Fibrillation in patients subjected to coronary artery bypass grafting

AbstractObjectiveAtrial fibrillation is the most frequently encountered postoperative arrhythmic complication after coronary artery bypass grafting. Ischemic preconditioning has proved a potent endogenous factor in suppressing ischemia-reperfusion–induced arrhythmias. The protective effect of ischemic preconditioning on atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting has not been studied. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether ischemic preconditioning had an effect on postoperative atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.MethodsEighty-five patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting were randomized into ischemic preconditioning and control groups. Holter data from 24-hour electrocardiography were collected 1 day before the operation to the second postoperative day. Atrial fibrillation was registered as positive if any atrial fibrillation event occurred.ResultsThe overall incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation and sustained atrial fibrillation was 34.1% and 27.1%, respectively. The occurrence of atrial fibrillation was significantly lower in the ischemic preconditioning group (21.4% in patients undergoing ischemic preconditioning and 46.5% in control subjects, P = .015). Preoperative recent unstable angina did not influence the incidence of atrial fibrillation. Patients with atrial fibrillation had longer intensive care unit stays and compromised postoperative hemodynamic outcomes. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that ischemic preconditioning, preoperative mean heart rate, and postoperative pulmonary capillary wedge pressure were the independent predictors of atrial fibrillation.ConclusionsPostcoronary artery bypass grafting atrial fibrillation is associated with more complicated postoperative outcome. Higher preoperative heart rate and postoperative pulmonary capillary wedge pressure were the independent predictors of atrial fibrillation. Recent unstable angina is not related to the occurrence of postcoronary artery bypass grafting atrial fibrillation. Ischemic preconditioning significantly suppresses postcoronary artery bypass grafting atrial fibrillation, suggesting that ischemic preconditioning can be used as an effective prophylactic method for postoperative atrial fibrillation

Whether the CEO Turnover Can Improve the Conversion of Enterprise’s New and Old Driving Force?

After 2014, China focused on supply-side reform and put forward the concept of replacing old driving with new driving force, which can create a new round of economic improvement. From the perspective of the conversion of old and new driving forces of enterprises, this paper takes the listed enterprises in China’s a-share manufacturing industry from 2016 to 2018 as samples. This paper also discusses the “Net Effect” of CEO turnover on the conversion of new and old driving forces of enterprises. The results reflect that CEO turnover has a negative effect on the conversion of old and new driving force. Moving forward, when the CEO and chairman changes at the same time or the ownership of the enterprise turns to state-owned, the change of CEO has a higher degree of prevention on the conversion of old and new force. The number of board’s conferences and the degree of equity balance will increase the negative effect of CEO turnover on the conversion of old and new driving force

Wave Dissipation and Energy-Absorption Characteristics of Wave-Absorbing Metal Plates with Different Aperture Sizes and Thicknesses under True-Triaxial Static-Dynamic-Coupling Loading

Deep rock masses exist in a complex environment with multi-field coupling; therefore, it is necessary to develop a true-triaxial static-dynamic-coupling loading test machine to explore their characteristics and mechanical response mechanism. To meet the test requirements of true-triaxial loading and strong disturbance, a wave-absorbing metal plate was selected as the boundary material between the granite and transmission end, and the modified SHPB was used to perform static-dynamic-coupling loading tests. In this study, two series of experiments on wave- absorbing metal plates were conducted, which were fixed aperture sizes with different thicknesses and fixed thicknesses with different aperture sizes. The static-dynamic-coupling loading tests on each aperture size and plate thickness were carried out under the condition of equal energy impact. The effects of the aperture size and plate thickness on the incident- and reflection-stress curves, reflectivity, energy consumption law, energy evolution, and other mechanical properties of the wave-absorbing metal plate materials were studied. The results show that the peak stress and reflectivity decrease with increasing aperture size and plate thickness, and the influence of the thickness is greater than that of the aperture size. The energy-absorption rate of the wave-absorbing metal plate increased with increasing thickness and aperture size and was maximized when the aperture size and thickness were 6–7 mm and 3–4 mm, respectively. The variation trend of the energy reflectance is opposite to that of the energy absorption and reaches a minimum when the aperture size is 6–7 mm and plate thickness is 3–4 mm. The energy transmittance of the wave-absorbing metal plate fluctuated in a stable range, but the variation range was less obvious compared to that of the energy-absorption rate

