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Liang Ruan,1,2 Shuailei Xu,1,2 Yuhan Qin,2 Huihong Tang,1,2 Xudong Li,1,2 Gaoliang Yan,2 Dong Wang,2 Chengchun Tang,2 Yong Qiao2 1School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Cardiology, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Chengchun Tang; Yong Qiao, Department of Cardiology, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaqiao, Nanjing, 210009, People’s Republic of China, Email tangchengchun@hotmail.com; jinyong8866@163.comPurpose: Red blood cell distribution width to albumin ratio (RAR) is a novel inflammatory biomarker that independently predicts adverse cardiovascular events and acute kidney injury. This study aimed to assess the predictive value of RAR for cardio-renal syndrome type I (CRS-I) risk in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients.Patients and methods: This study retrospectively enrolled 551 patients who were definitively diagnosed as AMI between October 2021 and October 2022 at the Affiliated Zhongda Hospital of Southeast University. Participants were divided into two and four groups based on the occurrence of CRS-I and the quartiles of RAR, respectively. Demographic data, laboratory findings, coronary angiography data, and drug utilization were compared among the groups. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis were performed to identify independent risk factors for CRS-I and evaluated the predictive value of RAR for CRS-I.Results: Among the cohort of 551 patients, 103 (18.7%) developed CRS-I. Patients with CRS-I exhibited significantly elevated RAR levels compared to those without the condition, and the incidence of CRS-I correlated with escalating RAR. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses identified RAR as an independent risk factor for CRS-I. ROC curves analysis demonstrated that RAR alone predicted CRS-I with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.683 (95% CI=0.642– 0.741), which was superior to the traditional inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP). Adding the variable RAR to the model for predicting the risk of CRS-I further improved the predictive value of the model from 0.808 (95% CI=0.781– 0.834) to 0.825 (95% CI=0.799– 0.850).Conclusion: RAR is an independent risk factor for CRS-I, and high levels of RAR are associated with an increased incidence of CRS-I in patients with AMI. RAR emerges as a valuable and readily accessible inflammatory biomarker that may play a pivotal role in risk stratification in clinical practice.Keywords: acute myocardial infarction, cardio-renal syndrome type I, red blood cell distribution width to albumin ratio, inflammatory

Chao Zuo,1 Yi Liu,1 Ziqiang Wang,2 Jing Cheng,1 Dongli Yang,1 Huasong Gong,1 Yu Wang,3 Yongchao Qiao1 1Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University, Guilin, Guangxi, People’s Republic of China; 2Research Center of Clinical Laboratory Science, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Geriatrics, Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University, Guilin, Guangxi, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yongchao Qiao, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University, Le Qun Road 15, Guilin, Guangxi, 541001, People’s Republic of China, Email qiaoyc@glmc.edu.cn Yu Wang, Department of Geriatrics, Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University, Le Qun Road 15, Guilin, Guangxi, 541001, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 773 2822730, Email wangyu101101@163.comIntroduction: This study aimed to investigate the association of Nicotinamide phosphoribosyl transferase (NAMPT) rs61330082 polymorphism with co-morbid hypertension (HTN) and the progression of hypertension in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Methods: A total of 453 T2DM patients were genotyped for the polymorphism of rs61330082 using SNP-scan high-throughput technology. These patients were divided into T2DM group (261 patients) and T2DM combined with hypertension group (T2MH, 192 patients). The T2MH group was further categorized into Grade I, Grade II, and Grade III based on the results of the Hypertension Grade Score. Peripheral blood plasma urea, plasma creatinine, renin-angiotensin system (RAS) indexes, and lipid biochemistry indexes were measured in patients and analyzed in relation to NAMTP polymorphisms.Results: We found that the presence of the NAMPT rs61330082-AA genotype was associated with a significantly increased risk of developing higher-grade hypertension in patients with T2MH. In addition, the A allele of the NAMPT rs61330082 gene displayed more associated in developing a higher grade of hypertension compared to the G allele. Also, the level of total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) increased with hypertension grade in the NAMPT rs61330082-GG genotype.Conclusion: NAMPT rs61330082 polymorphism was significantly associated with the progression of hypertension grade in T2MH patients and also affected plasma creatinine and LDL-c levels.Keywords: NAMPT, polymorphism, T2DM, hypertension classification

