1
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Zaniboni M. The electrical restitution of the non-propagated cardiac ventricular action potential. Pflugers Arch 2024; 476:9-37. [PMID: 37783868 PMCID: PMC10758374 DOI: 10.1007/s00424-023-02866-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
Sudden changes in pacing cycle length are frequently associated with repolarization abnormalities initiating cardiac arrhythmias, and physiologists have long been interested in measuring the likelihood of these events before their manifestation. A marker of repolarization stability has been found in the electrical restitution (ER), the response of the ventricular action potential duration to a pre- or post-mature stimulation, graphically represented by the so-called ER curve. According to the restitution hypothesis (ERH), the slope of this curve provides a quantitative discrimination between stable repolarization and proneness to arrhythmias. ER has been studied at the body surface, whole organ, and tissue level, and ERH has soon become a key reference point in theoretical, clinical, and pharmacological studies concerning arrhythmia development, and, despite criticisms, it is still widely adopted. The ionic mechanism of ER and cellular applications of ERH are covered in the present review. The main criticism on ERH concerns its dependence from the way ER is measured. Over the years, in fact, several different experimental protocols have been established to measure ER, which are also described in this article. In reviewing the state-of-the art on cardiac cellular ER, I have introduced a notation specifying protocols and graphical representations, with the aim of unifying a sometime confusing nomenclature, and providing a physiological tool, better defined in its scope and limitations, to meet the growing expectations of clinical and pharmacological research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimiliano Zaniboni
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma (Italy), Parco Area Delle Scienze, 11/A, 43124, Parma, Italy.
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2
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Ogiermann D, Perotti LE, Balzani D. A simple and efficient adaptive time stepping technique for low-order operator splitting schemes applied to cardiac electrophysiology. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING 2023; 39:e3670. [PMID: 36510350 DOI: 10.1002/cnm.3670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
We present a simple, yet efficient adaptive time stepping scheme for cardiac electrophysiology (EP) simulations based on standard operator splitting techniques. The general idea is to exploit the relation between the splitting error and the reaction's magnitude-found in a previous one-dimensional analytical study by Spiteri and Ziaratgahi-to construct the new time step controller for three-dimensional problems. Accordingly, we propose to control the time step length of the operator splitting scheme as a function of the reaction magnitude, in addition to the common approach of adapting the reaction time step. This conforms with observations in numerical experiments supporting the need for a significantly smaller time step length during depolarization than during repolarization. The proposed scheme is compared with classical proportional-integral-differential controllers using state-of-the-art error estimators, which are also presented in details as they have not been previously applied in the context of cardiac EP with operator splitting techniques. Benchmarks show that choosing the time step as a sigmoidal function of the reaction magnitude is highly efficient and full cardiac cycles can be computed with precision even in a realistic biventricular setup. The proposed scheme outperforms common adaptive time stepping techniques, while depending on fewer tuning parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis Ogiermann
- Chair of Continuum Mechanics, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Luigi E Perotti
- Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Daniel Balzani
- Chair of Continuum Mechanics, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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3
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Dreyfuss AD, Velalopoulou A, Avgousti H, Bell BI, Verginadis II. Preclinical models of radiation-induced cardiac toxicity: Potential mechanisms and biomarkers. Front Oncol 2022; 12:920867. [PMID: 36313656 PMCID: PMC9596809 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.920867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Radiation therapy (RT) is an important modality in cancer treatment with >50% of cancer patients undergoing RT for curative or palliative intent. In patients with breast, lung, and esophageal cancer, as well as mediastinal malignancies, incidental RT dose to heart or vascular structures has been linked to the development of Radiation-Induced Heart Disease (RIHD) which manifests as ischemic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, cardiac dysfunction, and heart failure. Despite the remarkable progress in the delivery of radiotherapy treatment, off-target cardiac toxicities are unavoidable. One of the best-studied pathological consequences of incidental exposure of the heart to RT is collagen deposition and fibrosis, leading to the development of radiation-induced myocardial fibrosis (RIMF). However, the pathogenesis of RIMF is still largely unknown. Moreover, there are no available clinical approaches to reverse RIMF once it occurs and it continues to impair the quality of life of long-term cancer survivors. Hence, there is an increasing need for more clinically relevant preclinical models to elucidate the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in the development of RIMF. This review offers an insight into the existing preclinical models to study RIHD and the suggested mechanisms of RIMF, as well as available multi-modality treatments and outcomes. Moreover, we summarize the valuable detection methods of RIHD/RIMF, and the clinical use of sensitive radiographic and circulating biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Ioannis I. Verginadis
