BACKGROUND Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are rapidly induced after arterial injury in different animal models. However, their precise role in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation and neointimal formation in vivo remains to be determined. METHODS AND RESULTS We investigated the properties of a novel, selective inhibitor of the upstream kinase, MAPK/extracellular signal-...

Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) may contribute to endothelial regeneration; however, the exact mechanisms of their arterial homing remain elusive. We examined the role of the angiogenic chemokine receptor CXCR2 in the homing of human EPCs. Isolated EPCs expressed CXCR2 together with kinase insert domain-containing receptor, CD31, vascular endothelial cadherin, and CXCR4. Adhesio...

OBJECTIVE To determine the diagnostic usefulness of multidetector computed angiotomography in the diagnosis limb arterial injuries in patients with suspicion of arterial injury with no indication of immediate surgery. METHODS Non-invasive 64-channel multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) was performed on 99 limbs suspected of having a traumatic vascular injury over a 44-month period between...

OBJECTIVE Angiographic indexes of restenosis after coronary stent placement in patients show a bimodal pattern suggesting the existence of two populations with different risk of restenosis. This is reflected in the arterial remodeling response of inbred mouse strains arguing for a genetic control of the mechanisms leading to lumen narrowing. As bone marrow-derived cells (BMCs) contribute to vas...

BACKGROUND C-reactive protein (CRP), an acute-phase reactant long considered merely an innocent bystander in the inflammatory process, is now recognized as a powerful predictor of cardiovascular events. Emerging in vitro evidence suggests that CRP may have direct proinflammatory and prothrombotic effects on monocytes and endothelial cells. To determine whether CRP directly modulates vascular ce...

AIMS We investigated the impact of arterial injury on neointimal hyperplasia following implantation of drug-eluting stents (DES). METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 196 patients with 223 segments (sirolimus-eluting stents [SES]: 104, paclitaxel-eluting stents [PES]: 119) underwent intravascular ultrasound eight months after DES implantation. Arterial injury was defined as the balloon-to-artery ra...

Abstract The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2), exhibits a wide spectrum of manifestations, from asymptomatic presentations to failure, myocardial injury, arterial or venous thrombosis, multiorgan and death. Although COVID-19 mainly disrupts syndrome, it has been shown have detrimental impact on cardiac ...