Transcatheter aortic valve replacement for aortic regurgitation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The efficacy and safety of new-generation devices (NGDs) for severe aortic regurgitation (AR) have mostly been based on single-arm studies with limited sample sizes. Our goal was to summarize the current evidence on NGDs and compare the safety and efficacy of 'off-label' and 'on-label' devices in NGDs. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Scopus for articles on transcatheter aortic valve replacement in patients with AR. A total of 31 studies that included 1851 patients were identified through April 2023. Among these, 1067 (57.6%) patients received treatment with 'on-label' devices (JenaValve and J-Valve). For NGDs, the total device success rate at 30 days was 94.5% (on-label: 97.8%, off-label: 89.9%; P < 0.001), the all-cause mortality was 4.2% (on-label: 2.6%, off-label: 5.1%; P = 0.006), permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) was 8.8% (on-label: 6.9%, off-label: 18.4%; P < 0.001), and the rate of greater-than-mild paravalvular leak (PVL) was 1.2% (on-label: 0.9%, off-label: 3.8%; P = 0.003). On-label devices showed significantly better safety and efficacy in terms of the success rate, PPI, greater-than-mild PVL, and 30 day mortality than off-label devices.

(Ca0.25La0.5Dy0.25)CrO3 Ceramic Fiber@Biomass-Derived Carbon Aerogel with Enhanced Solute Transport Channels for Highly Efficient Solar Interface Evaporation.

The use of solar interface evaporation for seawater desalination or sewage treatment is an environmentally friendly and sustainable approach; however, achieving efficient solar energy utilization and ensuring the long-term stability of the evaporation devices are two major challenges for practical application. To address these issues, we developed a novel ceramic fiber@bioderived carbon composite aerogel with a continuous through-hole structure via electrospinning and freeze-casting methods. Specifically, an aerogel was prepared by incorporating perovskite oxide (Ca0.25La0.5Dy0.25)CrO3 ceramic fibers (CCFs) and amylopectin-derived carbon (ADC). The CCFs exhibited remarkable photothermal conversion efficiencies, and the ADC served as a connecting agent and imparted hydrophilicity to the aerogel due to its abundant oxygen-containing functional groups. After optimizing the composition and microstructure, the (Ca0.25La0.5Dy0.25)CrO3 ceramic fiber@biomass-derived carbon aerogel demonstrated remarkable properties, including efficient light absorption and rapid transport of water and solutes. Under 1 kW m-2 light intensity irradiation, this novel material exhibited a high temperature (48.3 °C), high evaporation rate (1.68 kg m-2 h-1), and impressive solar vapor conversion efficiency (91.6%). Moreover, it exhibited long-term stability in water evaporation even with highly concentrated salt solutions (25 wt%). Therefore, the (Ca0.25La0.5Dy0.25)CrO3 ceramic fiber@biomass-derived carbon aerogel holds great promise for various applications of solar interface evaporation.

The first clinical data of the SAPIEN 3 aortic valve in the treatment of aortic stenosis in China.

Background: Data on outcomes following transcatheter aortic valve replacement with SAPIEN 3 in China is limited as it was approved by the National Medical Products since 2020. The present study was designed to collect clinical data on the SAPIEN 3 aortic valve in Chinese patients with bicuspid aortic valve and tricuspid aortic valve stenosis. Methods: We analyzed the patient characteristics, procedural features and procedural outcomes of the first 438 patients (223 for bicuspid aortic valve and 215 tricuspid aortic valve) from 21 provinces in 74 sites treated with the SAPIEN 3 valve system for transcatheter aortic valve replacement between September 2020 and May 2022. Results: Procedural mortality was 0.7%. 5 cases during the operation were converted to surgery. Among 438 cases, permanent pacemaker implantation was performed in a total of 12 cases (2.7%). The patient had severe leaflet calcification of the aortic valve, with moderate and severe calcification reaching 39.7% and 35.2% respectively. The size of the implanted valves was predominantly 26 mm and 23 mm, reaching 42.5% and 39.5% respectively. The incidence of moderate or severe perivalvular leak in the postoperative period was 0.5%, with a predominance of 90/10 and 80/20 valve deployment height. There was a significant difference in the deployment height of the valve between bicuspid aortic valve and tricuspid aortic valve, with the bicuspid aortic valve having a more deployment height of 90/10. Annulus size in bicuspid aortic valve group was significantly larger than tricuspid aortic valve group. Valve sizing for oversized, within size, and undersized were different between bicuspid aortic valve and tricuspid aortic valve. Conclusions: Procedural success rates were high, with similar and good results for bicuspid aortic valve and tricuspid aortic valve, low perivalvular leak for both valve types, and low permanent pacemaker implantation rates for both valve types. Annulus size, valve sizing and coronary artery height were significantly different in the BAV and TAV group.

Performance and Stability of Aemion and Aemion+ Membranes in Zero-Gap CO2 Electrolyzers with Mild Anolyte Solutions.

The dependence of performance and stability of a zero-gap CO2 electrolyzer on the properties of the anion exchange membrane (AEM) is examined. This work firstly assesses the influence of the anolyte when using an Aemion membrane and then shows that when using 10 mM KHCO3 , a CO2 electrolyzer using a next-generation Aemion+ membrane can achieve lower cell voltages and longer lifetimes due to increased water permeation. The impact of lower permselectivity of Aemion+ on water transport is also discussed. Using Aemion+, a cell voltage of 3.17 V at 200 mA cm-2 is achieved at room temperature, with a faradaic efficiency of >90 %. Stable CO2 electrolysis at 100 mA cm-2 is demonstrated for 100 h, but with reduced lifetime at 300 mA cm-2 . However, the lifetime of the cell at high current densities is shown to be increased by improving water transport characteristics of the AEM and reducing dimensional swelling, as well as by improving cathode design to reduce localized dehydration of the membrane.

Feasibility study of temporary permanent pacemaker in patients with conduction block after TAVR.

Background: Limited data exist on the use of temporary permanent pacemaker (TPPM) to reduce unnecessary PPM in patients with high-degree atrioventricular block (HAVB) after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Objectives: This study aims to determine the feasibility of TPPM in patients with HAVB after TAVR to provide prolonged pacing as a bridge. Materials and methods: One hundred and eleven consecutive patients undergoing TAVR were screened from August 2021 to June 2022. Patients with HAVB eligible for PPM were included. TPPM were used in these patients instead of conventional temporary pacing or early PPM. Patients were followed up for 1 month. Holter and pacemaker interrogation were used to determine whether to implant PPM. Results: Twenty one patients met the inclusion criteria for TPPM, of which 14 patients were third-degree AVB, 1 patient was second-degree AVB, 6 patients were first degree AVB with PR interval > 240 ms and LBBB with QRS duration > 150 ms. TPPM were placed on the 21 patients for 35 ± 7 days. Among 15 patients with HAVB, 26.7% of them (n = 4) recovered to sinus rhythm; 46.7% (n = 7) recovered to sinus rhythm with bundle branch block. The remains of 26.7% patients (n = 4) still had third-degree AVB and received PPM. For patients with first-degree AVB and LBBB, PR interval shortened to < 200 ms in all 6 patients and LBBB recovered in 2 patients. TPPM were successfully removed from all patients and no procedure-related adverse events occurred. Conclusion: TPPM is reliable and safe in the small sample of patients with conduction block after TAVR to provide certain buffer time to distinguish whether a PPM is necessary. Future studies with larger sample are needed for further validation of the current results.

An ultra-stable reference electrode for scaled all-vanadium redox flow batteries.

