Relationship between ventricular repolarization parameters and the inducibility of ventricular arrhythmias during electrophysiological study in patients with coronary artery disease.

Objective: Risk stratification of sudden cardiac death in patients with coronary artery disease is of great importance. We evaluated the association between ventricular repolarization and induction of malignant ventricular arrhythmias on electrophysiological study of patients with coronary artery disease.

Methods And Results: A total of 177 patients (65±10.

Bioinformatics pipeline to guide late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) post-GWAS studies: Prioritizing transcription regulatory variants within LOAD-associated regions.

Introduction: As new late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) genetic risk loci are identified and brain cell-type specific omics data becomes available, there is an unmet need for a bioinformatics framework to prioritize genes and variants for testing in single-cell molecular profiling experiments and validation using disease models and gene editing technologies. Prior work has characterized and prioritized active enhancers located in LOAD-genome-wide association study (GWAS) regions and their potential interactions with candidate genes. The current study extends this work by focusing on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within these LOAD enhancers and their impact on altering transcription factor (TF) binding.

Seasonal Variation of Atrial Fibrillation Admission and Quality of Care in the United States.

Background Currently, little is known regarding seasonal variation for atrial fibrillation (AF) in the United States and whether quality of care for AF varies between seasons. Methods and Results The GWTG-AFib (Get With The Guidelines-AFib) registry was initiated by the American Heart Association to enhance national guideline adherence for treatment and management of AF. Our analyses included 61 291 patients who were admitted at 141 participating hospitals from 2014 to 2018 across the United States.

Gene-Toxicant Interactions in Gulf War Illness: Differential Effects of the Genotype.

About 25-35% of United States veterans who fought in the 1990-1991 Gulf War report several moderate or severe chronic systemic symptoms, defined as Gulf War illness (GWI). Thirty years later, there is little consensus on the causes or biological underpinnings of GWI. The Gulf War Era Cohort and Biorepository (GWECB) was designed to investigate genetic and environmental associations with GWI and consists of 1343 veterans.

Revision of the AAST grading scale for acute cholecystitis with comparison to physiologic measures of severity.

Background: Grading systems for acute cholecystitis are essential to compare outcomes, improve quality, and advance research. The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) grading system for acute cholecystitis was only moderately discriminant when predicting multiple outcomes and underperformed the Tokyo guidelines and Parkland grade. We hypothesized that through additional expert consensus, the predictive capacity of the AAST anatomic grading system could be improved.

Impact of Obesity on Heart Transplantation Outcomes.

Background Patients with obesity and advanced heart failure face unique challenges on the path to heart transplantation. There are limited data on waitlist and transplantation outcomes in this population. We aimed to evaluate the impact of obesity on heart transplantation outcomes, and to investigate the effects of the new organ procurement and transplantation network allocation system in this population.

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Risk of Heart Failure Among Medicare Beneficiaries.

Background Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and heart failure (HF) are increasing in prevalence. The independent association between NAFLD and downstream risk of HF and HF subtypes (HF with preserved ejection fraction and HF with reduced ejection fraction) is not well established. Methods and Results This was a retrospective, cohort study among Medicare beneficiaries.

Thromboprophylaxis for Children Post-Fontan Procedure: Insights From the UNIVERSE Study.

Background Patients with single-ventricle physiology who undergo the Fontan procedure are at risk for thrombotic events associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The UNIVERSE Study evaluated the efficacy and safety of a novel liquid rivaroxaban formulation, using a body weight-adjusted dosing regimen, versus acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) in children post-Fontan. Methods and Results The UNIVERSE Study was a randomized, multicenter, 2-part, open-label study of rivaroxaban, in children who had undergone a Fontan procedure, to evaluate its dosing regimen, safety, and efficacy.

Early Survivorship After Liver Transplantation: A Qualitative Study Identifying Challenges in Recovery From the Patient and Caregiver Perspective.

Survivorship after liver transplantation (LT) is a novel concept providing a holistic view of the arduous recovery experienced after transplantation. We explored components of early survivorship including physical, emotional, and psychological challenges to identify intervention targets for improving the recovery process of LT recipients and caregivers. A total of 20 in-person interviews were conducted among adults 3 to 6 months after LT.

Evaluation of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Cardiac Transplantation.

Background Racial and ethnic disparities contribute to differences in access and outcomes for patients undergoing heart transplantation. We evaluated contemporary outcomes for heart transplantation stratified by race and ethnicity as well as the new 2018 allocation system. Methods and Results Adult heart recipients from 2011 to 2020 were identified in the United Network for Organ Sharing database and stratified into 3 groups: Black, Hispanic, and White.

