Atoh1 mediated disturbance of neuronal maturation by perinatal hypoxia induces cognitive deficits.

Neurodevelopmental disorders are currently one of the major complications faced by patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). Chronic hypoxia in the prenatal and postnatal preoperative brain may be associated with neurological damage and impaired long-term cognitive function, but the exact mechanisms are unknown. In this study, we find that delayed neuronal migration and impaired synaptic development are attributed to altered Atoh1 under chronic hypoxia.

Preoperative serum cortisone levels are associated with cognition in preschool-aged children with tetralogy of Fallot after corrective surgery: new evidence from human populations and mice.

Background: Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is the most common cyanotic congenital heart disease. Children with TOF would be confronted with neurological impairment across their lifetime. Our study aimed to identify the risk factors for cerebral morphology changes and cognition in postoperative preschool-aged children with TOF.

Perioperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in pediatric congenital heart disease: Chinese expert consensus.

Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of the main supportive diseases of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in children. The management of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for pediatric CHD faces more severe challenges due to the complex anatomical structure of the heart, special pathophysiology, perioperative complications and various concomitant malformations. The survival rate of ECMO for CHD was significantly lower than other classifications of diseases according to the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization database.

Small-molecule-based generation of functional cardiomyocytes from human umbilical cord-derived induced pluripotent stem cells.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the cardiac-differentiation potential of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) generated from human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal cells. Spontaneous beating colonies were observed at day 7 after the sequential addition of CHIR99021 and IWP-4. The combined use of CHIR99021 and IWP-4 downregulated the expression of pluripotency markers while upregulating cardiac transcription factors and cardiomyocyte-specific markers.

miR‑760 mediates hypoxia-induced proliferation and apoptosis of human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells via targeting TLR4.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have a key role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a disease characterized by enhanced proliferation and reduced apoptosis of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. In the present study, miR‑760 was demonstrated to be downregulated in PAH lung tissues compared with normal lung tissues, an effect that may be associated with the development of PAH. Hypoxia is an important stimulus for human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell (hPASMC) proliferation and the occurrence of PAH.

Efficient generation of functional cardiomyocytes from human umbilical cord-derived virus-free induced pluripotent stem cells.

We have previously demonstrated that human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) can differentiate into cardiomyocyte-like cells. However, no contracting cells were observed during differentiation. In this study, we generated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from UC-MSCs using mRNA reprogramming and focused on the differentiation of reprogrammed iPSCs into functional cardiomyocytes.

The Succinate Receptor GPR91 Is Involved in Pressure Overload-Induced Ventricular Hypertrophy.

Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension is characterized by increased pressure overload that leads to right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH). GPR91 is a formerly orphan G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that has been characterized as a receptor for succinate; however, its role in RVH remains unknown.

Methods And Results: We investigated the role of succinate-GPR91 signaling in a pulmonary arterial banding (PAB) model of RVH induced by pressure overload in SD rats.

Isolation, characterization and cardiac differentiation of human thymus tissue derived mesenchymal stromal cells.

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are promising candidate donor cells for replacement of cardiomyocyte loss during ischemia and in vitro generation of myocardial tissue. We have successfully isolated MSCs from the discarded neonatal thymus gland during cardiac surgery. The thymus MSCs were characterized by cell-surface antigen expression.

Triggering the succinate receptor GPR91 enhances pressure overload-induced right ventricular hypertrophy.

Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) leads to pressure overload in the right ventricle (RV) and induces right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH). GPR91 is an orphan G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that has been characterized as a receptor for succinate, which increases in RVH; however, its role remains unknown.

Methods And Results: We studied succinate-GPR91 signaling in a pulmonary arterial banding (PAB) model of RVH in the SD rats due to pressure overload.

Cardiac cell therapy: pre-conditioning effects in cell-delivery strategies.

Stem-cell therapy holds great promise for the treatment of ischemic heart disease. However, the benefit of cardiac cell therapy has not yet been proven in long-term clinical trials. Poor engraftment and survival of transplanted cells is one of the major concerns for the successful application of stem cells in cardiac cell therapy.

Stem cell engraftment and survival in the ischemic heart.

