This study aimed to develop and validate deep-learning-based artificial intelligence algorithm for predicting mortality of AHF (DAHF).
12,654 dataset from 2165 patients with AHF in two hospitals were ...used as train data for DAHF development, and 4759 dataset from 4759 patients with AHF in 10 hospitals enrolled to the Korean AHF registry were used as performance test data. The endpoints were in-hospital, 12-month, and 36-month mortality. We compared the DAHF performance with the Get with the Guidelines-Heart Failure (GWTG-HF) score, Meta-Analysis Global Group in Chronic Heart Failure (MAGGIC) score, and other machine-learning models by using the test data. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the DAHF were 0.880 (95% confidence interval, 0.876-0.884) for predicting in-hospital mortality; these results significantly outperformed those of the GWTG-HF (0.728 0.720-0.737) and other machine-learning models. For predicting 12- and 36-month endpoints, DAHF (0.782 and 0.813) significantly outperformed MAGGIC score (0.718 and 0.729). During the 36-month follow-up, the high-risk group, defined by the DAHF, had a significantly higher mortality rate than the low-risk group(p<0.001).
DAHF predicted the in-hospital and long-term mortality of patients with AHF more accurately than the existing risk scores and other machine-learning models.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Intestinal epithelium is essential for maintaining normal intestinal homeostasis; its breakdown leads to chronic inflammatory pathologies, such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). Although high ...concentrations of S100A9 protein and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are found in patients with IBD, the expression mechanism of S100A9 in colonic epithelial cells (CECs) remains elusive. We investigated the role of IL-6 in S100A9 expression in CECs using a colitis model.
IL-6 and S100A9 expression, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) phosphorylation, and infiltration of immune cells were analyzed in mice with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. The effects of soluble gp130-Fc protein (sgp130Fc) and S100A9 small interfering (si) RNA (si-S100A9) on DSS-induced colitis were evaluated. The molecular mechanism of S100A9 expression was investigated in an IL-6-treated Caco-2 cell line using chromatin immunoprecipitation assays.
IL-6 concentrations increased significantly in the colon tissues of DSS-treated mice. sgp130Fc or si-S100A9 administration to DSS-treated mice reduced granulocyte infiltration in CECs and induced the down-regulation of S100A9 and colitis disease activity. Treatment with STAT3 inhibitors upon IL-6 stimulation in the Caco-2 cell line demonstrated that IL-6 mediated S100A9 expression through STAT3 activation. Moreover, we found that phospho-STAT3 binds directly to the S100A9 promoter. S100A9 may recruit immune cells into inflamed colon tissues.
Elevated S100A9 expression in CECs mediated by an IL-6/STAT3 signaling cascade may play an important role in the development of colitis.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
OBJECTIVES
Although chronic periodontitis has been associated with Alzheimer's disease, the effect of chronic periodontitis on vascular dementia as well as the role of lifestyle behaviors such as ...smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity in this association are still unclear.
DESIGN
Retrospective cohort study.
SETTING
Population based.
PARTICIPANTS
The study population was derived from the Korean National Health Insurance Service‐Health Screening Cohort. Among 262 349 participants, diagnosis of chronic periodontitis was determined during 2003‐2004.
MEASUREMENTS
Starting from 2005, participants were followed up for overall dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular dementia until 2015. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to determine the adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of dementia according to chronic periodontitis.
RESULTS
Compared with nonchronic periodontitis participants, chronic periodontitis patients had elevated risk for overall dementia (aHR = 1.06; 95% CI = 1.01‐1.11) and Alzheimer's disease (aHR = 1.05; 95% CI = 1.00‐1.11). There was a tendency toward increased vascular dementia risk among chronic periodontitis patients (aHR = 1.10; 95% CI = 0.98‐1.22). The risk‐increasing effect of chronic periodontitis on dementia tended to be stronger among participants with healthy lifestyle behaviors including never‐smokers and those who exercised and did not consume alcohol.
CONCLUSION
Chronic periodontitis may be associated with a higher risk of developing dementia. Future studies that investigate whether preventing chronic periodontitis may lead to reduced risk of dementia are needed.
See Editor's Note
Aims
The Korean Acute Heart Failure registry (KorAHF) aims to evaluate the clinical characteristics, management, hospital course, and long‐term outcomes of patients hospitalized for acute heart ...failure syndrome (AHFS) in Korea.
