Exploring the Interaction Between HLA-B27 and Other Risk Factors of Valvular Heart Disease in Axial Spondyloarthritis.

Objectives: HLA-B27 plays a critical role in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). Valvular heart disease (VHD) is a life-threatening extra-articular manifestation of axSpA. The evidence for the association between HLA-B27 and VHD in axSpA is still scarce and controversial.

A new psychrophilic yeast of Kriegeriaceae (Kriegeriales) isolated from lichen in the Arctic, with the description of gen. et sp. nov.

Yeasts are an important component of the microbiome in circumpolar regions that are characterized by unique environmental conditions. However, the taxonomy of yeasts remains largely unknown in high- and low-latitude regions. Curing a field survey of yeasts in the Svalbard Archipelago, Norway, a new yeast genus in Kriegeriales was isolated from dendritic lichens.

Trends in Research on Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and Mitochondria From 2003 to 2023: A Bibliometric Analysis.

Background: Mitochondria have emerged as a significant and promising area of research in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). However, there is a notable scarcity of bibliometric studies in this field. Our aim is to conduct a bibliometric analysis of mitochondrial research in HCM, delineating research hotspots and trends to aid in understanding the focal points and evolving trajectories of both basic and clinical research.

Heterogeneous occurrence of evergreen broad-leaved forests in East Asia: Evidence from plant fossils.

Evergreen broad-leaved forests (EBLFs) are widely distributed in East Asia and play a vital role in ecosystem stability. The occurrence of these forests in East Asia has been a subject of debate across various disciplines. In this study, we explored the occurrence of East Asian EBLFs from a paleobotanical perspective.

Integrated Profiling Delineated KIF18A as a Significant Biomarker Associated with Both Prognostic Outcomes and Immune Response in Pancreatic Cancer.

Purpose: Kinesin family member 18A (KIF18A) is a member of the kinesin-8 family of motor proteins, involved in the progression and metastasis of various tumors. However, its role in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) remains unclear.

Methods: To evaluate that role, RNA sequencing datasets, complemented by pertinent clinical metadata, were procured from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) repositories.

Solution Synthesis of Single Crystalline Zinc Nanowires.

Nanowires of relatively stable metals, including Au, Ag, Cu, Pt, and Pd have garnered much attention for their highly anisotropic shapes, unique properties, and demonstrated potential applications. However, nanowires of more reactive metals, such as Zn, are much less explored. Here, we report a solution-phase synthesis that generates single crystalline Zn nanowires in high yield that remain air stable for months due to a native oxide layer protecting the metal surface.

Skin Depolarization for Living-skin Tissue Segmentation: A Quantitative Comparison with PPG Imaging.

Conventional living-skin detection methods based on remote photoplethysmographic imaging (PPGI) are not suitable for face anti-spoofing nor skin segmentation for video health monitoring. Therefore, we refer to a novel algorithm based on an entirely new principle for these tasks, i.e.

Guiding Brain-to-Vocalization Decoder Design Using Structured Generalization Error.

State-of-the-art intracortical neuroprostheses currently enable communication at 60+ words per minute for anarthric individuals by training on over 10K sentences to account for phoneme variability in different word contexts. There is limited understanding about whether this performance can be maintained in decoding naturalistic speech with 40K+ word vocabularies across elicited, spontaneous, and conversational speech contexts. We introduce a vocal-unit-level generalization test to explicitly evaluate neural decoder performance with an expanded and more diverse behavioral repertoire.

Can Pulse Arrival Time be Used for Cuffless Blood Pressure Estimation? A Clinical Study in ICU.

Clinical studies have shown that Pulse Arrival Time (PAT) is potentially related with blood pressure (BP), but the subcomponent of PAT, i.e. Pre-Ejection Period (PEP), affects the reliability of BP estimation, so it is questionable whether PAT can be used to estimate BP.

Endoscopic colorectal polyp detection based on improved YOLOv8.

