BACKGROUND: The contraction behaviors of cardiomyocytes (CMs), especially contraction synchrony, are crucial factors reflecting their maturity and response to drugs. A wider field of view helps to observe more pronounced synchrony differences, but the accompanied greater computational load, requiring more computing power or longer computational time. METHODS: We proposed a method that directly correlates variations in optical field brightness with cardiac tissue contraction status (CVB method), based on principles from physics and photometry, for rapid video analysis in wide field of view to obtain contraction parameters, such as period and contraction propagation direction and speed. RESULTS: Through video analysis of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived CMs labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) cultured on aligned and random nanofiber scaffolds, the CVB method was demonstrated to obtain contraction parameters and quantify the direction and speed of contraction within regions of interest (ROIs) in wide field of view. The CVB method required less computation time compared to one of the contour tracking methods, the LucasKanade (LK) optical flow method, and provided better stability and accuracy in the results. CONCLUSION This method has a smaller computational load, is less affected by motion blur and out-of-focus conditions, and provides a potential tool for accurate and rapid analysis of cardiac tissue contraction synchrony in wide field of view without the need for more powerful hardware.

ObjectiveTo carry out a health technology assessment （HTA） of acupuncture for secondary dysmenorrhea （SD） caused by adenomyosis and endometriosis， in order to provide a reference for relevant medical decision-making. MethodsFrom the perspective of the health system， the assessment covers seven areas， including the technical characteristics， safety， effectiveness， economics， ethical fairness， organizational adaptability， and impact on patients and society. The results are reported accordingly. ResultsThe operational specifications of acupuncture are standardized， and the conditions for its use are clearly defined. Acupuncture has a lower overall incidence of adverse events. The main adverse events are localized pain， subcutaneous bleeding， and dizziness， with most symptoms being mild， all of which have corresponding standard treatments. No reports on occupational or environmental safety were found， and the safety operation specifications are available for reference. Compared with conventional Western medicine， acupuncture demonstrates higher effectiveness. Acupuncture may improve the quality of life scores of patients， though no significant difference was observed. The cost of acupuncture is higher than that of conventional Western medicine， but its overall economic value is greater. The informed consent information is relatively comprehensive. Most patients are aware of the potential benefits and risks of acupuncture and voluntarily opt for it. The treatment process fully respects patient privacy and human rights. The clinical application of acupuncture follows the current acupuncture medical service model， with no special requirements for the level of medical institutions. Patient accessibility and affordability are suitable. Patient satisfaction is high. Most patients indicated they would choose acupuncture again for SD. The main barriers to choosing acupuncture are psychological factors （such as fear of acupuncture）， cost， and transportation issues. Nearly 70% of patients receiving acupuncture treatment benefit from medical insurance reimbursement， with reimbursement rates generally above 50%， indicating strong social security support. ConclusionThe implementation of HTA for acupuncture in the treatment of SD， using the standards for traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， is feasible. The implementation steps are clear， the data sources for each evaluation domain are adequate， the analysis methods are practical， and the evaluation results are comprehensive. Experts recommend that the findings be used as a reference for relevant medical decision-making.

BACKGROUND: The contraction behaviors of cardiomyocytes (CMs), especially contraction synchrony, are crucial factors reflecting their maturity and response to drugs. A wider field of view helps to observe more pronounced synchrony differences, but the accompanied greater computational load, requiring more computing power or longer computational time. METHODS: We proposed a method that directly correlates variations in optical field brightness with cardiac tissue contraction status (CVB method), based on principles from physics and photometry, for rapid video analysis in wide field of view to obtain contraction parameters, such as period and contraction propagation direction and speed. RESULTS: Through video analysis of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived CMs labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) cultured on aligned and random nanofiber scaffolds, the CVB method was demonstrated to obtain contraction parameters and quantify the direction and speed of contraction within regions of interest (ROIs) in wide field of view. The CVB method required less computation time compared to one of the contour tracking methods, the LucasKanade (LK) optical flow method, and provided better stability and accuracy in the results. CONCLUSION This method has a smaller computational load, is less affected by motion blur and out-of-focus conditions, and provides a potential tool for accurate and rapid analysis of cardiac tissue contraction synchrony in wide field of view without the need for more powerful hardware.

