Hexavalent chromium damages intestinal cells and coelomocytes and impairs immune function in the echiuran worm Urechis unicinctus by causing oxidative stress and apoptosis.

Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is a common pollutant in the marine environment, which impairs immunity and causes reproductive and heredity disorders in organisms. To clarify the immunotoxic effects of Cr (VI) on the marine worm Urechis unicinctus, we analyzed tissue damage and immune dysfunction caused by Cr (VI) in this organism at histopathologic, zymologic, apoptotic and molecular levels. The results indicated that the bioaccumulation of Cr (VI) bioaccumulation levels in coelomocytes was significantly higher than in the intestines and muscles. Pathological observation showed that Cr (VI) caused damage to the respiratory intestine, stomach and midgut. Cr (VI) also increased the replication of goblet cells and a reduction in the replication of epithelial cells. Meanwhile, Cr (VI) induced apoptosis of intestinal cells and coelomocytes, accompanied by an increase in the expression of Caspase-3, COX-2, and MyD88 in the intestine and coelomocytes. At the same time, Cr (VI) significantly affected the activities of antioxidant enzymes such as SOD, ACP, CAT, CAT, and GST, and increased H2O2 and MDA contents in U. unicinctus. Moreover, Cr (VI) exposure also up-regulated the transcription of hsc70, mt and jnk genes but decreased that of sod in the intestines. In contrast, Cr (VI) down-regulated the expression of sod, hsc70, mt, and jnk genes in coelomocytes. Collectively, Cr (VI) bioaccumulated in U. unicinctus cells and tissues, causing several histopathological changes, oxidative stress, and apoptosis of several cells in the organism, resulting in intestinal and coelomocyte damage and immune dysfunctioning.

Evaluating anemia in HIV-infected patients using chest CT.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the Hounsfield unit value of chest CT non-contrast enhanced scan in evaluating the severity of anemia in HIV-infected patients. Methods: Patients with HIV infection combined with anemia admitted to the Kunming Third People's Hospital were retrospectively collected and divided into mild anemia, moderate anemia, and severe anemia groups by peripheral hemoglobin (HB) content and calculated the ratio of ventricular septum density (VSD) to left ventricular density (LVD) and VSD to right ventricular density (RVD); then, the above patients were divided into the critical value group and the non-critical value group according to HB and compared the differences of LVD, RVD, VSD/LVD, and VSD/RVD in the two groups of patients. Results: A total of 126 patients were included, with a mean age of 47.9 ± 11.1 years; 43 cases were in the mild anemia group, 59 cases were in the moderate anemia group, and 24 cases were in the severe anemia group; the differences in LVD, RVD, VSD/LVD, and VSD/RVD were significant in the three groups; VSD/LVD was an independent predictor for the diagnosis of anemia critical value in the non-critical value group vs critical value group by multifactorial binary logistic regression analysis, and the ROC was plotted using VSD/LVD with an area under the curve of 0.731. Conclusions: The measurement of cardiac cavity density and ventricular septal density under CT plain film scan has a high accuracy in evaluating the severity of anemia in patients with HIV infection and can quickly determine the severity of HIV infection in the early stage and treat it as soon as possible.

A Bibliometric and Visualised Analysis of Proliferative Verrucous Leucoplakia From 2003 to 2023.

