3D printing of foetal vascular rings: feasibility and applicability.

BACKGROUND: Vascular rings (VRs) exhibit complex and diverse forms that are difficult to conceptualize using traditional two-dimensional (2D) schematic. Inexperienced medical students and parents who lack a medical technology background face significant challenges in understanding VRs. The purpose of this research is to develop three-dimensional (3D) printing models of VRs to provide new technical imaging support for medical education and parental consultation. METHODS: This study included 42 fetuses diagnosed as VRs. Foetal echocardiography, modeling and 3D printing were performed, and the dimensional accuracy of models was analyzed. The value of 3D printing in the teaching of VRs was analyzed based on comparing the test results before and after the teaching intervention of 48 medical students and the satisfaction survey. A brief survey was conducted to 40 parents to assess the value of the 3D printed model in prenatal consultations. RESULTS: Forty models of VRs were successfully obtained, which reproduced the anatomical shape of the VRs space with high dimensional accuracy. No differences in the prelecture test results were noted between the 3D printing group and the 2D image group. After the lecture, the knowledge of both groups improved, but the postlecture score and the change in the prelecture versus postlecture score were greater in the 3D printing group, and the subjective satisfaction survey feedback in the 3D printing group was also better (P < 0.05). Similar results were observed from the parental questionnaire, the vast majority of parents have an enthusiastic and positive attitude towards the use of 3D printed models and suggest using them in future prenatal consultations. CONCLUSIONS: Three-dimensional printing technology providing a new tool for effectively displaying different types of foetal VRs. This tool helps physicians and families understand the complex structure of foetal great vessels, positively impacting medical instruction and prenatal counselling.

Nomograms based on lactate dehydrogenase to albumin ratio for predicting survival in colorectal cancer.

Purpose: We aimed to determine if lactate dehydrogenase to albumin ratio (LAR) might play a prognostic role for patients with operable colorectal cancer (CRC). Patients and Methods: 1334 operable CRC patients in Wuhan Union Hospital Between July 2013 and September 2017 were enrolled in this study and were randomly appointed them into training (n=954) and validation (n=380) sets. The relationship between LAR and overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were determined by restricted cubic splines (RCS) with Cox regression models. LAR was then divided into three categories based on the RCS and compared to the well-known TNM stage system. Finally, survival nomograms were developed by compounding the LAR and other clinical factors. Results: Baseline LAR values and the all-cause mortality were U shaped, which slowly decreased until around 4.50 and then started to increase rapidly when the LAR ranged from 4.50-6.68 and then became flat thereafter (P for non-linearity <0.001). LAR was superior to TNM stage for OS as well as DFS and LAR plus TNM stage could add more net benefit than clinical model alone. Moreover, the survival nomograms based on LAR achieved great predictive ability for OS and DFS in operable CRC patients. Conclusions: LAR could be served as a reliable prognostic factor for OS as well as DFS, with more accurate prognostic prediction than current TNM stage for patients with operable CRC.

Single Center to Evaluate and Compare Anisometropic Amblyopia in Adults Using Blood Oxygenation Level-Dependent Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging.

BACKGROUND Anisometropic amblyopia results from the unequal ability to focus between the right and left eyes. Blood oxygenation level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD-fMRI) measures the proportion of oxygenated hemoglobin in specific areas. Diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) is a method of diffusion tensor imaging that estimates the skewed distribution of water diffusion probability. We aimed to evaluate and compare 11 adult patients with anisometropic amblyopia (AA) with 13 normally sighted healthy controls (HC) using BOLD-fMRI and DKI. MATERIAL AND METHODS Eleven adults with AA (age range 20-49; mean age 29.18±8.089) and 13 HC adults (age range 22-50; mean age 28.00±5.79) were recruited. DKI scanning used a single excitation echo-planar imaging sequence and a region of interest to obtain DKI parameters for optic radiation; the corpus callosum was manually placed, including mean kurtosis (MK), fractional anisotropic (FA), and mean diffusivity (MD) values; and BOLD data used a gradient-echo echo-planar imaging sequence. RESULTS The AA group had lower MK and FA of bilateral optic radiation than the HC group (P=0.008 and P=0.006, respectively) and higher MD than the HC group (P=0.005). The MK of the corpus callosum in the AA group was lower than that of HC group (P=0.012).Compared with the non-dominant eyes of the HC group, the amblyopic eyes in the AA group had less activation range and intensity in Brodmann areas 17, 18, and 19. CONCLUSIONS The combined use of DKI and BOLD-fMRI detected microstructural changes associated with local visual pathways and identified damage to the visual cortex in patients with amblyopia.

