Blood flow dynamics in the ascending aorta of patients with bicuspid aortic valve before and after transcatheter aortic valve replacement: a computational fluid dynamics study.

Background: Abnormal blood flow patterns are known to contribute to the ascending aortic dilation in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). The present study elucidated the blood flow characteristics in the dilated ascending aorta before and after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis.

Methods: We performed CFD analysis in three BAV patients with ascending aortic dilation (maximum diameter ≥ 45 mm) who underwent TAVR.

Association of altitude with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among patients with hypertension: a cohort study in Southwest China.

Background: Available evidence falls short in assessing the risk of long-term outcomes among individuals with hypertension residing at various altitudes. We aimed to investigate the association between residential altitude and the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality among hypertensive patients.

Methods: This cohort study encompassed 67,275 hypertensive patients aged ≥35 years who participated in China's Basic Public Health Service Program in 2018.

Association of remnant cholesterol with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes: mediation analyses from NHANES 1999-2020.

Background: Previous studies have established a correlation between elevated levels of remnant cholesterol (RC) and the occurrence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) as well as insulin resistance (IR); however, the precise nature of these associations remains incompletely elucidated. This study aimed to evaluate the relationships between RC and IR, as well as RC and T2D, and to determine the extent to which IR mediated the relationship between RC and T2D.

Methods: This was an observational study that utilized cross-sectional methods to examine the general population in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2020.

Mid-Term Outcomes of K-Clip Transcatheter Tricuspid Annuloplasty System in Patients With Severe Functional Tricuspid Regurgitation.

Background: Conservative treatments for tricuspid regurgitation (TR) frequently yield suboptimal outcomes. Transcatheter interventions provide a new therapeutic avenue, with ongoing assessments of safety and effectiveness.

Objectives: The TriStar (Confirmatory Clinical Study of Treating Tricuspid Regurgitation With K-Clip™ Transcatheter Annuloplasty System) study investigated 1-year outcomes of the K-Clip transcatheter tricuspid annuloplasty system in treating patients with severe functional TR.

Downregulation of MLF1 safeguards cardiomyocytes against senescence-associated chromatin opening.

Aging-associated cardiac hypertrophy (AACH) increases susceptibility to heart failure in the elderly. Chromatin remodeling contributes to the gene reprogramming in AACH; however, the intrinsic regulations remain elusive. We performed a transcriptome analysis for AACH in comparison with pressure-overload-induced pathological cardiac hypertrophy in mice and identified myeloid leukemia factor 1 (MLF1) as an aging-sensitive factor whose expression was reduced during aging but could be reversed by anti-aging administrations.

Pharmacologically inducing regenerative cardiac cells by small molecule drugs.

Adult mammals, unlike some lower organisms, lack the ability to regenerate damaged hearts through cardiomyocytes (CMs) dedifferentiation into cells with regenerative capacity. Developing conditions to induce such naturally unavailable cells with potential to proliferate and differentiate into CMs, that is, regenerative cardiac cells (RCCs), in mammals will provide new insights and tools for heart regeneration research. In this study, we demonstrate that a two-compound combination, CHIR99021 and A-485 (2C), effectively induces RCCs from human embryonic stem cell-derived TNNT2 CMs in vitro, as evidenced by lineage tracing experiments.

Surgical outcomes in adolescents and adults with anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery.

Background: Anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery (AAOCA) is associated with an increased risk of myocardial ischemia and sudden cardiac death. This study aims to evaluate the medium-term outcomes of surgical repair for AAOCA and to introduce a novel off-pump technique for anomalous coronary artery reimplantation.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 12 patients aged 12 years and older who underwent AAOCA surgery at Fuwai Hospital between 2009 and 2016.

Relation of Reproductive Lifespan with Obesity in Chinese Women: Results from a Large Representative Nationwide Population.

Research on the association between age at menarche and menopause, reproductive lifespan, and the risk of obesity in China is unclear and requires further clarification. Data were obtained from the China Hypertension Survey, a cross-sectional study using a stratified multistage random sampling method, conducted from October 2012 to December 2016, with a total of 187,162 women included in the analysis. Logistic regression models and restricted cubic spines were used to estimate the relationship between obesity and age at menarche, age at menopause, and reproductive lifespan.

The Consideration of Appropriate Surrogate Endpoint in Premarket Clinical Trials of Drug-Coated Balloon Catheter for the Treatment of Femoropopliteal Artery Stenosis.

Purpose: Most clinical trials of drug-coated balloon (DCB) for the treatment of femoropopliteal artery stenosis chose 12-month primary patency rate (PPR) or 6-month late lumen loss (LLL) as the primary endpoint. It is still debatable whether 6-month LLL can be served as an appropriate surrogate endpoint for 12-month PPR. This study aimed to identify whether LLL can serve as an appropriate surrogate endpoint in peripheral DCB clinical trials, and shed light on the selection of primary outcome for subsequent confirmatory clinical trials of DCB in the treatment of femoropopliteal artery stenosis.

Membraneless organelles in health and disease: exploring the molecular basis, physiological roles and pathological implications.

