Guest Editors:
Giuseppe Paolisso: University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Italy
Ronan Murphy: Dublin City University, Ireland
Marc Vanderheyden: OLV Ziekenhuis, Belgium
Clinical Epigenetics is calling for submissions to our new Collection on Clinical Epigenetics of Heart Failure.
This collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being.
Heart failure (HF) is one of the most frequent and disabling diseases, affecting around 3% of the general population. It's particularly feared as a complication of chronic and acute ischemic heart disease, arterial hypertension, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, complicated aortic stenosis, and especially diabetes mellitus. Furthermore, with the increasing number of patients undergoing chemotherapy, the incidence of cancer treatment-related cardiac dysfunction is on a steady rise. It's important to emphasize that these conditions often arise during aging, which per se, can contribute to HF development. Traditionally, two distinct phenotypes have been identified based on the ejection fraction (EF): HFpEF and HFrEF. These phenotypes are characterized by unique clinical features and require different therapy.
Epigenetic changes can also be attributed to environmental and lifestyle factors (such as physical activity and smoking) and are involved in the aetiology and development of HF. Moreover, alterations in DNA methylation and RNA expression can be considered consequences of the diseases rather than just factors contributing to their development, thus identifying potential biomarkers for disease progression.
Epigenetic variations can be associated with altered gene expression related to inflammation and atherosclerosis development, contributing to pathological cardiac remodelling and cardiomyocyte dysfunction. More recently, the use of omics, which takes a holistic approach to genomics, combined with their bioinformatic interpretation, including the use of artificial intelligence systems, has provided new insights into the impact of epigenetics in the physiopathology of HF. These insights deserve serious consideration, especially concerning potential therapeutic implications.
Indeed, the possibility of identifying and targeting erasers, writers, and readers offers the significant advantage of acting on multiple metabolic pathways rather than just a single protein or pathway, thereby expanding the possibilities for therapeutic success.
Given all these new research possibilities, this Collection will gladly consider Original Research, Short Communications, Mini-reviews, and Review articles that address heart failure and epigenetics topics.
Image credits: andrei_r / Getty Images / iStock
Environmental exposure, medical diagnostic and therapeutic applications, and industrial utilization of radionuclides have prompted a growing focus on the risks associated with low-dose radiation (< 100 mGy). C...
The management of myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury (MIRI) presents continuous therapeutic challenges. NAD-dependent deacetylase Sirtuin 6 (Sirt6) plays distinct roles in various disease contexts and is h...
Please read full submission guidelines here. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Clinical Epigenetics of Heart Failure" from the dropdown menu.
Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.
The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.