Anticancer effects of picrasidine I on oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Picrasidine I is a dimeric alkaloid derived from a Southern Asian plant Picrasma quassioides and demonstrated to possess pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory and anti-osteoclastogenic effects. However, its potential anticancer effect remains unclear. In the present study, anticancer activity of picrasidine I was assessed by treating oral squamous cell carcinoma cells with different concentrations of picrasidine I (20, 30, and 40 µM) for 24, 48, and 72 h. The findings revealed that picrasidine I reduced the cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. Picrasidine I exerted its cytotoxic effect through arresting cell cycle at G2/M phase by downregulating cyclin A, cyclin B, CDK4, and CDK6, and inducing apoptosis in oral cancer cells. The induction of apoptosis was evidenced by increasing expression of death receptors, disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential, increased activation of PARP and caspases 3, 8, and 9, enhanced expression of proapoptotic mediators (Bak and Bim L/S), and reduced expression of antiapoptotic mediators (Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL). Moreover, analysis of MAPK signaling pathway revealed that picrasidine I-mediated proapoptotic activities by downregulating JNK phosphorylation. Taken together, the study identifies picrasidine I as a potent anticancer agent that can be used as a therapeutic intervention against oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Three-dimensional printing for cardiovascular diseases: from anatomical modeling to dynamic functionality.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is widely used in medicine. Most research remains focused on forming rigid anatomical models, but moving from static models to dynamic functionality could greatly aid preoperative surgical planning. This work reviews literature on dynamic 3D heart models made of flexible materials for use with a mock circulatory system. Such models allow simulation of surgical procedures under mock physiological conditions, and are; therefore, potentially very useful to clinical practice. For example, anatomical models of mitral regurgitation could provide a better display of lesion area, while dynamic 3D models could further simulate in vitro hemodynamics. Dynamic 3D models could also be used in setting standards for certain parameters for function evaluation, such as flow reserve fraction in coronary heart disease. As a bridge between medical image and clinical aid, 3D printing is now gradually changing the traditional pattern of diagnosis and treatment.

Dietary supplementation of poly-dihydromyricetin-fused zinc nanoparticles alleviates fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome by improving antioxidant capacity, intestinal health and lipid metabolism of laying hens.

Fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome is the main cause of noninfectious death of laying hens and results in substantial economic losses to the poultry industry. This study focused on evaluating the effects of Poly-dihydromyricetin-fused zinc nanoparticles (PDMY-Zn NPs) on antioxidant capacity, liver lipid metabolism, and intestinal health in laying hens. A total of 288 Jingfen laying hens (52 wk old) with similar body weights were randomly divided into 4 dietary groups with 6 replicates in each group for 8 wk. The control group received a basal diet, while the treatment groups were supplemented with PDMY-Zn NPs at levels of 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg, respectively. The results indicate that PDMY-Zn NPs supplementation can enhance antioxidant parameters (P < 0.05) in the blood and liver of laying hens. Simultaneously, it can mitigate vacuolar degeneration and inflammatory necrosis in hepatocytes, improve the relative expression level of related parameters associated with liver lipid metabolism and key regulatory genes (P < 0.05). Furthermore, it has been observed to reshape the composition and diversity of cecum microbes by increasing beneficial probiotics such as Lactobacillus and Prevotella, while also enhancing villi height and villi/crypt ratio in the duodenum and ileum (P < 0.05). Additionally, it elevates liver bile acid content along with the relative expression of key genes involved in liver synthesis (P < 0.05). In summary, PDMY-Zn NPs showed potential to alleviate fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome by enhancing antioxidant capacity, regulating liver lipid metabolism, and maintaining intestinal health.

