Bachmann's bundle and upper septal inter-atrial connections as key paths for a biatrial macro re-entrant circle: a case report.

Background: The Bachmann's bundle has been described as a key route for re-entrant circuits in biatrial tachycardias. Septal inter-atrial muscular connections were discovered a while ago, but evidence on their potential role in re-entrant tachycardias is lacking.

Case Summary: We describe an atrial macro re-entrant circuit presented as a wide complex tachycardia that utilized the Bachmann's bundle, septal inter-atrial connections, and a limited area of the anterior left atrial myocardium in a patient with previous multiple atrial fibrillation ablation procedures.

A novel case of glial transdifferentiation in renal medullary carcinoma brain metastasis.

Renal medullary carcinoma is a rare undifferentiated tumor of the kidney associated with sickle cell trait and characterized by INI1 (SMARCB1) loss. Although metastasis to lungs, lymph nodes, and bone is commonly reported, distant spread to the central nervous system almost never occurs. Here we present an unusual case of a patient with renal medullary carcinoma with metastasis to the brain following treatment which included tazemetostat, an EZH2 inhibitor.

Photocurrent Spectroscopy of Dark Magnetic Excitons in 2D Multiferroic NiI.

Two-dimensional (2D) antiferromagnetic (AFM) semiconductors are promising components of opto-spintronic devices due to terahertz operation frequencies and minimal interactions with stray fields. However, the lack of net magnetization significantly limits the number of experimental techniques available to study the relationship between magnetic order and semiconducting properties. Here, they demonstrate conditions under which photocurrent spectroscopy can be employed to study many-body magnetic excitons in the 2D AFM semiconductor NiI.

HF Etiology and cardiac contractility modulation therapy.

Objectives: Our study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) therapy in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) depending on HF etiology.

Methods: We enrolled 166 patients with optimal medical therapy-resistant HFrEF (median age 59 years, 83.7% males, median NYHA class - 2, median left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) - 29.

Sub-Diffraction Correlation of Quantum Emitters and Local Strain Fields in Strain-Engineered WSe Monolayers.

Strain-engineering in atomically thin metal dichalcogenides is a useful method for realizing single-photon emitters (SPEs) for quantum technologies. Correlating SPE position with local strain topography is challenging due to localization inaccuracies from the diffraction limit. Currently, SPEs are assumed to be positioned at the highest strained location and are typically identified by randomly screening narrow-linewidth emitters, of which only a few are spectrally pure.

Progression of obstructive sleep apnoea after renal denervation is not associated with hypertension exaggeration.

Purpose: In a cohort, observational prospective trial, we assessed the long-term dynamics of sleep-disordered breathing in patients with resistant hypertension after renal denervation and their association with blood pressure change at remote follow-up.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-eight patients with stable hypertension who were recruited for endovascular radiofrequency renal denervation in 2012-2019 and had valid both baseline and follow-up sleep study, were included in the analysis. All patients underwent physical examination, anthropometry, office and ambulatory blood pressure measurements, blood and urine tests, kidney visualization, and full polysomnography before and within 12-36 months after renal denervation.

Radiosensitizing Effect of Dextran-Coated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles on Malignant Glioma Cells.

The potential of standard methods of radiation therapy is limited by the dose that can be safely delivered to the tumor, which could be too low for radical treatment. The dose efficiency can be increased by using radiosensitizers. In this study, we evaluated the sensitizing potential of biocompatible iron oxide nanoparticles coated with a dextran shell in A172 and Gl-Tr glioblastoma cells in vitro.

Combination of personalized computational modeling and machine learning for optimization of left ventricular pacing site in cardiac resynchronization therapy.

The 30-50% non-response rate to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) calls for improved patient selection and optimized pacing lead placement. The study aimed to develop a novel technique using patient-specific cardiac models and machine learning (ML) to predict an optimal left ventricular (LV) pacing site (ML-PS) that maximizes the likelihood of LV ejection fraction (LVEF) improvement in a given CRT candidate. To validate the approach, we evaluated whether the distance D between the clinical LV pacing site (ref-PS) and ML-PS is associated with improved response rate and magnitude.

Chemomechanical modification of quantum emission in monolayer WSe.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted attention for quantum information science due to their ability to host single-photon emitters (SPEs). Although the properties of atomically thin materials are highly sensitive to surface modification, chemical functionalization remains unexplored in the design and control of 2D material SPEs. Here, we report a chemomechanical approach to modify SPEs in monolayer WSe through the synergistic combination of localized mechanical strain and noncovalent surface functionalization with aryl diazonium chemistry.

Matrix is everywhere: extracellular DNA is a link between biofilm and mineralization in Bacillus cereus planktonic lifestyle.

To date, the mechanisms of biomineralization induced by bacterial cells in the context of biofilm formation remain the subject of intensive studies. In this study, we analyzed the influence of the medium components on the induction of CaCO precipitation by the Bacillus cereus cells and composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM) formed in the submerged culture. While the accumulation of extracellular polysaccharides and amyloids appeared to be independent of the presence of calcium and urea during the growth, the accumulation of extracellular DNA (eDNA), as well as precipitation of calcium carbonate, required the presence of both ingredients in the medium.

Quantitative Characterization of the Anisotropic Thermal Properties of Encapsulated Two-Dimensional MoS Nanofilms.

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors exhibit unique physical properties at the limit of a few atomic layers that are desirable for optoelectronic, spintronic, and electronic applications. Some of these materials require ambient encapsulation to preserve their properties from environmental degradation. While encapsulating 2D semiconductors is essential to device functionality, they also impact heat management due to the reduced thermal conductivity of the 2D material.

