Management strategies and outcomes in pregnancy-related acute aortic dissection: a multicentre cohort study in China.

BACKGROUND: Acute aortic dissection (AD) in pregnancy poses a lethal risk to both mother and fetus. However, well-established therapeutic guidelines are lacking. This study aimed to investigate clinical features, outcomes and optimal management strategies for pregnancy-related AD. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective multicentre cohort study including 67 women with acute AD during pregnancy or within 12 weeks postpartum from three major cardiovascular centres in China between 2003 and 2021. Patient characteristics, management strategies and short-term outcomes were analysed. RESULTS: Median age was 31 years, with AD onset at median 32 weeks gestation. Forty-six patients (68.7%) had type A AD, of which 41 underwent immediate surgery. Overall maternal mortality was 10.4% (7/67) and fetal mortality was 26.9% (18/67). Compared with immediate surgery, selective surgery was associated with higher risk of composite maternal and fetal death (adjusted RR: 12.47 (95% CI 3.26 to 47.73); p=0.0002) and fetal death (adjusted RR: 8.77 (95% CI 2.33 to 33.09); p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Immediate aortic surgery should be considered for type A AD at any stage of pregnancy or postpartum. For pregnant women with AD before fetal viability, surgical treatment with the fetus in utero should be considered. Management strategies should account for dissection type, gestational age, and fetal viability. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05501145.

Inflammatory Trajectory and Anti-Inflammatory Pharmacotherapy in Frozen Elephant Trunk-Treated Acute Type I Aortic Dissection.

Background: Acute DeBakey type I aortic dissection is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Little is known regarding the role of leukocyte trajectory in prognosis. Methods: We included adult acute DeBakey type I aortic dissection patients with emergency frozen elephant trunk and total arch replacement in 2 cardiovascular centers (2020-2022). We used latent class mixed model to group patients according to their leukocyte patterns from hospital admission to the first 5 days after surgery. We investigated the association of leukocyte trajectory and 30-day and latest follow-up mortality (October 31, 2023), exploratorily analyzing the effects of ulinastatin treatment on outcome. Results: Of 255 patients included, 3 distinct leukocyte trajectories were identified: 196 in group I (decreasing trajectory), 34 in group II (stable trajectory), and 25 in group III (rising trajectory). Overall, 30-day mortality was 25 (9.8%), ranging from 8.2% (16/196) in group I, 8.8% (3/34) in group II, to 24.0% (6/25) in group III (P for trend = .036). Group III was associated with higher mortality both at 30 days (adjusted hazard ratio, 3.260; 95% CI, 1.071-9.919; P = .037) and at the last follow-up (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.840; 95% CI, 1.098-7.345; P = .031) compared with group I. Conclusions: Distinct and clinically relevant groups can be identified by analyzing leukocyte trajectories, and a rising trajectory was associated with higher short-term and midterm mortality.

Operative Mortality After Type A Aortic Dissection Surgery: Differences Based on Sex and Age.

Background: There is controversy regarding sex differences in short-term mortality in acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD). Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the impact of sex differences on 30-day operative mortality after ATAAD surgery and to determine if other covariates modify the association. Methods: Consecutive patients (N = 5670) with surgically repaired ATAAD were identified from the multicenter China 5A study. The primary outcome was operative mortality. The age dependency was modeled using a cubic spline curve. Results: There were 1,503 females (26.5%) and 4,167 males (73.5%). Females were older and had a lower percentage of comorbidities compared with males. Females had higher mortality compared to males (10.2% vs 8.2%, P = 0.019); however, there was no difference after propensity analyses (adjusted OR: 1.334 [95% CI: 0.918-1.938]). There was an interaction with sex and age (P interaction = 0.035): older age was associated with higher odds of operative mortality among females (OR: 1.045 [95% CI: 1.029-1.061]) compared with males (OR: 1.025 [95% CI: 1.016-1.035]). The risk of mortality for males and females appears to diverge at 55 years of age (P interaction = 0.019): females under 55 years of age had similar odds to males (OR: 0.852 [95% CI: 0.603-1.205]) but higher odds when over 55 years (OR: 1.420 [95% CI: 1.096-1.839]) compared to males. Conclusions: Under the age of 55 years, females have similar odds of operative mortality compared with males; however, over the age of 55 years females have higher odds than males. Understanding differences in risk allows for individualized treatment strategies. (Additive Anti-inflammatory Action for Aortopathy & Arteriopathy; NCT04398992).

