Factor Analysis of the Missed Diagnosis of Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection in Prenatal Echocardiography.

Aim: This study investigated the major factors contributing to the missed diagnosis of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) in fetal echocardiography.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the prenatal ultrasonic images of 32 fetuses with missed diagnoses of TAPVC, compared them with autopsy and postnatal surgical records, and summarized the most likely reasons leading to the missed diagnoses.

Results: We studied a total of 157 fetuses with TAPVC, 32 (20.

Mendelian Randomization Study Investigating the Causal Relationship Between Thyroid Dysfunction and Cerebral Infarction.

Background: There is an association between thyroid dysfunction and cerebral infarction (CI), but the causality cannot be determined. A two-sample two-way Mendelian randomization (MR) study was conducted to assess the causal relationship between thyroid function and CI.

Methods: We selected single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with five phenotypes, including CI from the UK Biobank (n = 361,194), hyperthyroidism from the IEU Open GWAS database (n = 484,598), hypothyroidism from the IEU Open GWAS database (n = 473,703), normal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) (n = 271,040), and normal free thyroxine (FT4) (n = 119,120) from the Thyroidomics Consortium database.

New evidence that vitamin D prevents headache: a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis.

Background: Previous observational clinical studies and meta-analyses have yielded inconsistent results regarding the relationship between vitamin D and headache, and the causal relationship remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the causal relationship between vitamin D and headache by bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomisation (MR) analysis.

Methods: The relationship between high levels of vitamin D and headache was investigated by two-sample MR analysis using publicly available genome-wide association study (GWAS) data.

Assessment of Pulmonary Arterial Vascular Impedance in Fetuses With Tetralogy of Fallot.

Objective: To evaluate the vascular impedance of the pulmonary arteries in fetuses with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) by Doppler echocardiography.

Methods: A total of 42 fetuses with TOF (TOF group) and 84 gestational age-matched normal fetuses (control group) were prospectively collected from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from August 2022 to January 2023. The severity of TOF was classified into mild TOF (z score ≥-2), moderate TOF (-4 < z score < -2), or severe TOF (z score ≤-4) according to the z score value of the pulmonary annulus diameter.

Flow-diverter stents combined with flow-T stenting-assisted coiling for the treatment of a large basilar apex aneurysm: a case report with a 9-month follow-up.

Background: Endovascular or surgical treatment of wide-neck, large basilar apex aneurysms is challenging. We present a novel concept for the treatment of complex basilar apex aneurysms using flow-diverter devices combined with the flow-T stenting-assisted coiling technique. Assess the efficacy and safety profile of the technique in this complex aneurysm.

An integrative model with HLA-DR, CD64, and PD-1 for the diagnostic and prognostic evaluation of sepsis.

Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection and progressive immunosuppression with high mortality. HLA-DR, CD64, and PD-1 were assumed to be useful biomarkers for sepsis prediction. However, the ability of a combination of these biomarkers has not been clarified.

Left Ventricular Vortex Characteristics in Fetuses With Coarctation of the Aorta by Blood Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to assess the vortex characteristics of left ventricle (LV) in fetuses with coarctation of the aorta (CoA) using high-frame rate ultrasound with blood speckle-tracking (BST) and explore its relationships with cardiac function and morphology parameters.

Methods: Thirty fetuses with CoA and 30 gestational-age matched normal fetuses were included in this cross-sectional study. The area, length, width, and position of the vortex in the LV were recorded and quantitatively analyzed by BST echocardiography.

Habitual salt preference worsens blood pressure in hospitalized hypertensive patients with omicron infection under epidemic-related stress.

Background: We investigated the synergistic effect of stress and habitual salt preference (SP) on blood pressure (BP) in the hospitalized Omicron-infected patients.

Methods: From 15,185 hospitalized Omicron-infected patients who reported having high BP or hypertension, we recruited 662 patients. All patients completed an electronic questionnaire on diet and stress, and were required to complete morning BP monitoring at least three times.

Left ventricle inflow and outflow tract angle in normal fetuses.

Objective: Impaired elasticity of aorta has been observed in fetuses with congenital cardiac disease, while the orientation of left ventricle outflow tract has been found to influence the blood flow in the ascending aorta. Therefore, the objective of this study is to examine the left ventricle inflow and outflow tract angle (LIOA) in healthy fetuses.

Method: A total of 668 fetuses were enrolled in this prospective study.

Biomechanical properties of the ascending aorta in patients with arterial hypertension by velocity vector imaging.

Aortic stiffness is an important risk factor for cardiovascular events and morbidity. Increased aortic stiffness is associated with an increase in cardiac and vascular hypertension-related organ damage. To evaluate the biomechanical properties of the ascending aorta (AA) in patients with arterial hypertension (AH) by velocity vector imaging (VVI).

Prenatal diagnosis: Hypoplastic left heart syndrome in combination with ventriculo-coronary communication.

Background: Both hypoplastic left heart syndrome and ventriculo-coronary communication are extremely rare congenital cardiac conditions.

Case: The diagnosis of hypoplastic left heart syndrome combined with endocardial fibroelastosis and ventriculo-coronary communication was made in a pregnant woman at 24 weeks of gestation. Interestingly, unlike diastolic flow from the coronary artery to the left ventricle in typical ventriculo-coronary communication, this fetus showed a systolic flow from the left ventricle to the coronary artery.

