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Critical events in Alzheimer's disease (AD) involve an imbalance between the production and clearance of amyloid-ß (Aß) peptides from the brain. The ratio of Aß42 to Aß40 in plasma was useful for evaluating AD, but quantification is limited by factors including preanalytical analyte loss and insufficient sensitivity. The availability of a targeted UPLC-MS/MS method with adequate analytical sensitivity and accurate values traceable to the SI units is essential for implementing a strategy for assay standardization. A targeted UPLC-MS/MS method for plasma Aß42 and Aß40 quantification was developed based on selected characteristic peptides spiked by 15N-labeled Aß. The calibrator was assigned using an amino acid analysis reference method trace to SI units. UPLC-MS/MS conditions and sample preparation procedures were assessed. 59 plasma samples comparison were used to evaluate immunoassays. Additionally, two clinical cohorts were selected for diagnostic performance evaluation. The LOQ of Aß42 and Aß40 is 10â¯pgâ¯mL-1 and 20â¯pgâ¯mL-1, respectively. The linear range was 10-500â¯pgâ¯mL-1 for Aß42 and 20-1000â¯pgâ¯mL-1 for Aß40, recoveries between 95.3â¯% and 108.2â¯% for Aß42, 93.2â¯% and 104.1â¯% for Aß40, imprecisions were <7â¯%. The accuracy of method was validated by analysis of a certified reference material. Clinical cohorts for diagnostic performance evaluation shown that the area under the curve (AUC) for plasma Aß42 and Aß42/Aß40 to differentiate between AD and CN were 0.767 and 0.799, respectively. A robust UPLC-MS/MS method was developed and demonstrated that suitable for a wide range of plasma Aß42 and Aß40. Applied to the investigation of clinically discrepant results, this method can act as an arbiter of the concentration of plasma Aß42 and Aß40 present.
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Doença de Alzheimer , Peptídeos beta-Amiloides , Fragmentos de Peptídeos , Espectrometria de Massas em Tandem , Humanos , Peptídeos beta-Amiloides/sangue , Doença de Alzheimer/sangue , Doença de Alzheimer/diagnóstico , Espectrometria de Massas em Tandem/métodos , Fragmentos de Peptídeos/sangue , Cromatografia Líquida de Alta Pressão/métodos , Idoso , Masculino , Feminino , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Biomarcadores/sangue , Calibragem , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Espectrometria de Massa com Cromatografia LíquidaRESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Physical activity (PA) is believed to play an important part in many aspects during childhood and adolescence, especially cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiometabolic health. However, whether different levels of PA in daily life influence the structure or function of heart in school-aged children remains unknown. We aimed to investigate the association between PA and cardiovascular parameters in 7-year-old children. METHODS: Follow-up data from the Shanghai Prenatal Cohort Study and the Shanghai Birth Cohort was analyzed. Perinatal information including both maternal and offspring datum was recorded. A refined questionnaire was used to evaluate the frequency and duration of children's PA levels. Blood pressure, echocardiography, and anthropometry assessment were conducted during the follow-up of 7-year-old children. RESULTS: Overall, high PA level was associated with higher left ventricle posterior wall thickness in diastole (LVPWd, ß coefficient: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.12, 0.61), higher left ventricle mass index (LVMI, ß = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.07, 0.48), mitral E/a ratio (ß = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.22, 0.71) and slower heart rate (ß = -0.32, 95% CI: -0.57, -0.07), compared to low PA level. Medium PA level was associated with lower diastolic blood pressure (DBP, ß = -0.18, 95% CI: -0.35, -0.01). In subgroup analysis, increased relative wall thickness (RWT) was found in high PA level boys (ß = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.05, 0.67), and systolic blood pressure (SBP) showed a significant decrease in high PA level girls (ß = -0.42, 95% CI: -0.78, -0.06). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested non-athlete children having higher PA level were associated with thicker left ventricle (LV) walls and better LV diastolic function, as well as slower heart rate and DBP at the age of 7. Furthermore, disparity in the association between PA level with morphological heart patterns and blood pressure existed in different sex category.