Debiao Xiang,1– 3 Lili Zhou,4 Rui Yang,1,4 Fang Yuan,1– 3 Yilin Xu,4 Yuan Yang,1,4 Yong Qiao,1– 3 Xin Li1– 3 1Department of Pharmacy, The Third Hospital of Changsha, Changsha, Hunan Province, People’s Republic of China; 2Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Anti-Resistance Microbial Drugs, Changsha, Hunan Province, People’s Republic of China; 3The Clinical Application Research Institute of Antibiotics in Changsha, Changsha, Hunan Province, People’s Republic of China; 4College of Pharmacy, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan Province, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Xin Li, 176 Laodong West Road, Tianxin District, Changsha, Hunan Province, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 0731-85171320, Email xin-li@cssdsyy.comAbstract: Currently, cancer remains one of the most significant threats to human health. Treatment of most cancers remains challenging, despite the implementation of diverse therapies in clinical practice. In recent years, research on the mechanism of ferroptosis has presented novel perspectives for cancer treatment. Ferroptosis is a regulated cell death process caused by lipid peroxidation of membrane unsaturated fatty acids catalyzed by iron ions. The rapid development of bio-nanotechnology has generated considerable interest in exploiting iron-induced cell death as a new therapeutic target against cancer. This article provides a comprehensive overview of recent advancements at the intersection of iron-induced cell death and bionanotechnology. In this respect, the mechanism of iron-induced cell death and its relation to cancer are summarized. Furthermore, the feasibility of a nano-drug delivery system based on iron-induced cell death for cancer treatment is introduced and analyzed. Secondly, strategies for inducing iron-induced cell death using nanodrug delivery technology are discussed, including promoting Fenton reactions, inhibiting glutathione peroxidase 4, reducing low glutathione levels, and inhibiting system Xc−. Additionally, the article explores the potential of combined treatment strategies involving iron-induced cell death and bionanotechnology. Finally, the application prospects and challenges of iron-induced nanoagents for cancer treatment are discussed.Keywords: cancers, ferroptosis, nano-drug delivery system, target

Zhijun Zhang,1,2 Tiehong Yang,2 Jingwei Wang,2 Zhe Yu,2 Youbei Qiao,2 Chaoli Wang,2 Zhenggang Yue,1 Hong Wu2 1School of Pharmacy, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi’an, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Medicine Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Air Force Medical University, Xi’an, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Hong Wu, Department of Medicine Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Air Force Medical University, Xi’an, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 29 84776823, Email wuhong@fmmu.edu.cn Zhenggang Yue, School of Pharmacy, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi’an, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 18092086211, Email liuxingjian1981@163.comPurpose: The remarkable peroxidase-like activity of single-atom nanozymes (SAzymes) allows them to catalyze the conversion of H2O2 to •OH, rendering them highly promising for antibacterial applications. However, their practical in vivo application is hindered by the near-neutral pH and insufficient H2O2 levels present in physiological systems. This study was aimed at developing a SAzyme-based nanoreactor and investigating its in vivo antibacterial activity.Methods: We developed a hollow mesoporous molybdenum single-atom nanozyme (HMMo-SAzyme) using a controlled chemical etching approach and pyrolysis strategy. The HMMo-SAzyme not only exhibited excellent catalytic activity but also served as an effective nanocarrier. By loading glucose oxidase (GOx) with HMMo-SAzyme and encapsulating it with hyaluronic acid (HA), a nanoreactor (HMMo/GOx@HA) was constructed as glucose-triggered cascade catalyst for combating bacterial infection in vivo.Results: Hyaluronidase (HAase) at the site of infection degraded HA, allowing GOx to convert glucose into gluconic acid and H2O2. An acid environment significantly enhanced the catalytic activity of HMMo-SAzyme to promote the further catalytic conversion of H2O2 to •OH for bacterial elimination. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that the nanoreactor had excellent antibacterial activity and negligible biological toxicity.Conclusion: This study represents a significant advancement in developing a cascade catalytic system with high efficiency based on hollow mesoporous SAzyme, promising the advancement of biological applications of SAzyme. Keywords: nanozyme, nanocarrier, glucose oxidase, reactive oxygen species, bacterial infection