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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4
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Pooranachandran V, Nicolson W, Vali Z, Li X, Ng GA. Non-invasive markers for sudden cardiac death risk stratification in dilated cardiomyopathy. Heart 2021; 108:998-1004. [PMID: 34670824 DOI: 10.1136/heartjnl-2021-319971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a common yet challenging cardiac disease. Great strides have been made in improving DCM prognosis due to heart failure but sudden cardiac death (SCD) due to ventricular arrhythmias remains significant and challenging to predict. High-risk patients can be effectively managed with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) but because identification of what is high risk is very limited, many patients unnecessarily experience the morbidity associated with an ICD implant and many others are not identified and have preventable mortality. Current guidelines recommend use of left ventricular ejection fraction and New York Heart Association class as the main markers of risk stratification to identify patients who would be at higher risk of SCD. However, when analysing the data from the trials that these recommendations are based on, the number of patients in whom an ICD delivers appropriate therapy is modest. In order to improve the effectiveness of therapy with an ICD, the patients who are most likely to benefit need to be identified. This review article presents the evidence behind current guideline-directed SCD risk markers and then explores new potential imaging, electrophysiological and genetic risk markers for SCD in DCM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivetha Pooranachandran
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.,NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Leicester, UK
| | - Will Nicolson
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.,Department of Cardiology, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK
| | - Zakariyya Vali
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.,Department of Cardiology, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK
| | - Xin Li
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.,School of Engineering, University of Leicester College of Science and Engineering, Leicester, UK
| | - G Andre Ng
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK .,NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Leicester, UK.,Department of Cardiology, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK
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5
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Bi X, Zhang S, Jiang H, Wei Z. A Multi-Scale Computational Model for the Rat Ventricle: Construction, Parallelization, and Applications. COMPUTER METHODS AND PROGRAMS IN BIOMEDICINE 2021; 208:106289. [PMID: 34303152 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2021.106289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cardiovascular diseases are the top killer of human beings. The ventricular arrhythmia, as a type of malignant cardiac arrhythmias, typically leads to death if not treated within minutes. The multi-scale virtual heart provides an idealized tool for exploring the underlying mechanisms, by means of incorporating abundant experimental data at the level of ion channels and analyzing the subsequent pathological changes at organ levels. However, there are few studies on building a virtual heart model for rats-a species most widely used in experiments. OBJECTIVE To build a multi-scale computational model for rats, with detailed methodology for the model construction, computational optimization, and its applications. METHODS First, approaches for building multi-scale models ranging from cellular to 3-D organ levels are introduced, with detailed descriptions of handling the ventricular myocardium heterogeneity, geometry processing, and boundary conditions, etc. Next, for dealing with the expensive computational costs of 3-D models, optimization approaches including an optimized representation and a GPU-based parallelization method are introduced. Finally, methods for reproducing of some key phenomenon (e.g., electrocardiograph, spiral/scroll waves) are demonstrated. RESULTS Three types of heterogeneity, including the transmural heterogeneity, the interventricular heterogeneity, and the base-apex heterogeneity are incorporated into the model. The normal and reentrant excitation waves, as well as the corresponding pseudo-ECGs are reproduced by the constructed ventricle model. In addition, the temporal and spatial vulnerability to reentry arrhythmias are quantified based on the evaluation experiments of vulnerable window and the critical length. CONCLUSIONS The constructed multi-scale rat ventricle model is able to reproduce both the physiological and the pathological phenomenon in different scales. Evaluation experiments suggest that the apex is the most susceptible area to arrhythmias. The model can be a promising tool for the investigation of arrhythmogenesis and the screening of anti-arrhythmic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangpeng Bi
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
| | - Shugang Zhang
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China; High Performance Computing Center, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao 266237, China.
