Gradient-flow adaptive importance sampling for Bayesian leave one out cross-validation for sigmoidal classification models.

We introduce a set of gradient-flow-guided adaptive importance sampling (IS) transformations to stabilize Monte-Carlo approximations of point-wise leave one out cross-validated (LOO) predictions for Bayesian classification models. One can leverage this methodology for assessing model generalizability by for instance computing a LOO analogue to the AIC or computing LOO ROC/PRC curves and derived metrics like the AUROC and AUPRC. By the calculus of variations and gradient flow, we derive two simple nonlinear single-step transformations that utilize gradient information to shift a model's pre-trained full-data posterior closer to the target LOO posterior predictive distributions. In doing so, the transformations stabilize importance weights. Because the transformations involve the gradient of the likelihood function, the resulting Monte Carlo integral depends on Jacobian determinants with respect to the model Hessian. We derive closed-form exact formulae for these Jacobian determinants in the cases of logistic regression and shallow ReLU-activated artificial neural networks, and provide a simple approximation that sidesteps the need to compute full Hessian matrices and their spectra. We test the methodology on an n≪p dataset that is known to produce unstable LOO IS weights.

A xanthan gum and carbomer-codispersed divalent manganese ion-loaded tannic acid nanoparticle adjuvanted inactivated pseudorabies virus vaccine induces balanced humoral and cellular immune responses.

Adjuvants including aluminum adjuvant (Alum) and oil-water emulsion have been widely used in inactivated pseudorabies virus (PRV) vaccine to improve its performance, however, they are not sufficient to protect from PRV infection because of the weak immune response and poor Th1-type immune response. Divalent manganese ion (Mn2+) has been reported to increase the cellular immune response significantly. In this work, a xanthan gum and carbomer-dispersed Mn2+-loaded tannic acid-polyethylene glycol (TPMnXC) nanoparticle colloid is developed and used as an adjuvant to improve the performance of the inactivated PRV vaccine. The good in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility of the developed TPMnXC colloid has been confirmed by the cell viability assay, erythrocyte hemolysis, blood routine analysis, and histological analysis of mouse organs and injection site. The TPMnXC-adjuvanted inactivated PRV vaccine (TPMnXC@PRV) significantly promotes higher and more balanced immune responses indicating with an increased specific total IgG antibody and IgG2a/IgG1 ratio, efficient splenocytes proliferation, and elevated Th1- and Th2-type cytokine secretion than those of control groups. Wild PRV challenge experiment is performed using mice as a model animal, achieving a protection rate of up to 86.67 %, which is much higher than those observed from the commercial Alum. This work not only demonstrates the high potentiality of TPMnXC in practical applications but also provides a new way to develop the Mn2+-loaded nanoadjuvant for veterinary vaccines.

Overcompensation of transient and permanent death rate increases in age-structured models with cannibalistic interactions.

There has been renewed interest in understanding the mathematical structure of ecological population models that lead to overcompensation, the process by which a population recovers to a higher level after suffering a permanent increase in predation or harvesting. Here, we apply a recently formulated kinetic population theory to formally construct an age-structured single-species population model that includes a cannibalistic interaction in which older individuals prey on younger ones. Depending on the age-dependent structure of this interaction, our model can exhibit transient or steady-state overcompensation of an increased death rate as well as oscillations of the total population, both phenomena that have been observed in ecological systems. Analytic and numerical analysis of our model reveals sufficient conditions for overcompensation and oscillations. We also show how our structured population partial integrodifferential equation (PIDE) model can be reduced to coupled ODE models representing piecewise constant parameter domains, providing additional mathematical insight into the emergence of overcompensation.

One case report of epilepsy and rapidly progressive cognitive impairment after levofloxacin treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of seizure and rapidly progressive cognitive impairment 20 min after intravenous administration of levofloxacin. A 56-year-old woman was admitted to hospital with episodic unconsciousness and unresponsiveness. About 4 days ago, she experienced a loss of consciousness, fell to the floor, and yelled for 2 min, 20 min before the first intravenous dose of levofloxacin. The patient developed symptoms of cognitive impairment after the seizure. Levofloxacin is a synthetic third generation fluoroquinolone used to treat various infectious diseases. Upon admission, the patient was conscious and unresponsive. After 11 days of symptomatic and supportive treatment, the patient was discharged from the hospital with cognition restored to baseline level and no recurrence of seizures 10 months after discharge. DISCUSSION: Epilepsy is a rare adverse reaction to levofloxacin treatment. The patient in this case had infection-related signs before the onset of the disease, and the disease progressed rapidly with fluctuating changes. After ruling out degenerative, infectious, toxic, and autoimmune causes, the patient's symptoms may be attributed to levofloxacin, and this is the first case of seizure and rapidly progressive cognitive impairment after levofloxacin injection reported in the literature. Clinicians should be aware that unexplained, rapidly progressing cognitive impairment with infection-related signs before onset may be a rare side effect of antibiotics.