Redox flow batteries (RFBs) have been investigated as a promising energy storage system (ESS) for grid applications over the past several decades due to their unique features, which include the separation of energy and power output, high safety, and long cycle life. It is therefore vital but still in severe deficiency to understand the reliability of RFBs, and the mechanisms that cause degradation with time. One of the primary challenges involves the unseparated contributions from individual electrodes due to the absence of a stable reference electrode (RE), particularly for long-term cycle testing in a scaled cell. Herein, we first develop an ultra-stable RE for scaled all-vanadium RFBs. The newly developed RE, based on a dynamic hydrogen electrode (DHE) with a novel design on the area (size) and surface roughness of platinum electrodes, demonstrates high accuracy and long-term stability that enables in situ monitoring of individual electrode potentials throughout 500 cycles. By introducing the RE approach to decouple the cathode and anode in conjunction with the measurement of voltage profiles, overpotentials and polarization curves, the reliability and degradation mechanism of a scaled all-vanadium RFB are further explored, revealing the diverse behaviors of individual electrodes. This exploratory work will benefit the future design and development of a stable RE for a scaled ESS, as well as the fundamental understanding of the RFB's reliability and degradation mechanism.

Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of a novel Anatomical classification and dUal anchoRing theory to Optimize the tavR strategy for pure severe Aortic regurgitation (AURORA): a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Success rate of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in aortic regurgitation (AR) patients is relatively low on account of the absence of calcified anchoring structures. Morphological classification and corresponding TAVR strategies for AR are lacking yet. METHODS: The AURORA study is a prospective, multicenter, single-arm cohort study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of transfemoral TAVR for severe AR in patients with high or prohibitive risk for surgery. Patients who are ≥ 65 years and diagnosed with severe pure AR as defined by the Echocardiographic Core Laboratory will be consecutively enrolled for further multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) scanning and multiplanar analyses. Based on a new anatomical classification and dual anchoring theory, patients will be classified into 4 types according to the level of the anchoring area. Types 1, 2 and 3 (at least 2 anchoring areas) will undergo the TAVR procedure with a domestic Chinese self-expanding valve (VitaFlow Valve, MicroPort, Shanghai, China), whereas type 4 (0 or 1 anchoring area) patients will be considered unsuitable for TAVR and will receive medical treatment. Our goal is to recruit 100 patients to account for 10% missing data or loss of patients to follow-up. Procedural, 30-day, 6-month and 12-month outcomes will be assessed according to Valve Academic Research Consortium-3 criteria. DISCUSSION: The AURORA study will establish a new AR anatomical classification based on dual anchoring theory through MDCT multiplanar measurement and assess the safety and efficacy of TAVR guided by this new classification and strategy in AR patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This Study was registered at Chinses Clinical Trial Registry. The registration number: ChiCTR2200055415; The date of registration: 9, January 2022; The URL of the registration: http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=141209 .

Construction and validation of a gene signature related to bladder urothelial carcinoma based on immune gene analysis.

BACKGROUND: This study developed a gene signature associated with a malignant and common tumor of the urinary system, the Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma (BLCA). METHODS: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was searched to obtain 414 BLCA samples and the expression spectra of 19 normal samples. Single-sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (ssGSEA) was conducted to determine the enrichment levels in the BLCA samples of the 29 immune genes. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), single-factor Cox analysis, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression models, and GEO queues were used to determine the BLCA immune gene subtype, analyze the biological pathway differences between immune gene subtypes, determine the characteristic genes of BLCA associated with prognosis, identify the BLCA-related genes, and verify the gene signature, respectively. RESULTS: We identified two immune gene subtypes (immunity_L and immunity_H). The latter was significantly related to receptors, JAK STAT signaling pathways, leukocyte interleukin 6 generation, and cell membrane signal receptor complexes. Four characteristic genes (RBP1, OAS1, LRP1, and AGER) were identified and constituted the gene signature. Significant survival advantages, higher mutation frequency, and superior immunotherapy were observed in the low-risk group patients. The gene signature had good predictive ability. The results of the validation group were consistent with TCGA queue results. CONCLUSIONS: We constructed a 4-gene signature that helps monitor BLCA occurrence and prognosis, providing an important basis for developing personalized BLCA immunotherapy.

