Association between the atrial tachyarrhythmia recurrence period and long-term major adverse clinical events following catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation.

Background: We previously demonstrated the clinical events in patients who underwent catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation (AF). Data on the association between the period of atrial tachyarrhythmia (ATA) recurrence after CA and long-term major adverse clinical events (MACE) remain unclear. In this study, we evaluated this issue in patients with systolic impairment (left ventricular ejection fraction < 50%) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).

Incidence of Mid-Term Prognostic Events in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome During the Late 2010s in 2 Tertiary Hospitals in a Rural Area of Japan - A Temporal Comparison.

Data on the incidence of mid-term prognostic events in patients who developed acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the late 2010s are scarce. We retrospectively included and collected data for 889 patients with ACS (ST-elevation myocardial infarction [STEMI]/non-ST-elevation ACS [NSTE-ACS]) discharged alive from 2 tertiary hospitals in Izumo City, in rural Japan, between August 2009 and July 2018. Patients were divided into 3 time groups (T1: August 2009-July 2012; T2: August 2012-July 2015; T3: August 2015-July 2018).

RyR2-targeting therapy prevents left ventricular remodeling and ventricular tachycardia in post-infarction heart failure.

Background: Dantrolene binds to the Leu-Cys region of the N-terminal domain of cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR2), which corresponds to the Leu-Cys region of the skeletal ryanodine receptor, and suppresses diastolic Ca leakage through RyR2.

Objective: We investigated whether the chronic administration of dantrolene prevented left ventricular (LV) remodeling and ventricular tachycardia (VT) after myocardial infarction (MI) by the same mechanism with the mutation V3599K of RyR2, which indicated that the inhibition of diastolic Ca leakage occurred by enhancing the binding affinity of calmodulin (CaM) to RyR2.

Methods And Results: A left anterior descending coronary artery ligation MI model was developed in mice.

Prediction of voluntary movements of the upper extremities by resting state-brain regional glucose metabolism in patients with chronic severe brain injury: A pilot study.

Confirmation of the exact voluntary movements of patients with disorder of consciousness following severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is difficult because of the associated communication disturbances. In this pilot study, we investigated whether regional brain glucose metabolism assessed by F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) at rest could predict voluntary movement in severe TBI patients, particularly those with sufficient upper limb capacity to use communication devices. We visually and verbally instructed patients to clasp or open their hands.

Dantrolene improves left ventricular diastolic property in mineralcorticoid-salt-induced hypertensive rats.

Left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction is increasingly common in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), and new drug therapy is desired. We recently reported that dantrolene (DAN) attenuates pressure-overload induced hypertrophic signaling through stabilization of tetrameric structure of cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR2). Because cardiac hypertrophy substantially affects LV diastolic properties, we investigated the effect of DAN on LV diastolic properties in mineralocorticoid-salt-induced hypertensive rat model exhibiting the HFpEF phenotype.

Herpud1 modulates hypertrophic signals independently of calmodulin nuclear translocation in rat myocardium-derived H9C2 cells.

In this study, we aimed to analyze the role of the Homocysteine-responsive endoplasmic reticulum-resident ubiquitin-like domain member 1 (Herpud1) gene in the development of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in association with Calmodulin (CaM) nuclear translocation and cytosolic Ca levels. To observe the mobilization of CaM in cardiomyocytes, we stably expressed eGFP-CaM in rat myocardium-derived H9C2 cells. These cells were then treated with Angiotensin II (Ang II), which stimulates a cardiac hypertrophic response, or dantrolene (DAN), which blocks the release of intracellular Ca.

Stabilizing cardiac ryanodine receptor with dantrolene treatment prevents left ventricular remodeling in pressure-overloaded heart failure mice.

Dantrolene (DAN) directly binds to cardiac ryanodine receptor 2 (RyR2) through Leu-Cys in the N-terminal domain and subsequently inhibits diastolic Ca leakage through RyR2. We previously reported that therapy using RyR2 V3599K mutation, which inhibits diastolic Ca leakage by enhancing calmodulin (CaM) binding ability to RyR2, prevents left ventricular (LV) remodeling in transverse aortic constriction (TAC) heart failure. Here, we examined whether chronic administration of DAN prevents LV remodeling in TAC heart failure via the same mechanism as genetic therapy.

The role of optimal cut-off diagnosis in 11C-methionine PET for differentiation of intracranial brain tumor from non-neoplastic lesions before treatment.

