Validation Status of Electronic Sphygmomanometers in China: A National Survey.

Background: Although the information on the validation status of electronic sphygmomanometer (ES) devices in use in health care institutions and households is much more clinically relevant than that of ES models available on the market, it remains insufficient.

Methods: A national survey was conducted across all administrative regions of mainland China to assess the validation status of ESs. Fifty-eight cities were selected with stratification by municipality, provincial capital, and other cities, and health care institutions and households in each city were chosen by convenience to identify ES devices in use according to the study protocol.

An immobilized antibody-based affinity grid strategy for on-grid purification of target proteins enables high-resolution cryo-EM.

In cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), sample preparation poses a critical bottleneck, particularly for rare or fragile macromolecular assemblies and those suffering from denaturation and particle orientation distribution issues related to air-water interface. In this study, we develop and characterize an immobilized antibody-based affinity grid (IAAG) strategy based on the high-affinity PA tag/NZ-1 antibody epitope tag system. We employ Pyr-NHS as a linker to immobilize NZ-1 Fab on the graphene oxide or carbon-covered grid surface.

Effectiveness and safety of ivabradine in Chinese patients with chronic heart failure: an observational study.

Aims: A therapeutic strategy for chronic heart failure (HF) is to lower resting heart rate (HR). Ivabradine is a well-known HR-lowering agent, but limited prospective data exist regarding its use in Chinese patients. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ivabradine in Chinese patients with chronic HF.

Assessment of Transplant Renal Artery Stenosis with Non-contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Angiography: Comparison with Digital Subtraction Angiography.

Rationale And Objectives: Early diagnosis of transplant renal artery stenosis (TRAS) is crucial for salvaging kidney function and improving patient prognosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate image quality of non-contrast-enhanced MR angiography (NCE-MRA) and the value of NCE-MRA in evaluating TRAS compared to DSA.

Materials And Methods: In 60 patients with TRAS confirmed by DSA, the degree of TRAS was assessed using balanced triggered angiography non-contrast-enhanced (B-TRANCE) MR angiography and was compared to that of DSA.

Flexible solar cells based on foldable silicon wafers with blunted edges.

Flexible solar cells have a lot of market potential for application in photovoltaics integrated into buildings and wearable electronics because they are lightweight, shockproof and self-powered. Silicon solar cells have been successfully used in large power plants. However, despite the efforts made for more than 50 years, there has been no notable progress in the development of flexible silicon solar cells because of their rigidity.

Comparison of Modified Cap-Assisted Endoscopic Mucosal Resection and Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection in Treating Intraluminal Gastric Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (≤20 mm).

Introduction: A modified cap-assisted endoscopic mucosal resection (mEMR-C), introduced in this study, was a novel variation of the standard EMR. We aimed to compare the outcomes of mEMR-C and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for the treatment of small (≤20 mm) intraluminal gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (gGISTs).

Methods: This retrospective study included 43 patients who underwent mEMR-C and 156 patients who received ESD at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital.

Letter to the Editor: clinical utility of urine DNA for noninvasive detection and minimal residual disease monitoring in urothelial carcinoma.

Current methods for the early detection and minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring of urothelial carcinoma (UC) are invasive and/or possess suboptimal sensitivity. We developed an efficient workflow named urine tumor DNA multidimensional bioinformatic predictor (utLIFE). Using UC-specific mutations and large copy number variations, the utLIFE-UC model was developed on a bladder cancer cohort (n = 150) and validated in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) bladder cancer cohort (n = 674) and an upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) cohort (n = 22).

Cathepsins Trigger Cell Death and Regulate Radioresistance in Glioblastoma.

Treatment of glioblastoma (GBM) remains very challenging, and it is particularly important to find sensitive and specific molecular targets. In this work, we reveal the relationship between the expression of cathepsins and radioresistance in GBM. We analyzed cathepsins (cathepsin B, cathepsin D, cathepsin L, and cathepsin Z/X), which are highly associated with the radioresistance of GBM by regulating different types of cell death.

A Multimodal Multipath Artificial Intelligence System for Diagnosing Gastric Protruded Lesions on Endoscopy and Endoscopic Ultrasonography Images.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to develop a novel artificial intelligence (AI) system that can automatically detect and classify protruded gastric lesions and help address the challenges of diagnostic accuracy and inter-reader variability encountered in routine diagnostic workflow.

Methods: We analyzed data from 1,366 participants who underwent gastroscopy at Jiangsu Provincial People's Hospital and Yangzhou First People's Hospital between December 2010 and December 2020. These patients were diagnosed with submucosal tumors (SMTs) including gastric stromal tumors (GISTs), gastric leiomyomas (GILs), and gastric ectopic pancreas (GEP).

First Measurement of the Z→μ^{+}μ^{-} Angular Coefficients in the Forward Region of pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV.

The first study of the angular distribution of μ^{+}μ^{-} pairs produced in the forward rapidity region via the Drell-Yan reaction pp→γ^{*}/Z+X→ℓ^{+}ℓ^{-}+X is presented, using data collected with the LHCb detector at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.1  fb^{-1}. The coefficients of the five leading terms in the angular distribution are determined as a function of the dimuon transverse momentum and rapidity.

