Dissections or ruptures of aortic aneurysms remain a leading cause of death in the
developed world, with the majority of deaths being preventable if individuals at risk are …

Vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs) play a crucial role in both the pathogenesis of
Aneurysms and Dissections of the ascending thoracic aorta (TAAD) in humans and in the …

Background: Thoracic aortic aneurysms progressively enlarge and predispose to acute
aortic dissections. Up to 25% of individuals with thoracic aortic disease harbor an underlying …

Genetic predisposition and risk factors such as hypertension and smoking can instigate the
development of thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA), which can lead to highly lethal aortic wall …

Heart valves are dynamic structures that, in the average human, open and close over
100,000 times per day, and 3× 109 times per lifetime to maintain unidirectional blood flow …

The medial layer of the aorta confers elasticity and strength to the aortic wall and is
composed of alternating layers of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and elastic fibres. The SMC …

Elastic fibers are major components of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in the aorta and
support a life-long cycling of stretch and recoil. Elastic fibers are formed from mid-gestation …

Thoracic aortic aneurysm is a typically silent disease characterized by a lethal natural
history. Since the discovery of the familial nature of thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection …

Thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) is a lethal disease, with a natural history of enlarging
progressively until dissection or rupture occurs. Since the discovery almost 20 years ago that …

Summary EMILIN1 (elastin-microfibril-interface-located-protein-1) is a structural component
of the elastic fiber network and localizes to the interface between the fibrillin microfibril …