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Background: Hypertrophy ligamentum flavum is a prevalent chronic spinal condition that affects middle‐aged and older adults. However, the molecular pathways behind this disease are not well comprehended. Objective: The objective of this work is to implement bioinformatics techniques in order to identify crucial biological markers and immune infiltration that are linked to hypertrophy ligamentum flavum. Further, the study aims to experimentally confirm the molecular mechanisms that underlie the hypertrophy ligamentum flavum. Methods: The corresponding gene expression profiles (GSE113212) were selected from a comprehensive gene expression database. The gene dataset for hypertrophy ligamentum flavum was acquired from GeneCards. A network of interactions between proteins was created, and an analysis of functional enrichment was conducted using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) databases. An study of hub genes was performed to evaluate the infiltration of immune cells in patient samples compared to tissues from the control group. Finally, samples of the ligamentum flavum were taken with the purpose of validating the expression of important genes in a clinical setting. Results: Overall, 27 hub genes that were differently expressed were found through molecular biology. The hub genes were found to be enriched in immune response, chemokine‐mediated signaling pathways, inflammation, ossification, and fibrosis processes, as demonstrated by GO and KEGG studies. The main signaling pathways involved include the TNF signaling pathway, cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction, and TGF‐β signaling pathway. An examination of immunocell infiltration showed notable disparities in B cells (naïve and memory) and activated T cells (CD4 memory) between patients with hypertrophic ligamentum flavum and the control group of healthy individuals. The in vitro validation revealed markedly elevated levels of ossification and fibrosis‐related components in the hypertrophy ligamentum flavum group, as compared to the normal group. Conclusion: The TGF‐β signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway, and related hub genes play crucial roles in the progression of ligamentum flavum hypertrophic. Our study may guide future research on fibrosis of the ligamentum flavum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effect of modified clear Twin Block (CTB) aligner and traditional twin block (TB) appliance from skeletal, dentoalveolar and soft tissue changes in adolescents with skeletal class II malocclusion. Methods: A total of 80 adolescents, included in this study from two medical centres, were distributed into CTB group, TB group and control group based on the treatment they received. Lateral cephalograms at pre‐treatment (T1) and post‐treatment (T2) were measured by modified Pancherz's cephalometric analysis, and dentoskeletal and soft tissue changes were analysed by independent‐sample t‐test, paired‐sample t‐test, ANOVA test and Scheffe's Post Hoc test. Results: Seventy‐five adolescents completed the study, including 32 in the CTB group, 32 in the TB group and 11 in the control group. Both CTB and TB treatment showed significant differences in most dentoskeletal and soft tissue measurements. Compared with the control group, improvements were observed in class II molar relationship through significant different in S Vert/Ms‐S Vert/Mi in the CTB group (P <.01) and the TB group (P <.001), as well as deep overjet through significant different in S Vert/Is‐S Vert/Ii in the CTB group (P <.001) and the TB group (P <.001). Besides, the CTB group also showed less protrusion of lower incisors and resulted in a more significant improvement in profile with fewer adverse effects on speaking, eating and social activities. Conclusions: For adolescents with skeletal class II malocclusion, CTB appliance was as effective as TB on improving dentoskeletal and soft tissue measurements, featuring more reliable teeth control and patient acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Methods Results Conclusion The anterior and lateral position of the anterolateral papillary muscle (ALPM) has found to be reached with better catheter stability and less mechanical bumping via the transseptal (TS) compared to the retrograde aortic (RA) approach. The aim of this study is to compare the TS and RA approaches on mapping and ablation of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) arising from ALPMs.Thirty‐two patients with ALPM‐VAs undergoing mapping and ablation via the TS approach were included and compared with 31 patients via the RA approach within the same period. Acute success was compared, as well as other outcomes including misinterpreted mapping results due to bumping, radiofrequency (RF) attempts, procedural time