BACKGROUND: The contraction behaviors of cardiomyocytes (CMs), especially contraction synchrony, are crucial factors reflecting their maturity and response to drugs. A wider field of view helps to observe more pronounced synchrony differences, but the accompanied greater computational load, requiring more computing power or longer computational time. METHODS: We proposed a method that directly correlates variations in optical field brightness with cardiac tissue contraction status (CVB method), based on principles from physics and photometry, for rapid video analysis in wide field of view to obtain contraction parameters, such as period and contraction propagation direction and speed. RESULTS: Through video analysis of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived CMs labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) cultured on aligned and random nanofiber scaffolds, the CVB method was demonstrated to obtain contraction parameters and quantify the direction and speed of contraction within regions of interest (ROIs) in wide field of view. The CVB method required less computation time compared to one of the contour tracking methods, the LucasKanade (LK) optical flow method, and provided better stability and accuracy in the results. CONCLUSION This method has a smaller computational load, is less affected by motion blur and out-of-focus conditions, and provides a potential tool for accurate and rapid analysis of cardiac tissue contraction synchrony in wide field of view without the need for more powerful hardware.

BACKGROUND: The contraction behaviors of cardiomyocytes (CMs), especially contraction synchrony, are crucial factors reflecting their maturity and response to drugs. A wider field of view helps to observe more pronounced synchrony differences, but the accompanied greater computational load, requiring more computing power or longer computational time. METHODS: We proposed a method that directly correlates variations in optical field brightness with cardiac tissue contraction status (CVB method), based on principles from physics and photometry, for rapid video analysis in wide field of view to obtain contraction parameters, such as period and contraction propagation direction and speed. RESULTS: Through video analysis of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived CMs labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) cultured on aligned and random nanofiber scaffolds, the CVB method was demonstrated to obtain contraction parameters and quantify the direction and speed of contraction within regions of interest (ROIs) in wide field of view. The CVB method required less computation time compared to one of the contour tracking methods, the LucasKanade (LK) optical flow method, and provided better stability and accuracy in the results. CONCLUSION This method has a smaller computational load, is less affected by motion blur and out-of-focus conditions, and provides a potential tool for accurate and rapid analysis of cardiac tissue contraction synchrony in wide field of view without the need for more powerful hardware.

BACKGROUND: The contraction behaviors of cardiomyocytes (CMs), especially contraction synchrony, are crucial factors reflecting their maturity and response to drugs. A wider field of view helps to observe more pronounced synchrony differences, but the accompanied greater computational load, requiring more computing power or longer computational time. METHODS: We proposed a method that directly correlates variations in optical field brightness with cardiac tissue contraction status (CVB method), based on principles from physics and photometry, for rapid video analysis in wide field of view to obtain contraction parameters, such as period and contraction propagation direction and speed. RESULTS: Through video analysis of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived CMs labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) cultured on aligned and random nanofiber scaffolds, the CVB method was demonstrated to obtain contraction parameters and quantify the direction and speed of contraction within regions of interest (ROIs) in wide field of view. The CVB method required less computation time compared to one of the contour tracking methods, the LucasKanade (LK) optical flow method, and provided better stability and accuracy in the results. CONCLUSION This method has a smaller computational load, is less affected by motion blur and out-of-focus conditions, and provides a potential tool for accurate and rapid analysis of cardiac tissue contraction synchrony in wide field of view without the need for more powerful hardware.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effectiveness of additional anti-rotation steel plate assisted intramedullary nail technology in treatment of aseptic femoral non-union patients. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 21 patients with aseptic femoral non-union who admitted between September 2020 and October 2024 and treated with additional anti-rotation steel plate assisted intramedullary nail technology. There were 17 males and 4 females, aged 25-67 years (mean, 44 years). There were 19 cases of femoral anterograde intramedullary nail fixation, 1 case of femoral retrograde intramedullary nail fixation, and 1 case of steel plate fixation with fatigue fracture. There were 9 cases of hypertrophic non-union and 12 cases of atrophic non-union. All patients had varying degrees of fracture end atrophy/sclerosis. Among them, 20 patients who were fixed with intramedullary nails underwent removal of soft tissue and hardened bone at the fracture end, and cortical treatment resulted in the appearance of "chili sign" at the fracture end. Iliac bone grafting and anti-rotation steel plate fixation were performed. One patient with steel plate fixation was removed the steel palte and fixed with a retrograde intramedullary nail, while the hardened bone at the fracture end was removed, iliac bone grafting and anti-rotation steel plate fixation were performed. Postoperative follow-up observation included the incision healing, maximum knee flexion range of motion, bone healing, length of lower limbs, and subjective satisfaction. The lower extremity functional scale (LEFS) score was used to evaluate the lower limb function. RESULTS: All incisions healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 7-26 months (mean, 15.5 months). At last follow-up, the femoral fracture healed with the obvious callus formation at the fracture end; the maximum knee flexion range of motion was 95°-127° (mean, 112.67°). The LEFS score increased from 29.9±6.7 before operation to 75.9±3.0 at last follow-up, and the difference was significant (t=-29.622, P<0.001). Except for 1 patient who underwent intramedullary nail dynamic treatment before operation and had a lower limb shortening of about 0.9 cm, the other patients had bilateral lower limbs of equal length. All patients had no postoperative infections, mal-union of fractures, deep vein thrombosis, joint stiffness, or other complications. CONCLUSION The use of additional anti-rotation steel plate assisted intramedullary nail technology in the treatment of aseptic femoral non-union not only overcomes the drawbacks of insufficient stability at the fracture end of intramedullary nails, but also overcomes the shortcomings of biased fixation with steel plates. It has the advantages of minimal trauma, effective maintenance of fracture stability, and ideal postoperative functional recovery, making it an effective treatment for aseptic femoral non-union.
Humans ; Male ; Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary/instrumentation* ; Female ; Bone Plates ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Femoral Fractures/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Bone Nails ; Aged ; Fractures, Ununited/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome ; Bone Transplantation/methods* ; Steel ; Fracture Healing

