Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation - Volume 84, issue 1

Authors: Chen, Min | Shi, Siren | Zhao, Jianyong | Pan, Qin | Huang, Changjun | Shen, Quanwei | Liu, Zhaohui

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Propofol is an anesthetic agent and can impede the progression of human diseases. Circular RNA (circRNA) circ_0003645 has been identified to promote the development of atherosclerosis (AS). This study aimed at the functional mechanism of propofol and circ_0003645 in AS. METHODS: AS cell model was established by treatment of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Cell viability or apoptosis detection was performed by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and flow cytometry. Circ_0003645, microRNA-149-3p (miR-149-3p) and tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 7 (TRAF7) levels were determined by the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction …(qRT-PCR). Inflammatory cytokines were examined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Protein analysis was conducted by western blot. The interaction of miR-149-3p and circ_0003645 or TRAF7 was analyzed using dual-luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay. RESULTS: Treatment of ox-LDL inhibited cell viability and enhanced apoptosis in HUVECs to establish the AS cell model. Propofol protected against cell viability inhibition and apoptosis promotion in AS cell model. Circ_0003645 expression was downregulated by propofol in AS cell model. Propofol alleviated cell apoptosis and inflammation by decreasing the circ_0003645 level. Circ_0003645 targeted miR-149-3p, and circ_0003645/miR-149-3p axis was involved in the functional regulation of propofol. TRAF7 was the target of miR-149-3p. Inhibition of miR-149-3p affected the function of propofol by upregulating the TRAF7 expression. Circ_0003645 sponged miR-149-3p to induce the upregulation of TRAF7 following propofol treatment. CONCLUSION: It has been suggested that propofol acted as an inhibitor against the ox-LDL-induced cell injury by the circ_0003645/miR-149-3p/TRAF7 axis. Show more

Keywords: Propofol, atherosclerosis, circ_0003645, miR-149-3p, TRAF7

DOI: 10.3233/CH-221437

Citation: Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation, vol. 84, no. 1, pp. 1-18, 2023

Authors: Laou, Eleni | Papagiannakis, Nikolaos | Sarchosi, Smaragdi | Kleisiaris, Konstantinos | Apostolopoulou, Aggeliki | Syngelou, Vasiliki | Kakagianni, Maria | Christopoulos, Agamemnon | Ntalarizou, Nicoleta | Chalkias, Athanasios

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Dissociation between macrocirculation and microcirculation is often observed in surgical patients. OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that the analogue of mean circulatory filling pressure (Pmca) can monitor hemodynamic coherence during major non-cardiac surgery. METHODS: In this post-hoc analysis and proof-of-concept study, we used the central venous pressure (CVP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and cardiac output (CO) to calculate Pmca. Efficiency of the heart (Eh), arterial resistance (Rart ), effective arterial elastance (Ea ), venous compartment resistance (Rven ), oxygen delivery (DO2 ), and oxygen extraction ratio (O2 ER) were also calculated. Sublingual microcirculation was …assessed using SDF + imaging, and the De Backer score, Consensus Proportion of Perfused Vessels (Consensus PPV), and Consensus PPV (small) were determined. RESULTS: Thirteen patients were included, with a median age of 66 years. Median Pmca was 16 (14.9–18) mmHg and was positively associated with CO [p  < 0.001; a 1 mmHg increase in Pmca increases CO by 0.73 L  min-1 (p  < 0.001)], Eh (p  < 0.001), Rart (p  = 0.01), Ea (p  = 0.03), Rven (p  = 0.005), DO2 (p  = 0.03), and O2 ER (p  = 0.02). A significant correlation was observed between Pmca and Consensus PPV (p  = 0.02), but not with De Backer Score (p  = 0.34) or Consensus PPV (small) (p  = 0.1). CONCLUSION: Significant associations exist between Pmca and several hemodynamic and metabolic variables including Consensus PPV. Adequately powered studies should determine whether Pmca can provide real-time information on hemodynamic coherence. Show more

Keywords: Cardiovascular dynamics, monitoring, hemodynamics, microcirculation, perfusion, surgery

