hAECs and their exosomes improve cardiac function after acute myocardial infarction in rats.

Background: Human amniotic epithelial cells (hAECs) are seed cells used to treat acute myocardial infarction (AMI), but their mechanism remains unclear.

Methods: We cultured hAECs and extracted exosomes from culture supernatants. Next, we established a stable AMI model in rats and treated them with hAECs, exosomes, or PBS.

Correlation of left atrial strain with left ventricular end-diastolic pressure in patients with normal left ventricular ejection fraction.

Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) remains challenging to be assessed by echocardiography. We sought to explore the relationship between left atrial strain and left ventricular (LV) diastolic function in patients with normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) by invasive left-heart catheterization. 55 consecutive individuals with LVEF > 50% underwent LV catheterization.

ALDH2 Gene rs671 Polymorphism May Decrease the Risk of Essential Hypertension.

Aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2) rs671 G>A polymorphism can influence the activity of ALDH2 and may be associated with the risk of essential hypertension (EH). Although many previous studies have explored such a relationship, the conclusion is still controversial.The PubMed, Embase, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were searched on the ALDH2 gene and EH.

[Impact and related mechanisms of stromal cell-derived factor-1α on serum deprivation-induced cardiac stem cells apoptosis].

Objective: To explore the impact and related mechanisms of stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α) on serum deprivation-induced apoptosis of cardiac stem cells (CSCs).

Methods: CSCs were isolated from adult mouse heart tissue and cultured in vitro. Obtained cells were purified using magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS) with c-kit magnetic beads.