Left Atrial Electrophysiological Properties after Pulmonary Vein Isolation Predict the Recurrence of Atrial Fibrillation: A Cohort Study.

Background: The aim of this work was to investigate left atrial electrophysiological properties for their ability to predict the recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) following pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). Methods: The study comprised 53 patients with AF [62 (interquartile range (IQR): 52-68) years old; 47.2% females]. High-density, three-dimensional electro-anatomic mapping using PentaRay was conducted during sinus rhythm in the left atrium (LA) immediately after PVI. LA conduction time, conduction velocity in predefined anterior and posterior routes, low voltage area percentage and distribution were assessed. Results: The AF recurrence group had longer LA conduction time compared to the non-recurrence group [11 (IQR: 10-12) ms vs. 9 (IQR: 8-10) ms, p = 0.001). The percent low voltage area was greater in the recurrence group than the non-recurrence group [31.2 (IRQ: 7.1-49.3)% vs. 7.7 (IQR: 4.3-15.2)%, p = 0.008]. Multivariate Cox regression revealed that LA conduction time independently predicted AF recurrence following ablation over a median follow-up of 235 days [IQR: 154-382 days; hazard ratio (HR): 2.37, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.08-5.23, p = 0.031]. The optimal cut-off for LA conduction time was 98 ms [area under curve (AUC): 0.926, sensitivity: 0.833, specificity: 0.894, p < 0.01]. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that patients with a conduction time > 98 ms had a higher rate of AF recurrence following ablation (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Patients with longer LA conduction time after PVI had more frequent AF recurrence.

Core-shell structured hollow copper sulfide@metal-organic framework for magnetic resonance imaging guided photothermal therapy in second near-infrared biological window.

Multifunctional core-shell hybrids formed by integration of metal-organic framework (MOF) and functional materials have attracted extensive attention as promising theranostic nanoplatforms due to their combined novel properties and enhanced therapeutic efficacy. Recently, the second near-infrared (NIR-II, 1000-1700 nm) laser-induced photothermal therapy (PTT) as compared to the NIR-I(700-950 nm) laser-induced PTT has displayed improved therapeutic effects owing to its merits that include deeper tissue penetration and increased maximum permissible exposure. Herein, a novel core-shell hollow copper sulfide@metal-organic framework (HCuS@MIL-100) has been successfully fabricated by a layer-by-layer technique for the first time and their collective theranostic effects are investigated in vitro and in vivo. In this platform, the inner HCuS was applied as the NIR-II photothermal agent with excellent NIR-II absorption feature, leading to impressive photothermal effects under irradiation by 1064 nm light. With MIL-100 as the shell, HCuS@MIL-100 not only displayed optimal biocompatibility but also presented superior T2 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) ability. In the current study multifunctional hollow core-shell HCuS@MIL-100 are fabricated for the MRI-guided PTT. This study also offers a facile and effective strategy for the development of novel theranostic platforms with high efficiency through the integration of MOFs and functional materials.

The application of inferior vena cava filters in orthopaedics and current research advances.

Deep vein thrombosis is a common clinical peripheral vascular disease that occurs frequently in orthopaedic patients and may lead to pulmonary embolism (PE) if the thrombus is dislodged. pulmonary embolism can be prevented by placing an inferior vena cava filter (IVCF) to intercept the dislodged thrombus. Thus, IVCFs play an important role in orthopaedics. However, the occurrence of complications after inferior vena cava filter placement, particularly recurrent thromboembolism, makes it necessary to carefully assess the risk-benefit of filter placement. There is no accepted statement as to whether IVCF should be placed in orthopaedic patients. Based on the problems currently displayed in the use of IVCFs, an ideal IVCF is proposed that does not affect the vessel wall and haemodynamics and intercepts thrombi well. The biodegradable filters that currently exist come close to the description of an ideal filter that can reduce the occurrence of various complications. Currently available biodegradable IVCFs consist of various organic polymeric materials. Biodegradable metals have shown good performance in making biodegradable IVCFs. However, among the available experimental studies on degradable filters, there are no experimental studies on filters made of degradable metals. This article reviews the use of IVCFs in orthopaedics, the current status of filters and the progress of research into biodegradable vena cava filters and suggests possible future developments based on the published literature by an electronic search of PubMed and Medline databases for articles related to IVCFs searchable by October 2022 and a manual search for citations to relevant studies.

The synergistic effects of rosehip oil and matrine against Icerya aegyptiaca (Douglas) (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) and the underlying mechanisms.