Early Initiation of Evolocumab Treatment in Chinese Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

PURPOSE: Evolocumab has been shown to improve cardiovascular outcomes in patients with stable atherosclerotic disease. Whether this benefit persists in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains undetermined. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the early initiation of evolocumab in Chinese patients with ACS undergoing PCI. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study involved 1564 consecutive patients who had been hospitalized with ACS and underwent PCI, and who had elevated LDL-C levels (≥1.8 mmol/L after receiving high-intensity statin therapy for ≥4 weeks; ≥2.3 mmol/L after receiving low- or moderate-intensity statin; or ≥3.2 mmol/L without statin therapy). Patients who received evolocumab (initiated in-hospital and after 18 months) were included in the evolocumab group (n = 414), and all other patients were included in the control group (n = 1150). The primary outcome at 18 months was a composite of ischemic stroke, cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, hospitalization for unstable angina, or coronary revascularization. The evolocumab treatment effect on the primary outcome was assessed in all prespecified subgroups. FINDINGS: At 18 months, evolocumab combined with statins reduced LDL-C levels from baseline levels by 42.48% compared with statins alone. After multivariable adjustment, evolocumab combined with statins significantly reduced the primary outcome (8.2% vs 12.4%; adjusted hazard ratio, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.45-0.95; P = 0.025). In addition, evolocumab consistently reduced the primary outcome across the major subgroups. For the safety outcomes, no significant differences between the groups were observed in any adverse events. IMPLICATIONS: Among Chinese patients who underwent PCI for ACS, the early initiation of evolocumab combined with statin treatment effectively reduced LDL-C levels and lowered the incidence of recurrent ischemic cardiovascular events, with satisfactory tolerability and safety. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry identifier: ChiCTR2100049364.

Long non-coding RNA NCK1-AS1 is overexpressed in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and predicts survival.

Long noncoding RNAs have shown pivotal regulatory roles in tumorigenesis and progression. NCK1-AS1 promotes cervical cancer, while its involvement in esophageal cancer is hardly known. This study enrolled 52 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients (30 males and 22 females) at the average age of 56.4 ± 6.6 years in the range from 46 to 70 years, explored the involvement of NCK1-AS1 in ESCC, and analyzed the possible interaction between NCK1-AS1 and TGF-ß signaling. Changes in gene expression were analyzed using RT-qPCR and Western blot. Interactions between gene expressions were analyzed using ESCC cells with transient transfections. Cell invasion and migration were analyzed using Transwell assays. Our data showed that plasma NCK1-AS1 was overexpressed in ESCC patients and positively correlated with NCK1-AS1 expression in tumor tissues but not in non-tumor tissues. Moreover, high plasma NCK1-AS1 levels were accompanied with poor survival. TGF-ß1 expression level was also increased in tumor tissues compared to the adjacent normal tissues and positively correlated with NCK1-AS1 in tumor tissues. TGF-ß1 overexpression in ESCC cells did not affect NCK1-AS1 expression, while NCK1-AS1 overexpression in ESCC cells upregulated TGF-ß1. Moreover, TGF-ß1 and NCK1-AS1 overexpression increased ESCC cell migration and invasion, while TGF-ß inhibitor reduced the effects of NCK1-AS1 overexpression. Overall, NCK1-AS1 may promote ESCC by upregulating TGF-ß1.

Ex-Situ Evaluation of Commercial Polymer Membranes for Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries (VRFBs).

