Triglyceride-glucose Index as a Valuable Marker to Predict Severity of Coronary Artery Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The diagnostic standard of coronary artery disease (CAD) is coronary angiography (CAG). Since CAG is an invasive procedure underscores the need for identifying non-invasive, effective, and innovative biomarkers. Our study aimed to retrospectively analyze hematological markers for predicting the severity of CAD. METHODS AND RESULTS: Case data were collected from 195 CAD patients admitted to the hospital for CAG. According to Gensini score, patients were divided into mild, moderate, and severe CAD groups. Blood indexes and predictive efficacy of the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index were retrospectively analyzed. Among 195 CAD patients, 81 had mild CAD, 60 had moderate CAD, and 54 had severe CAD. Sex, fast blood glucose (FBG), TyG index, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) significantly differed among the three groups. The TyG index demonstrated higher values in patients with moderate (9.07[8.62-9.44]) and severe (8.98[8.46-9.45]) CAD compared to those with mild CAD (8.75[8.49-9.14]). The AUC of the TyG index was 0.615 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.536-0.694, P =.004), with a cut-off value of 8.997, specificity of 0.704, and sensitivity of 0.535. Logistics analysis showed the risk of moderate and severe CAD with an odds ratio (OR) value of 2.595 (95% CI: 1.199-5.619, adjusted P = .016) following regrouping by the TyG index optimal cut-off value of 8.997. The TyG index combined with FBG and hs-CRP had an elevated AUC value, significantly higher than other combinations (P = .011 and 0.02, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The severity of CAD is positively correlated with an increased TyG index value. A combination of TyG, FBG, and hs-CRP has demonstrated improved diagnostic efficiency, suggesting its potential as a novel indicator for predicting and diagnosing CAD progression.

Complex hybrid weighted pruning method for accelerating convolutional neural networks.

The increasing interest in filter pruning of convolutional neural networks stems from its inherent ability to effectively compress and accelerate these networks. Currently, filter pruning is mainly divided into two schools: norm-based and relation-based. These methods aim to selectively remove the least important filters according to predefined rules. However, the limitations of these methods lie in the inadequate consideration of filter diversity and the impact of batch normalization (BN) layers on the input of the next layer, which may lead to performance degradation. To address the above limitations of norm-based and similarity-based methods, this study conducts empirical analyses to reveal their drawbacks and subsequently introduces a groundbreaking complex hybrid weighted pruning method. By evaluating the correlations and norms between individual filters, as well as the parameters of the BN layer, our method effectively identifies and prunes the most redundant filters in a robust manner, thereby avoiding significant decreases in network performance. We conducted comprehensive and direct pruning experiments on different depths of ResNet using publicly available image classification datasets, ImageNet and CIFAR-10. The results demonstrate the significant efficacy of our approach. In particular, when applied to the ResNet-50 on the ImageNet dataset, achieves a significant reduction of 53.5% in floating-point operations, with a performance loss of only 0.6%.

Enhanced High-Fructose Corn Syrup Production: Immobilizing Serratia marcescens Glucose Isomerase on MOF (Co)-525 Reduces Co2+ Dependency in Glucose Isomerization to Fructose.

The escalating demand for processed foods has led to the widespread industrial use of glucose isomerase (GI) for high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) production. This reliance on GIs necessitates continual Co2+ supplementation to sustain high catalytic activity across multiple reaction cycles. In this study, Serratia marcescens GI (SmGI) was immobilized onto surfaces of the metal-organic framework (MOF) material MOF (Co)-525 to generate MOF (Co)-525-GI for use in catalyzing glucose isomerization to generate fructose. Examination of MOF (Co)-525-GI structural features using scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and ultraviolet spectroscopy revealed no structural changes after SmGI immobilization and the addition of Co2+. Notably, MOF (Co)-525-GI exhibited optimal catalytic activity at pH 7.5 and 70 °C, with a maximum reaction rate (Vmax) of 37.24 ± 1.91 µM/min and Km value of 46.25 ± 3.03 mM observed. Remarkably, immobilized SmGI exhibited sustained high catalytic activity over multiple cycles without continuous Co2+ infusion, retaining its molecular structure and 96.38% of its initial activity after six reaction cycles. These results underscore the potential of MOF (Co)-525-GI to serve as a safer and more efficient immobilized enzyme technology compared to traditional GI-based food-processing technologies.

