A non-linear association of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among patients with hypertension.

Background: Although a few studies have examined the correlation between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and mortality, no study has explored these associations in hypertensive populations. This study aims to investigate the relationship between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in adults with hypertension.

Methods: Hypertensive participants aged ≥18 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2018 with blood lipid testing data and complete follow-up data until 31 December 2019 were enrolled in the analysis.

Predictive value of percutaneous peripheral arterial compliance T in left ventricular diastolic function with coronary artery disease.

Background: Diastolic dysfunction emerges early in patients with cardiac insufficiency and is prevalent, underscoring the importance of its early identification and intervention in the prevention of heart failure. The study leverages the convenience and accuracy of measuring peripheral arterial sclerosis to facilitate the early detection of diastolic dysfunction, which is instrumental in mitigating and delaying the onset and progression of heart failure, holding significant clinical relevance.

Methods: This research enrolled 556 patients suspected of experiencing Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) and stratified them into Groups A, B, C, and D according to the severity of coronary artery stenosis.

Sarcoidosis with Severe Bone Involvement: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease of the lungs that commonly involves intrathoracic lymph nodes. Here, we report the case of a 68-year-old woman who complained of shortness of breath and had suffered from the enlargement of intrathoracic lymph nodes for 12 years, swelling of the right middle finger for 7 years, and nasal obstruction for 2 years. The damage to the phalange was aggravated continuously and a malignant lesion could not be excluded, thus leading to amputation of the right middle finger.

A controllable surface etching strategy for MOF-derived porous ZnCoO@ZnO/CoO oxides and their sensing properties.

Here, we report a surface etching strategy for the controllable synthesis of metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived ZnCoO@ZnO/CoO oxides. Different from previous studies, ZnCo-glycolate (ZnCo-gly) spheres acted as sacrificial templates to provide Zn and Co ions, which coordinated with 2-MeIm to form Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks (ZIFs) on the surface of ZnCo-gly. A series of characterizations were employed to clarify the evolution of the surface etching strategy.

Kynurenic acid promotes osteogenesis via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

The role of kynurenic acid (KynA) in neurological and mental diseases has been widely studied. Emerging studies disclosed that KynA has a protective effect on tissues including heart, kidney, and retina. However, the role of KynA in osteoporosis has not been reported so far.

Ultrasonic Elastography-guided Pleural Biopsy for the Diagnosis of Pleural Effusion: A Multicenter Prospective Study of Diagnostic Test Performance.

The diagnostic yield of traditional ultrasound-guided pleural biopsy remains unsatisfactory, particularly when the pleural thickness is ⩽5 mm and/or no pleural nodules are detected. Pleural ultrasound elastography (UE) has a better diagnostic yield than traditional ultrasound for malignant pleural effusion (MPE). However, studies on UE-guided pleural biopsies are lacking.

A detection panel of novel methylated DNA markers for malignant pleural effusion.

Background: Cytology remains the gold standard for the detection of malignant cells in pleural effusion. However, its sensitivity is limited. The aim of this study was to establish a novel panel of cancer-specific methylated genes for the differential diagnosis of malignant pleural effusion (MPE).

The constricting effect of reduced coronary artery compliance on the left ventricle is an important cause of reduced diastolic function in patients with coronary heart disease.

Background: Previous studies of left ventricular diastolic function (LVDF) have focused on the decrease in active and passive diastolic function due to ischemic factors but have not investigated if the decrease in compliance of the coronary arteries that bypass the surface of the heart and travel between the myocardium could cause a constricting effect on the ventricular wall like that caused by myocardial fibrosis.

Methods And Results: 581 patients diagnosed with coronary heart disease (CHD) were divided into A group (patients are the control group), B group (patients with less than 50% coronary artery stenosis), C group (patients with coronary artery stenosis between 50 and 75%), D group (patients with coronary artery stenosis greater than 75%) according to the degree of coronary stenosis. The diastolic function of the ventricle is reflected by applying the relaxation time constant T value, which refers to the time between peak dp/dt and end-diastolic pressure in the left ventricle.

