A Rare Case of Pulmonary Leiomyosarcoma.

Leiomyosarcoma commonly occurs in the abdomen, retroperitoneum, large blood vessels, and uterus[1]. Cardiac leiomyosarcoma is a rare and highly aggressive sarcoma. We reported a case of a 63-year-old male with pulmonary artery leiomyosarcoma. Transthoracic echocardiography showed a large 4.4×2.3 cm hypoechoic mass in the right ventricular outflow tract and pulmonary artery. Computed tomography pulmonary angiography showed a filling defect in a similar location. The initial impression was PE, but a tumor was not ruled out. An emergency surgery was performed due to progressively worse chest distress and dyspnea. A yellow mass that had adhered to the ventricular septum and pulmonary artery wall was detected to be compressing the pulmonary valve. Immunohistochemistry confirmed tumor cells positive staining for Desmin and smooth muscle actin and negative staining for S-100, CD34, myogenin, or myoglobin, and KI67(+)80%, indicating leiomyosarcoma. Pulmonary leiomyosarcoma showed a side-inserted heart chamber filling defect in CTA and should be excised when the patient suddenly deteriorated.

Peptide-anchored biomimetic interface for electrochemical detection of cardiomyocyte-derived extracellular vesicles.

Cardiomyocyte-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a promising class of biomarkers that can advance the diagnosis of many kinds of cardiovascular diseases. Herein, we develop a new electrochemical method for the feasible detection of cardiomyocyte-derived EVs in biological fluids. The core design of the method is the fabrication of a peptide-anchored biomimetic interface consisting of a lipid bilayer and peptide probes. On the one hand, the lipid bilayer provides excellent antifouling ability to the electrode interface and facilitates the anchoring of peptide probes. On the other hand, the peptide probes equip the electrode interface with excellent binding capability and affinity to CD172a, a specific marker of cardiomyocyte-derived EVs, thus enabling the efficient and selective detection of target EVs. Taking EVs derived from the heart myoblast cells H9C2 as the model target, the method displays a wide linear detection range from 1 × 103 to 1 × 108 particles/mL with a desirable detection limit of 132 particles/mL. Furthermore, the method shows good performance in biological fluids such as serum, and thus may have great potential for practical use in the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases.

Effects of transthoracic device closure on ventricular septal defects and reasons for conversion to open-heart surgery: A meta-analysis.

Transthoracic device closure (TTDC) is thought to be a promising technology for the repair of ventricular septal defects (VSDs). However, there is considerable controversy regarding the efficacy and safety of TTDC. The present study aimed to compare the benefits and safety of TTDC with those of conventional open-heart surgery (COHS) and analyze the associated factors causing complications, conversion to COHS and reoperation. Electronic database searches were conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Clinicaltrials.gov and several Chinese databases. A total of 5 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 7 cohort studies, 13 case-control studies, 129 case series and 13 case reports were included. Compared to COHS, TTDC exhibited superior efficacy with a significantly lower risk of post-operative arrhythmia; however, no significant differences in other outcomes were identified. Meta-regression analysis showed that perimembranous VSDs (pmVSDs), a smaller VSD, a smaller occluder, and a median or subxiphoid approach lowered the relative risk of several post-operative complications, conversion to COHS and reoperation. The current evidence indicates that TTDC is associated with a lower risk of post-operative arrhythmia and is not associated with an increased risk of complications. PmVSDs, a smaller VSD and occluder, and a median or subxiphoid approach correlate with better outcomes when using TTDC.