Prognostic markers and regulatory factors in cardiac and vascular pathologies

The scientific research activities of EA3920 focus on several themes.

1. Prognostic markers
The study of markers of organ integrity and function is closely associated with vascular and circulatory dysfunctions. This theme is transversal and is shared by many researchers within the team, whether in the field of cardiac, vascular or peripheral pathologies. The objective is to identify biological, cellular or behavioral factors that allow the prognosis of the onset or evolution of these pathologies. These data make it possible to identify risk factors, as well as factors likely to modify the evolution of the disease and its management. Heart failure is also the subject of a clinical research program focused on biological markers of the disease and the assessment of new therapies.
Other biomarkers are studied in different clinical settings, including cardiac surgery and intensive care. In particular, the role of circulating endothelial progenitors (CEP) as cellular markers of vascular pathologies is studied, as well as the importance of glycemic control in patients undergoing cardiac surgery, or the link between microcirculatory and digestive damage during coronary bypass procedures. Other research works address the role of biomarkers in intestinal damage in the intensive care unit, such as citrulline and intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP), which have emerged as enterocyte biomarkers to assess the integrity and functionality of the small intestinal mucosa in the critical patient.

2. Regulatory Factors
Another line of research concerns the regulation mechanisms of the arterial and pulmonary vascular system in normal or pathological situations. The aim is to better understand the reactions of this system according to the conditions encountered, by studying, for example, the mechanisms that link a chronic respiratory disease (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and certain anomalies of the vascular system. The processes implemented to control the adaptation of the vascular system are also studied in healthy subjects or in athletes in extreme situations (cold, immersion).

3. Epidemiology, prevention, education, rehabilitation
The projects of this theme are based on the epidemiology of respiratory diseases, especially in agricultural environments, the prevention of cardiac and vascular pathologies, and the impact of therapeutic education programs on the quality of life of patients.
In addition, a large part of our team’s work is devoted to the effects of rehabilitation through physical exercise in patients with risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (asthma, obesity) or in patients suffering from breast cancer.
Part of the work in the field of physical exercise calls upon the Exercise Performance Health Innovation Platform (EPSI), dedicated to all scientific research on humans requiring specific installations (immersion tank, treadmills, including large ones, etc.), or physiological investigation equipment (in particular cardiorespiratory), motor analysis (video, force and power measurements, etc.). Most of the work carried out on the EPSI platform concerns exercise as a therapeutic tool and the determination of innovative individualized care based on physical exercise in chronic diseases (cardiac and respiratory pathologies, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.).