Conversion of Classical Light Emission from a Nanoparticle-Strained WSe Monolayer into Quantum Light Emission via Electron Beam Irradiation.

Solid-state single photon emitters (SPEs) within atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have recently attracted interest as scalable quantum light sources for quantum photonic technologies. Among TMDs, WSe monolayers (MLs) are promising for the deterministic fabrication and engineering of SPEs using local strain fields. The ability to reliably produce isolatable SPEs in WSe is currently impeded by the presence of numerous spectrally overlapping states that occur at strained locations.

Laser renal denervation: A comprehensive evaluation of microstructural renal artery lesions.

Renal artery denervation (RDN) has been proposed for resistant arterial hypertension. Beyond conventional radiofrequency (RF) ablation, there are emerging RDN technologies, including laser catheter ablation. We aimed at evaluamting the local effects of laser ablation on the renal artery and perivascular nerve injury in comparison with radiofrequency ablation.

Liquid-Phase Exfoliation of Magnetically and Optoelectronically Active Ruthenium Trichloride Nanosheets.

α-RuCl is a layered transition metal halide that possesses a range of exotic magnetic, optical, and electronic properties including fractional excitations indicative of a proximate Kitaev quantum spin liquid (QSL). While previous reports have explored these properties on idealized single crystals or mechanically exfoliated samples, the scalable production of α-RuCl nanosheets has not yet been demonstrated. Here, we perform liquid-phase exfoliation (LPE) of α-RuCl through an electrochemically assisted approach, which yields ultrathin, electron-doped α-RuCl nanosheets that are then assembled into electrically conductive large-area thin films.

Performance of the ablation index during pulmonary vein isolation: periprocedural data from a multicenter registry.

Purpose: Our study aimed to assess the achievement of target ablation index (AI) values and their impact on first-pass pulmonary vein isolation (FPI) as well as to identify FPI predictors.

Methods: Atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation was performed according to the local practice, and target AIs were evaluated. The actual AI was calculated as the median value of all ablation points for the anterior and posterior left atrial (LA) walls.

Morphotaxy of Layered van der Waals Materials.

Layered van der Waals (vdW) materials have attracted significant attention due to their materials properties that can enhance diverse applications including next-generation computing, biomedical devices, and energy conversion and storage technologies. This class of materials is typically studied in the two-dimensional (2D) limit by growing them directly on bulk substrates or exfoliating them from parent layered crystals to obtain single or few layers that preserve the original bonding. However, these vdW materials can also function as a platform for obtaining additional phases of matter at the nanoscale.

Bromhexine Hydrochloride Prophylaxis of COVID-19 for Medical Personnel: A Randomized Open-Label Study.

Background: Bromhexine hydrochloride has been suggested as a TMPRSS2 protease blocker that precludes the penetration of SARS-CoV-2 into cells. We aimed to assess the preventive potential of regular bromhexine hydrochloride intake for COVID-19 risk reduction in medical staff actively involved in the evaluation and treatment of patients with confirmed or suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Methods: In a single-centre randomized open-label study, medical staff managing patients with suspected and confirmed COVID-19 were enrolled and followed up for 8 weeks.

Machine Learning Prediction of Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy Response From Combination of Clinical and Model-Driven Data.

Up to 30-50% of chronic heart failure patients who underwent cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) do not respond to the treatment. Therefore, patient stratification for CRT and optimization of CRT device settings remain a challenge. The main goal of our study is to develop a predictive model of CRT outcome using a combination of clinical data recorded in patients before CRT and simulations of the response to biventricular (BiV) pacing in personalized computational models of the cardiac electrophysiology.

Transcatheter radiofrequency pulmonary artery denervation in swine: the evaluation of lesion degree, hemodynamics and pulmonary hypertension inducibility.

Background: Mechanisms of positive effects of pulmonary artery (PA) denervation (PADN) remain poorly understood. The study aimed to evaluate pulmonary hemodynamic changes after PADN and their association with the extent of PA wall damage in an acute thromboxane A2 (TXA2)-induced pulmonary hypertension (PH) model in swine.

Methods: In this experimental sham-controlled study, 17 normotensive male white Landrace pigs (the mean weight 36.

Pulmonary and Systemic Hemodynamics following Multielectrode Radiofrequency Catheter Renal Denervation in Acutely Induced Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Swine.

Objective: We aimed to assess the effects of renal denervation (RDN) on systemic and pulmonary hemodynamics in a swine model of thromboxane A2- (TXA2-) induced pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

Methods: The study protocol comprised two PAH inductions with a target mean pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) of 40 mmHg at baseline and following either the RDN or sham procedure. Ten Landrace pigs underwent the first PAH induction; then, nine animals were randomly allocated in 1 : 1 ratio to RDN or sham procedure; the second PAH induction was performed in eight animals (one animal died of pulmonary embolism during the first PAH induction, and one animal died after RDN).

An Ovine Model for Percutaneous Pulmonary Artery Laser Denervation: Perivascular Innervation and Ablation Lesion Characteristics.

Background: Pulmonary artery denervation (PADN) is an evolving interventional procedure capable to reduce pulmonary artery (PA) pressure. We aimed to compare PA nerve distribution in different specimens and assess the feasibility of an ovine model for a denervation procedure and evaluate the acute changes induced by laser energy.

Methods: The experiment was divided into two phases: (1) the analysis of PA nerve distribution in sheep, pigs, and humans using histological and immunochemical methods; (2) fiberoptic PADN in sheep and postmortem laser lesion characteristics.