Aggravation of Cancer,Heart Diseases and Diabetes Subsequent to COVID-19 Lockdown via Mathematical Modeling

The global populationhas beenandwill continue to be severely impacted by theCOVID-19 epidemic.The primary objective of this research is to demonstrate the future impact of COVID-19 on those who suffer from other fatal conditions such as cancer,heart disease,and diabetes.Here,using ordinary differential equations(ODEs),two mathematical models are developed to explain the association between COVID-19 and cancer and between COVID-19 and diabetes and heart disease.After that,we highlight the stability assessments that can be applied to these models.Sensitivity analysis is used to examine how changes in certain factors impact different aspects of disease.The sensitivity analysis showed that many people are still nervous about seeing a doctor due to COVID-19,which could result in a dramatic increase in the diagnosis of various ailments in the years to come.The correlation between diabetes and cardiovascular illness is also illustrated graphically.The effects of smoking and obesity are also found to be significant in disease compartments.Model fitting is also provided for interpreting the relationship between real data and the results of thiswork.Diabetic people,in particular,need tomonitor their health conditions closely and practice heart health maintenance.People with heart diseases should undergo regular checks so that they can protect themselves from diabetes and take some precautions including suitable diets.The main purpose of this study is to emphasize the importance of regular checks,to warn people about the effects of COVID-19(including avoiding healthcare centers and doctors because of the spread of infectious diseases)and to indicate the importance of family history of cancer,heart diseases and diabetes.The provision of the recommendations requires an increase in public consciousness.

Femoral Access with Ultrasound-Guided Puncture and Z-Stitch Hemostasis for Adults with Congenital Heart Diseases Undergoing Electrophysiological Procedures

Aims:Although the application of ultrasound-guided vascular puncture and Z-stitch hemostasis to manage femoral access has been widely utilized,there is limited data on this combined application in adult congenital heart disease(ACHD)patients undergoing electrophysiological(EP)procedures.We sought to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ultrasound-guided puncture and postprocedural Z-stitch hemostasis for ACHD patients under-going EP procedures.Methods and Results:The population of ACHD patients undergoing transfemoral EP pro-cedures at the University of Zurich Heart Center between January 2019 and December 2022 was observed and analyzed.During the study period,femoral access(left/right,arterial/venous)was performed under real-time ultrasound guidance.At the end of the procedure,a single Z-stitch was performed at the puncture site.We eval-uated the incidence of in-hospital complications associated with femoral access puncture in this population.Among 101 patients who had a total of 147 previous ipsilateral vascular punctures(mean 1.5 per person),100 patients underwent successful femoral vascular access for EP procedures.The median age of the patients was 47±15 years and 34(34%)were male.Z-stitches were performed after the procedure in 100 patients with 303 femoral vascular accesses(mean 3 punctures per person).No patient developed vascular puncture relevant inguinal hematoma,pseudo aneurysm,arteriovenousfistula,venous or arterial thrombosis.Conclusion:In ACHD patients undergoing EP procedures,optimal femoral access management can be achieved with ultra-sound-guided puncture and postprocedural Z-stitch hemostasis.

DNA Methylation Variation Is Identified in Monozygotic Twins Discordant for Congenital Heart Diseases

Aims:Multiple genes and environmental factors are known to be involved in congenital heart disease(CHD),but epigenetic variation has received little attention.Monozygotic(MZ)twins with CHD provide a unique model for exploring this phenomenon.In order to investigate the potential role of Deoxyribonucleic Acid(DNA)methyla-tion in CHD pathogenesis,the present study examined DNA methylation variation in MZ twins discordant for CHD,especially ventricular septal defect(VSD).Methods and Results:Using genome-wide DNA methylation profiles,we identified 4004 differentially methylated regions(DMRs)in 18 MZ twin pairs discordant for CHD,and 2826 genes were identified.Gene Ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)analysis revealed a list of CHD-associated pathways.To further investigate the role of DNA methylation in VSD,data from 7 pairs of MZ twins with VSD were analyzed.We identified 1614 DMRs corresponding to 1443 genes associated with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy,cyclic guanosine monopho-sphate-protein kinase G(cGMP-PKG)signaling pathway by KEGG analysis,and cell-cell adhesion,calcium ion transmembrane transport by GO analysis.A proportion of DMR-associated genes were involved in calcium signaling pathways.The methylation changes of calcium signaling genes might be related to VSD pathogenesis.Conclusion:CHD is associated with differential DNA methylation in MZ twins.CHD may be etiologically linked to DNA methylation,and methylation of calcium signaling genes may be involved in the development of VSD.

