0.39, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Body weight loss in individuals with lung, pancreatic, and GI cancers is accompanied by a decrease in HW. In patients with CC who receive cancer treatment, screening for cardiac muscle wasting may have clinical importance.

The effect of trimetazidine on left ventricular systolic function and physical tolerance in patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy.

OBJECTIVE: Trimetazidine (TMZ) is the first of novel antianginal drugs with a cardioprotective effect, selectively inhibiting mitochondrial long-chain 3-ketoacyl coenzyme A thiolase. This study tested the hypothesis that the cytoprotective beneficial effect of this agent can lead to the improvement of left ventricular (LV) systolic function and tolerance to physical activity in patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy. METHODS AND RESULTS: In 82 consecutive patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy, a subgroup of patients (n = 42) was assigned to receive a modified form of TMZ (35 mg twice daily) in addition to the conventional therapy for the duration of three months. All patients underwent clinical, echocardiographic examination and a six-minute walk test at baseline and after a three-month treatment. The therapy with TMZ significantly improved the functional class in these patients. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) increased by 3.5 +/- 6.72% (from 34.5 +/- 3.8% to 38.0 +/- 4.8%) in the TMZ group vs. 0.8 +/- 8.06% (from 32.4 +/- 5.6% to 33.2 +/- 5.8%) in the control group (P = 0.05). The tolerance to physical activity improved by 30.0 +/- 20.7 m in the TMZ group (from 215 +/- 17.5 m to 245 +/- 20.7 m) vs. 2.0 +/- 18.85 m (from 208.2 +/- 12.4 m to 210.2 +/- 14.2 m) in the control group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: A therapeutic intervention with TMZ in conjunction with the standard therapy, over a three-month period, is associated with an increase in LVEF and improved tolerance to physical activity in patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy.