Article
Cell Biology
Aleksandra Ulman, Marta Kot, Klaudia Skrzypek, Barbara Szewczyk, Marcin Majka
Summary: Induced pluripotent stem cells are a useful tool for studying human embryo development processes such as myogenesis due to their ability to differentiate into three germ layers. Different protocols for obtaining myogenic cells have been described, with Protocol III found to be the most efficient. CD56 was also found to not be a specific marker for evaluating myogenic differentiation.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Takaki Ishida, Michiyo Koyanagi-Aoi, Daisuke Yamamiya, Atsushi Onishi, Katsuya Sato, Keiichiro Uehara, Masato Fujisawa, Takashi Aoi
Summary: A promising protocol for directed differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) into Leydig-like cells has been reported, showing expression of steroidogenic enzyme genes and specific markers of adult Leydig cells. Functional testosterone secretion from the differentiated cells was confirmed, supporting the potential for hiPSC-derived Leydig-like cells as novel tools for treating Late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) syndrome.
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Nelio A. J. Oliveira, Handan Sevim
Summary: Dendritic cells are important cells in the immune system, and researchers are looking for efficient methods to obtain dendritic cells from human induced pluripotent stem cells. Despite some challenges, progress has been made and there is potential for clinical applications.
STEM CELLS AND DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mikael Sandstedt, Kristina Vukusic, Benjamin Ulfenborg, Marianne Jonsson, Lillemor Mattsson Hulten, Goran Dellgren, Anders Jeppsson, Jane Synnergren, Joakim Sandstedt
Summary: Cardiomyocyte proliferation is the main source of new cardiomyocytes in adults. This study discovered SSEA4+CD34- cells in the adult human heart, which may serve as immature cycling cardiomyocytes and play a role in endogenous cardiac regeneration.
Article
Biology
Marie Ghraichy, Valentin von Niederhausern, Aleksandr Kovaltsuk, Jacob D. Galson, Charlotte M. Deane, Johannes Truck
Summary: This study sequenced the IgH repertoire of different B cell subpopulations in the peripheral blood of healthy adults, revealing distinct characteristics at both individual sequence and repertoire levels through advanced bioinformatic analysis and machine learning. Sorted B cell subpopulations shared similar repertoire characteristics with their in silico separated subsets, and certain IgH repertoire characteristics correlated with the position of the constant region on the IgH locus. Overall, the study provides unprecedented insight into mechanisms of B cell repertoire control in peripherally circulating B cell subpopulations.
Article
Biology
Yizhuo Zhou, Ying Yang, Lihao Guo, Jun Qian, Jian Ge, Debora Sinner, Hongxu Ding, Andrea Califano, Wellington Cardoso
Summary: Using single cell RNA-sequencing and functional approaches, researchers identified six subpopulations of basal cells in the adult murine trachea. These subpopulations showed distinct gene expression signatures and functional differences, including their ability to self-renew and differentiate in response to environmental changes and injury. The heterogeneity of basal cells is established during embryonic development and depends on the integrity of local niches. The study also found that similar subpopulations exist in human airways.
Article
Cell Biology
Hongmei Mou, Ying Yang, Molly A. Riehs, Juliana Barrios, Manjunatha Shivaraju, Adam L. Haber, Daniel T. Montoro, Kimberly Gilmore, Elisabeth A. Haas, Brankica Paunovic, Jayaraj Rajagopal, Sara O. Vargas, Robin L. Haynes, Alan Fine, Wellington Cardoso, Xingbin Ai
Summary: The study identified three distinct types of PNECs in human and mouse airways, showing significant differences in NP expression, homeostatic turnover, and response to injury and disease. These differences likely parallel their distinct cell of origin from basal stem cells or other airway epithelial progenitors.
