Objective:To investigate the impact of receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3) on major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), as well as the predictive performance of RIPK3 combined with traditional cardiovascular risk factors.Methods:This study was a single-center prospective cohort study. It included patients with AMI who underwent PCI at Peking Union Medical College Hospital between September 2017 and November 2017. Baseline clinical data were collected, and plasma samples were obtained 6 hours after PCI to measure RIPK3 levels. Follow-up was conducted via outpatient visits or phone calls to record the occurrence of MACE, including cardiovascular death, hospitalization for heart failure, and vascular events (recurrent AMI or stroke). The predictive performance of RIPK3, traditional cardiovascular risk factors and their combination for MACE was compared using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Patients were divided into low- and high-RIPK3 level groups based on the optimal cutoff value of RIPK3. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to assess the impact of RIPK3 levels on MACE after PCI in AMI patients. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were plotted, and the log-rank test was used to compare MACE incidence between the low-and high-RIPK3 groups.Results:A total of 103 AMI patients who underwent PCI were included, aged 63.0 (56.0, 69.0) years, and 83 (80.6%) were male. The follow-up time was 5.17 (2.81, 5.17) years, during which 44 patients (42.7%) experienced MACE. The ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve ( AUC) for traditional cardiovascular risk factors was 0.68 (95% CI: 0.58-0.78), while the AUC for plasma RIPK3 was 0.72 (95% CI: 0.62-0.82). The combined AUC for traditional risk factors and RIPK3 was 0.75 (95% CI: 0.65-0.85). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis indicated that plasma RIPK3 level is greater than or equal to the optimal cutoff value of 440.9 μg/L ( HR=3.31, 95% CI: 1.53-8.30, P=0.005) was an independent risk factor for MACE in AMI patients after PCI. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that the high-RIPK3 group had a significantly higher risk of MACE after PCI compared to the low-RIPK3 group (log-rank P=0.006). Conclusions:Elevated plasma RIPK3 level is an independent risk factor for MACE in AMI patients after PCI. Plasma RIPK3 combined with traditional cardiovascular risk factors can more effectively predict the occurrence of MACE in AMI patients after PCI. AMI patients with RIPK3≥440.9 μg/L have a higher risk of MACE after PCI.

Objective:To explore the relationship between retinol-binding protein (RBP) levels and disease severity in patients with transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA), as well as its impact on therapeutic response to tafamidis.Methods:This retrospective study utilized data from the China National Rare Disease Registry System and included ATTR-CA patients treated with tafamidis between January 2018 and September 2022. Patients were stratified into two groups based on baseline RBP levels: the normal RBP group (≥36 mg/L) and the reduced RBP group (<36 mg/L). Baseline characteristics and clinical data after one year of treatment were collected and compared between the groups. Within the reduced RBP group, patients were further subclassified by changes in RBP levels after treatment (ΔRBP=post-treatment RBP-baseline RBP) into ΔRBP>0 and ΔRBP<0 subgroups. Worsening of global longitudinal strain (GLS) after treatment was defined as the primary outcome, logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors influencing therapeutic response to tafamidis in ATTR-CA patients.Results:A total of 52 ATTR-CA patients were included (aged (58.5±12.0) years, 46 males (88%)). Among 39 patients who completed one-year tafamidis treatment, no statistically significant difference was observed in RBP levels post-treatment versus baseline ((27.0±14.3) mg/L vs. (25.9±15.4) mg/L, P=0.261). Compared to the normal RBP group, the reduced RBP group had significantly higher estimated glomerular filtration rate-adjusted N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels (2 316.0 (1 161.5, 6 027.8) ng/L vs. 806.2 (349.5, 1 735.8) ng/L), higher left ventricular mass index ((164.4±46.5) g/m2 vs. (123.9±31.8) g/m2), and lower left ventricular ejection fraction ((50.8±11.3)% vs. (58.8±6.2)%) (all P<0.05). Among 31 patients in the reduced RBP group who completed one-year tafamidis treatment, 23 were classified as ΔRBP>0 and 8 as ΔRBP<0. The ΔRBP<0 group exhibited greater GLS worsening than the ΔRBP>0 group (0.7 (-0.1, 1.4)% vs. -0.4 (-1.4, 0.2)%, P=0.027). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that ΔRBP<0 was an independent risk factor for GLS worsening ( OR=8.584, 95%CI 1.186-62.150, P=0.033) in ATTR-CA patients. Conclusion:ATTR-CA patients with reduced RBP levels exhibit more severe left ventricular structural and functional impairment compared to those with normal RBP levels. Decline in RBP during treatment (ΔRBP<0) is associated with poorer response to tafamidis treatment. Monitoring RBP dynamics may assist clinicians in assessing disease severity and therapeutic response in ATTR-CA patients.

