Publications by authors named "Su-Juan Kuang"

The contractile function of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) typically undergoes significant changes with advancing age, leading to severe vascular aging-related diseases. The precise role and mechanism of stromal interaction molecule-1 (STIM1) in age-mediated Ca signaling and vasocontraction remain unclear. The connection between STIM1 and age-related vascular dysfunction was investigated using a multi-myograph system, immunohistochemical analysis, protein blotting, and SA-β-gal staining.

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Pyroptosis plays a crucial role in sepsis, and the abnormal handling of myocyte calcium (Ca) has been associated with cardiomyocyte pyroptosis. Specifically, the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor type 2 (IP3R2) is a Ca release channel in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). However, the specific role of IP3R2 in sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy (SIC) has not yet been determined.

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Aim: Sacubitril/valsartan (Sac/Val, LCZ696), the world's first angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNi), has been widely used in the treatment of heart failure. However, the use of Sac/Val in the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF), especially AF with hypertension, has been less reported. We investigated the effect of Sac/Val on atrial remodeling and hypertension-related AF.

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Atrial fibrosis induced by aging is one of the main causes of atrial fibrillation (AF), but the potential molecular mechanism is not clear. Acetyltransferase p300 participates in the cellular senescence and fibrosis, which might be involved in the age-related atrial fibrosis. Four microarray datasets generated from atrial tissue of AF patients and sinus rhythm (SR) controls were analyzed to find the possible relationship of p300 (EP300) with senescence and fibrosis.

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Calcium (Ca) dysregulation contributes to various vascular diseases, but the role and underlying mechanism of stromal interaction molecule-1 (STIM1) in Ca signaling and vasocontraction remain elusive. By using smooth muscle-specific STIM1 knockout (sm-STIM1 KO) mice and a multi myograph system, we investigated the differential role of STIM1 in Ca handling between coronary and intrarenal arterial smooth muscles. After STIM1 deletion, contractile responses to 5-HT were obviously reduced in coronary and intrarenal arteries in the sm-STIM1 KO mice, but not altered in U46619.

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Diabetic coronary artery injury is closely associated with Ca dysregulation, although the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study explored the role and mechanism of Ca handling in coronary artery dysfunction in type 2 diabetic rats. Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats were used as the type 2 diabetes mellitus model.

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Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common chronic metabolic disease caused by significant accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiovascular complication of DM. Here, we aim to clarify the role and mechanism of atrial myocyte senescence in the susceptibility of AF in diabetes.

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Hypertension is a major cardiovascular risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF) worldwide. However, the role of mechanical stress caused by hypertension on downregulating the L-type calcium current (I), which is vital for AF occurrence, remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the role of Piezo1, a mechanically activated ion channel, in the decrease of I in response to high hydrostatic pressure (HHP, one of the principal mechanical stresses) at 40 mmHg, and to elucidate the underlying pathways.

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Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with atrial conduction disturbances caused by electrical and/or structural remodelling. In the present study, we hypothesized that connexin might interact with the calcium channel through forming a protein complex and, then, participates in the pathogenesis of AF. Western blot and whole-cell patch clamp showed that protein levels of Cav1.

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Mitochondrial dysfunction and impaired Ca handling are involved in the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). Dynamic relative protein 1 (Drp1) regulates mitochondrial fission by changing its level of phosphorylation, and the Orai1 (Ca release-activated calcium channel protein 1) calcium channel is important for the increase in Ca entry into cardiomyocytes. We aimed to explore the mechanism of Drp1 and Orai1 in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy caused by high glucose (HG).

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BTP2 is a potent inhibitor of store-operated Ca entry (SOCE), which plays a vital role in vasoconstriction. However, the direct effect of BTP2 on the contractile response remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effects and mechanisms of action of BTP2 in the mouse aorta.

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Vascular dysfunction is a common pathological basis for complications in individuals affected by diabetes. Previous studies have established that endothelial dysfunction is the primary contributor to vascular complications in type 2 diabetes (T2DM). However, the role of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in vascular complications associated with T2DM is still not completely understood.

