Valvuloplasty of fetal pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum and hypoplastic right heart: Mid-term follow-up results

Objective:This study aimed to analyze and evaluate the results of mid-term follow-up after fetal pulmonary valvuloplasty(FPV)in fetuses with pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum(PA/IVS).Methods:From August 31,2018,to May 31,2019,seven fetuses with PA/IVS and hypoplastic right heart were included in this study.All underwent echocardiography by the same specialist and were operated on by the same team.Intervention and echocardiography data were collected,and changes in the associated indices noted during follow-up were analyzed.Results:All seven fetuses successfully underwent FPV.The median gestational age at FPV was 27.54 weeks.The average FPV procedural time was 6 min.Persistent bradycardia requiring treatment occurred in 4/7 procedures.Finally,five pregnancies were successfully delivered,and the other two were aborted.Compared to data before fetal cardiac interventions(FCI),tricuspid valve annulus diameter/mitral valve annulus diameter(TV/MV)and right ventricle diameter/left ventricle diameter(RV/LV)of all fetuses had progressively improved.The maximum tricuspid regurgitation velocity decreased from 4.60 m/s to 3.64 m/s.The average follow-up time was 30.40±2.05 months.During the follow-up period,the diameter of the tricuspid valve ring in five children continued to improve,and the development rate of the tricuspid valve was relatively obvious from 6 months to 1 year after birth.However,the development of the right ventricle after birth was relatively slow.It was discovered that there were individual variations in the development of the right ventricle during follow-up.Conclusion:The findings support the potential for the development of the right ventricle and tricuspid valve in fetuses with PA/IVS who underwent FCI.Development of the right ventricle and tricuspid valve does not occur synchronously during pregnancy.The right ventricle develops rapidly in utero,but the development of tricuspid valve is more apparent after birth than in utero.

Screening for lipophilic marine toxins and their potential producers in coastal waters of Weihai in autumn,2020

Lipophilic marine toxins(LMTs)produced by some microalgae in the sea could accumulate in shellfish and pose potential threats to the health of seafood consumers.Phytoplankton and shellfish samples were collected from coastal waters of Weihai in Shandong Peninsula,China in autumn,2020,and screened for lipophilic marine toxins and their potential producers using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS)analysis and high throughput sequencing of partial DNA(V4 region of the 18S rRNA gene)extracted from phytoplankton.Pectenotoxin-2(PTX2),trace amounts of azaspiracid(AZA1 or AZA40),and 13-desmethyl spirolide C(13-DesMe-C)were detected in phytoplankton samples,while PTX2 and gymnodimine(GYM)were detected in shellfish samples.The toxin content in shellfish samples was much lower than the regulatory limit or values reported previously.Results suggest that lipophilic marine toxins should have low risk in coastal waters of Weihai in autumn.Based on the data of high throughput sequencing,the OTUs were assigned to 5 identified species of Alexandrium,including A.ostenfeldii capable of producing 13-DesMe-C and GYM.Two OTUs were found closely related to the toxic species in genus Dinophysis,but it is impossible to assign them to any identified species due to the low resolving power of the V4 region for Dinophysis.The OTUs could not be assigned to any identified species in the genus Azadinium,suggesting the existence of unidentified species in this region.

Transcatheter Closure of Perimembranous Ventricular Septal Defect Using the Amplatzer Duct Occluder II

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of Amplatzer duct occluder II(ADO II)in the treatment of perimembranous ventricular septal defect(pmVSD)in children.Methods:Between June 2017 and June 2020,13 patients with pmVSD had attempted transcatheter closure using ADO II,seven of patients were used antegrade approach and six of them were used retrograde approach.Results:There were 8 males and 5 females,age from 1 to 7 years,weight from 10.5 to 31.0 kg,and VSD size from 2.0 to 4.0 mm.Procedure was successful in all cases with the outer diameter of the occluders ranging from 4 to 6 mm.No aortic,tricuspid regurgitation or residual shunt was found in the immediate ultrasound assessment.No arrhythmia was observed in the Holter monitoring 3 days after the intervention.Discharge echocardiography indicated complete shunt closure.No evidence of occluder prolapse,malignant arrhythmia,or intensed valve regurgitation was seen on a median follow-up of 18 months(range,6 to 36 months).Conclusions:Based on our experience,ADO II showed good efficacy in the early and middle stages of pediatric pmVSD closures.

A microRNA-21-responsive doxorubicin-releasing sticky-flare for synergistic anticancer with silencing of microRNA and chemotherapy

A sticky-flare gold nanoparticle probe(AuNP-probe)is designed by the combination of locked nucleic acid functionalized silencing of microRNA technology for intracellular microRNA-21(miRNA-21)sensitively detecting,fluorescence imaging,localizing and silencing.The limit of detection is as low as 0.01 n M.Overexpressed miRNA-21 in cancer cells serves as endogenous drug release stimuli to trigger the release of probe-loaded doxorubicin(Dox),which soon translocates into cell nuclei.This multifunctional Dox-loaded AuNP-probe(Dox-AuNP-probe)could induce cancer cell apoptosis effectively through the synergistic effect of gene silencing and chemotherapy.This Dox-AuNP-probe exhibits superior drug potency compared to free Dox molecules,with a cell inhibition rate of 57%(but only 20%for Dox)to wild-type cancer cells and 30%(but 0%for Dox)to drug-resistent cancer cells after 72 h,and this strategy not only has the function of sensing,but also can effectively bypass drug resistance.In MCF-7 xenograft tumor-bearing mice,the Dox-AuNP-probes show greater inhibition for tumor tissues than miRNA-21 targeted AuNP-probes(Targeting-AuNP-probe)or free Dox molecules.Therefore,the Dox-AuNP-probe represents a promising nanotheranostic platform for future applications in cancer molecular imaging and therapy,especially providing a potential strategy to treat resistant cancers.

Climate change in the Hongliujing area of Lop Nur over the past 200 years revealed by the stable oxygen isotopes of Tamarix cones

The layers of Tamarix cones within sedimentary deposits in arid regions have significant chronological and paleoenvironmental implications.Here,we compare the δ^(18)O values of Tamarix cones in the Hongliujing area of Lop Nur with meteorological data for the Ruoqiang meteorological station for 1960-2019 AD.Linear regression analysis was used to reconstruct the average temperature for April and the precipitation for November in the Hongliujing area over the past 200 years.The results showed that the δ^(18)O values were significantly negatively correlated with the temperature for February,April,May,August,December,and with the annual mean temperature;significantly negatively correlated with the precipitation for February and April;significantly negatively correlated with the sunshine hours for March and May;significantly positively correlated with the sunshine hours for February,July,August,October,and December,and with the annual mean values;and significantly correlated with the relative humidity for April,July,August,September,October,and November,and with the annual mean values.Based on the δ^(18)O record of the past 200 years,the Hongliujing area experienced two warm-wet periods(1874-1932 and 2004-2019 AD)and two cold-dry periods(1832–1873 and 1933-2003 AD).Thus,the climate was characterized by alternating warm-wet and cold-dry conditions.Wavelet analysis revealed three main cycles:45 years,29 years,and 14 years.