With the continuous development of China's aging society and the prevalence of unhealthy lifestyles, the incidence of cardiovascular disease in China has been increasing in recent years. Among them, atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia disease. In recent years, pulsed field ablation (PFA) has been continuously applied to AF treatment as a novel treatment. This paper first introduces the principle of PFA applied to AF treatment, and introduces the research progress of PFA in different directions, such as the comparison of different ablation methods, the study of physical parameters, the study of ablation area, the study of tissue specificity and clinical research. Then, the clinical prior research of PFA is discussed, including the use of simulation software to obtain the simulation effect of different parameters, the evaluation of ablation effect during animal research, and finally the current AF treatment. Various prior studies and clinical studies are summarized, and suggestions are made for the shortcomings found in the study of AF treatment and the future research direction is prospected.

Objective:To assess the efficacy and safety of “one-stop” procedures combining radiofrequency catheter ablation and left atrial appendage closure by guidance of intracardiac echocardiography(ICE) in elderly patients with atrial fibrillation.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted on patients who underwent ICE-guided “one-stop” procedures at the Department of Cardiology, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command between December 2020 and January 2023. Patients were divided into elderly group (age≥60 years old) and non-elderly group (age 18-59 years old). The clinical characteristics, acute success rate, peri-operative complications and follow-up data between two groups were compared. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze whether age was the influencing factor for perioperative complications and atrial fibrillation recurrence.Results:A total of 213 atrial fibrillation patients were enrolled, including 158 (74.18%) in the elderly group (age: (68.3±5.0) years; 56.96% male) and 55 (25.82%) in the non-elderly group (age: (53.7±5.2) years; 81.82% male). The elderly group had lower proportions of males, persistent atrial fibrillation, and left atrial spontaneous echocardiographic contrast compared to the non-elderly group ( P<0.05). CHA 2DS 2-VASc and HAS-BLED scores were higher in elderly group ( P<0.05). The acute success rate,“one-stop” procedure time, fluoroscopy time and the rate of peri-operative complications (6 (3.80%) in elderly group vs. 2 (3.64%) in non-elderly group) were similar between two groups (all P>0.05). The average time of clinical and telephone interviews in elderly group and non-elderly group was (16.9±6.1) months and (17.9±5.9) months, respectively. There was no significant difference in the rate of atrial fibrillation recurrence or clinical events between two groups (47 (30.72%) vs. 14 (26.42%), P=0.554; 10 (6.54%) vs. 2(3.77%), P=0.689, respectively). Iatrogenic atrial septal defects in 3-month transesophageal echocardiography follow up were detected in 44 patients (36.97%) in elderly group and 9 patients (19.57%) in non-elderly group ( P=0.032). Multivariate logistic regression analysis results showed that age was not the influencing factor for peri-operative complications and atrial fibrillation recurrence ( P=0.905 and P=0.676, respectively). Conclusion:Intracardiac echocardiography-guided “one-stop” procedures in the treatment of atrial fibrillation in elderly patients are safe and effective.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of ablation index-guided radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) and second-generation cryoballoon ablation (CBA) in elderly patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).Methods:This retrospective cohort study included 1 986 patients undergoing pulmonary vein isolation for AF at General Hospital of Northern Theater Command from August 2016 to May 2020, comprising 760 RFCA cases and 1 226 CBA cases. Elderly patients were defined as those aged 60 years or older, while non-elderly patients were those under 60 years of age. All patients were followed up for 3 years after the procedure to assess AF recurrence rates. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were plotted and compared by log-rank test. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of AF recurrence.Results:Among 1 986 AF patients (aged (58.7±10.2) years; 1 307 males, 65.81%; 987 elderly patients, 49.70%), the overall AF recurrence rate was 24.37% (484/1 986). Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated a higher AF recurrence rate in the elderly group compared to the non-elderly group (log-rank P=0.007). In the RFCA group, AF recurrence rate was 22.50% (171/760), with no significant difference between the elderly (24.44%, 88/360) and non-elderly (20.75%, 83/400) subgroups ( P=0.223). In the CBA group, recurrence rates were 25.53% (313/1 226), with significantly higher recurrence in elderly patients (28.55%, 179/627) than non-elderly (22.37%, 134/599) ( P=0.013). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that advanced age was not an independent predictor of AF recurrence ( P=0.447). Longer AF duration and larger left atrial diameter were independent risk factors for recurrence, while male sex was a protective factor (all P<0.05). Conclusion:Pulmonary vein isolation with second-generation CBA and RFCA guided by ablation index are safe and effective in the treatment of AF in elderly patients.