and success rate at 12‐month follow‐up.Acute success was achieved in more cases in the TS group (96.4% vs. 72.0%, p = .020). During activation mapping, bump‐provoked premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) misinterpreted as clinical PVCs were more common in the RA group (30.0% vs. 58.3%, p = .036), leading to more RF attempts (3.5 ± 2.7 vs. 7.2 ± 6.8, p = .006). Suppression of VAs were finally achieved in the unsuccessful cases by changing to the alternative approach, but the procedural time was significantly less in the TS group (90.0 ± 33.0 vs. 113.7 ± 41.1 min, p = .027) with less need to change the approach, although follow‐up success rates were similar (75.0% vs. 71.0%, p = .718).A TS rather than RA approach as the initial approach appears to facilitate mapping and ablation of ALPM‐VAs, specifically by decreasing the possibility of misleading mapping results caused by bump‐provoked PVC, and increase the acute success rate thereby. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the seasonal variations of the carbonate system and air‐sea CO2 fluxes were investigated by two cruises in the southern Yellow Sea (SYS) and the East China Sea (ECS), which were significantly influenced by the Changjiang riverine inputs across seasons. Biological‐mediated change of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) was first quantitated through a three end‐member mixing model from winter to spring. Our modeling results suggested that DIC addition through biological remineralization persisted in the SYS during winter and spring, while DIC removal was evident in the Changjiang River Plume and the offshore ECS triggered by river inputs in spring. Horizontal and vertical mixing together constituted the largest contribution to the interseasonal variability of partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) in the SYS (−69.5%), the river plume (−59.3%), and the ECS offshore (−43.8%), followed by temperature effects in the plume area (29.4%), and biological processes in the ECS offshore (24.1%) and the SYS (−7.7%), with air‐sea CO2 exchange contributing the least in both three subregions. The SYS, the river plume, and the ECS offshore all acted as atmospheric CO2 sinks in both winter and spring. Furthermore, their ability to absorb atmospheric CO2 increased from winter to spring, as reflected in a ∼1.8‐fold increase in the overall spring air‐sea CO2 flux compared to winter estimation. Plain Language Summary: The carbonate system has played an essential role in regulating the ocean carbon cycle due to its buffer capacity for ocean acidification, especially in continental shelf seas. However, complex biological and physical processes present difficulties in assessing the seasonal dynamics of the carbonate system and following air‐sea CO2 fluxes. In this study, seasonal variations of the carbonate system were identified in the southern Yellow Sea (SYS) and the East China Sea (ECS). From winter to spring, biological DIC addition happened in the SYS, while DIC removal by biological production exceeded the addition by remineralization and caused most springtime DIC consumption in the river plume and the ECS offshore. We also quantified pCO2 variations from winter to spring, revealing the importance of physical mixing in controlling the ocean carbon cycle. Our study regions acted as atmospheric CO2 sinks in winter and spring, and their sink capacity was strengthened from winter to spring. Key Points: Dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) addition occurred in the southern Yellow Sea (SYS) during winter and spring, while springtime DIC removal occurred in the river plume and the East China Sea (ECS) offshorePhysical mixing became the primary factor in regulating the interseasonal variation of pCO2The capacity of coastal waters in absorbing atmospheric CO2 was enhanced from winter to spring [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A silicon‐based room temperature (RT) continuous wave (CW) operation quantum well (QW) laser emitting at 850 nm is reported in this article. By applying the dislocation filter superlattice, the threading dislocation density of the GaAs pseudosubstrate on Si is reduced to 1.8 × 107 cm−2. The metal‐organic chemical vapor deposition‐grown laser structure with GaAs/GaAsP QW and InAlAs active region dislocation blocking layer are fabricated into broad‐stripe Fabry–Perot laser diodes. A typical threshold current and threshold current density of 286 mA and 715 Acm−2 are obtained with 2 mm cavity length and 20 um stripe width samples. A 94.2 mW single‐facet output power lasing around 854 nm and a 0.314 WA−1 slope efficiency is measured under RT CW operation. After a 10‐min aging process, the tested laser can operate stably under continuous operation conditions at RT and the lifetime can be approximated using an exponential fitting curve, indicating a good life reliability of this QW laser. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced neurostimulation systems require intimate interface with brain or peripheral nervous system to provide a therapeutic modulation for patients experiencing neural function loss. To achieve these, it requires stimulators with high‐channel counts and mechanical flexibility. In this invited paper, we showed a 4T1C neurostimulation pixel circuit with an active‐matrix architecture, offering the opportunity for high‐channel counts. In addition, a 4‐mask photolithographic process for highly uniform organic thin‐film transistor (OTFT) integrated system was demonstrated for mechanical flexibility, which shows a high device yield of 100% (50/50) and small device variation in threshold voltage of 0.64 V and in mobility of 4.9%. By implementing OTFTs to this novel neurostimulation architecture, we fabricated an OTFT‐based high‐channel‐count neurostimulation system, showing a high stimulator yield of 71.0% and small variation of 15.6% for the output stimulation currents among pixels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The senescence of aortic valve interstitial cells (VICs) plays a critical role in the progression of calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD). However, the precise mechanisms underlying the senescence of VICs remain unclear, demanding the identification of a novel target to mitigate this process. Previous studies have highlighted the anti‐aging potential of morusin. Thus, this study aimed to explore the therapeutic potential of morusin in CAVD. Cellular experiments reveal that morusin effectively suppresses cellular senescence and cause a shift toward osteogenic differentiation of VICs in vitro. Mechanistically, morusin activate the Nrf2‐mediated antiaging signaling pathway by downregulating CCND1 expression and aiding Keap1 degradation through Trim 25. This activation lead to the upregulated expression of antioxidant genes, thus reducing reactive oxygen species production and thereby preventing VIC osteogenic differentiation. In vivo experiments in ApoE−/− mice on a high‐fat Western diet demonstrate the positive effect of morusin in mitigating aortic valve calcification. These findings emphasize the antiaging properties of morusin and its potential as a therapeutic agent for CAVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interpolation of probability distributions can be formulated as an optimal transport problem. Positive matrix, which can be viewed as the generalization of probability distribution to higher dimension, is used in quantum theory to describe the state of a quantum system. Here, a quantum‐inspired method for the interpolation of positive matrices is proposed. Particularly, this method employs the quantum state purification of the positive matrices in an extended space. Since pure state controllability can be easily achieved using open‐loop coherent control, the continuous interpolation of positive matrices is given as a completely positive map induced by simulating the optimal control for pure state transfer. The quantum‐inspired interpolation is shape‐preserving with applications to tensor field processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Left bundle branch block (LBBB) and atrial fibrillation (AF) are commonly coexisting conditions. The impact of LBBB on catheter ablation of AF has not been well determined. This study aims to explore the long‐term outcomes of patients with AF and LBBB after catheter ablation. Methods: Forty‐two patients with LBBB of 11,752 patients who underwent catheter ablation of AF from 2011 to 2020 were enrolled as LBBB group. After propensity score matching in a 1:4 ratio, 168 AF patients without LBBB were enrolled as non‐LBBB group. Late recurrence and a composite endpoint of stroke, all‐cause mortality, and cardiovascular hospitalization were compared between the two groups. Results: Late recurrence rate was significantly higher in the LBBB group than that in the non‐LBBB group (54.8% vs. 31.5%, p =.034). Multivariate analysis showed that LBBB was an independent risk factor for late recurrence after catheter ablation of AF (hazard ratio [HR] 2.