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BACKGROUND: Despite the initial evidence supporting the utility of intravascular imaging to guide percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), adoption remains low. Recent new trial data have become available. An updated study-level meta-analysis comparing intravascular imaging to angiography to guide PCI was performed. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of intravascular imaging-guided PCI compared with angiography-guided PCI. METHODS AND RESULTS: A random-effects meta-analysis was performed on the basis of the intention-to-treat principle. The primary outcomes were major adverse cardiac events, cardiac death, and all-cause death. Mixed-effects meta-regression was performed to investigate the impact of complex PCI on the primary outcomes. A total of 16 trials with 7814 patients were included. The weighted mean follow-up duration was 28.8 months. Intravascular imaging led to a lower risk of major adverse cardiac events (relative risk [RR], 0.67 [95% CI, 0.55-0.82]; P

This article considers the computation of the matrix exponential eA{{\rm{e}}}^{A} with numerical quadrature. Although several quadrature-based algorithms have been proposed, they focus on (near) Hermitian matrices. In order to deal with non-Hermitian matrices, we use another integral representation including an oscillatory term and consider applying the double exponential (DE) formula specialized to Fourier integrals. The DE formula transforms the given integral into another integral whose interval is infinite, and therefore, it is necessary to truncate the infinite interval. In this article, to utilize the DE formula, we analyze the truncation error and propose two algorithms. The first one approximates eA{{\rm{e}}}^{A} with the fixed mesh size, which is a parameter in the DE formula affecting the accuracy. The second one computes eA{{\rm{e}}}^{A} based on the first one with automatic selection of the mesh size depending on the given error tolerance.

Abstract Aims A recent guideline presented by the ESC Congress in 2022 had indicated a novel therapy targeted at pulmonary artery hypertension, known as pulmonary artery denervation (PADN), which get inspired from a laboratorial trial that could lowering the pulmonary artery pressure through the intervention on the animals. Our aim is to conduct a network meta‐analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of PADN from six aspects with the current conventional therapies. Methods and results According to the PRISMA guidance, databases including Ovid, ClinicalTrials.gov, Medline, Embase, and PubMed were searched from inception to 22 August 2023, along with a full assessment of the previous five meta‐analyses. Data were extracted and curated for Bayesian network meta‐analysis. The primary outcome was the change in the 6‐min walking distance (6MWD) from baseline with a secondary outcome called change in mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) from baseline. The four safety outcomes included risk of clinical worsening, hospitalization, mortality and severe adverse events (SAEs). The comparison is structured on a contrast model based on 65 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on PADN and the other conventional mainstream drugs. PADN had a better effect in improving 6MWD than Placebo (−77.76 m, 95% CI: −102.04 to −54.34 m), Macitentan (−65.32 m, 95% CI: −95.34 to −36.1 m), Bosentan (−64.5 m, 95% CI: −94.7 to −35.07 m), Iloprost (−62.66 m, 95% CI: −99.48 to −27.13 m), Oxygen (−62.42 m, 95% CI: −100.01 to −25.78 m), Treprostinil (−62.01 m, 95% CI: −89.04 to −35.61 m), Riociguat (−60.59 m, 95% CI: −86.11 to −35.98 m), Selexipag (−47.2 m, 95% CI: −85.61 to −10.19 m), Sildenafil (−44.92 m, 95% CI: −74.43 to −16.15 m), or Sitaxsentan (−39.53 m, 95% CI: −78.99 to −0.76 m). PADN had a better antihypertensive effect than placebo and showed statistical significant lower risks to induce clinical worsening and re‐hospitalization than treprostinil, riociguat, and placebo groups. No statistically significant difference in risk of mortality and severe adverse events was observed between PADN versus the other interventions. Conclusions Compared with 16 types of conventional therapies and Placebo, PADN has advantage over nine single therapies and Placebo in improving 6MWD and appears to be better than two types of dual‐drug combined therapies while with no statistical significance. PADN shows a favourable antihypertensive effect on mPAP and has a lower risk to trigger clinical worsening or hospitalization, while its risk on mortality and severe adverse events is still inconclusive.

