Objective
Coronary artery involvement in Takayasu arteritis (TAK) leads to poor prognosis and high mortality. Tocilizumab (TCZ) has been used to effectively treat large vessel vasculitis. However, ...the efficacy of TCZ in resolving coronary artery involvement in TAK is unclear. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy of TCZ in the treatment of coronary artery involvement in TAK.
Methods
Clinical features and manifestations of coronary artery lesions in 11 TAK patients were evaluated before and after TCZ treatment, and the results were compared with those of 11 patients treated with traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).
Results
C-reactive protein (
p
= 0.006), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (
p
= 0.011), and Kerr score (
p
= 0.007) were significantly decreased post-TCZ treatment for 6 months. The Indian Takayasu Clinical Activity Score (ITAS) 2010 (
p
= 0.019) and ITAS-A (
p
= 0.019) were significantly lower in patients treated with TCZ compared with those treated with traditional DMARDs. The glucocorticoid (GC) dose was tapered to 2.50 (0.00, 7.50) mg day
−1
after TCZ treatment for 6 months, which was significantly lower than the GC dose after traditional DMARDs treatment 10.0 (5.00, 11.25) mg.day
−1
, (
p
= 0.033). After 6-month TCZ treatment, the total number of coronary artery lesions was reduced from 23 to 15 in 6 patients. Vascular wall thickening was remarkably improved in 2 lesions (in the ostia of the left main and right coronary arteries).
Conclusion
TCZ may decrease the disease activity and improve coronary artery lesion in patients with TAK.
Key Points
• TCZ treatment significantly decreased the disease activity in TAK patients with coronary artery involvement.
• TCZ treatment significantly reduces the dosage of GC.
• TCZ treatment led to an improvement in imaging findings of TAK patients with coronary artery involvement.
It is unknown whether repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) could improve sleep quality by modulating electroencephalography (EEG) connectivity of insomnia disorder (ID) patients. Great ...heterogeneity had been found in the clinical outcomes of rTMS for ID. The study aimed to investigate the potential mechanisms of rTMS therapy for ID and develop models to predict clinical outcomes.
In Study 1, 50 ID patients were randomly divided into active and sham groups, and subjected to 20 sessions of treatment with 1 Hz rTMS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. EEG during awake, Polysomnography, and clinical assessment were collected and analyzed before and after rTMS. In Study 2, 120 ID patients were subjected to active rTMS stimulation and were then separated into optimal and sub-optimal groups due to the median of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index reduction rate. Machine learning models were developed based on baseline EEG coherence to predict rTMS treatment effects.
In Study 1, decreased EEG coherence in theta and alpha bands were observed after rTMS treatment, and changes in theta band (F7-O1) coherence were correlated with changes in sleep efficiency. In Study 2, baseline EEG coherence in theta, alpha, and beta bands showed the potential to predict the treatment effects of rTMS for ID.
Conclusion: rTMS improved sleep quality of ID patients by modulating the abnormal EEG coherence. Baseline EEG coherence between certain channels in theta, alpha, and beta bands could act as potential biomarkers to predict the therapeutic effects.
•Two rTMS studies were employed to test the therapy and prediction value for insomnia.•Increased EEG coherence in insomnia patients provided clues for hyperarousal model.•rTMS improved sleep in insomnia disorder patients by modulating EEG coherence.•Wakeful EEG coherence predicted the clinical outcomes of rTMS for insomnia disorder.
Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model offers a general and systematic framework to represent a nonlinear plant and provides an effective platform to facilitate stability analysis and control synthesis. ...This paper is concerned with the stability of the equilibrium point of a class of T-S fuzzy-model-based coupled control systems (TSFCCSs). Combined the Lyapunov method and graph theory, a systematic method to construct a global Lyapunov function for TSFCCSs is proposed, and then the substantial criteria of global stability at the equilibrium point with the condition of the system topology property are obtained. The theoretical results are suitable for the microgrid which is an application of the coupled control system. The significance of the presented results is that the global asymptotic stability of the microgrid can be achieved at the equilibrium point owing to the proposed secondary nonlinear T-S fuzzy control. Finally, one numerical simulation of a microgrid with six-generator seven-bus topology is presented to illustrate the progressiveness and feasibility of our results.
