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To investigate the potential of T1-weighted imaging (T1WI)-based hippocampal radiomics as imaging markers for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and their efficacy in discriminating between mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia in AD. A total of 126 AD patients underwent T1WI-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations, along with 108 age-sex-matched healthy controls (HC). This was a retrospective, single-center study conducted from November 2021 to February 2023. AD patients were categorized into two groups based on disease progression and cognitive function: AD-MCI and dementia (AD-D). T1WI-based radiomics features of the bilateral hippocampi were extracted. To diagnose AD and differentiate between AD-MCI and AD-D, predictive models were developed using random forest (RF), logistic regression (LR), and support vector machine (SVM). We compared radiomics features between the AD and HC groups, as well as within the subgroups of AD-MCI and AD-D. Area under the curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were all used to assess model performance. Furthermore, correlations between radiomics features and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores, tau protein phosphorylated at threonine 181 (P-tau-181), and amyloid β peptide1–42 (Aβ1–42) were analyzed. The RF model demonstrated superior performance in distinguishing AD from HC (AUC = 0.961, accuracy = 90.8%, sensitivity = 90.7%, specificity = 90.9%) and in identifying AD-MCI and AD-D (AUC = 0.875, accuracy = 80.7%, sensitivity = 87.2%, specificity = 73.2%) compared to the other models. Additionally, radiomics features were correlated with MMSE scores, P-tau-181, and Aβ1–42 levels in AD. T1WI-based hippocampal radiomics features are valuable for diagnosing AD and identifying AD-MCI and AD-D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thrombosis and plasma leakage are two of the most frequent dysfunctions of polypropylene (PP) hollow fiber membrane (PPM) used in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy. In this study, a superhydrophilic endothelial membrane mimetic coating (SEMMC) was constructed on polydopamine-polyethyleneimine pre-coated surfaces of the PPM oxygenator and its ECMO circuit to explore safer and more sustainable ECMO strategy. The SEMMC is fabricated by multi-point anchoring of a phosphorylcholine and carboxyl side chained copolymer (PMPCC) and grafting of heparin (Hep) to form PMPCC-Hep interface, which endows the membrane superior hemocompatibility and anticoagulation performances. Furthermore, the modified PPM reduces protein adsorption amount to less than 30 ng/cm2. More significantly, the PMPCC-Hep coated ECMO system extends the anti-leakage and non-clotting oxygenation period to more than 15 h in anticoagulant-free animal extracorporeal circulation, much better than the bare and conventional Hep coated ECMO systems with severe clots and plasma leakage in 4 h and 8 h, respectively. This SEMMC strategy of grafting bioactive heparin onto bioinert zwitterionic copolymer interface has great potential in developing safer and longer anticoagulant-free ECMO systems. A superhydrophilic endothelial membrane mimetic coating was constructed on surfaces of polypropylene hollow fiber membrane (PPM) oxygenator and its ECMO circuit by multi-point anchoring of a phosphorylcholine and carboxyl side chain copolymer (PMPCC) and grafting of heparin (Hep). The strong antifouling nature of the PMPCC-Hep coating resists the adsorption of plasma bio-molecules, resulting in enhanced hemocompatibility and anti-leakage ability. The grafted heparin on the zwitterionic PMPCC interface exhibits superior anticoagulation property. More significantly, the PMPCC-Hep coating achieves an extracorporeal circulation in a pig model for at least 15 h without any systemic anticoagulant. This endothelial membrane mimetic anticoagulation strategy shows great potential for the development of safer and longer anticoagulant-free ECMO systems. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sleep disturbance and impulsivity are key components of mood vulnerability in bipolar disorder (BD), but few studies have assessed the association between these two symptoms among patients with BD. Methods: Forty-seven euthymic patients with bipolar I disorder (BDI) or bipolar II disorder (BDII) and 58 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Trait impulsivity was measured using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale Version 11 (BIS-11), which yielded 3 second-order factors: attention, motor, and non-planning. Subjective sleep quality was assessed using the self-reported Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). General linear models (GLMs) were used to assess the associations between subjective poor sleep and trait impulsivity with multiple testing corrections. Results: Patients with BD scored higher in BIS-11 and PSQI than healthy controls. PSQI total scores positively correlated with BIS-11 total scores, while sleep disturbance and daytime dysfunction were associated with attentional impulsiveness after