Validation of numerical flow simulations against in vitro phantom measurements in different type B aortic dissection scenarios

An aortic dissection (AD) is a serious condition defined by the splitting of the arterial wall, thus generating a secondary lumen [the false lumen (FL)]. Its management, treatment and follow-up are clinical challenges due to the progressive aortic dilatation and potentially severe complications during follow-up. It is well known that the direction and rate of dilatation of the artery wall depend on haemodynamic parameters such as the local velocity profiles, intra-luminal pressures and resultant wall stresses. These factors act on the FL and true lumen, triggering remodelling and clinical worsening. In this study, we aimed to validate a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) tool for the haemodynamic characterisation of chronic (type B) ADs. We validated the numerical results, for several dissection geometries, with experimental data obtained from a previous in vitro study performed on idealised dissected physical models. We found a good correlation between CFD simulations and experimental measurements as long as the tear size was large enough so that the effect of the wall compliance was negligible.     

急性Stanford A型主动脉夹层患者的临床特征及术后院内死亡危险因素分析

目的:研究急性Stanford A型主动脉夹层(AAAD)患者的临床特征,并分析影响其术后院内死亡的危险因素。方法:选取2015年6月～2018年4月河北医科大学第四医院心脏血管外科收治的279例AAAD患者为研究对象,收集患者的基本信息、临床资料,分析AAAD患者的临床特征。所有患者均行手术治疗,按照术后院内的死亡情况将患者分为死亡组和存活组,收集两组患者手术相关信息,采用多因素logistic回归分析对患者术后死亡的危险因素进行分析。结果:279例AAAD患者中,男女比例为2.88:1;患者平均年龄为(52.11±8.91)岁;合并高血压者占66.67%,合并冠心病者占11.47%;患者以胸痛或胸背痛为主要症状(占69.89%);并发症中以心包积液(占43.37%)和主动脉瓣反流(占18.64%)的发生率最高;其平均收缩压、白细胞计数、D-二聚体(DDi)水平均高于正常值上限;心、肾功能不全的发生率分别为23.30%和15.77%;院内死亡率为17.92%。单因素分析结果显示,死亡组和存活组AAAD患者在年龄、是否伴有肾功能不全、是否伴有心功能不全、DDi水平、体外循环时间、手术时间、输血量和术后是否开胸止血方面比较,均有统计学差异(P0.05)。多因素logistic回归分析结果显示,年龄65岁、伴有肾功能不全、体外循环时间≥270 min和术后开胸止血是AAAD患者术后死亡的独立危险因素(P0.05)。结论:AAAD患者发病年龄呈年轻化,多数合并有基础疾病,疼痛为其主要症状,且该病患者并发症多、术后死亡率较高。年龄65岁、伴有肾功能不全、体外循环时间≥270min和术后开胸止血均可显著增加AAAD患者术后死亡风险。     

Seasonal incidence of hospital admissions for Stanford type A aortic dissection

The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that there is seasonal variation in the incidence of Stanford type A aortic dissection (SA-AoD) among patients admitted to our cardiovascular surgical service. A sinusoidal logistic regression model was used to analyze event data for 6081 calendar days. A cyclic peak risk for SA-AoD was observed for calendar day 304 (p?=?0.019). The odds ratios for the 3- and 6-month window surrounding this peak were 1.6 (p?=?0.054) and 1.7 (p?=?0.0040), respectively. Our results suggest than a seasonal variation exists in the incidence of SA-AoD.     

老年Stanford A 型主动脉夹层外科治疗*

目的:总结老年Stanford A型主动脉夹层外科治疗经验,探讨手术方式的选择,以提高手术疗效。方法:2008年9月至2011年5月对31例老年Stanford A型主动脉夹层行手术治疗,根据夹层破口位置、累及范围、主动脉根部病变情况采取相应术式,W-heat手术2例,David+全弓置换+支架象鼻术3例,Bentall+全弓置换+支架象鼻术9例,改良Wheat+全弓置换+支架象鼻术1例,升主动脉+全弓置换+支架象鼻术16例。同时行冠状动脉旁路移植术4例,心包剥脱术1例。结果:全组体外循环(221±43)min,平均心肌阻断(132±41)min,深低温停循环(47±12)min。术后并发症12例(38.7%),其中2例死亡,8例治愈(66.7%),2例术后出现肾功能衰竭家属放弃治疗。全组病人出院前复查主动脉CTA,见升主动脉、弓部人工血管血流通畅,支架位置正常,无明显移位。支架远端降主动脉假腔闭合率87.1%。随访2~35个月,术后近期死亡1例(3.2%),无再次手术者。结论:对老年StanfordA型主动脉夹层这一高危人群,术中根据其病变部位施行最佳的外科手术方式,可明显降低死亡率,改善患者预后。     

