High-sensitivity C-reactive protein to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio predicts long-term adverse outcomes in patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention: A prospective cohort study.

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio (CHR) is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD), but its predictive value for long-term adverse outcomes in patients with CAD following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains unexplored and is the subject of this study. Patients with CAD who underwent PCI at the Korea University Guro Hospital-Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (KUGH-PCI) Registry since 2004 were included. Patients were categorized into tertiles according to their CHR. The end points were all-cause mortality (ACM), cardiac mortality (CM) and major adverse cardiac events (MACEs). Kaplan-Meier analysis, multivariate Cox regression, restricted cubic spline (RCS) and sensitivity analyses were performed. A total of 3260 patients were included and divided into Group 1 (CHR <0.830, N = 1089), Group 2 (CHR = 0.830-3.782, N = 1085) and Group 3 (CHR >3.782, N = 1086). Higher CHR tertiles were associated with progressively greater risks of ACM, CM and MACEs (log-rank, p < 0.001). Multivariate Cox regression showed that patients in the highest tertile had greater risks of ACM (HR: 2.127 [1.452-3.117]), CM (HR: 3.575 [1.938-6.593]) and MACEs (HR: 1.337 [1.089-1.641]) than those in the lowest tertile. RCS analyses did not reveal a significant non-linear relationship between CHR and ACM, CM or MACEs. The significant associations remained significant in the sensitivity analyses, RCS analyses with or without extreme values, subgroup analyses and multiple imputations for missing data. Elevated CHR is a novel, independent risk factor for long-term ACM, CM and MACEs in CAD patients following PCI.

Meta-analysis and systematic review of the relationship between sex and the risk or incidence of poststroke aphasia and its types.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse and discuss the association of gender differences with the risk and incidence of poststroke aphasia (PSA) and its types, and to provide evidence-based guidance for the prevention and treatment of poststroke aphasia in clinical practice. DATA SOURCES: Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library and Web of Science were searched from January 1, 2002, to December 1, 2023. STUDY SELECTION: Including the total number of strokes, aphasia, the number of different sexes or the number of PSA corresponding to different sex. DATA EXTRACTION: Studies with missing data, aphasia caused by nonstroke and noncompliance with the requirements of literature types were excluded. DATA SYNTHESIS: 36 papers were included, from 19 countries. The analysis of 168,259 patients with stroke and 31,058 patients with PSA showed that the risk of PSA was 1.23 times higher in female than in male (OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.19-1.29, P < 0.001), with a prevalence of PSA of 31% in men and 36% in women, and an overall prevalence of 34% (P < 0.001). Analysis of the risk of the different types of aphasia in 1,048 patients with PSA showed a high risk in females for global, broca and Wenicke aphasia, and a high risk in males for anomic, conductive and transcortical aphasia, which was not statistically significant by meta-analysis. The incidence of global aphasia (males vs. females, 29% vs. 32%) and broca aphasia (17% vs 19%) were higher in females, and anomic aphasia (19% vs 14%) was higher in males, which was statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There are gender differences in the incidence and types of PSA. The risk of PSA in female is higher than that in male.

Expression analysis and antiviral activity of koi carp (Cyprinus carpio) viperin against carp edema virus (CEV).

Viperin, also known as radical S-Adenosyl methionine domain containing 2 (RSAD2), is an IFN stimulated protein that plays crucial roles in innate immunity. Here, we identified a viperin gene from the koi carp (Cyprinus carpio) (kVip). The ORF of kVip is 1047 bp in length, encoding a polypeptide of 348 amino acids with neither signal peptide nor transmembrane protein. The predicted molecular weight is 40.37 kDa and the isoelectric point is 7.7. Multiple sequence alignment indicated that putative kVip contains a radical SAM superfamily domain and a conserved C-terminal region. kVip was highly expressed in the skin and spleen of healthy koi carps, and significantly stimulated in both natural and artificial CEV-infected koi carps. In vitro immune stimulation analysis showed that both extracellular and intracellular poly (I: C) or poly (dA: dT) caused a significant increase in kVip expression of spleen cells. Furthermore, intraperitoneal injection of recombinant kVip (rkVip) not only reduced the CEV load in the gills, but also improved the survival of koi carps following CEV challenge. Additionally, rkVip administration effectively regulated inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-1ß, TNF-α, IL-10) and interferon-related molecules (cGAS, STING, MyD88, IFN-γ, IFN-α, IRF3 and IRF9). Collectively, kVip effectively responded to CEV infection and exerted antiviral function against CEV partially by regulation of inflammatory and interferon responses.

