Quantification of Vascular Remodeling and Sinusoidal Capillarization to Assess Liver Fibrosis with Photoacoustic Imaging.

Background Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) can be used to detect strong absorption from endogenous and exogenous contrast material, making it promising for detailed structural and functional imaging of hepatic sinusoids, including dynamic visualization of permeability. Purpose To evaluate whether PAM-based quantitative parameters of liver function and integrity (lacunarity, blood oxygen saturation [Sao], and Evans blue [EB] permeability) are associated with histopathologic indexes of fibrosis in a mouse model. Materials and Methods Between October 2022 and July 2023, a total of 35 male C57BL/6 mice were included in this study and received intraperitoneal injection of carbon tetrachloride to establish mouse models of progressive liver fibrosis, with seven mice in each group.

Efficacy of microwave ablation for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Data on overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) after microwave ablation (MWA) for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) are scarce. We conducted a systematic review of the safety and efficacy of MWA for ICC.

Methods: The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies reporting the outcomes of MWA for ICC.

A tunable human intestinal organoid system achieves controlled balance between self-renewal and differentiation.

A balance between stem cell self-renewal and differentiation is required to maintain concurrent proliferation and cellular diversification in organoids; however, this has proven difficult in homogeneous cultures devoid of in vivo spatial niche gradients for adult stem cell-derived organoids. In this study, we leverage a combination of small molecule pathway modulators to enhance the stemness of organoid stem cells, thereby amplifying their differentiation potential and subsequently increasing cellular diversity within human intestinal organoids without the need for artificial spatial or temporal signaling gradients. Moreover, we demonstrate that this balance between self-renewal and differentiation can be effectively and reversibly shifted from secretory cell differentiation to the enterocyte lineage with enhanced proliferation using BET inhibitors, or unidirectional differentiation towards specific intestinal cell types by manipulating in vivo niche signals such as Wnt, Notch, and BMP.

Synthetic Breast Ultrasound Images: A Study to Overcome Medical Data Sharing Barriers.

The vast potential of medical big data to enhance healthcare outcomes remains underutilized due to privacy concerns, which restrict cross-center data sharing and the construction of diverse, large-scale datasets. To address this challenge, we developed a deep generative model aimed at synthesizing medical data to overcome data sharing barriers, with a focus on breast ultrasound (US) image synthesis. Specifically, we introduce CoLDiT, a conditional latent diffusion model with a transformer backbone, to generate US images of breast lesions across various Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) categories.

Progression Patterns and Risk Factors of Axial Elongation in Young Adults With Nonpathologic High Myopia: Three-Year Large Longitudinal Cohort Follow-Up.

Purpose: To investigate the progression patterns and risk factors of axial elongation in young adults with nonpathologic high myopia.

Design: Prospective, clinical observational cohort study with 2- to 4-year follow-up.

Methods: A total of 1043 eyes of 563 participants (3515 medical records) aged 18 to 50 years with nonpathologic high myopia (axial length [AL] ≥ 26 mm; myopic maculopathy < diffuse chorioretinal atrophy; without posterior staphyloma) were included from 1546 participants (6318 medical records).

Positive Associations of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances With Hypertension May Be Attenuated by Endogenous Sex Hormones: A Nationally Representative Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) has endocrine-disrupting properties and may affect blood pressure. Endogenous hormones also play a crucial role in the progression of hypertension. However, their interaction with hypertension remains to be explored.

Intensive Ambulance-Delivered Blood-Pressure Reduction in Hyperacute Stroke.

Background: Treatment of acute stroke, before a distinction can be made between ischemic and hemorrhagic types, is challenging. Whether very early blood-pressure control in the ambulance improves outcomes among patients with undifferentiated acute stroke is uncertain.

Methods: We randomly assigned patients with suspected acute stroke that caused a motor deficit and with elevated systolic blood pressure (≥150 mm Hg), who were assessed in the ambulance within 2 hours after the onset of symptoms, to receive immediate treatment to lower the systolic blood pressure (target range, 130 to 140 mm Hg) (intervention group) or usual blood-pressure management (usual-care group).

