Article
Neurosciences
Domenico Ribatti, Diego Guidolin
Summary: Vascular and neuronal networks are formed through branching morphogenesis, and there is molecular crosstalk and common cues between nerves and blood vessels. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) affects the nervous system, while nerve growth factor (NGF) exhibits angiogenic properties. This study focuses on the morphogenesis and remodeling processes of vascular and neuronal networks.
BRAIN RESEARCH BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Dan-Yang Chen, Ning-He Sun, Xiang Chen, Jun-Jie Gong, Song-Tao Yuan, Zi-Zhong Hu, Nan-Nan Lu, Jakob Korbelin, Kohji Fukunaga, Qing-Huai Liu, Ying-Mei Lu, Feng Han
Summary: Semaphorin 3G plays a crucial role in vascular remodeling and improvement of ischemic retinopathy by enhancing healthy vascular network formation and promoting diseased vasculature regression. Loss of Sema3G exacerbates pathological angiogenesis in retinal vasculature. Sema3G coordinates the functional interaction between beta-catenin and VE-cadherin, leading to increased beta-catenin stability and aiding in vascular remodeling.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Luis F. Martins, Ilaria Brambilla, Alessia Motta, Stefano de Pretis, Ganesh Parameshwar Bhat, Aurora Badaloni, Chiara Malpighi, Neal D. Amin, Fumiyasu Imai, Ramiro D. Almeida, Yutaka Yoshida, Samuel L. Pfaff, Dario Bonanomi
Summary: The close apposition of neurons and endothelial cells is crucial for the function of the nervous system. Motor neurons release a signaling molecule called Sema3C to repel endothelial cells and promote axon growth. The Plexin-D1 receptor in endothelial cells is found to be necessary for the development of neuromuscular connectivity. This study provides insights into the mechanisms that enable the avoidance of detrimental axon-endothelial encounters and facilitate vascularization within the nervous system.
Article
Immunology
Leticia Paula Trajano Noronha, Monique Daiane Andrade Martins, Archimedes Barbosa Castro-Junior, Maria Luiza Thorstenberg, Lais Costa-Soares, Thuany Prado Rangel, Felipe Carvalho-Gondim, Bartira Rossi-Bergmann, Luiz Eduardo Baggio Savio, Claudio de Azevedo Canetti, Robson Coutinho-Silva
Summary: Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical parasitic disease with limited treatment options. A recent study found that cysteinyl leukotrienes (Cys-LTs) play an important role in controlling Leishmania amazonensis infection. These findings suggest the potential therapeutic use of leukotriene B4 (LTB4) and Cys-LTs for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL).
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biophysics
Xuanbin Zhang, Haosen Wang, Zhixiu Hao
Summary: The proposed bone regeneration model integrates theories of angiogenesis to demonstrate the effects of oxygen tension on vascular endothelial growth factor during bone regeneration, as well as the growth and remodeling of vascular tissue under the influence of vascular endothelial growth factor and mechanical loading. This model illustrates the relationship between vascular tissue and bone regeneration.
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Raquel Roldan-Montero, Juan M. Perez-Saez, Isabel Cerro-Pardo, Jorge Oller, Diego Martinez-Lopez, Estefania Nunez, Sebastian M. Maller, Carmen Gutierrez-Munoz, Nerea Mendez-Barbero, Joan C. Escola-Gil, Jean-Baptiste Michel, Maria Mittelbrunn, Jesus Vazquez, Luis M. Blanco-Colio, Gabriel A. Rabinovich, Jose L. Martin-Ventura
Summary: Galectin-1 (Gal-1) plays a significant role as a therapeutic target for atherosclerosis and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Lack of Gal-1 leads to severe atherosclerosis and VSMC phenotypic switch, while treatment with recombinant Gal-1 prevents these effects and alleviates the conditions of atherosclerosis and AAA.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Jesper Safholm, Willem Abma, Lora G. Bankova, Joshua A. Boyce, Mamdoh Al-Ameri, Ann-Charlotte Orre, Craig E. Wheelock, Sven-Erik Dahlen, Mikael Adner
Summary: The study found that MCTR3 can reduce IL-13-induced airway hyperresponsiveness by activating the CysLT1 receptor. This finding suggests that MCTR3 may be a potential therapeutic drug for inhibiting airway hyperresponsiveness in asthma.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marta Reina-Couto, Marisa Santos-Oliveira, Patricia Pereira-Terra, Carolina Silva-Pereira, Janete Quelhas-Santos, Alvaro Duarte, Sandra Martins, Paula Serrao, Claudia Camila Dias, Manuela Morato, Joao T. Guimaraes, Roberto Roncon-Albuquerque, Jose-Artur Paiva, Antonio Albino-Teixeira, Teresa Sousa
Summary: This study evaluated the role of cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLT) in patients with septic shock (SS) and found that urinary CysLT (u-CysLT) may serve as a potential biomarker for monitoring the pathophysiological mechanisms of SS.
