The role of CD44, hyaluronan and NHE1 in cardiac remodeling.

Cardiac remodeling, characterized by excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, predisposes the heart to failure if left unresolved. Understanding the signaling mechanisms involved in excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling is necessary to identify the means to regress the development of cardiac remodeling and heart failure. Recently, hyaluronan (HA), a ubiquitously expressed glycosaminoglycan in the ECM, was shown to participate in tissue fibrosis and myofibroblast proliferation through interacting with its ubiquitously expressed cell-surface receptor, CD44.

Conformal coating by multilayer nano-encapsulation for the protection of human pancreatic islets: In-vitro and in-vivo studies.

To improve the efficiency of pancreatic islet transplantation, we performed in-vitro and in-vivo experiments with isolated human pancreatic islets coated by multi-layer nano-encapsulation using differently charged polymers [chitosan and poly(sodium styrene sulfonate)] to obtain up to 9 layers. The islet coating (thickness: 104.2 ± 4.

Arrhythmic Events in Brugada Syndrome: A Nationwide Israeli Survey of the Clinical Characteristics, Treatment; and Long-Term Follow-up (ISRABRU-VF).

Background: Limited information exists about detailed clinical characteristics and management of the small subset of Brugada syndrome (BrS) patients who had an arrhythmic event (AE).

Objectives: To conduct the first nationwide survey focused on BrS patients with documented AE.

Methods: Israeli electrophysiology units participated if they had treated BrS patients who had cardiac arrest (CA) (lethal/aborted; group 1) or experienced appropriate therapy for tachyarrhythmias after prophylactic implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation (group 2).

Bayesian logistic regression approaches to predict incorrect DRG assignment.

Episodes of care involving similar diagnoses and treatments and requiring similar levels of resource utilisation are grouped to the same Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG). In jurisdictions which implement DRG based payment systems, DRGs are a major determinant of funding for inpatient care. Hence, service providers often dedicate auditing staff to the task of checking that episodes have been coded to the correct DRG.

The cardiac proteome in patients with congenital ventricular septal defect: A comparative study between right atria and right ventricles.

Right ventricle (RV) remodelling occurs in neonatal patients born with ventricular septal defect (VSD). The presence of a defect between the two ventricles allows for shunting of blood from the left to right side. The resulting RV hypertrophy leads to molecular remodelling which has thus far been largely investigated using right atrial (RA) tissue.

Can a midwife-led continuity model improve maternal services in a low-resource setting? A non-randomised cluster intervention study in Palestine.

Objectives: To improve maternal health services in rural areas, the Palestinian Ministry of Health launched a midwife-led continuity model in the West Bank in 2013. Midwives were deployed weekly from governmental hospitals to provide antenatal and postnatal care in rural clinics. We studied the intervention's impact on use and quality indicators of maternal services after 2 years' experience.

Performance evaluation of under urban conditions of Kuwait.

Plant physiological and morphological attributes should be critically evaluated for selecting any species for landscaping projects. The selection of a species should be based on the evaluation of its adaptability, noninvasiveness, growth potential, and performance under the prevailing local arid conditions for their aesthetic looks, soil stabilization, and afforestation values. (Vetiver), is suitable for Kuwait because it can withstand fluctuating temperatures ranging from -14 to 55 °C with unique physical and physiological characteristics.

Multisite cardiac resynchronization therapy for traditional and non-traditional indications.

Purpose: Multisite cardiac resynchronization therapy (MSCRT) with dual-vein left ventricular (LV) pacing has theoretical advantages over conventional CRT in faster and more physiological LV activation. We aimed to define indications, feasibility, safety, acute, and long-term results of MSCRT.

Methods: All patients implanted with MSCRT during 2008-2014 in a single center were reviewed and analyzed.

Genetic diversity of toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 from Sabah, Malaysia 2015.

