Poststenotic dilatation in renal artery stenosis, evaluated at abdominal CT, might be related to stenotic kidney damage and inflammation, particularly to monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 release.
A Novel Murine Model Integrating Peripheral Arterial Disease and Multiorgan Dysfunction
Abstract Untethered mobile milli/microrobots hold transformative potential for interventional medicine by enabling more precise and entirely non‐invasive diagnosis and therapy. Realizing this promise requires bridging the gap between groundbreaking laboratory demonstrations and successful clinical integration. Despite remarkable technical progress over the past two decades, most millirobots and microrobots remain confined to laboratory proof‐of‐concept demonstrations, with limited real‐world feasibility. Here, we identify key factors that slow translation from bench to bedside, focusing on the disconnect between technical innovation and meaningful patient outcomes. We argue that the long‐term impact and sustainability of the field depend on aligning development with unmet clinical needs, demonstrating feasibility, value and integration potential into existing clinical workflows. To foster translational research of milli/microrobots, we introduce a strategic milli/microrobot Technology Readiness Level framework (mTRL), which maps system development from initial conceptualization to clinical adoption through clearly defined milestones and their associated stepwise activities. The mTRL model provides a structured gauge of technological maturity, a common language for multi‐disciplinary collaboration and actionable guidance to accelerate translational development toward new, safer and more efficient interventions.
Senolytic Changes in Murine Arteriovenous Fistulas with CKD
Key Points This study reveals the temporal development and progression of senescence in an arteriovenous fistula of uremic mice. Senescent genes including p21 increased 7 days after arteriovenous fistula placement, and p16 and phosphorylated p53 cells accumulate between days 14 and 28. Transcriptomic analyses confirm established genes in arteriovenous fistula failure and suggest a collection of novel genes of interest. Background Hemodialysis therapy for ESKD requires suitable vascular access, most commonly the arteriovenous fistula (AVF). Forty percent of AVFs fail within 1 year, leading to morbidity and care costs. Failure mechanisms remain unclear, and current therapies are inadequate. Cellular senescence may be critical in AVF failure, and ESKD itself may accelerate senescence and subsequent vascular dysfunction. Senescence follows AVF placement in rodents with normal kidney function, but the temporal and spatial features in uremic conditions are unknown. This study aimed to characterize AVF changes in uremic mice over time and versus control vessels. Methods Six- to eight-week-old male C57BL6/J mice underwent five/six nephrectomy. Twenty-eight days later, an AVF was created by cuff anastomosis (right carotid artery to the right jugular vein). Transcriptomic analysis was performed 7 days post-AVF, and further samples were collected at 14 and 28 days post-AVF creation for histologic assessment. Results AVF outflow vein morphometry showed reduced neointimal cell density. Whole transcriptomic analysis of outflow versus control veins at 7 days post-AVF placement revealed 1187 upregulated and 3256 downregulated genes. Differentially expressed genes were significantly enriched in two established senescence-related gene sets, SenMayo (a curated panel of approximately 125 genes validated across species to capture senescence and associated proteins) and SenSig (a broader panel assessed to represent fibrotic and stress-induced cell response). Histologically, senescence markers p16, p21, and phospho53 increased between days 14 and 28. Genes common to our dataset, SenMayo, and SenSig were validated with quantitative reverse transcription PCR. Conclusions These data support established markers of AVF failure, such as matrix-metalloproteinases and monocyte chemokines, and identify potential novel modulators of AVF survival that may inform senolytic strategies to improve patency. In summary, this study reveals for the first time the chronologic progression of vascular senescence in the AVF of uremic mice.
Fluoroscopic-Guided Magnetic Soft Millirobot for Atraumatic Endovascular Drug Delivery
ABSTRACT Atraumatic and precise drug delivery to arteries and veins remains an unmet need in interventional medicine, with significant implications for managing vascular diseases and long-term patient outcomes. Conventional endovascular methods, such as drug-coated balloons and drug-eluting stents, often damage vessel endothelium and compromise wall integrity, leading to reduced therapeutic efficacy and severe complications including restenosis and thrombosis. To address these limitations, we introduce EndoBot, an untethered soft millirobot designed for atraumatic vessel navigation and localized drug delivery under physiological blood flow. EndoBot achieves this through magnetically actuated corkscrew propulsion and mechanically adaptive surface crawling, exerting low radial pressure (< 1 kPa) to preserve endothelial integrity. We validated its performance in phantom vessels, ex vivo human umbilical veins under normothermic perfusion, and in vivo rat inferior vena cava under fluoroscopic guidance using a human-scale magnetic manipulation platform. Despite dynamic vessel contractions and compressions along non-uniform cross-sections, mechanically adaptive locomotion strategy ensures safe navigation and protects the inner endothelial lining. EndoBot is deployable and retrievable via clinical vascular sheaths and remains stable even under supra-physiological blood flow conditions (> 155 cm/s). Extensive blood compatibility tests demonstrated minimal hemolysis (<0.01%), low platelet activation on the robot surface, and no increased coagulation tendency. For drug delivery, a hydrophobic transfer coating enables EndoBot to gently deposit a stable, flow-resistant drug layer onto the vessel wall without fragmentation. This novel platform enables safer and more effective targeted endovascular drug delivery, paving the way for transformative approaches to address early-stage vascular pathologies and deliver more effective preventive interventions.