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Pressão Sanguínea , Ecocardiografia , Exercício Físico , Humanos , Feminino , Criança , Masculino , Estudos Transversais , China , Exercício Físico/fisiologia , Pressão Sanguínea/fisiologia , Frequência Cardíaca/fisiologia , Ventrículos do Coração/diagnóstico por imagem , Ventrículos do Coração/anatomia & histologia , Seguimentos , Aptidão Cardiorrespiratória/fisiologia , População do Leste AsiáticoRESUMO
We predict a half-quantized mirror Hall effect induced by mirror symmetry in strong topological insulator films. These films are known to host a pair of gapless Dirac cones in the first Brillouin zone associated with surface electrons. Our findings reveal that mirror symmetry assigns a unique mirror parity to each Dirac cone, resulting in a half-quantized Hall conductance of ± e 2 2 h for each cone. Despite the total electrical Hall conductance being null due to time-reversal invariance, the difference in the Hall conductance between the two cones yields a quantized Hall conductance of e 2 h for the difference in mirror currents. The effect of helical edge mirror current - a crucial feature of this quantum effect - may, in principle, be determined by means of electrical measurements. The half-quantum mirror Hall effect reveals a type of mirror-symmetry induced quantum anomaly in a time-reversal invariant lattice system, giving rise to a topological metallic state of matter with time-reversal invariance.
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Synthetic dimensions have drawn intense recent attention in investigating higher-dimensional topological physics and offering additional degrees of freedom for manipulating light. It has been demonstrated that synthetic dimensions can help to concentrate light with different frequencies at different locations. Here, we show that synthetic dimensions can also route light from different incident directions. Our system consists of an interface formed by two different photonic crystals. A synthetic dimension ξ is introduced by shifting the termination position of the photonic crystal on the right-hand side of the interface. We identify a correspondence between ξ and the interface state such that light incident from a specific direction can be collected. Thus, routing incident light from different directions is achieved by designing an interface with a proper distribution of ξ. Traditionally, this goal is achieved with a standard 4f optical system using a convex lens, and our approach offers the possibility for such a capability within a few lattice sites of photonic crystals. Such an approach reduces the size of the system, making it easier for integration. Our work provides, to our knowledge, a new direction for routing light with different momentums and possibly contributes to applications such as lidar.
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A boundary mode localized on one side of a finite-size lattice can tunnel to the opposite side which results in unwanted couplings. Conventional wisdom tells that the tunneling probability decays exponentially with the size of the system which thus requires many lattice sites before eventually becoming negligibly small. Here we show that the tunneling probability for some boundary modes can apparently vanish at specific wavevectors. Thus, similar to bound states in the continuum, a boundary mode can be completely trapped within very few lattice sites where the bulk bandgap is not even well-defined. More intriguingly, the number of trapped states equals the number of lattice sites along the normal direction of the boundary. We provide two configurations and validate the existence of this peculiar finite barrier-bound state experimentally in a dielectric photonic crystal at microwave frequencies. Our work offers extreme flexibility in tuning the coupling between localized states and channels as well as a new mechanism that facilitates unprecedented manipulation of light.
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The exotic physics associated with exceptional points (EPs) is always under the scrutiny of theoretical and experimental science. Recently, considerable effort has been invested in the combination of nonlinearity and non-Hermiticity. The concept of nonlinear EPs (NEPs) has been introduced, which can avoid the loss of completeness of the eigenbasis in dynamics while retaining the key features of linear EPs. Here, we present the first direct experimental demonstration of a NEP based on two non-Hermition coupled circuit resonators combined with a nonlinear saturable gain. At the NEP, the response of the eigenfrequency to perturbations demonstrates a third-order root law and the eigenbasis of the Hamiltonian governing the system dynamics is still complete. Our results bring this counterintuitive aspect of the NEP to light and possibly open new avenues for applications.
