Advancements in artificial intelligence-driven techniques for interventional cardiology.

This paper aims to thoroughly discuss the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on clinical practice in interventional cardiology (IC) with special recognition of its most recent advancements. Thus, recent years have been exceptionally abundant in advancements in computational tools, including the development of AI. The application of AI development is currently in its early stages, nevertheless new technologies have proven to be a promising concept, particularly considering IC showing great impact on patient safety, risk stratification and outcomes during the whole therapeutic process. The primary goal is to achieve the integration of multiple cardiac imaging modalities, establish online decision support systems and platforms based on augmented and/or virtual realities, and finally to create automatic medical systems, providing electronic health data on patients. In a simplified way, two main areas of AI utilization in IC may be distinguished, namely, virtual and physical. Consequently, numerous studies have provided data regarding AI utilization in terms of automated interpretation and analysis from various cardiac modalities, including electrocardiogram, echocardiography, angiography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and computed tomography as well as data collected during robotic-assisted percutaneous coronary intervention procedures. Thus, this paper aims to thoroughly discuss the impact of AI on clinical practice in IC with special recognition of its most recent advancements.

Genetic control of bacterial biofilms.

Nearly all bacterial species, including pathogens, have the ability to form biofilms. Biofilms are defined as structured ecosystems in which microbes are attached to surfaces and embedded in a matrix composed of polysaccharides, eDNA, and proteins, and their development is a multistep process. Bacterial biofilms constitute a large medical problem due to their extremely high resistance to various types of therapeutics, including conventional antibiotics. Several environmental and genetic signals control every step of biofilm development and dispersal. From among the latter, quorum sensing, cyclic diguanosine-5'-monophosphate, and small RNAs are considered as the main regulators. The present review describes the control role of these three regulators in the life cycles of biofilms built by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, and Vibrio cholerae. The interconnections between their activities are shown. Compounds and strategies which target the activity of these regulators, mainly quorum sensing inhibitors, and their potential role in therapy are also assessed.