Surgical Endoepicardial Linear Ablation for Ventricular Tachycardia With Postinfarction Left Ventricular Aneurysm

This retrospective study evaluated the feasibility of surgical endoepicardial linear ablation for ventricular tachycardia in patients with postinfarction left ventricular aneurysm. Sixty-four patients with multivessel coronary artery disease and left ventricular aneurysm but no mural thrombosis of the aneurysm or valve disease were treated at our institution from March 2012 through July 2015. All underwent off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting and left ventricular aneurysm repair by linear plication. Twenty-three patients (35.9%) had ventricular tachycardia and underwent surgical endoepicardial linear ablation on the beating heart guided by epicardial substrate mapping with the Carto 3 system. The remaining 41 patients (64.1%) composed the no-ablation group. The effectiveness of surgical linear ablation in the ablation group was evaluated. Safety and clinical outcomes were evaluated and compared between the groups. The ventricular tachycardia recurrence rate in the ablation group was 17.4% in the immediate postoperative period and 23.8% at last follow-up (39 ± 21 mo). Early

Quantitative risk model of hazardous chemicals in foodstuffs in computer system

Objective To quickly and automatically evaluate the risk of hazardous chemical substances in food quickly and automatically. Methods Based on the Spring MVC framework, a quantitative assessment model of food chemicals was integrated and a visualization of the assessment result was provided. Results A set of food safety risk assessment software chemical hazard based on multi-source data fusion electronic. Conclusion The e-evaluation system described in this article had enabled the process and automation of a quantitative assessment model for the risk of food chemicals. It had also enabled the quantitative assessment model for food chemicals to be widely used in the business, thereby improving the efficiency of assessment

Changes in Proteinuria on the Risk of All-Cause Mortality in People with Diabetes or Prediabetes: A Prospective Cohort Study

Background. Proteinuria has been related to all-cause mortality, showing regression or progression. However, few studies have focused on the relationship between proteinuria changes and all-cause mortality. The main purpose of this paper is to examine the associations between proteinuria changes and all-cause mortality in people with diabetes or prediabetes. Methods. Dipstick proteinuria at baseline and a 2-year follow-up were determined in the participants attending the Kailuan prospective cohort study. Participants were then divided into three categories: elevated proteinuria, stable proteinuria, and reduced proteinuria. Four Cox proportional hazard models were built to access the relations of proteinuria changes to all-cause mortality, adjusting for other confounding covariates. Results. A total of 17,878 participants were finally included in this study. There were 1193 deaths after a median follow-up of 6.69 years. After adjusting for major covariates and proteinuria at baseline, mortality risk was significantly associated with elevated proteinuria (hazard ratio (HR): 1.54, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.33–1.79) and reduced proteinuria (HR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.55–0.89), compared to those with stable proteinuria. Conclusion. Proteinuria changes were independently associated with mortality risk in either diabetic or prediabetic population

Alterations in Brain Network Topology and Structural-Functional Connectome Coupling Relate to Cognitive Impairment

According to the network-based neurodegeneration hypothesis, neurodegenerative diseases target specific large-scale neural networks, such as the default mode network, and may propagate along the structural and functional connections within and between these brain networks. Cognitive impairment no dementia (CIND) represents an early prodromal stage but few studies have examined brain topological changes within and between brain structural and functional networks. To this end, we studied the structural networks [diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)] and functional networks (task-free functional MRI) in CIND (61 mild, 56 moderate) and healthy older adults (97 controls). Structurally, compared with controls, moderate CIND had lower global efficiency, and lower nodal centrality and nodal efficiency in the thalamus, somatomotor network, and higher-order cognitive networks. Mild CIND only had higher nodal degree centrality in dorsal parietal regions. Functional differences were more subtle, with both CIND groups showing lower nodal centrality and efficiency in temporal and somatomotor regions. Importantly, CIND generally had higher structural-functional connectome correlation than controls. The higher structural-functional topological similarity was undesirable as higher correlation was associated with poorer verbal memory, executive function, and visuoconstruction. Our findings highlighted the distinct and progressive changes in brain structural-functional networks at the prodromal stage of neurodegenerative diseases

