A comprehensive neuromonitoring approach in a large animal model of cardiac arrest.

BACKGROUND: Anoxic brain injuries represent the main determinant of poor outcome after cardiac arrest (CA). Large animal models have been described to investigate new treatments during CA and post-resuscitation phase, but a detailed model that includes extensive neuromonitoring is lacking. METHOD: Before an electrically-induced 10-minute CA and resuscitation, 46 adult pigs underwent neurosurgery for placement of a multifunctional probe (intracranial pressure or ICP, tissue oxygen tension or PbtO2 and cerebral temperature) and a bolt-based technique for the placement and securing of a regional blood flow probe and two sEEG electrodes; two modified cerebral microdialysis (CMD) probes were also inserted in the frontal lobes and accidental misplacement was prevented using a perforated head support. RESULT: 42 animals underwent the CA procedure and 41 achieved the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). In 4 cases (8.6%) an adverse event took place during preparation, but only in two cases (4.3%) this was related to the neurosurgery. In 6 animals (13.3%) the minor complications that occurred resolved after probe repositioning. CONCLUSION: Herein we provide a detailed comprehensive neuromonitoring approach in a large animal model of CA that might help future research.

Early Hyperdynamic Sepsis Alters Coronary Blood Flow Regulation in Porcine Fecal Peritonitis.

Background: Sepsis is a common condition known to impair blood flow regulation and microcirculation, which can ultimately lead to organ dysfunction but such contribution of the coronary circulation remains to be clarified. We investigated coronary blood flow regulatory mechanisms, including autoregulation, metabolic regulation, and endothelial vasodilatory response, in an experimental porcine model of early hyperdynamic sepsis. Methods: Fourteen pigs were randomized to sham (n = 7) or fecal peritonitis-induced sepsis (n = 7) procedures. At baseline, 6 and 12 h after peritonitis induction, the animals underwent general and coronary hemodynamic evaluation, including determination of autoregulatory breakpoint pressure and adenosine-induced maximal coronary vasodilation for coronary flow reserve and hyperemic microvascular resistance calculation. Endothelial-derived vasodilatory response was assessed both in vivo and ex vivo using bradykinin. Coronary arteries were sampled for pathobiological evaluation. Results: Sepsis resulted in a right shift of the autoregulatory breakpoint pressure, decreased coronary blood flow reserve and increased hyperemic microvascular resistance from the 6th h after peritonitis induction. In vivo and ex vivo endothelial vasomotor function was preserved. Sepsis increased coronary arteries expressions of nitric oxide synthases, prostaglandin I2 receptor, and prostaglandin F2α receptor. Conclusion: Autoregulation and metabolic blood flow regulation were both impaired in the coronary circulation during experimental hyperdynamic sepsis, although endothelial vasodilatory response was preserved.

Quantification of Cardiac Kinetic Energy and Its Changes During Transmural Myocardial Infarction Assessed by Multi-Dimensional Seismocardiography.

Introduction: Seismocardiography (SCG) records cardiac and blood-induced motions transmitted to the chest surface as vibratory phenomena. Evidences demonstrate that acute myocardial ischemia (AMI) profoundly affects the SCG signals. Multidimensional SCG records cardiac vibrations in linear and rotational dimensions, and scalar parameters of kinetic energy can be computed. We speculate that AMI and revascularization profoundly modify cardiac kinetic energy as recorded by SCG. Methods: Under general anesthesia, 21 swine underwent 90 min of myocardial ischemia induced by percutaneous sub-occlusion of the proximal left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery and subsequent revascularization. Invasive hemodynamic parameters were continuously recorded. SCG was recorded during baseline, immediately and 80 min after LAD sub-occlusion, and immediately and 60 min after LAD reperfusion. iK was automatically computed for each cardiac cycle (iK CC ) in linear (iK Lin ) and rotational (iK Rot ) dimensions. iK was calculated as well during systole and diastole (iK Sys and iK Dia , respectively). Echocardiography was performed at baseline and after revascularization, and the left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) along with regional left ventricle (LV) wall abnormalities were evaluated. Results: Upon LAD sub-occlusion, 77% of STEMI and 24% of NSTEMI were observed. Compared to baseline, troponins increased from 13.0 (6.5; 21.3) ng/dl to 170.5 (102.5; 475.0) ng/dl, and LVEF dropped from 65.0 ± 0.0 to 30.6 ± 5.7% at the end of revascularization (both p < 0.0001). Regional LV wall abnormalities were observed as follows: anterior MI, 17.6% (three out of 17); septal MI, 5.8% (one out of 17); antero-septal MI, 47.1% (eight out of 17); and infero-septal MI, 29.4% (five out of 17). In the linear dimension, i K L i n C C , i K L i n S y s , and i K L i n D i a dropped by 43, 52, and 53%, respectively (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, and p = 0.03, respectively) from baseline to the end of reperfusion. In the rotational dimension, i K R o t C C and i K R o t S y s dropped by 30 and 36%, respectively (p = 0.0006 and p < 0.0001, respectively), but i K R o t D i a did not change (p = 0.41). All the hemodynamic parameters, except the pulmonary artery pulse pressure, were significantly correlated with the parameters of iK, except for the diastolic component. Conclusions: In this very context of experimental AMI with acute LV regional dysfunction and no concomitant AMI-related heart valve disease, linear and rotational iK parameters, in particular, systolic ones, provide reliable information on LV contractile dysfunction and its effects on the downstream circulation. Multidimensional SCG may provide information on the cardiac contractile status expressed in terms of iK during AMI and reperfusion. This automatic system may empower health care providers and patients to remotely monitor cardiovascular status in the near future.

