Evolution of Substrate for Ventricular Arrhythmias Early Postinfarction: Insights From a Porcine Ischemia-Reperfusion Model.

Background: The evolution of myocardial scar and its arrhythmogenic potential postinfarct is incompletely understood.

Objectives: This study sought to investigate scar and border zone (BZ) channels evolution in an animal ischemia-reperfusion injury model using late gadolinium enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance (LGE-CMR).

Methods: Five swine underwent 90-minute balloon occlusion of the mid-left anterior descending artery, followed by LGE-CMR at day (d) 3, d30, and d58 postinfarct.

Genetically Confirmed Peritonitis was Associated with Improper Caregiver's Hand Hygiene during Peritoneal Dialysis Bag Exchange.

is a Gram-negative bacillus and is responsible for waterborne disease. This is the first case report of peritoneal dialysis (PD)-associated peritonitis caused by genetically confirmed , which was transmitted from the caregiver's hand during PD bag exchange. Aside from that, the caregiver was a fishmonger and a gastrointestinal carrier of the pathogen.

Tracking COVID-19 with wastewater to understand asymptomatic transmission.

Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 RNA is excreted in feces of most patients, therefore viral load in wastewater can be used as a surveillance tool to develop an early warning system to help and manage future pandemics.

Methods: We collected wastewater from 24 random locations at Bangkok city center and 26 nearby suburbs from July to December 2020. SARS-CoV-2 RNA copy numbers were measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

A rapid and simple method for routine determination of antibiotic sensitivity to biofilm populations of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Treatment of infections by Pseudomonas aeruginosa forming biofilms after antimicrobial testing on planktonic bacteria can result in substantial failure. Therefore, we offer a robust and simple experimental platform to test the impact of antimicrobials on biofilms. Antibiotic response patterns varied uniquely within biofilm formation capacity and minimal biofilm eradication concentrations (MBECs) has a significantly better discriminatory power than minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) to differentiate the overall efficiency of antibiotics to eradicate biofilm.

Simple fluorometric-based assay of antibiotic effectiveness for Acinetobacter baumannii biofilms.

Despite strengthened antimicrobial therapy, biofilm infections of Acinetobacter baumannii are associated with poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. Assessing antibiotics on planktonic bacteria can result in failure against biofilm infections. Currently, antibiotics to treat biofilm infections are administered empirically, usually without considering the susceptibility of the biofilm objectively before beginning treatment.

Multiple extracellular vesicle types in peritoneal dialysis effluent are prominent and contain known biomarkers.

Peritoneal dialysis inevitability results in activation of inflammatory processes and its efficiency is highly variable between patients. An improved method to isolate biomarkers and study pathophysiological mechanisms in peritoneal dialysis effluent (PDE) is expected to be of much benefit for the development of this treatment approach and help with patient management. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are released as part of normal cellular processes.

Peritoneal Dialysis-Related Peritonitis Due to Melioidosis: A Potentially Devastating Condition.

♦ BACKGROUND: Melioidosis, an infectious disease caused by , is endemic in Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. Although a wide range of clinical manifestations from this organism are known, peritonitis associated with peritoneal dialysis (PD) has rarely been reported. ♦ PATIENTS AND METHODS: Peritoneal dialysis patients from all regions in Thailand were eligible for the study if they had peritonitis and either peritoneal fluid or effluent culture positive for .

Intermedin (adrenomedullin-2): a potential protective role in human aortic endothelial cells.

Background/aims: Intermedin (IMD) is a novel peptide with significant vasodilator and cardiac protective actions similar to the related peptide adrenomedullin (ADM). Unlike those of ADM the actions and expression of IMD in endothelial cells are poorly characterised. ADM expression can be increased during cardiovascular disease/stress in vitro and in vivo where it may have a role in several cardiovascular protective actions.

Regulation of endothelin-1 release from human endothelial cells by sex steroids and angiotensin-II.

It is well documented that there are gender differences in the incidence and patterns of cardiovascular disease; males have a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease than premenopausal women. We have therefore investigated whether the sex hormones, estradiol and testosterone, could directly influence the secretion of vascular peptides from human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC). Previously we have shown that testosterone can increase the number of HAECs that secrete adrenomedullin.

Regulation of adrenomedullin release from human endothelial cells by sex steroids and angiotensin-II.

It is well documented that there are gender differences in the incidence and patterns of cardiovascular diseases but the reasons are unclear. Sex steroids may modulate the behaviour of vascular endothelial cells, which in turn act by paracrine processes to alter adjacent vascular smooth muscle activity. We hypothesised that the sex steroids alter the percentage of vascular endothelial cells that secrete the vasodilator peptide, adrenomedullin and modify the adrenomedullin-stimulating action of angiotensin-II.

Neuroprotective effects of spermine following hypoxic-ischemic-induced brain damage: a mechanistic study.

The polyamines (spermine, putrescine, and spermidine) can have neurotoxic or neuroprotective properties in models of neurodegeneration. However, assessment in a model of hypoxia-ischemia (HI) has not been defined. Furthermore, the putative mechanisms of neuroprotection have not been elucidated.