Imaging Transcriptomics of Brain Functional Alterations in MS and Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder.

Background And Purpose: The underlying transcriptomic signatures driving brain functional alterations in MS and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) are still unclear.

Materials And Methods: Regional fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) values were obtained and compared among 209 patients with MS, 90 patients with antiaquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4)+ NMOSD, 49 with AQP4- NMOSD, and 228 healthy controls from a discovery cohort. We used partial least squares (PLS) regression to identify the gene transcriptomic signatures associated with disease-related fALFF alterations.

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.

Compressive sensing-based multi-focus line-scanning two-photon microscopy for fast 3D imaging.

Fast 3D volume imaging methods have been playing increasingly important roles in biological studies. In this article, we present the design and characterization of a multi-focus line-scanning two-photon microscope. Specifically, a digital micromirror device (DMD) is employed to generate a randomly distributed focus array on a plane (i.

Prognostic Value of a Multi-mRNA Signature for 1-Year All-Cause Death in Hospitalized Patients With Heart Failure With a Preserved Ejection Fraction.

Background: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is a major global public health problem, while effective risk stratification tools are still lacking. We sought to construct a multi-mRNA signature to predict 1-year all-cause death.

Methods: We selected 30 patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction who died during 1-year follow-up and 30 who survived in the discovery set.

Secondary Analysis of the Salt Substitute and Stroke Study (SSaSS): Effects of Potassium-Enriched Salt on Cardiac Outcomes.

Background: The SSaSS (Salt Substitute and Stroke Study) has shown that use of a potassium-enriched salt lowers the risk of stroke, total cardiovascular events, and premature death. The effects on cause-specific cardiac outcomes are reported here.

Methods: SSaSS was an unblinded, cluster-randomised trial assessing the effects of potassium-enriched salt compared with regular salt among 20 995 Chinese adults with established stroke and older age and uncontrolled hypertension.

Engineering small-molecule and protein drugs for targeting bone tumors.

Bone cancer is common and severe. Both primary (e.g.

Twisted-layer boron nitride ceramic with high deformability and strength.

Moiré superlattices formed by twisted stacking in van der Waals materials have emerged as a new platform for exploring the physics of strongly correlated materials and other emergent phenomena. However, there remains a lack of research on the mechanical properties of twisted-layer van der Waals materials, owing to a lack of suitable strategies for making three-dimensional bulk materials. Here we report the successful synthesis of a polycrystalline boron nitride bulk ceramic with high room-temperature deformability and strength.

Joint Exposure to Ambient Air Pollutants, Genetic Risk, and Ischemic Stroke: A Prospective Analysis in UK Biobank.

Background: Our primary objective was to assess the association between joint exposure to various air pollutants and the risk of ischemic stroke (IS) and the modification of the genetic susceptibility.

Methods: This observational cohort study included 307 304 British participants from the United Kingdom Biobank, who were stroke-free and possessed comprehensive baseline data on genetics, air pollutant exposure, alcohol consumption, and dietary habits. All participants were initially enrolled between 2006 and 2010 and were followed up until 2022.

Protein Kinase A Is a Master Regulator of Physiological and Pathological Cardiac Hypertrophy.

Background: The sympathoadrenergic system and its major effector PKA (protein kinase A) are activated to maintain cardiac output coping with physiological or pathological stressors. If and how PKA plays a role in physiological cardiac hypertrophy (PhCH) and pathological CH (PaCH) are not clear.

Methods: Transgenic mouse models expressing the PKA inhibition domain (PKAi) of PKA inhibition peptide alpha (PKIalpha)-green fluorescence protein (GFP) fusion protein (PKAi-GFP) in a cardiac-specific and inducible manner (cPKAi) were used to determine the roles of PKA in physiological CH during postnatal growth or induced by swimming, and in PaCH induced by transaortic constriction (TAC) or augmented Ca influx.

A comparison of pregnancy outcomes and congenital malformations in offspring between patients undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection and conventional in vitro fertilization: a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To explore whether intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) would increase the malformation risk in fetuses and live births compared with conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Patient(s): Data were collected from couples who underwent conventional IVF or ICSI from January 2009 to December 2019 at the Center for Reproductive Medicine of Peking University Third Hospital in the People's Republic of China.

One-Year Outcomes of Early Therapy With Ticagrelor vs Clopidogrel in Loss-of-Function Carriers With Stroke or TIA Trial.

Background And Objectives: The Ticagrelor or Clopidogrel with Aspirin in High-Risk Patients with Acute Nondisabling Cerebrovascular Events II (CHANCE-2) trial showed that among Chinese patients with minor ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) who were carriers of loss-of-function alleles, dual-antiplatelet therapy with ticagrelor-aspirin reduced the 90-day risk of stroke without increased severe or moderate bleeding compared with clopidogrel-aspirin. However, whether dual-antiplatelet therapy with ticagrelor was superior to clopidogrel beyond the 90 days of follow-up remained unclear. In this study, we reported 1-year follow-up outcomes of the CHANCE-2 trial.

Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Version of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Palliative Care (FACIT-Pal) in Patients With Advanced Cancer.

