Endothelium Piezo1 deletion alleviates experimental varicose veins by attenuating perivenous inflammation.

Previous large-scale genetic studies have prioritized the causal genes piezo type mechanosensitive ion channel component 1 (PIEZO1) and castor zinc finger 1 (CASZ1) associated with varicose veins (VVs). This study aims to evaluate their roles in both clinical and experimental VVs. In this study, we investigated abundance of PIEZO1 and CASZ1 in both varicose and normal veins from the same patients.

NCME-Net: Nuclear cataract mask encoder network for intelligent grading using self-supervised learning from anterior segment photographs.

Cataracts are a leading cause of blindness worldwide, making accurate diagnosis and effective surgical planning critical. However, grading the severity of the lens nucleus is challenging because deep learning (DL) models pretrained using ImageNet perform poorly when applied directly to medical data due to the limited availability of labeled medical images and high interclass similarity. Self-supervised pretraining offers a solution by circumventing the need for cost-intensive data annotations and bridging domain disparities.

Cascade Electrocatalytic Reduction of Nitrate to Ammonia Using a Heterobimetallic Covalent Organic Framework Composed of Cu-Porphyrin and Co-Bipyridine.

The electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate (NO) to ammonia (NH) not only offers an effective solution to environmental problems caused by the accumulation of NO but also provides a sustainable alternative to the Haber-Bosch process. However, the conversion of NO to NH is a complicated process involving multiple steps, leading to a low Faradaic efficiency (FE) for NH production. The structural designability of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) renders feasible and precise modulation at the molecular level, facilitating the incorporation of multiple well-defined catalytic sites with different reactivities into a cohesive entity.

PI3Kγ promotes neutrophil extracellular trap formation by noncanonical pyroptosis in abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is one of the most life-threatening cardiovascular diseases; however, effective drug treatments are still lacking. The formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) has been shown to be a crucial trigger of AAA, and identifying upstream regulatory targets is thus key to discovering therapeutic agents for AAA. We revealed that phosphoinositide-3-kinase γ (PI3Kγ) acted as an upstream regulatory molecule and that PI3Kγ inhibition reduced NET formation and aortic wall inflammation, thereby markedly ameliorating AAA.

Fine tuning dual active sites in modulating cascade electrocatalytic nitrate reduction over covalent organic framework.

Conversion of NO to NH proceeds stepwise in natural system under two different enzymes involving intermediate NO. Artificial electro-driven NO reduction also faces the obstacle of low faradaic efficiency due to insufficient utilization of this intermediate. Herein, we demonstrate a bimetallic COF-based electrocatalyst for the cascade catalysis of NO-to-NO-to-NH for the first time.

Comparison of efficiency and safety of open surgery, hybrid surgery and endovascular repair for the treatment of thoracoabdominal aneurysms: a systemic review and network meta-analysis.

Objective: The objective of this study was to perform a network meta-analysis (NMA) to assess the efficacy and safety of three different surgical interventions- open surgical repair (OSR), hybrid surgical repair (HSR), and endovascular repair (EVAR)- for the treatment of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs).

Methods: Electronic repositories like PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, the Cochrane library, Clinical trial, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were systematically searched to identify studies that compared the efficacy of OSR, HSR, and EVAR with endografts for the treatment of TAAAs until December 24th, 2022. Random-effects and fixed-effects models were employed to analyze the data gathered in a network meta-analysis.

Increased plasma renin by vasodilators promotes the progression of abdominal aortic aneurysm.

It is well-accepted that antihypertensive therapy is the cornerstone of treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) patients with hypertension. Direct-acting vasodilators were used in the treatment of hypertension by directly relaxing vascular smooth muscle but may have destructive effects on the aortic wall by activating the renin-angiotensin system axis. Their roles in AAA disease remain to be elucidated.

A comprehensive review on oat milk: from oat nutrients and phytochemicals to its processing technologies, product features, and potential applications.

Plant-based milk alternatives have become increasingly desirable due to their sustainability and the increased consumer awareness of health. Among many varieties of emerging plant-based milk, the smooth texture and flavor of oat milk make it spread rapidly around the world. Furthermore, as a sustainable source of diet, oats can provide rich nutrients and phytochemicals.

Effects of Spermidine on Gut Microbiota Modulation in Experimental Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Mice.

