Abstract 3491: Endo-Epicardial Dissociation of Electrical Activity Increases During the Development of the Substrate for Atrial Fibrillation in the Goat

Circulation ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 118 (suppl_18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Eckstein ◽  
Bart Maesen ◽  
Sander Verheule ◽  
Maurits Allessie ◽  
Ulrich Schotten

Background: The high incidence of transmural conduction of fibrillation waves (breakthroughs) in a complex substrate for atrial fibrillation (AF) implies the presence of electrical dissociation between the subepicardial layer (Epi) and the endocardial bundle network (Endo). The presence of this Endo/Epi dissociation (EED) in remodeled atria and its role in the progressive stabilization of AF over time has not been studied yet. Methods: We developed a mapping tool for synchronous Endo/Epi mapping (spatial resolution 1.6mm) with 90 exactly opposing electrode pairs (open chest experiment). We included 3 groups of goats: C = Control (acute AF induced by 50Hz burst pacing, n=7), 3wk = 3weeks AF (n=7) and 6mo = 6months AF (n=7). Dissociated activity was postulated when either activation times differed by more than 12ms vertically or 8ms horizontally (indicating a local conduction velocity < 20cm/s) or local direction of propagation between Endo and Epi differed by more than 90 degrees. To monitor AF stability, repetitive in-vivo cardioversion experiments with class 1C drugs were performed in 6 of the 6mo goats at 2,6,10 and 14wk AF. Results: Applying the time criterion, EED increased from 15±4% (C) to 22±11% (3wk) and 35±13% (6mo, p=0.002 vs. C). Also the differences in the direction of propagation significantly contributed to EED. Using the combined criterion, EED increased from 38±5% (C) to 46±10% (3wk) and 53±11% (6mo, p=0.007 vs. C). Dissociation within the epicardial and the endocardial layer (time criterion) increased to a comparable extent (19±8% vs. 27±14% vs. 37± 7%, p<0.001 C vs. 6mo). Mean Endo/Epi activation time differences were close to 0ms in all three groups (−1.0±15ms vs. −0.8±16ms vs. −0.3±20ms), ruling out preferential conduction from Endo to Epi or vice versa. Success rate of cardioversion experiments decreased from 83% (2w) to 33% (6wk) to 16% (10wk) to 0% (14wk) indicating increasing stability of AF over time. Conclusion: During AF, pronounced EED occurs. EED (like dissociation within Endo and Epi) increases over time, contributing to the progressive stabilization of AF. Enhanced EED might explain the high incidence of transmural conduction (breakthroughs) in a complex substrate for AF.

1993 ◽  
Vol 69 (01) ◽  
pp. 021-024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shawn Tinlin ◽  
Sandra Webster ◽  
Alan R Giles

SummaryThe development of inhibitors to factor VIII in patients with haemophilia A remains as a serious complication of replacement therapy. An apparently analogous condition has been described in a canine model of haemophilia A (Giles et al., Blood 1984; 63:451). These animals and their relatives have now been followed for 10 years. The observation that the propensity for inhibitor development was not related to the ancestral factor VIII gene has been confirmed by the demonstration of vertical transmission through three generations of the segment of the family related to a normal (non-carrier) female that was introduced for breeding purposes. Haemophilic animals unrelated to this animal have not developed functionally significant factor VIII inhibitors despite intensive factor VIII replacement. Two animals have shown occasional laboratory evidence of factor VIII inhibition but this has not been translated into clinical significant inhibition in vivo as assessed by clinical response and F.VIII recovery and survival characteristics. Substantial heterogeneity of inhibitor expression both in vitro and in vivo has been observed between animals and in individual animals over time. Spontaneous loss of inhibitors has been observed without any therapies designed to induce tolerance, etc., being instituted. There is also phenotypic evidence of polyclonality of the immune response with variable expression over time in a given animal. These observations may have relevance to the human condition both in determining the pathogenetic factors involved in this condition and in highlighting the heterogeneity of its expression which suggests the need for caution in the interpretation of the outcome of interventions designed to modulate inhibitor activity.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2200
Author(s):  
Ruben X. G. Silva ◽  
Paulo Cartaxana ◽  
Ricardo Calado

