A conversation with the 2024 "Oriental Rising Star" awardee.

Aiming at encouraging young talents to become dedicated surgeon-scientists in the field of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, an "Oriental Rising Star Award" was established at the 32nd annual meeting of the Asian Society for Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery ("ASCVTS 2024") which was held in Wuhan, China, on May 23-26, 2024. The winner of the First Prize was Dr. Yuanjia Zhu from Stanford University, USA.

The Omics-Driven Machine Learning Path to Cost-Effective Precision Medicine in Chronic Kidney Disease.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) poses a significant and growing global health challenge, making early detection and slowing disease progression essential for improving patient outcomes. Traditional diagnostic methods such as glomerular filtration rate and proteinuria are insufficient to capture the complexity of CKD. In contrast, omics technologies have shed light on the molecular mechanisms of CKD, helping to identify biomarkers for disease assessment and management.

The Role of Empiric Antifungal Therapy in Patients With Perforated Peptic Ulcer: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Fungal growth is common in intraoperative cultures of patients with perforated peptic ulcer (PPU) leading to the common use of empiric antifungal therapy, with current evidence not clearly supporting this practice. The goal of this updated systematic review and meta-analysis was to synthesize the effect of empiric antifungals in patients with PPU. Eligible studies were identified through a comprehensive literature search in the MEDLINE (PubMed) and EMBASE databases, following the PRISMA 2020 statement.

Fruit Cuticle Thickness and Anatomical Changes in Pedicel Xylem Vessels Influence Fruit Transpiration and Calcium Accumulation in Cranberry Fruit.

Ca is a key nutrient for fruit quality due to its role in bonding with pectin in the cell wall, providing strength through cell-to-cell adhesion, thus increasing fruit firmness and extending post-harvest life. However, Ca accumulation is mostly limited to the initial stages of fruit development due to anatomical and physiological changes that occur as fruits develop. The objective of this study was to evaluate fruit transpiration, cuticle thickness, and pedicel vessel changes during cranberry fruit development and the effect these parameters might have on Ca translocation.

Effect of persistent hypercalcemia on hemoglobin levels after kidney transplantation.

Introduction: After kidney transplantation, persistent hyperparathyroidism commonly occurs, often alongside increased serum calcium levels. It is reasonable to infer that kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) with hypercalcemia related to persistent hyperparathyroidism are more susceptible to developing anemia. However, reports suggest that hypercalcemia could be a contributing factor to erythrocytosis.

Functional genotype classification groups distinguish disease severity in recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa.

Recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) is a genetic disorder due to pathogenic variants in the COL7A1 gene. In this study we determined the association between different categories of COL7A1 variants and clinical disease severity in 236 RDEB patients in North America. Published reports or in-silico predictions were used to assess the impact of pathogenic variants in COL7A1 on type VII collagen (C7) protein function.

Opicapone as adjunct to levodopa in treated Parkinson's disease without motor complications: A randomized clinical trial.

Background: Catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) inhibitors are routinely used to manage motor fluctuations in Parkinson's disease (PD). We assessed the effect of opicapone on motor symptom severity in levodopa-treated patients without motor complications.

Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, 24-week, placebo-controlled study of opicapone 50 mg as adjunct to levodopa (NCT04978597).

Clinical characteristics and repositioning efficacy analysis of posterior canal-benign paroxysmal positional vertigo-canalolithiasis and vertigo-cupulolithiasis patients.

Background: Currently, there is a ‌paucity of research‌ comparing the clinical characteristics and repositioning efficacy between ‌posterior canal-benign paroxysmal positional vertigo-canalolithiasis (PC-BPPV-ca)‌ and ‌posterior canal-benign paroxysmal positional vertigo-cupulolithiasis (PC-BPPV-cu)‌.

Aims/objectives: To observe the clinical characteristics and compare the efficacy of repositioning maneuvers between PC-BPPV-ca and PC-BPPV-cu patients.

Material And Methods: Clinical information of patients was collected.

Impulsivity behaviors and white matter mediate the relationship between genetic risk for cannabis use disorder and early cannabis use in adolescents.

Background And Aim: Cannabis use disorder (CUD) is strongly influenced by genetic factors; however the mechanisms underpinning this association are not well understood. This study investigated whether a polygenic risk score (PRS) based on a genome-wide association study for CUD in adults predicts cannabis use in adolescents and whether the association can be explained by inter-individual variation in structural properties of brain white matter or risk-taking behaviors.

Design And Setting: Longitudinal and cross-sectional analyses using data from the IMAGEN cohort, a European longitudinal study integrating genetic, neuroimaging and behavioral measures.

Clinical manifestations and molecular genetics of seven patients with Niemann-Pick type-C: a case series with a novel variant.

Objectives: Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) is a rare, autosomal recessive, neurodegenerative disorder caused by biallelic pathogenic variants in the or genes, leading to lysosomal lipid accumulation. NPC has an incidence of 1 in 100,000 live births and presents with a wide range of symptoms affecting visceral organs and the central nervous system. We aim to describe the diverse clinical presentations of NPC through case studies.

Change Your Diet: How CO, Plant Phenology and Genotype Alter Grapevine Quality and Affect Performance and Larval Transcriptome of an Insect Herbivore.

Herbivorous insects need to cope with changing host plant biochemistry caused by abiotic and biotic impacts, to meet their dietary requirements. Larvae of the multivoltine European grapevine moth Lobesia botrana, one of the main insect pests in viticulture, feed on both flowers and berries. The nutritional value and defence compounds of these organs are changing with plant phenology and are affected by climate change which may accordingly alter plant-insect interactions.

Long-term impact of molecular epidemiology shifts of methicillin-resistant on severity and mortality of bloodstream infection.

A 2019 nationwide study in Japan revealed the predominant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) types in bloodstream infections (BSIs) to be sequence type (ST)8-carrying SCC type IV (ST8-MRSA-IV) and clonal complex 1-carrying SCC type IV (CC1-MRSA-IV). However, detailed patient characteristics and how these MRSA types evolve over time remain largely unknown. In this long-term single-center study, MRSA strains isolated from blood cultures at Nagasaki University Hospital from 2012 to 2019 were sequenced and analyzed.

Calcium-magnesium synergy in reducing cadmium bioavailability and uptake in rice plants.

The synergistic application of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) was investigated to mitigate cadmium (Cd) uptake and translocation in rice grown in Cd-contaminated soil. A pot experiment was conducted using different Ca:Mg molar ratios (Ca1:Mg2, Ca2:Mg1, and Ca1:Mg1) to evaluate their effect on Cd uptake. The results showed that the Ca1:Mg1 treatment achieved the highest reduction in grain Cd content (54.

Impact of Sodium-Glucose Co-Transporter 2 Inhibitors on Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence Post-Catheter Ablation Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cause of arrhythmia-induced cardiomyopathy. Effective management strategies include medical therapy for rate and rhythm control, catheter ablation (CA), and goal-directed medical therapy. Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), a novel class of antidiabetic drugs, have shown a promising impact in reducing cardiovascular events in diabetic and nondiabetic heart failure (HF) patients.

Analysis of Repeat Hepatitis C Viremia After Sustained Virologic Response in a Large Cohort of U.S. Veterans.

Background: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects >1% of the U.S. population, higher among U.

The effects of regular exercise on cognitive and cardiometabolic health in testicular cancer survivors subjected to platinum-based chemotherapy.

Background: Platinum-based chemotherapy provides curative treatment to more than 95% of patients with testicular germ cell tumor but it has negative cardiometabolic and neurological effects. Regular exercise can alleviate late chemotherapy-related toxicities. We examined the impact of a 6-month supervised aerobic-strength training on cognitive and cardiometabolic health and residual level of platinum in cancer survivors.

Determination of the Bioavailability of 3 Intranasal Formulations of Azelastine Hydrochloride in Healthy Male Volunteers.

The primary objective of the study was to determine the bioavailability of 2 new formulations of azelastine (AZE) hydrochloride (0.10% and 0.15% AZE) containing sorbitol and sucralose compared with the commercially available 0.

Unraveling the Synergistic Neuroprotective Mechanism of Natural Drug Candidates Targeting TRPV1 and TRPM8 on an Ischemic Stroke.

The development of multitargeted drugs is urgent for ischemic stroke. TRPV1 and TRPM8 are important targets of ischemic stroke. Previous drug candidate screening has identified that muscone, l-borneol, and ferulic acid may target TRPV1 and TRPM8 for ischemic stroke.

Objective study validity diagnostics: a framework requiring pre-specified, empirical verification to increase trust in the reliability of real-world evidence.

Objective: Propose a framework to empirically evaluate and report validity of findings from observational studies using pre-specified objective diagnostics, increasing trust in real-world evidence (RWE).

Materials And Methods: The framework employs objective diagnostic measures to assess the appropriateness of study designs, analytic assumptions, and threats to validity in generating reliable evidence addressing causal questions. Diagnostic evaluations should be interpreted before the unblinding of study results or, alternatively, only unblind results from analyses that pass pre-specified thresholds.

Biophysical mapping of TREM2-ligand interactions reveals shared surfaces for engagement of multiple Alzheimer's disease ligands.

TREM2 is a signaling receptor expressed on microglia that has emerged as an important drug target for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. While a number of TREM2 ligands have been identified, little is known regarding the structural details of how they engage. To better understand this, we created a protein library of 28 different TREM2 variants that could be used to map interactions with various ligands using biolayer interferometry.

Maladaptive changes in the homeostasis of AEA-TRPV1/CB1R induces pain-related hyperactivity of nociceptors after spinal cord injury.

Background: Neuropathic pain resulting from spinal cord injury (SCI) is associated with persistent hyperactivity of primary nociceptors. Anandamide (AEA) has been reported to modulate neuronal excitability and synaptic transmission through activation of cannabinoid type-1 receptors (CB1Rs) and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1). However, the role of AEA and these receptors in the hyperactivity of nociceptors after SCI remains unclear.

Study protocol for a hybrid type 3 effectiveness-implementation trial of a team-based implementation strategy to support educators' use of a social engagement intervention.

Background: Remaking Recess (RR) is a school-based evidence-based peer social engagement intervention for autistic students. RR involves direct training and coaching with educators; however, educators face several barriers to implementation at both the individual- and organizational-levels. This protocol paper describes a multi-site study that will test whether an educator-level implementation strategy, coaching, with or without a school-level implementation strategy, school-based teams, will maximize educators' use (fidelity and sustainment) of RR for autistic students and their peers who are socially-isolated, rejected, or peripheral and may need additional support during recess.