BACKGROUND Angiotensin II (Ang II) has been reported to contribute to the pathogenesis of various human diseases including atherosclerosis, and inhibition of Ang II activity has been shown to reduce the morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular diseases. We have previously demonstrated that vascular cell senescence contributes to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis; however, the effects of Ang ...

Migraine is a disorder that afflicts nearly one tenth of the population. Involving both nervous and vascular system, it has been found as a prominent factor of disability. The migraine attacks may be initiated in the brainstem or may begin peripherally in the meninges while the role of cortical activation preceding an attack is also debated. Although available treatments, more studies on migrai...

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a life-threatening disease characterized by the progressive narrowing and occlusion of small pulmonary arteries. Current therapies fail to fully reverse this vascular remodeling. Identifying key pathways in disease pathogenesis is therefore required for the development of new-targeted therapeutics. We have previously reported tumor necrosis factor-relate...

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR's) are members of the steroid/thyroid nuclear receptor, superfamily of transcription factors. There are currently three known PPAR subtypes, alpha, beta, and gamma. The PPARs are now recognized participants in a number of biological pathways some of which are implicated in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). These inc...

microRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small, non-coding RNAs that play critical posttranscriptional regulatory roles typically through targeting of the 3'-untranslated region of messenger RNA (mRNA). Mature miRNAs are known to be involved in global cellular processes, such as differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, and organogenesis, due to their capacity to target multiple mRNAs. Thus, imbalanc...

The predisposition to vascular calcifications in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) has gained great interest in recent years as many studies have described its likely impact on morbidity and mortality. The mechanism by which the process of vascular calcification is produced is complex, and it does not consist in a simple precipitation of calcium and phosphate but is instead an active a...

The reports of a newborn who developed glomerulonephritis and pulmonary hemorrhage after transplacental transfer of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) IgG with specificity for myeloperoxidase (MPO) is compelling clinical evidence that ANCA are pathogenic. In vitro studies indicate that ANCA activate cytokine-primed neutrophils and monocytes through both direct Fab'2 binding and Fc rece...

Epithelioid hemangioma (EH), also known as angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia, may affect the eyelids and orbit, mimic idiopathic orbital inflammation, and respond poorly to corticosteroids. We describe a patient with chronic, bilateral orbital EH unresponsive to corticosteroids. Histopathologic analysis showed lobular vascular proliferations containing plump endothelial cells with sur...

Abstract Background and Objective: Vascular abnormality and dysfunction plays an important role in the pathogenesis of vascular disease in diabetic state. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether an in vitro exposure of endothelium-intact aortic rings to Melissa officinalis (lemon balm, MO) aqueous extract could have a beneficial effect in rats with subchronic diabetes. Materials and Meth...