Miro1 improves the exogenous engraftment efficiency and therapeutic potential of mitochondria transfer using Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells.

Mitochondria are important for maintaining cellular energy metabolism and regulating cellular senescence. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) encodes subunits of the OXPHOS complexes which are essential for cellular respiration and energy production. Meanwhile, mtDNA variants have been associated with the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, including MELAS, for which no effective treatment has been developed. To alleviate the pathological conditions involved in mitochondrial disorders, mitochondria transfer therapy has shown promise. Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJMSCs) have been identified as suitable mitochondria donors for mitochondria-defective cells, wherein mitochondrial functions can be rescued. Miro1 participates in mitochondria trafficking by anchoring mitochondria to microtubules. In this study, we identified Miro1 over-expression as a factor that could help to enhance the efficiency of mitochondrial delivery. More specifically, we reveal that Miro1 over-expressed WJMSCs significantly improved intercellular communications, cell proliferation rates, and mitochondrial membrane potential, while restoring mitochondrial bioenergetics in mitochondria-defective fibroblasts. Furthermore, Miro1 over-expressed WJMSCs decreased rates of induced apoptosis and ROS production in MELAS fibroblasts; although, Miro1 over-expression did not rescue mtDNA mutation ratios nor mitochondrial biogenesis. This study presents a potentially novel therapeutic strategy for treating mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS), and other diseases associated with dysfunctional mitochondria, while the pathophysiological relevance of our results should be further verified by animal models and clinical studies.

Effects of intensive glycemic control on microvascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes mellitus are modified by long-term HbA1c variability: A post hoc analysis of the ACCORD trial.

AIMS: To assess the impact of long-term visit-to-visit variability in HbA1c on microvascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and its influence on the effects of intensive glycemic control. METHODS: Included were participants with T2DM enrolled in the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) who had at least three measurements of HbA1c prior to new-onset microvascular outcomes, namely nephropathy, retinopathy and neuropathy. Variability in HbA1c was defined as the coefficient of variation (CV) across HbA1c measurements obtained from enrollment to the transition from intensive to standard glycemic therapy. RESULTS: During a median of 22,005, 23,121, and 13,080 person-years of follow-up, 2,905 nephropathy, 2,655 retinopathy, and 1,974 neuropathy cases were recorded, respectively. Median CV (IQR) was 7.91 % (5.66 %-10.76 %) in the standard treatment group and 9.79 % (7.32 %-13.35 %) in the intensive treatment group. In the standard treatment group, lower HbA1c-CV (the first versus the second quartile) was associated with a higher risk of all microvascular outcomes, while higher HbA1c-CV (the fourth quartile) was associated with a higher risk of nephropathy only. In the intensive treatment group, only higher HbA1c-CV was associated with a higher risk of developing the microvascular outcomes. Intensive therapy reduced all microvascular outcomes among individuals with lower HbA1c-CV, but increased the risk among those with the highest HbA1c-CV (all P values for interaction < 0.0001). For example, hazard ratios (95 % CI) of retinopathy comparing intensive with standard treatments were 0.65 (0.56-0.75), 0.84 (0.71-0.98), 0.97 (0.82-1.14) and 1.28 (1.08-1.53) across the lowest to the highest quartiles of HbA1c variability. CONCLUSIONS: The effects of intensive glycemic control on microvascular outcomes in T2DM appear to be modified by the variability of HbA1c during the treatment process, suggesting the significance of dynamic monitoring of HbA1c levels and timely adjustments to the therapeutic strategy among individuals with a high HbA1c variability.

Chiral nanopesticides: the invincible opponent of plant viruses.

Viral diseases of plants are exceptionally difficult to control in agriculture production. Recently, Gao et al. discovered that engineered site-selective nanoparticles (NPs), incorporating metal ion-based proteolytic activity and nanoscale chirality, can be used as potent, nontoxic, and environmentally friendly antiviral agents to kill plant viruses.

Diagnostic performance of renal cortical elasticity by supersonic shear wave imaging in pediatric glomerular disease.