Berghia stephanieae is a stenophagous sea slug that preys upon glass anemones, such as Exaiptasia diaphana. Glass anemones host photosynthetic dinoflagellate endosymbionts that sea slugs ingest when consuming E. diaphana. However, the prevalence of these photosynthetic dinoflagellate endosymbionts in sea slugs appears to be short-lived, particularly if B.stephanieae is deprived of prey that host these microalgae (e.g., during bleaching events impacting glass anemones). In the present study, we investigated this scenario, along with food deprivation, and validated the use of a non-invasive and non-destructive approach employing chlorophyll fluorescence as a proxy to monitor the persistence of the association between sea slugs and endosymbiotic photosynthetic dinoflagellates acquired through the consumption of glass anemones. Berghia stephanieae deprived of a trophic source hosting photosynthetic dinoflagellate endosymbionts (e.g., through food deprivation or by feeding on bleached E. diaphana) showed a rapid decrease in minimum fluorescence (Fo) and photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm) when compared to sea slugs fed with symbiotic anemones. A complete loss of endosymbionts was observed within 8 days, confirming that no true symbiotic association was established. The present work opens a new window of opportunity to rapidly monitor in vivo and over time the prevalence of associations between sea slugs and photosynthetic dinoflagellate endosymbionts, particularly during bleaching events that prevent sea slugs from incorporating new microalgae through trophic interactions.


Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 838
Author(s):  
Katharina A. Sterenczak ◽  
Nadine Stache ◽  
Sebastian Bohn ◽  
Stephan Allgeier ◽  
Bernd Köhler ◽  
...  

During breast cancer therapy, paclitaxel and trastuzumab are both associated with adverse effects such as chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and other systemic side effects including ocular complications. Corneal nerves are considered part of the peripheral nervous system and can be imaged non-invasively by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) on the cellular level. Thus, in vivo CLSM imaging of structures of the corneal subbasal nerve plexus (SNP) such as sensory nerves or dendritic cells (DCs) can be a powerful tool for the assessment of corneal complications during cancer treatment. During the present study, the SNP of a breast cancer patient was analyzed over time by using large-scale in vivo CLSM in the course of paclitaxel and trastuzumab therapy. The same corneal regions could be re-identified over time. While the subbasal nerve morphology did not alter significantly, a change in dendritic cell density and an additional local burst within the first 11 weeks of therapy was detected, indicating treatment-mediated corneal inflammatory processes. Ocular structures such as nerves and dendritic cells could represent useful biomarkers for the assessment of ocular adverse effects during cancer therapy and their management, leading to a better visual prognosis.


Acta Tropica ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 106048
Author(s):  
Qiu-Fu Yu ◽  
Jie-Ying Zhang ◽  
Meng-Tao Sun ◽  
Man-Man Gu ◽  
Hui-Ying Zou ◽  
...  

2010 ◽  
Vol 1274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taher Saif ◽  
Jagannathan Rajagopalan ◽  
Alireza Tofangchi

AbstractWe used high resolution micromechanical force sensors to study the in vivo mechanical response of embryonic Drosophila neurons. Our experiments show that Drosophila axons have a rest tension of a few nN and respond to mechanical forces in a manner characteristic of viscoelastic solids. In response to fast externally applied stretch they show a linear force-deformation response and when the applied stretch is held constant the force in the axons relaxes to a steady state value over time. More importantly, when the tension in the axons is suddenly reduced by releasing the external force the neurons actively restore the tension, sometimes close to their resting value. Along with the recent findings of Siechen et al (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 106, 12611 (2009)) showing a link between mechanical tension and synaptic plasticity, our observation of active tension regulation in neurons suggest an important role for mechanical forces in the functioning of neurons in vivo.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 931-938 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mattias Skielta ◽  
Lars Söderström ◽  
Solbritt Rantapää-Dahlqvist ◽  
Solveig W Jonsson ◽  
Thomas Mooe

