Long-term results of ablation index guided atrial fibrillation ablation: insights after 5+ years of follow-up from the MPH AF Ablation Registry

Background

Catheter ablation (CA) for symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF) offers the best outcomes for patients. Despite the benefits of CA, a significant proportion of patients suffer a recurrence; hence, there is scope to potentially improve outcomes through technical innovations such as ablation index (AI) guidance during AF ablation. We present real-world 5-year follow-up data of AI-guided pulmonary vein isolation.

Methods

We retrospectively followed 123 consecutive patients who underwent AI-guided CA shortly after its introduction to routine practice. Data were collected from the MPH AF Ablation Registry with the approval of the institutional research board.

Results

Our patient cohort was older, with higher BMI, greater CHA2DS2-VASc scores, and larger left atrial sizes compared to similar previously published cohorts, while gender balance and other characteristics were similar. The probability of freedom from atrial arrhythmia with repeat procedures is as follows: year 1: 0.95, year 2: 0.92, year 3: 0.85, year 4: 0.79, and year 5: 0.72. Age >75 years (p = 0.02, HR: 2.7, CI: 1.14-6.7), BMI >35 kg/m2 (p = 0.0009, HR: 4.6, CI: 1.8-11.4), and left atrial width as measured on CT in the upper quartile (p = 0.04, HR: 2.5, CI: 1-5.7) were statistically significant independent predictors of recurrent AF.

Conclusion

AI-guided CA is an effective treatment for AF, with 95.8% of patients remaining free from atrial arrhythmia at 1 year and 72.3% at 5 years, allowing for repeat procedures. It is safe with a low major complication rate of 1.25%. Age >75 years, BMI >35 kg/m2, and markedly enlarged atria were associated with higher recurrence rates.

[Ⅱ ]

Objective: To investigate the role and related mechanism of ubiquitin-like protein FAT10 in the angiotensin Ⅱ (AngⅡ)-induced endothelial cell inflammatory responses. Methods: The Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of FAT10 in 16-weeks old WKY rat carotid artery, thoracic aorta artery, renal artery and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC), human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and human breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231). The optimal concentration and stimulation time of AngⅡ on inducing the highest FAT10 in HUVEC were determined. The following plasmids were constructed: control plasmid, overexpression FAT10 plasmid (Flag-FAT10), invalid interference plasmid, and interference FAT10 plasmid (sh-FAT10). These plasmids were then transfected into HUVEC cells and divided into following groups: control group, Flag-FAT10 group, invalid interference group, and sh-FAT10 group. After culturing with 100 nmol/L AngⅡ for 36 h, the control group and the Flag-FAT10 group were treated with reactive oxygen species scavenger N-acetyl-L-cysteine ​​(NAC), the protein expression levels of the inflammatory factor monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured. Laser confocal microscopy was used to detect the generation levels of reactive oxygen species in the cells of vrious groups. Results: FAT10 was expressed in carotid artery, thoracic aorta, and renal artery of normal blood pressure rats and expressed in HUVEC, VSMC, MDA-MB-231. The expression level of FAT10 gradually increased in proportion to the increase of the time and concentration of AngⅡ stimulation in HUVEC, and the expression level of FAT10 was the highest when the HUVEC was treated with 100 nmol/L AngⅡ for 36 h (P<0.01). The protein expression level of MCP-1 (P<0.001) and TNF-α (P<0.01) was higher in AngⅡ treated HUVEC with FAT10 overexpression, while the expression level of MCP-1 and TNF-α protein was lower in AngⅡ treated HUVEC with FAT10 knockdown (all P<0.01). The level of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was significantly increased with FAT10 overexpression (P<0.001), and the level of ROS was decreased when the expression of FAT10 was interfered (P<0.05). The increased level of MCP-1 and TNF-α proteins in FAT10 overexpressed HUVEC was reversed by NAC (all P<0.05). Conclusion: FAT10 promotes the release of inflammatory factors induced by AngⅡ in endothelial cells by increasing the level of intracellular ROS production.

