Prognostic implication of right ventricular-pulmonary artery coupling in valvular heart disease.

Valvular heart disease (VHD) leading to inadequate hemodynamic circulation is a major cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality worldwide. Right ventricular-pulmonary artery (RV-PA) coupling integrates the ability of RV contractility to adapt to increased pulmonary arterial afterload. If the right ventricle cannot adapt to the elevated afterload by increasing its contractile function, RV-PA uncoupling occurs.

Quantitative evaluation of lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration: a comparison of ultrashort time-to-echo T2* with T1rho relaxometry.

Background: Early detection of changes in lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) has great clinical significance. T1rho and UTE-T2* relaxometry are capable of providing information about biochemical changes in IVDD. However, they have not been previously analyzed and compared directly in the same patients.

Tannic acid-modified FK506-loaded nanoparticles targeting lymph nodes for acute heart transplant rejection treatment.

Significant efforts have been made to deliver immunosuppressants-loaded nanoparticles (NPs) to lymph nodes (LNs) to mitigate transplant rejection. However, conventional administration techniques encounter challenges in enhancing the retention of NPs in the LNs. Attributing the strong affinity of tannic acid (TA) molecules to the elastin of LN conduits, we developed a novel formulation of NPs encapsulating Tacrolimus (FK506), and subsequently modified with TA to produce TA-FNP with a final diameter of approximately 86.

Reactive EEG Biomarkers for Diagnosis and Prognosis of Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative condition characterized by progressive cognitive decline with currently no effective treatment available. One of the most critical areas in AD research is the identification of reliable biomarkers, which are essential for accurate diagnosis, prognostic assessment, and the development of targeted therapies. In this study, we introduce two novel reactive EEG (rEEG) biomarkers aimed at enhancing the diagnosis of AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

H-Dots: Renal Clearable Zwitterionic Nanocarriers for Disease Diagnosis and Therapy.

Nanocarriers have shown significant promise in the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases, utilizing a wide range of biocompatible materials such as metals, inorganic substances, and organic components. Despite diverse design strategies, key physicochemical properties, including hydrodynamic diameter, shape, surface charge, and hydrophilicity/lipophilicity, are crucial for optimizing biodistribution, pharmacokinetics, and therapeutic efficacy. However, these properties are often influenced by drug payload, presenting an ongoing challenge in developing versatile platform technologies for theranostics.

Neurophysiological correlates of ketamine-induced dissociative state in bipolar disorder: insights from real-world clinical settings.

Ketamine, a dissociative compound, shows promise in treating mood disorders, including treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and bipolar disorder (BD). Despite its therapeutic potential, the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying ketamine's effects are not fully understood. This study explored acute neurophysiological changes induced by subanesthetic doses of ketamine in BD patients with depression using electroencephalography (EEG) biomarkers.

Prognostic Value of LV Global Longitudinal Strain by 2D and 3D Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography in Patients With HFpEF.

Background: In patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), the impact of type 2 diabetes (T2D) on left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LV GLS) and its prognostic implications remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate LV function using two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) speckle-tracking echocardiography in patients with HFpEF with and without T2D, and to investigate its prognostic significance.

Methods: A total of 335 patients with HFpEF were prospectively enrolled for echocardiographic evaluation.

Preliminary Evidence for Perturbation-Based tACS-EEG Biomarkers of Gamma Activity in Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by impaired inhibitory circuitry and GABAergic dysfunction, which is associated with reduced fast brain oscillations in the gamma band (γ, 30-90 Hz) in several animal models. Investigating such activity in human patients could lead to the identification of novel biomarkers of diagnostic and prognostic value. The current study aimed to test a multimodal "Perturbation-based" transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation-Electroencephalography (tACS)-EEG protocol to detect how responses to tACS in AD patients correlate with patients' clinical phenotype.

Decreased attenuation difference between non-contrast and portal-venous phases of CT predicts the ultrasonography-unspecified adnexal torsion.

Objectives: To evaluate the value of contrast-enhanced CT in diagnosing ultrasonography-unspecified adnexal torsion (AT).

Methods: Surgically confirmed patients with painful pelvic masses (n = 165) were retrospectively collected from two institutes. Two senior radiologists independently reviewed the CT images and determined the Hounsfield unit difference between non-contrast vs portal venous phases (ΔHU) in both derivation and validation samples.

Selective Mu-Opioid Receptor Imaging Using F-Labeled Carfentanils.

Carfentanil, a highly potent synthetic opioid, paradoxically serves as a crucial positron emission tomography (PET) imaging tool in neurobiological studies of the mu-opioid receptor (MOR) system when labeled with carbon-11 ([C]CFN). However, its clinical research use is hindered by extreme potency and the limited availability of short-lived carbon-11 ( = 20.4 min).

Bio-Orchestration of Cellular Organization and Human-Preferred Sensory Texture in Cultured Meat.

For cultured meat to effectively replace traditional meat, it is essential to develop scaffolds that replicate key attributes of real meat, such as taste, nutrition, flavor, and texture. However, one of the significant challenges in replicating meat characteristics with scaffolds lies in the considerable gap between the stiffness preferred by cells and the textural properties desired by humans. To address this issue, we focused on the microscale environment conducive to cell growth and the macro-scale properties favored by humans.

Indocyanine Blue (ICB) as a Functional Alternative to Indocyanine Green (ICG) for Enhanced 700 nm NIR Imaging.

Despite significant advancements in bioimaging technology, only a limited number of fluorophores are currently approved for clinical applications. Indocyanine green (ICG) is the first FDA-approved near-infrared (NIR) fluorophore and has significantly advanced clinical interventions over the past three decades. However, its single-channel imaging at 800 nm emission is often insufficient for capturing comprehensive diagnostic information during surgery.

A novel diagnostic model for fetal coarctation of the aorta with ventricular septal defect.

Background: Our study aimed to develop a novel diagnostic model for fetal coarctation of the aorta with ventricular septal defect(CoA/VSD).

Methods And Results: We respectively included 70 fetuses with suspected CoA/VSD(January 2017-June 2023). After birth, 26 fetuses (26/47, 55.

Identification of SMAD4-mutated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma using preoperative contrast-enhanced MRI and clinical characteristics.

Aim: To assess the value of preoperatively contrast-enhanced MRI and clinical characteristics for identification of SMAD4-mutated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study included patients with surgically confirmed PDAC from January 2016 to December 2022. Based on immunostaining results indicating the mutation of SMAD4, the enrolled participants were grouped into SMAD4-mutated PDAC and non-SMAD4-mutated PDAC.

Platelet-mimicking nanoparticles loaded with diallyl trisulfide for Mitigating Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in rats.

Hydrogen sulfide (HS) shows promise in treating myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI), but the challenge of controlled and sustained release hinders its clinical utility. In this study, we developed a platelet membrane-encapsulated mesoporous silica nanoparticle loaded with the HS donor diallyl trisulfide (PM-MSN-DATS). PM-MSN-DATS demonstrated optimal encapsulation efficiency and drug-loading content.

Adaptation of Left Ventricular Function and Myocardial Microstructure in Fetuses With Right Ventricular Hypoplasia.

Background: In this study we evaluated changes in left ventricular (LV) function and myocardial microstructure in fetuses with right ventricular hypoplasia (RVH) using 2-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography, diffusion tensor cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging, and proteomics analysis.

Methods: Fifty-one singleton fetuses diagnosed with RVH and 51 normal fetuses were retrospectively included. LV global longitudinal strain and global circumferential strain were acquired using 2-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography.

The causal effects of gut microbiota on quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and T2* imaging-derived phenotypes: insights from a Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Gut microbiota are associated with brain imaging-derived phenotypes (IDPs); however, the specific causal relationship between the gut microbiota and brain iron-related IDPs remains unclear. Thus, we sought to analyze the potential causal effects of gut microbiota on brain iron-related IDPs using Mendelian randomization (MR).

Methods: We obtained the data of 196 gut microbiota from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) from the MiBioGen database, as well as the data of 18 quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) IDPs and 10 T2* IDPs from the United Kingdom Biobank (UKB).

Stepwise pathways from the olfactory cortex to central hub regions in the human brain.

The human brain is organized as a hierarchical global network. Functional connectivity research reveals that sensory cortices are connected to corresponding association cortices via a series of intermediate nodes linked by synchronous neural activity. These sensory pathways and relay stations converge onto central cortical hubs such as the default-mode network (DMN).

Assessing microvascular dysfunction and predicting long-term prognosis in patients with cardiac amyloidosis by cardiovascular magnetic resonance quantitative stress perfusion.

Background: Cardiac involvement in light chain amyloidosis (AL) is the main determinant of prognosis. Amyloid can be deposited in the extracellular space and cause an increase in extracellular volume fraction (ECV). At the same time, amyloid can also be deposited in the wall of small vessels and cause microvascular dysfunction.

Noninvasive myocardial work in severe aortic regurgitation: implications for postoperative left ventricular dysfunction.

Aims: Noninvasive myocardial work offers a promising echocardiographic method to evaluate left ventricular (LV) function as it integrates myocardial deformation and afterload. The study sought to investigate the association of myocardial work indices with post-operative LV dysfunction in patients with chronic severe aortic regurgitation (AR).

Methods And Results: Pre-operative LV ejection fraction (LVEF), LV global work index (LV GWI), LV global constructive work (LV GCW), LV global wasted work (LV GWW), and LV global work efficiency (LV GWE) were measured.

Association between lactate/albumin ratio and 28-day mortality in ICU critical patients with coronary heart disease: a retrospective analysis of the MIMIC-IV database.

Background: The serum lactate/albumin ratio (LAR) is commonly employed for monitoring and evaluating the prognosis of critically ill patients. Both elevated lactate levels and decreased albumin levels may reflect the body's stress response and inflammatory reaction. Coronary heart disease (CHD), with common complications including myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, heart failure, is one of the leading causes of global death.