Circulating CD34+ Progenitor Cells and Risk of Mortality in a Population with Coronary Artery Disease

RATIONALE: Low circulating progenitor cell (PC) numbers and activity may reflect impaired intrinsic regenerative/reparative potential, but it remains uncertain whether this translates into a worse prognosis. OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether low numbers of PCs associate with a greater risk of mortality in a population at high cardiovascular risk. METHODS & RESULTS: Patients undergoing coronary angiography were recruited into two cohorts (1, n=502 and 2, n=403) over separate time periods. PCs were enumerated by flow cytometry as CD45(med+) blood mononuclear cells expressing CD34, with additional quantification of subsets co-expressing CD133, VEGFR2 and CXCR4. Coefficient of variation for CD34 cells was 2.9% and 4.8%, 21.6% and 6.5% for the respective subsets. Each cohort was followed for a mean of 2.7 and 1.2 years, respectively, for the primary endpoint of all-cause death. There was an inverse association between CD34+ and CD34+/CD133+ cell counts and risk of death in Cohort 1 (β=−0.92, p=0.043 and β=−1.64, p=0.019, respectively) that was confirmed in Cohort 2 (β=−1.25, p=0.020 and β=−1.81, p=0.015, respectively). Covariate adjusted HRs in the pooled cohort (n=905) were 3.54 (1.67-7.50) and 2.46 (1.18-5.13), respectively. CD34+/CD133+ cell counts improved risk prediction metrics beyond standard risk factors. CONCLUSION: Reduced circulating PC counts, identified primarily as CD34+ mononuclear cells or its subset expressing CD133 are associated with risk of death in individuals with coronary artery disease, suggesting that impaired endogenous regenerative capacity is associated with increased mortality. These findings have implications for biological understanding, risk prediction and cell selection for cell based therapies

Circadian Variation in Vascular Function and Regenerative Capacity in Healthy Humans

Background Progenitor cells (PCs) are mobilized in response to vascular injury to effect regeneration and repair. Recruitment of PCs requires intact nitric oxide (NO) synthesis by endothelial cells, and their number and activity correlate with cardiovascular disease risk burden and future outcomes. Whereas cardiovascular vulnerability exhibits a robust circadian rhythm, the 24-hour variation of PCs and their inter-relation with vascular function remain unknown. We investigated the circadian variation of PCs and vascular function with the hypothesis that this will parallel the pattern observed for cardiovascular events (CVEs). Methods and Results In 15 healthy subjects (9 men, 37±16 years), circulating PCs and vascular function were measured at 8 am, noon, 4 pm, 8 pm, midnight, 4 am (only PCs counts), and 8 am the following day. Circulating PCs were enumerated as mononuclear cells (MNCs; CD45med) that express CD34 as well as CD133, and their activity was assessed as the number of colonies formed by culturing MNCs. Vascular function was evaluated by measurement of endothelium-dependent, flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) of the brachial artery and tonometry-derived indices of arterial stiffness. Higher CD34+ and CD34+/CD133+ cell counts were observed at 8 pm than any other time of the day (P-ANOVA=0.038 and \u3c0.001; respectively) and were lowest at 8 am. PC colony formation was highest at midnight (P-ANOVA=0.045) and lowest in the morning hours. FMD was highest at midnight and lowest at 8 am and 8 pm, and systemic arterial stiffness was greatest at 8 am and lowest at 4 pm and midnight (P-ANOVA=0.03 and 0.01; respectively). Conclusion A robust circadian variation in PC counts and vascular function occurs in healthy humans and both exhibit an unfavorable profile in the morning hours that parallels the preponderance of CVEs at these times. Whether these changes are precipitated by awakening and time-dependent physical activity or governed by the endogenous circadian clock needs to be further investigated

Enhanced Pickering Emulsion Stabilization of Cellulose Nanocrystals and Application for Reinforced and Hydrophobic Coatings

For oil-in-water (O/W) Pickering emulsions, a new polymer stabilizer of butyl acrylate (BA) grafted cellulose nanocrystals (BA-g-CNCS) has been developed. By adjusting the BA concentration, the hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces of BA-g-CNCs could be systematically modified based on the controllable interface activity. Specifically, the emulsification stability of the as-prepared stabilizer was examined as a function of BA content, BA-g-CNCS usage, and oil type. The results showed that the Pickering emulsion stabilized by BA-g-CNCS had a 98% volume fraction of emulsion with long-term stability. Importantly, BA-g-CNCS could be a promising choice for polymer stabilizers and could generate high internal phase Pickering emulsions without cross-linking when combined with 13% BA and 1.75% BA-g-CNCS. Furthermore, it was established that BA-g-CNCs possessed self-emulsifying quality, worked as hydrophobic coatings, and improved the mechanical properties. This was of fundamental interest to polymer stabilizer and functional coatings, allowing for promising applications in coating fields such as fabrics, leather, paper, controlled encapsulation, and the release of actives in material science

