Leveraging Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator Remote Transmissions to Predict the Occurrence of Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) frequently coexist in patients, with the development of AF often preceding HF decompensation. We sought to evaluate whether daily remote monitoring of ICD parameters could predict AF occurrence using machine learning techniques in a real-world cohort.

Methods: Data from patients with primary prevention ICDs transmitted daily to the Northwell centralized remote monitoring center between 2012 and 2021 were extracted.

A human NK cell progenitor that originates in the thymus and generates KIRNKG2A NK cells.

KIRNKG2A natural killer (NK) cells have the unique ability to detect down-regulation of single HLA-I allotypes, frequently occurring in malignantly transformed and virus-infected cells. We have recently shown that circulating innate lymphoid cells 1 (cILC1s) have the potential to generate such KIRNKG2A NK cells, but their developmental origin was unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the development of cILC1 is thymus dependent and identify a putative progenitor of cILC1s in the thymus (thyILC1).

Active Dissociation of Intracortical Spiking and High Gamma Activity.

Cortical high gamma activity (HGA) is used in many scientific investigations, yet its biophysical source is a matter of debate. Two leading hypotheses are that HGA predominantly represents summed postsynaptic potentials or-more commonly- predominantly represents summed local spikes. If the latter were true, the nearest neurons to an electrode should contribute most to HGA recorded on that electrode.

Beyond episodic early warning systems: a continuous clinical alert system for early detection of in-hospital deterioration.

Efficient patient monitoring on the medical-surgical wards is crucial to prevent significant in-hospital adverse events. Standard episodic inpatient assessment of vital signs can potentially miss changes in health status and delay recognition of elevated risk. To reduce the likelihood of this delayed recognition of risk, we developed a wearable-based deep learning model, using only 9 inputs, to identify the onset of deterioration earlier than traditional early warning systems.

Pulmonary artery banding for dilated and depressed left ventricle: dilated cardiomyopathy versus left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy.

Objectives: To retrospectively assess the suitability of pulmonary artery banding as a treatment strategy for dilated cardiomyopathy and left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy with depressed left ventricular ejection fraction.

Methods: The study was retrospective and included consecutive patients who met the inclusion criteria: diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy or left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy and left ventricular ejection fraction less than 35%. Cardiac indices were documented, and clinical outcomes were followed for 5 years.

AJILE12: Long-term naturalistic human intracranial neural recordings and pose.

Understanding the neural basis of human movement in naturalistic scenarios is critical for expanding neuroscience research beyond constrained laboratory paradigms. Here, we describe our Annotated Joints in Long-term Electrocorticography for 12 human participants (AJILE12) dataset, the largest human neurobehavioral dataset that is publicly available; the dataset was recorded opportunistically during passive clinical epilepsy monitoring. AJILE12 includes synchronized intracranial neural recordings and upper body pose trajectories across 55 semi-continuous days of naturalistic movements, along with relevant metadata, including thousands of wrist movement events and annotated behavioral states.

Long-Term Stability of Motor Cortical Activity: Implications for Brain Machine Interfaces and Optimal Feedback Control.

Unlabelled: The human motor system is capable of remarkably precise control of movements--consider the skill of professional baseball pitchers or surgeons. This precise control relies upon stable representations of movements in the brain. Here, we investigated the stability of cortical activity at multiple spatial and temporal scales by recording local field potentials (LFPs) and action potentials (multiunit spikes, MSPs) while two monkeys controlled a cursor either with their hand or directly from the brain using a brain-machine interface.

A Novel Designed Valved Conduit for RVOT Reconstruction in Grown-up Congenital Heart Patients: a Glimpse Down the Road.

Background: A plethora of valves and valve conduits are available for reconstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) for grown-up congenital heart patients. However, for several reasons, the ideal pulmonary valve substitute still remains the subject of debate. In this study, we investigated the preliminary clinical and echocardiographic results after implantation of the RVOT Elan (Vascutek, Renfrewshire, United Kingdom) conduit in adolescents and adults.

