Animal models are of great value in the study of allergic bronchial asthma.There are a varie-ty of methods to build asthma models,and model evaluation lacks standardized criteria.By retrieval analyzing the recent articles about asthma animal experiments at home and abroad,we conduct a comprehensive assessment on the experimental animal selection,model preparation,especially establishment and evaluation of ovalbumin-in-duced models,to help on the application and optimization about asthma models.

Objective:To compare the left ventricular (LV) reverse remodeling after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) between patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) stenosis and tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) stenosis.Methods:The data of patients who underwent TAVR procedure from March 2013 to December 2018 in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were divided into BAV group and TAV group according to cardiac computed tomography. Echocardiographic parameters, including aortic valve peak velocity (Vmax), mean gradient (PGmean), effective orifice area(EOA), interventricular septum diastolic thickness (IVSd), left ventricular posterior wall diastolic thickness (LVPWd), left ventricular end diastolic diameter( LVEDd), LV mass index (LVMI), ΔLVMI%, left ventricular ejection fraction( LVEF) of the two groups at baseline, 1 week, 1 month and 1 year post TAVR procedure were obtained and compared.Results:①Compared with preoperative measurements, both groups showed decreases in Vmax, PGmean and increase in EOA at 1 week, 1 month, 1 year follow-ups(all P<0.05). No significant differences were found in Vmax, PGmean, EOA, moderate/sever perivalvular leakage(PVL), moderate/sever prosthetic-patient mismatch(PPM) between BAV group and TAV group at 1 year. ②Both groups showed decreases in IVSd, LVPWd, LVEDd at 1 month, 1 year post TAVR compared with those before the procedure (all P<0.05), as well as increases in LVEF at 1 week, 1 month, 1 year (all P<0.05). Downward trends of LVMI were detected in both groups within 1 year follow-up( P<0.05). ③Compared to TAV group, BAV group showed smaller baseline LVMI( P<0.05), while there were no significant differences in ΔLVMI% post TAVR for all follow-up times of the two groups(all P>0.05). Repeated measures analysis of variance also showed no significant differences in downward trend of LVMI between the two groups after TAVR within 1 year( P>0.05). Conclusions:Left ventricular reverse remodeling can be detected in both BAV and TAV patients after TAVR, which starts from 1 week and can be lasted for 1 year post procedure. Patients with bicuspid morphology might experience similar reverse LV remodeling post TAVR versus patients with tricuspid morphology.

Objectives:To explore the value of blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) MRI in evaluating the changes of placental oxygenation during maternal hyperoxia.Methods:From October 2017 to March 2020, 22 singleton pregnant women with normal placenta showed by ultrasound were prospectively included in Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Pregnant women wore oxygen mask before examination, and then underwent BOLD MRI examination for 10 min. The pregnant women inhaled air in the first 3 min and continuously inhaled oxygen with purity greater than 90% in the next 7 min (flow rate 12 L/min). The average value of BOLD signal of the whole placenta, fetal side of placenta, maternal side of placenta and maternal kidney were measured and calculated in the first 3 min as before oxygen and the last 3 min of the end of oxygen inhalation as after oxygen. The ΔBOLD was calculated which was the change value of BOLD signal before and after oxygen inhalation. The BOLD values of placenta and maternal kidney before and after oxygen inhalation were compared by using paired t-test. The ΔBOLD of the whole placenta, the fetal side of the placenta and the maternal side of the placenta were compared by using one-way ANOVA, and the LSD method was used for pairwise comparison between groups. Results:There were significant differences in BOLD values of the whole placenta, fetal side of placenta and maternal side of placenta before and after oxygen inhalation ( t=-4.62, P<0.001; t=-4.73, P<0.001; t=-3.57, P=0.002). There was no significant difference in BOLD value of maternal kidney before and after oxygen inhalation ( t=0.35, P=0.740). The ΔBOLD values of the whole placenta, fetal side of placenta and maternal side of placenta were (12.8±2.2)%, (15.1±2.7)% and (6.4±1.3)% respectively. The overall difference was statistically significant ( F=4.49, P=0.015). The results of pairwise comparison showed that there was no significant difference in ΔBOLD between the whole placenta and the fetal side of the placenta ( P=0.450). There were significant differences in ΔBOLD between whole placenta and maternal side of placenta ( P=0.037) and between fetal side and maternal side of placenta ( P=0.005). Conclusion:Under the condition of maternal hyperoxia, the BOLD signal of placenta increased significantly, and the change of fetal side of placenta was more obvious than that of maternal side. BOLD-MRI has the potential of semi-quantitative and real-time evaluation of placental oxygenation.

