vein wall thickness

AIMS: Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) using very high-power short-duration (vHPSD) radiofrequency (RF) ablation proved to be safe and effective. However, vHPSD applications result in shallower lesions that might not be always transmural. Multidetector computed tomography-derived left atrial wall thickness (LAWT) maps could enable a thickness-guided switching from vHPSD to the standard-power ablation mode. The aim of this randomized trial was to compare the safety, the efficacy, and the efficiency of a LAWT-guided vHPSD PVI approach with those of the CLOSE protocol for PAF ablation (NCT04298177)...

Xylem conduits have lignified walls to resist crushing pressures. The thicker the double-wall (T) relative to its diameter (D), the greater the implosion safety. Having safer conduits may incur higher costs and reduced flow, while having less resistant xylem may lead to catastrophic collapse under drought. Although recent studies have shown that conduit implosion commonly occurs in leaves, little is known about how leaf xylem scales T vs D to trade off safety, flow efficiency, mechanical support, and cost. We measured T and D in > 7000 conduits of 122 species to investigate how T vs D scaling varies across clades, habitats, growth forms, leaf, and vein sizes...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: In the current work, we present a descriptive fluid-structure interaction computational study of the end-to-side radio-cephalic arteriovenous fistula. This allows us to account for the different thicknesses and elastic properties of the radial artery and cephalic vein. METHODS: The core of the work consists in simulating different arteriovenous fistula configurations obtained by virtually varying the anastomosis angle, i.e. the angle between the end of the cephalic vein and the side of the radial artery...

BACKGROUND: Although pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) for atrial fibrillation (AF) utilizing radiofrequency (RF) applications with a very high-power and short-duration (vHPSD) has shortened the procedure time, the determinants of pulmonary vein (PV) gaps in the first-pass PVI and acute PV reconnections are unclear. METHODS: An extensive encircling PVI was performed with the QDOT MICRO catheter with a vHPSD (90 W-4 s) in 30 patients with AF (19 men, 64 ± 10 years)...

BACKGROUND: High-power short-duration (HPSD) ablation creates wide, shallow lesions using radiofrequency (RF) heating. It is uncertain if adjusting RF energy based on atrial wall thickness provides extra benefits. We studied the safety and effectiveness of tailored HPSD energy based on left atrial (LA) wall thickness (LAWT) for circumferential pulmonary vein isolation (CPVI) in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). METHODS: We enrolled 212 patients (68...

BACKGROUND: Dural sinus wall thickness and wall enhancement index (WEI) of dural arteriovenous fistulae (DAVFs) have not been well characterized. This study aimed to measure the sinus wall thickness and WEI by using magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging (MR-VWI). METHODS: A total 27 DAVF patients and 30 normal healthy individuals were enrolled in this study. All participants were scanned by a 3 T MR scanner with the black blood sequence. The wall thickness and the WEI of the great cerebral vein, the intracranial main dural sinuses with DAVFs, and the contralateral sinuses were measured by two independent neuroradiologists...

INTRODUCTION: Recent studies have reported the efficacy of the cryoballoon (CB)-guided left atrial roof block line (LARB) creation in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). However, it can be technically challenging to attach the balloon to the left atrial (LA) roof due to its anatomical variations. We designed a new procedure called the "Raise-up Technique," which may facilitate the firm adhesion of the CB to the LA roof during freezing. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the Raise-up technique in LARB creation...

Leaf morphology is a crucial aspect of plant architecture, yet the molecular mechanisms underlying leaf development remain incompletely understood. In this study, a narrow leaf mutant, m625, was identified in rice ( Oryza sativa L.), exhibiting pleiotropic developmental defects. Pigment measurement revealed reduced levels of photochromic pigments in m625 . Cytological analysis demonstrated that the m625 gene affected vascular patterns and cell division. Specifically, the narrowing of the leaf was attributed to a decrease in small vein number, shorter vein spacing, and an abnormal V-shaped arrangement of bulliform cells, while the thickening was caused by longer leaf veins, thicker mesophyll cells, and an increased number of parenchyma cell layers...

BACKGROUND: Despite advancements in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), the optimal choice of graft material remains a subject of investigation. This study aimed to comprehensively analyze the morphological characteristics of varicose veins, exploring their potential utilization in CABG compared to healthy veins. METHODS: The study included 178 patients, categorized into two groups based on healthy and varicose veins. Morphological parameters, including maximum venous diameter, wall thickness, and specific changes in tunica intima (TI), tunica media (TM), and tunica adventitia (TA), were analyzed through microscopic evaluation...

BACKGROUND: Sclerotherapy is a cornerstone of the treatment of chronic venous disease, despite some technical aspects (e.g., sclerosant liquid agent concentration [SLAC] and contact time between sclerosant agent and vein wall [ctSA/VW]) to maximize outcomes remain an unsolved problem and a source of debate. An innovative three-balloon catheter has been developed to allow sclerotherapy in empty vein conditions (Empty Vein Ablation technique, EVA), revolutionizing the definition of SLAC and ctSA/VW...

