Aging is associated with structural and functional changes in the heart and is a major risk factor in developing cardiovascular disease. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/estradiol-benzoate.html Many recent studies have focused on increasing our understanding of the basis of aging at the cellular and molecular levels in various tissues, including the heart. It is known that there is an age-related decline in cellular quality control pathways such as autophagy and mitophagy, which leads to accumulation of potentially harmful cellular components in cardiac myocytes. There is evidence that diminished autophagy and mitophagy accelerate the aging process, while enhancement preserves cardiac homeostasis and extends life span. Here, we review the current knowledge of autophagy and mitophagy in aging and discuss how age-associated alterations in these processes contribute to cardiac aging and age-related cardiovascular diseases. Copyright © 2020 Liang and Gustafsson.There is growing interest in the metabolism of ketones owing to their reported benefits in neurological and more recently in cardiovascular and renal diseases. As an alternative to a very high fat ketogenic diet, ketones precursors for oral intake are being developed to achieve ketosis without the need for dietary carbohydrate restriction. Here we report that an oral D-beta-hydroxybutyrate (D-BHB) supplement is rapidly absorbed and metabolized in humans and increases blood ketones to millimolar levels. At the same dose, D-BHB is significantly more ketogenic and provides fewer calories than a racemic mixture of BHB or medium chain triglyceride. In a whole body ketone positron emission tomography pilot study, we observed that after D-BHB consumption, the ketone tracer 11C-acetoacetate is rapidly metabolized, mostly by the heart and the kidneys. Beyond brain energy rescue, this opens additional opportunities for therapeutic exploration of D-BHB supplements as a "super fuel" in cardiac and chronic kidney diseases. Copyright © 2020 Cuenoud, Hartweg, Godin, Croteau, Maltais, Castellano, Carpentier and Cunnane.[This corrects the article DOI 10.3389/fnut.2019.00045.]. Copyright © 2020 Lackey, Williams, Meehan, Zachek, Benda, Price, Foster, Sellen, Kamau-Mbuthia, Kamundia, Mbugua, Moore, Prentice, K., Kvist, Otoo, García-Carral, Jiménez, Ruiz, Rodríguez, Pareja, Bode, McGuire and McGuire.Three-dimensional gastrointestinal organoid culture systems provide innovative and tractable models to investigate fundamental developmental biology questions using human cells. The goal of this study was to explore the role of the zinc-finger containing transcription factor GATA4 in gastric development using an organoid-based model of human stomach development. Given GATA4's vital role in the developing mouse gastrointestinal tract, we hypothesized that GATA4 plays an essential role in human stomach development. We generated a human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) line stably expressing an shRNA targeted against GATA4 (G4KD-hiPSCs) and used an established protocol for the directed differentiation of hiPSCs into stomach organoids. This in vitro model system, informed by studies in multiple non-human model systems, recapitulates the fundamental processes of stomach development, including foregut endoderm patterning, specification, and subsequent tissue morphogenesis and growth, to produce three-dimensional fundic or antral organoids containing functional gastric epithelial cell types. We confirmed that GATA4 depletion did not disrupt hiPSC differentiation to definitive endoderm (DE). However, when G4KD-hiPSC-derived DE cells were directed to differentiate toward budding SOX2+, HNF1B+ posterior foregut spheroids, we observed a striking decrease in the emergence of cell aggregates, with little to no spheroid formation and budding by GATA4-depleted hiPSCs. In contrast, control hiPSC-derived DE cells, expressing GATA4, formed aggregates and budded into spheroids as expected. These data support an essential role for GATA4 during the earliest stages of human stomach development. Copyright © 2020 DeLaForest, Quryshi, Frolkis, Franklin and Battle.Objective To determine the relationship between maternal bone resorption and bone development in fetuses. Methods Female SD rats were injected with either fluorescent calcium indicator calcein alone or together with tetracycline 1 week before pregnancy, followed by fluorescence detection in fetal tibias 21 days post-treatment. Alendronate was subsequently administered to pregnant rats to inhibit maternal bone resorption, while maternal bone turnover and fetal bone development were both examined. Results The maternal fluorescent labeled calcium before pregnancy was found in the fetal tibia. This indicated that the calcium of maternal bones may be released into the maternal circulation through high bone resorption during pregnancy, thereby participating in the fetal bone development. Bone histomorphometry and serum biomarker results showed that Alendronate significantly inhibited maternal bone resorption in pregnant rats when compared to normal pregnant rats. Moreover, the body weight, bone mass, and bone length of the fetuses in the Alendronate group were significantly decreased; while no apparent abnormality in placental morphology was observed. The above results implied that when maternal bone resorption is suppressed, the development of the fetal bone shall also be suppressed. Conclusion Calcium in the maternal bone is released into the maternal circulation through bone resorption during pregnancy which represents an important material source in fetal bone development. Therefore, high bone turnover during pregnancy is essential for mammalian embryonic bone development. Copyright © 2020 Jia, Rao, Miu, Tang, Chen, Yang, Li, Li, Chen and Lu.Biomeshes based on decellularized bovine pericardium (DBP) are widely used in reconstructive surgery due to their wide availability and the attractive biomechanical properties. However, their efficacy in clinical applications is often affected by the uncontrolled immunogenicity and proteolytic degradation. To address this issue, we present here in vivo multiparametric imaging analysis of epoxy crosslinked DBPs to reveal their fate after implantation. We first analyzed the structure of the crosslinked DBP using scanning electron microscopy and evaluated proteolytic stability and cytotoxicity. Next, using combination of fluorescence and hypoxia imaging, X-ray computed microtomography and histology techniques we studied the fate of DBPs after subcutaneous implantation in animals. Our approach revealed high resistance to biodegradation, gradual remodeling of a surrounding tissue forming the connective tissue capsule and calcification of crosslinked DBPs. These changes were concomitant to the development of hypoxia in the samples within 3 weeks after implantation and subsequent induction of angiogenesis and vascularization.