Ntsr1 contributes to pulmonary hypertension by enhancing endoplasmic reticulum stress via JAK2-STAT3-Thbs1 signaling.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a severe clinical syndrome with pulmonary vascular remodeling and poor long-term prognosis. Neurotensin receptor 1 (Ntsr1), serve as one of the G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), implicates in various biological processes, but the potential effects of Ntsr1 in PH development are unclear. The Sugen/Hypoxia (SuHx) or monocrotaline (MCT) induced rat PH model was used in our study and the PH rats showed aggravated pulmonary artery remodeling and increased right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP). Our results revealed that Ntsr1 induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response via ATF6 activation contributed to the development of PH. Moreover, RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and phosphoproteomics were performed and the Ntsr1-JAK2-STAT3-thrombospondin 1 (Thbs1)-ATF6 signaling was distinguished as the key pathway. In vitro, pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) under hypoxia condition showed enhanced proliferation and migration properties, which could be inhibited by Ntsr1 knockdown, JAK2 inhibitor (Fedratinib) treatment, STAT3 inhibitior (Stattic) treatment, Thbs1 knockdown or ATF6 knockdown. In addition, adeno-associated virus 1 (AAV1) were used to knockdown the expression of Ntsr1, Thbs1 or ATF6 in rats and reversed the phenotype of PH. In summary, our results reveal that Ntsr1-JAK2-STAT3-Thbs1 pathway can induce enhanced ER stress via ATF6 activation and increased PASMC proliferation and migration capacities, which can be mechanism of the pulmonary artery remodeling and PH. Targeting Ntsr1 might be a novel therapeutic strategy to ameliorate PH.

Zbtb16 increases susceptibility of atrial fibrillation in type 2 diabetic mice via Txnip-Trx2 signaling.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent sustained cardiac arrhythmia, and recent epidemiological studies suggested type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is an independent risk factor for the development of AF. Zinc finger and BTB (broad-complex, tram-track and bric-a-brac) domain containing 16 (Zbtb16) serve as transcriptional factors to regulate many biological processes. However, the potential effects of Zbtb16 in AF under T2DM condition remain unclear. Here, we reported that db/db mice displayed higher AF vulnerability and Zbtb16 was identified as the most significantly enriched gene by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis in atrium. In addition, thioredoxin interacting protein (Txnip) was distinguished as the key downstream gene of Zbtb16 by Cleavage Under Targets and Tagmentation (CUT&Tag) assay. Mechanistically, increased Txnip combined with thioredoxin 2 (Trx2) in mitochondrion induced excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) release, calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) overactivation, and spontaneous Ca2+ waves (SCWs) occurrence, which could be inhibited through atrial-specific knockdown (KD) of Zbtb16 or Txnip by adeno-associated virus 9 (AAV9) or Mito-TEMPO treatment. High glucose (HG)-treated HL-1 cells were used to mimic the setting of diabetic in vitro. Zbtb16-Txnip-Trx2 signaling-induced excess ROS release and CaMKII activation were also verified in HL-1 cells under HG condition. Furthermore, atrial-specific Zbtb16 or Txnip-KD reduced incidence and duration of AF in db/db mice. Altogether, we demonstrated that interrupting Zbtb16-Txnip-Trx2 signaling in atrium could decrease AF susceptibility via reducing ROS release and CaMKII activation in the setting of T2DM.

Higher Sodium Channel Excitability in Cardiac Purkinje Fibers: Implications for Multifocal Ectopic Purkinje-Related Premature Contractions.

