Cardiology is one of the specialties that traditionally uses scientific evidence in daily practice, both in risk stratification and diagnosis, therapy and prognosis. One of the most discussed topics is atherosclerosis and inflammation, arousing great interest in the continuous knowledge acquired over the last two centuries. Several authors stand out in this historical context, for example, Rudolf Virchow in the 19th century who described the association of atherosclerosis with inflammation; Marchand in 1904, who suggested the relationship between atherosclerosis and […]

Cardiovascular toxicity related to cancer therapies has been recognized for years. The number and types of toxicities have increased rapidly due to several factors including new and improved therapies and treatment regimens which have resulted in patients living longer. This is the basis for the burgeoning field of cardio-oncology to help identify cardiotoxicities and aim to minimize adverse outcomes. Cardiomyopathies related to anthracyclines, which are typically irreversible, and trastuzumab, typically reversible, as well as more recently recognized cardiotoxicities including myocarditis […]

Atrial fibrillation (AF) episodes have been traditionally observed in up to 20% of the patients who suffer an acute myocardial infarction (AMI); 5-10% of them, as a “first episode”, during hospital admission. The etiology of AF, in this phase of AMI, includes several factors, such as elevated atrial pressure resulting from acute ventricular dysfunction, associated atrial ischemia (more common in inferior wall AMI), secondary inflammatory reaction, changes in autonomic nervous system behavior and in the neurohumoral pattern related to the […]