PURPOSE: To explore the diagnostic performance of renal cortical elasticity expressed by Young's modulus (YM) using the supersonic shear wave imaging (SSI) technique in pediatric glomerular disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-one children with glomerular disease confirmed by renal biopsy and sixty healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. Conventional and SSI ultrasound examinations were performed in all individuals for both kidneys. We measured renal length, renal width, renal thickness, parenchyma thickness, interlobar arterial resistive index (RI) and the YM of the middle and lower pole. RESULTS: Regardless of which pole and which side of the kidney, the YM in the disease group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.001). The YM of the middle pole in the left kidney demonstrated the largest AUC (0.936, P < 0.001), and the corresponding cut-off value was 15.48 kPa with a sensitivity of 87.3% and a specificity of 86.7%. There was no significant difference in the YM among different pathological types of pediatric glomerular disease in the disease group, and the same in different grades of patients with Immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy by Lee classification and the Oxford Classification as well as Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis (HSPN) by International Study of Kidney Disease in Children (ISKDC) classification (P > 0.05). We found positive but weak correlations between the YM and renal length (r = 0.299, P = 0.001), renal width (r = 0.408, P < 0.001), renal thickness (r = 0.299, P = 0.001), and parenchyma thickness (r = 0.212, P = 0.015), whereas the YM had no significant correlations with age, sex, BMI, interlobar arterial RI, and laboratory findings (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: SSI technology is a non-invasive and feasible method for the diagnosis of pediatric glomerular disease. However, SSI did not show good performance in distinguishing different pathological types and disease grades in our study.

Risk factors for renal outcomes in children with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis: a nationwide retrospective study in China.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV) is a life-threatening systemic vasculitis featured by liability to renal involvement. However, there are few studies on the risk factors and predictive models for renal outcomes of AAV in children. METHODS: Data from 179 AAV children in multiple centers between January 2012 and March 2020 were collected retrospectively. The risk factors and predictive model of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in AAV were explored. RESULTS: Renal involvement was the most typical manifestation (95.5%), and the crescent was the predominant pathological lesion (84.9%). The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was evaluated in 114 patients, of whom 59.6% developed ESRD, and the median time to ESRD was 3.20 months. The eGFR [P = 0.006, odds ratio (OR) = 0.955, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.924-0.987] and the percentages of global glomerulosclerosis (pGGS; P = 0.018, OR = 1.060, 95% CI = 1.010-1.112) were independent risk factors for ESRD of renal biopsy. Based on the pGGS and eGFR at renal biopsy, we developed three risk grades of ESRD and one predictive model. The Kaplan‒Meier curve indicated that renal outcomes were significantly different in different risk grades (P < 0.001). Compared with serum creatinine at baseline, the predictive model had higher accuracy (0.86 versus 0.58, P < 0.001) and a lower coefficient of variation (0.07 versus 0.92) in external validation. CONCLUSIONS: Renal involvement is the most common manifestation of pediatric AAV in China, of which more than half deteriorates into ESRD. The predictive model based on eGFR at renal biopsy and the pGGS may be stable and accurate in speculating the risk of ESRD in AAV children. Supplementary file 2 (MP4 18937 KB).

[Temporal and Spatial Characteristics of Troposphere O3 and Precursors HCHO and NO2 in East China].

Based on OMI remote sensing satellite data, the temporal and spatial characteristics of tropospheric ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and formaldehyde (HCHO) concentrations in East China from 2005 to 2021 were analyzed, and the backward trajectory (HYSPLIT) model was used to explore their sources. The results showed that ① during the 17 years, the tropospheric O3 concentration steadily increased, reached the maximum value in 2010, and then showed a fluctuating and undulating state. NO2 showed an increasing trend from 2005 to 2012 and slowly decreased from 2012 to 2021. The average HCHO concentration showed an increasing trend from 1.15×1016molec·cm-2 in 2005 to 1.8×1016 molec·cm-2 in 2021. ② In terms of spatial characteristics, the concentrations of the three pollutants generally showed a pattern of high concentration in the north and low concentration in the south, with a high concentration in the north, uncharacteristic concentration in the middle, and low concentration in the south. ③ The sensitivity of O3 was as follows:η<2.3 in spring, which belonged to the VOCs control area; η<4.2 in summer, showing that most areas were NOx-VOCs coordinated control areas and a few areas were VOCs control areas; η<4.2 in autumn, which was primarily controlled by VOCs, with a few of them being NOx-VOC synergistic control areas; and η<2.3 in winter, which was a VOCs-controlled area. VOCs were primarily controlled in Shandong Province. ④ Owing to the high concentration of O3 in Shandong Province from 2005 to 2021, Jinan, the capital city of Shandong Province in 2021, was selected for ozone source analysis. The O3 concentration increased in Jinan in 2021 owing to two aspects. First, the long-distance air transportation primarily originated from Lianyungang City in Jiangsu Province and Cangzhou City in Hebei Province. Second, the close air mass transport originated from the pollution of cities near Jinan and the economic zones of the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea, and the aggregation analysis results corresponded with those of the potential source contribution factor algorithm (PSCF) and the weighted trajectory analysis (CWT).

Correlation between dysphagia and serum albumin levels and prognosis: a retrospective study.

Introduction: Introduction: dysphagia is a common complication of stroke, and serum albumin is widely recognized as a strong prognostic marker of health and/or disease status. However, the correlation between dysphagia and serum albumin levels has not been established. Objectives: to observe the correlation between dysphagia and serum albumin levels and prognosis in patients with stroke. Methods: we performed a retrospective study of patients hospitalized between June 1, 2018, and June 1, 2022. A total of 1,370 patients were enrolled. The patients were divided into two groups: dysphagia and non-dysphagia. Binary logistic regression and multiple linear regression models were used to analyze the correlation between dysphagia, albumin, modified Rankin Scale (mRS), activities of daily living (ADL), and length of hospital stay (LOS). Results: after adjusting for confounding factors, the risk of pneumonia in the dysphagia group was 2.417 times higher than that in the non-dysphagia group (OR = 2.417, 95 % CI: 1.902-3.072, p = 0.000). The risk of mRS ≥ 3 and modified Barthel index (MBI) < 60 in patients with dysphagia was 3.272-fold (OR = 3.272, 95 % CI: 2.508-4.269, p < 0.001) and 1.670-fold (OR = 1.670, 95 % CI: 1.230-2.268, p < 0.001), respectively; and the risk of hypoproteinemia was 2.533 times higher (OR = 2.533, 95 % CI: 1.879-3.414, p = 0.000). Stepwise linear regression showed that dysphagia was significantly correlated with lower albumin levels and higher mRS, lower ADL, and longer LOS in patients with stroke (ß = -0.220, ß = 0.265, ß = -0.210, and ß = 0.147, respectively; p < 0.001). Conclusions: dysphagia in patients with stroke is associated with decreased albumin levels and has an impact on its prognosis.

Introducción: Introducción: la disfagia es una complicación común del accidente cerebrovascular, y la albúmina sérica es ampliamente reconocida como un fuerte marcador pronóstico del estado de salud y/o enfermedad. Sin embargo, no se ha establecido la correlación entre la disfagia y los niveles de albúmina sérica. Objetivos: observar la correlación entre la disfagia y los niveles de albúmina sérica y el pronóstico en pacientes con accidente cerebrovascular. Métodos: realizamos un estudio retrospectivo de pacientes hospitalizados entre el 1 de junio de 2018 y el 1 de junio de 2022. Se inscribieron un total de 1.370 pacientes, los cuales fueron divididos en dos grupos: con disfagia y sin disfagia. Se utilizaron modelos de regresión logística binaria y de regresión lineal múltiple para analizar la correlación entre la disfagia, la albúmina, la escala de Rankin modificada (ERm), las actividades de la vida diaria (AVD) y el tiempo de estancia hospitalaria (TEH). Resultados: después de ajustar por factores de confusión, el riesgo de neumonía en el grupo de disfagia fue 2,417 veces mayor que en el grupo sin disfagia (OR = 2,417, IC 95 %: 1,902-3,072, p = 0,000). El riesgo de ERm ≥ 3 y el índice de Barthel modificado (MBI) < 60 en pacientes con disfagia se multiplicó por 3,272 veces (OR = 3,272, IC 95 %: 2,508-4,269, p < 0,001) y 1,670 veces (OR = 1,670, IC 95 %: 1,230-2,268, p < 0,001), respectivamente; el riesgo de hipoproteinemia fue 2,533 veces mayor (OR = 2,533, IC 95 %: 1,879-3,414, p = 0,000). La regresión lineal por pasos mostró que la disfagia se correlacionó significativamente con niveles más bajos de albúmina y ERm más altos, AVD más bajos y TEH más prolongados en pacientes con accidente cerebrovascular (ß = -0,220, ß = 0,265, ß = -0,210 y ß = 0,147, respectivamente; p < 0,001). Conclusiones: la disfagia en pacientes con accidente cerebrovascular se asocia a una disminución de los niveles de albúmina y repercute en su pronóstico.