Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Offers Protection against Disturbed Flow-Induced Atherosclerosis in High-Fat Diet-Fed Mice.

Bariatric surgery reduces body weight, enhances metabolic and diabetic control, and improves outcomes on obesity-related comorbidities. However, the mechanisms mediating this protection against cardiovascular diseases remain unclear. We investigated the effect of sleeve gastrectomy (SG) on vascular protection in response to shear stress-induced atherosclerosis using an overweighted and carotid artery ligation mouse model.

Melatonin Improves Ischemia-Induced Circulation Recovery Impairment in Mice with Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes by Improving the Endothelial Progenitor Cells Functioning.

Patients with diabetes mellitus tend to develop ischemia-related complications and have compromised endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) function. Melatonin protects against ischemic injury, possibly via EPC modulation. We investigated whether melatonin pretreatment could restore EPC function impairment and improve circulation recovery in a diabetic critical limb ischemia mouse model.

Association of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) Inhibitor Use With Cardiovascular and Renal Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients With Stabilized Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Propensity Score Matching Study.

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), who are at a greater risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and sudden cardiac death. Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have been shown to reduce cardiovascular events and mortality in T2DM patients with a risk of cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to investigate the effect of SGLT2 inhibitor use on the adverse cardiovascular and renal outcomes in T2DM patients with AMI.

Fibroblast growth factor 21 reverses high-fat diet-induced impairment of vascular function via the anti-oxidative pathway in ApoE knockout mice.

Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), which function in vascular repair, are the markers of endothelial dysfunction and vascular health. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), a liver-secreted protein, plays a crucial role in glucose homeostasis and lipid metabolism. FGF21 has been reported to attenuate the progression of atherosclerosis, but its impact on EPCs under high oxidative stress conditions remains unclear.

An oral absorbent, AST-120, restores vascular growth and blood flow in ischemic muscles in diabetic mice via modulation of macrophage transition.

Background Diabetes has a pronounced effect on the peripheral vasculature. The accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) is regarded as the crucial mechanism responsible for vascular damage in diabetes, but it is not easy to be avoided from food. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of an oral absorbent, AST-120, on the accumulation of AGEs and changes in blood flow recovery in diabetic mice.

Trimethylamine N-Oxide, Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cells, and Endothelial Function in Patients with Stable Angina.

Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is a metabolite originated from bacterial metabolism of choline-rich foods. Evidence suggests an association between TMAO and atherosclerosis, but the relationship between TMAO and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) remains unclear. This study aimed to identify the relationship between TMAO concentrations, circulating EPCs, and endothelial function in patients with stable angina.

Association between echocardiographic epicardial fat thickness and circulating endothelial progenitor cell level in patients with stable angina pectoris.

Background: Epicardial adipose tissue is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). Circulating endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) level represents a marker of endothelial dysfunction and vascular health. However, the relationship between epicardial fat and circulating EPC remains unknown.

Indoxyl sulfate suppresses endothelial progenitor cell-mediated neovascularization.

Patients with chronic kidney disease have an increased prevalence of peripheral arterial disease. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) are pivotal in neovascularization, but their role in mediating peripheral arterial disease in chronic kidney disease is not fully known. Here we studied the impact of indoxyl sulfate, a protein-bound uremic toxin, on EPC function in response to tissue ischemia or cell hypoxia in mice that underwent subtotal nephrectomy or sham operation.

Krüppel-like factor 5 associates with melamine-cyanurate crystal-induced nephritis in rats.

Background: Melamine and cyanuric acid (M/CA), when orally administered together to rats, can induce crystal formation within renal tubules and cause acute kidney injury.

Methods: To investigate the pathomechanism of crystal-induced nephritis, melamine and/or cyanuric acid were administered to 3-week-old (young) and 8-week-old (adult) rats, respectively.

Results: Crystal formation, blood urea nitrogen elevation, tubular cell injury and macrophage infiltration were noted in rats fed with M/CA, but not in rats fed with vehicle, melamine or CA alone.

Aldosterone and mortality in hemodialysis patients: role of volume overload.

Background: Elevated aldosterone is associated with increased mortality in the general population. In patients on dialysis, however, the association is reversed. This paradox may be explained by volume overload, which is associated with lower aldosterone and higher mortality.

Lipopolysaccharide directly stimulates aldosterone production via toll-like receptor 2 and toll-like receptor 4 related PI(3)K/Akt pathway in rat adrenal zona glomerulosa cells.

The level of circulating endotoxin is related to the severity of cardiovascular disease. One of the indexes for the prognosis of cardiovascular disease is the plasma aldosterone level. Recently, the Toll-like receptors (TLRs), lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-regulated receptors, were found not only to mediate the inflammatory response but also to be important in the adrenal stress response.

Mechanisms of digoxin and digitoxin on the production of corticosterone in zona fasciculata-reticularis cells of ovariectomized rats.

Previous studies have indicated that digoxin (DG) inhibits testosterone production by rat testicular interstitial cells through both in vivo and in vitro experiments. DG and digitoxin (DT), but not ouabain, inhibit the progesterone, pregnenolone, and corticosterone secretion by rat granulosa cells, luteal cells, and zona fasciculata-reticularis (ZFR) cells, respectively. However, the effect of DG and DT on the enzyme kinetics of cytochrome P450 side chain cleavage enzyme (P450scc), the protein expression of P450scc and steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), and mRNA expression of StAR are unclear.