Effect of high-field iMRI guided resection in cerebral glioma surgery: A randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Extent of resection (EOR) in glioma contributes to longer survival. The purpose of NCT01479686 was to prove whether intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) increases EOR in glioma surgery and benefit survival. METHODS: Patients were randomized (1:1) to receive the iMRI (n = 161) or the conventional neuronavigation (n = 160). The primary endpoint was gross total resection (GTR); secondary outcomes reported were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety. RESULTS: 188 high-grade gliomas (HGGs) and 133 low-grade gliomas (LGGs) were enrolled. GTR was 83.85% in the iMRI group vs. 50.00% in the control group (P < 0.0001). In 321 patients, the median PFS (mPFS) was 65.12 months in the iMRI group and 61.01 months in the control group (P = 0.0202). For HGGs, mPFS was improved in the iMRI group (19.32 vs. 13.34 months, P = 0.0015), and a trend of superior OS compared with control was observed (29.73 vs. 25.33 months, P = 0.1233). In the predefined eloquent area HGG subgroup, mPFS, and mOS were 20.47 months and 33.58 months in the iMRI vs. 12.21 months and 21.16 months in the control group (P = 0.0098; P = 0.0375, respectively). From the exploratory analyses of HGGs, residual tumor volume (TV) < 1.0 cm3 decreased the risk of survival (mPFS: 18.99 vs. 9.43 months, P = 0.0055; mOS: 29.77 vs. 18.10 months, P = 0.0042). LGGs with preoperative (pre-OP) TV > 43.1 cm3 and postoperative (post-OP) TV > 4.6 cm3 showed worse OS (P= 0.0117) CONCLUSIONS: It showed that iMRI significantly increased EOR and indicated survival benefits for HGGs, particularly eloquent HGGs. Residual TV in either HGGs or LGGs is a prognostic factor for survival.

Safety of sodium-glucose transporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis of cohort studies.

Aims: This study aimed to investigate the association between the use of sodium-glucose transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) and the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), lower limb amputation (LLA), urinary tract infections (UTI), genital tract infections (GTI), bone fracture, and hypoglycemia in cohort studies. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in the PubMed and Embase databases to identify cohort studies comparing the safety of SGLT-2i versus other glucose-lowering drugs (oGLD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The quality of the studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Primary endpoints were DKA and LLA, while secondary endpoints included UTI, GTI, bone fracture, and hypoglycemia. Hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Results: A total of 9,911,454 patients from 40 cohort studies were included in the analysis. SGLT-2i use was associated with a higher risk of DKA (HR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.07-1.38, p = 0.003) and GTI (HR: 2.72, 95% CI: 2.48-2.98, p < 0.01). However, it was not associated with an increased risk of LLA (HR: 1.06, 95% CI: 0.92-1.23, p = 0.42), UTI (HR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.89-1.10, p = 0.83), or bone fracture (HR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.94-1.04, p = 0.66). Furthermore, SGLT-2i was associated with a reduced risk of hypoglycemia. Furthermore, compared to dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors, SGLT-2i as a class and individually was associated with an increased risk of DKA. Canagliflozin specifically increased the risk of LLA (HR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.04-1.36, p = 0.01). The subgroup analysis suggested that SGLT-2i increased the risk of LLA among patients with a history of cardiovascular disease. Conclusion: SGLT-2i versus oGLD was associated with a similar occurrence of LLA, UTI, and bone fracture. However, SGLT-2i was associated with a higher risk of DKA and GTI than oGLD. These findings provide valuable information on the safety profile of SGLT-2i in patients with T2DM and can help inform clinical decision-making.

