WDR1 is a major cofactor of the actin depolymerizing factor (ADF)/cofilin, accelerating ADF/cofilin-mediated actin disassembly. We had previously showed that WDR1-mediated actin dynamics is required for postnatal myocardial growth and adult myocardial …

Aims: Absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) is a cytosolic DNA sensor which plays an important role in inflammasome formation and is involved in various cellular functions including pyroptosis, fibrosis, and tissue injury. Our study aimed to investigate whether …

Objective—Arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) are the most common access created for hemodialysis; however, many AVF fail to mature and require repeated intervention, suggesting a need to improve AVF maturation. Eph-B4 is the embryonic venous determinant that is …

Heart failure (HF) leads to an increase in morbidity and mortality globally. Tanshinone IIA is an important traditional Chinese medicine monomer and has been shown to have remarkable protective effect against HF. Autophagy is critically involved in the …

Minocycline is a tetracycline antibiotic and has been shown to play a protective role in cerebral and myocardial ischemia/ reperfusion (I/R). However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Herein, we investigated whether monocyte chemotactic …

Allometric scaling laws relate physiologic parameters to body weight. Genetically modified mice allow investigation of allomet- ric scaling laws when fundamental cardiovascular components are altered. Elastin haploinsufficient (Elnþ/?) mice have reduced …

Characterization of the main tibiofemoral ligaments is an essential step in developing patient-specific compu- tational models of the knee joint for personalized surgery pre-planning. Tensile tests are commonly performed in-vitro to characterize the …

Background The aortic valve of the heart experiences constant mechanical stress under physiological conditions. Maladaptive valve injury responses contribute to the development of valvular heart disease. Here, we test the hypothesis that MG 53 (mitsugumin …

Aims: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a disease characterized by an increase in pulmonary vascular resistance and right ventricular (RV) failure. We aimed to determine the effects of human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) therapy in a SU5416/hypoxia …

Aims: The renin–angiotensin system (RAS) plays an important role in the pathophysiol- ogy of vascular diseases, especially as a mediator of inflammation and tissue remodelling. Alamandine (Ala1-angiotensin-(1-7)) is a new biologically active peptide …