| | - Huasen Jiang
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
| | - Zhiqiang Wei
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China; High Performance Computing Center, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao 266237, China
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6
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Al-Owais MM, Steele DS, Holden AV, Benson AP. Deterministic and Stochastic Cellular Mechanisms Contributing to Carbon Monoxide Induced Ventricular Arrhythmias. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:651050. [PMID: 33995065 PMCID: PMC8113948 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.651050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic exposure to low levels of Carbon Monoxide is associated with an increased risk of cardiac arrhythmia. Microelectrode recordings from rat and guinea pig single isolated ventricular myocytes exposed to CO releasing molecule CORM-2 and excited at 0.2/s show repolarisation changes that develop over hundreds of seconds: action potential prolongation by delayed repolarisation, EADs, multiple EADs and oscillations around the plateau, leading to irreversible repolarisation failure. The measured direct effects of CO on currents in these cells, and ion channels expressed in mammalian systems showed an increase in prolonged late Na+, and a decrease in the maximal T- and L-type Ca++. peak and late Na+, ultra-rapid delayed, delayed rectifier, and the inward rectifier K+ currents. Incorporation of these CO induced changes in maximal currents in ventricular cell models; (Gattoni et al., J. Physiol., 2016, 594, 4193-4224) (rat) and (Luo and Rudy, Circ. Res., 1994, 74, 1071-1096) (guinea-pig) and human endo-, mid-myo- and epi-cardial (O'Hara et al., PLoS Comput. Biol., 2011, 7, e1002061) models, by changes in maximal ionic conductance reproduces these repolarisation abnormalities. Simulations of cell populations with Gaussian distributions of maximal conductance parameters predict a CO induced increase in APD and its variability. Incorporation of these predicted CO induced conductance changes in human ventricular cell electrophysiology into ventricular tissue and wall models give changes in indices for the probability of the initiation of re-entrant arrhythmia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moza M. Al-Owais
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
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7
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You T, Luo C, Zhang K, Zhang H. Electrophysiological Mechanisms Underlying T-Wave Alternans and Their Role in Arrhythmogenesis. Front Physiol 2021; 12:614946. [PMID: 33746768 PMCID: PMC7969788 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.614946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
T-wave alternans (TWA) reflects every-other-beat alterations in the morphology of the electrocardiogram ST segment or T wave in the setting of a constant heart rate, hence, in the absence of heart rate variability. It is believed to be associated with the dispersion of repolarization and has been used as a non-invasive marker for predicting the risk of malignant cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death as numerous studies have shown. This review aims to provide up-to-date review on both experimental and simulation studies in elucidating possible mechanisms underlying the genesis of TWA at the cellular level, as well as the genesis of spatially concordant/discordant alternans at the tissue level, and their transition to cardiac arrhythmia. Recent progress and future perspectives in antiarrhythmic therapies associated with TWA are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tingting You
- Key Lab of Medical Electrophysiology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Cunjin Luo
- School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom
| | - Kevin Zhang
- School of Medicine, Imperial College of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Henggui Zhang
- Key Lab of Medical Electrophysiology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.,Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
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8
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Whittaker DG, Clerx M, Lei CL, Christini DJ, Mirams GR. Calibration of ionic and cellular cardiac electrophysiology models. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. SYSTEMS BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 2020; 12:e1482. [PMID: 32084308 PMCID: PMC8614115 DOI: 10.1002/wsbm.1482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Cardiac electrophysiology models are among the most mature and well-studied mathematical models of biological systems. This maturity is bringing new challenges as models are being used increasingly to make quantitative rather than qualitative predictions. As such, calibrating the parameters within ion current and action potential (AP) models to experimental data sets is a crucial step in constructing a predictive model. This review highlights some of the fundamental concepts in cardiac model calibration and is intended to be readily understood by computational and mathematical modelers working in other fields of biology. We discuss the classic and latest approaches to calibration in the electrophysiology field, at both the ion channel and cellular AP scales. We end with a discussion of the many challenges that work to date has raised and the need for reproducible descriptions of the calibration process to enable models to be recalibrated to new data sets and built upon for new studies. This article is categorized under: Analytical and Computational Methods > Computational Methods Physiology > Mammalian Physiology in Health and Disease Models of Systems Properties and Processes > Cellular Models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominic G. Whittaker
- Centre for Mathematical Medicine & Biology, School of Mathematical SciencesUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
| | - Michael Clerx
