Diabetic cardiomyopathy as an important threat to health occurs with or without coexistence of vascular diseases. The exact mechanisms underlying the disease remain incompletely clear. Although several pathological mechanisms responsible for diabetic cardiomyopathy have been proposed, oxidative stress is widely considered as one of the major causes for the pathogenesis of the disease. Hyperglyc...

BACKGROUND Maternal diabetes affects the developing fetal cardiovascular system. Newborn offspring of diabetic mothers can have a transient cardiomyopathy. We hypothesized that cardiomyopathic remodeling is associated with activation of the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling and apoptotic pathways. METHODS To evaluate the effects of moderate and severe maternal hyperglycemia, p...

In the past 25 years, major advances were achieved in the nosography of cardiomyopathies, influencing the definition and taxonomy of this important chapter of cardiovascular disease. Nearly, 50% of patients dying suddenly in childhood or adolescence or undergoing cardiac transplantation are affected by cardiomyopathies. Novel cardiomyopathies have been discovered (arrhythmogenic, restrictive, a...

Definition and Classification The cardiomyopathies are a diverse group of myocardial diseases that are characterized by chronic ventricular dysfunction. The clinical classification of cardiomyopathy is based on hemodynamic and echocardiographic abnormalities, and consists of dilated cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and restrictive cardiomyopathy. Recently, arrhythmogenic right ventr...