Accumulating evidence in recent years has demonstrated the important role of gut microbiota in maintaining cardiovascular function. However, their functions in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) are largely unexplored. In this study, we established a porcine pancreatic elastase-infused experimental AAA mouse model and explored gut microbiota modulation using 16S rDNA sequencing.

Evaluation of ropivacaine combined with dexmedetomidine versus ropivacaine alone for epidural anesthesia: A meta-analysis.

Background: Ropivacaine is considered the most commonly used for epidural anesthesia. We compared the efficiency and safety of ropivacaine alone (R group) and ropivacaine combined with dexmedetomidine (RD group).

Method: PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, Ovid Medline, the Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, and ScienceDirect were searched.

A meta-analysis comparing stereotactic body radiotherapy vs conventional radiotherapy in inoperable stage I non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) superseded conventional radiotherapy (CRT) for the treatment of patients with inoperable early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) over a decade ago. However, the direct comparisons of the outcomes of SBRT and CRT remain controversial. This meta-analysis was performed to compare the survival and safety of SBRT and CRT in patients with inoperable stage I NSCLC.

Comparison of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization combined with radiofrequency ablation or microwave ablation for the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: a systemic review and meta-analysis.

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), radiofrequency ablation (RFA), and microwave ablation (MWA) are regarded as effective therapies for treating unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We conducted this study to compare the efficiency and safety of TACE combined with RFA (TR group) or MWA (TM group). PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Ovid Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar were searched.

Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy Combined with Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization versus Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy Alone as the First-Line Treatment for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review.

Background: The superiority of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) combined with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) compared to SBRT alone as the first-line therapy for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. We conducted this meta-analysis to compare the efficiency and safety of SBRT combined with TACE (ST group) and SBRT alone (SA group).

Methods: We searched PubMed, Ovid Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, The Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect, EMBASE, Google Scholar, and CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) for related studies.

Association of magnesium intake with type 2 diabetes and total stroke: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: The detailed associations between type 2 diabetes (T2D) and total stroke and magnesium intake as well as the dose-response trend should be updated in a timely manner.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analyses.

Data Sources: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and ClinicalTrials.

Proton-pump inhibitor and amoxicillin-based triple therapy containing clarithromycin versus metronidazole for Helicobacter pylori: A meta-analysis.

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is one of the important risk factors of gastric related diseases and antibiotic therapy has become an effective treatment. At present, proton-pump inhibitor and amoxicillin-based triple therapy, including clarithromycin (PAC) and metronidazole (PAM), are two commonly used first-line therapies for H.

Three-dimensional vs 2-dimensional laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Both 3-dimensional (3D) laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) and 2-dimensional (2D) LG are commonly used for gastric cancer (GC). To investigate their safety and efficacy, we performed this meta-analysis.

Methods: PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Science Direct, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science were systematically searched to identify relevant studies.

Noncoding transcribed ultraconserved region (T-UCR) UC.48+ is a novel regulator of high-fat diet induced myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Increasing evidence has suggested high-fat diet (HFD) is an independent risk factor for myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) injury. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) recently attracted much attraction in the study of MI/R injury. However, the functional questions of specific lncRNAs in HFD-induced MI/R injury have not been well elucidated.

Purinergic P2X7 receptor functional genetic polymorphisms are associated with the susceptibility to obesity in Chinese postmenopausal women.

Objective: We conducted a case-control study to investigate the associations of functional single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the purinergic P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) gene (rs2393799, rs7958311, rs1718119, rs2230911, and rs3751143) with obesity and overweight in a population of Chinese postmenopausal women.

Methods: Our study included 180 obese women, 179 overweight women, and 204 controls. All participants were genotyped at the P2X7R rs2393799, rs7958311, rs1718119, rs2230911, and rs3751143 loci via allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism procedures.

Genetic interaction of purinergic P2X7 receptor and ER-α polymorphisms in susceptibility to osteoporosis in Chinese postmenopausal women.

Osteoporosis (OP) is an increasing public health problem worldwide. Genetic factors are considered to be major contributors to the pathogenesis of OP. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of the purinergic P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) and estrogen receptor-α (ER-α) genes with OP risk, and the effect of the possible interaction between the two genes on predisposition to OP in Chinese postmenopausal women.