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Hypertension is one of the risk factors for coronary heart disease. The present study investigated the mechanism of contractile dysfunction induced by serotonin (5-HT) in coronary artery in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Coronary arteries were isolated form SHRs and Wistar rats.

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Article Synopsis
  • Ca2+ is crucial for regulating vasoconstriction, but its handling varies across different arteries and could influence their responses to vasoconstrictors.* -
  • Researchers measured arterial contractions and calcium levels in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) to investigate these differences, using specific chemicals and Western blotting.* -
  • Results showed distinct responses between coronary and renal arteries to various vasoconstrictors, highlighting that variations in Ca2+ handling and receptor expression play a significant role in these differences.*
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Thromboxane A (TXA ) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of vascular complications, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. The contraction of renal arterial rings in mice was measured by a Multi Myograph System. The intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca ] ) in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) was obtained by using a fluo-4/AM dye and a confocal laser scanning microscopy.

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Statins are widely used in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. Studies have demonstrated that statins could maintain vascular contractile function through inhibiting the transformation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) from the contractile phenotype to the synthetic phenotype. However, the underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated.

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Atrial fibrosis is the fundamental characteristic of the structural pathology associated with atrial fibrillation (AF). Inflammation can contribute to atrial fibrosis, engendering AF. The present study aimed to investigate the role of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a pleiotropic cytokine, in the regulation of proliferation and function of cardiac fibroblasts (CFs).

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Connexin 43 (Cx43) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation (AF). The present study sought to investigate the effect of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a pleiotropic cytokine, on Cx43 expression and activity and determine the intracellular signalling pathways. Cx43 protein and mRNA levels were assayed using immunofluorescence, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and western blot.

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Objective: To investigate the effects of propofol combined with indomethacin on the contractile function of isolated human pulmonary arteries.

Methods: Human pulmonary artery preparations were obtained from patients undergoing surgery for lung carcinoma. The intrapulmonary arteries were dissected and cut into rings under microscope for treatment with propofol or propofol combined with indomethacin.

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Thromboxane A (TXA) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic vascular complications, although the underlying mechanism remains unclear. The present study investigated the alterations in TXA receptor signal transduction in type 2 diabetic renal arteries. The contraction of renal arterial rings in control (db/m+) mice and type 2 diabetic (db/db) mice was measured by a Multi Myograph System.

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Increasing evidence indicates that inflammation contributes to the initiation and perpetuation of atrial fibrillation (AF). Although tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels are increased in patients with AF, the role of TNF-α in the pathogenesis of AF remains unclear. Besides L-type Ca(2+) currents (IC a,L ), T-type Ca(2+) currents (IC a,T ) also plays an important role in the pathogenesis of AF.

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Background: In the early stage of diabetes, the cardiac ejection fraction is preserved, despite the existence of the subclinical cardiac dysfunction to some extent. However, the detailed phenotype of this dysfunction and the underlying mechanism remain unclear. To improve our understanding of this issue, we used low-dose STZ and high-fat diet to induce type 2 diabetic models in rats.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study analyzed the impact of preoperative highly sensitive C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP) levels on the outcomes of 624 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent liver surgery between January 2004 and December 2008.
  • The research found that higher preoperative Hs-CRP levels were significantly correlated with larger tumors, more advanced stages of cancer, and worse overall survival and recurrence-free survival rates in patients.
  • The findings suggest that elevated preoperative Hs-CRP levels can serve as an independent prognostic indicator for predicting outcomes in HCC patients after surgical treatment.
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The L-type calcium channel (LCC) plays a regulatory role in various physical and pathological processes. In the vasculature, LCCs mediate agonist-induced vascular smooth muscle contraction. However, whether LCC-mediated vessel responses to certain vasoconstrictors vary among species remains unclear.

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A key hallmark of cancer cells is their altered metabolism, known as Warburg effect. Lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) executes the final step of aerobic glycolysis and has been reported to be involved in the tumor progression. However, the function of LDHA in prostate cancer has not been studied.

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