BACKGROUND: Proliferative verrucous leucoplakia (PVL) is a rare but slow-growing, aggressive leucoplakia lesion associated with the highest malignant transformation rate in oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs). With increasing attention paid to PVL, it is urgent for us to analyse and summarise the publications globally using comprehensive bibliometric studies to help researchers propose possible future research directions and guide them to further conduct relevant studies in the domain. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to evaluate global academic productivity, impact, and collaboration of potentially malignant oral disorder PVL utilising bibliometrics based on annual number of publications, countries and regions, institution, authors, journals, citations and co-occurrences of author keywords over the last 20 years. METHODS: This study searched publications pertaining to proliferative verrucous leucoplakia in the Web of Science Core Collection, spanning from 2003 to 2023. Utilizing VOSviewer, R software, Bibliometric online analysis platform, CiteSpace software, and Microsoft Excel, we conducted a bibliometric and visualised analysis of PVL. RESULTS: The quantity of pertinent publications in this research domain displays a fluctuating but overall upward trend. In aggregate, there are 148 articles and 61 reviews, encompassing research contributions from 44 countries, 45 institutions, and involving 831 authors. Among these publications, the USA, Spain, and UK emerged as the predominant contributing nations. Predominantly, articles found their publication venue in "Pathology Research and Practice." Notably, the author with the highest number of publications and most influence is Warnakulasuriya S. The top 3 keywords include "Proliferative Verrucous Leucoplakia," "Squamous-Cell Carcinoma," "Oral Leucoplakia," and "Potentially Malignant Disorders." CONCLUSION: In this investigation, statistical analysis and network visualisation were conducted to reveal the research progress, trends, and trending topics on PVL via a thorough bibliometric analysis. We found that current publications comprise mainly case reports, there is a significant research need to explore the molecular mechanisms, specific diagnostic criteria, and effective management options for PVL. Our work should serve as a key reference and a directional guide for future research in this domain.

Orchestrating NK and T cells via tri-specific nano-antibodies for synergistic antitumor immunity.

The functions of natural killer (NK) and T cells in innate and adaptive immunity, as well as their functions in tumor eradication, are complementary and intertwined. Here we show that utilization of multi-specific antibodies or nano-antibodies capable of simultaneously targeting both NK and T cells could be a valuable approach in cancer immunotherapy. Here, we introduce a tri-specific Nano-Antibody (Tri-NAb), generated by immobilizing three types of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), using an optimized albumin/polyester composite nanoparticle conjugated with anti-Fc antibody. This Tri-NAb, targeting PDL1, 4-1BB, and NKG2A (or TIGIT) simultaneously, effectively binds to NK and CD8+ T cells, triggering their activation and proliferation, while facilitating their interaction with tumor cells, thereby inducing efficient tumor killing. Importantly, the antitumor efficacy of Tri-NAb is validated in multiple models, including patient-derived tumor organoids and humanized mice, highlighting the translational potential of NK and T cell co-targeting.

The role of minimal residual disease and serum free light chain ratio in the management of multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma (MM) denotes a cancerous growth characterized by abnormal proliferation of plasma cells. Growing evidence suggests that the complexity in addressing MM lies in the presence of minimal residual disease (MRD) within the body. MRD assessment is becoming increasingly important for risk assessment in patients with MM. Similarly, the levels of serum free protein light chain and their ratio play a crucial role in assessing the disease burden and changes in MM. In this paper, we review and explore the utilization of MRD and serum free light chain ratio in the treatment of MM, delving into their respective characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, and their interrelation.

Unveiling Small-Sized Plastic Particles Hidden behind Large-Sized Ones in Human Excretion and Their Potential Sources.

Health risks of microplastic exposure have drawn growing global concerns due to the widespread distribution of microplastics in the environment. However, more evidence is needed to understand the exposure characteristics of microplastics owing to the limitation of current spectrum technologies, especially the missing information on small-sized particles. In the present study, laser direct infrared spectroscopy and thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry combined pyrolysis using a tubular furnace (TD-GC/MS) were employed to comprehensively detect the presence of plastic particles down to 0.22 µm in human excreted samples. The results showed that polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride, PE terephthalate (PET), and polypropylene dominated large-sized (>20 µm) and small-sized plastic plastics (0.22-20 µm) in feces and urine. Moreover, fragments accounted for 60.71 and 60.37% in feces and urine, respectively, representing the most pervasive shape in excretion. Surprisingly, the concentration of small-sized particles was significantly higher than that of large-sized microplastics, accounting for 56.54 and 50.07% in feces (345.58 µg/g) and urine (6.49 µg/mL). Significant positive correlations were observed between the level of plastic particles in feces and the use of plastic containers and the consumption of aquatic products (Spearman correlation analysis, p < 0.01), suggesting the potential sources for plastic particles in humans. Furthermore, it is estimated that feces was the primary excretory pathway, consisting of 94.0% of total excreted microplastics daily. This study provides novel evidence regarding small-sized plastic particles, which are predominant fractions in human excretion, increasing the knowledge of the potential hazards of omnipresent microplastics to human exposure.