Background: Cholera is an important health problem in Sabah, a Malaysian state in northern Borneo; however, Vibrio cholerae in Sabah have never been characterized. Since 2002, serogroup O1 strains having the traits of both classical and El Tor biotype, designated as atypical El Tor biotype, have been increasingly reported as the cause of cholera worldwide. These variants are believed to produce clinically more severe disease like classical strains.

Consecutive Isoproterenol and Adenosine Treatment Confers Marked Protection against Reperfusion Injury in Adult but Not in Immature Heart: A Role for Glycogen.

Consecutive treatment of adult rat heart with isoproterenol and adenosine (Iso/Aden), known to consecutively activate PKA/PKC signaling, is cardioprotective against ischemia and reperfusion (I/R). Whether this is cardioprotective in an immature heart is unknown. Langendorff-perfused hearts from adult and immature (60 and 14 days old) male Wistar rats were exposed to 30 min ischemia and 120 min reperfusion, with or without prior perfusion with 5 nM Iso for 3 min followed by 30 μM Aden for 5 min.

DPP-4 is expressed in human pancreatic beta cells and its direct inhibition improves beta cell function and survival in type 2 diabetes.

It has been reported that the incretin system, including regulated GLP-1 secretion and locally expressed DPP-4, is present in pancreatic islets. In this study we comprehensively evaluated the expression and role of DPP-4 in islet alpha and beta cells from non-diabetic (ND) and type 2 diabetic (T2D) individuals, including the effects of its inhibition on beta cell function and survival. Isolated islets were prepared from 25 ND and 18 T2D organ donors; studies were also performed with the human insulin-producing EndoC-βH1 cells.

Isolation, differentiation and biodiversity of ureolytic bacteria of Qatari soil and their potential in microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) for soil stabilization.

Biomineralization plays a key role in modifying the geological properties of soil, thereby stabilizing it against wind erosion, especially in areas characterized by harsh weather and harsh soil (calcareous and arid); Arabic Gulf region. Among soil microorganisms, ureolytic bacteria are capable of modifying soil characteristics and thus, inducing biomineralization. This research investigated the occurrence and diversity of ureolytic bacteria in Qatari soils, specifically to study their acquired potential to adapt to harsh conditions exhibiting ureolytic activity.

Integrating mammographic breast density in glandular dose calculation.

Objective: This work proposes the use of mammographic breast density (MBD) to estimate actual glandular dose (AGD), and assesses how AGD compares to mean glandular dose (MGD) estimated using Dance et al method.

Methods: A retrospective sample of anonymised mammograms (52,405) was retrieved from a central database. Technical parameters and patient characteristics were exported from the Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) header using third party software.

Organ donor pancreases for the study of human islet cell histology and pathophysiology: a precious and valuable resource.

Direct in vivo assessment of pancreatic islet-cells for the study of the pathophysiology of diabetes in humans is hampered by anatomical and technological hurdles. To date, most of the information that has been generated is derived from histological studies performed on pancreatic tissue from autopsy, surgery, in vivo biopsy or organ donation. Each approach has its advantages and disadvantages (as summarised in this commentary); however, in this edition of Diabetologia, Kusmartseva et al ( https://doi.

Impact of quadripolar LV leads on heart failure hospitalization rates among patients implanted with CRT-D: data from the Israeli ICD Registry.

Background: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an effective treatment for heart failure (HF); however, a third of patients are non-responders. The development of quadripolar left ventricular (LV) lead was shown, mainly in single manufactures' registry, to improve LV remodeling and overall mortality. However, limited reports exist on the impact of quadripolar LV leads on HF hospitalization rates in real-life cohorts.

Comparison of the Efficacy of PVAC and nMARQ for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) has become the mainstay of therapy for atrial fibrillation (AF) and one of the most frequently performed procedures in the cardiac electrophysiology laboratory. PVI by a single-tip radiofrequency (RF) ablation catheter remains a complex and time-consuming procedure, especially in centers with limited experience. In order to simplify the PVI procedure, to shorten it and reduce the complication rate, circular multi-electrode catheters were introduced for simultaneous mapping and ablation.