Exploring kidney biopsy findings in congenital heart diseases:Insights beyond cyanotic nephropathy

BACKGROUND The association between congenital heart disease and chronic kidney disease is well known.Various mechanisms of kidney damage associated with congenital heart disease have been established.The etiology of kidneydisease has commonly been considered to be secondary to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis(FSGS),however,this has only been demonstrated in case reports and not in observational or clinical trials.AIM To identify baseline and clinical characteristics,as well as the findings in kidney biopsies of patients with congenital heart disease in our hospital.METHODS This is a retrospective observational study conducted at the Nephrology Depart-ment of the National Institute of Cardiology“Ignacio Chávez”.All patients over 16 years old who underwent percutaneous kidney biopsy from January 2000 to January 2023 with congenital heart disease were included in the study.RESULTS Ten patients with congenital heart disease and kidney biopsy were found.The average age was 29.00 years±15.87 years with pre-biopsy proteinuria of 6193 mg/24 h±6165 mg/24 h.The most common congenital heart disease was Fallot’s tetralogy with 2 cases(20%)and ventricular septal defect with 2(20%)cases.Among the 10 cases,one case of IgA nephropathy and one case of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis associated with immune complexes were found,receiving specific treatment after histopathological diagnosis,delaying the initiation of kidney replacement therapy.Among remaining 8 cases(80%),one case of FSGS with perihilar variety was found,while the other 7 cases were non-specific FSGS.CONCLUSION Determining the cause of chronic kidney disease can help in delaying the need for kidney replacement therapy.In 2 out of 10 patients in our study,interventions were performed,and initiation of kidney replacement therapy was delayed.Prospective studies are needed to determine the usefulness of kidney biopsy in patients with congenital heart disease.

Three-dimensional printing for heart diseases: clinical application review

Heart diseases remain the top threat to human health,and the treatment of heart diseases changes with each passing day.Convincing evidence shows that three-dimensional(3D)printing allows for a more precise understanding of the complex anatomy associated with various heart diseases.In addition,3D-printed models of cardiac diseases may serve as effective educational tools and for hands-on simulation of surgical interventions.We introduce examples of the clinical applications of different types of 3D printing based on specific cases and clinical application scenarios of 3D printing in treating heart diseases.We also discuss the limitations and clinically unmet needs of 3D printing in this context.

Artificial Intelligence in Medicine:Real Time Electronic Stethoscope for Heart Diseases Detection

Diseases of the cardiovascular system are one of the major causes of death worldwide.These diseases could be quickly detected by changes in the sound created by the action of the heart.This dynamic auscultations need extensive professional knowledge and emphasis on listening skills.There is also an unmet requirement for a compact cardiac condition early warning device.In this paper,we propose a prototype of a digital stethoscopic system for the diagnosis of cardiac abnormalities in real time using machine learning methods.This system consists of three subsystems that interact with each other(1)a portable digital subsystem of an electronic stethoscope,(2)a decision-making subsystem,and(3)a subsystemfor displaying and visualizing the results in an understandable form.The electronic stethoscope captures the patient’s phonocardiographic sounds,filters and digitizes them,and then sends the resulting phonocardiographic sounds to the decision-making system.The decision-making systemclassifies sounds into normal and abnormal using machine learning techniques,and as a result identifies abnormal heart sounds.The display and visualization subsystem demonstrates the results obtained in an understandable way not only for medical staff,but also for patients and recommends further actions to patients.As a result of the study,we obtained an electronic stethoscope that can diagnose cardiac abnormalities with an accuracy of more than 90%.More accurately,the proposed stethoscope can identify normal heart sounds with 93.5%accuracy,abnormal heart sounds with 93.25%accuracy.Moreover,speed is the key benefit of the proposed stethoscope as 15 s is adequate for examination.

