Porous Polypyrrolidines for Highly Efficient Recovery of Precious Metals through Reductive Adsorption Mechanism.

The recycling and utilization of precious metals have emerged as a critical research focus in advancing the development of the circular economy. Among numerous methods for recovering precious metals such as gold, adsorbents with both high adsorption selectivity and capacity have become key technologies. This article incorporated the N-phenylpyrrolidine into a flexible porous polynorbornene backbone to create a class of distinctive porous organic polymers, named BIT-POP-14-BIT-POP-17. Through a reductive capture mechanism, the reductive adsorption sites of N-phenylpyrrolidine coordinate selectively with precious metals, the reduced metal is captured by the hierarchically porous polymers with flexible backbone. This approach leads to remarkable gold recovery efficiency, achieving a record of 2321 mg g-1 at ambient conditions, and 3020 mg g-1 under UV light, surpassing the theoretical limit. The porous polymers are filled in a column for a continuous uptake of gold from waste printed circuit boards (PCBs), showing recovery efficiency toward gold as high as 95% after 84 h. Overall, this work offers a new perspective on designing novel adsorbents for precious metal recovery, providing inspiration for researchers to explore novel adsorption modes and contribute to the advancement of the circular economy.

Employing Piper longum extract for eco-friendly fabrication of PtPd alloy nanoclusters: advancing electrolytic performance of formic acid and methanol oxidation.

Advancement in bioinspired alloy nanomaterials has a crucial impact on fuel cell applications. Here, we report the synthesis of PtPd alloy nanoclusters via the hydrothermal method using Piper longum extract, representing a novel and environmentally friendly approach. Physicochemical characteristics of the synthesized nanoclusters were investigated using various instrumentation techniques, including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and High-Resolution Transmission electron microscopy. The electrocatalytic activity of the biogenic PtPd nanoclusters towards the oxidation of formic acid and methanol was evaluated chronoamperometry and cyclic voltammetry studies. The surface area of the electrocatalyst was determined to be 36.6 m2g-1 by Electrochemical Surface Area (ECSA) analysis. The biologically inspired PtPd alloy nanoclusters exhibited significantly higher electrocatalytic activity compared to commercial Pt/C, with specific current responses of 0.24 mA cm - 2 and 0.17 mA cm - 2 at synthesis temperatures of 180 °C and 200 °C, respectively, representing approximately four times higher oxidation current after 120 min. This innovative synthesis approach offers a promising pathway for the development of PtPd alloy nanoclusters with enhanced electrocatalytic activity, thereby advancing fuel cell technology towards a sustainable energy solution.

Community-based exercise program, self-reported health-related symptoms, and quality of life in persons with traumatic brain injury 45 + years old.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (msTBI) have reported a lack of motivation, lack of time, and fatigue as perceived barriers to exercise. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of an exercise program on self-reported health-related symptoms and quality of life in persons 45-years and older with msTBI. METHODS: Post-hoc analysis of a prospective community-based 12-week exercise program of 20 adults, age 45-80 years, with msTBI. Ten were in aerobic exercise training (AET) program and 10 in a stretching and toning (SAT) program. The AET group was instructed to exercise based on their estimated maximal heart rate (HR) for 150 minutes weekly. The SAT group was to stretch for the same target time without significantly increasing HR or level of exertion. Outcome measures were Traumatic Brain Injury Quality of Life (TBI-QOL) for global, cognitive, emotional, and social health, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depressive symptoms, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for sleep quality. RESULTS: AET was associated with improved self-reported cognitive health and sleep compared to SAT. Moderate to large, positive effect sizes were also observed in the AET group in the QOL categories of global, emotional, and social health, and depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: This study offers preliminary evidence that AET may improve health-related QOL, especially for cognition and sleep, in middle-aged and older adults with msTBI.

