• Special Issue Topic

    Environmental Cardiology

    Submission Deadline: March 07, 2025

    Guest Editor

    Maria Grazia Andreassi E-Mail

    Research Director of CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, Pisa, Italy

    Research Keywords: genetics; molecular epidemiology; congenital heart disease; atherosclerosis; medical ionizing radiation


    About the Special Issue

    Recent research has shown the association between environmental exposures and a wide range of congenital and acquired heart diseases.

    However, the impact of environmental exposures (air pollution, ionizing radiation and other environmental toxicants) still remains underestimated in cardiovascular research.

    Additionally, the knowledge of the underlying mechanisms through which environmental toxicants induce cardiac diseases is still limited.

    This Special Issue welcomes contributions, in the form of both original research articles and high-quality reviews on any aspect of this topic, including basic science or clinical approaches, in order to provide the most updated and comprehensive discoveries in the field of “Environmental Cardiology”.

    The broad focus of the issue is an excellent opportunity to enhance our understanding of the association between environmental stressors and the global burden of heart diseases.

    Topics of interest for this special issue may include (but are not limited to) the following:

    Clinical impact of environmental exposures on cardiovascular system

    Mechanistic effects of environmental toxicants in heart disorders

    Gene-environment interactions

    Biomarkers of exposure/effects

    Environmental “-omics” data (transcriptomics, epigenomics, metabolomics)

    Health impact assessments

    Keywords: environmental cardiology; acquired heart diseases; environmental exposures; heart disorders; gene-environment interaction

    Call for Papers

    Published Articles

    Open Access
    Original Article
    Role of cardio-ankle vascular index as a predictor of left ventricular hypertrophy in the evaluation of pediatric hypertension
    Aim: Cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) is a marker of arterial stiffness independent of blood pressure (BP) at the time of measurement. This work sought to evaluate the association of CAVI with  [...] Read more.
    Evan Harvey ... Ranjit Philip
    Published: April 06, 2024 Explor Cardiol. 2024;2:40–48
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/ec.2024.00020
    View:1037
    Download:17
    Times Cited: 0
    Open Access
    Review
    Viral infections in cardiometabolic risk and disease between old acquaintances and new enemies
    Atherosclerosis is a chronic disease, characterized by chronic inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and lipid deposition in the vessel. Although many major, well-identified risk factors for athero [...] Read more.
    Cristina Vassalle
    Published: December 27, 2023 Explor Cardiol. 2023;1:148–179
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/ec.2023.00014
    View:1130
    Download:10
    Open Access
    Commentary
    Low-doses ionizing radiation exposure: an emerging causal risk factor for cardiovascular disease
    Maria Grazia Andreassi
    Published: December 11, 2023 Explor Cardiol. 2023;1:141–147
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/ec.2023.00013
    Open Access
    Review
    Toxic metals in pregnancy and congenital heart defects. Insights and new perspectives for a technology-driven reduction in food sources
    Congenital heart defects (CHD) represent the most frequent congenital anomalies among newborns, as well as the leading cause of spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, neonatal and infant death. CHD have  [...] Read more.
    Francesca Gorini, Alessandro Tonacci
    Published: November 13, 2023 Explor Cardiol. 2023;1:114–140
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/ec.2023.00012
    View:1277
    Download:23
    Times Cited: 0