Yan Qiao,1,&ast; Zhaoyu Tao,2,&ast; Feiran Hao,3 Yongqiang Huang,2 Hong Sun,2 Pu Guo2 1Department of Infectious Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, 233004, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, 233004, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Clinical Medicine, School of Basic Medicine, Qiqihar Medical college, Hei Longjiang Qiqihar, 161006, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Pu Guo; Hong Sun, Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, 287 Zhihuai Road, Bengbu, 233004, People’s Republic of China, Email 3504624902@qq.com; sunhong0222@126.comBackground: Candida is one of the most important pathogens of hospital-acquired bloodstream infections. Its morbidity and mortality are still high, which is a serious global public problem.Purpose: To investigate the strain distribution, drug susceptibility, clinical characteristics of patients, and risk factors affecting the prognosis of Candida bloodstream infection (BSI).Materials and Methods: We retrospectively collected the clinical data, infection-related indicators, prognosis, strain prevalence and drug susceptibility of 163 patients with Candida BSI in a teaching hospital from January 2012 to December 2022. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the risk factors affecting the prognosis.Results: In 163 cases of Candida BSI, Candida albicans accounted for 48.47%, and Candida non-albicans accounted for 51.53%. A total of 163 patients with Candida BSI were mainly distributed in intensive care unit (ICU) and emergency department, accounting for 40.49% and 14.72%, respectively. The resistance rate of Candida albicans to fluconazole, itraconazole and voriconazole was less than 10%, and the sensitivity rate of Candida tropicalis to fluconazole, itraconazole and voriconazole was less than 80%. The mortality rate of 163 patients with Candida BSI was 33.13%, with Candida non-albicans higher than that of Candida albicans (p = 0.04). Multivariate analysis showed that hemodialysis (OR = 0.199, 95% CI: 0.059– 0.673, P = 0.009), arteriovenous catheters (OR = 0.344, 95% CI: 0.130– 0.913, P = 0.032), elevated neutrophil count (OR = 0.409, 95% CI: 0.194– 0.862, P = 0.019) and APACHE II score (OR = 0.848, 95% CI: 0.789~0.911, P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for death in patients with candidemia.Conclusion: The blood flow infection rate of Candida non-albicans is increasing, and the mortality rate and resistance to antifungal drugs are higher than that of Candida albicans. Hemodialysis, arteriovenous catheters, elevated neutrophil count and APACHE II score were associated with death in patients with Candida BSI.Keywords: Candida, bloodstream infection, clinical features, prognosis

