Successful coronary sinus left ventricular lead extraction 9 years postimplantation using the wire ThRoUgh Snare Twice (wire TRUST) technique.

The newly-proposed tandem approach, Wire ThRoUgh Snare Twice (Wire TRUST) is effective for grasping a lead with inaccessible ends. This case report shows that Wire TRUST can also enable successful extraction of a left ventricular lead by iteratively grasping and repositioning to the distal portion of the lead.

Management of aortic valve insufficiency in patients with continuous-flow left ventricular assist device: a republication of the review published in Japanese Journal of Artificial Organs.

Since 2011, implantable ventricular assist devices have been a standard treatment for severe heart failure alongside heart transplantation in Japan. However, the limited availability of donors has led to a prolonged wait for transplants, now averaging 1719 days, intensifying the issue of aortic insufficiency in patients with continuous flow ventricular assist devices. These devices limit the opening of the aortic valve, leading to sustained closure and increased shear stress, which accelerates valve degradation. Risk factors for aortic insufficiency include having a smaller body surface area, being of advanced age, and the presence of mild aortic insufficiency prior to device implantation. In patients presenting with mild or moderate aortic regurgitation at the time of ventricular assist device implantation, interventions such as aortic valve repair or bioprosthetic valve replacement are performed with the aim of halting its progression. The choice of surgical procedure should be tailored to each patient's individual condition. The management of de novo aortic insufficiency in patients with continuous flow ventricular assist devices remains challenging, with no clear consensus on when to intervene. Interventions for significant aortic insufficiency typically consider the patient's symptoms and aortic insufficiency severity. De novo aortic insufficiency progression in continuous flow ventricular assist devices patients necessitates careful monitoring and intervention based on individual patient assessments and valve condition. This review was created based on a translation of the Japanese review written in the Japanese Journal of Artificial Organs in 2023 (Vol. 52, No. 1, pp. 77-80), with some modifications.

Formation Processes of a Solid Electrolyte Interphase at a Silicon/Sulfide Electrolyte Interface in a Model All-Solid-State Li-Ion Battery.

Understanding the electrochemical reactions at the interface between a Si anode and a solid sulfide electrolyte is essential in improving the cycle stabilities of Si anodes in all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs). Highly dense Si films with very low roughnesses of <1 nm were fabricated at room temperature via cathodic arc plasma deposition, which led to the formation of a Si/sulfide electrolyte model interface. Li (de)alloying through the model interface hardly occurred during the first cycle, whereas it proceeded stably in subsequent cycles. Hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and neutron reflectometry directly revealed that the reduction or oxidation of the interfacial component or Li3PS4 electrolyte occurred during the first cycle. Consequently, an interfacial layer with a thickness of 13 nm and primarily composed of Li2S, SiS2, and P2S5 glasses was formed during the first cycle. The interfacial layer acted as a Li-conductive, electron-insulating solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) that provided reversible (de)lithiation. Our model interface directly demonstrates the electrochemical reaction processes at the Si/Li3PS4 interface and provides insights into the structures and electrochemical properties of SEIs to activate the (de)lithiation of Si anodes using a sulfide electrolyte.

Stable Photoelectrochemical Reactions at Solid/Solid Interfaces toward Solar Energy Conversion and Storage.

Electrochemistry has extended from reactions at solid/liquid interfaces to those at solid/solid interfaces. However, photoelectrochemistry at solid/solid interfaces has been hardly reported. In this study, we achieve a stable photoelectrochemical reaction at the semiconductor-electrode/solid-electrolyte interface in a Nb-doped anatase-TiO2 (a-TiO2:Nb)/Li3PO4 (LPO)/Li all-solid-state cell. The oxidative currents of a-TiO2:Nb/LPO/Li increase upon light irradiation when a-TiO2:Nb is located at a potential that is more positive than its flat-band potential. This is because the photoexcited electrons migrate to the current collector due to the bending of the conduction band minimum toward the negative potential. The photoelectrochemical reaction at the semiconductor/solid-electrolyte interface is driven by the same principle as those at semiconductor/liquid-electrolyte interfaces. Moreover, oxidation under light irradiation exhibits reversibility with reduction in the dark. Thus, we extend photoelectrochemistry to all-solid-state systems composed of solid/solid interfaces. This extension would enable us to investigate photoelectrochemical phenomena uncleared at solid/liquid interfaces because of low stability and durability.

The effect of assisted reproductive technology on postpartum bleeding: hormonal cycle frozen embryo transfer might increase blood loss.

