Noninvasive myocardial work in severe aortic regurgitation: implications for postoperative left ventricular dysfunction.

Aims: Noninvasive myocardial work offers a promising echocardiographic method to evaluate left ventricular (LV) function as it integrates myocardial deformation and afterload. The study sought to investigate the association of myocardial work indices with post-operative LV dysfunction in patients with chronic severe aortic regurgitation (AR).

Methods And Results: Pre-operative LV ejection fraction (LVEF), LV global work index (LV GWI), LV global constructive work (LV GCW), LV global wasted work (LV GWW), and LV global work efficiency (LV GWE) were measured.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on HTAsiaLink network members.

Objectives: This study investigates the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on HTAsiaLink members at the organizational level and provides recommendations for mitigating similar challenges in the future.

Methods: A survey was disseminated among HTAsiaLink members to assess the COVID-19 impact in three areas: (i) inputs, (ii) process, and (iii) outputs of the Health Technology Assessment organizations' (HTAOs) research operations and HTA process in general.

Results: Survey results showed that most HTAOs hired more staff and secured similar or higher funding levels during COVID-19.

Expanding the PD-L1 Paradigm: A Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Scoring Systems and Additional Biomarkers Influencing Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Outcomes in Breast Cancer.

Objectives: The study aimed to conduct an in-depth analysis of the influence of PD-L1 status and expression levels and other variables on the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in treating breast cancer.

Methods: A total of 19 articles, involving 16 trials and 7899 patients, were included in the analysis. The outcomes of interest were odds-ratio (OR) for pathological complete response (pCR) in early breast cancer, and hazard ratio (HR) for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in advanced breast cancer.

Radiotherapy and increased risk of second primary cancers in breast cancer survivors: An epidemiological and large cohort study.

Background: Radiotherapy (RT) for breast cancer (BC) may raise the risk of second primary cancers (SPCs), a relationship inadequately studied.

Methods: We analyzed 248268 female BC patients from 9 SEER registries, 1988-2018, identifying SPCs >5 years after initial treatment, comparing SPC risks between RT and non-RT cohorts using Fine-Gray and Poisson regressions.

Results: Of all participants, 55.

Serum hydroxycotinine was associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD): a cross-sectional study based on NHANES.

Objective: Smoking has been suggested as a modifiable and cardiovascular risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD). Although long-term smoking has been associated with CKD, the potential relationship between its metabolite hydroxycotinine and CKD has not been clarified.

Methods: A total of 8,544 participants aged 20 years and above from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017 - March 2020 were enrolled in our study.

Health Technology Assessment in China's Health Care Sector: Development and Applications.

China's health system is facing severe challenges from social transition and the double burden of population aging and non-communicable diseases. Addressing the tension between the public's increasing demand for health services and the limited availability of medical resources has become a critical issue for health care policymakers and medical insurance fund administrators. In promoting its medical insurance system reform, China is actively developing health technology assessment (HTA) with principles and applications adapted to the Chinese context.

Development of hypertension models for lung cancer screening cohorts using clinical and thoracic aorta imaging factors.

This study aims to develop and validate nomogram models utilizing clinical and thoracic aorta imaging factors to assess the risk of hypertension for lung cancer screening cohorts. We included 804 patients and collected baseline clinical data, biochemical indicators, coexisting conditions, and thoracic aorta factors. Patients were randomly divided into a training set (70%) and a validation set (30%).

Development of a predictive risk stratification tool to identify the population over age 45 at risk for new-onset stroke within 7 years.

Background And Purpose: With the acceleration of the aging process of society, stroke has become a major health problem in the middle-aged and elderly population. A number of new stroke risk factors have been recently found. It is necessary to develop a predictive risk stratification tool using multidimensional risk factors to identify people at high risk for stroke.

Inhibition of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 in the brain microvascular endothelium ameliorates diabetic Aβ brain deposition and cognitive impairment via the sterol-regulatory element-binding protein 1/lipoprotein receptor-associated protein 1 signaling pathway.

