Gut Microbiota Metabolites Sensed by Host GPR41/43 Protect Against Hypertension.

Background: Fermentation of dietary fiber by the gut microbiota leads to the production of metabolites called short-chain fatty acids, which lower blood pressure and exert cardioprotective effects. Short-chain fatty acids activate host signaling responses via the functionally redundant receptors GPR41 and GPR43, which are highly expressed by immune cells. Whether and how these receptors protect against hypertension or mediate the cardioprotective effects of dietary fiber remains unknown.

Validation Status of Electronic Sphygmomanometers in China: A National Survey.

Background: Although the information on the validation status of electronic sphygmomanometer (ES) devices in use in health care institutions and households is much more clinically relevant than that of ES models available on the market, it remains insufficient.

Methods: A national survey was conducted across all administrative regions of mainland China to assess the validation status of ESs. Fifty-eight cities were selected with stratification by municipality, provincial capital, and other cities, and health care institutions and households in each city were chosen by convenience to identify ES devices in use according to the study protocol.

Effect of aeration on oxygen transfer characteristics in integrated wastewater treatment systems utilizing mass transfer model and computation fluid dynamics methods.

This paper investigates the aeration and oxygen transfer characteristics within the aeration tank of an integrated wastewater treatment system (IWTS) using Computational Fluid Dynamics coupled with Population Balance Model and oxygen transfer model. The findings suggest that increasing the air flow rate significantly enhances the oxygen transfer rate, albeit at a decreasing rate of growth. The oxygen overall mass transfer coefficient is primarily influenced by the interfacial area per unit volume and to a lesser by the oxygen mass transfer coefficient (k).

Is Ablation Suitable For Small Renal Masses? A Meta-Analysis.

Rationale And Objectives: To compare perioperative and oncology outcomes of ablation and partial nephrectomy in small renal masses (SRMs).

Methods: We conduct this meta-analysis strictly according to the PRISMA standard, and the quality evaluation follows the AMSTAR standard. Four databases, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science, were systematically searched.

A novel insight of degradation ibuprofen in aqueous by catalytic ozonation with supported catalyst: Supports effect on ozone mass transfer.

Catalytic ozonation is an effective wastewater purification process. However, the low ozone mass transfer in packed bubble columns leads to low ozone utilization efficiency (OUE), poor organic degradation performance, and high energy consumption. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop efficient supported catalysts that can enhance mass transfer and performance.

Observation of Significant Flavor-SU(3) Breaking in the Kaon Wave Function at 12

We present cross sections for the reaction e^{+}e^{-}→K_{S}^{0}K_{L}^{0} at center-of-mass energies ranging from 3.51 to 4.95 GeV using data samples collected in the BESIII experiment, corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 26.

Efficacy and Safety of Tirofiban Before Stenting for Symptomatic Intracranial Atherosclerotic Stenosis: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background And Objectives: Acute stent thrombosis (AST) is not uncommon and even catastrophic during intracranial stenting angioplasty in patients with symptomatic high-grade intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether adjuvant intravenous tirofiban before stenting could reduce the risk of AST and periprocedural ischemic stroke in patients receiving stent angioplasty for symptomatic ICAS.

Methods: A prospective, multicenter, open-label, randomized clinical trial was conducted from September 9, 2020, to February 18, 2022, at 10 medical centers in China.

Application of Spinal Subtraction and Bone Background Fusion CTA in the Accurate Diagnosis and Evaluation of Spinal Vascular Malformations.

Background And Purpose: Accurate pretreatment diagnosis and assessment of spinal vascular malformations using spinal CTA are crucial for patient prognosis, but the postprocessing reconstruction may not be able to fully depict the lesions due to the complexity inherent in spinal anatomy. Our purpose was to explore the application value of the spinal subtraction and bone background fusion CTA (SSBBF-CTA) technique in precisely depicting and localizing spinal vascular malformation lesions.

Materials And Methods: In this retrospective study, patients (between November 2017 and November 2022) with symptoms similar to those of spinal vascular malformations were divided into diseased (group A) and nondiseased (group B) groups.

