Increased arterial stiffness is associated with poorer social cognition in older age.

It is now well established that vascular aging is a significant predictor of cognitive decline in older age. But what remains less clear is the role that vascular health plays in social cognitive aging. Therefore, we aimed to provide the first test of the relationship between arterial stiffness and theory of mind (ToM) in late adulthood.

A zebrafish model of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) deficiency-derived congenital disorders.

Congenital NAD deficiency disorder (CNDD) is a multisystem condition in which cardiac, renal, vertebral, and limb anomalies are most common, but anomalies in all organ systems have been identified. Patients with this condition have biallelic pathogenic variants involving genes in the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) synthesis pathway leading to decreased systemic NAD levels. CNDD anomalies mimic the clinical features described in vertebral-anal-cardiac-tracheoesophageal fistula-renal-limb (VACTERL) association raising the possibility that CNDD and VACTERL association possess similar underlying causes.

Secreted Frizzled-Related Protein 1a regulates hematopoietic development in a dose-dependent manner.

Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) arise only during embryonic development, and their identity specification, emergence from the floor of the dorsal aorta, and proliferation are all tightly regulated by molecular mechanisms such as signaling cues. Among these, Wnt signaling plays an important role in HSPC specification, differentiation, and self-renewal, requiring precise modulation for proper development and homeostasis. Wnt signaling is initiated when a Wnt ligand binds to cell surface receptors such as those encoded by the gene family, activating intracellular signaling pathways that regulate gene expression.

How social frailty is operationalized matters: Relationships with health and wellbeing in late adulthood.

Objectives: There are currently major inconsistencies in the methodological approaches used to index social frailty. The present study aimed to better understand which of these approaches may be most valuable in predicting older adult's physical health and psychological wellbeing.

Design: One hundred and thirty-three participants aged 60-90 years completed five measures commonly used to index social frailty, along with five measures of physical health, and psychological wellbeing.

Endothelial cell Piezo1 promotes vascular smooth muscle cell differentiation on large arteries.

Vascular stabilization is a mechanosensitive process, in part driven by blood flow. Here, we demonstrate the involvement of the mechanosensitive ion channel, Piezo1, in promoting arterial accumulation of vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs) during zebrafish development. Using a series of small molecule antagonists or agonists to temporally regulate Piezo1 activity, we identified a role for the Piezo1 channel in regulating klf2a, a blood flow responsive transcription factor, expression levels and altered targeting of vSMCs between arteries and veins.