Ultra-fast line-field swept source scanning optical coherence elastography.

The drawbacks of repeated excitations and long imaging time in wave-based optical coherence elastography limited its application in ophthalmology. In this study, we put forward a swept source scanning optical coherence elastography (SSS-OCE) system based on the wavelength-dependence scanning technique. A dispersive element was employed to achieve ultra-fast line scanning from swept light source.

Early assessment and treatment of ventricular remodeling in vivo via a targeted ultrasonic molecular probe loaded with oxygen and cholecystokinin.

Early identification and treatment of ventricular remodeling (VR) are crucial for delaying the progression of heart failure after myocardial infarction. This study aims to develop a dual-responsive phase-shift molecular probe loaded with a cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) and oxygen, which will provide a new integrated scheme for the assessment and treatment of VR. Biocompatible phospholipid shells were utilized to encapsulate CCK-8 and perfluoropentane (PFP), an efficient oxygen carrier.

An "Outer Piezoelectric and Inner Epigenetic" Logic-Gated PANoptosis for Osteosarcoma Sono-Immunotherapy and Bone Regeneration.

The precise manipulation of PANoptosis, a newly defined cell death pathway encompassing pyroptosis, apoptosis, and necroptosis, is highly desired to achieve safer cancer immunotherapy with tumor-specific inflammatory responses and minimal side effects. Nonetheless, this objective remains a formidable challenge. Herein, an "AND" logic-gated strategy for accurately localized PANoptosis activation, utilizing composite 3D-printed bioactive glasses scaffolds integrated with epigenetic regulator-loaded porous piezoelectric SrTiO nanoparticles is proposed.

Changes in Oxidative Stress Markers in Pregnant Women of Advanced Maternal Age with Gestational Diabetes and Their Predictive Value for Neurodevelopmental Impact.

Objective: To explore the relationship between changes in oxidative stress markers in pregnant women of advanced maternal age with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and adverse pregnancy outcomes and neonatal neurodevelopment, as well as their predictive value.

Methods: Two hundred pregnant women of advanced maternal age were selected and divided into Group A (normal blood sugar) and Group B (GDM) based on the 75 g (Oral Glucose Tolerance Test) OGTT results. Oxidative stress markers were measured, and pregnancy outcomes and neonatal Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NABA) scores were recorded.

Long-Term Outcomes of PETTICOAT Technique-Assisted Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair for the Treatment of Acute and Subacute Complicated Type B Aortic Dissection.

Objective: To evaluate the long-term outcomes of the provisional extension to induce complete attachment technique (PETTICOAT) for the treatment of acute and subacute complicated type B aortic dissection (TBAD).

Methods: We retrospectively collected and analyzed the clinical data of patients with acute and subacute TBAD who were treated using the PETTICOAT technique at our center between March 2014 and March 2023. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality; secondary endpoints were a composite of complications, such as entry flow, stent-graft-induced new entry (SINE), and re-intervention.

The root strategy of the C grasses tends to be 'do-it-yourself'.

Root resource acquisition strategies play a crucial role in understanding plant water uptake and drought adaptation. However, the interrelationships among mycorrhizal associations, root hair development, and fine root strategies, as well as the disparities between C and C grasses, remain largely unknown. A pot experiment was conducted to determine leaf gas exchange, root morphology, root hair, mycorrhizal fungi, and biomass allocation of three C grasses and four C grasses, common species of grasslands in Northeast China, under the control and drought conditions.

[Preoperative Evaluation of Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis in Patients With Hashimoto's Thyroiditis Combined With Thyroid Papillary Carcinoma Using Machine Learning and Radiomics-Based Features: A Preliminary Study].

Objective: To analyze the radiomic and clinical features extracted from 2D ultrasound images of thyroid tumors in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) combined with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) using machine learning (ML) models, and to explore the diagnostic performance of the method in making preoperative noninvasive identification of cervical lymph node metastasis (LNM).

Methods: A total of 528 patients with HT combined with PTC were enrolled and divided into two groups based on their pathological results of the presence or absence of LNM. The groups were subsequently designated the With LNM Group and the Without LNM Group.

Predictors for thoracic aortic growth in patients with type B aortic dissection after thoracic endovascular aortic repair.

Objective: To identify independent predictors of thoracic aortic growth in patients with type B aortic dissection (TBAD) undergoing thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR).

Methods: A retrospective analysis of the patients undergoing TEVAR for TBAD or intramural hematoma (IMH) from April 2014 to April 2023 was performed. The baseline morphological data of TBAD was established through computed tomography angiography (CTA) before discharge.

A Wearable Fingertip Force Feedback Device System for Object Stiffness Sensing.

Virtual reality technology brings a new experience to human-computer interaction, while wearable force feedback devices can enhance the immersion of users in interaction. This paper proposes a wearable fingertip force feedback device that uses a tendon drive mechanism, with the aim of simulating the stiffness characteristics of objects within virtual scenes. The device adjusts the rotation angle of the torsion spring through a DC motor, and then uses a wire to convert the torque into a feedback force at the user's index fingertips, with an output force of up to 4 N and a force change rate of up to 10 N/s.

LIFU/MMP-2 dual-responsive release of repurposed drug disulfiram from nanodroplets for inhibiting vasculogenic mimicry and lung metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer.

Background: Vasculogenic mimicry (VM), when microvascular channels are formed by cancer cells independent of endothelial cells, often occurs in deep hypoxic areas of tumors and contributes to the aggressiveness and metastasis of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. However, well-developed VM inhibitors exhibit inadequate efficacy due to their low drug utilization rate and limited deep penetration. Thus, a cost-effective VM inhibition strategy needs to be designed for TNBC treatment.

