Search
Publication
Impaired branched chain amino acid oxidation contributes to cardiac insulin resistance in heart failure
Background: Branched chain amino acids (BCAA) can impair insulin signaling, and cardiac insulin resistance can occur in the failing heart. We, therefore, determined if cardiac BCAA accumulation occurs in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), due to …
Publication
Phosphodiesterase 5 Associates With β2 Adrenergic Receptor to Modulate Cardiac Function in Type 2 Diabetic Hearts
Background: In murine heart failure models and in humans with diabetic-related heart hypertrophy, inhibition of phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) by sildenafil improves cardiac outcomes. However, the mechanism by which sildenafil improves cardiac function is …
Publication
Transcranial Photoacoustic Detection of Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption Following Focused Ultrasound-Mediated Nanoparticle Delivery
Purpose: Blood-brain barrier disruption (BBBD) is of interest for treating neurodegenerative diseases and tumors by enhancing drug delivery. Focused ultrasound (FUS) is a powerful method to alleviate BBB challenges; however, the detection of BBB opening …
Publication
Pharmacological inhibition of Hippo pathway, with the novel kinase inhibitor XMU‐MP‐1, protects the heart against adverse effects during pressure overload
Background and Purpose: The Hippo pathway has emerged as a potential thera- peutic target to control pathological cardiac remodelling. The core components of the Hippo pathway, mammalian Ste‐20 like kinase 1 (Mst1) and mammalian Ste‐20 like kinase 2 …
Publication
Development of orthotopic tumour models using ultrasound-guided intrahepatic injection
Mouse models of human diseases are an essential part of the translational pipeline. Orthotopic tumour mouse models are increasingly being used in cancer research due to their increased clinical relevance over subcutaneous xenograft models, particularly in …
Publication
Combination therapy with benznidazole and doxycycline shows no additive effect to monotherapy with benznidazole in mice infected with the VL-10 strain of the Trypanosoma cruzi
Background: Chagas heart disease is the most important clinical manifestation of Trypanosoma cruzi infection. Pharmacological therapies have been proposed aiming to reduce inflammatory response and cardiac damage in infected hosts. In this study, we …
Publication
Inducible cardiac-specific overexpression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) confers resistance to ischemia/reperfusion injury
The role of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in cardiovascular biology remains controversial. Although COX-2 has been reported to mediate the protective actions of late preconditioning, other studies show that it is also an important mediator of inflammation, …
Publication
Tobacco cigarette smoking exacerbates aortic calcification in an early stage of myocardial infarction in a female mouse model
Despite increased social awareness, marketing restraints, tobacco taxation, and available smoking cessation rehab programs, active and passive smoking remain a worldwide challenging epidemic and a key risk factor for cardiovascular diseases development. …
Publication
Gut microbe-derived metabolite trimethylamine N-oxide accelerates fibroblast-myofibroblast differentiation and induces cardiac fibrosis
Background: Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a gut microbe-derived metabolite of dietary choline and other trimethylamine-containing nutrients, has been associated with poor prognosis in coronary heart disease. However, the role and underlying mechanisms of …
Publication
C1q/tumor necrosis factor-related protein-3-engineered mesenchymal stromal cells attenuate cardiac impairment in mice with myocardial infarction
Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) transplantation offers an attractive alternative in myocardial infarctive therapy. However, poor cell engraftment and survival limit their restorative capacity. C1q/tumor necrosis factor-related protein-3 (CTRP3) inhibits …