Publications by authors named "Kankan Zhao"

Objectives: To assess the left ventricular remodeling index (LVRI) for predicting ventricular tachyarrhythmia (VTA) in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 35%.

Materials And Methods: In this retrospective single-center study, consecutive DCM patients with LVEF < 35% (n = 271) who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging were followed up. The study endpoint was VTA, including sudden cardiac death and major ventricular arrhythmias.

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Background: Recently, late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) has been identified as an important risk factor in pediatric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). However, its prognostic significance in pediatric HCM remains to be fully validated, particularly in Asian population. This study aims to assess the prognostic value of LGE and explore its incremental utility in predicting sudden cardiac death (SCD) in pediatric HCM using data from a Chinese cohort.

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Here, we conducted a large-scale investigation of vertebrate viruses in soils and found soil was a mediator of vertebrate viruses. Compared to natural soils, agricultural soils possessed distinct prevalence patterns, with a higher detection rate and richness for vertebrate viruses and higher potential health risks.

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Background: Few prognostic studies focus on sudden cardiac death (SCD) in the postmyectomy hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) with obstruction population.

Objective: This study sought to find predictors of SCD in patients with HCM with obstruction after surgical septal myectomy.

Methods: Between April 2008 and December 2020, consecutive patients with HCM with obstruction indicated for surgical septal myectomy and with complete preoperative contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance data in the meantime were included.

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The rhizosphere is a critical hotspot for metabolic activities involving arsenic (As). While recent studies indicate many functions for soil viruses, much remains overlooked regarding their quantitative impact on rhizosphere processes. Here, we analyze time-series metagenomes of rice (Oryza sativa L.

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Microbial life-history strategies [inferred from ribosomal RNA operon () gene copy numbers] and associated genomic traits and metabolism potentials in soil significantly influence ecosystem properties and functions globally. Yet, the differences in microbial strategies and traits between disturbed (cropland) and pristine soils, along with their dominant driving factors, remain underexplored. Our large-scale survey of 153 sites, including 84 croplands and 69 pristine soils, combined with long-term field experiments demonstrates that cropland soils support microbial communities with more candidate r-strategies characterized by higher copy numbers and genomic traits conducive to rapid resource utilization.

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Purpose To explore the diffusion characteristics of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) using in vivo cardiac diffusion-tensor imaging (cDTI) and to determine whether cDTI could help identify abnormal myocardium beyond cardiac MRI findings of fibrosis and hypertrophy. Materials and Methods In this prospective study conducted from April to August 2023, participants with HCM and healthy volunteers were enrolled for cardiac MRI evaluation, including cine, late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), T1 mapping, and cDT imaging, using a 3.0-T scanner.

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China's soil is experiencing significant microplastic contamination. We developed a machine-learning model to assess microplastic pollution from 1980 to 2050. Our results showed that the average abundance of microplastics in topsoil increased from 45 items per kilogram of soil in 1980 to 1156 items by 2018, primarily due to industrial growth (39 %), agricultural film usage (30 %), tire wear (17 %), and domestic waste (14 %).

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Soil microbial life-history strategies, as indicated by rRNA operon (rrn) copy numbers, strongly influence agro-ecosystem functioning. Long-term N fertilization causes strong and lasting changes in soil properties, yet its impact on microbial strategies remains largely unexplored. Using long-term field experiments across three agro-ecosystems, we consistently found that N fertilization strongly decreased soil C: N ratio and pH, further increasing the community-level rrn copy number, including both average rrn copy number and total 16S rRNA copy number.

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Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of left atrial (LA) strain in patients with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (ApHCM), as assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging.

Methods: Four hundred and five consecutive patients with ApHCM who underwent CMR examination were retrospectively included. The study endpoint included all-cause death, heart transplant, aborted sudden cardiac death, hospitalization for heart failure, stroke, and new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF).

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Background: The cumulative burden of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is significant, with a noteworthy percentage (10%-15%) of patients with HCM per year experiencing major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs). A current risk stratification scheme for HCM had only limited accuracy in predicting sudden cardiac death (SCD) and failed to account for a broader spectrum of adverse cardiovascular events and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) parameters.

Objectives: This study sought to develop and evaluate a machine learning (ML) framework that integrates CMR imaging and clinical characteristics to predict MACEs in patients with HCM.

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Introduction: Gene exchange between viruses and hosts plays an important role in driving virus-host coevolution, enabling adaptation of both viruses and hosts to environmental changes. However, the mechanisms and functional significance of virus-host gene exchanges over long-term scales remain largely unexplored.

