A novel Nanocellulose-Gelatin-AS-IV external stent resists EndMT by activating autophagy to prevent restenosis of grafts.

Vein grafts are widely used for coronary artery bypass grafting and hemodialysis access, but restenosis remains the "Achilles' heel" of these treatments. An extravascular stent is one wrapped around the vein graft and provides mechanical strength; it can buffer high arterial pressure and secondary vascular dilation of the vein to prevent restenosis. In this study, we developed a novel Nanocellulose-gelatin hydrogel, loaded with the drug Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) as an extravascular scaffold to investigate its ability to reduce restenosis. We found that the excellent physical and chemical properties of the drug AS-IV loaded Nanocellulose-gelatin hydrogel external stent limit graft vein expansion and make the stent biocompatible. We also found it can prevent restenosis by resisting endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) in vitro. It does so by activating autophagy, and AS-IV can enhance this effect both in vivo and in vitro. This study has added to existing research on the mechanism of extravascular stents in preventing restenosis of grafted veins. Furthermore, we have developed a novel extravascular stent for the prevention and treatment of restenosis. This will help optimize the clinical treatment plan of external stents and improve the prognosis in patients with vein grafts.

A Case of Giant Right Atrium Diverticulum with Atrial Septal Defect.

Right atrium diverticulum is a rare congenital malformation. We present a previously unreported case of giant right atrium diverticulum (153 × 109 mm) in a 17-year-old female patient. Echocardiographic examination also showed an atrial septal defect (11 mm). Considering the risk of right atrium rupture, we performed femoral arteriovenous cannulation first, followed by median thoracotomy. The defect was repaired with an autologous pericardial patch. The patient recovered well after the operation, and this case is referential for surgical treatment of giant right atrium diverticulum.

Forecasting of oil-spill trajectories by using SCHISM and X-band radar.

In this study, we propose a two-step strategy for tracking oil-spill trajectories. First, an X-band radar is established to monitor oil spills. Accordingly, we propose a radar image-processing technique for identifying the oil slicks from the nautical radar images. Second, we apply the SCHISM to determine the water surface elevations and currents at the event site and obtain the trajectories of the oil slicks using a Lagrangian particle-tracking method incorporated in the SCHISM. An oil-spill event caused by the container ship T. S. Taipei is used as a case study for testing the capability of the proposed oil-tracking strategy. The SCHISM simulation results for the fouled coastline obtained using the wind data from a nearby data buoy agree quite well with those obtained from field observations. However, the predicted fouled coastline based on the forecasted wind data is unsatisfactory. The reasons for the unsatisfactory prediction are discussed and revealed.