Article
Cell Biology
Xiaoxiao Wang, Yunlong Xiang, Yang Yu, Ran Wang, Yu Zhang, Qianhua Xu, Hao Sun, Zhen-Ao Zhao, Xiangxiang Jiang, Xiaoqing Wang, Xukun Lu, Dandan Qin, Yujun Quan, Jiaqi Zhang, Ng Shyh-Chang, Hongmei Wang, Naihe Jing, Wei Xie, Lei Li
Summary: This study reported the establishment of self-renewing formative pluripotent stem cells (fPSCs) that exhibit features of epiblast cells poised for gastrulation, and can be derived from different cell sources. fPSCs show distinct transcriptomic features of formative pluripotency compared to naive ESCs and primed EpiSCs, and have unique epigenetic states similar to E6.5 epiblast cells.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maciej Sulkowski, Marta Kot, Bogna Badyra, Anna Paluszkiewicz, Przemyslaw M. Plonka, Michal Sarna, Dominika Michalczyk-Wetula, Fabio A. Zucca, Luigi Zecca, Marcin Majka
Summary: The study introduces an innovative method for inducing pluripotent stem cells differentiation into melanin-producing cells, generating highly pigmented cells in quantity and quality incomparably higher than previous methods. These melanin-producing cells exhibit characteristics similar to melanocytes and serve as a potential unlimited source for modeling human skin diseases.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Hematology
Alanna C. Green, Gavin Tjin, Samuel C. Lee, Alistair M. Chalk, Lenny Straszkowski, Diannita Kwang, Emma K. Baker, Julie M. Quach, Takaharu Kimura, Joy Y. Wu, Louise E. Purton
Summary: The study identified four distinct skeletal cell populations in the bone marrow microenvironment, with differences in location, function, gene expression, and potential role in regulating B lymphopoiesis. One of these populations showed the highest expression of extrinsic regulation genes for B lymphopoiesis, suggesting a potential key role in hematopoiesis regulation.
Article
Cell Biology
Yingjun Xie, Fei Chen, Lei Jia, Rui Chen, Victor Wei Zhang, Xinqi Zhong, Ding Wang
Summary: The study evaluated the therapeutic effects of MSCs from different sources in treating a BPD animal model, showing that antenatal AF-MSCs had better therapeutic results, while UC-MSCs exhibited superior immunosuppressive effects with safe and effective treatments.
JOURNAL OF CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kevin P. Rose, Gabriella Manilla, Beatrice Milon, Ori Zalzman, Yang Song, Thomas M. Coate, Ronna Hertzano
Summary: This study reveals the transcriptional and functional heterogeneity of otic mesenchyme cells (OMCs) and their division into four distinct populations. This heterogeneity and complexity of OMCs commences during early phases of cochlear development.
Article
Cell Biology
Kei Fujiwara, Risa Yamamoto, Tomoya Kubota, Atsutoshi Tazumi, Tomoka Sabuta, Masanori P. Takahashi, Hidetoshi Sakurai
Summary: Researchers have successfully established mature myotubes for skeletal muscle disorder research by purifying hiPSC-derived muscle stem cells. The myotubes obtained displayed spontaneous self-contraction and mature type sodium channel characteristics, achieved by avoiding forced expression of specific genes. This protocol demonstrates high efficiency, high homogeneity, and applicability to drug screening.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Tomohiko Shinkawa, Kenoki Ohuchida, Yuki Mochida, Kukiko Sakihama, Chika Iwamoto, Toshiya Abe, Noboru Ideno, Yusuke Mizuuchi, Koji Shindo, Naoki Ikenaga, Taiki Moriyama, Kohei Nakata, Yoshinao Oda, Masafumi Nakamura
Summary: The presence of abundant stroma in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) can define the PDAC phenotype and induce distinct therapeutic responses. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) maintain the differentiated PDAC phenotype through secreting niche factors and induce different drug responses.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Juraj Adamik, Paul Munson, Felix J. Hartmann, Alexis J. Combes, Philippe Pierre, Matthew F. Krummel, Sean C. Bendall, Rafael J. Arguello, Lisa H. Butterfield
Summary: Assessing metabolic activity at the single-cell level provides important insights into the immune profiles of human dendritic cells. This study reveals the metabolic differences between immune stimulatory and tolerogenic dendritic cells, and highlights the simultaneous engagement of multiple metabolic pathways in distinct stages of dendritic cell differentiation.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Vera Fortmeier, Mark Lachmann, Maria Koerber, Matthias Unterhuber, Moritz von Scheidt, Elena Rippen, Gerhard Harmsen, Muhammed Gercek, Kai Peter Friedrichs, Fabian Roder, Tanja K. Rudolph, Shinsuke Yuasa, Michael Joner, Karl-Ludwig Laugwitz, Stephan Baldus, Roman Pfister, Philipp Lurz, Volker Rudolph
Summary: This study aimed to improve the assessment of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) using echocardiography. An extreme gradient boosting (XGB) algorithm was trained to predict mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) based on echocardiographic parameters. The results showed that echocardiography consistently underestimated systolic pulmonary artery pressure compared to right heart catheterization. The XGB algorithm using 9 echocardiographic parameters could reliably predict mPAP levels. Patients with elevated predicted mPAP levels showed significantly reduced 2-year survival after transcatheter tricuspid valve intervention (TTVI). This study highlights the importance of accurate assessment of PH in patients with severe TR.
JACC-CARDIOVASCULAR INTERVENTIONS
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Yuichi Jono, Takashi Kohno, Shun Kohsaka, Hiroki Kitakata, Yasuyuki Shiraishi, Yoshinori Katsumata, Kentaro Hayashida, Shinsuke Yuasa, Seiji Takatsuki, Keiichi Fukuda
Summary: Understanding sex differences in sleep and psychological disturbances is crucial for improving outcomes in patients with cardiovascular diseases. This study found that women with cardiovascular diseases were more likely to experience insomnia and depression, while men were more likely to have sleep disordered breathing. The association between sleep and psychological disturbances may be more pronounced in women.
SLEEP AND BREATHING
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Rio Nishimoto, Chinatsu Kodama, Hiromi Yamashita, Fumiyuki Hattori
Summary: This study demonstrates the expression of functional protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived keratinocyte-like cells (iKera). Activation of PAR2 in iKera leads to calcium release and the release of proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha. The study also indicates crosstalk between the PAR2 and IL-4 inflammatory axes in iKera, suggesting its potential as a drug screening platform for atopic dermatitis.
JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY AND EXPERIMENTAL THERAPEUTICS
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Teresa Trenkwalder, Mark Lachmann, Lukas Stolz, Vera Fortmeier, Hector Alfonso Alvarez Covarrubias, Elena Rippen, Friederike Schuermann, Antonia Presch, Moritz von Scheidt, Celine Ruff, Amelie Hesse, Muhammed Gercek, N. Patrick Mayr, Ilka Ott, Tibor Schuster, Gerhard Harmsen, Shinsuke Yuasa, Sebastian Kufner, Petra Hoppmann, Christian Kupatt, Heribert Schunkert, Adnan Kastrati, Karl-Ludwig Laugwitz, Volker Rudolph, Michael Joner, Joerg Hausleiter, Erion Xhepa
Summary: This study aims to capture the cardiopulmonary complexity of patients with mitral regurgitation (MR) using a machine-learning (ML)-based phenotyping approach. The study found considerable heterogeneity in cardiac damage among MR patients depending on underlying factors and comorbidities. The ML model identified four phenotypes and correlated them with 5-year outcomes.
EUROPEAN HEART JOURNAL-CARDIOVASCULAR IMAGING
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Yuki Saito, Yasuo Hamamoto, Kenro Hirata, Makoto Yamasaki, Masaya Watanabe, Tetsuya Abe, Yasuhiro Tsubosa, Yoichi Hamai, Kentaro Murakami, Takeo Bamba, Takako Yoshii, Masahiro Tsuda, Masayuki Watanabe, Masaki Ueno, Yuko Kitagawa
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the treatment strategies and prognosis of older patients with locally advanced ESCC. The study found that patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery had higher overall survival rates, while chemoradiotherapy did not provide survival benefits for patients ineligible for clinical trials.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Otoya Sekine, Hiroki Kitakata, Shun Kohsaka, Daisuke Fujisawa, Naomi Nakano, Yasuyuki Shiraishi, Yoshikazu Kishino, Yoshinori Katsumata, Shinsuke Yuasa, Keiichi Fukuda, Takashi Kohno
Summary: Shared decision-making is crucial for optimal individual treatment and incorporates clinical evidence and patients' preferences. However, it is unclear how heart failure patients perceive their role in treatment decision-making. A survey was conducted among hospitalized heart failure patients, revealing that most patients preferred and chose an extremely passive approach, giving priority to physician recommendation over their own values and preferences.
Review
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Jin Komuro, Dai Kusumoto, Hisayuki Hashimoto, Shinsuke Yuasa
Summary: Machine learning, as a subfield of artificial intelligence, is rapidly improving in quality and versatility, playing a critical role in various aspects of social life. In the medical field, it is increasingly used for research and applied in clinical and basic cardiovascular studies.
