Perioperative Brain Injury in Children with Aortic Arch Anomalies: A Retrospective Study of Risk Factors and Outcomes.

Complex pediatric cardiac disease is associated with brain impairment and neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly in patients requiring cardiac surgery for aortic arch anomalies. This study examines the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of perioperative brain injury in children undergoing aortic arch repair who had aortic arch anomalies. A total of 145 children with aortic arch anomalies in our center undergoing aortic arch repair between January 2014 and December 2022 were enrolled.

Clinical Symptoms Affect Treatment and Prognosis in Pediatric Patients with Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation: A Propensity Score Matching Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objectives: Surgery for asymptomatic congenital pulmonary airway malformation patients is still debatable at this time. This study aims to investigate the safety and efficacy of surgery for asymptomatic patients, as well as the factors influencing the symptoms of this group of patients.

Methods: An institutional database was sampled for congenital pulmonary airway malformation patients.

Joint association of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metal exposure with pulmonary function in children and adolescents aged 6-19 years.

Studies have reported associations between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) or heavy metal (HM) exposure and respiratory diseases. However, evidence of their joint associations with pulmonary function, especially in children and adolescents aged 6-19 years, is lacking. We utilized cross-sectional data from 1,734 children and adolescents aged 6-19 years collected in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2012 and analysed mixed PAH and mixed HM exposures and their joint association with pulmonary function by applying weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR).

Association of increased risk of cardiovascular diseases with higher levels of perfluoroalkylated substances in the serum of adults.

Evidence showing the association of perfluoroalkylated substance (PFAS) exposure with CVD risk is scarce. The objective of this study was to explore the relationships of CVD risk with mixed or individual serum PFAS levels among general adults. We analyzed combined data of 7904 adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2012 with a Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) to examine the relationships of individual or mixed PFAS exposure with total CVD risk.

SOSPCNN: Structurally Optimized Stochastic Pooling Convolutional Neural Network for Tetralogy of Fallot recognition.

Aim: This study proposes a new artificial intelligence model based on cardiovascular computed tomography for more efficient and precise recognition of Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF).

Methods: Our model is a structurally optimized stochastic pooling convolutional neural network (SOSPCNN), which combines stochastic pooling, structural optimization, and convolutional neural network. In addition, multiple-way data augmentation is used to overcome overfitting.

The relationship between multiple perfluoroalkyl substances and cardiorespiratory fitness in male adolescents.

Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) is associated with a number of adverse health outcomes. However, the relationship between mixed and individual PFAS exposure and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in adolescents remains unclear. We used cross-sectional data from 491 teenagers (aged 13-19 years) from the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and examined the association between mixed PFAS exposure and CRF via weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression.

Low-level plasticizer exposure and all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in the general population.

Background: Plasticizers, also called phthalates, are a group of chemicals widely used in daily life. A previous report showed no significant association between phthalate metabolite concentrations and mortality. We investigated the association of urinary phthalate levels and individual phthalate metabolite levels with all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality after standardizing the phthalate concentration.

Urinary levels of Phthalate metabolite mixtures and pulmonary function in adolescents.

Although an association between urinary phthalate (PAE) metabolites and respiratory symptoms and diseases has been reported, knowledge regarding its effect on pulmonary function is limited, especially in adolescents. Using cross-sectional data from 1389 adolescents (aged 10-19 years) in the 2007-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the association of mixed urinary PAE metabolites with pulmonary function was evaluated using the weighted quantile sum. Moreover, multivariate linear regression was performed to investigate associations between each urinary PAE metabolite and pulmonary function indicators and to estimate the interaction effects between urinary PAE metabolites and demographic characteristics.

Long-term outcomes in children undergoing vascular ring division: a multi-institution experience.

Objectives: Vascular rings are rare anomalies of congenital heart disease that cause respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms. This study assessed the long-term outcomes of patients with vascular ring division.

Methods: A multi-institution retrospective review of 371 patients with vascular rings undergoing surgical division at 3 paediatric cardiac institutions between November 2007 and October 2019 was performed.

Associations of exposure to secondhand smoke with hypertension risk and blood pressure values in adults.

Background: The effects of environmental chemical exposure on blood pressure (BP) have been confirmed, but the association between exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) and hypertension risk and BP in the general population remains unknown.

Methods: Cross-sectional associations between SHS exposure and hypertension risk and BP values were evaluated using data for subjects who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 1999-2016. Logistic regression and linear regression were performed after adjusting for age, sex, race, alcohol consumption, poverty-to-income ratio (PIR), body mass index (BMI), estimated glomerular filtration rate, physical activity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and NHANES cycle.

Association between blood ethylene oxide levels and the risk of cardiovascular diseases in the general population.

Ethylene oxide (EtO) is a highly reactive organic compound that is mainly used as a sterilizing agent. However, to date, the effects of EtO on the cardiovascular system are not clear. We aimed to explore the association between blood EtO levels and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the general US population.

Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumors in Children: A Clinical Retrospective Study on 19 Cases.

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMFT) is a rare neoplasm mainly affecting children and young adults. We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the clinical features and treatment alternatives of childhood inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors. A total of 19 patients who were pathologically diagnosed with IMT between December 2008 and October 2018 were included.

An improved passive shimming approach to design correction iron pieces for high field MRI.

