Clinical Research Directory

Assessment of Platelet-derived GARP in Atherosclerotic Disease

The leading cause of death is cardiovascular diseases in occidental countries. Of those, atherosclerosis is the major contributor to this burden being notably responsible for strokes and myocardial infarctions. The genesis of atherosclerosis is linked to both lipid accumulation and inflammation in the vascular wall of major arteries. One of the major pathways of inflammation is the TGF-beta axis which is at least partially regulated by the GARP protein. It has been investigated mostly in cancer biology but data in cardiovascular disease is lacking. Thus, the investigators aim to characterize the contribution of this protein by investigating its expression in tissue from patients with atherosclerosis, the carotid or femoral plaque representing a good source of residual material adequate for research purpose. The main cells expressing the GARP protein are the platelets and the T regulating cells which will be the main focus.

Prognostic Indices of Atheromatosis Severity and Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery Outcomes for Patients With Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary artery disease is a multifactorial disease. Traditional risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, stimulate the onset of an inflammatory process in the prone vessel and perivascular adipose tissue, which has not yet been clarified and is still being investigated. Coronary artery bypass grafting is an effective treatment of coronary artery disease, which has been shown to prolong survival. Perioperative analysis of the myocardial metabolic profile helps to identify appropriate markers and metabolites associated with early myocardial damage. This, in turn, helps to improve risk stratification by better understanding the mechanisms of the disease processes, in order to prevent postoperative myocardial infarction and its associated complications. Such indicators, which are related to the diagnosis and severity of coronary artery disease, as well as the prognosis of coronary artery bypass grafting, have been separately studied before, in the peripheral blood of patients with coronary artery disease, in healthy vascular tissues, such as mammary artery, compared to atherosclerotic tissue from the coronary artery, as well as in the epicardial adipose tissue, intraoperatively. The aim of the proposed study is to investigate and evaluate metabolic factors and biomarkers preoperatively, intraoperatively and postoperatively, in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting and their prognostic value regarding a) the severity of coronary artery disease (Gensini score, ejection fraction, acute coronary syndrome) and b) the outcome of surgery (indications of myocardial damage and / or infarction, low cardiac output syndrome and use of intraortic balloon pump, atrial fibrillation, 30-day mortality).