Early and mid-term outcomes of open thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair after thoracic endovascular aortic repair.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the early and mid-term outcomes of open repair in patients with thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR). METHODS: This was a retrospective single center study. Data were retrospectively collected and analyzed for consecutive patients undergoing open TAAA repair (TAAAR) after TEVAR from November 2016 to June 2021. Indications for TAAAR included aneurysm progression due to endoleak, persisted false lumen perfusion, proximal/distal disease progression, and aorta rupture. The risk factor of operative mortality was analyzed by multivariable logistic regression model and the survival was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier. RESULTS: Sixty-three patients who met the inclusion criteria for the study were identified. The mean age at TAAAR was 41 ± 12 years and 43 (68.3%) were male. Marfan syndrome (MFS) was presented in 39 patients (61.9%). 60 (95.2%) patients presented with post-dissection aneurysm and 3 (4.8%) patients with degenerative aneurysm. The extent of TAAA was Crawford I in 9 (14.3%), II in 22 (34.9%), III in 23 (36.5%), and IV in 9 (14.3%). Emergent TAAAR was done in 10 (15.9%) patients, and deep hypothermic circulatory arrest was used in 22 (34.6%). Endograft was explanted in 31 (49.2%). Operative mortality was 11 (17.5%). Stroke, paraplegia, and acute kidney failure occurred in 5 (7.9%), 7 (11.1%), and 6 (9.5%) patients, respectively. Pulmonary complications occurred in 19 (30.2%) patients. The estimated survival was 74.8 ± 4.9% at 5 years. Late reoperations were performed in 2 patients at 2.5 years and 1.3 years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In this series of TAAA after TEVAR, TAAAR was related with a high risk of operative mortality and morbidity and the midterm outcomes represented a durable treatment and were respectable.

Surgical management of aortic regurgitation secondary to Behcet's disease.

Background: Aortic regurgitation (AR) related to Behcet's disease (BD) is rare, but usually fatal. Perivalvular leakage (PVL) is high if AR related to BD treated with regular AVR. In this study, we report the surgical management of AR secondary to BD. Methods: Between September 2017 and April 2022, 38 patients with AR secondary to Behcet's disease had surgery in our center. 17 patients did not have a BD diagnosis before surgery, 2 of them were diagnosed during surgery and received Bentall procedure. The remaining 15 patients received conventional AVR. 21 patients were diagnosed as BD before surgery, all of them received modified Bentall procedures. All patients were followed up by regular outpatient visits, transthoracic echocardiogram and CT angiography were performed to evaluate the aorta and aortic valve. Results: Seventeen patients did not have a BD diagnosis at the time of surgery. Out of them, 15 patients received conventional AVR, and a total of 13 patients suffered PVL after surgery. Twenty-one patients had a BD diagnosis before surgery. They received modified Bentall procedures and IST and steroids were given both pre- and post-surgery. In this group treated with Bentall procedure no patient suffered PVL during follow up. Conclusions: PVL is a complex scenario after conventional AVR for AR in BD. Modified Bentall procedure seems superior to isolated AVR in these cases. The use of IST and steroids before and after surgery in combination with modified Bentall procedure could have a role in effectively reducing PVL.

Acute type A aortic dissection in adolescents and young adults under 30 years of age: demographics, aetiology and postoperative outcomes of 139 cases.