Colorectal tumors typically arise from colorectal polyps and are commonly identified through colonoscopy during clinical examinations. Manual detection of polyps, crucial for distinguishing between benign and malignant cases, suffers from a limited detection rate of approximately 25%, influenced by subjective factors and other variables. This study leverages advancements in deep learning and computer detection technology to explore the application of artificial intelligence in polyp detection.

Can Camera-PPG Imaging be Used to Measure Perfusion Index?

The perfusion index (PI) is widely used in the medical field to assess the peripheral perfusion of skin tissues. Recent advancements in camera photoplethysmography (camera-PPG) permits robust measurement of heart-rate remotely, but its feasibility on PI measurement was not thoroughly investigated. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of using AC/DC of camera-PPG signals to calibrate PI based on a generalized or personalized regression model, through an ice water stimulation experiment.

Preoperative blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, hematocrit and fibrinogen predict prognosis in colorectal cancer.

Objective: To investigate the prognostic potential of preoperative blood neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), hematocrit (HCT) and Fibrinogen (FIB) level in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods: The data of 268 patients with CRC who underwent radical surgery from March 2013 to August 2017 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (Guangzhou, China) were retrospectively collected. The correlations between preoperative blood NLR, HCT and FIB level and the clinicopathologic features and prognosis were explored by Cox regression in the patients with CRC.

Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) in China: Advancing Awareness, Access, Advocacy and Alliances From the Greater Bay Area to the Global HAE Community.

The article offers an overview of the progress in managing Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) in China, with a specific focus on the Greater Bay Area (GBA). Through the '4As' framework-Awareness, Access, Advocacy and Alliance-the article explores the challenges and advancements in HAE care. In terms of collaborative initiatives such as the HAE-ASIA (Angioedema Screening In Asia) collaboration and the GBA HAE Alliance "Hub-and-Spoke model" aim to bridge the gap between East and West, providing optimal patient care and advancing HAE management.

Phenotypic heterogeneity in mortality and prognosis of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis: a large-scale, global pooled analysis of individual-level data.

Background: Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis (PAP) is a rare interstitial lung disease with diverse clinical manifestations and outcomes. However, there are limited data on the heterogeneity of PAP, as well as its prognosis, cause of death and genetic mechanisms. This study aims to elucidate mortality, prognostic features, and genetic mechanisms in patients with PAP.

A deep learning model for radiological measurement of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis using biplanar radiographs.

Background: Accurate measurement of the spinal alignment parameters is crucial for diagnosing and evaluating adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Manual measurement is subjective and time-consuming. The recently developed artificial intelligence models mainly focused on measuring the coronal Cobb angle (CA) and ignored the evaluation of the sagittal plane.

Effects of ozone therapy as an adjuvant in the treatment of periodontitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Chronic periodontitis is an infectious disease initiated by plaque, which affects chewing and even general health. Ozone therapy, as a complementary means in the treatment of chronic periodontitis, numerous clinical trials have been conducted. We conducted this review to evaluate the effect of the ozone use accompanied by scaling and root planning (SRP) in periodontal treatment.

5-hydroxymethylcytosine sequencing of plasma cell-free DNA identifies epigenomic features in prostate cancer patients receiving androgen deprivation therapies.

Background: We evaluated whether 5hmC signatures in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) are associated with treatment failure to androgen-deprivation therapies (ADT) among men with hormone-naive prostate cancer.

Methods: We collected a total of 139 serial plasma samples from 55 prostate cancer patients receiving ADT at 3 time points including baseline (before initiating ADT, n = 55); 3 months (after initiating ADT, n = 55); and disease progression (n = 15) within 24 months or 24 months if no progression was detected (n = 14). We used selective chemical labeling sequencing to quantify 5hmC abundance across the genome and Kaplan-Meier analysis to assess survival association.

Machine learning aided UV absorbance spectroscopy for microbial contamination in cell therapy products.

We demonstrate the feasibility of machine-learning aided UV absorbance spectroscopy for in-process microbial contamination detection during cell therapy product (CTP) manufacturing. This method leverages a one-class support vector machine to analyse the absorbance spectra of cell cultures and predict if a sample is sterile or contaminated. This label-free technique provides a rapid output (< 30 minutes) with minimal sample preparation and volume (< 1 mL).