JOURNAL OF CARDIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yuichi Shiraishi, Junji Koya, Kenichi Chiba, Ai Okada, Yasuhito Arai, Yuki Saito, Tatsuhiro Shibata, Keisuke Kataoka
Summary: We introduce nanomonsv, a novel software for detecting somatic structural variations (SVs) using tumor and matched control long-read sequencing data with single-base resolution. It includes two detection modules: Canonical SV module and Single breakend SV module. Our approaches demonstrate higher precision and recall in identifying somatic SVs compared to existing methods, and enable the classification and analysis of various features of SVs, providing insights into mutational processes and functional consequences.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Vera Fortmeier, Mark Lachmann, Matthias Unterhuber, Lukas Stolz, Mohammad Kassar, Laurin Ochs, Muhammed Gercek, Anne R. Schoeber, Thomas J. Stocker, Hazem Omran, Maria I. Koerber, Amelie Hesse, Kai Peter Friedrichs, Shinsuke Yuasa, Tanja K. Rudolph, Michael Joner, Roman Pfister, Stephan Baldus, Karl-Ludwig Laugwitz, Fabien Praz, Stephan Windecker, Joerg Hausleiter, Philipp Lurz, Volker Rudolph
Summary: This study aimed to improve prognosis assessment in patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) undergoing transcatheter tricuspid valve intervention (TTVI) by relating the extent of TR to pulmonary artery pressures. The study found that patients with a tricuspid valve effective regurgitant orifice area/mean pulmonary artery pressure ratio <= 1.25 mm(2)/mm Hg had significantly lower 2-year survival rates after TTVI compared to patients with a higher ratio. Furthermore, patients with a lower ratio had higher pulmonary artery pressures and more severely impaired right ventricular function.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Fumiyuki Hattori
Summary: This paper introduces a novel cell injection method called slow injection to avoid invasive injury during cell administration. By using temperature-sensitive gelatin solution as the cell suspension solution, the contradiction between injection speed and tissue injury can be solved. The slow injection technique allows cardiomyocyte balls to engraft without fibrosis, significantly improving contractile function of the heart. This method could be a crucial advance in cardiac regenerative medicine.
JOVE-JOURNAL OF VISUALIZED EXPERIMENTS
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Hiroshi Miyama, Yoshinori Katsumata, Mizuki Momoi, Genki Ichihara, Taishi Fujisawa, Jin Endo, Takashi Kawakami, Masaharu Kataoka, Shinsuke Yuasa, Motoaki Sano, Kazuki Sato, Keiichi Fukuda
Summary: This study investigated the frequency and clinical relevance of gene variants related to LDL-C metabolism in patients with early-onset coronary artery disease. One patient had a pathogenic mutation and another had variants of uncertain significance. Genetic testing could help identify hidden risk factors and provide early warnings to relatives.
CARDIOLOGY RESEARCH AND PRACTICE
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Yu Yoshida, Keiko Uchida, Kazuki Kodo, Reina Ishizaki-Asami, Jun Maeda, Yoshinori Katsumata, Shinsuke Yuasa, Keiichi Fukuda, Kenjiro Kosaki, Yusuke Watanabe, Osamu Nakagawa, Hiroyuki Yamagishi
Summary: This study used next-generation sequencing to analyze the genes of a familial case with complex congenital heart disease (CHD). Two rare variants in the NODAL and TBX20 genes were identified and found to affect downstream signaling pathways involved in heart development. These findings suggest that loss-of-function mutations in NODAL and TBX20 may contribute to the etiology of complex CHD associated with single ventricle defects in this family.
FRONTIERS IN CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yuki Hanafusa, Akira Shiraishi, Fumiyuki Hattori
Summary: This study revealed the ATP-sensing ability of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived NSCs (iNSCs) primarily via the purinergic and ionotropic receptor P2X7. A machine learning-based screening system was developed to identify neuronal effective substances and their effective doses from food, using ATP-triggered calcium responses of iNSCs pretreated with various substances. The results showed that the machine learning model achieved higher precision in detecting subtle changes in waveforms.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Marni B. McClure, Yasunori Kogure, Naser Ansari-Pour, Yuki Saito, Hann-Hsiang Chao, Jonathan Shepherd, Mariko Tabata, Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, David C. Wedge, Katherine A. Hoadley, Charles M. Perou, Keisuke Kataoka
Summary: Hallmark signatures based on gene expression capture core cancer processes and have significant relationships with genetic alterations. TP53 mutation leads to diverse changes, including increased proliferation and glycolysis, similar to widespread copy-number alterations. Basal-like breast and bladder cancers demonstrate specific genetic and phenotypic changes related to squamous tumors, indicating potential therapeutic options across tumor types. These findings highlight the heterogeneity of hallmark signatures and suggest an oncogenic program induced by TP53 mutation and selected aneuploidy events.
CANCER RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Shun Hashimoto, Hiroki Kitakata, Shun Kohsaka, Daisuke Fujisawa, Yasuyuki Shiraishi, Naomi Nakano, Otoya Sekine, Yoshikazu Kishino, Yoshinori Katsumata, Shinsuke Yuasa, Keiichi Fukuda, Takashi Kohno
Summary: Understanding patient perspectives and the association with patient-physician communication is crucial for improving multidisciplinary education programs and adherence to self-care in heart failure patients. This study found that patients had high confidence in most self-care behaviors, except for low-salt diet, regular exercise, and flu vaccination. The quality of patient-physician communication was also found to be associated with patient confidence.
JOURNAL OF CARDIOLOGY
(2023)