BACKGROUND: Multifocal ectopic Purkinje-related premature contractions (MEPPCs) are associated with SCN5A variants. However, it is not well understood why Purkinje fibers, but not ventricular myocardium, play a predominant role in arrhythmogenesis. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to explore the underlying mechanisms of MEPPC. METHODS: Whole-cell patch-clamp and molecular biology techniques were used in the present study. RESULTS: Clinical data from one patient with R814W variant showed MEPPC syndrome, which is well responsive to amiodarone. Compared with canine ventricular myocytes, Purkinje cells (PCs) had significantly larger sodium current (INa), leftward shift of INa activation and inactivation curves, suggesting higher sodium channel excitability in PCs. Real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis showed that the mRNA and protein expression of NaVß1 and NaVß3 was higher in canine Purkinje fibers than in ventricular myocardium. INa in heterologous Chinese hamster ovary cell expression system co-expressing NaV1.5 and NaVß1/NaVß3 exhibited similar biophysical properties of INa in PCs. R814W variant shifted INa activation in a hyperdepolarized direction, caused a larger window current, and generated an outward-gating pore current at depolarized voltages. Coexpression of NaVß1/NaVß3 with Nav1.5-R814W further left-shifted INa activation and caused an even larger window current and gating pore current, suggesting higher susceptibility of Purkinje fibers to R814W variant. Amiodarone inhibited INa, shifted its inactivation to more negative voltages, and significantly decreased the window current. CONCLUSIONS: A higher expression of ß1 and ß3 subunits contributes to higher sodium channel excitability in cardiac Purkinje fibers, making them more susceptible to MEPPC.

Loss-of-function CFTR p.G970D missense mutation might cause congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens and be associated with impaired spermatogenesis.

Congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD) is observed in 1%-2% of males presenting with infertility and is clearly associated with cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutations. CFTR is one of the most well-known genes related to male fertility. The frequency of CFTR mutations or impaired CFTR expression is increased in men with nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA). CFTR mutations are highly polymorphic and have established ethnic specificity. Compared with F508Del in Caucasians, the p.G970D mutation is reported to be the most frequent CFTR mutation in Chinese patients with cystic fibrosis. However, whether p.G970D participates in male infertility remains unknown. Herein, a loss-of-function CFTR p.G970D missense mutation was identified in a patient with CBAVD and NOA. Subsequent retrospective analysis of 122 Chinese patients with CBAVD showed that the mutation is a common pathogenic mutation (4.1%, 5/122), excluding polymorphic sites. Furthermore, we generated model cell lines derived from mouse testes harboring the homozygous Cftr p.G965D mutation equivalent to the CFTR variant in patients. The Cftr p.G965D mutation may be lethal in spermatogonial stem cells and spermatogonia and affect the proliferation of spermatocytes and Sertoli cells. In spermatocyte GC-2(spd)ts (GC2) Cftr p.G965D cells, RNA splicing variants were detected and CFTR expression decreased, which may contribute to the phenotypes associated with impaired spermatogenesis. Thus, this study indicated that the CFTR p.G970D missense mutation might be a pathogenic mutation for CBAVD in Chinese males and associated with impaired spermatogenesis by affecting the proliferation of germ cells.

Clinical observation of mineralized collagen bone grafting after curettage of benign bone tumors.

Curettage of benign bone tumor is a common cause for bone defect. For such bone defect repair, autogenous bone, allogeneic bone and traditional artificial bone graft substitutes have many disadvantages. In recent years, a biomimetic mineralized collagen (MC) with similar composition and microstructures to the natural bone matrix was developed and used for treating various bone defects. In this work, a retrospective study analyzed clinical outcomes of patients treated with curettage of benign bone tumors and bone grafting with MC, in comparison to another group treated with the same surgical method and autogenous bone. Lane-Sandhu X-ray score of the autogenous bone group was superior to the MC group at 1 month after the operation, but the two groups had no statistical difference at 6 and 12 months. The MC group was better in Musculoskeletal Tumor Society scoring at 1 and 6 months after the operation, and the two groups had no statistical difference at 12 month. Therefore, the MC performed not as good as autogenous bone in early stage of bone healing but achieved comparable outcomes in long-term follow-ups. Moreover, the MC has advantages in function recovery and avoided potential complications induced by harvesting autogenous bone.

Protective role of silibinin against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury-induced cardiac dysfunction.

