Intravenous infusions of mesenchymal stromal cells have cumulative beneficial effects in a porcine model of chronic ischaemic cardiomyopathy.

Aims: The development of cell therapy as a widely available clinical option for ischaemic cardiomyopathy is hindered by the invasive nature of current cell delivery methods. Furthermore, the rapid disappearance of cells after transplantation provides a cogent rationale for using repeated cell doses, which, however, has not been done thus far in clinical trials because it is not feasible with invasive approaches. The goal of this translational study was to test the therapeutic utility of the intravenous route for cell delivery.

Validity of Actigraph for Measuring Energy Expenditure in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the validity of the Actigraph triaxial accelerometer device in measuring physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE) in healthy adults, with indirect calorimetry (IC) serving as the validity criterion.

Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted using the PubMed, Web of Science, and sportdiscuss databases, in addition to manual searches for supplementary sources. Search strategies were employed that involved conducting single keyword searches using the terms "gt3x" and "Actigraph gt3x".

Effect of intravenous cell therapy in rats with old myocardial infarction.

Mounting evidence shows that cell therapy provides therapeutic benefits in experimental and clinical settings of chronic heart failure. However, direct cardiac delivery of cells via transendocardial injection is logistically complex, expensive, entails risks, and is not amenable to multiple dosing. Intravenous administration would be a more convenient and clinically applicable route for cell therapy.

Exercise-induced late preconditioning in mice is triggered by eNOS-dependent generation of nitric oxide and activation of PKCε and is mediated by increased iNOS activity.

The purpose of this study was to assess whether short-term, mild exercise induces protection against myocardial infarction and, if so, what role the eNOS-PKCε-iNOS axis plays. Mice were subjected to 2 bouts/day of treadmill exercise (60 min at 15 m/min) for 2 consecutive days. At 24 h after the last bout of exercise, mice were subjected to a 30-min coronary artery occlusion and 24 h of reperfusion.

Rapid Lipid Modification of Endothelial Cell Membranes in Cardiac Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury: a Novel Therapeutic Strategy to Reduce Infarct Size.

Purpose: Plasma membranes constitute a gathering point for lipids and signaling proteins. Lipids are known to regulate the location and activity of signaling proteins under physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Membrane lipid therapies (MLTs) that gradually modify lipid content of plasma membranes have been developed to treat chronic disease; however, no MLTs have been developed to treat acute conditions such as reperfusion injury following myocardial infarction (MI) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

The Effect of Cardiogenic Factors on Cardiac Mesenchymal Cell Anti-Fibrogenic Paracrine Signaling and Therapeutic Performance.

Intrinsic cardiogenic factor expression, a proxy for cardiomyogenic lineage commitment, may be an important determinant of donor cell cardiac reparative capacity in cell therapy applications; however, whether and how this contributes to their salutary effects remain largely ambiguous. : The current study examined the consequences of enhanced cardiogenic factor expression, via lentiviral delivery of GMT (GATA4, MEF2C, and TBX5), on cardiac mesenchymal cell (CMC) anti-fibrogenic paracrine signaling dynamics, , and cardiac reparative capacity, . Proteome cytokine array analyses and cardiac fibroblast activation assays were performed using conditioned medium derived from either GMT- or GFP control-transduced CMCs, to respectively assess cardiotrophic factor secretion and anti-fibrogenic paracrine signaling aptitude.

Epigenetically modified cardiac mesenchymal stromal cells limit myocardial fibrosis and promote functional recovery in a model of chronic ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Preclinical investigations support the concept that donor cells more oriented towards a cardiovascular phenotype favor repair. In light of this philosophy, we previously identified HDAC1 as a mediator of cardiac mesenchymal cell (CMC) cardiomyogenic lineage commitment and paracrine signaling potency in vitro-suggesting HDAC1 as a potential therapeutically exploitable target to enhance CMC cardiac reparative capacity. In the current study, we examined the effects of pharmacologic HDAC1 inhibition, using the benzamide class 1 isoform-selective HDAC inhibitor entinostat (MS-275), on CMC cardiomyogenic lineage commitment and CMC-mediated myocardial repair in vivo.

Repeated Administrations of Cardiac Progenitor Cells Are Superior to a Single Administration of an Equivalent Cumulative Dose.

Background: We have recently found that 3 repeated doses (12×10 each) of c-kit cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) were markedly more effective than a single dose of 12×10 cells in alleviating postinfarction left ventricular dysfunction and remodeling. However, since the single-dose group received only one third of the total number of CPCs given to the multiple-dose group, it is unknown whether the superior therapeutic efficacy was caused by repeated treatments per se or by administration of a higher total number of CPCs. This issue has major clinical implications because multiple cell injections in patients pose significant challenges, which would be obviated by using 1 large injection.

