Quantitative evaluation of myocardial perfusion in coronary heart disease by myocardial contrast and dobutamine stress echocardiography.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate how combining myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) with dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) could help evaluate myocardial perfusion in coronary heart disease patients and understand changes in microcirculation across different levels of coronary artery blockage. METHODS: We conducted MCE and DSE tests on 53 coronary heart disease patients, categorizing ischemic myocardium into four groups: A (<50%), B (50%-69%), C (70%-89%), and D (≥90%). Dynamic myocardial perfusion images were captured during rest and peak dobutamine stress from various angles, analyzing parameters like plateau value A, slope ß, and the product A × ß, reflecting different aspects of myocardial blood flow. RESULTS: Parametric values of myocardial perfusion (PVMPs) were significantly lower in group D at rest compared with other groups (p < 0.001). PVMPs increased notably at peak dobutamine stress in groups A, B, and C (p < 0.001). Groups A and B had higher PVMPs than groups C and D, with group D significantly lower (p < 0.001). ß reserve values decreased gradually from group A to D, with significantly lower values of A and A × ß in groups C and D compared with A and B (p < 0.001). Sensitivity and specificity for predicting >70% coronary artery blockage was 80%, 66%, and 74%, 80%, respectively, using specific thresholds. CONCLUSION: Combining MCE with DSE is highly sensitive and accurate in diagnosing obstructive coronary artery blockages. It also helps assess myocardial microcirculation perfusion and left ventricular reserve function, which decline with increasing severity of coronary artery blockage.

Association of lipids and lipid-lowering drugs with peripheral arterial disease: A Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: It remains unclear whether lipid profiles and lipid-lowering medications are causally related to PAD. OBJECTIVE: Explain whether there is a causal relationship between lipid status and lipid-lowering drugs and PAD. METHODS: In this two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis, we assessed the causal relationship between lipid traits, including high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), triglycerides (TGs), total cholesterol (TC), and LDL-associated genetic variants (HMGCR, NPC1L1, PCSK9, APOB), and the risk of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) using genetic variants associated with these lipid markers. The study analyzed data from 1,654,960 individuals derived from the Global Lipid Genetics Consortium and the UK Biobank, ensuring a robust and comprehensive genetic insight into the effects of lipid dysfunction on PAD. RESULTS: We found genetically predicted associations between HDL (OR: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.83-0.77), LDL-c (OR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.12-1.50), TC (OR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.01- 1.29), TG (OR:1.16, 95% CI: 1.04-1.24), APOB (OR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.16-1.48), and APOA1 (OR:0.84, 95%CI: 0.77-0.97), and the risk of PAD. In addition, inhibition of PCSK9 was associated with a reduced risk of PAD (OR:0.68, 95% CI: 0.57-0.79, P<0.001), while no association between the other three gene proxies of LDL inhibition including HMGCR (OR=1.21, 95% CI: 0.87-1.69, P=0.250), NPC1L1 (OR:0.77, 95% CI:0.44-1.33, P=0.344), and APOB (OR:1.01, 95% CI:0.87-1.26, P=0.890), and the risk of PAD were found. CONCLUSIONS: Based on genetic evidence, dyslipidemia is an important risk factor for PAD. PCSK9 inhibitors may be an effective strategy for the treatment of PAD.

High-Capacity and Ultra-Long-Life Mg-Metal Batteries Enabled by Intercalation-Conversion Hybrid Cathode Materials.

The advancement of rechargeable Mg-metal batteries (RMBs) is severely impeded by the lack of suitable cathode materials. Despite the good cyclic stability of intercalation-type compounds, their specific capacity is relatively low. Conversely, the conversion-type cathodes can deliver a higher capacity but often suffer from poor cycling reversibility and stability. Herein, a WSe2/Se intercalation-conversion hybrid material with elemental Se uniformly distributed into WSe2 nanosheets is fabricated via a simple solvothermal method for high-performance RMBs. The uniformly introduced Se confined in WSe2 nanosheets can not only efficiently improve the conductivity of the hybrid cathodes, facilitating the fast electron transport and ion diffusion, but also provide additional specific capacity. Besides, the WSe2 can effectively inhibit the detrimental Se dissolution and polyselenide shuttle, thereby activating the activity of Se and improving its utilization. Consequently, the synergy of intercalation and conversion mechanisms endows WSe2/Se hybrids with superior reversible capacity of 252 mAh g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 and ultra-long cyclability of up to 5000 cycles at 2.0 A g-1 with capacity retention of 78.1%. This work demonstrates the feasibility of the strategy by integrating intercalation and conversion mechanisms for developing high-performance cathode materials for RMBs.