Combined effects of light pollution and vegetation height on behavior and body weight in a nocturnal rodent

At a global scale, organisms are under threat due to various kinds of environmental changes, such as artificial light at night (ALAN), noise, climatic change and vegetation destruction. Usually, these changes co-vary in time and space and may take effect simultaneously. Although impacts of ALAN on biological processes have been well documented, our knowledge on the combined effects of ALAN and other environmental changes on animals remains limited. In this study, we conducted field experiments in semi-natural enclosures to explore the combined effects of ALAN and vegetation height on foraging behavior, vigilance, activity patterns and body weight in dwarf striped hamsters (Cricetulus barabensis), a nocturnal rodent widely distributed in East Asia. We find that ALAN and vegetation height affected different aspects of behavior. ALAN negatively affected search speed and positively affected handling speed, while vegetation height negatively affected giving-up density and positively affected body weight. ALAN and vegetation height also additively shaped total time spent in a food patch. No significant interactive effect of ALAN and vegetation height was detected. C. barabensis exposed to ALAN and short vegetation suffered a significant loss in body weight, and possessed a much narrower temporal niche (i.e. initiated activity later but became inactive earlier) than those under other combinations of treatments. The observed behavioral responses to ALAN and changes in vegetation height may bring fitness consequences, as well as further changes in structure and functioning of local ecosystems.

The effect of maternal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exposure and methylation levels of CHDs-candidate genes on the risk of congenital heart diseases

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the impact of maternal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and methylation levels of CHDs-candidate genes on the risk of congenital heart diseases (CHDs), and the effect of PAHs exposure on DNA methylation states.

METHODS

A case-control study involving 60 mother -fetus pairs was performed by measuring 1-OHPG concentration in maternal urine and methylation levels of 20 CHDs-candidate genes in cord bloods. Logistic regression models were applied to determine the effect of maternal PAHs exposure and fetal methylation levels on the risk of CHDs. Spearman correlation was performed to correlate PAHs exposure and methylation levels.

RESULTS

Maternal higher PAHs exposure was associated with the risk of CHDs (aOR = 3.245, 95% CI: 1.060, 9.937) or some subtypes. The methylation levels of 23 amplicons within 11 genes exhibited significant differences between CHDs and controls. Higher methylation of NKX2-5_M1 was associated with decreased risk of CHDs (aOR=0.182, 95% CI:0.034, 0.983). No significant correlations were found between 1-OHPG concentration and methylation levels of NKX2-5_M1.

CONCLUSIONS

Maternal PAHs exposure was linked with CHDs. Higher methylation of the upstream sequence of NKX2-5 promoter decreased the risk of CHDs. There was no correlation between maternal PAHs exposure and the methylation level of NKX2-5. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Brain-mimicking phantom for biomechanical validation of motion sensitive MR imaging techniques

Motion sensitive MR imaging techniques allow for the non-invasive evaluation of biological tissues by using different excitation schemes, including physiological/intrinsic motions caused by cardiac pulsation or respiration, and vibrations caused by an external actuator. The mechanical biomarkers extracted through these imaging techniques have been shown to hold diagnostic value for various neurological disorders and conditions. Amplified MRI (aMRI), a cardiac gated imaging technique, can help track and quantify low frequency intrinsic motion of the brain. As for high frequency actuation, the mechanical response of brain tissue can be measured by applying external high frequency actuation in combination with a motion sensitive MR imaging sequence called Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE). Due to the frequency-dependent behavior of brain mechanics, there is a need to develop brain phantom models that can mimic the broadband mechanical response of the brain in order to validate motion-sensitive MR imaging techniques. Here, we have designed a novel phantom test setup that enables both the low and high frequency responses of a brain-mimicking phantom to be captured, allowing for both aMRI and MRE imaging techniques to be applied on the same phantom model. This setup combines two different vibration sources: a pneumatic actuator, for low frequency/intrinsic motion (1 Hz) for use in aMRI, and a piezoelectric actuator for high frequency actuation (30-60 Hz) for use in MRE. Our results show that in MRE experiments performed from 30 Hz through 60 Hz, propagating shear waves attenuate faster at higher driving frequencies, consistent with results in the literature. Furthermore, actuator coupling has a substantial effect on wave amplitude, with weaker coupling causing lower amplitude wave field images, specifically shown in the top-surface shear loading configuration. For intrinsic actuation, our results indicate that aMRI linearly amplifies motion up to at least an amplification factor of 9 for instances of both visible and sub-voxel motion, validated by varying power levels of pneumatic actuation (40%-80% power) under MR, and through video analysis outside the MRI scanner room. While this investigation used a homogeneous brain-mimicking phantom, our setup can be used to study the mechanics of non-homogeneous phantom configurations with bio-interfaces in the future.

