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Aortic dissection (AD) is a life-threatening disease and the detailed mechanism remains unclear. Thus, proper animal models are urgently required to better understand its pathogenesis. Our current study aims to establish a reliable, time and cost-effective mouse AD model. To conduct the meta-analysis, we searched PubMed for related studies up to 2021 and statistical analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.4. For the animal experiment, 6-week-old male ApoE −/− mice were given β-aminopropionitrile (BAPN) at a concentration of 1 g/L for 3 weeks before being infused with saline, 1000 ng/kg/min or 2500 ng/kg/min angiotensin II (AngII) via osmotic mini pumps for 2 or 4 weeks. To determine the presence of AD, we performed B-ultrasonography, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, and van Gieson staining. The result of the meta-analysis showed that the use of BAPN and more than 2000 ng/kg/min AngII can increase the rate of AD formation, whereas administrating Ang II for more than 28 days has no significant effect on the rate of AD formation when compared with the less than 14 days group. In the present study, mice treated with BAPN combined with 2500 ng/kg/min AngII for 2 weeks (12/20) had a significantly higher AD formation rate than mice treated with BAPN combined with 1000 ng/kg/min Ang II for 4 weeks (2/10), and had a similar model formation rate compared with the mice treated withβ-aminopropionitrile combined with 2500 ng/kg/min AngII for 4 weeks (6/10). There were 3 mice (3/10) and 6 mice (6/20) who died in the group treated with β-aminopropionitrile combined with 2500 ng/kg/min AngII for 4 weeks and 2 weeks respectively, and only one mouse (1/10) died in the group treated with β-aminopropionitrile combined with 1000 ng/kg/min AngII for 4 weeks. In 6-week-old male ApoE −/− mice that received with 1 g/L BAPN in the drinking water for 3 weeks along with 2500 ng/kg/min AngII infusion via osmotic mini pumps for 2 weeks, the highest model formation rate and relative lower cumulative mortality were noted.

To determine the incidence of acute cardiac injury (ACI), the factors associated with ACI and the in-hospital mortality in patients with COVID-19, especially in severe patients. All consecutive in-patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from Tongji Hospital in Wuhan during February 1 and March 29, 2020 were included. The demographic, clinical characteristics, laboratory, radiological and treatment data were collected. Univariate and Firth logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with ACI and in-hospital mortality, and Kaplan–Meier method was used to estimate cumulative in-hospital mortality. Among 1031 patients included, 215 (20.7%) had ACI and 501 (48.6%) were severe cases. Overall, 165 patients died; all were from the severe group, and 131 (79.39%) had ACI. ACI (OR = 2.34, P  = 0.009), male gender (OR = 2.58, P  = 0.001), oximeter oxygen saturation (OR = 0.90, P  < 0.001), lactate dehydrogenase (OR = 3.26, P  < 0.001), interleukin-6 (IL-6) (OR = 8.59, P  < 0.001), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (OR = 3.29, P  = 0.016), N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) (OR = 2.94, P  = 0.001) were independent risk factors for the in-hospital mortality in severe patients. The mortality was significantly increased among severe patients with elevated hs-CRP, IL-6, hs-cTnI, and/or NT-proBNP. Moreover, the mortality was significantly higher in patients with elevation of both hs-cTnI and NT proBNP than in those with elevation of either of them. ACI develops in a substantial proportion of patients with COVID-19, and is associated with the disease severity and in-hospital mortality. A combination of hs-cTnI and NT-proBNP is valuable in predicting the mortality.