Abstract Background The heightened risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events is associated with the increased instability of atherosclerotic plaques. However, the lack of effective diagnostic biomarkers has impeded the assessment of plaque instability currently. This study was aimed to investigate and identify hub genes associated with unstable plaques through the integration of various bioinformatics tools, providing novel insights into the detection and treatment of this condition. Methods Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) combined with two machine learning methods were used to identify hub genes strongly associated with plaque instability. The cell-type identification by estimating relative subsets of RNA transcripts (CIBERSORT) method was utilized to assess immune cell infiltration patterns in atherosclerosis patients. Additionally, Gene Set Variation Analysis (GSVA) was conducted to investigate the potential biological functions, pathways, and mechanisms of hub genes associated with unstable plaques. To further validate the diagnostic efficiency and expression of the hub genes, immunohistochemistry (IHC), quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were performed on collected human carotid plaque and blood samples. Immunofluorescence co-staining was also utilized to confirm the association between hub genes and immune cells, as well as their colocalization with mitochondria. Results The CIBERSORT analysis demonstrated a significant decrease in the infiltration of CD8 T cells and an obvious increase in the infiltration of M0 macrophages in patients with atherosclerosis. Subsequently, two highly relevant modules (blue and green) strongly associated with atherosclerotic plaque instability were identified. Through intersection with mitochondria-related genes, 50 crucial genes were identified. Further analysis employing least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression and support vector machine recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE) algorithms revealed six hub genes significantly associated with plaque instability. Among them, NT5DC3, ACADL, SLC25A4, ALDH1B1, and MAOB exhibited positive correlations with CD8 T cells and negative correlations with M0 macrophages, while kynurenine 3-monooxygenas (KMO) demonstrated a positive correlation with M0 macrophages and a negative correlation with CD8 T cells. IHC and RT-qPCR analyses of human carotid plaque samples, as well as ELISA analyses of blood samples, revealed significant upregulation of KMO and MAOB expression, along with decreased ALDH1B1 expression, in both stable and unstable samples compared to the control samples. However, among the three key genes mentioned above, only KMO showed a significant increase in expression in unstable plaque samples compared to stable plaque samples. Furthermore, the expression patterns of KMO in human carotid unstable plaque tissues and cultured mouse macrophage cell lines were assessed using immunofluorescence co-staining techniques. Finally, lentivirus-mediated KMO silencing was successfully transduced into the aortas of high-fat-fed ApoE-/- mice, with results indicating that KMO silencing attenuated plaque formation and promoted plaque stability in ApoE-/- mice. Conclusions The results suggest that KMO, a mitochondria-targeted gene associated with macrophage cells, holds promise as a valuable diagnostic biomarker for assessing the instability of atherosclerotic plaques.

Abstract Background The ongoing global crisis of Higher Education (HE) institutions during the post-COVID-19 pandemic period has increased the likelihood of enduring psychological stressors for staff. This study aimed to identify factors associated with job insecurity, burnout, psychological distress and coping amongst staff working at HE institutions globally. Methods An anonymous cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023 with staff at HE institutions across 16 countries. Job insecurity was measured using the Job Insecurity Scale (JIS), burnout using the Perceived Burnout measure question, psychological distress using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), and coping using the Brief Resilient Coping Scale. Multivariable logistic regression with a stepwise variable selection method was used to identify associations. Results A total of 2,353 staff participated; the mean age (± SD) was 43(± 10) years and 61% were females. Most staff (85%) did not feel job insecurity, one-third (29%) perceived burnout in their jobs, more than two-thirds (73%) experienced moderate to very high levels of psychological distress, and more than half (58%) exhibited medium to high resilient coping. Perceived job insecurity was associated with staff working part-time [Adjusted Odds Ratio 1.53 (95% Confidence Intervals 1.15–2.02)], having an academic appointment [2.45 (1.78–3.27)], having multiple co-morbidities [1.86 (1.41–2.48)], perceived burnout [1.99 (1.54–2.56)] and moderate to very high level of psychological distress [1.68 (1.18–2.39)]. Perceived burnout was associated with being female [1.35 (1.12–1.63)], having multiple co-morbidities [1.53 (1.20–1.97)], perceived job insecurity [1.99 (1.55–2.57)], and moderate to very high levels of psychological distress [3.23 (2.42–4.30)]. Staff with multiple co-morbidities [1.46 (1.11–1.92)], mental health issues [2.73 (1.79–4.15)], perceived job insecurity [1.61 (1.13–2.30)], and perceived burnout [3.22 (2.41–4.31)] were associated with moderate to very high levels of psychological distress. Staff who perceived their mental health as good to excellent [3.36 (2.69–4.19)] were more likely to have medium to high resilient coping. Conclusions Factors identified in this study should be considered in reviewing and updating current support strategies for staff at HE institutions across all countries to reduce stress and burnout and improve wellbeing.

