Genome-Wide Association Study Meta-Analysis of Stroke in 22 000 Individuals of African Descent Identifies Novel Associations With Stroke.

Background And Purpose: Stroke is a complex disease with multiple genetic and environmental risk factors. Blacks endure a nearly 2-fold greater risk of stroke and are 2× to 3× more likely to die from stroke than European Americans.

Methods: The COMPASS (Consortium of Minority Population Genome-Wide Association Studies of Stroke) has conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of stroke in >22 000 individuals of African ancestry (3734 cases, 18 317 controls) from 13 cohorts.

Novel Acute Retinal Artery Ischemia and Reperfusion Model in Nonhuman Primates.

Background And Purpose: The retina, as an externally located neural tissue, offers unique advantages in investigating the effect of therapeutic intervention on the brain. In this study, we put forth a clinically relevant model of retinal ischemia and reperfusion in nonhuman primates.

Methods: Acute retinal artery ischemia and reperfusion was induced by injecting an autologous clot into the ophthalmic artery of adult rhesus monkeys, and recanalization was achieved by focal thrombolysis with tPA (tissue-type plasminogen activator).

Acute Effects of Squats Using Elastic Bands on Postactivation Potentiation.

Peng, H-T, Zhan, D-W, Song, C-Y, Chen, Z-R, Gu, C-Y, Wang, I-L, and Wang, L-I. Acute effects of squats using elastic bands on postactivation potentiation. J Strength Cond Res 35(12): 3334-3340, 2021-The study aimed to investigate the acute effects of squats using elastic bands at different resistance and recovery time points on postactivation potentiation (PAP).

Innervation: the missing link for biofabricated tissues and organs.

Innervation plays a pivotal role as a driver of tissue and organ development as well as a means for their functional control and modulation. Therefore, innervation should be carefully considered throughout the process of biofabrication of engineered tissues and organs. Unfortunately, innervation has generally been overlooked in most non-neural tissue engineering applications, in part due to the intrinsic complexity of building organs containing heterogeneous native cell types and structures.

Phase 3 Trial of RNAi Therapeutic Givosiran for Acute Intermittent Porphyria.

Background: Up-regulation of hepatic delta-aminolevulinic acid synthase 1 (ALAS1), with resultant accumulation of delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and porphobilinogen, is central to the pathogenesis of acute attacks and chronic symptoms in acute hepatic porphyria. Givosiran, an RNA interference therapy, inhibits ALAS1 expression.

Methods: In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned symptomatic patients with acute hepatic porphyria to receive either subcutaneous givosiran (2.

L517W is not a pathogenic variant for spinocerebellar ataxia type 35.

Objective: To investigate the pathogenicity of the variant for spinocerebellar ataxia 35 (SCA35), which was previously reported to be caused by pathogenic mutations in the gene .

Methods: Neurologic assessment and brain MRI were performed to provide detailed description of the phenotype. Whole-exome sequencing and dynamic mutation analysis were performed to identify the genotype.

Endovascular Thrombectomy with or without Intravenous Alteplase in Acute Stroke.

Background: In acute ischemic stroke, there is uncertainty regarding the benefit and risk of administering intravenous alteplase before endovascular thrombectomy.

Methods: We conducted a trial at 41 academic tertiary care centers in China to evaluate endovascular thrombectomy with or without intravenous alteplase in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Patients with acute ischemic stroke from large-vessel occlusion in the anterior circulation were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to undergo endovascular thrombectomy alone (thrombectomy-alone group) or endovascular thrombectomy preceded by intravenous alteplase, at a dose of 0.

First-principles calculations of electronic structure and optical and elastic properties of the novel ABX-type LaWN perovskite structure.

The development of ABX-type advanced perovskite materials has become a focus for both scientific researchers and the material genome initiative (MGI). In addition to the traditional perovskite ABO and halide perovskite ABX, LaWN is discovered as a new ABX-type advanced perovskite structure. The elastic and optical properties of this novel LaWN structure are systematically studied DFT.

Endothelial Scaffolding Protein ENH (Enigma Homolog Protein) Promotes PHLPP2 (Pleckstrin Homology Domain and Leucine-Rich Repeat Protein Phosphatase 2)-Mediated Dephosphorylation of AKT1 and eNOS (Endothelial NO Synthase) Promoting Vascular Remodeling.

Objective: A decrease in nitric oxide, leading to vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, is a common pathological feature of vascular proliferative diseases. Nitric oxide synthesis by eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase) is precisely regulated by protein kinases including AKT1. ENH (enigma homolog protein) is a scaffolding protein for multiple protein kinases, but whether it regulates eNOS activation and vascular remodeling remains unknown.

Primate Version of Modified Rankin Scale for Classifying Dysfunction in Rhesus Monkeys.

Background and Purpose- Nonhuman primates are increasingly used in translational studies of ischemic stroke. However, current scoring systems in monkeys (eg, Nonhuman Primate Stroke Scale) do not focus on impairments in activities of daily living, so clinically relevant data are scarce for evaluating functional deficits in this model. Methods- Here, we referenced the modified Rankin Scale to provide a primate version of Rankin Scale (pRS) for ranking neurological dysfunction in monkeys following stroke.