DOI: 10.3233/CH-221563

Citation: Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation, vol. 84, no. 1, pp. 19-32, 2023

Authors: Higuchi, Makoto | Sekiba, Yasuhiro | Watanabe, Nobuo

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: In pretransfusion blood typing, pretreatments such as centrifugation and suspension of red blood cells (RBCs) and mixing them with sufficient amounts of reagents are required, but these steps are time-consuming and costly. OBJECTIVE: Aiming to develop a new blood typing method that requires no dilution and only a small amount of reagent, we attempted to determine blood type using syllectometry, an easy-to-use and rapid optical method for measuring the RBC aggregation that occurs when blood flow is abruptly stopped in a flow channel. METHODS: Samples of whole blood from 20 healthy participants were mixed with …antibody reagents for blood typing at mixing ratios of 2.5% to 10% and measured with a syllectometry device. RESULTS: Amplitude (AMP), one of the aggregation parameters, showed significant differences between agglutination and non-agglutination samples at mixing ratios from 2.5% to 10%. Although there were significant individual differences in aggregation parameters, calculation of AMP relative to that of blood before reagent mixing reduced the individual differences and enabled determination of blood type in all participants. CONCLUSIONS: This new method enables blood typing with a small amount of reagent, without the time-consuming and labor-intensive pretreatments such as centrifugation and suspension of RBCs. Show more

Keywords: Red blood cell aggregation, blood typing, erythrocyte, hemagglutination, syllectogram

DOI: 10.3233/CH-221651

Citation: Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation, vol. 84, no. 1, pp. 33-41, 2023

Authors: Qiu, Yi-Jie | Cheng, Juan | Zuo, Dan | Zhang, Qi | Tian, Xiao-Fan | Lu, Xiu-Yun | Chen, Sheng | Dong, Yi | Wang, Wen-Ping

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To explore the value of vascular architecture detected by micro vascular imaging (MVI) in preoperative diagnosis of focal liver lesions (FLLs). METHODS: In this retrospective study, patients with surgery and histopathologically proved or radiologically confirmed FLLs were included. Vascular architecture of FLLs were acquired by color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) and MVI on LOGIQ™ E20 ultrasound machine (C1–6 convex array probes). Alder semiquantitative analysis (grade 0–3) and morphologic features of blood vessels (pattern a–f) were used to assess the blood flow within the FLLs. Interobserver agreement for evaluating blood flow of FLLs was analyzed. Using Adler’s grading …or morphologic patterns as diagnostic criteria for malignant FLLs, the diagnostic efficiency was analyzed and compared. RESULTS: From October 2021 and February 2022, 50 patients diagnosed with 40 malignant FLLs and 10 benign FLLs were finally included. The Kappa value within two observers for evaluating the blood flow of FLLs was 0.78 for MVI and 0.55 for CDFI. According to Alder semiquantitative analysis, more high-level blood flow signals (grade 2–3) were detected by MVI than CDFI (P  < 0.05). Based on high-level blood flow signals (grade 2–3) and hypervascular supply patterns (pattern e and f), the diagnostic accuracy for malignant FLLs were 76% and 68% for MVI, 56% and 38% for CDFI, respectively. CONCLUSION: MVI is superior to CDFI in evaluating vascular architecture of FLLs. The high-level flow signals and hypervascular pattern detected by MVI have a useful and complementary value in preoperative non-invasive identification of malignant FLLs. Show more

Keywords: Micro vascular imaging (MVI), color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI), focal liver lesions (FLLs), blood flow, vascular architectures

DOI: 10.3233/CH-221682

Citation: Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation, vol. 84, no. 1, pp. 43-52, 2023

