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IntroductionImproving photosynthetic use efficiency in dryland agroecosystems to sustain high agricultural yields is a key responsibility for ensuring food security.MethodsThis study was conducted in the regions on the semiarid Loess Plateau of China during 2018–2020. Dryland maize of Xianyu 335 comprised four modes: basic yield input (CK, plastic film mulching, 37500 plant.ha-1 of plant density and unfertilized), farmer input (FP, plastic film mulching, 45000 plant.ha-1 of plant density and inorganic nitrogen(N) and phosphate(P) fertilizer were 150kg.ha-1 and 90kg.ha-1), high yield and high-efficiency input (HH, full plastic-film mulching on double furrow, 67500 plant.ha-1 of plant density and N, P and organic manure(M) fertilizer were 230kg.ha-1, 140kg.ha-1 and 1500kg.ha-1), and super high yield input (SH, full plastic-film mulching on double furrow, 9000 plant.ha-1 of plant density and N, P and organic M fertilizer were 300kg.ha-1, 180kg.ha-1 and 7500kg.ha-1). The effects of different cultivation modes on yield, WUE, net photosynthetic rate(Pn), leaf area index(LAI), chlorophyll index(SPAD value) and root index were studied.ResultsThe results showed that the value average of yield and WUE for CK were 7790kg and 17480kg.ha-1 in three years. SH, HH and FP cultivation modes of yield and WUE was significant higher compared with CK cultivation mode (P

Summary: Background: Previous trials of renal denervation (RDN) have been designed to investigate reduction of blood pressure (BP) as the primary efficacy endpoint using non-selective RDN without intraoperatively verified RDN success. It is an unmet clinical need to map renal nerves, selectively denervate renal sympathetic nerves, provide readouts for the interventionalists and avoid futile RDN. We aimed to examine the safety and efficacy of renal nerve mapping/selective renal denervation (msRDN) in patients with uncontrolled hypertension (HTN) and determine whether antihypertensive drug burden is reduced while office systolic BP (OSBP) is controlled to target level (＜140 mmHg). Methods: We conducted a randomized, prospective, multicenter, single-blinded, sham-controlled trial. The study combined two efficacy endpoints at 6 months as primary outcomes: The control rate of patients with OSBP ＜140 mmHg (non-inferior outcome) and change in the composite index of antihypertensive drugs (Drug Index) in the treatment versus Sham group (superior outcome). This design avoids confounding from excess drug-taking in the Sham group. Antihypertensive drug burden was assessed by a composite index constructed as: Class N (number of classes of antihypertensive drugs) × (sum of doses). 15 hospitals in China participated in the study and 220 patients were enrolled in a 1:1 ratio (msRDN vs Sham). The key inclusion criteria included: age (18–65 years old), history of essential HTN (at least 6 months), heart rate (≥70 bpm), OSBP (≥150 mmHg and ≤180 mmHg), ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM, 24-h SBP ≥130 mmHg or daytime SBP ≥135 mmHg or nighttime SBP ≥120 mmHg), renal artery stenosis (＜50%) and renal function (eGFR ＞45 mL/min/1.73 m2). The catheter with both stimulation and ablation functions was inserted in the distal renal main artery. The RDN site (hot spot) was selected if SBP increased (≥5 mmHg) by intra-renal artery (RA) electrical stimulation; an adequate RDN was confirmed by repeated electronic stimulation if no increase in BP otherwise, a 2nd ablation was performed at the same site. At sites where there was decreased SBP (≥5 mmHg, cold spot) or no BP response (neutral spot) to stimulation, no ablation was performed. The mapping, ablation and confirmation procedure was repeated until the entire renal main artery had been tested then either treated or avoided. After msRDN, patients had to follow a predefined, vigorous drug titration regimen in order to achieve target OSBP (＜140 mmHg). Drug adherence was monitored by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis using urine. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02761811) and 5-year follow-up is ongoing. Findings: Between July 8, 2016 and February 23, 2022, 611 patients were consented, 220 patients were enrolled in the study who received standardized antihypertensive drug treatments (at least two drugs) for at least 28 days, presented OSBP ≥150 mmHg and ≤180 mmHg and met all inclusion and exclusion criteria. In left RA and right RA, mapped sites were 8.2 (3.0) and 8.0 (2.7), hot/ablated sites were 3.7 (1.4) and 4.0 (1.6), cold spots were 2.4 (2.6) and 2.0 (2.2), neutral spots were 2.0 (2.1) and 2.0 (2.1), respectively. Hot, cold and neutral spots was 48.0%, 27.5% and 24.4% of total mapped sites, respectively. At 6 M, the Control Rate of OSBP was comparable between msRDN and Sham group (95.4% vs 92.8%, p = 0.429), achieved non-inferiority margin −10% (2.69%; 95% CI −4.11%, 9.83%, p ＜ 0.001 for non-inferiority); the change in Drug Index was significantly lower in msRDN group compared to Sham group (4.37 (6.65) vs 7.61 (10.31), p = 0.010) and superior to Sham group (−3.25; 95% CI −5.56, −0.94, p = 0.003), indicating msRDN patients need significantly fewer drugs to control OSBP ＜140 mmHg. 24-hour ambulatory SBP decreased from 146.8 (13.9) mmHg by 10.8 (14.1) mmHg, and from 149.8 (12.8) mmHg by 10.0 (14.0) mmHg in msRDN and Sham groups, respectively (p 0.05 between groups). Safety profiles were comparable between msRDN and Sham groups, demonstrating the safety and efficacy of renal mapping/selective RDN to treat uncontrolled HTN. Interpretation: The msRDN therapy achieved the goals of reducing the drug burden of HTN patients and controlling OSBP