BACKGROUND: Among assisted reproductive technologies, frozen thawed embryo transfer (FET) is associated with increased blood loss at delivery. Anesthesiologists need to be aware of new factors that affect postpartum blood loss. This study investigated whether FET cycles with or without hormonal support affect the amount of postpartum bleeding. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients admitted for delivery at a single university hospital between January 2015 and December 2018. Patients were divided into no-assisted reproductive technology (No-ART), hormonal cycle FET (HC-FET) and natural cycle FET (NC-FET) group. The primary outcome was the amount of blood loss after delivery (median [interquartile range]), which was compared among the three groups. Multiple regression analysis was performed to investigate the factors affecting blood loss. RESULTS: Between 2015 and 2018, 3187 women delivered neonates. In vaginal delivery, postpartum blood loss in the HC-FET group (1060 [830] g) was significantly greater than in the NC-FET group (650 [485] g, P = 0.001) and in the No-ART group (590 [420] g P < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that HC-FET (P < 0.001) was one of the independent factors for the amount of bleeding. In cesarean delivery, the HC-FET group had more blood loss than the No-ART group (910 [676] g vs. 784 [524] g, P = 0.039). However, HC-FET was not an independent factor for postpartum blood loss. CONCLUSIONS: The HC-FET group had more blood loss than the No-ART group for both vaginal and cesarean deliveries. Furthermore, HC-FET was an independent factor that increased postpartum blood loss in vaginal deliveries.

Contingency learning on the proportional congruency effect of the Stroop task is manifest in deviant processing.

OBJECTIVE: The proportion congruency effect has been reported in interference tasks. The mostly congruent block is the frequent condition, and the mostly incongruent block is the rare condition for congruent stimuli, whereas the mostly congruent block is the rare condition, and the mostly incongruent block is the frequent condition for incongruent stimuli. This study examined the cognitive mechanism underlying the proportion congruency effect in the two-choice Stroop task using event-related potential components related to deviant processing. METHOD: Stimuli were Kanji characters meaning 'red' and 'blue' painted by congruent and incongruent colors. Participants were required to provide a two-choice button-press response corresponding to the colors. The congruent and incongruent stimuli were presented on rare (20%) and frequent (80%) conditions. RESULTS: N1 was enhanced in the rare condition relative to the frequent condition for both congruent and incongruent stimuli. The results suggested that colors and characters were not processed independently in the N1 time range, which made selective attention to the relevant feature difficult. Posterior negativity from 200 to 250 ms was also different between rare and frequent conditions, indicating the presence of visual mismatch negativity for congruent and incongruent stimuli. It was considered that the distinction between congruent and incongruent stimuli was evident in mostly incongruent blocks, indicating that the selective attention mechanism was not actively engaged. CONCLUSION: The proportion congruency effect was explained by contingency learning rather than selective attention in the present task. The cognitive mechanisms underlying the proportion congruency effect are reflected by deviant event-related potential components.

The effects of positions on deviant processing in mostly incompatible blocks in the flanker task.

It is assumed that focused attention is induced by mostly incompatible (MI) blocks in the flanker task. This study aimed to examine the differences in deviant processing between positions of a stimulus in MI blocks. Thirty-nine adults participated in this study. Compatible and incompatible stimuli were classified into three types: typical (central and surrounding colors: black), central-deviant (central: red; surrounding: black), and surrounding-deviant (central: black; surrounding: red). Rare and equiprobable conditions were set for MI blocks. Central- and surrounding-deviant stimuli were presented with low probabilities in the rare condition and with identical probabilities to that of typical stimuli in the equiprobable condition. Deviant processing was evaluated by comparing between event-related potentials in rare and equiprobable conditions. The posterior negativity from 120 to 170 ms (i.e., N1) for central-deviant stimuli was significantly more negative in the rare condition than in the equiprobable condition, whereas there was no difference for surrounding-deviant stimuli. Conversely, the posterior negativity from 180 to 230 ms for both stimuli was significantly more negative in the rare condition than in the equiprobable condition, and the difference (i.e., visual mismatch negativity) was similar in central- and surrounding-deviant stimuli. These findings suggest that focused attention induced by MI blocks leads to differences in deviant processing between central and surrounding areas during the N1 time range. Therefore, evaluations of deviant processing can help examine processing in central and surrounding areas independently and are valuable for understanding cognitive control mechanisms in the flanker tasks.

A lithium superionic conductor for millimeter-thick battery electrode.