G-protein-coupled receptor 124 promotes osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Osteoporosis occurs frequently in women after menopause and old age, and it is very easy to cause osteoporotic fractures, resulting in disability and death. In osteoporosis patients, the potential of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) to differentiate into osteoblasts gradually is inhibited, leading to decreased new bone formation. In the current study, the potential effect of G-protein-coupled receptor 124 (GPR124) on the osteoblastic differentiation of BMSCs was determined.

MicroRNA-146a-3p/HDAC1/KLF5/IKBα signal axis modulates plaque formation of atherosclerosis mice.

Background: Atherosclerosis (AS) is a multifocal, smoldering immune inflammatory disease of medium and large arteries driven by lipids. The aim of this study is to discuss the mechanism of microRNA-146a-3p (miR-146a-3p)/histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1)/Krüppel-like factor 5 (KLF5)/inhibitors of kappa B α (IKBα) signal axis in plaque formation of AS mice.

Methods: ApoE mice were fed with high-fat feed for 12 weeks to establish AS mice model.

Case Report: A Patient With COVID-19 Who Benefited From Hemoadsorption.

In December 2019, the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which has been identified to be caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in China and spread across the world. Higher plasma levels of cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-6, IL-2, IL-7, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-α, were found in patients with COVID-19, which implies the occurrence of a cytokine storm and its association with disease severity. Extracorporeal blood purification has been proven to effectively remove the released inflammatory cytokines.

Malignant Transformation of a Borderline Ovarian Tumor With Pulmonary and Pleural Metastases After Years of Latency: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Borderline ovarian tumor (BOT) refers to a distinct tumor of the ovary of epithelial origin and typically has a favorable prognosis. However, these tumors are not exempt from risks of recurrence and malignant transformation, which can arise from the remaining ovarian tissue, peritoneal implants, or distant localization. Here, we report a case of a mucinous BOT with multiple pulmonary cystic nodules without evidence of pulmonary metastasis even after two fine needle biopsies.

Graphitic carbon nitride with thermally-induced nitrogen defects: an efficient process to enhance photocatalytic H production performance.

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN, CN) with nitrogen vacancies was synthesized by a controlled thermal etching method in a semi-closed air-conditioning system. The defect-modified g-CN shows an excellent photocatalytic performance demonstrated by water splitting under visible light irradiation. With proper heat-treatment durations such as 2 h (CN2) and 4 h (CN4) at 550 °C, the hydrogen production rates significantly increase to 100 μmol h and 72 μmol h, which are 11 times and 8 times the rate of the pristine CN (8.

Preaddition of Cations to Electrolytes for Aqueous 2.2 V High Voltage Hybrid Supercapacitor with Superlong Cycling Life and Its Energy Storage Mechanism.

Electrolyte solutions and electrode active materials, as core components of energy storage devices, have a great impact on the overall performance. Currently, supercapacitors suffer from the drawbacks of low energy density and poor cyclic stability in typical alkaline aqueous electrolytes. Herein, the ultrathin CoO anode material is synthesized by a facile electrodeposition, followed by postheat treatment process.

Facile metal-organic frameworks-templated fabrication of hollow indium oxide microstructures for chlorine detection at low temperature.

Metal oxides with the hollow microstructure by the facile synthetic strategy are hopeful in applications for photocatalysis, supercapacitor, and gas sensor owing to their large surface areas, porosity ratio and rich active sites. In this work, indium oxide porous hollow rods (InO PHRs) are successfully prepared using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as the template. The morphology of InO PHRs is hexagonal hollow micro-rods with a porous structure.

A Codoped Polymeric Photocatalyst with Prolonged Carrier Lifetime and Extended Spectral Response up to 600 nm for Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution.

The intrinsic properties of photocatalysts, such as electron state and energy band structure, contribute significantly to their catalytic performance. However, it is difficult to alter these properties of semiconductors by conventional modifications. To adjust the intrinsic properties while preserving long-term conjugation of the polymeric photocatalysts, a post-thermal treatment is proposed to codope P and Na into polymeric carbon nitride in this work.