Reduced resting beat-to-beat blood pressure variability in females with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system and cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction has been well documented in this population. The sympathetic nervous system contributes to beat-to-beat blood pressure regulation primarily by baroreflex control of the peripheral vasculature which may be impaired in females with RRMS. Even at rest, attenuated sympathetic control of vasomotor tone may result in large and frequent blood pressure excursions (i.e., greater blood pressure variability). Therefore, the primary purpose of this investigation was to test the following hypotheses; (1) females with RRMS have augmented beat-to-beat blood pressure variability compared to healthy controls and (2) reduced sympathetic baroreflex sensitivity in females with RRMS is related to augmented blood pressure variability. METHODS: Electrocardiogram and beat-to-beat blood pressure were continuously recorded during 8-10 min of supine rest in 26 females with clinically definite RRMS and 24 sex-, age- and BMI- matched healthy controls. Muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) was recorded in a subset of participants (MS, n = 15; CON, n = 14). Traditional statistical measurements of dispersions were used to index beat-to-beat blood pressure variability. Spontaneous sympathetic baroreflex sensitivity was quantified by sorting diastolic blood pressures into 3 mmHg bins and calculating MSNA burst incidence within each bin. Weighted linear regression was then used to account for the number of cardiac cycles in each bin and calculate slopes. Spontaneous cardiac baroreflex sensitivity was determined using the sequence method. RESULTS: Groups had similar resting mean arterial pressure (MAP), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), MSNA burst frequency and MSNA burst incidence (All P > 0.05). The standard deviation and interquartile range of MAP, SBP and DBP were less in females with RRMS compared to healthy controls (All P < 0.05). There were no between groups differences in sympathetic baroreflex sensitivity or cardiac baroreflex sensitivity (Both P > 0.05) and baroreflex sensitivity measures were not related to any indices of blood pressure variability (Both P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: These data suggest that females with RRMS have reduced beat-to-beat blood pressure variability. However, this does not appear to be related to changes in sympathetic or cardiac baroreflex sensitivity.

Paraptosis: a non-classical paradigm of cell death for cancer therapy.

Due to the sustained proliferative potential of cancer cells, inducing cell death is a potential strategy for cancer therapy. Paraptosis is a mode of cell death characterized by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and/or mitochondrial swelling and cytoplasmic vacuolization, which is less investigated. Considerable evidence shows that paraptosis can be triggered by various chemical compounds, particularly in cancer cells, thus highlighting the potential application of this non-classical mode of cell death in cancer therapy. Despite these findings, there remain significant gaps in our understanding of the role of paraptosis in cancer. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on chemical compound-induced paraptosis. The ER and mitochondria are the two major responding organelles in chemical compound-induced paraptosis, which can be triggered by the reduction of protein degradation, disruption of sulfhydryl homeostasis, overload of mitochondrial Ca2+, and increased generation of reactive oxygen species. We also discuss the stumbling blocks to the development of this field and the direction for further research. The rational use of paraptosis might help us develop a new paradigm for cancer therapy.

Multifunctional Chiral Chemically-Powered Micropropellers for Cargo Transport and Manipulation.

Practical applications of synthetic self-propelled nano and microparticles for microrobotics, targeted drug delivery, and manipulation at the nanoscale are rapidly expanding. However, fabrication limitations often hinder progress, resulting in relatively simple shapes and limited functionality. Here, taking advantage of 3D nanoscale printing, chiral micropropellers powered by the hydrogen peroxide reduction reaction are fabricated. Due to their chirality, the propellers exhibit multifunctional behavior controlled by an applied magnetic field: spinning in place (loitering), directed migration in the prescribed direction, capture, and transport of polymer cargo particles. Design parameters of the propellers are optimized by computation modeling based on mesoscale molecular dynamics. It is predicted by computer simulations, and confirmed experimentally, that clockwise rotating propellers attract each other and counterclockwise repel. These results shed light on how chirality and shape optimization enhance the functionality of synthetic autonomous micromachines.

Ginsenoside Rh2 augmented anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy by reinvigorating CD8+ T cells via increasing intratumoral CXCL10.

Profiting from the sustained clinical improvement and prolonged patient survival, immune checkpoint blockade of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) axis has emerged as a revolutionary cancer therapy approach. However, the anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies only achieve a clinical response rate of approximately 20%. Herein, we identified a novel combination strategy that Chinese medicine ginseng-derived ginsenoside Rh2 (Rh2) markedly improved the anti-cancer efficacy of anti-PD-L1 antibody in mice bearing MC38 tumor. Rh2 combined with anti-PD-L1 antibody (combo treatment) further triggered the infiltration, proliferation and activation of CD8+ T cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Depletion of CD8+ T cells by mouse CD8 blocking antibody abolished the anti-cancer effect of combo treatment totally. Mechanistically, combo treatment further increased the expression of CXCL10 through activating TBK1-IRF3 signaling pathway, explaining the increased infiltration of T cells. Employing anti- CXC chemokine receptor 3 (CXCR3) blocking antibody prevented the T cells infiltration and abolished the anti-cancer effect of combo treatment. Meanwhile, combo treatment increased the percentage of M1-like macrophages and raised the ratio of M1/M2 macrophages in TME. By comparing the anti-cancer effect of combo treatment among MC38, CT26 and 4T1 tumors, resident T cells were considered as a prerequisite for the effectiveness of combo treatment. These findings demonstrated that Rh2 potentiated the anti-cancer effect of PD-L1 blockade via promoting the T cells infiltration and activation, which shed a new light on the combination strategy to enhance anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy by using natural product Rh2.

