Dear Colleagues,

 

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of global mortality and morbidity and represents a major economic burden on health care systems. Smoking is one of the most important modifiable cardiovascular risk factor representing the main preventable cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Smoking causes endothelial dysfunction which represents the “primum movens” for the development of cardiovascular atherosclerotic diseases. 

Among the different harmful effects of smoking, oxidative stress plays an important role. Smoking may impair oxidative balance by inducing the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and by weakening the antioxidant defense systems. Moreover, smoking promotes atherothrombosis by inducing platelet activation. Reactive oxygen species are mostly generated by Nox2, an isoform from NADPH oxidase, that acts as an important regulator of platelet-activation–associated thrombosis. 

Indeed, Nox2 has been shown to be associated with several cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypercholesterolemia, metabolic diseases and in patients with peripheral artery disease. Several studies have shown that oxidative stress is involved in the regulation of the pathophysiological processes of cardiovascular diseases. 

In this Special Issue, we invite original research as well as review articles discussing the role of smoking and oxidative stress in the setting of cardiovascular disease, to further clarify the role of traditional cigarettes and new modified risk product (heat non burn devices, electronic cigarettes) in these molecular and pathophysiological processes involved in the onset and progression of cardiovascular diseases.

High priority will be given to the following topics: 

• molecular mechanisms underlying smoke-mediated damage;
• clinical studies on smoke-associated health derangements;
• meta-analyses or comparative studies on novel smoking products;
• qualitative reviews on smoking-related issues;
• interplay between smoking and inflammation and interaction of smoking with non-pulmonary diseases.

Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Biondi-Zoccai, Dr. Leonardo Schirone and Dr. Mariangela Peruzzi

Guest Editors