Publications by authors named "Tony Li"

This paper thoroughly examines how policy incentives impact the economic and environmental sustainability of anaerobic digestion (AD) systems. It uses techno-economic and life cycle analyses, along with real industry data, to explore the entire AD process-from feedstock acceptance to digestate disposal. It evaluates the effects of various U.

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  • Recent studies indicate that machine learning (ML) algorithms may be useful for predicting patient outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
  • The review analyzed 11 studies involving nearly 5 million patients and found that while ML models demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy, issues like poor handling of missing data and lack of external validation raise concerns about their reliability.
  • Although ML models show potential as supplemental tools for traditional risk assessments, there are significant hurdles that must be overcome before they can be effectively used in clinical settings.
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  • The study aimed to determine if the HFPEF score could predict heart failure outcomes in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) who have preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).
  • A total of 955 patients were analyzed, with those scoring higher on the HFPEF scale tending to have more severe symptoms and comorbidities, showing lower LVEF and impaired heart function.
  • Findings indicated that a high HFPEF score is linked to poorer survival rates and higher rates of heart failure hospitalizations, particularly influencing outcomes based on factors like female sex, Asian ethnicity, and existing heart conditions.
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  • Net atrioventricular compliance (C) impacts the accuracy of mitral valve area (MVA) assessment in patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis (MS).
  • In a study with 244 patients, it was found that MVA measurements using different methods showed poor concordance with the most accurate assessment, TEE 3DMVA, particularly in those with abnormal C.
  • The research indicated that patients with a 2D planimetry MVA of ≤1.5 cm and a pressure half-time (PHT) of ≤130 ms are likely to have abnormal C, making MVA by PHT an unreliable measure in these cases.
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  • - Yeo's index is a new metric for assessing the severity of rheumatic mitral valve stenosis (MS), based on mitral leaflet separation and dimensionless index comparisons, and its effectiveness was tested against TEE's 3D mitral valve area (MVA).
  • - In a study with 111 patients, Yeo's index showed the strongest correlation (r = 0.775) with TEE 3DMVA, outperforming traditional echocardiographic methods like 2D planimetry, continuity equation (CE), and pressure half-time (PHT).
  • - The study concluded that Yeo's index is a reliable tool for identifying severe MS and could be particularly effective when used alongside 2D
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  • Yeo's Index is a new measurement for determining the severity of rheumatic mitral stenosis (MS), based on mitral leaflet separation and a dimensionless index.
  • In a study involving 237 patients, it was found that Yeo's index ≤ 0.26 cm had a high sensitivity (93%) and specificity (87.5%) for identifying severe MS, while a threshold of ≤ 0.15 cm was effective for very severe MS, with sensitivity and specificity values of 83.6% and 94.3%, respectively.
  • The index's effectiveness was consistent across patients with isolated MS and those with mixed valve disease, and the presence of atrial fibrillation did not affect its accuracy.
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  • - The study investigates sex differences in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), focusing on Asian populations, as this aspect is less understood in this demographic.
  • - Out of 295 patients, men comprised 72%, with women being older and having more health issues like hypertension; women also showed signs of obstructive physiology more frequently.
  • - Findings suggest women are more likely to develop progressive heart failure requiring hospitalization, while men face a higher risk of all-cause mortality.
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Long-read DNA sequencing has recently emerged as a powerful tool for studying both genetic and epigenetic architectures at single-molecule and single-nucleotide resolution. Long-read epigenetic studies encompass both the direct identification of native cytosine methylation and the identification of exogenously placed DNA -methyladenine (DNA-m6A). However, detecting DNA-m6A modifications using single-molecule sequencing, as well as coprocessing single-molecule genetic and epigenetic architectures, is limited by computational demands and a lack of supporting tools.

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  • In patients with embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS), identifying occult atrial fibrillation (AF) is crucial to prevent recurrent strokes, but many don't use implantable loop recorders due to cost and inconvenience.
  • A study analyzed clinical and echocardiographic data from 157 ESUS patients who had ILR evaluations to develop four machine learning models for predicting AF detection.
  • Results showed that the support vector machine model had a 95% confidence interval area under the curve of 0.736-0.737, demonstrating moderate accuracy in predicting AF, while highlighting important features like age and heart rate.
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The inability to scalably and precisely measure the activity of developmental cis-regulatory elements (CREs) in multicellular systems is a bottleneck in genomics. Here we develop a dual RNA cassette that decouples the detection and quantification tasks inherent to multiplex single-cell reporter assays. The resulting measurement of reporter expression is accurate over multiple orders of magnitude, with a precision approaching the limit set by Poisson counting noise.

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Introduction: With the advent of endovascular thrombectomy (ET), patients with acute ischaemic strokes (AIS) with large vessel occlusion (LVO) have seen vast improvements in treatment outcomes. Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) has been shown to herald poorer prognosis in conditions such as myocardial infarction. However, whether LVDD is related to functional recovery and outcomes in ischaemic stroke remains unclear.