Testicular torsion is a critical urologic condition for which testicular detorsion surgery is considered irreplaceable as well as the golden method of reversal. However, the surgical treatment is equivalent to a blood reperfusion process, and no specific drugs are available to treat blood reperfusion injuries. Salidroside (SAL) is one of the main effective substances in rhodiola, which has been shown to have antioxidant and antiapoptosis activities. This study was designed to determine whether SAL exerted a protective effect on testicular ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. In this study, the I/R injury model of the testes and reoxygenation (OGD/R) model were used for verification, and SAL was administered at doses of 100 mg/kg and 0.05 mmol/L, respectively. After the experiments, the testicular tissue and TM4 Sertoli cells were collected for histopathologic and biochemical analyses. The results revealed that SAL improves the structure of testicular tissue and regulates the oxidation–antioxidation system. To further understand the molecular mechanisms of SAL in treating testicular I/R injuries, transcriptomics and metabonomics analyses were integrated. The results show that the Nfr2/HO-1/GPX4/ferroptosis signaling pathway is enriched significantly, indicating that it may be the main regulatory pathway for SAL in the treatment of testicular I/R injuries. Thereafter, transfection with Nrf2 plasmid–liposome was used to reverse verify that the Nfr2/HO-1/GPX4/ferroptosis signaling pathway was the main pathway for SAL anti-testicular I/R injury treatment. Thus, it is suggested that SAL can protect against testicular I/R injuries by regulating the Nfr2/HO-1/GPX4 signaling pathway to inhibit ferroptosis and that SAL may be a potential drug for the treatment of testicular I/R injuries.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of DNA methylation of Fork Head Box O3 (FOXO3a) on the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: The expressions of FOXO3a, DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1), METTL3, and EMT-related proteins (E-cadherin and N-cadherin) were measured. The influence of 5-Aza-dC and DNMT1 on the methylation level in the promoter region of FOXO3a was examined through the application of methylation-specific PCR (MSP). Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) was employed to detect binding between DNMT1 and the FOXO3a promoter. Methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (MeRIP) was utilized to evaluate the level of DNMT1 N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation. The assessment of cell viability and invasion abilities of A549 cells was performed using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and Transwell assays, respectively. NSCLC xenograft mouse models were established by subcutaneously injected treated A549 cells into nude mice. Results: The expression levels of DNMT1 and DNA methylation level FOXO3a were found to be significantly increased, whereas FOXO3a expression was considerably decreased in NSCLC cell lines and NSCLC tumor tissues. Both 5-Aza-dC treatment and DNMT1 knockdown resulted in the down-regulation of DNA methylation levels of FOXO3a while simultaneously up-regulating the expression of FOXO3a. A ChIP assay demonstrated that DNMT1 has the ability to bind to the promoter region of FOXO3a. Furthermore, the knockdown of DNMT1 promoted E-cadherin expression, but inhibited expression of N-cadherin, cell viability, and invasion ability. However, the knockdown of FOXO3a hindered the effect of DNMT1 knockdown on EMT, cell viability, and invasion ability of A549 cells. This was evidenced by decreased E-cadherin expression and increased N-cadherin expression, as well as increased cell viability and invasion ability. Increased expression of DNMT1 resulted from m6A methylation of DNMT1, which was mediated by METTL3. Overexpression of DNMT1 decreased of E-cadherin expression while increased N-cadherin expression, cell viability, and invasion ability in METTL3-shRNA treated A549 cells. In xenograft mouse models, DNMT1 knockdown significantly reduced tumor volumes and tumor weight. DNMT1 knockdown upregulated the expression of FOXO3a and E-cadherin, while downregulated N-cadherin expression in vivo. Conclusion: METTL3-mediated m6A methylation of DNMT1 up-regulates FOXO3a promoter methylation, thereby promoting the progression of NSCLC.

