Chronic Implantation of Intravascular Cardioverter Defibrillator in a Canine Model

INTRODUCTION: A percutaneously placed implantable intravascular defibrillator (PICD) has been developed with a right ventricular (RV) single-coil lead and titanium electrodes in the superior vena cava (SVC) and the inferior vena cava (IVC). This study evaluated implant techniques, device stability, and anchor histology of the PICD over 9 months in a canine model. METHODS: Twenty-four hounds (wt = 30-55 kg) were anesthetized and a custom sheath introduced into the right femoral vein. The PICD was advanced over a wire and positioned with the titanium electrodes (cathodes) in the SVC and the IVC. A nitinol anchor secured the device in the jugular. The RV lead was positioned in the RV apex and screwed into place. The catheters, wires, and sheath were removed with an average implant time of 14 minutes. In one group of animals (n = 13), serial venograms were performed at 7 days, 14 days, and 28 days. In a second group (n = 6) and third group (n = 5), venograms were also performed at 90 days and 270 days, respectively. Six canines were sacrificed and anchor histologic examination done at 90 days. RESULTS: All implants were successful with no surgical complications observed. Devices (N = 24) remained appropriately positioned with no anchor migration. Histology at 90 days showed 98% endothelialization of the anchor. Venograms revealed patent IVC and jugular veins in all animals at every time point examined. CONCLUSIONS: The PICD can be rapidly and chronically implanted in animals. Long-term intravascular defibrillator placement is feasible in a canine model

From Chip-in-a-lab To Lab-on-a-chip: Towards A Single Handheld Electronic System For Multiple Application-specific Lab-on-a-chip (asloc)

