The Consideration of Appropriate Surrogate Endpoint in Premarket Clinical Trials of Drug-Coated Balloon Catheter for the Treatment of Femoropopliteal Artery Stenosis.

Purpose: Most clinical trials of drug-coated balloon (DCB) for the treatment of femoropopliteal artery stenosis chose 12-month primary patency rate (PPR) or 6-month late lumen loss (LLL) as the primary endpoint. It is still debatable whether 6-month LLL can be served as an appropriate surrogate endpoint for 12-month PPR. This study aimed to identify whether LLL can serve as an appropriate surrogate endpoint in peripheral DCB clinical trials, and shed light on the selection of primary outcome for subsequent confirmatory clinical trials of DCB in the treatment of femoropopliteal artery stenosis.

Spontaneous and environment induced genomic alterations in yeast model.

While genomic alterations are fundamental to biological evolution, enabling adaptation and diversity, they can also result in detrimental outcomes, such as the development of genetic diseases including cancer. The budding yeast serves as an exemplary model for investigating the mechanisms behind various genomic alterations, including point mutations, chromosomal rearrangements, and whole-chromosome aneuploidy. In this review, we highlight the application of genetic screening systems to assess the mutagenic effects of physical and chemical agents efficiently.

The effect of fasting plasma glucose on in-hospital mortality after acute myocardial infarction in patients with and without diabetes: findings from a prospective, nationwide, and multicenter registry.

Objectives: To evaluate the predictive value of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) for in-hospital mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with different glucose metabolism status.

Methods: We selected 5,308 participants with AMI from the prospective, nationwide, multicenter CAMI registry, of which 2,081 were diabetic and 3,227 were nondiabetic. Patients were divided into high FPG and low FPG groups according to the optimal cutoff values of FPG to predict in-hospital mortality for diabetic and nondiabetic cohorts, respectively.

Achievement of Guideline-Recommended Targets for Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in 38 Low-Income and Middle-Income Countries.

Background: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of achieving the secondary prevention targets recommended in the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in 38 low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Methods: We pooled nationally representative cross-sectional surveys from 38 LMICs between 2013 and 2020. Treatment, metabolic and lifestyle targets were assessed for individuals with a self-reported history of CVD according to WHO's recommendations.

Behavioral counseling for cardiovascular disease prevention in 36 low-income and middle-income countries.

Background: Given the substantial prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), evaluation of behavioral counseling for prevention of CVD is important.

Methods: We pooled nationally representative cross-sectional surveys from 36 LMICs between 2013 and 2020. The population was divided into three groups according to CVD risk: the potential risk group, the risk group and the CVD group.

Socioeconomic disparity in mortality and the burden of cardiovascular disease: analysis of the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE)-China cohort study.

Background: Although socioeconomic inequality in cardiovascular health has long been a public health focus, the differences in cardiovascular-disease burden and mortality between people with different socioeconomic statuses has yet to be adequately addressed. We aimed to assess the effects of socioeconomic status, measured via three socioeconomic-status indicators (ie, education, occupation, and household wealth and a composite socioeconomic-status disparity index, on mortality and cardiovascular-disease burden (ie, incidence, mortality, and admission to hospital) in China.

Methods: For this analysis, we used data from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE)-China cohort study, which enrolled adults aged 35-70 years from 115 urban and rural areas in 12 provinces in China between Jan 1, 2005, and Dec 31, 2009.

Advanced Mechanical Testing Technologies at the Cellular Level: The Mechanisms and Application in Tissue Engineering.

Mechanics, as a key physical factor which affects cell function and tissue regeneration, is attracting the attention of researchers in the fields of biomaterials, biomechanics, and tissue engineering. The macroscopic mechanical properties of tissue engineering scaffolds have been studied and optimized based on different applications. However, the mechanical properties of the overall scaffold materials are not enough to reveal the mechanical mechanism of the cell-matrix interaction.

Nonlethal Furfural Exposure Causes Genomic Alterations and Adaptability Evolution in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Furfural is a major inhibitor found in lignocellulosic hydrolysate, a promising feedstock for the biofermentation industry. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential impact of this furan-derived chemical on yeast genome integrity and phenotypic evolution by using genetic screening systems and high-throughput analyses. Our results showed that the rates of aneuploidy, chromosomal rearrangements (including large deletions and duplications), and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) increased by 50-fold, 23-fold, and 4-fold, respectively, when yeast cells were cultured in medium containing a nonlethal dose of furfural (0.

Efficacy and safety of treatment regimens for patients with metastatic, locally advanced, or recurrent breast cancer carrying pathogenic variants: A network meta-analysis.

Objective: Patients with breast cancer carrying and genetic alterations show poor prognoses. However, the efficacy of pharmacotherapies for patients with advanced breast cancer carrying pathogenic variants remains unclear. This study aimed to conduct a network meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of various pharmacotherapies for patients with metastatic, locally advanced, or recurrent breast cancer carrying pathogenic variants.

Appropriate Surrogate Endpoint in Drug-Coated Balloon Trials for Coronary Artery Diseases.

Background: The appropriateness of using late lumen loss (LLL) as a surrogate endpoint was established in drug-eluting stent (DES) studies, but it was less supportive for drug-coated balloon (DCB) trials.

Methods: Studies published until 23 June 2021 were searched from PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov.

Uncovering Bleomycin-Induced Genomic Alterations and Underlying Mechanisms in the Yeast .

Bleomycin (BLM) is a widely used chemotherapeutic drug. BLM-treated cells showed an elevated rate of mutations, but the underlying mechanisms remained unclear. In this study, the global genomic alterations in BLM-treated cells were explored in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Association between temperature and COVID-19 transmission in 153 countries.

The WHO characterized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a global pandemic. The influence of temperature on COVID-19 remains unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between temperature and daily newly confirmed COVID-19 cases by different climate regions and temperature levels worldwide.

Origin, Regulation, and Fitness Effect of Chromosomal Rearrangements in the Yeast .

Chromosomal rearrangements comprise unbalanced structural variations resulting in gain or loss of DNA copy numbers, as well as balanced events including translocation and inversion that are copy number neutral, both of which contribute to phenotypic evolution in organisms. The exquisite genetic assay and gene editing tools available for the model organism facilitate deep exploration of the mechanisms underlying chromosomal rearrangements. We discuss here the pathways and influential factors of chromosomal rearrangements in .

Epidemiology of imported infectious diseases, China, 2014-18.

Background: The frequent movement of population between countries brings an increasing number of travel-related infections. This study aims to define the spectrum and dynamics of imported infections observed from international travel in the Chinese mainland.

Methods: Sick travellers were screened by inbound sentinel surveillance and post-travel clinic visits from 2014 to 18.