Altered pulmonary capillary permeability in immunosuppressed guinea pigs infected with serogroup 1.

In immunosuppressed hosts, (Lp) infection usually develops into severe pneumonia, which is pathologically characterized by increased vascular permeability and pulmonary edema. At present, mechanisms associated with changes in pulmonary capillary permeability (PCP) and the pathogenesis of pulmonary edema in immunosuppressed hosts with Lp infection are unclear. Therefore, in the present study an animal model of normal and immunosuppressed guinea pigs infected with Lp was established.

DPP-4 inhibitor anagliptin protects against hypoxia-induced cytotoxicity in cardiac H9C2 cells.

Cardiovascular complications are the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in type 2 diabetes patients. Diabetes greatly increases the risk of heart disease; therefore, the management of diabetes often involves the prevention of heart disease. DPP-4 inhibitors have been proven to be the effective therapeutic agents of glycaemic control.

Sonic hedgehog signaling regulates hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced H9C2 myocardial cell apoptosis.

The sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling pathway has been reported to protect cells against hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury; however, the role of Shh and relevant molecular mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, the rat cardiomyoblast cell line H9C2 was subjected to hypoxia and serum-starvation for 4 h. Cells were subsequently reoxygenated using 95% O and 5% CO.

Ag modified bismuth ferrite nanospheres as a chlorine gas sensor.

Pure phase bismuth ferrite (BiFeO, BFO) nanospheres were synthesized a sol-gel method, and Ag was loaded on the surface of BFO by photodeposition. The effects of the Ag-modification on the morphologies and microstructural characteristics were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analyses. Only BFO peaks but no Ag peaks were observed for all samples in the XRD patterns, which is related to the small size and low loading of Ag.

Hydrothermally Induced Oxygen Doping of Graphitic Carbon Nitride with a Highly Ordered Architecture and Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity.

As an amorphous or semicrystalline material, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C N ) displays poor photocatalytic activity owing to rapid recombination of the photogenerated charge carriers, which is mainly caused by a high density of defects in the graphitic structure. In this work, a porous O-doped g-C N (P-CNO) nanosheet with a highly ordered architecture is fabricated by introducing a novel hydrothermal treatment to the precursor before the final thermal condensation. The photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate (HER) and HER per surface area of P-CNO are 13.

Pt-decorated zinc oxide nanorod arrays with graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets for highly efficient dual-functional gas sensing.

In this work, well-aligned ZnO nanorods were grown on the substrate of exfoliated g-CN nanosheets via a microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis, and then Pt/ZnO/g-CN nanostructures were obtained after the deposition of Pt nanoparticles. The growth of vertically ordered ZnO nanorods was occurred on g-CN nanosheets through the bonding interaction between Zn and N atoms, which was confirmed by XPS, FT-IR data and molecular orbital theory. The Pt/ZnO/g-CN nanostructures sensor exhibited the remarkable sensitivity, selectivity, and fast response/recovery time for air pollutants of ethanol and NO.

Apelin-13 protects the heart against ischemia-reperfusion injury through the RISK-GSK-3β-mPTP pathway.

Introduction: Apelin plays an important role in the protection against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, while the mechanism still remains unclear. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate the protective effect of apelin-13, and the main mechanism.

Material And Methods: The in vivo I/R injury model (Sprague-Dawley rat) was established, then infarct size, expression levels of phospho-protein kinase B (p-Akt), phospho-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (p-ERK) and phospho-glycogen synthase kinase-3β (p-GSK-3β) were measured.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 protects against cardiac microvascular endothelial cells injured by high glucose.

Objective: To investigate the protective effect of glucagon-like peptid-1 (GLP-1) against cardiac microvascular endothelial cell (CMECs) injured by high glucose.

Methods: CMECs were isolated and cultured. Superoxide assay kit and dihydroethidine (DHE) staining were used to assess oxidative stress.