Prognostic value of N-terminal Pro–B-Type natriuretic peptide in patients with intermediate coronary lesions

BackgroundThe optimal treatment strategy for patients with coronary intermediate lesions, defined as diameter stenosis of 50–70%, remains a great challenge for cardiologists. Identification of potential biomarkers predictive of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) risk may assist in risk stratification and clinical decision.MethodsA total of 1,187 patients with intermediate coronary lesions and available N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels were enrolled in the current study. A baseline NT-proBNP level was obtained. The primary endpoint was defined as MACEs, the composite endpoint of all-cause death and non-fatal myocardial infarction. A multivariate Cox regression model was used to explore the association between NT-proBNP level and MACE risk.ResultsThe mean age of the study cohort was 59.2 years. A total of 68 patients experienced MACE during a median follow-up of 6.1 years. Restricted cubic spline analysis delineated a linear relationship between the baseline NT-proBNP level and MACE risk. Both univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that an increased NT-proBNP level was associated with an increased risk of MACE [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) per doubling: 1.412, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.022–1.952, p = 0.0365]. This association remains consistent in clinical meaningful subgroups according to age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and diabetes.ConclusionAn increased NT-proBNP level is associated with an increased risk of MACE in patients with intermediate coronary lesions and may serve as the potential biomarker for risk stratification and treatment decision guidance

The Health Silk Road: A Double-Edged Sword? Assessing the Implications of China’s Health Diplomacy

The Health Silk Road (HSR) of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) of China aims to enhance public health and foster international cooperation in the healthcare sector. HSR objectives include strengthening healthcare infrastructure, expanding China’s global health leadership, and enhancing international health cooperation. The aim of this study was to examine the HSR and its implications for global health and international relations by using expert opinion analysis on known major HSR initiatives. We analyzed the objectives of HSR, including improving healthcare infrastructure, enhancing global health cooperation, and expanding China’s global health leadership. Additionally, as a case study, an in-depth analysis of the China-Pakistan collaboration on healthcare under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was conducted. This research posits that the HSR has a mix of positive and negative implications. Positive impacts of HSR include improved healthcare services, infrastructure, and capacity-building in participating countries. The main challenges include the quality and sustainability of the infrastructure and services provided, debt sustainability, transparency of projects, and China’s geopolitical influence. This research identified five motives behind China’s HSR: economic interests, diplomatic influence, reputation building, regional stability, and health security. The summary centers on CPEC and the WHO/Global collaboration. This research contributes to a nuanced understanding of the HSR’s multifaceted impacts and underscores the importance of open dialogue, cooperation, and the sharing of best practices among stakeholders. By assessing the motives, implications, and concerns of the HSR, this study offers valuable insights for policymakers, global health practitioners, and scholars, highlighting the significance of international collaboration

Comparison of wind stress algorithms, datasets and oceanic power input

Thesis (S.M.)--Joint Program in Physical Oceanography (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2009.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 49-51).If the ocean is in a statistically steady state, energy balance is a strong constraint, suggesting that the energy input into the world ocean is dissipated simultaneously at the same rate. Energy conservation is one of the most important principles in the natural world. However, the study of energy balance in the oceanic circulation has long been overlooked. Mink and Winch (1998) proposed that energy is needed to maintain the meridional overturning circulation and they also concluded that the wind energy input into the world ocean constitute the most important part. Since then, many estimates on the wind energy input have been given with a focus on different time and spatial scales. It is well known that it is the air-sea momentum flux (wind stress) that actually drives the ocean circulation, especially the upper layer circulation. Due to the difficulties of directly measuring the wind stress, different algorithms were proposed to relate the wind stress with the wind velocity and other related atmospheric and oceanic variables. Different algorithms in fact produce quite different wind stresses, which may leads to spurious estimates in the wind energy input into the world ocean. The thesis is organized as follows. In chapter 1, we try to understand the difference of four bulk algorithms, and conclude that different bulk algorithms may yield the wind energy input differences of 20%. Comparison of 4 different wind stress dataset were presented in Chapter 2. However, we do not determine which product is the best. In Chapter 3, a simple numerical experiment was executed and some preliminary estimate on the effects of introducing the wind stress dependence on the oceanic surface velocity were given. The ECCO data computation, however, does not produce the results as expected and some explanations are given.by Shaoyu Yuan.S.M