No design rules have yet been established for producing solid electrolytes with a lithium-ion conductivity high enough to replace liquid electrolytes and expand the performance and battery configuration limits of current lithium ion batteries. Taking advantage of the properties of high-entropy materials, we have designed a highly ion-conductive solid electrolyte by increasing the compositional complexity of a known lithium superionic conductor to eliminate ion migration barriers while maintaining the structural framework for superionic conduction. The synthesized phase with a compositional complexity showed an improved ion conductivity. We showed that the highly conductive solid electrolyte enables charge and discharge of a thick lithium-ion battery cathode at room temperature and thus has potential to change conventional battery configurations.

Multiple p38/JNK mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways mediate salt chemotaxis learning in C. elegans.

Animals are able to adapt their behaviors to the environment. In order to achieve this, the nervous system plays integrative roles, such as perception of external signals, sensory processing, and behavioral regulations via various signal transduction pathways. Here genetic analyses of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) found that mutants of components of JNK and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways, also known as stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK) signaling pathways, exhibit various types of defects in the learning of salt chemotaxis. C. elegans homologs of JNK MAPKKK and MAPKK, MLK-1 and MEK-1, respectively, are required for avoidance of salt concentrations experienced during starvation. In contrast, homologs of p38 MAPKKK and MAPKK, NSY-1 and SEK-1, respectively, are required for high-salt chemotaxis after conditioning. Genetic interaction analyses suggest that a JNK family MAPK, KGB-1, functions downstream of both signaling pathways to regulate salt chemotaxis learning. Furthermore, we found that the NSY-1/SEK-1 pathway functions in sensory neurons, ASH, ADF, and ASER, to regulate the learned high-salt chemotaxis. A neuropeptide, NLP-3, expressed in ASH, ADF, and ASER neurons, and a neuropeptide receptor, NPR-15, expressed in AIA interneurons that receive synaptic input from these sensory neurons, function in the same genetic pathway as NSY-1/SEK-1 signaling. These findings suggest that this MAPK pathway may affect neuropeptide signaling between sensory neurons and interneurons, thus promoting high-salt chemotaxis after conditioning.

Achievement Rates for Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Goals in Patients at High Risk of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in a Real-World Setting in Japan.

AIMS: The study aimed to investigate low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goal achievement rates in patients receiving LDL-C-lowering therapy using recent real-world data, following the 2017 revision of the Japan Atherosclerosis Society Guidelines for Prevention of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Diseases (JAS GL2017). METHODS: Patients with documented LDL-C test results were extracted from the Medical Data Vision claims database between July 2018 and June 2021 and divided into three groups according to JAS GL2017: primary prevention high risk (Group I, LDL-C goal ＜120 mg/dL), secondary prevention (Group II, LDL-C goal ＜100 mg/dL), and secondary prevention high risk (Group III, LDL-C goal ＜70 mg/dL). RESULTS: The mean LDL-C value was 108.7 mg/dL (n=125,235), 94.4 mg/dL (n=57,910), and 90.6 mg/dL (n=33,850) in Groups I, II, and III, respectively. Intensive statin monotherapy (pitavastatin, rosuvastatin, or atorvastatin) was the most frequently prescribed lipid-lowering treatment (21.6%, 30.8%, and 42.7% in Groups I, II, and III, respectively), followed by ezetimibe (2.5%, 7.1%, and 8.5% in Groups I, II, and III, respectively). LDL-C goals were achieved by 65.5%, 60.6%, and 25.4% of patients overall in Groups I, II, and III, respectively. Achievement rates were 83.9%, 75.3%, and 29.5% in patients prescribed intensive statin monotherapy and 82.3%, 86.4%, and 46.4% in those prescribed statin and ezetimibe combinations in Groups I, II, and III, respectively. In Group III, the proportion of patients with familial hypercholesterolemia prescribed statin and ezetimibe combinations achieving LDL-C goals was low (32.5%). CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of patients achieving LDL-C goals for secondary prevention in the high-risk group remains low even with statin and ezetimibe combination therapy.

ONO-1301 enhances post-transplantation survival of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiac tissue sheet by promoting angiogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Transplanting human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte (hiPSC-CM) tissue sheets effectively treat ischemic cardiomyopathy. Cardiac functional recovery relies on graft survival in which angiogenesis played an important part. ONO-1301 is a synthetic prostacyclin analog with proangiogenic effects. We hypothesized that transplantation of hiPSC-CM tissue sheets with slow-release ONO-1301 scaffold could promote hostgraft angiogenesis, enhance tissue survival and therapeutic effect. METHODS: We developed hiPSC-CM tissue sheets with ONO-1301 slow-release scaffold and evaluated their morphology, gene expression, and effects on angiogenesis. Three tissue sheet layers were transplanted into a rat myocardial infarction (MI) model. Left ventricular ejection fraction, gene expression in the MI border zone, and angiogenesis effects were investigated 4 weeks after transplantation. RESULTS: In vitro assessment confirmed the slow-release of ONO-1301, and its pro-angiogenesis effects. In addition, in vivo data demonstrated that ONO-1301 administration positively correlated with graft survival. Cardiac tissue as thick as ∼900 µm was retained in the ONO (+) treated group. Additionally, left ventricular ejection fraction of the ONO (+) group was significantly enhanced, compared to ONO (-) group. The ONO (+) group also showed significantly improved interstitial fibrosis, higher capillary density, increased number of mature blood vessels, along with an enhanced supply of oxygen, and nutrients. CONCLUSIONS: Slow-release ONO-1301 scaffold provided an efficient delivery method for thick hiPSC-CM tissue. ONO-1301 promotes angiogenesis between the host and graft and improves nutritional and oxygen supply, thereby enhancing the survival of transplanted cells, effectively improving ejection fraction, and therapeutic effects.

