Objective To explore the sex difference in clinical manifestations, echocardiographic features and prognosis of patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) combined with moderate to severe aortic stenosis (AS). Methods The clinical data and echocardiographic follow-up parameters of patients diagnosed with BAV combined with moderate to severe AS at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, from July 30, 2010 to August 1, 2015 were retrospectively collected. The composite endpoint was defined as all-cause mortality or surgical intervention. Kaplan-Meier survival curve and log-rank test were used to compare the risk of composite endpoint events between male and female patients, and Cox regression models were used to analyze independent risk factors for composite endpoint events. Results A total of 144 patients were included, with 69 males and 75 females, and a median age of 60 years. Compared to males, female patients were younger (58[46, 65] years vs 61[54, 67] years, P＝0.046), had a lower proportion of aortic valve calcification (61.1% vs 81.1%, P＝0.009), and a higher peak transvalvular pressure gradient (72[59, 88] mmHg vs 63[55, 72] mmHg, P＝0.002). In terms of left ventricular remodeling types, the proportion of concentric remodeling was higher in females than in males (36.0% vs 15.9%, P＝0.006), while the proportion of eccentric hypertrophy was lower in females than in males (10.7% vs 29.0%, P＝0.006). The proportion of female patients classified as New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class Ⅲ-Ⅳ was higher than that of males (45.3% vs 17.4%, P＜0.001), and left ventricular ejection fraction was higher in females (68%[65%, 72%] vs 65%[60%, 70%], P＝0.003). With a median follow-up of 49 months, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the risk of composite endpoint events was higher in females than in males (P＜0.001). Independent risk factors for composite endpoint events included female (HR＝1.74, 95%CI 1.02-2.96, P＝0.042), severe AS (HR＝1.99, 95%CI 1.18-3.36, P＝0.010), and NYHA functional class Ⅲ-Ⅳ (HR＝2.08, 95% CI 1.24-3.47, P＝0.005). Conclusions Sex significantly affects the clinical manifestations, echocardiographic characteristics, and prognosis of patients with BAV combined with moderate to severe AS, suggesting that sex-specific echocardiographic assessment and follow-up monitoring should be conducted for these patients.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical and genetic characteristics of a Chinese pedigree affected with Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) due to a truncating variant of ALPK3 gene. METHODS: A 44-year-old male admitted to Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province on December 29, 2018 was selected as the study subject. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was carried out, and candidate variant was interpreted by following the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). For ALPK3 was considered an autosomal recessive gene, the WES results was considered insufficient to explain his phenotype. In April 2023, the proband's WES data were re-analyzed using updated annotation pipelines, and peripheral blood samples were collected from his first-degree relatives (mother and brother) for Sanger sequencing validation. Conservation analysis and protein structural modeling were performed to assess the impact of the variant. Clinical evaluation and genetic counseling were provided to the proband's family members. Relevant literature on ALPK3tv-induced HCM patients were searched in Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, CNKI, and PubMed database using "ALPK3" and "hypertrophic cardiomyopathy" as keywords. Clinical characteristics of HCM patients with heterozygous ALPK3tv variants were summarized and compared with the clinical characteristics of HCM patients with positive sarcomere-associated gene variants (SARC+). This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University (Ethics No.: K20230314). RESULTS: The proband was a 44-year-old male who was transferred to our institution on December 29, 2018 due to "chest tightness and pain for 6 months, exacerbated for 2 days". Emergency coronary angiography was performed, which led to a preliminary diagnosis of "acute coronary syndrome", and the patient was admitted to the Cardiology Department for treatment. Based on electrocardiogram and echocardiogram findings, the diagnosis was revised as HCM. The patient's condition has stabilized post-coronary angiography, and he was discharged with improved condition. On January 2019, WES was conducted to determine the etiology of the proband's HCM. WES results identified a novel heterozygous c.2156dupC (p.Pro720ThrfsTer53) truncating variant in the ALPK3 gene. At that time, the inheritance pattern could not explain the phenotype. In 2022, a literature indicated that heterozygous ALPK3tv could lead to