Aims: Mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is highly activated in diabetes, and the decrease of low-density lipoprotein receptor-associated protein 1 (LRP1) in brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) is a key factor leading to amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition in the brain and diabetic cognitive impairment, but the relationship between them is still unknown.

Methods: In vitro, BMECs were cultured with high glucose, and the activation of mTORC1 and sterol-regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1) was observed. mTORC1 was inhibited by rapamycin and small interfering RNA (siRNA) in BMECs.

Effects and differences of sleep duration on the risk of new-onset chronic disease conditions in middle-aged and elderly populations.

Background: Few longitude cohort studies investigated the risk of the duration of nighttime sleep and naps to the new-onset common chronic disease conditions (CDCs) in middle-aged (45-60) and the elderly (age ≥ 60) populations using an age-stratified strategy.

Methods: The 7025 participants from The China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study were screened as eligible subjects. Established 13 cohorts with CDCs, acquired their' sleep records in 2011, and obtained new-onset incidents of CDCs during follow-up in 2011-2018.

The mediating effect of depression on new-onset stroke in diabetic population: Evidence from the China health and retirement longitudinal study.

Background: Diabetes has a high incidence in China, which may cause stroke and depression. However, the relationship between diabetes and the incidence of new-onset stroke and depression has not been fully studied.

Methods: The data from the China Longitudinal Study on Health and Retirement (CHARLS) from 2013 to 2018 were used.

The soldiers needed to be awakened: Tumor-infiltrating immune cells.

In the tumor microenvironment, tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) are a key component. Different types of TIICs play distinct roles. CD8+ T cells and natural killer (NK) cells could secrete soluble factors to hinder tumor cell growth, whereas regulatory T cells (Tregs) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) release inhibitory factors to promote tumor growth and progression.

Association of the depressive scores, depressive symptoms, and conversion patterns of depressive symptoms with the risk of new-onset chronic diseases and multimorbidity in the middle-aged and elderly Chinese population.

Background: The relationship between depressive symptoms (DS) and their conversion patterns over time and the new-onset risk of diseases in the middle-aged and elderly population has not been extensively studied.

Methods: Based on The China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study participants in 2013, we established 13 cohorts involving 12 types of chronic diseases and multimorbidity, who were identified by face-to-face questionnaires. We retrospectively assessed their DS during 2011 and 2013 through the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), which were classified into never, newly developed, relieved, and persistent DS, and these participants were followed from 2013 to 2018.

Opportunistic osteoporosis screening using chest CT with artificial intelligence.

Unlabelled: Osteoporosis has a high incidence and a low detection rate. If it is not detected in time, it will cause osteoporotic fracture and other serious consequences. This study showed that the attenuation values of vertebrae on chest CT could be used for opportunistic screening of osteoporosis.

Cross-sectional association between body fat percentage and arteriosclerosis assessed by Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index in a Chinese population: a retrospective observational study.

Objective: To evaluate arteriosclerosis using Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index (CAVI) and to explore the relation between the body fat percentage (BFP) and CAVI.

Design: A retrospective observational study.

Setting And Participants: A total of 1152 patients admitted to a geriatric unit and general practice at a mega hospital in Wuhan, China, from November 2018 to November 2019 were included in this study.

Thoracic Aorta Diameter Calculation by Artificial Intelligence Can Predict the Degree of Arterial Stiffness.

Arterial aging is characterized by decreased vascular function, caused by arterial stiffness (AS), and vascular morphological changes, caused by arterial dilatation. We analyzed the relationship of pre-AS and AS, as assessed by cardio ankle vascular index (CAVI), with arterial diameters (AD) at nine levels, from the aortic sinus to the abdominal aorta, as measured by artificial intelligence (AI) on non-enhanced chest computed tomography (CT) images. Overall, 801 patients who underwent both chest CT scan and arterial elasticity test were enrolled.

Artificial intelligence measuring the aortic diameter assist in identifying adverse blood pressure status including masked hypertension.

