Impact of Social Support on Health Literacy Among People With Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Aim: In recent years, the critical role of health literacy in diabetes management has become increasingly prominent. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of social support on health literacy among patients with diabetes, to test the mediating role of self-efficacy and empowerment between social support and health literacy, and the moderating role of eHealth literacy.

Design: A cross-sectional study conducted between August 2023 and June 2024.

Numerical simulation of fluid-structure interaction analysis for the performance of leaflet reimplantation with different types of artificial graft.

Background And Objective: In clinical practice, valve-sparing aortic root replacement surgery primarily addresses left ventricular dysfunction in patients due to severe aortic regurgitation, but there is controversy regarding the choice of surgical technique. In order to investigate which type of valve-sparing aortic root replacement surgeries can achieve better blood flow conditions, this study examines the impact of changes in the geometric morphology of the aortic root on the hemodynamic environment through numerical simulation.

Methods: An idealized model of the aortic root was established based on data obtained from clinical measurements, including using the model of the aortic root without significant lesions as the control group (Model C), while using surgical models of leaflet reimplantation with tubular graft (Model T), leaflet reimplantation with Valsalva graft (Model V), and the Florida sleeve procedure (Model F) as the experimental groups.

Performance characterization and biocompatibility assessment of silicone polyurethanes for polymer heart valve applications.

Silicone polyurethanes have gained widespread application in the biomedical field due to their excellent biocompatibility. This study comprehensively investigates four silicone polyurethane materials suitable for polymer heart valves, each exhibiting distinct chemical compositions and structural characteristics, leading to significant differences, particularly in mechanical performance and biocompatibility. Surface analysis reveals an elevated surface silicon element content in all materials compared to the bulk, indicating a migration of silicon elements towards the surface, providing a structural basis for enhancing biological stability and biocompatibility.

A novel method for noninvasive quantification of fractional flow reserve based on the custom function.

Boundary condition settings are key risk factors for the accuracy of noninvasive quantification of fractional flow reserve (FFR) based on computed tomography angiography (i.e., FFR).

Finite Element Analysis of the Non-Uniform Degradation of Biodegradable Vascular Stents.

Most of the studies on the finite element analysis (FEA) of biodegradable vascular stents (BVSs) during the degradation process have limited the accuracy of the simulation results due to the application of the uniform degradation model. This paper aims to establish an FEA model for the non-uniform degradation of BVSs by considering factors such as the dynamic changes of the corrosion properties and material properties of the element, as well as the pitting corrosion and stress corrosion. The results revealed that adjusting the corrosion rate according to the number of exposed surfaces of the element and reducing the stress threshold according to the corrosion status accelerates the degradation time of BVSs by 26% and 25%, respectively, compared with the uniform degradation model.

A computational analysis of potential aortic dilation induced by the hemodynamic effects of bicuspid aortic valve phenotypes.

Background And Objectives: The bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is a major risk factor for the progression of aortic dilation (AD) because of the induced abnormal blood flow environment in aorta. The differences in the development of AD induced by BAV phenotypes remains unclear. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the potential locations of AD induced by different phenotypes of BAV.

Multiscale Modeling of Vascular Remodeling Induced by Wall Shear Stress.

Objective: Hemodynamics-induced low wall shear stress (WSS) is one of the critical reasons leading to vascular remodeling. However, the coupling effects of WSS and cellular kinetics have not been clearly modeled. The aim of this study was to establish a multiscale modeling approach to reveal the vascular remodeling behavior under the interaction between the macroscale of WSS loading and the microscale of cell evolution.

Effect of Valve Height on the Opening and Closing Performance of the Aortic Valve Under Aortic Root Dilatation.

Patients with aortic valve disease can suffer from valve insufficiency after valve repair surgery due to aortic root dilatation. The paper investigates the effect of valve height (Hv) on the aortic valve opening and closing in order to select the appropriate range of Hv for smoother blood flow through the aortic valve and valve closure completely in the case of continuous aortic root dilatation. A total of 20 parameterized three-dimensional models of the aortic root were constructed following clinical surgical guidance.

Research on the Method of Predicting Fractional Flow Reserve Based on Multiple Independent Risk Factors.

The use of diameter stenosis (DS), as revealed by coronary angiography, for predicting fractional flow reserve (FFR) usually results in a high error rate of detection. In this study, we investigated a method for predicting FFR in patients with coronary stenosis based on multiple independent risk factors. The aim of the study was to improve the accuracy of detection.

[Effect of sinus diameter on the opening and closing performance of aortic valve under the expansion of aortic root].

This study aims to explore the effect of aortic sinus diameter on aortic valve opening and closing performance in the case of no obvious disease of aortic valve and annulus and continuous dilation of aortic root. A total of 25 three-dimensional aortic root models with different aortic sinus and root diameters were constructed according to the size of clinical surgical guidance. The valve sinus diameter S is set to 32, 36, 40, 44 and 48 mm, respectively, and the aortic root diameter is set to 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30 mm, respectively.