BACKGROUND: Icerya aegyptiaca (Douglas) is an important agricultural pest that has a protective wax shell. Insecticides generally fail to achieve the desired control of I. aegyptiaca because of difficulties penetrating this wax shell. Plant essential oils are rich in terpenoids and have strong penetrability and expansibility, which can enable the rapid penetration and absorption of insecticides, thereby improving the control effect. Matrine is a botanical insecticide with contact and stomach toxicity, low toxicity toward non-target organisms and is environmentally friendly. In this study, we tested the insecticidal activity of rosehip oil (Ro)/matrine combinations and revealed the synergistic mechanism of Ro and its components with matrine in terms of physiology and biochemistry. RESULTS: Ro/matrine combinations have strong penetrating power, enabling matrine to quickly penetrate the wax shell of I. aegyptiaca and enter the insect body. This improves the insecticidal activity and enhances inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity. Ro and its main chemical constituents, cineole and (+)-camphor, showed synergistic effects on matrine with synergic ratios of 4.79, 3.49 and 4.21, respectively. CONCLUSION: Combinations of Ro, cineole and (+)-camphor with matrine have good insecticidal effects on I. aegyptiaca while remaining safe to the environment. These combinations of biological insecticides have excellent development prospects and provide a new reference for the pest management of scale insects. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

The antitumor effect of lobaplatin against Ishikawa endometrial cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.

The new effective chemotherapeutic drugs are required urgently for advanced and recurrent endometrial carcinoma (EC), which is one of the most common gynaecological tumors among women worldwide. Preclinical studies have shown that lobaplatin, one of the third-generation platinum compounds, has possessed powerful anti-cancer efficacy on a series of tumors. The purpose of this study is to investigate its effect and molecular mechanism on the growth of endometrial cancer cell line Ishikawa in vitro and in vivo. The results of cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) shown that lobaplatin concentration-dependent inhibited cell proliferations in human endometrial carcinoma ishikawa cells. Flow cytometry (FCM) assay demonstrated that lobaplatin affected the survival of endometrial carcinoma cell by arresting cell cycle at S phase and G2/M phase and inducing apoptosis in dose-dependent manner. Moreover, Western blot analysis also showed that the apoptosis-inducing effects of lobaplatin was associated with the reduction of Bcl-2 expression while upregulation of cleaved-caspase-3, cleaved-caspase-8, cleaved-caspase-9 and Bax. Meanwhile, lobaplatin significantly suppressed tumor growth of human Ishikawa xenograft models and terminal deoxynucleotidyl trans-ferase dUTP nick end labeling confirmed the significant occurrence of lobaplatin-treated tumor tissues of apoptosis. Therefore, lobaplatin could be an effective chemotherapeutic agent for human endometrial carcinoma and warrants further clinical investigation.

Antibody-nanoparticle conjugate constructed with trastuzumab and nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel for targeted therapy of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer (GC) is the most lethal malignancy in the digestive system. This study investigated an antibody-nanoparticle conjugate (ANC) constructed with trastuzumab (Herceptin®) and nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel, Abraxane®) (trastuzumab/nab­paclitaxel) as a novel strategy of targeted therapy for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive GC. The ANC was fabricated with trastuzumab and nab­paclitaxel by a 'one-step' synthesis using EDC/NHS. In vitro antitumor efficacy was evaluated by cell viability, apoptosis rate and cell cycle of HER2-positive GC NCI­N87 cells and compared with paclitaxel (Taxol®), nab­paclitaxel and trastuzumab/nab­paclitaxel. In addition, GC xenograft models were established to evaluate antitumor efficacy in vivo. These results demonstrated that trastuzumab/nab­paclitaxel was spherical with a suitable size (139.18±32.06 nm). The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) for NCI­N87 cells was 0.24±0.08, 0.13±0.03 and 0.048±0.01 µg/ml of paclitaxel, nab­paclitaxel and trastuzumab/nab­paclitaxel, respectively. Compared with paclitaxel and nab­paclitaxel, trastuzumab/nab­paclitaxel could induce a higher rate of apoptosis and significant G2/M arrest. At 4 weeks after treatment, tumor-bearing mice had a mean tumor volume of 233±24 mm3 treated by trastuzumab/nab­paclitaxel, 559±97 mm3 by nab­paclitaxel, 871±94 mm3 by paclitaxel and 1,576±190 mm3 by PBS as control, respectively, which showed that trastuzumab/nab­paclitaxel could surpass nab­paclitaxel and paclitaxel in antitumor effect. Furthermore, the NIR imaging indicated that trastuzumab/nab­paclitaxel labeled by NIR-797 could more precisely focus on tumor regions. In conclusion, trastuzumab/nab­paclitaxel could mediate targeted therapy and enhance antitumor efficacy, which could represent a novel therapeutic agent for HER2­positive GC.

Two new species of Clubiona Latreille (Araneae: Clubionidae) from China.

Clubiona Latreille, 1804, comprising approximately 78% of all Clubionidae species described so far, is the largest genus in the family. Of the 476 Clubiona species worldwide, 113 have been reported from China (World Spider Catalog 2016, Li & Lin 2016). However, the diversity of this genus in China is still insufficiently known and several new species have been described in the last few years (Wu & Zhang 2014a; Wu & Zhang 2014b; Dankittipakul & Singtripop 2014; Wang, Wu & Zhang 2015; Wu, Zheng & Zhang 2015). Among several species groups proposed to accommodate the species of the genus (Mikhailov 1995), the Corticalis group is one of the most well known in China, computing 19 species described so far for that country (Wang, Wu & Zhang 2015; Wu, Zheng & Zhang 2015). While examining spiders collected in Yunnan and Hunan provinces, China, we found two new Clubiona species of the Corticalis group, which are described below.