Stochastic nucleosome disassembly mediated by remodelers and histone fragmentation.

We construct and analyze monomeric and multimeric models of the stochastic disassembly of a single nucleosome. Our monomeric model predicts the time needed for a number of histone-DNA contacts to spontaneously break, leading to dissociation of a non-fragmented histone from DNA. The dissociation process can be facilitated by DNA binding proteins or processing molecular motors that compete with histones for histone-DNA contact sites. Eigenvalue analysis of the corresponding master equation allows us to evaluate histone detachment times under both spontaneous detachment and protein-facilitated processes. We find that competitive DNA binding of remodeling proteins can significantly reduce the typical detachment time but only if these remodelers have DNA-binding affinities comparable to those of histone-DNA contact sites. In the presence of processive motors, the histone detachment rate is shown to be proportional to the product of the histone single-bond dissociation constant and the speed of motor protein procession. Our simple intact-histone model is then extended to allow for multimeric nucleosome kinetics that reveal additional pathways of disassembly. In addition to a dependence of complete disassembly times on subunit-DNA contact energies, we show how histone subunit concentrations in bulk solutions can mediate the disassembly process by rescuing partially disassembled nucleosomes. Moreover, our kinetic model predicts that remodeler binding can also bias certain pathways of nucleosome disassembly, with higher remodeler binding rates favoring intact-histone detachment.

The role of APOBEC3-induced mutations in the differential evolution of monkeypox virus.

Recent studies show that newly sampled monkeypox virus (MPXV) genomes exhibit mutations consistent with Apolipoprotein B mRNA Editing Catalytic Polypeptide-like3 (APOBEC3)-mediated editing compared to MPXV genomes collected earlier. It is unclear whether these single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) result from APOBEC3-induced editing or are a consequence of genetic drift within one or more MPXV animal reservoirs. We develop a simple method based on a generalization of the General-Time-Reversible model to show that the observed SNPs are likely the result of APOBEC3-induced editing. The statistical features allow us to extract lineage information and estimate evolutionary events.

Stochastic nucleosome disassembly mediated by remodelers and histone fragmentation.

We construct and analyze monomeric and multimeric models of the stochastic disassembly of a single nucleosome. Our monomeric model predicts the time needed for a number of histone-DNA contacts to spontaneously break, leading to dissociation of a non-fragmented histone from DNA. The dissociation process can be facilitated by DNA binding proteins or processing molecular motors that compete with histones for histone-DNA contact sites. Eigenvalue analysis of the corresponding master equation allows us to evaluate histone detachment times under both spontaneous detachment and protein-facilitated processes. We find that competitive DNA binding of remodeling proteins can significantly reduce the typical detachment time but only if these remodelers have DNA-binding affinities comparable to those of histone-DNA contact sites. In the presence of processive motors, the histone detachment rate is shown to be proportional to the product of the histone single-bond dissociation constant and the speed of motor protein procession. Our simple intact-histone model is then extended to allow for multimeric nucleosome kinetics that reveal additional pathways of disassembly. In addition to a dependence of complete disassembly times on subunit-DNA contact energies, we show how histone subunit concentrations in bulk solution can mediate the disassembly process by rescuing partially disassembled nucleosomes. Moreover, our kinetic model predicts that remodeler binding can also bias certain pathways of nucleosome disassembly, with higher remodeler binding rates favoring intact-histone detachment.

The role of APOBEC3-induced mutations in the differential evolution of monkeypox virus.

Recent studies show that newly sampled monkeypox virus (MPXV) genomes exhibit mutations consistent with Apolipoprotein B mRNA Editing Catalytic Polypeptide-like3 (APOBEC3)-mediated editing, compared to MPXV genomes collected earlier. It is unclear whether these single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) result from APOBEC3-induced editing or are a consequence of genetic drift within one or more MPXV animal reservoirs. We develop a simple method based on a generalization of the General-Time-Reversible (GTR) model to show that the observed SNPs are likely the result of APOBEC3-induced editing. The statistical features allow us to extract lineage information and estimate evolutionary events.

Inverse correlation between Alzheimer's disease and cancer from the perspective of hypoxia.

Sporadic Alzheimer's disease and cancer remain epidemiologically inversely related, and exploring the reverse pathogenesis is important for our understanding of both. Cognitive dysfunctions in Alzheimer's disease (AD) might result from the depletion of adaptive reserves in the brain. Energy storage in the brain is limited and is dynamically regulated by neurovascular and neurometabolic coupling. The research on neurodegenerative diseases has been dominated by the neurocentric view that neuronal defects cause the diseases. However, the proposal of the 2-hit vascular hypothesis in AD led us to focus on alterations in the vasculature, especially hypoperfusion. Chronic hypoxia is a feature shared by AD and cancer. It is interesting how contradicting chronic hypoxia's effects on both cancer and AD are. In this article, we discuss the potential links between the 2 diseases' etiology, from comparable upstream circumstances to diametrically opposed downstream effects. We suggest opposing potential mechanisms, including upregulation and downregulation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α, the Warburg and reverse-Warburg effects, lactate-mediated intracellular acidic and alkaline conditions, and VDAC1-mediated apoptosis and antiapoptosis, and search for regulators that may be identified as the crossroads between cancer and AD.

ssDNA accessibility of Rad51 is regulated by orchestrating multiple RPA dynamics.

The eukaryotic single-stranded DNA (ssDNA)-binding protein Replication Protein A (RPA) plays a crucial role in various DNA metabolic pathways, including DNA replication and repair, by dynamically associating with ssDNA. While the binding of a single RPA molecule to ssDNA has been thoroughly studied, the accessibility of ssDNA is largely governed by the bimolecular behavior of RPA, the biophysical nature of which remains unclear. In this study, we develop a three-step low-complexity ssDNA Curtains method, which, when combined with biochemical assays and a Markov chain model in non-equilibrium physics, allow us to decipher the dynamics of multiple RPA binding to long ssDNA. Interestingly, our results suggest that Rad52, the mediator protein, can modulate the ssDNA accessibility of Rad51, which is nucleated on RPA coated ssDNA through dynamic ssDNA exposure between neighboring RPA molecules. We find that this process is controlled by the shifting between the protection mode and action mode of RPA ssDNA binding, where tighter RPA spacing and lower ssDNA accessibility are favored under RPA protection mode, which can be facilitated by the Rfa2 WH domain and inhibited by Rad52 RPA interaction.

Radical Decarboxylative Carbon-Nitrogen Bond Formation.

The carbon-nitrogen bond is one of the most prevalent chemical bonds in natural and artificial molecules, as many naturally existing organic molecules, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and functional materials contain at least one nitrogen atom. Radical decarboxylative carbon-nitrogen bond formation from readily available carboxylic acids and their derivatives has emerged as an attractive and valuable tool in modern synthetic chemistry. The promising achievements in this research topic have been demonstrated via utilizing this strategy in the synthesis of complex natural products. In this review, we will cover carbon-nitrogen bond formation via radical decarboxylation of carboxylic acids, Barton esters, MPDOC esters, N-hydroxyphthalimide esters (NHP esters), oxime esters, aryliodine(III) dicarboxylates, and others, respectively. This review aims to bring readers a comprehensive survey of the development in this rapidly expanding field. We hope that this review will emphasize the knowledge, highlight the proposed mechanisms, and further disclose the fascinating features in modern synthetic applications.

Role of PGC-1α mediated synaptic plasticity, mitochondrial function, and neuroinflammation in the antidepressant effect of Zi-Shui-Qing-Gan-Yin.