Objective:Committee of Minimally Invasive Cardiovascular Surgery(CMICS) conducts an annual summary of minimally invasive cardiovascular surgery procedures performed throughout the country, which includes a comprehensive survey of the total number of minimally invasive procedures by region and the distribution of minimally invasive procedures by hospital. Since CMICS first published the 2018-2019 China Minimally Invasive Cardiovascular Surgery Data White Paper in 2020, the report has received great attention from peers within and outside the industry. In this statistical report, CMICS will focus on publishing the data related to minimally invasive cardiovascular surgery in China from 2021 to 2023 for reference and use by industry peers.

Objective:Committee of Minimally Invasive Cardiovascular Surgery(CMICS) conducts an annual summary of minimally invasive cardiovascular surgery procedures performed throughout the country, which includes a comprehensive survey of the total number of minimally invasive procedures by region and the distribution of minimally invasive procedures by hospital. Since CMICS first published the 2018-2019 China Minimally Invasive Cardiovascular Surgery Data White Paper in 2020, the report has received great attention from peers within and outside the industry. In this statistical report, CMICS will focus on publishing the data related to minimally invasive cardiovascular surgery in China from 2021 to 2023 for reference and use by industry peers.

Objective:To investigate the impact of receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3) on major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), as well as the predictive performance of RIPK3 combined with traditional cardiovascular risk factors.Methods:This study was a single-center prospective cohort study. It included patients with AMI who underwent PCI at Peking Union Medical College Hospital between September 2017 and November 2017. Baseline clinical data were collected, and plasma samples were obtained 6 hours after PCI to measure RIPK3 levels. Follow-up was conducted via outpatient visits or phone calls to record the occurrence of MACE, including cardiovascular death, hospitalization for heart failure, and vascular events (recurrent AMI or stroke). The predictive performance of RIPK3, traditional cardiovascular risk factors and their combination for MACE was compared using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Patients were divided into low- and high-RIPK3 level groups based on the optimal cutoff value of RIPK3. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to assess the impact of RIPK3 levels on MACE after PCI in AMI patients. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were plotted, and the log-rank test was used to compare MACE incidence between the low-and high-RIPK3 groups.Results:A total of 103 AMI patients who underwent PCI were included, aged 63.0 (56.0, 69.0) years, and 83 (80.6%) were male. The follow-up time was 5.17 (2.81, 5.17) years, during which 44 patients (42.7%) experienced MACE. The ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve ( AUC) for traditional cardiovascular risk factors was 0.68 (95% CI: 0.58-0.78), while the AUC for plasma RIPK3 was 0.72 (95% CI: 0.62-0.82). The combined AUC for traditional risk factors and RIPK3 was 0.75 (95% CI: 0.65-0.85). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis indicated that plasma RIPK3 level is greater than or equal to the optimal cutoff value of 440.9 μg/L ( HR=3.31, 95% CI: 1.53-8.30, P=0.005) was an independent risk factor for MACE in AMI patients after PCI. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that the high-RIPK3 group had a significantly higher risk of MACE after PCI compared to the low-RIPK3 group (log-rank P=0.006). Conclusions:Elevated plasma RIPK3 level is an independent risk factor for MACE in AMI patients after PCI. Plasma RIPK3 combined with traditional cardiovascular risk factors can more effectively predict the occurrence of MACE in AMI patients after PCI. AMI patients with RIPK3≥440.9 μg/L have a higher risk of MACE after PCI.

