Prediction of postoperative stroke in patients experienced coronary artery bypass grafting surgery: a machine learning approach.

Background: Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery has been a widely accepted method for treating coronary artery disease. However, its postoperative complications can have a significant effect on long-term patient outcomes. A retrospective study was conducted to identify before and after surgery that contribute to postoperative stroke in patients undergoing CABG, and to develop predictive models and recommendations for single-factor thresholds.

Global, regional, and national incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years of non-rheumatic valvular heart disease and trend analysis from 1990 to 2019: Results from the Global Burden of Disease study 2019.

Background: In the context of the population growing and aging worldwide, the incidence of non-rheumatic valvular heart disease increased rapidly. This study aimed to describe the burden of non-rheumatic valvular heart disease, providing an up-to-date and comprehensive analysis on the global and regional levels and time trends from 1900 to 2019.

Methods: The Global Burden of Disease 2019 was used to obtain data for this analysis.

T lymphocyte characteristics and immune repertoires in the epicardial adipose tissue of heart failure patients.

Background: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) acts as an active immune organ and plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of heart failure (HF). However, the characteristics of immune cells in EAT of HF patients have rarely been elucidated.

Methods: To identify key immune cells in EAT, an integrated bioinformatics analysis was performed on public datasets.

Identifying hub genes of calcific aortic valve disease and revealing the immune infiltration landscape based on multiple WGCNA and single-cell sequence analysis.

Background: Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is a progressive fibrocalcific disease that can be treated only through valve replacement. This study aimed to determine the role of hub genes and immune cell infiltration in CAVD progression.

Methods: In this study, bioinformatics analysis was used to identify hub genes involved in CAVD.

Role of Neuroimmune Interactions in COVID-19-related Cardiovascular Damage.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a global pandemic impacting over 200 countries/regions and more than 200 million patients worldwide. Among the infected patients, there is a high prevalence of COVID-19-related cardiovascular injuries. However, the specific mechanisms linking cardiovascular damage and COVID-19 remain unclear.

[Progress in the Role of Mechanical Stimulus in Cardiac Development].

Mechanical stimulus is critical to cardiovascular development during embryogenesis period.The mechanoreceptors of endocardial cells and cardiac myocytes may sense mechanical signals and initiate signal transduction that induce gene expression at a cellular level,and then translate molecular-level events into tissue-level deformations,thus guiding embryo development.This review summarizes the regulatory roles of mechanical signals in the early cardiac development including the formation of heart tube,looping,valve and septal morphogenesis,ventricular development and maturation.

Anticalcification Potential of POSS-PEG Hybrid Hydrogel as a Scaffold Material for the Development of Synthetic Heart Valve Leaflets.

Calcification of bioprosthetics is a primary challenge in the field of artificial heart valves and a main reason for biological heart valve prostheses failure. Recent advances in nanomaterial science have promoted the development of polymers with advantageous properties that are likely suitable for artificial heart valves. In this work, we developed a nanocomposite polymeric biomaterial POSS-PEG (polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane-polyethylene glycol) hybrid hydrogel, which not only has improved mechanical and surface properties but also excellent biocompatibility.

Outcomes of Three Different Minimal Invasive Approaches for Secundum Atrial Septal Defect Closure: A Single Institute Experience.

Objective: The aims of this retrospective study were to investigate and evaluate the safety and efficacy of three approaches for closure of secundum atrial septal defect (ASD).

Methods: In this study, we reviewed clinical data for transcatheter occlusion (TCO, n=63), transthoracic occlusion (TTO, n=55), and right anterolateral minithoracotomy (RALT, n=60) techniques used for ASD closure. We compared the safety and efficacy of the three approaches.

Generation and characterization of cardiac valve endothelial-like cells from human pluripotent stem cells.

The cardiac valvular endothelial cells (VECs) are an ideal cell source that could be used for making the valve organoids. However, few studies have been focused on the derivation of this important cell type. Here we describe a two-step chemically defined xeno-free method for generating VEC-like cells from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs).

Transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement in patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation.

Objective: Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a common valvular heart disease with unsatisfactory medical therapeutics and high surgical mortality. The present study aims to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement (TTVR) in high-risk patients with severe TR.

Methods: This was a compassionate multicentre study.

Aβ40 Promotes the Osteoblastic Differentiation of Aortic Valve Interstitial Cells through the RAGE Pathway.

Amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide 40 enhances the activation of receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) in immune-inflammatory diseases. RAGE exhibits several effects in the setting of numerous cardiovascular events. We hypothesized that the Aβ40/RAGE pathway is involved in the osteoblastic differentiation of the valvular interstitial cell (VIC) phenotype, and RAGE knockout intervention could reduce the calcification of aortic valve interstitial cells (AVICs) by inhibiting the extracellular-regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2)/nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathway.

Which is the best prosthesis in an isolated or combined tricuspid valve replacement?

Objectives: The debate concerning the optimal choice of tricuspid position continues. We compared the long-term results of mechanical and biological prostheses in patients who underwent isolated or combined tricuspid valve replacement, at 2 major cardiac surgical centres in central China.

Methods: From January 1999 to December 2018, 338 patients underwent tricuspid valve replacement.

Role of Interleukin 17A in Aortic Valve Inflammation in Apolipoprotein E-deficient Mice.

Interleukin 17A (IL17A) is reported to be involved in many inflammatory processes, but its role in aortic valve diseases remains unknown. We examined the role of IL17A based on an ApoE mouse model with strategies as fed with high-fat diet or treated with IL17A monoclonal antibody (mAb). 12 weeks of high-fat diet feeding can elevate cytokines secretion, inflammatory cells infiltration and myofibroblastic transition of valvular interstitial cells (VICs) in aortic valve.

A simple, quick, and efficient CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing method for human induced pluripotent stem cells.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have become an essential research platform to study different human diseases once being discovered by Dr. Shinya Yamanaka in 2006. Another breakthrough in biomedical research is the application of CRISPR/Cas9 system for genome editing in mammalian cells.

Pathologic T-cell response in ischaemic failing hearts elucidated by T-cell receptor sequencing and phenotypic characterization.

Aims: A persistent cardiac T-cell response initiated by myocardial infarction is linked to subsequent adverse ventricular remodelling and progression of heart failure. No data exist on T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire changes in combination with phenotypic characterization of T cells in ischaemic failing human hearts.

Methods And Results: Analysis of TCR repertoire with high-throughput sequencing revealed that compared with T cells in control hearts, those in ischaemic failing hearts showed a clonally expanded TCR repertoire but similar usage patterns of TRBV-J rearrangements and V gene segments; compared with T cells in peripheral blood, those in ischaemic failing hearts exhibited a restricted and clonally expanded TCR repertoire and different usage patterns of TRBV-J rearrangements and V gene segments, suggesting the occurrence of tissue-specific T-cell expansion in ischaemic failing hearts.

Clinical Application of Bioprosthesis in China: Current Status and Future.

China is one of the countries which have a high incidence of heart valvular disease, but the use of biological valve is limited in China before because the majority of patients are young patients suffering from rheumatic heart disease. The biological valve has a good application prospect in China. On the one hand, the new generation of biological valves have been significantly improved in the aspects of anti-calcification treatment, anti-metabolism, material quality control, valve frame mechanics design, and leaflet sewing technology, and the application effect is improved; on the other hand, surgeons should adapt to the new concept changes, and correctly understand and rationally apply biological valves, master valve repair, atrial fibrillation ablation and other techniques, combined with interventional, minimally invasive techniques, etc.