Predicting high-risk pre-capillary pulmonary hypertension: an echocardiographic multiparameter scoring index.

Background: The risk stratification of pulmonary arterial hypertension proposed by the European Society of Cardiology /European Respiratory Society guidelines in 2015 and 2022 included two to three echocardiographic indicators. However, the specific value of echocardiography in risk stratification of pre-capillary pulmonary hypertension (pcPH) has not been efficiently demonstrated. Given the complex geometry of the right ventricular (RV) and influencing factors of echocardiographic parameter, there is no single echocardiographic parameter that reliably informs about PH status.

A better method to evaluate the reliability of echocardiography for assessment of pulmonary hypertension: comparison of tricuspid regurgitant spectrum quality grading and tricuspid valve regurgitation degree.

Background: Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is recommended as the most important noninvasive screening tool for the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension (PH), sonographers usually measure the volume of regurgitant flow rather than evaluating the spectral quality, so physicians will determine whether the ultrasound measurements of pulmonary arterial systolic pressure (US-PASP) are reliable based on the volume of tricuspid regurgitation (TR). Therefore, for the first time, we grade the quality of TR spectrum (TRS) based on its integrity and clarity, aiming to assess clinical application value of different tricuspid regurgitant spectrum quality grades (TR-SQG), and investigate whether the accuracy of US-PASP is more trustworthy than TR.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 108 patients with chronic thromboembolic PH (CTEPH) to compare the correlation and agreement between US-PASP and right heart catheterization measurements of PASP (RHC-PASP).

[ F] -FAPI-42 PET/CT assessment of Progressive right ventricle fibrosis under pressure overload.

Background: Right heart failure (RHF) is a complication of pulmonary hypertension (PH) and increases the mortality independently of the underlying disease. However, the process of RHF development and progression is not fully understood. We aimed to develop effective approaches for early diagnosis and precise evaluation of RHF.

Automatic echocardiographic evaluation of the probability of pulmonary hypertension using machine learning.

Echocardiography, a simple and noninvasive tool, is the first choice for screening pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, accurate assessment of PH, incorporating both the pulmonary artery pressures and additional signs for PH remained unsatisfied. Thus, this study aimed to develop a machine learning (ML) model that can automatically evaluate the probability of PH.

Clinical value of echocardiography in evaluating hemodynamics and right ventricular function in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension after balloon pulmonary angioplasty.

Background: Patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) are eligible for balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA). However, the short-term effects of BPA on pulmonary hemodynamics and right ventricular (RV) function in patients with CTEPH have not been elucidated. In the current study, echocardiography was conducted to explore the short-term effects of BPA on inoperable CTEPH patients.

Direct Detection of Pulmonary Fibrosis by Near-Infrared-Responsive Biomimetic Platelets.

Background: Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a fatal lung disease and affects over 5 million patients worldwide. Precise and early detection of PF is of pivotal importance to slow the disease progression. However, there are currently no effective tools to detect PF directly.

A Novel Biomimetic Nanoprobe as a Photoacoustic Contrast Agent.

Specific detection of tumors is of pivotal importance to cancer prevention and therapy yet a big challenge. Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) as an emerging non-invasive modality has shown great potential in biomedical and clinical applications. The performance of PAI largely depends on the light-absorption coefficient of the imaged tissue and the PAI contrast agent being used, either endogenously or exogenously.

A Combination of UTMD-Mediated HIF-1 shRNA Transfection and TAE in the Treatment of Hepatic Cancer.

To explore the antitumor effect of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 short hairpin RNA (HIF-1 shRNA) delivered by ultrasound targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) and transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) on rats with hepatic cancer. After the models of transplantation hepatoma were established, Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: Control group, UTMD group, TAE group, and UTMD+TAE group. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) was used to monitor tumor size on day 14 after four different treatments.

MiR-320a-3p/ELF3 axis regulates cell metastasis and invasion in non-small cell lung cancer via PI3K/Akt pathway.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. In this study, we investigated the role of miR-320a-3p in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Expressions of miR-320a-3p were firstly determined in 80 NSCLC patients' cancer tissues and adjacent normal lung tissues by qRT-PCR.

The putative tumor suppressor, miR-199a, regulated by Snail, modulates clear cell renal cell carcinoma aggressiveness by repressing ROCK1.

Background: Aberrant expression of miR-199a has been frequently reported in cancer studies; however, its role in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has not been examined in detail.

Results: Here, we showed that miR-199a was downregulated in RCC and associated with poor prognostic phenotype. Using luciferase and western blot assays we identified that Rho-associated coiled coil-containing protein kinases 1 (ROCK1) was a direct target gene for miR-199a.

Elderly population have a decreased aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage incidence rate than Middle aged population: a descriptive analysis of 8,144 cases in mainland China.

Purpose: Rupture of an intracranial aneurysm is a life-threatening acute cerebrovascular event. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) incidence rate is higher or lower in elderly population than in middle aged population.

Materials And Methods: Aneurysmal SAH cases were collected retrospectively from the archives of 21 hospitals in Mainland China.

The putative tumour suppressor microRNA-145, repressed by c-jun, modulates clear cell renal cell carcinoma aggressiveness by repressing ROCK1.

Aberrant expression of miR-145 has frequently been reported in cancer studies; however, its role in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has not been examined in detail. Here, we showed that miR-145 was downregulated in RCC cells and tissues and associated with a poor prognostic phenotype in RCC patients. Restoration of miR-145 suppressed proliferation and invasion and induced apoptosis in clear cell RCC (ccRCC) cells.

Overexpression of ELF3 facilitates cell growth and metastasis through PI3K/Akt and ERK signaling pathways in non-small cell lung cancer.

ELF3 is one of the member of transcription factors from E-twenty-six family, its role varies in different types of cancer. However, the role and specific mechanisms of ELF3 in the development of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) still remains largely unknown. In our study, ELF3 was observed to be upregulated in NSCLC tissues compared to the corresponding normal lung tissue at mRNA and protein levels, and its expression level was correlated with the overall survival of patients with NSCLC.

Elevated Expression of Zinc Finger Protein 703 Promotes Cell Proliferation and Metastasis through PI3K/AKT/GSK-3β Signalling in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Background/aims: Zinc finger protein 703 (ZNF703), initially identified as a novel oncogene in human breast cancer, is a member of the NET/NlZ family of zinc finger transcription factors. It is recognized that the overexpression of ZNF703 is associated with various types of human cancers, but the role and molecular mechanism of ZNF703 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are unknown.

Methods: ZNF703 expression levels were examined in OSCC tissues and non-cancerous tissues by qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC).

Efficient gene delivery to myocardium with ultrasound targeted microbubble destruction and polyethylenimine.

The aim of present study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficiency of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene delivery to myocardium in vivo by ultrasound targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) and polyethylenimine (PEI). SonoVue/DNA and PEI/DNA/SonoVue complexes were prepared. Gel electrophoresis analysis was performed to determine the structural integrity of plasmid DNA or PEI/DNA after UTMD.