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Introduction: Prolonged cardiac monitoring after cryptogenic stroke or embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) is necessary to identify atrial fibrillation (AF) that requires anticoagulation. Wearable devices may improve AF detection compared to conventional management. We aimed to review the evidence for the use of wearable devices in post-cryptogenic stroke and post-ESUS monitoring.

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Background: Patients with migraines, particularly those with auras, may present with stroke. Atrial fibrillation is a known risk factor for stroke. With common pathophysiological factors between migraines and atrial fibrillation, we aimed to clarify the association between migraine and atrial fibrillation in this systematic review and meta-analysis.

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Sotigalimab is an agonistic anti-CD40 mAb that can modulate antitumor immune responses. In a phase II clinical trial of sotigalimab combined with neoadjuvant chemoradiation (CRT) in locally advanced esophageal/gastroesophageal junction (E/GEJ) cancer with the primary outcome of efficacy as measured by pathologic complete response (pCR) rate, the combination induced pCR in 38% of treated patients. We investigated the mechanism of action of sotigalimab in samples obtained from this clinical trial.

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Background And Aims: Methionine adenosyltransferase alpha1 (MATα1) is responsible for the biosynthesis of S-adenosylmethionine in normal liver. Alcohol consumption enhances MATα1 interaction with peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase NIMA-interacting 1 (PIN1), which blocks MATα1 mitochondrial targeting, resulting in lower mitochondrial MATα1 content and mitochondrial dysfunction in alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) in part through upregulation of cytochrome P450 2E1. Conversely, alcohol intake enhances SUMOylation, which enhances cytochrome P450 2E1 expression.

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Background & Aims: The liver is a common site of cancer metastasis, most commonly from colorectal cancer, and primary liver cancers that have metastasized are associated with poor outcomes. The underlying mechanisms by which the liver defends against these processes are largely unknown. Prohibitin 1 (PHB1) and methionine adenosyltransferase 1A (MAT1A) are highly expressed in the liver.

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Through extensive multisystem phenotyping, the central aim of Project PICMAN is to correlate metabolic flexibility to measures of cardiometabolic health, including myocardial diastolic dysfunction, coronary and cerebral atherosclerosis, body fat distribution and severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This cohort will form the basis of larger interventional trials targeting metabolic inflexibility in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Participants aged 21-72 years with no prior manifest atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) are being recruited from a preventive cardiology clinic and an existing cohort of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in an academic medical centre.

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Background: Some observational studies and randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have reported an association between calcium supplementation and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Previous meta-analyses on the topic, based on data from RCTs and observational studies, have contradictory findings. This meta-analysis was conducted to determine the difference in associated risks of calcium supplementation with cardiovascular disease and stroke in RCTs.

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Background: A mitral leaflet separation index (MLSI), measuring the anatomical separation of the mitral valve (MV) leaflet tips in diastole, was previously described as an accurate method of assessing mitral stenosis (MS). We propose a novel modification of the MLSI by including a hemodynamic assessment which we term Yeo's index that may improve its diagnostic performance.

Methods And Results: We retrospectively studied 174 patients with varying severity of MS without significant mitral regurgitation, aortic valve disease or ventricular septal defect.

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Cognitive impairment (CI) shares common cardiovascular risk factors with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and is increasingly prevalent in our ageing population. Whilst AMI is associated with increased rates of CI, CI remains underreported and infrequently identified in patients with AMI. In this review, we discuss the evidence surrounding AMI and its links to dementia and CI, including pathophysiology, risk factors, management and interventions.

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  • A study investigated the impact of left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) on outcomes for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients receiving thrombolysis, highlighting a gap in knowledge about this condition.
  • It included 937 AIS patients, categorizing them based on their left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and analyzed various health outcomes, including mortality and functional status.
  • Results showed that patients with LVSD had significantly worse outcomes, including higher mortality rates, increased heart failure admissions, and poorer functional recovery, underscoring the importance of managing LVEF in these patients.
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Long-read DNA sequencing has recently emerged as a powerful tool for studying both genetic and epigenetic architectures at single-molecule and single-nucleotide resolution. Long-read epigenetic studies encompass both the direct identification of native cytosine methylation as well as the identification of exogenously placed DNA -methyladenine (DNA-m6A). However, detecting DNA-m6A modifications using single-molecule sequencing, as well as co-processing single-molecule genetic and epigenetic architectures, is limited by computational demands and a lack of supporting tools.

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Purpose: Degenerative mitral stenosis (DMS) is associated with a poor prognosis. Although mean transmitral gradient (TMG) has shown a good correlation with outcome, little is known about the association between other echocardiographic parameters and prognosis in patients with DMS. The current study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of left atrial volume index (LAVI) in patients with DMS.

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