Comparative safety of different sodium-glucose transporter 2 inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Backgrounds: The safety of different sodium-glucose transporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors remains uncertain due to the lack of head-to-head comparisons. Methods: This network meta-analysis (NMA) was performed to compare the safety of nine SGLT-2 inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched for studies published in English before August 30, 2022. Published and unpublished randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the safety of individual SGLT-2 inhibitors in patients with T2DM were included. A Bayesian NMA with random effects model was applied. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed. The quality of the evidence was evaluated using the Confidence in Network Meta-Analysis framework. Results: Nine SGLT-2 inhibitors were evaluated in 113 RCTs (12 registries) involving 105,293 adult patients. Reproductive tract infections (RTIs) were reported in 1,967 (4.51%) and 276 (1.01%) patients in the SGLT-2 inhibitor and placebo groups, respectively. Furthermore, pollakiuria was reported in 233 (2.66%) and 45 (0.84%) patients, respectively. Compared to placebo, a significantly higher risk of RTIs was observed with canagliflozin, ertugliflozin, empagliflozin, remogliflozin, dapagliflozin, and sotagliflozin, but not with luseogliflozin and ipragliflozin, regardless of gender. An increased risk of pollakiuria was observed with dapagliflozin [odds ratio (OR) 10.40, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.60-157.94) and empagliflozin (OR 5.81, 95%CI 1.79-32.97). Remogliflozin (OR 6.45, 95%CI 2.18-27.79) and dapagliflozin (OR 1.33, 95%CI 1.10-1.62) were associated with an increased risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs). Instead, the included SGLT-2 inhibitors had a protective effect against acute kidney injury (AKI). No significant differences were found for hypovolemia, renal impairment or failure, fracture, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), amputation, and severe hypoglycemia between the SGLT-2 inhibitor and the placebo groups. Conclusion: In patients with T2DM, dapagliflozin was associated with an increased risk of RTIs, pollakiuria, and UTIs. Empagliflozin increased the risk of RTIs and pollakiuria. Remogliflozin increased the risk of UTIs. None of the SGLT-2 inhibitors showed a significant difference from the placebo for hypovolemia, renal impairment or failure, fracture, DKA, amputation, and severe hypoglycemia. The findings guide the selection of SGLT-2 inhibitors for patients with T2DM based on the patient's profiles to maximize safety. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero, identifier CRD42022334644.

Real-time observation of stationary and pulsating noise-like vector pulses in a fiber laser.

Rapid progress in real-time measurement technology has uncovered varieties of transient pulse dynamics. Here, we report the vector nature of noise-like pulse (NLP) in a passive fiber laser based on the nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM) as the polarization independent saturable absorber. After achieving the basic operation regime of NLP, various types of vector pulses, namely, the polarization locked noise-like vector pulse (PLNLVP), the group velocity locked noise-like vector pulse (GVLNLVP), and the transitional state of combined characteristics of GVLNLVP and polarization rotation noise-like vector pulse (PRNLVP) are also obtained in the cavity. Besides, by utilizing the Dispersive Fourier transform (DFT) technique, the spectral evolution and the energy vibration of pulsating PLNLVP, GVLNLVP, and the transitional state of combined characteristics of GVLNLVP and PRNLVP are also analyzed in real time. Particularly, the coexisting pulsation vector state of NLP and soliton is also captured. All these findings will help to complement our understanding of noise-like vector pulses (NLVPs) in a fiber laser.

A novel high-stability bioelectrochemical sensor based on sol-gel immobilization of lactate dehydrogenase and AuNPs-rGO signal enhancement for serum pyruvate detection.

Pyruvate participates in diverse metabolic pathways in the body and is normally present in human blood at 40-120 µM, with concentrations outside this range associated with various diseases. Therefore, accurate and stable blood pyruvate level tests are necessary for effective disease detection. However, traditional analytical techniques require complicated instrumentation and are time consuming and expensive, prompting researchers to develop improved methods based on biosensors and bioassays. Here, we designed a highly stable bioelectrochemical pyruvate sensor affixed to a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). To maximize biosensor stability, 0.1 U of lactate dehydrogenase was affixed to the GCE using a sol-gel process, resulting in generation of Gel/LDH/GCE. Next, 2.0 mg/mL AuNPs-rGO was added to enhance current signal strength, resulting in generation of the bioelectrochemical sensor Gel/AuNPs-rGO/LDH/GCE. AuNPs-rGO synthesized in advance was verified as correct using transmission electron microscopy and UV-Vis, Fourier-transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Pyruvate detection conducted via differential pulse voltammetry in phosphate buffer (pH 7.4, 100 mM) at 37 °C for 1-4500 µM pyruvate provided detection sensitivity as high as 254.54 µA/mM/cm2. The reproducibility, regenerability and storage stability were analyzed with the relative standard deviation of 5 bioeletrochemical sensors detection was 4.60% and biosensor accuracy after 9 cycles was 92%, with accuracy remaining at 86% after 7 days. In the presence of D-glucose, citric acid, dopamine, uric acid and ascorbic acid, the Gel/AuNPs-rGO/LDH/GCE sensor exhibited excellent stability, high anti-interference ability and better performance than conventional spectroscopic methods for detection of pyruvate in artificial serum.

Design of highly active substrates using molecular docking for microbial transglutaminase detection.

The transglutaminase (TGase) family catalyzes a transamidation reaction between glutamine (Gln) and lysine (Lys) residues on protein substrates. Highly active substrates are important for cross-linking and modifying proteins of TGase. In the present work, high-activity substrates have been designed based on the principles of enzyme-substrate interaction, using microbial transglutaminase (mTGase) as a research model of the TGase family. Substrates with high activity were screened using a combination of molecular docking and traditional experiments. Twenty-four sets of peptide substrates all produced good catalytic activity with mTGase. FFKKAYAV as the acyl acceptor and VLQRAY as the acyl donor group had the best reaction efficiency with highly sensitive detection of 26 nM mTGase. In addition, the substrate grouping, KAYAV and AFQSAY, detected 130 nM mTGase under physiological conditions (37 °C, pH 7.4), producing 20-fold higher activity than the natural substrate, collagen. The experimental results confirmed the potential for design of high-activity substrates by a combination of molecular docking and traditional experiments under physiological conditions.

Doppler Echocardiography Combined with NTproBNP/BNP in the Diagnosis of Pulmonary Artery Hypertension Associated with Congenital Heart Disease.

Background: Pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) is a common complication of congenital heart disease (CHD) and is associated with worse outcomes and increased mortality. The Doppler echocardiography (DE) is a commonly used imaging tool for both diagnosis and follow-up examination of PAH. Here is to evaluate the diagnostic performance of DE combined with NTproBNP/BNP as screening strategy in PAH patients with CHD. Methods: A retrospective study in 64 patients with CHD has been carried out to compare estimate pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) measured with DE to that measured with right heart catheterization (RHC). The Pearson correlation analyses were used to calculate the correlation coefficients between RHC and DE. The Bland-Altman analyses were carried out to assess the agreement between the two methods. ROC analyses were used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of DE, NTproBNP/BNP, and DE combined with NTproBNP/BNP. Results: Our data have demonstrated that a mild correlation (r = 0.4401, P < 0.01) was observed between PASP (78.1 ± 29.0 mmHg) measured during RHC and PASP (74.9 ± 19.7 mmHg) as estimated using DE. The Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated that the bias for DE PASP estimates was 3.2 mmHg with 95% limits of agreement ranging from -49.53 to 55.90 mmHg. The results of DE showed an AUC of 0.848 (95% CI = 0.666-1; P < 0.001), the sensitivity of which was 98.3% and the specificity was 77.8%. The AUC of NTproBNP/BNP for the identification of PAH was 0.804 (95% CI = 0.651-0.956; P < 0.001), the sensitivity of which was 81.4% and the specificity was 87.5%. The AUC of DE combined with NTproBNP/BNP was 0.857 (95% CI = 0.676-1; P < 0.001), of which sensitivity was 100% and specificity was 77.8%. The positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were 96.6% and 100%, respectively. Conclusions: Our study shows that the Doppler echocardiography combined with NTproBNP/BNP has better diagnostic performance in pulmonary artery hypertension associated with congenital heart disease, especially when DE negative screening in PAH patients.

Saturated fatty acid promotes calcification via suppressing SIRT6 expression in vascular smooth muscle cells.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate the effects of saturated free fatty acid on calcification and SIRT6 expression in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and the role of SIRT6 in regulating VSMC calcification. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated to two groups: rats with normal diet (ND) and high-fat diet (HFD) from 4 to 12 weeks. At 12 weeks, part rats randomly selected from ND and HFD were administrated with vitamin D3 and nicotine to establish a model of vascular calcification. Thoracic aortas were collected from treatment rats at 16 weeks for assaying vascular calcification and related protein expression. Primary VSMCs isolated from Sprague-Dawley rats were used for investigating the effects of palmitic acid on VSMCs' calcification, apoptosis and target protein expression. RESULTS: HFD-facilitated calcification in medial aorta, with decreased SIRT6 expression in VSMCs of aortas. Palmitic acid decreased SIRT6 expression while increased calcification, apoptosis and protein expression of BMP2 and RUNX2 in primary VSMCs. Overexpression of SIRT6 could, partially or completely, rescue the palmitic acid-induced elevation of calcification, apoptosis and expression of BMP2 and RUNX2. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that vascular calcification induced by HFD was linked to the palmitic acid-induced downregulation of SIRT6. Overexpression of SIRT6 could decrease palmitic acid-induced calcification and apoptosis in VSMCs.

Study on the effect of nanoparticles combined with silicone surfactant and cationic surfactant on foam and fire extinguishing performance.

Aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) in firefighting foam can effectively extinguish oil fire. However, AFFF will be phased out due to the presence of persistent organic pollutants such as perfluorooctane sulfonates. It is necessary to explore environment-friendly foam extinguishing agent. Silicone surfactant is a kind of environmentally friendly surfactants with high surface activity, which can be used as a substitute for fluorocarbon surfactant. In this study, silicone surfactant and cationic surfactant were combined to adsorb nanosilica particles to form a multiphase system. The foaming property and foam stability of the multiphase system were tested by stirring method. The foam suppression effect on fuel vapor, fire extinguishing, and burn-back performance was tested by self-designed foam suppression device and foam generating device of porous glass with recyclable liquid supply. The experimental results show that foam stability is enhanced and the foaming property is slightly decreased after the addition of nanoparticles. When the component of three-phase foam reaches the optimum, its suppression effect on fuel vapor is better than that of two-phase foam. The results of fire extinguishing and burn-back performance test showed that the fire extinguishing effect of three-phase foam was slightly worse than that of AFFF, but it has extremely strong burn-back performance.

The change in the liver volume after direct intrahepatic portocaval shunt in patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome with diffuse hepatic vein occlusion.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the changes in the liver volume and function after direct intrahepatic portocaval shunt (DIPS) in patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) with diffuse hepatic vein (HV) occlusion. METHODS: The clinical data of 29 patients with BCS who underwent DIPS for intractable ascites caused by diffuse hepatic vein occlusion in the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University were analysed retrospectively; the patients included 8 males and 21 females, with an average age of 33.3 ± 6.3 years. The patients underwent abdominal CT scanning and liver function examinations before DIPS, and 1 week, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months after DIPS. The changes of the liver volume and liver function before and after DIPS were compared. RESULTS: All 29 patients underwent DIPS successfully. 28 patients survived during the follow-up of 12-33 months, with a median follow-up of 16 months. The patients' liver function were significantly improved at 3, 6 and 12 months after the operation compared to before the operation (P < 0.05). The liver volumes measured before the operation and 1 week, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months after the operation were 2124.586 ± 420.889 cm3, 1926.263 ± 372.268 cm3, 1480.592 ± 183.061 cm3, 1461.904 ± 153.027 cm3 and 1469.286 ± 148.549 cm3, respectively. Compared with the preoperative liver volume, the liver volume had decreased significantly at 1 week, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months after the operation (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the liver volumes at 6 and 12 months after the operation (P = 0.35). CONCLUSIONS: Direct intrahepatic portocaval shunt has achieved satisfactory clinical results in the treatment of BCS with diffuse hepatic vein occlusion. The congestive hepatomegaly was gradually reduced after the operation. The liver volume (which was defined as the clinical efficacy in this study) remained stable after 6 months.

Crosstalk between autophagy and the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway regulates realgar-induced neurotoxicity.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Realgar, the main component of which is As2S2 or As4S4 (≥90%), is a traditional Chinese natural medicine that has been used to treat carbuncles, furuncles, snake and insect bites, abdominal pain caused by parasitic worms, and epilepsy in China for many years. Because realgar contains arsenic, chronic or excessive use of single-flavor realgar and realgar-containing Chinese patent medicine can lead to drug-induced arsenic poisoning, but the exact mechanism underlying its toxicity to the central nervous system is unclear. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of this study was to clarify the mechanism of realgar-induced neurotoxicity and to investigate the effects of realgar on autophagy and the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used rats treated with the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) or adeno-associated virus (AAV2/9-r-shRNA-Sqstm1, sh-p62) to investigate realgar-induced neurotoxicity and explore the specific relationship between autophagy and the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway (the Nrf2 pathway) in the cerebral cortex. Molecular docking analysis was used to assess the interactions among the Nrf2, p62 and Keap1 proteins. RESULTS: Our results showed that arsenic from realgar accumulated in the brain and blood to cause neuronal and synaptic damage, decrease exploratory behavior and spontaneous movement, and impair memory ability in rats. The mechanism may have involved realgar-mediated autophagy impairment and continuous activation of the Nrf2 pathway via the LC3-p62-Keap1-Nrf2 axis. However, because this activation of the Nrf2 pathway was not sufficient to counteract oxidative damage, apoptosis was aggravated in the cerebral cortex. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that autophagy, the Nrf2 pathway, and apoptosis are involved in realgar-induced central nervous system toxicity and identified p62 as the hub of the LC3-p62-Keap1-Nrf2 axis in the regulation of autophagy, the Nrf2 pathway, and apoptosis.

Preoperative QRS Duration Predicts the Responsiveness of Chronic Heart Failure Patients with Pacemaker Indications to Left Bundle Branch Area Pacing Treatment.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the predictive value of preoperative QRS duration (QRSd) in responsiveness of chronic heart failure (CHF) patients with pacemaker indications to the left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP). METHODS: Thirty-one CHF patients with cardiac function categorized as NYHA class II or above and indications for pacemaker therapy who successfully underwent LBBAP treatment were enrolled in this study. Based on the 12-month postoperative responsiveness to treatment, patients were divided into a responsiveness group (N = 16) and a no-responsiveness group (N = 15). Data from all patients were collected for analysis. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent factors associated with the responsiveness to LBBAP treatment. RESULTS: Among the 31 patients with LBBAP, 16 patients (51.6%) responded to the treatment, and 15 patients (48.4%) had no response. There were significant differences between the two groups with regard to complete left bundle branch block (CLBBB), preoperative QRSd, and preoperative left ventricular peak time (LVAT). Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that CLBBB, preoperative QRSd, and preoperative LVAT all were significantly correlated with responsiveness to LBBAP. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis showed that QRSd was an independent predictor of responsiveness to LBBAP. The maximum area under the ROC curve for QRSd was 0.827 (95%C.I.:0.663-0.991), the maximum Youden index was 0.679, with the optimal cutoff point of QRSd ≥ 153 ms, a sensitivity of 81.3%, and a specificity of 86.7%. CONCLUSION: Preoperative QRSd predicts the responsiveness of CHF patients with pacemaker indications to LBBAP.

Prognostic significance of CNSL at diagnosis of childhood B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A report from the South China Children's Leukemia Group.

Objectives: The prognostic significance of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients with central nervous system leukemia (CNSL) at diagnosis is controversial. We aimed to determine the impact of CNSL at diagnosis on the clinical outcomes of childhood B-cell ALL in the South China Children's Leukemia Group (SCCLG). Methods: A total of 1,872 childhood patients were recruited for the study between October 2016 and July 2021. The diagnosis of CNSL depends on primary cytological examination of cerebrospinal fluid, clinical manifestations, and imaging manifestations. Patients with CNSL at diagnosis received two additional courses of intrathecal triple injections during induction. Results: The frequency of CNLS at the diagnosis of B-cell ALL was 3.6%. Patients with CNSL at diagnosis had a significantly higher mean presenting leukocyte count (P = 0.002) and poorer treatment response (P <0.05) compared with non-CNSL patients. Moreover, CNSL status was associated with worse 3-year event-free survival (P = 0.030) and a higher risk of 3-year cumulative incidence of relapse (P = 0.008), while no impact was observed on 3-year overall survival (P = 0.837). Multivariate analysis revealed that CNSL status at diagnosis was an independent predictor with a higher cumulative incidence of relapse (hazard ratio = 2.809, P = 0.016). Conclusion: CNSL status remains an adverse prognostic factor in childhood B-cell ALL, indicating that additional augmentation of CNS-directed therapy is warranted for patients with CNSL at diagnosis.

Leuconostoc mesenteroides LVBH107 Antibacterial Activity against Porphyromonas gingivalis and Anti-Inflammatory Activity against P. gingivalis Lipopolysaccharide-Stimulated RAW 264.7 Cells.

Probiotics, active microorganisms benefiting human health, currently serve as nutritional supplements and clinical treatments. Periodontitis, a chronic infectious oral disease caused by Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis), activates the host immune response to release numerous proinflammatory cytokines. Here, we aimed to clarify Leuconostoc mesenterica (L. mesenteroides) LVBH107 probiotic effects based on the inhibition of P. gingivalis activities while also evaluating the effectiveness of an in vitro P. gingivalis lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cell-based inflammation mode. L. mesenteroides LVBH107 survived at acid, bile salts, lysozyme, and hydrogen peroxide conditions, auto-aggregated and co-aggregated with P. gingivalis, exhibited strong hydrophobicity and electrostatic action, and strongly adhered to gingival epithelial and HT-29 cells (thus exhibiting oral tissue adherence and colonization abilities). Moreover, L. mesenteroides LVBH107 exhibited sensitivity to antibiotics erythromycin, doxycycline, minocycline, ampicillin, and others (thus indicating it lacked antibiotic resistance plasmids), effectively inhibited P. gingivalis biofilm formation and inflammation (in vitro inflammation model), reduced the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1ß) and inflammatory mediators (NO and PGE2), and decreased the expression levels of inflammation related genes. Thus, L. mesenterica LVBH107 holds promise as a probiotic that can inhibit P. gingivalis biofilm formation and exert anti-inflammatory activity to maintain oral health.

Effect of silicones and polymers on the wetting and foaming properties of anionic and nonionic hydrocarbon surfactants.

To better understand the effects of nonionic silicones and polymers on the wetting and foaming properties of anionic and nonionic hydrocarbon surfactants and different forces between molecules, nonionic silicone surfactant (GT-248), polymer (HPMC), anionic surfactant (AES), and nonionic surfactants (APG0810) were selected. The CMC ratio is used as a reference to determine the concentration ratio of the APG0810/GT-248 and AES/GT-248 compound solutions, after which HPMC was added to form a compound solution to test the wetting and foaming properties of the compound solution. The results showed that GT-248 obtained a high density of methyl groups on the surface of the solution due to its excellent spreadability and good flexibility of the siloxane chain, effectively reduces the surface tension and wetting time of AES and APG0810 solutions. But in terms of foam performance, after adding GT-248 to solution, the foam stability of AES solution is enhanced, the foam height of AES solution was reduced by 33.7%, the foam stability of APG0810 solution is weakened a lot, and the foam height of APG0810 solution was reduced by 85.4%. Mainly because of the difference in electronegativity between the AES and APG0810 head groups, the strong electronegativity between the AES head groups resulted in a smaller number of GT-248 insertions in the liquid film, which weakened the defoaming effect of GT-248. The weak interaction between the head groups of APG0810 resulted in a higher amount of GT-248 in the liquid film, and thus, the foam performance was greatly reduced. After the AES/GT-248 compound solution was preferred, by comparing the viscosity, surface tension, and the half-life of the foam, it was found that the addition of low concentration of polymer effectively improved the half-life of the foam without affecting the foaming properties, and the final choice of 4:1(AES/GT-248) + 1mgHPMC and 2:1(AES/GT-248) + 1mgHPMC composite solutions can be used as a superior dust suppression material.

Laser-detected magnetic resonance spectra dressed by a radio-frequency field.

We theoretically and experimentally investigate the laser-detected magnetic resonance spectra dressed by a radio-frequency magnetic field in Fg = 4 of D1 line of cesium atoms. The analytical expression of the transmission spectrum for magnetic resonance dressed by a radio-frequency magnetic field is derived and has substantial agreement with the transmission spectra observed in the experiment. The theoretical prediction of the ratio of the amplitudes of the two sidebands with the detuning is basically consistent with the experimental data, which confirms the validity of the analytical expression. The separation between the two sidebands under resonance shows a highly linear proportion to the amplitude of the dressing field, which may provide a useful scheme for the measurement of radio-frequency magnetic field and magnetic imaging.

Microbial L-asparaginase for Application in Acrylamide Mitigation from Food: Current Research Status and Future Perspectives.

L-asparaginase (E.C.3.5.1.1) hydrolyzes L-asparagine to L-aspartic acid and ammonia, which has been widely applied in the pharmaceutical and food industries. Microbes have advantages for L-asparaginase production, and there are several commercially available forms of L-asparaginase, all of which are derived from microbes. Generally, L-asparaginase has an optimum pH range of 5.0-9.0 and an optimum temperature of between 30 and 60 °C. However, the optimum temperature of L-asparaginase from hyperthermophilic archaea is considerable higher (between 85 and 100 °C). The native properties of the enzymes can be enhanced by using immobilization techniques. The stability and recyclability of immobilized enzymes makes them more suitable for food applications. This current work describes the classification, catalytic mechanism, production, purification, and immobilization of microbial L-asparaginase, focusing on its application as an effective reducer of acrylamide in fried potato products, bakery products, and coffee. This highlights the prospects of cost-effective L-asparaginase, thermostable L-asparaginase, and immobilized L-asparaginase as good candidates for food application in the future.