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Offshore oil spills have the potential to inflict substantial ecological damage, underscoring the critical importance of timely offshore oil spill detection and remediation. At present, offshore oil spill detection typically combines hyperspectral imaging with deep learning techniques. While these methodologies have made significant advancements, they prove inadequate in scenarios requiring real-time detection due to limited model detection speeds. To address this challenge, a method for detecting oil spill areas is introduced, combining convolutional neural networks (CNNs) with the DBSCAN clustering algorithm. This method aims to enhance the efficiency of oil spill area detection in real-time scenarios, providing a potential solution to the limitations posed by the intricate structures of existing models. The proposed method includes a pre-feature selection process applied to the spectral data, followed by pixel classification using a convolutional neural network (CNN) model. Subsequently, the DBSCAN algorithm is employed to segment oil spill areas from the classification results. To validate our proposed method, we simulate an offshore oil spill environment in the laboratory, utilizing a hyperspectral sensing device to collect data and create a dataset. We then compare our method with three other models-DRSNet, CNN-Visual Transformer, and GCN-conducting a comprehensive analysis to evaluate the advantages and limitations of each model.
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Accurate ROP (rate of penetration) prediction contributes to better production task planning, ensuring efficient production line operation, and reducing production costs. ROP prediction is influenced by multiple factors, making accurate prediction challenging. Current research primarily relies on historical data for training and modeling, lacking methods for real-time ROP prediction. This paper introduces a GRU-Informer model for real-time ROP prediction. The model employs GRU (Gated Recurrent Unit) neural networks at the lower level to capture short-term correlations in drilling parameters and uses the Informer model at the top to address long-term dependencies among drilling parameters. Thus, the GRU-Informer can capture both short-term and long-term time dependencies, providing better ROP predictions. This paper constructs a dataset using historical data from a southwestern Chinese oil field for experimentation. RMSE (Root Mean Square Error), MAE (mean absolute error) and [Formula: see text] (Coefficient of Determination) are employed as evaluation metrics for the model. Experimental results demonstrate that the GRU-Informer outperforms traditional recurrent neural networks like LSTM (Long Short-Term Memory), GRU neural networks and Informer in real-time ROP prediction, indicating its practical value.
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BACKGROUND: children who undergo CPB operations are at an elevated risk of infection due to immunosuppression. This study aims to investigate the association between lymphopenia following CPB and early postoperative infection in children. METHODS: A retrospective analysis including 41 children under 2 years old underwent CPB. Among them, 9 subjects had an early postoperative infection, and 32 subjects were period-matched without infection. Inflammatory cytokines, serum CRP and PCT values were measured in plasma, additionally, circulating total leucocyte and lymphocyte subpopulations were counted. RESULTS: Infected subjects exhibited significantly higher levels of inflammatory cytokines, including IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-1ß and TNF-α, than non-infected subjects after CPB. Additionally, lower absolute number of lymphocyte and their subpopulations CD3+ T cells, CD4+ T-helper cells and CD8+cytotoxic T-cells, were observed in infected subjects. The impairment of T-cells Immune was found to be associated with higher levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-10. The ROC demonstrated that the absolute number of CD3+ T-cells <1934/ul, CD4+ T helper cells <1203/ul and CD8+cytotoxic T-cells <327/ul were associated with early postoperative infection. CONCLUSION: Higher levels of inflammatory cytokines resulted in T-cells lymphopenia after CPB, which significantly increasing the risk of postoperative infection in infants and young children. IMPACT: Infection complications after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in pediatric CHD patients are serious issues, identifing the infection from after CPB remains a challenging. CPB can release numerous inflammatory cytokines associated with T cells lymphopenia, which increases the risk of postoperative infection after surgery. Monitoring T cells lymphopenia maybe more beneficial to predict early postoperative infection than C-reactive protein and procalcitonin.