Yu Qiao,1,&ast; Xin Wang,2,&ast; Yi Liu,2 Jun Hu,2 Fa-Hu Yuan,1 Zhi-Gang Zhao2 1School of Medicine, Jianghan University, Wuhan, 430056, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Spine Surgery, Wuhan Fourth Hospital, Wuhan, 430035, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Zhi-Gang Zhao, Department of Spine Surgery, Wuhan Fourth Hospital, Gutian 3rd Road, Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, Hubei, 430035, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 2768831614, Email zhaozhigang@whsdsyy.wecom.work Fa-Hu Yuan, School of Medicine, Jianghan University, No. 8, Sanjiaohu Road, Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone, Wuhan, Hubei, 430056, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 2784225149, Email yuanfh@jhun.edu.cnObjective: To investigate the clinical efficacy of percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) with a unilateral versus bilateral approach in the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs).Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a total of 147 patients (unilateral group: 79, bilateral group: 68) with OVCFs treated with PKP at the Department of Spine Surgery, Wuhan Fourth Hospital between August 2020 and January 2022. Patients’ personal information, operation time, bone cement injection volume, as well as pre- and post-operative visual analogue scale (VAS), Oswestry disability index (ODI), anterior vertebral body height and Cobb angle were recorded.Results: All 147 patients were successfully treated with PKP and were followed up for at least 6 months. Our results showed that the operative time was significantly shorter in the unilateral group (41.60± 5.64) minutes than in the bilateral group (66.53± 9.40) minutes, and the volume of bone cement injected was also significantly less in the unilateral group (5.27± 0.73) mL than in the bilateral group (6.87± 0.93) mL (P< 0.01). The VAS score, ODI index, vertebral height and Cobb angle at postoperative follow-up were significantly improved in both groups compared to the preoperative period (P< 0.01); However, the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (P> 0.05). Repeat thoracic and lumbar radiographs showed cement leakage in seven cases (8.86%) in the unilateral group and five cases (7.35%) in the bilateral group, but all were asymptomatic and required no further management. During our entire follow-up period, there were five adjacent vertebral fractures in the unilateral group (6.33%) and four in the bilateral group (5.88%).Conclusion: There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of improvement in VAS score, ODI index, restoration of vertebral body height, and posterior convexity deformity, but unilateral puncture had the advantage of shorter operative time and less cement injection.Keywords: osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture, percutaneous vertebroplasty, unilateral arch root approach, bilateral arch root approach, clinical outcome

Xiongjie Jia,&ast; Tao Zhang,&ast; Junjie Sun, Hengxue Lin, Tianliang Bai, Yating Qiao, Yaxin Li, Gang Li, Guicun Li, Xinyu Peng, Aimin Zhang Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, Baoding, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Aimin Zhang; Xinyu Peng, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, No. 212 Yu-Hua East Road, Baoding City, Hebei Province, People’s Republic of China, Tel +863125983782, Email hdfyzam@126.com; pengxinyu_2012@163.comObjective: Thymidine Phosphorylase (TYMP) gene was of potential significance in the process of colorectal cancer (CRC) development and played an important role in capecitabine metabolism. This study was to identify the association between TYMP polymorphism and prognosis of postoperative patients with CRC who received capecitabine-based adjuvant chemotherapy.Methods: A total of 218 patients with CRC who were treated with surgical resection and capecitabine-based adjuvant chemotherapy were included in this study retrospectively. Peripheral blood and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) specimen of the patients were collected for the genotyping of TYMP polymorphism and TYMP mRNA expression, respectively. Univariate analysis of genotypes and prognosis was carried out by Kaplan–Meier survival analysis, Cox regression analysis was adopted in multivariate analysis. The mRNA expression of TYMP according to genotype status was analyzed using non-parameter test.Results: Prevalence of rs11479 in TYMP among the 218 patients exhibited that minor allele frequency of rs11479 was 0.20 (GG 141 cases, GA 68 cases and AA 9 cases), which was in accordance with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P=0.825). Association analysis suggested that the median disease-free survival (DFS) of patients with GG genotype and GA/AA genotype was 3.1 and 6.1 years, respectively (P=0.004). Furthermore, the median overall survival of patients with GG genotype and GA/AA genotype was 5.0 and 7.0 years, respectively (P=0.033). Multivariate Cox regression analysis exhibited that rs11479 polymorphism was an independent factor for DFS (HR = 1.64, P=0.009). Additionally, of the 65 PBMC specimens, mRNA expression results indicated that patients with GA/AA genotypes conferred significantly higher mRNA expression of TYMP than that of patients with GG genotype (P< 0.001).Conclusion: Polymorphism rs11479 in TYMP gene might predict the prognosis of patients with CRC who received capecitabine-based adjuvant chemotherapy through mediation of the mRNA expression of TYMP. The conclusion of this study should be validated in prospective clinical trials subsequently.Keywords: colorectal cancer, adjuvant chemotherapy, capecitabine, prognosis, polymorphism

