Cardiac tissue engineering using tissue printing technology and human cardiac progenitor cells.

Tissue engineering is emerging as a potential therapeutic approach to overcome limitations of cell therapy, like cell retention and survival, as well as to mechanically support the ventricular wall and thereby prevent dilation. Tissue printing technology (TP) offers the possibility to deliver, in a defined and organized manner, scaffolding materials and living cells. The aim of our study was to evaluate the combination of TP, human cardiac-derived cardiomyocyte progenitor cells (hCMPCs) and biomaterials to obtain a construct with cardiogenic potential for in vitro use or in vivo application.

Genes in congenital heart disease: atrioventricular valve formation.

Through the use of animal studies, many candidate genes (mainly encoding transcriptional factors and receptors) have been implicated in the development of congenital heart disease. Thus far, only a minority of these genes have been shown to carry mutations associated with congenital disease in humans, e.g.

The Glu298Asp polymorphism of the NOS 3 gene as a determinant of the baseline production of nitric oxide.

Rationale: The endothelial nitric oxide synthase Glu298Asp polymorphism has been suggested to play a role in the development of hypertension, atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease.

Objective: To investigate functional differences between the various genotypes with respect to basal nitric oxide (NO) production, we estimated the response to endothelial NO synthase (ecNOS) inhibition by infusion of increasing doses of N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) into the brachial artery during venous occlusion plethysmography.

Methods: In 41 healthy subjects forearm blood flow responses to intra-arterial infusion of increasing doses of L-NMMA (0.