Monocyte subsets in myocardial infarction: A review.

BACKGROUND: Monocytes form an important part of the human innate immune system by taking part in inflammatory reactions. With time, monocytes have gained interest in the role they may play during the event of myocardial infarction (MI). The current paradigm suggests that monocytes consist of three subdivisions which differ in phenotypic and dynamic patterns after an MI. In the inflammation that ensues, the different subsets have been shown to have an impact on reparative processes and patient recovery. METHODS & RESULTS: We searched Medline and Embase until April 5, 2016, for observational studies or clinical trials regarding monocyte functions and dynamics in MI. Apart from studies in humans, extensive work has been done in mice in an effort to understand the complex nature of monocyte dynamics. Animal models might add useful information on mapping these processes. CONCLUSION: The question still remains whether animal data can, to a certain degree, be extrapolated to monocyte functions during human MI. This review aims to summarize current available evidence on both mice and men with particular focus on the understanding of monocyte subsets dynamics and effects in human MI.

MicroRNAs as circulating biomarkers in acute coronary syndromes: A review.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) and its complications remain the most common cause of death worldwide. Cardiac troponins (cTn) are standard biomarkers used today for diagnosis and risk stratification of myocardial infarction (MI). Increasing efforts are made to develop additional, new biomarkers for more effective and safe rule-in and rule-out of MI patients at the emergency department. During the past decade, microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as new, potential diagnostic biomarkers in several diseases, including MI. In this review, we aimed to summarize some of the prominent studies in the field, and discuss the potential value of miRNAs in the diagnosis of MI.