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Background and Aim: Interrupted aortic arch (IAA) is defined as a complete interruption of aortic lumen between the ascending and descending aorta. It is an uncommon and complicated congenital heart disease. It is rare for patients with isolated IAA to survive to adulthood without operation. Here we present three rare cases with isolated IAA together with a review of the literature of IAA. Besides, we reviewed reported adult cases with isolated IAA in the last 20 years and summarized the relevant data of the isolated type.Methods: We retrospectively searched the hospital databases for adult patients with isolated IAA diagnosed at the Wuhan Union Hospital over the past 10 years. Cases related to adult isolated IAA published in last 20 years were identified by searching Pubmed.Results: Three adult patients with isolated IAA were identified. Two were referred to us for hypertension management and were diagnosed with IAA. They declined surgical treatments and took antihypertensive medications. One patient was referred to our hospital for further treatment options after diagnosed with IAA at another hospital. He received an extra-anatomic bypass surgery. But his hypertension did not well resolve after surgery, and was subsequently managed by anti-hypertensives medications. 25 published adult patients with isolated IAA were identified in Pubmed and relevant details were summarized.Conclusions: Adult patients with isolated IAA usually have extensive collateral vessels joining the descending aorta. Anti-hypertensives medical management with long-term follow-up appears to be a reasonable treatment option for these patients, although surgical intervention is a good choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac mass is rare in the clinic and can be primary or secondary. It is quite rare to find a mass only on the cardiac surface. Today we report a patient with a cardiac mass grown on the cardiac surface and also had a coronary aneurysm combined a coronary fistula, pathology examination showed that the mass was not a tumor but an aneurysm with thrombosis. This is the first time that a primary thrombus discovered on the surface of the heart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity-induced cardiac dysfunction is a severe global disease associated with high dietary fat intake, and its pathogenesis includes inflammation, oxidative stress, and ferroptosis. Celastrol (Cel) is a bioactive compound isolated from the herb Tripterygium wilfordii , which has a protective influence on cardiovascular diseases. In this study, the role of Cel in obesity-induced ferroptosis and cardiac injury was investigated. We found that Cel alleviated ferroptosis induced by Palmitic acid (PA), exhibiting a decrease in the LDH, CK-MB, Ptgs2, and Lipid Peroxidation levels. After cardiomyocytes were treated with additional LY294002 and LiCl, Cel exerted its protective effect through increased AKT/GSK3β phosphorylation and decreased level of lipid peroxidation and Mitochondrial ROS. The systolic left ventricle (LV) dysfunction of obese mice was alleviated via ferroptosis inhibition by elevated p-GSK3β and decreased Mitochondrial ROS under Cel treatment. Moreover, mitochondrial anomalies included swelling and distortion in the myocardium which was relieved with Cel. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that ferroptosis resistance with Cel under HFD conditions targets AKT/GSK3β signaling, which provides novel therapeutic strategies in obesity-induced cardiac injury. [Display omitted] • Celastrol suppresses PA-induced ferroptosis in cardiomyocytes. • Celastrol resists PA-induced cardiotoxicity by targeting AKT/GSK3β signaling. • Celastrol upregulates GSK3β phosphorylation and NRF2 expression in HFD mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the operation of alkaline fuel cells (AFCs), a significant amount of waste heat is generated, which has negative impacts on energy utilization and the environment. To improve energy efficiency, cost savings, environmental sustainability, and industrial practices, an effective approach is proposed to employ thermogalvanic cells (TGCs) for electric power generation by harvesting low-grade exhaust heat produced in AFCs. A mathematical model of the AFC-TGC hybrid system is established, taking into account the three overpotential losses in AFCs and the irreversible heat losses in TGCs. Based on this thermal-electric coupled model, we investigate the hybrid system's output performance characteristics and optimal parameter design. The calculated results indicate that the hybrid system achieves a considerable increase of 19.72% in maximum power density from 247.07 W m−2 to 295.80 W m−2 and 5.71% in conversion efficiency from 10.16% to 10.74% compared to a single AFC, respectively. In addition, the output performance of the hybrid system can be further improved by adjusting system parameters such as the AFC's operating temperature, the length of each TGC cell, the heat sink temperature, and the thermal convection coefficient. More importantly, a comparative study of the maximum power density of AFC-based cogeneration systems reveals that the TGC demonstrates a remarkable ability to economically recover waste heat from the AFC, surpassing previously reported thermal energy utilization devices. This study provides important theoretical guidance for the optimal design and parametric analysis of AFC-TGC hybrid systems, thereby facilitating the development of high-performance energy cascade utilization systems based on AFC devices. • An AFC-TGC hybrid system is proposed for waste heat recovery and cogeneration. • The total power density and overall efficiency are increased by 19.72% and 5.71%. • Parametric selection criteria for achieving better output performance are determined. • Potential advantages of the output electrical performance and cost are demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]