ALBERT

Description: Objective: The potential therapeutic role of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in ischemic heart disease for myocardial repair and regeneration is subject to intense investigation. The aim of the study was to investigate the proregenerative potential of human endothelial colony-forming cells (huECFCs), a very homogenous and highly proliferative endothelial progenitor cell subpopulation, in a myocardial infarction (MI) model of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice. Methods: CD34+ peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from patient blood samples using immunomagnetic beads. For generating ECFCs, CD34+ cells were plated on fibronectin-coated dishes and were expanded by culture in endothelial-specific cell medium. Either huECFCs (5 × 105) or control medium were injected into the peri-infarct region after surgical MI induction in SCID/beige mice. Hemodynamic function was assessed invasively by conductance micromanometry 30 days post-MI. Hearts of sacrificed animals were analyzed by immunohistochemistry to assess cell fate, infarct size, and neovascularization (huECFCs n = 15 vs. control n = 10). Flow-cytometric analysis of enzymatically digested whole heart tissue was used to analyze different subsets of migrated CD34+/CD45+ peripheral mononuclear cells as well as CD34−/CD45− cardiac-resident stem cells two days post-MI (huECFCs n = 10 vs. control n = 6). Results: Transplantation of human ECFCs after MI improved left ventricular (LV) function at day 30 post-MI (LVEF: 30.43 ± 1.20% vs. 22.61 ± 1.73%, p 〈 0.001; ΔP/ΔTmax 5202.28 ± 316.68 mmHg/s vs. 3896.24 ± 534.95 mmHg/s, p 〈 0.05) when compared to controls. In addition, a significantly reduced infarct size (50.3 ± 4.5% vs. 66.1 ± 4.3%, p 〈 0.05) was seen in huECFC treated animals compared to controls. Immunohistochemistry failed to show integration and survival of transplanted cells. However, anti-CD31 immunohistochemistry demonstrated an increased vascular density within the infarct border zone (8.6 ± 0.4 CD31+ capillaries per HPF vs. 6.2 ± 0.5 CD31+ capillaries per HPF, p 〈 0.001). Flow cytometry at day two post-MI showed a trend towards increased myocardial homing of CD45+/CD34+ mononuclear cells (1.1 ± 0.3% vs. 0.7 ± 0.1%, p = 0.2). Interestingly, we detected a significant increase in the population of CD34−/CD45−/Sca1+ cardiac resident stem cells (11.7 ± 1.7% vs. 4.7 ± 1.7%, p 〈 0.01). In a subgroup analysis no significant differences were seen in the cardioprotective effects of huECFCs derived from diabetic or nondiabetic patients. Conclusions: In a murine model of myocardial infarction in SCID mice, transplantation of huECFCs ameliorated myocardial function by attenuation of adverse post-MI remodeling, presumably through paracrine effects. Cardiac repair is enhanced by increasing myocardial neovascularization and the pool of Sca1+ cardiac resident stem cells. The use of huECFCs for treating ischemic heart disease warrants further investigation.

Description: Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic and the implemented lockdown strongly impact on everyone’s daily life. Stressful situations are known to alter eating habits and increase the risk for obesity. In our study, we aimed to investigate the effect of the lockdown measures on nutrition behavior among young adults. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we enrolled 1964 voluntary participants from Bavarian universities. All participants were asked to complete an online questionnaire, semi-quantitatively evaluating the amount and type of food before and during pandemic lockdown. Study subjects were inquired to give information about acquisition and food procurement. The primary outcome was the change in food amount, secondary outcomes included alterations of food composition and procurement. Results Our study cohort (mean age 23.3 ± 4.0 years, 28.5% male) had a mean body mass index of 22.1 ± 4.5 kg/m2. The overall food amount increased in 31.2% of participants (n = 610) during lockdown and decreased in 16.8% (n = 328). A multinominal regression model revealed that an increased food intake was less likely in male participants (OR, 0.7 [CI 0.6–0.9]) and more likely with increasing BMI (OR, 1.4 [CI 1.3–2.0]), increased sports activity (OR, 1.3 [CI 1.2–1.8]), augmented mental stress (OR 1.4 [1.1–1.7]), and an alteration of alcohol consumption (reduced alcohol amount, OR, 1.4 [CI 1.1–1.7], increased alcohol, OR, 1.9 [CI 1.4–2.5]). Increase in food intake was mainly triggered by consumption of bread (increased in 46.8%, n = 284) and confectionary (increased in 64.4%, n = 389). Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown significantly affected eating habits in young adults. Further investigation to evaluate long-term effects on weight change and comorbidities are warranted.