OBJECTIVES: The prevalence and aetiology of acute aortic dissection type A (AADA) in patients ≤30 years is unknown. The aims of this clinical study were to determine the prevalence and potential aetiology of AADA in surgically treated patients ≤30 years and to evaluate the respective postoperative outcomes in this selective group of patients in a large multicentre study. METHODS: Retrospective data collection was performed at 16 participating international aortic institutions. All patients ≤30 years at the time of dissection onset were included. The postoperative results were analysed with regard to connective tissue disease (CTD). RESULTS: The overall prevalence of AADA ≤30 years was 1.8% (139 out of 7914 patients), including 51 (36.7%) patients who were retrospectively diagnosed with CTD. Cumulative postoperative mortality was 8.6%, 2.2% and 1.4%. Actuarial survival was 80% at 10 years postoperatively. Non-CTD patients (n = 88) had a significantly higher incidence of arterial hypertension (46.6% vs 9.8%; P < 0.001) while AADA affected the aortic root (P < 0.001) and arch (P = 0.029) significantly more often in the CTD group. A positive family history of aortic disease was present in 9.4% of the study cohort (n = 13). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of AADA in surgically treated patients ≤30 years is <2% with CTD and arterial hypertension as the 2 most prevalent triggers of AADA. Open surgery may be performed with good early results and excellent mid- to long-term outcomes.

Development and validation of a nomogram for postoperative severe acute kidney injury in acute type A aortic dissection.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) is a major complication associated with increased morbidity and mortality after surgery for acute type A aortic dissection (AAAD). To the best of our knowledge, risk prediction models for AKI following AAAD surgery have not been reported. The goal of the present study was to develop a prediction model to predict severe AKI after AAAD surgery. METHODS: A total of 485 patients who underwent AAAD surgery were enrolled and randomly divided into the training cohort (70%) and the validation cohort (30%). Severe AKI was defined as AKI stage III following the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes criteria. Preoperative variables, intraoperative variables and postoperative data were collected for analysis. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to select predictors and develop a nomogram in the study cohort. The final prediction model was validated using the bootstrapping techniques and in the validation cohort. RESULTS: The incidence of severe AKI was 23.0% (n = 78), and 14.7% (n = 50) of patients needed renal replacement treatment. The hospital mortality rate was 8.3% (n = 28), while for AKI patients, the mortality rate was 13.1%, which increased to 20.5% for severe AKI patients. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that age, cardiopulmonary bypass time, serum creatinine, and D-dimer were key predictors for severe AKI following AAAD surgery. The logistic regression model incorporated these predictors to develop a nomogram for predicting severe AKI after AAAD surgery. The nomogram showed optimal discrimination ability, with an area under the curve of 0.716 in the training cohort and 0.739 in the validation cohort. Calibration curve analysis demonstrated good correlations in both the training cohort and the validation cohort. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a prognostic model including age, cardiopulmonary bypass time, serum creatinine, and D-dimer to predict severe AKI after AAAD surgery. The prognostic model demonstrated an effective predictive capability for severe AKI, which may help improve risk stratification for poor in-hospital outcomes after AAAD surgery.

MicroRNA-582-5p targeting Creb1 modulates apoptosis in cardiomyocytes hypoxia/reperfusion-induced injury.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) caused by the reperfusion therapy of myocardial ischemic diseases is a kind of major disease that threatens human health and lives severely. There are lacking of effective therapeutic measures for MIRI. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are abundant in mammalian species and play a critical role in the initiation, promotion, and progression of MIRI. However, the biological role and molecular mechanism of miRNAs in MIRI are not entirely clear. METHODS: We used bioinformatics analysis to uncover the significantly different miRNA by analyzing transcriptome sequencing data from myocardial tissue in the mouse MIRI model. Multiple miRNA-related databases, including miRdb, PicTar, and TargetScan were used to forecast the downstream target genes of the differentially expressed miRNA. Then, the experimental models, including male C57BL/6J mice and HL-1 cell line, were used for subsequent experiments including quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis, western blot analysis, hematoxylin and eosin staining, flow cytometry, luciferase assay, gene interference, and overexpression. RESULTS: MiR-582-5p was found to be differentially upregulated from the transcriptome sequencing data. The elevated levels of miR-582-5p were verified in MIRI mice and hypoxia/reperfusion (H/R)-induced HL-1 cells. Functional experiments revealed that miR-582-5p promoted apoptosis of H/R-induced HL-1 cells via downregulating cAMP-response element-binding protein 1 (Creb1). The inhibiting action of miR-582-5p inhibitor on H/R-induced apoptosis was partially reversed after Creb1 interference. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, the research findings reported that upregulation of miR-582-5p promoted H/R-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis by inhibiting Creb1. The potential diagnostic and therapeutic strategies targeting miR-582-5p and Creb1 could be beneficial for the MIRI treatment.

