A nomogram to distinguish noncardiac chest pain based on cardiopulmonary exercise testing in cardiology clinic.

Background: Psychological disorders, such as anxiety and depression, are considered to be one of the causes of noncardiac chest pain (NCCP). And these patients can be challenging to differentiate from coronary artery disease (CAD), leading to a considerable number of patients still undergoing angiography. We aim to develop a practical prediction model and nomogram using cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), to help identify these patients.

Inhibition of CSPG-PTPσ Activates Autophagy Flux and Lysosome Fusion, Aids Axon and Synaptic Reorganization in Spinal Cord Injury.

Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) and proteoglycan receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase σ (PTPσ) play a critical role in the pathology of spinal cord injury (SCI). CSPGs can be induced by autophagy inhibition in astrocyte. However, CSPG's impact on autophagy and its role in SCI is still unknown.

Second Near-Infrared Macrophage-Biomimetic Nanoprobes for Photoacoustic Imaging of Neuroinflammation.

Neuroinflammation is a significant pathological event involving the neurodegenerative process associated with many neurological disorders. Diagnosis and treatment of neuroinflammation in its early stage are essential for the prevention and management of neurological diseases. Herein, we designed macrophage membrane-coated photoacoustic (PA) probes (MSINPs), with targeting specificities based on naturally existing target-ligand interactions for the early diagnosis of neuroinflammation.

Relief of tumor hypoxia using a nanoenzyme amplifies NIR-II photoacoustic-guided photothermal therapy.

Hypoxia is a critical tumor microenvironment (TME) component. It significantly impacts tumor growth and metastasis and is known to be a major obstacle for cancer therapy. Integrating hypoxia modulation with imaging-based monitoring represents a promising strategy that holds the potential for enhancing tumor theranostics.

Human papillomavirus infection affects treatment outcomes and the immune microenvironment in patients with advanced penile squamous cell carcinoma receiving programmed cell death protein 1 inhibitor-based combination therapy.

Background: Penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) is a human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated malignancy. Immunotherapy is emerging as a potential treatment for advanced PSCC. In this study, the authors analyzed the association of HPV status with outcomes and the immune microenvironment in patients with advanced PSCC undergoing programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1) inhibitor-based combination therapy (PCT).

New insights into the mechanisms of diabetic kidney disease: Role of circadian rhythm and Bmal1.

It is common for diabetic kidney disease (DKD) to be complicated by abnormal blood glucose, blood lipids, and blood pressure rhythms. Thus, it is essential to examine diagnostic and treatment plans from the perspective of circadian disruption. This brief review discusses the clinical relevance of circadian rhythms in DKD and how the core clock gene encoding brain and muscle arnt-like protein 1 (BMAL1) functions owing to the importance of circadian rhythm disruption processes, including the excretion of urinary protein and irregular blood pressure, which occur in DKD.

[Analysis of copy number variation in AZF region of Y chromosome in patients with spermatogenic failure].

Objective: To explore the characteristics of copy number variation (CNV) within the Y chromosome azoospermia factor (AZF) region in patients with spermatogenesis disorders in the Shenzhen area.

Methods: A total of 123 patients with spermatogenesis disorders who had visited Shenzhen People's Hospital from January 2016 to October 2022 (including 73 patients with azoospermia and 50 patients with oligozoospermia) and 100 normal semen males were selected as the study subjects. The AZF region was detected with multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA), and the correlation between the CNV in the AZF region and spermatogenesis disorders was analyzed using the chi-square test or Fisher's exact test.

Handheld photoacoustic imaging of indocyanine green clearance for real-time quantitative evaluation of liver reserve function.

Preoperative assessment of liver function reserve (LFR) is essential for determining the extent of liver resection and predicting the prognosis of patients with liver disease. In this paper, we present a real-time, handheld photoacoustic imaging (PAI) system-based noninvasive approach for rapid LFR assessment. A linear-array ultrasound transducer was sealed in a housing filled with water; its front end was covered with a plastic wrap.

Docetaxel suppressed cell proliferation through Smad3/HIF-1α-mediated glycolysis in prostate cancer cells.

Background: Tumor glycolysis is a critical event for tumor progression. Docetaxel is widely used as a first-line drug for chemotherapy and shown to have a survival advantage. However, the role of docetaxel in tumor glycolysis remained poorly understood.

Photoacoustic image-guided biomimetic nanoparticles targeting rheumatoid arthritis.

The high level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) microenvironment (RAM) and its persistent inflammatory nature can promote damage to joints, bones, and the synovium. Targeting strategies that integrate effective RAM regulation with imaging-based monitoring could lead to improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of RA. Here, we report the combined use of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and Prussian blue nanoparticles (PBNPs) to silence the expression of proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α/IL-6 and scavenge the ROS associated with RAM.

Spontaneous internal carotid artery pseudoaneurysm complicated with ischemic stroke in a young man: A case report and review of literature.

Background: Carotid artery pseudoaneurysm (PSA) is infrequently encountered in clinical settings. Internal carotid artery (ICA) PSA complicated with ischemic stroke is rare. PSAs are typically caused by iatrogenic injury, trauma, or infection.

