Age-Related Choroidal Involution Is Associated with the Senescence of Endothelial Progenitor Cells in the Choroid.

Choroidal involution is a common feature of age-related ischemic retinopathies such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It is now well recognized that endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are essential to endothelial repair processes and in maintaining vascular integrity. However, the contribution of EPCs and the role of senescence in age-related choroidal vascular degeneration remain to be investigated.

Selective Enrichment of Angiomirs in Extracellular Vesicles Released from Ischemic Skeletal Muscles: Potential Role in Angiogenesis and Neovascularization.

MicroRNAs (miRs) regulate physiological and pathological processes, including ischemia-induced angiogenesis and neovascularization. They can be transferred between cells by extracellular vesicles (EVs). However, the specific miRs that are packaged in EVs released from skeletal muscles, and how this process is modulated by ischemia, remain to be determined.

Novel Function of Nogo-A as Negative Regulator of Endothelial Progenitor Cell Angiogenic Activity: Impact in Oxygen-Induced Retinopathy.

Endothelial Progenitor Cells (EPCs) can actively participate in revascularization in oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR). Yet the mechanisms responsible for their dysfunction is unclear. Nogo-A, whose function is traditionally related to the inhibition of neurite function in the central nervous system, has recently been documented to display anti-angiogenic pro-repellent properties.

Electronic transport coefficients from density functional theory across the plasma plane.

We investigate the thermopower and Lorenz number of hydrogen with Kohn-Sham density functional theory (DFT) across the plasma plane toward the near-classical limit, i.e., weakly degenerate and weakly coupled states.

Measuring the melting curve of iron at super-Earth core conditions.

The discovery of more than 4500 extrasolar planets has created a need for modeling their interior structure and dynamics. Given the prominence of iron in planetary interiors, we require accurate and precise physical properties at extreme pressure and temperature. A first-order property of iron is its melting point, which is still debated for the conditions of Earth’s interior.

Tyrosine-Protein Phosphatase Non-receptor Type 9 (PTPN9) Negatively Regulates the Paracrine Vasoprotective Activity of Bone-Marrow Derived Pro-angiogenic Cells: Impact on Vascular Degeneration in Oxygen-Induced Retinopathy.

Background And Aim: Insufficient post-ischemic neovascularization is an initial key step in the pathogenesis of Oxygen-Induced Retinopathy (OIR). During neovascularization, pro-angiogenic cells (PACs) are mobilized from the bone marrow and integrate into ischemic tissues to promote angiogenesis. However, the modulation of PAC paracrine activity during OIR and the specific mechanisms involved remain to be explored.

Nutraceutical Targeting of Inflammation-Modulating microRNAs in Severe Forms of COVID-19: A Novel Approach to Prevent the Cytokine Storm.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become the number one health problem worldwide. As of August 2020, it has affected more than 18 million humans and caused over 700,000 deaths worldwide. COVID-19 is an infectious disease that can lead to severe acute respiratory syndrome.

An allosteric interleukin-1 receptor modulator mitigates inflammation and photoreceptor toxicity in a model of retinal degeneration.

Background: Inflammation and particularly interleukin-1β (IL-1β), a pro-inflammatory cytokine highly secreted by activated immune cells during early AMD pathological events, contribute significantly to retinal neurodegeneration. Here, we identify specific cell types that generate IL-1β and harbor the IL-1 receptor (IL-1R) and pharmacologically validate IL-1β's contribution to neuro-retinal degeneration using the IL-1R allosteric modulator composed of the amino acid sequence rytvela (as well as the orthosteric antagonist, Kineret) in a model of blue light-induced retinal degeneration.

Methods: Mice were exposed to blue light for 6 h and sacrificed 3 days later.

MicroRNA Expression Profiling of Bone Marrow-Derived Proangiogenic Cells (PACs) in a Mouse Model of Hindlimb Ischemia: Modulation by Classical Cardiovascular Risk Factors.

Background: Classical cardiovascular risk factors (CRFs) are associated with impaired angiogenic activities of bone marrow-derived proangiogenic cells (PACs) related to peripheral artery diseases (PADs) and ischemia-induced neovascularization. MicroRNAs (miRs) are key regulators of gene expression, and they are involved in the modulation of PAC function and PAC paracrine activity. However, the effects of CRFs on the modulation of miR expression in PACs are unknown.

Time-Resolved XUV Opacity Measurements of Warm Dense Aluminum.

