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Peripheral artery disease (PAD) shares common clinical risk factors, for example, endothelial dysfunction, with preserved ejection fraction (LVEF) heart failure (HFpEF). Whether PAD is associated with preclinical systolic dysfunction and higher HF risk among individuals presenting preserved LVEF remains uncertain. We retrospectively included outpatients with at least one known or established cardiovascular (CV) risk factor with LVEF ≥ 50%. Patients were categorized into high risk and low risk of developing PAD (PAD vs Non-PAD) by ankle-brachial index (ABI) (≤ 0.90 or > 1.4) and further stratified based on their history of HFpEF (HFpEF vs. Non-HFpEF), resulting in the formation of four distinct strata. Preclinical systolic dysfunction was defined using dedicated speckle-tracking algorithm. A total of 2130 consecutive patients were enrolled in the study, with a median follow-up of 4.4 years. The analysis revealed a higher prevalence of high risk of developing PAD in patients with HFpEF compared to those without HFpEF (25.1% vs. 9.4%). Both high risk of developing PAD and HFpEF were independently associated with preclinical systolic dysfunction (global longitudinal strain, GLS ≥ - 18%) (odds ratio, OR: 1.38; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.03-1.86). In comparison to patients at low risk of developing PAD without HFpEF (Non-PAD/Non-HFpEF group), those categorized as having a high risk of developing PAD with HFpEF (PAD/HFpEF group) exhibited the most impaired GLS and a heightened susceptibility to heart failure hospitalization (hazard ratio, HR: 6.51; 95% CI: 4.43-9.55), a twofold increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR: 2.01; 95% CI: 1.17-3.38), cardiovascular mortality (HR: 2.44; 95% CI: 1.08-5.51), and non-cardiovascular mortality (HR: 1.78; 95% CI: 0.82-3.84). A high risk of developing PAD was strongly linked to impaired preclinical systolic function and an increased likelihood for subsequent hospitalization for HF, all-cause mortality, CV mortality and non-CV mortality. There is a clear need for preventive strategies aimed at reducing hospitalizations for HF and mortality in this high-risk population., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in blood are accepted as a prognostic marker for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). However, there is limited data on the use of CTCs as a prognostic marker for non-metastatic patients. In the current study, we used a rare cell automated analysis platform, the MiSelect R System, to enumerate CTCs from blood in non-metastatic CRC patients, and corelated the number of CTCs with the clinical staging and survival. The presence of CTCs in mesenteric vein blood (MVB) samples from 101 CRC patients was significantly associated with T stage. Patients with 1 or more CTCs per 8 mL of MVB exhibited significantly worse disease-free survival (DFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) compared to patient without CTCs. The presence of CTCs before surgery is an independent marker for both DFS and CSS. CTC presence after surgical resection is also a prognostic marker. CTCs are a potentially useful prognostic and predictive biomarker in non-metastatic CRC patients that may further stratify patient's risk status within different stages of disease., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Developmental abnormalities in otoliths can impact growth and survival in teleost fishes. Here, we quantified the frequency and severity of developmental anomalies in otoliths of delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus), a critically endangered estuarine fish that is endemic to the San Francisco Estuary. Left-right asymmetry and anomalous crystalline polymorphs (i.e., vaterite) were quantified and compared between wild and cultured populations using digital image analysis. Visual estimates of vaterite were validated using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, laser ablation ICPMS, and electron probe microanalysis. Results indicated that cultured delta smelt were 80 times more likely to contain a vateritic otolith and 18 times more likely to contain relatively large (≥ 15%) amounts of vaterite. Similarly, cultured fish exhibited 30% greater asymmetry than wild fish. These results indicate that cultured delta smelt exhibit a significantly higher frequency of vestibular abnormalities which are known to reduce fitness and survival. Such hatchery effects on otolith development could have important implications for captive culture practices and the supplementation of wild fish populations with cultured individuals., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Temperature and salinity often define the distributions of aquatic organisms. This is at least partially true for Delta Smelt, an imperiled species endemic to the upper San Francisco Estuary. While much is known about the tolerances and distribution of Delta Smelt in relation to these parameters, little is known regarding the temperature and salinity preferences of the species. Therefore, the temperature and salinity preferences of sub-adult Delta Smelt were investigated across a wide range of thermal (8-28 °C) and salinity (0-23 ppt) conditions. Replicates of ten fish were allowed to swim between two circular chambers with different temperature or salinity, and the distribution of fish between the chambers was recorded. We found that Delta Smelt showed no temperature preference below 15 °C, a modest aversion to the warmer tank from 15 to 28 °C, and a strong aversion to the warmer tank with elevated mortality at temperatures above 28 °C. Delta Smelt also preferred lower salinities, and this preference became more pronounced as salinity increased toward 23 ppt. These results indicate that Delta Smelt can tolerate high temperatures and salinities for a short time, and that their preferences for lower temperature and salinity strengthens as these variables increase., (© 2022. This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.)

Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is associated with central obesity, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. However, the association of body-site specific adiposity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has not been well characterized. We studies 704 consecutive subjects who underwent annual health survey in Taiwan. All subjects have been divided into three groups including normal (341), mild (227) and moderate and severe (136) NAFLD according to ultrasound finding. Pericardial (PCF) and thoracic peri-aortic adipose tissue (TAT) burden was assessed using a non-contrast 16-slice multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) dataset with off-line measurement (Aquarius 3DWorkstation, TeraRecon, SanMateo, CA, USA). We explored the relationship between PCF/TAT, NAFLD and cardiometabolic risk profiles. Patients with moderate and mild NAFLD have greater volume of PCF (100.7 ± 26.3vs. 77.1 ± 21.3 vs. 61.7 ± 21.6 ml, P < 0.001) and TAT (11.2 ± 4.1 vs. 7.6 ± 2.6 vs. 5.5 ± 2.6 ml, P < 0.001) when compared to the normal groups. Both PCF and TAT remained independently associated with NAFLD after counting for age, sex, triglyceride, cholesterol and other cardiometabolic risk factors. In addition, both PCF and TAT provided incremental prediction value for NAFLD diagnosis. (AUROC: 0.85 and 0.87, 95%, confidence interval: 0.82-0.89 and 0.84-0.90). Both visceral adipose tissues strongly correlated with the severity of NAFLD. Compared to PCF, TAT is more tightly associated with NAFLD diagnosis in a large Asian population., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Detailed descriptions of acute pulmonary emboli (PE) morphology, total embolic volume (TEV), and their effects upon patients' clinical presentation and prognosis remain largely unexplored. We studied 201 subjects with acute PE to the emergency department of a single medical center from April 2009 to December 2014. Patient hemodynamics, Troponin I and D-dimer levels, echocardiography, and the 30-day, 90-day and long-term mortality were obtained. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) of pulmonary structures and 3-dimensional measures of embolic burden were performed. The results showed a linear association between the greater TEV and each of the following 4 variables (increasing incidence of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction, higher systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP), greater RV diameter, and RV/left ventricular (LV) ratio (all p < 0.001)). Among the measures of CT and echocardiography, TEV and RV/LV ratio were significantly associated with impending shock. In backward stepwise logistic regression, TEV, age and respiratory rate remained independent associated with impending shock (OR: 1.58, 1.03, 1.18, respectively and all p < 0.005).Total embolic burden assessed by CT-based quantification serves as a useful index for stressed cardiopulmonary circulation condition and can provide insights into RV dysfunction and the prediction of impending shock., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

There is an established link between cardiometabolic abnormality, central arterial stiffness, and preserved ejection fraction heart failure (HFpEF). Adipocyte free fatty acid binding protein (a-FABP) has been shown to signal endothelial dysfunction through fatty acid toxicity, though its role in mediating ventricular-arterial dysfunction remains unclear. We prospectively examined the associations of a-FABP with central arterial pressure using non-invasive applanation tonometry (SphygmoCor) and cardiac structure/function (i.e., tissue Doppler imaging [TDI] and global longitudinal myocardial strain [GLS]) in patients with cardiometabolic (CM) risk (n = 150) and HFpEF (n = 50), with healthy volunteers (n = 49) serving as a control. We observed a graded increase of a-FABP across the healthy controls, CM individuals, and HFpEF groups (all paired p < 0.05). Higher a-FABP was independently associated with higher central systolic and diastolic blood pressures (CSP/CPP), increased arterial augmentation index (Aix), lower early myocardial relaxation velocity (TDI-e'), higher left ventricle (LV) filling (E/TDI-e') and worsened GLS (all p < 0.05). During a median of 3.85 years (interquartile range: 3.68-4.62 years) follow-up, higher a-FABP (cutoff: 24 ng/mL, adjusted hazard ratio: 1.01, 95% confidence interval: 1.001-1.02, p = 0.04) but not brain natriuretic peptide, and higher central hemodynamic indices were related to the incidence of heart failure (HF) in fully adjusted Cox models. Furthermore, a-FABP improved the HF risk classification over central hemodynamic information. We found a mechanistic pathophysiological link between a-FABP, central arterial stiffness, and myocardial dysfunction. In a population with a high metabolic risk, higher a-FABP accompanied by worsened ventricular-arterial coupling may confer more unfavorable outcomes in HFpEF., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has aroused wide public concern, as it affects approximately 1.8-25.1% of pregnancies worldwide. This study aimed to examine the association of pre-pregnancy demographic parameters and early-pregnancy laboratory biomarkers with later GDM risk, and further to establish a nomogram prediction model. This study is based on the big obstetric data from 10 "AAA" hospitals in Xiamen. GDM was diagnosed according to the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Group (IADPSG) criteria. Data are analyzed using Stata (v14.1) and R (v3.5.2). Total 187,432 gestational women free of pre-pregnancy diabetes mellitus were eligible for analysis, including 49,611 women with GDM and 137,821 women without GDM. Irrespective of confounding adjustment, eight independent factors were consistently and significantly associated with GDM, including pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), pre-pregnancy intake of folic acid, white cell count, platelet count, alanine transaminase, albumin, direct bilirubin, and creatinine (p < 0.001). Notably, per 3 kg/m 2 increment in pre-pregnancy BMI was associated with 22% increased risk [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.22, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21-1.24, p < 0.001], and pre-pregnancy intake of folic acid can reduce GDM risk by 27% (adjusted OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.69-0.79, p < 0.001). The eight significant factors exhibited decent prediction performance as reflected by calibration and discrimination statistics and decision curve analysis. To enhance clinical application, a nomogram model was established by incorporating age and above eight factors, and importantly this model had a prediction accuracy of 87%. Taken together, eight independent pre-/early-pregnancy predictors were identified in significant association with later GDM risk, and importantly a nomogram modeling these predictors has over 85% accuracy in early detecting pregnant women who will progress to GDM later.

Academic research on dinoflagellate, the primary causative agent of harmful algal blooms (HABs), is often hindered by the coexistence with bacteria in laboratory cultures. The development of axenic dinoflagellate cultures is challenging and no universally accepted method suit for different algal species. In this study, we demonstrated a promising approach combined density gradient centrifugation, antibiotic treatment, and serial dilution to generate axenic cultures of Karenia mikimotoi (KMHK). Density gradient centrifugation and antibiotic treatments reduced the bacterial population from 5.79 ± 0.22 log 10 CFU/mL to 1.13 ± 0.07 log 10 CFU/mL. The treated KMHK cells were rendered axenic through serial dilution, and algal cells in different dilutions with the absence of unculturable bacteria were isolated. Axenicity was verified through bacterial (16S) and fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing and DAPI epifluorescence microscopy. Axenic KMHK culture regrew from 1000 to 9408 cells/mL in 7 days, comparable with a normal culture. The established methodology was validated with other dinoflagellate, Alexandrium tamarense (AT6) and successfully obtained the axenic culture. The axenic status of both cultures was maintained more than 30 generations without antibiotics. This efficient, straightforward and inexpensive approach suits for both armored and unarmored dinoflagellate species.

To fabricate reliable nanoelectronics, whether by top-down or bottom-up processes, it is necessary to study the electrical properties of nanocontacts. The effect of nanocontact disorder on device properties has been discussed but not quantitatively studied. Here, by carefully analyzing the temperature dependence of device electrical characteristics and by inspecting them with a microscope, we investigated the Schottky contact and Mott's variable-range-hopping resistances connected in parallel in the nanocontact. To interpret these parallel resistances, we proposed a model of Ti/TiOx in the interface between the metal electrodes and nanowires. The hopping resistance as well as the nanocontact disorder dominated the total device resistance for high-resistance devices, especially at low temperatures. Furthermore, we introduced nanocontact disorder to modulate the light and gas responsivities of the device; unexpectedly, it multiplied the sensitivities compared with the intrinsic sensitivity of the nanowires. Our results improve the collective understanding of electrical contacts to low-dimensional semiconductor devices and will aid performance optimization in future nanoelectronics.