We present a portable, battery-operated and application-specific lab-on-a-chip (ASLOC) system that can be easily configured for a wide range of lab-on-a-chip applications. It is based on multiplexed electrical current detection that serves as the sensing system. We demonstrate different configurations to perform most detection schemes currently in use in LOC systems, including some of the most advanced such as nanowire-based biosensing, surface plasmon resonance sensing, electrochemical detection and real-time PCR. The complete system is controlled by a single chip and the collected information is stored in situ, with the option of transferring the data to an external display by using a USB interface. In addition to providing a framework for truly portable real-life developments of LOC systems, we envisage that this system will have a significant impact on education, especially since it can easily demonstrate the benefits of integrated microanalytical systems. © the Partner Organisations 2014.141321682176Manz, A., Graber, N., Widmer, H.M., (1990) Sens. Actuators, B, 1, pp. 244-248Ríos, Á., Zougagh, M., Avila, M., (2012) Anal. Chim. Acta, 740, pp. 1-11Elvira, K.S., Solvas, X.C.I., Wootton, R.C.R., Demello, A.J., (2013) Nat. Chem., 5, pp. 905-915Nge, P.N., Rogers, C.I., Woolley, A.T., (2013) Chem. Rev., 113, pp. 2550-2583Kaushik, A., Vasudev, A., Arya, S.K., Pasha, S.K., Bhansali, S., (2014) Biosens. Bioelectron., 53, pp. 499-512Han, K.N., Li, C.A., Seong, G.H., (2013) Annu. Rev. Anal. Chem., 6, pp. 119-141Lee, J., Lee, S.-H., (2013) Biomed. Eng. Lett., 3, pp. 59-66Lewis, A.P., Cranny, A., Harris, N.R., Green, N.G., Wharton, J.A., Wood, R.J.K., Stokes, K.R., (2013) Meas. Sci. Technol., 24, p. 042001Yushan, Z., Jacquemod, C., Sawan, M., (2013) 2013 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS), , Beijing, China, 1071-1074Yang, J., Brooks, C., Estes, M.D., Hurth, C.M., Zenhausern, F., (2014) Forensic Sci. Int.: Genet., 8, pp. 147-158Czugala, M., Maher, D., Collins, F., Burger, R., Hopfgartner, F., Yang, Y., Zhaou, J., Diamond, D., (2013) RSC Adv., 3, pp. 15928-15938Legiret, F.-E., Sieben, V.J., Woodward, E.M.S., Abi Kaed Bey, S.K., Mowlem, M.C., Connelly, D.P., Achterberg, E.P., (2013) Talanta, 116, pp. 382-387Fernández-La-Villa, A., Sánchez-Barragán, D., Pozo-Ayuso, D.F., Castaño-Álvarez, M., (2012) Electrophoresis, 33, pp. 2733-2742Wang, S., Inci, F., Chaunzwa, T.L., Ramanujam, A., Vasudevan, A., Subramanian, S., Ip, A.C.F., Demirci, U., (2012) Int. J. Nanomed., 7, pp. 2591-2600Lillehoj, P.B., Huang, M.C., Ho, C.M., (2013) 2013 IEEE 26th International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS), , Taipei, Taiwan, 53-56Ansari, K., Ying, J.Y.S., Hauser, P.C., De Rooij, N.F., Rodriguez, I., (2013) Electrophoresis, 34, pp. 1390-1399Toumazou, C., Shepherd, L.M., Reed, S.C., Chen, G.I., Patel, A., Garner, D.M., Wang, C.J., Zhang, L., (2013) Nat. Methods, 10, pp. 641-646Fintschenko, Y., (2011) Lab Chip, 11, pp. 3394-3400Hemling, M., Crooks, J.A., Oliver, P.M., Brenner, K., Gilbertson, J., Lisensky, G.C., Weibel, D.B., (2013) J. Chem. Educ., 91, pp. 112-115Yang, C.W., Lagally, E.T., (2013) Methods Mol. Biol., 949, pp. 25-40Priye, A., Hassan, Y.A., Ugaz, V.M., (2012) Lab Chip, 12, pp. 4946-4954Neuzil, P., Pipper, J., Hsieh, T.M., (2006) Mol. BioSyst., 2, pp. 292-298Neuzil, P., Zhang, C., Pipper, J., Oh, S., Zhuo, L., (2006) Nucleic Acids Res., 34, p. 77Novak, L., Neuzil, P., Pipper, J., Zhang, Y., Lee, S., (2007) Lab Chip, 7, pp. 27-29Pipper, J., Inoue, M., Ng, L.F., Neuzil, P., Zhang, Y., Novak, L., (2007) Nat. Med., 13, pp. 1259-1263Pipper, J., Zhang, Y., Neuzil, P., Hsieh, T.M., (2008) Angew. Chem., Int. Ed., 47, pp. 3900-3904Neuzil, P., Novak, L., Pipper, J., Lee, S., Ng, L.F., Zhang, C., (2010) Lab Chip, 10, pp. 2632-2634Neuzil, P., Reboud, J., (2008) Anal. Chem., 80, pp. 6100-6103Novak, L., Neuzil, P., Woon, J.S.B., Wee, Y., (2009) IEEE Sensors 2009 Conference, , Christchurch, New Zealand, 405-407Gaydos, C.A., Van Der Pol, B., Jett-Goheen, M., Barnes, M., Quinn, N., Clark, C., Daniel, G.E., Hook III, E.W., (2013) J. Clin. Microbiol., 51, pp. 1666-1672Neuzil, P., Wong, C.C., Reboud, J., (2010) Nano Lett., 10, pp. 1248-1252Cui, Y., Wei, Q., Park, H., Lieber, C.M., (2001) Science, 293, pp. 1289-1292Zhang, G.J., Luo, Z.H., Huang, M.J., Ang, J.J., Kang, T.G., Ji, H., (2011) Biosens. Bioelectron., 28, pp. 459-463Zhang, G.J., Zhang, G., Chua, J.H., Chee, R.E., Wong, E.H., Agarwal, A., Buddharaju, K.D., Balasubramanian, N., (2008) Nano Lett., 8, pp. 1066-1070Cumyn, V.K., Fleischauer, M.D., Hatchard, T.D., Dahn, J.R., (2003) Electrochem. Solid-State Lett., 6, pp. E15-E18Drake, K.F., Van Duyne, R.P., Bond, A.M., (1978) J. Electroanal. Chem., 89, pp. 231-24

Contact force sensing in ablation of ventricular arrhythmias using a 56-hole open-irrigation catheter: a propensity-matched analysis.

PURPOSE: The effect of adding contact force (CF) sensing to 56-hole tip irrigation in ventricular arrhythmia (VA) ablation has not been previously studied. We aimed to compare outcomes with and without CF sensing in VA ablation using a 56-hole radiofrequency (RF) catheter. METHODS: A total of 164 patients who underwent first-time VA ablation using Thermocool SmartTouch Surround Flow (TC-STSF) catheter (Biosense-Webster, Diamond Bar, CA, USA) were propensity-matched in a 1:1 fashion to 164 patients who had first-time ablation using Thermocool Surround Flow (TC-SF) catheter. Patients were matched for age, gender, cardiac aetiology, ejection fraction and approach. Acute success, complications and long-term follow-up were compared. RESULTS: There was no difference between procedures utilising either TC-SF or TC-STSF in acute success (TC-SF: 134/164 (82%), TC-STSF: 141/164 (86%), p = 0.3), complications (TC-SF: 11/164 (6.7%), TC-STSF: 11/164 (6.7%), p = 1.0) or VA-free survival (TC-SF: mean arrhythmia-free survival time = 5.9 years, 95% CI = 5.4-6.4, TC-STSF: mean = 3.2 years, 95% CI = 3-3.5, log-rank p = 0.74). Fluoroscopy time was longer in normal hearts with TC-SF (19 min, IQR: 14-30) than TC-STSF (14 min, IQR: 8-25; p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Both TC-SF and TC-STSF catheters are safe and effective in treating VAs. The use of CF sensing catheters did not improve safety or acute and long-term outcomes, but reduced fluoroscopy time in normal heart VA

Participatory politics, environmental journalism and newspaper campaigns

This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in Journalism Studies, 13(2), 210 - 225, 2012, copyright Taylor & Francis, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/1461670X.2011.646398.This article explores the extent to which approaches to participatory politics might offer a more useful alternative to understanding the role of environmental journalism in a society where the old certainties have collapsed, only to be replaced by acute uncertainty. This uncertainty not only generates acute public anxiety about risks, it has also undermined confidence in the validity of long-standing premises about the ideal role of the media in society and journalistic professionalism. The consequence, this article argues, is that aspirations of objective reportage are outdated and ill-equipped to deal with many of the new risk stories environmental journalism covers. It is not a redrawing of boundaries that is needed but a wholesale relocation of our frameworks into approaches better suited to the socio-political conditions and uncertainties of late modernity. The exploration of participatory approaches is an attempt to suggest one way this might be done

α-Tocopheryl succinate promotes selective cell death induced by vitamin K3 in combination with ascorbate

BACKGROUND: A strategy to reduce the secondary effects of anti-cancer agents is to potentiate the therapeutic effect by their combination. A combination of vitamin K3 (VK3) and ascorbic acid (AA) exhibited an anti-cancer synergistic effect, associated with extracellular production of H2O2 that promoted cell death. METHODS: The redox-silent vitamin E analogue a-tocopheryl succinate (a-TOS) was used in combination with VK3 and AA to evaluate their effect on prostate cancer cells. RESULTS: Prostate cancer cells were sensitive to a-TOS and VK3 treatment, but resistant to AA upto 3.2mM. When combined, a synergistic effect was found for VK3\u2013AA, whereas a-TOS\u2013VK3 and a-TOS\u2013AA combination showed an antagonist and additive effect, respectively. However, sub-lethal doses of AA\u2013VK3 combination combined with a sub-toxic dose of a-TOS showed to induce efficient cell death that resembles autoschizis. Associated with this cell demise, lipid peroxidation, DNA damage, cytoskeleton alteration, lysosomal\u2013mitochondrial perturbation, and release of cytochrome c without caspase activation were observed. Inhibition of lysosomal proteases did not attenuate cell death induced by the combined agents. Furthermore, cell deaths by apoptosis and autoschizis were detected. CONCLUSION: These finding support the emerging idea that synergistic combinations of some agents can overcome toxicity and other side-effects associated with high doses of single drugs creating the opportunity for therapeutically relevant selectivity

