A New Self-Made 16-Channel Capacitive Electrocardiography System: An Investigation and Validation for Non-Contact Electrodes.

Generally, the electrocardiography (ECG) system plays an important role in preventing and diagnosing heart diseases. To further improve the amenity and convenience of using an ECG system, we built a customized capacitive electrocardiography (cECG) system with one wet electrode, sixteen non-contact electrodes, two ADS1299 chips, and one STM32F303-based microcontroller unit (MCU). This new cECG system could acquire, save, and display the ECG data in real time.

High-selenium exposure is associated with modulation of serum lipid metabolism.

At present, there is no consensus on the relationship between selenium (Se) exposure and human serum lipid metabolism. The etiological role of high-Se exposure in lipid markers, dyslipidemia, and nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) remains unclear. We used serum untargeted metabolomics analysis to evaluate whether high-Se exposure is cross-sectionally associated with lipid metabolism in adults from high-Se exposure area (n = 112) and control area (n = 101) in Hubei Province, China.

Effect of different intensity aerobic exercise on remodeling immune microenvironment of adipose tissue in obesity mouse.

Obesity can change the immune microenvironment of adipose tissue and induce inflammation. This study is dedicated to exploring the internal mechanism by which different intensities of exercise reprogram the immune microenvironment of epididymal adipose tissue in nutritionally obese mice. C57BL/6J male obese mouse models were constructed by high-fat diet, which were respectively obese control group (OC), moderate-intensity continuous exercise group (HF-M), high-intensity continuous exercise group (HF-H), and high-intensity intermittent exercise group (HF-T).

Genetically Predicted Body Composition and Risk of Surgical Site Infection: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

This study employed uni-variable and multi-variable Mendelian randomization (MVMR) analyses, utilizing publicly available genome-wide association study (GWAS) data, to assess the causal relationship between body composition measures such as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and the occurrence of surgical site infection (SSI). GWAS summary statistical data were obtained for BMI, WC, and SSI from the MRC Integrated Epidemiology Unit (MRC-IEU) database, inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was used as the main analysis, and supplement sensitivity analysis (including heterogeneity test, pleiotropy analysis, leave-one-out analysis, and Mendelian Randomization Pleiotropy RESidual Sum and Outlier (MR-PRESSO)) was used to check the robustness of the results. The MR analysis showed that the increase in BMI and WC predicted by genes had a substantial causal effect on the incidence of SSI (IVW: odds ratio [OR] = 1.

Role of voltage-gated potassium channel α subunits in cardiovascular system.

Voltage-gated ion channels (VGICs) are central to cellular excitation, orchestrating skeletal and cardiac muscle contractions and enabling neural signal transduction. Among these, voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels are particularly significant in cardiac electrophysiology, especially during the repolarization phase of the cardiac action potential. In cardiac myocytes, Kv channels are integral to a multitude of sophisticated functions, including electrical conduction.

Re-analysis of single cell and spatial transcriptomics data reveals B cell landscape in gastric cancer microenvironment and its potential crosstalk with tumor cells for clinical prognosis.

Background: At present, immunotherapy has become a powerful treatment for advanced gastric cancer (AGC), but not all patients can benefit from it. According to the latest research, the impact of B cell subpopulations on the immune microenvironment of gastric cancer (GC) is unknown. Exploring whether the interaction between B cells and tumor cells in GC affects the effectiveness of immunotherapy has attracted our interest.

Screening for Early Biomarkers of Cisplatin-Induced Acute Kidney Injury in Rats Through Serum Metabolomics Technology.

Objective: To systematically identify early biomarkers of cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) in rats.

Study Design: An experimental study. Place and Duration of the Study: Experimental Animal Laboratory of Lanzhou University, Gansu, China, and the Department of Pharmacy, The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Gansu, China, from July 2022 to October 2023.

Identification of a substrate of the renal tubular transporters for detecting drug-induced early acute kidney injury.

Early identification of drug-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) is essential to prevent renal damage. The renal tubules are typically the first to exhibit damage, frequently accompanied by changes in renal tubular transporters. With this in mind, we have identified an endogenous substrate of the renal tubular transporters that may serve as a biomarker for early detection of drug-induced AKI.

Significant response to pembrolizumab plus lenvatinib in Epstein-Barr-virus-associated intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: a case report.

Background: The prognosis for advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is poor, and there remains an urgent need to develop efficient systemic therapy. The efficacy of Pembrolizumab immunotherapy combined with lenvatinibin in iCCA is still unclear. The role of Epstein-Barr-virus (EBV) as a biomarker in iCCA for response to immunotherapy needs further exploration.

Recruitment or activation of mast cells in the liver aggravates the accumulation of fibrosis in carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury.

Liver diseases caused by viral infections, alcoholism, drugs, or chemical poisons are a significant health problem: Liver diseases are a leading contributor to mortality, with approximately 2 million deaths per year worldwide. Liver fibrosis, as a common liver disease characterized by excessive collagen deposition, is associated with high morbidity and mortality, and there is no effective treatment. Numerous studies have shown that the accumulation of mast cells (MCs) in the liver is closely associated with liver injury caused by a variety of factors.

Can rectal MRI and endorectal ultrasound accurately predict the complete response to neoadjuvant immunotherapy for rectal cancer?

Background: Standardized assessments of clinical complete response (cCR) to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) for rectal cancer have been established, but their utility and accuracy remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical diagnostic value of rectal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and endorectal ultrasonography (ERUS) for the determination of cCRs after neoadjuvant immunotherapy and to investigate the concordance between cCR and pathological complete response (pCR).

Methods: Ninety-four patients with rectal cancer treated with neoadjuvant radiotherapy with or without immunotherapy were included.

