Preclinical studies and transcriptome analysis in a model of Parkinson's disease with dopaminergic ZNF746 expression.

Background: The parkin-interacting substrate (PARIS, also known as ZNF746) is a transcriptional repressor, whose accumulation and phosphorylation play central pathological roles in Parkinson's disease (PD). PARIS-induced transcriptional repression of PGC-1α or MDM4 contributes to mitochondrial dysfunction and p53-dependent neuron loss in PD. Despite the important role of PARIS in PD pathogenesis, unbiased transcriptomic profiles influenced by PARIS accumulation in dopaminergic neurons remain unexplored.

The Role of tRNA-Derived Small RNAs (tsRNAs) in Regulating Cell Death of Cardiovascular Diseases.

Transfer RNA is a class of non-coding RNA that plays a role in amino acid translocation during protein synthesis. After specific modification, the cleaved fragment is called tRNA-derived small RNA. The advancement of bioinformatics technology has led to an increase in the visibility of small RNA derived from tRNA, and their functions in biological processes are being revealed.

Towards understanding cancer dormancy over strategic hitching up mechanisms to technologies.

Delving into cancer dormancy has been an inherent task that may drive the lethal recurrence of cancer after primary tumor relief. Cells in quiescence can survive for a short or long term in silence, may undergo genetic or epigenetic changes, and can initiate relapse through certain contextual cues. The state of dormancy can be induced by multiple conditions including cancer drug treatment, in turn, undergoes a life cycle that generally occurs through dissemination, invasion, intravasation, circulation, immune evasion, extravasation, and colonization.

Ferroptosis, a therapeutic target for cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.

The identification of ferroptosis represents a pivotal advancement in the field of cell death research, revealing an entirely novel mechanism of cellular demise and offering new insights into the initiation, progression, and therapeutic management of various diseases. Ferroptosis is predominantly induced by intracellular iron accumulation, lipid peroxidation, or impairments in the antioxidant defense system, culminating in membrane rupture and consequent cell death. Studies have associated ferroptosis with a wide range of diseases, and by enhancing our comprehension of its underlying mechanisms, we can formulate innovative therapeutic strategies, thereby providing renewed hope for patients.

Efficacy and safety of sacubitril/valsartan on postoperative atrial fibrillation in adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery: a real-world observational study.

Background: The mechanism underlying new-onset postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) in adult cardiac surgery is not well understood. However, efficient pharmacological methods to prevent and treat arrhythmic complications are still lacking. In the present study, we explored the efficacy and safety of sacubitril/valsartan (sac/val) in the control of POAF in adult cardiac surgery patients.

Machine Learning Based Abnormal Gait Classification with IMU Considering Joint Impairment.

Gait analysis systems are critical for assessing motor function in rehabilitation and elderly care. This study aimed to develop and optimize an abnormal gait classification algorithm considering joint impairments using inertial measurement units (IMUs) and walkway systems. Ten healthy male participants simulated normal walking, walking with knee impairment, and walking with ankle impairment under three conditions: without joint braces, with a knee brace, and with an ankle brace.

Crotonylation of NAE1 Modulates Cardiac Hypertrophy via Gelsolin Neddylation.

Background: Cardiac hypertrophy and its associated remodeling are among the leading causes of heart failure. Lysine crotonylation is a recently discovered posttranslational modification whose role in cardiac hypertrophy remains largely unknown. NAE1 (NEDD8 [neural precursor cell expressed developmentally downregulated protein 8]-activating enzyme E1 regulatory subunit) is mainly involved in the neddylation modification of protein targets.

The potential of RNA methylation in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

RNA methylation has emerged as a dynamic regulatory mechanism that impacts gene expression and protein synthesis. Among the known RNA methylation modifications, N6-methyladenosine (mA), 5-methylcytosine (mC), 3-methylcytosine (mC), and N7-methylguanosine (mG) have been studied extensively. In particular, mA is the most abundant RNA modification and has attracted significant attention due to its potential effect on multiple biological processes.

Long-term outcomes of the BalMedic bovine pericardial bioprosthetic valve in female patients ≤50 years: a multicenter retrospective study.

