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Obesity suppresses circulating level and function of endothelial progenitor cells and heart function
BACKGROUND AND AIM: This study tested the hypothesis that obesity suppresses circulating number as well as the function of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). METHODS: High fat diet (45 Kcal% fat) was given …
Publication
Inhibition of SMAD2 phosphorylation preserves cardiac function during pressure overload.
AIMS: Left ventricular (LV) pressure overload leads to myocardial remodelling and reduced cardiac function. Both cardioprotective and deleterious effects have been attributed to SMAD2/3 (SMAD, small mothers against decapentaplegic) signalling, but the …
Publication
The circadian clock influences heart performance.
Circadian clocks are believed to provide the selective advantage of anticipation, thus allowing organisms to respond efficiently to stimuli at the appropriate moment. Disrupted circadian rhythms have been found to affect a variety of basic physiological …
Publication
Dysfunctional ryanodine receptor and cardiac hypertrophy: role of signaling molecules
Mice with three amino acid mutations in the calmodulin binding domain of type-2 ryanodine receptor ion channel (Ryr2(ADA/ADA) mice) have impaired intracellular Ca(2+) handling and cardiac hypertrophy with death at an early age. In this report, the role of …
Publication
Reduced vessel elasticity alters cardiovascular structure and function in newborn mice.
Elastic blood vessels provide capacitance and pulse-wave dampening, which are critically important in a pulsatile circulatory system. By studying newborn mice with reduced (Eln(+/)(-)) or no (Eln(-)(/)(-)) elastin, we determined the effects of altered …
Publication
Genistein, a soy phytoestrogen, reverses severe pulmonary hypertension and prevents right heart failure in rats.
Pretreatment with a phytoestrogen genistein has been shown to attenuate the development of pulmonary hypertension (PH). Because PH is not always diagnosed early, we examined whether genistein could also reverse preexisting established PH and prevent …
Publication
Myocyte necrosis underlies progressive myocardial dystrophy in mouse dsg2-related arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.
Mutations in the cardiac desmosomal protein desmoglein-2 (DSG2) are associated with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). We studied the explanted heart of a proband carrying the DSG2-N266S mutation as well as transgenic mice (Tg-NS) …
Publication
Erythrocytosis and pulmonary hypertension in a mouse model of human HIF2A gain of function mutation.
The central pathway for oxygen-dependent control of red cell mass is the prolyl hydroxylase domain protein (PHD):hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) pathway. PHD site specifically prolyl hydroxylates the transcription factor HIF-α, thereby targeting the latter …
Publication
Spontaneous ventricular fibrillation in right ventricular failure secondary to chronic pulmonary hypertension.
BACKGROUND: Right ventricular failure (RVF) in pulmonary hypertension (PH) is associated with increased incidence of sudden death by a poorly explored mechanism. We test the hypothesis that PH promotes spontaneous ventricular fibrillation (VF) during a …
Publication
MAP kinase kinase kinase-2 (MEKK2) regulates hypertrophic remodeling of the right ventricle in hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension.
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) results in pressure overload of the right ventricle (RV) of the heart, initiating pathological RV remodeling and ultimately leading to right heart failure. Substantial research indicates that signaling through the MAPK …