Popping of g-C3N4 mixed with cupric nitrate: Facile synthesis of Cu-based catalyst for construction of CN bond

A novel strategy to synthesize copper-based nanoparticles supported on carbon nitride (C3N4) was developed by popping of mixture containing C3N4 and cupric nitrate. Characterizations such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicate that the structure of g-C3N4 maintained although a popping process occurred. High resolution transmission electronic microscopy (HRTEM) characterization illustrated that copper-based nanoparticles with diameter of < 1 nm were well distributed on g-C3N4. This kind of copper catalyst exhibits high catalytic activity and selectivity in arylation of pyrazole, a simple and effect strategy to construct CN bond in organic chemistry. According to the results of control experiments and characterizations, cuprous oxide should be the catalytic active phase in the supported coper-based catalyst. Keywords: CN coupling, N-arylation, Carbon nitride, Catalysis, Copper-based catalys

Antigen-Mimic Nanoparticles in Ultrasensitive on-Chip Integrated Anti-p53 Antibody Quantification

As a tumor-suppressing protein, p53 plays a crucial role in preventing cancer development. Its utility as an early cancer detection tool is significant, potentially enabling clinicians to forestall disease advancement and improve patient prognosis. In response to the pathological overexpression of this antigen in tumors, the prevalence of anti-p53 antibodies increases in serum, in a manner quantitatively indicative of cancer progression. This spike can be detected through techniques, such as Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and immunoprecipitation. In this study, we present an electrochemical approach that supports ultrasensitive and highly selective anti-p53 autoantibody quantification without the use of an immuno-modified electrode. We specifically employ antigen-mimicking and antibody-capturing peptide-coated magnetic nanoparticles, along with an AC magnetic field-promoted sample mixing, prior to the presentation of Fab-captured targets to simple lectin-modified sensors. The subfemtomolar assays are highly selective and support quantification from serum-spiked samples within minutes

Morphological and histochemical identification of telocytes in adult yak epididymis

Abstract Telocytes (TCs) are a newly discovered type of mesenchymal cell that are closely related to the tissue’s internal environment. The study aimed to investigate the morphological identification of TCs in the epididymis of adult yak and their role in the local microenvironment. In this study, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy, immunofluorescence, qRT-PCR, and western blotting were used to analyze the cell morphology of TCs. The results showed that there are two types of TCs in the epididymal stroma of yak by TEM; one type is distributed around the capillaries with full cell bodies, longer TPs, and a large number of secretory vesicles; the other is distributed outside the basement membrane with irregularly long, striped, large nuclei and short telopodes (TPs). In addition, these TCs formed complex TC cell networks through TPs with epididymal interstitial capillaries and basal fibroblasts. TCs often appear near the capillaries and basement membrane by special staining. The surface markers of TCs (CD34, vimentin, and CD117) were positively expressed in the epididymal stroma and epithelium by immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence co-expression of vimentin + CD34 and CD117 + CD34 was observed on the surface of TCs. The trends in the mRNA and protein expression of TCs surface markers revealed expression was highest in the caput epididymis. In summary, this is first report of TCs in the epididymis of yak, and two phenotypes of TCs were observed. The existence and distribution characteristics of TCs in the epididymis of plateau yaks provide important clues for further study of the adaptation to reproductive function in the plateau

Levels of oxidative stress in patients with neoadjuvant chemotherapy for gastric cancer: correlation with treatment response