Silibinin is a traditional medicine and utilized for liver protection with antioxidant, anti-inflammation and anti-apoptosis properties. However, its role in myocardial I/R injury and the mechanism involved is currently unknown. In the present study, Silibinin treatment improves cardiac function and limits infarct size, and subsequently inhibits fibrotic remodeling in mice with myocardial I/R injury. Mechanistically, silibinin reduces cardiomyocytes apoptosis, attenuates mitochondrial impairment and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, alleviates ROS generation, neutrophil infiltration and cytokines release. Consistently, silibinin prevents H9C2 cells from hypoxia/reperfusion-induced cell death, oxidative stress and inflammation in vitro. Furthermore, H9C2 cells treated with silibinin blocks NF-κB signaling activation by inhibiting IKKα phosphorylation, IκBα degradation and p65 NF-κB nuclear translocation during hypoxia/ reperfusion. In addition, silibinin plus BAY 11-7082 (a selected NF-κB inhibitor) do not provide incremental benefits in improving myocytes apoptosis, oxidative stress and inflammation in comparison with NF-κB signaling inhibition only. Thus, silibinin-mediated cardioprotection in myocardial I/R injury is associated with decreased apoptosis, oxidative stress and inflammatory response through deactivation of NF-κB pathway.

Efficacy and Safety of Adjunctive Substrate Modification During Pulmonary Vein Isolation for Atrial Fibrillation: A Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy and safety of adjuvant substrate modification (SM; either linear ablation [LA] or complex fractionated atrial electrogram [CFAE] ablation) in addition to pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) for the treatment of symptomatic, drug-refractory atrial fibrillation (AF), have still not been clarified and need further assessment. METHOD: We systematically searched the PubMed, MEDLINE, and Cochrane databases for studies comparing PVI with adjunctive SM versus PVI alone for treatment of drug-refractory AF. RESULTS: Twenty-six (26) studies including 3,409 patients (1,975 PVI + SM; 1,434 PVI alone) were included for further analysis. Atrial fibrillation/atrial tachycardia-free survival of patients with PVI + SM was comparable with that of PVI alone (relative risk [RR], 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.98-1.14; p = 0.143). In line with this, the primary clinical outcomes were robust, irrespective of additional LA (RR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.97-1.18; p = 0.194) or CFAE ablation (RR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.93-1.16; p = 0.534). Adjuvant SM is associated with longer procedural time (weighted mean difference, 20.72; 95% CI, 10.25-31.20; p = 0.0) and fluoroscopy time (weighted mean difference, 6.66; 95% CI, 1.74-11.58; p = 0.000); surprisingly, it presented similar procedure-related complications as PVI alone during AF catheter ablation (RR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.68-1.50; p = 0.946). CONCLUSIONS: Adjuvant LA or CFAE ablation do not provide incremental benefit over PVI alone. Although substrate-based ablation markedly prolonged procedural and fluoroscopic duration, there was no evidence of increased risk of procedure-related complications.

Macrophages facilitate post myocardial infarction arrhythmias: roles of gap junction and KCa3.1.

Effective therapeutic targets against post-myocardial infarction (MI) arrhythmias remain to be discovered. We aimed to investigate the role of macrophages in post-MI arrhythmias. Methods: Mononuclear cell accumulation, macrophage polarization from M0 to M1 subset, and gap junction formation were analyzed in MI patients and MI mice by flow cytometry, immunofluorescence and patch clamping. Differentially expressed genes were identified by RNA sequencing. Macrophages and cardiomyocytes were cocultured in vitro, and the effects of gap junction and KCa3.1 on electrophysiological properties were assessed by patch clamping. The effects of KCa3.1 inhibition on post-MI arrhythmias were assessed by intracardiac stimulation and ambulatory electrocardiograms in vivo. Results: Percentage of pro-inflammatory mononuclear cells were significantly elevated in patients with post-MI arrhythmias compared with MI patients without arrhythmias and healthy controls (p<0.001). Macrophages formed gap junction with cardiomyocytes in MI border zones of MI patient and mice, and pro-inflammatory macrophages were significantly increased 3 days post-MI (p<0.001). RNA sequencing identified Kcnn4 as the most differentially expressed gene encoding ion channel, and the upregulation is mainly attributed to macrophage accumulation and polarization into pro-inflammatory subset. In vitro coculture experiments demonstrated that connection with M0 macrophages via gap junction slightly shortened the action potential durations (APDs) of cardiomyocytes. However, the APD90 of cardiomyocytes connected with M1 macrophages were significantly prolonged (p<0.001), which were effectively attenuated by gap junction inhibition (p=0.002), KCa3.1 inhibition (p=0.008), KCa3.1 silencing (p<0.001) and store-operated Ca2+ channel inhibition (p=0.005). In vivo results demonstrated that KCa3.1 inhibition significantly decreased the QTc durations (p=0.031), intracardiac stimulation-induced ventricular arrhythmia durations (p=0.050) and incidence of premature ventricular contractions (p=0.030) in MI mice. Conclusion: Macrophage polarization leads to APD heterogeneity and post-MI arrhythmias via gap junction and KCa3.1 activation. The results provide evidences of a novel mechanism of post-MI heterogeneous repolarization and arrhythmias, rendering macrophages and KCa3.1 to be potential therapeutic targets.

