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Objective: Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is not routinely performed in the real-world practice, and the benefits of IVUS-guided drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation in patients with complex coronary lesions remains unclear. This updated meta-analysis attempts to evaluate the clinical outcomes of the IVUS guidance in these patients. Methods: We searched potential eligible citations from the PubMed, EMBASE, Medline, and other internet sources. The primary endpoint were major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI), and target vessel revascularization (TVR). The risk of definite/probable stent thrombosis (ST) was chosen as the safety endpoint. Results: Nine randomized trials including a total of 3,612 patients with complex coronary lesions were finally analyzed. Compared to angiography guidance, IVUS-guided DES implantation was associated with significantly lower incidence of MACE [odds ratios (OR) 0.57, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.45-0.72, p<0.001; I2=0.0%, p=0.674], cardiac death (OR 0.42, 95% CI: 0.21-0.82, p=0.010; I2=0.0%, p=0.961), MI (OR 0.65, 95% CI: 0.44-0.95, p=0.027; I2=41.8%, p=0.089), TVR (OR 0.55, 95% CI: 0.38-0.79, p=0.001; I2=0.0%, p=0.916), target lesion revascularization (TLR) (OR 0.58, 95% CI: 0.41-0.82, p=0.002; I2=0.0%, p=0.888), and ST (OR 0.48, 95% CI: 0.24-0.93, p=0.029; I2=0.0%, p=0.733). Conclusion: The updated meta-analysis demonstrates that DES implantation under IVUS guidance leads to a significant reduction in MACE, cardiac death, MI, TVR, TLR, and ST among patients with complex coronary lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innate immune recognition of single-stranded RNA via Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) plays an important regulatory role in the development of the immune response. In the study, we used PCR-single-strand conformational polymorphism (PCRSSCP) analysis to investigate genetic variations in the sequence encoding the ectodomain (ECD) of ovine TLR7. PCR was carried out using 12 different primer pairs (ECD-1- ECD-12), and polymorphisms were detected in the products for 4/12 pairs (ECD-2, -5, -6, and -7). ECD-2 and ECD -5 amplified products with mutations in Suffolk and Kazakstan sheep, while ECD-6 and ECD-7 amplified products with mutations only exist in Suffolk. The second pair of primers mutation in Suffolk does not conform to Hardy Weinberg equilibrium. As the mutations identified in this study may influence the structure and function of TLR7 and may thus affect the immune response to pathogens. The data indicate to undertake further disease associations studies to examine the usefulness of these findings in livestock breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Epidemiological studies suggest that proxies of higher lifetime estrogen exposure are associated with better cognitive function in postmenopausal women, but this has not been found consistently.Objective: To determine whether reproductive history, an important modifier of estrogen exposure across the lifetime, is associated with risk of cognitive impairment in postmenopausal women.Methods: We analyzed the baseline data from Zhejiang Major Public Health Surveillance Program (ZPHS) including 4,796 postmenopausal women. Cognitive impairment was assessed through the application of Mini-Mental State Examination questionnaire. Logistic regression models, controlled for an extensive range of potential confounders, were generated to examine the associations between women's reproductive history and risk of cognitive impairment in their later life.Results: The length of reproductive period was inversely associated with risk of cognitive impairment (p = 0.001). Odds ratio (OR) of cognitive impairment were 1.316 (95% CI 1.095∼1.582) for women with 5 or more times of full-term pregnancies, compared with those with 1∼4 times of full-term pregnancies. Women without incomplete pregnancy had a significant higher risk of cognitive impairment (OR = 1.194, 95% CI 1.000∼1.429), compared with the reference (1∼2 times of incomplete pregnancies). Oral contraceptive use (OR = 0.489, 95% CI 0.263∼0.910) and intrauterine device (IUD) use (OR = 0.684, 95% CI 0.575∼0.815) were associated with significantly reduced risk of cognitive impairment.Conclusion: Our results indicated that shorter reproductive period, higher number of full-term pregnancies and no incomplete pregnancy history were associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment. In contrast, oral contraceptive and IUD use corresponded to reduced risk of cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]