Factors Associated With Adherence to Osteoporosis Medications Among Male Veterans.

Risk factors for nonadherence to osteoporosis medication have been well described for cohorts of women with osteoporosis, but little is known about predictors or mediators of nonadherence in men. We conducted a secondary analysis of a national cohort of male veterans to explore factors associated with nonadherence to osteoporosis medications. We included veterans with a prescription for an oral bisphosphonate or calcitonin between 2000 and 2010.

Research Priorities in the Secondary Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation: A National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Virtual Workshop Report.

There has been sustained focus on the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease and heart failure; yet, apart from stroke prevention, the evidence base for the secondary prevention of atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence, AF progression, and AF-related complications is modest. Although there are multiple observational studies, there are few large, robust, randomized trials providing definitive effective approaches for the secondary prevention of AF. Given the increasing incidence and prevalence of AF nationally and internationally, the AF field needs transformative research and a commitment to evidenced-based secondary prevention strategies.

Impact of lifestyle Intervention on branched-chain amino acid catabolism and insulin sensitivity in adolescents with obesity.

Unlabelled: Insulin resistance in adolescents with obesity associates with a sex-dependent metabolic 'signature' comprising branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), glutamate and C3/C5 acylcarnitines (C3/C5), implicating altered flux through BCAA catabolic pathways. Here, we investigated the effects of lifestyle intervention on BCAA catabolism and insulin sensitivity. We hypothesized (1) weight reduction and improved insulin sensitivity associate with enhanced BCAA catabolism; (2) baseline BCAAs and their metabolic by-products predict changes in weight and insulin sensitivity during lifestyle intervention.

A yeast expressed RBD-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine formulated with 3M-052-alum adjuvant promotes protective efficacy in non-human primates.

Ongoing SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development is focused on identifying stable, cost-effective, and accessible candidates for global use, specifically in low and middle-income countries. Here, we report the efficacy of a rapidly scalable, novel yeast expressed SARS-CoV-2 specific receptor-binding domain (RBD) based vaccine in rhesus macaques. We formulated the RBD immunogen in alum, a licensed and an emerging alum adsorbed TLR-7/8 targeted, 3M-052-alum adjuvants.

Genetic variants of and in myeloid cell-related pathway genes independently predict cutaneous melanoma-specific survival.

Unlabelled: Both and evidence has supported a key role of myeloid cells in immune suppression in melanoma and in promoting melanocytic metastases. Some single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been shown to predict cutaneous melanoma-specific survival (CMSS), but the association between genetic variation in myeloid cell-related genes and cutaneous melanoma (CM) patient survival remains unknown.

Methods: we investigated associations between SNPs in myeloid cell-related pathway genes and CMSS in a discovery dataset of 850 CM patients and replicated the findings in another dataset of 409 CM patients.

Activation of the ATF6 (Activating Transcription Factor 6) Signaling Pathway in Neurons Improves Outcome After Cardiac Arrest in Mice.

Background Ischemia/reperfusion injury impairs proteostasis, and triggers adaptive cellular responses, such as the unfolded protein response (UPR), which functions to restore endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis. After cardiac arrest (CA) and resuscitation, the UPR is activated in various organs including the brain. However, the role of the UPR in CA has remained largely unknown.

Association of pretreatment body mass index with risk of head and neck cancer: a large single-center study.

Smoking and alcohol exposure continue to be the dominant risk factors for the development of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCCHN) worldwide. Moreover, human papillomavirus (HPV) is associated with SCCHN, particularly SCC of the oropharynx (SCCOP). Body mass index (BMI) has been reported as a possible risk factor for SCCHN, yet the data available so far about the relationship between BMI and SCCHN risk have been mixed.

Genetic variants of , and in the natural killer cell-related pathway are associated with non-small cell lung cancer survival.

Although natural killer (NK) cells are a known major player in anti-tumor immunity, the effect of genetic variation in NK-associated genes on survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unknown. Here, in 1,185 with NSCLC cases of a discovery dataset, we evaluated associations of 28,219 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 276 NK-associated genes with their survival. These patients were from the reported genome-wide association study (GWAS) from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial.

Development and Evaluation of a Novel Mouse Model of Asphyxial Cardiac Arrest Revealed Severely Impaired Lymphopoiesis After Resuscitation.

Background Animal disease models represent the cornerstone in basic cardiac arrest (CA) research. However, current experimental models of CA and resuscitation in mice are limited. In this study, we aimed to develop a mouse model of asphyxial CA followed by cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and to characterize the immune response after asphyxial CA/CPR.