Adenosine 2A Receptor Activation Attenuates Ischemia Reperfusion Injury During Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.

Objective: We tested the hypothesis that systemic administration of an A2AR agonist will reduce multiorgan IRI in a porcine model of ECPR.

Summary Background Data: Advances in ECPR have decreased mortality after cardiac arrest; however, subsequent IRI contributes to late multisystem organ failure. Attenuation of IRI has been reported with the use of an A2AR agonist.

Preoperative β-blocker use correlates with worse outcomes in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement.

Objectives: β-Blocker use is associated with fewer cardiac complications in patients undergoing noncardiac surgery and is a quality metric for coronary artery bypass grafting. We sought to determine the influence of preoperative β-blocker administration before aortic valve replacement (AVR).

Methods: All patients undergoing isolated AVR from 2002 to 2016 were extracted from a multi-institutional, statewide database composed of Society of Thoracic Surgeons data.

Assessment of miR-98-5p, miR-152-3p, miR-326 and miR-4289 Expression as Biomarker for Prostate Cancer Diagnosis.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide, accounting for almost 1 in 5 new cancer diagnoses in the US alone. The current non-invasive biomarker prostate specific antigen (PSA) has lately been presented with many limitations, such as low specificity and often associated with over-diagnosis. The dysregulation of miRNAs in cancer has been widely reported and it has often been shown to be specific, sensitive and stable, suggesting miRNAs could be a potential specific biomarker for the disease.

Transcatheter interventions for functional mitral regurgitation.

Mitral regurgitation is considered the most prevalent valve disease in the United States and its incidence is increasing due to the aging population. Surgical mitral valve repair and replacement are effective at reducing regurgitation due to ischemia, but many patients with secondary mitral regurgitation do not undergo surgery because they are too high risk. Transcatheter devices that mimic surgical techniques are rapidly being developed to reduce the risks traditionally associated with surgical mitral valve repair and replacement.

An experimental study to investigate design and assessment criteria: What is important for communication between pedestrians and automated vehicles?

In the near future, more vehicles will have automated functions. The traffic system will be a shared space of automated and manually driven vehicles. In our study we focused on the perspective of vulnerable road users, namely pedestrians, in cooperative situations with automated vehicles.

Pulmonary-Systemic Pressure Ratio Correlates with Morbidity in Cardiac Valve Surgery.

Objectives: Pulmonary hypertension portends worse outcomes in cardiac valve surgery; however, isolated pulmonary artery pressures may not reflect patients' global cardiac function accurately. To better account for the interventricular relationship, the authors hypothesized that patients with greater pulmonary-systemic ratios (mean pulmonary arterial pressure)/(mean systemic arterial pressure) would correlate with worse outcomes after valve surgery.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Increasing circulating sphingosine-1-phosphate attenuates lung injury during ex vivo lung perfusion.

Background: Sphingosine-1-phosphate regulates endothelial barrier integrity and promotes cell survival and proliferation. We hypothesized that upregulation of sphingosine-1-phosphate during ex vivo lung perfusion would attenuate acute lung injury and improve graft function.

Methods: C57BL/6 mice (n = 4-8/group) were euthanized, followed by 1 hour of warm ischemia and 1 hour of cold preservation in a model of donation after cardiac death.

Cardiothoracic surgery training grants provide protected research time vital to the development of academic surgeons.

Background: The Ruth L. Kirschstein Institutional National Research Service Award (T32) provides institutions with financial support to prepare trainees for careers in academic medicine. In 1990, the Cardiac Surgery Branch of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) was replaced by T32 training grants, which became crucial sources of funding for cardiothoracic (CT) surgical research.

In vivo lung perfusion rehabilitates sepsis-induced lung injury.

Background: Sepsis is the leading cause of lung injury in adults and can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Using a novel technique of isolated in vivo lung perfusion (IVLP), we hypothesized that normothermic IVLP will improve oxygenation and compliance in a porcine model of sepsis-induced lung injury.

Methods: Mature adult swine (n = 8) were administered lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 50 μg/kg over 2 hours) via the external jugular vein, followed by sternotomy and central extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) cannulation (right atrium to ascending aorta).

Contemporary outcomes in reoperative mitral valve surgery.

Objective: Data suggest that redo mitral valve surgery is being performed in increasing numbers, possibly with superior results according to single-centre studies. The purpose of this study is to describe outcomes of redo mitral valve surgery and identify risk-adjusted predictors of poor outcomes.

Methods: All (11 973) open mitral valve cases were evaluated (2002-2016) from a regional Society of Thoracic Surgery (STS) database.

Mitral Valve Repair: The French Correction Versus the American Correction.

Degenerative mitral valve disease causing mitral regurgitation is the most common organic valve pathology and is classified based on leaflet motion. The "French correction" mitral valve repair method restores normal valvular anatomy with extensive leaflet resection, chordal manipulation, and rigid annuloplasty. The American correction attempts to restore normal valve function through minimal leaflet resection, flexible annuloplasty, and use of artificial chordae.

Ex Vivo Lung Perfusion Rehabilitates Sepsis-Induced Lung Injury.