Enhancing precision in effective regurgitant orifice area estimation by transthoracic echocardiography for functional mitral regurgitation using computational fluid dynamics.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to identify factors influencing the accuracy of the hemispherical proximal isovelocity surface area (PISA) method in calculating the effective regurgitant orifice area (EROA) for patients with functional mitral regurgitation (FMR). Ninety-nine CFD models were constructed to investigate the impact of regurgitant orifice shape and leaflet tethering on the EROA calculation using the PISA method. The correction factors for regurgitation orifice shape (CFs) and for leaflet tethering (CFt) were derived by comparing the 2D PISA method and the actual orifice area. The correction formula was then tested in vivo via 2D transthoracic echocardiography with 3D transesophageal echocardiography of the vena contracta area (VCA) as a reference method in 62 patients with FMR. Based on the CFD simulation results, the two major factors for correcting the EROA calculation were vena contracta length (VCL) and coaptation depth (CD). The correction formula for the EROA was corrected effective regurgitant orifice area (CEROA) = EROA*CFs*CFt, where CFs = 0.59 × VCL(cm) + 0.6 × MR Vmax(cm/s)-0.63 × PISA R(cm)-1.51 and CFt = 0.4 × CD (cm) + 0.96. The correction formula was applied to FMR patients, and the bias and LOA between the CEROA and VCA (0.01 ± 0.13 cm2) were much smaller than those between the EROA and VCA (0.26 ± 0.32 cm2). The CFD-based correction formula improves the accuracy of the EROA calculation based on the hemispheric PISA method, possibly leading to more accurate and reliable data for treatment decision-making in FMR patients.

Study of serum exosome miRNA as a biomarker for early onset adult ouclar myastthenia gravis.

BACKGROUND: By extracting and sequencing miRNAs from serum exosomes of patients with early-onset ocular myasthenia gravis (OMG), generalized myasthenia gravis (GMG) and healthy controls, we screened differentially expressed miRNAs and explored the possibility as potential biomarkers for early-onset OMG. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples were collected from patients with early-onset OMG, early-onset GMG, and age-matched healthy subjects, with 6 samples in each group. All these patients were diagnosed as MG for the first time and did not undergo any treatment. Exosomes miRNAs were extracted from the serum and performed deep sequencing; the differentially expressed miRNAs were compared and analyzed between OMG, GMG, and healthy control groups using edgeR. The differential expression standard was set to | log2FC |>1, p < 0.05. Target prediction of mRNAs were performed using miRTarBase, TargetScan, and miRDB databases, and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed subsequently. The miRNAs with a significant difference were validated using RT-qPCR (10 early-onset OMG patients, 10 early-onset GMG patients and 10 age-sex-matched healthy subjects), and the value of the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was used to assess the diagnostic accuracy and evaluate clinical prognostic value. RESULTS: In total, one upregulated (miR-130a-3p) miRNA was obtained through the upregulated intersection between control vs OMG and OMG vs GMG; four downregulated (miR-4712-3p; miR-6752-5p; miR-320d; miR-3614-3p) miRNAs were obtained through the downregulated intersection between control vs OMG and OMG vs GMG. A total of 408 target genes were predicted for the five differentially expressed miRNAs. The mTOR signaling pathway and Rap1 signaling pathway were significantly enriched based on the enrichment results. RT-qPCR findings revealed that for the OMG, the expression of miR-320d, miR-4712-3p and miR-3614-3p was markedly up-/down-regulated as compared to GMG and healthy control group. The AUC for the three miRNAs between OMG and healthy control groups were 0.78, 0.79 and 0.79 respectively; the AUC between OMG and GMG was 0.84. CONCLUSIONS: The present study identified three novel miRNAs as candidate biomarkers for early-onset OMG patients and it was expected to provide a possibility and a new orientation for serum exosomal miRNAs as OMG diagnostic biomarkers.

The Changes in Fecal Bacterial Communities in Goats Offered Rumen-Protected Fat.

Leizhou goats are famous for their delicious meat but have inferior growth performance. There is little information on rumen-protected fat (RPF) from the Leizhou goat. Hence, we observed the effects of RPF on growth, fecal short-chain fatty acids, and bacteria community with respect to Leizhou goats. Twelve goats (13.34 ± 0.024 kg) were selected and assigned randomly to one of two treatments: (1) a control diet (CON) and (2) 2.4% RPF with a control diet (RPF). The final body weight and average daily gain (ADG) were greater (p < 0.05), and the dry matter intake (DMI): ADG was lower (p < 0.05) in the RPF group than in the CON group. There were no differences in DMI between the CON and RPF groups. The concentrations of total short-chain fatty acids, acetate, propionate, and butyrate were lower (p < 0.05) in the RPF group than in the CON group. The relative abundances of Ruminococcus, Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, Treponema, norank_f__norank_o__RF39, Eubacterium_siraeum_group, and Ruminococcus_torques_group were lower (p < 0.05) in the RPF group than in the CON group. The relative abundances of Bacteroides, norank_f__norank_o__Clostridia_UCG-014, norank_f__Eubacterium_coprostanoligenes_group, Eubacterium_ruminantium_group, norank_f__Oscillospirale-UCG-010, Oscillospiraceae_UCG-002, and Family_XIII_AD3011_group were greater (p < 0.05) in the RPF group than in the CON group. It was concluded that RPF could improve the goats' growth performance by regulating their fecal bacteria communities.