The Role of Cardio-Renal Inflammation in Deciding the Fate of the Arteriovenous Fistula in Haemodialysis Therapy
Vascular access is an indispensable component of haemodialysis therapy for end-stage kidney disease patients. The arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is most common, but importantly, two-year failure rates are greater than fifty percent. AVF failure can occur due to a lack of suitable vascular remodelling, and inappropriate inflammation preventing maturation, or alternatively neointimal hyperplasia and vascular stenosis preventing long-term use. A comprehensive mechanistic understanding of these processes is still lacking, but recent studies highlight an essential role for inflammation from uraemia and the AVF itself. Inflammation affects each cell in the cascade of AVF failure, the endothelium, the infiltrating immune cells, and the vascular smooth muscle cells. This review examines the role of inflammation in each cell step by step and the influence on AVF failure. Inflammation resulting in AVF failure occurs initially via changes in endothelial cell activation, permeability, and vasoprotective chemokine secretion. Resultingly, immune cells can extravasate into the subendothelial space to release inflammatory cytokines and cause other deleterious changes to the microenvironment. Finally, all these changes modify vascular smooth muscle cell function, resulting in excessive and unchecked hyperplasia and proliferation, eventually leading to stenosis and the failure of the AVF. Finally, the emerging therapeutic options based off these findings are discussed, including mesenchymal stem cells, small-molecule inhibitors, and far-infrared therapies. Recent years have clearly demonstrated a vital role for inflammation in deciding the fate of the AVF, and future works must be centred on this to develop therapies for a hitherto unacceptably underserved patient population.
Chitosan-2D Nanomaterial-Based Scaffolds for Biomedical Applications
Chitosan (CS) and two-dimensional nanomaterial (2D nanomaterials)-based scaffolds have received widespread attention in recent times in biomedical applications due to their excellent synergistic potential. CS has garnered much attention as a biomedical scaffold material either alone or in combination with some other material due to its favorable physiochemical properties. The emerging 2D nanomaterials, such as black phosphorus (BP), molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), etc., have taken huge steps towards varying biomedical applications. However, the implementation of a CS-2D nanomaterial-based scaffold for clinical applications remains challenging for different reasons such as toxicity, stability, etc. Here, we reviewed different types of CS scaffold materials and discussed their advantages in biomedical applications. In addition, a different CS nanostructure, instead of a scaffold, has been described. After that, the importance of 2D nanomaterials has been elaborated on in terms of physiochemical properties. In the next section, the biomedical applications of CS with different 2D nanomaterial scaffolds have been highlighted. Finally, we highlighted the existing challenges and future perspectives of using CS-2D nanomaterial scaffolds for biomedical applications. We hope that this review will encourage a more synergistic biomedical application of the CS-2D nanomaterial scaffolds and their utilization clinical applications.
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Treatment of Critical Limb Ischemia: A National Perspective
Background Recent guidelines have emphasized the use of medical management, early diagnosis, and a multidisciplinary team to effectively treat patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI). Previous literature briefly highlighted the current racial disparities in its intervention. Herein, we analyze the trend over a 14‐year time period to investigate whether the disparities gap in CLI management is closing. Methods and Results The National Inpatient Sample was queried between 2005 and 2018 for hospitalizations involving CLI. Nontraumatic amputations and revascularization were identified. Utilization trends of these procedures were compared between races (White, Black, Hispanic, Asian and Pacific Islander, Native American, and Other). Multivariable regression assessed differences in race regarding procedure usage. There were 6 904 562 admissions involving CLI in the 14‐year study period. The rate of admissions in White patients who received any revascularization decreased by 0.23% ( P <0.001) and decreased by 0.25% ( P =0.025) for Asian and Pacific Islander patients. Among all patients, the annual rate of admission in White patients who received any amputation increased by 0.21% ( P <0.001), increased by 0.19% ( P =0.001) for Hispanic patients, and increased by 0.19% ( P =0.012) for the Other race patients. Admissions involving Black, Hispanic, Asian and Pacific Islander, or Other race patients had higher odds of receiving any revascularization compared with White patients. All races had higher odds of receiving major amputation compared with White patients. Conclusions Our analysis highlights disparities in CLI treatment in our nationally representative sample. Non‐White patients are more likely to receive invasive treatments, including major amputations and revascularization for CLI, compared with White patients.
Patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) have arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) with genetic mutations involving the activin-A receptor like type 1 ( ACVRL1 or ALK1 ) and endoglin ( ENG ). Recent studies have shown that Neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) inhibits ALK1. We investigated the expression of NRP-1 in livers of patients with HHT and found that there was a significant reduction in NRP-1 in perivascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs). We used Nrp1 SM22KO mice ( Nrp1 was ablated in SMCs) and found hemorrhage, increased immune cell infiltration with a decrease in SMCs, and pericyte lining in lungs and liver in adult mice. Histologic examination revealed lung arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) with enlarged liver vessels. Evaluation of the retina vessels at P5 from Nrp1 SM22KO mice demonstrated dilated capillaries with a reduction of pericytes. In inflow artery of surgical AVFs from the Nrp1 SM22KO versus WT mice , there was a significant decrease in Tgfb1 , Eng , and Alk1 expression and phosphorylated SMAD1/5/8 (pSMAD1/5/8), with an increase in apoptosis. TGF-β1–stimulated aortic SMCs from Nrp1 SM22KO versus WT mice have decreased pSMAD1/5/8 and increased apoptosis. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments revealed that NRP-1 interacts with ALK1 and ENG in SMCs. In summary, NRP-1 deletion in SMCs leads to reduced ALK1, ENG, and pSMAD1/5/8 signaling and reduced cell death associated with AVM formation.