Interaction between 24 h Urinary Free Cortisol and Obesity in Hypertension-Mediated Organ Damage in Patients with Untreated Hypertension.

Background: Given the close relationship between excessive cortisol secretion and obesity, as well as their intimate associations with cardiometabolic sequelae, this study aimed to evaluate whether elevated cortisol levels and obesity are independently and potentially interactively related to hypertension-mediated organ damage (HMOD) in patients with untreated hypertension.

Methods: A total of 936 untreated hypertensive patients were recruited. Body mass index (BMI), 24-hour urinary free cortisol (24 h UFC), and HMOD indicators, including left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), and albuminuria, were assessed.

Cardiovascular Disease and Other Competing Causes of Death in Older Kidney Cancer Patients.

Background: To study the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other competing causes of death in older kidney cancer patients.

Methods: Data on older patients (aged 65 and above) diagnosed with kidney cancer between 1975 and 2018 were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. We delved into the distribution of CVD and other competing causes of death across the entire cohort and in various patient subgroups.

Correlation Between Prognostic Nutritional Index and Heart Failure in Adults with Diabetes in the United States: Study Results from NHANES (1999-2016).

Background: The relationship between diabetes and heart failure significantly impacts public health. This study assessed the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) as a predictor of heart failure risk in adult diabetic patients.

Methods: An analysis was performed on 1823 diabetic adults using data collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 1999 and 2016.

Development and Validation of a Nomogram for Predicting Long-Term Net Adverse Clinical Events in High Bleeding Risk Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Background: Patients with a high risk of bleeding undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI-HBR) were provided consensus-based criteria by the Academic Research Consortium for High Bleeding Risk (ARC-HBR). However, the prognostic predictors in this group of patients have yet to be fully explored. Thus, an effective prognostic prediction model for PCI-HBR patients is required.

Reappraisal of Variants in Cardiovascular Diseases: Uncovering Mechanisms and Future Directions.

Inherited cardiac arrhythmias, which may lead to sudden cardiac death, represent a significant health risk, with genetic factors playing a key role in their development. The ankyrin 2 () gene, encoding ankyrin-B, is implicated in several heritable arrhythmia syndromes. variants have been linked to an inherited condition known as "ankyrin-B syndrome", which manifests as a spectrum of cardiac arrhythmias and cardiomyopathy.

Impact of Obstructive Sleep Apnea on In-Stent Restenosis in Coronary Heart Disease Patients after Elective Drug-Eluting Stenting.

Background: Extensive research has established obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as a contributing factor to numerous cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. However, whether OSA affects in-stent restenosis (ISR) after elective drug-eluting stenting is unclear. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the impact of OSA on ISR in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) who underwent successful elective drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation.

Efficacy and Safety of New Oral Anticoagulants versus Warfarin in the Resolution of Atrial Fibrillation with Left Atrial/Left Atrial Appendage Thrombus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: To compare the efficacy and safety of novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) and vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) patients with left atrial/left atrial thrombosis through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: The CBM (China Biology Medicine disc), CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure), VIP (Chinese Technology Periodical Database), Wanfang, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases were searched for relevant studies from their inception to June 30, 2022.

Results: Twelve articles (eight cohort studies and four randomized controlled trials) involving 982 patients were included.

Clinical Characteristics, Microbiological and Risk Factors of Infections in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Objective: To determine risk factors, clinical and microbiological characteristics of infections in a single-center systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) cohort.

Methods: All hospital patients in The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from 2019 to 2021 who meet ≥4 ACR-97 SLE criteria were identified. Patients with infection and without infection were included with a ratio of 1:2.

A combined treatment regimen for infection in in southern China.

The Sichuan snub-nosed monkey () is an endangered species in China and is susceptible to infection with species. However, the worms are difficult to remove completely. A practical treatment regimen for trichuriasis was conducted over a seven-month period on 15  in a wildlife zoo in southern China.

An easy-to-use three-dimensional protein-structure-prediction online platform "DPL3D" based on deep learning algorithms.