Giant Piezoelectric Output and Stability Enhancement in Piezopolymer Composites with Liquid Metal Nanofillers.

Integrating nanomaterials into the polymer matrix is an effective strategy to optimize the performance of polymer-based piezoelectric devices. Nevertheless, the trade-off between the output enhancement and stability maintenance of piezoelectric composites usually leads to an unsatisfied overall performance for the high-strength operation of devices. Here, by setting liquid metal (LM) nanodroplets as the nanofillers in a poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) matrix, the as-formed liquid-solid/conductive-dielectric interfaces significantly promote the piezoelectric output and the reliability of this piezoelectric composite.

Milling Surface Roughness Prediction Based on Physics-Informed Machine Learning.

Surface roughness is a key indicator of the quality of mechanical products, which can precisely portray the fatigue strength, wear resistance, surface hardness and other properties of the products. The convergence of current machine-learning-based surface roughness prediction methods to local minima may lead to poor model generalization or results that violate existing physical laws. Therefore, this paper combined physical knowledge with deep learning to propose a physics-informed deep learning method (PIDL) for milling surface roughness predictions under the constraints of physical laws.

Impaired Distensibility of the Proximal Aorta in Fetuses With Tetralogy of Fallot.

Background Increased aortic wall stiffness, which even persists after repair, has been reported in patients with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). We aimed to observe the distensibility of the ascending aorta and descending aorta in fetuses with TOF and explore its relation with aortic blood flow volume and aortic and pulmonary annular size. Methods and Results Twenty-three fetuses with TOF and 23 gestational age-matched normal fetuses were included in this prospective cross-sectional study.

The abnormal umbilical venous-arterial index in the second half of pregnancy is associated with fetal outcome: A retrospective cross-sectional study.

Objective: This study aims to observe the changes of the umbilical venous-arterial index (VAI) and investigate its predictive power for fetal outcome during the second half of pregnancy.

Methods: Fetuses with gestational age (GA) at 24-39 weeks were collected. According to the outcome score, neonates with outcome scores of 0, 1, or 2 were assigned to the control group, whereas those with scores of 3-12 were assigned to the compromised group.

Cytokine Biomarker Phenotype for Early Prediction and Triage of Sepsis in Blunt Trauma Patients.

Background: Altered levels of inflammatory markers secondary to severe trauma present a major problem to physicians and are prone to interfering with the clinical identification of sepsis events. This study aimed to establish the profiles of cytokines in trauma patients to characterize the nature of immune responses to sepsis, which might enable early prediction and individualized treatments to be developed for targeted intervention.

Methods: A 15-plex human cytokine magnetic bead assay system was used to measure analytes in citrated plasma samples.

Ternary PtZrNi nanorods for efficient multifunctional electrocatalysis towards oxygen reduction and alcohol oxidation.

Pt-based alloys with precise structure and composition design have been considered to be effective and robust novel electrocatalysts for fuel cells. Whereas, the sluggish kinetics of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and low intrinsic activity of Pt limited their real application on a large scale. Herein, a novel ternary PtZrNi nanorods (PtZrNi NRs) was synthesized via a facile wet-chemical method to achieve high electrocatalytic performance for both ORR and alcohol oxidation reaction owing to the synergism of chosen three elements and prominent one-dimensional morphology.

Impaired Elastic Properties of the Ascending Aorta in Fetuses With Coarctation of the Aorta.

Background Abnormal aortic elastic properties are major notable vasculopathy involved in coarctation of the aorta (CoA). However, there are no reports on aortic wall elastic characteristics in fetuses with CoA. Methods and Results Fifty-six fetuses with CoA and 56 normal controls were included in this prospective case-control study.

Type II Left Pulmonary Artery Sling Associated with Double-Outlet Right Ventricle Diagnosed by Fetal Echocardiography and Postnatal Computer Tomography.

Introduction: Left pulmonary artery sling (LPAS) is a rare congenital vascular anomaly which can be isolated or associated with other malformations. Patients with LPAS usually have symptoms of airway obstruction.

Case Presentation: We present a case of LPAS with double-outlet right ventricle diagnosed by fetal echocardiography at 33 weeks' gestation.

Separate effect of turbulent pulsation on internal mass transfer in porous biofilms.

Turbulence is considered to be the result of coupled time-averaged and pulsating velocities, making it difficult to distinguish the respective effects, and the quantitative effect of turbulent pulsation alone on mass transfer within biofilms has not been discussed in the literature. In this study, we constructed a special oscillating grid biofilm reactor combining Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations to achieve nearly isotropic turbulence in a designed ambient without time-averaged velocity and shear stress. Subsequently, velocity and contaminant concentration distributions were obtained by solving a mass transfer model with a k-ε turbulence model, combined with measurements of biofilm structure parameters.

Z-score model of foetal ascending aorta diameter distensibility.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to establish Z-scores models of normal fetal ascending aorta diameter and diameter distensibility.

Methods: The maximum systolic diameter (Dmax), minimum diastolic diameter (Dmin), and diameter distensibility of the sinotubular junction were measured and taken as dependent variables in 490 normal fetuses at 18-40 gestational weeks, and gestational age (GA), biparietal diameter (BPD), and femoral length (FL) were taken as independent variables. The data were subjected to regression analysis, and the best-fitting equations for the dependent variables based on the independent variables were determined.