1-Year Real-World Outcomes of TAVR With the Fifth-Generation Balloon-Expandable Valve in the United States.

Background: Longer term outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with the SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA (S3UR) valve over its predecessors have not been reported in a national registry.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the 1-year clinical and echocardiographic outcomes of the S3UR with those of the SAPIEN 3 (S3) and SAPIEN 3 Ultra (S3U) in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology TVT (Transcatheter Valve Therapy) Registry.

Methods: From September 2022 to March 2023, patients who underwent native TAVR with the S3UR or the S3 or S3U valve were propensity matched and compared.

Self-healing, stretchable and recyclable polyurethane-PEDOT:PSS conductive blends.

Future electronics call for materials with mechanical toughness, flexibility, and stretchability. Moreover, self-healing and recyclability are highly desirable to mitigate the escalating environmental threat of electronic waste (e-waste). Herein, we report a stretchable, self-healing, and recyclable material based on a mixture of the conductive polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) with a custom-designed polyurethane (PU) and polyethylene glycol (PEG).

Transcatheter heart valve explant with infective endocarditis-associated prosthesis failure and outcomes: the EXPLANT-TAVR international registry.

Background And Aims: Surgical explantation of transcatheter heart valves (THVs) is rapidly increasing, but there are limited data on patients with THV-associated infective endocarditis (IE). This study aims to assess the outcomes of patients undergoing THV explant for IE.

Methods: All patients who underwent THV explant between 2011 and 2022 from 44 sites in the EXPLANT-TAVR registry were identified.

Use and performance of the evolut FX transcatheter aortic valve system.

Background: The next generation supra-annular, self-expanding Evolut FX transcatheter aortic valve (TAV) system was designed to improve catheter deliverability, provide stable and symmetric valve deployment, and assess commissural alignment during the procedure. The impact of these modifications has not been clinically evaluated.

Methods: Procedural information was collected by survey in 2 Stages: Stage I comprised 23 centers with extensive experience with Evolut TAV systems, and Stage II comprised an additional 46 centers with a broad range of balloon- and self-expanding system experience.

Etiologies and Impact of Exclusion Rates for Transcatheter Mitral and Tricuspid Valve Structural Heart Clinical Trials at a High-Volume Quaternary Care Hospital.

There are various devices under clinical investigation for transcatheter mitral valve intervention and transcatheter tricuspid valve intervention (TTVI); however, the exclusion rates remain high. We aimed to investigate the exclusion rates for transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVr), transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR), transcatheter tricuspid valve repair (TTVr), and transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement (TTVR). There were 129 patients who were referred to St.

A synthesis of wild animal-related trade laws in some of the world's most biodiverse countries.

We examined the laws and legal provisions governing the commercial trade of terrestrial wild fauna across the trade chain in some of the world's megadiverse countries and how these relate to key animal welfare and conservation concerns. Over the past century, an increase in the quantity and complexity of laws related to commercial wildlife trade has been observed in the 11 focal countries examined. Our review identified 95 laws with 560 provisions adopted since 1910 across these countries.

Advances in Electrode Materials for Scalp, Forehead, and Ear EEG: A Mini-Review.

Electroencephalogram (EEG) records the electrical activity of neurons in the cerebral cortex and is used extensively to diagnose, treat, and monitor psychiatric and neurological conditions. Reliable contact between the skin and the electrodes is essential for achieving consistency and for obtaining electroencephalographic information. There has been an increasing demand for effective equipment and electrodes to overcome the time-consuming and cumbersome application of traditional systems.

Increased CMV disease and "severe" BK viremia with belatacept vs. sirolimus three-drug maintenance immunosuppression.

Objectives: Belatacept may provide benefit in delayed graft function, but its association with infectious complications is understudied. We aim to assess the incidence of CMV and BK viremia in patients treated with sirolimus or belatacept as part of a three-drug immunosuppression regimen after kidney transplantation.

Materials And Methods: Kidney transplant recipients from 01/01/2015 to 10/01/2021 were retrospectively reviewed.

Short-term decreased post transplant lymphoproliferative disorder risk after kidney transplantation using two novel regimens.

Background: Belatacept is employed alongside calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) therapy to prevent graft rejection in kidney transplant patients who are Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) seropositive. Preliminary data suggested that rates of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) were higher in individuals treated with belatacept compared to CNI therapy alone.

Methods: The records of 354 adults who underwent kidney only transplantation from January 2015 through September 2021 at one medical center were evaluated.

Structural Valve Deterioration After Self-Expanding Transcatheter or Surgical Aortic Valve Implantation in Patients at Intermediate or High Risk.

Importance: The frequency and clinical importance of structural valve deterioration (SVD) in patients undergoing self-expanding transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) or surgery is poorly understood.

Objective: To evaluate the 5-year incidence, clinical outcomes, and predictors of hemodynamic SVD in patients undergoing self-expanding TAVI or surgery.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This post hoc analysis pooled data from the CoreValve US High Risk Pivotal (n = 615) and SURTAVI (n = 1484) randomized clinical trials (RCTs); it was supplemented by the CoreValve Extreme Risk Pivotal trial (n = 485) and CoreValve Continued Access Study (n = 2178).

Threats of Longline Fishing to Global Albatross Diversity.

Albatrosses are among the most threatened seabird species. Often entangled in gillnets or hooked while longline fishing gear is being set, albatrosses are affected by fishing. This is assumed to be especially true in cases where illegal longline fishing vessels are involved, as they are less likely to implement the bycatch mitigation measures implemented to reduce the risk of albatrosses being caught on their hooks.

Calcific Plaque Modification by Acoustic Shockwaves: Intravascular Lithotripsy in Cardiovascular Interventions.

Purpose Of Review: To provide a review of recent literature on the treatment of moderate-to-severe calcification in coronary and peripheral vasculature with intravascular lithotripsy (Shockwave Medical, Santa Clara, CA).

Recent Findings: Moderate-to-severe calcific plaques constitute a significant proportion of lesions treated with transcatheter interventions in the coronary and peripheral vascular beds and portend lower procedural success rates, increased periprocedural major adverse events, and unfavorable long-term clinical outcomes compared to non-calcific plaques. Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) is a new technique that uses acoustic shock waves in a balloon-based system to induce fracture in the calcium deposits to facilitate luminal gain and stent expansion.

When Human-Wildlife Conflict Turns Deadly: Comparing the Situational Factors That Drive Retaliatory Leopard Killings in South Africa.

Retaliatory killings caused by human-wildlife conflict have a significant impact on the survival of leopards. This study explores the reasons for retaliatory killings of leopards by interviewing community members in a small village in South Africa that experienced high incidences of human-leopard conflict. The semi-structured interviews focused on the reasons why retaliatory leopard killings occurred and how to best mitigate the situational factors that triggered these killings.

Acoustic Shock Waves to Modify Calcific Plaques - Intravascular Lithotripsy in the Peripheral Circulation.

Intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) is a new technique for treatment of severely calcified lesions that uses acoustic shockwaves in a balloon-based system to induce fracture in calcific plaque, facilitating luminal gain and vessel expansion. In this review, we provide a concise summary of the available data and clinical experience of IVL in various peripheral vascular beds, including facilitating vascular access for large-bore devices. We discuss the physics and mode of action of IVL in modifying calcified plaques, include several illustrative examples of utility of IVL in peripheral interventions, and discuss the future directions for adoption of the technique in peripheral interventions.