Suppressing the radiation loss by hybrid Tamm-surface plasmon BIC modes.

Tamm plasmon polaritons (TPPs), localized near the boundary of a dielectric Bragg reflector (DBR) and a thin metal film, have attracted much attention for the lower ohm loss and flexible excitation. However, the radiation loss resulting from the direct coupling to the surroundings hinders their applications. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a new type of hybrid plasmonic quasi-bound state in the continuum (BIC) in a Tamm-surface plasmon polariton system to suppress the radiation loss. Leveraging the scattering of the periodic metal array, the TPP interacts with the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) mode and form a Friedrich-Wintgen type quasi-BIC state that originated from the interference of two surface waves with different natures. Through angle resolved reflectance spectrum measurement, the hybrid plasmonic quasi-BIC was observed in the experiment. Our work proposes a new method to design a high Q mode in plasmonic systems, and thus holds promise for applications in the field of light matter interactions.

A Multicenter Study of the Mid-term Outcomes of Patients with Uncomplicated Type B Aortic Dissection After Distal Porous Talos Stent-Graft Implantation.

BACKGROUND: The Talos stent-graft has extended length to improve aortic remodeling, and distal porous design to decrease the rate of spinal cord ischemia (SCI). This study retrospectively analyzed its mid-term outcomes for uncomplicated type B aortic dissection in a multicenter study. METHODS: The primary safety end point was 30-day major adverse events, including all-cause mortality, dissection-related mortality, conversion to open surgery, and device-related adverse events. The primary efficacy end point was treatment success at 12 months postoperation, defined as no technical failure or secondary dissection-related reintervention. The survival status of the patients was visualized using the Kaplan-Meier curve. Aortic growth was assessed at 4 levels, and SCI was evaluated at 12 months. RESULTS: 113 patients participated with a mean age of 54.4 (11.1) years and 71.7% (81/113) were male. The 30-day mortality was 0.9% (1/113), no conversions to open surgery or device-related adverse events were recorded. The 12-month treatment success rate was 99.1% (112/113), with no dissection-related reinterventions. There was no spinal cord or visceral ischemia at 12 months. At a median of 34 months follow-up, 9 further deaths were recorded and the 3-year survival rate was 91.7%. The percentage of aortic growth was 1.8% (2/111) at the tracheal bifurcation, 3.6% (4/111) below the left atrium, 6.0% (5/83) above the celiac artery, and 12.1% (9/74) below the lower renal artery. The total thrombosis rate of the false lumen at the stented segment was 80.5% (91/113). CONCLUSIONS: The results showed satisfactory results of Talos stent-graft in terms of safety and efficacy. More data are needed to confirm the long-term performance.

Automated detection of steps in videos of strabismus surgery using deep learning.

BACKGROUND: Learning to perform strabismus surgery is an essential aspect of ophthalmologists' surgical training. Automated classification strategy for surgical steps can improve the effectiveness of training curricula and the efficient evaluation of residents' performance. To this end, we aimed to develop and validate a deep learning (DL) model for automated detecting strabismus surgery steps in the videos. METHODS: In this study, we gathered 479 strabismus surgery videos from Shanghai Children's Hospital, affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, spanning July 2017 to October 2021. The videos were manually cut into 3345 clips of the eight strabismus surgical steps based on the International Council of Ophthalmology's Ophthalmology Surgical Competency Assessment Rubrics (ICO-OSCAR: strabismus). The videos dataset was randomly split by eye-level into a training (60%), validation (20%) and testing dataset (20%). We evaluated two hybrid DL algorithms: a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) based and a Transformer-based model. The evaluation metrics included: accuracy, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, precision, recall and F1-score. RESULTS: DL models identified the steps in video clips of strabismus surgery achieved macro-average AUC of 1.00 (95% CI 1.00-1.00) with Transformer-based model and 0.98 (95% CI 0.97-1.00) with RNN-based model, respectively. The Transformer-based model yielded a higher accuracy compared with RNN-based models (0.96 vs. 0.83, p < 0.001). In detecting different steps of strabismus surgery, the predictive ability of the Transformer-based model was better than that of the RNN. Precision ranged between 0.90 and 1 for the Transformer-based model and 0.75 to 0.94 for the RNN-based model. The f1-score ranged between 0.93 and 1 for the Transformer-based model and 0.78 to 0.92 for the RNN-based model. CONCLUSION: The DL models can automate identify video steps of strabismus surgery with high accuracy and Transformer-based algorithms show excellent performance when modeling spatiotemporal features of video frames.