controlling for covariates. Participants with higher PSQI total scores (>10) had higher scores in BIS-11 total, attention, and non-planning than those with low PSQI scores (≤5). Conclusion: These findings support the hypothesis that poor sleep quality might lead to impulsivity and add to the growing evidence that improving sleep quality may be a therapeutic target for patients with BD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • WGS from 1496 Taiwanese has been reanalyzed with benchmarked quality scores. • Taiwanese genomic profiles for SNV, indel, CYP/HLA allele and copy number variant. • Variant annotation can be accessed at TaiwanGenomes (https://genomes.tw) database. • 16.5 million variants were found with an average 6,871 novel variants per sample. • 75.3% and 1.67% had at least one PGx allele and actionable variant, respectively. The population of Taiwan has a long history of ethno-cultural evolution. The Taiwanese population was isolated from other large populations such as the European, Han Chinese, and Japanese population. The Taiwan Biobank (TWB) project has built a nationwide database, particularly for personal whole-genome sequence (WGS) to facilitate basic and clinical collaboration nationally and internationally, making it one of the most valuable public datasets of the East Asian population. This study provides comprehensive medical genomic findings from TWB WGS data, for better characterization of disease susceptibility and the choice of ideal treatment regimens in Taiwanese population. We reanalyzed 1496 WGS using a PrecisionFDA Truth challenge winner method Sentieon DNAscope. Single nucleotide variants (SNV) and small insertions/deletions (INDEL) were benchmarked. We also analyzed pharmacogenomic (PGx) drug-associated alleles, and copy number variants (CNV). Multiple practicing clinicians reviewed and curated the clinically significant variants. Variant annotations can be browsed at TaiwanGenomes (https://genomes.tw). We found that each participant had an average of 6,870.7 globally novel variants and 75.3% (831/1103) of the participants harbored at least one PharmGKB-selected high evidence level human leukocyte antigen (HLA) risk allele. 54 PharmGKB-reported high-level instances of evidence of Cytochrome P450 variant-drug pairs, with a population frequency of over 13.2%. We also identified 23 variants in the ACMG secondary finding V3 gene list from 25 participants, suggesting that 1.67% (25/1496) of the population is harboring at least one medical actionable variant. Our carrier status analyses suggest that one in 25 couples (3.94%) would risk having offspring with at least one pathogenic variant, which is in line with rates found in Japan and Singapore. For pathogenic CNV, we detected 6.88% and 2.02% carrier rates for alpha thalassemia and spinal muscular atrophy, respectively. Our study highlights the overall medical insights of a complete Taiwanese genomic profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Concentrated starter readily results in rumen epithelial parakeratosis. • ScRNA-seq elucidates rumen epithelial heterogeneity and developmental trajectories. • Developmental impediments in the transition from differentiated keratinocytes to terminally differentiated keratinocytes lead to parakeratosis. • The first well-established rumen epithelial organoid model can mimic the keratinization process of rumen tissue in vitro. • High dose butyrate contributes to rumen epithelial parakeratosis. Rumen epithelial parakeratosis, a common disease in ruminants caused by abnormalities in the ruminal stratified squamous epithelial keratinization process, negatively impacts ruminant health and performance. However, we still lack a comprehensive perception of the underlying mechanisms and the predisposing factors for this disorder. Here, we investigated rumen epithelial cell heterogeneity, differentiation trajectories, and cornification to clarify the rumen epithelial keratinization process and discern the key ruminal metabolites contributing to rumen epithelial parakeratosis. Twenty-four 14-day-old lambs were divided into three groups, including only milk feeding, milk plus alfalfa hay feeding, and milk plus corn-soybean concentrate starter feeding. At 42 days of age, the lambs were slaughtered, and rumen tissues were collected for single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq), immunofluorescence, and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analyses. Ruminal fluid samples were collected for metabolomic analyses. Rumen epithelial organoid was used to verify the key ruminal metabolites contributing to parakeratosis. As expected, we observed that concentrate starter introduction resulted in rumen epithelial parakeratosis. Moreover, scRNA-seq analysis revealed a developmental impediment in the transition from differentiated keratinocytes to terminally differentiated keratinocytes (TDK) in lambs with concentrate starter introduction. Immunofluorescence and qRT-PCR analyses further verified the location and expression of marker genes of TDK. Metabolomic analysis showed a robust positive correlation between ruminal butyrate levels and rumen epithelial