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Abstract Background Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) following atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation can cause considerable distress. Aim Continuous intravenous propofol sedation with adaptive servo‐ventilation (ASV) with or without an analgesic, pentazocine, during AF ablation was studied in 272 consecutive patients with paroxysmal, persistent, and long‐standing persistent AF. The study objectives were to determine the incidence of PONV after AF ablation and to assess the predictive value of factors for PONV using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results The present sedation maneuver was successfully accomplished with a low incidence of hypotension and without discontinuation of ablation or switching to general anesthesia, while maintaining an acceptable procedural time (102 ± 32 min). The incidence of PONV was 5.5% (15/272). Nausea occurred in nine patients after an average of 4.6 ± 3.5 h (range: 2–12 h) postablation, and vomiting with nausea occurred in six patients after an average of 4.5 ± 3.1 h (range: 1–9 h) postablation. The postablation interval did not differ significantly between the occurrence of nausea and nausea accompanied by vomiting. AUCs based on various factors, including the Apfel score, ranged from 0.55 to 0.67, indicating low accuracy in predicting PONV occurrence. Conclusions The incidence of PONV after propofol sedation with ASV was the lowest (5.5%) reported to date. Scoring systems, which included the Apfel score, were ineffective in predicting PONV. The low PONV incidence in addition to the efficacy of propofol sedation with ASV revealed the adequacy of this regimen for AF ablation.

Abstract Intracellular ice formation during cryopreservation is lethal to the cell, including during warming. Here, we examined the effect of sample volume and warming rate on the cryopreservation success of 1-cell rat embryos based on successful development into blastocysts in vitro and to term in vivo following embryo transfer. Embryos were equilibrated in 5% propylene glycol solution for 10 min, held for 40 s at 0 °C in cryopreservation solution (5%PG + PEPeS), and cooled by immersion in liquid nitrogen. When 1-cell embryos were cryopreserved in a volume of 30–100 μL at a cooling rate of 5830–7160 °C/min and warmed at 35,480–49,400 °C/min by adding 1 mL of 0.3 M sucrose solution at 50 °C, 17.3–28.8% developed into blastocysts, compared with 57.0% of untreated embryos. However, when 1-cell embryos were cryopreserved in a smaller volume of 15 μl at 7950 °C/min and warmed at 68,850 °C/min, 58.8 ± 10.6% developed into blastocysts and 50.0 ± 7.4% developed to term, comparable to that of non-treated embryos (57.0 ± 5.4% and 51.4 ± 3.1%, respectively). Cryopreserved embryos at other developmental stages also showed high in vitro culture potential similar to that of the control. Using a conventional cryotube and a small-volume vitrification procedure with rapid warming, we achieved high levels of subsequent rat embryonic development at all developmental stages.

Background: Maintaining an adequate temperature at the target site is essential for effective ablation. We hypothesized that a tissue temperature‐controlled (T‐Con) catheter for cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) ablation could improve the procedural ablation parameters. Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the T‐Con (DiamondTemp™) catheter for CTI ablation compared with non‐irrigation (Non‐Irri) and irrigation (Irri) catheters. Methods: We analyzed 150 patients who underwent prophylactic CTI ablation combined with pulmonary vein isolation. The Non‐Irri, Irri, and T‐Con catheter groups comprised 50 patients each, and the ablation procedural parameters and complications were compared between these groups. Results: There were no significant differences in clinical background characteristics among the three groups. The Kruskal–Wallis and post hoc tests demonstrated that the T‐Con group showed the lowest total radiofrequency energy delivery time among the three groups (median [25 and 75 percentiles]: 340 [209, 357], 147 [100, 199], and 83 [61, 109] s, respectively in the Non‐Irri, Irri, and T‐Con groups; T‐Con versus Non‐Irri, p <.01; T‐Con versus Irri, p <.01). The total procedural time and acute reconnection rate in the T‐Con group (264 s and 4%, respectively) were lower than those in the Non‐Irri group (438 s and 24%) but were similar to those in the Irri group (268 s and 6%). No significant complications were observed in any group. Conclusions: The T‐Con catheter achieved a short energy delivery time and a low acute reconnection rate, indicating its potential as an alternative catheter for CTI ablation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have investigated the electronic structures of Ce-based 1/1 quasicrystal approximants Au59.2Ga25.7Ce15.1 and Au60.3Ga26.1Ce13.6 by hard X-ray photoemission (HAXPES) and high-resolution photoemission spectroscopy. The localized Ce 4f electronic states are revealed for both Au–Ga–Ce approximants. Moreover, disorders in the compounds notably affect their electronic states, which has been detected by the core-level HAXPES. Valence-band photoemission spectra show the slight spectral difference depending on the composition ratio, which can be explained by a rigid-band-like shift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The cardiopulmonary function is hypothesized to be associated with atrial fibrillation/atrial tachyarrhythmia (AF/AT) recurrence after AF ablation. Purpose To clarify the relationship between the cardiopulmonary function after successful ablation and AF/AT recurrence. Methods We examined 31 patients with paroxysmal AF who underwent AF ablation. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) was performed at 1month after the ablation. A continuously increasing loading method on a bicycle ergometer was employed for the CPET. Results No adverse events, including AF/AT recurrence, occurred during the CPET. Among 31 patients, AT/AF recurrence was observed in seven (23%). The ventilatory anaerobic threshold (VAT) and peak oxygen consumption (VO2) were significantly higher in patients without AF/AT recurrence than in those with AT/AF recurrences (peak VO2 23.6 ± 5.7 vs 17.2 ± 4.1 mL/kg/min; VAT, 16.7 ± 2.8 vs 13.8 ± 2.7 mL/min/kg). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the peak VO2 and VAT were 0.786 (P

