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Background: Stanford type B aortic dissection (TB‐AD) is a life‐threatening vascular condition with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Currently, thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is widely performed to treat TB‐AD, and some studies have analyzed the influence of stents on hemodynamics using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models. However, the accuracy of TB‐AD simulation models are not satisfactory, they are often constructed as a regular ideal model. Furthermore, it is unclear which tear should be closed for the best treatment when there are multi entry tears. Purpose: The aims of this paper were to provide an assessment method for the selection of the surgical closure location for type B aortic dissection. Five 3D models of multiple entry tears in type B aortic dissection were produced using real patient computed tomography (CT) images to perform hemodynamic analyses of flow velocity streamlines, wall pressure, and wall shear stress. Methods: A Boolean operation was adopted to establish 3D models with multiple entry tears in type B aortic dissection based on patient‐specific CT images. The Mimics and Ansys plug‐in The Integrated Computer Engineering and Manufacturing code for Computational Fluid Dynamics (ICEM CFD) software were applied to mesh the 3D models. The flow velocity streamlines, wall pressures, and wall shear stresses were then analyzed in the finite element analysis software Fluent. Five 3D models were produced to compare the hemodynamic characteristics of different entry tear numbers, as well as the changes of different closure positions before and after closure. Results: The false lumen of the model with two entry tears had a higher wall pressure than that of model with multiple entry tears, which may tend to squeeze the true lumen and expand the false lumen. The load distribution of the vessel in the model with multiple entry tears had a more balanced flow velocity, and its wall pressure and shear stress were lower than that of model with two entry tears. For aortic dissection with two entry tears, the closure of the proximal entry tear was recommended, which helped to isolate and thrombose the false lumen, thereby improving the blood supply function of the true lumen. Because the postoperative vascular flow velocity and mechanical load performance of the vascular wall were still higher than those of normal blood vessels, the postoperative blood vessels remained pathological, and TEVAR did not restore the blood vessels to their original healthy state. Conclusions: Type B aortic dissection with two entry tears tend to squeeze the true lumen and expand the false lumen, resulting in a new entry tear and deterioration into multiple entry type B aortic dissection. The model of the vessel with multiple entry tears had a more balanced distribution in flow velocity and a smaller wall pressure and shear stress than that of the vessel with two entry tears. The closure of the proximal entry tear was considered an ideal solution for type B aortic dissection with two entry tears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on social exchange theory, this research aims to develop and test a model in which supervisor affiliation mediates the impact of servant leadership on employees' pro‐group unethical behavior a highly competitive intergroup environment. Using a sample of 239 employees from 39 groups in four foreign‐owned engineering enterprises, we found that supervisor affiliation mediated the positive relationship between servant leadership and employees' pro‐group unethical behavior. Our results also revealed that employees' moral attentiveness weakened the positive impact of supervisor affiliation on pro‐group unethical behavior. The current study contributes to business ethics research by advancing our understanding of antecedents of pro‐group unethical behavior as well as how servant leadership leads to employees' unethical behaviors. Implications for theory, practice, and directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Topological phases of matter, with their quantized invariants, offer the potential for disorder‐resistant transport via topological bound states. Contrary to the belief that dissipation disrupts Hermiticity and Zak phase quantization, theoretical and experimental evidence of their persistence in a non‐Hermitian photonic waveguide array is presented. A three‐layer Su‐Schrieffer‐Heeger (SSH) chain is demonstrated, which can be split into a Hermitian SSH subspace and a non‐Hermitian ladder subspace through hidden symmetry. This division allows the SSH subspace to retain its topological properties, resulting in a quantized Zak phase and lossless topological bound states. Additionally, the non‐Hermitian subspace supports coherent transport dynamics, with the phase and intensity of bound states fixed at two extreme SSH layers, confirming the presence of the Hermitian subspace. These findings enhance the understanding of the interplay between non‐Hermiticity and