Impact of Prolonged Cycle Length Resulting From Conversion of Atrial Fibrillation to Atrial Tachycardia on Ablation Outcome in Persistent Atrial Fibrillation Ablation.

There is limited available data regarding the impact of cycle length (CL) prolongation when converting atrial fibrillation (AF) to organized atrial tachycardia (AT) and its effect on clinical outcomes. We retrospectively screened and included a cohort of 132 patients with persistent or long-standing persistent AF who underwent circumferential pulmonary vein isolation (CPVI) and left atrial substrate modification (LASM) between January 2015 and October 2019. In all 132 consecutive patients, persistent AF was successfully converted into organized AT.

Atrial Fibrillation Termination as a Predictor for Persistent Atrial Fibrillation Ablation: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies.

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aimed to validate the predictive role of atrial fibrillation (AF) termination in long-term arrhythmia recurrence. Our search encompassed databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library up to August 1, 2021. Three independent reviewers conducted screening and data extraction.

Electrochemical Control of the Ultrafast Lattice Response of a Layered Semimetal.

The unique layer-stacking in two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals materials facilitates the formation of nearly degenerate phases of matter and opens novel routes for the design of low-power, reconfigurable functional materials. Electrochemical ion intercalation between stacked layers offers a promising approach to stabilize bulk metastable phases and to explore the effects of extreme carrier doping and strain. However, in situ characterization methods to study the structural evolution and dynamical functional properties of these intercalated materials remains limited.

Ultrafast structural dynamics of UV photoexcited ,-1,3-cyclooctadiene observed with time-resolved electron diffraction.

Conjugated diene molecules are highly reactive upon photoexcitation and can relax through multiple reaction channels that depend on the position of the double bonds and the degree of molecular rigidity. Understanding the photoinduced dynamics of these molecules is crucial for establishing general rules governing the relaxation and product formation. Here, we investigate the femtosecond time-resolved photoinduced excited-state structural dynamics of ,-1,3-cyclooctadiene, a large-flexible cyclic conjugated diene molecule, upon excitation with 200 nm using mega-electron-volt ultrafast electron diffraction and trajectory surface hopping dynamics simulations.

Ultrafast Symmetry Control in Photoexcited Quantum Dots.

Symmetry control is essential for realizing unconventional properties, such as ferroelectricity, nonlinear optical responses, and complex topological order, thus it holds promise for the design of emerging quantum and photonic systems. Nevertheless, fast and reversible control of symmetry in materials remains a challenge, especially for nanoscale systems. Here, reversible symmetry changes are unveiled in colloidal lead chalcogenide quantum dots on picosecond timescales.

Utility of Loneliness Status to Risk Stratification and Prediction of Recurrent Atrial Fibrillation After Catheter Ablation.

Introduction: Socioeconomic determinants are increasingly important factors in the integrated management of atrial fibrillation (AF). The impact of loneliness status on AF recurrence remains unclear.

Methods: We conducted a cohort study based on patients with AF undergoing catheter ablation from 2017 to 2022.

UV-Induced Reaction Pathways in Bromoform Probed with Ultrafast Electron Diffraction.

For many chemical reactions, it remains notoriously difficult to predict and experimentally determine the rates and branching ratios between different reaction channels. This is particularly the case for reactions involving short-lived intermediates, whose observation requires ultrafast methods. The UV photochemistry of bromoform (CHBr) is among the most intensely studied photoreactions.

Iron-laden macrophage-mediated paracrine profibrotic signaling induces lung fibroblast activation.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a devastating condition characterized by progressive lung scarring and uncontrolled fibroblast proliferation, inevitably leading to organ dysfunction and mortality. Although elevated iron levels have been observed in patients and animal models of lung fibrosis, the mechanisms linking iron dysregulation to lung fibrosis pathogenesis, particularly the role of macrophages in orchestrating this process, remain poorly elucidated. Here we evaluate iron metabolism in macrophages during pulmonary fibrosis using both in vivo and in vitro approaches.

The effect of non-insulin-based insulin resistance indices on the prediction of recurrence in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing radiofrequency catheter ablation.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is acknowledged as a disease continuum. Despite catheter ablation being recommended as a primary therapy for AF, the high recurrence rates have tempered the initial enthusiasm. Insulin resistance (IR) has been established as an independent predictor for the onset of AF.

Multi-objective Bayesian active learning for MeV-ultrafast electron diffraction.

Ultrafast electron diffraction using MeV energy beams(MeV-UED) has enabled unprecedented scientific opportunities in the study of ultrafast structural dynamics in a variety of gas, liquid and solid state systems. Broad scientific applications usually pose different requirements for electron probe properties. Due to the complex, nonlinear and correlated nature of accelerator systems, electron beam property optimization is a time-taking process and often relies on extensive hand-tuning by experienced human operators.

Monitoring the Evolution of Relative Product Populations at Early Times during a Photochemical Reaction.

Identifying multiple rival reaction products and transient species formed during ultrafast photochemical reactions and determining their time-evolving relative populations are key steps toward understanding and predicting photochemical outcomes. Yet, most contemporary ultrafast studies struggle with clearly identifying and quantifying competing molecular structures/species among the emerging reaction products. Here, we show that mega-electronvolt ultrafast electron diffraction in combination with molecular dynamics calculations offer a powerful route to determining populations of the various isomeric products formed after UV (266 nm) excitation of the five-membered heterocyclic molecule 2(5)-thiophenone.

