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Heart failure (HF) is a common disease associated with high morbidity and mortality rates despite advanced pharmacological therapies. Heart transplantation remains the gold standard therapy for end-stage heart failure; however, its application is curtailed by the persistent shortage of donor organs. Over the past two decades, mechanical circulatory support, notably Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVADs), have been established as an option for patients waiting for a donor organ. This comprehensive review focuses on elucidating the benefits and barriers associated with this application. We provide an overview of landmark clinical trials that have evaluated the use of LVADs as a bridge to transplantation therapy, with a particular focus on post-transplant outcomes. We discuss the benefits of stabilizing patients with these systems, weighing associated complications and limitations. Further technical advancements and research on optimal implantation timing are critical to ultimately improve outcomes and securing quality of life. In a world where the availability of donor organs remains constrained, LVADs are an increasingly important piece of patient care, bridging the critical gap to transplantation in advanced heart failure management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a study that evaluated the potential use of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) derived from human cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The study compared the delivery of sEVs through intramyocardial (IM) and intracoronary (IC) routes in a porcine model of AMI. The results showed that IC delivery of sEVs was more effective in reducing scar size, improving heart function, promoting blood vessel growth, and reducing myocardial fibrosis. The study suggests that IC delivery of clinical-grade sEVs could be a promising treatment option for AMI patients, but further research is needed to validate these findings. [Extracted from the article]

Open in new tab Download slide OBJECTIVES Despite the success of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery using autologous saphenous vein grafts (SVGs), nearly 50% of patients experience vein graft disease within 10 years of surgery. One contributing factor to early vein graft disease is endothelial damage during short-term storage of SVGs in inappropriate solutions. Our aim was to evaluate the effects of a novel endothelial damage inhibitor (EDI) on SVGs from patients undergoing elective CABG surgery and on venous endothelial cells (VECs) derived from these SVGs. METHODS SVGs from 11 patients participating in an ongoing clinical registry (NCT02922088) were included in this study, and incubated with both full electrolyte solution (FES) or EDI for 1 h and then examined histologically. In 8 of 11 patients, VECs were isolated from untreated grafts, incubated with both FES and EDI for 2 h under hypothermic stress conditions and then analysed for activation of an inflammatory phenotype, cell damage and cytotoxicity, as well as endothelial integrity and barrier function. RESULTS The EDI was superior to FES in protecting the endothelium in SVGs (74 ± 8% versus 56 ± 8%, P  < 0.001). Besides confirming that the EDI prevents apoptosis in SVG-derived VECs, we also showed that the EDI temporarily reduces adherens junctions in VECs while protecting focal adhesions compared to FES. CONCLUSIONS The EDI protects the connectivity and function of the SVG endothelium. Our data suggest that the EDI can preserve focal adhesions in VECs during short-term storage after graft harvesting. This might explain the superiority of the EDI in maintaining most of the endothelium in venous CABG surgery conduits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: High-quality biological samples are one pre-requirement for the outcome of research studies and valid data sets are crucial for successful biomarker development. Considering the variance in the population, preanalytical aspects include several steps, from study design to sample collection, transportation, and storage. The pre-analytical procedures of blood sampling and processing might have apparent and strong effects on the results of -omics studies. Hypothesis: We investigated whether prolonged storage of biospecimens even at -80°C has an impact on the distribution of metabolite concentrations. Methods: 2398 Human plasma samples of the epidemiological project "Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS)" stored for up to 16 years at -80°C were analyzed by mass spectrometry-based metabolomics. Results: Time-dependent concentration courses of 232 metabolites from plasma samples that were stored at -80°C for up to 16 years were measured. Only 3% of all metabolites were altered in the first seven years of storage. However, storage periods of up to nine years affected 63% of the metabolites (44% increased, 19% decreased), and prolonged storage of up to 16 years affected 79% of the metabolites (44% increased, 35% decreased). Ontology classes that had the highest percentage of affected metabolites were complex lipids, fatty acids, energy metabolites, and hormones. An analysis of variance model was tested to adjust the data for storage time effects by reducing standard deviations and bringing absolute medians closer together. Besides new insights into metabolite stability during long-term storage, our results are of general importance for development of novel biomarkers based on retrospective biospecimens (e.g. from biobanks). Conclusions: Different blood harvest protocols as well as sample storage sample conditions may result in differentiation of the metabolite levels. The concept of monitoring housekeeping metabolites provides the possibility to control for such confounding factors. In clinical studies, and particularly in -omics studies, it is mandatory to establish sample quality control measures to achieve reliable results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-quality biological samples are required for the favorable outcome of research studies, and valid data sets are crucial for successful biomarker identification. Prolonged storage of biospecimens may have an artificial effect on compound levels. In order to investigate the potential effects of long-term storage on the metabolome, human ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) plasma samples stored for up to 16 years were analyzed by gas and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based metabolomics. Only 2% of 231 tested plasma metabolites were altered in the first seven years of storage. However, upon longer storage periods of up to 16 years and more time differences of few years significantly affected up to 26% of the investigated metabolites when analyzed within subject age groups. Ontology classes that were most affected included complex lipids, fatty acids, energy metabolism molecules, and amino acids. In conclusion, the human plasma metabolome is adequately stable to long-term storage at -80 °C for up to seven years but significant changes occur upon longer storage. However, other biospecimens may display different sensitivities to long-term storage. Therefore, in retrospective studies on EDTA plasma samples, analysis is best performed within the first seven years of storage.