Polymer membranes play a vital role in vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs), acting as a separator between the two compartments, an electronic insulator for maintaining electrical neutrality of the cell, and an ionic conductor for allowing the transport of ionic charge carriers. It is a major influencer of VRFB performance, but also identified as one of the major factors limiting the large-scale implementation of VRFB technology in energy storage applications due to its cost and durability. In this work, five (5) high-priority characteristics of membranes related to VRFB performance were selected as major considerable factors for membrane screening before in-situ testing. Eight (8) state-of-the-art of commercially available ion exchange membranes (IEMs) were specifically selected, evaluated and compared by a set of ex-situ assessment approaches to determine the possibility of the membranes applied for VRFB. The results recommend perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) membranes and hydrocarbon anion exchange membranes (AEMs) as the candidates for further in-situ testing, while one hydrocarbon cation exchange membrane (CEM) is not recommended for VRFB application due to its relatively high VO2+ ion crossover and low mechanical stability during/after the chemical stability test. This work could provide VRFB researchers and industry a valuable reference for selecting the polymer membrane materials before VRFB in-situ testing.

MiR-219a-2 relieves myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury by reducing calcium overload and cell apoptosis through HIF1α/ NMDAR pathway.

OBJECTIVE: During the process of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI), the intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) continues to increase, leads to the cardiomyocyte apoptosis and eventually causes myocardial damage, while the upstream regulation mechanism of calcium overload is still unknown. This study focuses on the role of miR-219a-2 in MIRI and aims to elaborate its regulatory mechanism on calcium overload that occurs during MIRI. METHODS: The expression of miR-219a-2 was determined in the heart tissues of MIRI mice by qRT-PCR. The [Ca2+]i was measured by fluo-3 using a fluorescence microplate reader. The expression of hypoxiainducible factor 1α (HIF1α) and NR1, the obligatory subunit of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor 1 (NMDAR), were measured by qRT-PCR and western blot. The luciferase reporter assay was used to confirm the interplay between miR-219a-2 and HIF1α and the interplay between HIF1α and NR1. The cell apoptosis was measured by the expression level of B-cell lymphoma 2 interacting mediator of cell death (Bim) and the number of TUNEL-positive cells. The myocardial infarct size of mice was measured by TTC/Evans Blue staining. RESULTS: MiR-219a-2 was down-regulated in the heart tissues of MIRI mice. miR-219a-2 overexpression decreased [Ca2+]i and the expression of HIF1α and NR1 in hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-treated HL-1 cells. Then, the luciferase reporter assay showed that miR-219a-2 inhibited the transcription of HIF1α and HIF1α promoted the transcription of NR1. Both HIF1α overexpression and NMDAR function enhancement removed the inhibitory effect of miR-219a-2 on calcium overload and cell apoptosis in H/R-treated HL-1 cells. Finally, the overexpression of miR-219a-2 decreased Ca2+ concentration, cell apoptosis, and myocardial infarction size in MIRI mice, while the NMDAR function enhancer reversed the therapeutic effect of miR-219a-2. CONCLUSION: MiR-219a-2 reducing NMDAR-mediated calcium overload via HIF1α/NR1 axis, thus alleviating cell apoptosis in MIRI.

An integration-free iPSC line ZZUNEUi008-A derived from dermal fibroblasts of a child with cardiac valvular dysplasia carrying a mutation in FLNA gene.

FLNA gene encodes an actin-binding protein filamin A and mutations in FLNA can causes X-Linked cardiac valvular dysplasia. In this study, we report the generation of ZZUNEUi008-A, a human induced pluripotent stem cell line from a 10-year-old male patient with c. 84G â†’ A in FLNA gene using non-integrative Sendai viral reprogramming technology. The ZZUNEUi008-A iPSC line expresses pluripotency markers, exhibits a normal male karyotype (46, XY) and can differentiate into three germ layers in vivo.

LncRNA 1700020I14Rik/miR-297a/CGRP axis suppresses myocardial cell apoptosis in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.

BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are closely related to various human diseases, but their role in myocardial injury has not been fully elucidated. In the current study, we found that the expression of lncRNA 1700020I14Rik was significantly down-regulated in myocardial injury tissues and the underlying mechanism by which lncRNA 1700020I14Rik regulated myocardial cell injury was investigated. METHODS: The model of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury and myocardial cells hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury were established and the expression of 1700020I14Rik, miR-297a or CGRP was analyzed by qRT-PCR or Western blot. Moreover, myocardial cell apoptosis was assessed by TUNEL staining and the concentration of LDH in the mouse plasma sample or myocardial cell culture supernatant was measured by the LDH cytotoxicity test kit. Furthermore, the differences of myocardial cell survival rate after H/R treatment were assessed by MTT assay and the observation of CGRP expression was performed in HL-1 cells overexpressed or silenced with 1700020I14Rik or miR-297a. In addition, the regulating function of miR-297a on 1700020I14Rik and CGRP expression was analyzed by a dual luciferase reporter assay. RESULTS: The expressions of 1700020I14Rik and CGRP were abnormally down-regulated in a model of myocardial I/R injury and myocardial cells H/R injury, while miR-297a was up-regulated. By TUNEL staining, the apoptotic rate of myocardial cells in the model of myocardial I/R injury was significantly increased. Furthermore, the concentrations of LDH in the mouse plasma sample or myocardial cell culture supernatant were significantly increased after myocardial cell injury. By MTT assay, the survival rate of cells was decreased after myocardial cells were treated with H/R. In addition, overexpression of 1700020I14Rik or knockdown of miR-297a could up-regulate CGRP protein level, while interference with 1700020I14Rik or overexpression of miR-297a produced the opposite result. Further study confirmed that lncRNA 1700020I14Rik/miR-297a/CGRP axis suppressed myocardial cell apoptosis in myocardial I/R injury. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that 1700020I14Rik was abnormally down-regulated in myocardial injury tissues. In-depth studies manifested that 1700020I14Rik/miR-297a/CGRP axis suppressed myocardial cell apoptosis in myocardial I/R injury.

Transmit BeampattarnOptimization for Automotive MIMO Radar Coexistedwith Communication in V2V Networks.

Due to the flourishing development of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications and autonomous driving, interference between radar sensing and communication signals becomes a challenging issue. We propose a transmit beamforming based spectrum sharing scheme to achieve peaceful coexistence between automotive multiple-input multiple-out (MIMO) radar and communication systems. Our objective is to maximize the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) of the automotive radar receiver subject to the communication capacity and the transmitted power budget constraints to optimize both the communication covariance matrix and the radar transmit precoder. The formulated optimization problem is non-convex, which is converted to convex by introducing a new slack variable and then solving it using the block coordinate descent, also called alternation optimization, approach. Additionally, the ellipsoid sub-gradient method is then employed to reduce the computational complexity. Simulation results demonstrate that our proposed scheme outperforms the conventional schemes.

LncRNA ANRIL knockdown relieves myocardial cell apoptosis in acute myocardial infarction by regulating IL-33/ST2.

Objective: To investigate the role of lncRNA ANRIL in the modulation of myocardial cell apoptosis in acute myocardial infarction (AMI).Methods: AMI mice model was established, and lncRNA ANRIL, IL-33 and ST2 expressions were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) or western blot. The apoptosis of myocardial cells was detected by TUNEL assay. RNA pull-down and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays were used to confirm the interaction between lncRNA ANRIL and USP17.Results: Compared with sham group, lncRNA ANRIL and ST2 expression levels were up-regulated, and the apoptosis of myocardial cells was increased in heart tissues of AMI group. Compared with normoxia group, the apoptosis of mouse myocardial cell HL-1 and primary murine myocardial cells was increased, and lncRNA ANRIL and ST2 expression levels were up-regulated in hypoxia group. We also found up-regulation of IL-33 in AMI group and hypoxia group. Besides, lncRNA ANRIL affected deubiquitinase USP17-mediated degradation of IL-33. Interfering lncRNA ANRIL reduced the apoptosis of myocardial cells through IL-33/ST2 pathway. In vivo experiments found that interfering lncRNA ANRIL relieved myocardial cell apoptosis and improved heart function in AMI mice.Conclusion: LncRNA ANRIL regulated myocardial cell apoptosis through IL-33/ST2 pathway.