topology and pave the way for coherent topological light transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a Chinese prospective cohort, 500 patients with new‐onset type 2 diabetes (T2D) within 4.61 years and 500 matched healthy participants are selected as case and control groups, and randomized into discovery and validation sets to discover the metabolite changes before T2D onset and the related diabetogenic loci. A serum metabolomics analysis reveals that 81 metabolites changed significantly before T2D onset. Based on binary logistic regression, eight metabolites are defined as a biomarker panel for T2D prediction. Pipecolinic acid, carnitine C14:0, epinephrine and phosphatidylethanolamine 34:2 are first found associated with future T2D. The addition of the biomarker panel to the clinical markers (BMI, triglycerides, and fasting glucose) significantly improves the predictive ability in the discovery and validation sets, respectively. By associating metabolomics with genomics, a significant correlation (p < 5.0 × 10−8) between eicosatetraenoic acid and the FADS1 (rs174559) gene is observed, and suggestive correlations (p < 5.0 × 10−6) between pipecolinic acid and CHRM3 (rs535514), and leucine/isoleucine and WWOX (rs72487966) are discovered. Elevated leucine/isoleucine levels increased the risk of T2D. In conclusion, multiple metabolic dysregulations are observed to occur before T2D onset, and the new biomarker panel can help to predict T2D risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Soil aggregates, with complex spatial and nutritional heterogeneity, are clearly important for regulating microbial community ecology and biogeochemistry in soils. However, how the taxonomic composition and functional attributes of N‐cycling‐microbes within different soil particle‐size fractions under a long‐term fertilization treatment remains largely unknown. Here, we examined the composition and metabolic potential for urease activity, nitrification, N2O production and reduction of the microbial communities attached to different sized soil particles (2000–250, 250–53 and <53 μm) using a functional gene microarray (GeoChip) and functional assays. We found that urease activity and nitrification were higher in <53 μm fractions, whereas N2O production and reduction rates were greater in 2000–250 and 250–53 μm across different fertilizer regimes. The abundance of key N‐cycling genes involved in anammox, ammonification, assimilatory and dissimilatory N reduction, denitrification, nitrification and N2‐fixation detected by GeoChip increased as soil aggregate size decreased; and the particular key genes abundance (e.g., ureC, amoA, narG, nirS/K) and their corresponding activity were uncoupled. Aggregate fraction exerted significant impacts on N‐cycling microbial taxonomic composition, which was significantly shaped by soil nutrition. Taken together, these findings indicate the important roles of soil aggregates in differentiating N‐cycling metabolic potential and taxonomic composition, and provide empirical evidence that nitrogen metabolism potential and community are uncoupled due to aggregate heterogeneity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the main cause of vision loss or blindness in working age adults worldwide. The lack of effective diagnostic biomarkers for DR leads to unsatisfactory curative treatments. To define potential metabolite biomarkers for DR diagnosis, a multiplatform‐based metabolomics study is performed. In this study, a total of 905 subjects with diabetes without DR (NDR) and with DR at different clinical stages are recruited. Multiplatform metabolomics methods are used to characterize the serum metabolic profiles and to screen and validate the DR biomarkers. Based on the criteria p < 0.05 and false‐discovery rate < 0.05, 348 and 290 metabolites are significantly associated with the pathogenesis of DR and early‐stage DR, respectively. The biomarker panel consisting of 12‐hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12‐HETE) and 2‐piperidone exhibited better diagnostic performance than hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in differentiating DR from diabetes, with AUCs of 0.946 versus 0.691 and 0.928 versus 0.648 in the discovery and validation sets, respectively. In addition, this panel showed higher sensitivity in early‐stage DR detection than HbA1c. In conclusion, this multiplatform‐based metabolomics study comprehensively revealed the metabolic dysregulation associated with DR onset and progression. The defined biomarker panel can be used for detection of DR and early‐stage DR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autophagy is a mechanism that enables cells to maintain cellular homeostasis by removing damaged materials and mobilizing energy reserves in conditions of starvation. Although nutrient availability strongly impacts the process of autophagy, the specific metabolites that regulate autophagic responses have not yet been determined. Recent results indicate that S‐adenosylmethionine (SAM) represents a critical inhibitor of