Study on the characteristics of carotid wall shear stress in type 2 diabetes patients based on ultrasound vector flow imaging.

Objectives: We aimed to quantitatively analyze wall shear stress (WSS) of the common carotid artery (CCA) and elucidate the relationship between WSS and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) using ultrasound vector flow (V-Flow) imaging.

Methods: A total of 109 T2DM patients were selected as the DM group, while 49 healthy volunteers served as the control group. V-Flow examination of the bilateral CCA was conducted.

Comparative study of myocardial perfusion and coronary flow velocity reserve derived from adenosine triphosphate stress myocardial contrast echocardiography in coronary lesions with no/mild stenosis.

Background: Qualitative myocardial perfusion (QMP) derived from myocardial contrast echocardiography reflects the capillary flow, while coronary flow velocity reserve from Doppler spectrum (D-CFVR) of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) is used to assess coronary microvascular function, particularly after excluding severe epicardial coronary stenosis. The present study aimed to assess the relationship of QMP and D-CFVR in detecting coronary microvascular disease (CMVD) by using adenosine triphosphate stress myocardial contrast echocardiography (ATP stress MCE).

Methods And Results: Seventy-two patients (mean age: 54.

Assessment of left ventricular function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus by non-invasive myocardial work.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease that poses a serious risk of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, early detection of impaired cardiac function with non-invasive myocardial imaging is critical for improving the prognosis of patients with DM.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the left ventricular (LV) function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by non-invasive myocardial work technique.

Assessment of left ventricular energy loss in patients with mild coronary artery stenosis by using vector flow mapping combined with exercise stress echocardiography.

Objectives: To evaluate the left ventricular energy loss (EL), energy loss reserve (EL-r), and energy loss reserve rate in patients with mild coronary artery stenosis by using vector flow mapping (VFM) combined with exercise stress echocardiography.

Methods: A total of 34 patients (case group) with mild coronary artery stenosis and 36 sex and age matched patients (control group) without coronary artery stenosis according to coronary angiogram were prospectively enrolled. The total energy loss (ELt), basal segment energy loss (ELb), middle segment energy loss (ELm), apical segment energy loss (ELa), energy loss reserve (EL-r), and energy loss reserve rate were recorded in the isovolumic systolic period (S1), rapid ejection period (S2), slow ejection period (S3), isovolumic diastolic period (D1), rapid filling period (D2), slow filling period (D3), and atrial contraction period (D4).

Automatic Segmentation and Classification for Antinuclear Antibody Images Based on Deep Learning.

Antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) testing is the main serological diagnosis screening test for autoimmune diseases. ANAs testing is conducted principally by the indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) on human epithelial cell-substrate (HEp-2) protocol. However, due to its high variability and human subjectivity, there is an insistent need to develop an efficient method for automatic image segmentation and classification.

Automatic segmentation of ultrasound images of carotid atherosclerotic plaque based on Dense-UNet.

Background: Carotid atherosclerosis plaque rupture is an important cause of myocardial infarction and stroke. The effective segmentation of ultrasound images of carotid atherosclerotic plaques aids clinicians to accurately assess plaque stability. At present, this procedure relies mainly on the experience of the medical practitioner to manually segment the ultrasound image of the carotid atherosclerotic plaque.

Recent Advances in CXCL12/CXCR4 Antagonists and Nano-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Cancer Therapy.

Chemokines can induce chemotactic cell migration by interacting with G protein-coupled receptors to play a significant regulatory role in the development of cancer. CXC chemokine-12 (CXCL12) can specifically bind to CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) and is closely associated with the progression of cancer via multiple signaling pathways. Over recent years, many CXCR4 antagonists have been tested in clinical trials; however, Plerixafor (AMD3100) is the only drug that has been approved for marketing thus far.

Progress on the Application of Bortezomib and Bortezomib-Based Nanoformulations.

Bortezomib (BTZ) is the first proteasome inhibitor approved by the Food and Drug Administration. It can bind to the amino acid residues of the 26S proteasome, thereby causing the death of tumor cells. BTZ plays an irreplaceable role in the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

Endogenous T1ρ cardiovascular magnetic resonance in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is characterized by increased left ventricular wall thickness, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, and fibrosis. Adverse cardiac risk characterization has been performed using late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), native T1, and extracellular volume (ECV). Relaxation time constants are affected by background field inhomogeneity.

Combined anti-hepatocellular carcinoma therapy inhibit drug-resistance and metastasis via targeting "substance P-hepatic stellate cells-hepatocellular carcinoma" axis.

Peripheral nerves have emerged as the important components in tumor microenvironment (TME), which could activate hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) by secreting substance P (SP), leading to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) invasion and metastasis. Herein, we proposed a novel anti-HCC concept of blocking "SP-HSCs-HCC" axis for omnidirectional inhibition of HCC development. To pursue this aim, the novel CAP/GA-sHA-DOX NPs were developed for targeted co-delivery of capsaicin (CAP) and doxorubicin (DOX) using glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) modified sulfated-HA (sHA) as nanocarriers.

Dual-Ligand-Modified Liposomes Co-Loaded with Anti-Angiogenic and Chemotherapeutic Drugs for Inhibiting Tumor Angiogenesis and Metastasis.

Background: Tumor angiogenesis has been proven to potentiate tumor growth and metastasis; therefore, the strategies targeting tumor-related angiogenesis have great potentials in antitumor therapy.