A computational model for false lumen thrombosis in type B aortic dissection following thoracic endovascular repair

Thoracic endovascular repair (TEVAR) has recently been established as the preferred treatment option for complicated type B dissection. This procedure involves covering the primary entry tear to stimulate aortic remodelling and promote false lumen thrombosis thereby restoring true lumen flow. However, complications associated with incomplete false lumen thrombosis, such as aortic dilatation and stent graft induced new entry tears, can arise after TEVAR. This study presents the application and validation of a recently developed mathematical model for patient-specific prediction of thrombus formation and growth under physiologically realistic flow conditions. The model predicts thrombosis through the evaluation of shear rates, fluid residence time and platelet distribution, based on convection-diffusion-reaction transport equations. The model was applied to 3 type B aortic dissection patients: two TEVAR cases showing complete and incomplete false lumen thrombosis respectively, and one medically treated dissection with no signs of thrombosis. Predicted thrombus growth over time was validated against follow-up CT scans, showing good agreement with in vivo data in all cases with a maximum difference between predicted and measured false lumen reduction below 8%. Our results demonstrate that TEVAR-induced thrombus formation in type B aortic dissection can be predicted based on patient-specific anatomy and physiologically realistic boundary conditions. Our model can be used to identify anatomical or stent graft related factors that are associated with incomplete false lumen thrombosis following TEVAR, which may help clinicians develop personalised treatment plans for dissection patients in the future.     

Downregulation of HDAC1 suppresses media degeneration by inhibiting the migration and phenotypic switch of aortic vascular smooth muscle cells in aortic dissection

Although much progress has been made in the diagnosis and treatment of thoracic aortic dissection (TAD), the overall morbidity and mortality rates of TAD are still high. Therefore, the molecular pathogenesis and etiology of TAD need to be elucidated. In this study, we found that histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) expression is dramatically higher in the aortic wall of patients with TAD (than that in a normal group) and negatively correlates with the levels of the vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) contractile-phenotype markers. Knockdown of HDAC1 upregulated both smooth muscle 22 α (SM22α) and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB-treated and -untreated SMCs. In addition, the knockdown of HDAC1 markedly decreased SMC viability and migration in contrast to the control group under the conditions of quiescence and PDGF-BB treatment. We also showed that the expression of polycystic kidney disease 1 (PKD1) is decreased in the aortic wall of patients with TAD and negatively correlates with HDAC1 expression. Overexpressed PKD1 obviously increased SM22α and α-SMA expression and reduced the viability and migration of SMCs, but these effects were attenuated by HDAC1. Furthermore, we demonstrated that HDAC1 serves as an important modulator of the migration and phenotypic switch of SMCs by suppressing the PKD1– mammalian target of the rapamycin signaling pathway. HDAC1 downregulation inhibited media degeneration and attenuated the loss of elastic–fiber integrity in a mouse model of TAD. Our results suggest that HDAC1 might be a new target for the treatment of a macrovascular disease such as TAD.     

LncRNA H19 regulates smooth muscle cell functions and participates in the development of aortic dissection through sponging miR-193b-3p