Climate change has a significant impact on agriculture. However, the impact investigation is currently limited to the analysis of meteorological data, and there is a dearth of long-term monitoring of crop phenology and soil moisture associated with climate change. In this study, temperature and precipitation (1957–2020) were recorded, crop growth (1981–2019) data were collected, and field experiments were conducted at central and eastern Gansu and southern Ningxia, China. The mean temperature increased by 0.36°C, and precipitation decreased by 11.17 mm per decade. The average evapotranspiration (ET) of winter wheat in 39 years from 1981 to 2019 was 362.1 mm, demonstrating a 22.1-mm decrease every 10 years. However, the ET of spring maize was 405.5 mm over 35 years (1985–2019), which did not show a downward trend. Every 10 years, growth periods were shortened by 5.19 and 6.47 d, sowing dates were delayed by 3.56 and 1.68 d, and maturity dates advanced by 1.76 and 5.51 d, respectively, for wheat and maize. A film fully-mulched ridge–furrow (FMRF) system with a rain-harvesting efficiency of 65.7-92.7% promotes deep rainwater infiltration into the soil. This leads to double the soil moisture in-furrow, increasing the water satisfaction rate by 110-160%. A 15-year grain yield of maize increased by 19.87% with the FMRF compared with that of half-mulched flat planting. Grain yield and water use efficiency of maize increased by 20.6 and 17.4% when the density grew from 4.5×104 to 6.75×104 plants ha–1 and improved by 12.0 and 12.7% when the density increased from 6.75×104 to 9.0×104 plants ha–1, respectively. Moreover, responses of maize yield to density and the corresponding density of the maximum yield varied highly in different rainfall areas. The density parameter suitable for water planting was 174 maize plants ha–1 with 10 mm rainfall. Therefore, management strategies should focus on adjusting crop planting structure, FMRF water harvesting system, and water-suitable planting to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change and enhance sustainable production of maize in the drylands.

In patients with symptomatic atrial fibrillation refractory to optimal medical therapy, atrioventricular node ablation followed by permanent pacemaker implantation is an effective treatment option. A 66-year-old woman with symptomatic persistent atrial fibrillation refractory to multiple ablation procedures was referred to our institution. After optimal drug therapy, the patient still had obvious symptoms. Sequential His-Purkinje conduction system pacing and atrioventricular node ablation were performed. Left bundle branch pacing was used as a backup pacing method if thresholds of His bundle pacing were too high or loss of His bundle capture occurred in the follow-up. At the 6-month follow-up, the European Heart Rhythm Association classification for AF was improved, the score of the Atrial Fibrillation Effect on Quality of Life was enhanced, and the 6-Minute Walk Test was ameliorated. The present case was subjected to His-Purkinje conduction system pacing in combination with atrioventricular node ablation as treatment for a symptomatic persistent atrial fibrillation refractory to multiple ablation procedures, and this procedure alleviated symptoms and improved the quality of life in a short-term follow-up.