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are compounds composed of depolymerized DNA fibers and antimicrobial peptides released by neutrophils. NETs formation not only plays a role in pathological process of non-infectious diseases such as cystic fibrosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, diabetes and cancer, but also is closely related to many central nervous system diseases. In recent years, a large number of studies have found the presence of neutrophils and NETs in perivascular space of the infarcted lesions in patients with ischemic stroke (IS) and corresponding animal models. This article provides a review on NETs formation and clearance process, characteristics of NETs changes after IS, pathological processes involved in NETs after IS, and effects of NETs on neurons, to provide some references for IS.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors of bone cement leakage after percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF).Methods:A multi-center, large-sample, case-control study was carried out to analyze the clinical data of 2 273 OVCF patients (2 689 vertebrae) undergone PVP at four hospitals between May 2018 and October 2021, including 994 males and 1 279 females, with the age of 52-91 years [(69.1±3.1)years]. Of all, 581 patients (604 vertebrae) were allocated to leakage group and 1 692 patients (2 085 vertebrae) to no leakage group according to the occurrence of bone cement leakage. The gender, age, fracture sites, vertebral compression degree, endplate integrity of fractured vertebrae, surgical segments, surgical approaches and bone cement injection volume were recorded. Univariate analysis was used to investigate the correlation between those indicators with bone cement leakage. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent risk factors for bone cement leakage.Results:Univariate analysis showed that gender, age, fracture sites, vertebral compression degree, bone cement injection volume were related to bone cement leakage after PVP ( P<0.05 or 0.01), but no correlation was found in the endplate integrity of fractured vertebrae, surgical segments and surgical approaches (all P>0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that fracture sites ( OR=1.68, 95% CI 1.11-2.55, P<0.05), vertebral compression degree more than 40% ( OR=1.98, 95% CI 1.29-3.02, P<0.01), bone cement injection volume greater than or equal to 5.5 ml ( OR=1.55, 95% CI 1.07-2.26, P<0.05) were significantly associated with bone cement leakage after PVP. Conclusion:Thoracic vertebral fracture, vertebral compression degree more than 40% and bone cement injection volume greater than or equal to 5.5 ml are independent risk factors for bone cement leakage after PVP in OVCF.

Objective:To investigate the changes of left atrial structure and function in patients with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (ApHCM) by three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography.Methods:From September 2020 to December 2022, 112 patients with ApHCM(ApHCM group) diagnosed at Tongji Hospital Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology and 41 age- and sex-matched normal controls(control group) were finally enrolled. In 'pure’ ApHCM patients, cardiac hypertrophy was confined to the apical segment below the papillary muscle. The wall thickness of apical and intermediate segments in 'mixed’ ApHCM patients increased, but the wall thickness of apical segment was the largest. Two-dimensional(2D) and 3D volume and strain parameters of left atrium were compared between control group and ApHCM group, 'pure’ and 'mixed’ ApHCM patients.The correlations between 2D and 3D volume and strain parameters of left atrium and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of those parameters were analyzed. The ROC curve was performed to determine the cutoff values of 3D left atrial volume abnormalities in all subjects. Logistics regression analysis was performed to analyze the impact factors of the left atrial enlargement in patients with ApHCM.Results:Compared with the control group, 2D left atrial maximum volume index (2D LAVimax), 2D left atrial minimum volume index (2D LAVimin), 3D left atrial maximum volume index (3D LAVimax), 3D left atrial minimum volume index (3D LAVimin), and 3D left atrial presystolic volume index (3D LAVipreA) significantly increased in ApHCM group( Z=-6.54, -6.38, -6.98, -7.40, -6.96; all P<0.001). However, 2D left atrial ejection fraction (2D LAEF) ( Z=-3.75, P<0.001), 2D left atrial expansion index (2D LAEI) ( t=-4.15, P<0.001), 3D left atrial ejection fraction (3D LAEF) ( Z=-5.09, P<0.001), 3D left atrial expansion index (3D LAEI) ( t=-5.49, P<0.001), 2D left atrial reservoir strain (2D LASr) ( t=-12.03, P<0.001), 2D left atrial conduit strain (2D LAScd) ( t=7.91, P<0.001), 2D left atrial contractile strain (2D LASct) ( t=6.06, P<0.001), 3D left atrial reservoir strain (3D LASr) ( t=-9.23, P<0.001), 3D left atrial conduit strain (3D LAScd) ( t=7.12, P<0.001) and 3D left atrial contractile strain (3D LASct) ( t=4.78, P<0.001) significantly decreased in ApHCM group. Compared with the 'pure’ ApHCM group, 2D LAVimax, 3D LAVimax, 2D LAVimin, 3D LAVimin, 3D LAVipreA in patients with mixed ApHCM increased more significantly, while 2D LAEF, 2D LAEI and 2D LASr decreased more significantly. The measurements of left atrial volume and strain by 3D echocardiography were significantly correlated with 2D measurements ( P<0.05). The correlations between 2D LAVimax and 3D LAVimax, 2D LAVimin and 3D LAVimin, 2D LAEF and 3D LAEF, 2D LASr and 3D LASr, 2D LAEI and 3D LAEI ( r=0.91, 0.93, 0.72, 0.76, 0.57; all P<0.05) were more than moderate. The repeatability of 3D left atrial strain was lower than 2D results, while the repeatability of 3D left atrial volume was higher than 2D results. ROC curve analysis showed that 3D echocardiography parameters could identify left atrial volume abnormality in all subjects. The cutoff values of 3D LAVimax, 3D LAVimin, 3D LAVipreA in all subjects were 36 ml/m 2, 18 ml/m 2 and 27 ml/m 2, respectively. Multivariate binary logistic regression analyses showed that ratio of LV systolic obliteration to cavity was independent factor affecting left atrial enlargement in ApHCM patients( OR=1.20, P<0.001). Conclusions:Three-dimensional echocardiography is significant for the accurate evaluation of left atrial structural changes in patients with ApHCM. Ratio of left ventricular systolic obliteration to cavity was an independent impact factor of left atrial enlargement in ApHCM patients.