Impact of unintentional coronary angiography on outcomes of emergency surgery in acute type A aortic dissection: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the impact of coronary angiography on outcomes of emergency operation in acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) patients who were initially misdiagnosed as an acute coronary syndrome. METHODS: From October 2016 to April 2019, 129 patients underwent emergency operation for ATAAD in our institution, including 21 patients (16.3%, coronary angiography group) who received preoperative coronary angiography without knowledge of the ATAAD, and the rest 108 did not (Non-coronary angiography group). Preoperative clinical characteristics, 30-day mortality and postoperative complications were compared. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to confirm the independent prognostic factors for short-term and long-term outcomes. RESULTS: Patients undergoing coronary angiography had higher prevalence of preoperative hypotension or shock (61.9% vs 35.2%, P = 0.022), ischemic changes on electrocardiogram (66.7% vs 37.0%, P = 0.012), platelet inhibition (ADP-induced inhibition 92.0% vs 46.0%, P = 0.001), and coronary involvement (66.7% vs 30.6%, P = 0.002). 30-day mortality was 4.8% versus 9.3% (P = 0.84). Coronary angiography group had more intraoperative bleeding (1900 ml vs 1500 ml, P = 0.013) and chest-tube drainage on the first postoperative day (1040 ml vs 595 ml, P = 0.028). However, preoperative coronary angiography was not independent risk factors for 30-day mortality (OR 0.171, 95%CI 0.013-2.174, P = 0.173) and overall survival (HR 0.407; 95%CI 0.080-2.057; P = 0.277). CONCLUSION: Patients undergoing coronary angiography carried a higher risk of preoperative hemodynamic instability, myocardial ischemia, and perioperative bleeding. However, unintentional coronary angiography did not have a significant impact on short-term and long-term outcomes of emergency surgery in ATAAD.

Does preoperative dual antiplatelet therapy affect bleeding and mortality after total arch repair for acute type A dissection?

OBJECTIVES: Data are scarce and mixed regarding the impact of preoperative dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) on the surgical outcomes of acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD). We seek to evaluate the impact of DAPT on bleeding-related events and early- and mid-term mortality after total arch replacement and frozen elephant trunk in such patients. METHODS: This study comprised 48 ATAAD patients on preoperative DAPT and 418 without DAPT (the whole series, i.e. unmatched cohort), from which 45 matched pairs were selected by propensity score (matched cohort). Bleeding-related events (reoperation for bleeding, bleeding of ≥1500 ml within the first 12 h postoperatively or transfusion of ≥10 units of red blood cell or use of recombinant activated factor VII), operative mortality and mid-term survival were compared in the unmatched and matched cohorts. The impact of preoperative DAPT was evaluated with multivariable analysis. RESULTS: In the unmatched cohort, bleeding of ≥1500 ml/12 h postoperatively was more common in the DAPT group (18.8% vs 8.4%, P = 0.020); operative mortality was 9.7%, which did not differ with DAPT (12.5% vs 9.3%, P = 0.48). Nor did bleeding-related events (54.2% vs 43.5%, P = 0.16) differ significantly between 2 groups. In the matched cohort, neither were drainage of ≥1500 ml/12 h (20% vs 6.7%, P = 0.063) and bleeding-related events (53.3% vs 42.2%, P = 0.30), nor operative mortality (13.8 vs 8.9%, P = 0.50) and mid-term survival (79.3% vs 76.4%, P = 0.93) significantly different between 2 groups. DAPT was not identified as a predictor for operative mortality [odd ratio (OR) 0.97, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.31-3.08; P = 0.96; adjusted OR 1.28, 95% CI 0.22-7.20; P = 0.78] and bleeding-related events (OR 1.50, 95% CI 0.76-2.95; P = 0.24; adjusted OR 2.03, 95% CI 0.80-3.66; P = 0.14). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with ATAAD undergoing total arch replacement and frozen elephant trunk, although preoperative DAPT led to more postoperative bleeding, it did not increase bleeding-related events nor operative mortality nor mid-term death. The results of this study imply that for patients with ATAAD, emergency surgical repair, even if as extensive as total arch repair, should not be contraindicated or delayed simply because of ongoing DAPT.