Mesp1 controls the speed, polarity, and directionality of cardiovascular progenitor migration.

During embryonic development, Mesp1 marks the earliest cardiovascular progenitors (CPs) and promotes their specification, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and cardiovascular differentiation. However, Mesp1 deletion in mice does not impair initial CP specification and early cardiac differentiation but induces cardiac malformations thought to arise from a defect of CP migration. Using inducible gain-of-function experiments during embryonic stem cell differentiation, we found that Mesp2, its closest homolog, was as efficient as Mesp1 at promoting CP specification, EMT, and cardiovascular differentiation. However, only Mesp1 stimulated polarity and directional cell migration through a cell-autonomous mechanism. Transcriptional analysis and chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments revealed that Mesp1 and Mesp2 activate common target genes that promote CP specification and differentiation. We identified two direct Mesp1 target genes, Prickle1 and RasGRP3, that are strongly induced by Mesp1 and not by Mesp2 and that control the polarity and the speed of cell migration. Altogether, our results identify the molecular interface controlled by Mesp1 that links CP specification and cell migration.

Prevalence and European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) criteria evaluation for proximal renal tubular dysfunction diagnosis in patients under antiretroviral therapy in routine setting.

INTRODUCTION: Tenofovir (TDF) is an antiretroviral drug often used in combination regimen in HIV-positive patients. Adverse effects affecting kidneys consist in an increase or a new onset proteinuria, a decrease of glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and/or a proximal renal tubular dysfunction (PRTD) that rarely leads to Fanconi's syndrome. EACS guidelines propose to screen PRTD in patients with chronic renal insufficiency, with a sudden decrease of eGFR, with hypophosphataemia (if non-renal causes such as vitamin D deficiency are excluded) and with a new onset proteinuria. We aim to evaluate the prevalence of PRTD by comparing the group of patients under TDF to the group free of TDF, in our cohort of 300 patients. We also aim to evaluate the accuracy of EACS criteria for screening PRTD in routine settings and to assess the utility of urinary samples in PRTD diagnosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: During two consecutive years, we collected annually blood and urine samples at the same time in our outpatient clinic. We assessed kidney function, plasma levels and fractional excretion of phosphate, uric acid, potassium, plasma glucose and proteinuria. PRTD was defined by the presence of at least two out of the five following criteria: fractional excretion (FE) of phosphate >20% (or >10% when serum phosphate <0.8 mmol/L), non-diabetic glycosuria (positive urine glucose with plasma glucose <70 mg/dL), renal tubular acidosis (urinary pH >5.5 and serum bicarbonate <21 mmol/L), uric acid FE >10% or potassium FE >10%. After the first year, patients with TDF regimen who were diagnosed with PRTD were shifted to TDF-free regimen and included again in the study. RESULTS: For PRTD (first line), they are expressed in number of diagnoses/total number of patients in this group. The second line resumes the number of PRTD diagnose patients who should have been screened according to EACS criteria. CONCLUSIONS: PRTD screening according to EACS criteria is not sufficient to diagnose every case, especially minor PRTD, mainly because the prevalence is low and its diagnosis remains difficult in routine settings. We recommend performing a urine test including proteinuria every year for patients undergoing TDF treatment. The next step will be to follow PRTD patients to evaluate the time laps until full recovery after TDF shift.