Breathability and Moisture Permeability of Cellulose Nanocrystals Hollow Microsphere Coatings for PET Fabrics

In this study, cellulose nanocrystals hollow microspheres (HMs) were fabricated through Pickering emulsion polymerization, in which hydrophobically modified cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) acted as Pickering stabilizers. The hollow interior core was prepared by solvent evaporation. This manuscript describes the synthesis of HMs in detail. The hollow structure and nanoscale size of HMs were verified using TEM. The resultant HMs could easily coat self-forming films on the surface of PET fabrics. Additionally, these coatings exhibited superior breathability and moisture permeability properties with a high one-way transport index of 936.33% and a desirable overall moisture management capability of 0.72. Cellulose nanocrystal hollow microsphere coatings could be used as a moisture-wicking functionality agent for finishing fabrics, oil–water separation, and fog harvesting

Circadian Variation in Vascular Function and Regenerative Capacity in Healthy Humans

Background Progenitor cells (PCs) are mobilized in response to vascular injury to effect regeneration and repair. Recruitment of PCs requires intact nitric oxide (NO) synthesis by endothelial cells, and their number and activity correlate with cardiovascular disease risk burden and future outcomes. Whereas cardiovascular vulnerability exhibits a robust circadian rhythm, the 24-hour variation of PCs and their inter-relation with vascular function remain unknown. We investigated the circadian variation of PCs and vascular function with the hypothesis that this will parallel the pattern observed for cardiovascular events (CVEs). Methods and Results In 15 healthy subjects (9 men, 37±16 years), circulating PCs and vascular function were measured at 8 am, noon, 4 pm, 8 pm, midnight, 4 am (only PCs counts), and 8 am the following day. Circulating PCs were enumerated as mononuclear cells (MNCs; CD45med) that express CD34 as well as CD133, and their activity was assessed as the number of colonies formed by culturing MNCs. Vascular function was evaluated by measurement of endothelium-dependent, flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) of the brachial artery and tonometry-derived indices of arterial stiffness. Higher CD34+ and CD34+/CD133+ cell counts were observed at 8 pm than any other time of the day (P-ANOVA=0.038 and \u3c0.001; respectively) and were lowest at 8 am. PC colony formation was highest at midnight (P-ANOVA=0.045) and lowest in the morning hours. FMD was highest at midnight and lowest at 8 am and 8 pm, and systemic arterial stiffness was greatest at 8 am and lowest at 4 pm and midnight (P-ANOVA=0.03 and 0.01; respectively). Conclusion A robust circadian variation in PC counts and vascular function occurs in healthy humans and both exhibit an unfavorable profile in the morning hours that parallels the preponderance of CVEs at these times. Whether these changes are precipitated by awakening and time-dependent physical activity or governed by the endogenous circadian clock needs to be further investigated

Scalable and Multifunctional Polyurethane/MXene/Carbon Nanotube-Based Fabric Sensor toward Baby Healthcare

Continuous monitoring of physiological health status and effective protection against external hazards is an indispensable aspect of healthcare management for critically vulnerable populations, particularly for infants or babies. So, the exploration of all-in-one devices remains critical to avoiding their injury and illness. The integration of multiple properties such as sensing, electromagnetic protection, warming/cooling, and water/bacterial repellence into a common fabric is no doubt a promising solution to coping with diverse application scenarios. However, achieving simultaneous integration in an effective and durable fashion faces huge challenges. Herein, multifunctional fabric was achieved by sequentially coating MXene, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and self-healing polyurethane (PU) onto cotton fabric. The outstanding conductivity of MXene and CNTs as well as the self-healing ability of PU synergistically enable a flexible, breathable, protective, and sensing fabric with a good durability. It could detect the body motions like bending of the finger, elbow, wrist, and knee, with a high gauge factor of 8.78 and fast response. Moreover, this sensing fabric could protect the wearers against electromagnetic waves and bacteria, delivering a minimum reflection loss of −57.6 dB at 7.6 GHz and high bacterial inhibition efficiency due to the incorporation of MXene and polyethylenimine. Besides, the electrothermal performance of carbonaceous materials enables them to act as a heater for body warmth. The synergistic design of this multifunctional textile offers a promising strategy for producing advanced smart textiles, holding great promise in infant or baby healthcare