CXCR4 - a possible serum marker for risk stratification of abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) rupture is still associated with a mortality rate of 80-90%. Imaging techniques or molecular fingerprinting for patient-specific risk stratification to identify pending rupture are still lacking. The chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor (CXCR4) activation by CXCL12 ligand has been identified as a marker of inflammation and atherosclerosis, associated with AAA.

Changes in Endocan and Dermatan Sulfate Are Associated with Biomechanical Properties of Abdominal Aortic Wall during Aneurysm Expansion and Rupture.

Background And Aims:  The study aimed to assess the potential of proteoglycans (PGs) and collagens as serological biomarkers in the abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Furthermore, we investigated the underlying mechano-biological interactions and signaling pathways.

Methods:  Tissue and serum samples from patients with ruptured AAA (rAAA;  = 29), elective AAA (eAAA;  = 78), and healthy individuals ( = 8) were evaluated by histology, immunohistochemistry, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and mechanical properties were assessed by tensile tests.

Long Noncoding RNA Controls Advanced Atherosclerotic Lesion Formation and Plaque Destabilization.

Background: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important regulators of biological processes involved in vascular tissue homeostasis and disease development. The present study assessed the functional contribution of the lncRNA myocardial infarction-associated transcript () to atherosclerosis and carotid artery disease.

Methods: We profiled differences in RNA transcript expression in patients with advanced carotid artery atherosclerotic lesions from the Biobank of Karolinska Endarterectomies.

Lenvatinib halts aortic aneurysm growth by restoring smooth muscle cell contractility.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a disease with high morbidity and mortality, especially when ruptured. The rationale of this study was to evaluate the repurposing of lenvatinib, a multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in limiting experimental AAA growth targeting vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and angiogenesis. We applied systemic and local lenvatinib treatment to elastase-induced murine aortic aneurysms, and RNA profiling identified myosin heavy chain 11 (Myh11) as the most deregulated transcript.

Biobanking: Objectives, Requirements, and Future Challenges-Experiences from the Munich Vascular Biobank.

Collecting biological tissue samples in a biobank grants a unique opportunity to validate diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for translational and clinical research. In the present work, we provide our long-standing experience in establishing and maintaining a biobank of vascular tissue samples, including the evaluation of tissue quality, especially in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens (FFPE). Our Munich Vascular Biobank includes, thus far, vascular biomaterial from patients with high-grade carotid artery stenosis ( = 1567), peripheral arterial disease ( = 703), and abdominal aortic aneurysm ( = 481) from our Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery (January 2004⁻December 2018).