Objective:To investigate endothelial cell heterogeneity in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) and identify potential therapeutic targets of dapagliflozin in cardiac vascular endothelial cells.Methods:ePharmaLib reverse virtual screening was performed on 15 148 protein crystals to identified the binding interactions between human-derived proteins and dapagliflozin. Subsequently, single-cell RNA sequencing data (PRJNA1069235) from wild-type mice (control group) and db/db mice (DCM group) were integrated, then dimensionality reduction and clustering analysis were performed to identify endothelial cell subpopulations in the heart tissue of DCM mice, followed by functional annotation. Cell-cell communication analysis was explored to investigate fibroblast-endothelial cell interactions. The Agilent Mouse ceRNA Microarray chip was used to perform transcriptomic analysis of heart tissue from mice fed a high-fat diet and treated with dapagliflozin. Intersection analysis of reverse virtual screening results, single-cell RNA sequencing results and chip analysis data was performed to identify common differentially expressed genes. In vitro, human umbilical vein endothelial cells were divided into blank control group, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) group (TNF-α 10 mg/L), dapagliflozin low concentration group (TNF-α 10 mg/L+dagliazin 2 μmol/L), dapagliflozin medium concentration group (TNF-α 10 mg/L+dagliazin 5 μmol/L) and dapagliflozin high concentration group (TNF-α 10+dagliazin 10 μmol/L). Western blot and real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction were used to detect the expression of inflammatory factors and differential genes.Results:ePharmaLib reverse virtual screening identified 168 human-derived proteins with potential binding affinity to dapagliflozin, and single-cell analysis identifiedf 6 types of endothelial cell subpopulations. Compared with the control group, the abundance of capillary endothelial cells was significantly lower in DCM group, while the abundance of microvascular and venous endothelial cells was significantly higher ( P all<0.05). Cell-cell communication analysis showed significant expression of Pgf-Vegfr1 ligand-receptor pair. In addition, 15 differentially expressed genes were identified by intersection analysis of 168 dapagliflozin-binding proteins. Including Bcl2, Baz2b, Nos3, Ephb4, Cdk8, Pparg, Pde2a, Fgfr2, Fto, Stk24, Dlg1, Gsk3b, Pdpk1, Fas and Tnks2. Notably, Baz2b, Pparg, Fto and Gsk3b were differentially expressed in all cell subpopulations. Six differential genes, including Pde7a, Dlg1, Gsk3b, Nampt, Met and Adk, were obtained by the intersection of the chip analysis data with the virtual screening results of dapagliflozin. In vitro, compared to the human umbilical vein endothelial cells of TNF-α group, the expression levels of interleukin-6, interleukin-1β and p-P65 proteins and messenger RNA of Bcl2, Nos3, Cdk8, Pde2a, Dlg1, Pdpk1, Tnks2, Baz2b, Pparg, Fas, Pde7a and Nampt were significantly lower than dapagliflozin high concentration group ( P all<0.05). Conclusions:Dapagliflozin may inhibit endothelial cell inflammatory responses and improve endothelial dysfunction in DCM by regulating key genes such as Dlg1, Bcl2, Nos3, Pde7a and Nampt.

Objective:Investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and moderate-to-severe coronary calcification lesions confirmed by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), and to compare the prevalence of moderate-to-severe calcification lesions among different clusters of patients with CAD.Methods:This cross-sectional study enrolled patients with coronary artery disease who underwent coronary angiography and IVUS at the General Hospital of Northern Theater Command from June 2016 to June 2023. Patients with mild calcification were excluded, and the remaining cohort was divided into moderate-to-severe calcification and non-calcification groups. The least absolute and selective operator logistic regression was used to identify baseline variables associated with mederate-to-severe calcification. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to identify similarities in clinical baseline data among patients, and the prevalence of moderate-to-severe coronary calcification was compared across different clusters of patients with CAD.Results:A total of 1 406 patients with CAD were enrolled (age (60.7±10.0) years; 963 males (68.5%)). A total of 563 patients were assigned in the moderate-to-severe calcification group and 843 patients were assigned in the non-calcification group. The least absolute and selective operator logistic regression identified 23 baseline variables associated with moderate-to-severe coronary artery calcification. Hierarchical cluster analysis based on these 23 variables divided all patients into Cluster 1 (500 cases) and Cluster 2 (906 cases). Patients in Cluster 1 were characterized by high age, high body mass index, high diastolic blood pressure, elevated mean arterial pressure, history of hypertension, history of diabetes, low endogenous creatinine clearance, high fasting blood glucose, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), high lipoprotein(a), high alkaline phosphatase, high glycated hemoglobin, low serum albumin, high triglycerides/HDL-C ratio, high HbA1c/HDL-C ratio, and high triglyceride glucose index. Cluster 1 (49.6%, 248/500) exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of moderate-to-severe coronary artery calcification compared to Cluster 2 (34.8%, 315/906, P=0.002). Conclusions:Patients with moderate-to-severe coronary artery calcification exhibited clinical heterogeneity compared to those without calcification. A subgroup characterized by high age, elevated body mass index, high diastolic blood pressure, elevated mean arterial pressure, history of hypertension, history of diabetes, low endogenous creatinine clearance, and high fasting blood glucose levels demonstrated a higher prevalence of moderate-to-severe coronary artery calcification.