Hidden phonon highways promote photoinduced interlayer energy transfer in twisted transition metal dichalcogenide heterostructures.

Vertically stacked van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures exhibit unique electronic, optical, and thermal properties that can be manipulated by twist-angle engineering. However, the weak phononic coupling at a bilayer interface imposes a fundamental thermal bottleneck for future two-dimensional devices. Using ultrafast electron diffraction, we directly investigated photoinduced nonequilibrium phonon dynamics in MoS/WS at 4° twist angle and WSe/MoSe heterobilayers with twist angles of 7°, 16°, and 25°.

Acute and long-term outcomes of pulmonary vein isolation and left atrial substrate modification for non-paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: a non-randomized trial.

Background: The long-term success rate of nonparoxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) treated with pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) alone is not ideal. This may indicate atrial fibrosis as a major cause of recurrence. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of left atrial substrate modification (LASM) by targeting low-voltage area.

A novel method for septal reduction therapy by three-dimensional guided transvenous intraseptal pulsed-field ablation.

Background: Pulsed-field ablation (PFA) is a nonthermal method for achieving selective cell death with little inflammation response. However, there are no reports of PFA for septal reduction therapy (SRT).

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness and safety of PFA for SRT.

Spin-mediated shear oscillators in a van der Waals antiferromagnet.

Understanding how microscopic spin configuration gives rise to exotic properties at the macroscopic length scale has long been pursued in magnetic materials. One seminal example is the Einstein-de Haas effect in ferromagnets, in which angular momentum of spins can be converted into mechanical rotation of an entire object. However, for antiferromagnets without net magnetic moment, how spin ordering couples to macroscopic movement remains elusive.

Higher allochthonous organic carbon increases polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentration whereas fossil fuel combustion alters the composition: Evidence from a eutrophic plateau lake in southwest China.

Understanding the source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is crucial for determining their structural, degradational, and burial characteristics in lake sediments. Here, we used a sediment core to determine the changing sources and burial characteristics of 16 PAHs from Dianchi Lake, southwest China. The ∑PAH concentrations ranged from 105.

Effect of Statins on Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Coronary Artery Spasm: A Meta-Analysis of the Asia Region.

Background: Whether statins can reduce major cardiovascular adverse events (MACE) in patients with coronary artery spasm (CAS) is controversial. And most of the relevant research to date has been conducted in Asia.

Methods: We systematically searched electronic databases for studies on the effect of statins on MACE in patients with CAS in Asia and published up to September 2022.

Ultrafast Optomechanical Strain in Layered GeS.

Strong coupling between light and mechanical strain forms the foundation for next-generation optical micro- and nano-electromechanical systems. Such optomechanical responses in two-dimensional materials present novel types of functionalities arising from the weak van der Waals bond between atomic layers. Here, by using structure-sensitive megaelectronvolt ultrafast electron diffraction, we report the experimental observation of optically driven ultrafast in-plane strain in the layered group IV monochalcogenide germanium sulfide (GeS).

SGLT2 inhibitors for prevention of primary and secondary cardiovascular outcomes: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Many clinical studies have shown that sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) reduce cardiovascular risks, such as heart failure, myocardial infarction and cardiovascular death.

Objective: To investigate the use of SGLT2i for the prevention of primary and secondary cardiovascular outcomes.

Methods: Pubmed, Embase and Cochrane libraries databases were searched and meta-analysis was performed using Revman 5.

Sediment record in pollution, toxicity risk, and source assignment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Erhai Lake, Southwest China.

Surface sediments and sediment core had been collected from Erhai Lake, Southwest China to study the concentrations, toxicity risks, and sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The average concentrations of ΣPAHs, seven carcinogenic PAHs (carPAHs), and carcinogenic toxic equivalents (TEQ) in the surface sediments and sediment core were 1634.50 ± 488.

Panoramic Mapping of Phonon Transport from Ultrafast Electron Diffraction and Scientific Machine Learning.

One central challenge in understanding phonon thermal transport is a lack of experimental tools to investigate frequency-resolved phonon transport. Although recent advances in computation lead to frequency-resolved information, it is hindered by unknown defects in bulk regions and at interfaces. Here, a framework that can uncover microscopic phonon transport information in heterostructures is presented, integrating state-of-the-art ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) with advanced scientific machine learning (SciML).

Hierarchical domain structures associated with oxygen octahedra tilting patterns in lead-free (BiNa)TiO.

Hierarchical domain structures associated with oxygen octahedra tilting patterns were observed in lead-free (BiNa)TiOceramics using aberration-corrected high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Three types of domains are induced by distinct mechanisms: the 'orientation-domain' is induced at micrometer scale formed by different tilting orientations of the oxygen octahedra, the 'meso-chemical-domain' occurs at a few tens of nanometer scale by chemical composition variation on the A-site in the ABOperovskite structure, and the 'nano-cluster-region' runs across several unit-cells with apparent A-site cation segregation with oxygen vacancies clustering around Na cations. Based on HRTEM amplitude contrast imaging (ACI), the correlation between the oxygen octahedral tilting pattern and compositional non-stoichiometry was established.

Machine learning the metastable phase diagram of covalently bonded carbon.

Conventional phase diagram generation involves experimentation to provide an initial estimate of the set of thermodynamically accessible phases and their boundaries, followed by use of phenomenological models to interpolate between the available experimental data points and extrapolate to experimentally inaccessible regions. Such an approach, combined with high throughput first-principles calculations and data-mining techniques, has led to exhaustive thermodynamic databases (e.g.