Heart Failure Etiologies and Challenges to Care in the Developing World: An Observational Study in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Background: Limited data are available regarding causes and outcomes of heart failure as well as organization of care in the developing world.

Methods And Results: We included consecutive patients diagnosed with heart failure from November 2014 to September 2016 in a university and private hospital of Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic Congo. Baseline data, including echocardiography, were analyzed to determine factors associated with mortality.

From Bone Marrow to Cardiac Atrial Appendage Stem Cells for Cardiac Repair: A Review.

Traditionally the heart is considered a terminally differentiated organ. However, at the beginning of this century increased mitotic activity was reported in ischemic and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy hearts, compared to healthy controls, underscoring the potential of regeneration after injury. Due to the presence of adult stem cells in bone marrow and their purported ability to differentiate into other cell lineages, this cell population was soon estimated to be the most suited candidate for cardiac regeneration.

Hyponatremia in acute decompensated heart failure: depletion versus dilution.

Hyponatremia frequently poses a therapeutic challenge in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). Treating physicians should differentiate between depletional versus dilutional hyponatremia. The former is caused by diuretic agents, which enhance sodium excretion, often with concomitant potassium/magnesium losses.

The pathophysiological role of interstitial sodium in heart failure.

The current understanding of heart failure (HF) does not fully explain the spectrum of HF symptoms. Most HF hospitalizations are related to sodium (Na(+)) and fluid retention resulting from neurohumoral up-regulation. Recent insights suggest that Na(+) is not distributed in the body solely as a free cation, but that it is also bound to large interstitial glycosaminoglycan (GAG) networks in different tissues, which have an important regulatory function.

The kidney in congestive heart failure: 'are natriuresis, sodium, and diuretics really the good, the bad and the ugly?'.

This review discusses renal sodium handling in heart failure. Increased sodium avidity and tendency to extracellular volume overload, i.e.

Abdominal contributions to cardiorenal dysfunction in congestive heart failure.

Current pathophysiological models of congestive heart failure unsatisfactorily explain the detrimental link between congestion and cardiorenal function. Abdominal congestion (i.e.

The cardiac atrial appendage stem cell: a new and promising candidate for myocardial repair.

Aims: Considerable shortcomings in the treatment of myocardial infarction (MI) still exist and therefore mortality remains high. Cardiac stem cell (CSC) therapy is a promising approach for myocardial repair. However, identification and isolation of candidate CSCs is mainly based on the presence or absence of certain cell surface markers, which suffers from some drawbacks.

Glycine enhances microglial intracellular calcium signaling. A role for sodium-coupled neutral amino acid transporters.

The inhibitory neurotransmitter glycine is known to enhance microglial nitric oxide production. However, up to now, the mechanism is undocumented. Since calcium is an important second messenger in both immune and glial cells, we studied the effects of glycine on intracellular calcium signaling.

Mannitol Reduces the Hydrostatic Pressure in the Proximal Tubule of the Isolated Blood-Perfused Rabbit Kidney during Hypoxic Stress and Improves Its Function.

Background/aims: Hypoxia may play a role in the development of renal failure in donated kidneys. In the present study, the effects of hypoxia on isolated blood-perfused rabbit kidneys were investigated and the effects of mannitol were explored, giving special attention to intratubular pressure.

Methods: Kidneys were perfused with their autologous blood during four 30-min periods (P1-P4).

Mesenchymal stem cells or cardiac progenitors for cardiac repair? A comparative study.

In the past, clinical trials transplanting bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells reported a limited improvement in cardiac function. Therefore, the search for stem cells leading to more successful stem cell therapies continues. Good candidates are the so-called cardiac stem cells (CSCs).

Simvastatin interferes with process outgrowth and branching of oligodendrocytes.

Statins have attracted interest as a treatment option for multiple sclerosis (MS) because of their pleiotropic antiinflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. However, contradictory results have been described when they are applied to oligodendrocytes (OLGs), the cell type predominantly affected in MS. In this study we focus on the in vitro effect of statins on process outgrowth in OLN-93 cells, a well-characterized OLG-derived cell line, and primary cultures of neonatal rat OLGs.

Analysis of mitochondrial pH and ion concentrations.

Detailed practical information is provided with emphasis on mapping cytosolic and mitochondrial pH, mitochondrial Na(+), and briefly also aspects related to mitochondrial Ca(2+) measurements in living cells, as grown on (un)coated glass coverslips. This chapter lists (laser scanning confocal) microscope instrumentation and setup requirements for proper imaging conditions, cell holders, and an easy-to-use incubator stage. For the daily routine of preparing buffer and calibration solutions, extensive annotated protocols are provided.

Human bone marrow stem cells co-cultured with neonatal rat cardiomyocytes display limited cardiomyogenic plasticity.

Background Aims: This study investigated whether neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCM), when co-cultured, can induce transdifferentiation of either human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) or hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) into cardiomyocytes. Stem cells were obtained from patients with ischemic heart disease.

Methods: Ex vivo-expanded MSC or freshly isolated HSC were used to set-up a co-culture system between NRCM and MSC or HSC.

Glycine and glycine receptor signalling in non-neuronal cells.