INTRODUCTION: Maternal diabetes is a recognized risk factor for both short-term and long-term complications in offspring. Beyond the direct teratogenicity of maternal diabetes, the intrauterine environment can influence the offspring's cardiovascular health. Abnormalities in the cardiac sympathetic system are implicated in conditions such as sudden infant death syndrome, cardiac arrhythmic death, heart failure, and certain congenital heart defects in children from diabetic pregnancies...

Ferns are primitive vascular plants with diverse morphologies and structures. Plant anatomical traits and their linkages can reflect adaptation to the environment; however, these remain are still poorly understood in ferns. The main objective of this study was to explore whether there was structural coordination among and within organs in fern species. We measured 16 hydraulically related anatomical traits of pinnae, petioles, and roots of 24 representative fern species from the tropical and subtropical forest understory and analyzed trait correlation networks...

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with left heart disease (PH-LHD) is the most common form of PH. In PH-LHD, changes in the pulmonary vasculature are assumed to be mainly caused by pulmonary venous congestion. However, the underlying mechanisms of this form of PH are poorly understood. We aimed to establish a model of PH associated with pulmonary venous congestion. Wistar-Kyoto rats underwent partial occlusion of the left pulmonary vein to induce pulmonary venous congestion or sham surgery and were assessed at various time points post-surgery (3, 6, 9, 12 weeks)...

In order to improve the impact resistance of sandwich panels under low-velocity impact, the lotus leaf vein is selected as a biological prototype to design a bio-inspired honeycomb (BIH) sandwich panel. ABAQUS is used to establish and effectively verify the finite element (FE) model of the BIH sandwich panel. To systematically compare and study the mechanical properties of BIH and conventional hexagonal honeycomb sandwich panels under low-velocity impact, the maximum displacement of face-sheets, the deformation mode, the plastic energy consumption and the dynamic response curve of the impact end are presented...

During the fetal period, oxygenated blood from the placenta flows through the umbilical vein (UV), portal sinus, ductus venosus (DV), and inferior vena cava (IVC) to the heart. This venous route varies regionally in many aspects. Herein, we sought to characterize the venous route's morphological features and regional differences during embryonic and early-fetal periods. Twenty-nine specimens were selected for high-resolution digitized imaging; 18 embryos were chosen for histological analysis. The venous route showed a primitive, large, S-shaped curved morphology with regional narrowing and dilation at Carnegie stage (CS) 15...

The classification and identification of Aster glehnii F. Schmidt are determined from its foliar epidermal anatomical features. Scanning electronic microscopy has been used to determine the foliar epidermal anatomical characteristics of the species in detail. This study compared the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the leaf epidermis of A. glehnii for taxonomic identification to be used as a reference for future studies on the species. A. glehnii has smooth, thin cuticles, depressed anomocytic stomata dispersed randomly throughout the leaf surface, polygonal epidermal cells with straight to slightly curved anticlinal walls, and no trichomes...

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)-derived exosomes (MSCs-Exo) on mice with hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH). MSCs were isolated and cultured from human umbilical cords under aseptic conditions, and exosomes were extracted from the supernatants and identified. Healthy SPF C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into three groups: normoxic group, hypoxic group, and hypoxic+MSCs-Exo group. Mice in the hypoxic group and the hypoxic+MSCs-Exo group were maintained for 28 d at an equivalent altitude of 5 000 m in a hypobaric chamber to establish HPH mouse model...

Abdominal vein replacement with synthetic tissue-engineered vascular grafts constructed from silk-based scaffold material has not been reported in middle-sized mammals. Fourteen canines that underwent caudal vena cava replacement with a silk fibroin (SF) vascular graft (15 mm long and 8 mm diameter) prepared with natural silk biocompatible thread were allocated to two groups, thin and thick SF groups, based on the graft wall thickness. The short-term patency rate and histologic reactions were compared...

INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVES: Behçet's disease (BD) affects both arterial and venous vessels. We have previously shown that common femoral vein wall thickness (WT) is increased in BD and can be used as a diagnostic test. However, there is limited data assessing large veins. Therefore, this study seeks to assess inferior vena cava wall thickness (IVC) by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in BD compared to healthy controls (HC). METHODS: Age- and gender-matched 70 BD patients and 51 HC were included...

OBJECTIVES: We recently reported the first controlled Doppler ultrasonography (US) study demonstrating increased common femoral vein (CFV) thickness in Behçet's Disease (BD). Standard lower extremity venous Doppler US is performed in erect position. In order to confirm accuracy and applicability of method, we measured CFV thickness in both supine and standing positions in this study. METHOD: We included sex and age-matched 42 BD patients and 41 healthy controls (HCs)...