SS-31 efficacy in a mouse model of Friedreich ataxia by upregulation of frataxin expression.

Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is a serious hereditary neurodegenerative disease, mostly accompanied with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, caused by the reduced expression of frataxin (FXN). However, there is still no effective treatment. Our previous studies have shown that SS-31, a mitochondrion-targeted peptide, is capable to upregulate the expression of FXN and improve the mitochondrial function in cells derived from FRDA patients. To further explore the potential of SS-31, we used the GAA expansion-based models, including Y47 and YG8R (Fxn KIKO) mice, primary neurons and macrophages from the mice and cells derived from FRDA patients. After once-daily intraperitoneal injection of 1 mg/kg SS-31 for 1 month, we observed the significant improvement of motor function. The vacuolation in dorsal root ganglia, lesions in dentate nuclei and the lost thickness of myelin sheath of spinal cord were all repaired after SS-31 treatment. In addition, the hypertrophic cardiomyocytes and disarrayed abnormal Purkinje cells were dramatically reduced. Interestingly, we found that SS-31 treatment upregulated FXN expression not only at the translational levels as observed in cell culture but also at mRNA levels in vivo. Consequently, mitochondrial morphology and function were greatly improved in all tested tissues. Importantly, our data provided additional evidence that the maintenance of the therapeutic benefits needed continuous drug administration. Taken together, our findings have demonstrated the effectiveness of SS-31 treatment through the upregulation of FXN in vivo and offer guidance of the potential usage in the clinical application for FRDA.

Risk factors for target vessel endoleaks after physician-modified fenestrated or branched endovascular aortic repair for postdissection thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms.

OBJECTIVE: Patients with postdissection thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs) have been more likely to develop endoleaks than those with degenerative TAAAs after fenestrated or branched endovascular aortic repair (F/BEVAR). In the present study, we aimed to determine the risk factors for target vessel (TV)-related endoleaks after visceral segment F/BEVAR for postdissection TAAAs. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients with degenerative and postdissection TAAAs treated with F/BEVAR between 2017 and 2021. All the patients had undergone computed tomography angiography before and 3 months, 6 months, and annually after discharge. Two experienced vascular surgeons had used data from computed tomography angiography and vascular angiography to judge the presence of endoleaks. The study end points were mortality, aneurysm rupture, and the emergence of and reintervention for TV-related endoleaks. RESULTS: A total of 195 patients (mean age, 66 ± 10 years; 69% men) had undergone F/BEVAR for 99 postdissection TAAAs and 96 degenerative TAAAs. During a mean follow-up of 16 ± 12 months, we found that the patients with postdissection TAAAs were younger (age, 64 ± 10 years vs 69 ± 9 years; P = .001), had required more prior aortic repairs (58% vs 40%; P = .012), and had had a higher body mass index (26.1 ± 3.4 kg/m2 vs 24.8 ± 3 kg/m2; P = .008), a larger visceral segment aortic diameter (47.1 ± 7.5 mm vs 44.5 ± 7.5 mm; P = .016), and more TV-related endoleaks (18% vs 7%; P = .023) compared with those with degenerative TAAAs. Of the 99 patients with postdissection TAAAs, 327 renal-mesenteric arteries were revascularized using 12 scallops, 141 fenestrations, and 174 inner or outer branch stents. A total of 25 TV-related endoleaks were identified among 18 patients during follow-up, including 6 type Ic (retrograde from the distal end of the branch), 3 type IIIb (bridging stent fabric tear), and 16 type IIIc endoleaks (detachment or loose connection of the bridging stent). The patients with an endoleak had had a larger visceral aortic diameter (52.7 ± 6.4 mm vs 45.8 ± 7.2 mm; P < .001) and had undergone revascularization of more TVs (3.7 ± 0.7 vs 3.2 ± 0.9; P = .032). In contrast, true lumen compression did not seem to affect the occurrence of TV endoleaks (39% vs 27%; P = .323). The use of presewn branch stents in the fenestration position was associated with a lower risk of TV-related endoleaks (5% vs 11%; P = .025). In addition, TVs derived entirely or partially from the false lumen were more prone to the development of endoleaks after reconstruction (19% vs 4% [P < .001]; and 15% vs 4% [P = .047], respectively). CONCLUSIONS: We found that patients with postdissection TAAAs were more likely to have TV-related endoleaks after F/BEVAR in the visceral region than those with degenerative TAAAs. Additionally, patients with a larger aortic diameter and a greater number of fenestrations in the visceral region were more likely to have experienced TV-related endoleaks. Branch vessels deriving from the false lumen were also more likely to develop endoleaks after reconstruction, and prefabricated branch stents were related to a lower possibility of TV-related endoleaks.

