Post-exercise left atrial conduit strain predicted hemodynamic change in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

OBJECTIVES: Left ventricle function directly impacts left atrial (LA) conduit function, and LA conduit strain is associated with exercise intolerance in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) before and during exercise is the current gold standard for diagnosing HFpEF. Post-exercise ΔPCWP can lead to worse long-term outcomes. This study examined the correlation between LA strain and post-exercise ΔPCWP in patients with HFpEF. METHODS: We enrolled 100 subjects, including 74 with HFpEF and 26 with non-cardiac dyspnea, from November 2017 to December 2020. Subjects underwent echocardiography, invasive cardiac catheterization, and expired gas analysis at rest and during exercise. Arterial blood pressure, right atrial pressure, pulmonary artery pressure, and PCWP were recorded during cardiac catheterization. Cardiac output, stroke volume, pulmonary vascular resistance, pulmonary artery compliance, systemic vascular resistance, and LV stroke work were calculated using standard formulas. RESULTS: Exercise LA conduit strain significantly correlated with both post-exercise ΔPCWP (r = - 0.707, p < 0.001) and exercise PCWP (r = - 0.659; p < 0.001). Exercise LA conduit strain differentiated patients who did and did not meet the 2016 European Society of Cardiology HFpEF criteria with an area under the curve of 0.69 (95% confidence interval, 0.548-0.831) using a cutoff value of 14.25, with a sensitivity of 0.64 and a specificity of 0.68. CONCLUSIONS: Exercise LA conduit strain significantly correlates with post-exercise ΔPCWP and has a comparable power to identify patients with HFpEF. Additional studies are warranted to confirm the ability of LA conduit strain to predict long-term outcomes among patients with HFpEF. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: Exercise left atrial conduit strain was highly associated with the difference of post-exercise pulmonary capillary wedge pressure and may indicate increased mortality risk in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, and also has comparable diagnostic ability. KEY POINTS: • Left atrial conduit strain is associated with exercise intolerance in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. • Left atrial conduit strain during exercise can identify patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. • Exercise left atrial conduit strain significantly correlates with the difference of pulmonary capillary wedge pressure during and before exercise which might predict the long-term outcomes of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction patients.

Granulosa cells and retinoic acid co-treatment enrich potential germ cells from manually selected Oct4-EGFP expressing human embryonic stem cells.

Differentiation of human embryonic stem (HES) cells to germ cells may become clinically useful in overcoming diseases related to germ-cell development. Niches were used to differentiate HES cell lines, NTU1 and H9 Oct4-enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP), including laminin, granulosa cell co-culture or conditioned medium, ovarian stromal cell co-culture or conditioned medium, retinoic acid, stem cell factor (SCF) and BMP4-BMP7-BMP8b treatment. Flow cytometry showed that granulosa cell co-culture (P < 0.001) or conditioned medium (P = 0.007) treatment for 14 days significantly increased the percentages of differentiated H9 Oct4-EGFP cells expressing early germ cell marker stage-specific embryonic antigen 1(SSEA1); sorted SSEA1[+] cells did not express higher levels of germ cell gene VASA and GDF9. Manually collected H9 Oct4-EGFP[+] cells expressed significantly higher levels of VASA (P = 0.005) and GDF9 (P = 0.001). H9 Oct4-EGFP[+] cells developed to ovarian follicle-like structures after culture for 28 days but with low efficiency. Unlike SCF and BMP4, retinoic acid co-treatment enhanced VASA, GDF9 and SCP3 expression. A protocol is recommended to enrich differentiated HES cells with germ-cell potential by culture with granulosa cells, conditioned medium or retinoic acid, manual selection of Oct4-EGFP[+] cells, and analysis of VASA, GDF9 expression, or both.

