A retrospective study of factors contributing to anchorage loss in upper premolar extraction cases

Background

Anchorage control is one of the components in the treatment of extraction cases. However, what determines more or less anchorage loss is still an unanswered question. Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the most important factors contributing to the anchorage loss of maxillary first molars in premolar extraction cases.

Materials and Methods

The study included 726 upper premolar extraction cases, including 214 male patients and 512 female patients, and the mean age was 14.4 ± 4.5 years old (range: 9-45). Factors including physiological characteristics, treatment mechanics, and cephalometric variables were collected and their influences on the angulation changes of maxillary first molars were analyzed.

Results

The mean angulation change of maxillary first molar after treatment was 2.81°(mesial tipping). The change of UM/PP showed a statistically significant difference in different sex (male 3.84° ± 5.26° vs female 2.38° ± 5.10°), age (adult -0.05° ± 4.73° vs teenager 3.46° ± 5.07°), and molar relationship (Class II 3.28° ± 5.15° vs Class I 2.36° ± 5.19°). There are six variables accounted in the regression analysis (R = 0.608, R² = 37.0%). Among them, the pre-treatment molar tipping (Standardized Coefficients: -0.65) and the pre-treatment incisor/molar height ratio (Standardized Coefficients: -0.27) were the most important factors influencing anchorage loss during treatment.

Conclusion

Compared with treatment-related factors, the patient's physiological characteristics play a more important role in anchorage loss. The pre-treatment angulation of the maxillary first molar is the most influential factor in changes to maxillary molar angulation, which are often predisposing anchorage loss.

[Consensus of experts on the medical risk prevention for the patients with cardiovascular diseases during dental treatment (2022 edition)]

With the aging process of population in the society, the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in China is increasing continuously and the number of dental patients with CVD is increasing gradually too. Due to the lack of guidelines for dental patients with CVD in our country, how to implement standardized preoperative evaluation and perioperative risk prevention remains a problem to be solved for dentists at present. The present expert consensus was reached by combining the clinical experiences of the expert group of the Fifth General Dentistry Special Committee, Chinese Stomatological Association and respiratory and cardiology experts in diagnosis and treatment for CVD patients, and by systematically summarizing the relevant international guidelines and literature regarding the relationship between CVD and oral diseases and the diagnosis and treatment of dental patients with heart failure, hypertension and antithrombotic therapy. The consensus aims to provide, for the dental clinicians, the criteria on diagnosis and treatment of CVD in dental patients in China so as to reduce the risk and complications, and finally to improve the treatment levels of dental patients with CVD in China.

[Transoral robotic surgery for treatment of lingual thyroglossal duct cyst]

Objective: To investigate the feasibility, safety and efficacy of transoral robotic surgery (TORS) in the treatment of lingual thyroglossal duct cyst (LTGDC). Methods: The clinical data of 10 patients with LTGDC treated with TORS in Tongji Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology from May 2017 to November 2020 were analyzed retrospectively,including 6 males and 4 females, aged 5-44 years. The cysts were fully exposed, and resection usually started from the cephalic side of lesions. The range of resection was 3 to 5 mm away from the lesions, and partial hyoid bone was removed if necessary. Intra-operative robotic set-up time,operation time and estimated blood loss,and post-operative local bleeding, dyspnea and recovery time for oral intake were analyzed. SPSS 12.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results: The cysts in all 10 patients were successfully resected by TORS with da Vinci Si surgical system. The mean robotic set-up and exposure time, operation time, estimated intraoperative blood loss and recovery time for oral intake were (15.5±7.1) min, (17.6±7.4) min, (8.9±6.4)ml and (2.3±2.2)days, respectively. No patient required tracheostomy intra-or post-operatively, and no symptoms of airway obstruction, postoperative bleeding, pharyngeal fistula, hoarseness and neurological impairment occurred after operation. The patients were followed up for 5 to 47 months, with median follow-up time of 17 months, and no recurrence was observed. Conclusion: TORS is safe and feasible for resection of LTGDC, with rapid recovery and low recurrence rate.