Methods and results
This is a prospective observational multicentre cohort study funded by the Korea National Institute of Health. Patients hospitalized for AHFS in 10 tertiary university hospitals across the country have been consecutively enrolled since March 2011. The study is expected to complete the scheduled enrolment of 5000 patients some time in 2014, and follow‐up is planned through 2016. As of April 2012, the interim analysis of 2066 consecutive subjects was performed to understand the baseline characteristics of the population. The mean age was 69 ± 14 years; 55% were male; and 50% were de novo heart failure. The mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 40 ± 18%. Ischaemia was both the leading cause (38%) and the most frequent aggravating factor (26%) of AHFS. ACE inhibitors/ARBs and beta‐blockers were prescribed at discharge in 65% and 51% of the patients, respectively. In‐hospital mortality was 5.2%, and 0.9% of patients received urgent heart transplantation. Low blood pressure and azotaemia were the most important predictors of in‐hospital mortality. The post‐discharge 30‐day and 180‐day all‐cause mortality were 1.2% and 9.2%, respectively.
Conclusions
Our analysis reveals that the prognosis of AHFS in Korea is poor and that there are specific features, including lower blood pressures at admission and lower rates of heart failure related to hypertension, compared with other registries. Adherence to current guidelines should be improved.
We investigate the feasibility of pulse amplitude modulation-N (PAM-N) signal transmission over a photonics-based cost-effective THz wireless link. A direct detection-based THz wireless link was ...established by using commercialized optical and electrical components designed for the WR 3.4 frequency band (220-330 GHz). At the THz signal transmitter, a uni-traveling carrier photodiode (UTC-PD) was used as a photomixer. The maximum output power of the UTC-PD was ∼47 μW when it was supplied with +17 dBm of optical power. At the THz signal receiver, the Schottky barrier diode was used as a diode detector; an offline digital signal processor (DSP) with a decision feedback equalizer was also used to mitigate the inter-symbol interference penalty. In the back-to-back configuration (i.e., antenna of Tx and Rx are placed at a distance of ∼1 cm), the driving condition of the optical modulator was optimized to obtain the best transmission performances of the PAM-N signal. A carrier frequency of 300 GHz is carefully selected considering the bit error rate (BER) dependency on the carrier frequency. After the optimization procedure, the BER performances were analyzed by varying the PAM order, baud rate, and wireless transmission distance. Finally, a 90 Gb/s PAM-8 signal is successfully transmitted over a wireless distance of 1.4 m, in which the measured BER is below the 20% soft-decision forward error correction threshold (2.0 × 10 -2 ).
Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of nosocomial infections because of its resistance to diverse antibiotics. The formation of a biofilm is one of the mechanisms of drug resistance in S. ...aureus. The anti-biofilm abilities of 498 plant extracts against S. aureus were examined. Seventy-two plant extracts belonging to 59 genera and 38 families were found to significantly inhibit the formation of biofilms of S. aureus without affecting the growth of planktonic cells. The most active extract, from Alnus japonica, inhibited the formation of biofilms by three S. aureus strains by >70% at 20 μg ml
−1
. Transcriptional analyses showed that extract of A. japonica repressed the intercellular adhesion genes icaA and icaD most markedly. Quercetin and tannic acid are major anti-biofilm compounds in the extract of A. japonica. Additionally, the extract of A. japonica and its component compound quercetin, reduced hemolysis by S. aureus. This phenomenon was not observed in the treatment with tannic acid. This study suggests that various plant extracts, such as quercetin and tannic acid, could be used to inhibit the formation of recalcitrant biofilms of S. aureus.
The study involved producing green thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) that were either partially or fully bio‐based. This was achieved through a one‐shot polymerization process using a combination of ...sebacic acid‐polyester polyol, 1,4 butanediol derived from renewable sources, and diisocyanate. The diisocyanate used included bio‐aliphatic pentamethylene diisocyanate (PDI), petro‐aromatic methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), and a combination of PDI and MDI. Various methods were employed to characterize the newly synthesized TPUs, which had a weight average molecular weight exceeding 120,000 g/mol. Increasing the content of PDI improves the bio‐based carbon content up to about 97% and increases the pyrolysis onset temperature. An increase in MDI content results in a rise in the complex viscosity, tensile strength, and strain. However, a PDI‐based TPU (P/M_100/0) achieved an excellent phase separation with a tensile strength of 20.7 MPa and elongation of 587.2%, comparable to an MDI‐based TPU (P/M_0/100). Overall, this research demonstrates the feasibility of utilizing partially or fully bio‐based TPUs as a substitute for conventional MDI, with potential industrial applications.