Clinical Study of a Physician Modified Y-Type Iliac Branch Device (PMYIBD) in the Endovascular Repair of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms to Preserve the Internal Iliac Artery.

OBJECTIVES: To report the method and curative effect of using a physician modified Y-type iliac branch device (PMYIBD) to preserve the internal iliac artery during the endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms. METHODS: From September 2018 to April 2022, 24 patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms or dissecting aneurysms, including 19 true aneurysms and 5 dissecting aneurysms involving the common iliac artery were treated in our department. The average age was (65.3 ± 7.6) years. All patients underwent preoperative evaluation by enhanced computed tomography. Combined with intraoperative angiography, a Y-type stent graft was prepared during surgery to perform endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms. RESULTS: All operations were successfully completed. The average operative duration was (224.8 ± 44.1) minutes. A total of 24 internal iliac arteries were reconstructed. The average follow-up time was (27.1 ± 13.5) months. During the follow-up, there was no expansion of aneurysm cavity, no endoleak or stent displacement, and no death occurred in all patients. DISCUSSION: The physician-modified Y-type iliac branched device (PMYIBD) provides an effective method for full-cavity repair. It has a wide range of indications and convenience. According to follow-up results, the early and mid-term had good curative effects; however, the long-term effects require further follow-up. CONCLUSION: The modified Y-type IBD technique is safe and effective for aortic diseases involving internal iliac artery especially with complex anatomy. CLINICAL IMPACT: It is meaningful to preserve the IIA during EVAR. The use of PMYIBD provides a simple and effective method for the total endovascular repair of aortic diseases involving the IIA. Several advantages such as minimal trauma, low mortality, low complication rates and perfect short- and medium-term effects emerge in clinical practice. PMYIBDs are good choices for clinicians before suitable commercial stents are available in markets.

Three-Dimensional Printing to Guide Fenestrated/Branched TEVAR in Triple Aortic Arch Branch Reconstruction With a Curative Effect Analysis.

PURPOSE: To summarize experience with and the efficacy of fenestrated/branched thoracic endovascular repair (F/B-TEVAR) using physician-modified stent-grafts (PMSGs) under 3D printing guidance in triple aortic arch branch reconstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From February 2018 to April 2022, 14 cases of aortic arch aneurysms and 30 cases of aortic arch dissection (22 acute aortic arch dissection and 8 long-term aortic arch dissection)were treated by F/B-TEVAR in our department, including 34 males and 10 females, with an average age of 59.84 ± 11.72 years. Three aortic arch branches were affected in all patients. A 3D-printed model was made according to computed tomography angiography images and used to guide the fabrication of PMSGs. All patients were followed up. RESULTS: A total of 132 branches were successfully reconstructed with no case of conversion to open surgery. The average operation time was 4.97 ± 1.40 hours, including a mean 44.05 ± 7.72 minutes for stent-graft customization, the mean postoperative hospitalization duration was 9.91 ± 4.47 days, the average intraoperative blood loss was 480.91 mL (100-2810 mL), and the mean postoperative intensive care unit monitoring duration was 1.02 days (0-5 days). No deaths occurred within 30 days of surgery. Postoperative neurological complications occurred in 1 case (2.3%), and retrograde type A dissection occurred in 1 case (2.3%). CONCLUSION: Compared with conventional surgery, triple aortic arch branch reconstruction under the guidance of 3D printing is a minimally invasive treatment method with the advantages of accurate positioning, rapid postoperative recovery, few complications, and reliable short- to mid-term effects. CLINICAL IMPACT: At present the PMSG usually depend on imaging data and software calculation. With the guidance of 3D printing technology, image data could be transformed into 3D model, which has improved the accuracy of the positioning of the fenestrations. The diameter reduction technique and the internal mini cuff technique have made a complement to the slimed-down fenestration selection process and the low rate of endoleak. As reproducible study, our results may provide reference for TEVAR in different cases.