The change in the three-dimensional (3D) structure of a protein can affect its own function or interaction with other protein(s), which may lead to disease(s). Gene mutations, especially missense mutations, are the main cause of changes in protein structure. Due to the lack of protein crystal structure data, about three-quarters of human mutant proteins cannot be predicted or accurately predicted, and the pathogenicity of missense mutations can only be indirectly evaluated by evolutionary conservation.

A Comparison of the Accuracy of Two Non-dental 3D Printers and a Standard Dental 3D Printer for Printing Dental Models: An In Vitro 3D Analysis.

Background: While the majority of dentists and lab techs recommend dental-specific desktop printers, many of them use cheaper, more affordable 3D printers in their practice. The study aimed to compare the accuracy of two commercial non-dental stereolithography (SLA) 3D printers with a dental 3D printer for diagnostic dental casts.  Methods: A prototype stereolithographic (Standard Triangle/Tessellation Language (STL)) model of a dentoform was used as a master model to be printed by three 3D printers (n=10 for each printer).

Bioengineering strategies targeting angiogenesis: Innovative solutions for osteonecrosis of the femoral head.

Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is a prevalent orthopedic disorder characterized primarily by compromised blood supply. This vascular deficit results in cell apoptosis, trabecular bone loss, and structural collapse of the femoral head at late stage, significantly impairing joint function. While MRI is a highly effective tool for diagnosing ONFH in its early stages, challenges remain due to the limited availability and high cost of MRI, as well as the absence of routine MRI screening in asymptomatic patients.

Natural variation in MdNAC5 contributes to fruit firmness and ripening divergence in apple.

Fruit firmness is an important trait for characterizing the quality and value of apple. It also serves as an indicator of fruit maturity, as it is a complex trait regulated by multiple genes. Resequencing techniques can be employed to elucidate variations in such complex fruit traits.

CHH hypermethylation contributes to the early ripening of grapes revealed by DNA methylome landscape of 'Kyoho' and its bud mutant.

DNA methylation is a stable epigenetic mark that plays a crucial role in plant life processes. However, the specific functions of DNA methylation in grape berry development remain largely unknown. In this study, we performed whole-genome bisulfite sequencing on 'Kyoho' grape and its early-ripening bud mutant 'Fengzao' at different developmental stages.

A vacuolar invertase gene modulates sugar metabolism and postharvest fruit quality and stress resistance in tomato.

Sugars act as signaling molecules to modulate various growth processes and enhance plant tolerance to various abiotic and biotic stresses. Moreover, sugars contribute to the postharvest flavor in fleshy fruit crops. To date, the regulation of sugar metabolism and its effect in plant growth, fruit ripening, postharvest quality, and stress resistance remains not fully understood.

Central nervous system posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation successfully treated with combination therapy of acalabrutinib and immunochemotherapy: A case report and literature review.

Here, we report a case of Epstein-Barr virus-positive central nervous system-post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (CNS-PTLD) patient who failed to achieve complete metabolic remission (CMR) after successively trying a methotrexate-based regimen combined with orelabrutinib or whole-brain radiotherapy and encountered intracranial hemorrhage during orelabrutinib treatment. Ultimately, the patient achieved CMR after one cycle of acalabrutinib in combination with temozolomide, teniposide, liposomal doxorubicin, dexamethasone, and rituximab (TEDDi-R). Following another cycle of TEDDi-R treatment, he has been receiving acalabrutinib maintenance up to now and remained in CMR.

Erythrocytapheresis as a strategy to manage anemia and iron overload in nondeletional hemoglobin H disease.

Hemoglobin H (HbH) disease is associated with anemia, ineffective erythropoiesis, and iron overload. We report a case of a patient with HbH/Hb Constant Spring disease, who was maintained on chronic transfusions as an adult due to symptomatic anemia. Over time, he developed iron overload and was started on chelation therapy but did not have an adequate response to chelation.

Fluorescent Particles Based on Aggregation-Induced Emission for Optical Diagnostics of the Central Nervous System.

In 2001, Tang's team discovered a unique type of luminogens with substantial enhanced fluorescence upon aggregation and introduced the concept of "aggregation-induced emission (AIE)". Unlike conventional fluorescent materials, AIE luminogens (AIEgens) emit weak or no fluorescence in solution but become highly fluorescent in aggregated or solid states, due to a mechanism known as restriction of intramolecular motions (RIM). Initially considered a purely inorganic chemical phenomenon, AIE was later applied in biomedicine to improve the sensitivity of immunoassays.