A Meta-Analysis of Resveratrol Protects against Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury: Evidence from Small Animal Studies and Insight into Molecular Mechanisms.

AIMS: Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a leading cause of cardiomyocyte loss and subsequent ventricular dysfunction after restoring the coronary blood flow and contributes to considerable increase in morbidity and mortality. Resveratrol has been declared to confer cardioprotection against in vivo and ex vivo myocardial I/R injury. Here, we have sought to investigate the effects of preconditioning with resveratrol on myocardial I/R damage across the small animal studies. METHODS AND RESULTS: The MEDLINE, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Cochrane databases were searched for preclinical studies investigating resveratrol vs. vehicle published from the inception to July 2018. Eventually, 10 in vivo and 7 ex vivo studies with 261 animals (130 for resveratrol; 131 for vehicle) were included for meta-analysis. Pooled estimates for primary outcomes demonstrated that pretreatment with resveratrol significantly reduced the infarct size after myocardial I/R injury irrespective of in vivo (weighted mean difference (WMD): -13.42, 95% CI: -16.63 to -10.21, P ≤ 0.001) or ex vivo (WMD: -15.05, 95% CI: -18.23 to -11.86, P ≤ 0.001) studies. Consistently, stratified analysis according to the reperfusion duration, route of administration, or timing regimen of pretreatment all showed the infarct-sparing benefit of resveratrol. Metaregression did not indicate any difference in infarct size based on species, sample size, state, route of administration, reperfusion duration, and timing regimen of pretreatment. Meanwhile, sensitivity analysis also identified the cardioprotection of resveratrol with robust results in spite of significant heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS: Preconditioning with resveratrol appears to prevent the heart from I/R injury in comparison with vehicle, as evidenced by limited infarct size in a preclinical setting. Studies with large animals or randomized controlled trials will add more evidence and provide the rationale for clinical use.

A novel mutation KCNQ1p.Thr312del is responsible for long QT syndrome type 1.

Patients with high-risk long QT syndrome (LQTS) mutations may experience life-threatening cardiac events. The present study sought to characterize a novel pathogenic mutation, KCNQ1p.Thr312del, in a Chinese LQT1 family. Clinical and genetic analyses were performed to identify this novel causative gene mutation in this LQTS family. Autosomal dominant inheritance of KCNQ1p.T312del was demonstrated in the three-generation pedigree. All mutation carriers presented with prolonged QT intervals and experienced recurrent syncope during exercise or emotional stress. The functional consequences of the mutant channel were investigated by computer homology modeling as well as whole-cell patch-clamp, western-blot and co-immunoprecipitation techniques using transfected mammalian cells. T312 is in the selectivity filter (SF) of the pore region of the KCNQ1-encoded channel. Homology modeling suggested that secondary structure was altered in the mutant SF compared with the wild-type (WT) SF. There were no significant differences in Kv7.1 expression, membrane trafficking or physical interactions with KCNE1-encoded subunits between the WT and mutant transfected channels. However, the KCNQ1p.T312del channels expressed in transfected cells were non-functional in the absence or presence of auxiliary KCNE1-subunits. Dominant-negative suppression of current density and decelerated activation kinetics were observed in cells expressing KCNQ1WT and KCNQ1p.T312del combined with KCNE1 (KCNQ1WT/p.T312del + KCNE1 channels). Those electrophysiological characteristics underlie the pathogenesis of this novel mutation and also suggest a high risk of cardiac events in patients carrying KCNQ1p.T312del. Although protein kinase A-dependent current increase was preserved, a significant suppression of rate-dependent current facilitation was noted in the KCNQ1WT/p.T312del + KCNE1 channels compared to the WT channels during 1- and 2-Hz stimulation, which was consistent with the patients' phenotype being triggered by exercise. Overall, KCNQ1p.Thr312del induces a loss of function in channel electrophysiology, and it is a high-risk mutation responsible for LQT1.

