Global myocardial work in coronary artery disease patients without regional wall motion abnormality: Correlation with Gensini-score.

BACKGROUND: Early detection of coronary atherosclerotic diseases (CAD) without regional wall motion abnormality (RWMA) is important for improving the outcome of cardiovascular events. Global myocardial work (GMW), including global myocardial work index (GWI), global constructive work (GCW), global wasted work (GWW), and global myocardial work efficiency (GWE), offer comprehensive quantitative assessment of myocardial function in CAD. HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesized that GMW could provide incremental value in detecting CAD without RWMA. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-four patients referred for coronary angiography (CAG) without resting RWMA were enrolled in this study. Global longitudinal strain (GLS), GWI, GCW, GWW, GWE were quantified. The severity of coronary lesions was evaluated by Gensini score (GS) based on CAG. We further divided CAG-confirmed CAD patients into three subgroups according to the tertiles of GS: low 0 < GS ≤ 17, mid 17 < GS ≤ 38, and high GS > 38. RESULTS: Compared with control, CAD patients showed decreased GLS, GWE, GWI, GCW but an increased GWW. Compared to low-GS group, GWW was increased in the mid-GS group. GLS, GWE, GWI and GCW were decreased in the high-GS group while GWW was increased. Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis demonstrated that GWE was the most powerful predictor of high-GS and was superior to GLS. GWE under 92.0% had the optimal sensitivity and specificity for identifying high-GS. CONCLUSION: The proposed GWE, which outperformed the conventional GLS, could be considered as a potential predictive indicator to help to detect severe coronary disease in non-RWMA CAD patients.

An effective fingerprint orientation field estimation method using differential values of grayscale intensity.

Fingerprint orientation field (OF) estimation is important for basic fingerprint image processing and impacts the accuracy of fingerprint image enhancements, such as Gabor filters. In this article, we introduce an OF estimation algorithm based on differential values of grayscale intensity and examine the accuracy and reliability of the proposed algorithm by applying it to fingerprint images processed using Gaussian blurring and the Gaussian white noise process. The experimental results indicate that the OF estimation reliability of the proposed algorithm is higher than the gradient-based method and the power spectral density (PSD) based method in low quality fingerprints. The proposed algorithm is especially useful in noisy fingerprint images, where the OF estimation reliability of the algorithm is 6.46% and 32.93% higher than the gradient-based method and the PSD-based method, respectively.

Spider venom-derived peptide JZTX-14 prevents migration and invasion of breast cancer cells via inhibition of sodium channels.

Nav1.5 channel is crucial for the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the anticancer effect of JZTX-14, a natural peptide considered an effective antagonist of Nav1.5. First, we successfully isolated and purified the 31 amino acid peptide JZTX-14 containing three pairs of disulfide bonds from spider venom and synthesised JZTX-14 by solid phase synthesis. We then predicted their physiochemical properties and structures in the peptide database. Further, we investigated the effects of natural and synthetic JZTX-14 on the proliferation and migration of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells via modulation of sodium current through the Nav1.5 channel. The results showed that both synthetic and natural JZTX-14 inhibited Nav1.5 currents, indicating the successful synthesis of JZTX-14. However, JZTX-14 did not affect MDA-MB-231 cell proliferation but inhibited its migration. Transcriptome analysis revealed that JZTX-14 downregulated S100A4 and FBXO2 and upregulated SERPINB2 in MDA-MB-231 cells. Western blot analysis demonstrated an increased level of the epithelial marker, E-cadherin, and decreased levels of the mesenchymal markers, N-cadherin and vimentin, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP2), indicating the possible underlying mechanism of the inhibition of MDA-MB-231 cell migration by JZTX-14. This study provides a new target for inhibiting breast cancer metastasis and identifies a potent natural peptide for treating Triple-negative breast cancer.

The Enhanced Thermal Stability of (Mg0.95Ni0.05)2TiO4 Dielectric Ceramics Modified by a Multi-Phase Method.

The thermal stability of (Mg0.95Ni0.05)2TiO4 dielectric ceramics has been improved by mixing with CaTiO3 phases owing to higher positive temperature coefficients. The pure (Mg0.95Ni0.05)2TiO4 and the mixture phase systems of CaTiO3-modified (Mg0.95Ni0.05)2TiO4 were verified by XRD diffraction patterns to ensure the crystallite of different phases. The microstructures of the CaTiO3-modified (Mg0.95Ni0.05)2TiO4 were observed by SEM and EDS to investigate the relation between element ratios and grains. As a result, it can be seen that the thermal stability of the CaTiO3-modified (Mg0.95Ni0.05)2TiO4 can be effectively enhanced, compared with the pure (Mg0.95Ni0.05)2TiO4. Moreover, the radio frequency dielectric performances of CaTiO3-modified (Mg0.95Ni0.05)2TiO4 dielectric ceramics are strongly dependent upon the density and the morphology of the specimens. The champion sample with the ratio of (Mg0.95Ni0.05)2TiO4 and CaTiO3 of 0.92:0.08 showed an εr value of 19.2, an Qf value of 108,200 GHz, and a τf value of -4.8 ppm/°C, which may encourage (Mg0.95Ni0.05)2TiO4 ceramics to broaden the range of novel applications and match the requirements of 5G or next-generation communication systems.

Experimental results and mathematical formulation of non-spinning stone-skipping process.

Following a previously published paper in studying stone-skipping processes, detailed experimental figures are revealed in this paper. A mathematical model is also provided to explain the observed phenomena and measured data. The model separates the skipping process into several stages. It emphasizes, in particular, a hitting stage and a sliding stage, and also includes capillary-gravity wave resistance in its formulation. During these two stages, scale analysis is applied first to evaluate the relative importance among various forces acting on the stone. After reasonable simplification, a numerical algorithm is established to depict motion of the stone starting from its first hit of water to final sink. The total number of skips under specified initial throwing conditions can be predicted accordingly. The agreement between the analytical and experimental results indicates the applicability of the proposed model.

Clinical utility of a serum biomarker panel in distinguishing prostate cancer from benign prostate hyperplasia.

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening for prostate cancer (PCa) is limited by the lack of specificity but is further complicated in the benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) population which also exhibit elevated PSA, representing a clear unmet need to distinguish BPH from PCa. Herein, we evaluated the utility of FLNA IP-MRM, age, and prostate volume to stratify men with BPH from those with PCa. Diagnostic performance of the biomarker panel was better than PSA alone in discriminating patients with negative biopsy from those with PCa, as well as those who have had multiple prior biopsies (AUC 0.75 and 0.87 compared to AUC of PSA alone 0.55 and 0.57 for patients who have had single compared to multiple negative biopsies, respectively). Of interest, in patients with PCa, the panel demonstrated improved performance than PSA alone in those with Gleason scores of 5-7 (AUC 0.76 vs. 0.56) and Gleason scores of 8-10 (AUC 0.74 vs. 0.47). With Gleason scores (8-10), the negative predictive value of the panel is 0.97, indicating potential to limit false negatives in aggressive cancers. Together, these data demonstrate the ability of the biomarker panel to perform better than PSA alone in men with BPH, thus preventing unnecessary biopsies.

The Functional Role of Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Nav1.5 in Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs), which are abnormally expressed in various types of cancers such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, and cervical cancer, are involved in the metastatic process of invasion and migration. Nav1.5 is a pore-forming α subunit of VGSC encoded by SCN5A. Various studies have demonstrated that Nav1.5, often as its neonatal splice form, is highly expressed in metastatic breast cancer cells. Abnormal activation and expression of Nav1.5 trigger a variety of cellular mechanisms, including changing H+ efflux, promoting epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the expression of cysteine cathepsin, to potentiate the metastasis and invasiveness of breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Here, we systematically review the latest available data on the pro-metastatic effect of Nav1.5 and its underlying mechanisms in breast cancer. We summarize the factors affecting Nav1.5 expression in breast cancer cells, and discuss the potential of Nav1.5 blockers serving as candidates for breast cancer treatment.

