Constituents from L. Flowers and Their Anti-Inflammatory Effects via Inhibition of IL-1β Release.

The occurrence of inflammation is closely related to the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. IL-1β produced during the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome has strong pro-inflammatory activity and can also promote the release of inflammatory factors by other immune cells, exacerbating inflammatory damage to tissues. Utilizing IL-1β as the detection index to find small-molecule inhibitors targeting NLRP3 from natural products will benefit the search for drugs for inflammation-related diseases.

Research Progress on Anti-Inflammatory Effects and Related Mechanisms of Astragalin.

Chronic inflammation is a significant contributor to the development of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, autoimmune disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and other illnesses. In the academic field, there is a constant demand for effective methods to alleviate inflammation. Astragalin (AST), a type of flavonoid glycoside that is the primary component in several widely used traditional Chinese anti-inflammatory medications in clinical practice, has garnered attention from numerous experts and scholars.

Renal function improvement correlates with 3D echocardiographic findings: Effect of surgical mitral valve repair.

Background: The association between surgical treatment of mitral regurgitation (MR) and renal function is not sufficiently well-known. We tried to evaluate renal function before and after the procedure of surgical mitral valve repair (SMVR) in degenerative severe MR.

Methods: Patients with primary severe (4+) MR and normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) that underwent SMVR, examined by a cutting-edge 3-dimensional (3D) echocardiographic probe were enrolled in this study.

Extreme Learning Machine/Finite Impulse Response Filter and Vision Data-Assisted Inertial Navigation System-Based Human Motion Capture.

To obtain accurate position information, herein, a one-assistant method involving the fusion of extreme learning machine (ELM)/finite impulse response (FIR) filters and vision data is proposed for inertial navigation system (INS)-based human motion capture. In the proposed method, when vision is available, the vision-based human position is considered as input to an FIR filter that accurately outputs the human position. Meanwhile, another FIR filter outputs the human position using INS data.

Dual-pathway Inhibition with Low-dose Aspirin and Rivaroxaban versus Aspirin Monotherapy in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease and Peripheral Artery Disease: Systematic Literature Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Low-dose aspirin lowers cardiovascular event risk; dual-pathway inhibition (DPI) using low-dose aspirin with low-dose rivaroxaban may reduce this risk further. A systematic literature review and meta-analysis compared the efficacy, safety and net clinical benefit (NCB) of DPI with aspirin.

Methods: PubMed and Embase were searched for randomised controlled trials reporting clinical efficacy, safety and NCB of DPI compared with aspirin alone in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and/or peripheral artery disease.

Advanced subclinical atherosclerosis: A novel category within the cardiovascular risk continuum with distinct treatment implications.

Traditionally, guidelines divide patients into primary and secondary prevention for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk management. However, the modern understanding of the biological progression of atherosclerosis is inconsistent with this binary approach. Therefore, a new approach demonstrating both atherosclerosis and ASCVD risk as a continuum is needed to give clinicians a framework for better matching risk and intensity of therapy.

Implications of the heterogeneity between guideline recommendations for the use of low dose aspirin in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

The most recent primary cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention clinical guidelines used in Europe, Italy, the USA, China, and South Korea differ in aspects of their approach to CVD risk assessment and reduction. Low dose aspirin use is recommended in certain high-risk patients by most but not all the countries. Assessment of traditional risk factors and which prediction models are commonly used differ between countries.

Reliability and feasibility of automated function imaging for quantification in patients with left ventricular dilation: comparison with cardiac magnetic resonance.

Automated function imaging (AFI, GE Healthcare) is a novel promising algorithm of speckle-tracking echocardiography that combines two-dimensional strain and AI technology. It shortens the analysis time, saves the cost associated with streamlining of image acquisition, rapid analysis, and reporting, and has greater accuracy and reproducibility of measurements. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and feasibility of AFI for the quantification of left ventricular (LV) volumes and function in patients with LV dilation by comparison with CMR.

Evaluation of cardiac dysfunction in adult zebrafish using high frequency echocardiography.

Aims: Recently, the zebrafish has gained attention as an innovative experimental model to decipher molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in cardiovascular development and diseases. Nevertheless, the use of zebrafish models has been challenged because the transparency of these fish, which allows for accurate cardiac evaluation, disappears in adulthood. In this study, the epicardial outline method was performed to investigate the feasibility of echocardiography in assessing cardiac function in pathological adult zebrafish.

Aortic Artery and Cardiac Valve Calcification are Associated with Mortality in Chinese Hemodialysis Patients: A 3.5 Years Follow-up.

Background: This study was to investigate the relationship among aortic artery calcification (AAC), cardiac valve calcification (CVC), and mortality in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients.

Methods: All MHD patients in Shanghai Ruijin Hospital in July 2011 were included. To follow up for 42 months, clinical data, predialysis blood tests, echocardiography, and lateral lumbar X-ray plain radiography results were collected.

Association of E/E' and NT-proBNP with renal function in patients with essential hypertension.

Objectives: To evaluate the association of left ventricular (LV) diastolic function and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) with renal function in essential hypertension.

Methods: LV diastolic function was estimated by the ratio of early diastolic velocities (E) from transmitral inflow to early diastolic velocities (E') of tissue Doppler at mitral annulus (septal corner); NT-proBNP was measured in 207 hypertensive patients (mean age 56±14 years). The subjects were classified into 3 groups: E/E'≤10 group (n = 48), 1015 group (n = 50).

[Accessory mitral valve: report of four cases and literature review].

Objective: To describe the echocardiographic and clinical findings of patients with accessory mitral valve (AMV).

Methods: Four adult patients were diagnosed to have AMV by Doppler echocardiography.

Results: All the four patients had cardiac murmur but 2 were asymptomatic.

[A rough set method to treat ECG signals for predicting coronary heart disease].

In this paper is used the rough set theory to deal with the information contained in electrocardiographic waveforms and to find out the correlation between coronary heart disease (CHD) and the selected indices in electrocardiographic lead I. The principles of attribute reduction are applied, the redundancy of a decision-making table is reduced, and the important characters and diagnostic rules are extracted. The real case analysis shows that clear and concise diagnostic rules can be established by using rough set theory, which can be helpful to the clinical diagnosis of CHD.

A primary right atrium paraganglioma in a 15-year-old patient.

Thoracic pheochromocytomas account for less than 2% of reported cases, while primary cardiac paragangliomas are even rare. The following case illustrates a 15-year-old patient with primary right atrium paraganglioma. This patient was referred for paroxysmal hypertension and excessive perspiration.