Background: Malnutrition has a negative impact on patients with arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD); however, only a few studies have confirmed the effect of malnutrition on atherosclerosis. We aimed to investigate the association between malnutrition and vulnerable plaques via optical coherence tomography (OCT). Methods: Overall, 142 acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients were included in this study. Malnutrition was assessed using the Controlled Nutritional Status Score (CONUT), and plaque vulnerability was measured using OCT. Finally, patients were divided into four groups according to their CONUT scores and body mass index (BMI) ≥25.0 or not, to further compare the effects of both factors on plaque characteristics in patients. Results: OCT results showed that there were significant differences in plaque rupture, thin cap fibroatheroma (TCFA), minimal fiber cap thickness (FCT), thrombus, and macrophage infiltration between different nutritional states [Absent (0–1) vs Mild (2–4) vs Moderate (5–8), plaque rupture: 34.8% vs 52.5% vs 66.7%, p = 0.038; TCFA: 10.1% vs 24.6% vs 33.3%, p = 0.039; minimal FCT: 125.0 vs 110.4 vs 96.9, p = 0.022; thrombus: 50.7% vs 70.5% vs 83.3%, p = 0.019]. Multivariate logistic regression showed that malnutrition was a significant predictor of plaque vulnerability. Plaque rupture: CONUT score (odds ratio [OR]: 1.448, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.136–1.845, p = 0.003), Mild (OR: 1.981, 95% CI: 0.932–4.210, p = 0.075), and Moderate (OR: 4.375, 95% CI: 1.048–18.255, p = 0.043); TCFA: CONUT score (OR: 1.334, 95% CI: 1.029–1.730, p = 0.030), Mild (OR: 3.518, 95% CI: 1.251–9.897, p = 0.017), and Moderate (OR: 4.863, 95% CI: 1.019–23.208, p = 0.047); and macrophage: CONUT score (OR: 1.343, 95% CI: 1.060–1.700, p = 0.015), Mild (OR: 3.016, 95% CI: 1.305–6.974, p = 0.010), and Moderate (OR: 4.637, 95% CI: 1.159–18.552, p = 0.030). Combined CONUT score and BMI showed an independent association with macrophages in the malnourished and overweight group (OR: 4.010, 95% CI: 1.188–13.537, p = 0.025). Conclusions: Malnutrition is a predictor of vulnerable plaques and is associated with inflammatory progression.

Abstract Background Symptom-to-balloon time (SBT) represents the total ischemic time in ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) and is associated with poor long-term outcomes. The study aimed to explore the association between SBT and in-hospital mortality after emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with acute STEMI. Methods This retrospective, multicenter, observational study included patients admitted to the Hebei General Hospital, Baoding No. 1 Central Hospital, and Cangzhou Central Hospital from January 2016 to December 2018. The outcome was all-cause mortality during the hospital stay. Logistic regression models were established to explore the association between SBT and all-cause mortality during the hospital stay. Results This study included 1169 patients: 876 males of 59.6 ± 11.4 years of age, and 293 females 66.3 ± 13.3 years of age. A first analysis showed EF had an interaction with SBT (P = 0.01). In patients with EF ≥ 50%, SBT was not an independent risk factor for postoperative all-cause mortality in the hospital (all P > 0.05). In patients with EF