Background: Sepsis is the number one cause of lung injury in adults. Ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) is gaining clinical acceptance for donor lung evaluation and rehabilitation and may expand the use of marginal organs for transplantation. We hypothesized that 4 hours of normothermic EVLP would improve compliance and oxygenation in a porcine model of sepsis-induced lung injury.

A New Intraoperative Protocol for Reducing Perioperative Transfusions in Cardiac Surgery.

Background: Perioperative anemia and blood product transfusion increases short-term and long-term morbidity and mortality during cardiac surgery. We hypothesized that streamlined cardiopulmonary bypass circuit and rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) would reduce blood product usage and improve outcomes.

Methods: All patients with Society of Thoracic Surgeons risk scores at our institution from January 2013 to June 2015 were included.

The Effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy to Treat Symptoms Following Trauma in Timor Leste.

The effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy for treating trauma symptoms was examined in a postwar/conflict, developing nation, Timor Leste. Participants were 21 Timorese adults with symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), assessed as those who scored ≥2 on the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ). Participants were treated with EMDR therapy.

Natural history of coexistent mitral regurgitation after aortic valve replacement.

Objectives: The long-term evolution of coexistent mitral regurgitation (MR) after aortic valve replacement (AVR) for aortic stenosis remains poorly defined. Prior studies have demonstrated that acute improvement in MR after AVR is modest, and more aggressive approaches have been advocated. This study examines the evolution of MR after AVR and identifies prognostic indicators for MR improvement.

Mutational analysis of the CYP7B1, PNPLA6 and C19orf12 genes in autosomal recessive hereditary spastic paraplegia.

The hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSPs) comprise a group of genetically heterogeneous neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we evaluated the spectrum and frequency of mutations in the CYP7B1, PNPLA6 and C19orf12 genes (causative for the subtypes SPG5A, SPG39 and SPG43, respectively) in a cohort of 63 unrelated HSP patients with suspected autosomal recessive inheritance. Two novel homozygous mutations (one frameshift and one missense mutation) were detected in CYP7B1 (SPG5A), while no disease-causing mutation was identified for SPG39 or SPG43.

Early outcomes of pulmonary valve replacement with the mitroflow bovine pericardial bioprosthesis.

Background: Bovine pericardial valves are often used for pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) in patients with previously repaired congenital heart disease. Attention has recently focused on the safety of the Mitroflow (Sorin Group USA, Arvada, CO) bovine pericardial valve after a national alert describing several cases of sudden valve failure in young patients. In response, we reviewed our experience using the Mitroflow bioprosthesis for PVR.

Left anterior descending coronary artery blood flow and left ventricular unloading during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support in a swine model of acute cardiogenic shock.

The impact of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support on coronary blood flow and left ventricular unloading is still debated. This study aimed to further characterize the influence of ECMO on coronary artery blood flow and its ability to unload the left ventricle in a short-term model of acute cardiogenic shock. Seven anesthetized pigs were intubated and then underwent median sternotomy and cannulation for venoarterial (VA) ECMO.

Time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy measures clustering and mobility of a G protein-coupled receptor opsin in live cell membranes.

Determining membrane protein quaternary structure is extremely challenging, especially in live cell membranes. We measured the oligomerization of opsin, a prototypical G protein-coupled receptor with pulsed-interleaved excitation fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy (PIE-FCCS). Individual cell measurements revealed that opsin is predominantly organized into dimeric clusters.

Lactate regulates myogenesis in C2C12 myoblasts in vitro.

Satellite cells (SCs) are the resident stem cells of skeletal muscle tissue which play a major role in muscle adaptation, e.g. as a response to physical training.

Hemolysis and Pulmonary Insufficiency following Right Ventricular Assist Device Implantation.

We report a case of severe hemolysis and pulmonary valve insufficiency (PI) following right ventricular support using a paracorporeal pneumatic pump (Abiomed, Danvers, MA, USA). We speculate that the high velocity jet of blood emanating from the outflow cannula caused turbulence above the pulmonary valve, leading to PI and hemolysis. Despite the growing number of implanted ventricular assist devices, we could find no report in the literature describing pulmonary valve insufficiency secondary to right ventricular assist device (RVAD) placement.

The efficacy and psychophysiological correlates of dual-attention tasks in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).

This study aimed to investigate the psychophysiological correlates and the effectiveness of different dual-attention tasks used during eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). Sixty-two non-clinical participants with negative autobiographical memories received a single session of EMDR without eye movements, or EMDR that included eye movements of either varied or fixed rate of speed. Subjective units of distress and vividness of the memory were recorded at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 1 week follow-up.

Patient perception of combined awake brain tumor surgery and intraoperative 1.5-T magnetic resonance imaging: the Kiel experience.

Objective: To assess patients' perspective of combined awake craniotomy and intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a prospective study.

Methods: We evaluated 25 consecutive patients prospectively. Qualitative and quantitative results were obtained by a psychologist via a structured interview 5 +/- 2 days postoperatively, supplemented by preoperative and postoperative assessment of the patients' mood with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, as well as parts of a structured clinical interview during the postoperative assessment.