OUTER RETINAL TUBULATION IN BIETTI CRYSTALLINE DYSTROPHY ASSOCIATED WITH THE RETINAL PIGMENT EPITHELIUM ATROPHY.

PURPOSE: To determine the prognostic value of outer retinal tubulation (ORT) in the eyes of a Chinese cohort with Bietti crystalline dystrophy (BCD). METHODS: This retrospective, multicenter cohort study enrolled 42 patients with clinically and genetically diagnosed BCD. Eighty eyes with good-quality images of spectral domain optical coherence tomography were included. Demographic details and clinical data were collected. The characteristics of ORT, including prevalence, location, and morphologic characteristics were analyzed. RESULTS: Forty-two patients with BCD harbored potentially CYP4V2 disease-causing mutations. The mutation spectrum comprised 17 unique variants, 9 of which were novel. Fifty-two of these 80 eyes demonstrated evidence of ORT. The incidence of ORT is significantly higher in Stage 2 than other stages ( P < 0.001). ORT was mainly bilateral and located at the margin of the atrophic area of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), and dynamically changed with the progressive RPE atrophy. The process of RPE atrophy was slower in eyes with ORT ( P = 0.017), with significantly longer intact RPE width in Stage 3 ( P = 0.024). Eyes with ORT had slower vision loss than eyes without ORT ( P = 0.044). CONCLUSION: ORT may be a sign of the onset of RPE atrophy in early-stage BCD and may suggest less risk of rapid progression in late-stage BCD.

Ironing out macrophages in atherosclerosis.

The most common cause of death worldwide is atherosclerosis and related cardiovascular disorders. Macrophages are important players in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and perform critical functions in iron homeostasis due to recycling iron by phagocytosis of senescent red blood cells and regulating iron availability in the tissue microenvironment. With the growth of research on the "iron hypothesis" of atherosclerosis, macrophage iron has gradually become a hotspot in the refined iron hypothesis. Macrophages with the M1, M2, M(Hb), Mox, and other phenotypes have been defined with different iron-handling capabilities related to the immune function and immunometabolism of macrophages, which influence the progression of atherosclerosis. In this review, we focus on macrophage iron and its effects on the development of atherosclerosis. We also cover the contradictory discoveries and propose a possible explanation. Finally, pharmaceutical modulation of macrophage iron is discussed as a promising target for atherosclerosis therapy.

Accurate Embolization for Endoleak after F-TEVAR of Thoracic Aortic Dissection by Detachable Coils.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy and clinical outcomes of accurate embolization of endoleaks after fenestrated thoracic endovascular aortic repair (F-TEVAR) for thoracic aortic dissections. METHODS: Twenty patients with endoleaks (17 type I and 3 type II) after fenestrated thoracic endovascular aortic repair (F-TEVAR) were embolized using detachable and ordinary coils. We assessed the success rate and complications of the operation, and its effects, through clinical and CT follow-up. RESULTS: The mean clinical follow-up duration was 25.68 ± 11.07 months (3-44 months). During follow-up, all endoleaks were completely embolized and aortic remodeling was improved. Secondary endoleaks occurred in four patients who were embolized twice. No other complications or death were reported. CONCLUSION: Embolization using detachable and ordinary coils is effective and safe for the treatment of endoleaks after fenestrated thoracic endovascular aortic repair.

