cardiac stimulation

Human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs) are a promising cell source for cardiac regenerative medicine and in vitro modeling. However, hPSC-CMs exhibit immature structural and functional properties compared with adult cardiomyocytes. Various electrical, mechanical, and biochemical cues have been applied to enhance hPSC-CM maturation but with limited success. In this work, we investigated the potential application of the semiconducting polymer poly{[N,N'-bis(2-octyldodecyl)-naphthalene-1,4,5,8-bis(dicarboximide)-2,6-diyl]-alt-5,5'-(2,2'-bithiophene)} (P(NDI2OD-T2)) as a light-sensitive material to stimulate hPSC-CMs optically...

Hyaluronan and proteoglycan link protein 1 (Hapln1) supports active cardiomyogenesis in zebrafish hearts, but its regulation in mammal cardiomyocytes is unclear. This study aimed to explore the potential regulation of Hapln1 in the dedifferentiation and proliferation of cardiomyocytes and its therapeutic value in myocardial infarction with human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes (CMs) and an adult mouse model of myocardial infarction. HiPSC-CMs and adult mice with myocardial infarction were used as in vitro and in vivo models, respectively...

Background: It had been shown that selective cardiac vagal activation holds great potential for heart regeneration. Optogenetics has clinical translation potential as a novel means of modulating targeted neurons. This study aimed to investigate whether cardiac vagal activation via optogenetics could improve heart regenerative repair after myocardial infarction (MI) and to identify the underlying mechanism. Methods: We used an adeno-associated virus (AAV) as the vector to deliver ChR2, a light-sensitive protein, to the left nodose ganglion (LNG)...

BACKGROUND: Right-sided vagus nerve stimulation (RS-VNS) is indicated when the procedure was deemed not technically feasible or too risky on the indicated left side. OBJECTIVE: The present study aims to systematically review the literature on RS-VNS, assessing its effectiveness and safety. METHODS: A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines was conducted: Pubmed/MEDLINE, The Cochrane Library, Scopus, Embase and Web of science databases were searched from inception to August 13th,2023...

INTRODUCTION: Tissue Fibroblast Activation Protein alpha (FAP) is overexpressed in various types of acute and chronic cardiovascular disease. A soluble form of FAP has been detected in human plasma, and low circulating FAP concentrations are associated with increased risk of death in patients with acute coronary syndrome. However, little is known about the regulation and release of FAP from fibroblasts, and whether circulating FAP concentration is associated with tissue FAP expression...

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Xinyang tablet (XYT) has been used for heart failure (HF) for over twenty years in clinical practice, but the underlying molecular mechanism remains poorly understood. AIMS OF THE STUDY: In the present study, we aimed to explore the protective effects of XYT in HF in vivo and in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Transverse aortic constriction was performed in vivo to establish a mouse model of cardiac pressure overload...

Myocardial infarction leads to myocardial inflammation and apoptosis, which are crucial factors leading to heart failure and cardiovascular dysfunction, eventually resulting in death. While the inhibition of AMPA receptors mitigates inflammation and tissue apoptosis, the effectiveness of this inhibition in the pathophysiological processes of myocardial infarction remains unclear. This study investigated the role of AMPA receptor inhibition in myocardial infarction and elucidated the underlying mechanisms. This study established a myocardial infarction model by ligating the left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery in Sprague-Dawley rats...

INTRODUCTION: Biventricular pacing (BiVp) improves outcomes in systolic heart failure patients with electrical dyssynchrony. BiVp is delivered from epicardial left ventricular (LV) and endocardial right ventricular (RV) electrodes. Acute electrical activation changes with different LV-RV stimulation offsets can help guide individually optimized BiVp programming. We sought to study the BiVp ventricular activation with different LV-RV offsets and compare with 12-lead ECG. METHODS: In five patients with BiVp (63 ± 17-year-old, 80% male, LV ejection fraction 27 ± 6%), we evaluated acute ventricular epicardial activation, varying LV-RV offsets in 20 ms increments from -40 to 80 ms, using electrocardiographic imaging (ECGI) to obtain absolute ventricular electrical uncoupling (VEUabs, absolute difference in average LV and average RV activation time) and total activation time (TAT)...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Excessive fibrogenesis is associated with adverse cardiac remodelling and heart failure. The myofibroblast, primarily derived from resident fibroblast, is the effector cell type in cardiac fibrosis. Megakaryocytic leukaemia 1 (MKL1) is considered the master regulator of fibroblast-myofibroblast transition (FMyT). The underlying transcriptional mechanism is not completely understood. Our goal was to identify novel transcriptional targets of MKL1 that might regulate FMyT and contribute to cardiac fibrosis...

Septic cardiomyopathy (SCM) is associated with an imbalance in mitochondrial quality and high mortality rates, with no effective treatment developed to date. Curcumin provides antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular, and mitochondrial protection. However, curcumin has not been confirmed to improve cardiac dysfunction in sepsis. We hypothesized that curcumin can reduce abnormal inflammatory responses by improving mitochondrial function as a novel mechanism to improve SCM. To explore this hypothesis, we used an in vivo male C57BL/6 mouse sepsis model and an in vitro model of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated HL-1 cells...

Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) is an uncommon eruption characterized by sterile pustules on an erythematous background, which is usually associated with drugs. AGEP is described as a self-limiting disease with favorable prognosis. We reported a case of Kawasaki Disease (KD) following AGEP. A 3-year-old male, who was admitted with pustules and five days of fever at our hospital, was diagnosed with AGEP. Despite the skin lesions and fever improving drastically after prednisolone therapy, the fever recurred on hospitalization day 5...

Organophosphorus agents are easily absorbed via respiratory, gastrointestinal, and dermal routes, and inhibit the acetylcholine transferase enzyme (AChE), which is responsible for the majority of toxicity caused by organophosphates in the body. A comprehensive search was conducted across three prominent databases, namely Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct, to identify relevant articles published. The search focused on the keywords "MgSO4" or "magnesium sulfate" in conjunction with "organophosphate" or "organophosphate poisoning...

Muscle hyperemia in exercise is usually the combined result of increased cardiac output and local muscle vasodilation, with the latter reflecting muscle's capacity for increased blood perfusion to support exercise. In this study, we aim to quantify muscle's vasodilation capability with dynamic BOLD imaging. A deoxyhemoglobin-kinetics model is proposed to analyze dynamic BOLD signals acquired during exercise recovery, deriving a hyperemia index (HI) for a muscle group of interest. We demonstrated the method's validity with calf muscles of healthy subjects who performed plantar flexion for muscle stimulation...

RATIONALE: Non-paroxysmal junctional tachycardia (NPJT) is a self-limiting supraventricular tachycardia associated with primary heart disease, cardiac surgery, digitalis toxicity, and metabolic or electrolyte imbalances. However, NPJT caused enhanced normal automaticity even in the absence of structural heart disease can be fatal if not managed properly. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 74-year-old hypertensive female patient was scheduled for transureteroureterostomy and right ureteroneocystostomy under general anesthesia...

Cell fate conversion is associated with extensive post-translational modifications (PTMs) and architectural changes of sub-organelles, yet how these events are interconnected remains unknown. We report here the identification of a phosphorylation code in 14-3-3 binding motifs (PC14-3-3) that greatly stimulates induced cardiomyocyte (iCM) formation from fibroblasts. PC14-3-3 is identified in pivotal functional proteins for iCM reprogramming, including transcription factors and chromatin modifiers. Akt1 kinase and protein phosphatase 2A are the key writer and key eraser of the PC14-3-3 code, respectively...

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, uses the surface angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor as the site of entry into host cardiac, respiratory, intestinal, renal, and nervous system cells. Predisposing risk factors such as cardiovascular disease increase the risk of developing severe disease. Hypertension is characterized by the stimulation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEis) and angiotensin 2 receptor blockers (ARBs), medications used to treat hypertension, inhibit RAAS and its downstream effects; however, they have also been shown to upregulate ACE2 receptors...

His bundle pacing (HBP) engaged electrical activation of both ventricles by stimulating the His-Purkinje network, which could avoid marked ventricles dyssynchrony. The lead was given three to five clockwise rotations at the site with the His potential to anchor the interventricular septum. In 2018, the Multicenter His Bundle Pacing Collaborative Working Group recommended that the His bundle capture threshold should be lower than 2.5 V/1 ms in non-pacing-dependent patients, and pacing-dependent patients should have a lower adjacent ventricular capture threshold as self-backup...

AIM: Malignant vasovagal syncope in children seriously affects their physical and mental health. Our study aimed to explore the efficacy of catheter ablation in ganglionated plexus with malignant vasovagal syncope children. CONCLUSION: Catheter ablation of ganglionated plexus was safe and effective in children with malignant vasovagal syncope and can be used as a treatment option for these children. METHODS: A total of 20 children diagnosed with malignant vasovagal syncope were enrolled in Beijing Children's Hospital, affiliated with Capital Medical University...

Hypertensive postmenopausal women are more likely to develop adverse cardiac remodelling and respond less effectively to drug treatment than men. High intensity interval exercise (HIIE) is a non-pharmacological strategy for the treatment of hypertension, however, the effectiveness in women remains uncertain. This study was designed to evaluate (1) effects of HIIE training upon morphological and functional markers of cardiovascular health in female SHR and (2) to determine whether the hormonal shift induced by ovariectomy could influence cardiovascular responses to HIIE...

BACKGROUND: Myocardial infarction (MI), a representative form of ischemic heart disease, remains a huge burden worldwide. This study aimed to explore whether extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted from hyaluronic acid (HA)-primed induced mesenchymal stem cells (HA-iMSC-EVs) could enhance the cardiac repair after MI. RESULTS: HA-iMSC-EVs showed typical characteristics for EVs such as morphology, size, and marker proteins expression. Compared with iMSC-EVs, HA-iMSC-EVs showed enhanced tube formation and survival against oxidative stress in endothelial cells, while reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in cardiomyocytes...