The free-free opacity in plasmas is fundamental to our understanding of energy transport in stellar interiors and for inertial confinement fusion research. However, theoretical predictions in the challenging dense plasma regime are conflicting and there is a dearth of accurate experimental data to allow for direct model validation. Here we present time-resolved transmission measurements in solid-density Al heated by an XUV free-electron laser.

Reduced expression of microRNA-130a promotes endothelial cell senescence and age-dependent impairment of neovascularization.

Aging is associated with impaired neovascularization in response to ischemia. MicroRNAs are small noncoding RNAs emerging as key regulators of physiological and pathological processes. Here we investigated the potential role of microRNAs in endothelial cell senescence and age-dependent impairment of neovascularization.

Novel Anti-Interleukin-1β Therapy Preserves Retinal Integrity: A Longitudinal Investigation Using OCT Imaging and Automated Retinal Segmentation in Small Rodents.

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is the leading cause of blindness in neonates. Inflammation, in particular interleukin-1β (IL-1β), is increased in early stages of the disorder, and contributes to inner and outer retinal vasoobliteration in the oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) model of ROP. A small peptide antagonist of IL-1 receptor, composed of the amino acid sequence, rytvela, has been shown to exert beneficial anti-inflammatory effects without compromising immunovigilance-related NF-κB in reproductive tissues.

A silicate dynamo in the early Earth.

The Earth's magnetic field has operated for at least 3.4 billion years, yet how the ancient field was produced is still unknown. The core in the early Earth was surrounded by a molten silicate layer, a basal magma ocean that may have survived for more than one billion years.

Ab initio simulations and measurements of the free-free opacity in aluminum.

The free-free opacity in dense systems is a property that both tests our fundamental understanding of correlated many-body systems, and is needed to understand the radiative properties of high energy-density plasmas. Despite its importance, predictive calculations of the free-free opacity remain challenging even in the condensed matter phase for simple metals. Here we show how the free-free opacity can be modelled at finite-temperatures via time-dependent density functional theory, and illustrate the importance of including local field corrections, core polarization, and self-energy corrections.

Propranolol Attenuates Proangiogenic Activity of Mononuclear Phagocytes: Implication in Choroidal Neovascularization.

Purpose: Targeting β-adrenergic receptor signaling with propranolol has emerged as a potential candidate to counteract choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Little is known of its effect on macrophages, which play a critical role in CNV. We investigated the effect of propranolol on angiogenic response of mononuclear phagocytes (MPs).

Forced expression of microRNA-146b reduces TRAF6-dependent inflammation and improves ischemia-induced neovascularization in hypercholesterolemic conditions.

Background And Aims: MicroRNA (miR)-146 is a key regulator of inflammation, endothelial activation and atherosclerosis. This study sought to define its potential role for the modulation of ischemia-induced neovascularization in atherosclerotic conditions.

Methods: Next generation sequencing and qRT-PCR analyses were used to compare microRNA expression in the ischemic muscles of hypercholesterolemic ApoE-deficient (ApoE) mice vs.

The Inability of the Choroid to Revascularize in Oxygen-Induced Retinopathy Results from Increased p53/miR-Let-7b Activity.

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is characterized by an initial retinal avascularization, followed by pathologic neovascularization. Recently, choroidal thinning has also been detected in children formerly diagnosed with ROP; a similar sustained choroidal thinning is observed in ROP models. But the mechanism underlying the lack of choroidal revascularization remains unclear and was investigated in an oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) model.

Shock Compression of Liquid Deuterium up to 1 TPa.

We present laser-driven shock compression experiments on cryogenic liquid deuterium to 550 GPa along the principal Hugoniot and reflected-shock data up to 1 TPa. High-precision interferometric Doppler velocimetry and impedance-matching analysis were used to determine the compression accurately enough to reveal a significant difference as compared to state-of-the-art ab initio calculations and thus, no single equation of state model fully matches the principal Hugoniot of deuterium over the observed pressure range. In the molecular-to-atomic transition pressure range, models based on density functional theory calculations predict the maximum compression accurately.

MicroRNA expression profile in retina and choroid in oxygen-induced retinopathy model.

Background: Ischemic retinopathies (IRs) are leading causes of visual impairment. They are characterized by an initial phase of microvascular degeneration and a second phase of aberrant pre-retinal neovascularization (NV). microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression, and a number play a role in normal and pathological NV.

Comment on "Insulator-metal transition in dense fluid deuterium".

Celliers (Reports, 17 August 2018, p. 677), in an attempt to reconcile differences in inferred metallization pressures, provide an alternative temperature analysis of the Knudson experiments (Reports, 26 June 2015, p. 1455).