Yuzhao Liu,1,&ast; Jingru Cai,2,&ast; Yangang Wang,1 Xiangli Zhao,3 Yun Qiao,4 Chuan-Ju Liu3 1Department of Endocrinology, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, People’s Republic of China; 2Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; 4Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Qilu Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yun Qiao; Chuan-Ju Liu, Email qlyyqy@163.com; Chuanju.Liu@nyulangone.orgObjective: This study is aimed to determine the metabolomic effects of the hybrid medicine formula Yi-Qi-Bu-Shen (YQBS) on the neurotransmitter aspects of cognitive impairment in diabetic rats.Methods: In the current study, streptozotocin (STZ) was used to induce diabetic animal model in male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. After successful establishment of diabetic SD rats’ model, age-matched healthy SD rats and diabetic SD rats were treated with low and high doses of YQBS, and then tested for learning memory ability and analyzed for pathological changes. In addition, neurotransmitter metabolic changes in hippocampal subdivisions of rats from different treated groups were analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technique.Results: YQBS could significantly improve memory-cognitive impairment in diabetic rats as evidenced by the shortening of latency to target and the reduction of latency first entrance to target. Moreover, YQBS also improved the pathological alterations in the hippocampal region in the brains of diabetic rats. Metabolomic analysis showed that the expression of noradrenaline hydrochloride was down-regulated and the expressions of levodopa and 5-hydroxytryptophan were up-regulated in the hippocampal tissues of diabetic rats treated with YQBS.Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that YQBS has protective effects against diabetic cognitive dysfunction, which might act through alteration in tyrosine and tryptophan metabolism.Keywords: diabetes mellitus, cognitive dysfunction, Yi-Qi-Bu-Shen, hippocampus, metabolomics

Bao Sun,1,2,&ast; Yingshuang Tang,2,&ast; Dan Chen,3 Yanning Bai,4 Yuanyuan Zhang,5 Suning Chen,2 Yi Qiao,2 Jingwen Wang2 1Department of Pharmacy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Medical University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pharmacy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical Unversity, Xi’an, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of pharmacy, 404 Hospital of Mianyang, Mianyang, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Yan’ an University Affiliated Hospital, Yan’an, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Pharmacy, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xianyang, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yi Qiao; Jingwen Wang, Department of Pharmacy, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, 127 Changle West Road, Xi’an, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China, Email 694305040@qq.com; wangjingwen8021@163.comAbstract: Biliary cryptococcosis infection is extremely rare and difficult for preoperative diagnosis. We report a rare case of 61-year-old woman with biliary cryptococcal infection. To explore the general rule and case characteristics of biliary cryptococcal infection and provide a reference for future diagnosis and treatment, we consulted the PubMed database for reported biliary cryptococcal infection from 1985 to 2021. Including the present one, we collected 12 reports, among which half were male and five were younger than 18 years old. Clinical manifestations were mainly jaundice, while in vitro examination revealed bile duct dilatation and bile duct stenosis. In 8 cases (66.67%), symptoms improved or healed after antifungal treatment. Although preoperative misdiagnosis of cryptococcal infection is high, the antifungal treatment is quite effective. Thus, early accurate diagnosis can effectively improve the cure rate of biliary cryptococcosis infected patients.Keywords: biliary cryptococcosis, obstructive jaundice, Cryptococcus neoformans, literature analysis

