Search results for "hypertrophy"
showing 10 items of 335 documents
VEGF-B-induced vascular growth leads to metabolic reprogramming and ischemia resistance in the heart
2014
Abstract Angiogenic growth factors have recently been linked to tissue metabolism. We have used genetic gain‐ and loss‐of function models to elucidate the effects and mechanisms of action of vascular endothelial growth factor‐B (VEGF‐B) in the heart. A cardiomyocyte‐specific VEGF‐B transgene induced an expanded coronary arterial tree and reprogramming of cardiomyocyte metabolism. This was associated with protection against myocardial infarction and preservation of mitochondrial complex I function upon ischemia‐reperfusion. VEGF‐B increased VEGF signals via VEGF receptor‐2 to activate Erk1/2, which resulted in vascular growth. Akt and mTORC1 pathways were upregulated and AMPK downregulated, …
Advance in Vascular Phenotype Assessment in Children and Adolescents
2010
Cardiovascular damage occurring in adults finds its roots in risk factors operating early in life. Among the factors influencing cardiovascular risk, blood pressure values represent an important measurable marker of the level of potential cardiovascular risk in children and adolescents. Indeed, there is growing evidence that mild blood pressure elevations are much more common than was thought in the past in a pediatric population. Furthermore, hypertension in childhood has gained ground in cardiovascular medicine thanks to the progress made in several areas of pathophysiological and clinical research.1 It is not uncommon for high blood pressure in the young to be accompanied by evidence of …
Microphthalmia, persistent hyperplastic hyaloid vasculature and lens anomalies following overexpression of VEGF-A188 from the αA-crystallin promoter
2007
Purpose During growth of the embryonic eye, dose- and site-specific expression of heparin-binding growth factors is critical for the formation of an appropriate vascular supply. Overexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor-A188 (VEGF-A188), a strongly heparin-binding, endothelial-specific mitogen, leads to severe disturbance of vascular and overall ocular morphology. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of VEGF-A188 overexpression on growth of ocular tissue components. Methods Stereological and immunohistochemical methods were employed to identify the vascular profiles, ocular tissue proportions, and cell types in VEGF-A188 transgenic mice and compare them with wild-type mice. R…
Ventricular-vascular coupling in hypertension: methodological considerations and clinical implications.
2014
The present review is addressed to analyse the complex interplay between left ventricle and arterial tree in hypertension. The different methodological approaches to the analysis of ventricular vascular coupling in the time and frequency domain are discussed. Moreover, the role of hypertension-related changes of arterial structure and function (stiffness and wave reflection) on arterial load and how ventricular-vascular coupling modulates the process of left ventricular adaptation to hypertension are analysed.The different interplay between vascular bed and left ventricle emerges as the pathophysiological basis for the development of the multiple patterns of ventricular structural adaptatio…
Effects of a vitamin D3 analogue in a rat model of bladder outlet obstruction
2006
OBJECTIVES To explore the effect of the vitamin D3 analogue, BXL-628, on some of the consequences of bladder outlet obstruction (BOO), e.g. hypertrophy and loss of contractile function, as vitamin D3 and BXL-628 inhibit prostate and bladder cell growth in vitro, and there are receptors for vitamin D in rat and human bladder. MATERIAL AND METHODS In female rats, BOO was produced by a standardized method; one group received daily BXL-628 (150 µg/kg per day) and the remaining rats received vehicle. Sham-operated rats received BXL-628 or vehicle. After 2 weeks, the conscious rats were assessed by cystometry. Plasma calcium levels were determined and in vitro contractility assessed at the end of…
The Metabolic Syndrome and Its Relationship to Hypertensive Target Organ Damage
2007
High blood pressure is often associated with various metabolic abnormalities, including abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, elevated plasma glucose, and insulin resistance, which are the main features of the metabolic syndrome. The metabolic syndrome is extremely common worldwide. This high prevalence is of considerable concern because several studies suggest that the metabolic syndrome carries an increased risk for cardiovascular events. Several lines of evidence seem to indicate that the metabolic syndrome is associated with an increased prevalence of preclinical cardiovascular and renal changes, such as left ventricular hypertrophy, microalbuminuria, impaired aortic elasticity, and early ca…
STAT5b is a key effector of NRG-1/ERBB4-mediated myocardial growth
2023
The growth factor Neuregulin-1 (NRG-1) regulates myocardial growth and is currently under clinical investigation as a treatment for heart failure. Here, we demonstrate in several in vitro and in vivo models that STAT5b mediates NRG-1/EBBB4-stimulated cardiomyocyte growth. Genetic and chemical disruption of the NRG-1/ERBB4 pathway reduces STAT5b activation and transcription of STAT5b target genes Igf1, Myc, and Cdkn1a in murine cardiomyocytes. Loss of Stat5b also ablates NRG-1-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Dynamin-2 is shown to control the cell surface localization of ERBB4 and chemical inhibition of Dynamin-2 downregulates STAT5b activation and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. In zebrafish e…
Cardiovascular risk assessment beyond Systemic Coronary Risk Estimation: A role for organ damage markers
2012
BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular risk assessment in the clinical practice is mostly based on risk charts, such as Framingham risk score and Systemic Coronary Risk Estimation (SCORE). These enable clinicians to estimate the impact of cardiovascular risk factors and assess individual cardiovascular risk profile. Risk charts, however, do not take into account subclinical organ damage, which exerts independent influence on risk and may amplify the estimated risk profile. Inclusion of organ damage markers in the assessment may thus contribute to improve this process. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to evaluate the influence of implementation of SCORE charts with widely available indexes of organ damage, with t…
Randomised controlled study with cyproterone acetate (100 mg/die) versus Pygeum africanum (200 mg/die) in benign prostatic hypertrophy
1994
A multi-centre comparative study was carried out on 143 patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy and reduced or no sexual activity. 74 patients were treated with a low dose of CPA (100 mg a day) and 69 with PYG (200 mg a day), administered orally and assigned randomly. The patients were evaluated at 4,12 and 24 weeks. Results showed a significant statistical difference in favour of the CPA treatment for almost all parameters (flow, post-micturitional residue, symptomatological score). There was a decrease in prostate volume, equal to 19.3% compared to the initial values, only in those patients treated with CPA who completed the treatment. Considerable improvement in nicturia and micturit…