Background: A bioprosthetic valve is recommended for women of childbearing age who require cardiac valve replacement in order to minimize the risk of blood clot formation. However, it should be noted that compared to mechanical valves, bioprosthetic valves have a shorter lifespan and a higher likelihood of requiring reoperation during follow-up. To assess the long-term postoperative results, including the incidence of structural valve deterioration (SVD) and other clinical outcomes, in female patients aged 50 years and younger who underwent BalMedic bovine pericardial bioprosthetic valve replacement, a multicenter retrospective study was implemented in China.

The function and therapeutic potential of transfer RNA-derived small RNAs in cardiovascular diseases: A review.

Transfer RNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNA (sncRNA) molecules derived from tRNA, including tRNA derived fragments (tRFs) and tRNA halfs (tiRNAs). tsRNAs can affect cell functions by participating in gene expression regulation, translation regulation, intercellular signal transduction, and immune response. They have been shown to play an important role in various human diseases, including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).

Molecular insights into regulatory RNAs in the cellular machinery.

It is apparent that various functional units within the cellular machinery are derived from RNAs. The evolution of sequencing techniques has resulted in significant insights into approaches for transcriptome studies. Organisms utilize RNA to govern cellular systems, and a heterogeneous class of RNAs is involved in regulatory functions.

Severe obstructive sleep apnea in children with syndromic craniosynostosis: analysis of pulse transit time.

Study Objectives: We examined the association between pulse transit time (PTT) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children with syndromic craniosynostosis (SCS), where OSA is a common problem and may cause cardiorespiratory disturbance.

Methods: A retrospective study of children (age < 18 years) with SCS and moderate-to-severe OSA (ie, obstructive apnea-hypopnea index ≥ 5) or no OSA (obstructive apnea-hypopnea index < 1) who underwent overnight polysomnography. Children without SCS and normal polysomnography were included as controls.

Determination of Gait Events and Temporal Gait Parameters for Persons with a Knee-Ankle-Foot Orthosis.

Gait event detection is essential for controlling an orthosis and assessing the patient's gait. In this study, patients wearing an electromechanical (EM) knee-ankle-foot orthosis (KAFO) with a single IMU embedded in the thigh were subjected to gait event detection. The algorithm detected four essential gait events (initial contact (IC), toe off (TO), opposite initial contact (OIC), and opposite toe off (OTO)) and determined important temporal gait parameters such as stance/swing time, symmetry, and single/double limb support.

Measurements of Electrodermal Activity, Tissue Oxygen Saturation, and Visual Analog Scale for Different Cuff Pressures.

The quantification of comfort in binding parts, essential human-machine interfaces (HMI) for the functioning of rehabilitation robots, is necessary to reduce physical strain on the user despite great achievements in their structure and control. This study aims to investigate the physiological impacts of binding parts by measuring electrodermal activity (EDA) and tissue oxygen saturation (StO). In Experiment 1, EDA was measured from 13 healthy subjects under three different pressure conditions (10, 20, and 30 kPa) for 1 min using a pneumatic cuff on the right thigh.

Quantitative Detection and Follow-Up of Intracranial Hypertension in Craniosynostosis: An Optical Coherence Tomography Study.

Background: In patients with craniosynostosis, the authors evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of fundoscopy and optical coherence tomography (OCT) to detect intracranial hypertension (ICH), the time course of retinal thickness after treatment of ICH, and the relationship between high hyperopia (HH) and fundoscopy/OCT scan findings.

Methods: Patients with syndromic, multisuture, unicoronal, unilambdoid, or sagittal synostosis visiting the authors' national center were included in this longitudinal cohort study and formed a consecutive series. Retinal layers on OCT, OCT fundus images, and fundoscopy results were evaluated.

TinyFallNet: A Lightweight Pre-Impact Fall Detection Model.

Falls represent a significant health concern for the elderly. While studies on deep learning-based preimpact fall detection have been conducted to mitigate fall-related injuries, additional efforts are needed for embedding in microcomputer units (MCUs). In this study, ConvLSTM, the state-of-the-art model, was benchmarked, and we attempted to lightweight it by leveraging features from image-classification models VGGNet and ResNet while maintaining performance for wearable airbags.

