a 64-year-old female with history of previous aortoiliac occlusion and aortoiliac bypass operation four months ago presented with dyspnea, ascites and leg edema. she has been suffering from bloody diarrhea since two weeks earlier. laboratory data showed important eosinophilia and stool examination was positive for strongyloides stercoralis. patient had clinical signs of heart failure. a cardiac...

Cardiac fibrosis is a hallmark of heart disease and plays a vital role in cardiac remodeling during heart diseases, including hypertensive heart disease. Hexarelin is one of a series of synthetic growth hormone secretagogues (GHSs) possessing a variety of cardiovascular effects via action on GHS receptors (GHS-Rs). However, the role of hexarelin in cardiac fibrosis in vivo has not yet been inve...

OBJECTIVES Osteopontin (OPN) is upregulated in left ventricular hypertrophy and is stimulated by angiotensin II (AngII). Our objective was to determine whether mice deficient in OPN would be protected from AngII-induced cardiac fibrosis. BACKGROUND Interstitial fibrosis can lead to myocardial dysfunction and ultimately heart failure. Osteopontin activates integrins that regulate cell adhesion...

Interstitial fibrosis plays a key role in the development and progression of heart failure. Here, we show that an enzyme that crosslinks collagen-Lysyl oxidase-like 2 (Loxl2)-is essential for interstitial fibrosis and mechanical dysfunction of pathologically stressed hearts. In mice, cardiac stress activates fibroblasts to express and secrete Loxl2 into the interstitium, triggering fibrosis, sy...

Myocardial fibrosis is an important part of cardiac remodeling that leads to heart failure and death. Myocardial fibrosis results from increased myofibroblast activity and excessive extracellular matrix deposition. Various cells and molecules are involved in this process, providing targets for potential drug therapies. Currently, the main detection methods of myocardial fibrosis rely on serum m...