Attenuation of Tumor Development in Mammary Carcinoma Rats by Theacrine, an Antagonist of Adenosine 2A Receptor.

Caffeine has been reported to induce anti-tumor immunity for attenuating breast cancer by blocking the adenosine 2A receptor. Molecular modeling showed that theacrine, a purine alkaloid structurally similar to caffeine, might be an antagonist of the adenosine 2A receptor equivalent to or more effective than caffeine. Theacrine was further demonstrated to be an effective antagonist of the adenosine 2A receptor as its concurrent supplementation significantly reduced the elevation of AMPK phosphorylation level in MCF-7 human breast cells induced by CGS21680, an agonist of adenosine 2A receptors.

Long Term Outcome of Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation After Cardiac Surgery-A Propensity Score-Matched Cohort Analysis.

Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) results in a longer hospital stay and excess mortality. However, whether POAF would increase stroke rate has been debated for years. When and how long should anticoagulation be used to prevent stroke are unknown.

Applying harmonic optical microscopy for spatial alignment of atrial collagen fibers.

Background: Atrial fibrosis creates a vulnerable tissue for atrial fibrillation (AF), but the spatial disarray of collagen fibers underlying atrial fibrosis is not fully elucidated.

Objective: This study hypothesizes that harmonics optical microscopy can illuminate the spatial mal-alignment of collagen fibers in AF via a layer-by-layer approach.

Patients And Methods: Atrial tissues taken from patients who underwent open-heart surgery were examined by harmonics optical microscopy.