Juan Du,1 Lanlan Zong,2 Mengmeng Li,2 Keke Yu,2 Yonghui Qiao,3 Qi Yuan,2 Xiaohui Pu2 1Department of Pharmacy, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450003, People’s Republic of China; 2Institute of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, 475004, People’s Republic of China; 3Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450046, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Juan Du; Xiaohui Pu, Tel/Fax +86-371-23880680, Email jindalai66@163.com; pgh425@163.comIntroduction: Cancerous tumors are still a major disease that threatens human life, with tumor multidrug resistance (MDR) being one of the main reasons for the failure of chemotherapy. Thus, reversing tumor MDR has become a research focus of medical scientists.Methods: Here, a reduction-sensitive polymer prodrug micelle, mPEG-DCA-SS-PTX (PDSP), was manufactured with a new polymer inhibitor of drug resistance as a carrier to overcome MDR and improve the anti-tumor effect of PTX.Results: The PDSP micelles display good stability, double-responsive drug release, and excellent biocompatibility. The PDSP micelles reduced the cytotoxicity of PTX to normal HL-7702 cells and enhanced that to SMMC-7721 and MCF-7 cells in vitro. Improved sensitivity of A549/ADR to PDSP was also observed in vitro. Furthermore, in vivo experiments show reduced systemic toxicity and enhanced therapeutic efficacy of PTX to H22 subcutaneous tumor-bearing mice.Conclusion: This work proves that the reduction-sensitive polymer prodrug micelles carried by the new polymer inhibitor can be used as an alternative delivery system to target tumors and reverse MDR for paclitaxel and other tumor-resistant drugs.Keywords: anti-multidrug resistance, polymer prodrug micelles, paclitaxel, reduction sensitivity, liver targeting

Yuhan Qin, Yong Qiao, Dong Wang, Gaoliang Yan, Chengchun Tang, Genshan Ma Department of Cardiology, Zhongda Hospital, Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Gaoliang YanDepartment of Cardiology, Zhongda Hospital, Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail yan_seu@hotmail.comObjective: Soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (SuPAR) is a circulating protein and a novel identified promising biomarker for various renal diseases and kidney injury. However, it remains unknown on the predictive value of suPAR in contrast induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).Methods: A total of 399 patients undergoing PCI were enrolled in the research from June 2020 to June 2021 in Zhongda Hospital. Patients were divided into CI-AKI and non-CI-AKI groups according to the preoperative and postoperative serum creatinine levels. Plasma suPAR level was detected through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay on admission. Demographic data, hematological parameters, coronary angiography data and medications were recorded and compared between CI-AKI and non-CI-AKI groups. Logistic regression analysis and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were performed for identifying the independent risk factors of CI-AKI and assessment of the predictive value of suPAR for CI-AKI.Results: CI-AKI occurred in 65 (16.3%) patients undergoing PCI. The level of suPAR in CI-AKI group was significantly higher than that in the non-CI-AKI group. Multivariate logistic regression indicated diabetes, lower LVEF, lower hydration rate, lower baseline eGFR, higher plasma suPAR (OR = 2.875, 95% CI = 2.038– 3.672, P < 0.001) and volume of contrast media were all independent risk factors for CI-AKI after adjustment of the confounding factors. ROC analysis illustrated that the optimal area under the curve was 0.765, indicating plasma suPAR was a splendid predictor for CI-AKI. The corresponding cut-off value was 3.305 ng/mL, and the sensitivity and specificity were 63.1% and 82.3%, respectively.Conclusion: Increased suPAR level is independently associated with elevated risk of suffering CI-AKI, and suPAR is a strong predictor for CI-AKI in patients undergoing PCI. SuPAR might act as a novel biomarker for CI-AKI in clinical practice.Keywords: soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor, contrast media, acute kidney injury, percutaneous coronary intervention

Hu C, Zhuang W, Qiao Y, et al. Onco Targets Ther. 2019;12:933–944. The Editor and Publisher of OncoTargets and Therapy wish to retract the published article. Concerns were raised regarding the alleged duplication of western blot images in Figure 2. Specifically, Figure 2, A1, GAPDH bands, appear to have been duplicated with the same bands from Figure 2, C1, Cyclin D1. The authors responded to our queries but were unable to provide a satisfactory explanation for the alleged duplication, nor were they able to provide original data that could adequately verify the findings. The Editor requested to retract the article and the authors do not agree with this decision. We have been informed in our decision-making by our policy on publishing ethics and integrity and the COPE guidelines on retractions. The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as “Retracted”.