Objective: The present study aimed to gain insights into the role of viruses in virus-host interactions and coevolution by monitoring virome dynamics along a millennium-long land reclamation chronosequence.

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Global investigation of medulloblastoma has been hindered by the widespread inaccessibility of molecular subgroup testing and paucity of data. To bridge this gap, we established an international molecularly characterized database encompassing 934 medulloblastoma patients from thirteen centers across China and the United States. We demonstrate how image-based machine learning strategies have the potential to create an alternative pathway for non-invasive, presurgical, and low-cost molecular subgroup prediction in the clinical management of medulloblastoma.

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Purpose To demonstrate the myocardial strain characteristics of patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), based on revised Task Force Criteria (rTFC), and to explore the prognostic value of strain analysis in ARVC. Materials and Methods This retrospective study included 247 patients (median age, 38 years [IQR, 28-48 years]; 167 male, 80 female) diagnosed with ARVC, based on rTFC, between 2014 and 2018. Patients were divided into "possible" ( =25), "borderline" ( = 40), and "definite" ( = 182) ARVC groups following rTFC.

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Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is the gold standard for cardiac function assessment and plays a crucial role in diagnosing cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, its widespread application has been limited by the heavy resource burden of CMR interpretation. Here, to address this challenge, we developed and validated computerized CMR interpretation for screening and diagnosis of 11 types of CVD in 9,719 patients.

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Seed endophytic microbiomes are shaped by host and environmental factors and play a crucial role in their host growth and health. Studies have demonstrated that host genotype, including hybridization, affects seed microbiomes. Heterosis features are also observed in root-associated microbiomes.

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Viruses are crucial in shaping soil microbial functions and ecosystems. However, studies on soil viromes have been limited in both spatial scale and biome coverage. Here we present a comprehensive synthesis of soil virome biogeographic patterns using the Global Soil Virome dataset (GSV) wherein we analysed 1,824 soil metagenomes worldwide, uncovering 80,750 partial genomes of DNA viruses, 96.

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In this study, a soil incubation experiment was conducted to explore the influence MgO-treated corn straw biochar (MCB) on the bioavailability and chemical forms of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and arsenic (As), alongside the impact on the bacterial community within paddy soil subjected to both flooded and non-flooded conditions. Raw corn straw biochar (CB) served as the unmodified biochar control, aiding in the understanding of the biochar's role within the composite. The results showed that even at a minimal concentration of 0.

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Background: Strain analysis is a sensitive method for the assessment of ventricular structural or functional alterations. The authors aimed to determine whether right ventricular (RV) strain parameters can discriminate patients with revised Task Force Criteria-diagnosed arrhythmogenic RV cardiomyopathy (ARVC) incremental to the existing cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) criteria, thus improving the diagnostic yield of CMR in ARVC.

Methods And Results: A total of 74 patients with revised Task Force Criteria-diagnosed ARVC (37 borderline and 37 definite) and 37 controls were retrospectively enrolled for analysis.

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Oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) is a by-product of the extraction of bitumen, and volumes of OSPW have accumulated across the Alberta oil sands region due to the governments zero-discharge policy. Some dissolved organics in OSPW, including toxic naphthenic acids (NAs), can be biodegraded in oxic conditions, thereby reducing the toxicity of OSPW. While there has been much focus on degradation of NAs, the biodegradation of other dissolved organic chemicals by endogenous organisms remains understudied.

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Plastic offers a new niche for microorganisms, the plastisphere. The ever-increasing emission of plastic waste makes it critical to understand the microbial ecology of the plastisphere and associated effects. Here, we present a global fingerprint of the plastisphere, analyzing samples collected from freshwater, seawater, and terrestrial ecosystems.

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Background: Despite the use of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) feature tracking (FT) imaging to detect myocardial deformation, the optimal strain index in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is unclear. This study aimed to determine whether atrial and biventricular strains can provide the greatest or joint incremental prognostic value in patients with DCM over a long follow-up period.

Methods: Four hundred-twelve DCM patients were included retrospectively.

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Soil harbors a vast expanse of unidentified microbes, termed as microbial dark matter, presenting an untapped reservo)ir of microbial biodiversity and genetic resources, but has yet to be fully explored. In this study, we conduct a large-scale excavation of soil microbial dark matter by reconstructing 40,039 metagenome-assembled genome bins (the SMAG catalogue) from 3304 soil metagenomes. We identify 16,530 of 21,077 species-level genome bins (SGBs) as unknown SGBs (uSGBs), which expand archaeal and bacterial diversity across the tree of life.

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