Circulating angiogenic cytokines and stem cells in patients with severe chronic ischemic heart disease - Indicators of myocardial ischemic burden?
Background: Angiogenic growth factors and stem cell therapies have demonstrated varying results in patients with chronic coronary artery disease. A reason could be that these mechanisms are already up-regulated due to reduced blood supply to the myocardium. The objective of this study was to examine if plasma concentrations of circulating stem cells and angiogenic cytokines in patients with severe