We consider the convolution equation F*X=BF* X=B, where F∈R3×3F\in {{\mathbb{R}}}^{3\times 3} and B∈Rm×nB\in {{\mathbb{R}}}^{m\times n} are given and X∈Rm×nX\in {{\mathbb{R}}}^{m\times n} is to be determined. The convolution equation can be regarded as a linear system with a coefficient matrix of special structure. This fact has led to many studies including efficient numerical algorithms for solving the convolution equation. In this study, we show that the convolution equation can be represented as a generalized Sylvester equation. Furthermore, for some realistic examples arising from image processing, we show that the generalized Sylvester equation can be reduced to a simpler form, and we analyze the unique solvability of the convolution equation.

Abstract Background The objective of this research is to investigate the dynamic developmental trends between Age-Friendly Environments (AFE) and healthy aging in the Chinese population. Methods This study focused on a sample of 11,770 participants from the CHARLS and utilized the ATHLOS Healthy Aging Index to assess the level of healthy aging among the Chinese population. Linear mixed model (LMM) was used to explore the relationship between AFE and healthy aging. Furthermore, a cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) and a random-intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) were used to examine the dynamic developmental trends of healthy aging, taking into account both Between-Person effects and Within-Person effects. Results The results from LMM showed a positive correlation between AFE and healthy aging (β = 0.087, p

Abstract Background Cow’s milk protein allergy (CMPA) is one of the most common types of food allergy in infants. Faecal pathogen cultures showed that the positive rate of Clostridium perfringens was more than 30%, which was significantly higher than that for other bacteria. Therefore, it is speculated that Clostridium perfringens colonization may be one of the pathogenetic factors for CMPA in infants. We conducted a real-world evidence study. Infants aged 0–6 months with diarrhoea and mucoid and/or bloody stools were recruited from a large tertiary hospital in China. Faecal pathogen cultures for the detection of Clostridium perfringens were confirmed by flight mass spectrometry, and potential toxin genes were identified using PCR. After 12 months of follow-up, the diagnoses of CMPA and food allergy were recorded. The correlation was assessed by Pearson correlation analysis. Results In this study, 358 infants aged 0–6 months with gastrointestinal symptoms and faecal pathogen cultures were recruited. A total of 270 (44.07% girls; mean age, 2.78 ± 2.84 months) infants were followed up for 12 months. Overall, the rate of positivity for Clostridium perfringens in faecal pathogen cultures was 35.75% (128/358) in infants aged ≤ 6 months. The earliest Clostridium perfringens colonization was detected within 2 days after birth. The majority of Clostridium perfringens isolates were classified as type C in 85 stool samples. In the Clostridium perfringens-positive group, 48.21% (54/112) of infants were clinically diagnosed with food allergies after 12 months, including 37.5% (42/112) with CMPA, which was significantly higher than that of the negative group, with 7.59% (12/158) exhibiting food allergies and 5.06% (8/158) presenting CMPA (P

We report the selective electrochemical biphasic capture of the uranyl cation (UO2 2+) from mixed-metal alkali (Cs+), lanthanide (Nd3+, Sm3+), and actinide (Th4+, UO2 2+) aqueous solutions to an organic, 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE), phase using the ortho-substituted nido-carborane anion, [1,2-(Ph2PO)2-1,2-C2B10H10]2- (POCb2-). The reduced POCb2- is generated by electrochemical reduction of the closo-carborane, POCb, prior to mixing with the aqueous mixed-metal solution. Subsequent UO2 2+ release from the captured product, [UO2(POCb)2]2-, was performed by galvanostatic bulk electrolysis of the DCE phase and back-extraction of UO2 2+ to a fresh aqueous phase. The selective capture and release of UO2 2+ was confirmed by combined ICP-OES and NMR spectral analyses of the aqueous and organic phases, respectively, against the newly synthesized nido-carborane complexes, [[CoCp*2][Cs(POCb)]]2, [CoCp*2]3[Nd(POCb)3], [CoCp*2]3[Sm(POCb)3], and [CoCp*2]2[Th(POCb)3].