Trends of genetic contributions on epigenetic clocks and related methylation sites with aging: A population-based adult twin study.

Several crucial acceleration periods exist during aging process. Epigenetic clocks, serving as indicators of aging, are influenced by genetic factors. Investigating how the genetic contributions on these clocks change with age may provide novel insights into the aging process.

Correlation analysis between physical activity and depressive tendencies among occupational groups: an isotemporal substitution approach.

Objectives: Sedentary behaviour (SB) and physical activity (PA) have been shown to be associated with depression. However, behaviours, such as PA, occupy a portion of an individual's 24-h day. Thus, an increase in time for one behaviour takes away time from another.

Transplantation of a beating heart: A first in man.

Background: In the current practice, graft ischaemia and reperfusion injury (IRI) is considered an inevitable component in organ transplantation, contributes to compromised organ quality, inferior graft survival and limitations in organ availability. Among all the donor organs, the heart is most vulnerable to IRI and the tolerated ischaemic time is the shortest.

Methods: By combining adapted surgical techniques and normothermic machine perfusion (NMP), we performed the first case of ischaemia-free beating heart transplantation (IFBHT) in man.

The multivariable prognostic models for severe complications after heart valve surgery.

Background: To provide multivariable prognostic models for severe complications prediction after heart valve surgery, including low cardiac output syndrome (LCOS), acute kidney injury requiring hemodialysis (AKI-rH) and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS).

Methods: We developed multivariate logistic regression models to predict severe complications after heart valve surgery using 930 patients collected retrospectively from the first affiliated hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University from January 2014 to December 2015. The validation was conducted using a retrospective dataset of 713 patients from the same hospital from January 2016 to March 2017.

Crosstalk between the activated Slit2-Robo1 pathway and TGF-β1 signalling promotes cardiac fibrosis.

Aims: Previous reports indicated that the Slit2-Robo signalling pathway is involved in embryonic heart development and fibrosis in other solid organs, but its function in adult cardiac fibrosis has not been investigated. Here, we investigate the role of the Slit2-Robo1 signalling pathway in cardiac fibrosis.

Methods And Results: The right atrial tissue samples were obtained from patients with valvular heart disease complicated by atrial fibrillation during heart valve surgery and from healthy heart donors.

Mid-Term Outcome after Tricuspid Valve Replacement.

Objective: To evaluate the mid-term survival rate after tricuspid valve replacement (TVR).

Methods: We retrospectively studied 110 consecutive patients who underwent TVR from January 2007 to November 2017. A survival analysis was performed with the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test.

Experience in the diagnosis and treatment of intravenous leiomyomatosis involving the inferior vena cava and/or right cardiac chambers.

Objective: This study aimed to summarize our experience with the diagnosis and treatment of intravenous leiomyomatosis (IVL) involving the inferior vena cava (IVC) or right cardiac chambers.

Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed clinical data from 10 patients diagnosed with IVL involving the IVC or right cardiac chambers between May 2009 and October 2019 at one medical center.

Results: All patients were females aged 35 to 56 years (average, 46.

NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis contributes to the pathogenesis of non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy.

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is one of the most common causes of heart failure, and the underlying mechanism remains largely elusive. Here we investigated whether NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis contributes to non-ischemic DCM and dissected the underlying mechanism. We found that hyper activated NLRP3 inflammasome with pyroptotic cell death of cardiomyocytes were presented in the myocardial tissues of DCM patients, which were negatively correlated with cardiac function.

Genotype-Guided Warfarin Dosing in Patients With Mechanical Valves: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: The clinical utility of genotype-guided warfarin dosing remains controversial. The objective of this trial was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of genotype-guided warfarin dosing in East Asians.

Methods: A double-blind, randomized control trial was performed to compare a genotype-guided dosing algorithm (CYP2C9, VKORC1, and CYP4F2) with a clinical-guided one in the initiation treatment for patients with mechanical heart valves.

The role of β-adrenergic receptors and p38MAPK signaling pathways in physiological processes of cardiosphere-derived cells.

