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Major cardiovascular events including myocardial infarction (MI) continue to dominate morbidity rates in the developed world. Although multiple device therapies and various pharmacological agents have been shown to improve patient care and reduce mortality rates, clinicians and researchers alike still lack a true panacea to regenerate damaged cardiac tissue. Over the previous two to three decades, cardiovascular stem cell therapies have held great promise. Several stem cell-based approaches have now been shown to improve ventricular function and are documented in preclinical animal models as well as phase I and phase II clinical trials. More recently, the cardiac progenitor cell has begun to gain momentum as an ideal candidate for stem cell therapy in heart disease. Here, we will highlight the most recent advances in cardiac stem/progenitor cell biology in regard to both the basics and applied settings.

解説 : 上原真人, 製図 : 崔英姫

The radiocarbon content of Japanese cedars was measured by accelerator mass spectrometry for decadal tree-ring samples from the period of 240 BC to AD 900. Conventional gas counting was also used for part of the samples. The data were compared with the INTCAL98 calibration curve (Stuiver et al. 1998). The results indicate that the difference in atmospheric 14C between Japan and North America or Europe is negligible at this period, less than 18 14C yr using an average of 50 yr. However, in the period of about AD 100 to about AD 200, we cannot exclude the possibility of a deviation of the order of 30 to 40 14C yr to the older ages.

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京都府雲ノ宮遺跡は、山城で最古の弥生式遺跡である。私はこの遺跡の土器にせっして以来、畿内の前期弥生式土器を古・中・新の三段階に大別する考えをもつようになった。本稿では、雲ノ宮遺跡とその土器についてのべたのち、現在までに提案された畿内第I様式の細別案を紹介する。ついで、最古の弥生式土器である北九州の板付式土器の壺の成形方法に起源をもっ口縁部・頸部・胴部を区別する紋様が畿内ではいかにかわってきているかを検討したのち、板付式土器にない区分紋様として、「削り出し突帯」と「貼り付け突帯」をとらえ、削り出し突帯出現に先立つ段階、出現した段階、貼り付け突帯の出現した段階をそれぞれ目安として、第I様式土器を三段階に大別する。これにしたがって雲ノ官遺跡の土器が第I様式(中)に属することをみとめて、山城の弥生式文化の成立時期を決め、その伝播径路、隣接地域との関連などについて言及する。, In KINKI 近畿 district five successive types of YAYOI 弥生 Pottery are grouped into three main periods; Early (Type I), Middle (Type II-IV) and Late (Type V). I. IMAZATO (1942) and S. SUGIHARA(1950) have proposed that Early YAYOI in KINKI is to be subdivided into two phases. In our opinion, however, on the basis of technological and typlogical study of the pottery, it would rather be better to subdivide Early YAYOI into three phases. According to our subdivision, KUMONOMIYA 雲ノ宮 site belongs to the middle phase of Early YAYOI and is the oldest YAYOI site known in YAMASHIRO (Southern part of Kyoto Prefecture). This paper covers also the course of YAYOI culture to YAMASHIRO, and the cultural relation of YAMASHIRO with neighbouring regions in Early YAYOI Period.

ObjectivesThe aim of this retrospective study was to determine the predictors of diffuse in-stent restenosis (ISR) among the lesions causing the first ISR by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) studies.BackgroundAlthough some predictors of diffuse ISR have been reported, parameters on IVUS relating to diffuse ISR are not well characterized.MethodsWe classified 52 ISR lesions that had undergone successful stent implantation and led to restenosis into two types—focal and diffuse ISR—using quantitative coronary angiography. Restenosis was defined as ≥50% diameter stenosis, and diffuse ISR as lesion length ≥10 mm at follow-up. The remodeling index (RI) was defined as the vessel area at the target lesion divided by that of averaged reference segments.ResultsThere were no significant differences in patient, angiographic, and procedural characteristics between the focal (n = 25) and diffuse (n = 27) ISR groups. Baseline RI was significantly greater in the diffuse ISR group (1.03 ± 0.18 vs. 0.88 ± 0.24, p = 0.0159). Negative remodeling, defined as RI

Cardiac progenitor formation is one of the earliest committed steps of human cardiogenesis and requires the cooperation of multiple gene sets governed by developmental signaling cascades. To determine the key regulators for cardiac progenitor formation, we have developed a two‐stage genome‐wide CRISPR‐knockout screen. We mimicked the progenitor formation process by differentiating human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into cardiomyocytes, monitored by two distinct stage markers of early cardiac mesodermal formation and commitment to a multipotent heart progenitor cell fate: MESP1 and ISL1, respectively. From the screen output, we compiled a list of 15 candidate genes. After validating seven of them, we identified ZIC2 as an essential gene for cardiac progenitor formation. ZIC2 is known as a master regulator of neurogenesis. hPSCs with ZIC2 mutated still express pluripotency markers. However, their ability to differentiate into cardiomyocytes was greatly attenuated. RNA‐Seq profiling of the ZIC2‐mutant cells revealed that the mutants switched their cell fate alternatively to the noncardiac cell lineage. Further, single cell RNA‐seq analysis showed the ZIC2 mutants affected the apelin receptor‐related signaling pathway during mesoderm formation. Our results provide a new link between ZIC2 and human cardiogenesis and document the potential power of a genome‐wide unbiased CRISPR‐knockout screen to identify the key steps in human mesoderm precursor cell‐ and heart progenitor cell‐fate determination during in vitro hPSC cardiogenesis., A screening strategy for identifying essential genes of human cardiogenesis.