Context: The Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Palliative Care (FACIT-Pal) has been widely used in assessing the quality of life (QOL) of patients with life-limiting illness. However, the Chinese version of the FACIT-Pal has not been psychometrically validated yet.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to psychometrically validate the FACIT-Pal in Chinese patients with advanced cancer.

Cumulative Serum Uric Acid Exposure and Its Time Course With the Risk of Incident Stroke.

Background: Evidence on the longitudinal associations between serum uric acid (SUA) and stroke was limited and yielded inconsistent conclusions. We aimed to investigate the associations of cumulative SUA (cumSUA), incorporating the time course of cumSUA accumulation, with the risk of stroke.

Methods: The prospective cohort study enrolled 50 871 participants from Kailuan, China.

Setting 6-Minute Minimal Examination Time Improves the Detection of Focal Upper Gastrointestinal Tract Lesions During Endoscopy: A Multicenter Prospective Study.

Introduction: Positive correlation between examination time and neoplasm detection using esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) has been described by observational studies, but the effect of setting minimal examination time still requires investigation.

Methods: This prospective, 2-stage, interventional study was conducted in 7 tertiary hospitals in China, enrolling consecutive patients undergoing intravenously sedated diagnostic EGDs. In stage I, the baseline examination time was collected without informing the endoscopists.

Late-Onset Anti-GABA Receptor Encephalitis: Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes Differing From Early-Onset Patients.

Background And Objectives: Existing evidence indicates anti-GABA receptor encephalitis (GABAR-E) seems to occur more commonly later in life, yet the age-associated differences in clinical features and outcomes are not well determined. This study aims to explore the demographic, clinical characteristics, and prognostic differences between late-onset and early-onset GABAR-E and identify predictors of favorable long-term outcomes.

Methods: This is an observational retrospective study conducted in 19 centers from China.

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).

Association of Tirofiban With Functional Outcomes After Thrombectomy in Acute Ischemic Stroke Due to Intracranial Atherosclerotic Disease.

Background And Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of IV infusion of tirofiban before endovascular thrombectomy for patients with large vessel occlusion due to intracranial atherosclerotic disease. The secondary objective was to identify potential mediators for the clinical effect of tirofiban.

Methods: Post hoc exploratory analysis of the Endovascular Treatment With versus Without Tirofiban for Patients with Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke (RESCUE BT) trial, which was a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial at 55 centers in China from October 2018 to October 2021.

Anti-CD19 CAR T-cell consolidation therapy combined with CD19+ feeding T cells and TKI for Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

We conducted a single-arm, open-label, single-center phase 1 study to assess the safety and efficacy of multicycle-sequential anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in combination with autologous CD19+ feeding T cells (FTCs) and tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) as consolidation therapy in patients under the age of 65 years with de novo Ph-positive CD19+ B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Participants were given induction chemotherapy as well as systemic chemotherapy with TKI. Afterward, they received a single cycle of CD19 CAR T-cell infusion and another 3 cycles of CD19 CAR T-cell and CD19+ FTC infusions, followed by TKI as consolidation therapy.

Systemic Hypoxemia Induces Cardiomyocyte Hypertrophy and Right Ventricular Specific Induction of Proliferation.

Background: A recent study suggests that systemic hypoxemia in adult male mice can induce cardiac myocytes to proliferate. The goal of the present experiments was to confirm these results, provide new insights on the mechanisms that induce adult cardiomyocyte cell cycle reentry, and to determine if hypoxemia also induces cardiomyocyte proliferation in female mice.

Methods: EdU-containing mini pumps were implanted in 3-month-old, male and female C57BL/6 mice.

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.

Ticagrelor Aspirin vs Clopidogrel Aspirin in Loss-of-Function Carriers With Minor Stroke or TIA Stratified by Risk Profile.

Background And Objective: Genotype data of the Clopidogrel with Aspirin in Acute Minor Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack (CHANCE) trial showed that efficacy of clopidogrel aspirin depended on genotype and risk profile. A stratification of patients who carried loss-of-function (LOF) alleles according to the risk of recurrent stroke may be important for selecting optimal antiplatelet therapy. We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of ticagrelor aspirin with clopidogrel aspirin in LOF carriers with minor stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) stratified by risk profile.

Automated Classification of Intramedullary Spinal Cord Tumors and Inflammatory Demyelinating Lesions Using Deep Learning.

Accurate differentiation of intramedullary spinal cord tumors and inflammatory demyelinating lesions and their subtypes are warranted because of their overlapping characteristics at MRI but with different treatments and prognosis. The authors aimed to develop a pipeline for spinal cord lesion segmentation and classification using two-dimensional MultiResUNet and DenseNet121 networks based on T2-weighted images. A retrospective cohort of 490 patients (118 patients with astrocytoma, 130 with ependymoma, 101 with multiple sclerosis [MS], and 141 with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders [NMOSD]) was used for model development, and a prospective cohort of 157 patients (34 patients with astrocytoma, 45 with ependymoma, 33 with MS, and 45 with NMOSD) was used for model testing.