Effectiveness of Maze IV procedure versus thoracoscopic ablation for atrial fibrillation: a propensity score-matched analysis.

Background: Thoracoscopic ablation (TA) has emerged as a promising treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF), with the Cox-Maze IV Procedure (CMP-IV) as the current gold-standard intervention. This study aims to evaluate and compare the outcomes of TA and CMP-IV in treating AF.

Methods: Patients with AF underwent either CMP-IV or TA through a left-side chest approach.

Emotional Labor in Teaching Chinese as an Additional Language in a Family-Based Context in New Zealand: A Chinese Teacher's Case.

New Zealand is a multilingual and multicultural society, where English, Maori, and the New Zealand sign language are designated as its official languages. However, some heritage languages (e.g.

[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).

Individualized strategy of minimally invasive cardiac surgery in congenital cardiac septal defects.

Background: Intracardiac septal defect is repaired using median sternotomy in most centers; however, there are several reports using minimally invasive surgery in both children and adults. This study summarized our strategy of minimally invasive therapy using various lateral mini-thoracotomies in patients with congenital septal defect.

Methods: In this study, 472 patients who underwent minimally invasive repair of intracardiac septal defects (atrial septal defect, (ASD), ventricular septal defect, (VSD), and atrioventricular septal defect, (AVSD)) from January 2012 to June 2020 were retrospectively reviewed.

Teacher Engagement in Language Teaching: Investigating Self-Efficacy for Teaching Based on the Project ".

The support of sustainable learning of foreign languages requires teacher engagement and a high level of self-efficacy, both of which are cornerstones for the persistence of teachers in carrying out teaching activities to help learning. The need for such attributes is even more crucial when online learning platforms as a mode of delivery are becoming increasingly popular. We would argue that keeping students engaged and motivated to attain their academic success online calls for the increased levels of resilience and efforts of teachers.

An Enriched Environment Enhances Angiogenesis Surrounding the Cingulum in Ischaemic Stroke Rats.

An enriched environment (EE) has been demonstrated to improve functional recovery in animal models of ischaemic stroke through enhancing vascular endothelial growth factor- (VEGF-) mediated neuroprotection accompanied by angiogenesis in the ischaemic hemisphere. Whether EEs also promote VEGF-mediated neuroprotection and angiogenesis in the contralateral hemisphere remains unclear. Here, we explored the effect of EEs on VEGF expression and angiogenesis within the contralateral cerebral cortex in a rat middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/r) model.

Minimally Invasive Surgery for Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy With Mitral Regurgitation.

Background: To summarize the safety and effect of minimally invasive surgery for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) with significant mitral regurgitation through a single transaortic approach via right minithoracotomy.

Methods: From 2008 to 2017, 51 HOCM patients with significant mitral regurgitation underwent minimally invasive surgery via right minithoracotomy. Preoperative peak left ventricular outflow tract pressure gradient (LVOTPG) was 96.

Photosensitizer-loaded cell membrane biomimetic nanoparticles for enhanced tumor synergetic targeted therapy.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has the advantages of low toxicity and specificity, but photosensitizers usually fail to accumulate efficiently at the tumor site. In this study, a new multifunctional nano-drug delivery system was exploited by a biomimetic strategy to improve the PDT effects. The self-assembled methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactide--glycolide) (mPEG-PLGA) nanoparticles encapsulated with the photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6) by microfluidics were employed as the nano-core, followed by coating red blood cell (RBC) membranes as the biomimetic agent to prolong the circulation time .

Left Atrial Appendage Fibrosis and 3-Year Clinical Outcomes in Atrial Fibrillation After Endoscopic Ablation: A Histologic Analysis.

Background: Interest has been increasing in the study of atrial fibrosis, an important mechanism in atrial matrix remodeling. However, histopathologic evaluation of atrial fibrosis in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) has been limited. This study aimed to analyze the histologic relationship between atrial fibrosis and development or recurrence of NVAF after endoscopic ablation.

Complementary Roles of GCN5 and PCAF in Foxp3+ T-Regulatory Cells.

Functions of the GCN5-related N-acetyltransferase (GNAT) family of histone/protein acetyltransferases (HATs) in Foxp3+ T-regulatory (Treg) cells are unexplored, despite the general importance of these enzymes in cell biology. We now show that two prototypical GNAT family members, GCN5 (general control nonrepressed-protein 5, lysine acetyltransferase (KAT)2a) and p300/CBP-associated factor (p300/CBP-associated factor (PCAF), Kat2b) contribute to Treg functions through partially distinct and partially overlapping mechanisms. Deletion of Gcn5 or PCAF did not affect Treg development or suppressive function in vitro, but did affect inducible Treg (iTreg) development, and in vivo, abrogated Treg-dependent allograft survival.

Minimally invasive and conventional surgical treatment of primary benign cardiac tumors.

Background: Primary cardiac tumors are rare and the majorities are benign. Conventional surgical treatment uses median sternotomy, while minimally invasive surgery from right anterolateral minithoracotomy has become an alternative method in recent years. In this study, we summarized the surgical outcomes of both approaches.

