Phylogenomics of Paragymnopteris (Cheilanthoideae, Pteridaceae): Insights from plastome, mitochondrial, and nuclear datasets.

Previous studies have shown that at least six genera of the Cheilanthoideae, a subfamily of the fern family Pteridaceae, may not be monophyletic. In these non-monophyletic genera, the Old-World genus Paragymnopteris including approximately five species have long been controversial. In this study, with an extensive taxon sampling of Paragymnopteris, we assembled 19 complete plastomes of all recognized Paragymnopteris species, plastomes of Pellaea (3 species) and Argyrochosma (1 species), as well as transcriptomes from Paragymnopteris (6 species) and Argyrochosma (1 species).

Review of the Interfacial Structure and Properties of Surfactants in Petroleum Production and Geological Storage Systems from a Molecular Scale Perspective.

Surfactants play a crucial role in tertiary oil recovery by reducing the interfacial tension between immiscible phases, altering surface wettability, and improving foam film stability. Oil reservoirs have high temperatures and high pressures, making it difficult and hazardous to conduct lab experiments. In this context, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is a valuable tool for complementing experiments.

Assessment of Cardiac Function and Ventricular Mechanical Synchronization in Left Bundle Branch Area Pacing by Speckle Tracking and Three-Dimensional Echocardiography.

Real-time 3-dimensional echocardiography combined with speckle tracking was used in this study. A total of 90 patients with normal left ventricular ejection fraction were divided into 3 groups according to the pacing site: left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP), right ventricular septal pacing (RVSP) or right ventricular apical pacing (RVAP). Procedure duration (90 ± 18 vs 61 ± 6.

Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia in China: Genetic and clinical characteristics from a real-world, multi-center, cohort study.

Background: There is a lack of large-scale data on the clinical and genotype characteristics of homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) patients in Asia.

Objective: To define the characteristics of phenotypic and genetic HoFH probands from mainland China.

Methods: We collected data from patients with suspected HoFH from ten clinical hospitals across mainland China from 2003 to 2019.

Change and impact of left ventricular global longitudinal strain during transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Background: Although transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a safe and effective treatment for aortic stenosis, it still carries some risks, such as valve leaks, stroke, and even death. The left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LVGLS) measurement may be useful for the prediction of adverse events during this operation.

Aim: To explore the change of LVGLS during TAVI procedure and the relationship between LVGLS and perioperative adverse events.

[Echocardiographic manifestation and analysis of TGFBR1 gene variant in a Chinese patient with Loeys-Dietz syndrome].

Objective: To explore the genetic basis for a patient with aortic root aneurysm and valve insufficiency.

Methods: The patient was subjected to whole exome sequencing (WES) with a focus on the analysis of genes related to aortic aneurysm and other genetic diseases involving the cardiovascular system. Suspected pathogenic site was validated by Sanger sequencing of the patient and his family members.

Prognostic value of coronary flow velocity reserve in patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia.

Coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR) can provide useful quantitative information on the functional status of coronary artery circulation, and an impaired CFVR (< 2.0) was associated with a significant increase in the occurrence of cardiac events. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death in homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH), but the relationship between impaired CFVR and outcome in HoFH has never been discussed before METHODS: To explore the long-term prognostic value of CFVR in patients with HoFH, 39 HoFH patients with CFVR data (mean age with 16.

Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography for Detecting Subclinical Left Ventricular Dysfunction in Patients With Familial Hypercholesterolemia.

Myocardial ischemia and left ventricular dysfunction have been documented in young adults with familial hypercholesterolemia. We investigated whether speckle-tracking echocardiography can be used to detect subclinically impaired global and regional myocardial function in patients with this lipid disorder. This single-center study included 47 patients with familial hypercholesterolemia and 37 healthy control subjects who underwent transthoracic Doppler echocardiography and speckle-tracking echocardiography from January 2003 through December 2016.

Supravalvular Aortic Stenosis and the Risk of Premature Death Among Patients With Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia.

Patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) have a high risk for premature death. Supravalvular aortic stenosis (SVAS) is a common and the feature lesion of the aortic root in HoFH. The relation between SVAS and the risk of premature death in patients with HoFH has not been fully investigated.

Features of Sitosterolemia in Children.

Sitosterolemia is a rare lipid metabolism disease with heterogeneous manifestations. Atherosclerosis can occur in children, and therefore, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of this disease are important. We studied 18 pediatric patients with sitosterolemia who showed a significant increase in plasma lipid levels and analyzed their clinical, biochemical, and genetic characteristics.

Association between ideal cardiovascular health score trajectories and arterial stiffness: the Kailuan Study.