Factors Impacting Fall Severity in Hospitalized Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objectives: This retrospective case-controlled study aimed to evaluate the association between the severity of fall-related injuries and fall-risk-increasing drugs (FRIDs) in hospitalized patients. Methods: Data were collected from Changhua Christian Hospital, Taiwan, of all adult inpatients who experienced falls between January 2017 and December 2021, and were divided into two groups based on whether they sustained severe fall-related injuries. Retrospective data that may affect the severity of fall-related injuries and the use of FRIDs were investigated. Results: Among 1231 documented cases of falls, 26 patients sustained severe fall-related injuries. Older patients and those with osteoporosis were more susceptible to more severe injuries from a fall. The use of mobility aids and osteoporosis medications showed protective effects against fall injuries. No significant association was observed between fall-related injuries and comorbidities or FRIDs. Multivariate analysis confirmed the inverse correlation between the use of mobility aids, osteoporosis medications, and fall severity. Patients with osteoporosis exhibited significantly higher odds of sustaining more severe injuries with a fall (odds ratio = 3.02, 95% confidence interval: 1.21-7.53). Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of addressing risk factors associated with fall severity among hospitalized patients. Providing mobility aids to persons at greater risk.

The characterization of CD8+ T-cell responses in COVID-19.

This review gives an overview of the protective role of CD8+ T cells in SARS-CoV-2 infection. The cross-reactive responses intermediated by CD8+ T cells in unexposed cohorts are described. Additionally, the relevance of resident CD8+ T cells in the upper and lower airway during infection and CD8+ T-cell responses following vaccination are discussed, including recent worrisome breakthrough infections and variants of concerns (VOCs). Lastly, we explain the correlation between CD8+ T cells and COVID-19 severity. This review aids in a deeper comprehension of the association between CD8+ T cells and SARS-CoV-2 and broadens a vision for future exploration.

Activation of lipophagy is required for RAB7 to regulate ferroptosis in sepsis-induced acute kidney injury.

Sepsis-induced acute kidney injury (S-AKI) is the most common type of acute kidney injury (AKI), accompanied by elevated morbidity and mortality rates. This study investigated the mechanism by which lipid droplets (LDs) degraded via autophagy (lipophagy)required for RAB7 regulated ferroptosis in the pathogenesis of S-AKI. Here, we constructed the S-AKI model in vitro and in vivo to elucidate the potential relationship of lipophagy and ferroptosis, and we first confirmed that the activation of lipophagy promoted renal tubular epithelial cell ferroptosis and renal damage in S-AKI. The results showed that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced a marked increase in lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis, which were rescued by ferrstain-1 (Fer-1), an inhibitor of ferroptosis. In addition, LPS induced the remarkable activation of RAB7-mediated lipophagy. Importantly, silencing RAB7 alleviated LPS-induced lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis. Thus, the present study demonstrated the potential significant role of ferroptosis and lipophagy in sepsis-induced AKI, and contributed to better understanding of the pathogenesis and treatment targets of AKI.

DDRGK1-mediated ER-phagy attenuates acute kidney injury through ER-stress and apoptosis.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) constitutes a prevalent clinical syndrome characterized by elevated morbidity and mortality rates, emerging as a significant public health issue. This study investigates the interplay between endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, unfolded protein response (UPR), and ER-associated degradation (ER-phagy) in the pathogenesis of AKI. We employed four distinct murine models of AKI-induced by contrast media, ischemia-reperfusion injury, cisplatin, and folic acid-to elucidate the relationship between ER-phagy, ER stress, and apoptosis. Our findings reveal a marked decrease in ER-phagy coinciding with an accumulation of damaged ER, elevated ER stress, and increased apoptosis across all AKI models. Importantly, overexpression of DDRGK1 in HK-2 cells enhanced ER-phagy levels, ameliorating contrast-induced ER stress and apoptosis. These findings unveil a novel protective mechanism in AKI, wherein DDRGK1-UFL1-mediated ER-phagy mitigates ER stress and apoptosis in renal tubular epithelial cells. Our results thereby contribute to understanding the molecular underpinnings of AKI and offer potential therapeutic targets for its treatment.

Associations between doses of fall-risk-increasing drugs (FRIDs) and falls of hospitalized patients.

Falls are a serious public health problem in the aging population because of the associated clinical and socioeconomic impact. Although previous studies have investigated fall-risk-increasing drugs (FRIDs), few studies have focused on dosage among adult inpatients. This study aimed to evaluate associations between fall risk and dosage of different FRIDs classes in hospital inpatients. Inpatients who experienced falls at medical or surgical wards of Changhua Christian Hospital from January 2017 to December 2021 were identified and matched by age, sex, and hospital ward to randomly selected controls (four per case). Anonymous patient data were extracted from the hospital medical data repository, including demographic characteristics, comorbidities, fall-risk scores, and drug prescriptions. Medication dosages were computed using the anatomical therapeutic chemical classification and the defined daily dose system of the World Health Organization. A total of 852 cases and 3408 controls were identified as eligible. Reducing the use of CNS-active medications, administering lower doses of sedative-hypnotics, prescribing sufficient dopaminergic anti-Parkinson agents, and using NSAIDs instead of opioids are imperative in preventing falls among hospitalized patients according to the findings in the study.

A novel risk stratification model for STEMI after primary PCI: global longitudinal strain and deep neural network assisted myocardial contrast echocardiography quantitative analysis.

Background: In ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) with the restoration of TIMI 3 flow by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), visually defined microvascular obstruction (MVO) was shown to be the predictor of poor prognosis, but not an ideal risk stratification method. We intend to introduce deep neural network (DNN) assisted myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) quantitative analysis and propose a better risk stratification model. Methods: 194 STEMI patients with successful primary PCI with at least 6 months follow-up were included. MCE was performed within 48 h after PCI. The major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were defined as cardiac death, congestive heart failure, reinfarction, stroke, and recurrent angina. The perfusion parameters were derived from a DNN-based myocardial segmentation framework. Three patterns of visual microvascular perfusion (MVP) qualitative analysis: normal, delay, and MVO. Clinical markers and imaging features, including global longitudinal strain (GLS) were analyzed. A calculator for risk was constructed and validated with bootstrap resampling. Results: The time-cost for processing 7,403 MCE frames is 773 s. The correlation coefficients of microvascular blood flow (MBF) were 0.99 to 0.97 for intra-observer and inter-observer variability. 38 patients met MACE in 6-month follow-up. We proposed A risk prediction model based on MBF [HR: 0.93 (0.91-0.95)] in culprit lesion areas and GLS [HR: 0.80 (0.73-0.88)]. At the best risk threshold of 40%, the AUC was 0.95 (sensitivity: 0.84, specificity: 0.94), better than visual MVP method (AUC: 0.70, Sensitivity: 0.89, Specificity: 0.40, IDI: -0.49). The Kaplan-Meier curves showed that the proposed risk prediction model allowed for better risk stratification. Conclusion: The MBF + GLS model allowed more accurate risk stratification of STEMI after PCI than visual qualitative analysis. The DNN-assisted MCE quantitative analysis is an objective, efficient and reproducible method to evaluate microvascular perfusion.

Mitophagy alleviates cisplatin-induced renal tubular epithelial cell ferroptosis through ROS/HO-1/GPX4 axis.

Cisplatin is widely recommended in combination for the treatment of tumors, thus inevitably increasing the incidence of cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury. Mitophagy is a type of mitochondrial quality control mechanism that degrades damaged mitochondria and maintains cellular homeostasis. Ferroptosis, a new modality of programmed cell death, is characterized by iron-dependent phospholipid peroxidation and oxidative membrane damage. However, the role of mitophagy in ferroptosis in kidney disease is unclear. Here, we investigated the mechanism underlying both BNIP3-mediated and PINK1-PARK2-mediated mitophagy-induced attenuation of ferroptosis in cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury. The results showed that cisplatin induced mitochondrial injury, ROS release, intracellular iron accumulation, lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis in the kidney, which were aggravated in Bnip3 knockout, Pink1 knockout or Park2 knockout cisplatin-treated mice. Ferrstatin-1, a synthetic antioxidative ferroptosis inhibitor, rescued iron accumulation, lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis caused by inhibition of mitophagy. Thus, the present study elucidated a novel mechanism by which both BNIP3-mediated and PINK1-PARK2-mediated mitophagy protects against cisplatin-induced renal tubular epithelial cell ferroptosis through the ROS/HO1/GPX4 axis.

Paraquat induces lung alveolar epithelial cell apoptosis via Nrf-2-regulated mitochondrial dysfunction and ER stress.

