[Effect of electroacupuncture invention on activities of PGC-1α/Irisin (FNDC5)/BDNF signaling in cerebral cortex, hippocampus and muscles in focal cerebral ischemic/reperfusion injury rats].

Objective: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture(EA) on the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivators-1-alpha (PGC-1α), Irisin and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the ischemic peripheral cortex, hippocampus and local skeletal muscle in rats with focal cerebral ischemic/reperfusion injury (CI/RI), so as to explore its underlying mechanism of improving of CI/RI.

Methods: Male SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: sham-operation, model and EA (11 rats in each group). The focal CI/RI model was established by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO).

Comparison of the Outcomes of Modified Artificial Chordae Technique for Mitral Regurgitation through Right Minithoracotomy or Median Sternotomy.

Background: Right minithoracotomy (RM) has been proven to be a safe and effective approach for mitral valve surgery, but the differences of artificial chordae technique between RM and median sternotomy (MS) were seldom reported. Here, we compared the outcomes of modified artificial chordae technique for mitral regurgitation (MR) through RM or MS approaches.

Methods: One hundred and eighteen consecutive adult patients who received mitral valve repair with artificial chordae and annuloplasty for MR through RM (n = 58) or MS (n = 60) from January 2006 to January 2015 were analyzed.

The role of aquaporin 1 activated by cGMP in myocardial edema caused by cardiopulmonary bypass in sheep.

Background/aims: Most cardiac procedures involve the use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), which pumps oxygenated blood to the body while the heart and lungs are isolated. CPB can cause profound alterations V in the homeostasis of physiological fluids, which often results in myocardial edema. In our study, we used sheep CPB model of in vivo and in vitro to assess the relationship between cGMP and AQP1 during CPB.

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells can differentiate into type II alveolar epithelial cells in vitro.

In this study, we demonstrate that BMSCs (bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells) can be successfully differentiated into type II alveolar epithelial cells in vitro under mimic pulmonary microenvironment. BMSCs were co-cultured with MRC-5 cells in modified SAGM (small airway growth medium). The BMSC-derived type II alveolar epithelial cells morphologically resemble human lung epithelial cells.

A novel two-stage complete repair method for pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect and major aortopulmonary collateral arteries.

Background: Pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect (PA-VSD) and major aortopulmonary collateral arteries (MAPCAs) remains a challenging complex congenital heart disease nowadays. In the present study, we aimed to develop a two-stage surgical method and to evaluate outcomes of this method in managing PA-VSD and MAPCAs.

Methods: Between December 2003 and December 2008, 7 female and 4 male patients between the age of 5 and 10 years who were suffering from PA-VSD and MAPCAs were selected and recruited.

[Clinical studies in the effect of operative strategies on the hemodynamics in off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting].

Objective: To study the influence of anastomoses sequence on the hemodynamics in off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), and to investigate the strategy to stabilize the hemodynamics.

Methods: From March 2005 to March 2007, 67 patients with serious triple-vessel coronary artery lesions (male 45, female 22) with a age range from 44 to 81-years-old were enrolled for off-pump CABG. All the patients underwent left internal mammary artery-left anterior descending branch (LIMA-LAD) anastomose firstly, followed by the foreword anastomose of the other two vessels.