A cost-effectiveness analysis of fluoride varnish application in preventing Root caries in elderly persons: a Markov simulation study.

BACKGROUND: Root caries are prevalent issues that affect dental health, particularly among elderly individuals with exposed root surfaces. Fluoride therapy has shown effectiveness in preventing root caries, but limited studies have addressed its cost-effectiveness in elderly persons population. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a fluoride treatment program for preventing root caries in elderly persons within the context of Chinese public healthcare. METHODS: A Markov simulation model was adopted for the cost-effectiveness analysis in a hypothetical scenario from a healthcare system perspective. A 60-year-old subject with 23 teeth was simulated for 20 years. A 5% sodium fluoride varnish treatment was compared with no preventive intervention in terms of effectiveness and cost. Tooth years free of root caries were set as the effect. Transition probabilities were estimated from the data of a community-based cohort and published studies, and costs were based on documents published by the government. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was calculated to evaluate cost-effectiveness. Univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the influence of data uncertainty. RESULTS: Fluoride treatment was more effective (with a difference of 10.20 root caries-free tooth years) but also more costly (with a difference of ¥1636.22). The ICER was ¥160.35 per root caries-free tooth year gained. One-way sensitivity analysis showed that the risk ratio of root caries in the fluoride treatment group influenced the result most. In the probabilistic sensitivity analysis, fluoride treatment was cost-effective in 70.5% of the simulated cases. CONCLUSIONS: Regular 5% sodium fluoride varnish application was cost-effective for preventing root caries in the elderly persons in most scenarios with the consideration of data uncertainty, but to a limited extent. Improved public dental health awareness may reduce the incremental cost and make the intervention more cost-effective. Overall, the study shed light on the economic viability and impact of such preventive interventions, providing a scientific basis for dental care policies and healthcare resource allocation.

Species distribution modeling combined with environmental DNA analysis to explore distribution of invasive alien mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) in China.

China has become one of the most serious countries suffering from biological invasions in the world. In the context of global climate change, invasive alien species (IAS) are likely to invade a wider area, posing greater ecological and economic threats in China. Western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis), which is known as one of the 100 most invasive alien species, has distributed widely in southern China and is gradually spreading to the north, causing serious ecological damage and economic losses. However, its distribution in China is still unclear. Hence, there is an urgent need for a more convenient way to detect and monitor the distribution of G. affinis to put forward specific management. Therefore, we detected the distribution of G. affinis in China under current and future climate change by combing Maxent modeling prediction and eDNA verification, which is a more time-saving and reliable method to estimate the distribution of species. The Maxent modeling showed that G. affinis has a broad habitat suitability in China (especially in southern China) and would continue to spread in the future with ongoing climate change. However, eDNA monitoring showed that occurrences can already be detected in regions that Maxent still categorized as unsuitable. Besides temperature, precipitation and human influence were the most important environmental factors affecting the distribution of G. affinis in China. In addition, by environmental DNA analysis, we verified the presence of G. affinis predicted by Maxent in the Qinling Mountains where the presence of G. affinis had not been previously recorded.

Deep-learning architecture for PM2.5 concentration prediction: A review.

Accurately predicting the concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is crucial for evaluating air pollution levels and public exposure. Recent advancements have seen a significant rise in using deep learning (DL) models for forecasting PM2.5 concentrations. Nonetheless, there is a lack of unified and standardized frameworks for assessing the performance of DL-based PM2.5 prediction models. Here we extensively reviewed those DL-based hybrid models for forecasting PM2.5 levels according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We examined the similarities and differences among various DL models in predicting PM2.5 by comparing their complexity and effectiveness. We categorized PM2.5 DL methodologies into seven types based on performance and application conditions, including four types of DL-based models and three types of hybrid learning models. Our research indicates that established deep learning architectures are commonly used and respected for their efficiency. However, many of these models often fall short in terms of innovation and interpretability. Conversely, models hybrid with traditional approaches, like deterministic and statistical models, exhibit high interpretability but compromise on accuracy and speed. Besides, hybrid DL models, representing the pinnacle of innovation among the studied models, encounter issues with interpretability. We introduce a novel three-dimensional evaluation framework, i.e., Dataset-Method-Experiment Standard (DMES) to unify and standardize the evaluation for PM2.5 predictions using DL models. This review provides a framework for future evaluations of DL-based models, which could inspire researchers to standardize DL model usage in PM2.5 prediction and improve the quality of related studies.

