The basicranium of anthropoid primates is more flexed than in lemurs and lorises (strepsirrhines), which has implications for orientation of facial growth. Differential growth among cranial synchondroses is one suggested mechanism for variation in…
Architectural characteristics of skeletal muscles are important determinants of whole muscle function. Fiber length (Lf) and physiologic cross‐sectional area (PCSA) are correlated with skeletal muscle excursion/contraction velocity and force,…
Infant mammalian feeding is a complex process that requires the integration of different behaviors and over twenty‐five muscles controlled by multiple cranial nerves. Despite extensive characterization of muscle activity during a feeding sequence,…
It has been hypothesized that the human sphenoid bone is uniquely truncated, which in turn contributes to a reduction of forward midfacial growth. If so, the perinatal fusion of the intrasphenoidal synchondrosis (ISS) in humans may contribute to…
Most mammalian pisiforms are large, elongated carpal bones with two ossification centers and an associated growth plate, similar to the calcaneus in the ankle. Short pisiforms are rare among mammals, but can be found in humans, orangutans (Primates:…
Vascular aging is highly associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) senescence is one of its key contributors. However, intracellular and extracellular signaling and communication of senescent VSMCs…
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is often characterized by accumulation of lipids in the liver. It presents a pathological spectrum of changes from simple steatosis to steatohepatitis. It is also often associated with obesity and insulin…
The order Cetacea (dolphins, whales, and porpoises) evolved from terrestrial artiodactyls (even‐toed ungulates) around 50 million years ago. This transition from land to water occurred over an evolutionarily short period of less than 10 million years…
Lymphatic anomalies (LA) are rare conditions characterized by abnormal vascularization of lymphatic vessels (lymphangiogenesis). Gorham‐Stout Disease (GSD) is an aggressive type of LA which invades cortical bone and makes it “disappear”. There is…
Voltage‐gated potassium (Kv) channels expressed in the coronary vasculature play a pivotal role in coupling oxygen delivery with myocardial metabolic demand. Despite their importance in maintaining adequate perfusion to support proper cardiac…
Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) migration and proliferation, hallmark of SMC phenotypic switching central to the evolution of atherosclerosis, is profoundly enhanced in diabetic patients. Hyperglycemia, characteristic of diabetes, increases…
Cytochrome P450 IV (CYP4) are a family of omega‐hydroxylase enzymes. We have previously shown that these fatty acid omega‐hydroxylases function in the hydroxylation of various chain‐length saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in the endoplasmic…
Well‐developed coronary collaterals prove to be highly beneficial in salvaging ischemic myocardium, preserving cardiac function, and improving patient outcome post‐occlusion. However, this process of coronary collateral growth (CCG) is impaired in…
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) refers to a cluster of anomalies including type 2 diabetes, obesity, insulin resistance and dyslipidemia. Patients with MetS are 1.5 times more likely to develop late‐onset Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), with impaired glucose…
In the United States, coronary heart diseases (CHD) are the leading cause of mortality and morbidity. A well‐developed coronary collateral circulation ameliorates the consequences of CHD, reducing the incidence of sudden death and infarct sizes…
Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from existing ones, is a normal physiological process. However, deregulation of angiogenesis can lead to pathological states such as cancer, that is characterized by hyper‐permeable and tortuous…
Introduction Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a major cardiovascular complication in patients with diabetes and is defined as ventricular dysfunction (in diabetes) independent of coronary artery disease. In this study, we define a novel role for the…
Over the last 50 years progress has been made in treating childhood and adult solid and hematological tumors. One commonly used chemotherapeutic agent is doxorubicin (DOX), an anthracycline antitumor antibiotic, which was discovered in early 1960s.…
Background A serious consequence of acute myocardial ischemia‐reperfusion injury (acute I/R) is oxidative damage which causes mitochondrial dysfunction. Such I/R‐induced mitochondrial dysfunction is observed as impaired state‐3 respiration and…
Introduction Takotsubo syndrome (TTS), also known as the “Broken Heart Syndrome” or “Apical Ballooning Syndrome is defined by its characteristic anomaly: when the heart contracts during systole, the apex of the heart dilates as the base of the heart…
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease worldwide behind Alzheimer’s disease. One prominent feature of PD is the marked loss of dopaminergic and motor dysfunction. Currently, there are no therapies to…
Background Bile acid‐CoA: amino acid N‐acyltransferase (BAAT) is the enzyme which is responsible for bile acid (BA) conjugation with glycine and taurine in the final step of bile acid synthesis in humans. More than 98% of BA conjugation occurs in the…
Increased pro‐inflammatory cytokine levels and proliferation of activated microglia have been found in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and animal models of PD, suggesting that targeting of the microglial inflammatory response may result in…