We aimed to explore the effects of perioperative exercise on cardiorespiratory endurance in children with congenital heart disease (CHD) in plateau areas after surgical repair. Fifty children with CHD in the plateau admitted to our hospital were randomly divided into the exercise and control groups. The exercise group received a perioperative exercise intervention beginning within 24 h postoperatively, while the control group received routine nursing and treatment alone. To assess the 6 min walk distance (6MWD) at baseline and at end of intervention, children participated in a 6-min walk test before cardiac repair and at 1 week after general ward transfer. A subset of children in the study underwent the cardiopulmonary exercise test pre-operatively. The 6MWD of children with CHD at baseline was positively correlated with the peak oxygen uptake pre-operatively. No significant difference was reported in the preoperative baseline data of both groups. The 6MWD of the exercise group was significantly higher than that of the control group. Early exercise therapy after cardiac repair could significantly improve the cardiorespiratory endurance and exercise capacity of children with CHD in plateau areas.

While acupuncture treatment has gained extensive usage in addressing headaches, there remains a notable gap in the literature analysis for this field. Therefore, this study aims to conduct a literature review using Citespace, VOSviewer, and Bibliometrix, aiming to examine the current status, strengths, and potential future directions in the utilization of acupuncture for headache treatment. Relevant literature on acupuncture treatment for headaches between 2003 and 2023 was retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) core database. Utilizing CiteSpace 6.1.R6, VOSviewer 1.6.18, and Bibliometrix 4.1.4, we conducted bibliometric analyses across various categories, including countries/regions, institutions, authors, journals, references, and keywords. A total of 808 research reports were included. China and the United States have significantly contributed to this field. Chengdu University of Chinese Medicine holds the record for the highest number of published papers. Liu Lu has the highest publication output, while Linde K has the highest citation rate. leads in publication frequency, while holds the highest citation rate. The Long-term Effect of Acupuncture for Migraine Prophylaxis a Randomized Clinical Trial is the most cited reference. Migraine was the most researched type. Filiform needle acupuncture was the most widely used stimulation method. The safety and efficacy of acupuncture have received significant attention. Modern mechanism research shows that depression, brain functional connectivity, and neuroimaging technology have become research hotspots in the acupuncture treatment of headaches. Acupuncture treatment for headaches has established a stable trend with a promising developmental trajectory. Research in this field mainly focuses on different acupuncture prevention and treatment for various types of headaches, the safety and efficacy of acupuncture, etc. Research on the mechanism of action mainly focuses on interpreting bidirectional and holistic regulation between pain and emotion by acupuncture and the regulation of brain function connection and neuroimaging technology by acupuncture. Future research should expand on the advantages and indications of acupuncture treatment for different headaches and their modern mechanisms.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to report the clinical characteristics and prognosis of spontaneous isolated abdominal aortic dissection (SIAAD) based on the dissection length. Methods: Between March 2012 and September 2023, 159 of 7572 patients with aortic dissection were diagnosed with SIAAD and enrolled in the retrospective study. We proposed a new morphologic classification: extensive SIAAD (e-SIAAD) and focal SIAAD (f-SIAAD), based on whether the dissection length exceeds 50 mm or not. The clinical baseline, computed tomography angiography (CTA) findings, and long-term follow-up of the two types were compared. Results: SIAAD prevalence was 2.1%. Patients with f-SIAAD were significantly older (63.74 ± 10.97 vs. 50.70 ± 10.10 years, p < 0.001), had more atherosclerosis risk factors, arteriosclerosis, and penetrating aortic ulcers compared to e-SIAAD patients. Conversely, e-SIAAD presented more acutely (72.97% vs. 34.12%, p = 0.001), exhibited more frequent symptoms (85.14% vs. 61.18%, p = 0.0037), larger dissection diameters (31.89 ± 10.99 vs. 24.41 ± 11.28 mm, p = 0.001), and greater involvement of the renal and iliac arteries. Treatment involved medical management (30%), endovascular repair (65%), or surgery (2.5%), without significant differences between groups. In-hospital mortality was higher in f-SIAAD (six deaths vs. one in e-SIAAD). During median follow-up of 48 months (range, 6–148 months), mortality was higher in f-SIAAD (70% vs. 90% estimated 10-year survival). Conclusions: SIAAD classification by dissection length revealed significant differences in clinical presentation, CTA characteristics, and prognosis. Focal dissections correlated with advanced age, severe arteriosclerosis, and poorer long-term outcomes, emphasizing the need for tailored management approaches.

It is well-recognized that diabetes represents a powerful independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. However, very few studies have investigated the relationship between diabetes and risk of aortic dissection (AD). The aim of this case-control study was to evaluate the association between diabetes and risk of AD in Chinese population. A hospital-based case-control study, consisting of 2160 AD patients and 4320 controls, was conducted in a Chinese population. Demographic, clinical characteristics and risk factors were collected. Diabetes rate of patients with overall AD, Stanford type A AD and type B AD group was compared with that of corresponding matched control groups. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for relationship between diabetes and AD risk. The prevalence of diabetes was lower in AD cases than that of control subjects, whether it is the overall AD, type A AD or type B AD group (4.7% vs. 10.0%, 2.9% vs. 8.8%, 5.9% vs. 10.9%, all P<0.001). Furthermore, in multivariate model, diabetes was found to be associated with lower AD risk, which not only applies to the overall AD (OR = 0.2, 95%CI: 0.15-0.26), but also type A AD (OR = 0.12, 95% CI: 0.07-0.20) and type B AD (OR = 0.25, 95%CI: 0.18-0.33). We observed the paradoxical inverse relationship between DM and risk of AD in the Chinese population. These results suggest diabetes may play a protective role in the development of AD. However, further studies are needed to enrich related evidence, especially with regard to underlying mechanisms for these trends.

Dust detection is essential for environmental protection, climate change assessment, and human health issues. Based on the Fengyun-4A (FY-4A)/Advance Geostationary Radiation Imager (AGRI) images, this paper aimed to examine the performances of two classic dust detection algorithms (i.e., the brightness temperature difference (BTD) and normalized difference dust index (NDDI) thresholding algorithms) as well as two dust products (i.e., the infrared differential dust index (IDDI) and Dust Score products (DST) developed by the China Meteorological Administration). Results show that a threshold below −0.4 for BTD (11–12 µm) is appropriate for dust identification over China and that there is no fixed threshold for NDDI due to its limitations in distinguishing dust from bare ground. The IDDI and DST products presented similar results, where they are capable of detecting dust over all study areas only for daytime. A validation of these four dust detection algorithms has also been conducted with ground-based particulate matter (PM10) concentration measurements for the spring (March to May) of 2021. Results show that the average probability of correct detection (POCD) for BTD, NDDI, IDDI, and DST were 56.15%, 39.39%, 48.22%, and 46.75%, respectively. Overall, BTD performed the best on dust detection over China with its relative higher accuracy followed by IDDI and DST in the spring of 2021. A single threshold for NDDI led to a lower accuracy than those for others. Additionally, we integrated the BTD and IDDI algorithms for verification. The POFD after integration was only 56.17%, and the fusion algorithm had certain advantages over the single algorithm verification.

Background Myocardial bridge (MB) often an inoffensive condition that goes in one or more of the coronary arteries through the heart muscle instead of lying on its surface. MBs sometimes leads to myocardial ischemic symptoms such as chest pain, even an occurrence of myocardial infarction. However, reports of severe and recurrent cardiac adverse events related to the MBs are rare. Case presentation A 44-year-old male patient who suffered from a four-hour crushing chest pain ten years ago, was diagnosed as acute anterior ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The initial findings of coronary angiography (CAG) showed MB was located in the middle part of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). The patient was managed medically. Another re-attack of similar previous chest pain characteristics occured just after 3 days of discharge. Supra-arterial myotomy and CABG were the next adopted management. Postoperative progression was uneventful. However, 32 months after surgical treatment, the patient experienced an abrupt onset of chest pain accompanied by loss of consciousness. The ECG showed ventricular fibrillation (VF). After electrical cardioversion, an immediate CAG followed by CTA was performed which excluded thrombus or acute occlusion in the native coronary artery and an occlusion was observed at the end of the left internal mammary artery. An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) was successfully performed for prevention of malignant arrhythmia. During ten years of follow-up, no complications have been identified. Conclusions Although MB is mostly benign, it may lead to significant cardiovascular consequences. Supra-arterial myotomy is an appropriate treatment option for this patient who failed to optimal medical therapy. Furthermore, ICD implantation must be considered in order to prevent malignant ventricular arrhythmia caused by continuous spasm resulting in ischemia. Further investigations are required to confirm the clinical effectiveness of these procedures.

