Changes of serum neurohormone after renal sympathetic denervation in dogs with pacing-induced heart failure

Abstract: Background: Neurohormonal activation is a commonly cited array of phenomena in the body's physiologic response to heart failure (HF). The aim of the present study was to determine the change law of serum neurohormones after renal sympathetic denervation (RSD) in dogs with pacing-induced HF. Methods: Twenty-eight beagles were randomly divided into control group, RSD group, HF group and HF + RSD group. The control group was implanted pacemakers without pacing; the RSD group underwent renal artery ablation without pacing; the HF group was implanted pacemakers with ventricular pacing at 240 bpm for 3 weeks; and HF + RSD group underwent renal artery ablation and with ventricular pacing at 240 bpm for 3 weeks. Blood samples were taken at baseline, and 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21 days in all the dogs for neurohormones measurement. Results: After 3 weeks, the systolic femoral artery pressures in the HF and HF + RSD groups were reduced after pacing 3 weeks. There was an increase significantly in BNP, angiotensin II, aldosterone, endothelin-1 and decrease in renalase after 3 weeks when compared with baseline in HF group. RSD significantly suppressed the changes of plasma neurohormones concentration in experimental HF, but RSD had not obviously impact on the levels of plasma neurohormones during 3 weeks in RSD group. Conclusions: RSD attenuates the changes of levels of plasma neurohormones in the activated renin-angiotensinaldosterone system (RAAS) but had not obviously effect in the normal physiology of RAAS

The Association between Type-2 Diabetes Duration and Major Adverse Cardiac Events after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Background. Diabetes is an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease and portends adverse prognosis in diabetic patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) compared to nondiabetic patients. Few studies are currently available regarding the relationship between diabetes duration and major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) post-PCI. This study is aimed at assessing the association between diabetes duration and major adverse cardiac events after PCI. Methods. A total of 302 cases of diabetic patients undergoing an elective PCI with drug-eluting stent (DES) deployment and or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) using a drug-coated balloon (DCB) were prospectively studied. We divided patients into three groups based on diabetes duration: 10-year group than was it in groups with shorter duration of diabetes (23.1% vs. 19.4% and 9.10%, P=0.03). After adjustment for confounding risk factors, longer diabetes duration remained an independent predictor of MI (hazard ratio (HR): 5.525, confidence interval (CI): 1.273-23.978, P=0.022) and repeat revascularization (HR: 1.608, CI: 1.058-2.443, P=0.026). Repeat revascularization was significantly related to the progression of nontreated lesions (De novo lesions 20% vs. 18% and 7.3%, P=0.009) compared to previously treated lesions (target lesion revascularization (TLR) 3% vs. 1.3% and 2%, P=0.774). However, all-cause mortality was not significantly different among the groups (3.1% vs. 5.6% and 0.6%, P=0.06, HR: 2.403, CI: 0.464-12.436, P=0.293). Conclusion. Diabetes duration was associated with significant differences in major adverse cardiac events after the percutaneous coronary intervention; the longest diabetes duration portended higher rates of MACEs than shorter duration at the 12-month follow-up

Effect of renal sympathetic denervation on atrial substrate remodeling in ambulatory canines with prolonged atrial pacing.

We have previously demonstrated that catheter-based renal sympathetic denervation (RSD) could suppress atrial fibrillation (AF) in canines with short-time rapid right atrial pacing (RAP). However, the role of renal denervation on atrial remodeling is unclear. The aim of the present study was to explore the long-term effect of RSD on the atrial remodeling during prolonged RAP. Twenty mongrel dogs were implanted with a high-frequency cardiac pacemaker with a transvenous lead inserted into the right atrial appendage. The dogs were divided into three groups: a sham-operated group (n = 6), the chronic RAP (CRAP) group (n = 7), and the CRAP+RSD group (n = 7). In the CRAP+RSD group, a pacemaker was implanted 6 weeks after RSD was performed bilaterally for recovery. RAP was maintained for 5 weeks in CRAP group and CRAP+RSD group. The plasma levels of Angiotensin II and aldosterone were significantly increased in CRAP group compared with sham-operated group, but the increasing trend was inhibited in CRAP+RSD group compared with CRAP group (P<0.05). Similarly, RSD suppressed the increasing trend that prolonged RAP produced in the left atrial levels of ANP, TNF-α and IL-6. Compared with the sham-operated group, the CRAP group had significantly increased levels of caspase-3, bax and Cx40 whereas the level of Bcl-2 decreased (P<0.05). RSD markedly reduced the upregulation of caspase-3, bax and Cx40 and the downregulation of Bcl-2 expression compared with the CRAP group (P<0.05). Picric acid-sirius red staining study suggested that RSD could markedly alleviate the lesion degree of cardic fibrosis induced by CRAP (P<0.05). Immunohistochemistry results showed that the densities of TH- and GAP43- positive nerves were significantly elevated in the CRAP group compared with the sham-operated group, while RSD operation signicantly inhibited the these changes produced by CRAP. These findings suggest that renal denervation could suppress the atrial remodeling after prolonged RAP in ambulatory canines