Background: Multiple studies showed that long-chain noncoding RNA H19 (LncRNA H19) is high-expressed in human and mouse abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). We speculated that it plays an important role in arterial disease, and therefore studied the role and mechanism of H19 in aortic dissection (AD).Methods: The expressions of related genes in human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) induced by platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB) or in the aortic tissue of AD patients/mice were identified by Western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The targeting relationship between H19 and miR-193b-3p was predicted and verified by bioinformatics analysis, dual luciferase assay, RNA pull-down assay, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), and Pearson correlation coefficient. The H19 and miR-193b-3p effects on the biological functions of tissues and cells were examined by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide, thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide) assay, wound-healing assay, and Hematoxylin–Eosin (HE) staining.Results: LncRNA H19 was abnormally high-expressed in thoracic aorta tissues of AD patients, and it could competitively bind to and inhibit miR-193b-3p. In the PDGF-BB group, the expressions of H19, matrix metallopeptidase (MMP) 2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 were up-regulated and the expressions of miR-193b-3p, α-SMA, and SM22α were down-regulated; moreover, the proliferation and migration rate of HASMCs were increased. However, H19 silencing reversed the regulation of PDGF-BB on HASMCs. More interestingly, miR-193b-3p inhibitor could partially reverse the effect of H19 silencing. In addition, the above results were verified by animal experiments, showing that shH19 and up-regulated miR-193b-3p could significantly reduce the thoracic aorta pathological damage in AD mice.Conclusion: LncRNA H19 regulated smooth muscle cell function by sponging miR-193b-3p and it participated in the development of AD.     

Stanford A型主动脉夹层患者术后血流感染病原菌分布及其影响因素的Logistic回归分析

摘要 目的：分析Stanford A型主动脉夹层患者术后血流感染病原菌分布及其影响因素。方法：选取2020年6月-2023年1月新疆医科大学第一附属医院收治的102例Stanford A型主动脉夹层患者为研究对象。患者均接受手术治疗,统计术后血流感染的发生率、病原菌分布情况。根据患者术后血流感染的发生情况将患者分为感染组（n=17）和未感染组（n=85）。收集患者的临床资料,以单因素和多因素Logistic回归分析Stanford A型主动脉夹层患者术后血流感染的危险因素。结果：102例Stanford A型主动脉夹层患者术后出现血流感染17例,感染发生率为16.67%。17例血流感染患者分离病原菌45株,其中革兰氏阴性菌29株（64.44%）、革兰氏阳性菌13株（28.89%）、真菌3株（6.67%）。感染组患者的年龄、糖尿病史、抗生素疗程、手术时长、植入人工瓣膜比例、二次气管插管比例、机械通气比例、深静脉置管时长均高于未感染组（P<0.05）。多因素Logistic回归分析发现,高龄、二次气管插管、机械通气、深静脉置管时间长、手术时长、植入人工瓣膜比例高是患者术后血流感染的独立危险因素（P<0.05）。结论：Stanford A型主动脉夹层患者术后有较高的血流感染发生率,且主要感染致病菌以革兰氏阴性菌为主,其中高龄、二次气管插管、机械通气、深静脉置管时间长、手术时长、植入人工瓣膜比例高是患者术后血流感染的危险因素。     

Molecular evolution of VP3, VP1, 3Cpro and 3Dpol coding regions in coxsackievirus group A type 24 variant isolates from acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis in 2011 in Okinawa,Japan

A large acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC) outbreak occurred in 2011 in Okinawa Prefecture in Japan. Ten strains of coxsackievirus group A type 24 variant (CA24v) were isolated from patients with AHC and full sequence analysis of the VP3, VP1, 3C^pro and 3D^pol coding regions performed. To assess time‐scale evolution, phylogenetic analysis was performed using the Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo method. In addition, similarity plots were constructed and pairwise distance (p‐distance) and positive pressure analyses performed. A phylogenetic tree based on the VP1 coding region showed that the present strains belong to genotype 4 (G4). In addition, the present strains could have divided in about 2010 from the same lineages detected in other countries such as China, India and Australia. The mean rates of molecular evolution of four coding regions were estimated at about 6.15 to 7.86 × 10^?3 substitutions/site/year. Similarity plot analyses suggested that nucleotide similarities between the present strains and a prototype strain (EH24/70 strain) were 0.77–0.94. The p‐distance of the present strains was relatively short (<0.01). Only one positive selected site (L25H) was identified in the VP1 protein. These findings suggest that the present CA24v strains causing AHC are genetically related to other AHC strains with rapid evolution and emerged in around 2010.

