Purpose
Multiple studies have shown the efficacy and potentially curative effect of catheter ablation (CA). However, CA is always accompanied by a considerable recurrence rate for atrial fibrillation ...(AF). We hypothesized that pre-procedure assessments of baseline left atrial appendage emptying flow velocity (LAAFV) and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels would help identify abnormal atrial substrate and offer preliminary evidence regarding susceptibility to AF recurrence in patients with paroxysmal or persistent AF, respectively.
Methods
In 120 patients with AF (paroxysmal, 55; persistent, 65), transesophageal echocardiography was performed with assessment of LAAFV and NT-proBNP was measured before the first AF ablation.
Results
After 12 months of follow-up, 16 patients (29.1%) in the paroxysmal AF and 23 patients (35.4%) in the persistent AF experienced recurrence of AF. In ROC analysis, a NT-proBNP value of ≥291 pg/ml in the paroxysmal AF and ≥368 pg/ml in the persistent AF discriminated AFR and non-AFR with the greatest sensitivity and specificity. In multivariate regression analysis, LAAFV (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.79–0.98,
p
= 0.023) was identified as an independent predictor of AFR in the paroxysmal AF population post-CA after adjustment for other risk factors; however, in the persistent AF population, LAAFV (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.68–0.94,
p
= 0.007) and a NT-proBNP value ≥368 pg/ml (OR 18.29, 95% CI 1.32–252.84,
p
= 0.030) were identified as independent predictors for rhythm outcome compared to other parameters.
Conclusions
In patients with persistent AF, elevated plasma NT-proBNP concentrations combined with low LAAFV were associated with rhythm outcome after AF ablation; however, LAAFV was the only independent predictor of CA efficacy in patients with paroxysmal AF.
We develop a novel method to measure the frequency response of the optoelectronic devices. In this method, an electro-absorption modulator is utilized not only as a modulator but also as a ...photodetector with the identical frequency response. Based on this property, the frequency responses of the optoelectronic devices can be obtained and the results show good consistency with the measurement results by traditional methods. Instead of using broadband modulators or photodetectors, the frequency response of high bandwidth optoelectronic devices can be measured by using the low bandwidth optoelectronic devices.
To better understand the mechanism underlying the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis and to search potential markers for HCC prognosis, differential proteomic analysis on two well-established ...HCC cell strains with high and low metastatic potentials, MHCC97-H and MHCC97-L, was conducted using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Cytokeratin 19 (CK19) was identified and found to be overexpressed in MHCC97-H as compared with MHCC97-L. This result was further confirmed by two-dimensional Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence assay. Furthermore, one-dimensional Western blot analysis showed consistently increased CK19 expression in progressively more metastatic cells. Immunohistochemical study on 102 human HCC specimens revealed that more patients in the CK19-positive group had overt intrahepatic metastases (satellite nodules, p < 0.05; vascular tumor emboli, p < 0.001; tumor node metastatis staging, p < 0.001). CK19 fragment CYFRA 21-1 levels measured in sera from nude mice model of human HCC metastasis with radioimmunoassay increased in parallel with tumor progression and rose remarkably when pulmonary metastases occurred. The results demonstrated that overexpression of CK19 in HCC cells is related to metastatic behavior. Serum CK19 level might reflect the pathological progression in some HCC and may be a useful marker for predicting tumor metastasis and a therapeutic target for the treatment of HCC patients with metastases.
Nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) are the first-line option against chronic hepatitis B (CHB). NAs produce potent suppression of viral replication with a small chance of HBsAg seroclearance and a high ...risk of virological relapse after discontinuation. The combined therapy of NAs plus traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is widely accepted and has been recognized as a prospective alternative approach in China. Based on preliminary works, this study was designed to observe the therapeutic effect of TCM plus entecavir (ETV) against HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B with respect to reducing the recurrence risk after NA withdrawal.
The study is a nationwide, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with a duration of 120 weeks. A total of 18 hospitals and 490 eligible Chinese HBeAg-positive CHB patients will be enrolled and randomly allocated into the experimental group and control group in a 1:1 ratio. Patients in the experimental group will be prescribed TCM formulae (Tiaogan-BuXu-Jiedu granules) plus ETV 0.5 mg per day for consolidation therapy for 96 weeks. Patients in the control group will be prescribed TCM granule placebo plus ETV 0.5 mg per day for the same course. After consolidation therapy, all patients will discontinue their trial drugs and be closely monitored over the next 24 weeks. Once clinical recurrence (CR) occurs, ETV treatment will be restarted. The primary outcome is the cumulative rate of CR at the end of this trial.
