Ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract (LIFT) for high transsphincteric fistulas: a double-center retrospective study with long-term follow-up.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the long-term efficacy of the ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract (LIFT) procedure in treating high transsphincteric fistulas.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the success rate of LIFT treatment in 82 patients with high transsphincteric fistulas involving at least 1/3 of the external sphincter. This study was carried out across 2 centers from November 2009 to February 2023.

Lateralization of the Aberrant Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuation within the Default Mode Network in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Rationale And Objectives: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common pathogenesis of dementia, and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is considered as the intermediate stage from normal elderly to AD. Early detection of MCI is an essential step for the timely intervention of AD to slow the progression of this disease. Different form previous studies in the whole-brain spontaneous activities, this research aimed to explore the low-frequency amplitude spectrum activities of patients with MCI within the default mode network (DMN), which has been involved in the process of maintaining normal cognitive function.

Protein prenylation in mechanotransduction: implications for disease and therapy.

The process by which cells translate external mechanical cues into intracellular biochemical signals involves intricate mechanisms that remain unclear. In recent years, research into post-translational modifications (PTMs) has offered valuable insights into this field, spotlighting protein prenylation as a crucial mechanism in cellular mechanotransduction and various human diseases. Protein prenylation, which involves the covalent attachment of isoprenoid groups to specific substrate proteins, profoundly affects the functions of key mechanotransduction proteins such as Rho, Ras, and lamins.

Dynamic event-triggered tolerant containment control protocol for discrete multiagent systems based on finite index policy iteration algorithm.

For tolerant containment control of multi-agent systems, considering the challenges in modeling and the impact of actuator faults on system security and reliability, a finite index dynamic event-triggered policy iteration algorithm is proposed. This algorithm only requires input and output data, without relying on system models, and simultaneously considers the faults and energy consumption issues to improve the system reliability and save energy consumption. The conditions are provided to demonstrate the convergence and optimality of the algorithm, including a convergence speed, that is, the number of iterations required for convergence is finite.

An overview of sound source localization based condition monitoring robots.

As artificial intelligence advances and demand for cost-effective equipment maintenance in various fields increases, it is worth insightful research on utilizing robots embedded with sound source localization (SSL) technology for condition monitoring. Combining the two techniques has significant advantages, which are conducive to further classifying and tracking abnormal sources, thereby enhancing system performance at a lower cost. The paper provides an overview of current acoustic-based robotic techniques for condition monitoring, highlights the common SSL methods, and finds that localization performance heavily depends on signal quality.

A comparative study on in vitro models of necrotizing enterocolitis induced by single and combined stimulation.

Background And Study Aims: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a severe gastrointestinal disease in neonates. In vitro model is an indispensable tool to study the pathogenesis of NEC. This study explored the effects of different stress factors on intestinal injury in vitro.

Enhancing precision in lacrimal sac tumor management through integration of multimodal imaging and intensity modulated proton therapy.

This study presents a patient with a PET-CT detected residual lacrimal sac tumor who was treated with intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) and concurrent chemotherapy. The patient a 49-year-old male diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the left lacrimal sac had under-went endoscopic surgery. Postoperative PET-CT implied tumor residual in the left lacrimal sac.

Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Treatment Patterns in Patients With Chronic-Phase Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: A Single Center Data From China.

Aim: To describe tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment patterns and analyze co-variates of TKI switch for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients in a center from China.

Methods: A retrospectively study was designed to analyze TKI switching patterns, reasons and associated covariates in patients with CP-CML.

Results: 1766 patients receiving initial imatinib (n = 1374), nilotinib (n = 254), dasatinib (n = 63) and flumatinib (n = 75) therapy were retrospectively interrogated.

Visceral fat distribution: Interracial studies.

Visceral adipose tissue, a type of abdominal adipose tissue, is highly involved in lipolysis. Because increased visceral adiposity is strongly associated with the metabolic complications related with obesity, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, there is a need for precise, targeted, personalized and site-specific measures clinically. Existing studies showed that ectopic fat accumulation may be characterized differently among different populations due to complex genetic architecture and non-genetic or epigenetic components, ie, Asians have more and Africans have less visceral fat vs Europeans.

Efficacy and safety of chemotherapy combined with iodine-125 seed brachytherapy for intermediate and advanced oncogenic driver gene-negative non-small cell lung cancer.

Purpose: To compare the effectiveness and safety of CT-guided iodine-125 seed brachytherapy in conjunction with chemotherapy against chemotherapy alone for the management of intermediate and advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) lacking oncogenic driving genes.

Methods And Materials: Retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data from 128 patients diagnosed with intermediate and advanced non-small cell lung cancer who received iodine-125 combined with chemotherapy or chemotherapy alone due to the absence of oncogenic driver gene mutations. The patients in two groups were compared at 6-month follow-up for objective remission rate (ORR), Disease control rate (DCR), local progression-free survival (LPFS), overall survival (OS), clinical symptom improvement, and adverse events.

Environmental and Clinical Factors Concerning Gastrointestinal Bleeding: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses.

Objectives: Gastrointestinal bleeding, an emergency and critical disease, is affected by multiple factors. This study aims to systematically summarize and appraise various factors associated with gastrointestinal bleeding.

Design: Umbrella review.

Unveiling the role of MDH1 in breast cancer drug resistance through single-cell sequencing and schottenol intervention.

