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Introduction: Combustible cigarettes have been shown to increase hypertension risk. Nevertheless, data on the association between electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), as well as dual use of e-cigarettes and combustible cigarettes, and hypertension, are limited., Methods: This study aims to examine the association of the use of e-cigarettes, combustible cigarettes or dual use with hypertension. Data from the 2015-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used. Weighted logistic regression models were employed to determine the relationship between cigarette use and hypertension. Weighted Cox proportional hazard regression models were developed to evaluate the association between electronic/combustible cigarettes or dual use and mortality in hypertensive individuals., Results: A total of 7696 participants (median age 47 years; 51.76% females) were included. In the adjusted model, the groups of e-cigarette use, combustible cigarette use, and dual use were found to be significantly associated with the risk of hypertension with AOR and 95% CI of 1.56 (1.01-2.42), 1.29 (1.01-1.64) and 1.83 (1.03-3.27) respectively. Significant trends of the relationship between cigarette use and hypertension were observed. The median follow-up for mortality was 38 months. Current e-cigarette use showed a positive correlation with all-cause death and cardiovascular death compared to never e-cigarette use with HR and 95% CI of 1.30 (1.01-1.66) and 1.30 (1.01-1.67), respectively. The trend of association of e-cigarette use with mortality was significant., Conclusions: This study shows that electronic/combustible cigarette use or dual use increased risk of hypertension. E-cigarettes were associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality. Notably, the increased risk of mortality among e-cigarette users may be due to underlying, pre-existing comorbidities related to prior combustible cigarette use. Findings from the study provide evidence of the benefits of e-cigarette use control, especially among individuals with hypertension., Competing Interests: The authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none was reported., (© 2024 Lu Y. et al.)

Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) are a class of oral targeted anticancer drugs that have been demonstrated to significantly inhibit tumor progression and improve clinical prognosis in patients diagnosed with EGFR-mutated tumors, particularly in those with non-small cell lung cancer. However, the sustained usage of EGFR-TKIs may cause potential cardiotoxicity, thus limiting their applicability. The primary objective of this review is to systematically analyze the evolving landscape of research pertaining to EGFR-TKI-induced cardiotoxicity and elucidate its underlying mechanisms, such as PI3K signaling pathway inhibition, ion channel blockade, oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, and apoptosis. Additionally, the review includes an exploration of risk assessment for cardiotoxicity induced by EGFR-TKIs, along with management and response strategies. Prospective research directions are outlined, emphasizing the need for more accurate predictors of cardiotoxicity and the development of innovative intervention strategies. In summation, this review consolidates recent research advances, illuminates the risks associated with EGFR-TKI-induced cardiac toxicity and presents crucial insights for refining clinical dosage protocols, optimizing patient management strategies, and unraveling the intricate mechanisms governing EGFR-TKI-induced cardiotoxicity., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Li, Lin, Lin, Huang and Ruan.)

Objective: The Watchman 2.5 occluder device is a useful device to treat atrial fibrillation (AF), and predicting the size of the Watchman 2.5 occluder device is important to the therapeutic efficacy. To use cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA) to predict the size of a Watchman 2.5 occluder device is a potential approach., Methods: The CCTA was used to individually plan the left atrial appendage (LAA) landing zone and measure the longest and shortest diameters, in addition to the perimeter. The average diameter, the perimeter-derived diameter (PDD), and the ellipticity index (EI) are then calculated from the above values. The longest diameter, the shortest diameter, the average diameter, and PDD of the landing zone were used to predict the occluder size. The size of the occluder was predicted using the longest diameter, the shortest diameter, the average diameter, and the PDD, which is then compared to the actual size., Results: There were differences between the predicted and actual values of the four groups, with the smallest variability in PDD (P = .007). There was a strong positive correlation between the four groups and the actual occluder size, with the strongest PDD correlation (r = 0.941, P < .001). The prediction accuracy ranged from 44.1% to 90.1% for different methods, with PDD having the highest prediction accuracy. The ROC curve of EI was predicted and plotted using the longest diameter method recommended in the Watchman's instructions, and the area under the curve was 0.905 (95%Confidence Interval (CI) 0.847-0.963), with a cut-off value of 1.198, a sensitivity of 88.9% and a specificity of 82.7%. LAAs with an EI<1.198 had similar accuracy in predicting occluder size, regardless of whether the longest diameter (93.94%) or PDD (87.88%) (P = .344) method was used. However, the kappa test showed poor agreement between the two methods (Kappa = 0.093). When EI ≥ 1.198 (n = 45), the accuracy of PDD in predicting occluder size was 93.33%, which is significantly higher than predictions of the longest diameter (28.9%) (P < .001)., Conclusions: The longest diameter and the PDD methods predicted occluder size with a high degree of accuracy when the LAAs EI < 1.198; the PDD method is suggested to be a preferred method to treatAF.

Although biomedical applications of functionalized nanoparticles have taken significant strides, biological characterization of unmodified nanoparticles remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated the cell viability and invasion activity of gastric cancer cells after treatment with gold nanoparticles. The growth of SGC-7901 cells was inhibited significantly after treatment with 5-nm gold nanoparticles, and the cell invasion decreased markedly. These effects were not seen by different size gold nanoparticles (10, 20 and 40 nm). The attenuated invasion activity may be associated with the decreased expression of matrix metalloproteinase 9 and intercellular adhesion molecule-1. These data indicated that the response of SGC-7901 cells to gold nanoparticles was strongly associated with their unique size-dependent physiochemical properties. Therefore, we provided new evidence for the effect of gold nanoparticles on gastric cancer cell proliferation and invasion in vitro, making a contribution to the application of gold nanoparticles to novel therapies in gastric cancer.

To investigate the expression profiles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in atrial fibrillation (AF), atrial tissues from 3 AF patients and 3 non-AF patients that were collected for lncRNA expression microarray analyses to explore the role of lncRNA in the pathogenesis of AF. Gene Ontology (GO) categories and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed to identify the main functions of the differentially expressed genes and AF-related pathways. A total of 219 lncRNAs was found to be differentially expressed between AFs and controls. Among them, 156 were upregulated and 63 were downregulated. Eight out of 10 dysregulated lncRNAs such as uc001eqh.1 were validated by quantitative real-time PCR. GO categories, pathway analyses, and interaction network showed a consistent result that differentially expressed genes contribute to the pathogenesis of AF. In conclusion, the findings of our study provide a perspective on lncRNA in AF and the foundation for further study of the biological functions of lncRNAs in AF.