This study is the first of its kind to observe therapeutic effects with respect to reducing recurrence after NA withdrawals after unified integrative consolidation therapy in the CHB population.
Chinese Clinical Trial Registry No. ChiCTR1900021232 . Registered on February 2, 2019.
To investigate the metabolic regulation against oxygen supply, comparative metabolomics was performed to explore the metabolic responses of
Mortierella alpina
in the process of arachidonic acid (ARA) ...production. More than 110 metabolites involved in Embden–Meyerhof–Parnas pathway, pentose phosphate pathway, tricarboxylic acid cycle, inositol phosphate metabolism, fatty acid biosynthesis, and amino acid metabolism were identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Samples at different aeration rates were clearly distinguished by principal components analysis and partial least squares analysis, indicating that oxygen supply had a profound effect on the metabolism of
M. alpina.
Eleven major metabolites were identified as potential biomarkers to be primarily responsible for the difference of metabolism. Further study of metabolic changes with the relevant pathways demonstrated that the levels of several intermediate metabolites in relation to central carbon metabolism changed remarkably via both processes and citrate and malate was supposed to play vital roles in polyunsaturated acid (PUFA) synthesis. Increase of myo-inositol and sorbitol were probably for osmo-regulation and redox balance, while enhanced phosphoric acid and pyroglutamic acid were supposed to have function in the activation of signal transduction pathway for stress resistance. The present study provides a novel insight into the metabolic responses of
M. alpina
to aeration rates and the metabolic characteristics during the ARA fermentation.
To test the hypothesis that acute phase small-for-size graft injury may promote late phase tumor recurrence after liver transplantation.
Living donor liver transplantation may provide the substantial ...intention-to-treat survival advantage for liver cancer patients. However, liver grafts from live donors are almost always small for size for adult recipients. Besides, tumor recurrence and metastasis after living donor liver transplantation have been reported.
An orthotopic Buffalo rat liver transplantation model using whole (100%, group W) and small-for-size grafts (50%, group S) was applied. Hepatoma cells were injected into the grafts after reperfusion. Comparison was made as regards acute phase graft injury and tumor growth together with cell proliferation (Ki67), angiogenesis (vascular endothelial growth factor), stellate cell activation (alpha-smooth muscle actin), and cell signaling pathway related to migration and invasion (Rac, rho-associated, coiled-coil containing protein kinase, and proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2). Invasiveness of the tumors developed was further assessed after their direct implantation into livers of nude mice.
Liver tumors developed earlier and faster in group S with significantly greater tumor burden hepatic replacement area: 61%; range, 47%-72%; vs. 18%; 12%-27%; P = 0.001 and tumor cell proliferation (92% vs. 59%; P = 0.0021) in a more invasive growth pattern with a higher incidence of venous invasion (91.7% vs. 25%; P = 0.003) and more frequent hepatic stellate cell activation. There was upregulation of protein expression of Rac/rho-associated, coiled-coil containing protein kinase/proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2/vascular endothelial growth factor signaling in group S. When implanted into livers of nude mice, tumors from group S had a higher incidence of local (70% vs. 0%; P = 0.003) and lung metastasis (50% vs. 0%; P = 0.033). This phenotype was consistent with their ultrastructural features linking to angiogenesis and invasiveness.
Significant activation of cell signaling pathways leading to tumor invasion and migration in small-for-size liver grafts promotes tumor growth and metastasis after liver transplantation.
A novel neuropeptide spexin was found to be broadly expressed in various endocrine and nervous tissues while little is known about its functions. This study investigated the role of spexin in bowel ...movement and the underlying mechanisms. In functional constipation (FC) patients, serum spexin levels were significantly decreased. Consistently, in starved mice, the mRNA of spexin was significantly decreased in intestine and colon. Spexin injection increased the velocity of carbon powder propulsion in small intestine and decreased the glass beads expulsion time in distal colon in mice. Further, spexin dose-dependently stimulated the intestinal/colonic smooth muscle contraction. Galanin receptor 2 (GALR2) antagonist M871, but not Galanin receptor 3 (GALR3) antagonist SNAP37899, effectively suppressed the stimulatory effects of spexin on intestinal/colonic smooth muscle contraction, which could be eliminated by extracellular Ca(2+) removal and L-type voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channel (VDCC) inhibitor nifedipine. Besides, spexin dramatically increased the Ca(2+)i in isolated colonic smooth muscle cells. These data indicate that spexin can act on GALR2 receptor to regulate bowel motility by activating L-type VDCC. Our findings provide evidence for important physiological roles of spexin in GI functions. Selective action on spexin pathway might have therapeutic effects on GI diseases with motility disorders.