Comparison between Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion and Conventional Open Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion: An Updated Meta-analysis.

Background: The previous studies agree that minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) has better function outcomes, less blood loss, and shorter hospital stay, when compared to open-TLIF. However, there are no significance differences on operative time, complication, and reoperation rate between the two procedures. This could be from less relative literatures and lower grade evidence.

Preconditioning Human Cardiac Stem Cells with an HO-1 Inducer Exerts Beneficial Effects After Cell Transplantation in the Infarcted Murine Heart.

The regenerative potential of c-kit(+) cardiac stem cells (CSCs) is severely limited by the poor survival of cells after transplantation in the infarcted heart. We have previously demonstrated that preconditioning human CSCs (hCSCs) with the heme oxygenase-1 inducer, cobalt protoporphyrin (CoPP), has significant cytoprotective effects in vitro. Here, we examined whether preconditioning hCSCs with CoPP enhances CSC survival and improves cardiac function after transplantation in a model of myocardial infarction induced by a 45-minute coronary occlusion and 35-day reperfusion in immunodeficient mice.

Observation of magnetic field effects on transient fluorescence spectra of cryptochrome 1 from homing pigeons.

Cryptochromes are suggested to be involved in the bird magnetoreception based on the radical pair mechanism (RPM), a well established theory of weak magnetic field effects on chemical reactions. Two members of cryptochrome/photolyase family were found to respond to magnetic field, however, no direct responses of bird cryptochrome to magnetic field as weak as the Earth's magnetic field have been obtained so far. In this study, we used transient fluorescence spectroscopy to characterize the weak magnetic field effects of bird cryptochromes.

Complications and clinical outcomes of minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion for the treatment of one- or two-level degenerative disc diseases of the lumbar spine in patients older than 65 years.

Background: Minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) has been successfully used to treat degenerative diseases of the lumbar spine. There are few reports comparing the complications and clinical outcomes in older patients who have undergone one- or two-level MIS-TLIF with those of younger patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical outcomes of MIS-TLIF in the treatment of degenerative disc disease of lumbar spine of the patients older than 65 years, with an emphasis on perioperative complications compared to the younger patients.

Genetic background, gender, age, body temperature, and arterial blood pH have a major impact on myocardial infarct size in the mouse and need to be carefully measured and/or taken into account: results of a comprehensive analysis of determinants of infarct size in 1,074 mice.

In order to determine whether the myocardial response to ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury varies depending on genetic background, gender, age, body temperature, and arterial blood pH, we studied 1,074 mice from 19 strains (including 129S6/SvEvTac (129S6), B6/129P2-Ptgs2(tm1Unc), B6/129SvF(2)/J, B6/129/D2, B6/CBAF1, B6/DBA/1JNcr, BALB/c, BPH2/J, C57BL/6/J (B6/J), C3H/DBA, C3H/FB/FF, C3H/HeJ-Pde6b(rd1), FVB/N/J [FVB/N], FVB/B6, FVB/ICR and Crl:ICR/H [ICR]) and distributed them into 69 groups depending on strain and: (1) two phases of ischemic preconditioning (PC); (2) coronary artery occlusion (O) time; (3) gender; (4) age; (5) blood transfusion; (6) core body temperature; and (7) arterial blood pH. Mice underwent O either without (non-preconditioned [naive]) or with prior cyclic O/reperfusion (R) (PC stimulus) consisting of six 4-min O/4-min R cycles 10 min (early PC, EPC) or 24 h (late PC, LPC) prior to 30 or 45-min O and 24 h R. In B6/J and B6/129/D2 mice, almost the entire risk region was infarcted after a 60-min O.

The COX-2/PGI2 receptor axis plays an obligatory role in mediating the cardioprotection conferred by the late phase of ischemic preconditioning.

Background: Pharmacologic studies with cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors suggest that the late phase of ischemic preconditioning (PC) is mediated by COX-2. However, nonspecific effects of COX-2 inhibitors cannot be ruled out, and the selectivity of these inhibitors for COX-2 vs. COX-1 is only relative.

[The evaluation of posterior ligament complex injury as well as the analysis of its effects in thoracic-lumbar fractures].

Objectives: To evaluate and analyze the role of posterior ligament complex (PLC) in determining therapeutic principle for traumatic thoracic-lumbar fracture.