Some studies have shown that a higher ideal cardiovascular health score (CVHS) predicts a lower incidence of arterial stiffness. Few studies have used multiple measurements of CVHS to examine the impact of CVHS on arterial stiffness. The current study aimed to identify the long-term patterns in CVHS trajectory and to explore the association between CVHS trajectory and arterial stiffness.

Combined transthoracic echocardiography and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography to trace intravenous leiomyomatosis with intracardiac extension.

Intravenous leiomyomatosis (IVL) with intracardiac extension is a rare condition, which the benign tumor invades into the right heart through inferior vena cava. We described the findings of ultrasonography in eight patients with this disease. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) can reveal the intracardiac lesion burden and associated compromise.

Effects of a protective agent on freeze-dried platelet-rich plasma.

: Freeze-drying is an effective means of storing platelets. In this study, we investigated the effects of a protective agent on freeze-dried platelet-rich plasma (FD-PRP) after a 12-week preservation period. Platelet structure was measured by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the expression levels of procaspase activating compound (PAC)-1 and CD62P were measured by flow cytometry.

Echocardiographic findings of cardiovascular involvement in Behçet's disease and post-operative complications after cardiac surgery.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyse the spectrum of echocardiographic findings in patients with cardiovascular involvement in Behçet's disease (BD) and followed up the post-operative complications.

Methods: We enrolled 26 BD patients who underwent first cardiac surgery in Anzhen Hospital, Beijing, China. Medical records and echocardiographic findings were retrospectively analysed.

Identification of Novel Causal FBN1 Mutations in Pedigrees of Marfan Syndrome.

Marfan syndrome (MFS) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder of the connective tissue, typically characteristic of cardiovascular manifestations, valve prolapse, left ventricle enlargement, and cardiac failure. Fibrillin-1 ) is the causative gene in the pathogenesis of MFS. Patients with different mutations often present more considerable phenotypic variation.

Characteristic Echocardiographic Manifestations of Behçet's Disease.

The objective of this study was to determine the characteristic echocardiographic manifestations of Behçet's disease. Ninety-seven Behçet's patients admitted to our hospital from January 2002 to December 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 63 patients (64.

A giant pseudoaneurysm of coronary artery in a young patient with Behçet's disease.

As an uncommon multisystem inflammatory disease, Behçet's syndrome is characterized by mouth and genital ulcers, skin lesions, and eye inflammation, which may also affect joints, blood vessels, central nervous system, or digestive tract. However, the inflammation of coronary artery is relatively rare. We thereby reported a young male of Behçet's syndrome presenting left anterior descending artery pseudoaneurysm with myocardial infarction.

Right coronary artery coronary sinus fistula with coronary sinus ostium stenosis.

Coronary artery fistula (CAF) is a rare anomaly of the coronary artery. The draining site of a right coronary artery (RCA) fistula may usually be the right ventricle, right atrium, or pulmonary artery. Here, we present a patient with right coronary artery to coronary sinus fistula (RCACSF) complicated by aneurysmal dilatation of the coronary sinus (CS) and stenosis of CS ostium.

Myocardial layer-specific analysis in patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia using speckle tracking echocardiography.

Objective: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is the most common and serious monogenic disorder of lipid metabolism, causing premature coronary heart disease (CHD) due to accelerated atherosclerosis from birth, and the study of left ventricular (LV) function of this disease is seldom. The purpose of this study was to explore the value of layer-specific strain on assessing the early damage of LV function in asymptomatic and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) well-preserved patients with heterozygous FH (HeFH).

Methods: A total of 49 patients aged 38.

Layer-specific myocardial strain analysis: investigation of regional deformation in a rabbit model of diabetes mellitus during different stages.

Aim: The purpose of the present study was to determine the characteristics of myocardial damage at different stages of diabetes mellitus (DM) using layer-specific myocardial strain.

Material And Methods: Thirty six New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into either the control group (n =18) or the DM group (induced with alloxan) (n=18). For the myocardial deformation studies echocardiography and layer-specific strain were performed at baseline and after 3, 6, and 9 months in all of the rabbits.

Diagnostic Value of Transthoracic Echocardiography in Patients With Anomalous Origin of the Left Coronary Artery From the Pulmonary Artery.

Anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) is a rare congenital coronary abnormality associated with early infant mortality and sudden death in adults. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) plays an important role in early detection and diagnosis of ALCAPA as a noninvasive modality. However, its diagnostic value is not well studied.

Feasibility Study of Transthoracic Echocardiography for Coronary Slow Flow Phenomenon Evaluation: Validation by Coronary Angiography.

Objective: This study aimed to assess echocardiography parameters in CSFP evaluation.

Methods: This study enrolled 79 consecutive patients with CSFP validated by coronary angiography and control individuals with normal coronary flow. Coronary flow rates were determined by corrected CTFC.