Healthy longevity-associated protein improves cardiac function in murine models of cardiomyopathy with preserved ejection fraction.

Aims: Aging is influenced by genetic determinants and comorbidities, among which diabetes increases the risk for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. There is no therapy to prevent heart dysfunction in aging and diabetic individuals. In previous studies, a single administration of the longevity-associated variant (LAV) of the human BPIFB4 gene halted heart decline in older and type 2 diabetic mice.

Tuning Biocompatibility and Bactericidal Efficacy as a Function of Doping of Gold in ZnO Nanocrystals.

Doping nanoparticles represents a strategy for modulating the energy levels and surface states of nanocrystals (NCs), thereby enhancing their efficiency and mitigating toxicity. Thus, we herein focus on the successful synthesis of pure and gold (Au)-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocrystals (NCs), investigating their physical-chemical properties and evaluating their applicability and toxicity through and assessments. The optical, structural, and photocatalytic characteristics of these NCs were scrutinized by using optical absorption (OA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and methylene blue degradation, respectively.

Thielaviopsis paradoxa and cultivable mycobiota associated with carapace of Rhynchophorus palmarum L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the state of Alagoas, Brazil.

Rhynchophorus palmarum (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a significant agricultural pest in palm plantations across tropical America, playing a critical role as a vector of the fungus Thielaviopsis paradoxa, which is the causative agent of stem bleeding disease in coconut palms. This disease has raised concerns due to its rapid spread and subsequent reduction in coconut production in northeastern Brazil. Additionally, this insect can establish mutualistic interactions with various fungi, including saprophytic, phytopathogenic, and entomopathogenic fungi, underscoring the importance of identifying its external mycobiota.

The tyrosine kinase inhibitor Dasatinib reduces cardiac steatosis and fibrosis in obese, type 2 diabetic mice.

Background: Cardiac steatosis is an early yet overlooked feature of diabetic cardiomyopathy. There is no available therapy to treat this condition. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are used as first or second-line therapy in different types of cancer.

Approaches for the isolation and long-term expansion of pericytes from human and animal tissues.

Pericytes surround capillaries in every organ of the human body. They are also present around the , the small blood vessels that supply the walls of larger arteries and veins. The clinical interest in pericytes is rapidly growing, with the recognition of their crucial roles in controlling vascular function and possible therapeutic applications in regenerative medicine.

The longevity-associated BPIFB4 gene supports cardiac function and vascularization in ageing cardiomyopathy.

Aims: The ageing heart naturally incurs a progressive decline in function and perfusion that available treatments cannot halt. However, some exceptional individuals maintain good health until the very late stage of their life due to favourable gene-environment interaction. We have previously shown that carriers of a longevity-associated variant (LAV) of the BPIFB4 gene enjoy prolonged health spans and lesser cardiovascular complications.

Corrigendum: Accelerated cardiac aging in patients with congenital heart disease.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.

Accelerated Cardiac Aging in Patients With Congenital Heart Disease.

An increasing number of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) survive into adulthood but develop long-term complications including heart failure (HF). Cellular senescence, classically defined as stable cell cycle arrest, is implicated in biological processes such as embryogenesis, wound healing, and aging. Senescent cells have a complex senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), involving a range of pro-inflammatory factors with important paracrine and autocrine effects on cell and tissue biology.

resistant to carbapenems isolated from a patient with a venous leg ulcer: a case report.

Objective: The aim of the study was to phenotypically investigate the expression of the enzyme carbapenemase (KPC) in a sample resistant to carbapenems, isolated from the wound of a patient with a venous leg ulcer (VLU) treated at an outpatient referral service.

Method: This was a case study conducted with a patient who had a VLU on the lower left limb. Samples were taken for the examination of microbiological material from the patient's wound, using an aseptic technique.

Wharton's Jelly-Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Engineered Conduit for Pulmonary Artery Reconstruction in Growing Piglets.

Surgical treatment of congenital heart defects affecting the right ventricular outflow tract often requires complex reconstruction and multiple reoperations. With a randomized controlled trial, we compared a novel tissue-engineered small intestine submucosa-based graft for pulmonary artery reconstruction (seeded with mesenchymal stem cells derived from Wharton's Jelly) with conventional small intestine submucosa in growing piglets. Six months after implantation, seeded grafts showed integration with host tissues at cellular level and exhibited growth potential on transthoracic echocardiography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

Characterization of cultivable intestinal microbiota in Rhynchophorus palmarum Linnaeus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and determination of its cellulolytic activity.

Rhynchophorus palmarum Linnaeus is an agricultural pest that affects various palm crops, including coconut (Cocos nucifera) plantations which are prominent in the economy of Northeastern Brazil. Characterization of the intestinal microbiota of R. palmarum, as well as elucidation of aspects related to the biochemistry and physiology of the insect's digestion, is essential for intervention in specific metabolic processes as a form of pest control.

Reconstruction of the Swine Pulmonary Artery Using a Graft Engineered With Syngeneic Cardiac Pericytes.

The neonatal heart represents an attractive source of regenerative cells. Here, we report the results of a randomized, controlled, investigator-blinded preclinical study, which assessed the safety and effectiveness of a matrix graft cellularized with cardiac pericytes (CPs) in a piglet model of pulmonary artery (PA) reconstruction. Within each of five trios formed by 4-week-old female littermate piglets, one element (the donor) was sacrificed to provide a source of CPs, while the other two elements (the graft recipients) were allowed to reach the age of 10 weeks.

Activation of Bone Marrow Adaptive Immunity in Type 2 Diabetes: Rescue by Co-stimulation Modulator Abatacept.