autosomal dominant HCM. Consequently, in April 2023, the proband's whole-exome data were re-annotated, revealing changes in the transcript and protein versions, with the updated site annotated as ALPK3 (NM_020778.5): c.1550dupC (p.Pro518ThrfsTer53). Sanger sequencing confirmed that the proband's mother and brother also carried this variant. The mother exhibited obstructive HCM, while the brother showed no related phenotype. Bioinformatics analysis demonstrated conservation of this site across multiple species, and the variant has resulted in the loss of a protein domain. Based on ACMG guidelines, the variant was classified as likely pathogenic. Literature review and Bayesian calculation further elevated the pathogenicity rating, indicating that this variant was the cause of HCM in the patient. Literature study revealed distinctions between HCM caused by this variant type and SARC+ HCM. The age of onset among heterozygous ALPK3tv patients was delayed by approximately 10 years compared to SARC+ patients. Both forms of HCM exhibited a male predominance, which was particularly marked in individuals with ALPK3tv. Electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy was more prevalent in heterozygous ALPK3tv patients than in SARC+ patients. The incidence of apical or concentric hypertrophy patterns was higher in heterozygous ALPK3tv patients compared to asymmetric septal hypertrophy, which predominated in SARC+ patients. ALPK3tv patients exhibited lower penetrance and later onset compared to SARC+ patients. A positive correlation between left ventricular wall thickness and age was noted in female patients only. CONCLUSION In this pedigree, the proband has presented with HCM, characterized by echocardiographic evidence of apical left ventricular hypertrophy without significant outflow tract obstruction or extracardiac phenotypes. Although his mother and brother had carried the same heterozygous ALPK3 (NM_020778.5) c.1550dupC (p.Pro518ThrfsTer53), the mother exhibited severe obstructive HCM, while the brother was asymptomatic, suggesting incomplete or age-dependent penetrance within the family. This study has enriched the evidence for the pathogenicity of ALPK3tv among Chinese HCM pedigrees and underscored the importance of periodic literature reviews and genetic re-analysis for unresolved genetic testing results.
Humans ; Male ; Pedigree ; Adult ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic/genetics* ; Heterozygote ; Asian People/genetics* ; Exome Sequencing ; Mutation ; China ; Female ; East Asian People

Objective To investigate the effect of remimazolam combined with esmketamine adjuvant medicines on anaesthetic effect and mental symptom in puerperae undergoing cesarean section.Methods Ninety-six full-term puerperae during cesarean section under combined spinal-epidural anesthe-sia,aged 24-38 years,BMI 24-35 kg/m2,ASA physical status Ⅰ or Ⅱ.All the puerperae were divided into three groups using random number table:remimazolam combined with esketamine group(group RK),esketamine group(group K),and control group(group C),32 puerperae in each group.After the delivery of the fetus,puerperae in group RK were given intravenous injection of remimazolam 0.1 mg/kg,and then intravenous pumping of estaketamine 0.25 mg/kg which was diluted to 20 ml with normal saline(finished in 30 minutes),puerperae in group K were given intravenous pumping of estaketamine 0.25 mg/kg which was diluted to 20 ml with normal saline(finished in 30 minutes),puerperae in group C were given the same dose of normal saline.All puerperae were given PCIA after operation.The anesthetic effect from the fetus de-livery to the end of operation were recorded(grade Ⅰ,no pain;grade Ⅱ,slight pain;grade Ⅲ,with sig-nificant pain).The adverse reactions such as hypertension,tachycardia,and mental symptoms(nystagmus,dizziness,nightmares and hallucinations)during surgery were recorded.The score of Edinburgh postpartum depression scale(EPDS)and incidence of postpartum depression(PPD)at 1 week and 4 weeks after sur-gery were recorded.Results Compared with group C,the proportion of grade Ⅰ anesthetic effect in groups,RK and K was significantly increased,and the proportion of grade Ⅲ anesthetic effect was signifi-cantly decreased(P＜0.05),the EPDS score and the incidence of PPD were significantly decreased at 1 week and 4 weeks after surgery(P＜0.05).Compared with group K,the incidence of mental symptoms during surgery in group RK was significantly decreased(P＜0.05),EPDS score was significantly decreased at 1 week and 4 weeks after surgery(P＜0.05).There were no significant differences in the in-cidences of hypertension,tachycardia between the three groups.Conclusion Remimazolam combined with esketamine for cesarean section can improve the anesthetic effect during surgery,reduce the incidence of in-traoperative mental sympton,decrease the postpartum EPDS score,optimize postpartum depression.

