Objective To evaluate the value of N-terminal prohormone brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) in patients with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction.Methods Forty-three patients with diastolic heart failure were enrolled. Pulsed wave (PW) Doppler technology was used to detect early diastolic mitral velocity (E) and TDI was performed to determine the mitral annulus velocity of early diastolic phase (Em). According to the E/Em, patients were divided into three groups: group Ⅰ (E/Em ＜8),group Ⅱ (E/Em 8-15) and group Ⅲ (E/Em ＞ 15). The plasma NT-proBNP was measured. Results The plasma NT-proBNP in group Ⅲ [( 1119 ± 3123) ng/L] was higher than that in group Ⅱ [(684± 1742) ng/L] and group Ⅰ [(276±438) ng/L] (P＜0.01),and the plasma NT-proBNP in group Ⅱ was higher than that in group Ⅰ (P ＜ 0.01 ). The plasma NT-proBNP had positive correlation with E/Em (r = 0.438,P ＜ 0.01 ). Conclusion The plasma NT-proBNP and TDI are useful to evaluate the left ventricular diastolic dysfunction.

Objective Little research has been done on how Cx37 changes the current density of mononuclear macrophage in atherosclerosis.The purpose of this study was to detect the effects of Cx37 on the current density of mononuclear macrophage in atherosclerosis.Methods A total of 30 Wistar mice were randomly divided into Cx37+ group and Cx37-group equally.The atherosclerosis model was constructed by a high-fat diet.According to different parts of sample collection, these two groups were subdivided into Cx37+ plaque group, Cx37-plaque group, Cx37+blood group and Cx37-blood group.RT-PCR was applied to detect the expression of Cx37 in different body parts.The mononuclear macrophages were cultured after being separated from blood and plague in both groups.The current density of mononuclear macrophage was detected by the whole cell recording.Results The relative expression of Cx37 in Cx37 + plaque group was higher than that in plaque group ([1.10±0.02] vs [0.60±0.03]).Energy Spectrum CT was used to detect the carotid artery plaque in both Cx37 + and Cx37-groups, which verified the successful model construction.At 80,120 and 160ms, the current density in Cx37 + plaque group([0.61± 0.06], [0.67±0.07], [0.91±0.03]A/cm2) was significantly higher than those in Cx37 + blood group([0.49±0.02], [0.61±0.03], [0.67±0.02]A/cm2) , Cx37-plaque group([0.48±0.02], [0.60±0.02], [0.64±0.02]A/cm2) and Cx37-blood group([0.49±0.02], [0.59±0.02], [0.64±0.02]A/cm2).The same goes for those at 200, 240, 320ms(P<0.05).Conclusion Cx37 has more significant impact on the current density in the plaque of mononuclear macrophage than in the peripheral blood in promoting macrophages activation and atherosclerosis progress.

Objective:To identify the method to reduce X-ray exposure during ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) by comparing the cryoballoon (CRYO) ablation and remote magnetic navigation (RMN) ablation.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 144 patients undergoing CRYO ablation (CRYO group) and 121 patients undergoing RMN ablation (RMN group) in our hospital. Entrance surface doses at reference points online, exposure time during procedure and outcomes were analyzed for different types of patients.Results:Compared with the RMN group, the procedure time for the CRYO group significantly decreased [(165.0±23.6), (97.8±18.4) min, t=26.05, P<0.001]. However, the entrance surface dose value [(232.3±130.7), (669.0±387.5) mGy, Z=-12.29, P<0.001] and X-ray exposure time [(8.1±3.1), (23.4±6.2) min, t=-24.57, P<0.001] increased significantly for the CRYO group. No significant difference was found between the two groups in the proportion of maintaining sinus rhythm during follow-up of patients (71.9%, 75.7%, P=0.618). Multiple regression analysis showed that obese patients, patients with non-paroxysmal AF and patients with variant pulmonary veins were associated with an increase in entrance surface dose values in the CRYO group ( t=5.47, 2.23, 3.39, P<0.05). The X-ray exposure time for the three types patients above in the CRYO group also increased ( t=2.87, 3.86, 3.25, P<0.05) in the CRYO group. However, only obese patients in the RMN group had an increase in entrance surface dose value ( Z=-4.15, P<0.001) and no increase in exposure time. For the three types of patients above, there was no significant difference in proportion of maintaining sinus rhythm between the CRYO group and the RMN group during follow-up ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Compared with RMN ablation, the radiation exposure of CRYO AF ablation significantly increased, especially in obese patients, patients with non-paroxysmal AF and patients with pulmonary veins variation. The use of RMN for these types of patients may reduce the radiation exposure without affecting the procedure outcomes.