Outer Membrane Vesicle-Cancer Hybrid Membrane Coating Indocyanine Green Nanoparticles for Enhancing Photothermal Therapy Efficacy in Tumors.

Cell membrane-coated nanomaterials are increasingly recognized as effective in cancer treatment due to their unique benefits. This study introduces a novel hybrid membrane coating nanoparticle, termed cancer cell membrane (CCM)-outer membrane vesicle (OMV)@Lip-indocyanine green (ICG), which combines CCMs with bacterial OMV to encapsulate ICG-loaded liposomes. Comprehensive analyses were conducted to assess its physical and chemical properties as well as its functionality.

Development and validation of a simple model to predict functionally significant coronary artery disease in Chinese populations: A two-center retrospective study.

Objectives: This study sought to derive and validate a simple model combining traditional clinical risk factors with biomarkers and imaging indicators easily obtained from routine preoperative examinations to predict functionally significant coronary artery disease (CAD) in Chinese populations.

Methods: We developed five models from a derivation cohort of 320 patients retrospective collected. In the derivation cohort, we assessed each model discrimination using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), reclassification using the integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) and net reclassification improvement (NRI), calibration using the Hosmer-Lemeshow test, and clinical benefit using decision curve analysis (DCA) to derive the optimal model.

Melatonin alleviates arginine vasopressin-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis via increasing Mst1-Nrf2 pathway activity to reduce oxidative stress.

Heart failure patients have elevated arginine vasopressin (AVP) levels, which are involved in inducing peripheral vasoconstriction and cardiac hypertrophy. This hypertrophy, along with cardiomyocyte apoptosis, results from oxidative stress. Therefore, the antioxidant drug, melatonin (Mel), is commonly used to treat cardiac hypertrophy and apoptosis; however, whether it could alleviate AVP-induced myocardialinjury remains to be addressed.

Melatonin activates the Mst1-Nrf2 signaling to alleviate cardiac hypertrophy in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Among pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients, right ventricular (RV) functioning has been considered a major determining factor for cardiac capacity and survival. However, despite the recognition of the clinical importance for preserving RV functioning, no effective treatments are currently available for RV failure. This study aims to suggest one such possible treatment, through investigating the cardio-protective capabilities of the anti-oxidant, melatonin (Mel), for treating adverse RV remodeling in PAH, along with its underlying mechanisms.

Evaluation of longitudinal trajectory of functional tricuspid regurgitation on the risk of right ventricular dysfunction after mitral valve replacement.

Objective: Functional tricuspid regurgitation (FTR) levels can vary over time and its longitudinal changing patterns may predict right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) risk. We aim to identify different trajectories of FTR in those who received mitral valve replacement (MVR) and investigate the association between longitudinal trajectory groups and RVD risk in a cohort study.

Methods And Results: A prospective cohort study, reported usual FTR levels at baseline in 2005-2015 and the participants of MVR have been followed up for 5-6 years, approximately every 1 year, and so far, the data have been collected across five subsequent phases.

LncRNA PVT1 is a novel mediator promoting the angiogenesis response associated with collateral artery formation.

Aims: Angiogenesis plays a key role in coronary collateral circulation (CCC), the compensatory formation of new blood vessels during chronic total coronary occlusion. This study aimed to determine whether plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1), a long non-coding (lnc) RNA involved in tumor angiogenesis, plays a role in regulating angiogenesis during chronic coronary ischemia.

Main Methods: Patients with coronary artery disease, and ≥ 90% stenosis, were examined and divided into "Good" and "Poor" CCC groups based on Rentrop Cohen classification.

Using an Improved Residual Network to Identify PIK3CA Mutation Status in Breast Cancer on Ultrasound Image.

Background: The detection of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase catalytic alpha (PIK3CA) gene mutations in breast cancer is a key step to design personalizing an optimal treatment strategy. Traditional genetic testing methods are invasive and time-consuming. It is urgent to find a non-invasive method to estimate the PIK3CA mutation status.

Establishment and Validation of a Predictive Model for Long-Term Severe Functional Tricuspid Regurgitation after Mitral Valve Replacement.

Background: The objective was to develop and validate an individualized nomogram to predict severe functional tricuspid regurgitation (S-FTR) after mitral valve replacement (MVR) via retrospective analysis of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) patients’ pre-clinical characteristics.

Methods: Between 2001-2015, 442 MVR patients of RHD were examined. Transthoracic echocardiography detected S-FTR, and logistic regression model analyzed its independent predictors.

An ultrasound observation study on the levator hiatus with or without diastasis recti abdominis in postpartum women.

Introduction And Hypothesis: We hypothesized that differences in post-partum levator hiatus (LH) measurements, as well as the area of urethra and bladder (AUB), viewed under ultrasound, correlate with diastasis rectus abdominis (DRA) occurrence. The primary objective of this study is to determine ultrasound parameters available for diagnosing DRA in post-partum women. We compared LH and AUB measurements under ultrasound in primiparous women, with and without DRA, at 24-26 weeks postpartum.

Prognostic potential of layer-specific global longitudinal strain in patients with non-ST-segment elevated acute coronary syndrome and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction.

This study sought to investigate the prognostic potential of layer-specific global longitudinal strain (GLS) in predicting cardiac events among non-ST-segment elevated acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) patients with preserved LVEF. In this prospective study, we enrolled 160 consecutive NSTE-ACS patients with preserved LVEF (≥ 50%) who underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Transthoracic two-dimensional echocardiography examinations were performed within 48 h of admission (before PCI).

Automatic myocardial infarction detection in contrast echocardiography based on polar residual network.