Sulfoquinovose is the polar headgroup of plant sulfolipids and is a globally abundant organosulfur compound, and its degradation by bacteria is an important component of the sulfur cycle. ...Sulfoquinovose degradation by certain bacteria, including Escherichia coli, produces dihydroxypropanesulfonate (DHPS), which is further converted by anaerobic bacteria into 3‐hydroxypropanesulfonate (3‐HPS), through the catalytic action of DHPS dehydratase (a member of the glycyl radical enzyme family), and sulfopropionaldehyde reductase HpfD (a member of the metal‐dependent alcohol dehydrogenase family). Here we report biochemical investigation of Hungatella hathewayi HpfD. In addition to 3‐HPS, HpfD also displayed high catalytic activities for NAD+‐dependent oxidation of 4‐hydroxybutanesulfonate (4‐HBS) and γ‐hydroxybutyrate (GHB). The highest activity was obtained with Fe2+ or Mn2+ as the divalent metal cofactor. Bioinformatics studies suggest that, in addition to DHPS degradation, 3‐HPS and γ‐aminobutyrate (GABA) degradations also involve HpfD homologs.
Sulfoquinovose is a globally abundant organosulfur compound. Degradation by communities of anaerobic bacteria produce 3‐hydroxypropanesulfonate, catalysed by sulfopropionaldehyde reductase HpfD. Biochemical investigation of HpfD revealed dehydrogenase activity for a range of alcohols, including 3‐hydroxypropanesulfonate, 4‐hydroxybutanesulfonate and γ‐hydroxybutyrate. Bioinformatics investigations suggest involvement of HpfD homologs in 3‐HPS and γ‐aminobutyrate degradation.
Microbial communities associated with seagrass beds play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of seagrass ecosystems. However, the driving mechanisms behind the structure and functional ...succession of seagrass microbial communities are still unclear despite the close interaction between seagrass and surrounding microorganisms. To enhance our knowledge of the diversity and functional characteristics of microbial communities in seagrass beds, we employed 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to investigate bacterial communities in seagrass leaves, roots, seawater, and sediments in Caofeidian Zostera marina seagrass beds of Hebei Province, Northern China. Our results highlighted that specific types of bacteria were enriched in different sample compartments, indicating the importance of habitat in influencing microbial diversity and community structure in seagrass bed ecosystems. Notably, the microbial community structure of seagrass leaves and roots showed more similarity to that found in seawater and sediments. Among all the samples, the phylum Pseudomonadota exhibited the highest relative abundance, particularly in sediment samples where they accounted for over 95% of the total bacterial population. In addition, the enrichment of Vibrio, an opportunistic pathogen in several plant samples, alerted us to seagrass and its surrounding marine environments. Finally, functional predictions of microbial communities using PICRUSt2 revealed variations in microbial functions, indicating specific metabolic preferences of microbial communities in different natural environments. The present research sheds light on the mechanisms underlying microbial community succession and their ecological function in seagrass beds.
The preparation of hydrogel adsorbents with admirable performance for efficient selective remove Pb(II) in complex wastewater still remains a great challenge. Herein, a novel bifunctional modified ...polymer hydrogel PAM-PAMPS was prepared by crosslinking acrylamide (AM) and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS). Compared with PEG, PAA and PAMPS, PAM-PAMPS exhibited both the maximum adsorption capacity of Pb(II) (541.90 mg/g) and satisfactory selectivity for Pb(II) in multiple heavy metal ions coexistence solutions. Various characterizations indicated that SO3H and NH2 as active sites on PAM-PAMPS occur the synergistic effects of ion-exchange and coordination with Pb(II) during the adsorption process, respectively. The adsorption energy Ead(PAM-PAMPS) obtained from density functional theory (DFT) calculations was lower than the other three hydrogels, manifesting that PAM-PAMPS formed the most stable complex with Pb(II), which further demonstrated that Pb(II) preferred to combine with PAM-PAMPS to selective capture of Pb(II). The practice utilization of PAM-PAMPS was assessed by wastewater of electroplate containing Pb(II). Meanwhile, the removal ratio of PAM-PAMPS was maintained at about 89% after 4 adsorption-desorption cycles. This study establishes a new and effective idea for the design and fabrication of bifunctionalized modified polymer hydrogels.