Authors: Teng, Yanling | Ren, Fei | Wang, Yanan | Xu, Hua | Song, Hejian

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Previous data have shown that circ_0033596 is involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis (AS). The study aims to reveal the detailed mechanism of circ_0033596 in AS. METHODS: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) to establish an AS cell model. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot were implemented to detect the expression of circ_0033596, miR-637, growth factor receptor bound protein2 (GRB2), BCL2-associated x protein (Bax) and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2). Cell viability, proliferation, apoptosis and tube formation were investigated by cell counting kit-8, EdU assay, flow cytometry and tube formation …assay, respectively. The production of interleukin (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) was evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Oxidative stress was evaluated by lipid peroxidation malondialdehyde assay kit and superoxide dismutase activity assay kit. Dual-luciferase reporter assay, RNA pull-down assay and RIP assay were performed to identify the associations among circ_0033596, miR-637 and GRB2. RESULTS: The expression of circ_0033596 and GRB2 was significantly increased, while miR-637 was decreased in the blood of AS patients and ox-LDL-induced HUVECs compared with controls. Ox-LDL treatment inhibited HUVEC viability, proliferation and angiogenic ability and induced cell apoptosis, inflammation and oxidative stress, while these effects were attenuated after circ_0033596 knockdown. Circ_0033596 interacted with miR-637 and regulated ox-LDL-induced HUVEC damage by targeting miR-637. In addition, GRB2, a target gene of miR-637, participated in ox-LDL-induced HUVEC injury by combining with miR-637. Importantly, circ_0033596 activated GRB2 by interacting with miR-637. CONCLUSION: Circ_0033596 depletion protected against ox-LDL-induced HUVEC injury by miR-637/GRB2 pathway, providing a therapeutic target for AS. Show more

Keywords: AS, circ_0033596, miR-637, GRB2

DOI: 10.3233/CH-221686

Citation: Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation, vol. 84, no. 1, pp. 53-70, 2023

Authors: Rozanovic, Martin | Domokos, Kamilla | Márovics, Gergő | Rohonczi, Mirtill | Csontos, Csaba | Bogár, Lajos | Rendeki, Szilárd | Kiss, Tamás | Rozanovic, Melánia Nacira | Loibl, Csaba

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Severe COVID-19 disease is associated with multiple organ involvement,then failure and often fatal outcomes.In addition,inflammatory mechanisms and cytokine storms,documented in many COVID-19 patients,are responsible for the progression of the disease and high mortality rates.Inflammatory parameters,such as procalcitonin(PCT) and C-reactive protein(CRP), are widely used in clinical practice. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the predictive power of non-conventional inflammatory markers regarding mortality risk. METHODS: In our prospective study 52 patients were followed for 5 days after admission to an intensive care unit immediately with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection.We compared leukocyte-,platelet antisedimentation rate (LAR, PAR),neutrophil lymphocyte ratio(NLR), CRP, PCT levels. …RESULTS: In non-surviving(NSU) patients LAR remained largely constant from D1 to D4 with a statistically significant drop(p  < 0.05) only seen on D5.The NSU group showed statistically significant(p  < 0.05) elevated LAR medians on D4 and D5, compared to the SU group.NLR values were continually higher in the non-survivor group.The difference between the SU and NSU groups were statistically significant on every examined day.PAR, CRP and PCT levels didn’t show any significant differences between the SU and NSU groups. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, this study suggests that LAR and NLR are especially worthy of further investigation as prognostic markers.LAR might be of particular relevance as it is not routinely obtained in current clinical practice.It would seem beneficial to include LAR in data sets to train prognostic artificial intelligence. Show more

Keywords: COVID-19, infection, inflammatory response, leukocyte antisedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, procalcitonin

DOI: 10.3233/CH-231697

Citation: Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation, vol. 84, no. 1, pp. 71-82, 2023

Authors: Koutsiaris, Aristotle G.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: In human and animal microvascular networks, the exchange microvessels are the capillaries and postcapillary venules where material transport between the circulating blood and tissue takes place. For small-size molecules, this material transport is done by the physical mechanism of diffusion through the endothelium wall and the diffusion rate J in relation to blood volume flow Q is described by the flow-diffusion (Q-J) equation. However, the volume flow is not easy to be measured in vivo . The objective of this work was to transform the classical flow-diffusion equation into a new form with axial velocity V as an independent variable …instead of volume flow Q. The new form was called the velocity-diffusion (V-J) equation and has the advantage that V can be measured directly in vivo by optical imaging techniques. The V-J equation could have important applications in the calculation of the mass diffusion rate of various substances in vivo . Show more

Keywords: Blood flow, in vivo, diffusion, mass rate, concentration, equation, velocity, exchange vessels, permeability, microvessels, capillaries, venules.

