0000000000016230
AUTHOR
Magdalena L. Bochenek
Tubulin-folding cofactor E deficiency is associated with vascular dysfunction and endoplasmatic reticulum stress of vascular smooth muscle cells
Abstract Introduction Endothelial function assessed via flow mediated dilatation (FMD) has shown to predict risk in individuals with established cardiovascular diseases, whereas its predictive value is uncertain in the setting primary prevention. Purpose The aim of the current work was to discover and evaluate novel mediators of vascular dysfunction in the general population and in conditional knock-out transgenic animal models. Methods In order to identify novel targets that were negatively correlated with FMD and investigate their contribution in vascular function, a Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) of 5,000 participants was performed and subsequently immune cell-, endothelial- and va…
Potential Involvement of Osteopontin in Inflammatory and Fibrotic Processes in Pulmonary Embolism and Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension
Background Inflammation and incomplete thrombus resolution leading to obstructive fibrotic remodelling are considered critical mechanisms for the development of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) after pulmonary embolism (PE). Osteopontin (OPN) is involved in a variety of biological processes including inflammation and tissue fibrosis. Methods OPN plasma concentrations were measured in 70 CTEPH and 119 PE patients. Tissue material from 6 CTEPH patients removed during pulmonary endarterectomy and murine venous thrombi induced by subtotal ligation of the inferior vena cava in C57BL/6 mice were analysed by (immuno)histochemistry. Results CTEPH patients had higher OPN plasma…
Increased Lymphangiogenesis and Lymphangiogenic Growth Factor Expression in Perivascular Adipose Tissue of Patients with Coronary Artery Disease
Experimental and human autopsy studies have associated adventitial lymphangiogenesis with atherosclerosis. An analysis of perivascular lymphangiogenesis in patients with coronary artery disease is lacking. Here, we examined lymphangiogenesis and its potential regulators in perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) surrounding the heart (C-PVAT) and compared it with PVAT of the internal mammary artery (IMA-PVAT). Forty-six patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery were included. Perioperatively collected C-PVAT and IMA-PVAT were analyzed using histology, immunohistochemistry, real time PCR, and PVAT-conditioned medium using cytokine arrays. C-PVAT exhibited increased PECAM-1 (platele…