Background: Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) leads to cardiac dysfunction and adverse remodeling of the fetal heart, as well as a higher risk of postnatal cardiovascular diseases. The rat model of IUGR, via uterine artery ligation, is a popular …

Background: Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by an inflammatory infiltrate of exocrine salivary and lachrymal glands. Diagnosis is com- plex, and minor salivary gland biopsy and subsequent focus score (FS) calculation appear …

Clinical evaluation of skin lesions requires precise and reproducible technologies for their qualitative and quantitative assessment. In this study, we investigate the applicability of a custom-built dermatologic OCT system for longitudinal assessment of …

Basal expression of the P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) improves mitochondrial metabolism, ATP synthesis and overall fitness of immune and non-immune cells. We investigated P2X7R contribution to energy metabolism and subcellular localization in fibroblasts (mouse …

Perinatal hypoxia induces permanent structural and functional changes in the lung and its pulmonary circulation that are associated with the development of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in later life. The mechanistic target of the rapamycin (mTOR) pathway …

Rationale: The mechanistic target of rapamycin complex-1 (mTORC1) controls metabolism and protein homeostasis, and is activated following ischemic reperfusion (IR) injury and by ischemic preconditioning (IPC). However, studies vary as to whether this …

Heart failure has a high mortality rate, and current therapies offer limited benefits. The authors demonstrate that activation of the central nervous system leptin-melanocortin pathway confers remarkable protection against progressive heart failure …

Background/Purpose: In Hirschsprung disease (HD) surgery, confirming ganglionic bowel is essential. A faster diagnostic method than the current frozen biopsy is desirable. This study investigated whether aganglionic and ganglionic intestinal wall can be …

Previous studies have demonstrated stimulation of endocrine pancreas function by vagal nerve electrical stimulation. While this increases insulin secretion, expected concomitant reductions in circulating glucose do not occur. A complicating factor is the …

It is well-established that long-term exposure of the vasculature to metabolic disturbances leads to abnormal vascular tone, while the physiological regulation of vascular tone upon acute metabolic challenge remains unknown. Here, we found that acute …