Recent advances in mesenchymal stem cell therapy for myocardial infarction.

Myocardial infarction refers to the ischemic necrosis of myocardium, characterized by a sharp reduction or interruption of blood flow in the coronary arteries due to the coronary artery occlusion, resulting in severe and prolonged ischemia in the corresponding myocardium and ultimately leading to ischemic necrosis of the myocardium. Given its high risk, it is considered as one of the most serious health threats today. In current clinical practice, multiple approaches have been explored to diminish myocardial oxygen consumption and alleviate symptoms, but notable success remains elusive. Accumulated clinical evidence has showed that the implantation of mesenchymal stem cell for treating myocardial infarction is both effective and safe. Nevertheless, there persists controversy and variability regarding the standardizing MSC transplantation protocols, optimizing dosage, and determining the most effective routes of administration. Addressing these remaining issues will pave the way of integration of MSCs as a feasible mainstream cardiac treatment.

Design Rainfall Change of Rainwater Source Control Facility to Meet Future Scenarios in Beijing.

Rainwater source control facilities are essential to sponge city construction in China. Their size is determined based on historical rainfall data. However, with global warming and rapid urban development, rainfall characteristics have also changed, potentially leading to the failure of rainwater source- control facilities to manage surface water in the future. In this study, the design rainfall's change and spatial distribution are analyzed using historical (1961-2014) observation rainfall data and future (2020-2100) projection data of three CMIP6 climate models. The results show that EC-Earth3 and GFDL-ESM4 project that future design rainfall will increase. EC-Earth3 projects a significant increase, while MPI-ESM1-2 projects that the design rainfall will decrease significantly. From the perspective of space, the design rainfall isoline in Beijing has always increased from northwest to southeast. In the historical period, the difference in design rainfall in different regions has reached 19 mm, and this regional heterogeneity shows an increasing trend in the future projection of EC-Earth3 and GFDL-ESM4. The difference in design rainfall in different regions is 26.2 mm and 21.7 mm, respectively. Therefore, it is necessary to consider future rainfall changes in the design of rainwater source control facilities. The relationship curve between the volume capture ratio (VCR) of annual rainfall and design rainfall based on the rainfall data of the project site or region should be analyzed to determine the design rainfall of the rainwater source control facilities.

Combination therapy with DHA and BMSCs suppressed podocyte injury and attenuated renal fibrosis by modulating the TGF-ß1/Smad pathway in MN mice.

Artemisinin has immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and antifibrotic effects. Some studies have demonstrated that artemisinins have a protective effect on the kidney. DHA is a derivative of artemisinin and has effects similar to those of artemisinin. Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) accelerate renal repair following acute injury. In the study, we investigated the effects of combination therapy with DHA and BMSCs on membranous nephropathy (MN) mice. The 24-h urinary protein, serum total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) levels, and renal histopathology, were measured to evaluate kidney damage. Anti-PLA2R, IgG, and complement 3 (C3) were detected by ELISA. The expression levels of the podocyte injury-related proteins were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. The protein expression levels of α-SMA, ED-1, TGF-ß1, p-Smad2, and p-Smad3 were detected by western blot to analyze renal fibrosis and its regulatory mechanism. Results showed that combination therapy with DHA and BMSCs significantly ameliorated kidney damage in MN model mice by decreasing the levels of 24 h urinary protein, TC and TG. This combination therapy also improved renal histology and reduced the expression of IgG and C3 in the glomerulus. In addition, this combination therapy decreased the expression of podocin and nephrin and relieved renal fibrosis by downregulating α-SMA and ED-1. Furthermore, this combination therapy suppressed TGF-ß1 expression and Smad2/3 phosphorylation. This result (i.e., this combination therapy inhibited the TGF-ß1/Smad pathway) was also supported in vitro. Taken together, combination therapy with DHA and BMSCs ameliorated podocyte injury and renal fibrosis in MN mice by downregulating the TGFß1/Smad pathway.