Depression is the most prevalent psychiatric disorder, which needs deeper mechanism research studies and effective therapy. Zi-Shui-Qing-Gan-Yin (ZSQGY) is a traditional Chinese medicine decoction that has been widely used in China in the treatment of depressive symptoms. The aim of the study was to examine the anti-depressive effects of ZSQGY and the possible mechanism of action in the monosodium glutamate (MSG)-induced depressive model and the corticosterone (CORT)-induced PC12 cell model. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was performed to determine the major compounds in the water extract of ZSQGY. The depressive behaviors were evaluated by the field swimming test (FST), the sucrose preference test (SPT), and the open field test (OFT). Golgi staining and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were performed to display the alterations of synaptic ultrastructure. The mitochondrion function and inflammatory factors were also quantified. The changes in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ co-activator 1α (PGC-1α) expression were evaluated. The results of this study demonstrated that ZSQGY significantly improved depressive behaviors. ZSQGY also reversed the changes in synaptic plasticity, improved mitochondrion function, and reduced the levels of inflammatory factors. The neuroprotective effects were accompanied by the increased expression of PGC-1α. However, the beneficial changes were reversed after the inhibition of PGC-1α. These results indicated that ZSQGY effectively could improve depressive behaviors via the mechanisms that regulate synaptic structural plasticity, improve mitochondrion function, and alleviate neuroinflammation, which could, or partly, attribute to the regulation of PGC-1α.

Integrated analysis of the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network based on competing endogenous RNA in atrial fibrillation.

Objective: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play pivotal roles in the transcriptional regulation of atrial fibrillation (AF) by acting as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs). In the present study, the expression levels of lncRNAs of sinus rhythm (SR) patients and AF patients were investigated with transcriptomics technology, and the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network based on the ceRNA theory in AF was elaborated. Methods: Left atrial appendage (LAA) tissues were obtained from patients with valvular heart disease during cardiac surgery, and they were divided into SR and AF groups. The expression characterizations of differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs in the two groups were revealed by high-throughput sequencing methods. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed, and the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA-mediated ceRNA network was constructed. Results: A total of differentially expressed 82 lncRNAs, 18 miRNAs, and 495 mRNAs in human atrial appendage tissues were targeted. Compared to SR patients, the following changes were found in AF patients: 32 upregulated and 50 downregulated lncRNAs; 7 upregulated and 11 downregulated miRNAs; and 408 upregulated and 87 downregulated mRNAs. A lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network was constructed, which included 44 lncRNAs, 18 miRNAs, and 347 mRNAs. qRT-PCR was performed to verify these findings. GO and KEGG analyses suggested that inflammatory response, chemokine signaling pathway, and other biological processes play important roles in the pathogenesis of AF. Network analysis based on the ceRNA theory identified that lncRNA XR_001750763.2 and Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) compete for binding to miR-302b-3p. In AF patients, lncRNA XR_001750763.2 and TLR2 were upregulated, and miR-302b-3p was downregulated. Conclusion: We identified a lncRNA XR_001750763.2/miR-302b-3p/TLR2 network based on the ceRNA theory in AF. The present study shed light on the physiological functions of lncRNAs and provided information for exploring potential treatments for AF.

Multi-centre, prospective randomized comparison of three different substrate ablation strategies for persistent atrial fibrillation.

AIMS: The optimal strategy for persistent atrial fibrillation (PerAF) is poorly defined. We conducted a multicentre, randomized, prospective trial to compare the outcomes of different ablation strategies for PerAF. METHODS AND RESULTS: We enrolled 450 patients and randomly assigned them in a 1:1:1 ratio to undergo pulmonary vein isolation and subsequently undergo the following three different ablation strategies: anatomical guided ablation (ANAT group, n = 150), electrogram guided ablation (EGM group, n = 150), and extensive electro-anatomical guided ablation (EXT group, n = 150). The primary endpoint was freedom from atrial fibrillation (AF) lasting longer than 30 s at 12 months after a single ablation procedure. After 12 months of follow-up, 72% (108) of patients in the EXT group were free from AF recurrence, as compared with the 64% (96) in the EGM group (P = 0.116), and 54% (81) in the ANAT group (P = 0.002). The EXT group showed less AF/atrial tachycardia recurrence than the EGM group (60% vs. 50%, P = 0.064) and the ANAT group (60% vs. 37.3%, P < 0.001). The EXT group showed the highest rate of AF termination (66.7%), followed by 56.7% in the EGM group, and 20.7% in the ANAT group. The AF termination signified less AF recurrence at 12 months compared to patients without AF termination (30.1% vs. 42.7%, P = 0.008). Safety endpoints did not differ significantly between the three groups (P = 0.924). CONCLUSIONS: Electro-anatomical guided ablation achieved the most favourable outcomes among the three ablation strategies. The AF termination is a reliable ablation endpoint.