Methods: Here, the GA&Gal dual-ligand-modified liposomes co-loaded with curcumin and combretastatin A-4 phosphate (CUCA/GA&Gal-Lip) were prepared and characterized. A novel "BEL-7402+HUVEC" co-cultured cell model was established to mimic tumor microenvironment.

Acidic tumor microenvironment-sensitive liposomes enhance colorectal cancer therapy by acting on both tumor cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a crucial role in facilitating tumor invasion and metastasis, which act as the "soil" in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Accordingly, it would be a promising strategy to enhance the antitumor effect by killing both tumor cells and CAFs simultaneously. Herein, novel TME acid-responsive liposomes for co-delivery of IRI and 398 (IRI&398-s-LPs) were developed, in which the rapid release of both drugs could be triggered under acidic conditions.

Study on different particle sizes of DOX-loaded mixed micelles for cancer therapy.

Nano-based drug delivery systems have been widely applied in cancer therapy, among that, particle sizes may affect the delivery efficiency of nanocarriers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential impacts of particle size on tumor therapy, in consideration of this, lipid/glycocholic acid mixed micelles (LGs) were designed as the model nanocarriers. Doxorubicin (DOX) loaded LGs with two different particle sizes at around 10 nm and 100 nm, respectively, were successfully prepared by controlling the ratio of EPC to GAH.

Tibetan patients with hepatic hydatidosis can tolerate hypoxic environment without incident increase of pulmonary hypertension: an echocardiography study.

Use of echocardiography to evaluate the characteristics of right heart and pulmonary artery of Tibetans with hepatic hydatidosis living in a high plateau area. We recruited 222 Tibetan adults diagnosed with hydatidosis from June 2016 to June 2017 in Shiqu and Seda areas of Tibet; 40 healthy control from the same area, denoted as the high plateau group. We also include 755 Healthy adults of Han nationality living in the plain from the EMINCA study as the low altitude group.

Therapeutic drugs and drug delivery systems targeting stromal cells for cancer therapy: a review.

Tumour microenvironment provides the 'soil' for tumour growth. Besides tumour cells, there are also numbers of stromal cells, extracellular matrix and other components in the tumour microenvironment. In the past years, kinds of ligands and markers specifically high-expressed on the surface of the tumour stromal cells have been explored, which can be used as the therapeutic targets for cancer treatment.

Promoting desert biocrust formation using aquatic cyanobacteria with the aid of MOF-based nanocomposite.

Desertification and eutrophication are two global environmental problems human beings face. Inoculating cyanobacteria to form biocrusts is considered an effective technology to inhibit desertification. The main limitation of biocrust formation is the lack of propagules and nutrients in deserts.

Intravascular ultrasound elastography analysis of the elastic mechanical properties of atherosclerotic plaque.

To assess the elastic mechanical properties of atherosclerotic plaque with different morphological properties by intravascular ultrasound elastography (IVUSE). 30 purebred New Zealand rabbits were fed a high-cholesterol diet; the abdominal aorta endothelium was balloon-injured after 2 weeks; at week 12, 2 plaques with moderate echo from each rabbit were chosen for in situ imaging, and 2 consecutive frames near the end-diastole images in situ were used to construct an IVUS elastogram. Shear strain (SS) and area strain (AS) were greater for eccentric than centripetal plaque (SS: 2.

Left Ventricular Energy Loss Assessed by Vector Flow Mapping in Patients with Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

The aim of this study was to assess left ventricular (LV) energy loss (EL) using vector flow mapping in patients with prediabetes (pre-DM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Thirty pre-DM patients, 51 DM patients, and 38 controls were studied by transthoracic echocardiography. EL-total, EL-base, EL-mid and EL-apex climaxed at different phases.

Effect of rosuvastatin on atherosclerotic plaque stability: An intravascular ultrasound elastography study.

Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of potent rosuvastatin therapy on plaque mechanical stabilization as seen on IVUSE.

Methods: 14 purebred New Zealand rabbits were fed a high-cholesterol diet; the abdominal aorta endothelium was balloon-injured after 2 weeks; at week 13, 7 rabbits received rosuvastatin (1.5 mg/kg/day), and the other 7 received an equal volume of saline.

[In vitro experimental study of rat cardiomyocyte injury with targeting of perfluorocarbon lipid particles].

The present study was to investigate in vitro the rat cardiomyocyte injury with targeting of home-made perfluorocarbon lipid particles with avidin-biotin interaction. Neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were cultured in vitro and divided into two groups: TNF-alpha activated group and non-activated group. Those in the TNF-alpha activated group were exposed to 200 ng/ml TNF-alpha solution for 6 hours and then cardiomyocytes in both groups were pretargeted with biotinylated ICAM-1 monoclonal antibodies, and were exposed to streptavidin, and then to homemade green fluorescently-labeled biotinylated perfluorocarbon lipid particles.

[Research of longitudinal motion of infarcted myocardium and ischemic myocardium with velocity vector imaging].

Objective: To analyze longitudinal motion of infarcted myocardium and ischemic myocardium with a new echocardiographic technology of velocity vector imaging (VVI), and to assess its accuracy.

Methods: From December 2007 to January 2008, 6 patients suffered acute anterior myocardial infarction (MI group), 9 patients had myocardial ischemia (over 70% stenosis of anterior descending branch, MS group) and 16 healthy subjects (control group) were included. The long axis view and 2-chambers view of left ventricle at the apex of heart were acquired with Siemens Sequoia 512 ultrasound system.