Catheter Ablation of Premature Ventricular Contractions Originating in the Aortic Sinus Cusp or Great Cardiac Vein: Two QRS Morphologies with One Origin.

Background: Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) originating from aortic sinus cusps (ASCs) can exhibit preferential conduction to right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT).

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the electrophysiological characteristics for guiding catheter ablation in patients with two morphological types of PVCs that originate from ASCs or the great cardiac vein (GCV).

Methods: We analyzed electrocardiogram from 10 patients with PVCs of two QRS morphologies.

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Rates and Associated Independent Predictors for Progression of Nontarget Lesions in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus After Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation.

Little is known about clinically driven percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) rates and predictors for progression of nontarget lesions in diabetic patients who have undergone drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical and angiographic data of 2187 diabetic patients undergoing DES implantation. The cumulative rate of nontarget lesion PCI was 6.

Perivenous application of cyanoacrylate tissue sealants reduces intimal and medial thickening of the vein graft and inflammatory responses in a rabbit model of carotid artery bypass grafting.

Objectives: Effective therapies to prevent vein graft failure after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) are still lacking. α-Cyanoacrylate (α-CA, 99% n-octyl-α-cyanoacrylate + n-butyl-α-cyanoacrylate) has been increasingly used as a tissue sealant for wound closure because of its bacteriostatic, biodegradable and haemostatic properties. As a strong tissue adhesive, α-CA might prevent an arterial circulation-induced mechanical stretch on vein graft to attenuate intimal hyperplasia.

S100 calcium-binding protein A6 promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition through β-catenin in pancreatic cancer cell line.

The pathogenesis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains poorly understood. S100 calcium-binding protein A6 (S100A6) has been associated with PDAC; however, the effect of S100A6 on PDAC migration and invasion has not yet been explored. In this study, Panc-1 cells were transfected with a plasmid to induce overexpression of S100A6, and β-catenin was knocked down using a specific short hairpin RNA (shRNA).

Fixed-dose combination treatment after stroke for secondary prevention in China: a national community-based study.

Background And Purpose: There is evidence and international consensus on the advantages and potential of a polypill for established cardiovascular disease patients to improve adherence in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to estimate the numbers of stroke patients who would be eligible for the polypill strategy in China, and the suitable composition of a polypill, based on data of the China National Stroke Prevention Project.

Methods: A total of 717 620 residents aged ≥40 years from 6 Chinese representative provinces were screened for prevalent stroke from 2011 to 2012 with an 84.

Cardiovascular risk assessment: a global perspective.

An important strategy in primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is the early identification of high-risk individuals. Effective implementation of a strategy to identify these individuals in a clinical setting is reliant on the availability of appropriate CVD risk-assessment models and guideline recommendations. Several well-known models for CVD risk assessment have been developed and utilized in the USA and Europe, but might not be suitable for use in other regions or countries.

Echocardiographic measurements in normal chinese adults focusing on cardiac chambers and great arteries: a prospective, nationwide, and multicenter study.

Background: Currently available echocardiographic reference values are derived mainly from North American and European population studies, and no echocardiographic reference values are available for the Chinese population. The aim of this study was to establish normal values of echocardiographic measurements of the cardiac chambers and great arteries in a nationwide, population-based cohort of healthy Han Chinese adults.

Methods: A total of 1,586 healthy Han Chinese volunteers aged 18 to 79 years were screened at 43 collaborating laboratories throughout China.

Influence of diabetes mellitus on long-term outcomes of patients with unprotected left main coronary artery disease treated with either drug-eluting stents or coronary artery bypass grafting.

Whether the effect of diabetes on patients with unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA) disease differs according to different strategies of revascularization was unknown. This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of diabetes on patients with ULMCA disease treated with either percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG).A total of 922 patients with ULMCA disease who received drug-eluting stent (DES) (n = 465) implantation or underwent CABG (n = 457) were retrospectively analyzed.

White coat hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine blood pressure characteristics and long-term progress in patients with white coat hypertension (WCH) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Methods: Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and sleep test results over a period of 26 months were analyzed from WCH patients with OSA (n = 28), WCH patients (n = 23), and healthy control subjects (n = 27).

Results: At the end of observation, WCH patients with OSA presented significantly increased daytime and nighttime BP and lower diurnal difference of SBP (all Ps < 0.

Relationship between red blood cell distribution width and intermediate-term mortality in elderly patients after percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: Large-scale clinical research on the relationship between red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and intermediate-term prognosis in elderly patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) is lacking. Thus, this study investigated the effects of RDW on the intermediate-term mortality of elderly patients who underwent elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods: Data from 1891 patients ≥ 65 years old underwent elective PCI from July 2009 to September 2011 were collected.