Objective:To explore the relationship between retinol-binding protein (RBP) levels and disease severity in patients with transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA), as well as its impact on therapeutic response to tafamidis.Methods:This retrospective study utilized data from the China National Rare Disease Registry System and included ATTR-CA patients treated with tafamidis between January 2018 and September 2022. Patients were stratified into two groups based on baseline RBP levels: the normal RBP group (≥36 mg/L) and the reduced RBP group (<36 mg/L). Baseline characteristics and clinical data after one year of treatment were collected and compared between the groups. Within the reduced RBP group, patients were further subclassified by changes in RBP levels after treatment (ΔRBP=post-treatment RBP-baseline RBP) into ΔRBP>0 and ΔRBP<0 subgroups. Worsening of global longitudinal strain (GLS) after treatment was defined as the primary outcome, logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors influencing therapeutic response to tafamidis in ATTR-CA patients.Results:A total of 52 ATTR-CA patients were included (aged (58.5±12.0) years, 46 males (88%)). Among 39 patients who completed one-year tafamidis treatment, no statistically significant difference was observed in RBP levels post-treatment versus baseline ((27.0±14.3) mg/L vs. (25.9±15.4) mg/L, P=0.261). Compared to the normal RBP group, the reduced RBP group had significantly higher estimated glomerular filtration rate-adjusted N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels (2 316.0 (1 161.5, 6 027.8) ng/L vs. 806.2 (349.5, 1 735.8) ng/L), higher left ventricular mass index ((164.4±46.5) g/m2 vs. (123.9±31.8) g/m2), and lower left ventricular ejection fraction ((50.8±11.3)% vs. (58.8±6.2)%) (all P<0.05). Among 31 patients in the reduced RBP group who completed one-year tafamidis treatment, 23 were classified as ΔRBP>0 and 8 as ΔRBP<0. The ΔRBP<0 group exhibited greater GLS worsening than the ΔRBP>0 group (0.7 (-0.1, 1.4)% vs. -0.4 (-1.4, 0.2)%, P=0.027). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that ΔRBP<0 was an independent risk factor for GLS worsening ( OR=8.584, 95%CI 1.186-62.150, P=0.033) in ATTR-CA patients. Conclusion:ATTR-CA patients with reduced RBP levels exhibit more severe left ventricular structural and functional impairment compared to those with normal RBP levels. Decline in RBP during treatment (ΔRBP<0) is associated with poorer response to tafamidis treatment. Monitoring RBP dynamics may assist clinicians in assessing disease severity and therapeutic response in ATTR-CA patients.

Committee of Minimally Invasive Cardiovascular Surgery (CMICS) annually investigates the minimally invasive cardiovascular surgery performed by departments of cardiovascular surgery of all hospitals in China of last year, and makes classification and summary according to the operation amount of minimally invasive surgery, regional and hospital distribution, and publishes it on the theme report of China Minimally Invasive Cardiovascular Surgery Conference (CMC). In 2021, CMICS published the 2018-2019 annual data of Chinese cardiovascular surgery in the form of a white paper for the first time in the Chinese Journal of Clinical Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, which attracted great attention from peers. In this statistical report, CMICS will focus on the volume of minimally invasive cardiovascular surgery, regional and hospital distribution in China (excluding Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region, and Taiwan Province) in the 2020—2021 for your reference.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the bidirectional regulation of acupuncture based on a subgroup analysis of multicenter randomized controlled trial of acupuncture with METHODS: A total of 519 patients were included in the analysis, including 137 patients with constipation type irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C) (92 cases in the acupuncture group and 45 cases in the polyethylene glycol [PEG] group), and 382 patients with diarrhea type irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) (252 cases in the acupuncture group and 130 cases in the pinaverium group). The patients in the acupuncture group were given acupuncture at Baihui (GV 20), Yintang (GV 29), Tianshu (ST 25), Shangjuxu (ST 37), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Taichong (LR 3) once every other day, 3 times a week. The patients in the PEG group received polyethylene glycol 4000 powder orally, and the pinaverium group received pinaverium bromide tablets orally. All were treated for 6 weeks. The IBS symptom severity score (IBS-SSS) was assessed at baseline, treatment period (2, 4, 6 weeks of treatment) and 12 weeks of follow-up, and the IBS quality of life (IBS-QOL) score was evaluated at the baseline period, 6 weeks of treatment and 12 weeks of follow-up. RESULTS: The total IBS-SSS scores of the two groups of IBS-C patients at 2, 4, 6 weeks of treatment and follow-up of 12 weeks were lower than those in the baseline period ( CONCLUSION Acupuncture with
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Diarrhea ; Humans ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome/therapy* ; Quality of Life ; Treatment Outcome

Objective:To summarize the clinical characteristics and surgical treatment experience of pregnant women with acute Stanford type A aortic dissection.Methods:From January 2005 to December 2018, a total of 12 patients with acute Stanford type A aortic dissection were treated in Zhongshan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University. Two patients died of sudden aortic dissection rupture during emergency CTA examination. The other 10 patients underwent surgical treatment, the age was 22-40 years[mean(30.7±5.8) years], the pregnancy was 15-39 weeks[mean(28.8±6.5) weeks], two cases in the second trimester of pregnancy, seven cases in the third trimester of pregnancy and one case in puerperium. Among them, seven cases were Marfan syndrome, one case was bicuspid aortic valve malformation, two cases were complicated with pregnancy hypertension.Results:One case died during perioperative period and died of rupture of abdominal aortic dissection in twelfth day after operation. One fetus was diagnosed as stillborn before operation. Before December 2013, six patients underwent surgeries, the mean cardiopulmonary bypass time was(96.8±16.5)min, aortic occlusion time was(70.8±19.3)min, intensive care unit time was(3.4±2.3) days, ventilator-assisted mechanical ventilation time was(21.6±15.6)h. After January 2014, four patients underwent surgeries, the mean cardiopulmonary bypass time was(202.3±6.4)min, the aortic cross-blocking time was(137.5±10.3)min, circulatory arrest time was(27.3±8.8)min, intensive care unit time was(12.0±5.7) days, and the ventilator-assisted mechanical ventilation time was(40.3±24.4)h. The postoperative complications included tracheotomy in two cases, hemodialysis in one case, poor wound healing in one case. One patient who had been treated with Bentall was followed up to sixth year and died of progressive rupture of descending arch dissection. One patient was followed up to seventh year after Bentall surgery, redo Bentall and Sun’s procedure were performed because of artificial valve infection, and was discharged uneventful. No adverse cardiovascular events occurred in other patients.Conclusion:Surgical treatment should be actively considered in pregnancy complicated with acute Stanford type A aortic dissection. Multi-disciplinary team cooperation can effectively improve the safety and effect of operation.

The advent of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has brought up a new treatment option for patients with severe aortic valve disease. However, with the continuous expansion of surgical indications, problems such as structural valve deterioration caused by biological prosthesis have become increasingly prominent. In the newly announced 5-year follow-up results of COMMENCE (SAVR) trial, the aortic bioprosthesis using the new RESILIA biotissue material demonstrated extraordinary clinical safety, efficacy and durability with zero structural valve deterioration and excellent hemodynamic evaluation results. As a result, patients with valvular heart disease have more diverse therapeutic options. However, the choice between surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) and TAVR, biological prosthesis and mechanical prosthesis, etc, has become more and more prominent, which brings more difficulties to clinicians. This paper reviews the research background, 5-year follow-up results of COMMENCE trial and the implications for aortic valve surgery in China.