Cardiac Transplatation

Data from literature show a cross-talk between the heart and liver during diseases which primarily involve one of the two organs, but data regarding this relationship are scant. Aim of this study was to investigate this relationship. In this narrative review we critically explored the most recent literature on this topic using PubMed and Medline and examining the most recent studies about liver involvement in heart failure and heart involvement in course of liver disease. Patients with acute and chronic heart failure and those who undergo heart transplatation (HT) manifest various signs of liver damage with a rate of incidence which is higher in candidates for left ventricular assist device...

Stem cell-mediated cardiac regeneration is impaired with age. In this study, we identified a novel subpopulation of small juvenile stem cells (SJSCs) isolated from aged bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSCs) with high proliferation and differentiation potential. SJSCs expressed mesenchymal stem cell markers, CD29(+)/CD44(+)/CD59(+)/CD90(+), but were negative for CD45(-)/CD117(-) as examined by flow cytometry analysis. SJSCs showed higher proliferation, colony formation, and differentiation abilities compared with BMSCs...

The utility of cytokine monitoring to predict the onset of significant rejection was evaluated in 34 patients following heart transplantation. Serial blood levels of 5 cytokines involved in inflammation and immune activation(IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF) were correlated with clinical outcome and endomyocardial biopsy scores. The majority of patients (68%) experienced a significant rejection during the study period. IL-6 and IL-8 levels were effective markers of significant rejection 2-4 days before diagnosis with EMBX...