Effect of Trimetazidine on Diabetic Patients with Coronary Heart Diseases: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized, Controlled Trials

Objective To explore the therapeutic effects of trimetazidine(TMZ)on diabetic patients with coronary heart diseases.Methods We conducted a comprehensive electronic search of PubMed,EMBASE,and Cochrane databases between the inception dates of databases and May 2019(last search conducted on 30 May 2019)to identify randomized controlled trials.The evaluation method recommended by Cochrane Collaboration for bias risk assessment was employed for quality assessment.Random or fixed models were used to investigate pooled mean differences in left ventricular function,serum glucose metabolism,serum lipid profile,myocardial ischemia episodes and exercise tolerance with effect size indicated by the 95%confidence interval(CI).Results Additional TMZ treatment contributed to considerable improvement of left ventricular ejection fraction(WMD=4.39,95%CI:3.83,4.95,P<0.00001),left ventricular end diastolic diameter(WMD=-3.17,95%CI:-4.90,-1.44,P=0.0003)and left ventricular end systolic diameter(WMD=-4.69,95%CI:-8.66,-0.72,P=0.02).TMZ administration also significantly decreased fasting blood glucose(SMD=-0.43,95%CI:-0.70,-0.17,P=0.001),glycosylated hemoglobin level(WMD=-0.59,95%CI:-0.95,-0.24,P=0.001),serum level of total cholesterol(WMD=-20.36,95%CI:-39.80,-0.92,P=0.04),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(WMD=-20.12,95%CI:-32.95,-7.30,P=0.002)and incidence of myocardial ischemia episodes(SMD=-0.84,95%CI:-1.50,-0.18,P=0.01).However,there were no significant differences in serum triglyceride level,high-density lipoprotein cholesterol,exercise tolerance between the TMZ group and the control group.Conclusion TMZ treatment in diabetic patients with coronary heart disease is effective to improve cardiac function,serum glucose and lipid metabolism and clinical symptoms.

Noninherited Factors in Fetal Congenital Heart Diseases Based on Bayesian Network:A Large Multicenter Study

Background:Current studies have confirmed that fetal congenital heart diseases(CHDs)are caused by various factors.However,the quantitative risk of CHD is not clear given the combined effects of multiple factors.Objective:This cross-sectional study aimed to detect associated factors of fetal CHD using a Bayesian network in a large sample and quantitatively analyze relative risk ratios(RRs).Methods:Pregnant women who underwent fetal echocardiography(N=16,086 including 3,312 with CHD fetuses)were analyzed.Twenty-six maternal and fetal factors were obtained.A Bayesian network is constructed based on all variables through structural learning and parameter learning methods to find the environmental factors that directly and indirectly associated with outcome,and the probability of fetal CHD in the two groups is predicted through a junction tree reasoning algorithm,so as to obtain RR for fetal CHD under different exposure factor combinations.Taking into account the effect of gestational week on the accuracy of model prediction,we conducted sensitivity analysis on gestational week groups.Results:The single-factor analysis showed that the RRs for the numbers of births,spontaneous abortions,and parental smoking were 1.50,1.38,and 1.11(P<0.001),respectively.The risk gradually increased with the synergistic effect of ranging from one to more environmental factors above.The risk was higher among subjects with five synergistic factors,including the number of births,upper respiratory tract infection during early pregnancy,anemia,and mental stress as well as a history of spontaneous abortions or parental smoking,than in those with less than 5 factors(RR=2.62 or 2.28,P<0.001).This result was consistent across the participants grouped by GWs.Conclusion:We identified six factors that were directly associated with fetal CHD.A higher number of these factors led to a higher risk of CHD.These findings suggest that it is important to strengthen healthcare and prenatal counseling for women with these factors.

