Estimated pulse wave velocity is associated with all-cause and cardio-cerebrovascular disease mortality in stroke population: Results from NHANES (2003–2014)

BackgroundArterial stiffness is a significant determinant and evaluation of cardio-cerebrovascular disease and all-cause mortality risk in the stroke population. Estimated pulse wave velocity (ePWV) is a well-established indirect measure of arterial stiffness. We examined the association of ePWV with all-cause and cardio-cerebrovascular disease (CCD) mortality in the stroke population in a large sample of US adults.MethodsThe study design was a prospective cohort study with data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2003 to 2014, between the ages of 18–85 years, with follow-up through December 31, 2019. 1,316 individuals with stroke among 58,759 participants were identified and ultimately, 879 stroke patients were included in the analysis. ePWV was calculated from a regression equation using age and mean blood pressure according to the following formula: ePWV = 9.587 − (0.402 × age) + [4.560 × 0.001 × (age2)] − [2.621 × 0.00001 × (age2) × MBP] + (3.176 × 0.001 × age × MBP) − (1.832 × 0.01 × MBP). Survey-weighted Cox regression models were used to assess the association between ePWV and all-cause and CCD mortality risk.ResultsThe high ePWV level group had a higher increased risk of all-cause mortality and CCD mortality compared to the low ePWV level group after fully adjusting for covariates. With an increase in ePWV of 1 m/s, the risk of all-cause and CCD mortality increased by 44%–57% and 47%–72% respectively. ePWV levels were linearly correlated with the risk of all-cause mortality (P for nonlinear = 0.187). With each 1 m/s increase in ePWV, the risk of all-cause mortality increased by 44% (HR 1.44, 95% CI: 1.22–1.69; P < 0.001). When ePWV was <12.1 m/s, an increase in ePWV per 1 m/s was associated with a 119% (HR 2.19, 95% CI: 1.43–3.36; P < 0.001) increase in CCD mortality risk; when ePWV was ≥12.1 m/s, an increase in ePWV per 1 m/s was not associated with in CCD mortality risk.ConclusionePWV is an independent risk factor for all-cause and CCD mortality in stroke patients. Higher levels of ePWV are associated with higher all-cause mortality and CCD mortality in stroke patients

Genomic analysis of oesophageal squamous-cell carcinoma identifies alcohol drinking-related mutation signature and genomic alterations

Approximately half of the world's 500,000 new oesophageal squamous-cell carcinoma (ESCC) cases each year occur in China. Here, we show whole-genome sequencing of DNA and RNA in 94 Chinese individuals with ESCC. We identify six mutational signatures (E1–E6), and Signature E4 is unique in ESCC linked to alcohol intake and genetic variants in alcohol-metabolizing enzymes. We discover significantly recurrent mutations in 20 protein-coding genes, 4 long non-coding RNAs and 10 untranslational regions. Functional analyses show six genes that have recurrent copy-number variants in three squamous-cell carcinomas (oesophageal, head and neck and lung) significantly promote cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion. The most frequently affected genes by structural variation are LRP1B and TTC28. The aberrant cell cycle and PI3K-AKT pathways seem critical in ESCC. These results establish a comprehensive genomic landscape of ESCC and provide potential targets for precision treatment and prevention of the cancer

Preoperative serum bilirubin is an independent prognostic factor for curatively resected esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract Purpose This study examines prognostic value of preoperative serum bilirubin, including unconjugated bilirubin (UCB), conjugated bilirubin (CB), and total bilirubin (TB), in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients who underwent curative resection. Methods Between May 2010 and December 2012, a total of 351 ESCC patients were retrospectively reviewed. All the patients underwent curative resection as their primary treatment. Clinicopathological features and overall survival (OS) rate were investigated. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to calculate the OS rate, and the prognostic factors were identified by Cox regression model. Besides, the potential inhibition effect of UCB on ESCC was investigated with both in vitro and in vivo models. Results The higher-level groups of UCB, CB, and TB demonstrated longer OS than their low counterparts, with hazard ratio (HR) values of 0.567 (95% CI: 0.424–0.759), 0.698 (95% CI: 0.522–0.933), and 0.602 (95% CI: 0.449–0.807), respectively. All three forms of bilirubin were identified as independent prognostic factors for patients with ESCC, and they were found to effectively stratify the survival risk of patients at TNM stage III. In vivo and in vitro models further confirmed the inhibitory effect of unconjugated bilirubin (UCB) on the proliferation of ESCC. Conclusion The findings of our study have shed new light on the prognostic value and biological functions of bilirubin in relation to ESCC. These results may contribute to a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms involved in ESCC tumorigenesis and provide potential therapeutic pathways for treating ESCC

Plasma-based lipidomics reveals potential diagnostic biomarkers for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a retrospective study

Background Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is highly prevalent and has a high mortality rate. Traditional diagnostic methods, such as imaging examinations and blood tumor marker tests, are not effective in accurately diagnosing ESCC due to their low sensitivity and specificity. Esophageal endoscopic biopsy, which is considered as the gold standard, is not suitable for screening due to its invasiveness and high cost. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a convenient and low-cost diagnostic method for ESCC using plasma-based lipidomics analysis combined with machine learning (ML) algorithms. Methods Plasma samples from a total of 40 ESCC patients and 31 healthy controls were used for lipidomics study. Untargeted lipidomics analysis was conducted through liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis. Differentially expressed lipid features were filtered based on multivariate and univariate analysis, and lipid annotation was performed using MS-DIAL software. Results A total of 99 differential lipids were identified, with 15 up-regulated lipids and 84 down-regulated lipids, suggesting their potential as diagnostic targets for ESCC. In the single-lipid plasma-based diagnostic model, nine specific lipids (FA 15:4, FA 27:1, FA 28:7, FA 28:0, FA 36:0, FA 39:0, FA 42:0, FA 44:0, and DG 37:7) exhibited excellent diagnostic performance, with an area under the curve (AUC) exceeding 0.99. Furthermore, multiple lipid-based ML models also demonstrated comparable diagnostic ability for ESCC. These findings indicate plasma lipids as a promising diagnostic approach for ESCC

Protective performance and dynamic behavior of composite body armor with shear stiffening gel as buffer material under ballistic impact

To solve the problem of insufficient protective performance of the existing body armor, an impact-resistant shear stiffening gel (SSG) with excellent flexibility and formability was innovatively used as buffer plate for body armor, and then combined with ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) ballistic panel to form a UHMWPE/SSG composite body armor. Based on the ballistic impact experiment and numerical simulation, the effect of buffer plate on the protective performance, and the dynamic behavior and protective mechanism of UHMWPE/SSG were analyzed systematically. The results indicated that the flexible SSG buffer plate could quickly stiffen under ballistic impact, thereby producing the strong "Jamming" effect to resist impact deformation and absorb impact energy. Moreover, the "Jamming" effect enhanced with the increase of impact load, and showed a distribution mode that weakened from the ballistic impact area to the periphery. Compared with traditional buffer materials, more impact energy was dispersed and absorbed by SSG, but less impact energy was transmitted to the human body. Therefore, the impact strength of UHMWPE/SSG on the human body and backface signature of human body were also significantly reduced (up to 50%), which showed that the composite body armor with SSG buffer material exhibited superior protective performance