Aims: Rheumatoid arthritis may influence the outcome after an acute myocardial infarction. We aimed to compare trends in one-year mortality, co-morbidities and treatments after a first acute myocardial infarction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis versus non-rheumatoid arthritis patients during 1998–2013. Furthermore, we wanted to identify characteristics associated with mortality. Methods and results: Data for 245,377 patients with a first acute myocardial infarction were drawn from the Swedish Register of Information and Knowledge about Swedish Heart Intensive Care Admissions for 1998–2013. In total, 4268 patients were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to study mortality trends over time and multivariable Cox regression analysis was used to identify variables associated with mortality. The one-year mortality in rheumatoid arthritis patients was initially lower compared to non-rheumatoid arthritis patients (14.7% versus 19.7%) but thereafter increased above that in non-rheumatoid arthritis patients (17.1% versus 13.5%). In rheumatoid arthritis patients the mean age at admission and the prevalence of atrial fibrillation increased over time. Congestive heart failure decreased more in non-rheumatoid arthritis than in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, kidney failure, rheumatoid arthritis, prior diabetes mellitus and hypertension were associated with significantly higher one-year mortality during the study period 1998–2013. Conclusions: The decrease in one-year mortality after acute myocardial infarction in non-rheumatoid arthritis patients was not applicable to rheumatoid arthritis patients. This could partly be explained by an increased age at acute myocardial infarction onset and unfavourable trends with increased atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure in rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis per se was associated with a significantly worse prognosis.


Author(s):  
Xiuming Liu ◽  
Xiaofeng Li ◽  
Jianchang Li

AbstractRetinoblastoma is the most common malignancy in children's eyes with high incidence. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in the progression of retinoblastoma. LncRNA FEZF1 antisense RNA 1 (FEZF1-AS1) has been found to stimulate retinoblastoma. However, the mechanism of FEZF1-AS1 underlying progression of retinoblastoma is still unclear. In current study, FEZF1-AS1 was up-regulated in retinoblastoma tissues and cells. FEZF1-AS1 overexpression enhanced retinoblastoma cell viability, promoted cell cycle, and inhibited apoptosis. Conversely, FEZF1-AS1 knockdown reduced cell viability, cycle, and elevated apoptosis. The interaction between FEZF1-AS1 and microRNA-363-3p (miR-363-3p) was confirmed. FEZF1-AS1 down-regulated miR-363-3p and up-regulated PAX6. PAX6 was a target gene of miR-363-3p. EZF1-AS1 promoted retinoblastoma cell viability and suppressed apoptosis via PAX6. Further, we demonstrated that FEZF1-AS1 contribute to tumor formation in vivo. In conclusion, FEZF1-AS1 elevated growth and inhibited apoptosis by regulating miR-363-3p/PAX6 in retinoblastoma, which provide a new target for retinoblastoma treatment.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra S Mighiu ◽  
Alice Recalde ◽  
Klemen Ziberna ◽  
Ricardo Carnicer ◽  
Jakub Tomek ◽  
...  