[Current progress in single sperm cryopreservation].

Sperm cryopreservation has been widely used in assisted reproduction, but conventional techniques are not suitable for the cryopreservation of small numbers of sperm. The application of the single sperm cryopreservation technique has significantly improved the clinical treatment of cryptozoospermia and non-obstructive azoospermia. Ever since Cohen et al first developed the method of single sperm cryopreservation in 1997, constant efforts have been made to develop the carriers for this technique. In this review, we mainly discuss the existing methods and clinical outcomes of single sperm cryopreservation.

The transient receptor potential melastatin 4 channel inhibitor 9-phenanthrol modulates cardiac sodium channel.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: 9-Phenanthrol, known as a specific inhibitor of the transient receptor potential melastatin 4 (TRMP4) channel, has been shown to modulate cardiac electrical activity and exert antiarrhythmic effects. However, its pharmacological effects remain to be fully explored. Here, we tested the hypothesis that cardiac sodium current inhibition contributes to the cardioprotective effect of 9-phenanthrol. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Single ventricular myocytes (VMs) and Purkinje cells (PCs) were enzymatically isolated from rabbits. Arterially perfused rabbit wedge preparations were also used, and transmural electrocardiogram and endocardial action potentials (APs) were simultaneously recorded. Wild-type and mutated human recombinant SCN5A were expressed in HEK293 cells. Anemonia toxin II (ATX-II) was used to amplify the late sodium current (INaL ) and induce arrhythmias. Whole-cell patch clamp technique was used to record APs and ionic currents. KEY RESULTS: 9-Phenanthrol (10-50 µM) stabilized ventricular repolarization and abolished arrhythmias induced by ATX-II in both isolated VMs, PCs and wedge preparations. Further study revealed that 9-phenanthrol modulated the gating properties of cardiac sodium channels and dose-dependently inhibited INaL and peak sodium current (INaP ) in VMs with an IC50 of 18 and 71.5 µM respectively. Its ability to inhibit INaL was further confirmed in PCs and HEK293 cells expressing SCN5A mutations. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Our results indicate that 9-phenanthrol modulates the gating properties of cardiac sodium channels and inhibits INaL and INaP , which may contribute to its antiarrhythmic and cardioprotective effects.

ICaL and Ito mediate rate-dependent repolarization in rabbit atrial myocytes

Rate-dependent repolarization (RDR) of action potential (AP) in cardiomyocyte plays a critical role in the genesis of arrhythmias and RDR in atrium has been linked with atrial fibrillation. However, detailed studies focusing on the role of RDR in rabbit atrium are scant. In this study, atrial cells were isolated from rabbit heart and rate-dependent property was explored in single atrial cell to elucidate the underlying mechanism. Our results indicated that rate-dependent prolongation was evident at the action potential duration at 20% (APD20) and 50% (APD50) repolarization but not at 90% repolarization (APD90) under control condition. Using transient outward potassium current (Ito) inhibitor 4-Aminopyridine (4-AP, 2 mM) effectively eliminated the changes in APD20 and APD50, and unmasked the rate-dependent reduction of APD90 which could be diminished by further adding L-type calcium current (ICaL) inhibitor nifedipine (30 μM). However, using the selective late sodium current (INaL) inhibitor GS-458967 (GS967, 1 μM) caused minimal effect on APD90 of atrial cells both in the absence and presence of 4-AP. In consistence with results from APs, Ito and ICaL displayed significant rate-dependent reduction because of their slow reactivation kinetics. In addition, the magnitude of INaL in rabbit atrium was so small that its rate-dependent changes were negligible. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that Ito and ICaL mediate RDR of AP in rabbit atrium, while minimal effect of INaL was seen

ICaL and Ito mediate rate-dependent repolarization in rabbit atrial myocytes.