Differences in the predictive value of red cell distribution width for the mortality of patients with heart failure due to various heart diseases

Background Increased red blood cell distribution width （RDW） is associated with adverse outcomes in patients with heart failure （HF）. The objective of this study was to compare the differences in the predictive value of RDW in patients with HF due to different causes. Methods We retrospectively investigated 1,021 HF patients from October 2009 to December 2011 at Fuwai Hospital （Beijing, China）. HF in these patients was caused by three diseases; coronary heart disease （CHD）, dilated cardiomyopathy （DCM） and valvular heart disease （VHD）. Patients were followed-up for 21 ~ 9 months. Results The RDW, mortality and survival duration were significantly different among the three groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the cumulative survival decreased significantly with increased RDW in patients with HF caused by CHD and DCM, but not in those with HF patients caused by VHD. In a multivariable model, RDW was identified as an independent predictor for the mortality of HF patients with CHD （P 〈 0.001, HR 1.315, 95% CI 1.122-1.543）. The group with higher N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide （NT-proBNP） and higher RDW than median had the lowest cumulative survival in patients with HF due to CHD, but not in patients with HF due to DCM. Conclusions RDW is a prognostic indicator for patients with HF caused by CHD and DCM; thus, RDW adds important information to NT-proBNP in CHD caused HF patients.

Risk factors for intracerebral hemorrhage and coronary heart diseases over a 3-year period in patients admitted to some hospitals of Tongliao city of Nei Monggol Autonomous Region Retrospective analysis on case data

BACKGROUND： Intracerebral hemorrhage（ICH） and coronary heart disease （CHD） have the same pathological base, atherosclerosis, and the similar risk factors,such as smoking ,drinking, hypertension, hyperlipemia, diabetes mellitus, etc; but the distributions of two diseases are very different in the populations. This may be related to the exposure of risk factors and different effects of risk factors on two diseases. OBJECTIVE： To analyze the distribution difference of risk factors for ICH and CHD in the populations of Tongliao city of Nei Monggol Autonomous Region. DESIGN： Retrospective analysis. SETTING： School of Radiation Medicine and Public Health, Soochow University; Tongliao Hospital, Nei Monggol Autonomous Region. PARTICIPANTS： Random sampling was used to select 6 hospitals from 10 hospitals affiliated to Tongliao City of Nei Monggol Autonomous Region. Totally 1 672 medical records of patients with ICH and 2 195 medical records of patients with CHD admitted to Department of Neurology and Department of Cardiovascular Internal Medicine of above-mentioned 6 hospitals between January 2003 and December 2005 were collected according to the investigation need. METHODS： The subjects, whose medical records were involved, were performed retrospective analysis with pre-prepared questionnaire ＂Stroke and Coronary Heart Disease Epidemiologic Questionnaire＂. The main contents included： ①Social demography condition： The distributions of gender, age, nationality, etc. ②Previous history of disease： hypertension, diabetes mellitus, etc. ③Related risk factors： systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, smoking, drinking and glucose （GLU）. The database of Epidata was transformed to SPSS database. Single-and multiple-factor non-conditional Logistic regression analysis were performed on the data, and OR value and 95% CI were calculated. The distribution differences of risk factors for two diseases were compared. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Single- and multi-factor non-conditional Logistic regression analysis results of each factor of patients. RESULTS： Single-factor non-conditional Logistic regression analysis showed that statistical significance existed in gender, age, nationality, smoking, drinking, history of hypertension, history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, triglyceride （TG）, and GLU ten factors（OR =0.199, OR 95% CI 0.142-0.280 to OR =7.484, OR 95% CI 6.186-9.054, P 〈 0.01）. ②The results of multiple-factor non-conditional Logistic regression analysis showed 8 factors including age, gender, smoking, hypertension, history of hypertension, history of diabetes mellitus, GLU and TG（OR =0.203, OR 95% CI 0.114-0.361 to OR =8.262,OR 95% CI 5.466- 12.491, P 〈 0.01）. CONCLUSION： ICH and CHD are the diseases induced by various risk factors. Significant difference exists in gender, age, smoking, hypertension, history of hypertension, GLU, history of diabetes mellitus and TG.

Is Any Correlation between Platelet Indices with Extent of Coronary Artery Involvement in Ischemic Heart Diseases?