Flagellar pH homeostasis mediated by Na+/H+ exchangers regulates human sperm functions through coupling with CatSper and KSper activation.

Study Question: Whether and how do Na+/H+ exchangers (NHEs) regulate the physiological functions of human sperm?

Summary Answer: NHE-mediated flagellar intracellular pH (pHi) homeostasis facilitates the activation of the pH-sensitive, sperm-specific Ca2+ channel (CatSper) and the sperm-specific K+ channel (KSper), which subsequently modulate sperm motility, hyperactivation, flagellar tyrosine phosphorylation, and the progesterone (P4)-induced acrosome reaction.

What Is Known Already: Sperm pHi alkalization is an essential prerequisite for the acquisition of sperm-fertilizing capacity. Different sperm functions are strictly controlled by particular pHi regulatory mechanisms.

Clinical application of intravascular forceps biopsy in the diagnosis of vascular obstructive diseases: a pilot study.

Background: The sampling of vascular obstruction diseases remains a challenge in clinical practice. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, accuracy, and safety of intravascular forceps biopsy (IVFB) for the diagnosis of vascular obstructive diseases.

Methods: From January 2015 to January 2022, of the total of 35 patients who underwent IVFB (21 male, 14 female; mean age 60±11 years; range, 39-81 years), 32 (91.

Progress in oncolytic viruses modified with nanomaterials for intravenous application.

In oncolytic virus (OV) therapy, a critical component of tumor immunotherapy, viruses selectively infect, replicate within, and eventually destroy tumor cells. Simultaneously, this therapy activates immune responses and mobilizes immune cells, thereby eliminating residual or distant cancer cells. However, because of OVs' high immunogenicity and immune clearance during circulation, their clinical applications are currently limited to intratumoral injections, and their use is severely restricted.

Patient Controlled Subcutaneous Analgesia of Hydromorphone Versus Morphine to Treat Moderate and Severe Cancer Pain: A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial.

Context: Hydromorphone and morphine are the common drugs used for the treatment of moderate to severe cancer pain. Patient controlled subcutaneous analgesia (PCSA) is an effective technique to manage cancer pain. However, few studies have been conducted to show the efficacy and safety of PCSA of hydromorphone for the relief of cancer pain.

Influence of Goniotomy Size on Treatment Safety and Efficacy for Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma: A Multicenter Study.

Purpose: To compare the efficacy and safety of 120-, 240-, and 360-degree goniotomy (GT) with or without phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation (PEI) for patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).

Design: Multicenter, retrospective, comparative, nonrandomized interventional study.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with POAG who underwent GT with or without PEI were included, and divided into 6 groups: 1) standalone 120-degree GT (120GT); 2) standalone 240-degree GT (240GT); 3) standalone 360-degree GT (360GT); 4) PEI + 120GT; 5) PEI + 240GT; and 6) PEI + 360GT.

Safety and immunogenicity of a skin- and neuro-attenuated live vaccine for varicella: a randomized, double-blind, controlled, dose-escalation and age de-escalation phase 1 clinical trial.

Background: Despite the success in decreasing varicella-related disease burden, live-attenuated Oka vaccine strain of varicella-zoster virus (vOka) remains neuro-virulence and may establish latency and reactivate, raising safety concerns. Here we aimed to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a skin- and neuro-attenuated varicella vaccine candidate (v7D).

Methods: This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation and age de-escalation phase 1 clinical trial conducted in Liuzhou, China (ChiCTR1900022284).

Somatosensory neuron types and their neural networks as revealed via single-cell transcriptomics.

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has allowed profiling cell types of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and their transcriptional states in physiology and chronic pain. However, the evaluation criteria used in previous studies to classify DRG neurons varied, which presents difficulties in determining the various types of DRG neurons. In this review, we aim to integrate findings from previous transcriptomic studies of the DRG.