Article
Cell Biology
Neeraj Dholia, Gurupreet S. Sethi, Amarjit S. Naura, Umesh C. S. Yadav
Summary: The study found that LTD4 can induce inflammatory response in human airway epithelial cells by activating the NALP3 inflammasome, and further promote airway epithelial cells' remodeling through the TGF-beta/smad2/3-mediated pathway. Additionally, obese mice challenged with OVA showed asthma-like lung inflammation and remodeling phenotypes.
INFLAMMATION RESEARCH
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chao Ye, Fen Zheng, Nan Wu, Guo-qing Zhu, Xiu-zhen Li
Summary: Vascular remodeling plays a crucial role in the development of various vascular diseases and is closely associated with the release of extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs impact vascular remodeling by affecting oxidative stress, inflammation, calcification, and lipid plaque formation. Therefore, EVs have the potential to be used as biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis, as well as therapeutic targets for vascular remodeling and cardiovascular diseases.
ACTA PHARMACOLOGICA SINICA
(2022)
Article
Peripheral Vascular Disease
Luana Santos Silva, Jefferson Hollanda Veras, Amanda Silva Fernandes, Abel Vieira de Melo Bisneto, Mirian Rita Carrilho de Castro, Raquel Ferreira Naves, Cristiene Costa Carneiro, Caridad Noda Perez, Clever Gomes Cardoso, Carolina Ribeiro e Silva, Lee Chen-Chen
Summary: In this study, a new sulfonamide-chalcone hybrid CL185 demonstrated significant angiogenic activity by increasing vascularization and VEGF levels, suggesting its potential for pro-angiogenic and tissue repair therapies. The inflammatory processes stimulated by CL185 may play a role in its pronounced angiogenic activity.
MICROVASCULAR RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Siarhei A. Dabravolski, Victoria A. Khotina, Andrey V. Omelchenko, Vladislav A. Kalmykov, Alexander N. Orekhov
Summary: The VEGF family plays a crucial role in the development of atherosclerosis and related cardiovascular diseases, and has the potential to be targeted for treatment.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anna Di Carlo, Sara Beji, Silvia Palmerio, Mario Picozza, Marco D'Agostino, Vincenzo Petrozza, Roberta Melchionna, Antonia Germani, Alessandra Magenta, Elena De Falco, Daniele Avitabile
Summary: Nucleophosmin (NPM) is secreted by human vein endothelial cells in response to stress conditions, showing pro-inflammatory and angiogenic activities both in vitro and in vivo. The secretion of NPM is time dependent and unrelated to cell necrosis within 24 hours. This study suggests a potential autocrine/paracrine role of NPM in regulating angiogenesis and inflammation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Tao Yang, Guangxu Li, Xifeng Li, Boyang Wei, Hengxian Su, Wenchao Liu, Shenquan Guo, Nan Yang, Tao Xu, Chuanzhi Duan
Summary: Previous research on tissue-engineered blood vessels mainly focused on one layer, neglecting the equal importance of both the intima and adventitia. This study developed a small-diameter graft that can gradually release growth factors and inhibitors to enhance tissue regeneration and remodeling in both layers.