- Computational Biology & Health Informatics, Department of Computer ScienceUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Chon Lok Lei
- Computational Biology & Health Informatics, Department of Computer ScienceUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | | | - Gary R. Mirams
- Centre for Mathematical Medicine & Biology, School of Mathematical SciencesUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
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9
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Schlaak RA, SenthilKumar G, Boerma M, Bergom C. Advances in Preclinical Research Models of Radiation-Induced Cardiac Toxicity. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E415. [PMID: 32053873 PMCID: PMC7072196 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12020415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Revised: 02/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Radiation therapy (RT) is an important component of cancer therapy, with >50% of cancer patients receiving RT. As the number of cancer survivors increases, the short- and long-term side effects of cancer therapy are of growing concern. Side effects of RT for thoracic tumors, notably cardiac and pulmonary toxicities, can cause morbidity and mortality in long-term cancer survivors. An understanding of the biological pathways and mechanisms involved in normal tissue toxicity from RT will improve future cancer treatments by reducing the risk of long-term side effects. Many of these mechanistic studies are performed in animal models of radiation exposure. In this area of research, the use of small animal image-guided RT with treatment planning systems that allow more accurate dose determination has the potential to revolutionize knowledge of clinically relevant tumor and normal tissue radiobiology. However, there are still a number of challenges to overcome to optimize such radiation delivery, including dose verification and calibration, determination of doses received by adjacent normal tissues that can affect outcomes, and motion management and identifying variation in doses due to animal heterogeneity. In addition, recent studies have begun to determine how animal strain and sex affect normal tissue radiation injuries. This review article discusses the known and potential benefits and caveats of newer technologies and methods used for small animal radiation delivery, as well as how the choice of animal models, including variables such as species, strain, and age, can alter the severity of cardiac radiation toxicities and impact their clinical relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel A. Schlaak
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA;
| | - Gopika SenthilKumar
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Medical College of Wisconsin; Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA;
- Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Marjan Boerma
- Division of Radiation Health, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA;
| | - Carmen Bergom
- Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA;
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
- Cardiovascular Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
- Cancer Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
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10
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Investigation of the Role of Myocyte Orientations in Cardiac Arrhythmia Using Image-Based Models. Biophys J 2019; 117:2396-2408. [PMID: 31679763 PMCID: PMC6990390 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2019.09.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Revised: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiac electrical excitation-propagation is influenced by myocyte orientations (cellular organization). Quantitatively understanding this relationship presents a significant research challenge, especially during arrhythmias in which excitation patterns become complex. Tissue-scale simulations of cardiac electrophysiology, incorporating both dynamic action potential behavior and image-based myocardial architecture, provide an approach to investigate three-dimensional (3D) propagation of excitation waves in the heart. In this study, we aimed to assess the importance of natural variation in myocyte orientations on cardiac arrhythmogenesis using 3D tissue electrophysiology simulations. Three anatomical models (i.e., describing myocyte orientations) of healthy rat ventricles—obtained using diffusion tensor imaging at 100 μm resolution—were registered to a single biventricular geometry (i.e., a single cardiac shape), in which the myocyte orientations could be represented by each of the diffusion tensor imaging data sets or by an idealized rule-based description. The Fenton-Karma cellular excitation model was modified to reproduce rat ventricular action potential duration restitution to create reaction-diffusion cardiac electrophysiology models. Over 250 3D simulations were performed to investigate the effects of myocyte orientations on the following: 1) ventricular activation, 2) location-dependent arrhythmia induction via rapid pacing, and 3) dynamics of re-entry averaged over multiple episodes. It was shown that 1) myocyte orientation differences manifested themselves in local activation times, but the influence on total activation time was small; 2) differences in myocyte orientations could critically affect the inducibility and persistence of arrhythmias for specific stimulus-location/cycle-length combinations; and 3) myocyte orientations alone could be an important determinant of scroll wave break, although no significant differences were observed in averaged arrhythmia dynamics between the four myocyte orientation scenarios considered. Our results show that myocyte orientations are an important determinant of arrhythmia inducibility, persistence, and scroll wave break. These findings suggest that where specificity is desired (for example, when predicting location-dependent, patient-specific arrhythmia inducibility), subject-specific myocyte orientations may be important.
