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Patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) are at an increased risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), particularly among older individuals. Developing a reliable model to predict AMI occurrence in these patients holds the potential to expedite early diagnosis and intervention. This study is aimed at establishing a circulating amino acid‐assisted model, incorporating amino acid profiles alongside clinical variables, to predict AMI risk. A cohort of 874 CAD patients from two independent centers was analyzed. Plasma amino acid levels were quantified using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) employing a targeted metabolomics approach. This methodology incorporated 13C isotope‐labeled internal standards for precise quantification of 27 amino acids. Univariate logistic regression was applied to identify differentially expressed amino acids that distinguished between stable CAD and AMI patients. To assess prediction performance, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and nomogram analyses were utilized. Five amino acids—lysine, methionine, tryptophan, tyrosine, and N6‐trimethyllysine—emerged as potential biomarkers (p < 0.05), exhibiting significant differences in their expression levels across the two centers when comparing stable CAD with AMI patients. For AMI risk prediction, the base model, utilizing 12 clinical variables, achieved areas under the curve (AUC) of 0.7387 in the discovery phase (n = 623) and 0.8205 in the external validation set (n = 251). Notably, the integration of these five amino acids into the prediction model significantly enhanced its performance, increasing the AUC to 0.7651 in the discovery phase (Delong's test, p = 1.43e‐02) and to 0.8958 in the validation set (Delong's test, p = 8.91e‐03). In conclusion, the circulating amino acid‐assisted model effectively enhances the prediction of AMI risk among CAD patients, indicating its potential clinical utility in facilitating early detection and intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We formed planar waveguides in LiNb[O.sub.3] and LiTa[O.sub.3] crystals by megaelectron volt He-ion implantation. The dark modes of both waveguides are measured and their refractive-index profiles are described according to the parameterized index profile reconstruction method. The extraordinary indices of both ion-implanted waveguides exhibit quite different profiles. We compare the thermal stability of barriers in ion-implanted LiNb[O.sub.3] and LiTa[O.sub.3] waveguides by annealing at different temperatures. The results show that the barrier in a LiTa[O.sub.3] planar waveguide has higher thermal stability than that in a LiNb[O.sub.3] waveguide. The experiments also show that annealing at a temperature higher than 400 [degrees] C results in recrystallization of the barrier.

Abstract Retroviral transduction involves integrase-dependent linkage of viral and host DNA that leaves an intermediate that requires post-integration repair (PIR). We and others proposed that PIR hijacks the host cell double-strand DNA break (DSB) repair pathways. Nevertheless, the geometry of retroviral DNA integration differs considerably from that of DSB repair and so the precise role of host-cell mechanisms in PIR remains unclear. In the current study, we found that the Nijmegen breakage syndrome 1 protein (NBS1), an early sensor of DSBs, associates with HIV-1 DNA, recruits the ataxia telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) kinase, promotes stable retroviral transduction, mediates efficient integration of viral DNA and blocks integrase-dependent apoptosis that can arise from unrepaired viral-host DNA linkages. Moreover, we demonstrate that the ATM kinase, recruited by NBS1, is itself required for efficient retroviral transduction. Surprisingly, recruitment of the ATR kinase, which in the context of DSB requires both NBS1 and ATM, proceeds independently of these two proteins. A model is proposed emphasizing similarities and differences between PIR and DSB repair. Differences between the pathways may eventually allow strategies to block PIR while still allowing DSB repair.

Aim: To compare the efficacy of vitrectomy combined with air or silicone oil in the treatment of idiopathic macular hole (IMH)., Methods: According to the results of high-definition optical coherence tomography (HD-OCT), 75 cases (75 eyes) of IMH in stage II-IV (Gass stage) in the General Hospital of Chinese PLA from January 2017 to December 2019 were collected for this retrospective study. The best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and minimum diameter of IMH (MMHD) were measured. Eyes underwent vitrectomy combined with internal limiting membrane peeling operation, and were divided into disinfection air group (30 eyes) and silicone oil group (45 eyes) according to the intraocular tamponade. For MMHD≤400 µm (MMHD1), there were 23 eyes in air group and 16 eyes in silicone oil group. For MMHD2>400 µm (MMHD2), there were 7 eyes in air group and 29 eyes in silicone oil group. One month after surgery, the closure rates of IMH and BCVA were compared and analyzed. According to HD-OCT, the closure shape was graded with A (bridge closure) and B (good closure)., Results: The closure rates of air group and silicone oil group were 86.67% and 95.56% respectively with no significant difference ( P >0.05); For MMHD1, those of air group and silicone oil group were 95.65% and 100% respectively with no significant difference ( P >0.05); For MMHD2, those of air group and silicone oil group were 57.14% and 93.10% respectively, and those of the silicone oil group were higher than the air group ( P <0.05). There was no significant difference in the closure shape grade between MMHD1 air group and silicone oil group ( P >0.05). The proportion of Grade B in MMHD2 silicone oil group was higher than that in the air group ( P <0.05). BCVA of each group after operation was better than that before operation, and there was no significant difference between air group and silicone oil group. While among them, MMHD1 air group was better than silicone oil group ( P <0.05), and there was no significant difference between MMHD2 air group and silicone oil group ( P >0.05)., Conclusion: For smaller IMH (≤400 µm), the efficacy of vitrectomy combined with air should be considered better than silicone oil; for larger IMH (>400 µm), the efficacy of silicone oil may be better than air., (International Journal of Ophthalmology Press.)