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In recent years, the importance of the gut microbiome in human health and disease has increased. Growing evidence suggests that gut dysbiosis might be a crucial risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine whether or not CAD is associated with specific changes in the gut microbiome. The V3-V4 regions of the 16S rDNA from fecal samples were analyzed to compare the gut microbiome composition between CAD patients and controls. Our search yielded 1181 articles, of which 21 met inclusion criteria for systematic review and 7 for meta-analysis. The alpha-diversity, including observed OTUs, Shannon and Simpson indices, was significantly decreased in CAD, indicating the reduced richness of the gut microbiome. The most consistent results in a systematic review and meta-analysis pointed out the reduced abundance of Bacteroidetes and Lachnospiraceae in CAD patients. Moreover, Enterobacteriaceae , Lactobacillus , and Streptococcus taxa demonstrated an increased trend in CAD patients. The alterations in the gut microbiota composition are associated with qualitative and quantitative changes in bacterial metabolites, many of which have pro-atherogenic effects on endothelial cells, increasing the risk of developing and progressing CAD., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. All co-authors have seen and agree with the manuscript’s contents, and there is no financial interest to report. We certify that the submission is original work and is not under review at any other publication. The authors have no competing interests to declare.

A patient's compliance to a physician's lifestyle information is essential in chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) patients. We assessed potential characteristics associated with a patient's recollection of physician information and lifestyle changes. This study recruited and interviewed patients (aged ≤ 80 years) 6-18 months after hospitalization due to acute coronary syndrome or elective myocardial revascularization. A physician's information on risk factors was recognized if patients recollected the assessment of their diet, weight management, blood pressure control, cholesterol level, diabetes, and other lifestyle factors by the doctor. Of a total of 946 chronic coronary syndrome patients, 52.9% (501) of them declared the recollection of providing information on more than 80% of the risk factors. A good recollection of risk factor information was associated with the following: a patient's age (OR per year: 0.97; 95% CI: 0.95 to 0.99), obesity (OR: 4.41; 95% CI: 3.09-6.30), diabetes (OR: 4.16; 95% CI: 2.96-5.84), diuretic therapy (OR: 1.41; 95% CI: 1.03-1.91), calcium channel blockers (OR: 1.47; 95% CI: 1.04-2.09), and ACEI/sartan (OR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.45-0.94) at hospitalization discharge. In terms of goal attainment, better adherence to antihypertensive drugs (OR: 1.80; 95% CI: 1.07-3.03) was observed in the patients with a good compared to a poor recollection of risk factor information. The recollection of physician risk factor information was significantly associated with more comorbidities. Strategies to tailor the conveying of information to a patient's perception are needed for optimal patient-doctor communication.

The aim of our study was to evaluate the importance of insulin-like growth-factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP-7) as a potential marker of symptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD) occurrence. The study group consisted of 145 patients with diagnosed PAD, who qualified for the invasive treatment. The control group consisted of 67 individuals representing the local population and an ischemic heart disease (IHD) group of 88 patients after myocardial infarction or percutaneous coronary intervention. Patients with PAD had significantly higher IGFBP-7 concentrations than control group (1.80 ± 1.62 vs. 1.41 ± 0.45 ng/mL, p = 0.04). No significant differences between PAD patients and IHD patients were found (1.80 ± 1.62 vs. 1.76 ± 1.04 ng/mL, p = 0.783). Patients with multilevel PAD presented significantly higher IGFBP-7 concentrations than patients with aortoiliac PAD-median 1.18 (IQR 0.48-2.23) vs. 1.42 ng/mL (0.71-2.63), p = 0.035. In the group of patients who died or had a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) during six months of follow-up, a statistically significant higher IGFBP-7 concentration was found (median 2.66 (IQR 1.80-4.93) vs. 1.36 ng/mL (IQR 0.65-2.34), p = 0.004). It seems that IGFBP-7 is elevated in patients with atherosclerotic lesions-regardless of their locations. Further research should be conducted to verify IGFBP-7 usefulness as a predictor of MACE or death.

Cardiovascular diseases are the most common causes of hospitalization, death, and disability in Europe. Due to high prevalence and ensuing clinical complications, they lead to very high social and economic costs. Despite the knowledge of classical cardiovascular risk factors, there is an urgent need for discovering new factors that may play a role in the development of cardiovascular diseases or potentially influence prognosis. Recently, particular attention has been drawn to the endogenous microflora of the human body, mostly those inhabiting the digestive system. It has been shown that bacteria, along with their host cells, create an interactive ecosystem of interdependencies and relationships. This interplay could influence both the metabolic homeostasis and the immune processes of the host, hence leading to cardiovascular disease development. In this review, we attempt to describe, in the context of cardiovascular risk factors, why particular microbes occur in individuals and how they might influence the host's cardiovascular system in health and disease.

Background: The exact role of individual inflammatory factor in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) remains elusive. The study aimed to evaluate three monocyte subsets (classical-CD14 ++ CD16 - , intermediate-CD14 ++ CD16 + , and nonclassical-CD14 + CD16 ++ ) in HFrEF patients and to assess the effect of the cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) on the changes in monocyte compartment., Methods: The study included 85 patients with stable HFrEF. Twenty-five of them underwent CRT device implantation with subsequent 6-month assessment. The control group consisted of 23 volunteers without HFrEF., Results: The analysis revealed that frequencies of non-classical-CD14 + CD16 ++ monocytes were lower in HFrEF patients compared to the control group (6.98 IQR: 4.95-8.65 vs. 8.37 IQR: 6.47-9.94; p = 0.021), while CD14 ++ CD16 + and CD14 ++ CD16 - did not differ. The analysis effect of CRT on the frequency of analysed monocyte subsets 6 months after CRT device implantation showed a significant increase in CD14 + CD16 ++ (from 7 IQR: 4.5-8.4 to 7.9 IQR: 6.5-9.5; p = 0.042) and CD14 ++ CD16 + (from 5.1 IQR: 3.7-6.5 to 6.8 IQR: 5.4-7.4; p = 0.017) monocytes, while the frequency of steady-state CD14 ++ CD16 - monocytes was decreased (from 81.4 IQR: 78-86.2 to 78.2 IQR: 76.1-81.7; p = 0.003)., Conclusions: HFrEF patients present altered monocyte composition. CRT-related changes in the monocyte compartment achieve levels observed in controls without HFrEF.

Cardiovascular diseases are the most common causes of hospitalization, death and disability in Europe. Despite our knowledge of nonmodifiable and modifiable cardiovascular classical risk factors, the morbidity and mortality in this group of diseases remains high, leading to high social and economic costs. Therefore, it is necessary to explore new factors, such as the gut microbiome, that may play a role in many crucial pathological processes related to cardiovascular diseases. Diet is a potentially modifiable cardiovascular risk factor. Fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals are nutrients that are essential to the proper function of the human body. The style and composition of the human diet has changed over time, evolving from a hunter-gatherer diet to an industrialized and Westernized modern diet that includes processed products. The relationship between the gut microbiome, diet and cardiovascular diseases is complex and still not fully understood. In this review, we discuss, in the context of diet, why particular microbes occur in individuals and how they can influence the host's cardiovascular system in health and disease. We investigate the role of particular microorganisms and changes in the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio.