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Molecular Imaging of Factor XIII Activity for the Early Detection of Mouse Coronary Microvascular Disease
Coronary microvascular disease (MVD) remains a major clinical problem due to limited mechanistic understanding and a challenging diagnosis. In the present study we evaluated the utility of targeted imaging of active factor XIII (FXIII) for detection of …
Publication
Myopia disease mouse models: a missense point mutation (S673G) and a protein-truncating mutation of the Zfp644 mimic human disease phenotype
Zinc finger 644 (Zfp644 in mouse, ZNF644 in human) gene is a transcription factor whose mutation S672G is con- sidered a potential genetic factor of inherited high myopia. ZNF644 interacts with G9a/GLP complex, which func- tions as a H3K9 …
Publication
Gene-environment interaction impacts on heart development and embryo survival
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common type of birth defect. In recent years, research has focussed on identifying the genetic causes of CHD. However, only a minority of CHD cases can be attributed to single gene mutations. In addition, studies …
Publication
Increased FGF23 protects against detrimental cardio-renal consequences during elevated blood phosphate in CKD
The phosphaturic hormone FGF23 is elevated in chronic kidney disease (CKD). The risk of premature death is substantially higher in the CKD patient population, with cardiovascular disease (CVD) as the leading mortality cause at all stages of CKD. Elevated …
Publication
Site-specific chelation therapy with EDTA-loaded albumin nanoparticles reverses arterial calcification in a rat model of chronic kidney disease
Medial arterial calcification (MAC) is a common outcome in diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD). It occurs as linear mineral deposits along the degraded elastin lamellae and is responsible for increased aortic stiffness and subsequent cardiovascular …
Publication
HIF-1α preconditioning potentiates antioxidant activity in ischemic injury: the role of sequential administration of dihydrotanshinone I and protocatechuic aldehyde in cardioprotection
Aims: The management of myocardial ischemia has been challenged by reperfusion injury. ROS production is the critical cause of reperfusion injury, but antioxidant treatment failed to gain satisfactory effects. We hypothesized that improvement of redox …
Publication
α7nAChR Deletion Aggravates Myocardial Infarction and Enhances Systemic Inflammatory Reaction via mTOR-Signaling-Related Autophagy
Alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) has been previously reported to play an alleviative role in myocardial infarction (MI). In this study, we investi- gated its specific mechanism. α7nAChR−/− mice and its control (α7nAChR+/+)wereused for the …
Publication
Empagliflozin Improves Diastolic Function in a Nondiabetic Rodent Model of Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction
Recent studies send an unambiguous signal that the class of agents known as sodium-glucose–linked co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) prevent heart failure hospitalization in patients with type 2 diabetes. However, the mechanisms remain unclear. Herein …
Publication
Z-Ligustilide protects vascular endothelial cells from oxidative stress and rescues high fat diet-induced atherosclerosis by activating multiple NRF2 downstream genes
Background and aims: Oxidative stress-induced endothelial dysfunction is considered to exert a vital role in the development of atherosclerotic coronary heart disease (CHD). NRF2 is a key transcriptional factor against oxidative stress through activation …
Publication
Role of smooth muscle cell p53 in pulmonary arterial hypertension
by Takayuki Wakasugi, Ippei Shimizu, Yohko Yoshida, Yuka Hayashi, Ryutaro Ikegami, Masayoshi Suda, Goro Katsuumi, Masaaki Nakao, Makoto Hoyano, Takeshi Kashimura, Kazufumi Nakamura, Hiroshi Ito, Takashi Nojiri, Tomoyoshi Soga, Tohru Minamino Pulmonary …