Atherosclerosis has been regarded as a form of chronic vascular inflammation. Numerous
biomarkers associated with inflammation have been identified as novel targets to monitor …

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has been demonstrated to play a critical role in the
initiation and progression of atherosclerosis, thereby contributing to development of …

Vascular endothelial dysfunction represents an initial step of “vascular failure,” which we
have recently proposed as a comprehensive syndrome of failed vascular functions that …

Excessive accumulation of smooth-muscle cells (SMCs) has a key role in the pathogenesis
of vascular diseases. It has been assumed that SMCs derived from the outer medial layer …

Obesity is more linked to vascular disease, including atherosclerosis and restenotic change,
after balloon angioplasty. The precise mechanism linking obesity and vascular disease is …

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are thought to arise in the aorta-gonad-mesonephros
(AGM) region of embryo proper, although HSC activity can be detected in yolk sac (YS) and …

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a common and lethal heart disease, and the recruitment
of fibroblastic cells to the infarct region is essential for the cardiac healing process. Although …

Objectives: The purpose of this report was to assess the link between macrophage
polarization in epicardial adipose tissue and atherosclerosis in patients with coronary artery …

We recently isolated a Krüppel-like zinc-finger transcription factor 5 (KLF5; also known as
BTEB2 and IKLF), which is markedly induced in activated vascular smooth-muscle cells and …

Background—Stromal cell–derived factor-1α (SDF-1α) is implicated as a chemokine for
endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). We therefore hypothesized that SDF-1α gene transfer …