Closure of left ventricle perforation with the use of muscular VSD occluder

Growing experience in interventional cardiology leads to the use of large diameter of vascular equipment. In some instances, the so-called hybrid procedures are performed. After performing the interventional procedure, the opening in ventricular wall is closed surgically. Our intention was to check if the MVSDO can be used to close the perforation in the heart after the interventional cardiology procedure performed through the left ventricular (LV) free wall. In three pigs under general anesthesia, the heart was exposed through a small substernal incision. The LV was punctured and an 18F sheath was introduced into the LV. A 14mm MVSDO was inserted through the 10F Delivery System. Using both the echocardiographic and angiographic guidance, the MVSDO was placed on the LV wall to close the opening in the LV. Time and volume of bleeding was recorded. In all cases the occluder was successfully placed closing the opening, bleeding observed after deployment of occluder lasted for approximately 2min. We think MVSD occluder can be used to close the LV free wall perforation after hybrid interventional cardiac procedure. Early bleeding through MVSDO might be resolved by the manufacturing of new occluder with better sealing propertie

Endoscopic off-pump aortic valve replacement: does the pericardial cuff improve the sutureless closure of left ventricular access?

Objective: Off-pump trans left ventricular approach provides more precise deployment of stented aortic valve of any size with respect to the endovascular replacement. One of the key steps of this procedure is the ventricle repair after catheter withdrawing. We designed an animal study to compare the consistency of a sutureless repair of the left ventricle access using nitinol occluder with and without pericardial cuff on the ventricular side. Methods: Material description: The Amplatz-nitinol occluder consists of two square heads squeezing ventricle wall in between them, sealing the defect. To improve its sealing property, a pericardial patch was sutured to the ventricular head of the occluder. Animal study setup: In adult pigs, a 30F sheath was inserted into the epigastric area through the cardiac apex, up to the left ventricle, simulating the approach for off-pump aortic valve replacement. The sheath was then removed and the ventricle closed with standard occluder in half of the animals, and cuffed occluder in the other half. Animals were followed-up for 3h, collecting haemodynamics data and pericardial bleeding. Results: Device was successfully deployed in 12 animals in less than 1min. In the group where the standard occluder was used, bleeding during the deployment was 80±20ml and after the deployment was 800±20ml over 3h. In the group where the cuffed occluder was used, bleeding during the deployment was 85±20ml and after the deployment was 100±5ml over 3h. In the cuffed group, bleeding was significantly lower than the standard group, p-value being ≪0.001. Conclusions: The occluder is easy to use and the pericardial cuff dramatically increases its efficacy as demonstrated by a significant reduction of blood loss. The cuffed occluder opens the way for endoscopic, off-pump, transventricular aortic valve replacemen

Expression and cellular distribution of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (Cdk4) and connexin 43 (Cx43) in porcine oocytes before and after in vitro maturation

It is recognised that connexin 43 (Cx43) and cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (Cdk4) are involved in the cumulus cell-oocyte communication via gap junctions and the control of cell cycle progress. However, little is known about their mRNA expression pattern and encoded proteins distribution in porcine oocytes during in vitro maturation (IVM). Cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were collected from 31 puberal crossbred Landrace gilts and analysed for their Cdk4 and Cx43 mRNA expression using RQ-PCR and for the respective protein expression by confocal microscopic observations. An increased Cdk4 and Cx43 mRNA expression was found in oocytes after IVM (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively). Confocal microscopic observations revealed a significant increase of Cdk4 protein expression in the cytoplasm of oocytes during the maturation process. The localisation of Cx43 changed from zona pellucida before to cytoplasm of oocytes after IVM. It is supposed that the increased expression of Cdk4 and Cx43 mRNA in oocytes after IVM is linked with the accumulation of a large amount of templates during the process of oocyte maturation. The translocation especially of Cx43 from the zona pellucida into the cytoplasm may be associated with a decrease in gap junction activity in fully grown porcine oocytes. Both Cdk4 and Cx43 can be used as ‘checkpoints’ of oocyte maturation

Aryl-1,3,5-triazine ligands of histamine H4H_{4} receptor attenuate inflammatory and nociceptive response to carrageen, zymosan and lipopolysaccharide

