Rationale: Remodeling and fibrosis of the right ventricle (RV) may cause RV dysfunction and poor survival in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). Objectives: To investigate the consequences of RV fibrosis modulation and the accompanying cellular …

Rationale: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by vascular remodeling and excessive proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). Fucoidan, polysacharidic ligand of an adhesion molecule P-selectin exhibits …

Synthetic imidazoquinoline-based toll-like receptor (TLR) 7/8 bi-specific agonists are promising vaccine adjuvants that can induce maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) and activate them to secrete pro-inflamma- tory cytokines. However, in vivo efficacy of …

Background-—Tetrahydrobiopterin is a cofactor of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS), which is critical to embryonic heart development. We aimed to study the effects of sapropterin (Kuvan), an orally active synthetic form of tetrahydrobiopterin on eNOS …

Placental oxygenation varies throughout pregnancy. The detection of early changes in placental oxygenation as pregnancy pro- gresses is important for early identification of preeclampsia or other complications. This invited commentary discusses a recent …

Poor cell viability after transplantation has restricted the therapeutic capacity of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for cardiac dysfunction after myocardial infarction (MI). Growth arrest-specific gene 6 (Gas6) encodes a secreted γ-carboxyglutamic acid …

Scope: Gallic acid (GA) is a dietary phenolic acid found in tea, red wine, and some plants. It exhibits anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. Recent studies have revealed that GA has beneficial effects against several cardiovascular diseases; …

Regular exercise has widespread health benefits. Fundamental to these beneficial effects is the ability of the heart to intermittently and substantially increase its performance without incurring damage, but the underlying homeostatic mechanisms are …

Graves' orbitopathy (GO) and pre-tibial mixedema (PTM) are autoimmune manifestation sharing the same etiology and histopathology, a chronic course and a frustrating treatment. Current management include topical and systemic corticosteroid as first line …

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a complex syndrome characterized by a preserved ejection fraction but increased diastolic stiffness and abnormalities of filling. Although the prevalence of HFpEF is high and continues to rise, no …