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Background: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients without standard modifiable cardiovascular risk factors (SMuRFs) have a higher risk of early mortality. However, little is known about their long-term outcomes, especially for patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This study aims to explore the long-term outcomes and identify independent factors associated with adverse clinical outcomes in patients with ACS undergoing PCI without SMuRFs. Methods: This study used data from Optimal antiPlatelet Therapy for Chinese patients with Coronary Artery Disease (OPT-CAD) registry study. Clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with and without SMuRFs were examined. The primary outcomes were major adverse cardia-cerebrovascular events (MACCE). The long-term (5 years) outcomes were compared between the without and with SMuRFs group in such cohort. An exploratory Cox proportional hazards regression was performed to identify the independent demographic and clinical predictors of the adverse clinical outcomes in the SMuRFs-absent cohort. Results: Among 5688 patients with ACS undergoing PCI, 392 (6.9%) were in the absence of SMuRFs and 5296 (93.1%) were in the presence of SMuRFs. There were no significant differences in MACCE rates between the two cohorts (9.44% vs. 9.76%, log-rank P = 0.90). Cox proportional hazards regression indicated that age (HR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.03–1.10; P = 0.001) and thrombus lesions (HR, 2.58; 95% CI, 1.24–5.40; P = 0.011) were independently associated with MACCE in the SMuRFs-absent cohort. Conclusions: Among patients with ACS undergoing PCI, SMuRFs-absent patients had similar MACCE rates when compared with those with one or more SMuRFs at 5 years. This suggests that effective intervention strategies and updated risk assessment models are urgently needed in the SMuRFs-absent cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Duodenal mucosal resurfacing (DMR) by thermal ablation of the duodenal mucosa is a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure for controlling metabolic syndrome (MS). However, thermal energy can cause adverse effects due to deep mucosal injury, necessitating an additional mucosal lifting process, which complicate the procedures. Therefore, we aimed to develop a similar procedure using non-thermal photodynamic therapy (PDT) for DMR using a highly functional metal stent covered with photosensitizers (PSs) to minimize the potential risks of thermal ablation injury. We developed a novel PS stent enabling the controlled release of radical oxygen species with specific structures to prevent stent migration and duodenal stricture after ablation and performed an animal study (n = 8) to demonstrate the feasibility and safety of PDT for DMR. The stents were placed for 7 days to prevent duodenal strictures after PDT. To confirm PDT efficacy, we stained for gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) and glucose transporter isoform 1. The PS stents were deployed, and PDT was applied without evidence of duodenal stricture, pancreatitis, or hemorrhage in any of the pigs. Microscopic evaluation indicated apoptosis of the mucosal cells in the irradiated duodenum on days 7 and 14, which recovered after day 28. Immunohistochemistry revealed suppressed GIP expression in the mucosal wall of the irradiated duodenum. Endoscopic PDT for DMR using PS stents could be applied safely in a porcine model and may result in decreased GIP secretion, which is a crucial mechanism in MS treatment. Further clinical studies are required to explore its safety and efficacy in patients with MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Heart failure (HF) is a terminal condition of multiple cardiovascular disorders. Cancer is a deadly disease worldwide. The relationship between HF and cancer remains poorly understood. The Gene Expression Omnibus database was used to download the RNA sequencing data of 356 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy-induced HF and non-HF. A co-expression network was established through the weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) to identify hub genes of HF and cancer. Cox risk analysis was performed to predict the prognostic risks of HF hub genes in pan-cancer. HF was linked to immune response pathway by the analysis of Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). A positive correlation was observed between the expression levels of 4 hub genes and the infiltration of CD8+T-cells in pan-cancer. 4 hub genes were identified as beneficial prognostic factors in several cancers. Western blotting and real-time polymerase chain reaction validated the high expression of GZMM, NKG7, and ZAP70 in both mice and patients with HF compared to control groups. Our study highlights the shared immune pathogenesis of HF and cancer and provides valuable insights for developing novel therapeutic strategies, offering new opportunities for improving the management and treatment outcomes of both HF and cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Adapted immune cells are known to develop memory functions that increase resistance to subsequent infections after initial pathogen exposure, however, it is unclear whether non‐immune cells, like tissue‐resident stem cells, have similar memory functions. Here, it is found that tissue‐resident stem cells crucial for tissue regeneration show diminished adverse effects on diverse stem cell functions against successive exposure to foreign antigen (β‐glucan) to maintain tissue homeostasis and stability both in vitro and in vivo. These data suggest that endometrial stem cells may possess a robust memory function, in contrast, fully differentiated cells like fibroblasts and vesicular cells do not show these memory mechanisms upon consecutive antigen exposure. Moreover, the pivotal role of Angiopoietin‐like 4 (ANGPTL4) in regulating the memory functions of endometrial stem cells is identified through specific shRNA knockdown in vitro and knockout mice in vivo experiments. ANGPTL4 is associated with the alteration of diverse stem cell functions and epigenetic modifications, notably through histone H3 methylation changes and two pathways (i.e., PI3K/Akt and FAK/ERK1/2 signaling) upon consecutive antigen exposure. These findings imply the existence of inherent self‐defense mechanisms through which local stem cells can adapt and protect themselves from recurrent antigenic challenges, ultimately mitigating adverse consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...