Right Ventricular Dysfunction following Acute Myocardial Infarction in the Absence of Pulmonary Hypertension in the Mouse

Background Cardiac remodelling after AMI is characterized by molecular and cellular mechanisms involving both the ischemic and non-ischemic myocardium. The extent of right ventricular (RV) dilatation and dysfunction and its relation to pulmonary hypertension (PH) following AMI are unknown. The aim of the current study was to evaluate changes in dimensions and function of the RV following acute myocardial infarction (AMI) involving the left ventricle (LV). Methods We assessed changes in RV dimensions and function 1 week following experimental AMI involving the LV free wall in 10 mice and assessed for LV and RV dimensions and function and for the presence and degree of PH. Results RV fractional area change and tricuspidal annular plane systolic excursion significantly declined by 33% (P = 0.021) and 28% (P = 0.001) respectively. Right ventricular systolic pressure measured invasively in the mouse was within the normal values and unchanged following AMI. Conclusion AMI involving the LV and sparing the RV induces a significant acute decline in RV systolic function in the absence of pulmonary hypertension in the mouse indicating that RV dysfunction developed independent of changes in RV afterload

Targeting of MCL-1 kills MYC-driven mouse and human lymphomas even when they bear mutations in p53

The transcriptional regulator c-MYC is abnormally overexpressed in many human cancers. Evasion from apoptosis is critical for cancer development, particularly c-MYC-driven cancers. We explored which anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family member (expressed under endogenous regulation) is essential to sustain c-MYC-driven lymphoma growth to reveal which should be targeted for cancer therapy. Remarkably, inducible Cre-mediated deletion of even a single Mcl-1 allele substantially impaired the growth of c-MYC-driven mouse lymphomas. Mutations in p53 could diminish but not obviate the dependency of c-MYC-driven mouse lymphomas on MCL-1. Importantly, targeting of MCL-1 killed c-MYC-driven human Burkitt lymphoma cells, even those bearing mutations in p53. Given that loss of one allele of Mcl-1 is well tolerated in healthy tissues, our results suggest that therapeutic targeting of MCL-1 would be an attractive therapeutic strategy for MYC-driven cancers

Visual Study of Carpets in the Safavid Era: a Case Study in Sheikh Safi Al-Din Ardabili's Tomb

This article studies and visually analyze motifs of carpets in the Safavid era, especially the carpet in Sheikh Safi al-Din Ardabili's tomb. Ardabili carpets have very special designs and motifs. The method of study is based on visual analysis, which ultimately aims to achieve important and dynamic points in the composition of the designs and the proper geometry in this carpet. The result of this study shows that in the past designers have drawn the motifs on geometric background, considering geometry as the main basis of carpet design. In the design of Safavid carpets, like other arts, special proportions have been used in the size of frames, elements as well as interior parts of the frame

Investigation of Morteza Momayez's Illustrations in Epic of Gilgamesh Based on Julia Kristeva's Intertextuality Theory

The issue of death and the desire for eternal life is found in the myths of the nations of the world. The myths of Mesopotamia are no exceptions. One of the Mesopotamian myths in which the sorrowful inevitability of death is reflected is the Epic of Gilgamesh. In this myth, Enkidu's unbelievable death represents the first thoughtful confrontation of a Mesopotamian man with the shocking reality of death, and Gilgamesh's failed attempt to attain immortality indicates that the ancient Sumerian man accepts the mortality of his kind as an integral part of his destiny and succumbs to it. In the meantime, Ahmad Shamloo's literary recreation of the epic of Gilgamesh has been studied with Morteza Momayez's illustration. In this paper, we try to examine the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh with illustrative representation of Master Momayez (Iranian artist) through an adaptive-analytical approach to Julia Kristeva's intertextuality theory, which is a new approach. The purpose of this study is to express Kristeva's view to show a new reading and explanation of the Mesopotamian epic with an explanation and illustration from an Iranian artist. In this regard, the text and its degree of adaptation to the images are examined using intertextual relations. The findings indicate that although these images are illustrated on the basis of Gilgamesh, the Iranian explanation and readability of Momayz can be visible in it