Inflammation and the Microcirculation

Inflammation and the Microcirculation
Author: D. Neil Granger
Publisher: Morgan & Claypool Publishers
Total Pages: 99
Release: 2010
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1615041656

The microcirculation is highly responsive to, and a vital participant in, the inflammatory response. All segments of the microvasculature (arterioles, capillaries, and venules) exhibit characteristic phenotypic changes during inflammation that appear to be directed toward enhancing the delivery of inflammatory cells to the injured/infected tissue, isolating the region from healthy tissue and the systemic circulation, and setting the stage for tissue repair and regeneration. The best characterized responses of the microcirculation to inflammation include impaired vasomotor function, reduced capillary perfusion, adhesion of leukocytes and platelets, activation of the coagulation cascade, and enhanced thrombosis, increased vascular permeability, and an increase in the rate of proliferation of blood and lymphatic vessels. A variety of cells that normally circulate in blood (leukocytes, platelets) or reside within the vessel wall (endothelial cells, pericytes) or in the perivascular space (mast cells, macrophages) are activated in response to inflammation. The activation products and chemical mediators released from these cells act through different well-characterized signaling pathways to induce the phenotypic changes in microvessel function that accompany inflammation. Drugs that target a specific microvascular response to inflammation, such as leukocyte-endothelial cell adhesion or angiogenesis, have shown promise in both the preclinical and clinical studies of inflammatory disease. Future research efforts in this area will likely identify new avenues for therapeutic intervention in inflammation. Table of Contents: Introduction / Historical Perspectives / Anatomical Considerations / Impaired Vasomotor Responses / Capillary Perfusion / Angiogenesis / Leukocyte-Endothelial Cell Adhesion / Platelet-Vessel Wall Interactions / Coagulation and Thrombosis / Endothelial Barrier Dysfunction / Epilogue / References

Inflammation and Angiogenesis

Inflammation and Angiogenesis
Author: Domenico Ribatti
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 116
Release: 2017-11-08
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 3319684485

This book is focused on the analysis of the role played by immune cell components in the angiogenic process associated with inflammation and tumor growth. Both innate and adaptive immune cells are involved in the mechanisms of endothelial cell proliferation, migration and activation, through the production and release of a large spectrum of pro-angiogenic mediators. These may create the specific microenvironment that favors an increased rate of tissue vascularization. The link between chronic inflammation and tumorigenesis was first proposed by Rudolf Virchow in 1863 after the observation that infiltrating leukocytes are a hallmark of tumors and first established a causative connection between the lymph reticular infiltrate at sites of chronic inflammation and the development of cancer. Tumors were described as wounds that never heal and surgeons have long described the tendency of tumors to recur in healing resection margin and it has been reported that wound healing environment provides an opportunistic matrix for tumor growth. As angiogenesis is the result of a net balance between the activities exerted by positive and negative regulators, this book will also provide information on some anti-angiogenic properties of immune cells that may be utilized for a potential pharmacological use as anti-angiogenic agents in inflammation as well as in cancer. The work is written for researchers in the field and also for graduate students which approach this matter.

Angiogenesis

Angiogenesis
Author: William D. Figg
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 592
Release: 2008-05-24
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0387715185

Dr. Judah Folkman is considered the "father of angiogenesis." Because of Folkman's discovery and research, the possibilities of angiogenic therapy have broadened beyond cancer to many noncancerous diseases. Angiogenesis: An Integrative Approach from Science to Medicine is a comprehensive, concise summary of tumor angiogenesis. It is an up-to-date and authoritative reference for the angiogenesis field as it relates to oncology. This book represents the first collection in a volume of which Folkman is co-editor. Folkman has authored nearly 400 original papers and more than 100 book chapters.

The Endothelium

The Endothelium
Author: Michel Félétou
Publisher: Morgan & Claypool Publishers
Total Pages: 309
Release: 2011
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1615041230

The endothelium, a monolayer of endothelial cells, constitutes the inner cellular lining of the blood vessels (arteries, veins and capillaries) and the lymphatic system, and therefore is in direct contact with the blood/lymph and the circulating cells. The endothelium is a major player in the control of blood fluidity, platelet aggregation and vascular tone, a major actor in the regulation of immunology, inflammation and angiogenesis, and an important metabolizing and an endocrine organ. Endothelial cells controls vascular tone, and thereby blood flow, by synthesizing and releasing relaxing and contracting factors such as nitric oxide, metabolites of arachidonic acid via the cyclooxygenases, lipoxygenases and cytochrome P450 pathways, various peptides (endothelin, urotensin, CNP, adrenomedullin, etc.), adenosine, purines, reactive oxygen species and so on. Additionally, endothelial ectoenzymes are required steps in the generation of vasoactive hormones such as angiotensin II. An endothelial dysfunction linked to an imbalance in the synthesis and/or the release of these various endothelial factors may explain the initiation of cardiovascular pathologies (from hypertension to atherosclerosis) or their development and perpetuation. Table of Contents: Introduction / Multiple Functions of the Endothelial Cells / Calcium Signaling in Vascular Cells and Cell-to-Cell Communications / Endothelium-Dependent Regulation of Vascular Tone / Conclusion / References

Angiogenesis Assays

Angiogenesis Assays
Author: Carolyn A. Staton
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 410
Release: 2007-01-11
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 047002934X