Computational approaches, encompassing both physics-based and machine learning (ML) methodologies, have gained substantial traction in drug repurposing efforts targeting specific therapeutic entities. The human dopamine (DA) transporter (hDAT) is the primary therapeutic target of numerous psychiatric medications. However, traditional hDAT-targeting drugs, which interact with the primary binding site, encounter significant limitations, including addictive potential and stimulant effects. In this study, we propose an integrated workflow combining virtual screening based on weighted holistic atom localization and entity shape (WHALES) descriptors with in vitro experimental validation to repurpose novel hDAT-targeting drugs. Initially, WHALES descriptors facilitated a similarity search, employing four benztropine-like atypical inhibitors known to bind hDAT's allosteric site as templates. Consequently, from a compound library of 4,921 marketed and clinically tested drugs, we identified 27 candidate atypical inhibitors. Subsequently, ADMETlab was employed to predict the pharmacokinetic and toxicological properties of these candidates, while induced-fit docking (IFD) was performed to estimate their binding affinities. Six compounds were selected for in vitro assessments of neurotransmitter reuptake inhibitory activities. Among these, three exhibited significant inhibitory potency, with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values of 0.753 μM, 0.542 μM, and 1.210 μM, respectively. Finally, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and end-point binding free energy analyses were conducted to elucidate and confirm the inhibitory mechanisms of the repurposed drugs against hDAT in its inward-open conformation. In conclusion, our study not only identifies promising active compounds as potential atypical inhibitors for novel therapeutic drug development targeting hDAT but also validates the effectiveness of our integrated computational and experimental workflow for drug repurposing.

ObjectiveTo assess the level of internal exposure to PCP in a community population in Shanghai， to investigate the factors affecting the level of PCP， and to analyze the correlation between the exposure and thyroid hormone levels. MethodsA total of 464 residents of a community in Shanghai were selected as the study subjects. A questionnaire survey was conducted to obtain the demographic information， dietary situation， lifestyle and behavioral habits， and disease history of the individuals， and blood samples were collected. Gas chromatography-electron trap was applied to determine the PCP levels in serum. Multicategorical logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the possible influencing factors of PCP exposure in humans. Thyroid hormone levels were used as the dependent variable and serum PCP as the independent variable. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to assess the association between PCP and thyroid hormones in the community population after controlling the confounding factors such as age， gender， literacy， annual personal income， and chronic diseases. ResultsThe detection rate of serum PCP in 464 subjects was 90.3%， and the median serum PCP level was 0.43 μg·L^-1. The differences in PCP levels among different age groups were statistically significant. There were no significant differences in PCP levels among different gender and BMI groups. The study of PCP exposure factors showed that age， frequency of using plastic products， consumption of freshwater fish， type of occupation， annual income， and consumption of tea or coffee were the potential influencing factors for PCP exposure. Among them， age， frequency of using plastic products， consumption of tea or coffee， and consumption of freshwater fish were positively associated with PCP levels， and annual personal income was negatively associated with it. The results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that among men， PCP levels were positively correlated with TSH （b=0.105， 95%CI：0.017‒0.313） and negatively correlated with FT4 （b=-0.026， 95%CI：-0.057‒0.004）， and among women， PCP levels were positively correlated with TSH （b=0.092， 95%CI：-0.211‒0.904） and FT3 （b=0.017， 95%CI：-0.058‒0.230） and negatively correlated with FT4 （b=-0.013， 95%CI：-0.011‒0.037）. ConclusionSerum PCP detection is common among community residents in Shanghai. Different demographic characteristics or behavioral habits may increase or decrease PCP exposure. PCP exposure then affects human thyroid hormone levels.