Search Results (4)

Background/Objectives: Surgical ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) during cardiac surgery decreases perioperative morbidity and mortality and improves long-term patient outcomes. Because of these benefits, it has been designated a Class I surgical society recommendation. As surgical ablation techniques have evolved, so too have ablation tools such as radiofrequency and cryothermal devices. In this study, we evaluated real-world evidence (RWE) of concomitant surgical ablation featuring an epicardial left atrial encircling lesion created by a novel bipolar radiofrequency clamp. Methods: Thirteen centers in the observational Tracking Results of Ablation to Combat AF (TRAC-AF) Registry (NCT05111015) contributed data used in this analysis. Included patients had AF and received the epicardial encircling lesion during cardiac surgery. Additional ablation and follow-up were per institutional standard of care. Freedom from AF/atrial tachycardia (AT)/atrial flutter (AFL) and survival were evaluated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Safety was evaluated within 30 days of the procedure. Results: Among 327 patients, 70% were male with a median age of 69 years. Sixty-nine percent had paroxysmal AF. Median left atrial diameter was 4.1 cm, and CHA₂DS₂-VASc score was 3. Isolated coronary artery bypass graft and aortic valve surgery were performed in 51% and 11% of patients, respectively. One- and two-year survival rates were 95.3% (95% CI, 91.7–97.3%) and 88.1% (95% CI, 81.5–92.5%). Through 12- and 24-months freedom from AF/AT/AFL was 87.4% (95% CI, 81.3–91.6%) and 79.9% (95% CI 72.0–85.8%). Mortality within 30 days of the index procedure was 1.5%. No serious adverse events were related to the epicardial cardiac ablation procedure or device. Conclusions: RWE from the TRAC-AF Registry demonstrates surgical ablation including an epicardial left atrial encircling lesion made by a novel bipolar RF clamp was safe and resulted in favorable long-term rhythm outcomes. Full article

Ethylene is a gaseous phytohormone that delays flowering in Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat. To date, however, there have been no systematic studies on genes involved in the ethylene response of this species, and the mechanism underlying ethylene-delayed flowering remains unclear. Herein, we applied RNA sequencing to characterize the ethylene response by comparing the transcriptomes of chrysanthemum cultivar ‘Jinba’ with or without ethephon treatment. Six unique RNA-seq libraries were generated. The identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) primarily involved ethylene, auxin, and abscisic acid signaling genes; circadian clock genes; genes encoding functional proteins associated with floral transition, such as homologs of AP1/FRUITFUL-like 1 (AFL1), TERMINAL FLOWER 1 (TFL1), and so on; and genes encoding transcription factors, specifically of the MYB and bHLH families. Furthermore, quantitative RT-PCR was used to verify the DEGs identified by RNA-seq. Heterologous CmAFL1 overexpression in Arabidopsis thaliana resulted in early flowering. Our findings present a landscape of transcriptomes and reveal the candidate genes involved in the ethylene-mediated regulation of flowering time in chrysanthemum, providing useful data for further studies. Full article

Aspergillus species can produce aflatoxins (AFs), which can severely affect human and animal health. The objective was to evaluate the efficacy of reducing AF contamination of a non-aflatoxigenic isolate of A. flavus experimentally coinoculated with different aflatoxigenic strains in whole plant (WP), corn silage (CS), immature grains (IG) and in culture media (CM). An L-morphotype of A. flavus (CS1) was obtained from CS in a dairy farm located in the Mexican Highland Plateau; The CS1 failed to amplify the AFs biosynthetic pathway regulatory gene (aflR). Monosporic CS1 isolates were coinoculated in WP, CS, IG and CM, together with A. flavus strains with known aflatoxigenic capacity (originating from Cuautitlán and Tamaulipas, Mexico), and native isolates from concentrate feed (CF1, CF2 and CF3) and CS (CS2, CS3). AF production was evaluated by HPLC and fungal growth rate was measured on culture media. The positive control strains and those isolated from CF produced a large average amount of AFs (15,622 ± 3952 and 12,189 ± 3311 µg/kg), whereas A. flavus strains obtained from CS produced a lower AF concentration (126 ± 25.9 µg/kg). CS1 was efficient (p < 0.01) in decreasing AF concentrations when coinoculated together with CF, CS and aflatoxigenic positive control strains (71.6–88.7, 51.0–51.1 and 63.1–71.5%) on WP, CS, IG and CM substrates (73.9–78.2, 65.1–73.7, 63.8–68.4 and 57.4–67.6%). The results suggest that the non-aflatoxigenic isolate can be an effective tool to reduce AF contamination in feed and to minimize the presence of its metabolites in raw milk and dairy products intended for human nutrition. Full article

The performances of Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (IT-SOFC) anode-supported planar cells with a 10 cm² active surface were studied versus the combination of cathode thickness and the presence of an Anode Functional Layer (AFL). The temperature range was 500 to 650 °C, and Gd_0.1Ce_0.9O_2−x (GDC) was used as the electrolyte material, Ni-GDC as the anode material, and La_0.6Sr_0.4Co_0.2Fe_0.8O_3−d (LSCF48) as the cathode material. The power density, conductivity, and activation energy of different samples were determined in order to investigate the influence of the cathode thickness and AFL on the performance. These results showed an improvement in the performances when the AFL was not present. The maximum power density reached 370 mW·cm⁻² at 650 °C for a sample with a cathode thickness of 50 µm and an electrolyte layer that was 20 µm thick. Moreover, it was highlighted that a thinner cathode layer reduced the power density of the cell. Full article