Growth performance and biochemical composition of the oysters Crassostrea sikamea, Crassostrea angulata and their hybrids in southern China

The Kumamoto oyster (Crassostrea sikamea) and the Portuguese oyster (C.angulata) are important aquaculture species which naturally coexist along the southern coast of China. To understand the potential feasibility of hybridization between the two species, we conducted two-by-two factorial cross-experiments in Beihai (Guangxi province), and also compared the survival and growth of the hybrids to that of the two parental progenies during the grow-out period from July 2014 to July 2015. Genetic analysis confirmed that the hybrid spats were true hybrids. Additionally, the biochemical composition of the 1-year-old oyster progenies was determined. In July 2015, the mean shell height of the hybrids was 42.98 +/- 6.29mm, which was higher than that of the Kumamoto oyster progeny. The cumulative survival rate of the hybrids was 26.37 +/- 1.32%, which was higher than that of the progeny of the Portuguese oyster. Mean lipid content of the hybrids was 13.65 +/- 1.63% of dry weight, which showed obvious heterosis compared to those of the two parental progenies. Observation of gonads revealed that all hybrids were completely fertile. Furthermore, relative expression of the lipid homeostasis genes, SREBP (sterol regulatory element-binding proteins), PPAR (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor) and INSIG (insulin-induced gene) were found to vary between parental progenies and the hybrids, thus providing a possible reason for difference in the lipid contents of these experimental groups. Overall, the hybrids were viable, rich in lipid and completely fertile and thus could serve as a promising aquaculture stock for oyster breeding in southern China

Alkali-Etched NiCoAl-LDH with Improved Electrochemical Performance for Asymmetric Supercapacitors

Hydrotalcite, first found in natural ores, has important applications in supercapacitors. NiCoAl-LDH, as a hydrotalcite-like compound with good crystallinity, is commonly synthesized by a hydrothermal method. Al3+ plays an important role in the crystallization of hydrotalcite and can provide stable trivalent cations, which is conducive to the formation of hydrotalcite. However, aluminum and its hydroxides are unstable in a strong alkaline electrolyte; therefore, a secondary alkali treatment is proposed in this work to produce cation vacancies. The hydrophilicity of the NiCoAl-OH surface with cation vacancy has been greatly improved, which is conducive to the wetting and infiltration of electrolyte in water-based supercapacitors. At the same time, cation vacancies generate a large number of defects as active sites for energy storage. As a result, the specific capacity of the NiCoAl-OH electrode after 10,000 cycles can be maintained at 94.1%, which is much better than the NiCoAl-LDH material of 74%

Modified Suture Technique in a Mouse Heart Transplant Model

The mouse abdominal heart transplantation model is a basic and important immunological research model. We developed a technique for placing entire everting sutures instead of half inverting and half everting sutures for anastomosis between donor and recipients' caval veins. The purpose of this study was to evaluate this modified method. Methods: Each technique was used in 25 mice subjected to isogenic abdominal heart transplantation. Recipient operation time, graft warm ischaemia time, time of caval anastomosis, and re-beating time were recorded. After transplantation, the heartbeat was palpated through the abdominal wall once a day for 100 days. Results: Recipient operation time (40.7 ± 2.5 min vs. 44.3 ± 2.3 min, p < 0.01), cava-caval anastomosis time (8.4 ± 1.3 min vs. 12.1 ± 1.2 min, p < 0.01), and warm ischaemia time were significantly shorter (23.4 ± 1.7 min vs. 27.2 ± 1.6 min, p < 0.01) with the modified technique. Re-beating time was 1.2 ± 0.4 minutes with the modified technique vs. 1.5 ± 0.5 minutes (p = 0.04). There was a tendency for less surgical complications in the modified group, but there were no differences in survival rates. Conclusion: The new suturing technique for mouse cardiac transplantation facilitates easier anastomosis of the outflow tract, thereby reducing operation, warm ischaemia, and re-beating times

Methylsulfonylmethane-Based Deep Eutectic Solvent as a New Type of Green Electrolyte for a High-Energy-Density Aqueous Lithium-Ion Battery

Methylsulfonylmethane-Based Deep Eutectic Solvent as a New Type of Green Electrolyte for a High-Energy-Density Aqueous Lithium-Ion Batter