Purpose: Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death. Among patients with cardiovascular diseases, myocardial infarction (MI) is the main reason. Precise and timely identification of MI is significant for early treatment.

Evidence for the existence of CD34 angiogenic stem cells in human first-trimester decidua and their therapeutic for ischaemic heart disease.

Stem cell transplantation is nearly available for clinical application in the treatment of ischaemic heart disease (IHD), where it may be joined traditional methods (intervention and surgery). The angiogenic ability of seed cells is essential for this applicability. The aim of this study was to reveal the presence of CD34 angiogenic stem cells in human decidua at the first trimester and to use their strong angiogenic capacity in the treatment of IHD.

2020 Chinese guidelines for ultrasound malignancy risk stratification of thyroid nodules: the C-TIRADS.

Thyroid nodules are very common all over the world, and China is no exception. Ultrasound plays an important role in determining the risk stratification of thyroid nodules, which is critical for clinical management of thyroid nodules. For the past few years, many versions of TIRADS (Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System) have been put forward by several institutions with the aim to identify whether nodules require fine-needle biopsy or ultrasound follow-up.

Knock-out of MicroRNA 145 impairs cardiac fibroblast function and wound healing post-myocardial infarction.

Prevention of infarct scar thinning and dilatation and stimulation of scar contracture can prevent progressive heart failure. Since microRNA 145 (miR-145) plays an important role in cardiac fibroblast response to wound healing and cardiac repair after an myocardial infarction (MI), using a miR-145 knock-out (KO) mouse model, we evaluated contribution of down-regulation of miR-145 to cardiac fibroblast and myofibroblast function during adverse cardiac remodelling. Cardiac function decreased more and the infarct size was larger in miR-145 KO than that in WT mice after MI and this phenomenon was accompanied by a decrease in cardiac fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation.

Melatonin attenuates doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity through preservation of YAP expression.

There are increasing concerns related to the cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin in the clinical setting. Recently, melatonin has been shown to exert a cardioprotective effect in various cardiovascular diseases, including cardiotoxic conditions. In this study, we examined the possible protective effects of melatonin on doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity and explored the underlying mechanisms related to this process.

Sirtuin3 protects aged human mesenchymal stem cells against oxidative stress and enhances efficacy of cell therapy for ischaemic heart diseases.

Sirtuin3 (SIRT3) is associated with oxidative stress and lifespan. However, the possible mechanisms underlying its influence are unknown. We hypothesized that SIRT3 increases the antioxidant capacity of aged cells and improves the efficacy of human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) therapy for ischaemic heart diseases in aged patients.

Polypyrrole-chitosan conductive biomaterial synchronizes cardiomyocyte contraction and improves myocardial electrical impulse propagation.

The post-myocardial infarction (MI) scar interrupts electrical impulse propagation and delays regional contraction, which contributes to ventricular dysfunction. We investigated the potential of an injectable conductive biomaterial to restore scar tissue conductivity and re-establish synchronous ventricular contraction. A conductive biomaterial was generated by conjugating conductive polypyrrole (PPY) onto chitosan (CHI) backbones.

[Effect of HBP-A on meniscal injury and pathological hypertrophy and calcification of the meniscus].

Objective: To investigate the effect of HBP-A on meniscal injuries and the expressions of genes associated with pathological hypertrophy and calcification of the meniscusinduced by abnormal loading.

Methods: Bovine meniscus explants were subjected to 25% strain at 0.3 Hz for 3 h and treated with 0.

A novel myocardium segmentation approach based on neutrosophic active contour model.

Background And Objectives: Automatic delineation of the myocardium in echocardiography can assist radiologists to diagnosis heart problems. However, it is still challenging to distinguish myocardium from other tissue due to a low signal-to-noise ratio, low contrast, vague boundary, and speckle noise. The purpose of this study is to automatically detect myocardium region in left ventricle myocardial contrast echocardiography (LVMCE) images to help radiologists' diagnosis and further measurement on infarction size.

Young Bone-Marrow Sca-1 Stem Cells Rejuvenate the Aged Heart and Improve Function after Injury through PDGFRβ-Akt pathway.

Bone marrow (BM) reconstitution with young BM cells in aged recipients restores the functionality of cardiac resident BM-derived progenitors. This study investigated the cell type primarily responsible for this effect. We reconstituted old mice with BM cells from young or old mice and found that the number of stem cell antigen 1 (Sca-1) cells homing to the heart was significantly greater in young than old chimeras.

Targeted myocardial delivery of GDF11 gene rejuvenates the aged mouse heart and enhances myocardial regeneration after ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Ischemic cardiac injury is the main contributor to heart failure, and the regenerative capacity of intrinsic stem cells plays an important role in tissue repair after injury. However, stem cells in aged individuals have reduced regenerative potential and aged tissues lack the capacity to renew. Growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11), from the activin-transforming growth factor β superfamily, has been shown to promote stem cell activity and rejuvenation.

Three-Dimensional Speckle-Tracking Echocardiographic Monitoring of Acute Rejection in Heart Transplant Recipients.

Objectives: This study assessed the use of 3-dimensional (3D) speckle-tracking echocardiography for noninvasive monitoring and diagnosis of acute rejection in heart transplant recipients.

Methods: Fifteen heart transplant recipients underwent 32 endomyocardial biopsies; echocardiography was performed within 3 hours before biopsy. Twenty-four biopsies (acute rejection-negative group) showed grade 0 or 1A rejection, and 8 biopsies (acute rejection-positive group) showed grade 1B or higher rejection (based on the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation criteria).