A Novel Score Based on Controlled Attenuation Parameter Accurately Predicts Hepatic Steatosis in Individuals With Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver Disease: A Derivation and Independent Validation Study.

Introduction: In metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, the diagnostic efficacy of controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) was not very accurate in evaluating liver fat content. The aim of this study was to develop a score, based on CAP and conventional clinical parameters, to improve the diagnostic performance of CAP regarding liver fat content.

Methods: A total of 373 participants from 2 independent Chinese cohorts were included and divided into derivation (n = 191), internal validation (n = 75), and external validation (n = 107) cohorts.

Fusion Radiomics-Based Prediction of Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Osteosarcoma.

Rationale And Objectives: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is the most crucial prognostic factor for osteosarcoma (OS), it significantly prolongs progression-free survival and improves the quality of life. This study aims to develop a deep learning radiomics (DLR) model to accurately predict the response to NAC in patients diagnosed with OS using preoperative MR images.

Methods: We reviewed axial T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (T1CE) of 106 patients pathologically confirmed as OS.

Anti-depressant medication use is a risk factor for incident knee surgery and opioid use in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Objective: To investigate whether depression and exposure to anti-depressant medication are independent risk factors for incident knee surgery and opioid use in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) patients.

Methods: We identified all patients who visited our outpatient department and were clinically diagnosed with KOA between January 2010 and January 2018. We retrieved their demographic, clinical, and radiographic data from the database of our hospital.

End-to-end machine-learning for high-gravity ammonia stripping: Bridging the gap between scientific research and user-friendly applications.

The removal and recovery of ammonia from wastewater are critical processes for achieving global environmental sustainability and promoting circular economic development. High-gravity technology is an advanced solution to achieve ammonia stripping from wastewater. This study used machine-learning (ML) techniques to provide more comprehensive insights on various influencing factors, including the operating parameters, wastewater characteristics, and design parameters of rotating packed beds.

Alcoholic drink produced by pea is a risk factor for incident knee surgery in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate whether alcohol exposure and specific alcoholic drinks are independent risk factors for incident knee surgery in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) patients.

Methods: We identified all patients who were clinically diagnosed as KOA between January 2010 and January 2018 in our outpatient department. Demographic, clinical, and radiographic data were collected from the database of our hospital.

Drug-Eluting Resorbable Scaffold versus Angioplasty for Infrapopliteal Artery Disease.

Background: Among patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) and infrapopliteal artery disease, angioplasty has been associated with frequent reintervention and adverse limb outcomes from restenosis. The effect of the use of drug-eluting resorbable scaffolds on these outcomes remains unknown.

Methods: In this multicenter, randomized, controlled trial, 261 patients with CLTI and infrapopliteal artery disease were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive treatment with an everolimus-eluting resorbable scaffold or angioplasty.

Serological Investigation of Persistent Villous Atrophy in Celiac Disease.

Introduction: Persistent villous atrophy (VA) is not uncommon in celiac disease (CeD) while patients take a gluten-free diet (GFD).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study with 122 serum samples collected from controls and patients with CeD either at the initial diagnosis or at the follow-up during endoscopy. These samples were assigned to 3 groups: nonceliac control, non-VA CeD (Marsh score 0-2), and VA CeD (Marsh score 3a-3c).

Efficacy and safety of combined Chinese and Western medicine in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: a prospective, multicenter cohort study.

To conduct a real-world evaluation of the efficacy and safety of combined Chinese and Western medicine in treating knee osteoarthritis (KOA). A multicenter, prospective cohort study design was employed, enrolling 450 KOA patients (Kellgren-Lawrence score of 3 or less). The patients were divided into a Western medicine treatment group (WM group) and a combined Western and traditional Chinese medicine treatment group (WM-CM group).