Rate-dependent repolarization (RDR) of action potential (AP) in cardiomyocyte plays a critical role in the genesis of arrhythmias and RDR in atrium has been linked with atrial fibrillation. However, detailed studies focusing on the role of RDR in rabbit atrium are scant. In this study, atrial cells were isolated from rabbit heart and rate-dependent property was explored in single atrial cell to elucidate the underlying mechanism. Our results indicated that rate-dependent prolongation was evident at the action potential duration at 20% (APD20) and 50% (APD50) repolarization but not at 90% repolarization (APD90) under control condition. Using transient outward potassium current (Ito) inhibitor 4-Aminopyridine (4-AP, 2 mM) effectively eliminated the changes in APD20 and APD50, and unmasked the rate-dependent reduction of APD90 which could be diminished by further adding L-type calcium current (ICaL) inhibitor nifedipine (30 µM). However, using the selective late sodium current (INaL) inhibitor GS-458967 (GS967, 1 µM) caused minimal effect on APD90 of atrial cells both in the absence and presence of 4-AP. In consistence with results from APs, Ito and ICaL displayed significant rate-dependent reduction because of their slow reactivation kinetics. In addition, the magnitude of INaL in rabbit atrium was so small that its rate-dependent changes were negligible. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that Ito and ICaL mediate RDR of AP in rabbit atrium, while minimal effect of INaL was seen.

Role of contact force-guided radiofrequency catheter ablation for treatment of atrial fibrillation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: CF-sensing catheter emerged as a novel ablation technology and was increasingly used in clinical practice. Nonetheless, available evidence of efficacy and safety comparison between CF-guided RF catheter ablation and non-CF-guided ablation for treatment of AF was still lacking. METHODS AND RESULTS: Twenty-two eligible studies were included after systematic review through the MEDLINE, Google Scholar, the Cochrane Library and PubMed databases. AF/atrial tachycardia-free survival was markedly improved in CF-guided catheter ablation compared with non-CF-guided ablation at a median 12-month follow-up (RR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.06-1.19, P = 0.000, fixed). Notably, CF-guided catheter ablation presented a robust survival benefit for treatment of paroxysmal AF (RR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.03-1.18, P = 0.005, fixed), but not persistent AF (RR: 1.07, 95% CI: 0.89-1.28, P = 0.466, fixed). Moreover, procedure time (WMD: -23.87, 95% CI: -33.83 to -13.91, P = 0.000, random), fluoroscopy time (WMD: -7.78, 95% CI: -13.93 to -1.63, P = 0.013, random) and RF time (WMD: -3.98, 95% CI: -7.78 to -0.17, P = 0.040, random) were significantly reduced in CF-guided catheter ablation. The incidence of procedure-related complications did not differ between these two technologies (RR: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.59 to 1.16, P = 0.271, fixed). CONCLUSION: CF-guided RF catheter ablation was associated with a significant AF/atrial tachycardia-free survival benefit compared with non-CF-guided ablation in patients with paroxysmal AF rather than persistent AF. In addition, CF-guided ablation strategy also reduced the procedure time, fluoroscopy time, as well as RF time despite no distinct effect on the alleviation of procedure-related complications.

Role of adenosine-guided pulmonary vein isolation in patients undergoing catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation: a meta-analysis.