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Ponte Cardiopulmonar , Linfopenia , Lactente , Humanos , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Ponte Cardiopulmonar/efeitos adversos , Interleucina-10 , Estudos Retrospectivos , Citocinas , Linfócitos T , Linfopenia/etiologiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Acute suppurative terminal cholangitis (ASTC) is rarer than acute obstructive cholangitis and is not well studied. To explore this subtype of acute cholangitis, we described our clinical experience with ASTC. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of patients with ASTC admitted to our center from September 2014 to August 2020. We analyzed their clinical characteristics, including etiology, clinical manifestations, imaging features, treatment and prognosis. RESULTS: A total of 32 ASTC patients were included in the analysis. The majority of the patients had a history of biliary operations, and clinical manifestations were occult and atypical. The positive rate of bacterial culture was 46.9%. All the patients had typical imaging features on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Treatment with effective antibiotics was provided as soon as diagnosis was established. After treatment, most patients had a good outcome. Elevated levels of total bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase, procalcitonin and gamma-glutamyltransferase were the characteristics of critically ill patients and were associated with relatively poor prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that ASTC should be recognized as a new subtype of acute cholangitis, and that earlier diagnosis and more personalized treatments are needed.
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Colangite , Humanos , Supuração/complicações , Prognóstico , Colangite/diagnóstico , Colangite/terapia , Hospitalização , Tomografia Computadorizada por Raios X , Doença Aguda , Estudos RetrospectivosRESUMO
With the increasing development of coiled tubing drilling technology, the advantages of coiled tubing drilling technology are becoming more and more obvious. In the operation process of coiled tubing, Due to various different drilling parameters, manufacturing defects, and improper human handling, the coiled tubing can curl up and cause stuck drilling or shortened service life problems. Circulation pressure, wellhead pressure, and total weight have an important influence on the working period of coiled tubing. For production safety, this paper predicts circulation pressure, ROP, wellhead pressure, and finger weight using GAN-LSTM after studying drilling engineering theory and analyzing a large amount of downhole data. Experimental results show that GAN-LSTM can predict the parameters of circulation pressure, wellhead pressure ROP and total weight to a certain extent. After much training, the accuracy is about 90%, which is about 17% higher than that of the GAN and LSTM. It has a certain guiding significance for coiled tubing operation, increasing operational safety and drilling efficiency, thus reducing production costs.
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Exceptional points (EPs) are special spectral singularities at which two or more eigenvalues, and their corresponding eigenvectors, coalesce and become identical. In conventional wisdom, the coalescence of eigenvectors inevitably leads to the loss of completeness of the eigenbasis. Here, we show that this scenario breaks down in general at nonlinear EPs (NEPs). As an example, we realize a fifth-order NEP (NEP_{5}) within only three coupled resonators with both a theoretical model and simulations in circuits. One stable and another four auxiliary steady eigenstates of the nonlinear Hamiltonian coalesce at the NEP_{5}, and the response of eigenfrequency to perturbations demonstrates a fifth-order root law. Intriguingly, the biorthogonal eigenbasis of the Hamiltonian governing the system dynamics is still complete, and this fact is corroborated by a finite Petermann factor instead of a divergent one at conventional EPs. Consequently, the amplification of noise, which diverges at other EPs, converges at our NEP_{5}. Our finding transforms the understanding of EPs and shows potential for miniaturizing various key applications operating near EPs.
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Higher-order exceptional points (HOEPs) with extraordinary responsivity are expected to exhibit a vastly improved performance in detection-related applications. However, over the past few years, such an approach has been questioned due to several potential drawbacks, including the stringent parameter requirements, fundamental resolution limits and noise. Here, exploring the consequence of nonlinear gain saturation in exceptional singularities of non-Hermitian systems, we offer a feasible scheme to overcome all the above difficulties. We provide a simple and intuitive example by demonstrating with both theory and circuit experiments an 'exceptional nexus' ('EX'), a HOEP with an ultra-enhanced signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), in only two coupled resonators with the aid of nonlinear gain. The tedious parameter tuning in a six-dimensional hyper-dimensional space is reduced to two dimensions. The feedback mechanism of nonlinear saturable gain can give a solution to the ongoing debate on the SNR of EPs in other linear systems. Our findings advance the fundamental understanding of the peculiar topology of nonlinear non-Hermitian systems, significantly reduce the practical difficulty in EP sensing and possibly open new avenues for applications.
