A detached helix of pacemaker pacing lead.

Permanent pacemaker implantation is the main treatment of symptomatic bradyarrhythmia, which has been widely used. Lead implantation is a critical step. When the lead malfunctions and needs to be replaced, extraction or abandonment of the primary lead (in whole or in part) should be determined according to the situation.

The relationship between obesity associated weight-adjusted waist index and the prevalence of hypertension in US adults aged ≥60 years: a brief report.

Objectives: The main objective was to examine the relationship between weight-adjusted waist index (WWI) and the prevalence of hypertension among individuals aged ≥60 years who participated in the NHANES between 2011 and 2018 years. Methods: The data for this study were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2018. In this population-based study, we focused on participants who were over 60 years old. Data were collected from the aforementioned survey, and the variable of interest was WWI, which was calculated as waist (cm) divided by the square root of body weight (kg). Multivariable logistic regression model was applied to calculate adjusted ORs with 95% CIs in order to explore any possible correlation between WWI and the prevalence of hypertension. Subgroup analysis were used to verify the stability of the relationship between WWI and the prevalence of hypertension. The interaction tests were also conducted in this research. Results: Results revealed that adults aged ≥60 years who were in the highest WWI quartile had significantly higher chances of developing hypertension when compared to those in the lowest quartile, after adjusting for covariates and potential confounders (p < 0.001). Conclusion: These findings suggest that there is a strong correlation between elevated levels of WWI and the risk of developing hypertension among older adults. As such, WWI could serve as a unique and valuable biomarker for identifying hypertension risk at an earlier stage in the older adults population.

Comprehensive Screening for EPA/DHA-Structured Phospholipids in Aquatic Products by a Specific Precursor Ion Scanning-Based HILIC-MS/MS Method.

Comprehensive screening for functional substances from natural resources is always a hot research topic. Eicosapentaenoic acid- (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-structured phospholipids (PLEPA/DHA) have versatile cardiovascular benefits as well as superior bioavailability. Herein, the abundance of PLEPA/DHA in 16 aquatic products was specifically and selectively screened using a recently developed precursor ion scan-driven hydrophilic interaction chromatography-mass spectrometry (PreIS-HILIC/MS) method with the fatty acyl moieties of EPA (m/z 301.6) and DHA (m/z 327.6) locked. The aim focused on the characteristics and differences in the varieties and contents of EPA/DHA-structured phosphatidylcholine (PCEPA/DHA) and EPA/DHA-structured phosphatidylethanolamine (PEEPA/DHA) molecular species. A total of 80 PLEPA/DHA molecules were identified in these natural sources, including 47 PCEPA/DHA and 33 PEEPA/DHA. After analysis, PC 16:0/20:5 and PC 16:0/22:6 are present in all aquatic products and at high levels. Antarctic krill was found to be the best resource of PLEPA/DHA in total (2574.69 µg·g-1), followed by mackerel (2330.11 µg·g-1), salmon (2109.91 µg·g-1), and Farrer's scallop (1883.59 µg·g-1), while abalone contained the lowest level of PLEPA/DHA (310.44 µg·g-1). Besides, sea cucumber and sea bass contained the highest contents of EPA-structured and DHA-structured ether phospholipids, respectively, which could be highly recommended as dietary sources of special functional phospholipids. Finally, the multiple discrepancies between the 16 aquatic products were revealed by multivariate statistical analysis. These findings improve the awareness of the composition and content of PLEPA/DHA contained in aquatic products, providing a reference for their integrated development.

Left Bundle Branch Area Pacing in a Giant Atrium With Atrial Standstill: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Atrial standstill (AS) is a rare condition defined by the lack of atrial electrical and mechanical activities. It is usually clinically manifested as symptomatic bradycardia, which requires permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation. Traditional right ventricular apical pacing causes electrical and mechanical dyssynchrony resulting in left ventricular dysfunction, heart failure, and arrhythmias. As a novel physiological pacing strategy, left bundle branch area pacing (LBBaP) has demonstrated effectiveness and safety in recent years, but its application in exceptional conditions is rarely reported. We report the case of a 47-year-old female, who was diagnosed with AS complicated with a giant atrium, and successfully received a single-chamber PPM with LBBaP.

Novel α-galactosidase A gene mutation in a Chinese Fabry disease family: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Fabry disease (FD) is a rare X-linked lysosomal storage disease caused by a deficiency of the enzyme α-galactosidase A. CASE SUMMARY: Herein, we analyzed a four-generation Chinese family. The proband is a 57-year-old woman who was diagnosed with left ventricular hypertrophy and atrial fibrillation 7 years ago. Echocardiography showed an end-diastolic diameter of the interventricular septum of 19.9 mm, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter of 63.1 mm, and moderate-to-severe mitral regurgitation. Cardiac magnetic resonance indicated an enlarged left heart and right atrium, decreased left ventricular systolic and diastolic function, a left ventricular ejection fraction of 20%, and thickening of the left ventricular septum. In March 2019, gene and enzyme activity tests confirmed the diagnosis of FD. Her son was diagnosed with FD after gene and enzyme activity assay, and was prescribed agalsidase-ß for enzyme replacement therapy in July 2020. Two sisters of the proband were also diagnosed with FD by genetic testing. Both of them had a history of atrial fibrillation. CONCLUSION: A novel mutation was identified in a Chinese family with FD, in which the male patient had a low level of enzyme activity, early-onset, and severe organ involvement. Comprehensive analysis of clinical phenotype genetic testing and enzyme activity testing helped in the diagnosis and treatment of this FD family.