Direct coupling of a free-flow isotachophoresis (FFITP) device with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS)

We present the online coupling of a free-flow isotachophoresis (FFITP) device to an electrospray ionization mass spectrometer (ESI-MS) for continuous analysis without extensive sample preparation. Free-flow-electrophoresis techniques are used for continuous electrophoretic separations using an electric field applied perpendicular to the buffer and sample flow, with FFITP using a discontinuous electrolyte system to concurrently focus a target analyte and remove interferences. The online coupling of FFITP to ESI-MS decouples the separation and detection timeframe because the electrophoretic separation takes place perpendicular to the flow direction, which can be beneficial for monitoring (bio)chemical changes and/or extensive MSn studies. We demonstrated the coupling of FFITP with ESI-MS for simultaneous concentration of target analytes and sample clean-up. Furthermore, we show hydrodynamic control of the fluidic fraction injected into the MS, allowing for fluidically controlled scanning of the ITP window. Future applications of this approach are expected in monitoring biochemical changes and proteomics151734953502FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP2013/06625-2; 2011/02477-3Alexander von Humboldt Foundation; Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC

Implant and Midterm Outcomes of the Subcutaneous Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Registry: The EFFORTLESS Study.

BACKGROUND: The subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) was developed to defibrillate ventricular arrhythmias, avoiding drawbacks of transvenous leads. The global EFFORTLESS S-ICD (Evaluation oF FactORs ImpacTing CLinical Outcome and Cost EffectiveneSS of the S-ICD) registry is collecting outcomes in 985 patients during a 5-year follow-up. OBJECTIVES: The primary goal of the EFFORTLESS registry is to determine the safety of the S-ICD by evaluating complications and inappropriate shock rate. METHODS: This is the first report on the full patient cohort and study endpoints with follow-up ≥1 year. The predefined endpoints are 30- and 360-day complications, and shocks for atrial fibrillation or supraventricular tachycardia. RESULTS: Patients were followed for 3.1 ± 1.5 years and 82 completed the study protocol 5-year visit. Average age was 48 years, 28% were women, ejection fraction was 43 ± 18%, and 65% had a primary prevention indication. The S-ICD system and procedure complication rate was 4.1% at 30 days and 8.4% at 360 days. The 1-year complication rate trended toward improvement from the first to last quartile of enrollment (11.3% [quartile 1]) to 7.8% [quartile 2], 6.6% [quartile 3], and 7.4% [quartile 4]; quartile 1 vs. quartiles 2 to 4; p = 0.06). Few device extractions occurred due to need for antitachycardia (n = 5), or biventricular (n = 4) or bradycardia pacing (n = 1). Inappropriate shocks occurred in 8.1% at 1 year and 11.7% after 3.1 years. At implant, 99.5% of patients had a successful conversion of induced ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. The 1- and 5-year rates of appropriate shock were 5.8% and 13.5%, respectively. Conversion success for discrete spontaneous episodes was 97.4% overall. CONCLUSIONS: This registry demonstrates that the S-ICD fulfills predefined endpoints for safety and efficacy. Midterm performance rates on complications, inappropriate shocks, and conversion efficacy were comparable to rates observed in transvenous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator studies. (Evaluation oF Factors ImpacTing CLinical Outcome and Cost EffectiveneSS of the S-ICD [The EFFORTLESS S-ICD Registry]; NCT01085435)