Thiamine increases resident endoglin positive cardiac progenitor cells and atrial contractile force in humans: A randomised controlled trial.

Background: The heart has an intrinsic ability to regenerate, orchestrated by progenitor or stem cells. However, the relative complexity of non-resident cardiac progenitor cell (CPC) therapy makes modulation of resident CPCs a more attractive treatment target. Thiamine analogues improve resident CPC function in pre-clinical models.

Frailty in Elderly Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery Increases Hospital Stay and 12-Month Readmission Rate.

Background: Cardiac surgery risk scoring systems predict operative mortality but not outcomes related to preoperative frailty. The aim of this study was to assess frailty in a cohort of older cardiac surgery patients as a predictor of postoperative outcomes.

Methods: Prospective data was collected on patients 65 years of age and older undergoing cardiac surgery between September 2015 and October 2016 at Dunedin Hospital.

Early dysregulation of cardiac-specific microRNA-208a is linked to maladaptive cardiac remodelling in diabetic myocardium.

Background: The diabetic heart undergoes remodelling contributing to an increased incidence of heart failure in individuals with diabetes at a later stage. The molecular regulators that drive this process in the diabetic heart are still unknown.

Methods: Real-time (RT) PCR analysis was performed to determine the expression of cardiac specific microRNA-208a in right atrial appendage (RAA) and left ventricular (LV) biopsy tissues collected from diabetic and non-diabetic patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Down-regulation of miR-15a/b accelerates fibrotic remodelling in the Type 2 diabetic human and mouse heart.

Myocardial fibrosis is a well-established cause of increased myocardial stiffness and subsequent diastolic dysfunction in the diabetic heart. The molecular regulators that drive the process of fibrotic events in the diabetic heart are still unknown. We determined the role of the microRNA (miR)-15 family in fibrotic remodelling of the diabetic heart.

Integrated microRNA and messenger RNA analysis in aortic stenosis.

Aortic valve stenosis (AS) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, with no effective medical therapies. Investigation into the underlying biology of AS in humans is limited by difficulties in obtaining healthy valvular tissue for use as a control group. However, micro-ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) are stable in post-mortem tissue.

Data supporting the activation of autophagy genes in the diabetic heart.

This data article contains full list of autophagy related genes that are altered in diabetic heart. This article also shows data from in vitro cultured cardiomyocytes that are exposed the high glucose treatment to simulate hyperglycemic state in vitro. The interpretation of these data and further extensive insights into the regulation of SG biogenesis by AMPK can be found in "Type-2 diabetes increases autophagy in the human heart through promotion of Beclin-1 mediated pathway" (Munasinghe et al.

Type-2 diabetes increases autophagy in the human heart through promotion of Beclin-1 mediated pathway.

Background: Diabetes promotes progressive loss of cardiac cells, which are replaced by a fibrotic matrix, resulting in the loss of cardiac function. In the current study we sought to identify if excessive autophagy plays a major role in inducing this progressive loss.

Methods And Results: Immunofluorescence and western blotting analysis of the right atrial appendages collected from diabetic and non-diabetic patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery showed a marked increase in the level of autophagy in the diabetic heart, as evidenced by increased expression of autophagy marker LC3B-II and its mediator Beclin-1 and decreased expression of p62, which incorporates into autophagosomes to be efficiently degraded.

Impaired relaxation despite upregulated calcium-handling protein atrial myocardium from type 2 diabetic patients with preserved ejection fraction.

Background: Diastolic dysfunction is a key factor in the development and pathology of cardiac dysfunction in diabetes, however the exact underlying mechanism remains unknown, especially in humans. We aimed to measure contraction, relaxation, expression of calcium-handling proteins and fibrosis in myocardium of diabetic patients with preserved systolic function.

Methods: Right atrial appendages from patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM, n = 20) and non-diabetic patients (non-DM, n = 36), all with preserved ejection fraction and undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), were collected.

Rapid onset of cardiomyopathy in STZ-induced female diabetic mice involves the downregulation of pro-survival Pim-1.

Background: Diabetic women are five times more likely to develop congestive heart failure compared with two fold for men. The underlying mechanism for this gender difference is not known. Here we investigate the molecular mechanisms responsible for this female disadvantage and attempt safeguarding cardiomyocytes viability and function through restoration of pro-survival Pim-1.

Kinky circumflex grafts: the left appendage flip maneuver.

The "too-long," or redundant, circumflex graft is notorious for its tendency to form a kink. The acute angle (the kink) typically occurs over the front of the pulmonary trunk. Described herein are (1) the left appendage flip maneuver, a simple solution to correct graft kink, and (2) analysis and explanation of vein graft kink.

Top-end aortocoronary anastomosis made easy: the visor technique.

The importance of the proximal aortocoronary anastomosis is overshadowed by its lack of literary attention. This aortic connection, sometimes difficult to perform, is simplified by the Visor technique.

Rupture of aortic pseudoaneursym arising from a transverse aortotomy line 12 years following mechanical aortic valve replacement.

Pseudoaneurysm formation at the site of aortotomy is a rare complication following aortic valve replacement; it appears to be more common in those whose valve is replaced for endocarditis or in those who develop an early postoperative endocarditis or sepsis. We discuss the case of a 77-year-old male, who presented 12 years following mechanical aortic valve replacement, with rupture of an ascending aortic pseudoaneurysm arising from a transverse aortotomy line.