1. Volume 13, Issue 1, Pages 241-250 (January 2016)
Splenectomy exacerbates atrial inflammatory fibrosis and vulnerability to atrial fibrillation induced by pressure overload in rats: Possible role of spleen-derived interleukin-10 
Hidekazu Kondo, MD, Naohiko Takahashi, MD, PhD, Koro Gotoh, MD, PhD, Akira Fukui, MD, Shotaro Saito, MD, Kohei Aoki, MD, Osamu Kume, MD, PhD, Tetsuji Shinohara, MD, PhD, Yasushi Teshima, MD, PhD, Tetsunori Saikawa, MD, PhD 
Heart Rhythm 
Volume 13, Issue 1, Pages (January 2016)
DOI: /j.hrthm
Copyright © 2016 Heart Rhythm Society Terms and Conditions

2. Figure 1
Inflammatory cytokine levels in the serum, spleen, and left atrium (LA). Shown are serum levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α (A) and interleukin (IL)-10 (B), and the ratio of TNF-α to IL-10 (C). D: IL-10 protein expression in the whole spleen. E: TNF-α mRNA level in the LA. F: IL-10 protein level in the LA. Data are given as mean ± SEM (n = 8 per group). *P <.05 vs Sham+Sham; **P < .01 vs Sham+Sham; †P < .05 vs AAC+Sham; ††P < .01 vs AAC+Sham; §P < .05 vs AAC+SPX; §§P < .01 vs AAC+SPX. AAC = abdominal aortic constriction; GAPDH = glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase; SPX = splenectomy.
Heart Rhythm  , DOI: ( /j.hrthm )
Copyright © 2016 Heart Rhythm Society Terms and Conditions

3. Figure 2
Interstitial fibrosis in the left atrium (LA). Experimental groups are as described in the legend for Figure 1. A: Representative images of LA tissue stained by the Masson–trichrome method. B: Quantitative analysis of interstitial fibrosis. Data are given as mean ± SEM (n = 6 per group). **P < .01 vs Sham+Sham; †P < .05 vs AAC+Sham; §P < .05 vs AAC+SPX. AAC = abdominal aortic constriction; IL-10 = interleukin-10; SPX = splenectomy.
Heart Rhythm  , DOI: ( /j.hrthm )
Copyright © 2016 Heart Rhythm Society Terms and Conditions

4. Figure 3
Recordings of electrical activity in isolated perfused hearts. Experimental groups are as described in the legend for Figure 1. A: Representative traces of atrial fibrillation (AF) in the heart of an AAC+SPX rat. Electrograms (EGMs) of the left atrium (LA) and left ventricle (LV). Shown are AF inducibility (B), AF duration (C), effective refractory period (ERP) of the LA and right atrium (RA) (D), and interatrial conduction times (IACT) (E). Data are given as mean ± SEM (n = 8 per group). **P < .01 vs Sham+Sham; †P < .05 vs AAC+Sham and AAC+SPX+IL-10. AAC = abdominal aortic constriction; BCL = basic cycle length; IL-10 = interleukin-10; N.S. = not significant; SPX = splenectomy.
Heart Rhythm  , DOI: ( /j.hrthm )
Copyright © 2016 Heart Rhythm Society Terms and Conditions

5. Figure 4
Time course of changes in the cluster of differentiation (CD)11b+ monocyte population in the spleen after abdominal aortic constriction (AAC). Experimental groups are as described in the legend for Figure 1. A: Spleen tissue samples from rats in the Sham+Sham and AAC+Sham groups on days 2, 4, 14, and 28 after AAC. Sections were immunolabeled for CD11b (brown) and counterstained with hematoxylin (blue). B: Quantitative analysis of CD11b+ splenic reservoir monocytes. Data are given as mean ± SEM (n = 8 per group). *P < .05 vs Sham+Sham; **P < .01 vs Sham+Sham. N.S. = not significant.
Heart Rhythm  , DOI: ( /j.hrthm )
Copyright © 2016 Heart Rhythm Society Terms and Conditions

6. Figure 5
Time course of changes in the cluster of differentiation (CD) 68+ macrophage population in the left atrium (LA). Experimental groups are as described in the legend for Figure 1. A: LA tissue samples were immunolabeled for CD68 (brown) and counterstained with hematoxylin (blue) on days 2, 4, 14, and 28. B: Quantitative analysis of infiltrating CD68+ macrophages. Data are given as mean ± SEM (n = 6 per group). *P <.05 vs Sham+Sham; **P <.01 vs Sham+Sham; †P < .05 vs AAC+Sham; §P < .05 vs AAC+Sham. AAC = abdominal aortic constriction; IL-10 = interleukin-10; SPX = splenectomy.
Heart Rhythm  , DOI: ( /j.hrthm )
Copyright © 2016 Heart Rhythm Society Terms and Conditions

7. Figure 6
Recruitment of antiinflammatory M2 macrophages to the left atrium (LA). Experimental groups are as described in the legend for Figure 1. A: LA tissue samples were immunolabeled for cluster of differentiation (CD) 68 (green) and/or CD163 (red), and counterstained with 4′6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI; blue) on day 4. Double-positive cells (yellow; indicated by red arrows) were identified as antiinflammatory M2 macrophages. B: Quantitative analysis of infiltrating CD68 and CD163 double-positive cells. Data are given as mean ± SEM (n = 6 per group). **P < .01 vs Sham+Sham; †P < .05 vs AAC+Sham. AAC = abdominal aortic constriction; IL-10 = interleukin-10; SPX = splenectomy.
Heart Rhythm  , DOI: ( /j.hrthm )
Copyright © 2016 Heart Rhythm Society Terms and Conditions