Photoacoustic imaging is a promising new technology that combines tissue optical characteristics with ultrasound transmission and can potentially visualize tumor depth in bladder cancer. We imaged simulated tumors in 5 fresh porcine bladders with …

BACKGROUND: The proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) promotes independently of its enzymatic activity the degradation of the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor. PCSK9 gain of function in humans leads to autosomal dominant …

We studied prospectively whether atherosclerotic progression in apolipoprotein-E knock- out mice could be noninvasively and accurately measured by use of high-resolution ultra- sonographic biomicroscopy. We examined the correlation between the …

This study was aimed to test the hypothesis that noninvasive assessment of carotid plaques can be achieved by high-resolution micro-ultrasound imaging in apolipoprotein-E knockout (apoE-KO) mice. Forty-two male apoE-KO mice were fed a high-fat diet and …

Considerable evidence supports that the CD4(+) T cell-mediated immune response contributes to the development of atherosclerotic plaque. However, the effects of Th17 cells on atherosclerosis are not thoroughly understood. In this study, we evaluated the …

OBJECTIVE: Hemodynamics plays a critical role in atherogenesis, but the association between flow pattern and preferential localization of lesion is not fully understood. We developed a mouse model of aortic valve regurgitation (AR) to change the aortic …

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is an often fatal disease that affects pregnant women who are near delivery, and it occurs more frequently in women with pre-eclampsia and/or multiple gestation. The aetiology of PPCM, and why it is associated with …

BACKGROUND: Genetically modified mice offer the unique opportunity to gain insight into the pathophysiology of pulmonary arterial hypertension. In mice, right heart catheterization is the only available technique to measure right ventricular systolic …

OBJECTIVE: Loss-of-function mutations in genes coding for transforming growth factor-beta/bone morphogenetic protein receptors and changes in nitric oxide(*) (NO(*)) bioavailability are associated with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia and some forms …

Adiponectin (APN) is an adipocyte-derived factor that exists at high concentrations in serum and has anti-inflammatory and systemic vascular-protective properties. In this study, we investigated the role of APN in pulmonary vascular homeostasis. We found …