Objective and design Histamine $H_{4}$ receptor ($H_{4}R$) offers a great potential for new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of inflammation-based diseases. The aim of this study is to present the pharmacological profile of two recently synthesized ligands of $H_{4}R$ with particular reference to their anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity. Materials and subjects We used mice and rats in the in vivo tests. We also used murine RAW 264.7 cells and isolated guinea-pig ileum in in vitro test. Treatments In the in vivo tests, animals were pre-treated with the increasing doses of investigated compounds (12.5, 25 and 50 mg/kg) and reference compounds: JNJ7777120 (25 mg/kg), indomethacin (10 mg/kg). Macrophages were pre-treated with two concentrations of tested compounds 100 and 10 $\mu$M. Methods We examined anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of the new $H_{4}R$ antagonists in the in vivo models of inflammation induced by carrageenan or zymosan. We assessed the level of cAMP and release of cytokines, ROS and NO in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Moreover, we assessed the affinity of the investigated compounds for histamine $H_{1}$ receptor in functional studies. Results Both investigated compounds reduced paw edema, mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia in the carrageenaninduced acute inflammation. Moreover, administration of the investigated compounds resulted in decreased granulocyte influx and attenuated nociceptive reaction in the zymosan-induced peritonitis model. In the same model of inflammation, the investigated compounds reduced vascular permeability; however, this effect was observed only after the highest applied dose. Furthermore, the test compounds had no impact on cell viability in the experiments on RAW 264.7 macrophages. In these cells, stimulated with LPS, the test compounds decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. They increased the cellular concentration of cAMP and attenuated the production of inflammatory cytokines such as $TNF\alpha$ and $IL-1\beta$. All results were comparable to those obtained for the reference compound JNJ7777120 with the exception of the impact on NO production. Nevertheless, this effect was similar to that obtained for the other reference compound rolipram, which is a phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE 4) inhibitor. Further experiments revealed that both of the investigated compounds possessed relatively low affinity for histamine H$_{1}$ receptor and do not inhibit the activity of the PDE 4B1 enzyme. In addition, all the effects of the investigated compounds in in vivo experiments were observed at doses that did not cause neurologic deficits in rotarod test and did not reduce spontaneous locomotor activity. Conclusions Our results demonstrate the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity of the new aryl-1,3,5-triazine derivatives, which are primarily $H_{4}R$-dependent

Zamknięcie perforacji wolnej ściany lewej komory zatyczką Amplatzer-Muscular VSD Occluder pod kontrolą wewnątrzsercowego badania echokardiograficznego i wideotorakoskopii

Wstęp: W czasie zabiegów kardiologii interwencyjnej konieczne jest niekiedy użycie koszulek o dużej średnicy. Celem niniejszej pracy była ocena monitorowania przezskórnego zamknięcia perforacji wolnej ściany lewej komory zatyczką Muscular VSDO z użyciem wewnątrzsercowego badania echokardiograficznego sondą elektroniczną (ICE AcuNav), sondą mechaniczną (ICE-IVUS, Boston Scientific) oraz z zastosowaniem wideotorakoskopii i badania angiograficznego. Materiał i metody: Zabiegi przeprowadzono u 8 świń pod kontrolą wewnątrzsercowego badania echokardiograficznego oraz wideotorakoskopii i angiografii w Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois CHUV w Lozannie. Wyniki: U wszystkich świń zamknięto otwór w ścianie lewej komory zatyczką Muscular VSDO. Wnioski: Badanie ICE-AcuNav, wykonane łącznie z badaniem angiograficznym, pozwala na zadowalające monitorowanie interwencyjnego zabiegu kardiologicznego zamykania otworu w ścianie lewej komory z użyciem zatyczki Muscular VSDO. W zabiegach przeprowadzonych całkowicie przezskórnie kontrola torakoskopowa pozwoliła na śledzenie nacięcia worka osierdziowego, wybranie miejsca nakłucia ściany serca oraz monitorowanie otwarcia dysku dystalnego zatyczki Muscular VSDO i krwawienia

Zamknięcie perforacji wolnej ściany lewej komory zatyczką Amplatzer-Muscular VSD Occluder pod kontrolą wewnątrzsercowego badania echokardiograficznego i wideotorakoskopii

Wstęp: W czasie zabiegów kardiologii interwencyjnej konieczne jest niekiedy użycie koszulek o dużej średnicy. Celem niniejszej pracy była ocena monitorowania przezskórnego zamknięcia perforacji wolnej ściany lewej komory zatyczką Muscular VSDO z użyciem wewnątrzsercowego badania echokardiograficznego sondą elektroniczną (ICE AcuNav), sondą mechaniczną (ICE-IVUS, Boston Scientific) oraz z zastosowaniem wideotorakoskopii i badania angiograficznego. Materiał i metody: Zabiegi przeprowadzono u 8 świń pod kontrolą wewnątrzsercowego badania echokardiograficznego oraz wideotorakoskopii i angiografii w Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois CHUV w Lozannie. Wyniki: U wszystkich świń zamknięto otwór w ścianie lewej komory zatyczką Muscular VSDO. Wnioski: Badanie ICE-AcuNav, wykonane łącznie z badaniem angiograficznym, pozwala na zadowalające monitorowanie interwencyjnego zabiegu kardiologicznego zamykania otworu w ścianie lewej komory z użyciem zatyczki Muscular VSDO. W zabiegach przeprowadzonych całkowicie przezskórnie kontrola torakoskopowa pozwoliła na śledzenie nacięcia worka osierdziowego, wybranie miejsca nakłucia ściany serca oraz monitorowanie otwarcia dysku dystalnego zatyczki Muscular VSDO i krwawienia

Bioreactors, scaffolds and microcarriers and in vitro meat production—current obstacles and potential solutions

In vitro meat production presents a potential viable alternative for meat consumption, which could provide the consumer with a product indistinguishable from the original, with very similar nutritional and culinary values. Indeed, the alternative products currently accessible often lack comparable nutritional value or culinary attributes to their animal-derived counterparts. This creates challenges for their global acceptance, particularly in countries where meat consumption holds cultural significance. However, while cultured meat research has been progressing rapidly in recent years, some significant obstacles still need to be overcome before its possible commercialization. Hence, this review summarizes the most current knowledge regarding the history of cultured meat, the currently used cell sources and methods used for the purpose of in vitro meat production, with particular focus on the role of bioreactors, scaffolds and microcarriers in overcoming the current obstacles. The authors put the potential microcarrier and scaffold-based solutions in a context, discussing the ways in which they can impact the way forward for the technology, including the use of considering the potential practical and societal barriers to implementing it as a viable food source worldwide

Night shift work and modifiable lifestyle factors

Objectives: Night shift work has been linked to some chronic diseases. Modification of lifestyle by night work may partially contribute to the development of these diseases, nevertheless, so far epidemiological evidence is limited. The aim of the study was to explore association between night shift work and lifestyle factors using data from a cross-sectional study among blue-collar workers employed in industrial plants in Łódź, Poland. Material and Methods: The anonymous questionnaire was self-administered among 605 employees (236 women and 369 men, aged 35 or more) - 434 individuals currently wor­king night shifts. Distribution of the selected lifestyle related factors such as smoking, alcohol drinking, physical activity, body mass index (BMI), number of main meals and the hour of the last meal was compared between current, former, and never night shift workers. Adjusted ORs or predicted means were calculated, as a measure of the associations between night shift work and lifestyle factors, with age, marital status and education included in the models as covariates. Results: Recreational inactivity (defined here as less than one hour per week of recreational physical activity) was associated with current night shift work when compared to never night shift workers (OR = 2.43, 95% CI: 1.13-5.22) among men. Alcohol abstinence and later time of the last meal was associated with night shift work among women. Statistically significant positive relationship between night shift work duration and BMI was observed among men (p = 0.029). Conclusions: This study confirms previous studies reporting lower exercising among night shift workers and tendency to increase body weight. This finding provides important public health implication for the prevention of chronic diseases among night shift workers. Initiatives promoting physical activity addressed in particular to the night shift workers are recommended

Ultrasound Elastography in Clinical Diagnostics and in Scientific Research on Muscles

Ultrasound elastography is a revolutionary medical imaging technique, enabling a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of tissue stiffness. This paper presents, based on published evidence, a wide range of possibilities for this method in clinical trials and scientific research. The use of dynamic elastography avoids the undesired influence of force applied to the tissue by the elastograph probe on the information content of the obtained image. In clinical practice, elastography is used to identify and examine the pathological condition of soft tissues (including cancer lesions and tendonitis) and to diagnose neuromuscular diseases. It is also used in scientific investigations as a non-invasive method to study the structure of skeletal muscle, including muscle thickness, fiber length and pennation angle using standard ultrasonography mode; it is also possible to obtain information about physical properties such as stiffness. Ultrasound elastography could also be a useful tool for physiotherapists monitoring the rehabilitation process. Based on the results of these studies, advances in elastographic imaging technology, and progress in biomedical diagnostic methods, elastography is expected to become a common method used in clinical diagnostics and scientific research