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09–4.40, p =.031). LBBB group was also associated with a significantly higher incidence of the composite endpoint (21.4% vs. 6.5%, HR 3.98, 95% CI 1.64–9.64, p =.002). Conclusions: LBBB was associated with a higher risk for late recurrence and a higher incidence of composite endpoint in the patients underwent catheter ablation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: The prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) continues to increase, and the phenomenon of women giving birth at an older age is becoming more common worldwide. Less is known abouts the impact of GDM combined with advanced maternal age (AMA) on pregnancy outcomes. To explore the impact of AMA complicated with GDM on pregnancy outcomes. Methods: This study included 34,602 pregnancies between 2018 and 2020 in Hangzhou, China. The pregnant women were divided into four groups according to advanced age (≥35 years) and GDM as follows: AMA women without GDM (non‐AGDM) group (n = 2614), young pregnant women with GDM (YGDM) group (n = 4016), AMA women with GDM (AGDM) group (n = 850), and young pregnant women without GDM (non‐YGDM) group (n = 27,122). Univariate analysis was carried out by Mann–Whitney U test or Pearson's χ2 test. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the effect of AMA and GDM on pregnancy outcomes. Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that in the comparison against non‐YGDM garoup, the ORs of fetal chromosome abnormality, parity, urgent cesarean section, gravidity, scheduled cesarean section, body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2, pre‐eclampsia, thrombocytopenia, hyperlipidemia, BMI 25–29.9 kg/m2, blood urea nitrogen, fasting blood glucose, and creatinine in AGDM group were 16.044, 4.284, 3.530, 3.284, 3.257, 2.049, 1.935, 1.898, 1.690, 1.471, 1.304, 1.216, and 1.026 (all p < 0.05). Conclusions: The prevalence of pregnant women with AGDM was 2.46% in Hang Zhou, China. The increasing gravidity of AMA women was related to a greater risk of GDM. The AGDM group associated with a greater risks of chromosomal abnormality in offspring and cesarean section, especially urgent cesarean section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Valvular calcification (VC) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The relationship between VC and atrial fibrillation is not clear. Hypothesis: We treated the aortic valve, mitral valve, and tricuspid valve as a whole and considered the possible association between VC and recurrence of persistent atrial fibrillation (PsAF) after radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA). Methods: This study involved 2687 PsAF patients who underwent RFCA. Data were collected to explore the relationship between VC and outcome. VC was defined by echocardiography in aortic valve, mitral valve, or tricuspid valve. After 1 year follow‐up, subgroup analysis, mixed model regression analysis, and score system analysis were performed. The external validation of 133 patients demonstrated the accuracy of this clinical prediction model. Results: Overall, 2687 inpatients were assigned to the recurrence group (n = 682) or the no recurrence group (n = 2005) with or without VC. Compared to patients with no recurrence, the incidence of VC was higher in recurrence patients. Recurrence was present in 18.5%, 34.9%, 39.3%, and 52.0% of the four groups, which met VC numbers of 0, 1, 2, and 3, respectively. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, VC was an independent risk factor for AF recurrence in several models. For multivariable logistic regression, a scoring system was established based on the regression coefficient. The receiver operating characteristic area of the scoring system was 0.787 in the external validation cohort. Conclusions: VC was an independent risk factor for AF recurrence in PsAF after RFCA. The scoring system may be a useful clinical tool to assess AF recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Atrial esophageal fistula (AEF) is a lethal complication that can occur post atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. Esophageal injury (EI) is likely to be the initial lesion leading to AEF. Endoscopic examination is the gold standard for a diagnosis of EI but extensive endoscopic screening is invasive and costly. This study was conducted to determine whether fecal calprotectin (Fcal), a marker of inflammation throughout the intestinal tract, may be associated with the existence of esophageal injury. Methods: This diagnostic study was conducted in a cohort of 166 patients with symptomatic AF undergoing radiofrequency catheter ablation from May 2020 to June 2021. Fcal tests were performed 1–7 days after ablation. All patients underwent endoscopic ultrasonography 1 or 2 days after ablation. Results: The levels of Fcal were significantly different between the EI and non‐EI groups (404.9 µg/g (IQR 129.6–723.6) vs. 40.4 µg/g (IQR 15.0–246.2), p <.001). Analysis of ROC curves revealed that a Fcal level of 125 µg/g might be the optimal cut‐off value for a diagnosis of EI, giving a 78.8% sensitivity and a 65.4% specificity. The negative predictive value of Fcal was 100% for ulcerated EI. Conclusions: The level of Fcal is associated with EI post AF catheter ablation. 