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OBJECTIVE: Circulating tumor cell (CTC) exerts diagnostic and prognostic value in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. This study intended to further investigate the longitudinal change of CTC count, and its correlation with the prognosis of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based treatments in unresectable, metastatic CRC patients. METHODS: Fifty-six unresectable, metastatic CRC patients receiving ICI-based treatments were enrolled. CTC count was assessed by the CellSearch system at baseline and month (M)2 in their peripheral blood samples. RESULTS: Forty-one (73.2%) and sixteen (28.5%) patients had CTC count ≥1 and ≥5 at baseline, respectively. Meanwhile, CTC count at M2 was decreased versus that at baseline (median (interquartile range): 1.0 (0.0-3.0) versus 3.0 (0.0-5.0)) (p < 0.001). Besides, increased CTC count at baseline (p = 0.009) and M2 (p = 0.006) associated with a reduced overall response rate. Baseline CTC count ≥5 related to worse progression-free survival (PFS) (p = 0.007), but baseline CTC count ≥1 did not; additionally, baseline CTC count ≥1 (p = 0.043) and ≥5 (p = 0.016) linked to shorter overall survival (OS). Furthermore, M2 CTC count ≥1 (p = 0.002) and ≥5 (p < 0.001) both correlated with poor PFS; meanwhile, M2 CTC count ≥1 (p = 0.006) and ≥5 (p < 0.001) also related to worse OS. After adjustment, only CTC count at M2 ≥ 5 independently associated with unsatisfactory PFS (hazard ratio (HR)=3.218, p = 0.011) and OS (HR = 3.229, p = 0.038). CONCLUSIONS: CTC count is decreased during ICI-based treatments, its reduction represents satisfactory treatment outcomes in unresectable, metastatic CRC patients. Notably, the CTC count at 5 as a cutting threshold after a two-month treatment has an impressive prognostic value.
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Neoplasias do Colo , Células Neoplásicas Circulantes , Humanos , Células Neoplásicas Circulantes/patologia , Inibidores de Checkpoint Imunológico/uso terapêutico , Biomarcadores Tumorais , Resultado do Tratamento , PrognósticoRESUMO
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate whether fetal echocardiographic parameters were predictive of the postnatal surgical treatment required for fetuses with Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). METHODS: The fetal echocardiographic and postnatal clinical data of all cases of prenatal TOF at Xinhua Hospital from 2016 to 2020 were reviewed. Patients were categorized based on the operation type, and cardiac parameters were compared between groups. RESULTS: Of the 37 fetuses assessed, the development of the pulmonary valve annulus (PVA) was significantly poorer in the transannular patch group. Patients with a prenatal PVA z-score (Schneider's method) ≥ -2.645, a PVA z-score (Lee's method) ≥ -2.805, a PVA/aortic valve annulus diameter ratio ≥ .697, and a pulmonary annulus index ≥ .823 were more likely to undergo pulmonary valve-sparing surgery. There was a strong correlation between prenatal and postnatal PVA z-scores. The PVA growth potential was greater in the pulmonary valve-sparing surgery group. CONCLUSIONS: PVA-related parameters evaluated by fetal echocardiography can predict the type of surgical intervention required and are valuable in improving prenatal counseling in fetal cases of TOF.