Drought stress is one of the premier limitations to global agricultural production. Increasing water and nitrogen (N) use efficiencies in dryland agroecosystems to maintain high agricultural output are key responsibilities to assure food security, especially on the semiarid Loess Plateau region of China, as it is one of the important grain production areas in China. The impact of controlled-release urea (CRU) on the soil water content, soil enzyme activities, soil N content, biomass accumulation, grain yield, water use efficiency (WUE), and agronomic use efficiency of N fertilizer (AEN) were examined on the maize production of the rainfed Loess Plateau during 2020–2021. Two-growing-season field treatments at the Zhengyuan Agri-ecological Station, Qingyang, Gansu, including six N treatments, were investigated for maize: a control without N fertilization (CK) and five application proportions of CRU (i.e., 0, 30, 50, 70, and 100%CRU) under a N rate of 225 kg ha−1. Results showed that compared with common urea (0%CRU), on average, CRU applications significantly increased soil enzyme activity related to N conversion and improved biomass accumulation by 4–11% at the silking stage and by 2–12% at the maturity stage, respectively. As the proportion of CRU increased, the grain no. per ear, 100-grain weight, and harvest index first increased and then decreased. Grain yield was increased by 5.3, 11.4, 20.1, and 5.7% under 30, 50, 70 and 100%CRU, respectively, compared to common urea. Compared to common urea, 70%CRU combined with 30% common urea achieved the highest yield. These results indicate that optimal controlled-release N fertilization increases the yield and water and nitrogen use efficiencies of maize, and 70%CRU combined with 30% common urea under a single application of nitrogen fertilizer at sowing was the optimal application proportion of controlled-release urea for increasing water and nitrogen use efficiencies in dryland agroecosystems. The results of this study can provide a theoretical basis for the efficient fertilization of maize on the semiarid Loess Plateau of China.

Recent studies have shown that sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors play a beneficial role for normoglycemic patients with heart failure (HF). However, the underlying mechanism remains largely unexplored. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the cardioprotective effect of SGLT2 inhibitors in a normoglycemic rabbit model of chronic heart failure (CHF) and its potential mechanism was also explored. A total of 24 male New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into the sham group, HF group, perindopril group, and dapagliflozin (DAPA) group. The normoglycemic CHF model was established by aortic constriction for 12 weeks. In the 13th week, DAPA (1 mg/kg/day) or perindopril (0.5 mg/kg/day) was administered by oral gavage daily for 10 weeks. Both the sham group and HF group were given normal saline via gavage. After 10 weeks, the heart structure and function were evaluated by echocardiography and plasma NT-proBNP. Moreover, cardiac fibrosis was analyzed using immunohistochemistry, Masson’s trichrome staining, and Western blotting analysis. The results showed that DAPA improved the myocardial structure and function of normoglycemic CHF rabbits and ameliorated myocardial fibrosis. Further study indicated that DAPA suppressed cardiac fibrosis by inhibiting the transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1)/Smad signaling pathway. Collectively, our findings showed that DAPA could ameliorate cardiac fibrosis in normoglycemic CHF rabbits by inhibiting the TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway.

As a substitute for banned brominated flame retardants (BFRs), the use of organophosphate esters (OPEs) increased year by year with the increase in industrial production and living demand. It was inevitable that OPEs would be discharged into wastewater in excess, which posed a great threat to the health of human beings and aquatic organisms. In the past few decades, people used various methods to remove refractory OPEs. This paper reviewed the photocatalysis method, the adsorption method with wide applicability, and the biological method mainly relying on enzymolysis and hydrolysis to degrade OPEs in water. All three of these methods had the advantages of high removal efficiency and environmental protection for various organic pollutants. The degradation efficiency of OPEs, degradation mechanisms, and conversion products of OPEs by three methods were discussed and summarized. Finally, the development prospects and challenges of OPEs’ degradation technology were discussed.

Purpose: Coronary no-reflow phenomenon (NRP), a common adverse complication in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), is associated with poor patient prognosis. In this study, the correlation between the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and NRP in older patients with STEMI was studied, to provide a basis for early identification of high-risk patients and improve their prognosis. Materials and methods: Between January 2017 and June 2020, 578 older patients with acute STEMI admitted to the Department of Cardiology of Hebei General Hospital for direct PCI treatment were selected for this retrospective study. Patients were divided into an NRP group and normal-flow group according to whether NRP occurred during the operation. Clinical data and the examination indexes of the two groups were collected. Logistic regression was used to analyze the independent predictors of NRP, and the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to further analyze the ability of SII to predict NRP in older patients with STEMI. Results: Multivariate logistic analysis indicated that hypertension (OR=2.048, 95% CI:1.252–3.352, P=0.004), lymphocyte count (OR=0.571, 95% CI:0.368–0.885, P=0.012), platelet count (OR=1.009, 95% CI:1.005–1.013, P