Toxic effect of chromium on nonspecific immune, bioaccumulation, and tissue structure of Urechis unicinctus.

The contamination of toxic heavy metals in aquatic environments has garnered significant global attention due to its detrimental effects on marine organisms and human health. Hexavalent chromium is a typical environmental and occupational heavy metal pollutant, identified as carcinogenic heavy metal. This study aimed to assess the impact of different Cr (VI) concentrations (0.05-2.5 mg/L) on Urechis unicinctus (U. unicinctus) by investigating bioaccumulation, antioxidant defense system, expression of resistance-related genes, and histological issues. A clear concentration-effect relationship was observed in the bioaccumulation of Cr (VI) in muscle tissues of U. unicinctus. Moreover, exposure to Cr (VI) can alter the activities of lysozyme (LSZ), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) to enhance cellular defense mechanisms in U. unicinctus. Likewise, maintained the normal protein structure and functional stability by regulating protein folding. The heat shock cognitive protein (HSC70) gene showed an upward and then downward trend after Cr (VI) exposure. At 12 h, the HSC70 gene expression reached the maximum values of 4.75 and 4.61-fold in the 0.1 and 1.5 mg/L groups, respectively. The organism produced a large number of free radicals, and elevated level of metallothionein (MT) was used to scavenge free radicals and alleviate oxidative stress. Additionally, histopathological examination revealed disorganization in the midgut, atrophic changes in intestinal connective tissue, uneven distribution in respiratory tissues, and irregular shape with a significant reduction in epithelial cells within the gastric cavity. These findings can serve as a valuable reference for elucidating the toxicity mechanisms of heavy metals towards marine benthic organisms and enhancing water environment monitoring strategies.

The mutual interactions among Helicobacter pylori, chronic gastritis, and the gut microbiota: a population-based study in Jinjiang, Fujian.

Objectives: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a type of bacteria that infects the stomach lining, and it is a major cause of chronic gastritis (CG). H. pylori infection can influence the composition of the gastric microbiota. Additionally, alterations in the gut microbiome have been associated with various health conditions, including gastrointestinal disorders. The dysbiosis in gut microbiota of human is associated with the decreased secretion of gastric acid. Chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) and H. pylori infection are also causes of reduced gastric acid secretion. However, the specific details of how H. pylori infection and CG, especially for CAG, influence the gut microbiome can vary and are still an area of ongoing investigation. The incidence of CAG and infection rate of H. pylori has obvious regional characteristics, and Fujian Province in China is a high incidence area of CAG as well as H. pylori infection. We aimed to characterize the microbial changes and find potential diagnostic markers associated with infection of H. pylori as well as CG of subjects in Jinjiang City, Fujian Province, China. Participants: Enrollment involved sequencing the 16S rRNA gene in fecal samples from 176 cases, adhering to stringent inclusion and exclusion criteria. For our study, we included healthy volunteers (Normal), individuals with chronic non-atrophic gastritis (CNAG), and those with CAG from Fujian, China. The aim was to assess gut microbiome dysbiosis based on various histopathological features. QIIME and LEfSe analyses were performed. There were 176 cases, comprising 126 individuals who tested negative for H. pylori and 50 who tested positive defined by C14 urea breath tests and histopathological findings in biopsies obtained through endoscopy. CAG was also staged by applying OLGIM system. Results: When merging the outcomes from 16S rRNA gene sequencing results, there were no notable variations in alpha diversity among the following groups: Normal, CNAG, and CAG; OLGIM I and OLGIM II; and H. pylori positive [Hp (+)] and H. pylori negative [Hp (-)] groups. Beta diversity among different groups show significant separation through the NMDS diagrams. LEfSe analyses confirmed 2, 3, and 6 bacterial species were in abundance in the Normal, CNAG, and CAG groups; 26 and 2 species in the OLGIM I and OLGIM II group; 22 significant phylotypes were identified in Hp (+) and Hp (-) group, 21 and 1, respectively; 9 bacterial species exhibited significant differences between individuals with CG who were Hp (+) and those who were Hp (-). Conclusion: The study uncovered notable distinctions in the characteristics of gut microbiota among the following groups: Normal, CNAG, and CAG; OLGIM I and OLGIM II; and Hp (+) and Hp (-) groups. Through the analysis of H. pylori infection in CNAG and CAG groups, we found the gut microbiota characteristics of different group show significant difference because of H. pylori infection. Several bacterial genera could potentially serve as diagnostic markers for H. pylori infection and the progression of CG.