125 µg/g might be the optimal cut‐off value for a diagnosis of EI. Negative Fcal could predict the absence of ulcerated EI, which could be considered a precursor to AEF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are no guidelines on the surgical management for ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction. The present study aims to assess the long‐term survival of these patients treated with two different surgical techniques, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and heart transplantation (HTx). Methods: This retrospective study included 218 ICM patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤35% who underwent CABG (n = 106) and HTx (n = 112) from 2011 to 2021 in a single center. After propensity adjustment analysis each group consisted of 51 patients. Clinical characteristics were evaluated for all‐cause follow‐up mortality by the Cox proportional hazards regression model. A risk prediction model was generated from multivariable‐adjusted Cox regression analysis and applied to stratify patients with different clinical risks. The long‐term survival was estimated by Kaplan–Meier analysis for different surgery groups. Results: Long‐term survival was comparable between CABG and HTx groups. After being stratified into different risk subgroups according to risk predictors, the HTx group exhibited superior survival outcomes compared to the CABG group among the high‐risk patients (67.8% vs 44.4%, 64.1% vs 38.9%, and 64.1% vs 33.3%, p = 0.047) at 12, 36, and 60 months respectively, while the survival was comparable between HTx and CABG groups among low‐risk patients (87.0% vs 97.0%, 82.4% vs 97.0%, and 70.2% vs 91.6%, p = 0.11) at 12, 36, and 60 months respectively in the PSM cohort. Conclusion: Long‐term survival in ICM patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction who received CABG or HTx was comparable in general. Nonetheless, a favorable outcome of HTx surgery compared to CABG was observed among high‐risk patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, a morphologically based approach is used for the in situ characterization of 3D growth rates of facetted crystals from the solution phase. Crystal images of single crystals of the β‐form of l‐glutamic acid are captured in situ during their growth at a relative supersaturation of 1.05 using transmission optical microscopy. The crystal growth rates estimated for both the {101} capping and {021} prismatic faces through image processing are consistent with those determined using reflection light mode [Jiang, Ma, Hazlehurst, Ilett, Jackson, Hogg & Roberts (2024). Cryst. Growth Des.24, 3277–3288]. The growth rate in the {010} face is, for the first time, estimated from the shadow widths of the {021} prismatic faces and found to be typically about half that of the {021} prismatic faces. Analysis of the 3D shape during growth reveals that the initial needle‐like crystal morphology develops during the growth process to become more tabular, associated with the Zingg factor evolving from 2.9 to 1.7 (>1). The change in relative solution supersaturation during the growth process is estimated from calculations of the crystal volume, offering an alternative approach to determine this dynamically from visual observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Objective Methods Results Conclusion The prevalence and impact of obesity on outcomes of atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have not been well studied.To examine the proportion of participants with obesity enrolled in RCTs of AF ablation and outcomes of ablation when subgroup analysis of participants with obesity were available.We systematically searched PubMed and EMBASE for AF ablation RCTs published between January 1, 2015 to May 31, 2022. When body mass index (BMI) data were available, normal distribution was assumed and a z score was used to estimate the proportion of obesity. Results categorized by BMI or body weight status were reviewed. Authors were contacted for additional information.Of 148 eligible RCTs with 30174 participants, 144 (97.30%) RCTs did not report the proportion of participants with obesity, while published information regarding BMI was available in 63.51%. Three trials excluded patients based on BMI. Using reported BMI, we estimated the proportion of participants with obesity varied greatly across these trials, ranging from 5.82%–71.9% (median 38.02%, interquartile 29.64%, 49.10%). Patients with obesity were represented in a greater proportion among trials conducted in North America (50.23%) and Asia (44.72%), compared to others (32.16%), p < .001. Subgroup analysis or analysis adjusting for BMI was reported in only 13 (8.78%) RCTs; four (30.77%) of these suggested that BMI or body weight might negatively affect primary outcomes.Obesity is a common comorbidity among AF patients. However, most AF ablation RCTs underreported the proportion of participants with obesity and its impact on the primary outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]