Gabrielle C. Geddes^1,2, Erin Syverson^1,2, Michael G. Earing^1,2

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.5, pp. 832-837, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12817

Abstract Objective: To describe the first 3 years of experience of having an inpatient “cardiogenetics” program which involves medical geneticist assessment of infants with major congenital heart disease (CHD) requiring surgical intervention in the first year of life.
Patients: Patients less than a year of age admitted to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin’s Herma Heart Institute for surgical intervention for CHD seen by the cardiogenetics program. Patients with major trisomies (13, 18, and 21) were excluded.
Outcome Measures: Utilization and yield of genetic testing, and diagnostic rate were assessed as outcome measures and compared to a baseline time period and… More >

Natalie Bottega¹, Isabelle Malhamé², Liming Guo¹, Raluca Ionescu‐Ittu¹, Judith Therrien¹, Ariane Marelli¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.5, pp. 735-744, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12811

Abstract Background: The number of women with congenital heart disease (CHD) of reproductive age is increasing, yet a description of trends in pregnancy and delivery outcomes in this population is lacking.
Objective: To assess secular trends in pregnancy rates, delivery outcomes, and related health care utilization in the adult female CHD population in Quebec, Canada.
Methods: The Quebec CHD database was used to construct a cohort with all women with CHD aged 18‐45 years between 1992 and 2004. Pregnancy and delivery rates were determined yearly and compared to the general population. Secular trends in pregnancy and delivery rates were… More >

Jan Hinnerk Hansen¹, Lydia Kissner¹, Jana Logoteta¹, Olaf Jung¹, Peter Dütschke², Tim Attmann³, Jens Scheewe³, Hans‐Heiner Kramer^1,4

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.3, pp. 427-437, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12741

Abstract Objectives: Neonates and infants undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease are at risk for developmental impairment. Hypoxic‐ischemic brain injury might be one contributing factor. We aimed to investigate the perioperative release of the astro‐ cyte protein S100B and its relation to cerebral oxygenation.
Methods: Serum S100B was measured before and 0, 12, 24, and 48 hours after sur‐ gery. Cerebral oxygen saturation was derived by near‐infrared spectroscopy. S100B reference values based on preoperative samples; concentrations above the 75th per‐ centile were defined as elevated. Patients with elevated S100B at 24 or 48 hours were compared to cases… More >

Sebastian Udholm, Christian Rex, Filip Eckerström, Mine Onat, Camilla Nyboe, Vibeke E. Hjortdal

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.3, pp. 372-379, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12740

Abstract Objective: Adult patients with small, unrepaired atrial septal defects have an in‐ creased risk of pneumonia, atrial fibrillation, and stroke. Furthermore, they have higher late mortality than the background population. The functional capacity is un‐ known in these patients. Therefore, our objective was to determine exercise capacity in adult patients diagnosed with an unrepaired atrial septal defect compared to healthy controls. Design: A cross‐sectional study. Patients: Adult patients with small, unrepaired atrial septal defects, aged 18‐65, di‐ agnosed between 1953 and 2011. Interventions: Cardiopulmonary exercise test was performed using an incremental bicycle test and gas… More >

Matthew Lewis¹, William Whang², Angelo Biviano², Kathleen Hickey², Hasan Garan², Marlon Rosenbaum¹

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.2, pp. 207-212, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12695

Abstract Background: Catheter ablation is commonly performed to treat atrial arrhythmias in adult congenital heart disease (ACHD). Despite the frequency of ablations in the ACHD population, predictors of recurrence remain poorly defined.
Objective: We sought to determine predictors of arrhythmia recurrence in ACHD patients following catheter ablation for atrial arrhythmias.
Methods: We performed a retrospective study of all catheter ablations for atrial arrhythmias performed in ACHD patients between January 12, 2005 and February 11, 2015 at our institution. Prespecified exposures of interest and time from ablation to recurrence were determined via chart review.
Results: Among 124 patients (mean age: 45… More >

Shyam Sathanandam¹, Stephanie Whiting¹, Jorden Cunningham¹, David Zurakowski², Leah Apalodimas¹, B. Rush Waller¹, Ranjit Philip¹, Athar M. Qureshi³

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.1, pp. 6-14, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12729

Abstract Background: Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is highly prevalent in extremely low birth weight (ELBW), preterm infants. There are diverse management approaches for the PDA in ELBW infants. The objectives of this research were to identify current PDA management practices among cardiologists and neonatologists in the United States, describe any significant differences in management, and describe areas where practices align.
Methods: A survey of 10 questions based on the management of PDA in ELBW infants was conducted among 100 prominent neonatologists from 74 centers and 103 prominent cardiologists from 75 centers. Among the cardiologists, approximately 50% were interventionists… More >

Adam Willis, Lillia Pereiras, Tim Head, Genevieve Dupuis, Janet Sessums, Gordon Corder, Kim Graves, Jack Tipton, Shyam Sathanandam

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.1, pp. 69-73, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12706

Abstract Objective: The objective of this article is to describe the elements involved with transporting extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants from referring centers to our center’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and then from the NICU to the catheterization lab for transcatheter closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).
Setting: Several referring centers are over 300 miles away. ELBW infants are transferred in to our NICU safely for the procedure and transferred back following the procedure. A multidisciplinary team approach is necessary in order to achieve a safe transport of these fragile patients.
Patients: To date, we have over… More >

Shyam Sathanandam, Hitesh Agrawal, Sandeep Chilakala , Jason Johnson, Kimberly Allen, Christopher Knott‐Craig, B. Rush Waller, Ranjit Philip

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.14, No.1, pp. 79-84, 2019, DOI:10.1111/chd.12700

Abstract Objective: Advancements in transcatheter technology have now made it possible to safely close patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants. The objective of this article is to describe our technique for transcatheter PDA closure (TCPC) in ELBW infants.
Design: The techniques employed are very specific to this population and are drasti‐ cally different when compared to the procedure performed in patients weighing >5 kg.
Setting: A multidisciplinary team approach should be taken to evaluate and manage ELBW infants in order to achieve success. It is important that specific techniques with venous‐only approach outlined in… More >

Nian Li^*

Structural Durability & Health Monitoring, Vol.13, No.4, pp. 331-346, 2019, DOI:10.32604/sdhm.2019.07521

Abstract The investigation focusing on the mechanical behaviors at the microstructural level in composite materials can provide valuable insight into the failure mechanisms at larger scales. A micromechanics damage model which comprises the coupling of the matrix constitutive model and the cohesive zone (CZM) model at fiber-matrix interfaces is presented to evaluate the transverse tensile damage behaviors of unidirectional (UD) fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. For the polymeric matrix that exhibits highly non-linear mechanical responses, special focus is paid on the formulation of the constitutive model, which characterizes a mixture of elasticity, plasticity as well as damage.… More >

Tiangen WU¹, Tianhao BAO^2,3, Daoming LIANG^1,*, Lin WANG^4,*

BIOCELL, Vol.43, No.4, pp. 293-298, 2019, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2019.07841

Abstract Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are crucial to tumor metastasis, and they usually undergo epithelial– mesenchymal transition (EMT) in order to disseminate from the primary tumor. However, very little is currently known about the relationship between EMT and malignant phenotypes of CTCs in the context of gastric cancer. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the contribution of EMT to malignant phenotypes of CTCs derived from gastric cancer cells. We xenografted MKN28 gastric cancer cells pretreated with transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGFβ-1) into nude mice by intravenous injection. Next, we isolated CTCs from the blood of nude… More >