Oridonin attenuates the progression of atherosclerosis by inhibiting NLRP3 and activating Nrf2 in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

Oridonin, a well-known traditional Chinese herbal medicinal product isolated from Isodon rubescens (Hemsl.) H.Hara, has many potential properties, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. However, there is no evidence whether oridonin have a protective effect on atherosclerosis. This study focused on the effects of oridonin on oxidative stress and inflammation generated from atherosclerosis. The therapeutic effect on atherosclerosis was evaluated by intraperitoneal injection of oridonin in a high-fat fed ApoE-/- mouse model. We isolated mouse peritoneal macrophages and detected the effect of oridonin on oxidized low-density lipoprotein-induced lipid deposition. Oil red O staining, Masson's staining, dihydroethidium fluorescence staining, immunohistochemical staining, western blotting analysis, immunofluorescence, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and quantitative real-time PCR were used to evaluate the effect on atherosclerosis and explore the mechanisms. Oridonin treatment significantly alleviated the progression of atherosclerosis, reduced macrophage infiltration and stabilized plaques. Oridonin could significantly inhibit inflammation associated with NLRP3 activation. Oridonin significantly reduced oxidative stress by blocking Nrf2 ubiquitination and degradation. We also found that oridonin could prevent the formation of foam cells by increasing lipid efflux protein and reducing lipid uptake protein in macrophages. Oridonin has a protective effect on atherosclerosis in ApoE-/- mice, which may be related to the inhibition of NLRP3 and the stabilization of Nrf2. Therefore, oridonin may be a potential therapeutic agent for atherosclerosis.

[Building of a Clinical Prediction Model for Hemodynamic Depression after Carotid Artery Stenting].

Objective To analyze the risk factors and build a clinical prediction model for hemodynamic depression (HD) after carotid artery stenting (CAS). Methods A total of 116 patients who received CAS in the Department of Vascular Surgery,Drum Tower Clinical College of Nanjing Medical University and the Department of Vascular Surgery,the Affiliated Suqian First People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 1,2016 to January 1,2022 were included in this study.The patients were assigned into a HD group and a non-HD group.The clinical baseline data and vascular disease characteristics of each group were collected,and multivariate Logistic regression was employed to identify the independent predictors of HD after CAS and build a clinical prediction model.The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn,and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was calculated to evaluate the predictive performance of the model. Results The HD group had lower proportions of diabetes (P=0.014) and smoking (P=0.037) and higher proportions of hypertension (P=0.031),bilateral CAS (P=0.018),calcified plaque (P=0.001),eccentric plaque (P=0.003),and the distance<1 cm from the minimum lumen level to the carotid bifurcation (P=0.009) than the non-HD group.The age,sex,coronary heart disease,symptomatic carotid artery stenosis,degree of stenosis,and length of lesions had no statistically significant differences between the HD group and the non-HD group (all P>0.05).Based on the above predictive factors,a clinical prediction model was established,which showed the AUC of 0.807 and the 95% CI of 0.730-0.885 (P<0.001).The model demonstrated the sensitivity of 62.7% and the specificity of 87.7% when the best cut-off value of the model score reached 12.5 points. Conclusions Diabetes,smoking,calcified plaque,eccentric plaque,and the distance<1 cm from the minimum lumen level to the carotid bifurcation are independent predictors of HD after CAS.The clinical prediction model built based on the above factors has good performance in predicting the occurrence of HD after CAS.

Rapid and Specific Enhanced Luminescent Switch of Aniline Gas by MOFs Assembled from a Planar Binuclear Cadmium(II) Metalloligand.