A Gram-negative, strictly aerobic, yellow-pigmented and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain NSL10ᵀ, was isolated from the waste surface soil of a chemical factory in Hongan, China. Strain NSL10ᵀ ...was found to grow optimally at pH 7.0, 30 °C and in the absence of NaCl in modified LB medium. Cells were found to be positive for catalase and oxidase. The G+C content of the total DNA was determined to be 66.8 mol%. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain NSL10ᵀ showed the highest similarity to that of Devosia albogilva IPL15ᵀ (96.80 %), followed by Devosia geojensis BD-c194ᵀ (96.46 %) and Devosia chinhatensis IPL18ᵀ (96.27 %). The major cellular fatty acids of strain NSL10ᵀ were identified as C₁₈:₁ ω7c/C₁₈:₁ ω6c (48.2 %) and C₁₆:₀ (17.7 %). The major polar lipids were identified as diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, two unidentified glycolipids and an unidentified compound. Minor amounts of unidentified glycolipids and unidentified polar lipids were also detected. These chemotaxonomic data supported the affiliation of strain NSL10ᵀ to the genus Devosia. In conclusion, on the basis of biochemical, physiological characteristics and molecular properties, strain NSL10ᵀ represents a novel species within the genus Devosia, for which the name Devosia honganensis sp. nov., is proposed. The type strain is NSL10ᵀ (=KCTC 42281ᵀ = ACCC 19737ᵀ).
The realization of automated chemical experiments by robots unveiled the prelude to an artificial intelligence (AI) laboratory. Several AI-based systems or robots with specific chemical skills have ...been demonstrated, but conducting all-round scientific research remains challenging. Here, we present an all-round AI-Chemist equipped with scientific data intelligence that is capable of performing basic tasks generally required in chemical research. Based on a service platform, the AI-Chemist is able to automatically read the literatures from a cloud database and propose experimental plans accordingly. It can control a mobile robot in-house or online to automatically execute the complete experimental process on 14 workstations, including synthesis, characterization and performance tests. The experimental data can be simultaneously analysed by the computational brain of the AI-Chemist through machine learning and Bayesian optimization, allowing a new hypothesis for the next iteration to be proposed. The competence of the AI-Chemist has been scrutinized by three different chemical tasks. In the future, the more advanced all-round AI-Chemists equipped with scientific data intelligence may cause changes to the landscape of the chemical laboratory.
•A brand new set of road thermoelectric generator system was developed.•Road temperature gradient and characteristics in different seasons were tested.•Electric outputs of road thermoelectric ...generator system were tested outdoor.•Relationship between output voltage and temperature difference was obtained.
Nowadays, energy harvesting from road has becomea research hotspot. The power generation system within asphalt pavement based on thermoelectric technology was studied in this paper. The characteristics of temperature difference between the pavement and ambient air, as well as the temperature gradient within road surface were investigated by collecting data on-site in different seasons. Based on this, a novel set of road thermoelectric generator system (RTEGS) was developed, which can generate electricity when there is a temperature difference between road surface and ambient air. In addition, a RTEGS prototype was fabricated to verify the energy generation capacity based on indoor and outdoor tests. Results showed that the output voltage of RTEGS was about 0.4V by asphalt mixture slab (300mm×300mm by size), when the temperature difference between road surface and ambient air was 15°C in winter. While in summer, the output voltage was about 0.6–0.7V, with a temperature difference of 25–30°C. This means that some 160kWh of energy can be obtained in 8h from a road of 1km in length and 10m in width. For asphalt pavement in tropical and subtropical regions, the large temperature difference would be more suitable for RTEGS. The findings and research experiments from this study will provide a good starting point and reference for the development and application of pavement thermoelectric technology.
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