Once considered unconventional cellular structures, membraneless organelles (MLOs), cellular substructures involved in biological processes or pathways under physiological conditions, have emerged as central players in cellular dynamics and function. MLOs can be formed through liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), resulting in the creation of condensates. From neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular diseases, aging, and metabolism to cancer, the influence of MLOs on human health and disease extends widely.

The early decline in platelet count is associated with increased adverse outcomes in non heparin-induced thrombocytopenia pediatric patients undergoing VA-ECMO.

Introduction: The impact of non heparin-induced thrombocytopenia on the clinical outcomes for pediatric cardiac surgery patients who required veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane support (VA-ECMO) for failure to wean from cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between thrombocytopenia and prognosis in these patients.

Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 96 pediatric patients (age < 18) who received VA-ECMO directly transitioned from CPB at Fuwai Hospital from January 2010 to June 2020.

Isovolumic relaxation intraventricular pressure difference predicts elevated left ventricular end-diastolic pressure in patients with coronary artery disease.

Current guideline for evaluating diastolic function requires multiple parameters to identify patients with elevated left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP). However, the intermediate result still exists and may cause LVEDP undetermined. Previous studies have shown intraventricular pressure difference (IVPDs) are required for normal LV filling, but the relationship between IVPDs and LVEDP is unknown.

Long-Term Safety and Efficacy of Macitentan in Inoperable Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension: Results from MERIT and its Open-Label Extension.

Introduction: Evidence for use of pulmonary arterial hypertension targeted-therapies in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is limited. In MERIT-1, the endothelin receptor antagonist macitentan improved hemodynamic and functional parameters versus placebo in patients with inoperable CTEPH over a 24-week double-blind (DB) period. Its open-label (OL) extension study (MERIT-2) provides long-term safety/efficacy data.

What's the optimal temperature control strategy in patients receiving ECPR after cardiac arrest? A network meta-analysis.

Background: The optimal temperature control strategy in extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) patients is unknown, and several trials have reported conflicting results regarding its effectiveness. We aimed to conduct a systemic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) to assess the efficacy of temperature control in ECPR patients.

Methods: Database searching of studies reporting data on temperature control strategy during ECPR in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, and Cochrane Library was performed.

Prognostic Implications and Reversibility of Pulmonary Vascular Resistance Derived by Echocardiography in Patients Undergoing Tricuspid Annuloplasty.

Background: Pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) intimately correlates with right ventricular afterload and the development of secondary tricuspid regurgitation (sTR).

Objectives: We sought to investigate the prognostic roles of PVR derived by echocardiography in patients with sTR undergoing tricuspid annuloplasty (TA).

Methods: Data from 322 TA patients [median age (interquartile range): 65.

Inhibitory interferon regulatory factor 5 binding peptide suppresses abdominal aortic aneurysm expansion in vivo.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a critical condition characterized by the expansion of the infrarenal aorta, often leading to high mortality upon rupture. The absence of treatment for asymptomatic AAAs urgently necessitates uncovering the underlying mechanisms of their development. This study utilized mice to induce AAA through porcine pancreatic elastase with BAPN feeding and found that mice receiving the IRF5-binding peptide (IBP) demonstrated significantly slowed AAA expansion and reduced adventitia degradation compared to the control group.

Role of autophagy in myocardial remodeling after myocardial infarction.

Autophagy is the process of reusing the body's senescent and damaged cell components, which can be regarded as the cellular circulatory system. There are three distinct forms of autophagy: macro-autophagy, micro-autophagy, and chaperone-mediated autophagy. In the heart, autophagy is regulated mainly through mitophagy due to the metabolic changes of cardiomyocytes caused by ischemia and hypoxia.

Global, regional, and national temporal trends in mortality and disability-adjusted life years for cardiovascular disease attributable to low temperature during 1990-2019: an age-period-cohort analysis of the global burden of disease 2019 study.

Background: Few studies have focused on the region-specific relationship between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and low temperature worldwide.

Objective: We aimed to provide an overview of trends in mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for CVD and its subtypes attributable to low temperature over the past 30 years in 204 countries and regions, along with the associations of these trends with age, period, and birth cohorts.

Methods: Data on the estimated burden of CVDs (including ischemic heart disease, hypertensive heart disease, and stroke) attributable to low temperature were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019.

Association of long-term exposure to ozone with cardiovascular mortality and its metabolic mediators: evidence from a nationwide, population-based, prospective cohort study.

Background: Previous studies about chronic effects of ozone (O) on cardiovascular mortality are scarce and inconclusive. We aimed to investigate the association between cardiovascular mortality and a broad range of long-term O exposure levels.

Methods: This analysis included 3,206,871 participants aged 35-75 years enrolled in the ChinaHEART study.

Impact of metabolic abnormalities on the association between normal-range urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio and cardiovascular mortality: evidence from the NHANES 1999-2018.

Background: The urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR) is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes, even when within the normal range. However, the potential modification of this effect by metabolic abnormalities remains unclear. This study explored whether metabolic abnormalities modify the association between normal-range UACR and cardiovascular mortality.