Transient low shear-stress preconditioning influences long-term endothelial traction and alignment under high shear flow.

Endothelial cells (ECs) within the vascular system encounter fluid shear stress (FSS). High, laminar FSS promotes vasodilation and anti-inflammatory responses, whereas low or disturbed FSS induces dysfunction and inflammation. However, the adaptation of endothelial cells (ECs) to dynamically changing FSS patterns remains underexplored.

Low Shear in Short-Term Impacts Endothelial Cell Traction and Alignment in Long-Term.

Within the vascular system, endothelial cells (ECs) are exposed to fluid shear stress (FSS), a mechanical force exerted by blood flow that is critical for regulating cellular tension and maintaining vascular homeostasis. The way ECs react to FSS varies significantly; while high, laminar FSS supports vasodilation and suppresses inflammation, low or disturbed FSS can lead to endothelial dysfunction and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Yet, the adaptation of ECs to dynamically varying FSS remains poorly understood.

A hierarchical clustering method for dimension reduction in joint analysis of multiple phenotypes.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have become a very effective research tool to identify genetic variants of underlying various complex diseases. In spite of the success of GWAS in identifying thousands of reproducible associations between genetic variants and complex disease, in general, the association between genetic variants and a single phenotype is usually weak. It is increasingly recognized that joint analysis of multiple phenotypes can be potentially more powerful than the univariate analysis, and can shed new light on underlying biological mechanisms of complex diseases.