Tumor proteases have been recognized as significant regulators in the tumor microenvironment, but the current strategies for in vivo protease imaging have tended to focus on the development of a probe design rather than the investigation of a novel …

OBJECTIVE Although physical therapy can help preserve mobility in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), stretching has not been used systematically as a treatment to prevent or reverse the disease process. We previously showed in rodent models that …

Obesity, usually caused by high fat diets (HFD), is a major public health issue worldwide, causing obesity associated cardiomyopathy. Moreover, the environmental toxicant vinyl chloride (VC) can exacerbate HFD- induced fatty liver disease. However, …

Visceral adipose tissue–derived serine protease inhibitor (Vaspin) is an adipocytokine that has been shown to exert anti- inflammatory effects and inhibits apoptosis under diabetic condi- tions. This study was designed to investigate the impact of vaspin …

3D rendered co-registered ultrasound (greyscale) and photoacoustic (red and white) image showing a parametric map of oxygen saturation with red signals indicating higher sO 2 values. … … Oxygen saturation map in the mouse …

Tumors are characterized by leaky blood vessels, and by an abnormal and heterogeneous vascular network. These pathophysiological characteristics contribute to the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, which is one of the key rationales for …

High circulating fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) levels are probably a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease in chronic kidney disease. FGF23 interacts with the receptor FGFR4 in cardiomyocytes inducing left ventricular hypertrophy. Moreover, …

Ectopic calcification occurs during development of chronic kidney disease and has a negative impact on long-term prognosis. The precise molecular mechanism and prevention strategies, however, are not established. Fibulin-7 (Fbln7) is a matricellular …

> 99% of the mitochondrial proteome is nuclear-encoded. The mitochondrion relies on a coordinated multi-complex process for nuclear genome-encoded mitochondrial protein import. Mitochondrial heat shock protein 70 (mtHsp70) is a key component of this …

Venous thrombosis is a common condition affecting 1 - 2% of the population, with an annual incidence of 1 in 500. Venous thrombosis can lead to death through pulmonary embolism or results in the post-thrombotic syndrome, characterized by chronic leg pain, …