Unusual 3,4-Oxidative Coupling Polymerization on 1,2,5-Trisubstituted Pyrroles for Novel Porous Organic Polymers.

Porous organic polymers (POPs) have demonstrated promising task-specific applications due to their structure designability and thus functionality. Herein, an unusual 3,4-polymerization on 1,2,5-trisubstituted pyrroles has been developed to give linear polypyrrole-3,4 in high efficiency, with Mn of 20000 and PDI of 1.7. This novel polymerization technique was applied to prepare a series of polypyrrole-based POPs (PY-POP-1-4), which exhibited high BET surface areas (up to 762 m2 g-1) with a meso-micro-supermicro hierarchically porous structure. Furthermore, PY-POPs were doped in the mixed matrix membranes based on the polysulfone matrix to enhance the gas permeability and gas pair selectivity, with H2/N2 selectivity up to 84.6 and CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 selectivity up to 46.8 and 39.6.

Prokaryote Distribution Patterns along a Dissolved Oxygen Gradient Section in the Tropical Pacific Ocean.

Oceanic oxygen levels are decreasing significantly in response to global climate change; however, the microbial diversity and ecological functional responses to dissolved oxygen (DO) in the open ocean are largely unknown. Here, we present prokaryotic distribution coupled with physical and biogeochemical variables and DO gradients from the surface to near the bottom of a water column along an approximately 12,000-km transect from 13° N to 18° S in the Tropical Pacific Ocean. Nitrate (11.42%), temperature (10.90%), pH (10.91%), silicate (9.34%), phosphate (4.25%), chlorophyll a (3.66%), DO (3.50%), and salinity (3.48%) significantly explained the microbial community variations in the studied area. A distinct microbial community composition broadly corresponding to the water masses formed vertically. Additionally, distinct ecotypes of Thaumarchaeota and Nitrospinae belonging to diverse phylogenetic clades that coincided with specific vertical niches were observed. Moreover, the correlation analysis revealed large-scale natural feedback in which chlorophyll a (organic matter) promoted Thaumarchaeotal biomass at depths that subsequently coupled with Nitrospina, produced and replenished nitrate for phytoplankton productivity at the surface. Low DO also favored Thaumarchaeota growth and fueled nitrate production.

Application of genetic risk score for in-stent restenosis of second- and third-generation drug-eluting stents in geriatric patients.

BACKGROUND: The second-and third-generation drug-eluting stents (DESs) in-stent restenosis (ISR) genetic risk score (GRS) model has been previously validated. However, the model has not been validated in geriatric patients. Therefore, we conducted this study to test the feasibility of the DES-ISR GRS model in geriatric patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) in Taiwan. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, single-center cohort study and included geriatric patients (age ≥ 65 years) with CAD and second-or third-generation DES(s) deployment. Patients undergoing maintenance dialysis were excluded. ISR was defined as ≥ 50% luminal narrowing on the follow-up coronary arteriography. The DES-ISR GRS model included five selected exonic single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs): CAMLG, GALNT2, C11orf84, THOC5, and SAMD11. The GRS was defined as the sum of the five selected SNPs for the risk allele. RESULTS: We enrolled 298 geriatric patients from January 2010 and December 2019 in this study. After propensity score matching, there were 192 geriatric patients with CAD in the final analysis, of which 32 patients had ISR. Patients were divided into two groups based on their GRS values: low (0-2) and high (≥ 3) GRS. A high GRS was significantly associated with DES-ISR in geriatric patients. CONCLUSION: Those geriatric patients with a high GRS had significantly higher second-or third-generation DES ISR rates. The five SNP-derived DES-ISR GRS model could provide genetic information for interventional cardiologists to treat geriatric patients with CAD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The primary study protocol was registered with clinicaltrials.org. with registration number: NCT03877614; on March 15, 2019. ( http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03877614 ).

Recent Progress in Azobenzene-Based Supramolecular Materials and Applications.

Azobenzene-containing small molecules and polymers are functional photoswitchable molecules to form supramolecular nanomaterials for various applications. Recently, supramolecular nanomaterials have received enormous attention in material science because of their simple bottom-up synthesis approach, understandable mechanisms and structural features, and batch-to-batch reproducibility. Azobenzene is a light-responsive functional moiety in the molecular design of small molecules and polymers and is used to switch the photophysical properties of supramolecular nanomaterials. Herein, we review the latest literature on supramolecular nano- and micro-materials formed from azobenzene-containing small molecules and polymers through the combinatorial effect of weak molecular interactions. Different classes including complex coacervates, host-guest systems, co-assembled, and self-assembled supramolecular materials, where azobenzene is an essential moiety in small molecules, and photophysical properties are discussed. Afterward, azobenzene-containing polymers-based supramolecular photoresponsive materials formed through the host-guest approach, polymerization-induced self-assembly, and post-polymerization assembly techniques are highlighted. In addition to this, the applications of photoswitchable supramolecular materials in pH sensing, and CO2 capture are presented. In the end, the conclusion and future perspective of azobenzene-based supramolecular materials for molecular assembly design, and applications are given.

Improving the efficiency of metal ions doped Fe2O3 nanoparticles: Photocatalyst for removal of organic dye from aqueous media.

The metal ion-based nanocomposite photocatalysts were accepted to exhibit a wide range of photocatalytic and biological applications. In this paper, we synthesize bare Fe2O3, 1 wt% metal (Ag, Co, and Cu) doped Fe2O3 nanoparticles (NPs) using a simple hydrothermal process and wet impregnation method. The as-prepared nanomaterials crystalline structure, shape, optical characteristics, and elemental composition were determined by using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDS) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. Furthermore, the synthesized nanocomposites were utilized as a photosensitizer for the degradation of reactive red (RR120) and orange II (O-II) dyes under sunlight irradiation. The synthesized 1 wt% Ag-Fe2O3 (AgF) NPs samples exhibit a more exceptional catalytic performance of RR120 and O-II dyes (98.32%) within 120 min than the existing Fe2O3, 1 wt% Co-Fe2O3, and Cu-Fe2O3 NPs. The effect of parameters such as exciton formation under solar irradiation, charge recombination rate, and surface charge availability. The metal oxide-doped nanocomposite economic relevance is revealed by their long-term durability and recyclability in photodegradation reactions. The photocatalytic investigations show that the active species O2∙-, HO∙ and h+ play an important role in the dye degradation process. This research might pave the opportunity for the sustainable development of greater photocatalysts for photodegradation and a wide range of environmental applications.

MoS2-ZnO Nanocomposite Mediated Immunosensor for Non-Invasive Electrochemical Detection of IL8 Oral Tumor Biomarker.

In order to support biomolecule attachment, an effective electrochemical transducer matrix for biosensing devices needs to have many specialized properties, including quick electron transfer, stability, high surface area, biocompatibility, and the presence of particular functional groups. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, gel electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, fluorescence spectroscopy, and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy are common techniques used to assess biomarkers. Even though these techniques provide precise and trustworthy results, they cannot replace clinical applications because of factors such as detection time, sample amount, sensitivity, equipment expense, and the need for highly skilled individuals. For the very sensitive and targeted electrochemical detection of the salivary oral cancer biomarker IL8, we have created a flower-structured molybdenum disulfide-decorated zinc oxide composite on GCE (interleu-kin-8). This immunosensor shows very fast detection; the limit of detection (LOD) for interleukin-8 (IL8) detection in a 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution (PBS) was discovered to be 11.6 fM, while the MoS2/ZnO nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) demonstrated a high catalytic current linearly from 500 pg to 4500 pg mL-1 interleukin-8 (IL8). Therefore, the proposed biosensor exhibits excellent stability, high accuracy sensitivity, repeatability, and reproducibility and shows the acceptable fabrication of the electrochemical biosensors to detect the ACh in real sample analysis.