     

美皂异黄酮非内皮依赖性血管舒张作用及其机制

目的:探讨植物雌激素美皂异黄酮舒张血管的可能机制。方法:采用MedLab生物信号采集系统记录灌流大鼠胸主动脉环张力变化。结果:美皂异黄酮(10-9~10-4mol/L)对苯肾上腺素(PE,10-5mol/L)预收缩的内皮完整或去内皮血管环均产生浓度依赖性的舒张作用;美皂异黄酮对高浓度氯化钾(KCl,6×10-2mol/L)预收缩的血管环也产生浓度依赖性的舒张作用;四乙胺(TEA,5×10-3mol/L)或格列苯脲(3×10-6mol/L)预处理对美皂异黄酮诱导的去内皮动脉环舒张作用具有明显的抑制效应;在无钙液中,美皂异黄酮抑制PE引起的去内皮主动脉环的短暂收缩。结论:美皂异黄酮的非内皮依赖性血管舒张作用的机制可能涉及血管平滑肌细胞的Ca2+激活K+通道和ATP敏感性K+通道的激活,以及肌浆网内钙离子释放的减少。     

内皮素A型受体胞内区cDNA的克隆及序列分析

为研究内皮素受体在细胞内的信号传导途径,通过聚合酶链反应(PCR)的方法获得了480bp的内皮素A型受体胞内区cDNA片段,将其克隆进载体pUC19进行核苷酸序列分析,结果表明克隆的cDNA片段与报道的内皮素A型受体cDNA序列只有一个碱基的不同且为同义突变。最后,将克隆的cDNA片段定向克隆进酵母双杂交系统中的引诱蛋白表达载体pGBT9,为探寻与内皮素A型受体相互作用的蛋白质打下了基础。     

Cultivation and transfer of porcine type A spermatogonia

A cell population enriched with type A spermatogonia has been isolated from the boar testes. Cell types occurring during isolation were morphologically characterized, factors maintaining the cultured spermatogonia in the undifferentiated state were studied, and these cells were transferred to sterile recipients preliminarily treated with busulfan. The cells of spermatogenic epithelium cultivated in vitro for 24 h were used for transfer experiments. The transfer efficiency was estimated within 27 and 29 days according to the histological picture of the testes and the isolated cultures. Spermatogenic cells at various developmental stages and a few Sertoli cells and spermatozoa were found on sections and in cell suspensions. Sperm samples could be taken from recipient boars within nine months after the transfer. Microsatellite analysis of DNA showed the endogenous pattern of spermatogenesis. Thus, it was shown that spermatogenic donor cells can restore and maintain spermatogenesis of a recipient for at least 30 days. However, the donor cells were fully forced by the recipient reserve cells, type A₀ spermatogonia, within eight to nine months.     

A viral mechanism in acute exacerbations of chronic type B hepatitis: Hepatitis B virus reinfection and subsequent reactivation of two viral strains

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections are frequently associated with exacerbations of hepatitis of which the majority are due to reactivation of viral activity. Variation in a viral genome during persistent infection has been shown to be a possible cause for reactivation. In this study, we have found another possible mechanism. HBV in a patient with repeated exacerbations was isolated at six different times during follow-up and was characterized by polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing. The first episode of exacerbation was accompanied with increased replication of an HBV strain. The second episode, however, was associated with the sudden appearance of an HBV strain that displayed enough sequence variations to warrant the designation as a separate strain. The results suggested a reinfection event by another independent HBV. Subsequent exacerbations were then related to coactivation of both viral stains. These observations provide significant information toward understanding the acute exacerbations of chronic type B hepatitis.     

R－A型甜菊糖甙的研制

以甜菊（ＳｔｅｖｉａｒｅｂａｕｄｉａｎａＢｅｒｔｏｎｉ）的干叶为原料生产的甜菊糖甙是一种食用天然甜味剂。提高甜菊糖甙（Ｓｔｅｖｉｏｓｉｄｅｓ）中优质甜味成分Ｒ－Ａ（甜菊Ａ３甙：ＲｅｂａｕｄｉｏｓｉｄｅＡ）的含量比例是生产中急待解决的课题。本文以Ｒ－Ａ型和Ｓｔ（甜菊甙Ｓｔｅｖｉｏｓｉｄｅ）型甜菊叶为原料,采用Ａ和Ｂ两种方法进行甜菊糖甙的提取,通过Ｂ法获得Ｒ－Ａ含量比例高的甜菊糖甙即Ｒ－Ａ型甜菊糖甙,为甜菊糖甙产品优质化提供了新方法、新技术     

