Atherosclerosis is a chronic progressive vascular disease. It starts early in life, has a long
asymptomatic phase, and a progression accelerated by various cardiovascular risk factors …

Since the discovery in the 1980s that nitric oxide (NO) is in fact the elusive endothelium-
derived relaxing factor, it has become evident that NO is not only a major cardiovascular …

Purine metabolism in the circulatory system yields uric acid as its final oxidation product,
which is believed to be linked to the development of gout and kidney stones. Hyperuricemia …

It has been clear that at least 1 billion adults worldwide are smokers and at least 700 million
children are passive smokers at home. Smoking exerts a detrimental effect to many organ …

Innate immunity is fundamental to our defense against microorganisms. Physiologically, the
intravascular innate immune system acts as a purging system that identifies and removes …

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most common complications of diabetes and is a
leading cause of blindness in people of the working age in Western countries. A major …

Background: Metabolic syndrome is a combination of dysregulated cardiometabolic risk
factors characterized by dyslipidemia, impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance …

Increasing evidence indicates an integral role for the complement system in the deleterious
inflammatory reactions that occur during critical phases of the transplantation process, such …

Haemodialysis is a life-saving renal replacement modality for end-stage renal disease, but
this therapy also represents a major challenge to the intravascular innate immune system …

Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase (EGFRtk) and endoplasmic reticulum (ER)
stress are important factors in cardiovascular complications. Understanding whether …