Implication of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR Pathway in the Process of Incompetent Valves in Patients with Chronic Venous Insufficiency and the Relationship with Aging

Figure 3

(a) Significant levels of mRNA for mTOR quantified by RT-qPCR in R and patients. Results were normalized to that of the reference gene GAPDH and are provided in arbitrary units. NR = no reflux; R=reflux. and . (b) Distribution of the percentage of patients with positive protein expression for mTOR in NR and R patients and by age; n = number of patients. (c) A: Histological images for protein expression mTOR in the different tunicae of venous wall in patients (350x). B, C: mTOR protein expression images in patients (200x–400x). The brown coloration indicates the specific precipitate that correlates with the expression of the said protein. A = tunica adventitia; M = tunica media; I = tunica intima.

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