A novel bifunctional polymer hydrogel PAM-PAMPS was synthesized by free radical polymerization that exploited the synergistic effect to promote a satisfactory selectivity for Pb(II). This study demonstrates the design strategy of bifunctional polymer hydrogels and enlightens for the selective capture of Pb(II) from wastewater. Display omitted
Recent studies have shown that some inflammatory markers are associated with the prognosis of solid tumors. This study aims to evaluate the prognosis of glioma patients with or without adjuvant ...treatment using the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR).All patients who were diagnosed with gliomas at the first and second affiliated hospital of Guangxi Medical University between 2011 and 2020 were included in this study. The optimal cutoff value of SII, NLR, and PLR was determined by X-tile software program. We stratified patients into several groups and evaluated the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of SII, NLR, and PLR during the period of pre-surgical, con-chemoradiotherapy, and post-treatments. Multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to detect the relationships between OS, PFS, and prognostic variables.A total of 67 gliomas patients were enrolled in the study. The cutoff values of SII, NLR, and PLR were 781.5 × 109/L, 2.9 × 109/L, and 123.2 × 109/L, respectively. Patients who are pre-SII < 781.5 × 109/L had better PFS (P = .027), but no difference in OS. In addition, patients who had low pre-NLR (<2.9 × 109/L) meant better OS and PFS. PLR after adjuvant treatments (post-PLR) was significantly higher than pre-PLR (P = .035). Multivariate analyses revealed that pre-SII, pre-NLR were independent prognostic factors for OS (pre-SII: HR 1.002, 95% CI: 1.000-1.005, P = .030 and pre-PLR: HR 0.983, 95% CI: 0.973-0.994, P = .001), while pre-PLR was an independent factor for PFS (HR 0.989, 95% CI: 0.979-1.000, P = .041).High pre-SII or high pre-NLR could be prognostic markers to identify glioma patients who had a poor prognosis.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common fatal cancer worldwide, patients with HCC have a high mortality rate and poor prognosis. PANoptosis is a novel discovery of programmed cell death ...associated with cancer development. However, the role of PANoptosis in HCC remains obscure. In this study, we enrolled 274 PANoptosis-related genes (PANRGs) and screened 8 genes to set up a prognostic model. A previous scoring system calculated PANscore was utilized to quantify the individual risk level of each HCC patient, and the reliability of the prognostic model has been validated in an external cohort. Nomogram constructed with PANscore and clinical characteristics were used to optimize individualized treatment for each patient. Single-cell analysis revealed a PANoptosis model associated with tumor immune cell infiltration, particularly natural killer (NK) cells. Further exploration of hub genes and assessment of the prognostic role of these 4 hub genes in HCC by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC). In conclusion, we evaluated a PANoptosis-based prognostic model as a potential prognostic biomarker for HCC patients.
Abstract
Arousals commonly occur during human sleep and have been associated with several sleep disorders. Arousals are characterized as an abrupt electroencephalography (EEG) frequency change to ...higher frequencies during sleep. However, the human brain regions involved in arousal are not yet clear. Simultaneous EEG and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were recorded during the early portion of the sleep period in healthy young adults. Arousals were identified based on the EEG data, and fMRI signal changes associated with 83 arousals from 19 subjects were analyzed. Subcortical regions, including the midbrain, thalamus, basal ganglia, and cerebellum, were activated with arousal. Cortices, including the temporal gyrus, occipital gyrus, and frontal gyrus, were deactivated with arousal. The activations associated with arousal in the subcortical regions were consistent with previous findings of subcortical involvement in behavioral arousal and consciousness. Cortical deactivations may serve as a mechanism to direct incoming sensory stimuli to specific brain regions, thereby monitoring environmental perturbations during sleep.
Background
Since dysregulation of total Interleukin (IL)-18 and IL-18 binding protein (IL-18BP) may participate in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and contribute to the occurrence of ...non-autoimmune epilepsy, the aim of the current work is to investigate whether the interaction between IL-18 and IL-18BP plays any role in neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus related seizures.
Methods
Data from 137 SLE patients and 30 healthy controls (HC) were consecutively collected from 2020 to 2021. Serum levels of total IL-18 and IL-18BP for all patients and HC were measured by ELISA test. Free IL-18 was calculated based on the law of mass action.
Results
Among the 137 SLE patients, 103 had active disease and were classified into NPSLE (n = 50) and Non-NPSLE (n = 53) groups. Among the NPSLE patients, 16 had seizure disorders. Serum free IL-18 levels were increased in NPSLE (277.6 150.9–428.8pg/mL) and were correlated with disease activity (r = 0.268, p = 0.002). Moreover, serum free IL-18 levels in NPSLE patients with seizure disorders (350.9 237.9–455.9pg/mL) were significantly higher than the levels in those with other neuropsychiatric symptoms (237.7 124.6–428.8 pg/mL).
Conclusions
The expression of free IL-18 was increased in neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus(NPSLE), especially in NPSLE related seizures. Also, serum levels of free IL-18 were significantly increased in active SLE patients. In this regard, free IL-18 may be involved in the pathogenesis of NPSLE related seizures and associated with disease activity.
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