[Analysis of transurethral water vapor thermal therapy for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia].

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of transurethral water vapor thermal therapy (WVTT) using the Rezūm system for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in the real world.

Methods: A total of 181 patients with BPH were recruited from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from August 2022 to December 2023, of whom 173 patients were treated with WVTT using the Rezūm system, while 8 patients were treated with WVTT combined with TURP. They were followed up at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively to assess changes in the IPSS, QoL, Qmax, IIEF-5, and the occurrence of any complications.

White matter hyperintensity burden and infarct volume predict functional outcomes in anterior choroidal artery stroke: a multimodal MRI study.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between white matter hyperintensity (WMH) burden and infarct volume with functional outcomes in patients with anterior choroidal artery (AChA) territory infarction.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients with AChA territory infarction admitted to two comprehensive stroke centers between September 2018 and September 2024. WMH burden was assessed using the Fazekas visual rating scale and an automated volumetric quantification method based on lesion prediction algorithms.

Liver fibrosis indices predict malignant cerebral edema after endovascular therapy for anterior circulation large vessel occlusion stroke: a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To investigate the association between liver fibrosis indices and malignant cerebral edema (MCE) following endovascular therapy (EVT) for anterior circulation large vessel occlusion (LVO) stroke.

Methods: This single-center, retrospective cohort study consecutively enrolled 340 anterior circulation LVO stroke patients who underwent EVT between January 2018 and December 2024. The primary outcome was MCE, defined as a midline shift >5 mm at the level of the septum pellucidum or pineal gland, accompanied by the disappearance of the perimesencephalic cistern or the need for decompressive craniectomy.

Ultrafast Simultaneous T, T, T*, PD, ΔB, and B Mapping via Longitudinal Magnetization Controlled MOLED Acquisition.

Objective: Multi-parametric quantitative mag- netic resonance imaging (mqMRI) provides comprehensive and accurate information about tissue microstructure and holds significant clinical value for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. However, conventional methods require long scan time, leading to registration errors and physiological variability between different sequence acqui- sitions. This study aims to propose an advanced imaging method that addresses these limitations.

Association of white matter hyperintensity burden and infarct volume in the anterior choroidal artery territory with early neurological progression: a dual-center retrospective study.

Objective: To investigate the associations of white matter hyperintensity (WMH) burden and infarct volume with early neurological progression in anterior choroidal artery (AChA) territory infarction, and to identify potential imaging-based predictive thresholds.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study consecutively enrolled AChA infarct patients admitted to two comprehensive stroke centers between September 2018 and September 2024. WMH burden and infarct volume were assessed using the Fazekas visual rating scale and an automated volumetric quantification method based on lesion prediction algorithm, respectively.

Development and validation of a blood biomarker-based model for differentiating stroke etiology in acute large vessel occlusion.

Objective: Early differentiation of stroke etiology in acute large vessel occlusion stroke (LVOS) is crucial for optimizing endovascular treatment strategies. This study aimed to develop and validate a prediction model for pre-procedural etiological differentiation based on admission laboratory parameters.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study at a comprehensive stroke center, enrolling consecutive patients with acute LVOS who underwent endovascular treatment between January 2018 and October 2024.

One for multiple: Physics-informed synthetic data boosts generalizable deep learning for fast MRI reconstruction.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a widely used radiological modality renowned for its radiation-free, comprehensive insights into the human body, facilitating medical diagnoses. However, the drawback of prolonged scan times hinders its accessibility. The k-space undersampling offers a solution, yet the resultant artifacts necessitate meticulous removal during image reconstruction.

Patient-derived tumor organoids for cancer immunotherapy: culture techniques and clinical application.

Cancer immunotherapy has revolutionized tumor treatment. However, robust and effective testing platforms remain lacking, especially for the selection of the optimized therapy at the patient-specific level. Unlike conventional treatment evaluations, testing platforms for cancer immunotherapy must incorporate not only tumor cells but also the tumor microenvironment (TME), including immune components.

Dynamics of a spheroidal squirmer interacting with a cylindrical obstacle.

Microorganisms or man-made microswimmers swimming near obstacles have been investigated intensively owing to their importance in biology, physiology, and biomedical engineering. In this work, a direct-forcing fictitious domain method is employed to numerically investigate the interaction between a prolate microorganism (modeled as a squirmer) and a cylindrical obstacle. We report four distinct types of swimming trajectories-forward orbiting, backward orbiting, hovering, and scattering depending on swimmer's aspect ratio.

Fast and ultra-high shot diffusion MRI image reconstruction with self-adaptive Hankel subspace.

Multi-shot interleaved echo planar imaging is widely employed for acquiring high-resolution and low-distortion diffusion weighted images (DWI). These DWI images, however, are easily affected by motion artifacts induced by inter-shot phase variations which could be removed by enforcing the low-rankness of a huge 2D block Hankel matrix of the k-space. Successful applications have been evidenced on 4∼8 shots DWI but failure was observed on ultra-high shots, e.

A noncanonical intrinsic terminator in the HicAB toxin-antitoxin operon promotes the transmission of conjugative antibiotic resistance plasmids.