REGENERATIVE BIOMATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hitomi Matsuno, Shoko Tsuchimine, Kazunori O'Hashi, Kazuhisa Sakai, Kotaro Hattori, Shinsuke Hidese, Shingo Nakajima, Shuichi Chiba, Aya Yoshimura, Noriko Fukuzato, Mayumi Kando, Megumi Tatsumi, Shintaro Ogawa, Noritaka Ichinohe, Hiroshi Kunugi, Kazuhiro Sohya
Summary: Several lines of evidence suggest that stress-induced neurovascular dysfunction and increased blood-brain barrier permeability are important pathological links between stress and psychiatric disorders. This study demonstrates the crucial role of vascular endothelial growth factor in stress-induced blood-brain barrier dysfunction and depressive-like behavior development.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Konstantinos Bartziokas, Christos Kyriakopoulos, Evangelia Dounousi, Konstantinos Kostikas
Summary: The presence of MAB in patients with AECOPD is associated with more severe COPD, prolonged hospitalization, and increased risk of AECOPD and mortality at 1-year follow-up.
POSTGRADUATE MEDICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Letter
Respiratory System
Christos Kyriakopoulos, Athena Gogali, Georgios Ntritsos, Haralampos Milionis, Evangelos Evangelou, Konstantinos Kostikas
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Konstantinos Bartziokas, Christos Kyriakopoulos, Dimitrios Potonos, Konstantinos Exarchos, Athena Gogali, Konstantinos Kostikas
Summary: This study investigated the potential value of the UA/Cr ratio as a diagnostic tool for the prognosis of patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) and its correlation with other parameters. The results showed that UA/Cr levels are associated with disease severity and risk stratification, and may serve as a useful biomarker for identifying patients at risk of adverse outcomes.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Athanasios Konstantinidis, Christos Kyriakopoulos, Georgios Ntritsos, Nikolaos Giannakeas, Konstantinos I. Gourgoulianis, Konstantinos Kostikas, Athena Gogali
Summary: COPD exacerbations have significant negative impacts on patients' health and quality of life, as well as economic burden. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increased demand for telemedicine services. This review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of telemedicine in managing COPD exacerbations and provides a detailed description of the specific telemedicine interventions used.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Petros Bakakos, Konstantinos Kostikas, Stelios Loukides, Michael Makris, Nikolaos G. Papadopoulos, Paschalis Steiropoulos, Stavros Tryfon, Eleftherios Zervas
Summary: Asthma, a chronic inflammatory airway disease, has a significant impact on public health worldwide. Recent changes in the management of mild and severe asthma include the use of as-needed treatment with inhaled corticosteroids and fast-acting bronchodilators for mild asthma, and the reduction of oral steroids through the use of biologics for severe asthma. However, biologics are currently only available for a subset of severe asthmatics with a T2-high endotype.
JOURNAL OF PERSONALIZED MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Respiratory System
Efthymia Papadopoulou, Jan Hansel, Zsofia Lazar, Konstantinos Kostikas, Stavros Tryfon, Jurgen Vestbo, Alexander G. Mathioudakis
Summary: This meta-analysis explored the safety and effectiveness of mucolytics as an add-on treatment for COPD exacerbations. The analysis included 24 RCTs involving 2192 patients and showed that mucolytics can increase treatment success rate, improve symptom scores, reduce persistent cough, and facilitate expectoration. There is also some evidence suggesting that mucolytics may reduce future exacerbation risk and improve quality of life.
EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY REVIEW
(2023)
Letter
Critical Care Medicine
Konstantinos Kostikas, Athena Gogali, Georgios Hillas
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF RESPIRATORY AND CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE
(2023)
Letter
Respiratory System
Athena Gogali, Konstantinos Kostikas
EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Richard N. Van Zyl-Smit, Huib AM. Kerstjens, Jorge F. Maspero, Konstantinos Kostikas, Motoi Hosoe, Ana-Maria Tanase, Peter Andrea, Karen Mezzi, Dominic Brittain, David Lawrence, Kenneth R. Chapman
Summary: This study evaluated the efficacy of a fixed-dose combination therapy of mometasone furoate/indacaterol acetate/glycopyrronium bromide in asthma patients with and without persistent airflow limitation. The results showed that this therapy improved lung function and reduced asthma exacerbations in patients with airflow limitation.
