About the Authors

Giuseppe Biondi-Zoccai

Contributed equally to this work with: Giuseppe Biondi-Zoccai, Enrico Cerrato

Affiliations Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Latina, Italy, Eleonora Lorillard Spencer Cenci Foundation, Rome, Italy

Enrico Cerrato

Contributed equally to this work with: Giuseppe Biondi-Zoccai, Enrico Cerrato

Affiliations Division of Cardiology, Rivoli Hospital, Rivoli, Italy, Division of Cardiology, Hospital Clinico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain

Mariangela Peruzzi

mariangela.peruzzi@uniroma1.it

Affiliation Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Latina, Italy

Fabrizio D'Ascenzo

Affiliation Division of Cardiology, University of Turin, Città Della Salute e Delle Scienze San Giovanni Battista, Turin, Italy

Elena De Falco

Affiliation Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Latina, Italy

Isotta Chimenti

Affiliation Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Latina, Italy

Sebastiano Sciarretta

Affiliations Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Latina, Italy, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, United States of America, Department of AngioCardioNeurology, IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy

Antonino G. M. Marullo

Affiliation Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Latina, Italy

Elena Cavarretta

Affiliation Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Latina, Italy

Ernesto Greco

Affiliation Department of Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Nephrological, Anesthesiological, and Geriatric Sciences, Policlinico Umberto I, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

Umberto Benedetto

Affiliation Oxford Heart Centre, Oxford University Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom

Giulio Pompilio

Affiliation Laboratory of Vascular Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Centro Cardiologico Monzino-IRCCS, Milan, Italy

Javier Escaned

Affiliation Division of Cardiology, Hospital Clinico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain

Antonio Abbate

Affiliation VCU Pauley Heart Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States of America

Alain Carpentier

Affiliation Laboratory of Biosurgical Research (Alain Carpentier Foundation), Pompidou Hospital, University Paris Descartes, Paris, France

Juan Carlos Chachques

Affiliation Laboratory of Biosurgical Research (Alain Carpentier Foundation), Pompidou Hospital, University Paris Descartes, Paris, France

Giacomo Frati

Affiliations Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Latina, Italy, Department of AngioCardioNeurology, IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy

Competing Interests

Giacomo Frati, Elena Cavarretta, Antonio Abbate, and Umberto Benedetto are PLOS ONE Editorial Board members. This does not alter the authors' adherence to PLOS ONE Editorial policies and criteria.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: GF GBZ. Performed the experiments: E. Cavarretta EDF IC GP AA. Analyzed the data: GBZ JE E. Cerrato MP GF FD. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: IC EDF SS. Wrote the paper: GBZ E. Cavarretta MP EG AM UB JCC AC GF. Compiled the data: GBZ E. Cerrato.