Publications by authors named "Emma Akers"

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is characterised by accelerated arterial calcification and impairment in angiogenesis. Studies implicate vascular calcification as a contributor to PAD, but the mechanisms remain unclear. We aimed to determine the effect of calcification on ischaemia-driven angiogenesis.

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Preclinical and clinical diagnostics increasingly rely on techniques to visualize internal organs at high resolution via endoscopes. Miniaturized endoscopic probes are necessary for imaging small luminal or delicate organs without causing trauma to tissue. However, current fabrication methods limit the imaging performance of highly miniaturized probes, restricting their widespread application.

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Vascular calcification (VC) is strongly associated with all-cause mortality and is an independent predictor of cardiovascular events. Resulting from its complex, multifaceted nature, targeted treatments for VC have not yet been developed. Lipoproteins are well characterized in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic plaques, leading to the development of plaque regressing therapeutics.

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Follicles are isolated from ovaries for numerous reasons, including IVM, but adult murine yields are <2 folliclesmg. The aim of the present study was to optimise ovarian disaggregation and develop methods applicable to the rapid screening of follicle viability. Ovaries from adult mice (n=7) were halved and disaggregated mechanically, or by using collagenase IV (Col-IV; 590UmL) or animal origin-free collagenase IV (AOF) at 590 or 1180UmL.

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