Association of long-term exposure to ozone with cardiovascular mortality and its metabolic mediators: evidence from a nationwide, population-based, prospective cohort study.

Background: Previous studies about chronic effects of ozone (O) on cardiovascular mortality are scarce and inconclusive. We aimed to investigate the association between cardiovascular mortality and a broad range of long-term O exposure levels.

Methods: This analysis included 3,206,871 participants aged 35-75 years enrolled in the ChinaHEART study.

Study on the Resistance of Concrete to High-Concentration Sulfate Attack: A Case Study in Jinyan Bridge.

Concrete structures face significant challenges in sulfate-rich environments, where sulfate attack can affect their durability and structural integrity. This study explores innovative approaches to enhancing concrete performance by integrating hydrophobic and densification technologies. It emphasizes the critical role of anti-sulfate erosion inhibitors in mitigating sulfate-induced damage, reducing water absorption, and inhibiting corrosive reactions.

Designing prepacked aggregate concrete for improved mechanical properties and its field application in constructing steel tube concrete.

Prepacked aggregate concrete (PAC) is made by placing coarse aggregates of various sizes into a formwork and then filling the voids between coarse aggregate and grout. The mechanical performance of PAC is dominated by the compactness due to grout filling, but few study considered the pouring methods and grout performance synchronously. The coupled effect of pouring methods and grout performance on the compactness of PAC is investigated in this study.

Insulin resistance assessed by estimated glucose disposal rate and risk of incident cardiovascular diseases among individuals without diabetes: findings from a nationwide, population based, prospective cohort study.

Background: Recent studies have suggested that insulin resistance (IR) contributes to the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and the estimated glucose disposal rate (eGDR) is considered to be a reliable surrogate marker of IR. However, most existing evidence stems from studies involving diabetic patients, potentially overstating the effects of eGDR on CVD. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to examine the relationship of eGDR with incidence of CVD in non-diabetic participants.

Insulin resistance and its relationship with long-term exposure to ozone: Data based on a national population cohort.

The relationship of ozone (O), particularly the long-term exposure, with impacting metabolic homeostasis in population was understudied and under-recognised. Here, we used data from ChinaHEART, a nationwide, population-based cohort study, combined with O and PM concentration data with high spatiotemporal resolution, to explore the independent association of exposure to O with the prevalence of insulin resistance (IR). Among the 271 540 participants included, the crude prevalence of IR was 39.

Collapse of carbon nanotubes due to local high-pressure from van der Waals encapsulation.

Van der Waals (vdW) assembly of low-dimensional materials has proven the capability of creating structures with on-demand properties. It is predicted that the vdW encapsulation can induce a local high-pressure of a few GPa, which will strongly modify the structure and property of trapped materials. Here, we report on the structural collapse of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) induced by the vdW encapsulation.

Graphene nanoribbons grown in hBN stacks for high-performance electronics.

Van der Waals encapsulation of two-dimensional materials in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) stacks is a promising way to create ultrahigh-performance electronic devices. However, contemporary approaches for achieving van der Waals encapsulation, which involve artificial layer stacking using mechanical transfer techniques, are difficult to control, prone to contamination and unscalable. Here we report the transfer-free direct growth of high-quality graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) in hBN stacks.

Tip Growth of Quasi-Metallic Bilayer Graphene Nanoribbons with Armchair Chirality.

Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs), quasi one-dimensional (1D) narrow strips of graphene, have shown promise for high-performance nanoelectronics due to their exceptionally high carrier mobility and structurally tunable bandgaps. However, producing chirality-uniform GNRs on insulating substrates remains a big challenge. Here, we report the successful growth of bilayer GNRs with predominantly armchair chirality and ultranarrow widths (<5 nm) on insulating hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) substrates using chemical vapor deposition (CVD).

A frameshift mutation in the gene in a family with Liddle syndrome: A case report and systematic review.

Liddle syndrome is an autosomal dominant form of monogenic hypertension that is caused by mutations in , or , which respectively encode the α, β and γ subunits of the epithelial sodium channel. In the present study, DNA was extracted from leukocytes in peripheral blood obtained from all members of a family with Liddle syndrome. Whole‑exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing were performed to assess the candidate variant and a co‑segregation analysis was conducted.

Predicting stroke and myocardial infarction risk in Takayasu arteritis with automated machine learning models.

Few models exist for predicting severe ischemic complications (SIC) in patients with Takayasu arteritis (TA). We conducted a retrospective analysis of 703 patients with TA from January 2010 to December 2019 to establish an SIC prediction model for TA. SIC was defined as ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction.

Synthesizing evidence for the external cycling of NO in high- to low-NO atmospheres.

External cycling regenerating nitrogen oxides (NO ≡ NO + NO) from their oxidative reservoir, NO, is proposed to reshape the temporal-spatial distribution of NO and consequently hydroxyl radical (OH), the most important oxidant in the atmosphere. Here we verify the in situ external cycling of NO in various environments with nitrous acid (HONO) as an intermediate based on synthesized field evidence collected onboard aircraft platform at daytime. External cycling helps to reconcile stubborn underestimation on observed ratios of HONO/NO and NO/NO by current chemical model schemes and rationalize atypical diurnal concentration profiles of HONO and NO lacking noontime valleys specially observed in low-NO atmospheres.

Relationship of triglyceride-glucose index with cardiometabolic multi-morbidity in China: evidence from a national survey.

Background: Cardiometabolic multi-morbidity (CMM) is emerging as a global healthcare challenge and a pressing public health concern worldwide. Previous studies have principally focused on identifying risk factors for individual cardiometabolic diseases, but reliable predictors of CMM have not been identified. In the present study, we aimed to characterize the relationship of triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index with the incidence of CMM.