Objective:To explore the value of myocardial work difference between left ventricular lateral wall and septum at baseline in the prediction of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) response and compare their predictive performance with conventional echocardiographic parameters.Methods:One hundred and six heart failure patients who were retrospectively recruited from January 2021 to January 2023, underwent speckle tracking echocardiography before CRT and at 6-month follow-up.Global work index (GWI), global constructive work (GCW), global wasted work (GWW), global work efficiency (GWE), as well as segmental myocardial work index (MWI), constructive work (CW), wasted work (WW) and myocardial work efficiency (MWE), were acquired from non-invasive left ventricular pressure-strain loops before CRT. The differences of all myocardial work indices between left ventricular lateral wall and septum (L-S) at the mid-ventricular level, namely, L-S MWI, L-S CW, L-S WW and L-S MWE were calculated. Response to CRT was defined as left ventricular end-systolic volume reduction ≥15% at 6-month follow-up.Results:CRT response was present in seventy-eight (74%, 78/105) patients. ①At baseline, responders exhibited significantly higher GWI and GCW than non-responders (both P<0.05). ②Besides, L-S MWI, L-S CW, L-S WW and L-S MWE were significant higher in CRT responders than in non-responders at baseline (all P<0.01). ③In multivariate regression analysis, baseline LV end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) ( OR=0.993, 95% CI=0.987-0.999, P=0.020), interventricular mechanical delay (IVMD) ( OR=1.025, 95% CI=1.001-1.050, P=0.040) and L-S MWI ( OR=1.002, 95% CI=1.001-1.003, P=0.001) were identified as independent predictors of CRT response. ④ROC analysis demonstrated that L-S MWI (AUC=0.830, P<0.001) was the most powerful predictor of CRT response and was superior to LVEDV (AUC=0.718, P<0.01) and IVMD (AUC=0.704, P=0.001). ⑤L-S MWI >884 mmHg% was recommended to predict CRT response with the optimal sensitivity of 76% and specificity of 86%. Conclusions:The noninvasive evaluation of myocardial work heterogeneity between left ventricular lateral wall and septum is more valuable than conventional parameters in predicting CRT response and guiding patient selection before CRT, which helps to further improve CRT response rate.