This study utilizes single-cell RNA sequencing data to reveal the transcriptomic characteristics of breast cancer and normal epithelial cells. Nine significant cell populations were identified through stringent quality control and batch effect correction. Further classification of breast cancer epithelial cells based on the PAM50 method and clinical subtypes highlighted significant heterogeneity between triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and non-triple-negative breast cancer (NTNBC).

Engineered Au@MOFs silk fibroin-based hydrogel phototherapy platform for enhanced wound healing performance.

Wound bacterial infections not only impede the healing process but can also give rise to a range of serious complications, thereby posing a substantial risk to human health. Developing effective wound dressings incorporating phototherapy functionalities, specifically photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT), remains a critical area of research in modern wound care. Existing PTT-PDT systems often suffer from challenges such as nanoparticle aggregation and inefficient reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, which are essential for therapeutic efficacy.

Development of pH and enzyme dual responsive chitosan/polyaspartic acid nanoparticle-embedded nanofibers for fruit preservation.

This study focuses on the development and application of tea polyphenol-loaded chitosan/polyaspartic acid nanoparticles (TP@CS/PASP-Nps) embedded within polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibers to extend the shelf life of fruit. The nanofibers were fabricated using electrospinning, which enhanced the stability and uniform dispersion of the nanoparticles. Experimental results demonstrated that the TP@CS/PASP nanoparticles exhibit significant pH and protease-responsive release of TP, with a cumulative release of 56.

AP2M1 as the potential biomarker for prediction of the response of atopic dermatitis to Dupilumab therapy: Multi-omics analysis and evidence.

Many atopic dermatitis (AD) patients have suboptimal responses to Dupilumab therapy. This study identified key genes linked to this resistance using multi-omics approaches to benefit more patients. We selected a prospective cohort of 54 CE treated with Dupilumab from the GEO database.

CircNIPBLL modulates the inflammatory response against Eimeria tenella infection via sponging gga-miR-2954.

Coccidiosis, a parasitic disease caused by Eimeria protozoa that parasitizes intestinal tissues of chicken, poses a challenge to the development of the poultry industry. circRNAs are a class of circular RNA macromolecules crucial in the immune response to pathogens. Previous studies have shown that gga-miR-2954 inhibits the inflammatory response to Eimeria tenella (E.

CDK1 inhibitor RO-3306 enhances BTKi potency in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma by suppressing JAK2/STAT3 signaling.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common type of lymphoma in adults, which characterized by a high degree of heterogeneity in terms of clinical presentation, molecular phenotype, and genetic features. However, approximately 30 %-40 % of patients are refractory to standard chemotherapy, and their prognosis is poor. The emergence of small-molecule inhibitors, such as Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKi), has greatly improved the treatment of DLBCL; however, drug resistance associated with small-molecule inhibitors has greatly limited their clinical application.

Utilization of structure-specific lignin extracted from coconut fiber via deep eutectic solvents to enhance the functional properties of PVA nanocomposite films.

This study utilized deep eutectic solvents (DES) based on choline chloride/lactic acid (ChCl/LA) to deconstruct coconut fibers. The effects of DES with different temperatures and molar ratios on the yield of lignin, recovery rate of residues, structural changes in lignin and solid residues, and saccharification efficiency were investigated. The results showed that acidic DES treatment effectively deconstructed the coconut fibers, resulting in a high lignin yield of 68.

Assessing the causal effect of genetically predicted metabolites and metabolic pathways on vitiligo: Evidence from Mendelian randomization and animal experiments.

Vitiligo is a common chronic skin depigmentation disorder that seriously decreases the patients' overall quality of life. Human blood metabolites could contribute to unraveling the underlying biological mechanisms of vitiligo. We used GWAS summary statistics to assess the causal association between genetically predicted 1,400 serum metabolites and vitiligo risk by Mendelian randomization (MR).

Electroconvulsive therapy modulates brain functional stability in patients with major depressive disorder.

Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), but the underlying neuromodulatory mechanisms remain largely unknown. Functional stability represents a newly developed method based on the dynamic functional connectivity framework. This study aimed to explore ECT-evoked changes in functional stability and their relationship with clinical outcomes.

Effects of Fecal Sewage and Antibiotic Exposure Stress on the Intestinal Microflora of Weaned Tibetan Piglets.

Unregulated pig farming practices expose pigs to fecal sewage and antibiotic stress, which are common health risk factors. Thus, its effects on the animals' intestinal microflora were investigated herein. In total, 2,315,563 high-quality sequences were obtained via amplitude sequencing and, after OUT clustering, the fecal sewage group was identified to have the highest number and the antibiotic exposure group the lowest.

Left ventricular elastance with resting volumetric transthoracic echocardiography identifies different phenotypes in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: A retrospective analysis of a multicenter prospective observational study.

Background: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a heterogeneous entity including patients with different phenotypes of near normal, normal, and supernormal left ventricular (LV) function.

Objectives: To assess the value of resting LV elastance (also known as force) with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) to identify HFpEF phenotypes.

Methods: In a prospective, observational, multicenter study, 2380 HFpEF patients were recruited from July 2016 to May 2024.

Thyroid hormones in systemic lupus erythematosus: the catalyst for disease progression?

Objective: The study aimed to investigate the impact of varying thyroid function statuses on clinical and laboratory indicators in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 258 patients with SLE, who were stratified according to thyroid function, renal involvement, and disease activity. The predictive value of thyroid hormones was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.