Attrition of Well-Healed Burn Survivors to a 6-Month Community-Based Exercise Program: A Retrospective Evaluation.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether burn survivors have lower adherence compared to non-burned control individuals during a 6-month community-based exercise program. In burn survivors, we sought to answer if there was a relation between the size of the burn injury and dropout frequency. Fifty-two burn survivors and 15 non-burned controls (n = 67) were recruited for a 6-month community-based (ie, non-supervised), progressive, exercise training program. During the exercise program, 27% (ie, 4 of the 15 enrolled) of the non-burned individuals dropped out of the study, while 37% (ie, 19 of the 52) of the burn survivors dropped out from the study. There was no difference in the percentage of individuals who dropped out between groups (P = .552). There was no difference in size of the burn injury, expressed as percent body surface area burned (%BSA) between the burn survivors that dropped out versus those who completed the exercise regimen (P = .951). We did not observe a relation between %BSA burned and dropouts (log odds = -0.15-0.01(%BSA), B = -0.01, SE = 0.015, P = .541). There was no effect of %BSA burned on the probability of dropout [Exp (B) = 0.991, 95% CI (0.961, 1.020)] and there were no differences in the percentage of individuals who dropped out of the study based on %BSA burned (χ2(1) = 0.44, P = .51). These data demonstrate that burn survivors have similar exercise adherence relative to a non-burned group and the extent of a burn injury does not affect exercise program adherence.

Building on the backbone of CD47-based therapy in cancer: Combination strategies, mechanisms, and future perspectives.

Described as a "don't eat me" signal, CD47 becomes a vital immune checkpoint in cancer. Its interaction with signal regulatory protein alpha (SIRPα) prevents macrophage phagocytosis. In recent years, a growing body of evidences have unveiled that CD47-based combination therapy exhibits a superior anti-cancer effect. Latest clinical trials about CD47 have adopted the regimen of collaborating with other therapies or developing CD47-directed bispecific antibodies, indicating the combination strategy as a general trend of the future. In this review, clinical and preclinical cases about the current combination strategies targeting CD47 are collected, their underlying mechanisms of action are discussed, and ideas from future perspectives are shared.

Iron-engineered mesoporous biocarbon composite and its adsorption, activation, and regeneration approach for removal of paracetamol in water.

Three-dimensional multi-porous Iron Oxide/carbon (Fe2O3/C) composites derived from tamarind shell biomass were synthesized by a single-step co-pyrolysis technique and utilized for Paracetamol (PAC) dismissal in the combined adsorption, and advanced oxidation such as electrochemical regeneration techniques. The Fe2O3/C composites were prepared by different pyrolysis temperatures, and named as TS750 (without Fe2O3at 750 °C), MTS450 BCs (Low-450 °C), MTS600 BCs (Moderate-600 °C) and MTS750 BCs (high-750 °C), respectively. As-prepared Fe2O3/C composite was characterized by FE-SEM, XRD, BET, and XPS analysis. The specific surface area and the spatial interaction between the interlayers of Fe2O3 and C were significantly improved by increasing the pyrolysis temperatures from 450 to 750 °C, which improved the adsorption capacity of Fe2O3/C composites in terms of higher rate constants and chemisorption kinetics. The Pseudo-second-order kinetics model fitted in the adsorption test results of Fe2O3/C composites with the highest correlation co-efficiency. The Langmuir-isotherms model fitted in the adsorption test of the TS750 and MTS450 BCs. The Freundlich isotherms model is more fit with MTS600 and MTS750 BCs. Based on the isotherm results, the MTS750 BCs achieved 46.9 mg/g of maximum PAC adsorption capacity. The optimized MTS750 composites could be completely recovered by using an advanced electrochemical oxidation regeneration approach within 180 min. Also, with the adsorption and recovery process, the TOC removal rate improved to ∼79.4%. After the 6th cycle electrochemical oxidation process, the obtained results of the re-adsorption test showed the stabile adsorption activity of the sorbent material. The data outcomes herein propose that this type of combined adsorption and electrochemical approach will be useful in commercial water treatment plants.

Facile synthesis of carbon/titanium oxide quantum dots from lignocellulose-rich mandarin orange peel extract via microwave irradiation: Synthesis, characterization and bio-imaging application.

A nanohybrid prepared from the lignocellulosic residue is a feasible approach to synthesize blue light emitting fluorescent doped TiO2 quantum dot nanocomposite (C-TiO2 QDs) by microwave techniques using Mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata) peel powder with titanium isopropoxide precursors. With a greater orange peel colloidal medium, the structure of the TiO2-NPs changed from a mixture of rutile and anatase phases to exclusively the anatase phase. The optical and morphological properties of as-prepared C-TiO2 QDs were characterized by HR-TEM, XRD, FT-IR, UV-visible, PL spectra, DLS, and Zeta potential techniques. The reaction condition was optimized by changing substrate composition, pH, and reaction time. C-TiO2 QDs exhibit outstanding stability at pH 7 and remain sustained for at least 180 days without aggregation. As prepared C-TiO2 QDs have distinct emission and excitation activities with an average particle size of 2.8 nm. Cell viability was performed on normal L929 cells, where it showed excellent biocompatibility (<90 %) even at the concentration of 200 µg/mL after 24 h treatment. Additionally, the synthesized C-TiO2 QDs were used with L929 cells as a fluorescent probe for bio-imaging applications. The results revealed that neither of the cell lines' morphologies had significantly changed, proving the biocompatibility of the synthetic C-TiO2 QDs.

Management of Restenosis after Stenting in Left Main Coronary Artery Disease.

Background: The optimal alternative treatment strategy to coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) for in-stent restenosis (ISR) in left main (LM) coronary artery disease remains uncertain. Methods: We retrospectively screened all intervention reports from an intervention database and extracted those mentioning an LM stent. We then manually confirmed reports involving LM ISR and divided them into two groups, those in which the patient received a new drug-eluting stent (new-DES) strategy, and those in which the patient received a drug-coated balloon (DCB) only. A composite endpoint of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) and each individual endpoint were compared. We also performed a brief analysis of similar designed studies. Results: Between the new-DES (n = 40) and DCB-only (n = 22) groups, during median respective follow-up times of 581.5 and 642.5 days, no significant statistical differences were detected in MACEs (50.0% vs. 50.0%, p = 0.974), cardiovascular death (27.5% vs. 13.6%, p = 0.214), nonfatal myocardial infarction (30.0% vs. 31.8%, p = 0.835), or target lesion revascularization (35.0% vs. 45.5%, p = 0.542). We analyzed four similar studies and found comparable MACE findings (odds ratio: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.44-1.67). Conclusions: Our findings support both DCB angioplasty and repeat DES implantation for LMISR lesions in patients who were clinically judged to be unsuitable for CABG; the treatments achieved comparable clinical results in terms of MACEs in the medium term.

Primary cilia-associated protein IFT172 in ciliopathies.

Cilium is a highly conserved antenna-like structure protruding from the surface of the cell membrane, which is widely distributed on most mammalian cells. Two types of cilia have been described so far which include motile cilia and immotile cilia and the latter are also known as primary cilia. Dysfunctional primary cilia are commonly associated with a variety of congenital diseases called ciliopathies with multifaceted presentations such as retinopathy, congenital kidney disease, intellectual disability, cancer, polycystic kidney, obesity, Bardet Biedl syndrome (BBS), etc. Intraflagellar transport (IFT) is a bi-directional transportation process that helps maintain a balanced flow of proteins or signaling molecules essential for the communication between cilia and cytoplasm. Disrupted IFT contributes to the abnormal structure or function of cilia and frequently promotes the occurrence of ciliopathies. Intraflagellar transport 172 (IFT172) is a newly identified member of IFT proteins closely involved in some rare ciliopathies such as Mainzer-Saldino syndrome (MZSDS) and BBS, though the underpinning causal mechanisms remain largely elusive. In this review, we summarize the key findings on the genetic and protein characteristic of IFT172, as well as its function in intraflagellar transport, to provide comprehensive insights to understand IFT172-related ciliopathies.

High Burden of Premature Ventricular Complex Increases the Risk of New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation.

Background High burden of premature ventricular complex (PVC) leads to increased cardiovascular mortality. A recent nationwide population-based study demonstrated that PVC is associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the relationship between PVC burden and new-onset AF has not been investigated. The purpose of the study is to elucidate whether PVC burden is associated with new-onset AF. Methods and Results We designed a single-center, retrospective, large population-based cohort study to evaluate the role of PVC burden and new-onset AF in Taiwan. Patients who were AF naïve with PVC were divided into the low burden group (<1000/day) and moderate-to-high burden group (≥1000/day) based on the 24-h Holter ECG report. New-onset AF was defined as a new or first detectable event of either a persistent or paroxysmal AF. A total of 16 030 patients who were AF naïve and underwent 24-h Holter ECG monitoring were enrolled in this study, with a mean follow-up time of 973 days. A propensity score-matched analysis demonstrated that the moderate-to-high burden PVC group had a higher risk of developing new-onset AF than that of the low burden PVC group (4.91% versus 2.73%, P<0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that moderate-to-high burden of PVC is an independent risk factor for new-onset AF. The Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that patients with moderate-to-high PVC burden were associated with higher risk of new-onset AF (log-rank P<0.001). Conclusions PVC burden is associated with new-onset AF. Patients with moderate-to-high PVC burden are at a higher risk of new-onset AF. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03877614.