Angiogenesis, the development of new blood vessels from the existing vasculature, is essential for physiological growth and over 18,000 research articles have been published describing the role of angiogenesis in over 70 different diseases, including cancer, diabetic retinopathy, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. One of the most important technical challenges in such studies has been finding suitable methods for assessing the effects of regulators of eh angiogenic response. While increasing numbers of angiogenesis assays are being described both in vitro and in vivo, it is often still necessary to use a combination of assays to identify the cellular and molecular events in angiogenesis and the full range of effects of a given test protein. Although the endothelial cell - its migration, proliferation, differentiation and structural rearrangement - is central to the angiogenic process, it is not the only cell type involved. the supporting cells, the extracellular matrix and the circulating blood with its cellular and humoral components also contribute. In this book, experts in the use of a diverse range of assays outline key components of these and give a critical appraisal of their strengths and weaknesses. Examples include assays for the proliferation, migration and differentiation of endothelial cells in vitro, vessel outgrowth from organ cultures, assessment of endothelial and mural cell interactions, and such in vivo assays as the chick chorioallantoic membrane, zebrafish, corneal, chamber and tumour angiogenesis models. These are followed by a critical analysis of the biological end-points currently being used in clinical trials to assess the clinical efficacy of anti-angiogenic drugs, which leads into a discussion of the direction future studies should take. This valuable book is of interest to research scientists currently working on angiogenesis in both the academic community and in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Relevant disciplines include cell and molecular biology, oncology, cardiovascular research, biotechnology, pharmacology, pathology and physiology.

Inflammation and Cancer

Inflammation and Cancer
Author: Bharat B. Aggarwal
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 489
Release: 2014-05-12
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 3034808372

This volume examines in detail the role of chronic inflammatory processes in the development of several types of cancer. Leading experts describe the latest results of molecular and cellular research on infection, cancer-related inflammation and tumorigenesis. Further, the clinical significance of these findings in preventing cancer progression and approaches to treating the diseases are discussed. Individual chapters cover cancer of the lung, colon, breast, brain, head and neck, pancreas, prostate, bladder, kidney, liver, cervix and skin as well as gastric cancer, sarcoma, lymphoma, leukemia and multiple myeloma.

Mechanisms of Vascular Disease

Mechanisms of Vascular Disease
Author: Robert Fitridge
Publisher: University of Adelaide Press
Total Pages: 589
Release: 2011
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1922064009

New updated edition first published with Cambridge University Press. This new edition includes 29 chapters on topics as diverse as pathophysiology of atherosclerosis, vascular haemodynamics, haemostasis, thrombophilia and post-amputation pain syndromes.

RUNX Proteins in Development and Cancer

RUNX Proteins in Development and Cancer
Author: Yoram Groner
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 518
Release: 2017-03-15
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9811032335

This volume provides the reader with an overview of the diverse functions of the RUNX family of genes. As highlighted in the introduction and several of the 29 chapters, humans and other mammals have three RUNX genes that are known to play specific roles in blood, bone and neuronal development. However, their evolutionary history has recently been traced back to unicellular organisms and their involvement in many well-known signaling pathways (Wnt, TGFb, Notch, Hippo) is indicative of a more general function in cell biology. Their documented roles in cell fate decisions include control of proliferation, differentiation, survival, senescence and autophagy. The pleiotropic effects of RUNX in development are mirrored in cancer, where RUNX genes can function as oncogenes that collaborate strongly with Myc family oncogenes or as tumour suppressor genes. In the latter role, they display hallmarks of both ‘gatekeepers’ that modulate p53 responses and ‘caretakers’ that protect the genome from DNA damage. Several chapters focus on the importance of these genes in leukemia research, where RUNX1 and CBFB are frequently affected by chromosomal translocations that generate fusion oncoproteins, while recent studies suggest wider roles for RUNX modulation in solid cancers. Moreover, RUNX genes are intimately involved in the development and regulation of the immune system, while emerging evidence suggests a role in innate immunity to infectious agents, including HIV. At the biochemical level, the RUNX family can serve as activators or repressors of transcription and as stable mediators of epigenetic memory through mitosis. Not surprisingly, RUNX activity is controlled at multiple levels, this includes miRNAs and a plethora of post-translational modifications. Several chapters highlight the interplay between the three mammalian RUNX genes, where cross-talk and partial functional redundancies are evident. Finally, structural analysis of the RUNX/CBFB interaction has led to the development of small molecule inhibitors that provide exciting new tools to decipher the roles of RUNX in development and as targets for therapy. This volume provides a compendium and reference source that will be of broad interest to cancer researchers, developmental biologists and immunologists.

Angiogenesis in Adipose Tissue

Angiogenesis in Adipose Tissue
Author: Yihai Cao
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 374
Release: 2013-09-05
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1461480698

Angiogenesis has recently played a critical role in regulation of adipose tissue expansion and regression. Like most other tissues in the body, adipose expansion and regression is accompanied by alteration of blood vessel density and structures. The vascular alteration plays an active role in regulation of adipose tissue size and functions. Targeting blood vessels in the adipose tissue have demonstrated to be a novel approach for possibly treatment of cancer, obesity and other metabolic diseases. This book provides the most updated information on this type research and discusses future opportunities for therapy..

Physiologic and Pathologic Angiogenesis

Physiologic and Pathologic Angiogenesis
Author: Dan Simionescu
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
Total Pages: 466
Release: 2017-04-05
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9535130234

The purpose of this book is to highlight novel advances in the field and to incentivize scientists from a variety of fields to pursue angiogenesis as a research avenue. Blood vessel formation and maturation to capillaries, arteries, or veins is a fascinating area which can appeal to multiple scientists, students, and professors alike. Angiogenesis is relevant to medicine, engineering, pharmacology, and pathology and to the many patients suffering from blood vessel diseases and cancer, among others. We are hoping that this book will become a source of inspiration and novel ideas for all.