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11
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Mora MT, Gomez JF, Morley G, Ferrero JM, Trenor B. Mechanistic investigation of Ca2+ alternans in human heart failure and its modulation by fibroblasts. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0217993. [PMID: 31211790 PMCID: PMC6581251 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Heart failure (HF) is characterized, among other factors, by a progressive loss of contractile function and by the formation of an arrhythmogenic substrate, both aspects partially related to intracellular Ca2+ cycling disorders. In failing hearts both electrophysiological and structural remodeling, including fibroblast proliferation, contribute to changes in Ca2+ handling which promote the appearance of Ca2+ alternans (Ca-alt). Ca-alt in turn give rise to repolarization alternans, which promote dispersion of repolarization and contribute to reentrant activity. The computational analysis of the incidence of Ca2+ and/or repolarization alternans under HF conditions in the presence of fibroblasts could provide a better understanding of the mechanisms leading to HF arrhythmias and contractile function disorders. Methods and findings The goal of the present study was to investigate in silico the mechanisms leading to the formation of Ca-alt in failing human ventricular myocytes and tissues with disperse fibroblast distributions. The contribution of ionic currents variability to alternans formation at the cellular level was analyzed and the results show that in normal ventricular tissue, altered Ca2+ dynamics lead to Ca-alt, which precede APD alternans and can be aggravated by the presence of fibroblasts. Electrophysiological remodeling of failing tissue alone is sufficient to develop alternans. The incidence of alternans is reduced when fibroblasts are present in failing tissue due to significantly depressed Ca2+ transients. The analysis of the underlying ionic mechanisms suggests that Ca-alt are driven by Ca2+-handling protein and Ca2+ cycling dysfunctions in the junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum and that their contribution to alternans occurrence depends on the cardiac remodeling conditions and on myocyte-fibroblast interactions. Conclusion It can thus be concluded that fibroblasts modulate the formation of Ca-alt in human ventricular tissue subjected to heart failure-related electrophysiological remodeling. Pharmacological therapies should thus consider the extent of both the electrophysiological and structural remodeling present in the failing heart.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria T. Mora
- Centro de Insvestigación e Innovación en Bioingeniería, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Juan F. Gomez
- Centro de Insvestigación e Innovación en Bioingeniería, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Gregory Morley
- Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Jose M. Ferrero
- Centro de Insvestigación e Innovación en Bioingeniería, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain
| | - Beatriz Trenor
- Centro de Insvestigación e Innovación en Bioingeniería, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain
- * E-mail:
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12
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Cork TE, Perotti LE, Verzhbinsky IA, Loecher M, Ennis DB. High-Resolution Ex Vivo Microstructural MRI After Restoring Ventricular Geometry via 3D Printing. FUNCTIONAL IMAGING AND MODELING OF THE HEART : ... INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP, FIMH ..., PROCEEDINGS. FIMH 2019; 11504:177-186. [PMID: 31432042 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-21949-9_20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Computational modeling of the heart requires accurately incorporating both gross anatomical detail and local microstructural information. Together, these provide the necessary data to build 3D meshes for simulation of cardiac mechanics and electrophysiology. Recent MRI advances make it possible to measure detailed heart motion in vivo, but in vivo microstructural imaging of the heart remains challenging. Consequently, the most detailed measurements of microstructural organization and microanatomical infarct details are obtained ex vivo. The objective of this work was to develop and evaluate a new method for restoring ex vivo ventricular geometry to match the in vivo configuration. This approach aids the integration of high-resolution ex vivo microstructural information with in vivo motion measurements. The method uses in vivo cine imaging to generate surface meshes, then creates a 3D printed left ventricular (LV) blood pool cast and a pericardial mold to restore the ex vivo cardiac geometry to a mid-diastasis reference configuration. The method was evaluated in healthy (N = 7) and infarcted (N = 3) swine. Dice similarity coefficients were calculated between in vivo and ex vivo images for the LV cavity (0.93 ± 0.01), right ventricle (RV) cavity (0.80 ± 0.05), and the myocardium (0.72 ± 0.04). The R 2 coefficient between in vivo and ex vivo LV and RV cavity volumes were 0.95 and 0.91, respectively. These results suggest that this method adequately restores ex vivo geometry to match in vivo geometry. This approach permits a more precise incorporation of high-resolution ex vivo anatomical and microstructural data into computational models that use in vivo data for simulation of cardiac mechanics and electrophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler E Cork