keratinization. More importantly, we successfully established a rumen organoid model capable of facilitating the study of the keratinization process in the rumen epithelia and further confirmed that high dose butyrate indeed contributed to rumen epithelial parakeratosis. Collectively, concentrate starter introduction induces ruminal epithelial parakeratosis by blocking keratinocyte differentiation with excessive ruminal butyrate accumulation in a neonatal lamb model. These findings enhance our understanding of rumen epithelial keratinization and provide valuable insights for addressing rumen epithelial parakeratosis using early nutritional intervention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secondary unilateral cleft lip nasal deformity is a prevalent condition in the world, and surgical repair remains a formidable challenge. The objective of the study is to investigate functionally and aesthetically outcomes of a new technique using a complex of autologous costal cartilage and fascia grafts to repair the secondary unilateral cleft lip nasal deformity. First, the autologous costal cartilage and fascia were harvested from a total of 34 patients with secondary unilateral cleft lip nasal deformity, who were undergoing treatments at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from April 2020 to June 2023. Then, the cartilage was sub-divided into 6 pieces and placed on the depressed alar base, nasal columella, lower lateral cartilage, and nasal tip. At the same time, the fascia was trimmed to cover the nasal tip cap graft and augment the dorsum of the nose. Patient outcomes were assessed through subjective evaluation and objective anthropometric measurements. In addition, associated complications were also examined. All were primary healing incisions, and no patients were encountered with any clinical complications. We found that the overall mean score of the Independent Rhinoplasty Outcome Score (IROS) was very good during the subjective assessment. Also, the objective measurements indicated an excellent nasal symmetry. Furthermore, both functionally and aesthetically satisfactory outcomes were obtained in all the patients during long-time follow-up. Secondary rhinoplasty using the complex of autologous costal cartilage and fascia grafts is a safe and effective approach for unilateral cleft lip nasal deformity repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alpha-s1 casein hydrolysate (ACH; Lactium®) is recognized as a supplementary treatment to enhance sleep quality. However, limited studies utilizing objective sleep assessment tools have resulted in a lack of substantial validation. This study aimed to assess the effects of ACH on both subjective sleep assessments and objective polysomnography (PSG) recordings in a hospital-based cohort of Taiwanese individuals with chronic insomnia. In this 4-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 36 participants diagnosed with chronic insomnia were enrolled and randomly assigned to either the ACH or placebo groups. Initially, participants in the ACH group received 600 mg of ACH daily, which was reduced to 300 mg for the latter two weeks; the placebo group received maltodextrin capsules throughout the study. The study utilized polysomnography (PSG), along with detailed sleep questionnaires including the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Global Sleep Disorders Score (GSDS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), to assess improvements in sleep quality and related health markers. The efficacy of the intervention was assessed through measures of sleep efficiency, stage distribution, and psychological well-being, comparing results from before to after the treatment phase. The study demonstrated that ACH treatment notably enhanced sleep quality, evidenced by significant improvements in ISI, GSDS, PSQI, ESS, and HADS scores at both week 2 and 4 (all p-values <0.05) compared with baseline scores. When compared to the placebo group, the ACH group experienced a marked reduction in GSDS scores over time (p = 0.045). Furthermore, PSG data revealed a significant decrease in sleep onset latency from baseline in the ACH group compared to the placebo group (p = 0.012; −7.7 ± 16.0 min vs. 6.1 ± 17.7 min for ACH and placebo groups, respectively). These results indicate that ACH treatment effectively improved sleep initiation and overall sleep quality. ACH Supplementation significantly improved sleep quality, particularly by reducing GSDS scores and sleep onset latency, demonstrating its potential as an effective intervention for chronic insomnia. Future studies with larger samples and exploration of long-term effects are needed to confirm these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perineural invasion (PNI) is an important prognostic biomarker for prostate cancer (PCa). This study aimed to develop and validate a predictive model integrating biparametric MRI-based deep learning radiomics and clinical characteristics for the non-invasive prediction of PNI in patients with PCa. In this prospective study, 557 PCa patients who underwent preoperative MRI and radical prostatectomy were recruited and randomly divided