Light transmittance in human atrial tissue and transthoracic illumination in rats support translatability of optogenetic cardioversion of atrial fibrillation.

Background: Optogenetics could offer a solution to the current lack of an ambulatory method for the rapid automated cardioversion of atrial fibrillation (AF), but key translational aspects remain to be studied.

Objective: To investigate whether optogenetic cardioversion of AF is effective in the aged heart and whether sufficient light penetrates the human atrial wall.

Methods: Atria of adult and aged rats were optogenetically modified to express light-gated ion channels (i.

The Impact of Reoperations Following Bariatric Surgery on Mid-term Outcomes.

Purpose: With the obesity epidemic, the number of bariatric procedures is increasing, and although considered relatively safe, major postoperative complications still occur. In cancer surgery, major complications such as reoperations have been associated with deteriorated mid/long-term outcomes. In obesity surgery, the effects of reoperations on postoperative weight loss and associated comorbidities remain unclear.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Pregnant Women and Children: Recommendations for Health Promotion.

COVID-19 continues to have severe repercussions on children and pregnant women. The repercussions include not only the direct impact of COVID-19 (ie, children getting infected by COVID-19) but also indirect impacts (eg, safeguarding from child maltreatment, obesogenic behaviors, language and socioemotional development, educational consequences [eg, interrupted learning]; social isolation; mental health; behavioral health [eg, increased substance use in adolescence]; health and economic impact of COVID-19 on caregivers and family relationships. It has also shed light on long-standing structural and socioeconomic issues, including equity in nutrition and food security, housing, childcare, and internet access.

Risk factors for postoperative bleeding in bariatric surgery.

Background: Postoperative bleeding remains a relatively common complication following bariatric surgery and may lead to morbidity and even mortality.

Objective: To develop a prediction model to identify patients at risk for postoperative bleeding.

Setting: Rode Kruis Ziekenhuis, Beverwijk, the Netherlands.

Conditional immortalization of human atrial myocytes for the generation of in vitro models of atrial fibrillation.

The lack of a scalable and robust source of well-differentiated human atrial myocytes constrains the development of in vitro models of atrial fibrillation (AF). Here we show that fully functional atrial myocytes can be generated and expanded one-quadrillion-fold via a conditional cell-immortalization method relying on lentiviral vectors and the doxycycline-controlled expression of a recombinant viral oncogene in human foetal atrial myocytes, and that the immortalized cells can be used to generate in vitro models of AF. The method generated 15 monoclonal cell lines with molecular, cellular and electrophysiological properties resembling those of primary atrial myocytes.

Long-term follow-up of thoracoscopic ablation in long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation.

Objectives: Catheter ablation of long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation (LSPAF) remains challenging, with suboptimal success rates obtained following multiple procedures. Thoracoscopic ablation has shown effective at creating transmural lesions around the pulmonary veins and box; however, long-term rhythm follow-up data are lacking. This study aims, for the first time, to assess the long-term outcomes of thoracoscopic pulmonary vein and box ablation in LSPAF.

Self-restoration of cardiac excitation rhythm by anti-arrhythmic ion channel gating.

Homeostatic regulation protects organisms against hazardous physiological changes. However, such regulation is limited in certain organs and associated biological processes. For example, the heart fails to self-restore its normal electrical activity once disturbed, as with sustained arrhythmias.

Assessing the Mental Health of Maltreated Youth with Child Welfare Involvement Using Multi-Informant Reports.

Researchers often question the validity of multi-informant assessments among adolescents with child welfare involvement. Yet, within other clinical populations, prior research finds that multi-informant reports have a discernable structure characterized by discrete patterns of agreement and disagreement. This structure "tracks" contextual displays of behavior and clinical severity.

Clamping versus nonclamping thoracoscopic box ablation in long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation.

Objective: To compare clinical outcomes of clamping devices and linear nonclamping devices for isolation of the posterior left atrium (box) in thoracoscopic ablation of long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation.

Methods: Eighty patients who underwent thoracoscopic pulmonary vein and box isolation using a bipolar clamping device (42 patients) or bipolar nonclamping device (38 patients) to create the roof/inferior lesions for box isolation were included from 2 centers. Follow-up consisted of 24-hour Holter at regular intervals.

Differential Response and Children Re-Reported to Child Protective Services: County Data From the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS).

Child protection systems that implement differential response (DR) systems screen to route referrals to an investigation response (IR) or alternative response (AR). AR responses emphasize family engagement, assessment of family needs, and service linkage. Usually, AR state-level policy does not require child welfare staff to make a maltreatment determination.

Intimate partner violence victimization and parenting: A systematic review.

Early studies examining parenting in the setting of intimate partner violence (IPV) often focus on abuse by the IPV perpetrator or effects of long term exposure. This review addresses how intimate partner violence impacts victim parenting. Seven databases were searched for the time period 1970-2015.