Pharmacological activation of GPX4 ameliorates doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy.

Due to the cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin (DOX), its clinical application is limited. Lipid peroxidation caused by excessive ferrous iron is believed to be a key molecular mechanism of DOX-induced cardiomyopathy (DIC). Dexrazoxane (DXZ), an iron chelator, is the only drug approved by the FDA for reducing DIC, but it has many side effects and cannot be used as a preventive drug in clinical practice.

Application of Real-Time Sound Touch Elastography for Evaluating Chronic Kidney Disease of Transplanted Kidneys.

Background: If chronic allograft nephropathy can be detected early and treated, the long-term survival rate of the transplanted kidney may be effectively improved.

Purpose: To compare the application value of real-time sound touch elastography (STE), strain elastography, and color Doppler flow imaging in evaluating chronic kidney disease of transplanted kidneys.

Materials And Methods: A total of 101 patients with renal transplantation were divided into a normal group (serum creatinine <134 mol/L, 58 patients) and a chronic allograft nephropathy group after renal transplantation over 6 months (serum creatinine >134 mol/L, 43 patients).

Gut is a microbial marker for the occurrence and liver metastasis of pancreatic cancer.

Background: Gut microbiome plays an indispensable role in the occurrence and progression in various diseases. The incidence of pancreatic cancer (PC) and liver metastasis (PCLM) are high, most of them are found in advanced stage. Therefore, it is particularly necessary to search for predictive biomarkers, which are helpful for early detection and treatment, and thus improve the survival rate and quality of life of PC patients.

Pretreatment high cholesterol and low neutrophils predict complete pathological response after neoadjuvant short‑course radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy and immunotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer.

The present study was aimed at looking for hematological indicators that could predict pathological complete response (pCR) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) treated with short-course radiotherapy (SCRT) followed by chemotherapy and immunotherapy. A total of 171 patients were enrolled in this observational retrospective study. Pretreatment values of albumin, total cholesterol, lactate dehydrogenase, neutrophil, platelet and lymphocytes were available.

Gentamicin alleviates cholestatic liver injury by decreasing gut microbiota-associated bile salt hydrolase activity in rats.

Intrahepatic cholestasis lacks effective therapeutic drugs. The gut microbiota-associated bile salt hydrolases (BSH) may be a potential therapeutic target. In this study, oral administration of gentamicin (GEN) decreased the serum and hepatic levels of total bile acid in 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE)-induced cholestatic male rats, significantly improved the serum levels of hepatic biomarkers and reversed the histopathological changes in the liver.

Remnant Cholesterol and Common Carotid Artery Intima-Media Thickness in Community Population with Normal Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol.

Introduction: Remnant cholesterol is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, especially when low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels are normal. However, there are few studies on the relationship between remnant cholesterol and subclinical atherosclerosis. Common carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT) is an imaging marker of subclinical atherosclerosis.

Accentuated Hippo pathway and elevated miR-132 and miR-195a lead to changes of uteri and ovaries in offspring mice following prenatal exposure to vinclozolin.

Vinclozolin (VCZ) has been identified as a broad-spectrum fungicide and an environmental endocrine disruptor. Also, the Hippo signaling pathway controls organ size by regulating cell proliferation and apoptosis, and moreover, overexpression of microRNA-132 (miR-132) and microRNA-195 (miR-195) inhibits cell proliferation and promotes apoptosis. So, in this study, the experimental mice were orally given 400 mg/kg/day VCZ (suspended in corn oil) at gestational day 12-18, while those of the control group were fed with corn oil of equal volume.

Uric acid accumulation in the kidney triggers mast cell degranulation and aggravates renal oxidative stress.

The accumulation of uric acid (UA) in the body can lead to the occurrence of hyperuricemia or uric acid nephropathy. Mast cells (MCs) increase oxidative stress and release renin to promote the production of Ang II. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of UA on MCs in rat kidneys and the association between MCs and renal injury.

Characterization of the renal tubular transport of creatinine by activity-based protein profiling and transport kinetics.

Serum creatinine is widely used to adjust the dosing of drugs eliminated by the kidney in patients with renal dysfunction, as it is a readily accessible indicator of kidney function. However, there are many limitations for drug dosage adjustment based on serum creatinine levels, one of which is the limited understanding of creatinine's tubular transport. Thus, we aimed to complement and advance the renal tubular transport of creatinine by activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) and transporter-overexpression technology.

Construction and Evaluation of a Novel Organic Anion Transporter 1/3 CRISPR/Cas9 Double-Knockout Rat Model.

Background: Organic anion transporter 1 (OAT1) and OAT3 have an overlapping spectrum of substrates such that one can exert a compensatory effect when the other is dysfunctional. As a result, the knockout of either OAT1 or OAT3 is not reflected in a change in the excretion of organic anionic substrates. To date, only the mOAT1 and mOAT3 individual knockout mouse models have been available.

'FLARE' of tumor marker in advanced gastric cancer treated with first-line systemic therapy.

Background: Transient tumor marker elevations caused by chemotherapy were defined as 'Flare' and have been demonstrated in some solid tumors. In clinical practice, we observed that some patients were accompanied by elevated tumor markers during treatment, but subsequent imaging proved that the treatment they received was effective.

Objectives: We aimed to study the Flare and the prognosis in advanced gastric cancer.

Relationship between obesity indicators and hypertension-diabetes comorbidity among adults: a population study from Central China.

Objective: To identify the relationship between obesity indicators and hypertension-diabetes comorbidity (HDC) among adults in central China.

Design And Setting: A cross-sectional study was conducted from 1 June 2015 to 30 September 2018 in 11 districts of Hubei Province, China.

Participants: A total of 29 396 participants aged 18 years or above were enrolled in the study.