Objective:Investigate key genes influencing vascular calcification through bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation.Methods:Three vascular calcification datasets (GSE159832, GSE229679 and GSE37558) were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Subsequently, gene ontology (GO), Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG), and conventional gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were performed on the common differential expressed genes(DEGs). For in vitro validation, a vascular smooth muscle cell calcification model was established by stimulating mouse primary vascular smooth muscle cells with high phosphate and calcium chloride (Pi+CaCl 2). Cells were divided into a control group and a Pi+CaCl 2 group. To investigate the role of TK1, cells were transfected with TK1-targeting siRNA (siTK1) or control siRNA (siControl) prior to Pi+CaCl 2 stimulation, creating siControl+Pi+CaCl 2 and siTK1+Pi+CaCl 2 groups. The association between key DEGs and vascular calcification was assessed at the protein and mRNA levels using Western blot and quantitative real-time PCR, respectively. Changes in the phosphorylation of the downstream effector, AKT (p-AKT/AKT), were also measured. Results:A total of 2275, 449, and 381 DEGs were identified from the three vascular calcification datasets (GSE159832, GSE229679, and GSE37558), respectively. Two common DEGs-phosphoserine aminotransferase 1 and thymidine kinase 1 (TK1)-were identified across all datasets. GO enrichment analysis revealed that TK1 was significantly enriched in pathways related to ribosome biogenesis, assembly, and rRNA processing and maturation. GSEA-KEGG analysis indicated significant enrichment in the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, pathways in cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, cytoskeleton, and smooth muscle contraction. Conventional GSEA of TK1 further confirmed significant enrichment in pathways including dynein, epithelial tight junctions, axon guidance, and vascular smooth muscle contraction pathways. At the experimental level, both protein and mRNA expression of TK1, along with the p-AKT/AKT ratio, were significantly lower in the Pi+CaCl 2 group compared to the control group (all P<0.05). Furthermore, compared to the siControl+Pi+CaCl 2 group, the siTK1+Pi+CaCl 2 group exhibited decreased expression of differentiation markers, increased expression of calcification markers, and a further reduced p-AKT/AKT ratio (all P<0.05). Conclusion:Integrated bioinformatics and cellular validation demonstrate a correlation between TK1 expression and vascular calcification, suggesting a potential protective role for TK1 in this pathological process.

Objective To explore the role and mechanism of warm malate ringer's solution(MR)in resuscitation of the lethal triad caused by severe trauma.Methods A rat model of severe trauma was established in SPF-grade SD rats(half male and half female,weighing 200～220 g)using combined multiple injuries and hemorrhagic shock,and the rats were randomly divided into 8 groups(n=8):Sham group,only arterial and venous catheterization;Trauma(Tra)groups with different time points(10,30,60,90,120,180 min)and a Trauma group that were observed without any treatment for 180 min after model establishment.The changes of activated clotting time(ACT),reaction time(R),maximum amplitude(MA),and rate of blood clot formation(Angle)at different time points were detected by using thromboelastography,and tail bleeding,core body temperature and arterial blood gas parameters,were also observed and detected.The plasma von Willebrand Factor(vWF)level,mitochondrial respiratory control ratio in pulmonary venous endothelium,and expression levels of vascular endothelial cadherin(VE-Cadherin),peroxisome proliferator activating receptor gamma coactivator 1α(PGC1α),dynamin-related protein 1(Drp1),p-Drp1,and mitofusin 2(Mfn2)were detected to evaluate the vascular endothelial injury and mitochondrial dysfunction.Another group of SD rats were randomly divided into severe trauma group(no treatment for 180 min after injury),and MR solution at room temperature and at 37 ℃ groups.MR solution at room temperature or at 37 ℃ was given to the rats using a medical blood transfusion apparatus at 60 min post-trauma.Above indicators were observed and detected to investigate the resuscitation effect of the MR solution.Results Compared with the Sham group,the severely traumatic rats at 180 min after injury had significantly prolonged ACT and R values(P＜0.05),shortened MA and decreased Angle values(P＜0.05),extended tail bleeding time(P＜0.05),lower partial pressure of carbon dioxide(PCO2)and HCO3-and base excess(BE)levels(P＜0.05),and continuously increasing K+(P＜0.05)and decreasing Na+(P＜0.05)and Ca2+levels(P＜0.05).Additionally,plasma vWF level(P＜0.05)and protein levels of VE-cadherin,PGC1α and Mfn2 in pulmonary vein endothelium were significantly reduced(P＜0.05),the expression of p-Drp1 was enhanced and the mitochondrial respiration control rate was declined in the rats at 180 min after injury(P＜0.05).MR solution resuscitation shortened tail bleeding time(P＜0.05),increased core body temperature(P＜0.05),elevated plasma vWF level(P＜0.05),increased protein levels of VE-cadherin,PGC1α and Mfn2(P＜0.05),and decreased that of p-Drp1 protein expression(P＜0.05)when compared with the rats at 180 min after severe traumatic injury.The above effects were more significant in the rats infused with the solution at 37 ℃ than those at room temperature.Conclusion Warm MR solution significantly improves the lethal triad in rats after severe trauma,which may be associated with its improving mitochondrial function and attenuating vascular endothelial damage.