The genetic architecture of oral language, reading fluency, and reading comprehension: A twin study from 7 to 16 years.

This study examines the genetic and environmental etiology underlying the development of oral language and reading skills, and the relationship between them, over a long period of developmental time spanning middle childhood and adolescence. It focuses particularly on the differential relationship between language and two different aspects of reading: reading fluency and reading comprehension. Structural equation models were applied to language and reading data at 7, 12, and 16 years from the large-scale TEDS twin study.

EEG Monitoring and Antiepileptic Drugs in Children with Severe TBI.

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes substantial morbidity and mortality in US children. Post-traumatic seizures (PTS) occur in 11-42% of children with severe TBI and are associated with unfavorable outcome. Electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring may be used to detect PTS and antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) may be used to treat PTS, but national rates of EEG and AED use are not known.

Longitudinal Effects on Early Adolescent Language: A Twin Study.

Purpose: We evaluated genetic and environmental contributions to individual differences in language skills during early adolescence, measured by both language sampling and standardized tests, and examined the extent to which these genetic and environmental effects are stable across time.

Method: We used structural equation modeling on latent factors to estimate additive genetic, shared environmental, and nonshared environmental effects on variance in standardized language skills (i.e.

Seizures in Children With Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.

Objective: Traumatic brain injury causes substantial morbidity and mortality in children. Posttraumatic seizures may worsen outcomes after traumatic brain injury. Posttraumatic seizures risk factors are not completely understood.

An Exploratory Association Study of Alcohol Use Disorder and DNA Methylation.

Background: Epigenetic factors, including DNA methylation, play an important role in the etiology of alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Noncandidate-based methylome-wide studies leveraging multiple tissue types are needed in order to identify a set of CpG targets that reliably differentiate AUD patients from controls and strongly correlate across brain tissue and more commonly collected tissue types (e.g.

Does the impact of child sexual abuse differ from maltreated but non-sexually abused children? A prospective examination of the impact of child sexual abuse on internalizing and externalizing behavior problems.

Child sexual abuse (CSA) continues to be a significant problem with significant short and long term consequences. However, extant literature is limited by the reliance on retrospective recall of adult samples, single-time assessments, and lack of longitudinal data during the childhood and adolescent years. The purpose of this study was to compare internalizing and externalizing behavior problems of those with a history of sexual abuse to those with a history of maltreatment, but not sexual abuse.

Distribution of Matrix Metalloproteinases in Human Atherosclerotic Carotid Plaques and Their Production by Smooth Muscle Cells and Macrophage Subsets.

Purpose: In this study, the potential of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) sense for detection of atherosclerotic plaque instability was explored. Secondly, expression of MMPs by macrophage subtypes and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) was investigated.

Procedures: Twenty-three consecutive plaques removed during carotid endarterectomy were incubated in MMPSense™ 680 and imaged with IVIS® Spectrum.

Optical innovations in surgery.

Background: In the past decade, there has been a major drive towards clinical translation of optical and, in particular, fluorescence imaging in surgery. In surgical oncology, radical surgery is characterized by the absence of positive resection margins, a critical factor in improving prognosis. Fluorescence imaging provides the surgeon with reliable and real-time intraoperative feedback to identify surgical targets, including positive tumour margins.

The high heritability of educational achievement reflects many genetically influenced traits, not just intelligence.

Because educational achievement at the end of compulsory schooling represents a major tipping point in life, understanding its causes and correlates is important for individual children, their families, and society. Here we identify the general ingredients of educational achievement using a multivariate design that goes beyond intelligence to consider a wide range of predictors, such as self-efficacy, personality, and behavior problems, to assess their independent and joint contributions to educational achievement. We use a genetically sensitive design to address the question of why educational achievement is so highly heritable.

The correlation between reading and mathematics ability at age twelve has a substantial genetic component.

Dissecting how genetic and environmental influences impact on learning is helpful for maximizing numeracy and literacy. Here we show, using twin and genome-wide analysis, that there is a substantial genetic component to children's ability in reading and mathematics, and estimate that around one half of the observed correlation in these traits is due to shared genetic effects (so-called Generalist Genes). Thus, our results highlight the potential role of the learning environment in contributing to differences in a child's cognitive abilities at age twelve.

Genome-wide association study of receptive language ability of 12-year-olds.

Purpose: Researchers have previously shown that individual differences in measures of receptive language ability at age 12 are highly heritable. In the current study, the authors attempted to identify some of the genes responsible for the heritability of receptive language ability using a genome-wide association approach.

Method: The authors administered 4 Internet-based measures of receptive language (vocabulary, semantics, syntax, and pragmatics) to a sample of 2,329 twelve-year-olds for whom DNA and genome-wide genotyping were available.