Roles of TGF-β Signals in Endothelial-Mesenchymal Transition during Cardiac Fibrosis

Most cardiac diseases caused by inflammation are associated with fibrosis in the heart. Fibrosis is characterized by the accumulation of fibroblasts and excess deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM), which results in the distorted organ architecture and function. Recent studies revealed that cardiac fibroblasts are heterogeneous with multiple origins. Endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) plays important roles in the formation of cardiac fibroblasts during pathological settings. EndMT is regulated by signaling pathways mediated by cytokines including transforming growth factor (TGF)-β. Better understanding of the mechanisms of the formation of cardiac fibroblasts via EndMT may provide an opportunity to develop therapeutic strategies to cure heart diseases

Observing phase jumps of solitons in Bose-Einstein condensates

The phase difference of the macroscopic wave function is a unique structure of the soliton in an atomic Bose--Einstein condensate (BEC). However, experiments on ultracold atoms so far have observed the valley of the density profile to study the dynamics of solitons. We propose a method to observe the phase difference of a soliton in a BEC by using an interference technique with Raman and rf pulses. We introduce a phase jump factor, which is an indicator to measure the phase difference between two points. It is demonstrated by using the projected Gross--Pitaevskii equation that an interference density ratio, the density ratio of two-component BECs after the Raman and rf pulses, reproduces the phase jump factor well. This technique will become an alternative method to study the decay and breakdown of a phase imprinted soliton in atomic BECs.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figure