Percutenous catheter ablation of the accessory pathway in a patient with wolff-Parkinson-white syndrome associated with familial atrial fibrillation

Percutenous catheter ablation of the accessory pathway in Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is a highly successful mode of therapy. Sudden cardiac arrest survivors associated with WPW syndrome should undergo radiofrequency catheter ablation. WPW syndrome associated with familial atrial fibrillation is a very rare condition. Herein, we describe a case who presented with sudden cardiac arrest secondary to WPW syndrome and familial atrial fibrillation and treated via radiofrequency catheter ablation.     

Importance of the relationship between sinus cycle length and junctional rhythm cycle length (occured during radiofrequency ablation) in predicting the successful modification of the slow pathway in Atrioventricular Nodal Re-entrant Tachycardias

Background

In atrioventricular nodal re-entrant tachycardias (AVNRT), the achievement of Junctional Rhythms (JR) during Radiofrequency Ablation (RF) is a sensitive but non-specific marker of success. Our aim is to analyze prospectively the predictors of non-inducibility of AVNRT, focusing on the characteristics of the JR.

Methods

We included 75 patients with reproducibly inducible AVNRT. Ablation was performed following an electro-anatomical approach. After each application, the induction protocol was repeated.

Results

A total of 341 applications were performed. Although the achievement of ≥1 JR was necessary to obtain the non-inducibility, and the cumulative number of junctional beats (CJB) was higher in effective applications, no CJB cut-off was associated with a success rate higher than 75%. After the observation of a significant correlation between the sinus cycle length (CL) pre-RF and the CL of the JR (JR-CL) (c=0.52; p<0.001), the sinus CL pre-RF/JR-CL ratio (CL-ratio) adequately differentiated the successful vs. unsuccessful applications: 1.41±0.23 vs. 1.17±0.2 (p<0.001). In a multivariate analysis, a CBJ 11 (p<0.001) and a CL-ratio 1.25 (p<0.001) were found to be the only independent predictors of success. The combination of ≥ 11 of CJB with a CL ratio ≥ 1.25 achieved non-inducibility in 97% of our patients.

Conclusion

1) The specificity of the occurrence of JR as a marker of the successful ablation of AVNRT is increased by the CL-ratio. 2) The achievement of ≥ 11 of CJB with a CL ratio ≥ 1.25 predicts non-inducibility in almost all patients.     

Prevention of flower formation in dicotyledons

Prevention of flower formation is important, for example for preventing the spread of transgenes from genetically modified plants or the spread of non-native species, for increasing vegetative growth or preventing the formation of allergenic pollen. The aim of this study was to determine whether flowering of dicotyledonous plants can be prevented by genetic manipulation without harmful effects on vegetative growth. Here we describe isolation of the BpMADS1 gene (similar to SEP3, formerly AGL9) from birch and show that it is expressed only in the inflorescences. In tobacco and Arabidopsis, the expression of BpMADS1::GUS was also virtually inflorescence-specific. Transgenic tobacco and Arabidopsis containing a BpMADS1::BARNASE construct grew well. In one tobacco line the formation of the inflorescence was completely prevented; in several other lines the flowers lacked stamens and carpels and therefore were sterile. The final dry weights of the shoots of the sterile tobacco lines were 140–200% of those of controls. In Arabidopsis, some of the transgenic lines containing the BpMADS1::BARNASE construct formed inflorescences. Some of these lines formed never flowers and some others formed occasionally single fertile flowers. Some other lines did not form inflorescences, but formed up to about one hundred leaves, even in long-day conditions. These results suggest that formation of flowers or inflorescences in widely different dicotyledonous plants could be prevented using the BpMADS1::BARNASE construct and that prevention of flowering may lead to increased vegetative mass.     

Ventricular tachycardia ablation in children

IntroductionThe ablation of ventricular tachycardia, including premature ventricular contractions, is an approved, albeit infrequent procedure in pediatric patients. Data are scarce regarding the outcomes of this procedure. The purpose of this study was to share a high-volume center experience and patient outcomes for catheter ablation of ventricular ectopy and ventricular tachycardia in pediatric population.MethodsData were retrieved from the institutional data bank. Outcomes over time were evaluated, and procedural details were compared.ResultsA total of 116 procedures were performed on 102 pediatric patients between July 2009 and May 2021 at the Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center in Tehran, Iran. Ablation was not performed in 4 procedures (3.4%) due to high-risk substrates. Of the remaining 112 ablations performed, 99 (88.4%) were successful. However, one patient died due to a coronary complication. There were no significant differences observed in early ablation results based on patients' age, sex, cardiac anatomy, or ablation substrates (P > 0.05). Follow-up records were available for 80 procedures, and 13 (16.3%) of those experienced recurrence. During long-term follow-up, none of the variables mentioned above were statistically different between patients with or without arrhythmia recurrence.ConclusionThe overall success rate of pediatric ventricular arrhythmia ablation is favorable. We found no significant predictor for the procedural success rate concerning acute and late outcomes. Larger multicenter studies are needed to elucidate the predictors and outcomes of the procedure.     