AT2R agonist NP‐6A4 mitigates aortic stiffness and proteolytic activity in mouse model of aneurysm

Clinical and experimental studies show that angiotensin II (AngII) promotes vascular pathology via activation of AngII type 1 receptors (AT1Rs). We recently reported that NP‐6A4, a selective peptide agonist for AngII type 2 receptor (AT2R), exerts protective effects on human vascular cells subjected to serum starvation or doxorubicin exposure. In this study, we investigated whether NP‐6A4–induced AT2R activation could mitigate AngII‐induced abdominal aortic aneurism (AAA) using AngII‐treated Apoe^?/? mice. Male Apoe^?/? mice were infused with AngII (1 µg/kg/min) by implanting osmotic pumps subcutaneously for 28 days. A subset of mice was pre‐treated subcutaneously with NP‐6A4 (2.5 mg/kg/day) or vehicle for 14 days prior to AngII, and treatments were continued for 28 days. NP‐6A4 significantly reduced aortic stiffness of the abdominal aorta induced by AngII as determined by ultrasound functional analyses and histochemical analyses. NP‐6A4 also increased nitric oxide bioavailability in aortic tissues and suppressed AngII‐induced increases in monocyte chemotactic protein‐1, osteopontin and proteolytic activity of the aorta. However, NP‐6A4 did not affect maximal intraluminal aortic diameter or AAA incidences significantly. These data suggest that the effects of AT2R agonist on vascular pathologies are selective, affecting the aortic stiffness and proteolytic activity without affecting the size of AAA.     

Assessment of serum tenascin-C and growth differentiation factor-15 among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with and without acute coronary syndrome

BackgroundHigh prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with a higher prevalence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Inflammation is one of the important contributors to the pathogenesis and complications of coronary atherosclerotic plaque. Growth Differentiation Factor-15 (GDF-15) and Tenascin-C (TNC) play an important role in the initiation of atherosclerotic plaque as well as its rupture. The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between serum GDF-15, TNC, and the risk of ACS among T2DM patients.MethodsAnthropometric parameters, routine biochemical investigations like liver and renal function tests, lipid profile, and Creatine Kinase-Total (CK-T), Creatine Kinase-MB (CK-MB) were measured in 42 T2DM patients with ACS and 42 T2DM patients. Serum GDF-15 and TNC were measured by Human Sandwich-ELISA kits.ResultsSerum GDF-15 and TNC levels were significantly higher in T2DM patients with ACS as compared to T2DM patients. Serum GDF-15 was significantly correlated with waist circumference, diastolic blood pressure, pulse, serum CK-T, and CK-MB. Serum TNC was significantly correlated with the pulse, serum CK-T, CK-MB, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and blood urea nitro GEN. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that waist circumference was independently positively associated with serum GDF-15.ConclusionsT2DM patients with higher serum GDF-15 and TNC levels were at higher risk of acute coronary syndrome independent of other cardiovascular risk factors.     

Effect of rock type on the recruitment and early mortality of the barnacle Chthamalus montagui

Discontinuities in distribution of sessile species due to changes in available habitat have rarely been investigated. In the English Channel, soft sedimentary rocks including chalk could potentially present a barrier to eastward range extension of the southern barnacle Chthamalus montagui. To test the effect of rock type on recruitment and mortality, prepared settlement tiles of four calcareous rocks that form important platforms close to existing limits of distribution were fixed to the shore at a site in south-west England, known to have consistently high larval settlement. Prior to fixation, the roughness parameter “R_a” and Potential Settlement Sites (PSS) index was measured. Recruitment was monitored photographically on four occasions during the settlement season and subsequent mortality for 7 months after the settlement season. By the end of the settlement season, recruitment on the hard Kimmeridge Cementstone was significantly less than on the other three rock types and attributed to low surface roughness and fewest Potential Settlement Sites (PSS), yet only 28% of variance could be attributed to PSS. Post-recruitment mortality was more variable, however after 7 months there were significant differences between rock types. Simultaneous surveys of post-recruitment mortality in natural populations showed that although recruitment on chalk can potentially be high, survivorship was relatively low. Thus rock type could be influential in setting species geographical limits.