Myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1) is a structurally and functionally unique anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein. While elevated levels of Mcl-1 contribute to tumor cell survival and drug resistance, loss of Mcl-1 in cardiac myocytes leads to rapid mitochondrial …

Background and Aim: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease in Western countries. While obesity and diabetes are the hallmarks of NAFLD, it also develops in lean individuals in the absence of metabolic syndrome, with a …

A new photoacoustic (PA) dye was developed as a simple-to-use reagent for creating targeted PA imaging agents. The lead molecule was prepared via an efficient two-step synthesis from an inexpensive commercially available starting material. With the dye's …

Preterm infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and pulmonary hypertension (PH) have accelerated lung aging and poor long-term outcomes. Klotho is an antiaging protein that modulates oxidative stress, angiogenesis and fibrosis. Here we test the …

Background Radiation therapy (RT) has the potential to enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy, such as checkpoint inhibitors, which has dramatically altered the landscape of treatments for many cancers, but not yet for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma …

Granulocyte-monocyte colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is used as an adjuvant in various clinical and preclinical studies with contradictory results. These were attributed to opposing effects of GM-CSF on the immune or myeloid systems of the treated …

Background: Myocardial mitochondrial dysfunction is the leading cause of chronic heart failure (CHF). Increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, disruption of mitochondrial biogenesis and mitochondrial Ca2+([Ca2+]m) homeostasis and reduction of the …

Conjugated polymer nanoparticles (CPNs) have emerged as highly photostable probes for optical and photoacoustic imaging. However, the aggregation of conjugated polymer (CP) molecules upon nanoparticle formation is associated with fluorescence quenching, …

The regeneration of smooth muscle with physiological functions has been a key challenge in vascular tissue engineering. Hyaluronan (HA), as a major component of the extracellular matrix, plays a vital role in regulating tissue injury and repair. In this …

Cancerous tumor growth is associated with the development of tortuous, chaotic microvasculature, and this aberrant microvascular morphology can act as a biomarker of malignant disease. Acoustic angiography is a contrast-enhanced ultrasound technique that …