Differentiating the Prognostic Determinants of Myocardial Steatosis for Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Background Myocardial steatosis and fibrosis may play a role in the pathophysiology of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. We therefore investigated the prognostic significance of epicardial fat (epicardial adipose tissue [EAT]) and myocardial diffuse fibrosis. Methods and Results Myocardial fibrosis, estimated as extracellular volume (ECV), and EAT were measured using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in 163 subjects with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. We also evaluated cardiac structure and diastolic and systolic function by echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. After 24 months' follow-up, 39 (24%) subjects had experienced cardiovascular events, including hospitalization for heart failure, acute coronary syndrome, and cardiovascular death. Median EAT and mean ECV were significantly higher in subjects with cardiovascular events than survivors (EAT, 35 [25-45] versus 31 [21-38], P=0.006 and ECV, 28.9±3.16% versus 27.2±3.56%, P=0.04). Subjects with high EAT (≥42 g) had increased risk of cardiovascular events (hazard ratio [HR], 2.528 [95% CI, 1.704-4.981]; P=0.032). High ECV (>29%) was also significantly associated with poorer outcomes (HR, 1.647 [95% CI, 1.263-2.548]; P=0.013). With respect to secondary end points, high EAT and high ECV were associated with increased risk of the incident acute coronary syndrome (HR, 1.982 [95% CI, 1.008-4.123]; P=0.049) and hospitalization for heart failure (HR, 1.789 [95% CI, 1.102-6.987]; P=0.033), respectively. Conclusions Our study suggested that increased epicardial fat and ECV detected by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging have an impact on cardiovascular prognosis, in particular acute coronary syndrome and hospitalization for heart failure, respectively.

Myocardial adipose deposition and the development of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

AIMS: It has been proposed that an increase of myocardial adiposity is related to left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction. The specific roles of myocardial steatosis including epicardial fat and intramyocardial fat for diastolic function are unknown in those patients suffering heart failure (HF) with reduced (HFrEF) or preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). This study aims to determine the complex relationship between myocardial adiposity in patients with HFrEF or HFpEF. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI), myocardial steatosis was measured in 305 subjects (34 patients with HFrEF, 163 with HFpEF, and 108 non-HF controls). We also evaluated cardiac structure and diastolic and systolic function by echocardiography and CMRI. Patients with HFpEF had significantly more intramyocardial fat than HFrEF patients or non-HF controls [intramyocardial fat content (%), 1.56 (1.26, 1.89) vs. 0.75 (0.50, 0.87) and 1.0 (0.79, 1.15), P < 0.05]. Intramyocardial fat amount (%) was higher in HFpEF women than in men [1.91% (1.17%, 2.32%) vs. 1.22 (0.87%, 2.02%), P = 0.01]. When estimated by CMRI (left ventricular peak filling rate), echocardiographic E/e' level, or left atrial volume index, intramyocardial fat correlated with LV diastolic dysfunction parameters in HFpEF patients, and this was independent of age, co-morbidities, body mass index, gender, and myocardial fibrosis (standardized coefficient: ß = -0.34, P = 0.03; ß = 0.29, P = 0.025; and ß = 0.25, P = 0.02, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with HFpEF had significantly more intramyocardial fat than HFrEF patients or non-HF controls. Independent of risk factors or gender, intramyocardial fat correlated with LV diastolic dysfunction parameters in HFpEF patients.

Hyperactive CREB signaling pathway involved in the pathogenesis of polycystic ovarian syndrome revealed by patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell modeling.

OBJECTIVE: To study whether and how the pathogenesis of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is related to epigenetic aberrations. DESIGN: A case-control experimental study. SETTING: Tertiary university hospital. PATIENT(S): Eighteen patients with PCOS and ten non-PCOS control subjects. INTERVENTIONS(S): Patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were obtained from skin fibroblasts through the application of nonviral episomal reprogramming and were differentiated into ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) with the use of a cocktail of growth factors. Primary ovarian GCs were collected during transvaginal oocyte retrieval surgery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Characterization and functional validation of iPSC-derived GCs were conducted. Whole-genomic DNA methylation profiles in women with and without PCOS in both iPSC-derived GCs and primary adult GCs were analyzed with the use of the Illumina 850K MethylationEPIC Beadchip. RESULT(S): The iPSC-derived GCs successfully expressed GC-associated genes and aromatase activity after differentiation. Whole-genomic DNA methylation analysis of the iPSC-derived GCs and adult GCs both revealed a hyperactive CREB signaling pathway in the PCOS group compared with the control group. The expression of CREB-binding protein (CBP) mRNA was significantly higher in the iPSC-derived GCs in the PCOS group, and the expression of CBP protein was also significantly higher in the primary GCs from women with PCOS. CONCLUSION(S): The combination of DNA methylomic analysis in primary adult GCs and iPSC-derived GCs showed that a preserved persistent hyperactivation of the CREB signaling pathway might be involved in the pathogenesis of PCOS. These results could have implications on the early developmental origin, inheritance nature, and environmental interaction effects of this disease.