Blood Transfusion and Acute Kidney Injury After Total Aortic Arch Replacement for Acute Stanford Type A Aortic Dissection.

AIM: To evaluate the effect of packed red blood cells (pRBCs), fresh frozen plasma (FFP), and platelet concentrate (PC) transfusions on acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with acute Stanford type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) with total arch replacement (TAR). METHOD: From December 2015 to October 2017, 421 consecutive patients with ATAAD undergoing TAR were included in the study. The clinical data of the patients and the amount of pRBCs, FFP, and PC were collected. Acute kidney injury was defined using the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. Logistic regression was used to identify whether pRBCs, FFP, and platelet transfusions were risk factors for KDIGO AKI, stage 3 AKI, and AKI requiring renal replacement therapy (RRT). RESULTS: The mean ± standard deviation age of the patients was 47.67±10.82 years; 77.7% were men; and the median time from aortic dissection onset to operation was 1 day (range, 0-2 days). The median transfusion amount was 8 units (range, 4-14 units) for pRBCs, 400 mL (range, 0-800 mL) for FFP, and no units (range, 0-2 units) for PC. Forty-one (41; 9.7%) patients did not receive any blood products. The rates of pRBC, PC, and FFP transfusions were 86.9%, 49.2%, and 72.9%, respectively. The incidence of AKI was 54.2%. Considering AKI as the endpoint, multivariate logistic regression showed that pRBCs (odds ratio [OR], 1.11; p<0.001) and PC transfusions (OR, 1.28; p=0.007) were independent risk factors. Considering KDIGO stage 3 AKI as the endpoint, multivariate logistic regression showed that pRBC transfusion (OR, 1.15; p<0.001), PC transfusion (OR, 1.28; p<0.001), a duration of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) ≥293 minutes (OR, 2.95; p=0.04), and a creatinine clearance rate of ≤85 mL/minute (OR, 2.12; p=0.01) were independent risk factors. Considering RRT as the endpoint, multivariate logistic regression showed that pRBC transfusion (OR, 1.12; p<0.001), PC transfusion (OR, 1.33; p=0.001), a duration of CPB ≥293 minutes (OR, 3.79; p=0.02), and a creatinine clearance rate of ≤85 mL/minute (OR, 3.34; p<0.001) were independent risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes-defined stage AKI was common after TAR for ATAAD. Transfusions of pRBCs and PC increased the incidence of AKI, stage 3 AKI, and RRT. Fresh frozen plasma transfusion was not a risk factor for AKI.

Does the 45 mm Size Cutoff for Ascending Aortic Replacement Predict Better Early Outcomes in Bicuspid Aortic Valve?

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to test if the newly proposed 45 mm size criterion for ascending aortic replacement (AAR) in bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR) is predictive of improved early outcomes. METHODS: Data of 306 BAV patients with an aortic diameter of ≥45 mm undergoing AVR alone or with AAR were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into groups of AVR + AAR (n = 220) and AVR only (n = 86) based on if surgery was performed according to the 45 mm criterion. End point was early adverse events, including 30-day and in-hospital mortality, cardiac events, acute renal failure, stroke, and reoperation for bleeding. Cox regression was used to assess if conformance to 45 mm criterion could predict fewer early adverse events. RESULTS: AVR + AAR group had significantly higher postoperative left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (0.59 ± 0.09 vs. 0.55 ± 0.11, p = 0.006) and longer cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) time (128 vs. 111 minutes, p = 0.002). Early adverse events occurred in 45 patients (14.7%), which was more prevalent in the AVR-only group (22.1% vs. 11.8%, p = 0.020). Conformance to the 45 mm criterion predicted lower rate of early adverse events (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.53, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.28-0.98, p = 0.042). After adjustment for gender, age, AAo diameter, sinuses of Valsalva diameter, preoperative LVEF, Sievers subtypes, BAV valvulopathy, and CPB and cross-clamp times, conformance to the 45 mm size criterion still predicted lower incidence of early adverse events (HR: 0.37, 95% CI: 0.15-0.90, p = 0.028). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that conformance to 45 mm size cutoff for preemptive AAR during aortic valve replacement in patients with BAV was not associated with increased risk for adverse events and may improve early surgical outcomes.