Weak impacts of neuropsychological measures on symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in university students.

OBJECTIVE: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is involved in broad neuropsychological domains, including response inhibition, timing, delay aversion, sustained attention, and working memory. This study aimed to examine the relationship between ADHD symptoms and neuropsychological measures in university students. METHODS: A total of 167 graduate and undergraduate students participated in the study. Neuropsychological characteristics were comprehensively assessed using stop signal, delay discounting, time discrimination, sensorimotor synchronization, continuous performance, and digit span tasks. ADHD symptoms were assessed using the Japanese version of Conners' ADHD Rating Scale. RESULTS: ADHD symptoms were significantly correlated with some neuropsychological measures, such as the false alarm rate in the continuous performance task; however, these correlations were not strong. In the multiple regression analyses, models including neuropsychological measures were significantly associated with ADHD symptoms, but the coefficients of determination ranged from 0.06 to 0.08. Thus, most of the variance in ADHD symptoms was not explained by neuropsychological measures. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the impact of each neuropsychological measure on ADHD symptoms was weak in university students, and ADHD symptoms cannot be explained by neuropsychological characteristics, which are currently considered core characteristics of ADHD. In addition, ADHD symptoms assessed by self-rating questionnaire in the non-clinical sample might not reflect the degree of real ADHD severity.

Modulation effects of the intact motor skills on the relationship between social skills and motion perceptions in children with autism spectrum disorder: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: An individual with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has social skill, motor skill, and motion perception deficits. However, the relationship among them was not clarified. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of motor skills on social skills and motion perception. METHODS: Five typically developed children and fourteen children with ASD participated in our study. The N200 component, a brain activity indicating motion perception, was induced in mid-temporal (MT/V5) brain area by watching a random dot kinematograph, and was recorded using a scalp electroencephalogram. Furthermore, the social responsiveness scale (SRS) indicating the social skill deficit, the developmental coordination disorder questionnaire (DCDQ) estimating the developmental coordination disorder (DCD), and the movement assessment battery for children second edition (MABC-2) indicating motor skills were recorded in the children with ASD. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the modulation effects of motor skills on the relationship between social skills and motion perception. The dependent variable was the N200 latency, and the independent variables were SRS, MABC-2, and combined MABC-2 and SRS. RESULTS: The N200 latency was more delayed in children with ASD relative that in typically developed children. Intact balance ability modulated the relationship between social skills and N200 latency in children with ASD. Within the high balance ability, when the social skills worsened, the N200 latency was shortened. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report that intact motor skills could modulate the relationship between social skills and motion perception.

Single-cell transcriptomics of the goldfish retina reveals genetic divergence in the asymmetrically evolved subgenomes after allotetraploidization.

The recent whole-genome duplication (WGD) in goldfish (Carassius auratus) approximately 14 million years ago makes it a valuable model for studying gene evolution during the early stages after WGD. We analyzed the transcriptome of the goldfish retina at the level of single-cell (scRNA-seq) and open chromatin regions (scATAC-seq). We identified a group of genes that have undergone dosage selection, accounting for 5% of the total 11,444 ohnolog pairs. We also identified 306 putative sub/neo-functionalized ohnolog pairs that are likely to be under cell-type-specific genetic variation at single-cell resolution. Diversification in the expression patterns of several ohnolog pairs was observed in the retinal cell subpopulations. The single-cell level transcriptome analysis in this study uncovered the early stages of evolution in retinal cell of goldfish after WGD. Our results provide clues for understanding the relationship between the early stages of gene evolution after WGD and the evolution of diverse vertebrate retinal functions.

Proportion compatibility effects on visual mismatch negativity in a flanker task.