By replacing conventional petroleum‐based raw materials with bio‐based, partially or fully green thermoplastic polyurethane (TPUs) are synthesized through a solvent‐free one‐shot polymerization process. Biocarbon content ranges from 80% to 97%, with high molecular weight and performance that can be used in applications. This research provides the commercial application potential of bio‐based TPU from an eco‐friendly point of view.
Headache, a highly prevalent neurological disorder, has consistently been linked with an elevated risk of dementia. However, most studies are focused on the relationship with migraine in limited age ...groups. Therefore, the objective of this research was to look at the link between various type of headaches and dementias based on longitudinal population-based data. Headache could be an independent predictor for subsequent dementia risk. Future studies should focus on clarifying pathogenic pathways and possible dementia-related preventive measures in headache populations.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Although hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is a good candidate for gate-insulating materials by minimizing interaction from substrate, further applications to electronic devices with available ...two-dimensional semiconductors continue to be limited by flake size. While monolayer h-BN has been synthesized on Pt and Cu foil using chemical vapour deposition (CVD), multilayer h-BN is still absent. Here we use Fe foil and synthesize large-area multilayer h-BN film by CVD with a borazine precursor. These films reveal strong cathodoluminescence and high mechanical strength (Young's modulus: 1.16 ± 0.1 TPa), reminiscent of formation of high-quality h-BN. The CVD-grown graphene on multilayer h-BN film yields a high carrier mobility of ∼ 24,000 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) at room temperature, higher than that (∼ 13,000 (2) V(-1) s(-1)) with exfoliated h-BN. By placing additional h-BN on a SiO2/Si substrate for a MoS2 (WSe2) field-effect transistor, the doping effect from gate oxide is minimized and furthermore the mobility is improved by four (150) times.
Diabetes mellitus (DM) characterized by hyperglycemia leads to a variety of complications, including cognitive impairment or memory loss. The hippocampus is a key brain area for learning and memory ...and is one of the regions that is most sensitive to diabetes. However, the pathogenesis of diabetic neuronal lesion is not yet completely understood. We focused on the association of microglia activation and brain lesions in diabetes. In this study, we investigated whether and how signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) activation in microglia affects neuronal lesions in diabetic brains. Using a streptozotocin‐induced type 1 DM model, we showed enhanced hippocampal neuronal apoptosis that was associated with increased STAT3 activation. We found that hyperglycemia increased the expression of inflammatory cytokines such as interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) and interleukin‐6, in the diabetic hippocampus. In particular, IFN‐γ induced autocrine activation of microglia, and STAT3 activation is important for this process. We also demonstrated that STAT3 activation in microglia increased tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) expression; subsequently, TNF‐α increased neuronal apoptosis by increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in the neuronal cells. We also took advantage of mice lacking STAT3 in microglia and demonstrated that depletion of microglial STAT3 reduced neuronal apoptosis in the diabetic hippocampus. Taken together, these results suggest that STAT3 activation in microglia plays an important role in hyperglycemia‐induced neuronal apoptosis in the diabetic hippocampus and provide a potential therapeutic benefit of STAT3 inhibition in microglia for preventing diabetic neuronal lesions.
We demonstrated that signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) activation in microglia exacerbates neuronal apoptosis of the diabetic hippocampus and that increased tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) through STAT3 activation causes neuronal apoptosis. We also took the advantage of mice lacking STAT3 in microglia and demonstrated that depletion of microglial STAT3 reduced neuronal apoptosis in the diabetic hippocampus. There results suggest that STAT3 activation in microglia plays an important role in hyperglycemia‐induced neuronal apoptosis in the diabetic hippocampus and provide a potential therapeutic benefit of STAT3 inhibition in microglia for preventing diabetic neuronal lesions.
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