Infections of cardiac implantable electronic devices and how to improve transvenous lead extraction by the virtual reality.

Introduction: Infections in cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) are increasing over time and associated with substantially mortality and healthcare costs. The best approach is the complete removal of the system by transvenous lead extraction (TLE). However, when leads are more than 10 years old, this technique requires considerable expertise and failures with the result of abandoned leads or serious complications may occur.

Inhibition of adenylyl cyclase 8 prevents the upregulation of Orai1 channel, which improves cardiac function after myocardial infarction.

The upregulation of Orai1 and subsequent store-operated Ca entry (SOCE) has been associated with adverse cardiac remodeling and heart failure (HF). However, the mechanism underlying Orai1 upregulation and its role in myocardial infarction remains unclear. Our study investigated the role of Orai1 in activating adenylyl cyclase 8 (AC8) and cyclic AMP (cAMP) response element-binding protein (CREB), as well as its contribution to cardiac dysfunction induced by ischemia and reperfusion (I/R).

Differential efficacy with epidural blood and fibrin patches for the treatment of post-dural puncture headache.

Background: Accidental dural puncture (ADP) is the most frequent major complication when performing an epidural procedure in obstetrics. Consequently, loss of pressure in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leads to the development of post-dural puncture headache (PDPH), which occurs in 16%-86% of cases. To date, the efficacy of epidural fibrin patches (EFP) has not been evaluated in a controlled clinical trial, nor in comparative studies with epidural blood patches (EBP).

Predicted Value of MicroRNAs, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, and Intermediate Monocytes in the Left Adverse Ventricular Remodeling in Revascularized ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patients.

Background: Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) improves the survival of patients; nevertheless, some patients develop left ventricular adverse remodeling (LVAR) a few months after the intervention. The main objective of this study was to characterize the role of pro-inflammatory cell populations, related cytokines, and microRNAs (miRNAs) released after PPCI as reliable prognostic biomarkers for LVAR in patients with STEMI.

Methods: We evaluated the level of pro-inflammatory subsets, before and after revascularization, 1 and 6 months after PPCI, using flow cytometry.

Cardiac protection induced by urocortin-2 enables the regulation of apoptosis and fibrosis after ischemia and reperfusion involving miR-29a modulation.

Urocortin-2 (Ucn-2) has demonstrated cardioprotective actions against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injuries. Herein, we explored the protective role of Ucn-2 through microRNAs (miRNAs) post-transcriptional regulation of apoptotic and pro-fibrotic genes. We determined that the intravenous administration of Ucn-2 before heart reperfusion in a Wistar rat model of I/R recovered cardiac contractility and decreased fibrosis, lactate dehydrogenase release, and apoptosis.

Mechanical ventilation during cardiopulmonary bypass in neonates improves postoperative outcome.

Objectives: Cardiopulmonary bypass generates a systemic inflammatory response. This inflammatory response is reduced if patients are ventilated during bypass, as evidenced by lower levels of postoperative circulating inflammatory mediators. However, this does not appear to make much clinical difference in adults, at least not consistently, but, to our knowledge, has never been assessed in paediatric cardiac surgery, which is the objective of this study.

Corrigendum: SARAF and Orai1 Contribute to Endothelial Cell Activation and Angiogenesis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.

SARAF and Orai1 Contribute to Endothelial Cell Activation and Angiogenesis.

Angiogenesis is a multistep process that controls endothelial cells (ECs) functioning to form new blood vessels from preexisting vascular beds. This process is tightly regulated by pro-angiogenic factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which promote signaling pathways involving the increase in the intracellular Ca concentration ([Ca]). Recent evidence suggests that store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) might play a role in angiogenesis.

Circulating miR-320a as a Predictive Biomarker for Left Ventricular Remodelling in STEMI Patients Undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Restoration of epicardial coronary blood flow, achieved by early reperfusion with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI), is the guideline recommended to treat patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, despite successful blood restoration, increasing numbers of patients develop left ventricular adverse remodelling (LVAR) and heart failure. Therefore, reliable prognostic biomarkers for LVAR in STEMI are urgently needed.

The morphologically right and left ventricles cannot be distinguished by their coronary arterial pattern.

Objectives: The morphologically right and left ventricles are distinguished from each other based on their internal anatomical features, because their external (epicardial) surfaces do not appear to have any distinguishing mark for such ventricular identification. Nevertheless, ventricular identification based on epicardial characteristics, if these were possible, would be interesting to surgeons, because this would enable them to identify each ventricle rapidly upon opening the chest. This made us curious as to whether or not the two ventricles may be distinguished based on their epicardial coronary arterial patterns, because this is the most obvious epicardial ventricular feature.

A simple surgical technique to prevent atrial reentrant tachycardia in surgery for congenital heart disease†.

Objectives: To present and test a simple surgical technique that may prevent atrial reentrant tachycardia following surgery for congenital heart disease. This arrhythmia is one of the commonest long-term complications of such a surgery. It may occur many years (even decades) after the operation.