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The neuromodulation effect after ventricular arrhythmia (VA) ablation is unclear. The study aimed to investigate skin sympathetic nerve activity (SKNA) changes in patients receiving catheter ablations for idiopathic VA.Of 43 patients with drug-refractory symptomatic VA receiving ablation, SKNA was continuously recorded for 10 min during resting from electrocardiogram lead I configuration and bipolar electrodes on the right arm 1 day before and 1 day after ablation.Twenty-two patients with acute procedure success and no recurrence during follow-ups were classified as sustained success group (group 1). Other 21 patients were classified as failed ablation group (group 2). Baseline SKNA showed no significant difference between the two groups. Post-ablation SKNA in group 2 was significantly higher than in group 1. In patients with ablation involved right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT), the post-ablation SKNA was also significantly higher in group 2. In contrast, there was no difference in post-ablation SKNA between groups in patients receiving non-RVOT ablation.The neuromodulation response after RVOT ablation may correspond to the sympathetic nerve distribution at RVOT. Augmentation of sympathetic activity after VA ablation indicates an unsuccessful VA suppression, especially in patients receiving ablation of RVOT VA.

The electrophysiological (EP) effects and safety of renal artery denervation (RDN) in chronic kidney disease (CKD) are unclear.The purpose of this study was to investigate the arrhythmogenicity of RDN in a rabbit model of CKD.Eighteen New Zealand white rabbits were randomized to control (n = 6), CKD (n = 6), and CKD-RDN (n = 6) groups. A 5/6 nephrectomy was selected for the CKD model. RDN was applied in the CKD-RDN group. All rabbits underwent cardiac EP studies for evaluation. Immunohistochemistry, myocardial fibrosis, and renal catecholamine levels were evaluated.The CKD group (34.8% ± 9.2%) had a significantly higher ventricular arrhythmia (VA) inducibility than the control (8.6% ± 3.8%; P.01) and CKD-RDN (19.5% ± 6.3%; P = .01) groups. In the CKD-RDN group, ventricular fibrosis was significantly decreased compared to the CKD group (7.4% ± 2.0 % vs 10.4% ± 3.7%; P = .02). Sympathetic innervation in the CKD group was significantly increased compared to the control and CKD-RDN groups [left ventricle: 4.1 ± 1.8 vs 0.8 ± 0.5 (10Neuromodulation by RDN demonstrated protective effects with less structural and electrical remodeling, leading to attenuated VAs. In a rabbit model of CKD, RDN plays a therapeutic role by lowering the risk of VA caused by autonomic dysfunction.

The purpose of this research is to develop a new type of environmentally friendly container which has thermostatic effect and is biodegradable. This study is based on polylactic acid (PLA) and maleic anhydride grafted polybutylene succinate (MAPBS). Subsequently, the diatomite which adsorbed polyethylene glycol (PEG) was added to prepare a thermostatic biodegradable composite. The addition of MAPBS is to improve the compatibility between PLA and diatomite. In addition, the thermostatic effect, tensile strength, thermal deformation temperature and impact strength of the composite were investigated.

Active constellation extension (ACE) was originally developed to reduce the peak-to-average-power ratio (PAPR) in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems with quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). Alternatively, ACE can be a promising approach for optimizing various possible aspects of the 2-D constellation signals. However, the literature lacks a rigorous theoretical framework for ACE, and hence its applications are currently limited. This study proposes a formal mathematical framework and theory for ACE for the general case of the 2-D constellation signals. The proposed framework is used to demonstrate the roles of ACE in reducing the PAPR in the OFDM systems with QAM and improving the error performance and throughput of phase shift keying under fading channels.

There is a delayed (lag 1 to 2 days) correlation between acute PM 2.5 (particulate matter 35.4 μg/m3) or low (

Objective Rumination is a maladaptive emotional-regulation strategy that is strongly associated with depression. Impaired executive function can lead to difficulties in disengaging from rumination, thus exacerbating depression. In this study, we inspect an electroencephalograph neurofeedback protocol that enhance the target peak alpha frequency (PAF) activation in the prefrontal region. We examine the protocol's effects on depression and rumination. Methods We randomly assigned 30 dysphoric participants into either the neurofeedback training group or the control group. We then evaluated their depression, rumination, and executive function at pre- and posttraining so as to examine the effects of the neurofeedback. Results The results show that this neurofeedback protocol can specifically enhance participants' target PAF. The participants' executive function performances significantly improved after undergoing 20 neurofeedback sessions. Compared with those in the control group, those in the neurofeedback group had significantly fewer depressive symptoms and significantly reduced rumination. Moreover, as target PAF and executive function improved, depression and rumination both declined. Conclusion Our data are in line with those of previous studies that indicated a relationship between upper-band alpha activity and executive function. This PAF neurofeedback can effectively enhance participants' executive function, which can reduce rumination and ameliorate depression. This neurofeedback training is based on basic cognitive neuroscience, so it sheds light on depression's pathological factors and etiology.