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is the most common cause of death around the world. Nowadays Platelet counts (PC) and volumetric platelet indices are available routinely in most laboratories and reflect the level of mobility and production of platelets. It seems that the excessive flexibility and size of the platelets and their local activation have correlation with extent of ischemic heart disease. So our objective is the study of platelet indices in ischemic heart disease. This non-randomized prospective study was performed on 245 patients with ischemic heart disease, who underwent the coronary angiography. The patients were divided into four groups: stable angina, unstable angina, acute myocardial infarction and control group;and then platelet indices, including the platelet counts (PC), the average platelet volume (MPV), the Platelet Distribution Width (PDW) and plateletcrit (PCT) in each group with the extent of coronary disease were compared based on an Syntax Score system and observational methods. The average ages of the patients were 57 years and 65% of them were male and the rest were female. A significant difference is exists between indices in all three groups compared to the control that this difference was related to gender and the type of the coronary artery involvement. However, only in infarction group, PDW in different disease intensities was significantly different. In this study, unlike many of the previous studies no relationship was found between the MPV with the extent of coronary disease.

The changes of Hs-CRP and WBC count after percutaneous coronary intervention in different types of coronary heart diseases

Objective： To investigate the regulation of High sensitive C-reactive protein（Hs-CRP） and WBC count in patients with coronary heart disease（CHD） by percutaneous transluminal intervention（PCI） and to discuss the mechanism of inflammatory reaction after coronary stenting. Methods：127 patients who received successful percutaneous transluminal coronary stenting, were divided into groups of stable angina（SAP）, unstable angina（UAP）, and acute myocardial infarction（AMI） according to their clinical types. Another 41 stable angina patients with more than 70% of coronary artery tenosis who did not receive PCI served as control. Serum Hs-CRP levels and WBC count were determined before intervention, 3 days and 7 days post PCI and the data were analyzed statistically by t-test. Results： There showed no difference in clinical baseline characteristics between groups. The serum Hs-CRP level and WBC count was gradually raised in the UAP and AMI group（how about SAP group, andhad no difference in CAG group and SAP group）. After PCI serum HsCRP levels and WBC counts were significantly higher in the SAP group than in the coronary angiography group（CAG） at 3 days and had no difference at 7 days. In the UAP and AMI group, the serum Hs-CRP level at 3 days and 7 days declined obviously, however serum WBC count did not decrease apparently. Conclusion： The serum Hs-CRP level and WBC count elevate transiently after PCI. There are different inflammatory reactions in different types of coronary heart diseases after coronary stenting procedure.

Specific Injuries Management in the Postoperative of Congenital Heart Diseases(Ⅱ):Univentricular Hearts

It is very important to understand that the univentricular heart surgery is just palliative, not being in anyway a definitive or curative surgery, but nowadays it’s the best initial treatment of this complex heart disease. The fundamental philosophy of treatment of every univentricular heart is to ensure the flow system and/or restrict the lung flow. Thus, initially a patient with univentricular heart who is undergoing surgery may need to ensure systemic flow (reconstruction of the aortic?arch type Norwood), to restrict the lung flow (pulmonary banding) or to provide enough?pulmonary flow (pulmonary-systemic fistulae). However, some heart diseases with univentricular physiology remain “balanced” autonomously, until the “second” stage of palliation is performed (cavo-pulmonary anastomosis type Glenn), but others require performance of pulmonary banding, if there’s no native lung protection and/or repair of the systemic circuit in a first stage, to reach next palliation steps in the best possible conditions.

Heart-Net: AMulti-Modal Deep Learning Approach for Diagnosing Cardiovascular Diseases

Heart disease remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide,highlighting the need for improved diagnostic methods.Traditional diagnostics face limitations such as reliance on single-modality data and vulnerability to apparatus faults,which can reduce accuracy,especially with poor-quality images.Additionally,these methods often require significant time and expertise,making them less accessible in resource-limited settings.Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning offer promising solutions by integrating multi-modality data and enhancing diagnostic precision,ultimately improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs.This study introduces Heart-Net,a multi-modal deep learning framework designed to enhance heart disease diagnosis by integrating data from Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging(MRI)and Electrocardiogram(ECG).Heart-Net uses a 3D U-Net for MRI analysis and a Temporal Convolutional Graph Neural Network(TCGN)for ECG feature extraction,combining these through an attention mechanism to emphasize relevant features.Classification is performed using Optimized TCGN.This approach improves early detection,reduces diagnostic errors,and supports personalized risk assessments and continuous health monitoring.The proposed approach results show that Heart-Net significantly outperforms traditional single-modality models,achieving accuracies of 92.56%forHeartnetDataset Ⅰ(HNET-DSⅠ),93.45%forHeartnetDataset Ⅱ(HNET-DSⅡ),and 91.89%for Heartnet Dataset Ⅲ(HNET-DSⅢ),mitigating the impact of apparatus faults and image quality issues.These findings underscore the potential of Heart-Net to revolutionize heart disease diagnostics and improve clinical outcomes.

