Potential Benefits of Epidermal Growth Factor for Inhibiting Muscle Degrative Markers in Rats with Alcoholic Liver Damage.

This study investigated the beneficial effects of epidermal growth factor (EGF) on muscle loss in rats with chronic ethanol feeding. Six-week-old male Wistar rats were fed either a control liquid diet without EGF (C group, n = 12) or EGF (EGF-C group, n = 18) for two weeks. From the 3rd to 8th week, the C group was divided into two groups. One was continually fed with a control liquid diet (C group), and the other one was fed with an ethanol-containing liquid diet (E group); moreover, the EGF-C group was divided into three groups, such as the AEGF-C (continually fed with the same diet), PEGF-E (fed with the ethanol-containing liquid diet without EGF), and AEGF-E (fed with the ethanol-containing liquid diet with EGF). As a result, the E group had significantly higher plasma ALT and AST, endotoxin, ammonia, and interleukin 1b (IL-1b) levels, along with liver injuries, such as hepatic fatty changes and inflammatory cell infiltration. However, plasma endotoxin and IL-1b levels were significantly decreased in the PEGF-E and AEGF-E groups. In addition, the protein level of muscular myostatin and the mRNA levels of forkhead box transcription factors (FOXO), muscle RING-finger protein-1 (MURF-1) and atorgin-1 was increased considerably in the E group but inhibited in the PEGF-E and AEGF-E groups. According to the principal coordinate analysis findings, the gut microbiota composition differed between the control and ethanol liquid diet groups. In conclusion, although there was no noticeable improvement in muscle loss, EGF supplementation inhibited muscular protein degradation in rats fed with an ethanol-containing liquid diet for six weeks. The mechanisms might be related to endotoxin translocation inhibition, microbiota composition alteration as well as the amelioration of liver injury. However, the reproducibility of the results must be confirmed in future studies.

Levosimendan attenuates electrical alternans and prevents ventricular arrhythmia during therapeutic hypothermia in isolated rabbit hearts.

BACKGROUND: Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) increases the susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) by prolonging action potential duration (APD) and facilitating arrhythmogenic spatially discordant alternans (SDA). Levosimendan, a calcium sensitizer, has been reported to shorten APD by enhancing the adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-sensitive K current. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that, during TH, levosimendan shortens the already prolonged APD, attenuates SDA, and prevents VA. METHODS: Langendorff-perfused isolated rabbit hearts were subjected to TH (30°C) for 15 minutes, followed by treatment with either levosimendan 0.5 µM (n = 9) or vehicle (n = 8) for an additional 30 minutes under TH. Using an optical mapping system, epicardial APD was evaluated by S1 pacing. SDA threshold was defined as the longest pacing cycle length (PCL) that induces the phenomenon of SDA. Ventricular fibrillation (VF) inducibility was evaluated by burst pacing for 30 seconds at the shortest PCL that achieved 1:1 ventricular capture. RESULTS: During TH, levosimendan shortened ventricular APD (PCL 400 ms; from 259 ± 8 ms to 241 ± 18 ms; P = .036) and decreased SDA threshold (from 327 ± 88 ms to 311 ± 68 ms; P = .011). VF inducibility was lowered from 39% ± 30% to 14% ± 12% with levosimendan (P = .018), whereas APD at PCL 400 ms (P = .161), SDA threshold (P = 1), and VF inducibility (P = .173) were not changed by vehicle. CONCLUSION: During TH, levosimendan could protect hearts against VA by shortening APD and decreasing SDA threshold. Enhancing ATP-sensitive K current with levosimendan might be a novel approach to preventing VA during TH.

Efficacy of Cryoballoon Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation and Recurrence Predictors in an Asian Cohort.

BACKGROUND: Cryoballoon ablation (CBA) for atrial fibrillation (AF) is a rhythm control procedure used in clinical trials, mostly in Western countries. Its efficacy and the predictors of AF recurrence after CBA remain unclear for Asian populations. We aimed to investigate the efficacy of CBA and the predictors of AF recurrence after CBA in Asian AF patients. METHODS: We included consecutive AF patients undergoing CBA for rhythm control between 2014 and 2020. The baseline characteristics, including AF types, symptom severity, and left atrial diameter (LAD), were analyzed. Holter's monitoring and 12-lead ECG were performed to document AF recurrence. A multivariate Cox hazards regression model was used to evaluate the risk of AF recurrence. RESULTS: A total of 120 AF patients (aged 61.9 ± 9.3 years) were included. The percentage of patients free from AF in the year following CBA was 74.2%. Among the three independent predictors of AF recurrence within one year were the presence of persistent AF (p = 0.025), an LAD ≥ 4.75 cm (p = 0.016), and pre-procedural cardioversion (p = 0.025). All patients survived and none had a stroke after CBA. CONCLUSION: CBA for AF is an effective and safe procedure in Asian populations. The presence of persistent AF, an LAD ≥ 4.75 cm, and severe symptoms are predictors of AF recurrence in the year following CBA.

Rhythm Control Better Prevents Dementia than Rate Control Strategies in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation-A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) increases the risk of dementia. Whether the pharmacological rhythm control of AF can reduce the risk of dementia compared to the rate control strategy remains unclear. We hypothesize that the rhythm control strategy is better than the rate control strategy in preventing dementia. Methods: AF patients aged ≥65 years were identified from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database. Patients receiving anti-arrhythmic drugs at a cumulative defined daily dose (cDDD) of >30 within the first year of enrollment constituted the rhythm control group. Patients who used rate control medications for a cDDD of >30 constituted the rate control group. A multivariate Cox hazards regression model was used to determine the hazard ratio (HR) for dementia. Results: A total of 3382 AF patients (698 in the rhythm control group; 2684 in the rate control group) were analyzed. During a 4.86 ± 3.38 year follow-up period, 414 dementia events occurred. The rhythm control group had a lower rate of dementia than the rate control group (adjust HR: 0.75, p = 0.031). The rhythm control strategy reduced the risk of dementia particularly in those receiving aspirin (p = 0.03). Conclusions: In patients with AF, pharmacological rhythm control was associated with a lower risk of dementia than rate control over a long-term follow-up period, particularly in patients receiving aspirin treatment.

Application and Comparison of Different Prognostic Scoring Systems in Patients Who Underwent Cardiologist-Managed Percutaneous Cardiopulmonary Support.

BACKGROUND: Temporary mechanical support, including percutaneous cardiopulmonary support (PCPS), is crucial for reversing patients' compromised hemodynamic function. Knowledge about whether cardiologists can directly manage patients receiving PCPS and about the predictive values of different prognostic scores is insufficient. METHODS: We examined the data and in-hospital mortality of 45 eligible patients receiving cardiologist-managed PCPS from July 2012 to January 2019 in our institute. We compared different prognostic scores [namely Survival After Veno-arterial ECMO (SAVE), modified SAVE, prEdictioN of Cardiogenic shock OUtcome foR acute myocardial infarction patients salvaGed by VA-ECMO (ENCOURAGE), and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores] through area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) analysis. RESULTS: The patients' mean age was 64.3 ± 11.3 years, and 71.1% were men. The overall in-hospital survival rate was 35.6%. Compared to survivors, nonsurvivors were more likely to have an ischemic etiology, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and higher lactate levels. Survivors had higher SAVE (-5.9 vs. -11.4) and modified SAVE (4.2 vs. -7.1) scores than nonsurvivors (both p = 0.001), but SOFA (9.7 vs. 10.3) and ENCOURAGE (24.8 vs. 26.8) scores were similar (both p > 0.1). In multivariate models, only modified SAVE score remained statistically significant (hazard ratio: 0.96, 95% confidence interval: 0.93-1.00; p = 0.047). Modified SAVE score showed the best risk discrimination (AUC = 0.78). CONCLUSIONS: Establishing regular and continual training protocols can enable cardiologists to perform emergency PCPS (without on-site surgery) and daily care for patients with refractory cardiogenic shock. The modified SAVE score facilitates risk stratification and future decision-making processes.

Acute Kidney Injury Classification for Critically Ill Cirrhotic Patients: A Comparison of the KDIGO, AKIN, and RIFLE Classifications.

Critically ill cirrhotic patients have high mortality rates, particularly when they present with acute kidney injury (AKI) on admission. The Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) group aimed to standardize the definition of AKI and recently published a new AKI classification. However, the efficacy of the KDIGO classification for predicting outcomes of critically ill cirrhotic patients is unclear. We prospectively enrolled 242 cirrhotic patients from a 10-bed specialized hepatogastroenterology intensive care unit (ICU) in a 2000-bed tertiary-care referral hospital. Demographic parameters and clinical variables on day 1 of admission were prospectively recorded. The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 62.8%. Liver diseases were usually attributed to hepatitis B viral infection (26.9%). The major cause of ICU admission was upper gastrointestinal bleeding (38.0%). Our result showed that the KDIGO classification had better discriminatory power than RIFLE and AKIN criteria in predicting in-hospital mortality. Cumulative survival rates at the 6-month after hospital discharge differed significantly between patients with and without AKI on ICU admission day. In summary, we identified that the outcome prediction performance of KDIGO classification is superior to that of AKIN or RIFLE classification in critically ill cirrhotic patients.

Development of in vitro tooth staining model and usage of catalysts to elevate the effectiveness of tooth bleaching.

OBJECTIVES: Whole blood or tea was frequently used to stain the teeth for measuring the effectiveness of different bleaching materials. However, the components of blood or tea cannot be quantitatively determined and variability might exist among different brands of tea. The purpose of this study was to develop a reproducible in vitro tooth-staining model to simulate the intrinsic discoloration of teeth and evaluate the ability of two catalysts to enhance the bleaching activity of H(2)O(2). METHODS: Rhodamine B, Orange II, Fe(III) phthalocyanine, and tea were used to stain the tooth specimens for 4-72 h and subsequently bleached by H(2)O(2) for 4-72 h. The process was photographed using a digital stereoscopic microscope and a digital camera. The image was transformed to get L*, a*, b* values of CIE Lab system with image processing software. The catalytic ability of light irradiation plus addition of Fe/Sodium-Y or Mn/Sodium-Y for specimens stained by Orange II was evaluated in test tubes and in extracted tooth model. RESULTS: The color of specimens stained by Rhodamine B could not be sufficiently recovered after bleaching by H(2)O(2). In addition, the reaction of Fe(III) phthalocyanine with H(2)O(2) in test tubes was too fast to be monitored. Light activation plus use of Fe/Sodium-Y or Mn/Sodium-Y could significantly accelerate the bleaching efficiency of H(2)O(2). SIGNIFICANCE: Orange II was the most appropriate dye for tooth staining among the dyes used in this study. Addition of Fe/Sodium-Y or Mn/Sodium-Y plus light irradiation could elevate the bleaching efficacy of H(2)O(2) for those specimens stained by Orange II.