Introduction And Objectives: Artificial intelligence (AI) made it achievable that aortic dilation could be measured in CT images indirectly, while aortic diameter (AD) has the certain relationship with blood pressure. It was potential that the blood pressure condition be determined by AD measurement using the data obtained from a CT scanning especially in identifying masked hypertension and predicting the risk of poor control of blood pressure (BP) which was easy to elude diagnosis in clinic. We aimed to evaluate the possibility of utilizing AD by AI for predicting the risk of adverse BP status (including masked hypertension or poor BP control) and the optimal thoracic aortic position in measurement as well as the cutoff value for predicting the risk.

Associations between bone mineral density in different measurement locations and coronary artery disease: a cross-sectional study.

Unlabelled: The bone mineral density (BMD) loss is closely related to coronary heart disease (CAD). The BMD measured at different locations differ in BMD values, the risk to CAD, and the capability to identify CAD. An average BMD of the right and left femoral neck being below - 1.

The Leukocyte Subtype Counts and Ratios Can Effectively Predict the Risk of Arterial Stiffness Assessed by Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index: A Retrospective Study.

Arterial stiffness was the pathological basis and risk factor of cardiovascular diseases, with chronic inflammation as the core characteristic. We aimed to analyze the association between the arterial stiffness measured by cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) and indicators reflecting the inflammation degree, such as count of leukocyte subtypes, platelet, and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), etc. The data of inpatients from November 2018 to November 2019 and from December 2019 to September 2020 were continuously collected as the training set (1,089 cases) and the validation set (700 cases), respectively.

Structure-Based Development of (1-(3'-Mercaptopropanamido)methyl)boronic Acid Derived Broad-Spectrum, Dual-Action Inhibitors of Metallo- and Serine-β-lactamases.

The emergence and spread of bacterial pathogens acquired metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) and serine-β-lactamase (SBL) medicated β-lactam resistance gives rise to an urgent need for the development of new dual-action MBL/SBL inhibitors. Application of a pharmacophore fusion strategy led to the identification of (2')-(1-(3'-mercapto-2'-methylpropanamido)methyl)boronic acid () as a new dual-action inhibitor, which manifests broad-spectrum inhibition to representative MBL/SBL enzymes, including the widespread VIM-2 and KPC-2. Guided by the VIM-2: and KPC-2: complex structures, further structural optimization yielded new, more potent dual-action inhibitors.

[Effects and mechanism of the long-snake moxibustion on ankylosing spondylitis based on Th17/Treg/Th1 immune imbalance].

Objective: To explore the effects and mechanisms of the long-snake moxibustion on ankylosing spondylitis (AS) based on Th17/Treg/Th1 immune imbalance.

Methods: A total of 60 AS patients were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 30 cases in each one. In the observation group, the long-snake moxibustion therapy was used on the acupoints of the governor vessel from Dazhui (GV 14) to Yaoshu (GV 2) as well as the bilateral Jiaji (EX-B 2) alternatively.

Phenotypic characterization and anticancer capacity of CD8+ cytokine-induced killer cells after antigen-induced expansion.

Cytokine-induced killer cells (CIK) have been used in clinic for adoptive immunotherapy in a variety of malignant tumors and have improved the prognosis of cancer patients. However, there are individual differences in the CIK cell preparations including the obvious differences in the ratio of effector CIK cells among different cancer patients. Infusion of such heterogeneous immune cell preparation is an important factor that would affect the therapeutic efficacy.

First synthesis of 22-oxa-chenodeoxycholic acid analogue.

In this study, we report the first synthesis of 22-oxa-chenodeoxycholic acid analogue via androstenedione and progesterone, in 11 and 8 steps with overall yields of 6.4% and 12.7%, respectively.

Effects of NaF on the expression of intracellular Ca2+ fluxes and apoptosis and the antagonism of taurine in murine neuron.

Sodium fluoride (NaF) has been shown to be cytotoxic and produces inflammatory responses in humans. However, the cellular mechanisms underlying the neurotoxicity of fluoride are unclear. The present study aims to define a possible mechanism of NaF-induced neurotoxicity with respect to apoptosis and intracellular Ca(2+) fluxes.