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Studies have found that one of the most widely used illicit drugs, marijuana, could hold great therapeutic promise for the treatment of obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and atherosclerosis. Paul Szmitko and Subodh Verma discuss how modulation of the endocannabinoid system might form the basis of new therapeutic strategies for these pathophysiologically linked conditions.
The main surveillance method for allograft rejection after heart transplantation is endomyocardial biopsy, but this method's invasive nature and poor uniformity of results pose problems. Noninvasive, reliable monitoring methods are, therefore, sought. In this review, protein-based and gene-based targets for the testing of allograft function to fulfill this role are discussed.
Small, dense HDL possesses potent antioxidative activity but this is compromised under conditions of atherogenic dyslipidemia. The raising of HDL cholesterol levels might, however, improve functionality. In this review, Kontush and Chapman explore the mechanisms behind the antiatherogenic effects of small HDL, and the possible roles of these particles as therapeutic targets.
Although coronary angiography is an established technique in the assessment of atherosclerosis, it is limited by 2-dimensional imaging and poor differentiation between plaque types. Optical coherence tomography enables visualization of plaque architecture at the microscopic level, and in this review the possibilities of its use as an alternative modality are discussed.
The implementation of guidelines into everyday practice does not always seem straightforward. In this primer article, Eagle and colleagues provide a summary of efforts to improve care for acute coronary syndromes in the Guidelines Applied in Practice program in Michigan, highlighting particularly methods that could be transferable to other cardiovascular subspecialties.
