A Missing LNC in Vascular Diseases

Long non-coding RNAs in cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure: functions, mechanisms and clinical prospects

The surge in reports describing non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) has focused attention on their possible biological roles and effects on development and disease. ncRNAs have been touted as previously uncharacterized regulators of gene expression and cellular processes, possibly working to fine-tune these functions. The sheer number of ncRNAs identified has outpaced the capacity to characterize each molecule thoroughly and to reliably establish its clinical relevance; it has, nonetheless, created excitement about their potential as molecular targets for novel therapeutic approaches to treat human disease. In this Review, we focus on one category of ncRNAs - long non-coding RNAs - and their expression, functions and molecular mechanisms in cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. We further discuss the prospects for this specific class of ncRNAs as novel targets for the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions.

The gene variant for desmin rs1058261 may protect against combined cancer and cardiovascular death, the Tampere adult population cardiovascular risk study

Desmin-containing intermediate filaments are a part of muscle cytoskeleton. We have previously reported that the wild-type cytosine/cytosine genotype of a common Desmin synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism (C > T) (rs1058261) associated with cardiovascular diseases in a cohort of subjects from the Tampere adult population cardiovascular risk study. We now examined whether rs1058261 also associates with early death by following the cohort of 801 subjects from the age of 50 up to the age of 65. Outcomes for death were collected from the National Statistics Centre. Linkage disequilibrium analysis and gene expression correlations for rs1058261 were done in silico. With follow-up, subjects with wild-type cytosine/cytosine genotype had higher incidence of cancer deaths (odds ratio [OR] 5.27, confidence interval [CI] 1.160-23.946, P = .031), combined deaths from cardiovascular diseases or cancers (OR 3.92, CI 1.453-10.596, P = .007), and "hard" acute cardiovascular disease events (early myocardial infarction and/or death) (OR 3.90, CI 1.287-11.855, P = .016) compared to subjects with the T-allele. The in silico results of linkage disequilibrium and gene expression analyses showed negative gene expression sizes associated with rs1058261, which theoretically decreases desmin expression. Our findings suggest that variation rs1058261 in Desmin may serve as a surrogate marker for other variations involved in decrease of deaths from combined cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Markers

Cardiovascular risk is assessed for the prediction and appropriate management of patients using collections of identified risk markers obtained from clinical questionnaire information, concentrations of certain blood molecules (e.g., N-terminal proB-type natriuretic peptide fragment and soluble receptors of tumor-necrosis factor-α and interleukin-2), imaging data using various modalities, and electrocardiographic variables, in addition to traditional risk factors.