The placenta is the exchange organ between the mother and the fetus. The inadequate function of this organ is associated with a number of pregnancy disorders. Hypoxia and oxidative stress during placental development may induce endothelial dysfunction, resulting in the reduction in the perfusion of the placenta. During pregnancy, the levels of estrogen are increased. Decreased estrogen levels h...

background: human cripto-1, a member of the egf-cfc family, is involved in embryonic development, embryonic stem cell maintenance, and tumor progression. it also participates in multiple cell signaling pathways including wnt, notch, and tgf-β. remarkably, it is expressed in cancer stem cell (csc) compartments, boosting tumor cell migration, invasion, and angiogenesis. although cripto-1 is overe...

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) epoxygenases and the metabolites epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) exert multiple biological effects in various malignancies. We have previously found EETs to be secreted by multiple myeloma (MM) cells and to be involved in MM angiogenesis, but the role of the arachidonic acid cytochrome P450 epoxygenase pathway in the proliferation and mobility of MM cells remains unknown....

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a highly vascularized tumor supporting large amounts of neo-angiogenesis. The major cell type in KS tumors is the spindle cell, a cell that expresses markers of lymphatic endothelium. KSHV, the etiologic agent of KS, is found in the spindle cells of all KS tumors. Considering the extreme extent of angiogenesis in KS tumors at all stages it has been proposed that KSHV di...

Background: Angiogenesis initiated by cancerous cells is the process by which new blood vessels are formed to enhance oxygenation and growth of tumor. Objective: In this paper, we present a new multiscale mathematical model for the formation of a vascular network in tumor angiogenesis process. Methods: Our model couples an improved sprout spacing model as a stochastic mathematical model of spro...