Wet depositional fluxes of 7Be and 210Pb and their influencing factors at two characteristic cities of China.

The atmospheric depositional fluxes of 7Be and 210Pb in Yueyang and Hengyang were measured by the γ spectrum analysis method and their influencing factors were discussed. Results are summarized as follows: the variation ranges and average values of 7Be depositional fluxes are very close to each other in the two characteristic sampling regions, but not for 210Pb. In the same sampling region, there is a strong positive linear correlation between the depositional fluxes of two nuclides and their monthly variations are synchronous. Correlation coefficients between atmospheric depositional fluxes and different factors suggest that rainfall is the most important influencing factor, but in Hengyang sampling region, the source has great effect on the depositional fluxes of 210Pb.

MiR-128/SOX7 alleviates myocardial ischemia injury by regulating IL-33/sST2 in acute myocardial infarction.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) induced by ischemia hypoxia severely threatens human life. Cell apoptosis of neurocytes was identified to mediate the pathogenesis, while the potential mechanism was still unclear. Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were used to establish the AMI rat model. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blot were performed to detect gene expression in mRNA and protein levels, respectively. A TUNEL assay was carried out to determine cell apoptosis. The relationship between SRY-related HMG-box (SOX7) and miR-128 was verified using luciferase reporter assay. The expression of SOX7 was decreased, while miR-128 was increased in AMI rats and ischemia hypoxia (IH) induced H9c2 cells. Hypoxia induction significantly promoted the expression of interleukin (IL)-33 and soluble ST2 (sST2), and also promoted cell apoptosis. MiR-128 targets SOX7 to regulate its expression. Down-regulated miR-128 reversed the effects of IH on expression of SOX7, sST2 and cell apoptosis, while down-regulated sST2 abolished the effects of miR-128 inhibitor. In addition, overexpressed IL-33 abolished the effects of miR-128 inhibitor that induced by IH on the expression of SOX7 and cell apoptosis. In vivo experiments validated the expression of miR-128 on cell apoptosis. The present study indicated that miR-128 modulated cell apoptosis by targeting SOX7, which was mediated by IL-33/sST2 signaling pathway.

Double kissing mini-culotte versus mini-culotte stenting: insights from micro-computed tomographic imaging of bench testing.

AIMS: This study aimed to evaluate the morphologic characteristics of double kissing (DK) mini-culotte and mini-culotte stenting through imaging of bench testing. METHODS AND RESULTS: DK mini-culotte and mini-culotte stenting were performed in two silicone bifurcated phantoms with branch vessel diameter differences of 0.5 mm (Model 1) and 1.25 mm (Model 2), and their morphologic characteristics were evaluated by micro-computed tomography. In Model 1, metal carina length (0.25±0.13 mm vs 0.55±0.15 mm), area stenosis of the side branch ostium (SBO) (4.65±3.24% vs 12.5±3.93%), and maximum distance of malapposed struts for the wall facing the SBO (0.27±0.08 mm vs 0.49±0.15 mm) were lower in the DK mini-culotte group than in the mini-culotte group. In Model 2, metal carina length (0.21±0.47 mm vs 0.47±0.12 mm), SBO area stenosis (5.13±3.37% vs 15.00±6.18%), and maximum distance of malapposed struts (0.32±0.13 mm vs 0.68±0.10 mm) were also lower in the DK mini-culotte group. The results of factorial analysis showed that maximum distance of malapposed struts tended to be shorter in Model 1 (F=4.226, p=0.062). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with mini-culotte stenting, DK mini-culotte stenting was associated with shorter metal carina length, shorter maximum distance of malapposed struts, and smaller SBO area stenosis. Thus, DK mini-culotte stenting may obtain better morphologic characteristics.