AIM:To investigate the effect of circular RNA MYO9A-006(circMYO9A_006)on hypertrophic phenotype of cardiomyocytes and the underlying mechanism.METHODS:The effect of adenovirus-mediated overexpres-sion of circMYO9A_006 on the expression of hypertrophy-related proteins,including β-myosin heavy chain(β-MHC),skeletal muscle actin alpha 1(ACTA1)and atrial natriuretic peptide(ANP),was evaluated in neonatal mouse ventricular cardiomyocytes(NMVCs).Moreover,a neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocyte(NRVC)model of phenylephrine(PE)-in-duced hypertrophy was established.The effect of circMYO9A_006 overexpression on NRVC size was ascertained using Phalloidin-iFluor 647 staining method.Dual-luciferase reporter assay was employed to measure the activity of potential in-ternal ribosome entry sites(IRES)in circMYO9A_006.The translation and intracellular location of the circMYO9A_006-translated protein,MYO9A-208aa,were verified using Western blot.To investigate the role of MYO9A-208aa in the ef-fect of circMYO9A_006 on the cardiomyocyte hypertrophic phenotype,we prepared and used the following adenoviruses:the recombinant circMYO9A_006-ORF adenovirus to express MYO9A-208aa,the recombinant circMYO9A_006-ATG-mut adenovirus that does not express MYO9A-208aa,the recombinant circMYO9A_006 adenovirus,and the adenovirus vector control.These were then employed to infect NRVCs.RESULTS:Successful adenovirus-mediated overexpression of circMYO9A_006 was observed in NMVCs.The increased expression of circMYO9A_006 notably reduced the expres-sion of hypertrophy-related proteins in NMVCs(P<0.01).Concurrently,overexpression of circMYO9A_006 substantially reduced the expression of hypertrophy-associated proteins and diminished the size of PE-induced NRVCs(P<0.05).Dual-luciferase reporter assay identified the activity of 2 IRES in circMYO9A_006.Western blot results indicated that circ-MYO9A_006 could produce the MYO9A-208aa protein with an anticipated molecular weight of 28 kD in NRVCs,primari-ly found in the cytoplasm.Elevated expression of both circMYO9A_006 and MYO9A-208aa consistently reduced the ex-pression of hypertrophy-associated proteins(P<0.01),and counteracted the enlarged size of PE-induced NRVCs(P<0.05).However,increased expression of circMYO9A_006-ATG-mut did not counteract the PE-induced hypertrophic phe-notype of NRVCs.CONCLUSION:circMYO9A_006 attenuates the hypertrophic phenotype of cardiomyocytes by synthe-sizing the MYO9A-208aa protein.

Objective To build a comprehensive evaluation system for the operating benefit of clinical departments in cancer hospitals,so as to provide data support for the fine operation management of hospitals.Methods Literature review and semi-structured interview were used to form the index pool.Two rounds of Delphi expert consultation were used to determine the index of the evaluation system,and the analytic hierarchy process was used to determine the index weight.Finally,the weighted TOPSIS was used for empirical case analysis.Results The positive coefficient in the two rounds of Delphi expert consultation were 82.6％and 100％,the authority coefficient was 0.808,and the coordination coefficient was between 0 and 1.All indexes at all levels passed the consistency test.Finally,a comprehensive evaluation system consisting of 4 dimensions,19 indexes in surgery,16 indicators in radiotherapy and 16 indicators in internal medicine was constructed.Indicators at all levels were tested for consistency,resulting in the construction of a comprehensive evaluation system consisting of 4 dimensions,19 indicators for surgery and 16 indicators each for radiotherapy and internal medicine departments.Conclusion The comprehensive evaluation system of operating benefit of clinical departments in cancer hospitals can help hospitals and departments to find out the shortcomings of operation,build the path of operating benefit improvement,and realize the connotation improvement and high-quality development of hospitals.

Objective To build a comprehensive evaluation system for the operating benefit of clinical departments in cancer hospitals,so as to provide data support for the fine operation management of hospitals.Methods Literature review and semi-structured interview were used to form the index pool.Two rounds of Delphi expert consultation were used to determine the index of the evaluation system,and the analytic hierarchy process was used to determine the index weight.Finally,the weighted TOPSIS was used for empirical case analysis.Results The positive coefficient in the two rounds of Delphi expert consultation were 82.6％and 100％,the authority coefficient was 0.808,and the coordination coefficient was between 0 and 1.All indexes at all levels passed the consistency test.Finally,a comprehensive evaluation system consisting of 4 dimensions,19 indexes in surgery,16 indicators in radiotherapy and 16 indicators in internal medicine was constructed.Indicators at all levels were tested for consistency,resulting in the construction of a comprehensive evaluation system consisting of 4 dimensions,19 indicators for surgery and 16 indicators each for radiotherapy and internal medicine departments.Conclusion The comprehensive evaluation system of operating benefit of clinical departments in cancer hospitals can help hospitals and departments to find out the shortcomings of operation,build the path of operating benefit improvement,and realize the connotation improvement and high-quality development of hospitals.