Glycine is an inhibitory neurotransmitter acting mainly in the caudal part of the central nervous system. Besides this neurotransmitter function, glycine has cytoprotective and modulatory effects in different non-neuronal cell types. Modulatory effects were mainly described in immune cells, endothelial cells and macroglial cells, where glycine modulates proliferation, differentiation, migration and cytokine production.

Investigation of the Ba2+-sensitive NH4+ transport pathways in the apical cell membrane of primary cultured rabbit MTAL cells.

Background: Several apical ammonium (NH(4)(+)/NH(3)) transport pathways have been described in medullary thick ascending limb (MTAL) cells. The exact nature and importance of some of these pathways remain controversial.

Methods: Ammonium transport in primary cultured rabbit MTAL cells was investigated by measuring intracellular pH (pH(i)).

A primary culture of mouse proximal tubular cells, established on collagen-coated membranes.

A simple method is described to establish primary cultures of kidney proximal tubule cells (PTC) on membranes. The permeable membranes represent a unique culture surface, allowing a high degree of differentiation since both apical and basolateral membranes are accessible for medium. Proximal tubule (PT) segments from collagenase-digested mouse renal cortices were grown for 7 days, by which time cells were organized as a confluent monolayer.

Rafts in oligodendrocytes: evidence and structure-function relationship.

The plasma membrane of eukaryotic cells exhibits lateral inhomogeneities, mainly containing cholesterol and sphingomyelin, which provide liquid-ordered microdomains (lipid "rafts") that segregate membrane components. Rafts are thought to modulate the biological functions of molecules that become associated with them, and as such, they appear to be involved in a variety of processes, including signal transduction, membrane sorting, cell adhesion and pathogen entry. Although still a matter of ongoing debate, evidence in favor of the presence of these microdomains is gradually accumulating but a consensus on issues like their size, lifetime, composition, and biological significance has yet to be reached.

Recovery of regional but not global contractile function by the direct intramyocardial autologous bone marrow transplantation: results from a randomized controlled clinical trial.

Background: Recent trials have shown that intracoronary infusion of bone marrow cells (BMCs) improves functional recovery after acute myocardial infarction. However, whether this treatment is effective in heart failure as a consequence of remodeling after organized infarcts remains unclear. In this randomized trial, we assessed the hypothesis that direct intramyocardial injection of autologous mononuclear bone marrow cells during coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) could improve global and regional left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at 4-month follow-up.

Diffusion of sphingomyelin and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein in the membrane of OLN-93 oligodendroglial cells studied by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy.

Evidence has been accumulated that the plasma membrane of various mammalian cell types is heterogeneous in structure and may contain lipid microdomains (lipid rafts). This study focuses on the membrane organization of living oligodendrocytes, which are the myelin-producing cells of the central nervous system. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) was used to monitor the lateral diffusion of a lipid and of a protein in the oligodendroglial cell line OLN-93.

Role of mitochondrial Na+ concentration, measured by CoroNa red, in the protection of metabolically inhibited MDCK cells.

In ischemic or hypoxic tissues, elevated cytosolic calcium levels can induce lethal processes. Mitochondria, besides the endoplasmic reticulum, play a key role in clearing excessive cytosolic Ca2+. In a previous study, it was suggested that the clearance of cytosolic Ca2+, after approximately 18 min of metabolic inhibition (MI) in renal epithelial cells, occurs via the reverse action of the mitochondrial Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX).

Extracellular Ca2+ regulates the stimulation of Na+ transport in A6 renal epithelia.

We investigated the involvement of intracellular and extracellular Ca2+ in the stimulation of Na+ transport during hyposmotic treatment of A6 renal epithelia. A sudden osmotic decrease elicits a biphasic stimulation of Na+ transport, recorded as increase in amiloride-sensitive short-circuit current (Isc) from 3.4 +/- 0.

Cytokine-induced cell death in human oligodendroglial cell lines. II: Alterations in gene expression induced by interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha.

Cytokines, such as interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), can initiate dual effects resulting in either cell growth or cell death. In this study, the human oligodendroglial cell lines HOG and MO3.13 were used as a model to study the molecular mechanisms of cytokine-induced cell death in human oligodendrocytes.

Cytokine-induced cell death in human oligodendroglial cell lines: I. Synergistic effects of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha on apoptosis.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. Myelin and oligodendrocytes are considered the major targets of injury caused by a cell-mediated immune response. There is circumstantial evidence that proinflammatory cytokines like tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) could have disease-promoting roles in multiple sclerosis (MS).

Bartter's and Gitelman's syndromes: from gene to clinic.

Bartter's and Gitelman's syndromes are characterized by hypokalemia, normal to low blood pressure and hypochloremic metabolic alkalosis. Recently, investigators have been able to demonstrate mutations of six genes encoding several renal tubular transporters and ion channels that can be held responsible for Bartter's and Gitelman's syndromes. Neonatal Bartter's syndrome is caused by mutations of NKCC2 or ROMK, classic Bartter's syndrome by mutations of ClC-Kb, Bartter's syndrome associated with sensorineural deafness is due to mutations of BSND, Gitelman's syndrome to mutations of NCCT and Bartter's syndrome associated with autosomal dominant hypocalcemia is linked to mutations of CASR.