miR-24-3p secreted as extracellular vesicle cargo by cardiomyocytes inhibits fibrosis in human cardiac microtissues.

Background And Aims: Cardiac fibrosis in response to injury leads to myocardial stiffness and heart failure. At the cellular level, fibrosis is triggered by the conversion of cardiac fibroblasts (CF) into extracellular matrix-producing myofibroblasts. miR-24-3p regulates this process in animal models.

SLCO1B1 and ABCG2 genotype-informed phenotypes are related to variation in ramipril exposure.

Ramipril is an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor used for hypertension and heart failure management. To date, scarce literature is available on pharmacogenetic associations affecting ramipril. The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of 120 genetic variants in 34 pharmacogenes (i.

Humeral shaft fracture: systematic review of non-operative and operative treatment.

Introduction: Humeral shaft fractures can be treated non-operatively or operatively. The optimal management is subject to debate. The aim was to compare non-operative and operative treatment of a humeral shaft fracture in terms of fracture healing, complications, and functional outcome.

Resection of thymic carcinoma after induction therapy and reconstruction of right ventricular outflow tract with pulmonary homograft.

Treatment of malignant epithelial thymic tumours, including thymoma and thymic carcinoma, is based on surgical resection, whenever possible. Mainstay of surgical treatment is complete resection with clear margins. This may require resection of adjacent structures, even major vessels.

Ten-Year Experience with Transapical and Direct Transaortic Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement to Address Patients with Aortic Stenosis and Peripheral Vascular Disease.

Objective: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) through alternative access routes is indicated in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis and diseased peripheral arteries. We analysed and compared the outcome of patients undergoing transapical (TA) and direct transaortic (TAO) TAVR procedures. Methods: Preoperative characteristics, procedural details, and thirty-day outcome of patients undergoing transapical (TA-TAVR group) and direct transaortic (TAO-TAVR group) TAVR procedures were prospectively collected and retrospectively analysed.

Cardiac surgery simulation - part 1: Step-by-step David procedure in a preclinical model.

We performed this operation on a preclinical model (porcine heart) that has been positioned and fixed inside a plastic mannequin that simulates the human anatomy. This simulation allows surgical operations to be performed at almost the same depth and orientation at which they would be performed on a patient in an operating room. The preclinical model allows the exact simulation of most of the key movements and steps of major coronary and valve surgery.

Transcatheter mitral valve replacement in native mitral valve with severe mitral annular calcification: Skirting the Sapien 3 to reduce the risk of paravalvular leaks.

Background: Mitral annular calcification (MAC) may represent a significant challenge for heart surgeons with an extremely high perioperative risk during mitral valve (MV) surgery. The risk is further increased when patients fail to be eligible for any percutaneous treatment, particularly because circumferential calcifications involving the anterior leaflet suggest a critical obstruction of the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT).

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate residual mitral regurgitation (MR) after surgical mitral valve replacement using a Sapien 3 Ultra (Edwards Lifesciences, CA, USA) transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) prosthesis, reinforced with a pericardial skirt, in high-risk selected patients with severe MAC.

Stress-induced premature senescence is associated with a prolonged QT interval and recapitulates features of cardiac aging.

Aging in the heart is a gradual process, involving continuous changes in cardiovascular cells, including cardiomyocytes (CMs), namely cellular senescence. These changes finally lead to adverse organ remodeling and resulting in heart failure. This study exploits CMs from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iCMs) as a tool to model and characterize mechanisms involved in aging.

Percutaneous Venous Cannulation for Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery: The Safest and Effective Technique Described Step-by-Step.

The current cardiac surgical landscape, with the expansion of minimally invasive operations, ECMO, and some interventional therapies, requires a thorough knowledge of peripheral cannulation techniques. In particular, venous cannulation may appear trivial and complication-free, but this does not reflect the reality. A venous cannulation which is not perfectly performed can lead to serious life-threatening complications in several steps.

Efficacy of Intraoperative Vein Graft Storage Solutions in Preserving Endothelial Cell Integrity during Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery.

(1) Introduction: Intraoperative preservation solutions for saphenous vein grafts may influence the endothelial structure and increase the risk of graft failure after coronary surgery. The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of three solutions in maintaining the endothelial cell integrity of venous segments. (2) Methods: We tested the efficacy of physiological saline solution (PSS), heparinized autologous blood (HAB) and DuraGraft in preserving the endothelium of vein segments by evaluating the degree of endothelial cell apoptosis.

The Aortic Annulus Stabilization Technique Prevents Paravalvular Leaks after Rapid Deployment Aortic Valve Implantation.

Background: Surgical aortic valve replacement with rapid deployment bioprosthesis guarantees good hemodynamic results but carries the risk of paravalvular leaks. To address this issue, an annulus stabilization technique has been recently developed.

Methods: Clinical and hemodynamic parameters from patients treated for aortic valve replacement with the rapid deployment bioprosthesis and a concomitant annulus stabilization technique were prospectively collected and retrospectively analyzed.

Early predictors of mortality in refractory cardiogenic shock following acute coronary syndrome treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenator.

We aimed to analyze the outcome and identify predictors of hospital mortality in patients with refractory cardiac arrest (CA) complicating acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and requiring veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) treatment. Between Jan-2005 and Dec-2019, 51 patients underwent urgent VA-ECMO implantation for CA in ACS. Patients were divided in two groups: "in-hospital" cardiac arrest (IHCA) and "out-of-hospital" cardiac arrest (OHCA).

The "Way" Toward E-leadership: Some Evidence From the Field.

Recently, leadership literature has faced the challenge of dealing with a growing pervasive diffusion of information and communication technologies that are deeply changing relationships among workers. Consequently, leadership is continuing to develop through the support of these technologies. This emerging phenomenon has been labeled e-leadership, and it has been studied with the objective of understanding the differences it exhibits from traditional leadership.