Identification of a novel MYO1D variant associated with laterality defects,congenital heart diseases,and sperm defects in humans

The establishment of left–right asymmetry is a fundamental process in animal development.Interference with this process leads to a range of disorders collectively known as laterality defects,which manifest as abnormal arrangements of visceral organs.Among patients with laterality defects,congenital heart diseases(CHD)are prevalent.Through multiple model organisms,extant research has established that myosin-Id(MYO1D)deficiency causes laterality defects.This study investigated over a hundred cases and identified a novel biallelic variant of MYO1D(NM_015194:c.1531G>A;p.D511N)in a consanguineous family with complex CHD and laterality defects.Further examination of the proband revealed asthenoteratozoospermia and shortened sperm.Afterward,the effects of the D511N variant and another known MYO1D variant(NM_015194:c.2293C>T;p.P765S)were assessed.The assessment showed that both enhance the interaction withβ-actin and SPAG6.Overall,this study revealed the genetic heterogeneity of this rare disease and found that MYO1D variants are correlated with laterality defects and CHD in humans.Furthermore,this research established a connection between sperm defects and MYO1D variants.It offers guidance for exploring infertility and reproductive health concerns.The findings provide a critical basis for advancing personalized medicine and genetic counseling.

Application of Structured Health Education and Combined 5A Nursing Model in Self-control of Vulnerable Chronic Diseases: Take Coronary Heart Disease as an Example

Objective:To explore the intervention effect of the Structured Health Education course and 5A nursing model for self-control of elderly patients with coronary heart disease.Methods:Using the random sampling method,124 elderly CAD patients admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University were randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group.The control group line routine health education,experimental group take structured health education combined with 5A nursing before and after the intervention using a coronary heart disease assessment questionnaire,coronary heart disease self-control scale evaluation of two groups of intervention,compare two groups before and after intervention blood pressure,blood sugar,body mass index,lipid index level and complications within 8 months after discharge.Results:After the course intervention,the disease cognition and self-behavior of the experimental group were higher than that of the control group,and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.1).Conclusion:This course is suitable for elderly patients with coronary heart disease.The 5A model improves the cognitive and management ability of elderly patients to a certain extent,which is worthy of clinical application.

A novel and feasible way to cultivate and purify endothelial progenitor cells from bone marrow of children with congenital heart diseases

Background Endothelial progenitor cells （EPCs） are used in vascular tissue engineering and clinic therapy. Some investigators get EPCs from the peripheral blood for clinic treatment, but the number of EPCs is seldom enough. We have developed the cultivation and purification of EPCs from the bone marrow of children with congenital heart disease, to provide enough seed cells for a small calibre vascular tissue engineering study. Methods The 0.5-ml of bone marrow was separated from the sternum bone, and 5-ml of peripheral blood was collected from children with congenital heart diseases who had undergone open thoracic surgery. CD34＋ and CD34＋NEGFR＋ cells in the bone marrow and peripheral blood were quantified by flow cytometry. CD34＋/VEGFR＋ cells were defined as EPCs. Mononuclear cells in the bone marrow were isolated by Ficoll density gradient centrifugation and cultured by the EndoCult Liquid Medium KitTM. Colony forming endothelial cells was detected. Immunohistochemistry staining for Dil-ac-LDL and FITC-UEA-1 confirmed the endothelial lineage of these cells. Results CD34＋ and CD34＋NEGFR＋ cells in peripheral blood were （0.07±0.05）% and （0.05±0.02）%, respectively. The number of CD34＋ and CD34＋/VEGFR＋ cells in bone marrow were significantly higher than in blood, （4.41±1.47）% and （0.98±0.65）%, respectively （P 〈0.0001）. Many colony forming units formed in the culture. These cells also expressed high levels of Dil-ac-LDL and FITC-UEA-I. Conclusion This is a novel and feasible approach that can cultivate and purify EPCs from the bone marrow of children with congenital heart disease, and provide seed cells for small calibre vascular tissue engineering.