[Research Progress on Characteristics of Human Microplastic Pollution and Health Risks].

Microplastic pollution is not only an environmental problem but also a social problem. Many studies have been conducted on the sources, abundance, and distribution of microplastics in the environment, but an understanding of human exposure levels and potential health risks remains very limited. Based on the bibliometric methods, the present review systematically summarized the exposure pathways of microplastics in humans, and then the characteristics and potential adverse impacts on human health were expounded upon. Available literature showed that microplastics in human bodies were mainly concentrated on sizes smaller than 50 µm, and polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were the main polymers. Microplastics in environments entered human bodies mainly through food and respiratory pathways, then accumulated in lung and gastrointestinal tissues. Most importantly, small-sized microplastics could distribute in tissues and organs via the circulatory system. The results from lab-based toxicological experiments showed that microplastics not only posed threats to cell membrane integrity, immune stress, gut microbiota, and energy metabolism but also had potentially adverse impacts on the reproductive system. To further understand the health risks of microplastic pollution, it is necessary to promote research on the toxicological effects of microplastics as well as the inner mechanisms and also to establish risk assessment frameworks for evaluating microplastic pollution. These works are crucial to preventing the risks of microplastic pollution with scientific evidence.

Tissue accumulation of microplastics and potential health risks in human.

Microplastics have become ubiquitous throughout the environment. Humans constantly ingest and inhale microplastics, increasing concerns about the health risks of microplastic exposure. However, limited data impedes a full understanding of the internal exposure to microplastics. Herein, to evaluate microplastic exposure via the respiratory and digestive systems, we used laser direct infrared spectroscopy to identify microplastics >20 µm in size in different human tissues. Consequently, 20-100 µm microplastics were concentrated in all tissues, with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) being the dominant polymer. The highest abundance of microplastics was detected in lung tissue with an average of 14.19 ± 14.57 particles/g, followed by that in the small intestine, large intestine, and tonsil (9.45 ± 13.13, 7.91 ± 7.00, and 6.03 ± 7.37 particles/g, respectively). The abundance of microplastics was also significantly greater in females than in males (p < 0.05). Despite significant diversity, our estimation showed that the lungs accumulated the highest amounts of microplastic. Moreover, PVC particles may cause potential health risks because of their high polymer hazard index and maximal risk level. This study provides evidence regarding the occurrence of microplastics in humans and empirical data to support assessments of the health risks posed by microplastics.

CircXRN2 accelerates colorectal cancer progression through regulating miR-149-5p/MACC1 axis and EMT.