Association between cine CMR-based radiomics signature and microvascular obstruction in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

Background: In the process of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) may receive large doses of the iodine contrast agent. Some adverse events may be aroused if the patients receive the gadolinium agents. We investigate the association between cine cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR)-based radiomics signature and microvascular obstruction (MVO) in patients with STEMI.

Achieving depth-independent lateral resolution in AR-PAM using the synthetic-aperture focusing technique.

Acoustic-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (AR-PAM) is a promising imaging modality that renders images with ultrasound resolution and extends the imaging depth beyond the optical ballistic regime. To achieve a high lateral resolution, a large numerical aperture (NA) of a focused transducer is usually applied for AR-PAM. However, AR-PAM fails to hold its performance in the out-of-focus region.

What Happens to the Preserved Renal Parenchyma After Clamped Partial Nephrectomy?

Background: Most partial nephrectomies (PNs) are performed with hilar occlusion to reduce blood loss and optimize visualization. However, the histologic status of the preserved renal parenchyma years after PN is unknown.

Objective: To compare the histologic chronic kidney disease (CKD) score of renal parenchyma before and years after PN, and to explore factors associated with CKD-score increase and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) decline.

BGM-Net: Boundary-Guided Multiscale Network for Breast Lesion Segmentation in Ultrasound.

Automatic and accurate segmentation of breast lesion regions from ultrasonography is an essential step for ultrasound-guided diagnosis and treatment. However, developing a desirable segmentation method is very difficult due to strong imaging artifacts e.g.

High Inflammatory Tendency Induced by Malignant Stimulation Through Imbalance of CD28 and CTLA-4/PD-1 Contributes to Dopamine Neuron Injury.

Background: Parkinson's disease is a common neurodegenerative disease in the elderly. The incidence of various cancers in Parkinson's disease patients is significantly lower than in healthy people. Parkinson's disease patients are individuals with a high tendency for inflammation, whose peripheral immune system is represented in an activated state.

Global guidance network for breast lesion segmentation in ultrasound images.

Automatic breast lesion segmentation in ultrasound helps to diagnose breast cancer, which is one of the dreadful diseases that affect women globally. Segmenting breast regions accurately from ultrasound image is a challenging task due to the inherent speckle artifacts, blurry breast lesion boundaries, and inhomogeneous intensity distributions inside the breast lesion regions. Recently, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have demonstrated remarkable results in medical image segmentation tasks.

Development and validation of a 25-Gene Panel urine test for prostate cancer diagnosis and potential treatment follow-up.

Background: Heterogeneity of prostate cancer (PCa) contributes to inaccurate cancer screening and diagnosis, unnecessary biopsies, and overtreatment. We intended to develop non-invasive urine tests for accurate PCa diagnosis to avoid unnecessary biopsies.

Methods: Using a machine learning program, we identified a 25-Gene Panel classifier for distinguishing PCa and benign prostate.

Radiotherapy plus chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone in penile cancer patients with extracapsular nodal extension after inguinal lymph node surgery: a multi-institutional study.

Purpose: Because there is a lack of evidence, it is not generally recommended to use adjuvant radiotherapy plus chemotherapy to treat lymph node disease in penile cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the benefit of using adjuvant radiotherapy after inguinal surgery for penile cancer.

Methods: Multi-institutional data were obtained from a total of nine centers from April 2003 to April 2015 and retrospectively analyzed.

Expression of ATP7A in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and its clinical significance.

Objective: This study investigated the expression of P-type copper transporting adenosine triphosphatase ATP7A in the tumor tissues of patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), and analyzed its correlation to clinicopathologic features and prognosis of advanced ESCC patients.

Methods: The expression of ATP7A protein in 49 specimens of advanced ESCC patients who were treated with first line cisplatin-based chemotherapy without surgery or radiotherapy, was detected by immunohistochemistry. The correlation of ATP7A expression with clinicopathologic features and prognosis of advanced ESCC patients weas analyzed by SPSS 16.

Clinical significance of cell-free DNA concentration and integrity in serum of gastric cancer patients before and after surgery.

Early onset of gastric cancer (GC) is almost asymptomatic, thereby making early diagnosis and early treatment difficult. Blood samples were taken from 90 GC patients who had not undergone surgery, and from another set of 110 GC patients who had undergone surgery. The control consisted of 90 healthy individuals.

The lncRNA DLX6-AS1 promoted cell proliferation, invasion, migration and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in bladder cancer via modulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Background: Bladder cancer is the most common human urological malignancies with poor prognosis, and the pathophysiology of bladder cancer involves multi-linkages of regulatory networks in the bladder cancer cells. Recently, the long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been extensively studied for their role on bladder cancer progression. In this study, we evaluated the expression of DLX6 Antisense RNA 1 (DLX6-AS1) in the cancerous bladder tissues and studied the possible mechanisms of DLX6-AS1 in regulating bladder cancer progression.

Prognostic significance of common preoperative laboratory variables in penile squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective: To investigate the predictive value of common preoperative laboratory variables in patients undergoing bilateral inguinal lymph node dissection surgery for penile squamous cell carcinoma.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the records of 228 patients who had bilateral inguinal lymph node dissection for penile squamous cell carcinoma to assess the following clinical factors: preoperative laboratory measurements, white blood cell count, platelet count, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, serum calcium, total protein, globulin, pathological factors and survival rates after surgery.

Results: The percentage of positive lymph nodes was 52.