Mid-term outcomes of individualized surgeries in patients with Ebstein's anomaly.

The variable anatomy of Ebstein's anomaly leads to its various surgical procedures. The long-term outcomes of different operations were not well established. Thirty-five patients with Ebstein's anomaly who underwent operations from 2006 to 2018 in our department were retrospectively reviewed.

Right minithoracotomy versus conventional median sternotomy for patients undergoing mitral valve surgery and Cox-maze IV ablation with entirely bipolar radiofrequency clamp.

Cox-maze IV ablation by bipolar radiofrequency clamp was considered to be only performed through median sternotomy (MS), but impossible through right minithoracotomy (RM). Now, we developed a novel technique of performing Cox-maze IV ablation entirely by bipolar clamp through RM. To compare the outcomes of RM or MS for patients undergoing mitral valve surgery and concomitant Cox-maze IV ablation with entirely bipolar clamp.

Concomitant Maze IV Ablation Procedure Performed Entirely by Bipolar Clamp Through Right Lateral Minithoracotomy.

Atrial fibrillation ablation with bipolar clamp has proved to be effective for patients with valvular atrial fibrillation. However, left pulmonary vein ablation with bipolar clamp through right minithoracotomy was considered difficult or impossible. In this report, we described a novel technique of performing concomitant Maze IV ablation procedure entirely by bipolar clamp through right minithoracotomy.

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.

A Modified Epicardial Radiofrequency Ablation for Preoperative Atrial Fibrillation Combined With Isolated Aortic Valve Disease.

Isolated aortic valve diseases can lead to atrial fibrillation (AF) by causing left atrium pressure overload and enlargement. At present, most patients with preoperative AF and isolated aortic valve disease have undergone a Cox-maze IV procedure through a left atriotomy under cardiopulmonary bypass with aortic cross-clamping. Here, we describe a novel modified epicardial radiofrequency ablation procedure performed on a beating heart without aortic cross-clamping or opening the left atrium.

Cardiopulmonary bypass increases pulmonary microvascular permeability through the Src kinase pathway: Involvement of caveolin-1 and vascular endothelial cadherin.

Changes in pulmonary microvascular permeability following cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and the underlying mechanisms have not yet been established. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to elucidate the alterations in pulmonary microvascular permeability following CPB and the underlying mechanism. The pulmonary microvascular permeability was measured using Evans Blue dye (EBD) exclusion, and the neutrophil infiltration and proinflammatory cytokine secretion was investigated.

Analysis of the Synergistic Effects of Fasting Plasma Glucose and Hypertension on Cardiovascular Autonomic Neuropathy.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the associations of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and hypertension (HTN) with cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) and to estimate the extent to which the synergistic effects of FPG and HTN affect outcomes in a Chinese population.

Method: We conducted a large-scale, population-based study to analyze the association and interaction of the two factors with CAN in a sample of 2,092 Chinese people. Univariate and multiple linear regression (MLR) analyses were employed to detect these relationships.

MicroRNA-27b plays a role in pulmonary arterial hypertension by modulating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ dependent Hsp90-eNOS signaling and nitric oxide production.

Pulmonary artery endothelial dysfunction is associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Based on recent studies showing that microRNA (miR)-27b is aberrantly expressed in PAH, we hypothesized that miR-27b may contribute to pulmonary endothelial dysfunction and vascular remodeling in PAH. The effect of miR-27b on pulmonary endothelial dysfunction and the underlying mechanism were investigated in human pulmonary artery endothelial cells (HPAECs) in vitro and in a monocrotaline (MCT)-induced model of PAH in vivo.

USP22 promotes NSCLC tumorigenesis via MDMX up-regulation and subsequent p53 inhibition.

Increasing evidence suggests that ubiquitin-specific protease 22 (USP22) has great clinicopathologic significance in oncology. In this study, we investigated the role of USP22 in human NSCLC tumorigenesis along with the underlying mechanisms of action. First, we determined the expression of USP22 in human NSCLC, as well as normal tissues and cell lines.

The early and mid-term results of mitral valve repair for mitral regurgitation in children.

Purpose: To review the surgical techniques and mid-term results of mitral valve repair in children with moderate or severe mitral regurgitation (MR).

Methods: One hundred and seven children with moderate or severe MR, aged 19.6 ± 8.

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.

Myocardial structural protein expression in umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells after myogenic induction.

To assess the effects of three methods of inducing myogenic cells differentiation, umbilical blood mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSCs) from nearly full-term pregnancy mongrel dogs were purified and cultured. Fourth-passage UCMSCs were used to detect surface antigens, including CD11a, CD11b, CD29, CD34 and CD71. The cells were induced by 5-azacytidine (5-aza), myocardial lysates and myocardial induced fluid.

Suppression of cardiac allograft vasculopathy in mice by inhibition of CC-motif chemokine receptor 5.

Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is the leading cause of late morbidity and mortality in heart-transplant patients. Increasing evidences support the important role of chemokines and their receptors in transplant immunology. Chemokine-chemokine receptor interaction and subsequent recruitment of T-lymphocytes to the graft are early events in the development of chronic rejection of transplanted hearts.