Proportion compatibility effects, in which task performance for compatible stimuli is improved in blocks consisting of mostly compatible stimuli (MC blocks) and task performance for incompatible stimuli is improved in blocks consisting of mostly incompatible stimuli (MI blocks), are common in interference tasks. This study addressed proportion compatibility effects on visual mismatch negativity (VMMN) in the flanker task, which consisted of compatible, incompatible, and deviant stimuli. Compatible and incompatible stimuli were arrays of five black arrows. Deviant stimuli were created by the black central arrow and red surroundings of equal signs. The flanker task was conducted in MC and MI blocks, and blocks with an equal probability (EP blocks) of compatible, incompatible, and deviant stimuli. The posterior negativity from 200 to 250 ms for deviant stimuli was significantly more negative in the MC than in the EP blocks. However, there was no difference in the posterior negativity from 200 to 250 ms between MI and EP blocks. These results indicate that VMMN for deviant stimuli was observed in the MC blocks but not in the MI blocks. In addition, the posterior negativity for incompatible stimuli was modulated by the probability of incompatible stimuli. In contrast, modulation by the probability was not found in the posterior negativity for compatible stimuli. The results indicate that VMMN was elicited by incompatible stimuli but not by compatible stimuli. These findings suggest that proactive control in the MI blocks may attenuate processing in an irrelevant visual field.

Case report: Transplantation of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte patches for ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Despite major therapeutic advances, heart failure, as a non-communicable disease, remains a life-threatening disorder, with 26 million patients worldwide, causing more deaths than cancer. Therefore, novel strategies for the treatment of heart failure continue to be an important clinical need. Based on preclinical studies, allogenic human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte (hiPSC-CM) patches have been proposed as a potential therapeutic candidate for heart failure. We report the implantation of allogeneic hiPSC-CM patches in a patient with ischemic cardiomyopathy (ClinicalTrials.gov, #jRCT2053190081). The patches were produced under clinical-grade conditions and displayed cardiogenic phenotypes and safety in vivo (severe immunodeficient mice) without any genetic mutations in cancer-related genes. The patches were then implanted via thoracotomy into the left ventricle epicardium of the patient under immunosuppressive agents. Positron emission tomography and computed tomography confirmed the potential efficacy and did not detect tumorigenesis in either the heart or other organs. The clinical symptoms improved 6 months after surgery, without any major adverse events, suggesting that the patches were well-tolerated. Furthermore, changes in the wall motion in the transplanted site were recovered, suggesting a favorable prognosis and the potential tolerance to exercise. This study is the first report of a successful transplant of hiPSC-CMs for severe ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum in the setting of D-transposition of the great arteries associated with hypoplastic left ventricle and severe mitral regurgitation.

We report the first successful Glenn procedure for pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum in the setting of D-transposition of the great arteries. This case was complicated by hypoplastic left ventricle and severe mitral regurgitation. Partial closure of the mitral valve at the time of Blalock-Taussig shunting resulted in improvement of heart failure.

Anomalously High Ionic Conductivity of Li2SiS3-Type Conductors.

Solid-state electrolytes that exhibit high ionic conductivities at room temperature are key materials for obtaining the next generation of safer, higher-specific-energy solid-state batteries. However, the number of currently available crystal structures for use as superionic conductors remains limited. Here, we report a lithium superionic conductor, Li2SiS3, with tetragonal crystal symmetry, which possesses a new three-dimensional framework structure consisting of isolated edge-sharing tetrahedral dimers. This species exhibits an anomalously high ionic conductivity of 2.4 mS cm-1 at 298 K, which is 3 orders of magnitude higher than the reported ionic conductivity for its orthorhombic polymorph. The framework of this conductor consists mainly of silicon, which is abundant in natural resources, and its further optimization may lead to the development of new solid-state electrolytes for large-scale applications.

Reaction Mechanism of Li2MnO3 Electrodes in an All-Solid-State Thin-Film Battery Analyzed by Operando Hard X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy.

Li2MnO3 is a promising cathode candidate for Li-ion batteries because of its high discharge capacity; however, its reaction mechanism during cycling has not been sufficiently explicated. Observations of Mn and O binding energy shifts in operando hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements enabled us to determine the charge-compensation mechanism of Li2MnO3. The O 1s peak splits at an early stage during the first charge, and the concentration of lower-valence O changes reversibly with cycling, indicating the formation of a low-valence O species that intrinsically participates in the redox reaction. The O 1s peak-splitting behavior, which indicates the number of valences of O in Li2MnO3, is supported by the computational results for an O3 to O1 structural transition. This is in agreement with the results of our previous study, wherein we confirmed this O3 to O1 transition based on in situ surface X-ray diffraction analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and first-principles formation energy calculations.