Transient Global Amnesia after Ablation of Premature Ventricular Beats Arising from the Right Coronary Cusp

A 58-year-old female underwent PVC ablation within the right coronary cusp for symptomatic PVCs and suspected PVC-induced cardiomyopathy. Immediately after the procedure, she started to complain about feelings of impending doom, disorientation to time and place, and amnesia regarding the procedure. No sensory or motor deficits could be elicited. A thromboembolic event was suspected and she was evaluated by a neurologist. CT scan of her brain was negative. She was diagnosed with transient global amnesia and her mentation returned to baseline within 4 hours after the procedure.     

Ablation of Premature Ventricular Complexes Triggering Ventricular Fibrillation in a Patient with Long QT Syndrome

We describe the case of a patient with long QT syndrome and recurrent ventricular fibrillation, triggered by premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) with a left bundle branch block pattern and inferior axis of the QRS. Activation mapping demonstrated the origin of the PVCs to be in the right ventricular outflow tract. Ventricular fibrillation (VF) was successfully treated by catheter ablation of the triggering PVCs and there has been no recurrence of VF during a follow-up period of 14 months.     

Patterning of the heart field in the chick

In human development, it is postulated based on histological sections, that the cardiogenic mesoderm rotates 180° with the pericardial cavity. This is also thought to be the case in mouse development where gene expression data suggests that the progenitors of the right ventricle and outflow tract invert their position with respect to the progenitors of the atria and left ventricle. However, the inversion in both cases is inferred and has never been shown directly. We have used 3D reconstructions and cell tracing in chick embryos to show that the cardiogenic mesoderm is organized such that the lateralmost cells are incorporated into the cardiac inflow (atria and left ventricle) while medially placed cells are incorporated into the cardiac outflow (right ventricle and outflow tract). This happens because the cardiogenic mesoderm is inverted. The inversion is concomitant with movement of the anterior intestinal portal which rolls caudally to form the foregut pocket. The bilateral cranial cardiogenic fields fold medially and ventrally and fuse. After heart looping the seam made by ventral fusion will become the greater curvature of the heart loop. The caudal border of the cardiogenic mesoderm which ends up dorsally coincides with the inner curvature. Physical ablation of selected areas of the cardiogenic mesoderm based on this new fate map confirmed these results and, in addition, showed that the right and left atria arise from the right and left heart fields. The inversion and the new fate map account for several unexplained observations and provide a unified concept of heart fields and heart tube formation for avians and mammals.     

经皮靶点穿刺臭氧注射术治疗伴有纤维环后方高信号的腰椎间盘突出症

目的:观察采用经皮靶点穿刺臭氧注射术治疗伴有纤维环后方高信号(HIZ)的腰椎间盘突出症(LDH)的临床疗效。方法:136例伴有纤维环后方HIZ的LDH患者根据治疗方法分为2组:75例患者为经皮靶点穿刺臭氧注射治疗组(A组),61例患者为保守治疗组(B组)。A组患者在C型臂X光机引导下对靶点成功穿刺后注射浓度为40μg/mL的O_3~O_2混合气体2~5 mL。采用MacNab腰腿痛手术评价标准和Oswestry功能障碍指数(ODI)评分比较两组患者的治疗效果。结果:136例患者除24例外均获随访,时间18~44个月。在术后第1、2、3、6、9、12和18个月,根据MacNab腰腿痛手术评价标准,A组有效率分别为88.00%、90.67%、93.33%、89.39%、84.85%、78.13%和73.44%,B组的有效率分别为68.85%、62.30%、55.74%、61.82%、58.12%、54.17%和47.92%,各个时间点两组间比较差异均有显著性(P0.05)。术后第12和18个月,A组ODI评分较低,两时间点组间比较差异无显著性(P0.05),但与术前及B组比较差异均有显著性(P0.05)。结论:经皮靶点穿刺臭氧注射是一种有效的治疗伴有纤维环后方HIZ的LDH的方法,其临床疗效比较稳定。     

影像精准引导微创消融治疗在乳腺癌中的应用及进展

乳腺癌一直威胁着人类的健康,影响着患者的生存质量,因此乳腺癌的优化治疗方法始终需要不断地探索。随着医学技术的发展和患者受教育程度的不断提高,越来越多的患者不仅要求治疗效果显著,而且还要求提高生活质量,即要求保乳的患者越来越多。近年来,影像精准引导下的乳腺癌微创消融治疗得到不断的发展,和乳腺癌传统切除手术相比较,影像引导下的微创消融治疗以其特有的优势得到越来越广泛的临床应用。在影像设备的精准引导下,消融治疗不但能够达到与手术相当的治疗效果,更减少了手术带来的痛苦,而且在外形美容上面达到更好的效果,因此这将会在以后的临床治疗中得到更广泛的应用。本文将简要的介绍几种常用的消融治疗在乳腺癌中的应用和进展。