AIMS: Adenosine had been reported to unmask dormant conduction and thus identify pulmonary vein at risk of reconnection. However, the role of adjunctive adenosine infusion after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) on long-term arrhythmia-free survival was still contentious. The purpose of the present meta-analysis was to assess the association of adenosine testing with long-term ablation success in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) (i.e. freedom from AF recurrence). METHODS AND RESULTS: We systematically searched the electronic databases and finally included 10 studies, with 1771 patients undergoing adenosine-guided PVI and 1787 patients undergoing conventional PVI. In comparison to conventional PVI alone, adenosine-guided PVI improved the arrhythmia-free survival by 17% during a median follow-up of 12 months [relative risk (RR): 1.17; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07 to 1.27; P = 0.014]. Patients undergoing adenosine-guided PVI had similar fluoroscopy time to those who undergoing conventional PVI [weighted mean difference (WMD): 1.76; 95% CI: -5.66 to 9.17; P = 0.64], despite longer procedure time (WMD: 20.6; 95% CI: 0.70 to 40.50; P = 0.042). CONCLUSION: From the available data of clinical studies, adenosine-guided PVI was associated with an increased arrhythmia-free survival when compared with conventional PVI in patients undergoing catheter ablation for AF.

Crucial Role of ROCK2-Mediated Phosphorylation and Upregulation of FHOD3 in the Pathogenesis of Angiotensin II-Induced Cardiac Hypertrophy.

Cardiac hypertrophy is characterized by increased myofibrillogenesis. Angiotensin II (Ang-II) is an essential mediator of the pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy in part through RhoA/ROCK (small GTPase/Rho-associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase) pathway. FHOD3 (formin homology 2 domain containing 3), a cardiac-restricted member of diaphanous-related formins, is crucial in regulating myofibrillogenesis in cardiomyocytes. FHOD3 maintains inactive through autoinhibition by an intramolecular interaction between its C- and N-terminal domains. Phosphorylation of the 3 highly conserved residues (1406S, 1412S, and 1416T) within the C terminus (CT) of FHOD3 by ROCK1 is sufficient for its activation. However, it is unclear whether ROCK-mediated FHOD3 activation plays a role in the pathogenesis of Ang-II-induced cardiac hypertrophy. In this study, we detected increases in FHOD3 expression and phosphorylation in cardiomyocytes from Ang-II-induced rat cardiac hypertrophy models. Valsartan attenuated such increases. In cultured neonate rat cardiomyocytes, overexpression of phosphor-mimetic mutant FHOD3-DDD, but not wild-type FHOD3, resulted in myofibrillogenesis and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Expression of a phosphor-resistant mutant FHOD3-AAA completely abolished myofibrillogenesis and attenuated Ang-II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Pretreatment of neonate rat cardiomyocytes with ROCK inhibitor Y27632 reduced Ang-II-induced FHOD3 activation and upregulation, suggesting the involvement of ROCK activities. Silencing of ROCK2, but not ROCK1, in neonate rat cardiomyocytes, significantly lessened Ang-II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. ROCK2 can directly phosphorylate FHOD3 at both 1412S and 1416T in vitro and is more potent than ROCK1. Both kinases failed to phosphorylate 1406S. Coexpression of FHOD3 with constitutively active ROCK2 induced more stress fiber formation than that with constitutively active ROCK1. Collectively, our results demonstrated the importance of ROCK2 regulated FHOD3 expression and activation in Ang-II-induced myofibrillogenesis, thus provided a novel mechanism for the pathogenesis of Ang-II-induced cardiac hypertrophy.

Oxidative Stress-Induced Afterdepolarizations and Protein Kinase C Signaling.