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a life-threatening gastrointestinal disorder for which no effective pharmacological treatments are currently available. One of the pharmacological targets that merits further research is the neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1R), which is found on pancreatic acinar cells and responds to the neuropeptide substance P (SP) that participates in AP. Although a few studies have stated the involvement of SP/NK1R in neurogenic inflammation in AP development, the regulatory mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we found that following activation of NK1R by SP, β-arrestin1, a scaffold protein of NK1R, down-regulated transcription of Adss, Adsl, and Ampd in the purine nucleotide cycle, thereby inhibiting mitochondrial function through fumarate depletion. Interestingly, we identified magnolol as a new and natural NK1R inhibitor with a non-nitrogenous biphenyl core structure. It exhibited a beneficial effect on AP by restoring purine nucleotide cycle metabolic enzymes and fumarate levels. Our study not only provides new therapeutic strategies, leading compounds, and drug translation possibilities for AP, but also provides important clues for the study of downstream mechanisms driven by SP in other diseases.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is linked to an increased prevalence of myocardial infarction (MI). However, research dedicated to elucidating the pathogenesis of AS-MI is lacking. In this study, we explored the biomarkers for enhancing the diagnostic and therapeutic efficiency of AS-MI. Datasets were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. We employed weighted gene co-expression network analysis and machine learning models to screen hub genes. A receiver operating characteristic curve and a nomogram were designed to assess diagnostic accuracy. Gene set enrichment analysis was conducted to reveal the potential function of hub genes. Immune infiltration analysis indicated the correlation between hub genes and the immune landscape. Subsequently, we performed single-cell analysis to identify the expression and subcellular localization of hub genes. We further constructed a transcription factor (TF)-microRNA (miRNA) regulatory network. Finally, drug prediction and molecular docking were performed. S100A12 and MCEMP1 were identified as hub genes, which were correlated with immune-related biological processes. They exhibited high diagnostic value and were predominantly expressed in myeloid cells. Furthermore, 24 TFs and 9 miRNA were associated with these hub genes. Enzastaurin, meglitinide, and nifedipine were predicted as potential therapeutic agents. Our study indicates that S100A12 and MCEMP1 exhibit significant potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for AS-MI, offering novel insights into the underlying etiology of this condition.
Humans ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing/complications* ; Systems Biology/methods* ; Myocardial Infarction/diagnosis* ; Biomarkers/metabolism* ; MicroRNAs/genetics* ; Gene Regulatory Networks ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Machine Learning

Objective::This study aimed to investigate the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of using a miniature mobile integrated cabin-theatre equipped with angiography and surgical operating room capabilities, and to explore its therapeutic scope, effectiveness, and operational mode.Methods::A miniature mobile integrated operating cabin-theatre was deployed across 15 hospitals in 15 cities or counties in China from April 2012 to November 2024. The interventions and outcomes of interventional and minimally invasive surgical procedures were prospectively observed and evaluated; perioperative complications were documented, and the stability, adaptability, and mobility of the integrated system were assessed.Results::A total of 133 procedures were successfully performed, 130 of which were interventional and 3 minimally invasive. The angiography machine showed good imaging performance without any equipment failures, loosening, or damage, with normal chamber unfolding. One patient experienced a fever the day after laparoscopy, while none of the other patients exhibited perioperative complications such as infection, surgical site bleeding/hematoma, or reperfusion arrhythmia. The instrument was easily manipulated, aligning with the needs of clinical intervention and surgery, and was perceived by patients as being a comfortable environment, with no psychological or other obvious discomfort.Conclusions::The miniature mobile integrated cabin-theatre, comprising an angiography machine and an operating room, allows interventional or minimally invasive surgical procedures to be performed smoothly and safely. It can also provide rapid and efficient on-site treatment of acute and critical illnesses across multiple body systems, including the cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and gastrointestinal systems.