Fibrinogen is Associated with Clinical Adverse Events in Patients with Psoriasis and Coronary Artery Disease.

Purpose: The presence of elevated fibrinogen levels is associated with cardiovascular disease. However, whether fibrinogen level is associated with adverse clinical events in patients with psoriasis and coronary artery disease (CAD) is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between fibrinogen levels and cardiovascular adverse events in these patients.

Lipoprotein(a) is a new prognostic factor in patients with psoriasis and coronary artery disease: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: The prognostic value of lipoprotein (Lp) (a) in patients who have suffered from coronary artery disease (CAD) has not been fully studied, and the results are inconsistent. This study was conducted to evaluate whether increased Lp(a) concentrations cause differences in clinical adverse outcomes in patients with psoriasis who have already suffered from CAD.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included consecutive patients with psoriasis and CAD between January 2017 and May 2022 in our hospital.

Intestinal -specific knockout mouse as a novel model of salt-sensitive hypertension via sodium over-absorption.

Objectives: To investigate the value of CCKBR villin-Cre mice as a mouse model of salt-sensitive hypertension (SSH).

Methods: In the first part, 2-month-old CCKBR villin-Cre mice (CKO) and control CCKBR mice (WT) were fed with normal diet (0.4% NaCl) or high salt diet (4% NaCl), separately for 6 weeks.

Childhood-Onset Refractory Hypertension Results from Neurofibromatosis Type 1 Caused by a Splicing NF1 Mutation.

Introduction: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1) is caused by mutations in the NF1 gene that encodes neurofibromin, a negative regulator of RAS proto-oncogene. Approximately one-third of the reported pathogenic mutations in NF1 are splicing mutations, but most consequences are unclear. The objective of this study was to identify the pathogenicity of splicing mutation in a Chinese family with NF-1 and determine the effects of the pre-mRNA splicing mutation by in vitro functional analysis.

Association between Chinese visceral adiposity index and risk of stroke incidence in middle-aged and elderly Chinese population: evidence from a large national cohort study.

Background: Abdominal obesity has long been considered as a crucial risk factor of stroke. Chinese visceral adiposity index (CVAI), a novel surrogate indicator of abdominal obesity, has been confirmed as a better predictor for coronary heart disease than other indicators in Asian population. However, the data on the relationship of CVAI with stroke is limited.

Serum total bilirubin and one-year prognosis of patients with coronary artery disease and psoriasis.

To evaluate the potential predictive value of total bilirubin (TBIL) for one-year prognosis in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and psoriasis. 278 psoriasis patients who underwent coronary angiography and were diagnosed as CAD were recruited. Baseline TBIL was measured at admission.

Application of 3D Transparent Facemasks in Long-Term Outpatient Rehabilitation of Facial Scars After Burns: A Retrospective Cohort Study of Improved Appearance of Target Scars With Different Healing Time.

Severe facial burns may cause scarring problems and affect living quality of patients. With the advent of 3D facemasks, it is being used to treat facial scars; however, its efficacy must be confirmed by adequate studies. A retrospective analysis of 26 patients who visited rehabilitation outpatient clinic from 2017 to 2022.

Association between non-insulin-based insulin resistance indices and cardiovascular events in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: a retrospective study.

Background: Insulin resistance (IR) has been confirmed that getting involved in the pathophysiological process of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Recently, increasing evidence suggests metabolic score for insulin resistance (METS-IR), triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) ratio, triglyceride and glucose (TyG) index, triglyceride glucose-body mass (TyG-BMI) index are simple and reliable surrogates for IR. However, their abilities in predicting cardiovascular outcomes in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are not well explored.

Captopril challenge test in the diagnosis of primary aldosteronism: consistency between 1- and 2- h sampling.

Objective: To examine the consistency of plasma aldosterone concentration at 1 and 2 h in the captopril challenge test (CCT) and to explore the possibility of replacing 2-h aldosterone concentration with 1-h aldosterone concentration for diagnosis of primary aldosteronism (PA).

Methods: This retrospective analysis included a total of 204 hypertensive patients suspected of having PA. Subjects received oral captopril challenge at 50 mg (25 mg if the systolic blood pressure was <120 mmHg), and plasma aldosterone concentration and direct renin concentration were measured at 1 and 2 h afterward (chemiluminescence immunoassay Liaison® DiaSorin, Italy).

Keeping obesity status is a risk factor of hypertension onset: evidence from a community-based longitudinal cohort study in North China.

Objective: The purpose of our study was to investigate the association of obesity status change with hypertension onset based on a community-based longitudinal cohort study in North China.

Methods: This longitudinal study included 3,581 individuals free of hypertension at baseline in the first survey (2011-2012). All participants were followed up (2018-2019).

Factors contributing to development and resolution of dysglycemia in patients with pheochromocytomas and catecholamine-secreting paragangliomas.

Background: Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) are a group of rare neuroendocrine tumors. Dysglycemia has been observed in patients with PPGLs in some small case series. However, there is limited information available on the factors associated with development and resolution of dysglycemia in these patients.

Clinical characteristics and management of coexistent cardiomyopathy in patients with bicuspid aortic valve.

Background: Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is the most common congenital heart disease. However, the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and current management of BAV associated with inherited cardiomyopathy, including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), and left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) have not been well described.

Methods: Consecutive patients diagnosed with BAV at a large tertiary cardiovascular referral center between 2009 and 2018 were retrospectively assessed for HCM, DCM, and LVNC based on clinical and echocardiographic criteria.