Potential of cannabinoids as treatments for autism spectrum disorders

Current treatments for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are limited in efficacy and are often associated with substantial side effects. These medications typically ameliorate problem behaviors associated with ASD, but do not target core symptom domains. As a result, there is a significant amount of research underway for development of novel experimental therapeutics. Endocannabinoids are arachidonic acid-derived lipid neuromodulators, which, in combination with their receptors and associated metabolic enzymes, constitute the endocannabinoid (EC) system. Cannabinoid signaling may be involved in the social impairment and repetitive behaviors observed in those with ASD. In this review, we discuss a possible role of the EC system in excitatory-inhibitory (E-I) imbalance and immune dysregulation in ASD. Novel treatments for the core symptom domains of ASD are needed and phytocannabinoids could be useful experimental therapeutics for core symptoms and associated domains.

[Prevalence of CYP2C19 gene mutations in patients with coronary heart disease and its biological activation effect in clopidogrel antiplatelet response]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of CYP2C19 gene mutations on clopidogrel antiplatelet activity in the patients with coronary heart disease treated by percutaneous coronary intervention. Methods: Patients with coronary heart disease, who hospitalized in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from March 2011 to June 2019, and healthy individuals with matching genetic background, gender, and age as controls were included in this study. Basic clinical data were analyzed and blood samples of all research subjects were obtained for extraction of DNA, and Sanger first-generation sequencing method was used to detect CYP2C19 gene mutation from full exon and exon and intron junction. CYP2C19 gene variations in patients with coronary heart disease were compared with the 1000 Genomes Browse database and the sequencing results of healthy controls to determine whether the gene variation was a genetic mutation or a genetic polymorphism. After that, PolyPhen-2 prediction software was used to analyze the harmfulness of gene mutations to predict the effect of mutations on protein function. The same dose of CYP2C19 wild-type plasmid and the CYP2C19 gene mutant plasmids were transfected into human normal liver cells HL-7702. After transfection of 24 h, the expression of CYP2C19 protease in each group was detected. The liver S9 protein was incubated with clopidogrel, acted on platelets to detect the platelet aggregation rate and the activity of human vasodilator-activated phosphoprotein (VASP). Results: A total of 1 493 patients with coronary heart disease (59.36%) were enrolled, the average age was (64.5±10.4) years old, of which 1 129 were male (75.62%). Meanwhile, 1 022 healthy physical examination volunteers (40.64%) were enrolled, and the average age was (64.1±11.0) years old, of which 778 were male (76.13%). A total of 5 gene mutations of CYP2C19 gene were identified in 12 patients (0.80%), namely, 4 known mutations T130K (1 case), M136K (6 cases), N277K (3 cases), V472I (1 case) and one new mutation G27V (1 case), no corresponding gene mutation was found in healthy controls. It was found that T130K and M136K were probably damaging, G27V was possibly damaging, and N277K and V472I were benign mutations. In vitro, we demonstrated that the platelet aggregation rate of the M136K gene mutation group was 24.83% lower than that of the wild type (59.58% vs. 34.75%; P<0.05), and the phosphorylated VASP level was 23.0% higher than that of the wild type (1.0 vs. 1.23; P<0.05). However, the platelet aggregation rate and phosphorylated VASP level were similar between of G27V, T130K, N277K, V472I gene mutation groups and wild type group (P>0.05). Conclusions: In this study, 5 gene mutations are defined in patients with coronary heart disease, namely G27V, T130K, M136K, N277K, V472I. In vitro functional studies show that CYP2C19 gene mutation M136K, as a gain-of-function gene mutation, can enhance the activation of CYP2C19 enzyme on clopidogrel, thereby inhibiting the platelet aggregation rate.