New Loss-of-Function Mutations in PCSK9 Reduce Plasma LDL Cholesterol.

Background: Lower plasma levels of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol (LDL-C) can reduce the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The loss-of-function mutations in (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9) have been known to associate with low LDL-C in many human populations. PCSK9 genetic variants in Chinese Uyghurs who are at high risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease due to their dietary habits have not been reported.

Effect of Imaging Selection Paradigms on Endovascular Thrombectomy Outcomes in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Background: The effect of imaging selection paradigms on endovascular thrombectomy outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke with large vessel occlusion remains uncertain. The study aimed to assess the effect of basic imaging (noncontrast computed tomography with or without computed tomographic angiography) versus advanced imaging (magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography perfusion) on clinical outcomes following thrombectomy in patients with stroke with large vessel occlusion in the early and extended windows using a pooled analysis of patient-level data from 2 pivotal randomized clinical trials done in China.

Methods: This post hoc analysis used data from 1182 patients included in 2 multicenter, randomized controlled trials in China that evaluated adjunct therapies to endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke (Direct Endovascular Treatment for Large Artery Anterior Circulation Stroke performed from May 20, 2018, through May 2, 2020, and Intravenous Tirofiban Before Endovascular Treatment in Stroke from October 10, 2018, through October 31, 2021).

Critical Role of the cGAS-STING Pathway in Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity.

Background: Doxorubicin is an effective chemotherapy drug for treating various types of cancer. However, lethal cardiotoxicity severely limits its clinical use. Recent evidence has indicated that aberrant activation of the cytosolic DNA-sensing cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate synthase (cGAS)-STING (stimulator of interferon genes) pathway plays a critical role in cardiovascular destruction.

DWI-Based Radiomics Predicts the Functional Outcome of Endovascular Treatment in Acute Basilar Artery Occlusion.

Background And Purpose: Endovascular treatment is a reference treatment for acute basilar artery occlusion (ABAO). However, no established and specific methods are available for the preoperative screening of patients with ABAO suitable for endovascular treatment. This study explores the potential value of DWI-based radiomics in predicting the functional outcomes of endovascular treatment in ABAO.

Interdependent Nuclear Co-Trafficking of ASPP1 and p53 Aggravates Cardiac Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury.

Objective: ASPP1 (apoptosis stimulating of p53 protein 1) is critical in regulating cell apoptosis as a cofactor of p53 to promote its transcriptional activity in the nucleus. However, whether cytoplasmic ASPP1 affects p53 nuclear trafficking and its role in cardiac diseases remains unknown. This study aims to explore the mechanism by which ASPP1 modulates p53 nuclear trafficking and the subsequent contribution to cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury.

Generation of a humanized afucosylated BAFF-R antibody with broad activity against human B-cell malignancies.

B-cell activating factor receptor (BAFF-R) is a mature B-cell survival receptor, which is highly expressed in a wide variety of B-cell malignancies but with minimal expression in immature B cells. These properties make BAFF-R an attractive target for therapy of B-cell lymphomas. We generated a novel humanized anti BAFF-R monoclonal antibody (mAb) with high specificity and potent in vitro and in vivo activity against B-cell lymphomas and leukemias.

Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE) Versus Laser Assisted Stromal In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) for Astigmatism Corrections: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Purpose: To compare small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) and laser assisted stromal in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for astigmatism correction.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis METHODS: We reviewed published studies comparing outcomes after LASIK and SMILE for astigmatism correction by querying PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, and Web of Science, with a cut-off date of September 3, 2022. We also compared the changes in visual acuity, refraction, and high-order aberrations between the surgeries.

Hippo-Yap Signaling Maintains Sinoatrial Node Homeostasis.

Background: The sinoatrial node (SAN) functions as the pacemaker of the heart, initiating rhythmic heartbeats. Despite its importance, the SAN is one of the most poorly understood cardiac entities because of its small size and complex composition and function. The Hippo signaling pathway is a molecular signaling pathway fundamental to heart development and regeneration.