Tidal Sediment Supply Maintains Marsh Accretion on the Yangtze Delta despite Rising Sea Levels and Falling Fluvial Sediment Input

Tidal marshes are among the world’s most valuable ecosystems; however, they are increasingly threatened by rising sea levels and a decline in fluvial sediment supply. The survival of a tidal marsh under these twin threats depends upon the net input of tidal sediments, because this will determine the deposition rate. The rate of relative sea level rise currently affecting the Yangtze Delta is rapid (~4 mm/a), and the sediment discharge from the Yangtze River has decreased by >70% over recent decades. In order to improve our understanding of the response of the marshes in the turbid zone of the Yangtze Estuary to these changing environmental conditions, we measured sediment transport in and out of a tidal basin and calculated the deposition rate over eight tidal cycles covering different tidal ranges during the summer and winter seasons. The suspended sediment concentration (SSC) during the flood phase of the tidal cycle (average = 0.395 kg/m3) was markedly higher than that during the ebb (average = 0.164 kg/m3), although water transport during the flood tide was almost equivalent to that during the ebb. As a result, ~40% of the sediment inflow during the flood phase was retained within the marsh. This reason is mainly attributable to the dense marsh vegetation, which attenuates waves and currents and to which the sediments adhere. The annual deposition rate in the marsh was approximately 6.7 mm/a. These findings indicate that under the combined influence of sea level rise and river sediment supply reduction, the sediment transport through the turbidity maximum zone of the Yangtze River estuary could maintain the relative stability of the marsh area to a certain extent

Tidal Sediment Supply Maintains Marsh Accretion on the Yangtze Delta despite Rising Sea Levels and Falling Fluvial Sediment Input

Tidal marshes are among the world’s most valuable ecosystems; however, they are increasingly threatened by rising sea levels and a decline in fluvial sediment supply. The survival of a tidal marsh under these twin threats depends upon the net input of tidal sediments, because this will determine the deposition rate. The rate of relative sea level rise currently affecting the Yangtze Delta is rapid (~4 mm/a), and the sediment discharge from the Yangtze River has decreased by >70% over recent decades. In order to improve our understanding of the response of the marshes in the turbid zone of the Yangtze Estuary to these changing environmental conditions, we measured sediment transport in and out of a tidal basin and calculated the deposition rate over eight tidal cycles covering different tidal ranges during the summer and winter seasons. The suspended sediment concentration (SSC) during the flood phase of the tidal cycle (average = 0.395 kg/m3) was markedly higher than that during the ebb (average = 0.164 kg/m3), although water transport during the flood tide was almost equivalent to that during the ebb. As a result, ~40% of the sediment inflow during the flood phase was retained within the marsh. This reason is mainly attributable to the dense marsh vegetation, which attenuates waves and currents and to which the sediments adhere. The annual deposition rate in the marsh was approximately 6.7 mm/a. These findings indicate that under the combined influence of sea level rise and river sediment supply reduction, the sediment transport through the turbidity maximum zone of the Yangtze River estuary could maintain the relative stability of the marsh area to a certain extent

Involvement of Cathepsins in Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses in Periodontitis

Periodontitis is an infectious disease whereby the chronic inflammatory process of the periodontium stimulated by bacterial products induces specific host cell responses. The activation of the host cell immune system upregulates the production of inflammatory mediators, comprising cytokines and proteolytic enzymes, which contribute to inflammation and bone destruction. It has been well known that periodontitis is related to systemic inflammation which links to numerous systemic diseases, including diabetes and arteriosclerosis. Furthermore, periodontitis has been reported in association with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in the brain. Regarding immune responses and inflammation, cathepsin B (CatB) plays pivotal role for the induction of IL-1β, cathepsin K- (CatK-) dependent active toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) signaling, and cathepsin S (CatS) which involves in regulating both TLR signaling and maturation of the MHC class II complex. Notably, both the production and proteolytic activities of cathepsins are upregulated in chronic inflammatory diseases, including periodontitis. In the present review, we focus on the roles of cathepsins in the innate and adaptive immune responses within periodontitis. We believe that understanding the roles of cathepsins in the immune responses in periodontitis would help to elucidate the therapeutic strategies of periodontitis, thus benefit for reduction of systemic diseases as well as neurodegenerative diseases in the global aging society