Helicid Alleviates Neuronal Apoptosis of Rats with Depression-Like Behaviors by Downregulating lncRNA-NONRATT030918.2.

Helicid (HEL) has been found to possess antidepressant pharmacological activity. The paper was to testify to the precise molecular mechanism through which HEL regulates lncRNA-NONRATT030918.2 to exert an antidepressant impression in depression models. A depression model stimulated using chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) was created in rats, and the depressive state of the rats was assessed through behavioral experiments. Additionally, an in vitro model of PC12 cells induced by corticosterone (CORT) was established, and cytoactive was tested using the CCK8. The subcellular localization of the NONRATT030918.2 molecule was confirmed through a fluorescence in situ hybridization experiment. The relationship between NONRATT030918.2, miRNA-128-3p, and Prim1 was analyzed using dual-luciferase reporter gene assay, RNA Binding Protein Immunoprecipitation assay, and RNA pull-down assay. The levels of NONRATT030918.2, miRNA-128-3p, and Prim1 were tested using Q-PCR. Furthermore, the levels of Prim1, Bax, Bcl-2, and caspase3 were checked through Western blot. The HEL can alleviate the depression-like behavior of CUMS rats (P < 0.05), and reduce the mortality of hippocampal via downregulating the level of NONRATT030918.2 (P < 0.05). In CORT-induced PC12 cells, intervention with HEL led to decreased expression of NONRATT030918.2 and Prim1 (P < 0.05), as well as increased expression of miRNA-128-3p (P < 0.05). This suggests that HEL regulates the expression of NONRATT030918.2 to upregulate miRNA-128-3p (P < 0.05), which in turn inhibits CORT-induced apoptosis in PC12 cells by targeting Prim1 (P < 0.05). The NONRATT030918.2/miRNA-128-3p/Prim1 axis could potentially serve as a crucial regulatory network for HEL to exert its neuroprotective effects.

Poria cocos Attenuated DSS-Induced Ulcerative Colitis via NF-κB Signaling Pathway and Regulating Gut Microbiota.

Ulcerative colitis (UC), as a chronic inflammatory disease, presents a global public health threat. However, the mechanism of Poria cocos (PC) in treating UC remains unclear. Here, LC-MS/MS was carried out to identify the components of PC. The protective effect of PC against UC was evaluated by disease activity index (DAI), colon length and histological analysis in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC mice. ELISA, qPCR, and Western blot tests were conducted to assess the inflammatory state. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry techniques were employed to evaluate the expression of tight junction proteins. The sequencing of 16S rRNA was utilized for the analysis of gut microbiota regulation. The results showed that a total of fifty-two nutrients and active components were identified in PC. After treatment, PC significantly alleviated UC-associated symptoms including body weight loss, shortened colon, an increase in DAI score, histopathologic lesions. PC also reduced the levels of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1ß, as evidenced by the suppressed NF-κB pathway, restored the tight junction proteins ZO-1 and Claudin-1 in the colon, and promoted the diversity and abundance of beneficial gut microbiota. Collectively, these findings suggest that PC ameliorates colitis symptoms through the reduction in NF-κB signaling activation to mitigate inflammatory damage, thus repairing the intestinal barrier, and regulating the gut microbiota.

Flexible Three-Dimensional Force Tactile Sensor Based on Velostat Piezoresistive Films.

The development of a high-performance, low-cost, and simply fabricated flexible three-dimensional (3D) force sensor is essential for the future development of electronic skins suitable for the detection of normal and shear forces for several human motions. In this study, a sandwich-structured flexible 3D force tactile sensor based on a polyethylene-carbon composite material (velostat) is presented. The sensor has a large measuring range, namely, 0-12 N in the direction of the normal force and 0-2.6 N in the direction of the shear force. For normal forces, the sensitivity is 0.775 N-1 at 0-1 N, 0.107 N-1 between 1 and 3 N, and 0.003 N-1 at 3 N and above. For shear forces, the measured sensitivity is 0.122 and 0.12 N-1 in x- and y-directions, respectively. Additionally, the sensor exhibits good repeatability and stability after 2500 cycles of loading and releasing. The response and recovery times of the sensor are as fast as 40 and 80 ms, respectively. Furthermore, we prepared a glove-like sensor array. When grasping the object using the tactile glove, the information about the force applied to the sensing unit can be transmitted through a wireless system in real-time and displayed on a personal computer (PC). The prepared flexible 3D force sensor shows broad application prospects in the field of smart wearable devices.