The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang) is located near the western border of China. Xinjiang has a high frequency of dust storms, especially in late winter and early spring. Geostationary satellite remote sensing offers an ideal way to monitor the regional distribution and intensity of dust storms, which can impact the regional climate. In this study observations from the Indian National Satellite (INSAT) 3D are used for dust storm detection in Xinjiang because of the frequent 30-min observations with six bands. An analysis of the optical properties of dust and its quantitative relationship with dust storms in Xinjiang is presented for dust events in April 2014. The Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) derived using six predefined aerosol types shows great potential to identify dust events. Cross validation between INSAT-3D retrieved AOD and MODIS AOD shows a high coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.92). Ground validation using AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) AOD also shows a good correlation with R2 of 0.77. We combined the apparent reflectance (top-of-atmospheric reflectance) of visible and shortwave infrared bands, brightness temperature of infrared bands and retrieved AOD into a new Enhanced Dust Index (EDI). EDI reveals not only dust extent but also the intensity. EDI performed very well in measuring the intensity of dust storms between 22 and 24 April 2014. A visual comparison between EDI and Feng Yun-2E (FY-2E) Infrared Difference Dust Index (IDDI) also shows a high level of similarity. A good linear correlation (R2 of 0.78) between EDI and visibility on the ground demonstrates good performance of EDI in estimating dust intensity. A simple threshold method was found to have a good performance in delineating the extent of the dust plumes but inadequate for providing information on dust plume intensity.

Aims Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR‐CA) has been realized as an important cause of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). We aim to provide insights into its prevalence in Chinese HFpEF patients, which is not known to date, using increased wall thickness (IWT) score by echocardiography. Methods Consecutive patients with HFpEF (EF ≥ 40%) and IWT (≥12 mm) were prospectively screened. Echocardiography was performed, and the IWT score incorporated relative wall thickness, E/e′ ratio, longitudinal strains, and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, and septal apical‐to‐base ratio was calculated. ATTR‐CA was defined as score ≥8 in the absence of serum and urine free light chain. Results Six hundred twenty‐four HFpEF patients from January 2019 to December 2021 were enrolled, of which 65.2% were males and the median (interquartile range [IQR]) age was 66 (IQR 57, 73) years. Thirty‐three patients (5.3%, 95% CI 3.5–7.0%) were with score ≥8, and 33.3% were females. They were younger (58 vs. 69 years, P < 0.001), had higher NT‐proBNP (6525.0 vs. 1741.5 pg/mL, P < 0.001) and troponin I (105.2 vs. 27.7 pg/mL, P = 0.001) level, and lower LVEF (47% vs. 57%, P < 0.001) compared with the patients with score <5. In the internal cohort (82 patients) who had undergone scintigraphy, the IWT score ≥8 was shown to have a sensitivity of 85.7% (95% CI 56.2–97.5%) and a specificity of 92.6% (95% CI 83.0–97.3%) for diagnosing CA, and the IWT score <5 had great accuracy in excluding CA with the negative predictive value of 100%, supporting the clinical usefulness of the IWT score to guide further dedicated testing for ATTR‐CA. Conclusions The IWT score by echocardiography was an excellent tool for screening ATTR‐CA in HFpEF. In Chinese HFpEF patients associated with a hypertrophic phenotype, the proportion of highly suspected ATTR‐CA as detected by IWT score ≥8 was 5.3%, lower than the reported prevalence of ATTR‐CA in non‐Asian patients with the disease.