Causal Associations Between Blood Lipids and COVID-19 Risk: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study.

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Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 variant mutations reveals neutralization escape mechanisms and the ability to use ACE2 receptors from additional species.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants continue to emerge during the global pandemic and may facilitate escape from current antibody therapies and vaccine protection. Here we showed that the South African variant B.1.

DNA Methylation-Reprogrammed Ang II (Angiotensin II) Type 1 Receptor-Early Growth Response Gene 1-Protein Kinase C ε Axis Underlies Vascular Hypercontractility in Antenatal Hypoxic Offspring.

As the most common clinical stress during mid and late pregnancy, antenatal hypoxia has profound adverse effects on individual's vascular health later in life, but the underlying mechanisms are still not understood. The purpose of this study was to reveal the mechanisms of the acquired vascular dysfunction in offspring imposed by antenatal hypoxia. Pregnant rats were housed in a normoxic or hypoxic (10.

High-quality chromosome-level genome assembly and full-length transcriptome analysis of the pharaoh ant Monomorium pharaonis.

Background: Ants with complex societies have fascinated scientists for centuries. Comparative genomic and transcriptomic analyses across ant species and castes have revealed important insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying ant caste differentiation. However, most current ant genomes and transcriptomes are highly fragmented and incomplete, which hinders our understanding of the molecular basis for complex ant societies.

Generation of hepatic spheroids using human hepatocyte-derived liver progenitor-like cells for hepatotoxicity screening.

: The idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (iDILI) is a major cause of acute liver injury and a key challenge in late-stage drug development. Individual heterogeneity is considered to be an essential factor of iDILI. However, few model can predict heterogeneity in iDILI.

Hyperglycemia-Driven Inhibition of AMP-Activated Protein Kinase α2 Induces Diabetic Cardiomyopathy by Promoting Mitochondria-Associated Endoplasmic Reticulum Membranes In Vivo.

Background: Fundc1 (FUN14 domain containing 1), an outer mitochondrial membrane protein, is important for mitophagy and mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membranes (MAMs). The roles of Fundc1 and MAMs in diabetic hearts remain unknown. The aims of this study, therefore, were to determine whether the diabetes mellitus-induced Fundc1 expression could increase MAM formation, and whether disruption of MAM formation improves diabetic cardiac function.

SNRK (Sucrose Nonfermenting 1-Related Kinase) Promotes Angiogenesis In Vivo.

Objective: SNRK (sucrose nonfermenting 1-related kinase) is a novel member of the AMPK (adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase)-related superfamily that is activated in the process of angiogenesis. Currently, little is known about the function of SNRK in angiogenesis in the physiological and pathological conditions.

Approach And Results: In this study, in global heterozygous knockout mice, retina angiogenesis and neovessel formation after hindlimb ischemia were suppressed.

Binding of FUN14 Domain Containing 1 With Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptor in Mitochondria-Associated Endoplasmic Reticulum Membranes Maintains Mitochondrial Dynamics and Function in Hearts in Vivo.

Background: FUN14 domain containing 1 (FUNDC1) is a highly conserved outer mitochondrial membrane protein. The aim of this study is to examine whether FUNDC1 modulates the mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes (MAMs), mitochondrial morphology, and function in cardiomyocytes and intact hearts.

Methods: The impacts of FUNDC1 on MAMs formation and cardiac functions were studied in mouse neonatal cardiomyocytes, in mice with cardiomyocyte-specific gene knockout ( ), and in the cardiac tissues of the patients with heart failure.

Assessment of Microvascular Invasion of Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging.

Purpose To evaluate the potential role of diffusion kurtosis imaging and conventional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings including standard monoexponential model of diffusion-weighted imaging and morphologic features for preoperative prediction of microvascular invasion (MVI) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and Methods Institutional review board approval and written informed consent were obtained. Between September 2015 and November 2016, 84 patients (median age, 54 years; range, 29-79 years) with 92 histopathologically confirmed HCCs (40 MVI-positive lesions and 52 MVI-negative lesions) were analyzed.

Reactivity control of C-H bond activation over vanadium-silver bimetallic oxide cluster cations.

Vanadium-silver bimetallic oxide cluster ions (V(x)Ag(y)O(z)(+); x=1-4, y=1-4, z=3-11) are produced by laser ablation and reacted with ethane in a fast-flow reactor. A reflectron time of flight (Re-TOF) mass spectrometer is used to detect the cluster distribution before and after the reactions. Hydrogen atom abstraction (HAA) reactions are identified over VAgO(3)(+), V(2)Ag(2)O(6)(+), V(2)Ag(4)O(7)(+), V(3)AgO(8)(+), V(3)Ag(3)O(9)(+), and V(4)Ag(2)O(11)(+) ions, in which the oxygen-centered radicals terminally bonded on V atoms are active sites for the facile HAA reactions.