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Kim H, Cho S, Jung I, Jung S, Park WJ. A case of syncope in a villager with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy after hydrogen sulfide exposure by an unauthorized discharge of wastewater. Ann Occup Environ Med 2023; 35:e34. [PMID: 37701488 PMCID: PMC10493378 DOI: 10.35371/aoem.2023.35.e34] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Hydrogen sulfide is a toxic substance that humans can be exposed to occupationally, and cases of hydrogen sulfide poisoning of workers in industrial sites are commonly reported. However, there have been no cases of poisoning of the public due to an unauthorized discharge of wastewater, so it is important to describe this incident. Case presentation In a small village in Jeollanam-do, Republic of Korea, accounts of a terrible stench had been reported. A 26-year-old man who lived and worked in a foul-smelling area was taken to the emergency room with a headache, dizziness, nausea, and repeated syncope. A subsequent police and Ministry of Environment investigation determined that the cause of the stench was the unauthorized discharge of 9 tons of wastewater containing hydrogen sulfide through a stormwater pipe while the villagers were sleeping. The patient had no previous medical history or experience of symptoms. Leukocytes and cardiac markers were elevated, an electrocardiogram indicated biatrial enlargement, left ventricular hypertrophy, and corrected QT interval prolongation. Myocardial hypertrophy was detected on a chest computed tomography scan, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was confirmed on echocardiography. After hospitalization, cardiac marker concentrations declined, symptoms improved, and the patient was discharged after 7 days of hospitalization. There was no recurrence of symptoms after discharge. Conclusions We suspect that previously unrecognized heart disease manifested or was aggravated in this patient due to exposure to hydrogen sulfide. Attention should be paid to the possibility of unauthorized discharge of hydrogen sulfide, etc., in occasional local incidents and damage to public health. In the event of such an accident, it is necessary to have government guidelines in place to investigate health impact and follow-up clinical management of exposed residents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyeonjun Kim
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School and Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital, Hwasun, Korea
| | - Seunghyeon Cho
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Chonnam National University Hospital, Gwangju, Korea
| | - Inho Jung
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School and Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital, Hwasun, Korea
| | - Sunjin Jung
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School and Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital, Hwasun, Korea
| | - Won-Ju Park
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School and Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital, Hwasun, Korea
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Bi X, Zhang S, Jiang H, Ma W, Li Y, Lu W, Yang F, Wei Z. Mechanistic Insights Into Inflammation-Induced Arrhythmias: A Simulation Study. Front Physiol 2022; 13:843292. [PMID: 35711306 PMCID: PMC9196871 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.843292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases are the primary cause of death of humans, and among these, ventricular arrhythmias are the most common cause of death. There is plausible evidence implicating inflammation in the etiology of ventricular fibrillation (VF). In the case of systemic inflammation caused by an overactive immune response, the induced inflammatory cytokines directly affect the function of ion channels in cardiomyocytes, leading to a prolonged action potential duration (APD). However, the mechanistic links between inflammatory cytokine-induced molecular and cellular influences and inflammation-associated ventricular arrhythmias need to be elucidated. The present study aimed to determine the potential impact of systemic inflammation on ventricular electrophysiology by means of multiscale virtual heart models. The experimental data on the ionic current of three major cytokines [i.e., tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1 (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6)] were incorporated into the cell model, and the effects of each cytokine and their combined effect on the cell action potential (AP) were evaluated. Moreover, the integral effect of these cytokines on the conduction of excitation waves was also investigated in a tissue model. The simulation results suggested that inflammatory cytokines significantly prolonged APD, enhanced the transmural and regional repolarization heterogeneities that predispose to arrhythmias, and reduced the adaptability of ventricular tissue to fast heart rates. In addition, simulated pseudo-ECGs showed a prolonged QT interval—a manifestation consistent with clinical observations. In summary, the present study provides new insights into ventricular arrhythmias associated with inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangpeng Bi
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Shugang Zhang
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Huasen Jiang
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Wenjian Ma
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Yuanfei Li