Apical sparing strain pattern observed in danon disease: insights from a global registry

Background

Danon Disease (DD) is a rare X-linked autophagic disorder due to mutations in the Lysosomal Associated Membrane Protein 2 (LAMP-2) gene and causes severe cardiac manifestations. Measurement of longitudinal strain (LS) has been shown to provide diagnostic insights into different etiologies of hypertrophic cardiomyopathies compared to conventional echocardiographic parameters.

Purpose

The aim of this study was to describe the pattern of global and regional LS in DD.

Methods

A retrospective, international registry, using medical records provided by patients, was formed to describe the natural history of DD. Complete echocardiogram images were available for review and LS was analyzed globally and regionally (basal, mid, apex).

Results

A total of eighteen DD patients (male 72%, mean age 17.2±10 years) had sufficient quality echocardiographic images for both traditional and myocardial strain evaluation. Notable traditional echocardiographic parameters included a mean EF of 60±11%, LV mass index 200±159 g/m2, intraventricular septal diameter 17.7±10.3 mm, LV posterior wall diameter 16.1±7.7 mm, LA volume index 21.9±13 mL/m2. Global longitudinal strain was reduced with a mean of −12.1±4.9% with an observed regional strain gradient: apex (−16.6±6.6%), mid (−10.9±4.7%) and basal (−9.2±4.5%). Bull's eye plot patterns reflected an apical sparing pattern that was similar to that described in cardiac amyloidosis.

Conclusion

In this DD cohort, we describe for the first time a strain pattern characterized by reduction in global longitudinal strain with apical sparing, which was originally pathognomonic for cardiac amyloidosis. This strain pattern in conjunction with a paradoxically normal LA volume may discriminate patients with DD from other hypertrophic conditions.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: None

Giant isotope effect on phonon dispersion and thermal conductivity in methylammonium lead iodide

Lead halide perovskites are strong candidates for high-performance low-cost photovoltaics, light emission, and detection applications. A hot-phonon bottleneck effect significantly extends the cooling time of hot charge carriers, which thermalize through carrier-optic phonon scattering, followed by optic phonon decay to acoustic phonons and finally thermal conduction. To understand these processes, we adjust the lattice dynamics independently of electronics by changing isotopes. We show that doubling the mass of hydrogen in methylammonium lead iodide by replacing protons with deuterons causes a large 20 to 50% softening of the longitudinal acoustic phonons near zone boundaries, reduces thermal conductivity by ~50%, and slows carrier relaxation kinetics. Phonon softening is attributed to anticrossing with the slowed libration modes of the deuterated molecules and the reduced thermal conductivity to lowered phonon velocities. Our results reveal how tuning the organic molecule dynamics enables control of phonons important to thermal conductivity and the hot-phonon bottleneck.

Effect of abduction on avascular necrosis of the femoral epiphysis in patients with late-detected developmental dysplasia of the hip treated by closed reduction: a MRI study of 59 hips

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to explore whether increasing the hip abduction angle would increase the incidence of avascular necrosis (AVN) in patients with late- detected developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) treated by closed reduction (CR) and spica cast immobilization.

METHODS

A total of 55 patients (59 hips) with late-detected DDH underwent MRI after CR. Hip abduction angle and hip joint distance were measured on postoperative MRI transverse sections. The acetabular index and centre-edge angle were measured on plain radiographs at the last follow-up. The presence of AVN according to Kalamchi and McEwen's classification was assessed. We retrospectively analyzed the associations among abduction angles, hip joint distances, radiographic parameters, AVN and final outcomes, exploring the relationship between hip joint abduction angle and AVN rate.