Due to the low vapor pressure of aniline, it is challenging to develop a specific rapid fluorescence detection material for low concentrations of aniline gas, which is suspected to result in carcinogenicity when people are exposed by ingestion, inhalation, and skin contact. Herein, the easy-preparing Schiff base ligands were employed to construct the binuclear cadmium(II) compounds featuring a good plane and fine luminescent property, and then, the end groups were changed, making the compounds metalloligands to further build the 3D metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), named MECS-2. It is found that MECS-2 can achieve specific luminescent enhancement response for aniline gas. Furthermore, a large-scale MECS-2a film could be easily prepared by electrospinning nanoMECS-2, which presents the highly efficient and visual detection for aniline gas with the luminescent enhancement effect up to 20 times and good repeatability. Our work provides a good example for the efficient construction of MOF-based films with the fluorescence detection function for organic aromatic gases.

Retracted: Levo-Tetrahydropalmatine Attenuates Progression of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in an Elastase Perfusion Rat Model via Suppression of Matrix Metalloproteinase and Monocyte Chemotactic Protein-1.

This publication has been retracted by the Editor due to concerns regarding the originality of the figure images. Reference: Xin Wang, Rong Zhao, Honggang Zhang, Min Zhou, Ming Zhang, Tong Qiao. Levo-Tetrahydropalmatine Attenuates Progression of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in an Elastase Perfusion Rat Model via Suppression of Matrix Metalloproteinase and Monocyte Chemotactic Protein-1. Med Sci Monit, 2018; 24: 625-660. DOI: 10.12659/MSM.906153.

Surgical outcomes and observation in exotropia cerebral palsy children with cortical visual impairment.

PURPOSE: Cortical visual impairment (CVI) is the common cause of pediatric visual impairment in cerebral palsy (CP) while exotropia is the most common strabismus associated with CP. We aim to observe the strabismic surgery outcomes in pediatric patients with CP and CVI. METHOD: Our medical records were collected from pediatric patients treated in our hospital from May 1, 2017 to Jan 1, 2022. With normal intelligence assessment and diagnosis of exotropia in children with CP and CVI, microsurgeries were performed under intravenous combined inhalation anesthesia. The strabismus was examined by the prism test under best vision correction and the contrast sensitivity testing (CST) was measured at five levels of spatial frequencies. RESULT: A total of 38 exotropia patients with CP and CVI were identified and included for analysis during the study period with age ranged from 5 to 12 years (mean 8.45 years) and mean follow up duration was 8.7 months (6-42 months). After bilateral lateral rectus recession (with/without medial rectus resection or inferior oblique transposition), the exotropia amount of participants were obviously revealed from - 30 ~ - 140 (median, IQR: - 50, 40) prism diopters (PD) preoperatively to 0 ~ - 15 (0, 5) PD postoperatively. Statistically significantly improvements were observed at all levels of spatial frequency on CST postoperatively, especially at high spatial frequency areas (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated that the effect of strabismus surgery on exotropia in children with CP and CVI were stable and monocular contrast sensitivity post- operation increased significantly at all spatial frequencies levels.

Iron regulatory protein 2 modulates the switch from aerobic glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation in mouse embryonic fibroblasts.

The importance of the role of iron regulatory proteins (IRPs) in mitochondrial iron homeostasis and function has been raised. To understand how an IRP affects mitochondrial function, we used globally Irp2-depleted mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and found that Irp2 ablation significantly induced the expression of both hypoxia-inducible factor subunits, Hif1α and Hif2α. The increase of Hif1α up-regulated its targeted genes, enhancing glycolysis, and the increase of Hif2α down-regulated the expression of iron-sulfur cluster (Fe-S) biogenesis-related and electron transport chain (ETC)-related genes, weakening mitochondrial respiration. Inhibition of Hif1α by genetic knockdown or a specific inhibitor prevented Hif1α-targeted gene expression, leading to decreased aerobic glycolysis. Inhibition of Hif2α by genetic knockdown or selective disruption of the heterodimerization of Hif2α and Hif1ß restored the mitochondrial ETC and coupled oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) by enhancing Fe-S biogenesis and increasing ETC-related gene expression. Our results indicate that Irp2 modulates the metabolic switch from aerobic glycolysis to OXPHOS that is mediated by Hif1α and Hif2α in MEFs.