USP9X promotes lipopolysaccharide-stimulated acute lung injury by deubiquitination of NLRP3.

Alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) function as a vital defense barrier avoiding the invasion of exogenous agents and preserving the functional and structural integrity of lung tissues, while damage/breakdown of this airway epithelial barrier is frequently associated with the pathogenesis of acute lung injury (ALI). NOD-like receptor family, pyrindomain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation-associated pyroptosis is involved in the development of ALI. Yet, how the activity of NLRP3 inflammasome is regulated in the context of ALI remains unknown. Herein we hypothesized that USP9X, an important deubiquitinase, participates in modulating the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome, thereby affecting the phenotypes in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated AEC model. Human pulmonary AECs were subjected to LPS/adenosine triphosphate (ATP) treatment to induce NLRP3 inflammasome activation and cell pyroptosis. Knockdown and overexpression of USP9X were applied to validate the function of USP9X. Inhibitors of proteinase and protein synthesis, as well as approach of co-immunoprecipitation coupled with Western blot, were utilized to explore the molecular mechanism. LPS/ATP challenge resulted in pronouncedly increased pyroptosis of AECs, activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and release of interleukin (IL)-1ß and IL-18 cytokines, while downregulation of USP9X could reverse these alterations. USP9X was found to have marked impact on NLRP3 protein instead of mRNA level. Furthermore, increased ubiquitination of NLRP3 was observed upon downregulating USP9X. Additionally, the inhibitory effect of USP9X downregulation was reversed by NLRP3 overexpression, while the promoting impact of USP9X overexpression was dampened by NLRP3 inhibitor in terms of cell pyroptosis and cytokine secretion. USP9X modulated the activity of NLRP3 inflammasome and pyroptosis of AECs via its deubiquitination function.

Stochastic dynamics and ribosome-RNAP interactions in transcription-translation coupling.

Under certain cellular conditions, transcription and mRNA translation in prokaryotes appear to be "coupled," in which the formation of mRNA transcript and production of its associated protein are temporally correlated. Such transcription-translation coupling (TTC) has been evoked as a mechanism that speeds up the overall process, provides protection against premature termination, and/or regulates the timing of transcript and protein formation. What molecular mechanisms underlie ribosome-RNAP coupling and how they can perform these functions have not been explicitly modeled. We develop and analyze a continuous-time stochastic model that incorporates ribosome and RNAP elongation rates, initiation and termination rates, RNAP pausing, and direct ribosome and RNAP interactions (exclusion and binding). Our model predicts how distributions of delay times depend on these molecular features of transcription and translation. We also propose additional measures for TTC: a direct ribosome-RNAP binding probability and the fraction of time the translation-transcription process is "protected" from attack by transcription-terminating proteins. These metrics quantify different aspects of TTC and differentially depend on parameters of known molecular processes. We use our metrics to reveal how and when our model can exhibit either acceleration or deceleration of transcription, as well as protection from termination. Our detailed mechanistic model provides a basis for designing new experimental assays that can better elucidate the mechanisms of TTC.

Chemical component analysis of the traditional Chinese medicine Guipi Tang and its effects on major depressive disorder at molecular level.

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Guipi Tang (GPT) is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine that is used to treat major depressive disorder. However, the molecular mechanisms of its effects remain unclear. Aim of the study: This study aimed to investigate the antidepressant-like effects of GPT and explore its underlying molecular mechanisms. Materials and methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) procedure and treated with various doses of GPT, with fluoxetine treatment as a positive control. Behavioural tests (including sucrose preference test, novelty-suppressed feeding test, open-field test and forced swim test), terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were conducted. The levels of Bax, Bcl-2, cleaved caspase-3, PI3K, p-PI3K, AKT, p-AKT, BDNF, TrkB and CREB or p-CREB were assessed at the protein level using western blotting or immunofluorescence. Results: GPT consists of mainly known drugs, such as liquiritin and ginsenosides. It reversed depressive behaviours and decreased cell apoptosis in the hippocampi of CUMS rats. It significantly upregulated the protein level of Bax, p-Akt, p-PI3K, BDNF, TrkB and p-CREB and downregulated the level of cleaved caspase-3 and Bcl-2. Conclusions: GPT had anti-depressive activity as indicated by the amelioration of depression-like behaviour and the inhibition of hippocampal neuronal apoptosis in CUMS rats. This inhibition was mediated partly by modulating the PI3K/Akt and/or BDNF/TrkB/CREB pathway, in which, glycosides, the main components of GPT, might be involved.