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.,Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Luigi E Perotti
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
| | | | - Michael Loecher
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Daniel B Ennis
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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13
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Costabal FS, Matsuno K, Yao J, Perdikaris P, Kuhl E. Machine learning in drug development: Characterizing the effect of 30 drugs on the QT interval using Gaussian process regression, sensitivity analysis, and uncertainty quantification. COMPUTER METHODS IN APPLIED MECHANICS AND ENGINEERING 2019; 348:313-333. [PMID: 32863454 PMCID: PMC7454226 DOI: 10.1016/j.cma.2019.01.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Prolonged QT intervals are a major risk factor for ventricular arrhythmias and a leading cause of sudden cardiac death. Various drugs are known to trigger QT interval prolongation and increase the proarrhythmic potential. Yet, how precisely the action of drugs on the cellular level translates into QT interval prolongation on the whole organ level remains insufficiently understood. Here we use machine learning techniques to systematically characterize the effect of 30 common drugs on the QT interval. We combine information from high fidelity three-dimensional human heart simulations with low fidelity one-dimensional cable simulations to build a surrogate model for the QT interval using multi-fidelity Gaussian process regression. Once trained and cross-validated, we apply our surrogate model to perform sensitivity analysis and uncertainty quantification. Our sensitivity analysis suggests that compounds that block the rapid delayed rectifier potassium current I Kr have the greatest prolonging effect of the QT interval, and that blocking the L-type calcium current I CaL and late sodium current I NaL shortens the QT interval. Our uncertainty quantification allows us to propagate the experimental variability from individual block-concentration measurements into the QT interval and reveals that QT interval uncertainty is mainly driven by the variability in I Kr block. In a final validation study, we demonstrate an excellent agreement between our predicted QT interval changes and the changes observed in a randomized clinical trial for the drugs dofetilide, quinidine, ranolazine, and verapamil. We anticipate that both the machine learning methods and the results of this study will have great potential in the efficient development of safer drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kristen Matsuno
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Jiang Yao
- Dassault Systèmes Simulia Corporation, Johnston, RI 02919, USA
| | - Paris Perdikaris
- Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Ellen Kuhl
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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14
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Jilberto J, Hurtado DE. Semi-implicit Non-conforming Finite-Element Schemes for Cardiac Electrophysiology: A Framework for Mesh-Coarsening Heart Simulations. Front Physiol 2018; 9:1513. [PMID: 30425648 PMCID: PMC6218665 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.01513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The field of computational cardiology has steadily progressed toward reliable and accurate simulations of the heart, showing great potential in clinical applications such as the optimization of cardiac interventions and the study of pro-arrhythmic effects of drugs in humans, among others. However, the computational effort demanded by in-silico studies of the heart remains challenging, highlighting the need of novel numerical methods that can improve the efficiency of simulations while targeting an acceptable accuracy. In this work, we propose a semi-implicit non-conforming finite-element scheme (SINCFES) suitable for cardiac electrophysiology simulations. The accuracy and efficiency of the proposed scheme are assessed by means of numerical simulations of the electrical excitation and propagation in regular and biventricular geometries. We show that the SINCFES allows for coarse-mesh simulations that reduce the computation time when compared to fine-mesh models while delivering wavefront shapes and conduction velocities that are more accurate than those predicted by traditional finite-element formulations based on the same coarse mesh, thus improving the accuracy-efficiency trade-off of cardiac simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javiera Jilberto
- Department of Structural and Geotechnical Engineering, School of Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Daniel E. Hurtado
