Automated and quantitative assessment of aortic root based on cardiac computed tomography angiography using a new deep-learning tool: a comparison study.

Background: Accurate assessment of aortic root is crucial for the preprocedural planning of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). A variety software is emerging for the semiautomated or automated measurements during TAVR planning. This study evaluated a new deep-learning (DL) tool based on cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA) for fully automatic assessment of aortic root.

Effects of ambient temperature and humidity on COPD mortality in Ganzhou city, China.

This study used the time series data of Ganzhou city to explore the individual and interaction effects of temperature and humidity on COPD death, and identify vulnerable subgroups of the population. We collected daily COPD mortality and meteorological data in Ganzhou from 2016 to 2019. The nonlinear distribution lag model was used to examine the associations and interaction between daily mean temperature and humidity and COPD mortality.

Deficiency of GDF-11 Accelerates TAC-Induced Heart Failure by Impairing Cardiac Angiogenesis.

The role of growth differentiation factor (GDF)-11 in cardiac diseases has not been fully determined. Our study revealed that GDF-11 is not essential for myocardial development and physiological growth, whereas its absence exacerbates heart failure under pressure overload condition via impairing the responsive angiogenesis. GDF-11 induced VEGF expression in CMs by activating the Akt/mTOR pathway.

Intracardiac biopsy of cardiac tumors with echocardiographic guidance: Case report.

Background: Primary cardiac tumors are very rare, and about 20-30% of them are malignant tumors Since early signs of cardiac tumors are non-specific, diagnosis can be challenging. There is a lack of the recommended guidelines or standardized strategies for diagnosis and optimal treatment for this disease. As the definite diagnoses of most tumors are made by pathologic confirmation, biopsied tissue is essential in determining the treatment for patients with cardiac tumors.

Rediscovering the value of exercise in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

It was previously thought that hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in athletes. This was also extrapolated to the general population. Thereby, exercise was restrained in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

The impacts of the combination service model of cardiac rehabilitation on patient outcomes: evidence from a hospital experience.

This research is to test whether the combination model (CM) (combining cardiac rehabilitation (CR) with other cardiovascular medical services) impact patients' readmissions, physical and psychological outcomes. We found that CM significantly enhances patients' exercise ability and psychological condition and reduces readmission rates after discharged from the hospital, compared to patients that are admitted to non-CM. Departments' physical resources weaken the impact of CM on patients' physical outcomes and readmission rates while increasing patients' psychological conditions.

CXCR4 blockade in macrophage promotes angiogenesis in ischemic hindlimb by modulating autophagy.

Chemokine receptor CXCR4 plays a crucial role in leukocyte recruitment and inflammation regulation to influence tissue repair in ischemic diseases. Here we assessed the effect of CXCR4 expression in macrophages on angiogenesis in the ischemic hindlimb of a mouse. Inflammatory cells were increased in the ischemic muscles of hindlimb, and CXCR4 was highly expressed in the infiltrated macrophages but not in neutrophils.

Nano-hydroxyapatite accelerates vascular calcification via lysosome impairment and autophagy dysfunction in smooth muscle cells.

Vascular calcification (VC) is a common characteristic of aging, diabetes, chronic renal failure, and atherosclerosis. The basic component of VC is hydroxyapatite (HAp). Nano-sized HAp (nHAp) has been identified to play an essential role in the development of pathological calcification of vasculature.

Nano-Sized Hydroxyapatite Induces Apoptosis and Osteogenic Differentiation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells via JNK/c-JUN Pathway.

Purpose: The deposition of hydroxyapatite (HAp) crystals plays an important role in the development of vascular calcification (VC). This study aimed to demonstrate the effects of nanosized HAp (nHAp) on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and VC progression.

Methods: Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to examine cellular uptake of nHAp.

Small extracellular vesicles containing miR-486-5p promote angiogenesis after myocardial infarction in mice and nonhuman primates.

Stem cell-derived small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) promote angiogenesis after myocardial infarction (MI). However, the components of sEVs that contribute to these effects and the safety and efficiency of engineered sEV treatment for MI remain unresolved. Here, we observed improved cardiac function, enhanced vascular density, and smaller infarct size in mice treated with the sEVs from hypoxia-preconditioned (HP) mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) (HP-sEVs) than in mice treated with normoxia-preconditioned (N) MSCs (N-sEVs).

Exosomes derived from human umbilical cord MSCs rejuvenate aged MSCs and enhance their functions for myocardial repair.

Background: Age and other cardiovascular risk factors have been reported to impair the activities of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which will affect the efficacy of stem cell transplantation. The objective of the study is to investigate whether exosomes derived from human umbilical cord MSCs (UMSCs) could enhance the activities of bone marrow MSCs from old person (OMSCs), and improve their capacity for cardiac repair.

Methods: Exosomes extracted from conditioned medium of UMSCs were used to treat OMSCs to generate OMSCs.

GDF11 enhances therapeutic efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells for myocardial infarction via YME1L-mediated OPA1 processing.

Growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) has been shown to promote stem cell activity, but little is known about the effect of GDF11 on viability and therapeutic efficacy of cardiac mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for cardiac injury. To understand the roles of GDF11 in MSCs, mouse heart-derived MSCs were transduced with lentiviral vector carrying genes for both GDF11 and green fluorescent protein (GFP) (MSCs ) or cultured with recombinant GDF11 (MSCs ). Either MSCs or MSCs displayed less cell apoptosis and better paracrine function, as well as preserved mitochondrial morphology and function under hypoxic condition as compared with control MSCs.

Myocardial reparative functions of exosomes from mesenchymal stem cells are enhanced by hypoxia treatment of the cells via transferring microRNA-210 in an nSMase2-dependent way.

Hypoxia treatment enhances paracrine effect of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The aim of this study was to investigate whether exosomes from hypoxia-treated MSCs (Exo) are superior to those from normoxia-treated MSCs (Exo) for myocardial repair. Mouse bone marrow-derived MSCs were cultured under hypoxia or normoxia for 24 h, and exosomes from conditioned media were intramyocardially injected into infarcted heart of C57BL/6 mouse.

Stem cell therapy for ischemic heart diseases.

Introduction: Ischemic heart diseases, especially the myocardial infarction, is a major hazard problem to human health. Despite substantial advances in control of risk factors and therapies with drugs and interventions including bypass surgery and stent placement, the ischemic heart diseases usually result in heart failure (HF), which could aggravate social burden and increase the mortality rate. The current therapeutic methods to treat HF stay at delaying the disease progression without repair and regeneration of the damaged myocardium.

A Large-Scale Investigation of Hypoxia-Preconditioned Allogeneic Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Myocardial Repair in Nonhuman Primates: Paracrine Activity Without Remuscularization.

Rationale: The effectiveness of transplanted bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for cardiac repair has been limited; thus, strategies for optimizing stem-cell-based myocardial therapy are needed.

Objective: The present study was designed to test our central hypothesis that hypoxia-preconditioned MSCs (HP-MSCs) are more effective than MSCs cultured under ambient oxygen levels for the treatment of myocardial injury in a large-scale (N=49), long-term (9 months), nonhuman primate (Cynomolgous monkeys) investigation.

Methods And Results: MSCs were engineered to express green fluorescent protein, cultured under ambient oxygen or 0.

Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on magnesium in addition to beta-blocker for prevention of postoperative atrial arrhythmias after coronary artery bypass grafting.

Background: Atrial arrhythmia (AA) is the most common complication after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Only beta-blockers and amiodarone have been convincingly shown to decrease its incidence. The effectiveness of magnesium on this complication is still controversial.