methionine starvation–induced autophagy. SAM is primarily involved in four key metabolic pathways: transmethylation, transsulphuration, polyamine synthesis and 5′‐deoxyadenosyl 5′‐radical–mediated biochemical transformations. SAM is the sole methyl group donor involved in the methylation of DNA, RNA and histones, modulating the autophagic process by mediating epigenetic effects. Moreover, the metabolites of SAM, such as homocysteine, glutathione, decarboxylated SAM and spermidine, also exert important influences on the regulation of autophagy. From our perspective, nuclear‐cytosolic SAM is a conserved metabolic inhibitor that connects cellular metabolic status and the regulation of autophagy. In the future, SAM might be a new target of autophagy regulators and be widely used in the treatment of various diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hemangioma (HA) can be exposed to bisphenol A (BPA) through direct skin absorption. Although numerous studies indicated that BPA can trigger the progression of cancers, there is no study concerning the effects of BPA on development of HA. Our present study revealed that nanomolar BPA can significantly increase the in vitro migration and invasion of HA cells via induction of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which was evidenced by the upregulation of vimentin and downregulation of E-cadherin. The BPA treatment also significantly increased the expression and nuclear localization of Snail and the key transcription factor of EMT, while it had no effect on the expression of other transcription factors such as Slug, Twist, or ZEB1. Silencing of Snail by small interfering RNAs attenuated BPA-induced downregulation of cadherin and upregulation of vimentin, suggesting that Snail is essential for BPA-induced EMT. Both estrogen receptor α (ERα) and G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) were expressed in HA cells; furthermore, BPA treatment can increase the expression of both ERα and GPER. However, only the inhibitor of ERα (ICI 182, 780), and not GPER (G15), can abolish BPA-induced upregulation of Snail. It suggested that ERα is involved in BPA-induced EMT of HA cells. Collectively, our data suggested that BPA can trigger the EMT of HA cells via ERα/Snail signals. It indicated that more attention should be paid to the skin exposure to BPA for HA patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Current guidelines for treating early gastric cancer (EGC) with endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) are being developed with broader criteria. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the application of expanded indications (EIN) by comparing outcomes between conventional indication (CIN) and EIN groups. METHODS: Literature databases were searched. Short-term outcomes, including endoscopic resection rates, complications and local recurrence, and longterm outcomes including gastric cancer-specific mortality and overall mortality were compared in the two groups. RESULTS: In all, 13 studies were identified and evaluated. The EIN group had lower rates of en bloc (93.6% vs 97.0%, P < 0.0001), complete (87.8% vs 95.8%, P < 0.00001) and curative resection (82.4% vs 94.0%, P < 0.00001) than the CIN group. The rates of delayed bleeding and perforation were both significantly higher in the EIN group (3.9% vs 2.8%, P = 0.04 and 3.9% vs 1.8%, P < 0.0001). Local recurrence rates were 0.6% in the CIN group and 1.5% in the EIN group (P = 0.03). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the gastric-cancer specific mortality (P = 0.22) and the overall mortality (P = 0.37). CONCLUSIONS: Long-term mortality in the EIN group did not significantly differ from those in the CIN group, although the EIN group was associated with more unfavorable short-term outcomes. Thus, ESD could be recommended as an effective therapy for EGC of EIN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT In this article, polymer blends of polylactide (PLA) and co-polyester (co-PET) were prepared at various weight ratios of PLA/co-PET, such as 10/90, 20/80, 30/70, and 40/60, through a twin-screw extruder. The PLA nanofibers were fabricated by removal of the co-PET matrix in water at 80°C. The morphology development of PLA dispersed phase obtained from the three different sample connections and the die of the twin-screw extruder were investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). It was found that the uniformed PLA nanofibers with averaged diameters less than 500 nm were fabricated by the suitable processing parameters. The processing immiscibility and rheological behavior of PLA/co-PET blends were also studied by means of Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) and Capillary Rheometer. The test of Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) demonstrated that the co-PET was removed clearly in water at 80°C. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 2832-2838, 2013 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The excellent characteristics of polymeric nanofibers with diameters less than 1 μm such as the enormous specific surface result in a dramatic increase in a variety of functional applications. In this article, polymer blends of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) and polylactide (PLA) were fabricated through a twin-screw extruder. The extrudates were prepared at various processing conditions and the iPP nanofibers were obtained by removal of the PLA matrix from the drawn samples. The influences of drawing ratio, the processing temperature, and the blend ratio of iPP/PLA on the morphology development of iPP phase were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the uniformed iPP nanofibers with averaged diameters less than 500 nm were fabricated by the suitable processing parameters. Otherwise, the processing immiscibility and rheological behavior of iPP/PLA blends were studied by means of dynamic mechanical analysis and capillary rheometer. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess vestibular function, video head impulse test (vHIT) is taken as the gold standard by evaluating the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR). However, vHIT requires the patient to wear a specialized head-mounted goggle equipment that needs to be calibrated before each use. For this, we proposed an intelligent head impulse test (iHIT) setting with a monocular infrared camera instead of the head-mounted goggle and contributed correspondingly a video classification approach with deep learning to vestibular function determination., Methods: Within the iHIT framework, a monocular infrared camera was set in front of the patient to capture test videos, based on which a dataset DiHIT of HIT video clips was set up. We then proposed a two-stage multi-modal video classification network, trained on the dataset DiHIT, that took as input the eye motion and head motion data extracted from the facial keypoints via HIT clips and outputted the identification of the semicircular canal (SCC) being tested (SCC identification) and determination of VOR abnormality (SCC qualitation)., Results: Experiments on this dataset DiHIT showed that it achieved the accuracy of 100% in prediction of SCC identification. Furthermore, it attained predictive accuracies of 84.1% in horizontal and 79.0% in vertical SCC qualitation., Conclusions: Compared with existing video-based HIT, iHIT eliminates goggles, does not require equipment calibration, and achieves complete automation. Furthermore, iHIT will bring more benefits to users due to its low cost and ease of operation. Codes and use case pipeline are available at: https://github.com/dec1st2023/iHIT., Level of Evidence: 3 Laryngoscope, 135:1161-1168, 2025., (© 2024 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.)

Background This study was performed to identify metabolites associated with incident acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and explore causality of the associations. Methods and Results We performed nontargeted metabolomics in a nested case-control study in the Dongfeng-Tongji cohort, including 500 incident ACS cases and 500 age- and sex-matched controls. Three metabolites, including a novel one (aspartylphenylalanine), and 1,5-anhydro-d-glucitol (1,5-AG) and tetracosanoic acid, were identified as associated with ACS risk, among which aspartylphenylalanine is a degradation product of the gut-brain peptide cholecystokinin-8 rather than angiotensin by the angiotensin-converting enzyme (odds ratio [OR] per SD increase [95% CI], 1.29 [1.13-1.48]; false discovery rate-adjusted P =0.025), 1,5-AG is a marker of short-term glycemic excursions (OR per SD increase [95% CI], 0.75 [0.64-to 0.87]; false discovery rate-adjusted P =0.025), and tetracosanoic acid is a very-long-chain saturated fatty acid (OR per SD increase [95% CI], 1.26 [1.10-1.45]; false discovery rate-adjusted P =0.091). Similar associations of 1,5-AG (OR per SD increase [95% CI], 0.77 [0.61-0.97]) and tetracosanoic acid (OR per SD increase [95% CI], 1.32 [1.06-1.67]) with coronary artery disease risk were observed in a subsample from an independent cohort (152 and 96 incident cases, respectively). Associations of aspartylphenylalanine and tetracosanoic acid were independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors ( P -trend=0.015 and 0.034, respectively). Furthermore, the association of aspartylphenylalanine was mediated by 13.92% from hypertension and 27.39% from dyslipidemia ( P <0.05), supported by its causal links with hypertension ( P <0.05) and hypertriglyceridemia ( P =0.077) in Mendelian randomization analysis. The association of 1,5-AG with ACS risk was 37.99% mediated from fasting glucose, and genetically predicted 1,5-AG level was negatively associated with ACS risk (OR per SD increase [95% CI], 0.57 [0.33-0.96], P =0.036), yet the association was nonsignificant when further adjusting for fasting glucose. Conclusions These findings highlighted novel angiotensin-independent involvement of the angiotensin-converting enzyme in ACS cause, and the importance of glycemic excursions and very-long-chain saturated fatty acid metabolism.