Epigenetic Metabolic Reprogramming of Right Ventricular Fibroblasts in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: A Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinase-Dependent Shift in Mitochondrial Metabolism Promotes Right Ventricular Fibrosis.

Rationale: Right ventricular (RV) fibrosis in pulmonary arterial hypertension contributes to RV failure. While RV fibrosis reflects changes in the function of resident RV fibroblasts (RVfib), these cells are understudied.

Objective: Examine the role of mitochondrial metabolism of RVfib in RV fibrosis in human and experimental pulmonary arterial hypertension.

A Trial of Lopinavir-Ritonavir in Adults Hospitalized with Severe Covid-19.

Background: No therapeutics have yet been proven effective for the treatment of severe illness caused by SARS-CoV-2.

Methods: We conducted a randomized, controlled, open-label trial involving hospitalized adult patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, which causes the respiratory illness Covid-19, and an oxygen saturation (Sao) of 94% or less while they were breathing ambient air or a ratio of the partial pressure of oxygen (Pao) to the fraction of inspired oxygen (Fio) of less than 300 mm Hg. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either lopinavir-ritonavir (400 mg and 100 mg, respectively) twice a day for 14 days, in addition to standard care, or standard care alone.

Deep Learning-Based Quantification of Epicardial Adipose Tissue Volume and Attenuation Predicts Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Asymptomatic Subjects.

Background: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) volume (cm) and attenuation (Hounsfield units) may predict major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). We aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of fully automated deep learning-based EAT volume and attenuation measurements quantified from noncontrast cardiac computed tomography.

Methods: Our study included 2068 asymptomatic subjects (56±9 years, 59% male) from the EISNER trial (Early Identification of Subclinical Atherosclerosis by Noninvasive Imaging Research) with long-term follow-up after coronary artery calcium measurement.

Two-year outcomes among stable high-risk patients following acute MI. Insights from a global registry in 25 countries.

Background: Evidence is lacking on long-term outcomes in unselected patients surviving the first year following myocardial infarction (MI).

Methods And Results: The TIGRIS (long-Term rIsk, clinical manaGement and healthcare Resource utilization of stable coronary artery dISease in post-myocardial infarction patients) prospective registry enrolled 9176 eligible patients aged ≥50 years, 1-3 years post-MI, from 25 countries. All had ≥1 risk factor: age ≥ 65 years, diabetes mellitus, second prior MI, multivessel coronary artery disease, chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Comparison of Multivendor Single-Voxel MR Spectroscopy Data Acquired in Healthy Brain at 26 Sites.

Background The hardware and software differences between MR vendors and individual sites influence the quantification of MR spectroscopy data. An analysis of a large data set may help to better understand sources of the total variance in quantified metabolite levels. Purpose To compare multisite quantitative brain MR spectroscopy data acquired in healthy participants at 26 sites by using the vendor-supplied single-voxel point-resolved spectroscopy (PRESS) sequence.

Concentrations and distributions of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in surface soils and tree bark in Inner Mongolia, northern China, and the risks posed to humans.

Three functional zones, namely the industrial (IND), the agricultural (AGR), and the grassland (GRA) areas from Inner Mongolia (a remote province in northern China), were selected to evaluate the levels and distributions of PBDEs and the risks posed to local humans. PBDEs concentrations in surface soils and tree bark were detected and the air levels were estimated based on bark measurements. The total concentrations (∑PBDEs) of BDE-28, -47, -100, -99, -154, -153, -183, and -209 in soils were 1.

Predictive Value of Noncontrast Head CT with Negative Findings in the Emergency Department Setting.

Background And Purpose: Noncontrast head CTs are routinely acquired for patients with neurologic symptoms in the emergency department setting. Anecdotally, noncontrast head CTs performed in patients with prior negative findings with the same clinical indication are of low diagnostic yield. We hypothesized that the rate of acute findings in noncontrast head CTs performed in patients with a preceding study with negative findings would be lower compared with patients being imaged for the first time.

Phytoavailability of bound residue of Carbendazim to Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris ssp.chinensis) coexisted with Superabsorbent polymers.

Understanding the bioavailability and phytotoxicity of Carbendazim (MBC) bound residues (BR) in soils incubated with different Superabsorbent polymer (SAP) amendment on succeeding crops is essential to assess their environmental fate and risks. In our research, we studied the morphological characteristics and C-accumulation of Chinese cabbage and released BR in three typical cultivated soils. The plant dry weight was in order of superabsorbent-hydrogels formulations (HMBC) > MBC > MBC and SAP (MBC-SAP) at 35 d in basic soil 3 (S3), with 675.

Relationship between elevated plasma trimethylamine N-oxide levels and increased stroke injury.

Objective: To investigate whether elevated plasma trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) levels are associated with initial stroke severity and infarct volume.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 377 patients with acute ischemic stroke and 50 healthy controls. Plasma TMAO levels were assessed at admission.

Occurrence and potential health risks assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in different tissues of bivalves from Hainan Island, China.

The levels of 16 PAHs were determined in the adductor, gills, gonads, hepatopancreas and mantles of the pearl oyster (Pinctada martensii) and the mussel (Perna viridis) collected from coasts of Li'an and Xincun Bays. The levels of ΣPAHs ranged from 597.1 to 2332 ng g d w in the various tissues of bivalves.