Abstract Background Currently, how to accurately determine the patient prognosis after a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains unclear and may vary among populations, hospitals, and datasets. The aim of this study was to establish a prediction model of in-hospital mortality risk after primary PCI in patients with acute ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methods This was a multicenter, observational study of patients with acute STEMI who underwent primary PCI. The outcome was in-hospital mortality. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method was used to select the features that were the most significantly associated with the outcome. A regression model was built using the selected variables to select the significant predictors of mortality. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to evaluate the performance of the nomogram. Results Totally, 1169 and 316 patients were enrolled in the training and validation sets, respectively. Fourteen predictors were identified by the LASSO analysis: sex, Killip classification, left main coronary artery disease (LMCAD), grading of thrombus, TIMI classification, slow flow, application of IABP, administration of β-blocker, ACEI/ARB, symptom-to-door time (SDT), symptom-to-balloon time (SBT), syntax score, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and CK-MB peak. The mortality risk prediction nomogram achieved good discrimination for in-hospital mortality (training set: C-statistic = 0.987; model calibration: P = 0.722; validation set: C-statistic = 0.984, model calibration: P = 0.669). Area under the curve (AUC) values for the training and validation sets are 0.987 (95% CI: 0.981–0.994, P = 0.003) and 0.990 (95% CI: 0.987–0.998, P = 0.007), respectively. DCA shows that the nomogram can achieve good net benefit. Conclusions A novel nomogram was developed and is a simple and accurate tool for predicting the risk of in-hospital mortality in patients with acute STEMI who underwent primary PCI.

Background. Mortality after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients with cardiogenic shock (CS) remains high. However, the real-world risk factors for mortality in these patients are poorly defined. Objective. The aim of this study is to establish a clinical prognostic nomogram for predicting in-hospital mortality after primary PCI in STEMI patients with CS. Methods. This retrospective, multicenter, observational study included STEMI patients with CS who underwent PCI at 39 hospitals in Hebei Province from January 2018 to December 2019. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify the factors associated with in-hospital mortality. These factors were then incorporated into a nomogram and its performance was evaluated by discrimination, calibration, and clinical utility. Results. This study included 274 patients, among whom 179 died in hospital. Sex, random blood glucose on admission, ejection fraction after PCI, no-reflow, and intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) were independently associated with in-hospital mortality (all P

ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction is a type of coronary atherosclerotic heart disease, and its pathophysiological mechanism is formation of lipid plaques. We report a 19-year-old patient with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction caused by plaque erosion, but he did not have any common traditional risk factors of lipid plaques. His treatment was guided by optical coherence tomography. He received successful treatment and had a good prognosis. Optical coherence tomography can be used to help understand the pathogenesis of myocardial infarction and visualize the real lumen.

Background The benefit of thrombus aspiration (TA) during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) to patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains controversial. This study aimed to assess TA's impact on the outcome and prognosis for patients with STEMI and a large thrombus burden during PPCI. Methods This retrospective study evaluated consecutive patients with STEMI and a large thrombus burden (thrombolysis in myocardial infraction [TIMI] thrombus grade ≥4) who underwent conventional PPCI (n = 126) or PPCI + TA (n = 208) between February 2017 and January 2019. The procedure outcome and clinical prognosis were compared. Results Postprocedural vessel diameter was larger, and corrected TIMI frame count (cTFC) was lower in the PPCI + TA compared with the PPCI group. The proportion of postprocedural TIMI 3 flow was 83.3% in the PPC group and 94.2% in the PPCI+TA group. During the 12-month follow-up, no significant differences existed in the incidence of cardiac death, reinfarction, stent thrombosis, target vessel revascularization, or stroke. Conclusion Application of TA in patients with STEMI and a large thrombus burden during PPCI may improve the procedural outcome, but it showed no benefit on the clinical prognosis in the 12-month follow-up. Longer follow-up studies are needed to confirm TA's clinical implications in patients with STEMI.