Mesenchymal stem cells and their conditioned medium can enhance the repair of uterine defects in a rat model.

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to examine the roles of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation in the repair of large uterine defects. METHODS: Uterine defects were created in both uterine horns of female rats by a punch instrument, and bone marrow-derived MSCs, MSC-conditioned medium (MSC-CM) or vehicle were injected into the myometrium around the defect. The rate of uterine defect repair was monitored on day 2 and 4 after operation. Cytokine array of MSC-CM was performed, followed by neutralizing antibody experiments to clarify the exact cytokine participating in the MSC-CM-enhanced wound repair. RESULTS: Transplantation of MSCs, but not myometrial cells, significantly enhanced uterine defect repair. The transplanted MSCs were detected in the uterine horn with no signs of rejection on day 4 after transplantation, when the MSC-transplanted uterine wound was nearly healed. Moreover, uterine defect repair was also accelerated by injection of MSC-CM, indicating the paracrine effects of MSCs on uterine wound healing. Cytokine array analysis further revealed that MSC-CM contained abundant cytokines and chemokines, among which high levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) were found. Additionally, antibodies against IL-6 were shown to block MSC-CM-enhanced uterine defect repair. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that transplantation of MSCs could enhance uterine defect repair by paracrine effects involving IL-6, which are findings that may be applied to facilitate uterine wound healing in the removal of huge intramural masses.

Functional microarray analysis of differentially expressed genes in granulosa cells from women with polycystic ovary syndrome related to MAPK/ERK signaling.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age. Although its aetiology and pathogenesis remain unclear, recent studies suggest that the dysfunction of granulosa cells may partly be responsible. This study aimed to use cDNA microarray technology to compare granulosa cell gene expression profiles in women with and without PCOS to identify genes that may be aetiologically implicated in the pathogenesis of PCOS. The study cohort included 12 women undergoing in vitro fertilization, six with PCOS and six without PCOS. Differential gene expression profiles were classified by post-analyses of microarray data, followed by western blot analyses to confirm the microarray data of selected genes. In total, 243 genes were differentially expressed (125 upregulated and 118 downregulated) between the PCOS and non-PCOS granulosa cells. These genes are involved in reproductive system development, amino acid metabolism and cellular development and proliferation. Comparative analysis revealed genes involved in the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) signaling pathways. Western blot analyses confirmed that mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 4 and phospho-ERK1/2 were decreased in PCOS granulosa cells. This study identified candidate genes involved in MAPK/ERK signaling pathways that may influence the function of granulosa cells in PCOS.

Differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into functional ovarian granulosa-like cells.

CONTEXT: Granulosa cells are important for the development and maturation of oocytes. The dysfunction of granulosa cells may contribute to abnormal folliculogenesis and steroidogenesis. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to establish an effective culture system to differentiate human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into granulosa cells. DESIGN: For differentiation of hESCs to granulosa cells, we used multistep approaches comprising in vitro treatments with cocktails of growth factors. Expression of mesendoderm/intermediate plate mesoderm markers, and granulosa cell markers were analyzed by real time-PCR, Western blotting, immunofluorescence, and flow cytometry. The production of estradiol and anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) was analyzed by ELISA. RESULTS: Gene expression analyses showed the progress of hESCs to primitive streak-mesendoderm, intermediate plate mesoderm, and finally to functional granulosa-like cells that expressed the granulosa cell-specific forkhead transcription factor FOXL2, estrogen synthetase cytochrome P450 19A1 (CYP19A1), AMH, the type 2 AMH receptor (AMHR2), and the FSH receptor (FSHR). However, they did not express the LH receptor (LHR). Western blot showed that AMHR2 and CYP19A1 levels in differentiated hESCs were higher than in undifferentiated cells. Flow cytometry showed that the percentage of AMHR2-, FSHR-, and CYP19A1-positive cells increased to 36%, 12%, and 34%, respectively, after differentiation for 12 days. These granulosa-like cells were also capable of producing AMH and aromatizing testosterone to estradiol, suggesting that they were biologically functional. CONCLUSIONS: We successfully established an effective protocol to generate functional ovarian granulosa-like cells from hESCs. The derivation of these cells opens new avenues for the further study and potential application of these cells in human folliculogenesis and steroidogenesis.