Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology
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Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. · Nov 2017
Leptin Induces Sca-1+ Progenitor Cell Migration Enhancing Neointimal Lesions in Vessel-Injury Mouse Models.
Leptin is an adipokine initially thought to be a metabolic factor. Recent publications have shown its roles in inflammation and vascular disease, to which Sca-1+ vascular progenitor cells within the vessel wall may contribute. We sought to elucidate the effects of leptin on Sca-1+ progenitor cells migration and neointimal formation and to understand the underlying mechanisms. ⋯ Upregulation of leptin levels in both the vessel wall and the circulation after vessel injury promoted the migration of Sca-1+ progenitor cells via leptin receptor-dependent signal transducer and activator of transcription 3- Rac1/Cdc42-ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase)-FAK pathways, which enhanced neointimal formation.
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Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. · Sep 2017
The Effect of Iron Status on Risk of Coronary Artery Disease: A Mendelian Randomization Study-Brief Report.
Iron status is a modifiable trait that has been implicated in cardiovascular disease. This study uses the Mendelian randomization technique to investigate whether there is any causal effect of iron status on risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). ⋯ This Mendelian randomization study supports the hypothesis that higher iron status reduces CAD risk. These findings may highlight a therapeutic target.
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Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. · Aug 2017
Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Measures Associated With Increased Risk of Covert Brain Infarction and Worsening Leukoaraiosis in Older Adults.
In people without previous stroke, covert findings on serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of incident brain infarcts and worsening leukoaraiosis are associated with increased risk for ischemic stroke and dementia. We evaluated whether various measures of blood pressure (BP) and heart rate are associated with these MRI findings. ⋯ Elevated mean systolic BP is associated with increased risk for covert brain infarction, and elevated mean diastolic BP is associated with increased risk for worsening leukoaraiosis. These findings reinforce the importance of hypertension in the development of silent cerebrovascular diseases, but the pathophysiologic relationships to BP for each may differ.
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Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. · Aug 2017
Human Blood Monocyte Subsets: A New Gating Strategy Defined Using Cell Surface Markers Identified by Mass Cytometry.
Human monocyte subsets are defined as classical (CD14++CD16-), intermediate (CD14++CD16+), and nonclassical (CD14+CD16+). Alterations in monocyte subset frequencies are associated with clinical outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, in which circulating intermediate monocytes independently predict cardiovascular events. However, delineating mechanisms of monocyte function is hampered by inconsistent results among studies. ⋯ Using cytometry by time-of-flight mass cytometry, we have identified a small panel of surface markers that can significantly improve monocyte subset identification and purity in flow cytometry. Such a revised gating scheme will be useful for clinical studies of monocyte function in human cardiovascular disease.
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Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. · Aug 2017
Codependence of Bone Morphogenetic Protein Receptor 2 and Transforming Growth Factor-β in Elastic Fiber Assembly and Its Perturbation in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.
We determined in patients with pulmonary arterial (PA) hypertension (PAH) whether in addition to increased production of elastase by PA smooth muscle cells previously reported, PA elastic fibers are susceptible to degradation because of their abnormal assembly. ⋯ Disrupting BMPR2 impairs TGFβ1- and BMP4-mediated elastic fiber assembly and is of pathophysiologic significance in PAH.