Endoscopic Resection of a Giant Left Atrial Appendage.

A 23-year-old woman with a history of arterial hypertension presented to our institution complaining of dyspnea and chest pain. Her workup including echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed an aneurysm of the left atrial appendage. No thrombus was identified in the aneurysm or left atrial appendage, and the patient was in sinus rhythm.

Aortic valve/root procedures in patients with an anomalous left circumflex coronary artery and a bicuspid aortic valve: anatomical and technical implications.

An anomalous origin of the left circumflex coronary artery that arises as a side branch of the right coronary artery from the right coronary sinus of Valsalva encircling the aortic annulus is usually an incidental finding. However, in patients undergoing aortic valve procedures, its existence can significantly complicate the surgical treatment. We report our operative strategy in patients with an anomalous left circumflex coronary artery, a bicuspid aortic valve morphology and different aortic valve pathologies.

Valve-sparing reimplantation technique for treatment of neoaortic root dilatation late after the arterial switch operation: raising the bar.

Neoaortic root dilatation can develop during long-term follow-up after an arterial switch operation (ASO). Although few patients require surgical reintervention, significant valve regurgitation is still an important cause of late morbidity. We report on a 15-year-old boy with significant dilatation of the neoaortic root that was treated with the valve-sparing reimplantation technique.

Adiponectin stimulates autophagy and reduces oxidative stress to enhance insulin sensitivity during high-fat diet feeding in mice.

Numerous studies have characterized the antidiabetic effects of adiponectin, yet the precise cellular mechanisms in skeletal muscle, in particular, changes in autophagy, require further clarification. In the current study, we used a high-fat diet (HFD) to induce obesity and insulin resistance in wild-type (WT) or adiponectin knockout (Ad-KO) mice with and without adiponectin replenishment. Temporal analysis of glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity using hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp and muscle insulin receptor substrate and Akt phosphorylation demonstrated exaggerated and more rapid HFD-induced insulin resistance in skeletal muscle of Ad-KO mice.

Characterization of a modified ROCK2 protein that allows use of N6-ATP analogs for the identification of novel substrates.

Background: The Rho-associated coiled-coil kinase-2 (ROCK2) is an important signaling transducer in the transmission of extracellular signals effecting organization of the actin cytoskeleton. ROCK2 has been implicated in numerous pathologies and the current focus is on understanding the molecular events that couple ROCK2 activity to biological function. To aid in the search for new ROCK2 substrates, we have developed an analog-sensitive (AS) ROCK2 protein that allows the use of selective ATP analogs that are not efficiently utilized by other protein kinases.

Long-term, stable behavior of local field potentials during brain machine interface use.

Local field potentials (LFPs) have the potential to provide robust, long-lasting control signals for brain-machine interfaces (BMIs). Moreover, they have been hypothesized to be a stable signal source. Here we assess the long-term stability of LFPs and multi-unit spikes (MSPs) in two monkeys using both LFP-based and MSP-based, biomimetic BMIs to control a computer cursor.

The role of adiponectin signaling in metabolic syndrome and cancer.

The increased prevalence of obesity has mandated extensive research focused on mechanisms responsible for associated clinical complications. Emerging from the focus on adipose tissue biology as a vitally important adipokine is adiponectin which is now believed to mediate anti-diabetic, anti-atherosclerotic, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective and cancer modifying actions. Adiponectin mediates these primarily beneficial effects via direct signaling effects and via enhancing insulin sensitivity via crosstalk with insulin signaling pathways.

MEKK2 kinase association with 14-3-3 protein regulates activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase.

MEKK2 (MAP/ERK kinase kinase-2) is a serine/threonine kinase that belongs to the MEKK/STE11 family of MAP kinase kinase kinases (MAP(3)Ks). MEKK2 integrates stress and mitogenic signals to the activation of NF-κB, JNK1/2, p38, and ERK5 pathways. We have found that MEKK2 is regulated through a phosphorylation-dependent association with 14-3-3, a group of adapters that modulate dimerization and association between proteins.

