A comprehensive review of engineered exosomes from the preparation strategy to therapeutic applications.

Exosomes exhibit high bioavailability, biological stability, targeted specificity, low toxicity, and low immunogenicity in shuttling various bioactive molecules such as proteins, lipids, RNA, and DNA. Natural exosomes, however, have limited production, targeting abilities, and therapeutic efficacy in clinical trials. On the other hand, engineered exosomes have demonstrated long-term circulation, high stability, targeted delivery, and efficient intracellular drug release, garnering significant attention.

Magnesium lithospermate B enhances the potential of human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes for myocardial repair.

Background: We previously reported that activation of the cell cycle in human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) enhances their remuscularization capacity after human cardiac muscle patch transplantation in infarcted mouse hearts. Herein, we sought to identify the effect of magnesium lithospermate B (MLB) on hiPSC-CMs during myocardial repair using a myocardial infarction (MI) mouse model.

Methods: In C57BL/6 mice, MI was surgically induced by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery.

Quercetin protects against hyperglycemia-induced retinopathy in Sprague Dawley rats by regulating the gut-retina axis and nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 pathway.

Hyperglycemia-related retinopathy is a disease with a high blindness rate. Recent reports indicate that many flavonol compounds have the potential to prevent the occurrence of disease in the retina by regulating the gut-retina axis. Here, we hypothesized that quercetin could alleviate the symptoms of retinopathy.

Identification of circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network and its role in cardiac hypertrophy.

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a grave hazard to human health. Circular RNA (circRNAs) and micro RNA (miRNAs), which are competitive endogenous RNA, have been shown to play a critical role inHCM pathogenicity. However, to a great extent, the biological activities of ceRNA in HCM pathophysiology and prognosis remain to be investigated.

MKI67 as a potential diagnostic biomarker in pulmonary hypertension.

Background: Right heart failure results from advanced pulmonary hypertension (PH) and has a poor prognosis. There are few available treatments for right heart failure. Pulmonary artery remodeling, including changes in pulmonary artery endothelial cells to endothelial-mesenchymal cells, and aberrant fibroblast and pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell (PASMC) proliferation, are characteristics of the pathophysiological process of PH.

Successful biventricular repair in a 14-year-old patient of asplenia with congenital heart disease syndrome.

Heterotaxy syndrome is a rare disease, and asplenia with congenital heart disease syndrome, also known as Ivemark syndrome, is a special form of heterotaxy syndrome. These patients usually have severe cardiovascular malformations and a poor prognosis. Their surgical outcomes are rarely satisfactory.

Advanced ultrawide-field optical coherence tomography angiography identifies previously undetectable changes in biomechanics-related parameters in nonpathological myopic fundus.

To detect previously undetectable changes in vessel density and structural thickness, the two biomechanics-related parameters reflecting hemodynamics and tensile strength, respectively, in the peripheral and central fundi of nonpathological myopic eyes with an advanced ultrawide-field optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) system. A cross-sectional observational clinical study was carried out by recruiting 155 eyes from 79 college students aged 18-28 years. The eyes were stratified into normal, low-myopia, medium-myopia, and high-myopia groups according to diopter.

The effect of a chrysanthemum water extract in protecting the retina of mice from light damage.

Background: Oxidative stress can induce age-related diseases. Age-related retinal diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), are difficult to cure owing to their complicated mechanisms. Although anti-neovascular therapeutics are used to treat wet AMD, vision cannot always be completely restored, and disease progression cannot always be inhibited.

OIP5-AS1: A Fascinating Long Noncoding RNA in Carcinoma.

Background: It is substantiated that LncRNAs are associated with carcinoma progression. OIP5- AS1 is a tumor-related carcinoma suppressor lncRNA, previously discovered in zebrafish, which is involved in the progression of a variety of cancers, has a regulatory effect on carcinoma, and interacts with miRNA and other biomolecules to affect the physiological and pathological processes of carcinoma cells. This article will discuss the effect of OIP5-AS1 in various cancers and its regulatory mechanism.

IL-7 and CCL19-secreting CAR-T cell therapy for tumors with positive glypican-3 or mesothelin.

Although chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T cells have shown great success in the treatment of B cell malignancies, this strategy has limited efficacy in patients with solid tumors. In mouse CAR-T cells, IL-7 and CCL19 expression have been demonstrated to improve T cell infiltration and CAR-T cell survival in mouse tumors. Therefore, in the current study, we engineered human CAR-T cells to secrete human IL-7 and CCL19 (7 × 19) and found that these 7 × 19 CAR-T cells showed enhanced capacities of expansion and migration in vitro.

Effects of high-fat diet and Apoe deficiency on retinal structure and function in mice.

To investigate the effects of a high-fat diet (HFD) and apolipoprotein E (Apoe) deficiency on retinal structure and function in mice. Apoe KO mice and wild-type C57BL/6J mice were given a low-fat diet (LFD) or a HFD for 32 weeks. Blood glucose, serum lipids, body weight and visceral fat weight were evaluated.

Partial Resection of a Huge Left Ventricle Cardiac Fibroma in an Asymptomatic Child.

An asymptomatic, 9-year-old boy was referred to our institution for a left ventricular cardiac mass incidentally discovered during a medical examination. The patient was asymptomatic and physical examination was unremarkable. Chest radiography showed an abnormal heart shadow in the left ventricle field.

Activation of LXRα improves cardiac remodeling induced by pulmonary artery hypertension in rats.

Inflammatory factors regulated by NF-κB play a significant role in PAH and myocardial hypertrophy. LXR activation may inhibit myocardial hypertrophy via suppressing inflammatory pathways; it is unknown whether LXR is also involved in PAH-induced myocardial hypertrophy or remodeling. To further explore the protective effect of LXR in PAH-induced cardiac hypertrophy and remodeling, a PAH model was developed, and T0901317, an agonist of LXR, was used to examine the effect of LXR activation.

Surgical treatment of left ventricular fibroma accompanied with ventricular septal defect in an infant: a case report.

Primary cardiac tumor in infancy is an uncommon condition which is rarely accompanied with congenital heart disease. Although these tumors are generally benign, the complication associated with it, such as arrhythmia, outflow tract obstruction, and heart failure, may result in early mortality, when combined with congenital heart disease. Early surgical treatment may reduce complication risk and increase operative success rate which may improve the patient's long-term prognosis.

Mutations of the TGFBR2 gene in Chinese patients with Marfan-related syndrome.

Purpose: Transforming growth factor beta receptors II gene (TGFBR2) mutations associated with Marfan syndrome and Marfan-associated disorders have been investigated. However, such studies are limited in China. To obtain more information about TGFBR2 mutations, we analyzed 6 unrelated Chinese patients with Marfan-associated disorders and without ocular manifestation.