Fractional flow reserve versus angiography for guiding percutaneous coronary intervention: a meta-analysis.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether fractional flow reserve (FFR) should be performed for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) to guide the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) strategy.

Background: PCI is the most effective method to improve the outcomes of CAD. However, the proper usage of PCI has not been achieved in clinical practice.

hERG Blockade by Iboga Alkaloids.

The iboga alkaloids are a class of naturally occurring and synthetic compounds, some of which modify drug self-administration and withdrawal in humans and preclinical models. Ibogaine, the prototypic iboga alkaloid that is utilized clinically to treat addictions, has been associated with QT prolongation, torsades de pointes and fatalities. hERG blockade as IKr was measured using the whole-cell patch clamp technique in HEK 293 cells.

Measurement of mucosal thickness in denture-bearing area of edentulous mandible.

Background: The thickness of the alveolar mucosa influences the probability of the occurrence of denture-induced irritations. Thick denture-supporting tissues offer relief from mucosal tenderness and ulcers; however, the uniformity of the thickness across the entire mandibular alveolar mucosa cannot be accurately determined in edentulous patients. This study aimed to assess the mucosal thickness of the denture-bearing area in the edentulous mandible.

Cholesterol-overloaded HDL particles are independently associated with progression of carotid atherosclerosis in a cardiovascular disease-free population: a community-based cohort study.

Background: Cholesterol-overloaded high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles exert a negative impact on the antiatherogenic function of HDL in experimental studies. However, it remains unclear whether cholesterol-overloaded HDL particle is involved in the development of atherosclerosis in humans.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to explore whether cholesterol-overloaded HDL particles are associated with the progression of carotid atherosclerosis in a cardiovascular disease-free population.

Circulating cholesteryl ester transfer protein and coronary heart disease: mendelian randomization meta-analysis.

Background: The cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) plays a central role in reverse cholesterol transport. Currently, it remains unresolved whether circulating CETP is causally associated with coronary heart disease (CHD). We aimed to investigate this causal association using CETP gene rs708272 polymorphism as an instrument in a Mendelian randomization meta-analysis.

Health workforce equity in urban community health service of China.

Objectives: To reveal the equity of health workforce distribution in urban community health service (CHS), and to provide evidence for further development of community health service in China.

Methods: A community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in China from September to December 2011. In the study, 190 CHS centers were selected from 10 provinces of China via stratified multistage cluster sampling.

Inhibition of local aldosterone by eplerenone reduces renal structural damage in a novel model of chronic cyclosporine A nephrotoxicity.

Background And Objective: The fact that mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists reduce structural and functional alterations induced by cyclosporine A (CsA) indicates that aldosterone plays a key role in chronic CsA nephrotoxicity. We and other researchers have reported local renal aldosterone synthesis. To investigate local renal aldosterone's role in chronic CsA nephrotoxicity, we evaluated the effect of eplerenone (Epl) on renal structural damage and renal dysfunction in adrenalectomized (ADX) rats, and assessed whether the therapeutic benefit was associated with reduction of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) and collagen I (COL-I) expression.

Targeting the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α to alleviate cardiopulmonary bypass-induced lung injury (review).

Pulmonary dysfunction is one of the most frequent complications associated with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Multiple factors, including the contact of blood with the artificial surface of the CPB circuit, ischemia‑reperfusion and lung ventilator arrest elicit inflammatory reactions, consequently resulting in CPB‑induced lung injury. The proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor‑α (TNF‑α) has been demonstrated to have a critical role in mediating CPB‑induced pulmonary inflammation.

Serum uric acid and risk of left atrial thrombus in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

Background: Serum uric acid (SUA) is a simple and independent marker of morbidity and mortality in a variety of cardiovascular diseases. In this study we aimed to investigate SUA and the risk of left atrial (LA) thrombus in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods: In this retrospective study, 1359 consecutive patients undergoing transesophageal echocardiography before catheter ablation of AF were enrolled.

Local treatment of osteoporosis with alendronate-loaded calcium phosphate cement.

Background: A new treatment strategy is to target specific areas of the skeletal system that are prone to clinically significant osteoporotic fractures. We term this strategy as the "local treatment of osteoporosis". The study was performed to investigate the effect of alendronate-loaded calcium phosphate cement (CPC) as a novel drug delivery system for local treatment of osteoorosis.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging findings in children with myocarditis.

Background: Myocarditis is a common, potentially life-threatening disease that presents a wide rang of symptoms in children, as an important underlying etiology of other myocardial diseases such as dilated and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. The incidence of nonfatal myocarditis is probably greater than that of the one actually diagnosed, which is the result of the challenges of establishing the diagnosis in standard clinical settings. Currently, no single clinical or imaging finding confirms the diagnosis of myocarditis with absolute certainty.