RESULTS

The mean age at the time of CR was 14.4 months SD 5.5 (6 to 28), and the mean follow-up was 26.2 months SD 8.1 (12.4 to 41.7). The mean hip abduction angle was 70.2° SD 7.2° (53° to 85°) on the dislocated side and 63.7° SD 8.8° (40° to 82°) on the normal side; the mean hip joint distance was 5.1 mm SD 1.9 (1.3 to 9.1) on the dislocated side and 2.2 mm SD 0.6 on the normal side (1.3 to 3.3). Eight of 59 hips (13.6%) developed AVN. Neither the amount of abduction nor hip joint distance increased the AVN rate (p = 0.97 and p = 0.65, respectively) or the dislocation rate (p = 0.38 and p = 0.14, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Abduction angle up to 70.2° following CR did not increase the AVN rate in children aged six to 28 months with late-detected DDH treated by CR.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

III.

[Construction of prognostic model and identification of prognostic biomarkers based on the expression of long non-coding RNA in bladder cancer via bioinformatics]

OBJECTIVE

To construct the prognostic model and identify the prognostic biomarkers based on long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in bladder cancer.

METHODS

The lncRNA expression data and corresponding clinical data of bladder cancer were collected from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The software Perl and R, and R packages were used for data integration, extraction, analysis and visualization. Detailly, R package "edgeR" was utilized to screen differentially expressed lncRNA in bladder cancer tissues compared with the normal bladder samples. The univariate Cox regression and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) regression were performed to identify key lncRNA that were utilized to construct the prognostic model by the multivariate Cox regression. According to the median value of the risk score, all patients were divided into the high-risk group and low-risk group to perform the Kaplan-Meier (K-M) survival curves, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and C-index, estimating the prognostic power of the prognostic model. In addition, the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of each key lncRNA were also calculated by the multivariate Cox regression. Moreover, we performed the K-M survival analysis for each significant key lncRNA from the result of the multivariate Cox regression.

RESULTS

A total of 691 lncRNA were identified as differentially expressed lncRNA, and 35 lncRNA signatures were initially considered associated with the prognosis of bladder cancer, where in 23 lncRNA were identified as key lncRNA associated with the prognosis. The overall survival time in years of the low-risk group was obviously longer than that of the high-risk group [(2.85±2.72) years vs. (1.58±1.51) years, P<0.001]. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.813 (3-year survival) and 0.778 (5-year survival) respectively, and the C-index was 0.73. In addition, HR and 95%CI of each key lncRNA were calculated by the multivariate Cox regression and 11 lncRNA were significant. Furthermore, K-M survival analysis revealed the independent prognostic value of 3 lncRNA, including AL589765.1 (P=0.004), AC023824.1 (P=0.022)and PKN2-AS1 (P=0.016).

CONCLUSION

The present study successfully constructed the prognostic model based on the expression level of 23 lncRNA and finally identified one protective prognostic biomarker AL589765.1, and two adverse prognostic biomarkers including AC023824.1 and PKN2-AS1 in bladder cancer.

[Analysis of intratesticular condition in micro-dissection testicular sperm extraction era]

OBJECTIVE

To summarizes the intratesticular condition of azoospermia patients, to understand azoospermia more intuitively, and improve the ability of clinical doctors to predict the success rate of microsperm extraction in azoospermia patients.

METHODS

Azoospermia patients (excluding Klinefelter's syndrome) who underwent a micro-TESE during January 2014 and January 2018 in a single center were enrolled. The types of seminiferous tubules were summarized, and the clinical characteristics of different types of seminiferous tubules compared with the success rates of sperm extraction. In this study, 472 cases of non-obstructive azoospermia (excluding Klinefelter's syndrome) were analyzed by SPSS 21.0 software package. Relevant data were expressed by median(minimum,maximum).t-test was used to compare the difference of success rate of sperm extraction between each group and the group with the lowest rate (a type).