This paper proposes a new passive shimming method to design correction iron pieces for compensating field impurities generated by the main magnets of high field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for human body imaging. First, the relationship formula of a magnetic dipole to any field point in space is established. Then, a sensitivity matrix in the form of spherical harmonic expansions can be set up based on the contribution of each shim piece to each field point.

Correction: High-aspect-ratio water-dispersed gold nanowires incorporated within gelatin methacrylate hydrogels for constructing cardiac tissues in vitro.

Correction for 'High-aspect-ratio water-dispersed gold nanowires incorporated within gelatin methacrylate hydrogels for constructing cardiac tissues in vitro' by Xiao-Pei Li et al., J. Mater.

High-aspect-ratio water-dispersed gold nanowires incorporated within gelatin methacrylate hydrogels for constructing cardiac tissues in vitro.

The field of cardiac tissue engineering has made significant strides in therapeutic and pharmaceutical applications, highlighted by the development of smart biomaterials. Scaffolds with appropriate properties mimicking the nature of a heart matrix will be highly beneficial for cardiac tissue engineering. In this study, high-aspect-ratio water-dispersed gold nanowires (AuNWs) were synthesized and incorporated into gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogels, demonstrating enhanced electrical conductivity and mechanical properties of the biomaterial scaffolds.

Comparison of efficacy between video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and thoracotomy in children with mediastinal tumors: 6-year experience.

Background: Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) has been increasingly used in pediatric patients. We evaluated the outcomes of VATS and thoracotomy for pediatric mediastinal tumors.

Methods: A total of 137 patients who underwent surgery for mediastinal tumors at our department from March 2012 to September 2018 were recruited in this retrospective study.

Effects of Balanced Ultrafiltration During Extracorporeal Circulation for Children with Congenital Heart Disease on Postoperative Serum Inflammatory Response.

We studied inflammatory marker changes with ultrafiltration extracorporeal techniques and compared these levels to those occurring during conventional techniques. Seventy-four children undergoing extracorporeal circulation during congenital heart surgery were divided into two groups-conventional (control) and balanced ultrafiltrations (study). Serum interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), static lung compliance (Cstat), alveolar-arterial oxygen partial pressure difference (A-aDO2), and oxygenation index (OI) were measured.

Clinical Treatment of Pediatric Primary Cardiac Tumors: A Single-Institute 12-Year Experience.

Background: Primary cardiac tumors in children are extremely rare. This study aimed to analyze clinical treatment and follow-up of pediatric primary cardiac tumors.

Patients And Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis by searching the medical records of 75 patients diagnosed with pediatric primary cardiac tumors from June 2005 to August 2017 in our institution.

[Application of thoracoscopic surgery in repairing esophageal atresia type Ⅲ with tracheoesophageal fistula in neonates].

Objective: To compare the efficacy of thoracoscopic surgery versus thoracotomy in repairing esophageal atresia type Ⅲ with tracheoesophageal fistula (EA/TEF) in neonates.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted in 97 neonates who underwent EA/TEF repair between January 2012 and December 2017 in the Affiliated Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, including 75 patients receiving thoracotomy and 22 patients receiving thoracoscopic surgery. The perioperative data and the incidence of early postoperative complications were compared between two groups.

MicroRNA-34a modulates the Notch signaling pathway in mice with congenital heart disease and its role in heart development.

The objective of the study was to elucidate the mechanism by which microRNA-34a (miR-34a) influences heart development and participates in the pathogenesis of congenital heart disease (CHD) by targeting NOTCH-1 through the Notch signaling pathway. Forty D7 pregnant mice were recruited for the purposes of the study and served as the CHD (n=20, successfully established as CHD model) and normal (n=20) groups. The positive expression of the NOTCH-1 protein was evaluated by means of immunohistochemistry.

Uncontrolled Antegrade Pulmonary Blood Flow and Delayed Fontan Completion After the Bidirectional Glenn Procedure: Real-World Outcomes in China.

Background: Given the low rate of Fontan completion, an aggressive policy for maintaining antegrade pulmonary blood flow (AnPBF) during the bidirectional Glenn procedure (BDG) was developed for the functional single ventricle.

Methods: From 2008 to 2013, 294 patients who underwent the BDG were divided into two groups: group 1 (uncontrolled AnPBF, n = 270) and group 2 (controlled AnPBF, n = 24). Pulmonary artery banding was performed because of the high central venous pressure in group 2.

Generation of human cardiomyocytes for cardiac regenerative therapies: differentiation and direct reprogramming.

The generation of functional human cardiomyocytes carries the potential of replacing damaged, malformed, or congenitally absent cardiac tissue as a definitive cure for cardiac disease. Furthermore, patient-specific cardiomyocytes may yield useful in vitro models of heart tissue for disease investigation, drug development and personalized therapy evaluation. This field has experienced rapid advances in the past few years.

Retrograde delivery of stem cells: promising delivery strategy for myocardial regenerative therapy.

Heart failure is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The current strategies for treatment are limited, and new therapeutic approaches are needed. Experimental studies and clinical trials suggest that stem cell transplantation may improve cardiac function and prevent cardiac remodeling of the injured heart.

Hybrid procedure with cardiopulmonary bypass for muscular ventricular septal defects in children.

Objective: To summarize the technique and clinical experience of the hybrid procedure with cardiopulmonary bypass in children with muscular ventricular septal defect (mVSD).

Methods: From January 2006 to June 2010, 45 cases of mVSD underwent hybrid procedures with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) under the guidance of transesophageal echocardiography. mVSDs were closed with devices under direct vision in the 45 cases.