Advances in human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells-derived extracellular vesicles and biomaterial assemblies for endometrial injury treatment.

Endometrial injury caused by repeated uterine procedures, infections, inflammation, or uterine artery dysfunction can deplete endometrial stem/progenitor cells and impair regeneration, thereby diminishing endometrial receptivity and evidently lowering the live birth, clinical pregnancy, and embryo implantation rates. Currently, safe and effective clinical treatment methods or gene-targeted therapies are unavailable, especially for severe endometrial injury. Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells and their extracellular vesicles are characterized by their simple collection, rapid proliferation, low immunogenicity, and tumorigenicity, along with their involvement in regulating angiogenesis, immune response, cell apoptosis and proliferation, inflammatory response, and fibrosis, Therefore, these cells and vesicles hold broad potential for application in endometrial repair.

Bridging bioengineering and nanotechnology: Bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cell-exosome solutions for peripheral nerve injury.

Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) is a common disease that is difficult to nerve regeneration with current therapies. Fortunately, Zou demonstrated the role and mechanism of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in promoting nerve regeneration, revealing broad prospects for BMSCs transplantation in alleviating PNI. We confirmed the fact that BMSCs significantly alleviate PNI, but there are shortcomings such as low cell survival rate and immune rejection, which limit the wide application of BMSCs.

Microvesicles derived from mesenchymal stem cells: A promising therapeutic strategy for acute respiratory distress syndrome-related pulmonary fibrosis?

Pulmonary fibrosis significantly contributes to the pathogenesis of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), markedly increasing patient mortality. Despite the established anti-fibrotic effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), numerous challenges hinder their clinical application. A recent study demonstrated that microvesicles (MVs) from MSCs (MSC-MVs) could attenuate ARDS-related pulmonary fibrosis and enhance lung function hepatocyte growth factor mRNA transcription.

Stromal vascular fraction: Mechanisms and application in reproductive disorders.

Stromal vascular fraction (SVF) is a complex mixture derived from adipose tissue, consisting of a variety of cells. Due to its potential for tissue repair, immunomodulation, and support of angiogenesis, SVF represents a promising frontier in regenerative medicine and offers potential therapy for a range of disease conditions. In this article, we delve into the mechanisms through which SVF exerts its effects and explore its potential applications in treating both male and female reproductive disorders, including erectile dysfunction, testicular injury, stress urinary incontinence and intrauterine adhesion.

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells promote uterine healing by activating the PI3K/AKT pathway and modulating inflammation in rat models.

Background: Uterine injury can cause uterine scarring, leading to a series of complications that threaten women's health. Uterine healing is a complex process, and there are currently no effective treatments. Although our previous studies have shown that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) promote uterine damage repair, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

Perceptions and experiences of commercial virtual reality games in early postoperative rehabilitation among cardiac surgical patients: A qualitative study.

Background: Although numerous studies have focused on the outcomes of virtual reality games for early rehabilitation in postoperative cardiac surgical patients, research on these patients' perceptions and experiences with virtual reality games has been limited.

Objectives: The aim of this qualitative study was to provide insights into the perceptions and experiences of postoperative cardiac surgery patients in using commercial virtual reality games during early rehabilitation.

Methods: A cohort of postoperative cardiac surgery patients ( = 12) who used the same VR games during the early rehabilitation period at the cardiac surgery intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary hospital in Nanjing, China, was enrolled in this study, conducted between January 2023 and December 2023.

Enhancing prostate cancer segmentation in bpMRI: Integrating zonal awareness into attention-guided U-Net.

Purpose: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cancer in males worldwide, requiring improvements in diagnostic imaging to identify and treat it at an early stage. Bi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (bpMRI) is recognized as an essential diagnostic technique for PCa, providing shorter acquisition times and cost-effectiveness. Nevertheless, accurate diagnosis using bpMRI images is difficult due to the inconspicuous and diverse characteristics of malignant tumors and the intricate structure of the prostate gland.