Purpose: Amino acid positron emission tomography (PET) may provide additional information to computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging for detecting the pretreatment diagnosis of intracranial lesions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of cutoff values of 11C-METPET, an amino acid PET tracer, in the differentiation of pretreatment brain tumors from non-neoplastic lesions.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed 101 pretreatment patients with a definitive diagnosis out of a total of 425 consecutive 11C-METPET imaging studies.

SIZE-specific dose estimate for lower-limb CT.

The Computed Tomography Dose Index (CTDI) is an indicator for dose management in computed tomography (CT), but has limited use for patient dosimetry. To evaluate the patient dose, the size-specific dose estimate (SSDE), reported by the American Association of Physics in Medicine task groups 204, 220, and 293, must be calculated by the CTDI(z) displayed on the CT console, and the conversion factor f(D(z)) from the effective diameter (D) or water equivalent diameter (D). However, no reports have verified the appropriateness of using the 320-mm diameter phantom for dose assessment in CT examinations involving the lower limbs.

Biomass retention and microbial segregation to offset the impacts of seasonal temperatures for a pilot-scale integrated fixed-film activated sludge partial nitritation-anammox (IFAS-PN/A) treating anaerobically pretreated municipal wastewater.

Partial nitritation-anammox (PN/A) is a promising deammonification process to develop energy-neutral wastewater treatment plants. However, the mainstream application of PN/A still faces the challenges of low nitrogen concentration and low temperatures, and has not been studied under a realistic condition of large-scale reactor (kiloliter level), real municipal wastewater (MWW) and seasonal temperatures. In this research, a pilot-scale one-stage PN/A, with integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS) configuration, was operated to treat the real MWW pretreated by anaerobic membrane bioreactor.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress promotes nuclear translocation of calmodulin, which activates phenotypic switching of vascular smooth muscle cells.

Background And Aims: Increased endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is strongly associated with the phenotypic switching of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in atherosclerosis. Depletion of the ER Ca content is one of the leading causes of increased ER stress in VSMCs. The ryanodine receptor (RyR) is a major Ca release channel in the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane.

Acute heart failure following the initiation of cabozantinib, a multikinase inhibitor: A case report.

Unlabelled: Cabozantinib is a multikinase inhibitor that exerts anticancer activity against malignancies such as renal tumors and leukemia. Although other agents that belong to the same category can cause cardiotoxicity, there is a paucity of information on the safety profile of cabozantinib. Herein, we present the case of a 62-year-old woman who developed acute heart failure (HF) following the initiation of cabozantinib for a metastatic renal tumor.

Dantrolene, a stabilizer of the ryanodine receptor, prevents collagen-induced arthritis.

Dantrolene inhibits Ca leakage from destabilized ryanodine receptors and therefore may serve as a therapeutic agent against endoplasmic reticulum stress-associated diseases. However, its effectiveness in treating autoimmune diseases remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effect of dantrolene on collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in mice.

Long-term events following catheter-ablation for atrial fibrillation in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Aims: Data regarding prognostic events following catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) are scarce. We conducted this study to compare the incidence of major adverse clinical events (MACE) following CA for AF between patients with HFpEF and those with systolic heart failure (HF).

Methods And Results: This single-centre observational study included 142 patients with HF who underwent CA for AF (median follow-up: 4.

Dantrolene reduces platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and neointimal formation following vascular injury in mice.

Dantrolene is a ryanodine receptor blocker that is used clinically for treatment of malignant hyperthermia. This study was conducted using murine aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (MOVAS) and a mouse arterial injury model to investigate the inhibitory effect of dantrolene on smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration. We investigated whether dantrolene suppressed platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and migration in vitro.

Intravenous Infusion of Autoserum-Expanded Autologous Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Patients With Chronic Brain Injury: Protocol for a Phase 2 Trial.

Background: Brain injuries resulting from motor vehicle accidents and falls, as well as hypoxic insults and other conditions, are one of the leading causes of disability and death in the world. Current treatments are limited but include continuous rehabilitation, especially for chronic brain injury. Recent studies have demonstrated that the intravenous infusion of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has therapeutic efficacy for several neurological diseases, including stroke and spinal cord injury.

Longitudinal CT evaluation of transdermal scopolamine for aspiration pneumonia with sialorrhea in severe chronic brain injury: A case series.

Sialorrhea is a major cause of recurrent aspiration pneumonia in severe chronic brain injury. Previous reports have shown that transdermal scopolamine can decrease saliva production. We present four patients with severe chronic brain injury who experienced repeat aspiration pneumonia with sialorrhea.