Contrast-enhanced US with Sulfur Hexafluoride and Perfluorobutane: LI-RADS for Diagnosing Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) was designed for contrast-enhanced US (CEUS) with pure blood pool agents to diagnose hepatocellularfcarcinoma (HCC), such as sulfur hexafluoride (SHF), but Kupffer-cell agents, such as perfluorobutane (PFB), allow additional lesion characterization in the Kupffer phase yet remain unaddressed. Purpose To compare the diagnostic performance of three algorithms for HCC diagnosis: two algorithms based on CEUS LI-RADS version 2017 for both SHF and PFB and a modified algorithm incorporating Kupffer-phase findings for PFB. Materials and Methods This multicenter prospective study enrolled high-risk patients for HCC from June 2021 to December 2021.

Global and Regional Estimate of HIV-Associated Stroke Burden: A Meta-Analysis and Population Attributable Modeling Study.

Background: This study aimed to determine the correlation between human-immunodeficiency-virus (HIV) infection and stroke, as well as to estimate the global, regional, and national burden of HIV-associated stroke.

Methods: A registered meta-analysis was performed by searching PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science for relevant literature up to October 31, 2022. The pooled relative risk of stroke in HIV-infected people was calculated using a random-effects model.

Danicamtiv Increases Myosin Recruitment and Alters Cross-Bridge Cycling in Cardiac Muscle.

Background: Modulating myosin function is a novel therapeutic approach in patients with cardiomyopathy. Danicamtiv is a novel myosin activator with promising preclinical data that is currently in clinical trials. While it is known that danicamtiv increases force and cardiomyocyte contractility without affecting calcium levels, detailed mechanistic studies regarding its mode of action are lacking.

First Report of Leaf Spot Caused by Clonostachys rosea on Tea (Camellia sinensis) in China.

Tea (Camellia sinensis), which originated in southwest of China 60 - 70 million years ago, is widely consumed as a beverage for its potential enhancing effect on human health with rich polyphenol content (Pan et al. 2022). From October to December in 2021, a disease with symptoms similar to leaf spot affected the quality and yield of tea Puer (102°73 'E, 25°07' N), Yunnan province, China.

Machine-learning-aided application of high-gravity technology to enhance ammonia recovery of fresh waste leachate.

Stripping is widely applied for the removal of ammonia from fresh waste leachate. However, the development of air stripping technology is restricted by the requirements for large-scale equipment and long operation periods. This paper describes a high-gravity technology that improves ammonia stripping from actual fresh waste leachate and a machine learning approach that predicts the stripping performance under different operational parameters.

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals maturation trajectory in human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes in engineered tissues.

Cardiac models have become increasingly obtainable and affordable with the optimization of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte (hPSC-CM) differentiation. However, these CMs are immature compared to their counterparts. Here we study the cellular phenotype of hPSC-CMs by comparing their single-cell gene expression and functional profiles in three engineered cardiac tissue configurations: human ventricular (hv) cardiac anisotropic sheet, cardiac tissue strip, and cardiac organoid chamber (hvCOC), with spontaneously aggregated 3D cardiac spheroids (CS) as control.

PK/PD modeling to characterize placebo and treatment effect of omalizumab for chronic spontaneous urticaria.

The pharmacokinetic (PK) characteristics of omalizumab and its pharmacodynamic (PD) effect in patients has yet to be fully characterized in chronic spontaneous urticaria, which could elucidate its pathogenesis and treatment response. This study has two objectives; (1) characterize the population PK of omalizumab and its PD effect on IgE, and (2) develop a drug effect model of omalizumab in urticaria (via change in weekly itch severity score). The target-mediated population of PK/PD model incorporating omalizumab-IgE binding and turnover adequately described PK and PD of omalizumab.

Repulsion driven by groundwater level difference around cutoff walls on seawater intrusion in unconfined aquifers.

Cutoff walls have been widely used to prevent seawater intrusion (SWI) in coastal regions. Previous studies generally concluded that the ability of cutoff walls to prevent seawater intrusion depends on the higher flow velocity at the wall opening, which we have shown is not the most critical mechanism. In this work, we implemented numerical simulations to explore the driving force of cutoff walls on the repulsion of SWI in both homogeneous and stratified unconfined aquifers.