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Procedimentos Cirúrgicos Cardíacos , Valva Pulmonar , Tetralogia de Fallot , Feminino , Humanos , Gravidez , Tetralogia de Fallot/cirurgia , Estudos Retrospectivos , Valva Pulmonar/diagnóstico por imagem , Ecocardiografia , Resultado do TratamentoRESUMO
PURPOSE: We aimed to describe the vitamin D status and its distribution in different age groups, sexes, seasons, and provinces of a large Chinese population. METHODS: This study retrospectively analyzed 1,528,685 results of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in the central laboratory of KingMed Diagnostics. The samples were from the individuals aged 0-119 years old in 30 provinces of China. Serum 25(OH)D was measured by an accurate commercial liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method from January 2017 to December 2019. The subjects were stratified by age, sex, the season of blood collection, and the province of residence. RESULTS: The median 25(OH)D concentration was 25.5 ng/mL (interquartile range (IQR) 18.7-32.7 ng/mL) in males and 20.8 ng/mL (IQR 14.4-28.2 ng/mL) in females. Overall, the median 25(OH)D concentration decreased with age in both males and females. Males had a 0.2-2.4 ng/mL higher median 25(OH)D concentration than females in different age groups. Vitamin D deficiency (25(OH)D < 15 ng/mL for the individuals under 14 years old; < 20 ng/mL for the individuals over 14 years old) was found in 21.3% of males and 43.6% of females. Significant seasonal variation of serum 25(OH)D concentrations was repeatedly observed in 3 years, with median concentration higher in summer (25.3 ng/mL (IQR 19.3-31.9 ng/mL)) and lower in winter (18.5 ng/mL (IQR 12.3-26.6 ng/mL)). Vitamin D status varied by province. The median 25(OH)D concentration was the highest in Hainan (31.0 ng/mL (IQR 24.9-39.2 ng/mL)) and the lowest in Qinghai (14.4 ng/mL (IQR 9.6-20.0 ng/mL)). 25(OH)D2 was detected in 12.2% of the results, and no significant seasonal variation was observed. CONCLUSION: In China, vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in the population participating in clinical vitamin D measurement. Age and sex differences in vitamin D levels were observed in our study. Seasonal variation and provincial differences are important aspects of serum vitamin D status. 25(OH)D2 cannot be ignored entirely in clinical measurement practice in China.
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Espectrometria de Massas em Tandem , Deficiência de Vitamina D , Humanos , Feminino , Masculino , Recém-Nascido , Lactente , Pré-Escolar , Criança , Adolescente , Adulto Jovem , Adulto , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Estações do Ano , Cromatografia Líquida/métodos , Espectrometria de Massas em Tandem/métodos , Estudos Retrospectivos , População do Leste Asiático , Vitamina D , Calcifediol , Vitaminas , Deficiência de Vitamina D/epidemiologia , 25-Hidroxivitamina D 2RESUMO
Objective: Coronary artery fistula, defined as communication between a coronary artery and a great vessel or a cardiac chamber, is a relatively rare anomaly with an estimated incidence of 0.002% in the general population. It could be combined with a giant coronary artery aneurysm, with an incidence of 5.9% of the total incidence rate of CAF in the general population. The pathogenesis of these two combined anomalies is not clear, and we aimed to detect whether genetic abnormalities underlie the pathogenesis of these rarely combined anomalies. Materials and methods: A 6-year-old patient with a diagnosis of the right coronary artery to right ventricle fistula combined with a giant right coronary artery aneurysm and patent ductus arteriosus underwent a surgical repair at our center. The diagnosis was confirmed by echocardiography, CT, and surgery. DNA was extracted from the peripheral venous blood samples of the patient and his mother after informed consent was obtained. Hematoxylin and Eosin (HE) and Alizarin red staining were performed on the excised coronary artery aneurysm. Exome sequencing and in silico analyses were performed to detect detrimental genetic variants. Results: No obvious abnormalities were found in the excised coronary artery aneurysm. A heterozygous truncated variant (NM_144573: c.G298T; p.G100X) in the NEXN gene and a missense variant (NM_001171: c.G1312A; p.V438M) in the ABCC6 gene were carried by the patient but not by his mother. Conclusion: The NEXN-truncated variant, NEXN-G100X, is associated with the development of coronary arteries and congenital coronary artery anomalies.