DOI: 10.3233/CH-231713

Citation: Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation, vol. 84, no. 1, pp. 83-88, 2023

Authors: Georgieva, Lilyana | Nienhaus, Fabian | Haberkorn, Sebastian M. | Erkens, Ralf | Polzin, Amin | Wischmann, Patricia | Ipek, Rojda | Marjani, Kian | Christidi, Aikaterini | Roden, Michael | Jung, Christian | Bönner, Florian | Kelm, Malte | Perings, Stefan | Gastl, Mareike

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Early after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), initial LV reshaping and hypokinesia may affect analysis of LV function. Concomitant microvascular dysfunction may affect LV function as well. OBJECTIVE: To perform a comparative evaluation of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and stroke volume (SV) by different imaging modalities to assess LV function early after STEMI. METHODS: LVEF and SV were assessed using serial imaging within 24 h and 5 days after STEMI using cineventriculography (CVG), 2-dimensional echocardiography (2DE), 2D/3D cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) (2D/3D) in 82 patients. RESULTS: 2D analyses of LVEF using CVG, 2DE …and 2D CMR yielded uniform results within 24 h and 5 days of STEMI. SV assessment between CVG and 2DE was comparable, whereas values for SV were higher using 2D CMR (p  < 0.01 all). This was due to higher LVEDV measurements. LVEF by 2D versus 3D CMR was comparable, 3D CMR yielded higher volumetric values. This was not influenced by infarct location or infarct size. CONCLUSIONS: 2D analysis of LVEF yielded robust results across all imaging techniques implying that CVG, 2DE, and 2D CMR can be used interchangeably early after STEMI. SV measurements differed substantially between imaging techniques due to higher intermodality-differences of absolute volumetric measurements. Show more

Keywords: STEMI, LV function, cineventriculography, echocardiography, cardiovascular magnetic resonance

DOI: 10.3233/CH-231734

Citation: Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation, vol. 84, no. 1, pp. 89-101, 2023

Authors: Heine, Norbert | Brebant, Vanessa | Seitz, Stephan | Eigenberger, Andreas | Prantl, Lukas | Tessmann, Vanessa

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Objective: Since the first use of silicone implants by Cronin in 1962, there have been several attempts to introduce alternative filling materials for breast implants on the market. A promising new development are lightweight implants, whose filler material is one third lighter than conventional silicone gel. While these implants have been used primarily for aesthetic augmentation, a benefit could be expected particularly in post-mastectomy reconstruction. Materials and Methods: Since 2019, 92 operations using lightweight implants have been performed at our clinic, 61 of them for breast reconstruction after mastectomy. These have been compared to 92 breast reconstructions using …conventional silicone implants. Results: The average volume of the lightweight implants was 30% higher than of the conventional implants (452 ml resp. 347 ml), whereas the implant weight was comparable in both groups (317 g resp. 347 g). Grade 3-4 capsular fibrosis was seen in 6 cases in both groups; revision was required 9 times (lightweight implants) and 7 times (conventional silicone implants) during the follow-up period. Discussion: To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the use of lightweight implants in breast reconstruction. With exception of the filler material, the implants used in the two groups were comparable in shape and surface. The inserted lightweight implants had a greater volume but nearly the same weight as the conventional implants and were used in patients with a higher body mass index. Thus, lightweight implants were preferred in patients whose reconstruction required a larger implant volume. Conclusion: Lightweight implants are a new alternative for breast reconstruction especially in case that larger implant volume is demanded. The increased complication rate has to be verified in further studies. Show more

Keywords: Breast cancer, breast reconstruction, lightweight implants

DOI: 10.3233/CH-239101

Citation: Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation, vol. 84, no. 1, pp. 103-109, 2023