NLRP3/miR-223-3p axis attenuates neuroinflammation induced by chronic intermittent hypoxia.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is mainly characterized by chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) with multiple brain injuries. Nucleotide oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is considered the most important factor inducing and maintaining inflammation. However, the role of NLRP3 and its underlying mechanism in CIH-elicited neuroinflammation remains unclear. We constructed an OSA-related CIH in vivo model and assessed the rats' cognitive behavior in the Morris water maze. The combination of miR-223-3p and NLRP3 was confirmed by the TargetScan database, double luciferase reporter gene experiment, and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) experiment. Western blot and ELISA assay were used to analyze the effects of miR-223-3p targeting NLRP3 on the expression of pyroptotic or inflammatory factors in vivo in CIH rats. Severe cognitive impairment was observed in rats at week 6 post-treatment, with increased inflammatory factors in the blood and hippocampus, heightened NLRP3 expression, and low miR-223-3p levels. And the good binding activity of the two was confirmed by dual luciferase reporter and RIP experiments. Next, we found that silencing NLRP3 or overexpression of miR-223-3p in the CIH model could improve cognitive deficits and reduce the level of proinflammatory factors and pyroptosis factors in rats. Finally, based on silencing NLRP3 or overexpression miR-223-3p, we confirmed that there was a regulatory relationship between miR-223-3p and NLRP3. Our results suggested that the NLRP3/ miR-223-3p axis played a role in attenuating CIH-induced neuroinflammation.

Ultra-High Cycling Stability of 3D Flower-like Ce(COOH)3 for Supercapacitor Electrode via a Facile and Scalable Strategy.

An electrode material with high performance, long durability, and low cost for supercapacitors has long been desired in academia and industry. Among all the factors that affect the electrochemical performance and cycling stability of electrode materials, the morphology and intrinsic structure characteristics are the most important. In this study, a novel 3D flower-like Ce(COOH)3 electrode material was designed by taking advantage of the Ce3+ and -COOH groups and fabricated by a one-pot microwave-assisted method. The morphology and structure characteristics of the sample were examined by SEM, EDS, TEM, XRD, FT-IR, XPS, N2 adsorption/desorption techniques, and the electrochemical behaviors were investigated in a three-electrode configuration. The Ce(COOH)3 electrode presents an excellent specific capacitance of 140 F g-1 at 1 A g-1, higher than many other previously reported Ce-based electrodes. In addition, it delivers high rate capability that retains 60% of its initial capacitance when the current density is magnified 20 times. Dramatically, the Ce(COOH)3 electrode exhibits an ultra-high cycling stability with capacitance retention of 107.9% after 60,000 cycles, which is the highest durability among reported Ce-organic compound electrodes to the best of our knowledge. The excellent electrochemical performance is ascribed to its intrinsic crystal structure and unique morphology. This work indicates that the 3D flower-like Ce(COOH)3 has significant potential for supercapacitor applications and the facile and scalable synthesis strategy can be extended to produce other metal-organic composite electrodes.

PDC-Net: parallel dilated convolutional network with channel attention mechanism for pituitary adenoma segmentation.

Accurate segmentation of the medical image is the basis and premise of intelligent diagnosis and treatment, which has a wide range of clinical application value. However, the robustness and effectiveness of medical image segmentation algorithms remains a challenging subject due to the unbalanced categories, blurred boundaries, highly variable anatomical structures and lack of training samples. For this reason, we present a parallel dilated convolutional network (PDC-Net) to address the pituitary adenoma segmentation in magnetic resonance imaging images. Firstly, the standard convolution block in U-Net is replaced by a basic convolution operation and a parallel dilated convolutional module (PDCM), to extract the multi-level feature information of different dilations. Furthermore, the channel attention mechanism (CAM) is integrated to enhance the ability of the network to distinguish between lesions and non-lesions in pituitary adenoma. Then, we introduce residual connections at each layer of the encoder-decoder, which can solve the problem of gradient disappearance and network performance degradation caused by network deepening. Finally, we employ the dice loss to deal with the class imbalance problem in samples. By testing on the self-established patient dataset from Quzhou People's Hospital, the experiment achieves 90.92% of Sensitivity, 99.68% of Specificity, 88.45% of Dice value and 79.43% of Intersection over Union (IoU).