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AIM: To compare the wavefront aberrations and corneal surface regularity between dry eye (DE) patients and normal subjects and assess its diagnostic performance for DE measured with OPD Scan-III. METHODS: Fifty right eyes of 50 DE patients and 31 right eyes of normal subjects were included. The examinations for ocular surface including logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution best-corrected distance visual acuity (logMAR BCVA) the ocular surface disease index (OSDI), tear film break-up time (TBUT) and corneal fluorescein staining (CFS). OPD Scan-III was used to measure anterior corneal aberrations including total corneal aberrations, high order aberration (HOA), coma, trefoil, spherical aberration (SA), standard deviation of corneal power (SDP), surface regularity index (SRI) and surface asymmetry index (SAI). Statistical analysis were assessed with nonparametric tests and Spearman's correlations. All parameters were also analyzed for sensitivity, specificity, and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves. RESULTS: Wavefront aberrations parameters including total corneal aberrations, HOA, coma, trefoil, and SA in DE group were significantly higher than those in normal group (P<0.001). Corneal surface regularity parameters including SRI and SAI in DE group were significantly higher than both in normal group (P<0.05). All the wavefront aberrations parameters had significant correlations with ocular surface parameters (P<0.05). The logMAR BCVA had positive correlations with SAI and SRI (all P<0.001). CFS scores had positive correlations with SAI and SRI (all P<0.001). All the wavefront aberrations parameters showed good diagnosis sensitivity and specificity, however, the corneal regularity parameters showed only good specificity but poor sensitivity. The cut-off value selected for trefoil in diagnosis DE showed the highest area under the curve (AUC, 0.921) values as compared to the other parameters with sensitivity of 0.955 and specificity of 0.867. CONCLUSION: Wavefront aberrations and corneal surface regularity are increased in DE patients and also correlated with ocular surface parameters. Wavefront aberrations parameters have potential to be indicators to diagnosis and monitor DE.
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To solve long-term lack of traceability of commercial calibrator kits and standardize clinical routine assays, we developed a human serum matrix-based unconjugated estriol (uE3) reference material (RM) with five concentration gradients. The RMs of uE3 were certified by the National Institute of Metrology (NIM) with the codes of GBW (E) 091048, GBW (E) 091049, GBW (E) 091050, GBW (E) 091051, and GBW (E) 091052. The RMs were determined by isotope dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (ID-LC-MS/MS) reference method which was developed in our group and recommended by the Joint Committee on Traceability on Laboratory Medicine (JCTLM). GBW09224 is intended for use as a primary reference material to enable the SI-traceable measurement of uE3. This study describes the development process of these certified RMs. The candidate material was prepared by collecting from the remaining serum samples after routine clinical testing. Satisfactory homogeneity and stability were shown in these RMs. They are also commutable between the reference method and the three routine clinical immunoassay systems. To improve the accuracy of value assignment, a collaborative study in nine reference laboratories was conducted which was performed according to ISO/WD 15725-1 and all of the reference laboratories have been confirmed by China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS). The raw results were statistically analyzed and processed, coupled with uncertainty evaluation, to obtain the certified value: GBW (E) 091048 is 22.1 ± 1.3 nmol/L, GBW (E) 091049 is 33.6 ± 1.6 nmol/L, GBW (E) 091050 is 10.4 ± 0.8 nmol/L, GBW (E) 091051 is 15.5 ± 1.0 nmol/L, GBW (E) 091052 is 47.0 ± 2.0 nmol/L. The preparation process of human serum matrix-based reference material and the lack of these type of secondary (commutable) reference material of unconjugated estriol lead to the interruption of its traceability chain, which is a problem to be solved in its standardization as mentioned in the metrological traceability in ISO 17511, 2020.