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Purpose of the review: Cardiac pacing has evolved in recent years currently culminating in the specific stimulation of the cardiac conduction system (conduction system pacing, CSP). This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the available literature on CSP, focusing on a critical classification of studies comparing CSP with standard treatment in the two fields of pacing for bradycardia and cardiac resynchronization therapy in patients with heart failure. The article will also elaborate specific benefits and limitations associated with CSP modalities of His bundle pacing (HBP) and left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP). Recent findings: Based on a growing number of observational studies for different indications of pacing therapy, both CSP modalities investigated are advantageous over standard treatment in terms of narrowing the paced QRS complex and preserving or improving left ventricular systolic function. Less consistent evidence exists with regard to the improvement of heart failure-related rehospitalization rates or mortality, and effect sizes vary between HBP and LBBAP. LBBAP is superior over HBP in terms of lead measurements and procedural duration. With regard to all reported outcomes, evidence from large scale randomized controlled clinical trials (RCT) is still scarce. Summary: CSP has the potential to sustainably improve patient care in cardiac pacing therapy if patients are appropriately selected and limitations are considered. With this review, we offer not only a summary of existing data, but also an outlook on probable future developments in the field, as well as a detailed summary of upcoming RCTs that provide insights into how the journey of CSP continues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a novel artificial intelligence (AI) model that can accurately assess inflammation and healing in patients with Ulcerative Colitis (UC) using different endoscopic enhancement modalities. The study developed a switching AI model that can detect and convert images across different modalities, improving the standardization of AI-based assessment of inflammation in UC. The model achieved a high accuracy in classifying and converting images, and when combined with the deep learning model, it improved the performance of single-modality models in predicting inflammation. This multimodal approach shows promise for application in clinical trials and clinical practice. [Extracted from the article]

Background: The goal was to test the effectiveness of a structured pain management programme after invasive electrophysiological interventions in cardiology including ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) or ventricular tachycardia (VT) and implantation, or explantation, of pacemakers or implantable cardioverter defibrillators.Methods: This was a prospective study with a pre-/post-design where a post-intervention group (116 consecutive patients) was compared to a pre-intervention group (102 consecutive patients) after implementation of a structured pain-management programme using the numeric rating scale (NRS 0-10) and classified as moderate-to-severe if NRS > 3. Measurements were recorded every two hours during the first 24 h post-operatively. The location of the pain and the amount of analgesic used were also recorded.Results: The proportion of patients who experienced moderate-to-severe pain after the procedure decreased after initiation of the pain-management program: 47% versus 61%; p = 0.048. This difference was driven primarily by reduced pain late (8-24 h) after the procedure; 16% versus 39%; p < 0.001. The risk to develop late (8-24 h) post-procedural pain was reduced approximately three-fold after implementation of the pain-management programme (OR = 0.32, 95% CI 0.16-0.64, p = 0.001). Multivariate analysis indicated chronic pain, early pain (0-6 h), and type of intervention were associated with late post-interventional pain. In contrast, age, diabetes mellitus, BMI, gender and procedure time were not related.Conclusion: The findings illustrate the potential value of a structured pain-management programme. The proportion of patients who experienced moderate-to-severe pain after these electrophysiological procedures decreased significantly.Significance: This is the first exploratory study that evaluates the impact of a multidisciplinary pain-management programme after cardiac electrophysiological interventions. It demonstrates that significant quality improvement is achievable following simple rules together with patient and staff education. The programme reduces the proportion of patients with moderate-to-severe pain after electrophysiological procedures significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Der Kardiologe is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Herz is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Der Kardiologe is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article presents the result of a study which analyzed c-Myc oncoprotein levels and disability of the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) gene in cervical tissue biopsies. The researchers used fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to examine the stability of the DHFR gene, while they used quantitative fluorescent immunohistochemistry to evaluate c-Myc protein levels. They reported the integration of human papillomavirus (HPV) next to the N-myc gene and c-Myc gene.

Microstructures on heat transfer surfaces can enhance heat transfer. This effect appears during the induction period of the crystallization fouling process where often a negative fouling resistance occurs. It is interpreted by the increase in near-wall turbulence due to first crystals growing on the surface resulting in the observed heat transfer enhancement [1]. Man-made microstructures in the same scale may utilize this positive effect in single-phase convective heat transfer. Plain copper plates with systematically and randomly distributed structures of 100 to 500 μm were designed and manufactured. Number, size, design, and allocation of the microstructures were varied. The plates were applied to a heat transfer test rig that allows investigation of Reynolds numbers between 1,000 and 17,000. The heat transfer can be calculated from temperature measurements and compared to smooth surfaces. Microstructures show an increase of heat transfer, described by the Nusselt number, up to 18% in the turbulent regime compared to a smooth plate. In laminar flow, a maximum of the Nusselt number was observed for some geometries. All results are strongly dependent on the design of the probes. These results show the potential for the optimization of microstructured surfaces to maximize heat and, subsequently, mass transfer rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose : Analysing chromosome aberrations induced by low linear energy transfer (LET) radiation in order to characterize systematic spatial clustering among the 22 human autosomes in human lymphocytes and to compare their relative participation in interchanges. Materials and methods : A multicolour fluorescence in situ hybridization (mFISH) data set, specifying colour junctions in metaphases of human peripheral blood lymphocytes 72 h after in vitro exposure to low LET radiation, was analysed separately and in combination with previously published results. Monte Carlo computer simulations and mathematical modelling guided data analysis. Results and conclusions : Statistical tests on aberration data confirmed two clusters of chromosomes, {1, 16, 17, 19, 22} and {13, 14, 15, 21, 22}, as having their members being on average closer to each other than randomness would predict. The first set has been reported previously to be near the centre of the interphase nucleus and to be formed mainly by gene-rich chromosomes, while the second set comprises the nucleolus chromosomes. The results suggest a possible interplay between chromosome positioning and transcription. A number of other clusters suggested in the literature were not confirmed and considerable randomness of chromosome-chromosome juxtapositions was present. In addition, and consistent with previous results, it was found that chromosome participation in interchanges is approximately proportional to the two-thirds power of the DNA content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To analyse spectra of chromosome aberrations induced in vitro by low LET radiation, in order to characterize radiation damage mechanisms quantitatively. Methods: Multiplex fluorescence in situ hybridization (mFISH) allows the simultaneous identification of each homologous chromosome pair by its own colour. mFISH data, specifying number distributions for colour junctions in metaphases of human peripheral blood lymphocytes 72 hours after exposure in vitro to a 3 Gy γ-ray dose, were combined with similar, previously published results. Monte Carlo computer implementations of radiobiological models for chromosome aberration production guided quantitative analyses, which took into account distribution of cells among different metaphases and lethal effects or preferential elimination of some aberrations at cell division. Results and Conclusions: Standard models of DNA damage induction/repair/misrepair explain the main trends of the data as regards the fraction of metaphases having a particular number of colours involved in colour junctions. However, all standard models systematically under-predict the observed fraction of metaphases where a large number of different chromosomes participate in aberrations. An early appearance of chromosomal instability could explain most of the discrepancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 60-year-old male patient with ischaemic cardiomyopathy. Topics include presenting with non-sustained ventricular oversensing and high-voltage impedance; showing a stored electrogram with oversensing marked as noise or tachycardia and charging of the capacitor; and adequate fixation of the devices in a properly prepared intermuscular pocket being mandatory for avoiding unwanted movement of the devices and mechanical stress on the leads.