Abstract Aims Gp91-containing NADPH oxidases (NOX2) are a significant source of myocardial superoxide production. An increase in NOX2 activity accompanies atrial fibrillation (AF) induction and electrical remodelling in animal models and predicts incident AF in humans; however, a direct causal role for NOX2 in AF has not been demonstrated. Accordingly, we investigated whether myocardial NOX2 overexpression in mice (NOX2-Tg) is sufficient to generate a favourable substrate for AF and further assessed the effects of atorvastatin, an inhibitor of NOX2, on atrial superoxide production and AF susceptibility. Methods and results NOX2-Tg mice showed a 2- to 2.5-fold higher atrial protein content of NOX2 compared with wild-type (WT) controls, which was associated with a significant (twofold) increase in NADPH-stimulated superoxide production (2-hydroxyethidium by HPLC) in left and right atrial tissue homogenates (P = 0.004 and P = 0.019, respectively). AF susceptibility assessed in vivo by transoesophageal atrial burst stimulation was modestly increased in NOX2-Tg compared with WT (probability of AF induction: 88% vs. 69%, respectively; P = 0.037), in the absence of significant alterations in AF duration, surface ECG parameters, and LV mass or function. Mechanistic studies did not support a role for NOX2 in promoting electrical or structural remodelling, as high-resolution optical mapping of atrial tissues showed no differences in action potential duration and conduction velocity between genotypes. In addition, we did not observe any genotype difference in markers of fibrosis and inflammation, including atrial collagen content and Col1a1, Il-1β, Il-6, and Mcp-1 mRNA. Similarly, NOX2 overexpression did not have consistent effects on RyR2 Ca2+ leak nor did it affect PKA or CaMKII-mediated RyR2 phosphorylation. Finally, treatment with atorvastatin significantly inhibited atrial superoxide production in NOX2-Tg but had no effect on AF induction in either genotype. Conclusion Together, these data indicate that while atrial NOX2 overexpression may contribute to atrial arrhythmogenesis, NOX2-derived superoxide production does not affect the electrical and structural properties of the atrial myocardium.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan-Jing Wang ◽  
Huan Sun ◽  
Xiao-Fei Fan ◽  
Meng-Chao Zhang ◽  
Ping Yang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The ablation targets of atrial fibrillation (AF) are adjacent to bronchi and pulmonary arteries (PAs). We used computed tomography (CT) to evaluate the anatomical correlation between left atrium (LA)-pulmonary vein (PV) and adjacent structures. Methods Data were collected from 126 consecutive patients using coronary artery CT angiography. The LA roof was divided into three layers and nine points. The minimal spatial distances from the nine points and four PV orifices to the adjacent bronchi and PAs were measured. The distances from the PV orifices to the nearest contact points of the PVs, bronchi, and PAs were measured. Results The anterior points of the LA roof were farther to the bronchi than the middle or posterior points. The distances from the nine points to the PAs were shorter than those to the bronchi (5.19 ± 3.33 mm vs 8.62 ± 3.07 mm; P < .001). The bilateral superior PV orifices, especially the right superior PV orifices were closer to the PAs than the inferior PV orifices (left superior PV: 7.59 ± 4.14 mm; right superior PV: 4.43 ± 2.51 mm; left inferior PV: 24.74 ± 5.26 mm; right inferior PV: 22.33 ± 4.75 mm) (P < .001). Conclusions The right superior PV orifices were closer to the bronchi and PAs than other PV orifices. The ablation at the mid-posterior LA roof had a higher possibility to damage bronchi. CT is a feasible method to assess the anatomical adjacency in vivo, which might provide guidance for AF ablation.


2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 487-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stella Petric ◽  
Sofia Klein ◽  
Lisa Dannenberg ◽  
Tillman Lahres ◽  
Lukas Clasen ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: Pannexin-1 (Panx1) is an ATP release channel that is ubiquitously expressed and coupled to several ligand-gated receptors. In isolated cardiac myocytes, Panx1 forms large conductance channels that can be activated by Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Here we characterized the electrophysiological function of these channels in the heart in vivo, taking recourse to mice with Panx1 ablation. Methods: Cardiac phenotyping of Panx1 knock-out mice (Panx1-/-) was performed by employing a molecular, cellular and functional approach, including echocardiography, surface and telemetric ECG recordings with QT analysis, physical stress testing and quantification of heart rate variability. In addition, an in vivo electrophysiological study entailed programmed electrical stimulation using an intracardiac octapolar catheter. Results: Panx1 deficiency results in a higher incidence of AV-block, delayed ventricular depolarisation, significant prolongation of QT- and rate corrected QT-interval and a higher incidence of atrial fibrillation after intraatrial burst stimulation. Conclusion: Panx1 seems to play an important role in murine cardiac electrophysiology and warrants further consideration in the context of hereditary forms of atrial fibrillation.


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