AdaSG: A Lightweight Feature Point Matching Method Using Adaptive Descriptor with GNN for VSLAM.

Feature point matching is a key component in visual simultaneous localization and mapping (VSLAM). Recently, the neural network has been employed in the feature point matching to improve matching performance. Among the state-of-the-art feature point matching methods, the SuperGlue is one of the top methods and ranked the first in the CVPR 2020 workshop on image matching. However, this method utilizes graph neural network (GNN), resulting in large computational complexity, which makes it unsuitable for resource-constrained devices, such as robots and mobile phones. In this work, we propose a lightweight feature point matching method based on the SuperGlue (named as AdaSG). Compared to the SuperGlue, the AdaSG adaptively adjusts its operating architecture according to the similarity of input image pair to reduce the computational complexity while achieving high matching performance. The proposed method has been evaluated through the commonly used datasets, including indoor and outdoor environments. Compared with several state-of-the-art feature point matching methods, the proposed method achieves significantly less runtime (up to 43× for indoor and up to 6× for outdoor) with similar or better matching performance. It is suitable for feature point matching in resource constrained devices.

Thiacalix[4]arene-based complex with Co(II) ions as electrode modifier for simultaneous electrochemical determination of Cd(II), Pb(II), and Cu(II).

A complex [Co4(TCTA)2(H2O)8]∙10H2O (Co-TCTA) based on thiacalix[4]arene derivative has been synthesized for the first time using the solvothermal method. The glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with Co-TCTA (Co-TCTA/GCE) could simultaneously determine Cd2+, Pb2+, and Cu2+ at around - 0.75 V, - 0.60 V, and - 0.10 V (vs. ref. Ag/AgCl) and had good stability, selectivity, and reproducibility with relative standard deviation (RSD) of 4.4% for Cd2+, 1.4% for Pb2+, and 5.4% for Cu2+. Co-TCTA/GCE showed wide linear range of 0.4-8.0 µM for Cd2+, 0.4-7.0 µM for Pb2+, and 0.6-6.0 µM for Cu2+ when three ions were determined simultaneously. The limits of detection (LODs) of Cd2+, Pb2+, and Cu2+ were 0.071 µM, 0.022 µM, and 0.021 µM, respectively. Moreover, the sensor was used to determine three ions in lake water sample with satisfactory recoveries of 93.6-93.8% for Cd2+, 93.8-103.3% for Pb2+ and 94.6-95.3% for Cu2+. The good adsorption capacity of Co-TCTA and Co(II)/Co(0) circular mechanism on the surface of the electrode were proposed to enhance the electrochemical signals. This work enriched the theoretical research on the complexes for the determination of heavy metal ions.

Hemoglobin A1c and Angiographic Severity with Coronary Artery Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have shown that glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). HbA1c was independently related to angiographic severity in Chinese patients with CAD after adjusting for other covariates. Some traditional cardiovascular drugs may have an impact on this relationship. METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled a total of 572 CAD patients who underwent their coronary angiography and had their HbA1c levels measured at the Chinese Hospital. The complexity of the coronary artery lesions was evaluated using the Syntax score, and the subjects were divided into 4 inter quartiles according to HbA1c levels. Covariates included history of traditional cardiovascular drugs. RESULTS: The average age of selected participants was 61.00 ± 9.15 years old, and about 54.72% of them were male. Result of fully adjusted linear regression showed that HbA1c was positively associated with Syntax score after adjusting confounders (ß = 1.09, 95% CI: 0.27, 1.91, P = 0.0096). By interaction and stratified analyses, the interactions were observed based on our specification including with the medication history of statins and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) (P values for interaction <0.05). CONCLUSION: In this study, we found a positive correlation between the HbA1c levels and the SYNTAX score among CAD individuals, and oral statins and ARBs medication could affect the correlation. Thus, HbA1c measurement could be used for the evaluation of the severity and complexity of coronary lesions among CAD patients.