ABSTRACT
Introduction Despite significant advances in the clinical management of cardiovascular disease (CVD), acute myocardial infarction (MI) and heart failure (HF) as a result of coronary artery disease (CAD), cardiomyopathy and systemic vascular disease remain the prevalent causes of premature death across all ages and racial groups (1). The complexity of the pathological processes leading to heart disease and the lack of specific predictive markers has been a major impediment to the development of effective preventive therapies, despite the identification of various risk factors and sensitive risk assessment technologies (2-4). Consequently, the focus has been on the design of “rescue” treatments for overt symptoms of the disease, such as hyperlipidemia, myocardial ischemia, left ventricular pump failure, and hemodynamic overload (5). Although these therapies have improved the clinical outlook for patients affected by MI and HF, morbidity and mortality associated with these diseases remain high, indicating the need for more effective treatments.