Methods: From August 2005 to May 2008, 60 patients (38 male, 22 female) who suffered from the traumatic thoracic-lumbar fracture were carried out posterior operations. According to the Magerl traumatic thoracic-lumbar fracture classification system, these cases were classified to subtype A, B and C.

[Design of plant leaf bionic camouflage materials based on spectral analysis].

The influence of structure parameters and contents of plant leaves on their reflectance spectra was analyzed using the PROSPECT model. The result showed that the bionic camouflage materials should be provided with coarse surface and spongy inner structure, the refractive index of main content must be close to that of plant leaves, the contents of materials should contain chlorophyll and water, and the content of C-H bond must be strictly controlled. Based on the analysis above, a novel camouflage material, which was constituted by coarse transparent waterproof surface, chlorophyll, water and spongy material, was designed.

Gene transfer as a strategy to achieve permanent cardioprotection II: rAAV-mediated gene therapy with heme oxygenase-1 limits infarct size 1 year later without adverse functional consequences.

Extensive evidence indicates that heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) exerts potent cytoprotective effects in response to stress. Previous studies have shown that gene therapy with HO-1 protects against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury for up to 8 weeks after gene transfer. However, the long-term effects of HO-1 gene therapy on myocardial ischemic injury and function are unknown.

Gene transfer as a strategy to achieve permanent cardioprotection I: rAAV-mediated gene therapy with inducible nitric oxide synthase limits infarct size 1 year later without adverse functional consequences.

The ultimate goal of prophylactic gene therapy is to confer permanent protection against ischemia. Although gene therapy with inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is known to protect against myocardial infarction at 3 days and up to 2 months, the long-term effects on myocardial ischemic injury and function are unknown. To address this issue, we created a recombinant adeno-associated viral vector carrying the iNOS gene (rAAV/iNOS), which enables long-lasting transgene expression.

Intracoronary administration of cardiac stem cells in mice: a new, improved technique for cell therapy in murine models.

A model of intracoronary stem cell delivery that enables transgenesis/gene targeting would be a powerful tool but is still lacking. To address this gap, we compared intracoronary and intramyocardial delivery of lin(-)/c-kit(+)/GFP(+) cardiac stem cells (CSCs) in a murine model of reperfused myocardial infarction (MI). Lin(-)/c-kit(+)/GFP(+) CSCs were successfully expanded from GFP transgenic hearts and cultured with no detectable phenotypic change for up to ten passages.

[Experimental study of laparoscopical lumbar interbody fusion with polyporus composite phosphate calcium and rhBMP-2 compounds in sheep].

Objective: To study the efficacy of polyporus composite phosphate calcium and rhBMP-2 compounds with laparoscopical lumbar interbody fusion in sheep.

Methods: Fourteen uniform-weight adult sheep were randomly divided into three groups for LA-5 interbody fusion with titanium mesh. Autogenous bone and titanium mesh was applied with open anterior technique in group 1 (n=4).

[Preliminary classification and phylogenetic relationship among Onchidiidae in China inferred from 18S rRNA partial sequence].

As a nutritious mollusk living in the intertidal zone, Onchidiidae has a significant value for biological research. Nine populations were collected from the costal areas such as Chongming (Shanghai), Ningde (Fujian), Haikou (Hainan) in this study. Through the study of anatomy and other methods to investigate the major category characteristics, the nine populations were preliminary classified.

[Selection of surgical methods for lumbar disc herniation with degenerative endplates changes].

Objective: To analyze the selection of surgical methods for lumbar disc herniation with low back and leg pain and degenerative lumbar Modic endplate changes and their different postoperative therapeutic effects.

Methods: All 30 cases of single segment lumbar disc herniation accompanied by Modic endplate changes operated at our hospital using simple discectomy or decompressions with interbody fusion from January 2005 to January 2008 were retrospectively identified. There were 18 males and 12 females with an average age of 38.

Gene transfer of inducible nitric oxide synthase affords cardioprotection by upregulating heme oxygenase-1 via a nuclear factor-{kappa}B-dependent pathway.

Background: Although inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is known to impart powerful protection against myocardial infarction, the mechanism for this salubrious action remains unclear.

Methods And Results: Adenovirus-mediated iNOS gene transfer in mice resulted 48 to 72 hours later in increased expression not only of iNOS protein but also of heme oxygenase (HO)-1 mRNA and protein; HO-2 protein expression did not change. iNOS gene transfer markedly reduced infarct size in wild-type mice, but this effect was completely abrogated in HO-1(-/-) mice.