Quantifying Amide-Aromatic Interactions at Molecular and Atomic Levels: Experimentally Determined Enthalpic and Entropic Contributions to Interactions of Amide spO, N, C and spC Unified Atoms with Naphthalene spC Atoms in Water.

In addition to amide hydrogen bonds and the hydrophobic effect, interactions involving π-bonded sp atoms of amides, aromatics, and other groups occur in protein self-assembly processes including folding, oligomerization, and condensate formation. These interactions also occur in aqueous solutions of amide and aromatic compounds, where they can be quantified. Previous analysis of thermodynamic coefficients quantifying net-favorable interactions of amide compounds with other amides and aromatics revealed that interactions of amide spO with amide spN unified atoms (presumably C═O···H-N hydrogen bonds) and amide/aromatic spC (lone pair π, n-π*) are particularly favorable.

Quantifying Amide-Aromatic Interactions at Molecular and Atomic Levels: Experimentally-determined Enthalpic and Entropic Contributions to Interactions of Amide sp O, N, C and sp C Unified Atoms with Naphthalene sp C Atoms in Water.

In addition to amide hydrogen bonds and the hydrophobic effect, interactions involving π-bonded sp atoms of amides, aromatics and other groups occur in protein self-assembly processes including folding, oligomerization and condensate formation. These interactions also occur in aqueous solutions of amide and aromatic compounds, where they can be quantified. Previous analysis of thermodynamic coefficients quantifying net-favorable interactions of amide compounds with other amides and aromatics revealed that interactions of amide sp O with amide sp N unified atoms (presumably C=O···H-N hydrogen bonds) and amide/aromatic sp C (lone pair-π, n-π ) are particularly favorable.

Propensity-matched analysis of robotic versus sternotomy approaches for mitral valve replacement.

To compare early and medium-term outcomes between robotic and sternotomy approaches for mitral valve replacement (MVR). Clinical data of 1393 cases who underwent MVR between January 2014 and January 2023 were collected and stratified into robotic MVR (n = 186) and conventional sternotomy MVR (n = 1207) groups. The baseline data of the two groups of patients were corrected by the propensity score matching (PSM) method.

Harnessing deep learning into hidden mutations of neurological disorders for therapeutic challenges.

The relevant study of transcriptome-wide variations and neurological disorders in the evolved field of genomic data science is on the rise. Deep learning has been highlighted utilizing algorithms on massive amounts of data in a human-like manner, and is expected to predict the dependency or druggability of hidden mutations within the genome. Enormous mutational variants in coding and noncoding transcripts have been discovered along the genome by far, despite of the fine-tuned genetic proofreading machinery.

Quantitative flow ratio-guided versus angiography-guided operation for valve disease accompanying coronary heart disease.

Background: Valve replacement combined with coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) operation (VR + CABG) is usually associated with higher mortality and complication rates. Currently, angiography remains the most commonly used approach to guide CABG. The aim of this study is to investigate whether a quantitative flow ratio (QFR)-guided strategy can improve the clinical outcomes of VR + CABG.

Quantification of Comfort for the Development of Binding Parts in a Standing Rehabilitation Robot.

Human-machine interfaces (HMI) refer to the physical interaction between a user and rehabilitation robots. A persisting excessive load leads to soft tissue damage, such as pressure ulcers. Therefore, it is necessary to define a comfortable binding part for a rehabilitation robot with the subject in a standing posture.

Spinal infection caused by Coxiella burnetii.

Background: Spinal infection caused by Coxiella burnetii is rare and difficult to diagnose. Here we reported a case of spinal infection from Coxiella burnetii detected by the metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS).

Case Presentation: A 66-year-old male farmer with no medical history reported severe sharp low back pain, numbness and lower limb weakness for three years.

Boosting of tau protein aggregation by CD40 and CD48 gene expression in Alzheimer's disease.

Neurodegenerative diseases result from the interplay of abnormal gene expression and various pathological factors. Therefore, a disease-specific integrative genetic approach is required to understand the complexities and causes of target diseases. Recent studies have identified the correlation between genes encoding several transmembrane proteins, such as the cluster of differentiation (CD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis.