An Ex Vivo Aorta Culture Model to Study Vascular Cellular Senescence.

Animal studies on vascular aging pose a few limitations. One of the most important reasons for this is the absence of a fast and efficient model of vascular tissue aging. In this study, ex vivo aortic culture and Matrigel subcutaneous implantation are combined to develop a new model for studying vascular cellular senescence.

Use of Inflammatory Biomarkers and Real-Time Cardiac Catheterisation to Evaluate the Left Ventricular Diastolic Function in Patients With Diastolic Heart Failure.

Background: Interleukin (IL)-17 and its related cytokines have been shown to be involved in myocardial fibrosis and irreversible ventricular remodelling, which have predictive values in the development of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD). This study aimed to assess the correlation between IL-17 and LVDD, and investigate the prognostic value of IL-17 among patients with normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

Methods: A total of 120 patients with normal LVEF underwent left ventricular (LV) catheterisation for LV end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) measurement and routine echocardiography.