Reference to the 5G network specifications defined by 3GPP, the online charging system has been greatly added and modified both in terms of interface and architecture. Since traditional online charging systems are mostly closed systems, a small number of open-source projects are no longer maintained, which makes the research in recent years extremely lacking in a suitable simulation environment. It encourages the emergence of free5GC project, which is the world's first 5G core network, developed by Taiwan independently and adopting the Apache 2.0 open-source specification. In this research, we try to implement the network function of the online charging system under the free5GC architecture and integrate it with third-party public cloud services. Adopting cloud computing, we focus on improving Charging Data Record (CDR) in computing and storage to compose a highly available and reliable B5G/6G charging system.

Introduction Phase singularity (PS) mapping provides additional insight into the AF mechanism and is accurate in identifying rotors. The study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of PS mapping in identifying AF rotors using data obtained from an automatic ultra-rapid high-resolution mapping system with a high-density mini-basket catheter. Methods Twenty-three pigs underwent rapid right atrial (RA) pacing (RAP 480 bpm) for 5 weeks before the experiment. During AF, RA endocardial automatic continuous mappings with a mini-basket catheter were generated using an automatic ultra-rapid mapping system. Both fractionation mapping and waveform similarity measurements using a PS mapping algorithm were applied on the same recording signals to localize substrates maintaining AF. Results Seventeen (74%) pigs developed sustained AF after RAP. Three were excluded because of periprocedural ventricular arrhythmia and corrupted digital data. RA fractionation maps were acquired with 6.17 ± 4.29 minutes mean acquisition time, 13768 ± 12698 acquisition points mapped during AF from 581 ± 387 beats. Fractionation mapping identified extensively distributed (66.7%) RA complex fractionated atrial electrogram (CFAE), whereas the nonlinear analysis identified high similarity index (SI > 0.7) parts in limited areas (23.7%). There was an average of 1.67 ± 0.87 SI sites with 0.43 ± 0.76 rotor/focal source/chamber. AF termination occurred in 11/16 (68.75%) AF events in 14 pigs during ablation targeting max CFAE. There was a higher incidence of rotor/focal source at AF termination sites compared with non-AF termination sites (54.5% vs 0%, P = 0.011). Conclusions The data obtained from ultra-rapid high-density automatic mapping is feasible and effective in identifying AF rotors/focal sources using PS technique, and those critical substrates were closely related to AF procedural termination.

Background Epidemiological evidence has shown an association between ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure and cardiovascular mortality. Increased ventricular premature complex (VPC) burden can cause left ventricular dilatation and dysfunction. We aimed to investigate the relationship between acute PM2.5 exposure and VPC burden in patients without structural heart disease. Methods We reviewed 26 820 patients who underwent 24-hour Holter electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings between 1 Jan 2013 and 1 Dec 2016. We enrolled patients with significant idiopathic (structurally normal heart) VPC burden defined as ≥30 VPCs/h (Lown grade 2) who had at least two Holter ECG recordings. The VPC burden between the studies on high and low PM2.5 exposure dates was compared in 24 and 12 hours time periods. Result Sixty-seven patients (31 men, 56.49 ± 18.35 years) were enrolled. Patients were exposed to 25.63 ± 11.47 and 14.66 ± 7.51 μg/m 3 of PM2.5 during the high and low study dates, respectively. The overall VPC counts (10,490.69 ± 10,681.63/day) and burden (10.22% ± 10.17%) were significantly higher on the days with higher PM2.5 exposure compared with low PM2.5 exposure dates (8293.31 ± 9009.09; P = 0.014% and 9.14% ± 12.73%, P = 0.012, respectively). Compared with low PM2.5 exposure dates, the VPC burden on high exposure dates was significantly higher from 9 am to 9 pm (5.85% ± 6.41% vs 4.84% ± 6.97%; P = 0.025) but not at nocturnal periods. Conclusion Our study demonstrated a significantly higher VPC burden on high PM2.5 exposure date. The burden was increased in the daytime but not at nighttime. This result suggests that daytime PM2.5 exposure may be associated with ventricular arrhythmia burden in the healthy population.

Sympathetic hyperactivity and poor sleep quality have been reported in patients with myocardial infarction (MI). Sleep is an important modulator of cardiovascular function. We aimed to evaluate the effects of renal denervation (RDN) on cardiac autonomic activity and disordered sleep patterns in rats with MI.Wireless transmission of polysomnographic recordings was performed in sham and left coronary artery (LCA) ligation male rats during normal daytime sleep before and after RDN. Spectral analyses of electroencephalogram and electromyogram (EMG) recordings were performed to define active waking, quiet sleep, and paradoxical sleep. Cardiac autonomic activity was measured by analyzing the power spectrum of heart rate variability. Central sleep apnea events were measured by analyzing the EMG recordings of the diaphragm.In the LCA ligation group, there was a higher low-frequency (LF)/high-frequency (HF) power ratio during sleep; the LF/HF ratio decreased significantly in the rats that underwent RDN in all sleep stages when compared with that in the rats that did not. The frequency of sleep interruptions increased without RDN in the LCA ligation group when compared with that in the sham group. This change was ameliorated and prevented with RDN in the LCA ligation group.Our results demonstrate significant sleep fragmentation with sympathetic hyperactivity after MI and that RDN prevents autonomic dysfunction and disordered sleep. RDN may then reduce sleep apnea and sleep-related sudden cardiac death after MI by restoring autonomic homeostasis.