The effects of β adrenergic receptors (β-ARs) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) pathways on cardiosphere-derived cells (CDCs) are largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate the roles of β-ARs and p38MAPK pathways on the proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation capacity of CDCs. The CDCs were treated with β1-AR blocker (Met group), β2-AR antagonist (ICI group), and p38MAPK inhibitor (SB group), non-selective β-AR blocker (PRO group), and β-AR agonist (ISO group).

A comparative study of the influence of two types of PHEMA stents on the differentiation of ASCs to myocardial cells.

In the present study, subcutaneous fat was obtained from adult women that had undergone conventional liposuction surgery. A comparative study was performed to investigate the effect of transparent and white poly‑β‑hydroxyethyl methacrylate (PHEMA) stents, which have different surface and cross‑sectional morphological characteristics, on the differentiation of adipose‑derived stem cells (ASCs) into myocardial cells. The cell counting kit‑8 assay revealed that cell growth increased at varying rates among the different treatment groups.

Downregulation of miR-101 contributes to epithelial-mesenchymal transition in cisplatin resistance of NSCLC cells by targeting ROCK2.

Chemoresistance and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cancer are linked phenomena. EMT contributes to chemoresistance, however, little is known about whether chemotherapy can induce EMT in cancer cells. Here, we found that miR-101 expression was downregulated in cisplatin-resistant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells.

In vitro hemocompatibility evaluation of poly (4-hydroxybutyrate) scaffold.

The biosynthetic thermoplastic poly-4-hydroxybutyrate (P4HB) possesses favorable tensile strength and elongation performance and has been studied as a new implantable polymer material for medical uses. However, its hemocompatibility has not been tested to confirm its applicability to tissue engineering. In this study, a series of experiments was performed that included erythrocyte hemolysis tests, dynamic blood coagulation tests, platelet adhesion tests, effects on blood coagulation, Wright staining, and adsorption of erythrocytes, leukocytes, platelets, and plasma proteins.

Effect of high porosity on biodegradation of poly (4-hydroxybutyrate) in vivo.

Poly-4-hydroxybutyrate, P(4HB), is a biosynthetic thermoplastic polymer that has been studied as a bio-absorbable medical material. In order to explore the in vivo biodegradation behaviour of porous P(4HB) membranes with specified apertures (89-150 µm), membranes with different porosities were implanted subcutaneously into the backs of 27 eight-week-old Sprague Dawley® rats. The implanted specimens were examined with Masson and hematoxylin and eosin staining.

Inflammatory pseudotumor of the right ventricle in a 35-year-old woman with Behçet's disease: a case report.

Inflammatory pseudotumor is a rare benign neoplasm. It is common in children and has been reported in various locations throughout the body but rarely in the heart. Behçet's disease is a multisystemic, recurrent, inflammatory disorder.

[Test of carotid artery replacement by polyurethane artificial vascular graft with recombinant fibrinolytic enzyme factor II-modified lumina in dogs].

Objective: To evaluate the implantation effect of artificial vascular grafts with recombinant fibrinolytic enzyme factor II (rF II)-immobilized lumina in animal test.

Methods: Four mm internal diameter (ID) polyurethane (PU) artificial vascular grafts were prepared by dipping and leaching method. The micro-pore size and morphology of the graft walls were observed by SEM.

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate regulation of aquaporin gene expression in human amnion epithelia.

Cell membrane aquaporins (AQPs) may con t r i b u t e importantly to the regulation of intramembranous absorption of amniotic fluid. Recently, the authors demonstrated that human amnion AQP3 expression is upregulated by second-messenger cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). The present study was undertaken to determine the cAMP regulation of other AQP types, specifically AQP1, 8, and 9, in human amnion epithelia in vitro.

Late pulmonary valve implantation after repair of tetralogy of Fallot.

Ten cases of elective late pulmonary valve implantation after repair of tetralogy of Fallot were reviewed. The interval after initial repair ranged from 1.5 to 43 years (mean, 20.