Chronic low-grade inflammation and alterations in innate and adaptive immunity were reported in Type 2 diabetes (T2D). Here, we investigated the abundance and activation of T cells in the bone marrow (BM) of patients with T2D. We then verified the human data in a murine model and tested if the activation of T cells can be rescued by treating mice with abatacept, an immunomodulatory drug employed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Cell Therapy for Critical Limb Ischemia: Advantages, Limitations, and New Perspectives for Treatment of Patients with Critical Diabetic Vasculopathy.

Purpose Of Review: To provide a highlight of the current state of cell therapy for the treatment of critical limb ischemia in patients with diabetes.

Recent Findings: The global incidence of diabetes is constantly growing with consequent challenges for healthcare systems worldwide. In the UK only, NHS costs attributed to diabetic complications, such as peripheral vascular disease, amputation, blindness, renal failure, and stroke, average £10 billion each year, with cost pressure being estimated to get worse.

Secreted Protein Acidic and Cysteine Rich Matricellular Protein is Enriched in the Bioactive Fraction of the Human Vascular Pericyte Secretome.

To ascertain if human pericytes produce SPARC (acronym for Secreted Protein Acidic and Cysteine Rich), a matricellular protein implicated in the regulation of cell proliferation, migration, and cell-matrix interactions; clarify if SPARC expression in cardiac pericytes is modulated by hypoxia; and determine the functional consequences of SPARC silencing. Starting from the recognition that the conditioned media (CM) of human pericytes promote proliferation and migration of cardiac stromal cells, we screened candidate mediators by mass-spectrometry analysis. Of the 14 high-confidence proteins (<1% FDR) identified in the bioactive fractions of the pericyte CM, SPARC emerged as the top-scored matricellular protein.

Wharton's Jelly-Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Engineered Conduit for Pediatric Translation in Heart Defect.

The materials available for the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) reconstruction in patients with tetralogy of fallot (TOF)/pulmonary atresia come with the severe limitation of long-term degeneration and lack of growth potential, causing right ventricular dysfunction, aneurysm formation, and arrhythmias, thus necessitating several high-risk reoperations throughout patients' lives. In this study, we evaluated the capacity of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from the Wharton's Jelly (WJ-MSCs), the gelatinous inner portion of the umbilical cord, to grow and recellularize an extracellular matrix (ECM) graft in our optimized xeno-free, good manufacturing practice-compliant culture system. WJ-MSCs were phenotypically and functionally characterized by flow cytometry and multilineage differentiation capacity, respectively.

In Vitro and In Vivo Preclinical Testing of Pericyte-Engineered Grafts for the Correction of Congenital Heart Defects.

Background We have previously reported the possibility of using pericytes from leftovers of palliative surgery of congenital heart disease to engineer clinically certified prosthetic grafts. Methods and Results Here, we assessed the feasibility of using prosthetic conduits engineered with neonatal swine pericytes to reconstruct the pulmonary artery of 9-week-old piglets. Human and swine cardiac pericytes were similar regarding anatomical localization in the heart and antigenic profile following isolation and culture expansion.

Personalized Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine: Targeting the Extreme Stages of Life.

Cardiovascular regenerative medicine is an exciting new approach that promises to change the current care of million people world-wide. Major emphasis was given to the quality and quantities of regenerative products, but recent evidence points to the importance of a better specification of the target population that may take advantage of these advanced medical treatments. Patient stratification is an important step in drug development.

Biogenic synthesis of silver nanoparticles using Brazilian propolis.

Biological methods have been used to synthesize silver nanoparticles through materials such as bacteria, fungi, plants, and propolis due to their reducing properties, stabilizer role and environmentally friendly characteristic. Considering the antimicrobial activity of propolis as well as the broad-spectrum antibacterial effects of silver nanoparticles, this study aim to describe the use of Brazilian propolis to synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNP-P) and investigate its antimicrobial activity. The synthesis was optimized by factorial design, choosing the best conditions for smaller size particles.

Role of TPBG (Trophoblast Glycoprotein) Antigen in Human Pericyte Migratory and Angiogenic Activity.

Objective- To determine the role of the oncofetal protein TPBG (trophoblast glycoprotein) in normal vascular function and reparative vascularization. Approach and Results- Immunohistochemistry of human veins was used to show TPBG expression in vascular smooth muscle cells and adventitial pericyte-like cells (APCs). ELISA, Western blot, immunocytochemistry, and proximity ligation assays evidenced a hypoxia-dependent upregulation of TPBG in APCs not found in vascular smooth muscle cells or endothelial cells.

MicroRNA-532-5p Regulates Pericyte Function by Targeting the Transcription Regulator BACH1 and Angiopoietin-1.

MicroRNAs regulate endothelial function and angiogenesis, but their implication in pericyte biology remains undetermined. A PCR array, covering a panel of 379 human microRNAs, showed microRNA-532-5p to be one of the most differentially modulated by hypoxia, which was confirmed by qPCR in both skeletal muscle and adventitial pericytes. Furthermore, microRNA-532-5p was upregulated in murine muscular pericytes early after experimentally induced ischemia, decreasing below baseline after reperfusion.

Transplantation of Allogeneic Pericytes Improves Myocardial Vascularization and Reduces Interstitial Fibrosis in a Swine Model of Reperfused Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Background: Transplantation of adventitial pericytes (APCs) promotes cardiac repair in murine models of myocardial infarction. The aim of present study was to confirm the benefit of APC therapy in a large animal model.

Methods And Results: We performed a blind, randomized, placebo-controlled APC therapy trial in a swine model of reperfused myocardial infarction.