There is a delayed (lag 1 to 2 days) correlation between acute PM 2.5 (particulate matter 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter) exposure and cardiovascular events, but the underlying mechanism remained unclear. We aimed to investigate the delayed impact of acute PM 2.5 exposures on cardiac autonomics through linear and nonlinear heart rate variability (HRV) analyses. Among 6912 patients who had received 24-h Holter ECG between October 1, 2015, to October 31, 2016, 56 patients (31 males, 70.3 ± 12.7 years old) were enrolled. We classified the patients as high ( 35.4 μg/m

Sleep and estrogen levels have an impact on neural regulation and are associated with cardiovascular (CV) events. We investigated the effects of estrogen on heart rate variability (HRV) and circadian cycle in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). Polysomnographic recording was performed in seven male and seven female SHRs during sleep. The electroencephalogram (EEG) and electromyogram (EMG) were evaluated to define active waking (AW), quiet sleep (QS), and paradoxical sleep (PS) stages. Cardiac activities were measured by RR interval of the electrocardiogram (ECG), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and power spectrum of HRV.In ECG, estrogen prolonged the RR interval in total sleep when compared with that at baseline in male SHRs (203.74 ± 6.61 versus 181.30 ± 8.06 ms, P < 0.001) and in female SHRs (169.21 ± 6.43 versus 160.76 ± 10.66 ms, P < 0.05). In HRV, the estrogen increased the high frequency (HF) in total sleep when compared with that at baseline in male SHRs (1.03 ± 0.28 versus 0.60 ± 0.43 ln (ms2), P < 0.001) and in female SHRs (0.71 ± 0.26 versus 0.42 ± 0.19 ln (ms2), P < 0.05).In male SHRs, estrogen increased the frequency of QS (26.50 ± 4.85 versus 20.79 ± 5.07, P < 0.01) and PS (25.64 ± 5.18 versus 20.14 ± 4.75, P < 0.05) stages when compared with baseline. In female SHRs, estrogen increased the percentage of delta waves in total sleep (79.87% ± 3.10% versus 76.71% ± 2.74%, P < 0.05) when compared with that at baseline.In HRV, estrogen leads to neuromodulation by increased parasympathetic tone in all SHRs, suggesting a lower risk to CV events. In sleep analyses, estrogen in male SHRs caused poor sleep quality. In contrast, estrogen in female SHRs demonstrated improved quality of sleep and decreased risk of hypertension.

Executive functions (EFs) are closely related to thinking and creativity. Recent studies that trained the elderly and other adults by reading aloud and performing arithmetic calculations show their ability to enhance EFs. The present study adopts this program with a self-designed application system on adolescents whose EF capabilities are in a period of extreme development and explores its meta-transfer effects to improve adolescents’ thinking and creative abilities. Thirty-eight junior high students were randomly assigned to the training and the active control group. After completing pretests on EFs, thinking, and creativity, the training group proceeded with reading aloud and arithmetic calculation activities, while the control group played the game Tetris for 20 15-min sessions. The ANCOVAs on the posttest performance indicated that the participants in the training group outperformed their control group peers on the thinking and creativity measures. These results demonstrate the trainability and easy application of the program and its effectiveness on improving adolescents’ higher cognition.

Background Sympathetic hyperactivity and poor sleep quality are reported in myocardial infarction (MI) patients and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) can improve long-term survival in these patients. We aimed to evaluate ACEI effects on cardiac autonomic activity (CAA) and disordered sleep patterns in ambulatory rats after MI. Methods Polysomnographic recording was performed in sham (n = 8) and MI (n = 9) male rats during normal daytime sleep before and after captopril treatment. Spectral analyses of the electroencephalogram and electromyogram were evaluated to define active waking (AW), quiet sleep (QS), and paradoxical sleep (PS). Central sleep apnea (CSA) events were measured by analyzing the electromyogram of the diaphragm. CAA was measured by power spectrum analyses of heart rate variability (HRV). Results In the MI group, there was a higher low frequency/high frequency ratio during sleep, which reduced significantly after captopril treatment, especially at the QS stage compared to that before captopril treatment. The frequency of sleep interruption was higher in the MI group than the sham group. Increased AW and PS, and decreased QS times were noted in the MI group compared to the sham group. These changes were restored to baseline after captopril treatment in the MI group. CSA events were significantly increased in the MI group, and were restored to the normal level after captopril treatment. Conclusions Our results demonstrate significant sleep fragmentation with sympathetic hyperactivity after MI, and that captopril restores the autonomic dysfunction and sleep disorder. These findings suggest that ACEI improved sleep-related respiration disorder after MI by restoring autonomic homeostasis, and provide a hypothesis generating for future studies in humans.