into the training and the validation cohorts at a ratio of 7:3. Clinical model for predicting PNI was constructed by univariate and multivariate regression analyses on various clinical indicators, followed by logistic regression. Radiomics and deep learning methods were used to develop different MRI-based radiomics and deep learning models. Subsequently, the clinical, radiomics, and deep learning signatures were combined to develop the integrated deep learning-radiomics-clinical model (DLRC). The performance of the models was assessed by plotting the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and precision–recall (PR) curves, as well as calculating the area under the ROC and PR curves (ROC-AUC and PR-AUC). The calibration curve and decision curve were used to evaluate the model's goodness of fit and clinical benefit. The DLRC model demonstrated the highest performance in both the training and the validation cohorts, with ROC-AUCs of 0.914 and 0.848, respectively, and PR-AUCs of 0.948 and 0.926, respectively. The DLRC model showed good calibration and clinical benefit in both cohorts. The DLRC model, which integrated clinical, radiomics, and deep learning signatures, can serve as a robust tool for predicting PNI in patients with PCa, thus aiding in developing effective treatment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expression levels of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α) have been identified as a pivotal marker, correlating with treatment response in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). This study aimed to develop and validate a nomogram based on dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) radiomics and clinical features for predicting the expression of HIF-1α in patients with LARC. A total of 102 patients diagnosed with locally advanced rectal cancer were divided into training (n = 71) and validation (n = 31) cohorts. The expression statuses of HIF-1α were histopathologically classified, categorizing patients into high and low expression groups. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), minimum redundancy maximum relevance (mRMR), and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) were employed for feature selection to construct a radiomics signature and calculate the radiomics score (Rad-score). Univariate and multivariate analyses of clinical features and Rad-score were applied, and the clinical model and the nomogram were constructed. The predictive performance of the nomogram incorporating clinical features and Rad-score was assessed using Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves, decision curve analysis (DCA), and calibration curves. Seven radiomics features from DCE-MRI were used to build the radiomics signature. The nomogram incorporating CEA, Ki-67 and Rad-score had the highest AUC values in the training cohort and in the validation cohort (AUC: 0.918 and 0.920). Decision curve analysis showed that the nomogram outperformed the clinical model and radiomics signature in terms of clinical utility. In addition, the calibration curve for the nomogram demonstrated good agreement between prediction and actual observation. The nomogram based on DCE-MRI radiomics and clinical features showed favorable predictive efficacy and might be useful for preoperatively discriminating the expression of HIF-1α. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) plays a significant role in precise treatments of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study aims to build a non-invasive LVI prediction diagnosis model by combining preoperative CT images with deep learning technology. This retrospective observational study included a series of consecutive patients who underwent surgical resection for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and received pathologically confirmed diagnoses. The cohort was randomly divided into a training group comprising 70 % of the patients and a validation group comprising the remaining 30 %. Four distinct deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) prediction models were developed, incorporating different combination of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) CT imaging features as well as clinical-radiological data. The predictive capabilities of the models were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) values and confusion matrices. The Delong test was utilized to compare the predictive performance among the different models. A total of 3034 patients with NSCLC were recruited in this study including 106 LVI+ patients. In the validation cohort, the Dual-head Res2Net_3D23F model achieved the highest AUC of 0.869, closely followed by the models of Dual-head Res2Net_3D3F (AUC, 0.868), Dual-head Res2Net_3D (AUC, 0.867), and EfficientNet-B0_2D (AUC, 0.857). There was no significant difference observed in the performance of the EfficientNet-B0_2D model when compared to the Dual-head Res2Net_3D3F and Dual-head Res2Net_3D23F. Findings of this study suggest that utilizing deep convolutional neural network is a feasible approach for predicting pathological LVI in patients with NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Streets play a crucial role in the pedestrian catchment area (PCA) of metro stations. However, the large-scale quality measurement of street space and its influence on the vitality of station area have not been well revealed. With multisource big data such as points of interest (POI), and street view images, a three-dimensional evaluation system based on the pyramid scene parsing network (PSPNet) and spatial design network analysis (sDNA) is constructed. 