Conjugative plasmids, major vehicles for the spread of antibiotic resistance genes, often contain multiple toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems. However, the physiological functions of TA systems remain obscure. By studying two TA families commonly found on colistin-resistant IncI2 mcr-1-bearing plasmids, we discovered that the HicAB TA, rather than the StbDE TA, acts as a crucial addiction module to increase horizontal plasmid-plasmid competition.

Gender differences of the brain structures in young high-altitude Tibetans.

Gender differences in adaptation to high-altitude environments are evident, but the specific patterns in Tibetan brains remain unclear. We analyzed T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans and neuropsychological test results from 61 male and 68 female Tibetans, with lowland Han participants as controls. Tibetan females had poorer performance than males in digit serial accumulation and forward digit span.

Longitudinal assessment of retinal and visual pathway electrophysiology and structure after high altitude exposure.

High altitude (HA) exposure induces impairments in visual function. This study was designed to dynamically observe visual function after returning to lowland and elucidate the underlying mechanism by examining the structure and function of retina and visual pathway. Twenty-three subjects were recruited before (Test 1), and one week (Test 2) and three months (Test 3) after their return from HA (4300 m) where they resided for 30 days.

Spontaneous Cargo Transport via Sliding Bubbles on a Superhydrophobic Wire.

The transportation and carrying behavior of underwater bubbles have been widely used for an underwater microactuator, cargo displacement assembly, and drug delivery. This study explores a method for underwater cargo transportation using sliding bubbles as a vehicle with directionally guided superhydrophobic wires. By exploitation of the adhesion between superhydrophobic surfaces and bubble interfaces, a bubble is able to transport a superhydrophobic O-ring along a superhydrophobic wire, effectively delivering the O-ring to the water surface.

Enhanced speed of microswimmers adjacent to a rough surface.

Increased speed is not only the goal of human sports but also the aim we seek to achieve for artificial microswimmers. Microswimmers driven by various power mechanisms have shown unrivaled advantages in drug delivery and cancer therapy. Attaining high mobility with limited power has been a never-ending motive for researchers.

A reverse transcriptase controls prophage genome reduction to promote phage dissemination in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms.

Filamentous bacteriophages play a critical role in biofilm formation and virulence in the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Here, studies of the filamentous Pf4 prophage life cycle within P. aeruginosa biofilms revealed that the prophage-encoded reverse transcriptase (RT) regulates phage genome dynamics.

Research on sedimentation characteristics of squirmer in a power-law fluid.

Sedimentation characteristics of a squirmer in a power-law fluid within a vertical channel are studied numerically using the two-dimensional lattice Boltzmann method. The effects of swimming type (- 5 ≤ β ≤ 5), self-propelling strength (0.5 ≤ α ≤ 1.

On-Demand Transport Bubbles Adhering to Noncontiguous Patterned Superhydrophobic Surfaces Using a Superhydrophobic Tweezer.

Bubble transportation and related flotation are ubiquitous phenomena in nature and industry. Various surfaces with distinct morphologies and specific wettability properties have been engineered by organisms in nature and by humans to facilitate the targeted movement of bubbles. However, existing methods predominantly rely on continuous surfaces, limiting the ability of bubbles to deviate from their path before reaching their intended destination.

The histone-like nucleoid-structuring protein encoded by the plasmid pMBL6842 regulates both plasmid stability and host physiology of Pseudoalteromonas rubra SCSIO 6842.

Plasmids orchestrate bacterial adaptation across diverse environments and facilitate lateral gene transfer within bacterial communities. Their presence can perturb host metabolism, creating a competitive advantage for plasmid-free cells. Plasmid stability hinges on efficient replication and partition mechanisms.

CircZNF609 inhibited bladder cancer immunotherapy sensitivity via enhancing fatty acid uptake through IGF2BP2/CD36 pathway.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are gaining attention for their involvement in immune escape and immunotherapy sensitivity regulation. CircZNF609 is a well-known oncogene in various solid tumours. Our previous research revealed its role in reducing the chemosensitivity of bladder cancer (BCa) to cisplatin.

A self-cleaning micro-fluidic chip biospired by the filtering system of manta rays.

Size-based particle filtration has become indispensable in numerous biomedical and environmental applications. In this study, bioinspired by the filter-feeding mechanism (lobe filtration) of manta rays, we designed a U-shaped biomimetic gill rake filter that combined lobe filtration and Dean flow to filter monodisperse suspensions, bi-disperse suspensions and yeast cells. Compared with other equipment using the inertial focusing technology, our equipment can perform high-throughput (up to 8 mL min) and high-efficiency filtration of particles (maximum filtration efficiencies of 96.

Neuroplasticity of visual brain network induced by hypoxia.

The effects of hypoxia on brain function remain largely unknown. This study aimed to clarify this issue by visual-stimulated functional magnetic resonance imaging design. Twenty-three college students with a 30-d high-altitude exposure were tested before, 1 week and 3 months after returning to sea level.

Spiral time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography for intracranial vascular imaging: performance compared to conventional Cartesian angiogram.

Background: Computed tomography angiography (CTA) and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) usually raise the risk of potential malignancies with cumulative radiation doses. Current time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (TOF-MRA) (dubbed as cTOF), which is based on Cartesian sampling mode, may show limited diagnostic conspicuity at sinuous or branching regions. It is also prone to relatively high false positive diagnoses and undesirable display of distal intracranial vessels.