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Weigang Lu
- Department of Educational Technology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Fei Yang
- School of Mechanical, Electrical and Information Engineering, Shandong University, Weihai, China
| | - Zhiqiang Wei
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
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Zhang S, Lu W, Wei Z, Zhang H. Air Pollution and Cardiac Arrhythmias: From Epidemiological and Clinical Evidences to Cellular Electrophysiological Mechanisms. Front Cardiovasc Med 2021; 8:736151. [PMID: 34778399 PMCID: PMC8581215 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2021.736151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and kills over 17 million people per year. In the recent decade, growing epidemiological evidence links air pollution and cardiac arrhythmias, suggesting a detrimental influence of air pollution on cardiac electrophysiological functionality. However, the proarrhythmic mechanisms underlying the air pollution-induced cardiac arrhythmias are not fully understood. The purpose of this work is to provide recent advances in air pollution-induced arrhythmias with a comprehensive review of the literature on the common air pollutants and arrhythmias. Six common air pollutants of widespread concern are discussed, namely particulate matter, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone. The epidemiological and clinical reports in recent years are reviewed by pollutant type, and the recently identified mechanisms including both the general pathways and the direct influences of air pollutants on the cellular electrophysiology are summarized. Particularly, this review focuses on the impaired ion channel functionality underlying the air pollution-induced arrhythmias. Alterations of ionic currents directly by the air pollutants, as well as the alterations mediated by intracellular signaling or other more general pathways are reviewed in this work. Finally, areas for future research are suggested to address several remaining scientific questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shugang Zhang
- Computational Cardiology Group, College of Computer Science and Technology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China.,Biological Physics Group, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Weigang Lu
- Computational Cardiology Group, College of Computer Science and Technology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China.,Biological Physics Group, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Zhiqiang Wei
- Computational Cardiology Group, College of Computer Science and Technology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
| | - Henggui Zhang
- Biological Physics Group, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
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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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Mehranfard N, Yazdi A, Sardooi AR, Shakerin Z, Ghasemi M. Honey protects against chronic unpredictable mild stress induced- intestinal barrier disintegration and hepatic inflammation. Mol Biol Rep 2020; 47:8475-8484. [PMID: 33047241 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-020-05888-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Chronic stress is linked to liver injury by increasing intestinal permeability to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which in turn can result in systemic and liver inflammation and damage. Beneficial effect of honey in the prevention of liver injury has been shown in previous studies, but mechanisms underlying are still less known. Here, we examined the therapeutic impacts of honey on intestinal nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB; an important regulator of stress-induced immune and inflammatory responses) and ileal tight junction (TJ) proteins of claudin-1 and ZO-1, serum LPS, liver inflammation and oxidative markers of malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) following chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) using Western blotting, ELISA kit and spectrophotometry. Male rats were subjected to CUMS for 28 consecutive days. Honey (0.2 and 2 g/kg/day, by gavage) was administered pretreatment (10 days) and during stress. Honey reduced stress-induced LPS elevation by preventing reduction in the intestinal TJ proteins of claudin-1 and ZO-1, while did not affect NF-kB levels. In liver, honey significantly suppressed stress-induced increase in MDA, NO, TNF-α and Nrf2 expression and normalized TAC. Noteworthy, honey high-dose provoked a greater decrease in TNF-α, Nrf2 and LPS levels than honey low-dose. Together, our study indicated that honey protects against stress-induced liver damage by modulating at least two pathways; intestinal barrier protection via increased TJ protein complex expression, and hepatic TAC protection that may be involved in the inhibition of MDA, NO, TNF-α and Nrf2 expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nasrin Mehranfard
- Neurophysiology Research Center, Cellular and Molecular Medicine Institute, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
| | - Azadeh Yazdi
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Asiye Rafiee Sardooi
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Zeinab Shakerin
- PhD of Anatomical Science, Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Maedeh Ghasemi
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
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