Impact of repositioning on brain injury following transcatheter aortic valve replacement with a self-expanding valve.

Repositionable self-expanding valves allow for repositioning during deployment to achieve optimal valve placement. However, the risk of brain injury associated with repositioning, as detected by diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI), is unknown. Consecutive patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with repositionable self-expanding valves and receiving DW-MRI before and within 7 days post-TAVR procedure were included.

Human antigen R regulates autophagic flux by stabilizing autophagy-associated mRNA in calcific aortic valve disease.

Aims: The incidence of calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) has risen over the last decade and is expected to continue rising; however, pharmacological approaches have proven ineffective. In this study, we evaluated the role and underlying mechanisms of human antigen R (HuR)-mediated post-transcriptional regulation in CAVD.

Methods And Results: We found that HuR was significantly upregulated in human calcified aortic valves and primary aortic valvular interstitial cells (VICs) following osteogenic stimulation.

Cerebral Ischemic Lesions after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Patients with Non-Calcific Aortic Stenosis.

Evidence for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is scarce among patients with non-calcific aortic stenosis, and it is not known whether aortic valve calcification is associated with new cerebral ischemic lesions (CILs) that are detected by diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. So, our study enrolled 328 patients who underwent transfemoral TAVI using a self-expanding valve between December 2016 and June 2021 from the TORCH registry (NCT02803294). A total of 34 patients were finally confirmed as non-calcific AS and the remaining 294 patients were included in the calcific AS group.

FAIM Enhances the Efficacy of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation by Inhibiting JNK-Induced c-FLIP Ubiquitination and Degradation.

Background: The poor survival rates of transplanted mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in harsh microenvironments impair the efficacy of MSCs transplantation in myocardial infarction (MI). Extrinsic apoptosis pathways play an important role in the apoptosis of transplanted MSCs, and Fas apoptosis inhibitory molecule (FAIM) is involved in regulation of the extrinsic apoptosis pathway. Thus, we aimed to explore whether FAIM augmentation protects MSCs against stress-induced apoptosis and thereby improves the therapeutic efficacy of MSCs.

Comparison of cusp-overlap projection and standard three-cusp coplanar view during self-expanding transcatheter aortic valve replacement: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) is a common complication after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Recently, the cusp-overlap projection (COP) technique was thought to be a feasible method to reduce PPI risk. However, the evidence is still relatively scarce.

Emergently Alteration of Procedural Strategy During Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement to Prevent Coronary Occlusion: A Case Report.

Background: Coronary occlusion is an uncommon but fatal complication of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with a poor prognosis.

Case Presentation: A patient with symptomatic severe bicuspid aortic valve stenosis was admitted to a high-volume center specializing in transfemoral TAVR with self-expanding valves. No anatomical risk factors of coronary occlusion were identified on pre-procedural computed tomography analysis.

PTP1B Inhibition Improves Mitochondrial Dynamics to Alleviate Calcific Aortic Valve Disease Via Regulating OPA1 Homeostasis.

There are currently no pharmacological therapies for calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD). Here, we evaluated the role of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) inhibition in CAVD. Up-regulation of PTP1B was critically involved in calcified human aortic valve, and PTP1B inhibition had beneficial effects in preventing fibrocalcific response in valvular interstitial cells and LDLR mice.

Validation of a novel staging classification system based on the extent of cardiac damage among Chinese patients after transcatheter aortic valve replacement: A single-center retrospective study.

Objectives: We aimed to validate a novel staging system for aortic stenosis (AS) in a Chinese patient cohort undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), and to compare this classification system to the traditional Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) score for TAVR risk stratification.

Background: A novel staging system for AS based on the extent of cardiac damage upon echocardiography was recently proposed.

Methods: Patients were prospectively enrolled into the Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Single Center Registry in Chinese Population and analyzed retrospectively following additional exclusion criteria.

Self-expanding transcatheter aortic valve replacement in patients with extremely horizontal aortas.

Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility of self-expanding transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in patients with aortic stenosis and extremely horizontal aortas (aortic angulation ≥70°).

Background: As TAVR using a self-expanding prosthesis is an off-label treatment for patients with extremely horizontal aortas, these patients are often excluded from randomized controlled trials involving self-expanding TAVR.

Methods: This study enrolled 27 consecutive patients with extremely horizontal aortas who underwent self-expanding TAVR for severe aortic stenosis.

