Association of alcohol consumption with aortic aneurysm and dissection risk: results from the UK Biobank cohort study.

Background: Previous studies have reported inconsistent results with positive, negative, and J-shaped associations between alcohol consumption and the hazard of aortic aneurysm and dissection (AAD). This study aimed to examine the connections between weekly alcohol consumption and the subsequent risk of AAD.

Methods: The UK Biobank study is a population-based cohort study.

Cardiopulmonary prognosis of prophylactic endotracheal intubation in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding undergoing endoscopy.

Background: It is controversial whether prophylactic endotracheal intubation (PEI) protects the airway before endoscopy in critically ill patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB). The study aimed to explore the predictive value of PEI for cardiopulmonary outcomes and identify high-risk patients with UGIB undergoing endoscopy.

Methods: Patients undergoing endoscopy for UGIB were retrospectively enrolled in the eICU Collaborative Research Database (eICU-CRD).

Association between Contrast Media Volume and 1-Year Clinical Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Coronary Angiography.

Background: The excess volume of contrast media (CM) is a marker of a more severe coronary culprit lesion and longer intervention duration in patients undergoing cardiac procedures. However, it is unclear whether the contrast volume is directly correlated with worse clinical outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between contrast dose and the incidence of 1-year major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) and all-cause bleeding events in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization and coronary angiography (CAG).

Roles of NG2-glia in ischemic stroke.

Recent studies have shown that a widely distributed class of glial cells, termed NG2-glia, engages in rapid signaling with surrounding neurons through direct synaptic contacts in the developing and mature central nervous system (CNS). This unique glial cell group has a typical function of proliferating and differentiating into oligodendrocytes during early development of the brain, which is crucial to axon myelin formation. Therefore, NG2-glia are also called oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs).