Valvular heart disease in Japan: Characteristics and treatment of patients in acute care hospitals in 2019.

Background: Valvular heart disease (VHD) is one of the commonest causes of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality worldwide, with acquired VHD especially prevalent in countries with aging populations. The scope and pattern of disease are not well understood, as some patients are asymptomatic and available options for invasive treatment vary by affected valve. We sought to understand the burden of VHD in Japan including the distribution of patients by valve disease type and age, using administrative claims data from acute care hospitals.

A new ultra-wide-field fundus dataset to diabetic retinopathy grading using hybrid preprocessing methods.

Diabetic retinopathy(DR) is a common early diabetic complication and one of the main causes of blindness. In clinical diagnosis and treatment, regular screening with fundus imaging is an effective way to prevent the development of DR. However, the regular fundus images used in most DR screening work have a small imaging range, narrow field of vision, and can not contain more complete lesion information, which leads to less ideal automatic DR grading results.

Proteomic profiling of gastric cancer with peritoneal metastasis identifies a protein signature associated with immune microenvironment and patient outcome.

Background: Peritoneal metastasis (PM) frequently occurs in patients with gastric cancer (GC) and is a major cause of mortality. Risk stratification for PM can optimize decision making in GC treatment.

Methods: A total of 25 GC patients (13 with synchronous, 6 with metachronous PM and 6 PM-free) were included in this study.

A molecularly imprinted fluorescence sensor for sensitive detection of tetracycline using nitrogen-doped carbon dots-embedded zinc-based metal-organic frameworks as signal-amplifying tags.

Tetracycline (TC) residues not only endanger human health, but also are detrimental to the sustainable development of aquaculture and animal husbandry. Herein, a novel fluorescence sensor with high sensitivity and selectivity was developed based on nitrogen-doped carbon dots embedded in zinc-based metal-organic frameworks and incorporating molecularly imprinted polymer (ZIF-8&N-CDs@MIP). The physical and chemical properties of the ZIF-8&N-CDs@MIP had been characterized by SEM, TEM, FTIR, XRD, BET, TGA, etc.

4-PBA inhibits hypoxia-induced lipolysis in rat adipose tissue and lipid accumulation in the liver through regulating ER stress.

High-altitude hypoxia may disturb the metabolic modulation and function of both adipose tissue and liver. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a crucial organelle in lipid metabolism and ER stress is closely correlated with lipid metabolism dysfunction. The aim of this study is to elucidate whether the inhibition of ER stress could alleviate hypoxia-induced white adipose tissue (WAT) lipolysis and liver lipid accumulation-mediated hepatic injury.

Prediction of the Postoperative Bone Regeneration Rate After Mandibular Reduction: From the Perspective of Preoperative Inflammatory and Immune Status.

Background: Following mandibular reduction, bone regeneration in the angle region is a problem that can affect facial aesthetics and lead to revision surgery. The bone regeneration rate (BRR) varies between individuals and is difficult to predict. However, studies focusing on preoperative patient-related factors are lacking.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG alleviates colitis caused by chemotherapy via biofilm formation.

Background And Aim: Severe colitis is a common side effect of chemotherapy in cancer patients. In this study, we attempted to enhance the viability of probiotics in a gastric acid environment and improve the colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) and docetaxel.

Methods: We purified Lactobacillus from yogurt and estimated their growth at pH 6.

Diagnosis-intervention packet-based Pareto chart of the proportion of high-cost cases and the analysis of the structure of hospitalization expenses.

Background: In order to prevent the occurrence of high-cost cases, it is necessary to know the proportion of high-rate cases and the hospitalization cost of patients.

Objective: Through the analysis of the high-rate cases of various specialties in a first-class hospital in a province, the profit and loss situation of medical institutions under the diagnosis-intervention packets (DIP) payment reform was discussed to seek a more effective way of medical insurance payment reform.

Methods: Data of 1955 inpatients who participated in DIP settlement in January 2022 were retrospectively selected.

Cyasterone inhibits IL-1β-mediated apoptosis and inflammation via the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways in rat chondrocytes and ameliorates osteoarthritisin vivo.

Osteoarthritis is a prevalent global joint disease, which is characterized by inflammatory reaction and cartilage degradation. Cyasterone, a sterone derived from the roots of Cyathula officinalis Kuan, exerts protective effect against several inflammation-related diseases. However, its effect on osteoarthritis remains unclear.

Midterm Outcomes of Kissing Covered Self-Expanding Stents for Reconstruction of Complex Aortoiliac Occlusive Disease.

Background: We sought to investigate the midterm results of kissing self-expanding covered stents (SECSs) for the reconstruction of aortic bifurcation in complex aortoiliac occlusive disease.

Methods: Data of consecutive patients who had undergone endovascular treatment for aortoiliac occlusive disease were screened. Only patients with TransAtlantic Inter-Society Consensus (TASC) class C and D lesions treated by bilateral iliac kissing stents (KSs) were included.

Myomatrix arrays for high-definition muscle recording.

Neurons coordinate their activity to produce an astonishing variety of motor behaviors. Our present understanding of motor control has grown rapidly thanks to new methods for recording and analyzing populations of many individual neurons over time. In contrast, current methods for recording the nervous system's actual motor output - the activation of muscle fibers by motor neurons - typically cannot detect the individual electrical events produced by muscle fibers during natural behaviors and scale poorly across species and muscle groups.

Defensive Specialized Metabolites from the Latex of Euphorbia jolkinii.

Plant latex is sequestered in laticiferous structures and exuded immediately from damaged plant tissues. The primary function of plant latex is related to defense responses to their natural enemies. Euphorbia jolkinii Boiss.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Companion Animal-Derived Multidrug-Resistant Escherichia coli in Hangzhou, China.

Antimicrobial resistance poses a challenge to global public health, and companion animals could serve as the reservoir for antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. However, the prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, especially multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, and the associated risk factors from companion animals are partially understood. Here, we aim to investigate the prevalence of MDR Escherichia coli, as an indicator bacterium, in pet cats and dogs in Hangzhou, China, and evaluate the factors affecting the prevalence of MDR E.

"Four-In-One" Design of a Hemicyanine-Based Modular Scaffold for High-Contrast Activatable Molecular Afterglow Imaging.

Afterglow luminescence (long persistent luminescence) holds great potential for nonbackground molecular imaging. However, current afterglow probes are mainly nanoparticles, and afterglow imaging systems based on organic small molecules are still lacking and have rarely been reported. Moreover, the lack of reactive sites and a universal molecular scaffold makes it difficult to design activatable afterglow probes.

Combined fine-needle aspiration and selective intraoperative frozen section to optimize prediction of malignant thyroid nodules: A retrospective cohort study of more than 3000 patients.

Background: Preoperative fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is widely used to differentiate malignant from benign thyroid nodules, while intraoperative frozen sections (FS) are suggested as a systematic supplement for intraoperative decision-making, but limitations still remain for both procedures.

Methods: Medical records of 3807 patients with thyroid nodules who underwent both pathological diagnoses (FS and FNA) at our hospital were reviewed. The diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of FNA and FS were also evaluated.

LncRNA AC093850.2 predicts poor outcomes in patients with triple-negative breast cancer and motivates tumor progression by sponging miR-4299.

Background: Accumulating evidence displays that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are involved in the progression of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). This study aimed to investigate the role of lncRNA AC093850.2 in TNBC.

Deafness gene screening based on a multilevel cascaded BPNN model.

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss is a common and frequently occurring condition in otolaryngology. Existing studies have shown that sudden sensorineural hearing loss is closely associated with mutations in genes for inherited deafness. To identify these genes associated with deafness, researchers have mostly used biological experiments, which are accurate but time-consuming and laborious.

MAPK4 silencing in gastric cancer drives liver metastasis by positive feedback between cancer cells and macrophages.

Liver metastasis is a major cause of death in gastric cancer patients, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Through a combination of in vivo screening and transcriptome profiling followed by quantitative RT-PCR and tissue array analyses, we found that mitogen-activated protein kinase 4 (MAPK4) downregulation in gastric cancer tissues from patients is significantly associated with liver metastasis and poor prognosis. The knockdown of MAPK4 in gastric cancer cells promotes liver metastasis in orthotopic mouse models.

Characterizations for the photothermal effect of Rhodamine 6G using white-light interferometry and windowed Fourier transform.

Photothermal phenomenon is one of the natural responses in light-matter interactions in which the energy of the incident light is converted into heat, resulting in a temperature increase in the illuminated material. This effect has a direct influence on the refractive index of the material such that its change of spectral dependency with temperature can be exploited for different applications. However, it is also important to separate/identify the thermal effect from the optical/electronic resonance effect to expand potential applications of light-matter interactions.

Exercise for myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury: A systematic review and meta-analysis based on preclinical studies.

The main pathological manifestation of coronary artery disease is myocardial injury caused by ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. Regular exercise reduces the risk of death during myocardial IR injury. The aim of this study was to describe the effects of various types of exercise on myocardial IR injury.

Exon shuffling potentiates a diverse repertoire of brown algal NB-ARC-TPR candidate immune receptor proteins via alternative splicing.

Like other organisms, brown algae are subject to diseases caused by bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Brown algal immunity mechanisms are not well characterized; however, there is evidence suggesting that pathogen receptors exist in brown algae. One key protein family likely associated with brown algal innate immunity possesses an NB-ARC domain analogous to innate immune proteins in plants and animals.

Exosomes as smart drug delivery vehicles for cancer immunotherapy.

Exosomes (Exos) as drug delivery vehicles have been widely used for cancer immunotherapy owing to their good biocompatibility, low toxicity, and low immunogenicity. Some Exos-based cancer immunotherapy strategies such as tuning of immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, immune checkpoint blockades, and cancer vaccines have also been investigated in recent years, which all showed excellent therapeutic effects for malignant tumor. Furthermore, some Exos-based drug delivery systems (DDSs) for cancer immunotherapy have also undergone clinic trails, indicating that Exos are a promising drug delivery carrier.