Paraquat (1,1'-dimethyl-4,4'-bipyridinium chloride; PQ) is widely and commonly used as a herbicides in the world. PQ has been reported to be a major hazard because it causes lung injury. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying PQ-induced lung toxicity still need to be elucidated. Here, we found that PQ significantly decreases cell viability, increases sub-G1 hypodiploids DNA contents and caspase 3/7 activity in lung alveolar epithelial cell-derived L2 cells, which also caused mitochondrial dysfunction, and decreased the mRNA expression of Bcl-2 and increased that of Bax, Bak, and p53. Moreover, the protein expressions of Bax and Bak were increased in PQ-treated cells. In addition, when PQ was exposed to L2 cells, the expressions of ER stress-related signaling genes (including Grp78, CHOP, and caspase-12 mRNA) and proteins (including phospho-eIF-2α, CHOP, Grp78, calpain I and -II, and caspase-12) were significantly increased. PQ also decreased the protein expressions of pro-caspase-9/7/3. Next, we investigated the role of Nrf-2 in PQ-induced alveolar epithelial cell toxicity. In L2 cells, PQ induced Nrf-2 translocation from the cytosol to the nucleus. Cells transfected with Nrf-2 siRNA significantly reversed the PQ-induced toxicity, including depolarization of MMP, increased the Bax, Bak, p53 mRNAs expression, decreased the Bcl-2 mRNA expression, increased the caspase 3/7 activity, Grp78, CHOP, and caspase-12 mRNAs and protein expression, and decreased that of pro-caspase-3. Taken together, these results suggest that Nrf-2-regulated mitochondria and ER stress-related pathways are involved in the PQ-induced alveolar epithelial cell injury.

Autophagy-dependent ferroptosis in kidney disease.

Ferroptosis is a new type of cell death caused by the lack of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) and the imbalance of cellular redox. It is characterized by the accumulation of lipid peroxides on cell membranes. Multiple regulatory pathways of ferroptosis include the GPX4, glutamate-cystine antiporter (System Xc-), lipid metabolism, and iron metabolism pathways. Recent studies have reported that autophagy-dependent ferroptosis (ferroptosis meditated by ferritinophagy, lipophagy, and clockophagy) plays a significant role in the occurrence of several diseases, including diseases affecting the nerves, liver, lungs, and kidneys. This review provides an overview of research progress made on autophagy-dependent ferroptosis in kidney diseases.

Generation of an induced pluripotent stem cell line (SYSUSCi001-A) from a congenital cataract patient carrying heterozygous mutations in BFSP1 and RHO.

The human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) line was generated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from a 1-year-old boy who suffering from congenital cataract (CC), carrying heterozygous mutations in BFSP1 and RHO. PBMCs from this patient were reprogrammed into hiPSCs using non-integrative Sendai viral vectors expressing OCT4, SOX2, KLF4 and C-MYC. CC-hiPSCs had normal karyotype and showed pluripotency both in vitro and in vivo. The CC-hiPSCs would supply an important cell model for studying the pathogenesis of CC.

A soft functional mitral valve model prepared by three-dimensional printing as an aid for an advanced mitral valve operation.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to build a soft mitral valve (MV) model for surgical simulation to aid with an advanced MV operation. METHODS: Soft three-dimensional models of the MV were constructed by the mould-modelling method using silicone. The properties of the material used were tested and compared with those of the valve tissue. Then, the accuracy of the three-dimensional model was assessed from the perspectives of the pathological and morphological parameters. Thereafter, surgical simulation of MV repair, closure of the perforation and transcatheter MV replacement were simulated using our model. Two experienced surgeons were invited to perform and evaluate the fidelity and softness of the model. Morphological changes in the MV and the potential compression of the device on surrounding cardiac tissue were also measured after simulation. RESULTS: The soft MV model was successfully constructed by the mould-modelling method. The property of the material used was closer to that of valve tissue than to that of the rigid model. In addition, the pathological details and morphological measurements of the three-dimensional model were consistent with the surgical findings. The simulated surgical procedure was successful using our model. Morphological changes, including the ratio of the leaflet/annulus area and the coaptation depth, were closely correlated with the regurgitation left after MV repair, which might be an indicator of the surgical effects. The results of this study demonstrated the great advantages of our constructed soft model in exploring the interaction of the device with the surrounding tissue. These advantages were not obtained using the rigid model in a previous study. CONCLUSIONS: The soft MV model was successfully constructed using the mould-modelling method, and its physical properties were similar to those of heart tissue. In addition, the constructed model exhibited great advantages in surgical simulation and clinical application compared with the anatomical model.