Is obstructive sleep apnoea associated with hypoxaemia and prolonged ICU stay after type A aortic dissection repair? A retrospective study in Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: Although obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is prevalent among patients with aortic dissection, its prognostic impact is not yet determined in patients undergoing major vascular surgery. We aimed to investigate the association of OSA with hypoxaemia and with prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) stay after type A aortic dissection (TAAD) repair. METHODS: This retrospective study continuously enrolled 83 patients who underwent TAAD repair from January 1 to December 31, 2018. OSA was diagnosed by sleep test and defined as an apnoea hypopnea index (AHI) of ≥ 15/h, while an AHI of > 30/h was defined severe OSA. Hypoxaemia was defined as an oxygenation index (OI) of < 200 mmHg. Prolonged ICU stay referred to an ICU stay of > 72 h. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to evaluate the predictive value of postoperative OI for prolonged ICU stay. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess the association of OSA with hypoxaemia and prolonged ICU stay. RESULTS: A total of 41 (49.4%) patients were diagnosed with OSA using the sleep test. Hypoxaemia occurred postoperatively in 56 patients (67.5%). Postoperatively hypoxaemia developed mostly in patients with OSA (52.4% vs. 83.0%, p = 0.003), and particularly in those with severe OSA (52.4% vs. 90.5%, p = 0.003). The postoperative OI could fairly predict a prolonged ICU stay (area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve, 0.72; 95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.60-0.84; p = 0.002). Severe OSA was associated with both postoperative hypoxaemia (odds ratio [OR] 6.65; 95% CI 1.56-46.26, p = 0.008) and prolonged ICU stay (OR 5.58; 95% CI 1.54-20.24, p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: OSA was common in patients with TAAD. Severe OSA was associated with postoperative hypoxaemia and prolonged ICU stay following TAAD repair.

Extracellular vesicles derived from myocardial infarction plasma inhibit BMSCs apoptosis and enhance cardiac function via AKT signaling pathway.

This study aimed to investigate whether extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted in myocardial infarction (MI) plasma could protect against apoptosis of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) following hypoxia or serum deprivation in vitro and improve cardiac function following MI in vivo. The plasma samples were taken from female rats 24 h after MI. EVs were obtained and co-cultured with BMSCs. We found that EVs could be taken up by BMSCs. Co-culturing with EVs attenuated hypoxia-induced apoptosis of BMSCs in EVs in a dose-dependent manner, which was reversed by the pharmacological inhibition of AKT signaling. Co-culturing with EVs improved transplantation efficiency and blunted MI-induced apoptosis of BMSCs in vivo. Furthermore, transplantation of BMSCs together with EVs can effectively promote the increase in capillary density both at the border and central zone of myocardium and ameliorate myocardial remodeling in MI rats. BMSCs and EVs transplantation treatment exhibited significant improvements in ejection fraction, fraction shortening, left ventricular end-diastolic dimensions, and left ventricular end-systolic dimensions, as evaluated by echocardiography four weeks after MI in rats. Finally, levels of differentiation- and apoptosis-related microRNAs expression in EVs that may mediate these effects were also identified by microarray and quantitative real-time PCR. In conclusion, the present results suggest a potential role of plasma-derived EVs in decreasing apoptosis of BMSCs by activating AKT signaling, promoting angiogenesis, ameliorating myocardial remodeling, and improving cardiac function in MI rats. EV application may be a novel option to ameliorate the therapeutic efficiency of BMSCs to improve cardiac function following MI.

Roles of noncoding RNAs in the initiation and progression of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.

The morbidity and mortality of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) have increased in modern society. Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), including lncRNAs, circRNAs, piRNAs and miRNAs, have been reported in a variety of studies to be involved in pathological initiation and developments of MIRI. Hence this review focuses on the current research regarding these ncRNAs in MIRI. We comprehensively introduce the important features of lncRNAs, circRNAs, piRNA and miRNAs and then summarize the published studies of ncRNAs in MIRI. A clarification of lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA, lncRNA-transcription factor-mRNA and circRNA-miRNA-mRNA axes in MIRI follows, to further elucidate the crucial roles of ncRNAs in MIRI. Bioinformatics analysis has revealed the biological correlation of mRNAs with MIRI. We provide a comprehensive perspective for the roles of these ncRNAs and their related networks in MIRI, providing a theoretical basis for preclinical and clinical studies on ncRNA-based gene therapy for MIRI treatment.