Diagnostic value of ROCK2 protein in immune checkpoint inhibitors-associated myocarditis.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have advanced cancer treatment but are associated with serious cardiovascular side effects, including myocarditis, which is challenging to diagnose due to limited specificity of current biomarkers. Rho-associated kinase 2 (ROCK2) may play a role in myocarditis pathogenesis by mediating inflammation and myocardial remodeling. This study investigates the potential of ROCK2 protein detection as a diagnostic marker for ICIs-associated myocarditis.

Bacterial immunotherapy leveraging IL-10R hysteresis for both phagocytosis evasion and tumor immunity revitalization.

Bacterial immunotherapy holds promising cancer-fighting potential. However, unlocking its power requires a mechanistic understanding of how bacteria both evade antimicrobial immune defenses and stimulate anti-tumor immune responses within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Here, by harnessing an engineered Salmonella enterica strain with this dual proficiency, we unveil an underlying singular mechanism.

Changes in the thickness of the crystalline lens components before and after cycloplegia in children with different refractive errors.

Objective: To evaluate changes in the thickness of the crystalline lens components in children with different refractive errors before and after cycloplegia.

Methods And Analysis: This prospective study recruited 132 right eyes from 132 children (age 5-15 years) with different spherical equivalent (SE) ranging from -6.00 diopters (D) to +6.

Eco-corona formation on aminated nanoplastics interacted with extracellular polymeric substances from bloom-forming cyanobacteria: Insightful mechanisms with DFT study.

Nanoplastics (NPs) with amino functional groups have wide distribution and high toxicity; however, their environmental behaviors remain inadequately understood. This study investigated the mechanisms of eco-corona formation on pristine polystyrene NPs (PSNPs) and aminated PSNPs (PSNPs-NH) by extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) from a bloom-forming cyanobacterium, Microcystis aeruginosa. Our results revealed that at the two tested concentrations of EPS (5.

Phosphorus and Cobalt Codoped Transition-Metal Oxides with Accelerated Surface Reconstruction for Efficient Alkaline Oxygen Evolution Reactions.

Developing highly efficient nonprecious metal catalysts for oxygen evolution reactions (OERs) is crucial for the development of water electrolysis; however, these catalysts face challenges such as high overpotential and insufficient durability at high current densities. In this study, we successfully prepared ordered needlelike structured Co-Fe hydroxide with F-ion immersion (Fe/Co(OH)F) on the surface of nickel foam and explored the synergistic strengthening effects of Mo cation doping and P anion doping. The ordered needlelike structure of Fe/Co(OH)F was destroyed during the phosphating calcination process, while Mo doping transformed it into a rough surface platelike structure.

Surface Chemical Coordination Stabilizes Ni-Rich Cathodes for High-Energy Li-Metal Batteries.

The stability of the electrode-electrolyte interface is a critical factor influencing the electrochemical performance of Li-metal batteries. However, on the delithiated Ni-rich cathode surface, the strong catalytic effects of transition metals with coordination deficiency significantly aggravate the parasitic reactions with Li-metal-compatible ether-based electrolytes, thereby reducing the cycling stability of high-voltage Ni-rich batteries. Here, we propose an -induction mechanism to address coordination deficiency through the coupling of interfacial orbitals between molecules and the cathode surface.

Giant Enhancement of Optical Nonlinearity by Manipulating Guest Molecular Stacking Modes in Metal-Organic Frameworks.

The influence of guest stacking interactions in host-guest (H-G) MOF composites on third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) performance remains largely unknown. Herein, we propose for the first time a noncovalent aggregate confinement strategy for synthesizing H-G MOF composites with different guest stacking modes. And [perylene] (α-Pe) and [perylene] (β-Pe) were selected as guests and confined into a novel Ca-based MOF {[Ca(TBAPy)(DMA)]·3DMA·[N(CH)]·HO} (Ca-MOF-pts).