Post-Left Atrium Space Index in Fetuses With Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection and Other Congenital Heart Diseases.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to explore the value of the post-left atrium space (PLAS) index in the diagnosis of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) and the effect of other congenital heart diseases on the PLAS index in the fetus. METHODS: The PLAS index of 69 fetuses with TAPVC was analyzed retrospectively. Approximately 252 healthy fetuses were randomly selected as controls, and 110 cases of intracardiac malformations were randomly selected for comparison. The PLAS index was defined as the ratio of the left atrium-descending aorta distance divided by the descending aorta diameter from the 4-chamber view in the end-systolic phase. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the PLAS index among the 3 groups of isolated TAPVC subtypes (P > .05), or among the isolated TAPVC group and the simple and complex cardiac anomaly groups (P > .05). Compared with the control group, the PLAS index of the TAPVC group was significantly increased (P < .001). The PLAS index was significantly higher in the TAPVC group than in hypoplastic left heart syndrome, endocardial cushion defect, conotruncal defect, and ventricular septal defect groups (P < .05). The PLAS indices of the hypoplastic left heart syndrome, endocardial cushion defect, and conotruncal defect groups were all higher than that of the control group (P < .05). There was no significant difference in the PLAS index between the ventricular septal defect and control groups (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: The PLAS index is a sensitive parameter for the diagnosis of fetal TAPVC. There were no significant differences in the PLAS index among different TAPVC types. Complex intracardiac anomalies have an influence on the PLAS index.

Recent progress in understanding 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) associated with human respiratory disease: detection, mechanisms and treatment.

Viral respiratory diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) always pose a severe threat to people. First identified in late December 2019, a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV; SARS-CoV-2) has affected many provinces in China and multiple countries worldwide. The viral outbreak has aroused panic and a public-health emergency around the world, and the number of infections continues to rise. However, the causes and consequences of the pneumonia remain unknown. To effectively implement epidemic prevention, early identification and diagnosis are critical to disease control. Here we scrutinise a series of available studies by global scientists on the clinical manifestations, detection methods and treatment options for the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and also propose potential strategies for preventing the infection.

Association between magnetic resonance imaging of carotid artery and coronary stenosis detected by computed tomography angiography.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between carotid artery stenosis (CAS) measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the coronary stenosis (CS) determined by computed tomography angiography (CTA). METHODS: In this prospective study, 42 subjects diagnosed with coronary artery disease (CAD) underwent MRI and CTA examinations. The severity degree and number of CAS, the score, detection rate and type of carotid plaque, and also the severity degree and number of CS were assessed. Spearman's rank correlation test was used to evaluate the correlation between CAS and CS. RESULTS: CS was detected in 42 (100%) subjects, while CAS was detected in 36 (85.7%) subjects. Distribution of CAS severity grades in multiple-vessel group was significantly different from other groups, which with more moderate and severe stenosis (p < 0.05). A positive and significant correlation between the CAS severity and CS severity (r = 0.612, p < 0.05), and the number of involved coronary vessels (r = 0.572, p < 0.05) were observed, respectively. Both detection rate (r = 0.587, p < 0.05) and score (r = 0.735, p < 0.05) of carotid plaque showed a good correlation with the number of involved coronary vessels. After carotid MRI, 71 carotid plaques were detected in 42 subjects, with an incidence rate of 9.9% in subjects with mild CS, 18.3% in moderate CS and 71.8% in severe CS. CONCLUSION: Correlation between CAS measured by MRI and CS determined by CTA was identified in present study. These results indicated that the non-invasive CAS evaluation employing the MRI may be clinically useful for the assessment of CS.

Left and right ventricular function detection and myocardial deformation analysis in heart transplant patients with long-time follow-ups.

OBJECTIVE: We try to investigate whether the values of longitudinal strain present differences between the left and right ventricles in long-time follow-ups after heart transplantation (HTx) with dynamic changes in function. METHODS AND RESULTS: Follow-up transthoracic echocardiography was performed in 1- and 3-month and 1- and 5-year follow-ups in 50 "healthy" HTx patients and compared with 26 control subjects. The left ventricle with preserved ejection fraction evaluated by biplane Simpson (control group [CG] vs HT; P > .05) had an obvious reduction in global (CG: -20.49 ± 2.38 vs heart transplant 1 month [HT1m]: -13.06 ± 2.86, heart transplant 3 month [HT3m]: -13.61 ± 2.61, heart transplant 1 year [HT1y]: -13.69 ± 4.56, heart transplant 5 year [HT5y]: -14.41 ± 4.54; P < .001) and horizontal segmental (basal, mid, apical) (P < .001) together with chamber segmental (apical 4-chamber, apical 3-chamber, apical 2-chamber) (P < .001) average strain values. The right ventricle with reduced ventricular function measured by tissue Doppler imaging S' and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion had a more distinctive reduction in global (CG: -24.53 ± 4.20 vs HT1m: -12.94 ± 5.03, HT3m: -13.68 ± 4.35, HT1y: -14.95 ± 7.50, HT5y: -15.20 ± 6.15; P < .001) with segmental lateral (P < .001) strain values. There were not any significant changes between 1- and 3-month follow-ups of all the values (P > .05). But it could be seen that values increased in 1- and 5-year follow-ups compared with the baseline of 1- and 3-month follow-ups (P < .05). The global and segmental strain of the right ventricle decreased more than that of the left ventricle in all HTx groups, and the strain values were decreased in the HTx groups compared with the CG, with the global decreased change rates being 11%, 10%, 6%, and 8%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The strain values decreased after HTx and almost remained stable in the long-time follow-ups. Compared with the CG in both ventricles, they were with preserved or reduced functions. In addition, the deformation values of the right ventricle decreased more than those of the left.