- Department of Structural and Geotechnical Engineering, School of Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Institute for Biological and Medical Engineering, Schools of Engineering, Medicine and Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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15
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Kung GL, Vaseghi M, Gahm JK, Shevtsov J, Garfinkel A, Shivkumar K, Ennis DB. Microstructural Infarct Border Zone Remodeling in the Post-infarct Swine Heart Measured by Diffusion Tensor MRI. Front Physiol 2018; 9:826. [PMID: 30246802 PMCID: PMC6113632 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.00826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2017] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Computational models of the heart increasingly require detailed microstructural information to capture the impact of tissue remodeling on cardiac electromechanics in, for example, hearts with myocardial infarctions. Myocardial infarctions are surrounded by the infarct border zone (BZ), which is a site of electromechanical property transition. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an emerging method for characterizing microstructural remodeling and focal myocardial infarcts and the BZ can be identified with late gadolinium enhanced (LGE) MRI. Microstructural remodeling within the BZ, however, remains poorly characterized by MRI due, in part, to the fact that LGE and DT-MRI are not always available for the same heart. Diffusion tensor MRI (DT-MRI) can evaluate microstructural remodeling by quantifying the DT apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC, increased with decreased cellularity), fractional anisotropy (FA, decreased with increased fibrosis), and tissue mode (decreased with increased fiber disarray). The purpose of this work was to use LGE MRI in post-infarct porcine hearts (N = 7) to segment remote, BZ, and infarcted myocardium, thereby providing a basis to quantify microstructural remodeling in the BZ and infarcted regions using co-registered DT-MRI. Methods: Chronic porcine infarcts were created by balloon occlusion of the LCx. 6-8 weeks post-infarction, MRI contrast was administered, and the heart was potassium arrested, excised, and imaged with LGE MRI (0.33 × 0.33 × 0.33 mm) and co-registered DT-MRI (1 × 1 × 3 mm). Myocardium was segmented as remote, BZ, or infarct by LGE signal intensity thresholds. DT invariants were used to evaluate microstructural remodeling by quantifying ADC, FA, and tissue mode. Results: The BZ significantly remodeled compared to both infarct and remote myocardium. BZ demonstrated a significant decrease in cellularity (increased ADC), significant decrease in tissue organization (decreased FA), and a significant increase in fiber disarray (decreased tissue mode) relative to remote myocardium (all p < 0.05). Microstructural remodeling in the infarct was similar, but significantly larger in magnitude (all p < 0.05). Conclusion: DT-MRI can identify regions of significant microstructural remodeling in the BZ that are distinct from both remote and infarcted myocardium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey L Kung
- Department of Radiological Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Marmar Vaseghi
- Cardiac Arrhythmia Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Department of Medicine (Cardiology), David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Jin K Gahm
- Department of Radiological Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Department of Computer Science, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Jane Shevtsov
- Department of Medicine (Cardiology), David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Alan Garfinkel
- Department of Medicine (Cardiology), David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Kalyanam Shivkumar
- Cardiac Arrhythmia Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Department of Medicine (Cardiology), David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Daniel B Ennis
- Department of Radiological Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Biomedical Physics Interdepartmental Program, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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16
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Verzhbinsky IA, Magrath P, Aliotta E, Ennis DB, Perotti LE. TIME RESOLVED DISPLACEMENT-BASED REGISTRATION OF IN VIVO CDTI CARDIOMYOCYTE ORIENTATIONS. PROCEEDINGS. IEEE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON BIOMEDICAL IMAGING 2018; 2018:474-478. [PMID: 30559922 PMCID: PMC6294325 DOI: 10.1109/isbi.2018.8363619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In vivo cardiac microstructure acquired using cardiac diffusion tensor imaging (cDTI) is a critical component of patient-specific models of cardiac electrophysiology and mechanics. In order to limit bulk motion artifacts and acquisition time, cDTI microstructural data is acquired at a single cardiac phase necessitating registration to the reference configuration on which the patient-specific computational models are based. Herein, we propose a method to register subject-specific microstructural data to an arbitrary cardiac phase using measured cardiac displacements. We validate our approach using a subject-specific computational phantom based on data from human subjects. Compared to a geometry-based non-rigid registration method, the displacement-based registration leads to improved accuracy (less than 1° versus 10° average median error in cardiomyocyte angular differences) and tighter confidence interval (3° versus 65° average upper limit of the 95% confidence interval).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilya A Verzhbinsky