Long term, stable brain machine interface performance using local field potentials and multiunit spikes.

Objective: Brain machine interfaces (BMIs) have the potential to restore movement to people with paralysis. However, a clinically-viable BMI must enable consistently accurate control over time spans ranging from years to decades, which has not yet been demonstrated. Most BMIs that use single-unit spikes as inputs will experience degraded performance over time without frequent decoder re-training.

Adverse results of a decellularized tissue-engineered pulmonary valve in humans assessed with magnetic resonance imaging.

Objectives: Matrix P® and Matrix P plus® tissue-engineered pulmonary valves (TEPV) were offered as an improvement for pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) because of recellularization by host cells. The high frequency of graft failure gave reason to evaluate the underlying morphological substrate using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histology.

Methods: Between June 2006 and August 2008, 17 Matrix P® and 10 Matrix P plus® TEPVs were implanted in 26 patients with a median age of 12.

Cutaneo-pericardial fistula after transapical aortic valve implantation.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) represents a therapeutic option of increasing impact for the treatment of high-risk patients with symptomatic, severe aortic valve stenosis. We report here the case of an 86-year old patient with a cutaneo-pericardial fistula after a transapical TAVI procedure.

The MYC-associated protein CDCA7 is phosphorylated by AKT to regulate MYC-dependent apoptosis and transformation.

Cell division control protein A7 (CDCA7) is a recently identified target of MYC-dependent transcriptional regulation. We have discovered that CDCA7 associates with MYC and that this association is modulated in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. The prosurvival kinase AKT phosphorylates CDCA7 at threonine 163, promoting binding to 14-3-3, dissociation from MYC, and sequestration to the cytoplasm.

The hydrophobic motif of ROCK2 requires association with the N-terminal extension for kinase activity.

ROCK (Rho-associated coiled-coil kinase) 2 is a member of the AGC kinase family that plays an essential role downstream of Rho in actin cytoskeleton assembly and contractility. The process of ROCK2 activation is complex and requires suppression of an autoinhibitory mechanism that is facilitated by Rho binding. ROCK2 harbours a C-terminal extension within the kinase domain that contains a hydrophobic cluster of phenylalanine and tyrosine residues surrounding a key threonine residue.

Serine 396 of PDK1 is required for maximal PKB activation.

Protein kinase B (PKB; also known as Akt) is important for mediating survival and proliferation signals. Following activation, PKB shuttles to various compartments of the cell, including the nucleus, where it phosphorylates an array of targets. PKB is phosphorylated at T308 by its activator PDK1.

Phosphorylation of MEKK3 at threonine 294 promotes 14-3-3 association to inhibit nuclear factor kappaB activation.

The protein kinase MEKK3 is essential for tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha)- and lipopolysaccharide-induced activation of nuclear factor kappaB, although the mechanism by which TNF receptor 1 and Toll-like receptors regulate MEKK3 is largely unknown. In this study we have identified MEKK3 Thr(294) as a novel site of phosphorylation that regulates MEKK3 binding with 14-3-3. Phosphorylation of MEKK3 at Thr(294) was observed for both endogenous and ectopically expressed MEKK3.

Wild-type PINK1 prevents basal and induced neuronal apoptosis, a protective effect abrogated by Parkinson disease-related mutations.

Mutations in the PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1) gene have recently been implicated in autosomal recessive early onset Parkinson Disease (1, 2). To investigate the role of PINK1 in neurodegeneration, we designed human and murine neuronal cell lines expressing either wild-type PINK1 or PINK1 bearing a mutation associated with Parkinson Disease. We show that under basal and staurosporine-induced conditions, the number of terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells was lower in wild-type PINK1 expressing SH-SY5Y cells than in mock-transfected cells.