Trends in the prevalence of heart diseases over a ten-year period from single-center observations based on a large echocardiographic database

There is a paucity of data regarding trends in the incidence of heart disease in China during recent years. Using a large echocardiography database in our center, we analyzed trends in the prevalence of several common heart diseases from Dec. 2003. This study retrospectively analyzed the echocardiographic database in our Department from 2003 to 2012. A total of 385 682 cases were included in the study. The prevalence of rheumatic heart disease decreased over the 10-year period, from 4.04% in 2003 to 3.06% in 2012 （P〈0.01）. Infective endocarditis also decreased, from a mean prevalence of 0.37% in July 2003 to 0.27% in Dec. 2008 （P〈0.001）. The prevalence of hy- pertrophic cardiomyopathy, which includes 20% apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and 20% hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, was about 1.8%. The prevalence of the three most common adult congenital heart diseases （CHDs） decreased by about 10% from July 2003 to Dec. 2008 （all P〈0.001）. The prevalence of moderate pulmonary arterial hypertension （PAH） or left ventricular systolic dysfunction （LVSD） decreased during the 10-year period （P〈0.001）, but there was no change in the prevalence of severe PAH or LVSD （P〉0.05）. The present study indirectly demonstrates that the prevalence of several common heart diseases in China has declined in recent years.

Pulse Signal Analysis of Patients with Coronary Heart Diseases Using Hilbert-Huang Transformation and Time-Domain Method

Objective： To explore characteristic of pulse signal to distinguish patients with coronary heart diseases （CHD） from patients without CHD and healthy adults, and accordingly evaluate the potential role of pulse signal to diagnosis CHD. Methods： Totally 407 patients enrolled from 4 collaborating medical centers were assigned to a CHD group （205 patients） and a non-CHD group （202 patients）. The healthy control group （62 adults） enrolled from Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Pulse signals were collected using the synchronous multiplex pulse signal acquisition system. The pulse signals were analyzed and extracted using Hilbert-Huang transformation （HHT） and time-domain, respectively. The time-domain parameters of pulse signal were processed by the analysis of variance （SNK test）. Results： Special patterns in the CHD group pulse signal were found in this study： （1） time-domain parameters of pulse signal, h1 , h3, h4, h3/h1, t, t5/t4 were increased and w was wider; （2） 44% of C2 waves in HHT were chaotic and disordered and 72% of C3 waves were exhibited irregularly with average amplitude over 10 g-forces, which were all significantly different from controls. Conclusion： Characteristic wave and time-domain parameters of pulse signal were extracted using HHT and time-domain which could be served as a non-invasive approach for assessing patients with CHD.

Incidence of congenital heart diseases in Chinese children with non-syndromic congenital blepharoptosis:a prospective observational study of 1053 patients

Background Congenital blepharoptosis(CBP)may be part of a large spectrum of birth defects presenting with other ocular or systemic conditions.Therefore,the aim of the study was to investigate the incidence of congenital heart diseases(CHD)in CBP children not associated with specific syndromes.Methods A total of 1053 Chinese children diagnosed with non-syndromic CBP were consecutively enrolled and their cardiac structure was evaluated by echocardiography.Results Forty children were identified with CHD.Twenty-four children had one type of structural malformation(simple CHD).Sixteen children had two or more types of structural malformation(complex CHD).CHD and complex CHD were more prevalent in patients with severe or bilateral ptosis.Multivariate analysis revealed that presence of severe ptosis and bilateral ptosis was independently associated with CHD occurrence.Conclusions We found an increased frequency of CHD in CBP children,suggesting a clinical need for routine echocardiography evaluation in CBP,especially in children with severe or bilateral ptosis.