Objective To evaluate the therapeutic effect of transcatheter closure of secundum atrial septal defect (ASD) and patent ductus arterious (PDA) using Amplatzer device Methods Twenty third patients (19 ASD, 4 PDA) were treated with Amplatzer device through the pecutaneous procedure under fluoroscopy,angiography and TTE Results The success rate was 100% No residual shunts were found in 21 cases after the procedure 24 hours and 1 week later TTE and X ray examination showed that no residal shunts in all cases and both pulmonary vascularity and cardiac silhouette were improved after the procedure half a year Conclusion Transcatheter closure of ASD and PDA using Amplatzer device is an efficent method, the operation is simple with a high sucess rate and a good occlusion effect

Objective To evaluate the therapeutic effect of transcatheter closure of perimembrane ventricular septal defect (PMVSD) using Amplatzer eccentric perimembrane VSD occluder device Methods Six patients with a mean age of 24 2 years (ranging from 11 to 41 years), were each treated with Amplatzer occluder device through the percutaneous procedure under fluoroscopy, angiography and TTE The TTE and chest film were performed 24 hours, 1 and 3 months after the procedure to evaluate its therapeutic effect Results The success rate was 100%, and no complications occured during the procedure The mean diameter of the VSDs was 5 5 mm (ranging from 3 to 9 mm) The mean diameter of the occluder selected was 8 mm (ranging from 6 to 12 mm) No residual shunts were found in the 6 cases after the procedure 24 hour, 1 and 3 months X ray examination showed that both pulmnary vascularity and heart size were improved Conclusion Transcatheter closure of perimembrane ventricular septal defect using Amplatzer occluder device is an efficient method for patients with PMVSD The operation is simple with a high success rate of placement and a good occlusion effect

The calcium gate encoded by CCH1 and MID1 genes is the main channel for external calcium absorption. As one of the important secondary messengers, the elevation of calcium concentration could activate some pathways to take part in various cell processes. In this study, we used CCH1 and MID1 mutant strains and also constructed their complementary strains to study the effect of drug tolerance and virulence of Candida albicans after CCH1 or MID1 deletion. By drug plate sensitivity assay and the broth microdilution method, we compared the changes between different strains. Moreover, we added calcium channel blocker and inhibitors to analyze the effect of calcium concentration on drug action. After the deletion of CCH1 or MID1 gene, the strain exhibited an obvious sensitivity to FLUC and ITRA, and the drug action was regulated by the calcium concentration. In a mouse model of intravenous infection, we found that attenuated virulence of cch1delta/delta or mid1delta/delta strain is specifically due to a loss of CCH1 or MID1 gene.
Animals ; Calcineurin ; genetics ; metabolism ; Calcium ; metabolism ; Calcium Channels ; metabolism ; Candida albicans ; drug effects ; genetics ; pathogenicity ; Candidiasis ; microbiology ; Drug Resistance, Fungal ; genetics ; Female ; Fungal Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Gene Deletion ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Virulence

Objective:To investigate the relationship between indicators of carotid atherosclerosis and onset of ischemic stroke in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF).Methods:This is a case-control study, a total of 397 NVAF patients with newly diagnosed ischemic stroke (case group) and 3 038 NVAF patients without ischemic stroke (control group) from January 2015 to December 2017 were included in the study. Differences in general clinical features and carotid atherosclerosis indexes between the two groups were compared. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to analyze the correlation between carotid atherosclerosis indexes and ischemic stroke.Results:Proportions of patients with carotid intima thickening, carotid plaque, stable plaque, unstable plaque, and moderate to severe stenosis were higher in the ischemic stroke group than those in the control group (82.1% vs. 64.4%, 69.3% vs. 50.3%, 43.6% vs. 30.6%, 25.7% vs. 19.7%, and 7.3% vs. 4.0%, respectively, all P <0.05). After adjustment of age, gender, heart failure, hypertension, low density lipoprotein -cholesterol and drug use, multivariate analyses showed that subjects with carotid intima thickening, carotid plaque, stable plaque, unstable plaque, moderate to severe stenosis had 1.766, 2.111, 1.892, 2.256 and 1.824 times the risk for the development of ischemic stroke compared with the subjects without any carotid atherosclerosis indicators. Conclusion:Carotid atherosclerosis, especially with unstable carotid plaque, is associated with ischemic stroke in patients with NVAF.