Background and purposeIntracranial vessel wall MR imaging is an emerging technique for intracranial vasculopathy assessment. Our aim was to investigate intracranial vessel wall MR imaging use by the American Society of Neuroradiology (ASNR) members at their home institutions, including indications and barriers to implementation.Materials and methodsThe ASNR Vessel Wall Imaging Study Group survey on vessel wall MR imaging use, frequency, applications, MR imaging systems and field strength used, protocol development approaches, vendor engagement, reasons for not using vessel wall MR imaging, ordering-provider interest, and impact on clinical care, was distributed to the ASNR membership between April 2 and August 30, 2019.ResultsThere were 532 responses; 79 were excluded due to nonresponse and 42 due to redundant institutional responses, leaving 411 responses. Fifty-two percent indicated that their institution performs vessel wall MR imaging, with 71.5% performed at least 1-2 times/month, most frequently on 3T MR imaging, and 87.7% using 3D sequences. Protocols most commonly included were T1-weighted pre- and postcontrast and TOF-MRA; 60.6% had limited contributions from vendors or were still in protocol development. Vasculopathy differentiation (94.4%), cryptogenic stroke (41.3%), aneurysm (38.0%), and atherosclerosis (37.6%) evaluation were the most common indications. For those not performing vessel wall MR imaging, interpretation (53.1%) or technical (46.4%) expertise, knowledge of applications (50.5%), or limitations of clinician (56.7%) or radiologist (49.0%) interest were the most common reasons. If technical/expertise obstacles were overcome, 56.4% of those not performing vessel wall MR imaging indicated that they would perform it. Ordering providers most frequently inquiring about vessel wall MR imaging were from stroke neurology (56.5%) and neurosurgery (25.1%), while 34.3% indicated that no providers had inquired.ConclusionsMore than 50% of neuroradiology groups use vessel wall MR imaging for intracranial vasculopathy characterization and differentiation, emphasizing the need for additional technical and educational support, especially as clinical vessel wall MR imaging implementation continues to grow.

(iii) In terms of vaccines, two of the three patients were fully vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine and did not show significant differences in clinical symptoms following COVID-19 infection, with all having relatively mild symptoms and similar symptoms of hydrocephalus onset. This reminds clinicians that in the post-epidemic period of SARS-CoV-2 infection, patients may have hydrocephalus-related symptoms or the original hydrocephalus-related symptoms may be aggravated, so clinicians should be highly vigilant. Learning points for clinicians: We report three cases of secondary hydrocephalus after SARS-CoV-2 infection. [Extracted from the article]

We consider solving a severely ill-posed problem for determining the surface temperature and heat flux distribution of the nonhomogeneous sideways heat equation by a quasi-reversibility regularization method. An analytical solution is deduced based on the Fourier transform, and then, the logarithmic-type error estimate for the regularized solution is achieved. Finally, three numerical examples, including smooth and non-smooth functions, validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Objective Prevention and protection of foreign objects intrusion into railway becomes a hot research topic, and the division of intrusion areas requires detection of the track location. In order to determine the track location in the image, a method based on improved Mask R-CNN (Mask region convolutional neural network) combined with mathematical model is proposed to identify and extract the railway track. Method Firstly, Mask R-CNN is optimized and added with attention mechanism, and transfer learning is introduced into the above method to improve the model′s generalization ability. Then the optimized model is used to identify and segment the track, extracting the segmentation data and fitting with the corresponding mathematical expression to realize the identification and extraction of the track. The track in the image is divided into four categories and labeled with the Labelme labeling software, forming a training set and a test set. The training set is used to train the optimized model, and the test set to evaluate the detection results of the optimized model. Result & Conclusion The research results show that compared with other segmenting models and the original model, the proposed method performs well under the same training intensity, reaching 97.5% of the accuracy rate in track type determination, and basically above 80% in track segmentation. Tests show that the proposed method improves the general applicability of the detection by using the good performance of neural network, and can accurately determine the track type and segment the track.

