Left atrial strain parameters to predicting elevated left atrial pressure in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Objectives: To assess the ability of left atrial (LA) strain parameters to discriminate patients with elevated left atrial pressure (LAP) from patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods And Results: A total of 142 patients with non-valvular AF who underwent first catheter ablation (CA) between November 2022 and November 2023 were enrolled in the study. Conventional and speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) were performed in all patients within 24 h before CA, and LAP was invasively measured during the ablation procedure.

Breeding of a thermostable xylanase-producing strain of by atmospheric room temperature plasma (ARTP) mutagenesis.

Hemicellulose is an important component in lignocellulose materials, which is second only to cellulose, accounting for 15%-35% of the dry weight of plants. In the current situation of energy shortage, making full use of lignocellulose materials to produce fuel ethanol has become an important way to solve the energy problem. Xylanase plays a crucial role in the utilization of hemicellulose.

Comparative strategies for stem cell biodistribution in a preclinical study.

Stem cell therapy represents the potential alternative effective strategy for some diseases that lack effective treatment currently. Correspondingly, it is crucial to establish high-sensitive and reliable quantification assay for tracing exogenous cell migration. In the present study, we first used both bioluminescence imaging (BLI) indirect labeling (human norepinephrine transporter-luciferase reporter system) and zirconium (Zr)-hNSCs direct labeling combined with positron emission tomography/computer tomography (PET/CT) system for tracking human neural stem cells (hNSCs) migration into the brain via nasal administration in preclinical study.

Red blood cell distribution width predicts survival in patients with Eisenmenger syndrome.

Background: Previous studies identified an independent relationship between red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and prognosis in patients with pulmonary hypertension of mixed etiologies and idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. This study aimed to investigate the significance of RDW for predicting survival in patients with Eisenmenger syndrome (ES).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records and collected baseline data for patients newly diagnosed with ES in our hospital between January 2005 and October 2009.

Impact of sildenafil on survival of patients with Eisenmenger syndrome.

The favorable effects of short-term use of sildenafil on patients with Eisenmenger syndrome have been reported. We further studied the impact of long-term use of sildenafil on survival of these patients. In this study, the baseline data of patients newly diagnosed as Eisenmenger syndrome in our hospital between January 2005 and December 2009 were retrospectively collected.

[Clinical analysis of 150 patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension].

Objective: To explore the demographic characteristics and clinical features of patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) in China.

Methods: Between March 2007 and September 2010, IPAH diagnosis was confirmed by right heart catheterization in 150 adult patients from 31 clinical centers in China. Clinical and hemodynamic data were analyzed and patients were divided into WHO functional class I/II and WHO functional class III/IV group.

The impact of pulmonary arterial hypertension-targeted therapy on survival in Chinese patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension.

The survival rates of Chinese patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) and familial pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) on conventional therapy at 1 and 3 years were 68.0% and 38.9%, respectively.

[Screening study of pulmonary arterial hypertension in patients with congenital heart diseases].

Objective: To determine the prevalence and influencing factors of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD).

Methods: Between May 2007 and December 2008, a total of 692 CHD patients admitted into Fuwai Hospital were prospectively enrolled. Doppler echocardiography was employed to measure the level of pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP).

[Multicenter study of disease attributes in adult patients with pulmonary hypertension].

Objective: To understand the demographic, hemodynamic and clinical features of adult patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) in China.

Methods: Between May 2007 and October 2010, a total of 551 adult PH patients were recruited from 31 clinical centers all over China. All fulfilled the traditional hemodynamic criteria diagnosed through right heart catheterization (RHC).

Inhaled low-dose iloprost for pulmonary hypertension: a prospective, multicenter, open-label study.

Background: Inhaled iloprost (average >30 µg/d) has been considered an effective treatment for severe pulmonary hypertension (PH). Further evidence also showed that low-dose iloprost given intravenously was equally effective as high-dose iloprost in the therapy of systemic sclerosis.

Hypothesis: Patients with pulmonary hypertension will benefit from inhalation of low-dose iloprost.

[Accuracy of transthoracic Doppler echocardiography in the estimation of pulmonary artery systolic pressures].

Objective: To investigate the qualitative accuracy of pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) as estimated by transthoracic Doppler echocardiography (TDE).

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 102 adult patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension undergoing Doppler echocardiography within 72 hours prior to right heart catheterization. During this period, all patients were stable without any specific drug therapy.

Impact of sildenafil on survival of patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension.

It has been reported that short-term sildenafil therapy is safe and effective for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. However, data regarding the impact of sildenafil on the survival of patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension remain limited. The study was conducted on 77 patients with newly diagnosed idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension at Fu Wai Hospital between September 2005 and September 2009.

Prognostic value of echocardiographic right/left ventricular end-diastolic diameter ratio in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Background: An echocardiographic right/left ventricular end-diastolic diameter ratio (RV/LV ratio) ≥ 0.9 is an independent predictor of poor prognosis in patients with acute pulmonary embolism. Right ventricular dilation is a common characteristic of both acute pulmonary embolism and idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH).

Overexpression of inducible heat shock protein 70 and its mutants in astrocytes is associated with maintenance of mitochondrial physiology during glucose deprivation stress.

Wild-type inducible Hsp70 (WT) and 2 folding deficient mutants protect the brain against focal cerebral ischemia in vivo and brain cells from oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) in vitro, but the protective mechanisms remain unclear. Mitochondria are central to both normal physiological function and the regulation of cell death. We tested the effect of overexpressing Hsp70 and 2 mutants, Hsp70-K71 E, an adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase)-deficient point mutant, and Hsp70-381-640, a deletion mutant lacking the ATPase domain on mitochondrial physiology under glucose deprivation (GD) stress in primary cultured astrocytes.