Biomechanical characteristics of isolated carotid atherosclerotic plaques assessed by ultrasonography.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the biomechanical characteristics of carotid atherosclerotic plaques using intima-media thickness (IMT) automatic tracking combined with acoustic densitometry (AD) imaging, and to elucidate the relationship between biomechanical characteristics and inflammatory activity of corresponding plaques evaluated by 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT). METHODS: Sixty-one patients with isolated carotid atherosclerotic plaques underwent conventional carotid ultrasonography, IMT automatic tracking, and acoustic densitometry (AD) imaging. Following these assessments, patients received an 18F-FDG PET/CT scan within 24 hours. We quantified biomechanical and AD parameters including IMT strain rate (SR), IMT time strain rate (TR), and corrected average image intensity value (AIIc%) on the upstream, fibrous cap top, and downstream regions of the plaque and compared them to the reference area(normal intima adjacent to the upstream of the assessed plaque). Target background ratio (TBR) was acquired by 18F-FDG PET/CT for evaluating the inflammatory activity of corresponding plaques. We further divided all participants into an inflammatory group (TBR≥1.25) and non-inflammatory group (TBR<1.25) measures of SR/TR and AIIc% in the two groups were compared and analyzed. RESULTS: SR/TR were significantly lower in the plaque group when compared to reference area. SR/TR at the cap top area (CTA) and downstream area (DA) of the plaques were lower than those in the reference area (P<0.05) while there was no statistically significant difference in SR or TR of the upstream area (UA) between the plaque and reference area. SR/TR were significantly greater for UA than CTA and DA (P<0.05 for both). AIIc% was significantly lower for UA and CTA than that for DA (P<0.05). The SR/TR of plaque regions were negatively correlated with corresponding AIIc% (r=-0.74, r=-0.75, P<0.05). TR in the inflammatory group was significantly lower than in the non-inflammatory group (P<0.05), while SR and AIIc% showed no statistically significant difference. TR demonstrated a significant negative correlation with TBR (r=-0.83, P<0.05). Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of TR was 0.87. Furthermore, TR less than 75.06‰ demonstrated a sensitivity of 88.0% and a specificity of 80.6% for the identification of inflammatory plaques. CONCLUSIONS: IMT automatic tracking, combined with AD imaging, can be applied to identify the anisotropic biomechanical features of carotid plaques. This novel imaging modality may be used to provide an early assessment of the biomechanical characteristics of carotid plaques. Additionally, the TR parameter was associated with plaque inflammation reaction, possibly providing a new indicator for the early identification of plaque vulnerability.

Left ventricular dyssynchrony in coronary artery disease patients without regional wall-motion abnormality: Correlation with Gensini score.

OBJECTIVES: Our study investigated left ventricular dyssynchrony (LVD) in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients without regional wall-motion abnormality (RWMA) by three-dimensional echocardiography (3-DE) and explored the relationship between LVD and severity of CAD as assessed by the Gensini score (GS). METHODS: Sixty-one patients with a confirmed diagnosis of CAD by coronary angiography (CAG) were enrolled. We quantified LVD parameters, including the left ventricular segments (16, 12, and 6) standard deviation of the time to minimum systolic volume (TmsvSD-16, TmsvSD-12, and TmsvSD-6) and the systolic dyssynchrony index in regions 16, 12, and 6 (16R-SDI, 12R-SDI, 6R-SDI) using 3-DE. The severity of coronary atherosclerotic lesions was evaluated by the GS system on the basis of CAG findings. We further divided all patients into three groups according to the tertiles of GS: low-GS ≤20, mid-GS >20 and ≤48, and high-GS >48. The differences of LVD values among the three groups were compared, and the associations between LVD parameters and GS were analyzed. RESULTS: Coronary artery disease patients demonstrated increased LVD parameters compared with healthy controls. TmsvSD12, 16R-SDI, and 6R-SDI were prolonged in the high-GS group compared with the low- and mid-GS groups. 16R-SDI was positively correlated with the GS, and multivariate regression analysis showed that 16R-SDI was an independent predictor of the GS. 16R-SDI above 10.7% had a sensitivity of 84.21% and a specificity of 92.86% for identifying high-GS. CONCLUSION: Three-dimensional echocardiography is a noninvasive technique to detect LVD in non-RWMA CAD patients, and the parameter 16R-SDI was significantly correlated with CAD severity.