Using the unique characteristics of the free-electron-laser (FEL), we successfully performed high-sensitivity spectral imaging of different materials in the terahertz (THz) and far-infrared (FIR) domain. THz imaging at various wavelengths was achieved using in situ spectroscopy by means of this wavelength tunable and monochromatic source. In particular, owing to its large intensity and directionality, we could collect high-sensitivity transmission imaging of extremely low-transparency materials and three-dimensional objects in the 3–6 THz range. By accurately identifying the intrinsic absorption wavelength of organic and inorganic materials, we succeeded in the mapping of spatial distribution of individual components. This simple imaging technique using a focusing optics and a raster scan modality has made it possible to set up and carry out fast spectral imaging experiments on different materials in this radiation facility.

Introduction: Various adjunctive approaches to pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) have been attempted for persistent atrial fibrillation (perAF) and longstanding persistent AF (ls‐perAF). We aimed to identify the novel zones responsible for perpetuation of AF. Methods: To identify novel zones acting as a source of perAF and ls‐perAF after PVI/re‐PVI, we performed fractionation mapping in 258 consecutive patients with perAF (n = 207) and ls‐perAF (n = 51) in whom PVI/re‐PVI failed to restore sinus rhythm. Results: In 15 patients with perAF (5.8%: 15/258), fractionation mapping identified a small solitary zone (<1 cm2) with high‐frequency and irregular waves, showing fractionated electrograms (EGM). We defined this zone as the small solitary atrial fractionated EGM (SAFE) zone. The small SAFE zone was surrounded characteristically by a homogeneous area showing relatively organized activation with nonrapid and nonfractionated waves. Only one small SAFE zone was detected in each patient. This characteristic electrical phenomenon was observed stably during the procedure until ablation. AF duration, (defined as the duration between initial detection of AF and the current ablation) was longer in patients with the small SAFE zone than in those without (median, [25 and 75 percentiles]; 5.0 [3.5, 7.0] vs. 1.1 [1.0, 4.0] years, p =.0008). Longer AF cycle length was observed in patients with the small SAFE zone than in those without. The ablation of the small SAFE zone terminated AF in all 15 patients without any need for other ablations. AF/atrial tachycardia‐free rate at follow‐up was 93% (14/15) at 6 months, 87% (13/15) at 1 year, and 60% (9/15) at 2 years. Conclusions: Using fractionation mapping, this study identified a small SAFE zone surrounded characteristically by a homogeneous, relatively organized, low‐excitability EGM lesion. The ablation of the small SAFE zone terminated AF in all patients, demonstrating it as a substrate for perpetuated AF. Our findings provide novel ablation targets in perAF patients with prolonged AF duration. Further studies to confirm the present results are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of engineered, variable-length de novo polypeptides is used to discreetly immobilize luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals or quantum dots (QDs) onto functional surfaces. The versatility of this immobilization strategy is highlighted by the creation of a variety of one- and two-dimensional polypeptide-QD structures as well as a self-assembled surface-immobilized fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based utrient sensor.