OBJECTIVES The goal of this research was to test the hypothesis that plasma angiopoietin (Ang-1), its soluble receptor tie-2, and Ang-2 levels would be abnormal in patients with acute and chronic congestive heart failure (CHF) when compared with healthy controls. BACKGROUND Increased plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in CHF is suggestive of excess angiogenesis-possibly driven b...

Our very existence depends on the air that we breathe, as well as the remarkable systems that have evolved to ensure that the oxygen we take into our lungs is efficiently delivered to the rest of the body via the bloodstream. When these systems begin to fail, life itself can become quite tenuous. Such failure occurs in pulmonary hypertension, a rare but serious disease whose pathophysiology rem...

Angiotensin II–Mediated Vascular Inflammation: The Balance Between Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Angiopoietins To the Editor: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent angiogenic factor and plays a key role in postnatal angiogenesis in human pathophysiology, including cardiovascular disease. The activation of the renin-angiotensin system has been similarly implicated in the...

BACKGROUND Several proangiogenic molecules have been implicated in the pathogenies of asthmatic inflammation and remodeling. The aim of the study was to compare the concentration of proangiogenic factors in the sera of asthmatic patients and in healthy subjects (HS), and to refer the concentrations to both clinical and inflammatory markers of the disease severity. METHODS Serum was collected ...

Endothelial cells are essential for neovascularization. Angiopoietins and Tie receptors are required for a normal vasculature. How cyclical mechanical stretch affects the expression of components of the angiopoietin system is not known. In this study, we investigated the regulation of angiopoietins and Tie receptors by cyclical mechanical stretch in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cel...

BACKGROUND Angiopoietin-2 is a proinflammatory mediator of endothelial injury in animal models, and increased plasma angiopoietin-2 levels are associated with poor outcomes in patients with sepsis-associated acute lung injury. Whether angiopoietin-2 levels are modified by treatment strategies in patients with acute lung injury is unknown. OBJECTIVES To determine whether plasma angiopoietin-2 ...

BACKGROUND Ultrafiltration decline is a progressive issue for patients on chronic peritoneal dialysis (PD) and can be caused by peritoneal angiogenesis induced by PD fluids. A recent pediatric trial suggests better preservation of ultrafiltration with bicarbonate versus lactate buffered fluid; underlying molecular mechanisms are unknown. METHODS Angiogenic cytokine profile, tube formation cap...