Spider venom peptides as potential drug candidates due to their anticancer and antinociceptive activities.

Spider venoms are known to contain proteins and polypeptides that perform various functions including antimicrobial, neurotoxic, analgesic, cytotoxic, necrotic, and hemagglutinic activities. Currently, several classes of natural molecules from spider venoms are potential sources of chemotherapeutics against tumor cells. Some of the spider peptide toxins produce lethal effects on tumor cells by regulating the cell cycle, activating caspase pathway or inactivating mitochondria. Some of them also target the various types of ion channels (including voltage-gated calcium channels, voltage-gated sodium channels, and acid-sensing ion channels) among other pain-related targets. Herein we review the structure and pharmacology of spider-venom peptides that are being used as leads for the development of therapeutics against the pathophysiological conditions including cancer and pain.

Psychometric Properties and Factor Structure of the Chinese Version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale in People Living With HIV.

The population of people living with HIV (PLWH) is growing in number and usually results in mental health problems that impact their quality of life. Therefore, valid instruments and screening methods for psychological disorders are of great significance. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) reveals good psychometric properties, but shows ambiguous results in factor structure. This study aims to evaluate psychometric properties in terms of the internal reliability and structure validity of the Chinese version of the HADS (C-HADS) in a large sample of PLWH in China. The C-HADS was administered to 4,102 HIV-infected adults at an HIV clinic in China. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed to examine the factor structure. Measurement invariance was assessed across gender and course of infection. Internal reliability was also assessed. A bifactor model with anomalous loadings of items 7, 8, and 10 fits the data best and holds measurement invariance across gender and course of infection. Internal reliability was good with all Cronbach's alphas > 0.70 and Spearman's ρ between 0.30 and 0.70. The C-HADS has good psychometric properties in terms of internal reliability and structure validity of a bifactor model. The C-HADS is recommended to be used as a total scale that measures general psychological distress, instead of anxiety and depression separately, when applied to PLWH. Further studies are needed to evaluate criterion validity, the cutoff score, and the effect of wording and scoring of the HADS.

Half-Metallic Property Induced by Double Exchange Interaction in the Double Perovskite Bi2BB'O6 (B, B' = 3d Transitional Metal) via First-Principles Calculations.

In this paper, we identify three possible candidate series of half-metals (HM) from Bi-based double perovskites Bi2BB'O6 (BB' = transition metal ions) through calculations utilizing the density functional theory (DFT) and full-structural optimization, in which the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and the strong correlation effect (GGA + U) are considered. After observing the candidate materials under four types of magnetic states, i.e., ferromagnetic (FM), ferrimagnetic (FiM), antiferromagnetic (AF), and nonmagnetic (NM), we found eight promising candidates for half-metallic materials. Under the GGA scheme, there are three ferromagnetic-half-metal (FM-HM) materials, Bi2CrCoO6, Bi2CrNiO6 and Bi2FeNiO6, and three FiM-HM materials, Bi2FeZnO6, Bi2CrZnO6 and Bi2CoZnO6. With implementation of the Coulomb interaction correction (GGA + U), we find two stable half-metallic materials: Bi2CrNiO6 and Bi2CrZnO6. We determine that the stability of some of these materials are tied to the double exchange interaction, an indirect interaction within the higher powers of localized spin interaction among transition metals via oxygen ions. Found in half-metallic materials, and especially those in the ferromagnetic (FM) state, the double exchange interaction is recognized in the FM-HM materials Bi2CrCoO6 and Bi2FeNiO6.

Diablo ubiquitination analysis by sandwich immunoassay.