- Department of Radiological Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Patrick Magrath
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Eric Aliotta
- Biomedical Physics Inter-Departmental Program, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Daniel B Ennis
- Department of Radiological Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
- Biomedical Physics Inter-Departmental Program, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Luigi E Perotti
- Department of Radiological Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
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17
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Tse G, Liu T, Li G, Keung W, Yeo JM, Fiona Chan YW, Yan BP, Chan YS, Wong SH, Li RA, Zhao J, Wu WKK, Wong WT. Effects of pharmacological gap junction and sodium channel blockade on S1S2 restitution properties in Langendorff-perfused mouse hearts. Oncotarget 2017; 8:85341-85352. [PMID: 29156723 PMCID: PMC5689613 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.19675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2017] [Accepted: 05/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Gap junctions and sodium channels are the major molecular determinants of normal and abnormal electrical conduction through the myocardium, however, their exact contributions to arrhythmogenesis are unclear. We examined conduction and recovery properties of regular (S1) and extrasystolic (S2) action potentials (APs), S1S2 restitution and ventricular arrhythmogenicity using the gap junction and sodium channel inhibitor heptanol (2 mM) in Langendorff-perfused mouse hearts (n=10). Monophasic action potential recordings obtained during S1S2 pacing showed that heptanol increased the proportion of hearts showing inducible ventricular tachycardia (0/10 vs. 5/8 hearts (Fisher’s exact test, P < 0.05), prolonged activation latencies of S1 and S2 APs, thereby decreasing S2/S1 activation latency ratio (ANOVA, P < 0.05) despite prolonged ventricular effective refractory period (VERP). It did not alter S1 action potential duration at 90% repolarization (APD90) but prolonged S2 APD90 (P < 0.05), thereby increasing S2/S1 APD90 ratio (P < 0.05). It did not alter maximum conduction velocity (CV) restitution gradient or maximum CV reductions but decreased the restitution time constant (P < 0.05). It increased maximal APD90 restitution gradient (P < 0.05) without altering critical diastolic interval or maximum APD90 reductions. Pro-arrhythmic effects of 2 mM heptanol are explicable by delayed conduction and abnormal electrical restitution. We concluded that gap junctions modulated via heptanol (0.05 mM) increased arrhythmogenicity through a delay in conduction, while sodium channel inhibition by a higher concentration of heptanol (2 mM) increased arrhythmogenicity via additional mechanisms, such as abnormalities in APDs and CV restitution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary Tse
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.,Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Tong Liu
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Ionic-Molecular Function of Cardiovascular Disease, Department of Cardiology, Tianjin Institute of Cardiology, Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Guangping Li
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Ionic-Molecular Function of Cardiovascular Disease, Department of Cardiology, Tianjin Institute of Cardiology, Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Wendy Keung
- Dr. Li Dak-Sum Research Centre, The University of Hong Kong-Karolinska Institutet Collaboration in Regenerative Medicine, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jie Ming Yeo
- Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Bryan P Yan
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yat Sun Chan
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Sunny Hei Wong
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.,Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ronald A Li
- Ming Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Jichao Zhao
- Auckland Bioengineering Institute, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - William K K Wu
- Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease, LKS Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Wing Tak Wong
- School of Life Sciences, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
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