RESULTS

The 472 patients with non-obstructive azoospermia underwent micro-TESE. The mean age of the patients was 31 (23, 46) years, the mean testicular size was 10 (1, 20) mL, the mean FSH was 15.4 (1.21, 68.4) IU/L, the mean T was 8.34 (0.69, 30.2) nmol/L, and totally 202 patients achieved success in micro-TESE (42.7%, 202/472). According to the seminiferous tubules seen during the operation, they were divided into the following six types: Class a, seminiferous tubules developed well and uniformly; Class b, seminiferous tubules developed well, occasionally slightly thick; Class c, seminiferous tubules were generally thin; Class d, seminiferous tubules basically atrophied, occasionally well-developed seminiferous tubules; Class e, all seminiferous tubules atrophied; Class f, seminiferous tubules were infiltrated by yellow substances. The success rate of micro-TESE varied greatly among different types of the patients. A total of 78 patients with type a were 29 (24, 40) years old, FSH 11.1 (1.21, 15.8) IU/L, T 10.2 (3.29, 26.5) nmol/L), and testicular size 12 (12, 20) mL. The successful rate of sperm extraction was 6.41%; 82 patients with type b were 31 (23, 42) years old, FSH 13.8 (3.23, 19.6) IU/L, T 9.44 (3.58, 30.2) nmol/L), and testicular size 12(8,15) mL. The successful rate of sperm extraction was 74.39%; There were 162 patients in group c, aged 31 (25, 40), FSH 19.6 (9.28, 26.6) IU/L, T 8.75 (5.66, 18.6) nmol/L, and testicular size 8 (5, 12) mL. The successful rate of sperm extraction was 45.06%. There were 36 patients in group d, aged 25 (23,38) years and FSH 28.5 (19.3, 45.6) IU/L, T 6.52 (2.12, 9.83) nmol/L, and testicular size 5 (3, 8) mL, and the success rate of sperm extraction was 94.44%. 26 patients with type e were 28(23, 46) years old, FSH 31.3 (18.5, 68.4) IU/L, T 6.72 (0.69, 18.2) nmol/L, and testicular size 5 (1, 8) mL. The success rate of sperm extraction was 45.38%. 88 patients with type f were 29 (24, 38) years old, FSH 18.5 (5.23, 31.6) IU / L, T 8.32 (3.58, 16.5) nmol/L, and testicular size 12 (6, 20) mL. The success rate of sperm extraction was 28.41%.

CONCLUSION

The success rate of micro-TESE in different types of seminiferous tubules in testis can be helpful to the judgement of the surgeon during the operation.

Therapeutic effects of probiotic Clostridium butyricum WZ001 on bacterial vaginosis in mice

AIMS

To observe the therapeutic effects of vaginal infusion of probiotic Clostridium butyricum WZ001 on bacterial vaginosis (BV) in mice.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Female ICR mice were used to establish the model of BV by infecting oestrogen-treated mice with Escherichia coli, and then treated with high- and low dose of C. butyricum. Clinical indexes of mice in the C. butyricum-treated groups were significantly improved and comparable to those in the antibiotic group. Pap staining showed that neutrophil count was significantly increased after modelling and largely decreased after C. butyricum treatment (P < 0·01). Dynamic observation of E. coli and Lactobacillus showed that the number of E. coli significantly decreased in the C. butyricum-treated groups or in the antibiotic group with prolonged treatment (P < 0·01). Besides, the number of E. coli in the low-dose C. butyricum group was higher than that in either its high-dose counterpart or the antibiotic group respectively (P < 0·01). The number of Lactobacillus decreased evidently in the antibiotic group (P < 0·01), while that in the C. butyricum groups remained consistent. Moreover, C. butyricum inhibited the proliferation of E. coli by the experiment in vitro. The phosphorylation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) p65 in vaginal tissue and the serum levels of inflammatory cytokines, IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6, increased after modelling and significantly decreased after treated with C. butyricum (P < 0·01), with no difference found when compared with the antibiotic group.