Three-year outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve implantation for bicuspid versus tricuspid aortic stenosis.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) might be a feasible treatment option for more patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) stenosis. However, long-term follow-up data in this population are scarce.

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate three-year outcomes after TAVI in patients with BAV.

Subclinical Leaflets Thrombosis After Transcatheter Replacement of Bicuspid vs. Tricuspid Aortic Valve.

Subclinical leaflet thrombosis (SLT) is an important sequela that compromises the durability of the bioprosthetic valve. To better determine the effect of SLT in bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), we performed a retrospective assessment of CT-defined SLT in BAV and tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) stenotic patients. We consecutively collected patients undergoing the TAVR between August 2015 and March 2020 in our center.

Double-Network Hydrogel Armored Decellularized Porcine Pericardium as Durable Bioprosthetic Heart Valves.

Heart valves have extraordinary fatigue resistance which beat ≈3 billion times in a lifetime. Bioprosthetic heart valves (BHVs) made from fixed heteroplasm that are incrementally used in heart valve replacement fail to sustain the expected durability due to thrombosis, poor endothelialization, inflammation, calcification, and especially mechanical damage induced biocompatibility change. No effective strategy has been reported to conserve the biological properties of BHV after long-term fatigue test.

Ulvan mediated VE cadherin antibody and REDV peptide co-modification to improve endothelialization potential of bioprosthetic heart valves.

An aging population and a rapid increase in the incidence of degenerative valve diseases have led to greater use of bioprosthetic heart valves (BHVs). The durability of glutaraldehyde cross-linked bioprostheses currently available for clinical use is poor due to calcification, coagulation, and degradation. Decellularization can partially reduce calcification by removal of xenogenic cells, but can also lead to thrombosis, which can be addressed by further surface modification.

Brain Injury After Transcatheter Replacement of Bicuspid Versus Tricuspid Aortic Valves.

Background: An increasing number of bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) patients are undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), but the risk of brain injury in diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) is currently unknown.

Objectives: This study sought to evaluate the risk of brain injury in BAV patients following TAVR.

Methods: A total of 204 consecutive severe aortic stenosis patients who underwent TAVR were enrolled.

LncRNA KCNQ1OT1 contributes to cardiomyocyte apoptosis by targeting FUS in heart failure.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have recently been recognized as the important regulators in cardiac diseases. This study was aimed to investigate the role and molecular mechanism of lncRNA KCNQ1OT1 in regulating cardiomyocyte apoptosis in heart failure (HF). The mouse model of HF was induced by doxorubicin (ADR).

Long non-coding RNA FOXD3-AS1 aggravates ischemia/reperfusion injury of cardiomyocytes through promoting autophagy.

We aimed to investigate the role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) FOXD3 antisense RNA 1 (FOXD3-AS1) in myocardial Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. In our study, H9C2 cells were treated with oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation (OGD/R). RT-qPCR was performed to detect the expression level of lncRNA FOXD3-AS1 in OGD/R induced H9C2 cells.

Transplantation of Endothelial Progenitor Cells Overexpressing miR-126-3p Improves Heart Function in Ischemic Cardiomyopathy.

Background: In a previous study, a low level of miR-126-3p in endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) was linked to the outcome of ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) patients. However, it remains unclear whether transplantation with miR-126-3p-overexpressing EPCs (MO-EPCs) can improve the cardiac function of ICM animal models.

Methods and results: miR-126-3p overexpression by lentiviral vector significantly increased migration and tube-like structures of EPCs from ICM patients.

MiRNA-30e mediated cardioprotection of ACE2 in rats with Doxorubicin-induced heart failure through inhibiting cardiomyocytes autophagy.

Objective: miRNAs are a class of small non-coding RNAs that has been proved to be involved in cardioprotection. The present study was to detect role of miR-30e in cardiac-protective action of ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2).

Methods: Sprague Dawley rats were divided into 3 groups and received treatment for a total of 6weeks: group1, normal rats; group2, Doxorubicin-induced heart cardiomyopathy (DHC) rats; and group3, rhACE2 (recombinant human ACE2) treated DHC rats.

Myocardial protection of early extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support for acute myocardial infarction with cardiogenic shock in pigs.

The aim of this study was to explore myocardial protection of early extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support for acute myocardial infarction with cardiogenic shock in pigs. 24 male pigs (34.6 ± 1.