Impaired Relaxation in Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes with Pathogenic Mutation of Pediatric Restrictive Cardiomyopathy.

Background: Restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) is characterized by impaired diastolic function with preserved ventricular contraction. Several pathogenic variants in sarcomere genes, including , are reported to cause Ca hypersensitivity in cardiomyocytes in overexpression models; however, the pathophysiology of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes specific to a patient with RCM remains unknown.

Methods And Results: We established an iPSC line from a pediatric patient with RCM and a heterozygous missense variant, c.

Isogenic pairs of induced-pluripotent stem-derived endothelial cells identify DYRK1A/PPARG/EGR1 pathway is responsible for Down syndrome-associated pulmonary hypertension.

Down syndrome (DS) is the most prevalent chromosomal disorder associated with a higher incidence of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The dysfunction of vascular endothelial cells (ECs) is known to cause pulmonary arterial remodeling in PAH, although the physiological characteristics of ECs harboring trisomy 21 (T21) are still unknown. In this study, we analyzed the human vascular ECs by utilizing the isogenic pairs of T21-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and corrected disomy 21 (cDi21)-iPSCs.

Clinical Outcomes and Genetic Analyses of Restrictive Cardiomyopathy in Children.

Background: Restrictive cardiomyopathy in children is rare and outcomes are very poor. However, little information is available concerning genotype-outcome correlations.

Methods: We analyzed the clinical characteristics and genetic testing, including whole exome sequencing, of 28 pediatric restrictive cardiomyopathy patients who were diagnosed from 1998 to 2021 at Osaka University Hospital in Japan.

Pathogenic Roles of Cardiac Fibroblasts in Pediatric Dilated Cardiomyopathy.

Background Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a major cause of heart failure in children. Despite intensive genetic analyses, pathogenic gene variants have not been identified in most patients with DCM, which suggests that cardiomyocytes are not solely responsible for DCM. Cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) are the most abundant cell type in the heart.

Atomic force microscopy identifies the alteration of rheological properties of the cardiac fibroblasts in idiopathic restrictive cardiomyopathy.

Restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) is a rare disease characterized by increased ventricular stiffness and preserved ventricular contraction. Various sarcomere gene variants are known to cause RCM; however, more than a half of patients do not harbor such pathogenic variants. We recently demonstrated that cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) play important roles in inhibiting the diastolic function of cardiomyocytes via humoral factors and direct cell-cell contact regardless of sarcomere gene mutations.

Riociguat can ameliorate bronchopulmonary dysplasia in the SU5416 induced rat experimental model.

Background: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease in premature neonates. Classical BPD is caused by hyperoxia and high-pressure mechanical ventilation, whereas BPD in recent era is caused by impaired pulmonary angiogenesis and alveolarization in extreme prematurity. Although sildenafil was reported to be effective in a hyperoxia-induced rat BPD model, several clinical trials could not demonstrate any significant improvement in the respiratory statuses of BPD infants.

[Social networks in drinking behaviors among Japanese: support network, drinking network, and intervening network].

Purpose: The national representative sample was analyzed to examine the relationship between respondents' drinking practice and the social network which was constructed of three different types of network: support network, drinking network, and intervening network.

Method: Non-parametric statistical analysis was conducted with chi square method and ANOVA analysis, due to the risk of small samples in some basic tabulation cells.

Results: The main results are as follows: (1) In the support network of workplace associates, moderate drinkers enjoyed much more sociable support care than both nondrinkers and hard drinkers, which might suggest a similar effect as the French paradox.