Developing cellulosic waste products as platform chemicals: protecting group chemistry of α-glucoisosaccharinic acid.

Alpha and beta-glucoisosaccharinic acids ((2S,4S)-2,4,5-trihydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)pentanoic acid and (2R,4S)-2,4,5-trihydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)pentanoic acid) which are produced when cellulosic materials are treated with aqueous alkali are potentially valuable platform chemicals. Their highly functionalised carbon skeleton, with fixed chirality at C-2 and C-4, makes them ideal starting materials for use in synthesis. In order to assess the potential of these saccharinic acids as platform chemicals we have explored the protecting group chemistry of the lactone form of alpha-glucoisosaccharinic acid (α-GISAL).

Systems biology of the IMIDIA biobank from organ donors and pancreatectomised patients defines a novel transcriptomic signature of islets from individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Aims/hypothesis: Pancreatic islet beta cell failure causes type 2 diabetes in humans. To identify transcriptomic changes in type 2 diabetic islets, the Innovative Medicines Initiative for Diabetes: Improving beta-cell function and identification of diagnostic biomarkers for treatment monitoring in Diabetes (IMIDIA) consortium ( www.imidia.

Two new clerodane-type diterpenoids from Bornean liverwort Gottschelia schizopleura and their cytotoxic activity.

The Bornean liverwort Gottschelia schizopleura was investigated phytochemically for the first time. Two new and four previously known clerodane-type diterpenoids were isolated from the MeOH extract of G. schizopleura through a series of chromatographic techniques.

The Mosses of Crocker Range Park, Malaysian Borneo.

This paper reports the mosses from Crocker Range Park (CRP) in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. In total, 293 species, three subspecies and eight varieties belonging to 118 genera and 36 families are reported. This represents about 40% and 47% of the species and infra-specific taxa reported from Borneo and Sabah, respectively.

Anemia and the Risk of Life-threatening Ventricular Tachyarrhythmias from the Israeli Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Registry.

Anemia was shown to be associated with increased risk for adverse events in patients with heart failure (HF). However, there are limited data on the association between anemia and the risk for ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) in patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). The present study population comprised 2,352 patients who were enrolled and prospectively followed up in the Israeli ICD Registry.

Red cell distribution width predicts death and appropriate therapy in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillator: A simple measurement with prognostic value in a variety of diseases, may help in better selection of patients who will benefit the most from this device.

Background: Red cell distribution width (RDW) is a measure of the size variation of erythrocytes. Its prognostic value has been described in a variety of cardiac and noncardiac diseases. Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is useful in preventing sudden cardiac death in high-risk patients, but many of these patients continue to survive without needing ICD therapy.

Case Report: Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning in Sabah, Malaysia.

During the months of January-February and May-June 2013 coinciding with the red tide occurrence in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, six episodes involving 58 cases of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) or saxitoxin (STX) poisoning and resulting in four deaths were reported. Many of them were intoxicated from consuming shellfish purchased from the markets, whereas others were intoxicated from eating shellfish collected from the beach. Levels of STX in shellfish collected from the affected areas were high (mean 2,920 ± 780 and 360 ± 140 µg STX equivalents/100 g shellfish meat respectively for the two periods).

A adenosine receptors control pancreatic dysfunction in high-fat-diet-induced obesity.

Adenosine, a key extracellular signaling mediator, regulates several aspects of metabolism by activating 4 G-protein-coupled receptors, the A, A, A, and A adenosine receptors (ARs). The role of AARs in regulating high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced metabolic derangements is unknown. To evaluate the role of AARs in regulating glucose and insulin homeostasis in obesity, we fed AAR-knockout (KO) and control mice an HFD for 16 wk to initiate HFD-induced metabolic disorder.