Mild hypothermic circulatory arrest with selective cerebral perfusion in open arch surgery.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate whether the use of mild hypothermic circulatory arrest (HCA) with selective cerebral perfusion (SCP) in open arch procedure provides comparable perioperative results to moderate HCA for patients with dissected or degenerative arch pathologies. METHODS: Between January 2017 and September 2020, a total of 88 consecutive patients (mean age 47±11 years, 71 males) underwent open arch repair under a single surgeon at our institution with mild or moderate systemic hypothermia assisted by unilateral or bilateral SCP. Patients were divided into groups according to the nasopharyngeal temperature at the beginning of HCA: a moderate HCA group (n=47, 53.4%) and a mild HCA group (n=41, 46.6%). The postoperative mortality, morbidity, and visceral organ functions between these groups were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Compared to the moderate HCA group, the mild HCA group had a significantly higher core temperature (nasopharynx: 24.4±0.8 vs. 28.5±2, P<0.001; bladder 25.9±0.9 vs. 30±1.2, P<0.001), and the incidence of major adverse events (MAE) in this group was markedly lower (21.3% vs. 4.9%, P=0.031). No differences were identified between the two groups refer to in-hospital mortality, permanent neurological deficit (PND), temporary neurological deficit (TND), and paraplegia (8.5% vs. 2.4%, P=0.366; 8.5% vs. 0, P=0.120; 6.4% vs. 7.3%, P=1.0; 4.3% vs. 2.4%, P=1.0, respectively). In the moderate HCA group, 6 patients (12.8%) developed acute renal failure needing replacement therapy, which did not occur in the mild HCA group (P=0.028). The duration of ventilator support and intensive care unit stay was shorter in the mild HCA group, as well as a decreased volume of drainage during the first 24 h and reduced platelet transfusion. CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary results of the mild HCA group with SCP applied in open arch repair, mainly in total arch replacement (TAR) and stented elephant trunk (SET) implantation for aortic dissection, were satisfactory. Furthermore, comparable inferior outcomes were obtained with mild HCA compared with that of the conventional moderate HCA strategy. These encouraging surgical and postoperative results favor this more aggressive hypothermia strategy in open arch repair.

Concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting during surgical repair of acute type A aortic dissection affects operative mortality rather than midterm mortality.

BACKGROUND: In this study, we investigated the impact of concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) on operative and midterm mortality in patients with acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) undergoing surgical repair. METHODS: From January 2012 to December 2014, among 489 patients (mean age: 47.6 ± 10.4 years, 77.1% male) with ATAAD who received surgical repair at our institute, 21 patients (4.3%) underwent concomitant CABG. Isolated aortic repair was performed in the remaining 468 cases (95.7%). Coronary dissection was indicated in 15 patients (Neri classification type B in 2, type C in 13), concomitant coronary artery disease in five and coronary artery compression in one. The follow-up time was 97.3% at 44.1 ± 13.9 months. RESULTS: A total of 44 patients (9%) died from surgery, and operative mortality in the concomitant CABG group was significantly higher than that in the isolated aortic repair group (47.6%, 10/21 vs. 7.3%, 34/468; P < 0.001). Among the 11 survivors in the concomitant CABG group, no deaths occurred during the follow-up. Cox regression indicated that concomitant CABG increased the operative mortality risk by 9.2 times (HR, 9.26; 95% CI, 4.31-19.89; P < 0.001). Although it predicted a 5.2-fold increase in overall mortality (HR, 5.20; 95% CI, 2.55-10.61; P < 0.001), concomitant CABG did not affect midterm death (P = 0.996). CONCLUSIONS: Concomitant CABG carries a significant operative risk in ATAAD patients undergoing surgical repair. However, survivors may benefit from concomitant CABG and had similar midterm mortality compared with the other cases.