Ubiquitin plays an essential role in modulating protein function, and deregulation of the ubiquitin system leads to the development of a variety of human diseases. E3 Ubiquitin ligases that mediate ubiquitination and degradation of caspases prevent apoptosis, and as such belong to the family of inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (IAPs). Diablo is a substrate of IAPs but also a negative regulator of IAPs in apoptotic pathway as it blocks the interaction between IAPs and caspases. In efforts to identify IAP inhibitors, we developed sandwich immunoassays in conjunction with an electrochemical luminescence (ECL) platform for quantitation of total Diablo, ubiquitinated Diablo, and ubiquitinated Diablo with K48-specific linkage. The assay panel detects Diablo ubiquitination level changes in the presence of IAP inhibitor or proteasome inhibitor, demonstrating its potential as a cost-efficient high-throughput method for drug discovery involving IAP ubiquitination cascade. The ECL based sandwich assay panel performance was subsequently evaluated for precision, linearity, and limit of quantification.

Spider venom peptides as potential drug candidates due to their anticancer and antinociceptive activities

Spider venoms are known to contain proteins and polypeptides that perform various functions including antimicrobial, neurotoxic, analgesic, cytotoxic, necrotic, and hemagglutinic activities. Currently, several classes of natural molecules from spider venoms are potential sources of chemotherapeutics against tumor cells. Some of the spider peptide toxins produce lethal effects on tumor cells by regulating the cell cycle, activating caspase pathway or inactivating mitochondria. Some of them also target the various types of ion channels (including voltage-gated calcium channels, voltage-gated sodium channels, and acid-sensing ion channels) among other pain-related targets. Herein we review the structure and pharmacology of spider-venom peptides that are being used as leads for the development of therapeutics against the pathophysiological conditions including cancer and pain.(AU)

A Dynamic Model for Predicting Outcome in Patients with HBV Related Acute-On-Chronic Liver Failure.

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Accurately predicting the prognosis of individual patient is crucial in the management of ACLF. We aimed to establish a specific prognostic model for HBV-related ACLF patients treated with nucleoside analog (NA). MATERIAL AND METHODS: We prospectively collected 205 ACLF cases diagnosed according to the APASL criteria. A dynamic prognostic model based on APASL criteria was established and validated. To demonstrate that the model is also applicable to those within EASL criteria, we divided the patients into two groups: met APASL criteria only (group A, n = 123); met both APASL and EASL criteria (group B, n = 82). Its prognostic accuracy was also compared with chronic liver failure-sequential organ failure assessment (CLIF-SOFA) score in group B. RESULTS: The model is: R = 0.94 x Bilirubin + 0.53 x evolution of Bilirubin - 0.45 x PT-A - 0.22 x evolution in PT-A -0.1 x PLT + 10 x anti-HBe. The area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of the model for predicting 90-day mortality was 0.86, which was significantly higher than that of model for end stage liver disease(MELD), MELD-Na, CLIF-SOFA, ΔMELD (7d) and ΔMELD-Na (7d), ΔCLIF- SOFA(7d) (all p < 0.01). The AUC of our model in the validation group was 0.79 which was superior to MELD (0.45) CLIF-SOFA (0.53) score in group B patients (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the model was superior to the conventional methods in predicting the outcomes of patients with HBV related ACLF treated with NA. It is the first description of a novel prognostic model using consecutive data in patients with HBV-induced acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) treated by nucleoside analogs.

Oxic Fe(III) reduction could have generated Fe(II) in the photic zone of Precambrian seawater.

Many marine Precambrian iron formations (IF) record deep anoxic seawater enriched in Fe(II) (i.e. ferruginous) overlain by mildly oxygenated surface water. This is reflected by iron-rich sediments forming in deep basins, and relatively iron-poor sediments forming in shallow, sunlit waters. Such an iron gradient is often interpreted as a redox interface where dissolved Fe(II) was oxidized and precipitated as Fe(III)-bearing minerals. As such, sedimentary iron enrichments are proxy to the progressive oxidation of the oceans through geological time. However, this interpretation is founded on the assumption that Fe(II) could not persist within an oxygenated water column. Here, we cultivated cyanobacteria in an illuminated column supplied with Fe(II)-rich seawater medium in a laboratory-scale analog of a continental margin supporting IF deposition. We first observed Fe(II) oxidation with oxygen, then biologically-mediated reduction of Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides, which maintained a pool of Fe(II) in the presence of oxygen. Such steady-state iron redox cycling may have maintained dissolved, and hence mobile Fe(II) in oxygenated seawater above ferruginous deep basins such as those inferred for many Precambrian IF.