ObjectiveThe intent of this study was to investigate the relationship between oxidative stress and treatment response in gastric cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy.MethodsBlood samples from 108 patients and 108 healthy subjects were collected, and all patients were enrolled in SOX chemotherapy. The patients received four cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Blood samples were collected to determine oxidative stress levels at baseline prior to beginning chemotherapy, and at the end of cycles 2 and 4. The patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy were followed up for several months to years. A survival curve was created according to the follow-up information from the patients. In addition, the correlation between oxidative stress level and treatment effect was evaluated and ROC curves were plotted according to the final collected data.ResultsCompared with the normal group, the levels of the antioxidant index decreased while the peroxide index increased in the patients. Conversely, when patients were compared before and after chemotherapy, the antioxidant index increased but the peroxide index decreased. Furthermore, the antioxidant index increased in the response group while the peroxide index decreased in the non-response group.ConclusionPatients with an increased antioxidant index after chemotherapy have good treatment responsiveness. These indicators can also be used as predictors to judge the patients’ response to chemotherapy

XTRPC1-dependent chemotropic guidance of neuronal growth cones

Calcium arising through release from intracellular stores and from influx across the plasma membrane is essential for signalling by specific guidance cues and by factors that inhibit axon regeneration. The mediators of calcium influx in these cases are largely unknown. Transient receptor potential channels (TRPCs) belong to a superfamily of Ca2+-permeable, receptor-operated channels that have important roles in sensing and responding to changes in the local environment. Here we report that XTRPC1, a Xenopus homolog of mammalian TRPC1, is required for proper growth cone turning responses of Xenopus spinal neurons to microscopic gradients of netrin-1, brain-derived neurotrophic factor and myelin-associated glycoprotein, but not to semaphorin 3A. Furthermore, XTRPC1 is required for midline guidance of axons of commissural interneurons in the developing Xenopus spinal cord. Thus, members of the TRPC family may serve as a key mediator for the Ca2+ influx that regulates axon guidance during development and inhibits axon regeneration in adulthood

Trends in dietary patterns over the last decade and their association with long-term mortality in general US populations with undiagnosed and diagnosed diabetes

Abstract Background Dietary management plays an important role in diabetes care, while the trends in dietary patterns over the last decade in US adults with diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes remain unknown. This study aims to estimate the dietary patterns over the last decade by baseline diabetes diagnoses and explore their association with long-term prognosis. Methods Participants’ data were extracted from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007–2018, which were divided into three groups according to the diabetes diagnosis: without diabetes, undiagnosed diabetes, and diagnosed diabetes. Healthy eating index (HEI) and dietary inflammatory index (DII) were used to evaluate dietary patterns. Survival analyses were adopted to estimate the association between HEI/DII scores and long-term all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality. Results The prevalence of diabetes was increasing among US adults over the last decade. HEI scores of all three groups presented a downward trend in recent years. Participants with undiagnosed diabetes (weighted mean: 50.58, 95% CI: 49.79, 51.36) got significantly lower HEI score in comparison to participants with diagnosed diabetes (weighted mean: 51.59, 95% CI: 50.93, 52.25). Compared with participants without diabetes, participants in the undiagnosed or diagnosed diabetes group had higher DII scores, indicating a higher dietary inflammatory potential. Survival analysis found a significant association between HEI scores and all-cause mortality and death of heart diseases. Similar correlation was observed in DII scores. Conclusions Along with the growth in diabetes prevalence in the US, dietary management of people with diabetes is decreasing. The management of US adults’ diets needs special attention, and dietary inflammatory potential may be considered in the dietary intervention

CO2 methanation boosted by support-size-dependent strong metal-support interaction and B–O–Ti component

Strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) has a great impact on the activity and selectivity of heterogeneous catalysts, which was usually adjusted by changing reduction temperature or processing catalyst in different atmosphere. However, few researches concentrate on modulating SMSI through regulating the structure of the support. Herein, we show how changing the surface environment of the anatase TiO2 (B–TiO2) can be used to modulate the SMSI. The moderate TiOx overlayer makes the Ni metal highly dispersed on the high specific surface area of support, resulting in a substantially enhanced CO2 methanation rate. Besides, a novel phenomenon was observed that boron dopants promote the formation of the B–O–Ti interface site, enhancing the catalytic performance of CO2 hydrogenation. DFT calculations confirm that the B–O–Ti structure facilitates the activation of CO2 and further hydrogenation to methane