INTRODUCTION A Standardized Clinical Assessment and Management Plan (SCAMP) is a novel quality improvement initiative that standardizes the assessment and management of all patients who carry a predefined diagnosis. Based on periodic review of systemically collected data the SCAMP is designed to be modified to improve its own algorithm. One of the objectives of a SCAMP is to identify and reduce...

Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) are versatile tools that can regulate multiple steps of RNA biogenesis in cells and living organisms. Significant improvements in delivery, potency, and stability have been achieved through modifications within the oligonucleotide backbone, sugar and heterocycles. However, these modifications can profoundly affect interactions between ASOs and intracellular pro...

Background: The survival rate of patients following arterial switch operation (ASO) exceeds 95%, but coronary artery anomalies (CAA) contribute to a 2% incidence sudden cardiac arrest later in life. Therefore, we aimed assess abnormal findings arteries post-ASO patients. Methods: Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is performed on who meet institutional criteria. Intraoperative patt...

Background Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) late after arterial switch operation (ASO) is often normal. However, some studies have shown increased indexed end diastolic volume (iEDV) and ventricular mass when compared to healthy controls. We sought to identify LV morphological differences between patients with transposition of the great arteries (TGA post ASO) and matched healthy contr...

Hypertriglyceridemia is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and plasma triglycerides (TGs) correlate strongly with plasma apolipoprotein C-III (ApoC-III) levels. Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) for ApoC-III reduce plasma TGs in primates and mice, but the underlying mechanism of action remains controversial. We determined that a murine-specific ApoC-III-targeting ASO reduces...

Deletion of acyl-CoA:cholesterol O-acyltransferase 2 (ACAT2) in mice results in resistance to diet-induced hypercholesterolemia and protection against atherosclerosis. Recently, our group has shown that liver-specific inhibition of ACAT2 via antisense oligonucleotide (ASO)-mediated targeting likewise limits atherosclerosis. However, whether this atheroprotective effect was mediated by: 1) preve...

Larvae of the nudibranch Phestilla sibogae are induced to metamorphose by a water-borne chemical cue released by the adult nudibranch's prey, the coral Porites compressa. In competent larvae, the apical sensory organ (ASO) includes five serotonergic parampullary neurons; five ampullary neurons, the ampullae of which are filled with sensory cilia; and a basal neuropil. After sensing the coral cu...

Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) are most commonly designed to reduce targeted RNA via RNase H1-dependent degradation, however kinetic parameters for ASO-mediated targeting and subsequent cleavage and degradation of RNA in living cells are poorly understood. In this manuscript we use an inducible minigene system to determine the time course of ASO activity in the cell. Estimates of the time re...

AIMS To explore the expression of miR-24-3p in human arteries with arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO) as well as the role of miR-24-3p in the pathogenesis of ASO. METHODS We used quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and in situ hybridization to monitor miR-24-3p expression in human arteries. To investigate the effect of miR-24-3p on human arterial smooth muscle cells (HASMCs), we applied cell ...

This study investigated the prevalent ASO titer values and serogroups of BHS prevalent in the throat of apparently healthy children in Calabar with the aim of detecting the risk in the children of developing RF and RHD in their later years. The throats of 437 children drawn randomly from elementary schools in three communities in Calabar, Nigeria were examined and throat swabs collected. Fifty ...