Tumor-Promoting Actions of HNRNP A1 in HCC Are Associated with Cell Cycle, Mitochondrial Dynamics, and Necroptosis.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most frequent malignancies in the world. Although increasing evidence supports the role of heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein particle A1 (HNRNP A1) in tumor progression, the function of HNRNP A1 in HCC remains unclear. Here, we focused on the role of HNRNP A1 in the development of HCC. In this study, we found HNRNP A1 participates in many aspects of HCC, such as progression and prognosis. Our results showed that HNRNP A1 is upregulated in human HCC tissues and cell lines. High expression of HNRNP A1 can promote the proliferation, migration, and invasion in HCC cells and accelerate tumor progression in mice. Moreover, we found that HNRNP A1 prevents the senescence process of HCC cells. Knocking down of HNRNP A1 promotes the expression of P16INK4, which arrests the cell cycle and then induces the senescence phenotype in HCC cells. Furthermore, we found that HNRNP A1 regulated necroptosis and mitochondrial dynamics. In summary, our study indicates that HNRNP A1 promotes the development of HCC, which suggests a potential therapeutic target for HCC.

[Correlations between Hippocampus and Cognitive Score in Patients with Carotid Artery Stenosis Based on Resting State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging].

Objective To investigate the correlations among brain functional connectivity,hippocampal subregion volume and cognitive score in the patients with carotid artery stenosis(CAS)based on resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging.Methods Forty CAS patients treated in the Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Affiliated to Medical School of Nanjing University from January to December in 2019 and 31 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study.All the participants underwent cognitive assessment,structural MRI for the measurement of hippocampal volume,and resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging for the examination of brain functional connectivity(FC).We compared the cognitive function,hippocampal subregion volumes,and brain functional connectivity between the two groups and investigated the correlations between the three indicators.Results The CAS patients had lower mini-mental state examination(MMSE)(F=13.346,P=0.001)and Montreal cognitive assessment(MoCA)(F=52.005,P<0.001)scores than the healthy volunteers.Compared with healthy volunteers,CAS patients showed small whole hippocampus(right side:t=2.176,P=0.033;left side:t=2.881,P=0.005;especially on the left side),small hippocampal tail(right side:t=2.394,P=0.019;left side:t=3.158,P=0.002),small hippocampal body(right side:t=2.336,P=0.022;left side:t=3.165,P=0.002),small subiculum(right side:t=2.211,P=0.030;left side:t=2.430;P=0.018),and small molecular layer(right side:t=2.103,P=0.039;left side:t=2.702,P=0.009).The whole hippocampal volume was positively correlated with MoCA and MMSE scores(left MoCA:r=0.289,P=0.015;right MMSE:r=0.249,P=0.038;left MMSE:r=0.316,P=0.008).The volume changes in the subiculum,presubiculum,and left molecular layer were positively correlated with MoCA(right subiculum:r=0.290,P=0.015;left subiculum:r=0.382,P=0.001;right presubiculum:r=0.293,P=0.014;left presubiculum:r=0.440,P<0.001;left molecular layer:r=0.259,P=0.031)and MMSE scores(right subiculum:r=0.278,P=0.020;left subiculum:r=0.419,P<0.001;right presubiculum:r=0.296,P=0.013;left presubiculum:r=0.506,P<0.001;left molecular layer:r=0.298,P=0.012),while the volume changes in the remaining hippocampal subregions were not correlated with cognitive scores(all P>0.05).Compared with healthy volunteers,the CAS patients presented low FC values of the left hippocampus to the occipital lobe and frontal lobe and of right hippocampus to the occipital lobe,temporal lobe,prefrontal lobe,and middle frontal gyrus(Gaussian random field correction,voxel P<0.01,cluster P<0.05).The volume changes of the left whole hippocampus,hippocampal head,and cornu ammonis 1(CA1)were positively correlated with the FC value of right hippocampus to the temporal lobe(left whole hippocampus:r=0.358,P=0.025;right hippocampal head:r=0.325,P=0.044;left hippocampal head:r=0.360,P=0.024;right CA1:r=0.326,P=0.043;left CA1:r=0.341,P=0.034).MoCA and MMSE scores were positively correlated with the FC value of right hippocampus to the frontal lobe(MoCA middle frontal gyrus:r=0.389,P=0.014;MoCA prefrontal lobe:r=0.363,P=0.023;MMSE prefrontal lobe:r=0.321,P=0.046).Conclusions CAS patients have different levels of cognitive impairment.Hippocampal atrophy and a decline in the FC value of hippocampus to the occipital lobe may play a role in cognitive impairment in CAS patients.This discovery lays a foundation for the future research on the mechanism of cognitive dysfunction in CAS patients.

