Potential prognostic indicators in dogs with advanced heart failure secondary to myxomatous mitral valve disease.

BACKGROUND: Advanced heart failure (AHF) secondary to myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) in dogs has unclear predictive variables and survival time. METHODS: This retrospective study included 38 dogs with AHF and 38 with stable congestive heart failure (CHF), both due to MMVD. Predictive variables for AHF were analysed, and survival times were calculated using logistic regression and the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Left atrium to aortic root ratio, normalised left ventricular dimension at the end-diastole and end-systole, isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT) and early transmitral inflow velocity to IVRT ratio were associated with AHF progression. The median survival times were significantly longer in the stable group than in the AHF group. After AHF diagnosis, the median survival times for all-cause and cardiogenic mortality were 194 and 354 days, respectively. LIMITATIONS: This was a single-centre retrospective observational study. The study population was small, with breed bias (overrepresentation of Maltese dogs). Additionally, the treatment plans depended on clinical experience. CONCLUSIONS: AHF in dogs with CHF secondary to MMVD is linked to left heart chamber enlargement and increased left ventricular dimensions, significantly reducing survival time to around six months post-diagnosis. Early recognition and appropriate management may improve outcomes, highlighting the importance of advanced treatment strategies.

lncRNA GAS5 regulates myocardial infarction by targeting the miR-525-5p/CALM2 axis.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases, especially in myocardial infarction (MI). However, the underlying molecular mechanism of how lncRNA involves and affect MI still remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the expression of lncRNA growth arrest-specific transcript 5 (GAS5) and its effects on myocardial cells' proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptosis. The possible mechanisms involved in GAS5, calmodulin 2 (CALM2), and microRNA (miR)-525-5p were also explored. The messenger RNA (mRNA) level of CALM2, GAS5, and miR-525-5p in postmyocardial infarction (MI) and normal cells were examined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Western blot analysis assay was conducted to detect the protein levels of CALM2. The changes of cell cycle/apoptosis and cell viability of post-MI myocardial cells (PMMC) were determined by flow cytometry analysis and MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide) assay after knockdown of GAS5 or CALM2, respectively. Dual luciferase reporter assay and RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay were performed to verify the targeting relationship between miR-525-5p and GAS5, CALM2 in myocardial. Hypoxic preconditioning was performed in normal cells, which constructed a simulated MI environment, and the effect of GAS5 on cardiomyocyte apoptosis was detected. Our data showed that the expression of GAS5 and CALM2 in PMMC was significantly upregulated, while the expression of miR-525-5p was downregulated. Overexpression of GAS5 and CALM2 profoundly promoted the apoptosis of myocardial cell. However, the proliferation of myocardial cell was inhibited by the upregulation of GAS5 and CALM2. Moreover, GAS5 was proved to be the target of miR-525-5p and GAS5 downregulated the expression of miR-525-5p and CALM2. In addition, lncRNA GAS5 promotes MI, while CALM2 induced MI can be reversed by miR-525-5p. These data suggested that lncRNA GAS5 promoted the development and progression of MI via targeting of the miR-525-5p/CALM2 axis and it has the potential to be explored as a therapeutic target for the treatment of MI in the future.

Component analysis and heavy metal adsorption ability of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) from sulfate reducing bacteria.

Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) play an important role in the treatment of acid mine drainage (AMD) by sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). In this paper, Desulfovibrio desulfuricans was used as the test strain to explore the effect of heavy metals on the components and adsorption ability of EPS. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis results showed that heavy metals did not influence the type of functional groups of EPS. Potentiometric titration results indicated that the acidic constants (pKa) of the EPS fell into three ranges of 3.5-4.0, 5.9-6.7, and 8.9-9.8. The adsorption site concentrations of the surface functional groups also increased. Adsorption results suggested that EPS had a specific binding affinity for the dosed heavy metal, and that EPS extracted from the Zn(2+)-dosed system had a higher binding affinity for all heavy metals. Additionally, Zn(2+) decreased the inhibitory effects of Cd(2+) and Cu(2+) on the SRB.

Comparison of effectiveness and cost between perventricular device occlusion and minimally invasive surgical repair for perimembranous ventricular septal defect.

Perventricular device occlusion and minimally invasive surgical repair for perimembranous ventricular septal defect (pmVSD) are two typical methods to reduce the invasiveness of the conventional operation through median sternotomy. However, few comparative studies have been made between them in terms of effectiveness and cost. A review was made of the inpatients with isolated pmVSD, who had undergone perventricular device occlusion or minimally invasive surgical repair from June 2011 and January 2013 for a comparative investigation between the two procedures. The two treatment groups had similar baseline characteristics. Procedural success was achieved in 163 (94.8%) of the perventricular and 137 (98.6%) of the surgical (P = 0.136). Major complications occurred in 2 (1.2%) of the perventricular and 4 (2.9 %) of the surgical (P = 0.497), and minor complications, in 57 (33%) of the percutaneous and 49 (35.2%) of the surgical (P = 0.696). In cost, the surgical repair was 30.5% cheaper than the device occlusion (Yuan 20139 ± 3760 vs. 28970 ± 3343, P < 0.001), where most of the cost was attributed to the occluder in the amount of Yuan 19,500. Compared with perventricular device closure, minimally invasive surgical repair can provide comparable efficacy and complication rates, without the potential for developing atrioventricular block at long-term follow-up. In addition, it is 30.5% cheaper than hybrid procedure. In the low-income countries where health-care resources are limited the medical resources must be judiciously allocated to the treatment that allows for effective treatment of the largest number of patients.