Objective To build a comprehensive evaluation system for the operating benefit of clinical departments in cancer hospitals,so as to provide data support for the fine operation management of hospitals.Methods Literature review and semi-structured interview were used to form the index pool.Two rounds of Delphi expert consultation were used to determine the index of the evaluation system,and the analytic hierarchy process was used to determine the index weight.Finally,the weighted TOPSIS was used for empirical case analysis.Results The positive coefficient in the two rounds of Delphi expert consultation were 82.6％and 100％,the authority coefficient was 0.808,and the coordination coefficient was between 0 and 1.All indexes at all levels passed the consistency test.Finally,a comprehensive evaluation system consisting of 4 dimensions,19 indexes in surgery,16 indicators in radiotherapy and 16 indicators in internal medicine was constructed.Indicators at all levels were tested for consistency,resulting in the construction of a comprehensive evaluation system consisting of 4 dimensions,19 indicators for surgery and 16 indicators each for radiotherapy and internal medicine departments.Conclusion The comprehensive evaluation system of operating benefit of clinical departments in cancer hospitals can help hospitals and departments to find out the shortcomings of operation,build the path of operating benefit improvement,and realize the connotation improvement and high-quality development of hospitals.

Objective To build a comprehensive evaluation system for the operating benefit of clinical departments in cancer hospitals,so as to provide data support for the fine operation management of hospitals.Methods Literature review and semi-structured interview were used to form the index pool.Two rounds of Delphi expert consultation were used to determine the index of the evaluation system,and the analytic hierarchy process was used to determine the index weight.Finally,the weighted TOPSIS was used for empirical case analysis.Results The positive coefficient in the two rounds of Delphi expert consultation were 82.6％and 100％,the authority coefficient was 0.808,and the coordination coefficient was between 0 and 1.All indexes at all levels passed the consistency test.Finally,a comprehensive evaluation system consisting of 4 dimensions,19 indexes in surgery,16 indicators in radiotherapy and 16 indicators in internal medicine was constructed.Indicators at all levels were tested for consistency,resulting in the construction of a comprehensive evaluation system consisting of 4 dimensions,19 indicators for surgery and 16 indicators each for radiotherapy and internal medicine departments.Conclusion The comprehensive evaluation system of operating benefit of clinical departments in cancer hospitals can help hospitals and departments to find out the shortcomings of operation,build the path of operating benefit improvement,and realize the connotation improvement and high-quality development of hospitals.

Objective To build a comprehensive evaluation system for the operating benefit of clinical departments in cancer hospitals,so as to provide data support for the fine operation management of hospitals.Methods Literature review and semi-structured interview were used to form the index pool.Two rounds of Delphi expert consultation were used to determine the index of the evaluation system,and the analytic hierarchy process was used to determine the index weight.Finally,the weighted TOPSIS was used for empirical case analysis.Results The positive coefficient in the two rounds of Delphi expert consultation were 82.6％and 100％,the authority coefficient was 0.808,and the coordination coefficient was between 0 and 1.All indexes at all levels passed the consistency test.Finally,a comprehensive evaluation system consisting of 4 dimensions,19 indexes in surgery,16 indicators in radiotherapy and 16 indicators in internal medicine was constructed.Indicators at all levels were tested for consistency,resulting in the construction of a comprehensive evaluation system consisting of 4 dimensions,19 indicators for surgery and 16 indicators each for radiotherapy and internal medicine departments.Conclusion The comprehensive evaluation system of operating benefit of clinical departments in cancer hospitals can help hospitals and departments to find out the shortcomings of operation,build the path of operating benefit improvement,and realize the connotation improvement and high-quality development of hospitals.