Research and development of a novel subunit vaccine for the currently circulating pseudorabies virus variant in China

Pseudorabies (PR) is a devastating viral disease which leads to fatal encephalitis and respiratory disorders in pigs. Commercial gE-deleted live pseudorabies virus (PRV) vaccine has been widely used to control this disease in China. However, the new-emerging variants of PRV compromises the protection provided by current vaccines and lead to the outbreak of PR in vaccinated pig herds. Several killed and live vaccine candidates based on current PRV variants have been reported to be effective to control the disease. A subunit vaccine based on gB protein, one major PRV glycoprotein which elicits strong humoral and cellular immune responses, however, was never evaluated for protection against the current circulating PRV variants. In this study, full-length PRV gB protein was successfully expressed in baculovirus/insect cells in the soluble format and was tested on 3-week-old piglets as a subunit vaccine. Compared with unvaccinated pigs, the gB-vaccinated pigs developed specific antibody-mediated responses and were protected from the virulent PRV HN1201 challenge. All vaccinated pigs survived without showing any PRV-specific respiratory and neurological signs, but all unvaccinated pigs died within 7 days after HN1201 challenge. Hence, this novel gB-based vaccine could be applied as an effective subunit vaccine to control PRV variant in China

Structural, Electronic and Optical Properties of Some New Trilayer Van de Waals Heterostructures

Constructing two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures is an effective strategy for tuning and improving the characters of 2D-material-based devices. Four trilayer vdW heterostructures, BP/BP/MoS2, BlueP/BlueP/MoS2, BP/graphene/MoS2 and BlueP/graphene/MoS2, were designed and simulated using the first-principles calculation. Structural stabilities were confirmed for all these heterostructures, indicating their feasibility in fabrication. BP/BP/MoS2 and BlueP/BlueP/MoS2 lowered the bandgaps further, making them suitable for a greater range of applications, with respect to the bilayers BP/MoS2 and BlueP/MoS2, respectively. Their absorption coefficients were remarkably improved in a wide spectrum, suggesting the better performance of photodetectors working in a wide spectrum from mid-wave (short-wave) infrared to violet. In contrast, the bandgaps in BP/graphene/MoS2 and BlueP/graphene/MoS2 were mostly enlarged, with a specific opening of the graphene bandgap in BP/graphene/MoS2, 0.051 eV, which is much larger than usual and beneficial for optoelectronic applications. Accompanying these bandgap increases, BP/graphene/MoS2 and BlueP/graphene/MoS2 exhibit absorption enhancement in the whole infrared, visible to deep ultraviolet or solar blind ultraviolet ranges, implying that these asymmetrically graphene-sandwiched heterostructures are more suitable as graphene-based 2D optoelectronic devices. The proposed 2D trilayer vdW heterostructures are prospective new optoelectronic devices, possessing higher performance than currently available devices

Changes in the left atrial levels of ANP, TNF-α and IL-6 among the sham-operated, CRAP, and CRAP+RSD groups after rapid atrial pacing (ng/l).

<p>ANP, Atrial Natriuretic Peptide; TNF-α, Tumor Necrosis Factor-α; IL-6, Interleukin-6.</p>*<p>P<0.05,</p>**<p>P<0.01 vs sham-operated group;</p>†<p>P<0.05,</p>††<p>P<0.01 vs CRAP group.</p

Changes in the plasma levels of Ang II and aldosterone among the sham-operated, CRAP, and CRAP+RSD groups before and after rapid atrial pacing (ng/l).

<p>Ang II, Angiotensin II.</p>*<p>P<0.05,</p>**<p>P<0.01 vs baseline;</p>†<p>P<0.05,</p>††<p>P<0.01 vs sham-operated group;</p>‡<p>P<0.05,</p>‡‡<p>P<0.01 vs CRAP group.</p

Effect of RSD on collagen fibers in the left atria detected by picric acid–sirius red staining (light microscope).

<p>A: sham-operated group; B: the CRAP group; C: the CRAP+RSD group. (original magnification: ×400). *P<0.05, **P<0.01 vs sham-operated group; ^##P<0.01 vs CRAP group.</p

Changes in BP among the sham-operated, CRAP, and CRAP+RSD groups before and after rapid atrial pacing.

<p>BP, blood pressure.</p>*<p>P<0.05,</p>**<p>P<0.01 vs baseline;</p>†<p>P<0.05,</p>††<p>P<0.01 vs sham-operated group;</p>‡<p>P<0.05 vs CRAP group.</p