Delayed wound healing is one vital complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) that adversely impacts patient quality of life. Infliximab (INF), a monoclonal tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) antibody, has been investigated for its therapeutic potential across various diseases through displaying anti-inflammation ability. However, the regulatory mechanisms by which INF influences and correlates with delayed wound healing in DM remain unclear. In this study, we first induced diabetes in mice using streptozotocin (STZ) to establish a DM model, and then excision wounds were generated. We observed that wound closure was significantly retarded in DM mice, but this effect was reversed following INF treatment (5 mg/kg). Moreover, INF treatment attenuated the heightened inflammation observed in DM mice. Furthermore, we found that INF expedited the M2 phenotype polarization in DM mice. Mechanistically, INF was shown to delay activation of the nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) pathway. To sum up, our findings demonstrate that in diabetic mice, INF facilitates wound healing by modulating macrophage polarization, and refrained the NF-κB pathway, supporting INF as a promising treatment approach for improving wound healing in diabetics.

Abstract Background Free fatty acids (FFAs) play vital roles as energy sources and substrates in organisms; however, the molecular mechanism regulating the homeostasis of FFA levels in various circumstances, such as feeding and nonfeeding stages, is not fully clarified. Holometabolous insects digest dietary triglycerides (TAGs) during larval feeding stages and degrade stored TAGs in the fat body during metamorphosis after feeding cessation, which presents a suitable model for this study. Results This study reported that two lipases are differentially regulated by hormones to maintain the homeostasis of FFA levels during the feeding and nonfeeding stages using the lepidopteran insect cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera as a model. Lipase member H-A-like (Lha-like), related to human pancreatic lipase (PTL), was abundantly expressed in the midgut during the feeding stage, while the monoacylglycerol lipase ABHD12-like (Abhd12-like), related to human monoacylglycerol lipase (MGL), was abundantly expressed in the fat body during the nonfeeding stage. Lha-like was upregulated by juvenile hormone (JH) via the JH intracellular receptor methoprene-tolerant 1 (MET1), and Abhd12-like was upregulated by 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) via forkhead box O (FOXO) transcription factor. Knockdown of Lha-like decreased FFA levels in the hemolymph and reduced TAG levels in the fat body. Moreover, lipid droplets (LDs) were small, the brain morphology was abnormal, the size of the brain was small, and the larvae showed the phenotype of delayed pupation, small pupae, and delayed tissue remodeling. Knockdown of Abhd12-like decreased FFA levels in the hemolymph; however, TAG levels increased in the fat body, and LDs remained large. The development of the brain was arrested at the larval stage, and the larvae showed a delayed pupation phenotype and delayed tissue remodeling. Conclusions The differential regulation of lipases expression by different hormones determines FFAs homeostasis and different TAG levels in the fat body during the feeding larval growth and nonfeeding stages of metamorphosis in the insect. The homeostasis of FFAs supports insect growth, brain development, and metamorphosis.

Abstract Under the dual pressure of emerging zoonoses and the difficulty in eliminating conventional zoonoses, the strategic management of bird diseases through vaccination represents a highly efficacious approach to disrupting the transmission of zoonotic pathogens to humans. Immunization with a DNA vaccine yielded limited protection against avian pathogen infection. To improve its immunogenicity, the extracellular domain of duck-derived CD40L (designated as dusCD40L) was employed as a bio-adjuvant. Our findings unequivocally established the evolutionary conservation of dusCD40L across avian species. Notably, dusCD40L exhibited a compelling capacity to elicit robust immune responses from both B and T lymphocytes. Furthermore, when employed as an adjuvant, dusCD40L demonstrated a remarkable capacity to significantly augment the titers of neutralizing antibodies and the production of IFNγ elicited by a DNA vaccine encoding the prM-E region of an avian flavivirus, namely, the Tembusu virus (TMUV). Moreover, dusCD40L could strengthen virus clearance of the prM-E DNA vaccine in ducks post-TMUV challenge. This research study presents a highly effective adjuvant for advancing the development of DNA vaccines targeting TMUV in avian hosts. Additionally, it underscores the pivotal role of duCD40L as a potent adjuvant in the context of vaccines designed to combat zoonotic infections in avian species.