Midterm Outcomes of Multicenter Castor Single-Branch Stent Graft Use in the Treatment of Thoracic Aortic Diseases.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the midterm efficacy and safety of a single-branch Castor stent graft in the treatment of thoracic aortic disease.

Materials And Methods: Clinical data of 106 patients with thoracic aortic disease treated with Castor single-branch stent graft at 3 centers were collected between May 2018 and June 2023. The indicators included technical success, stent-related complication, reintervention, retrograde dissection, endoleak, distal stent graft-induced entry (dSINE), branch patency, and mortality.

Decomposable Nanoagonists Enable NIR-Elicited cGAS-STING Activation for Tandem-Amplified Photodynamic-Metalloimmunotherapy.

Activation of the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS-STING) pathway has emerged as an efficient strategy to improve the therapeutic outcomes of immunotherapy. However, the "constantly active" mode of current STING agonist delivery strategies typically leads to off-target toxicity and hyperimmunity. To address this critical issue, herein a metal-organic frameworks-based nanoagonist (DZ@A7) featuring tumor-specific and near-infrared (NIR) light-enhanced decomposition is constructed for precisely localized STING activation and photodynamic-metalloimmunotherapy.

Two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging analyses of the correlations between left atrial appendage function and stroke risk in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients.

Stroke incidence is the most severe complication associated with atrial fibrillation (AF), and the most common site of thrombus formation in AF patients is the left atrial appendage (LAA). This study was developed to use two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (2D-STI) to explore associations between LAA strain/strain rate and stroke incidence and to evaluate the value of utilizing LAA strain and strain rate values to support the stratification of nonvalvular AF (NVAF) patients based on stroke risk. A total of 486 AF patients who had undergone transesophageal echocardiography to exclude potential intracardiac thrombosis between March 2021 and November 2022 were consecutively enrolled.

PTC-MAS: A Deep Learning-Based Preoperative Automatic Assessment of Lymph Node Metastasis in Primary Thyroid Cancer.

Background: Identifying cervical lymph node metastasis (LNM) in primary thyroid cancer preoperatively using ultrasound is challenging. Therefore, a non-invasive method is needed to assess LNM accurately.

Purpose: To address this need, we developed the Primary Thyroid Cancer Lymph Node Metastasis Assessment System (PTC-MAS), a transfer learning-based and B-mode ultrasound images-based automatic assessment system for assessing LNM in primary thyroid cancer.

The role of left ventricular hypertrophy measured by echocardiography in screening patients with ischaemia with non-obstructive coronary arteries: a cross-sectional study.

Many patients with ischaemia with non-obstructive coronary arteries (INOCA) have a poor prognosis. This study aims to explore the diagnostic value of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH)-related ultrasound parameters in INOCA patients. The study group consisted of 258 patients with INOCA in this retrospective cross-sectional study, and these patients were free of obstructive coronary artery disease, previous revascularization, atrial fibrillation, ejection fraction < 50%, major distortions of left ventricular geometry, suspected non-ischaemic causes.

Imageological/Structural Study regarding the Improved Pharmacokinetics by Ga-Labeled PEGylated PSMA Multimer in Prostate Cancer.

PMSA (prostate-specific membrane antigen) is currently the most significant target for diagnosing and treating PCa (prostate cancer). Herein, we reported a series Ga/Lu-labeled multimer PSMA tracer conjugating with PEG chain, including [Ga]Ga-DOTA-(1P-PEG), [Ga]Ga-DOTA-(2P-PEG), [Ga]Ga-DOTA-(2P-PEG), and [Ga]Ga/[Lu]Lu-DOTA-(2P-PEG), which showed an advantage of a multivalent effect and PEGylation to achieve higher tumor accumulation and faster kidney clearance. To figure out how structural optimizations based on a PSMA multimer and PEGylation influence the probe's tumor-targeting ability, biodistribution, and metabolism, we examined PSMA molecular probes' affinities to PC-3 PIP (PSMA-highly-expressed PC-3 cell line), and conducted pharmacokinetics analysis, biodistribution detection, small animal PET/CT, and SPECT/CT imaging.

Usefulness of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Pharmacogenetics for a Patient Treated with Olanzapine, Buspirone, and Fluvoxamine: A Case Study.

Background: A patient, with a mental disorder caused by an intracranial infection, treated with olanzapine, fluvoxamine, and buspirone. The plasma exposure of olanzapine was too high at standard doses, with evidence indicating that it was caused by drug-drug interactions.

Methods: Using pharmacogenomics and therapeutic drug monitoring to guide drug dose adjustment for a patient in clinical practice.

Tumor-penetrating nanoplatform with ultrasound "unlocking" for cascade synergistic therapy and visual feedback under hypoxia.

Background: Combined therapy based on the effects of cascade reactions of nanoplatforms to combat specific solid tumor microenvironments is considered a cancer treatment strategy with transformative clinical value. Unfortunately, an insufficient O supply and the lack of a visual indication hinder further applications of most nanoplatforms for solid tumor therapy.

Results: A visualizable nanoplatform of liposome nanoparticles loaded with GOD, H(Gd), and PFP and grafted with the peptide tLyP-1, named H(Gd)-GOD@PFP, was constructed.

NIR Activated Multimodal Therapeutics Based on Metal-Phenolic Networks-Functionalized Nanoplatform for Combating against Multidrug Resistance and Metastasis.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) and metastasis in cancer have become increasingly serious problems since antitumor efficiency is greatly restricted by a single therapeutic modality and the insensitive tumor microenvironment (TME). Herein, metal-phenolic network-functionalized nanoparticles (t-P@TFP NPs) are designed to realize multiple therapeutic modalities and reshape the TME from insensitive to sensitive under multimodal imaging monitoring. After a single irradiation, a near-infrared laser-activated multistage reaction occurs.