Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of the domestic D-Shant device for the treatment of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) using echocardiography.Methods:Twenty-four CHF patients who were treated with domestic D-Shant device in Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from September 2020 to December 2021 were enrolled in the study. Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP)/ left atrial pressure (LAP), right atrial pressure (RAP), pulmonary artery pressure, interatrial septal gradient pressure, cardiac index and pulmonary/systemic blood flow ratio (Qp/Qs) were measured before and after implantation using right heart catheterization.Left atrial end-diastolic area index (LAEDAI), left atrial end-diastolic volume index (LAEDVI), left ventricular end-diastolic volume index (LVEDVI), left ventricular end-systolic volume index (LVESVI), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), right atrial end-diastolic diameter, right ventricular end-diastolic diameter, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), right ventricular tractional area change (RVFAC), device shunt aperture, velocity and pressure, together with mitral and tricuspid regurgitation severity were measured using echocardiography before, and 1 month as well as 3 months after D-Shant device implantation. Clinical data were collected and analyzed including 6-minute walking test (6MWT), New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification and the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ). Spearman correlation analysis was used to determine the relation between the changes in PCWP/LAP as well as echocardiographic parameters before and 3 months after implantation and NYHA classification. Binary Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the predictive factors of NYHA classification improvement at 3-month follow-up after D-Shant device implantation.Results:①D-Shant devices were successfully implanted in all patients. ②Compared with preoperative values, invasive PCWP/LAP systolic, diastolic and mean pressures, transatrial septal gradient, and pulmonary systolic, diastolic and mean pressures decreased significantly after implantation(all P<0.001); Qp/Qs increased significantly after implantation( P<0.001). ③Compared with preoperative values, TAPSE, RVFAC and pulmonary artery flow velocity increased at 1 month after implantation(all P<0.05), whereas a significant reduction in mitral regurgitation grade, and an increase in LVEF and pulmonary artery flow velocity at 3 months after implantation(all P<0.05). Right atrial end-diastolic diameter, right ventricular end-diastolic diameter, LAEDAI, LAEDVI, LVEDVI, LVESVI, ratio of early to late diastolic peak velocities of mitral inflow(E/A), systolic peak velocity of mitral annulus at septal site(S′), ratio of early diastolic peak velocity of mitral inflow to diastolic peak velocity of mitral annulus(E/e′), pulmonary artery diameter, inferior vena cava diameter and degree of tricuspid regurgitation did not change among before, and 1 month as well as 3 months after implantation. There were no significant changes in the device shunt aperture, velocity and pressure between 1 month and 3 months after implantation(all P>0.05). ④The significant improvements in NYHA classification, KCCQ scores and 6MWT were observed at 1 and 3 months after implantation compared with preoperative values (all P<0.01). ⑤NYHA classification at 3 months after implantation was correlated with LVEF pre-post, PCWP/LAP pre-post, TAPSE pre-post and RVFAC pre-post ( rs=0.738, -0.730, 0.738, 0.723; all P<0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that LVEF pre-post was an independent predictor for NYHA classification improvement at 3 months after implantation ( OR=0.687, 95% CI=0.475-0.992, P=0.045) . Conclusions:Domestic D-Shant device can effectively improve the cardiac function and clinical symptoms in patients with CHF. Echocardiography is a feasible and effective method to evaluate the benefits of domestic D-Shant device for the treatment of CHF.

Objective:To investigate short-term safety, efficacy and the learning curve of this self-developed novel transcatheter valve repair system (Neonova?) in patients with mitral regurgitation, and explore the role of perioperative echocardiography.Methods:Ten patients who visited the Union Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from June 2021 to March 2022 and met the inclusive criteria were prospectively enrolled. All the patients were at high risk of surgery with moderate to severe or severe mitral regurgitation (MR). Clamps of Neonova? were implanted under guidance of transesophageal echocardiography and digital subtraction angiography. Clinical outcomes, echocardiography indexes and learning curves of this technique were evaluated immediately after intervention, 7 d, 1 month and 3 months post-intervention.Results:The technical success rate was 100% with MR relieved in all patients immediately after intervention. The device and procedural success rates were both 90.0% with 1 patient received surgical replacement at 37 days post-intervention while the others′ reduced to mild (8/9) and moderate (1/9) MR. New York Heart Association class and the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire improved significantly (all P<0.001). Mean mitral valve pressure gradient didn′t increase significantly after intervention when compared with that before intervention( P=0.324), and no mitral stenosis was observed. Left ventricular end-diastolic diameter decreased significantly ( P=0.008) during follow up.Procedure duration ranged from 60 to 300 (175.8±75.2)minutes. The simple linear regression model between procedure volume and duration showed that procedure duration decreased significantly with the increase of procedure volume ( F=15.857, P=0.004). Conclusions:Neonova? implantation can improve MR severity and clinical symptoms safely and effectively. Transthoracic echocardiography and transesophageal echocardiography are essential for perioperative management of transcatheter mitral valve repair.

Fear memory contextualization is critical for selecting adaptive behavior to survive. Contextual fear conditioning (CFC) is a classical model for elucidating related underlying neuronal circuits. The primary visual cortex (V1) is the primary cortical region for contextual visual inputs, but its role in CFC is poorly understood. Here, our experiments demonstrated that bilateral inactivation of V1 in mice impaired CFC retrieval, and both CFC learning and extinction increased the turnover rate of axonal boutons in V1. The frequency of neuronal Ca²⁺ activity decreased after CFC learning, while CFC extinction reversed the decrease and raised it to the naïve level. Contrary to control mice, the frequency of neuronal Ca²⁺ activity increased after CFC learning in microglia-depleted mice and was maintained after CFC extinction, indicating that microglial depletion alters CFC learning and the frequency response pattern of extinction-induced Ca²⁺ activity. These findings reveal a critical role of microglia in neocortical information processing in V1, and suggest potential approaches for cellular-based manipulation of acquired fear memory.
Mice ; Animals ; Primary Visual Cortex ; Extinction, Psychological/physiology* ; Learning/physiology* ; Fear/physiology* ; Hippocampus/physiology*