A carbon nanotubes based in situ multifunctional power assist system for restoring failed heart function.

Background: End-stage heart failure is a major risk of mortality. The conductive super-aligned carbon nanotubes sheets (SA-CNTs) has been applied to restore the structure and function of injured myocardium through tissue engineering, and developed as efficient cardiac pacing electrodes. However, the interfacial interaction between SA-CNTs and the surface cells is unclear, and it remains challenge to restore the diminished contraction for a seriously damaged heart.

Loss of Camk2n1 aggravates cardiac remodeling and malignant ventricular arrhythmia after myocardial infarction in mice via NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Aims: Inflammation response and subsequent ventricular remodeling are critically involved in the development of ventricular arrhythmia post myocardial infarction (MI). However, as the vital endogenous inhibitor of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), the effects of CaMKII inhibitor 1 (Camk2n1) on the process of arrhythmia substrate generation following MI remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of Camk2n1 in ventricular arrhythmia post-MI and the underlying mechanisms.

Biomimetic Design for Bio-Matrix Interfaces and Regenerative Organs.

The urgent demand for transplanted organs has motivated the development of regenerative medicine to biomimetically reconstruct the structure and function of natural tissues or organs. The prerequisites for constructing multicellular organs include specific cell sources, suitable scaffolding material, and interconnective biofunctional interfaces. As some of the most complex systems in nature, human organs, tissues, and cellular units have unique "bio-matrix" physicochemical interfaces.

Catheter ablation of ventricular arrhythmias originating from the para-Hisian region with reversed C-curve technique.

Aims: Ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) originating from the para-Hisian region represent a challenging location. The long-term success rate of catheter ablation above the septal leaflet of the tricuspid valve is not ideal. This study aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of catheter ablation for para-Hisian VAs via a direct approach under the septal valve with reversed C-curve technique.

Up-regulation of microRNA-203 inhibits myocardial fibrosis and oxidative stress in mice with diabetic cardiomyopathy through the inhibition of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway via PIK3CA.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) refers to the myocardial dysfunction in the absence of coronary artery disease and hypertension. Recently, the role of microRNAs (miRs) in gene expression regulation has attracted much more attention. Studies have shown that the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway is involved in the growth, metabolism and apoptosis of myocardial cells.

Electrocardiographic-left ventricular hypertrophy and incident stroke among Chinese hypertensive adults.

The relationship between electrocardiographic-left ventricular hypertrophy (ECG-LVH) and stroke has been well established in the Western population with limited information in the Chinese population. This study evaluated the association between ECG-LVH and stroke outcome. A total of 19,815 (95.

Correction: Meng, X., et al. Neuroprotective Effects of Radix Scrophulariae on Cerebral Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury via MAPK Pathways. Molecules 2018, 23, 2401.

The authors wish to make the following correction to their paper [...

Neuroprotective Effects of Radix Scrophulariae on Cerebral Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury via MAPK Pathways.

Ischemic stroke is a clinically common cerebrovascular disease whose main risks include necrosis, apoptosis and cerebral infarction, all caused by cerebral ischemia and reperfusion (I/R). Ischemia and reperfusion-induced injury or apoptosis inhibition in human brain tissue may exert an irreplaceable protective effect on ischemic nerves. This process has particular significance for the treatment of stroke patients.

Methodological exploration of bone marrow stem cell therapy in acute myocardial infarction - how to achieve greater benefit on cardiac outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Clinical trials of intracoronary injection of bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMCs) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have revealed promising but variable and modest results. One of the reasons underlying this situation may be the unstandardized preparation of BMCs.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore whether methodological differences affect the prognosis of acute myocardial infarction patients who received BMCs transplantation.

Superaligned Carbon Nanotubes Guide Oriented Cell Growth and Promote Electrophysiological Homogeneity for Synthetic Cardiac Tissues.

Cardiac engineering of patches and tissues is a promising option to restore infarcted hearts, by seeding cardiac cells onto scaffolds and nurturing their growth in vitro. However, current patches fail to fully imitate the hierarchically aligned structure in the natural myocardium, the fast electrotonic propagation, and the subsequent synchronized contractions. Here, superaligned carbon-nanotube sheets (SA-CNTs) are explored to culture cardiomyocytes, mimicking the aligned structure and electrical-impulse transmission behavior of the natural myocardium.

Effect of a 180 mg ticagrelor loading dose on myocardial necrosis in patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention: A preliminary study.

Background: To examine whether a loading dose of ticagrelor on top of clopidogrel reduced postpercutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) myonecrosis.

Methods: Seventy seven coronary artery disease patients received a loading dose of 300 mg clopidogrel pre-PCI and were divided into three groups: group TT (n = 36): a loading dose of 180 mg ticagrelor pre-PCI, followed by ticagrelor 90 mg twice daily commencing one day post-PCI; group CT (n = 26): a maintenance dose of ticagrelor 90 mg twice daily; group CC (n = 15): clopidogrel 75 mg daily post- PCI. High sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) and creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) were measured pre-PCI and 0 h, 2 h or 24 h post-PCI.

Inhibition of let-7 augments the recruitment of epicardial cells and improves cardiac function after myocardial infarction.

Heart failure due to myocardial infarction is a major cause of mortality. The microRNA (miR) family let-7 is expressed during embryonic development and is up-regulated in differentiated cells. The aim of this study was to study the role of let-7 after acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

MicroRNA-130a regulates autophagy of endothelial progenitor cells through Runx3.

Dysfunction of endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) contribute to diabetic vascular disease. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of diverse cellular processes, including angiogenesis. We recently reported that downregulated miR-130a in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) results in EPC dysfunction, including increased apoptosis, likely via its target runt-related transcription factor 3 (Runx3).

Resveratrol protects rabbit ventricular myocytes against oxidative stress-induced arrhythmogenic activity and Ca2+ overload.

Aim: To investigate whether resveratrol suppressed oxidative stress-induced arrhythmogenic activity and Ca(2+) overload in ventricular myocytes and to explore the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2, 200 μmol/L)) was used to induce oxidative stress in rabbit ventricular myocytes. Cell shortening and calcium transients were simultaneously recorded to detect arrhythmogenic activity and to measure intracellular Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)]i).

Inhibition of microRNA-92a protects against ischemia/reperfusion injury in a large-animal model.

Background: MicroRNAs (miRs) are small noncoding RNAs that posttranscriptionally control gene expression. Small-animal studies suggest that miRs might offer novel therapeutic targets in cardiovascular diseases such as cardioprotection of murine hearts after myocardial infarction via miR-92a inhibitors. Because the functional benefits of miR-92a inhibitors in larger preclinical models are not known, we assessed the therapeutic efficacy of miR-92a inhibition in a porcine model of ischemia and reperfusion.

Micro-RNA-34a contributes to the impaired function of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells from patients with cardiovascular disease.

Objectives: This study evaluated the regulation and function of micro-RNAs (miRs) in bone marrow-mononuclear cells (BMCs).

Background: Although cell therapy with BMCs may represent a therapeutic option to treat patients with heart disease, the impaired functionality of patient-derived cells remains a major challenge. Small noncoding miRs post-transcriptionally control gene expression patterns and play crucial roles in modulating cell survival and function.

Acute myocardial infarction activates progenitor cells and increases Wnt signalling in the bone marrow.

Aims: We aimed to characterize the influence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) on the metabolic activity of the bone marrow (BM) and on the composition and functional activity of BM-derived mononuclear cells (BMC). Acute ischaemia or other stressors induce the mobilization of progenitor cells from the BM stem cell niche. The effect of AMI on the numbers and functional activity of cells within the BM is unknown.