CONCLUSION

Clostridium butyricum inhibits the growth of pathogenic bacteria as well as the inflammatory response induced by E. coli and promotes the growth of Lactobacillus to maintain the vaginal micro-ecological balance.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Our results suggest that probiobitc C. butyricum WZ001 has a great potential in the clinical treatment of BV.

Dynamic properties of different liquid states in systems with competing interactions studied with lysozyme solutions

Recent studies of colloidal systems with a short-range attraction and long-range repulsion (SALR) have been demonstrated to have a generalized phase diagram with multiple liquid states defined by their structures. In this paper, we identify the different liquid states of previous experimentally studied lysozyme samples within this proposed generalized state diagram and explore the dynamic properties of each liquid state. We show that most lysozyme samples studied here and previously at low and intermediate concentrations are dispersed fluids while a few high concentration samples are randomly percolated liquids. In the dispersed fluid region, the short-time diffusion coefficient measured by neutron spin echo agrees well with the long time diffusion coefficient estimated with the solution viscosity. This dynamic feature is maintained even for some samples in the random percolated region. However, the short-time and long-time diffusion coefficients of random percolated fluids deviate at larger concentration and attraction strength. At high enough concentrations, the mean square displacement can be as slow as those of many glassy colloidal systems at time scales near the characteristic diffusion time even though these lysozyme samples remain in liquid states at the long-time limit. We thus identify the region in the generalized phase diagram where these equilibrium states with extremely slow local dynamics exist relative to bulk percolation and kinetic arrest (gel and glassy) transitions.

[Relationship between FGF23/FGFR4 expression in atrial tissue and atrial fibrosis in patients with atrial fibrillation]

Objective: To observe the expression of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) and FGFR4 in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and its relationship with atrial fibrosis. Methods: Fifty-one patients with rheumatic heart disease undergoing cardiac surgery at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from October 2016 to April 2017 were divided into two groups according to whether they were complicated with atrial fibrillation: 39 patients with persistent AF(AF group), and 12 patients with sinus rhythm (SR group). The right atrial appendage was cut out during cardiac surgery. The expression of FGF23 and FGFR4 mRNA was detected by quantitative real-time PCR. The expression of FGFR4 protein was detected by Western blot. Atrial structure was evaluated by echocardiography. Masson staining was used to evaluate the degree of atrial fibrosis. The expression of FGF23 and FGFR4 was compared between the two groups.Additionally, the relationship between FGF23 and FGFR4 expression and atrial fibrosis was evaluated. Results: AF group had significantly higher right and left atrial diameter than SR group((40.1±1.6 )mm vs (34.1±1.5)mm, (52.4±2.9)mm vs (41.3±2.4)mm, all P<0.05) . There were no statistically significant differences in age, gender, ejection fraction between the two groups. The expression of FGF23 and FGFR4 mRNA in AF group were significantly higher than those in SR group (1.93±0.32 vs 0.93±0.14, 1.89±0.17 vs 0.91±0.11, both P<0.05). Compared with the SR group, the protein expression of FGFR4 in the AF group was significantly higher(1.76±0.21 vs 0.84±0.12). In AF group, there was no correlation between FGF23 mRNA and atrial diameter (r=0.274 (left atrial), r=0.238 (right atrium), both P>0.05). Meanwhile, FGFR4 mRNA and protein expression had no correlation with atrial diameter either. There was positive correlation between FGF23 mRNA and atrial collagen volume fraction in AF group (r=0.42, P<0.05). The expression of FGFR4 mRNA and protein were positively correlated with the atrial collagen volume fraction (r=0.573, r=0.478, all P<0.05). Conclusion: The expression of FGF23 and FGFR4 in atrial fibrillation patients is increased, which is positively correlated with atrial fibrosis, suggesting that FGF23/FGFR4 pathway may play an important role in atrial fibrillation by promoting atrial fibrosis.