In China, there has been a persistent upward trend in the incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer (CRC), with CRC ranking second in incidence and fifth in mortality among all malignant tumors. Although circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been implicated in the progression of various cancers, their specific role in CRC progression remains largely unexplored. The objective of this study was to elucidate the role and underlying mechanisms of circXRN2 in CRC. Differential expression of circXRN2 was identified through whole transcriptome sequencing. The expression levels of circXRN2 and miR-149-5p were quantified in CRC tissues, corresponding adjacent normal tissues, and CRC cell lines using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The stability of circXRN2 was confirmed through RNase R and actinomycin D experiments. The binding interaction between circXRN2 and miR-149-5p was validated through RNA pull-down, RNA immunoprecipitation, and dual-luciferase assays. The biological functions of circXRN2 were assessed through a battery of in vitro experiments, including the CCK-8 assay, EdU assay, scratch assay, Transwell assay, and flow cytometry assay. Additionally, in vivo experiments involving a tumor transplantation model and a liver-lung metastasis model were conducted. The influence of circXRN2 on the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related genes was determined via Western blotting analysis. In CRC tissues and cells, there was an upregulation in the expression levels of both circXRN2 and ENC1, while miR-149-5p exhibited a downregulation in its expression. The overexpression of circXRN2 was found to enhance tumor proliferation and metastasis, as evidenced by results from both in vitro and in vivo experiments. Functionally, circXRN2 exerted its antitumor effect by suppressing cell proliferation, migration, and invasion while also promoting apoptosis. Mechanistically, the dysregulated expression of circXRN2 had an impact on the expression of proteins within the EMT signaling pathway. Our results demonstrated that circXRN2 promoted the proliferation and metastasis of CRC cells through the miR-149-5p/ENC1/EMT axis, suggesting that circXRN2 might serve as a potential therapeutic target and novel biomarker in the progression of CRC.

Role and new insights of microfibrillar-associated protein 4 in fibrotic diseases.

Fibrosis is one of the most worrisome complications of chronic inflammatory diseases, leading to tissue damage, organ failure, and ultimately, death. The most notable pathological characteristic of fibrosis is the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) components such as collagen and fibronectin adjacent to foci of inflammation or damage. The human microfibrillar-associated protein 4 (MFAP4), an important member of the superfamily of fibrinogen-related proteins, is considered to have an extremely important role in ECM transformation of fibrogenesis. This review summarizes the structure, characteristics, and physiological functions of MFAP4 and the importance of MFAP4 in various fibrotic diseases. Meanwhile, we elaborated the underlying actions and mechanisms of MFAP4 in the development of fibrosis, suggesting that a better understand of MFAP4 broadens novel perspective for early screening, diagnosis, prognostic risk assessment, and treatment of fibrotic diseases.

Enhanced Antibacterial and Wound Healing Using a Metal-Organic Cluster Inspired by Artificial Photosynthesis.

Bacterial infection poses a constant threat to human health. It is crucial to develop cost-effective and multifunctional solutions to combat bacteria. In this study, inspiration has been taken from artificial photosynthesis and a hydrogel containing a photocatalytic metal-organic cluster (MOC) has been creatively formulated for wound healing and antibacterial purposes. Complete photocatalytic cycles have been achieved by combining the oxidative Ti-center and the reductive Cu-center, in which reactive oxygen species (1 O2 and ·OH) have been generated. The MOC has the capability to eliminate Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) at a concentration of 40 µg mL-1 . In addition, the hydrogel formulation (H-MOC) has been applied to wounds infected with S. aureus, resulting in improved healing efficiency. This work presents an innovative approach to utilizing photocatalytic biomaterials as non-antibiotic medications.

The Prognostic Value of the Age-D-Dimer-Albumin Score in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

BACKGROUND: The Age-D-dimer-Albumin (ADA), the CREDO-Kyoto, and the PARIS scores have been established to predict thrombotic events. However, the prognostic performance of these scores compared to the GRACE score in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has not been reported. METHODS: Consecutive AMI patients treated with PCI were retrospectively enrolled at a teaching hospital in China from January 2016 to December 2019. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality and the secondary endpoint was cardiac death. Harrell's C-index and net reclassification improvement (NRI) were used to compare the prognostic value of these scores with the GRACE score for mortality. RESULTS: Of the 1,578 patients enrolled, the mean age was 62.5 years, and 23.5% were female. During a median follow-up of 3.8 years, 146 all-cause deaths and 80 cardiac deaths occurred. The ADA score showed a better prognostic performance than the GRACE (Harrell's C-index: 0.800 vs. 0.749; p = 0.003), the CREDO-Kyoto (Harrell's C-index: 0.800 vs. 0.765; NRI = 0.348, p < 0.001), and the PARIS scores (Harrell's C-index: 0.800 vs. 0.694; NRI = 0.556, p < 0.001). In the multivariable Cox regression analysis, the ADA score was independently associated with all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.641 per 10-point increment, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.397-1.929) and cardiac death (HR = 1.636 per 10-point increment, 95% CI: 1.325-2.020). The risk of all-cause mortality and cardiac death increased with the rising of the ADA score. CONCLUSION: The ADA score showed a better prognostic performance than the GRACE, the CREDO-Kyoto, and the PARIS scores in patients with AMI undergoing PCI, which was a potential predictive tool for mortality.

A Comparison of the Prognostic Value of Liver Fibrosis Scores in Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients With and Without Type 2 Diabetes.

Liver fibrosis scores have been demonstrated to be associated with poor prognosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, no studies have compared the prognostic value of these scores in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients with and without diabetes. We retrospectively enrolled 1576 AMI patients who underwent PCI. There were 177 all-cause deaths and 111 cardiac deaths during follow-up (median 3.8 years). The non-alcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis score (NFS) showed a better prognostic value than the fibrosis-8 (FIB-8) score (Harrell's C-index: 0.703 vs 0.671, P = .014) and the fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) score (Harrell's C-index: 0.703 vs 0.648, P < .001) in the overall population. In the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic analysis, the NFS also had the highest area under the curve across all time points. Consistent results were observed in diabetic and non-diabetic populations. Adding the NFS to traditional cardiovascular risk factors significantly improved the prediction both for all-cause mortality (Harrell's C-index: 0.806 vs 0.771, P < .001) and cardiac death (Harrell's C-index: 0.800 vs 0.771, P = .014). The NFS showed a better prognostic value than the FIB-8 score and the FIB-4 score in patients with AMI undergoing PCI, which might be preferable for estimating the risk of mortality regardless of the presence or absence of diabetes.

Predicting the orbital angular momentum of atmospheric turbulence for OAM-based free-space optical communication.

Spatial modes of light are susceptible to distortion, particularly by the presence of turbulence in atmospheric free-space links. The scattering of one mode to another disrupts the orthogonality among distinct orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes, leading to modal crosstalk between multiple channels. To enhance the performance of OAM-multiplexed free-space optical (FSO) communication, a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based turbulent OAM approach is proposed for compensating turbulence, with a specific focus on predicting the OAM of turbulence itself. An operator approach is utilized to extract the OAM component of atmospheric turbulence and the CNN is trained to predict the turbulent OAM coefficients. By employing the proposed network, the received power of the OAM-based FSO link can be improved by more than 10 dB under weak to strong turbulence conditions. Compared to Zernike modes, the turbulent OAM modes characterize most of the turbulence information using only a small number of orders. After compensation, when the strong turbulence strength D/r0 = 4, the received power of the transmitted beams with turbulent OAM improves by 4 dB over that with Zernike. Additionally, the crosstalk of multiplexed channels with turbulent OAM is reduced by 10 dB over that with Zernike under varying turbulence conditions.

Generation and free-space transmission characterization of bottle vortex beam.

Vortex beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) with the doughnut-shaped intensity distribution can be employed in free-space optical (FSO) communication links to circumvent obstructions. However, the size of the receiver aperture is proportional to the size of obstructions, which seriously constrains the application of OAM beams in this scenario. In this paper, we propose a method to generate bottle vortex beams (BVBs) with a parabolic trajectory by manipulating the radial phase distribution of conventional OAM beams. Meanwhile, the trajectory of BVBs generated are highly compatible with the predesigned trajectory by using this method. Moreover, we evaluate the free-space transmission performance of BVBs under atmospheric turbulence and limited receiving aperture. The results show that BVBs have better OAM FSO communication link performance compared with conventional OAM beams and Bessel beams. In addition, the performance of the BVBs circumventing obstructions is further investigated. The simulation results show that when setting the atmospheric turbulence strength D/r0 = 2 and the obstruction size of 40 mm, the average received optical power of the BVBs captured by a limited receiving aperture diameter (d = 40 mm) is improved about 7 dB and 3 dB compared to conventional OAM beams and Bessel beams, respectively.