A unique case of bilateral ventricular infiltration by lung adenocarcinoma with paraneoplastic hypereosinophilia.

Existence of poorly differentiated tumour cells or paraneoplastic hypereosinophilia indicates extensive disease progression and poor prognosis in patients with malignancy. When these conditions are present, it is necessary to consider the possibility of intracardiac metastasis even in cases of lung adenocarcinoma.

A case of pulmonary nocardiosis with spread from a post-traumatic cutaneous infection in an immunocompetent patient.

is an aerobic Gram-positive bacterium found in the environment, including soil and water. is reportedly associated with cutaneous infections, and disseminated disease is typically detected in immunocompromised individuals. We present a rare case of disseminated nocardiosis with in an immunocompetent patient.

Unilateral acute eosinophilic pneumonia on the operative side: A case 9 years after lung lobectomy.

The typical clinical manifestation of acute eosinophilic pneumonia is acute onset of respiratory symptoms due to smoking or medication use, accompanied by bilateral ground-glass opacity with consolidations on chest radiography. However, differential diagnosis with acute eosinophilic pneumonia should not be excluded in cases of unilateral pneumonia of postoperative lung.

Weight loss in nintedanib-treated patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Nintedanib is approved for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Weight loss is recognized as an adverse event during nintedanib treatment, and is a common complication exploitable as a prognostic indicator of IPF. Here, we report a single-center, retrospective cohort study to assess body weight changes during nintedanib therapy in patients with IPF.

Association of Lectin-Like Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein Receptor-1 With Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Impacts Mitochondrial Quality Control, Offering Promise for the Treatment of Vascular Senescence.

Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) causes vascular senescence and atherosclerosis. It has been reported that ox-LDL scavenger receptor-1 (LOX-1) is associated with the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R). While mitochondria play a crucial role in the development of vascular senescence and atherosclerosis, they also undergo quality control through mitochondrial dynamics and autophagy.

The Impact of Autophagy on Cardiovascular Senescence and Diseases.

The risk of cardiovascular disease increases with age, causing chronic disability, morbidity, and mortality in the elderly. Cardiovascular aging and disease are characterized by heart failure, cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury, cardiomyopathy, hypertension, arterial stiffness, and atherosclerosis. As a cell ages, damaged organelles and abnormal proteins accumulate.

Hepatocyte Growth Factor Prevented High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity and Improved Insulin Resistance in Mice.

Obesity and its associated chronic inflammation in adipose tissue initiate insulin resistance, which is related to several pathologies including hypertension and atherosclerosis. Previous reports demonstrated that circulating hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) level was associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. However, its precise role in obesity and related-pathology is unclear.

Activated Factor X Induces Endothelial Cell Senescence Through IGFBP-5.

Uncontrolled coagulation contributes to the pathophysiology of several chronic inflammatory diseases. In these conditions, senescent cells are often observed and is involved in the generation of inflammation. The coincidence of hyper-coagulation, cell senescence, and inflammation suggests the existence of a common underlying mechanism.

Therapeutic Angiogenesis by Gene Therapy for Critical Limb Ischemia: Choice of Biological Agent.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is caused by atherosclerosis, hardening and narrowing arteries over time due to buildup of fatty deposit in vascular bed called plaque. Severe blockage of an artery of the lower extremity markedly reduce blood flow, resulting in critical limb ischemia (CLI) manifested by a variety of clinical syndromes including rest pain in the feet or toes, ulcer and gangrene with infection. Despite significant advances in clinical care and interventions for revascularization, patients with CLI remain at high risk for amputation and cardiovascular death.

Endothelial progenitor cells in clinical settings.

Senescence of cells is associated with shortened or damaged telomeres and is characterized by permanent exit from the cell cycle and altered function. Cellular senescence is caused by repeated cell division, and also conditions of stress including inflammation and reactive oxygen species can lead to the development of premature senescence. At the cellular level, proliferative and oxidative-stress induced cell senescence related to a pro-inflammatory state might strongly contribute to age-associated impaired tissue and organ functions.

Hepatocyte growth factor inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced oxidative stress via epithelial growth factor receptor degradation.

Objective: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) triggers sepsis and systemic inflammatory response syndrome, which results in multiple organ failure. Our recent reports demonstrated that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) attenuated angiotensin II-induced oxidative stress via epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) degradation in vascular smooth muscle cells. Here, we examined whether HGF can protect against systemic inflammatory response syndrome induced by LPS and investigated the mechanism.

Inhibition of Lp(a)-induced functional impairment of endothelial cells and endothelial progenitor cells by hepatocyte growth factor.

Background: Lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)) is one of the risk factors for peripheral artery disease (PAD). Our previous report demonstrated that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) gene therapy attenuated the impairment of collateral formation in Lp(a) transgenic mice. Since risk factors for atherosclerosis accelerate endothelial senescence and impair angiogenesis, we examined the role of Lp(a) in dysfunction and senescence of endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) and endothelial cells.

Hepatocyte growth factor reduces cardiac fibrosis by inhibiting endothelial-mesenchymal transition.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) on the pathogenesis of cardiac fibrosis induced by pressure overload in mice. Although cardiac fibrosis is attributed to excess pathological deposition of extracellular matrix components, the mechanism remains unclear. Recent reports revealed that α-smooth muscle actin-expressing myofibroblasts are primarily responsible for fibrosis.

Telmisartan exerts renoprotective actions via peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ/hepatocyte growth factor pathway independent of angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockade.

Angiotensin (Ang) II type 1 receptor blockers have demonstrated beneficial effects beyond blood pressure control in the treatment of chronic kidney disease. There is clinical evidence that telmisartan is more effective than losartan in reducing proteinuria in hypertensive patients with diabetic nephropathy, because it is a partial agonist of peroxisome-proliferator activated receptor-γ (PPARγ), as well as an Ang II type 1 receptor blocker (AMADEO Study [A comparison of telMisartan versus losArtan in hypertensive type 2 DiabEtic patients with Overt nephropathy]). In this study, we examined the role of PPARγ activation in the renal protective actions of telmisartan using Ang II type 1 receptor-deficient mice.

Role of serotonin in angiogenesis: induction of angiogenesis by sarpogrelate via endothelial 5-HT1B/Akt/eNOS pathway in diabetic mice.

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) plays a crucial role in peripheral artery disease (PAD) and diabetes mellitus (DM). In these conditions, the balance between the 5-HT2A receptor in smooth muscle cells and the 5-HT1B receptor in endothelial cells (ECs) regulates vascular tonus. In the present study, we focused on the role of 5-HT in endothelial dysfunction using a selective 5-HT2A receptor blocker, sarpogrelate.

Hepatocyte growth factor attenuates transforming growth factor-β-angiotensin II crosstalk through inhibition of the PTEN/Akt pathway.

Both angiotensin II (Ang II) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 are thought to be involved in the progression of chronic kidney disease. In contrast, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) counteracts the actions of Ang II and TGF-β1. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms of how HGF antagonizes the Ang II-TGF-β axis in renal cells.

Estrogen attenuates vascular remodeling in Lp(a) transgenic mice.

Objective: Although it is well known that Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) is an atherogenic lipoprotein and an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, there is no confirmed therapy to decrease Lp(a) or prevent atherosclerosis induced by Lp(a). Thus, it is mandatory to develop novel therapy to prevent atherosclerosis in high Lp(a) concentration. Here, we focused on the effect of estrogen on Lp(a) level and Lp(a)-induced vascular remodeling.