73 metro stations in the Third Ring Road of Chengdu are chosen as research samples to carry out large-scale quantitative evaluation of street space in PCAs to reveal the quality characteristics of street space at the overall urban, PCA, and circle scales. Furthermore, this study constructs two multiple linear regression models of weekdays and weekends to explore the relationship between urban vitality and street space quality indicators. The results indicate a heterogeneous distribution of street quality on an urban scale. Streets located in the 300–500 m of PCAs rate highest in terms of convenience and the overall street space quality. The functionality dimension of street spaces in the sample PCAs of Chengdu present a gradient effect with the highest score of 0–300 m in the circle, while the comfortability dimension of streets shows an opposite trend. The multiple linear regression analysis show that street quality indicators are more explanatory of the weekday vitality than the weekend vitality. It indicates that well-connected street network, pleasant street scale, and abundant urban facilities have the greatest effect on urban vitality in the PCAs. The findings can provide new ideas for making targeted interventions in the urban design of metro station areas, to improve the quality of streets and foster urban vitality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation aimed to elucidate the application impact of prehospital-hospital integrated emergency nursing in individuals with acute cerebral infarction (ACI). Data of 230 ACI patients admitted to our hospital from May 2021 to July 2022 were retrospectively analyzed and divided into A and B groups (AG and BG) according to different nursing methods. The inter-group comparison of the treatment time (time for physician arrival, time for completion of examination, time between admission and thrombolytic therapy, length of stay in emergency) was compared. The success rate of thrombolysis, the inter-group comparison levels of coagulation function indexes [D-dimer (D-D) and fibrinogen (Fbg)], the national Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, the Barthel score, family members' self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) score, family members' self-rating depression scale (SDS) score, family satisfaction and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. The treatment time were reduced in the BG than in the AG (all P < 0.05). The BG had a higher success rate of thrombolysis than the AG (P < 0.05). After the therapy, the D-D level in BG group was higher than that in AG group, and Fbg was lower than that in AG group (both P < 0.05). After nursing, BG's NIHSS score was increased compared with the AG; MBI was reduced (P < 0.05); the SAS and SDS scores of the family members were also reduced (both P < 0.05). The total family satisfaction of the BG (100.00%) was greater than the AG (89.00%) (P < 0.05). The application of prehospital-hospital integrated emergency nursing in ACI patients works effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural bioactive compounds with antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, and other biological activities are vital for maintaining the body's physiological functions and enhancing immunity. These compounds have great potential as nutritional therapeutic agents, but they can be limited due to their poor flavor, color, unstable nature, and poor water solubility, and degradation by gastrointestinal enzymes. Liposomes, as ideal carriers, can encapsulate both water-soluble and fat-soluble nutrients, enhance the bioavailability of functional substances, promote the biological activity of functional substances, and control the release of nutrients. Despite their potential, liposomes still face obstacles in nutrient delivery. Therefore, the design of liposomes for special needs, optimization of the liposome preparation process, enhancement of liposome encapsulation efficiency, and industrial production are key issues that must be addressed in order to develop food-grade liposomes. Moreover, the research on surface-targeted modification and surface functionalization of liposomes is valuable for expanding the scope of application of liposomes and achieving the release of functional substances from liposomes at the appropriate time and site. The establishment of in vivo and in vitro digestion models of nutrient-loaded liposomes, in-depth study of gastrointestinal digestive behavior after liposome ingestion, targeted nutrient release, and deciphering the nutritional intervention of human diseases and positive health promotion are promising fields with broad development prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]