Effects of FER1L4-miR-106a-5p/miR-372-5p-E2F1 regulatory axis on drug resistance in liver cancer chemotherapy.

Liver cancer presents a challenge in today's healthcare system. This study aimed at investigating the effects of Fer-1 like family member 4 (FER1L4) on chemotherapy resistance and liver cancer development by using clinically collected liver cancer tissues and commercially purchased human liver cancer cisplatin-resistant cell line HUH-7/DDP. Bioinformatics analysis, dual luciferase reporter gene assay, and RNA pull-down were applied to predict and verify the possible binding relationships. The expressions of FER1L4, E2F transcription factor 1 (E2F1), microRNA-106a-5p (miR-106a-5p), or miR-372-5p were altered in the cells, followed by flow cytometry, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), and Transwell assays to evaluate apoptotic, proliferative, and invasive abilities in vitro and nude mice xenografts to observe tumor growth in vivo. FER1L4 was highly expressed and miR-106-5p and miR-372-5p were poorly expressed in tumor cells and tissues. FER1L4 knockdown or the overexpression of miR-106-5p and miR-372-5p inhibited the cancerous cell proliferation and invasion while promoting apoptosis. FERIL4 silencing increased the miR-106-5p/miR-372-5p expression to inhibit the E2F1-activated nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) pathway. Besides, overexpressing FER1L4 led to an increased tumor growth in nude mice, which was reversed by the NF-κB inhibitor pyrollidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC). In conclusion, the results indicated that FER1L4 could inhibit the expression of miR-106a-5p/miR-372-5p, to activate E2F1-mediated NF-κB pathway, leading to drug resistance in liver cancer.

Hepatoprotective effects of chamazulene against alcohol-induced liver damage by alleviation of oxidative stress in rat models.

Liver injury and disease caused by alcohol is a common complication to human health worldwide. Chamazulene is a natural proazulene with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study aims to investigate the hepatoprotective effects of chamazulene against ethanol-induced liver injury in rat models. Adult Wistar rats were orally treated with 50% v/v ethanol (8-12 mL/kg body weight [b.w.]) for 6 weeks to induce alcoholic liver injury. Chamazulene was administered orally to rats 1 h prior to ethanol administration at the doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg b.w. for 6 weeks. Silymarin, a commercial drug for hepatoprotection, was orally administered (50 mg/kg b.w.) for the positive control group. Chamazulene significantly reduced (p < 0.05) the levels of serum alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and malondialdehyde, whereas the levels of antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase) and reduced glutathione were significantly restored (p < 0.05) in contrast to the ethanol model group. The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumour necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6) were suppressed by chamazulene (p < 0.05) with relevance to ethanol-induced liver injury. Histopathological alterations were convincing in the chamazulene-treated groups, which showed protective effects against alcoholic liver injury. Chamazulene has a significant hepatoprotective effect against ethanol-induced liver injury through alleviation of oxidative stress and prevention of inflammation.

Upregulation of lncRNA FER1L4 suppresses the proliferation and migration of the hepatocellular carcinoma via regulating PI3K/AKT signal pathway.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the potential function of FER1L4 in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma and uncover its underlying molecular mechanism. METHODS: In the current study, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was conducted to determine the expression profile of FER1L4 in normal liver tissues and hepatocellular carcinoma tissues of human, as well as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines including HL-7702[L-02], HepG-2, Hep3b, and SMMC-7721. Then, HepG-2 cells were transfected with pcDNA3.1-FER1L4 (pcDNA3.1-empty as negative control) for gain-of-function analysis, followed with cell functional abnormality tests. Specifically, colony formation analysis and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide experiment were taken advantage to measure the cell proliferation, while cell migration and invasion were evaluated by wound healing assay and transwell experiment respectively. Additionally, cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. Moreover, the effect of FER1L4 on PI3K/AKT signal pathway activation was investigated through analyzing phosphorylation of related proteins, p-AKT/AKT and p-PI3K/PI3K, via Western blot assay. RESULTS: Downregulation of FER1L4 in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and cells was demonstrated by qRT-PCR analysis. Besides, FER1L4 overexpression evidently attenuated the cell proliferation, migration and invasion, but prompted cell apoptosis. Importantly, Western blot assays revealed that PII3K/AKT signal pathway were involved in mediating the progression regulation role of FER1L4 in HCC cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested that FER1L4 might alleviate progression of hepatocellular carcinoma via blocking PI3K/AKT pathway, which encourages a better understanding of the pathogenesis of HCC and may provide a novel potential therapeutic target for clinical treatment.