Cellular therapy has emerged as a potentially novel treatment for severe ischemic heart disease, and there is increasing evidence that stem cell transplantation may improve the perfusion and contractile function of ischemic myocardium. However, the problem of poor donor cell engraftment and survival in ischemic myocardium limits the successful use of cellular therapy for treating ischemic heart disease. This review discusses the state-of-the-art understanding of the low level of cell engraftment and cell survival after transplantation into the ischemic heart, with a focus on the approaches that have been investigated for supporting and improving the survival and engraftment of transplanted cells in this setting.

Cell delivery in cardiac regenerative therapy.

There is a growing interest in the clinical application of stem cells as a novel therapeutic approach for treatment of myocardial infarction and prevention of subsequent heart failure. Transplanted stem cells improve cardiac functions through multiple mechanisms, which include but are not limited to promoting angiogenesis, replacing dead cardiomyocytes, modulating cardiac remodeling. Most of the results obtained so far are exciting and very promising, spawning an increasing number of clinical trials recently.

[The individualized surgical treatment of transposition of the great arteries].

Objective: To discuss the effectiveness of individualized strategy of surgical management on the great arteries (TGA).

Methods: From March 1998 to October 2009, 127 cases (97 males and 30 females) with TGA were treated. There were 97 male and 30 female, aged from 4 hours old to 17 years old with a mean of (25 ± 37) months, weighted from 2.

[Effect of diazoxide on oxygen free radicals and cell apoptosis in brain tissue after deep hypothermia cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury in young rats].

Objective: To determine the effects of diazoxide on oxygen free radicals and cell apoptosis in brain tissue after deep hypothermia cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury in young rats.

Methods: Fifty-four 3-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly and equitably divided into sham-operated group, model group and diazoxide group respectively (n = 18). The model of hypothermia cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury was made.

[Diagnosis of 22q11 deletion and duplication in congenital heart disease by multiplex ligation dependent probe amplification].

Objective: To investigate the clinical utility of multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) for detecting 22q11 deletion and duplication in congenital heart disease (CHD) cases and to study the incidence of 22q11 deletion and duplicaton in different kinds of CHD.

Methods: Forty eight probes of which 25 located in 22q11 low copy number region (LCR 22s A-H), 7 in 22q11 surrounding region (CES, 22q13) and 16 in chromosomes 4, 8, 10 and 17 were selected to detect 22q11 deletion and duplication in 181 preoperative children with CHD and 14 fetuses with serious CHD or CHD with multiple malformations. In these cases, karyotype analysis was also performed.

Cardiac potential of stem cells from whole human umbilical cord tissue.

We investigated the role of stem cells from human umbilical cord tissue in cardiomyocyte regeneration. The umbilical cord stem cells were initially characterized and differentiated in a myocardial differentiation medium containing 5-azacytidine for 24 h. Differentiation into cardiomyocytes was determined by expression of cardiac specific markers, like cardiac alpha-actin, connexin43, myosin, Troponin T, and ultrastructural analysis.

Clinical analysis and surgical results of cardiac myxoma in pediatric patients.

Background: Cardiac myxoma, the most common primary tumor in the adult, is less often encountered in infants and children. We reviewed our series of children with cardiac myxoma over a 22-year period and present the long-term results of surgical resection of the tumor.

Patients And Methods: From January 1985 to December 2006, 15 children between the ages of 5 months and 14 years (mean age, 6.

Cell sheet engineering for the injured heart.

Myocardial infarction and subsequent heart failure are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Tissue engineering is emerging as promising alternative approach to treat these kinds of diseases. However, conventional applications using biodegradable scaffolds have disadvantages, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, and cytotoxicity, and this limits its efficacy.

Stem cells for tissue engineering of myocardial constructs.

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Tissue engineering offers new option in the myocardial repair techniques. The cellular component of this regenerative approach will play a key role in bringing these tissue engineered constructs from the laboratory bench to the clinical bedside.

VEGF C-634G polymorphism is associated with protection from isolated ventricular septal defect: case-control and TDT studies.

The ventricular septal defect (VSD) is the most common congenital heart defect and no candidate susceptibility gene has been identified. Endocardial cushion and outflow septal morphogenesis, malalignment of which induces VSD, have been suggested to be mediated by the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Three single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) variants in promoter and 5'-UTR region of the VEGF gene, C-2578A (rs699947), G-1154A (rs1570360) and G-634C (rs2010963), were reported to alter its expression.