Partial Deficiency of Zfp217 Resists High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity by Increasing Energy Metabolism in Mice.

Obesity-induced adipose tissue dysfunction and disorders of glycolipid metabolism have become a worldwide research priority. Zfp217 plays a crucial role in adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, but about its functions in animal models are not yet clear. To explore the role of Zfp217 in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice, global Zfp217 heterozygous knockout (Zfp217+/-) mice were constructed. Zfp217+/- mice and Zfp217+/+ mice fed a normal chow diet (NC) did not differ significantly in weight gain, percent body fat mass, glucose tolerance, or insulin sensitivity. When challenged with HFD, Zfp217+/- mice had less weight gain than Zfp217+/+ mice. Histological observations revealed that Zfp217+/- mice fed a high-fat diet had much smaller white adipocytes in inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT). Zfp217+/- mice had improved metabolic profiles, including improved glucose tolerance, enhanced insulin sensitivity, and increased energy expenditure compared to the Zfp217+/+ mice under HFD. We found that adipogenesis-related genes were increased and metabolic thermogenesis-related genes were decreased in the iWAT of HFD-fed Zfp217+/+ mice compared to Zfp217+/- mice. In addition, adipogenesis was markedly reduced in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) from Zfp217-deleted mice. Together, these data indicate that Zfp217 is a regulator of energy metabolism and it is likely to provide novel insight into treatment for obesity.

Comparison of Physician-Modified Fenestrated/Branched Stent-Grafts and Hybrid Visceral Debranching Plus Stent-Graft Placement for Complex Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair.

Purpose: To evaluate the immediate postoperative and midterm outcomes of complex thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) treatment with fenestrated/branched physician-modified endovascular grafts (PMEGs) or open debranching of the visceral aorta with bypass graft revascularization plus endovascular aneurysm exclusion (hybrid repair). Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of 88 patients (mean age 70.0±10.6 years; 73 men) with complex TAAAs who underwent treatment with PMEGs (60, 68%) or a hybrid technique (28, 32%) between 2016 and 2019. The mean aneurysm diameter was 64.5±11.7 mm, and 37 patients (42%) were symptomatic. The Zenith TX2 and Ankura were the main stent-grafts used in the PMEG group. The hybrid technique involved visceral debranching with extra-anatomical bypass graft revascularization and subsequent stent-graft deployment (1- or 2-stage procedure). Results: In the PMEG group, 35 patients received modified stent-grafts with 4 fenestrations, 8 patients had 4 branches per device, and 17 patients had combinations (50 fenestrations and 18 branches) that successfully revascularized 228 of the 240 targets (95%). In the 28 hybrid cases, all 110 target vessels were successfully revascularized with bypass grafts. The overall 30-day mortality was 3.4% (2 PMEG and 1 hybrid), and the early rate of target vessel stenosis/occlusion was 3.3% (5 in PMEG group and 6 in the hybrid repair group). The 30-day morbidity was mainly attributed to pulmonary complications (15%), lower limb ischemia (8%), or spinal cord ischemia with paraplegia (6%). Eleven patients (13%) had deteriorated renal function with a >30% decrease in the glomerular filtration rate. The mean follow-up was 22.3±4.9 months, and mortality was 4.5% (3.3% in the PMEG group vs 7.1% in the hybrid repair group). Conclusion: PMEGs and hybrid techniques seem to be feasible treatment options for aortic aneurysms necessitating visceral vessel revascularization. PMEGs may have a lower morbidity than the hybrid technique, which nonetheless remains an important option available for complex aortic aneurysms.