RESPIRATORY MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Konstantinos Bartziokas, Evgenia Papathanasiou, Andriana I. I. Papaioannou, Ilias Papanikolaou, Emmanouil Antonakis, Ioanna Makou, Georgios Hillas, Theodoros Karampitsakos, Ourania Papaioannou, Katerina Dimakou, Vasiliki Apollonatou, Galateia Verykokou, Spyros Papiris, Petros Bakakos, Stelios Loukides, Konstantinos Kostikas
Summary: In recent years, blood eosinophils have been studied as a biomarker for eosinophilic airway inflammation and a prognostic indicator for COPD outcomes. This study found that low blood eosinophil levels upon admission for COPD exacerbation were associated with more severe disease and predicted the need for NIV. Further research is needed to confirm the use of blood eosinophil levels as a predictor of unfavorable outcomes.
JOURNAL OF PERSONALIZED MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Christos Ballas, Lampros Lakkas, Olga Kardakari, Athanasios Konstantinidis, Konstantinos Exarchos, Stavroula Tsiara, Konstantinos Kostikas, Katerina K. Naka, Lampros K. Michalis, Christos S. Katsouras
Summary: This study evaluated non-conventional markers of right ventricular dysfunction in patients with acute pulmonary embolism. The results showed that a majority of patients had abnormal right ventricular function, which was associated with clinical and biochemical prognostic indices.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Konstantinos Kostikas, Jorge F. Maspero, Kenneth R. Chapman, Karen Mezzi, Xavier Jaumont, David Lawrence, Richard van Zyl-Smit
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of baseline eosinophil levels on the efficacy of mometasone/indacaterol/glycopyrronium in patients with asthma. The results showed that eosinophil levels did not affect the effectiveness of the medication.
RESPIRATORY MEDICINE
(2023)
Letter
Respiratory System
Stavros Tryfon, Efthymia Papadopoulou, Maria Bertoli, Konstantinos Exarchos, Alexandros Ginis, Konstantinos Kostikas
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Vagia Karageorgou, Andriana I. Papaioannou, Maria Kallieri, Myrto Blizou, Stefanos Lampadakis, Maria Sfika, Antonios Krouskos, Vasileios Papavasileiou, Franceska Strakosha, Kalliopi Theoni Vandorou, Pavlos Siozos, Marina Moustaka Christodoulou, Georgia Kontonasiou, Vasiliki Apollonatou, Elvira Markella Antonogiannaki, Christos Kyriakopoulos, Christina Aggelopoulou, Christos Chronis, Konstantinos Kostikas, Evangelia Koukaki, Zoi Sotiropoulou, Athanasia Athanasopoulou, Petros Bakakos, Pinelopi Schoini, Emmanouil Alevrakis, Sotirios Poupos, Evangelia Chondrou, Dionisios Tsoukalas, Alexia Chronaiou, George Tsoukalas, Sofia Koukidou, Georgios Hillas, Katerina Dimakou, Konstantinos Roukas, Ifigeneia Nakou, Diamantis Chloros, Evangelia Fouka, Spyros A. Papiris, Stelios Loukides
Summary: This study compared the baseline characteristics of patients in two phases of the COVID-19 pandemic and evaluated possible predictors of mortality. The study found that patients in the Delta period were younger, required a longer duration of hospitalization, and had more severe disease compared to patients in the Omicron period. The study identified independent predictors of mortality for patients in both periods.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Loukia Lypirou, Christos Chronis, Konstantinos Exarchos, Konstantinos Kostikas, Vasilios Sakkas
Summary: This study analyzed volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath of COPD patients using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and identified certain molecules associated with the risk of future COPD exacerbation. This provides a promising avenue for the detection and management of COPD.