Catheter ablation of accessory pathways can be challenging depending on the location of these pathways, and accessory pathways are rare through the aortic cusps. We report a patient who underwent radiofrequency catheter ablation for manifestation of a left anterior accessory pathway from the left coronary sinus of Valsalva near the aortic–mitral continuity. Anterior accessory pathways can be safely and effectively ablated from the aortic cusps with favorable long-term outcomes.

Background Cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) is non-excitatory electrical stimulation for improving cardiac function. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of CCM on structural and electrical remodeling in a rabbit model of chronic heart failure (CHF). Methods Thirty rabbits were randomly divided into the sham, CHF, and CCM groups. The CHF model was induced 12 weeks after trans-aortic constriction by pressure unloading and CCM was delivered to the myocardium for 4 weeks. Corrected QT intervals, the ventricular effective refractory period, and inducibility of ventricular tachycardia were measured by an electrophysiological examination. Connective tissue growth factor, galectin-3, Kv4.3, KCNQ1, KCNH2, and connexin 43 protein levels were measured by western blotting. Results The CHF group had a significantly prolonged corrected QT interval and ventricular effective refractory period, and increased inducibility of ventricular tachycardia. Prominent myocardial fibrosis and increased hydroxyproline content were observed in the CHF group, but these were suppressed in the CCM group. Kv4.3, KCNQ1, KCNH2, and connexin 43 protein levels were significantly lower in the CHF group, but treatment with CCM partially restored their levels. Conclusions CCM attenuates myocardial structural and electrical remodeling during CHF. These findings provide evidence for clinical use of CCM in treating CHF.

Volume table preparation using the traditional method and a collection model requires the harvest of approximately 200–300 trees of individual species. Although high precision could be achieved using that method, it causes huge damage to the forest. To minimize these losses, in this study, a South NTS-372R total station with a precise angle and distance measurement mode was used to measure 507 trees of Populus canadensis Moench without single tree felling. Moreover, the C# programming language was used in this study and the collected volume data were inserted in the total station. Using this method, a real-time precise measurement of volume could be achieved. After data collection, the optimal binary volume model of Populus canadensis Moench could be obtained through a comparative analysis. It turns out that the Yamamoto model is the optimal binary volume model (also known as two predictor variable model), with 0.9641 as the coefficient of determination (R2) and 0.19 m3 as the standard deviation of estimated value (SEE), which presents a good imitative effect. Moreover, it showed relative stability with the general relative error (TRE) of –0.12% and the mean system error (MSE) of –1.24%. The mean predicted error (MPE) of 1.18% and the mean predicted standard error (MPSE) of 9.25% showed high estimated precision of the average and individual tree volumes. The model has only three parameters, so it is suitable for volume table preparation. Finally, this study will present some new technical methods and means for volume modeling for further application in forestry.

Backgroun/Aims: To explore the effect of cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) on myocardial fibrosis in heart failure and to investigate the underlying mechanism. Methods: Rabbits were randomly divided into sham group, HF group and CCM group. A rabbit model of chronic heart failure (CHF) was induced 12 weeks after aortic constriction by pressure unloading. Then cardiac contractility modulation was delivered to the myocardium lasting six hours per day for 4 weeks. Histology examination was carried out to evaluate the myocardial pathological changes. Protein levels of collagen I, collagen III, α-SMA, MMP2, MMP9, TIMP1, TGF-β1 and Smad3 were measured by western blot analysis. Results: Histology examination results showed that CCM therapy attenuated myocardial fibrosis and collagen deposition in rabbits with CHF. In addition, protein levels of collagen I, collagen III, α-SMA, MMP2, MMP9, TIMP1, TGF-β1 and Smad3 were down regulated. Conclusion: CCM therapy exerted protective effects against myocardial fibrosis potentially by inhibiting TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway in CHF rabbits.