BACKGROUND: Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative stress has been demonstrated to induce afterdepolarizations and triggered activities in isolated myocytes, but the underlying mechanisms remain not fully understood. We aimed to explore whether protein kinase C (PKC) activation plays an important role in oxidative stress-induced afterdepolarizations. METHODS: Action potentials and ion currents of isolated rabbit cardiomyocytes were recorded using the patch clamp technique. H2O2 (1 mM) was perfused to induce oxidative stress and the specific classical PKC inhibitor, Gö 6983 (1 µM), was applied to test the involvement of PKC. RESULTS: H2O2 perfusion prolonged the action potential duration and induced afterdepolarizations. Pretreatment with Gö 6983 prevented the emergence of H2O2-induced afterdepolarizations. Additional application of Gö 6983 with H2O2 effectively suppressed H2O2-induced afterdepolarizations. H2O2 increased the late sodium current (INa,L) (n = 7, p < 0.01) and the L-type calcium current (ICa,L) (n = 5, p < 0.01), which were significantly reversed by Gö 6983 (p < 0.01). H2O2 also increased the transient outward potassium current (Ito) (n = 6, p < 0.05). However, Gö 6983 showed little effect on H2O2-induced enhancement of Ito. CONCLUSIONS: H2O2 induced afterdepolarizations via the activation of PKC and the enhancement of ICa,L and INa,L. These results provide evidence of a link between oxidative stress, PKC activation and afterdepolarizations.

Haplodeficiency of activin receptor-like kinase 4 alleviates myocardial infarction-induced cardiac fibrosis and preserves cardiac function.

Cardiac fibrosis (CF), a repairing process following myocardial infarction (MI), is characterized by abnormal proliferation of cardiac fibroblasts and excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) resulting in inevitable resultant heart failure. TGF-ß (transforming growth factor-ß)/ALK5 (Activin receptor-like kinase 5)/Smad2/3/4 pathways have been reported to be involved in the process. Recent studies have implicated both activin and its specific downstream component ALK4 in stimulating fibrosis in non-cardiac organs. We recently reported that ALK4 is upregulated in the pressure-overloaded heart and its partial inhibition attenuated the pressure overload-induced CF and cardiac dysfunction. However, the role of ALK4 in the pathogenesis of MI-induced CF, which is usually more severe than that induced by pressure-overload, remains unknown. Here we report: 1) In a wild-type mouse model of MI, ALK4 upregulation was restricted in the fibroblasts of the infarct border zone; 2) In contrast, ALK4+/- mice with a haplodeficiency of ALK4 gene, showed a significantly attenuated CF in the border zone, with a smaller scar size, a preserved cardiac function and an improved survival rate post-MI; 3) Similarly to pressure-overloaded heart, these beneficial effects might be through a partial inactivation of the Smad3/4 pathway but not MAPK cascades; 4) The apoptotic rate of the cardiomyocytes were indistinguishable in the border zone of the wild-type control and ALK4+/- mice; 5) Cardiac fibroblasts isolated from ALK4+/- mice showed reduced migration, proliferation and ECM synthesis in response to hypoxia. These results indicate that partial inhibition of ALK4 may reduce MI-induced CF, suggesting ALK4 as a novel target for inhibition of unfavorable CF and for preservation of LV systolic function induced by not only pressure-overload but also MI.

Cryoablation vs. radiofrequency ablation for treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIMS: Cryoablation is a promising alternative technique to RF ablation for treating paroxysmal AF with encouraging results. However, data about the efficacy and safety comparison between cryoablation and RF ablation is still lacking. METHODS AND RESULTS: We systematically search the PubMed, the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE and Google Scholar databases, and finally identify 16 eligible studies including 7195 patients (2863 for cryoablation; 4332 for RF ablation). Freedom from AF/atrial tachycardial replase is slightly higher in cryoablation than RF ablation during a median 12 months of follow-up, with no statistical significant (RR: 1.05, 95% CI: 0.98-1.13, P = 0.159). In cryoablation, the procedure time is substantially shortened (WMD: -27.66, 95% CI: -45.24 to - 10.08, P = 0.002), whereas the fluoroscopy time is identical to RF ablation (WMD: -0.37, 95% CI: -2.78 to 2.04, P = 0.763). Procedure-related adverse events in cryoablation are parallel with that in RF ablation (RR: 1.08, 95% CI: 0.86-1.35, P = 0.159). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with RF ablation, cryoablation present a comparable long-term AF/atrial tachycardial-free survival and procedure-related adverse events. Meanwhile, cryoablation markedly shorten the procedure time, nonetheless, with negligible impact on the fluoroscopy time.