Bacteria, Protists, and Fungi May Hold Clues of Seamount Impact on Diversity and Connectivity of Deep-Sea Pelagic Communities

The topography and hydrography around seamounts have a strong influence on plankton biogeography. The intrinsic properties of various biological taxa inherently also shape their distribution. Therefore, it is hypothesized that different pelagic groups respond differently to effects of seamounts regarding their distribution and connectivity patterns. Herein, bacterial, protist, and fungal diversity was investigated across the water column around the Kocebu Guyot in the western Pacific Ocean. A higher connectivity was detected for bacteria than for protists and an extremely low connectivity for fungi, which might be attributed to parasitic and commensal interactions of many fungal taxa. The seamount enhanced the vertical connectivity of bacterial and protist communities, but significantly reduced protist connectivity along horizontal dimension. Such effects provide ecological opportunities for eukaryotic adaption and diversification. All the bacterial, protist, and fungal communities were more strongly affected by deterministic than stochastic processes. Drift appeared to have a more significant role in influencing the fungal community than other groups. Our study indicates the impact of seamounts on the pelagic community distribution and connectivity and highlights the mechanism of horizontally restricted dispersal combined with vertical mixing, which promotes the diversification of eukaryotic life.

A dark-tolerant diatom (Chaetoceros) cultured from the deep sea

Although the extreme conditions of the deep sea are typically not suitable for the growth of photosynthetic algae, accumulating evidence indicates that there are diverse healthy phytoplankton living in this environment. However, living phytoplankton from the deep sea have rarely been isolated and cultivated, and so our understanding of where they come from and how they adapt to (or tolerate) the extreme deep-sea environment is limited. Here, under long-term dark stress and subsequent light treatment, we successfully isolated a diatom from a depth of 1,000 m in the Western Pacific Ocean. Morphological observations and molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed that it is affiliated to the genus Chaetoceros, and thus, we tentatively named it Chaetoceros sp. DS1. We observed that the chloroplast genome of this species, is most closely related to that of Chaetoceros simplex. It was shown to have a strong tolerance to darkness in that it maintained its morphological integrity and vitality for up to 3 months in complete darkness at room temperature. We also demonstrated that Chaetoceros sp. DS1 presented a facultative heterotrophic function. Its growth was promoted by many organic carbon sources (e.g., glycerine, ethanol, and sodium acetate) under low light conditions. However, under dark and high light conditions, the growth promotion effect of organic carbon was not obvious. Indeed, Chaetoceros sp. DS1 grew best under low light conditions, indicating that it likely came from the deeper layer of the euphotic zone. The facultative heterotrophic function of this diatom and tolerance to darkness may help it survive in these conditions or enter a dormant period in the deep sea.

A drug-in-adhesive anti-onychomycotic nail patch: Influence of drug and adhesive nature on drug release, ungual permeation, in vivo residence in human and anti-fungal efficacy

A nail patch is an attractive option for the topical treatment of onychomycosis, although no product is commercially available. We previously identified optimal nail patch formulations for two anti-onychomycotic drugs, based on their properties, as well as those of the other patch components. In this paper, our aim was to further investigate the potential of the patch formulations as topical nail medicines, in particular, whether the drug-in-adhesive patches release drug which then permeates into and through the nail plate and show anti-fungal efficacy, and whether and to what extent they remain adhered to the human nail plate in vivo when tested over 2 week durations. In addition, the influence of the drug (amorolfine HCl, ciclopirox olamine) and PSA (Duro-Tak 2852 or Duro-Tak 202A) on these parameters was determined. We found that both the nature of the drug and of the PSA influenced in vitro drug release. The nature of the drug, but not that of the PSA, influenced ungual drug permeation through human nail clippings, with considerably greater (almost double) permeation for ciclopirox olamine, the smaller and less lipophilic molecule. In vivo residence, tested with 3 out of the 4 patches, excluding the patch where ciclopirox olamine degraded with time, showed greater residence on toenails compared to fingernails reflecting their far lesser exposure to environmental stresses during daily activities. In vivo residence was enhanced when the patch was cut to the shape of the nail, was applied at bedtime, and when a clear colourless nail varnish was applied on top of the patch to 'seal' it into place on the nail. Comparison of the patches indicated greater residence of Duro-Tak 202A containing patches over those containing Duro-Tak 2852. Amorolfine HCl in Duro-Tak 202A based patch also showed antifungal efficacy in contrast to Duro-Tak 2852-based patch, and is particularly promising for further development as a potential toenail medicine, remaining almost fully adhered to toenails for at least two weeks.

[One-year follow-up results of atrial fibrillation patients who undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation]

Objective: To investigate whether atrial fibrillation (AF) before transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) will affect the prognosis of patients post TAVI. Methods: This is a single center retrospective study. A total of 115 patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) who were admitted to General Hospital of Northern Theater Command from May 2016 to November 2020 and successfully received TAVI treatment were included. According to absence or accompaniment of AF pre-TAVI, they were divided into AF group (21 cases) and non-AF group (94 cases). The patients were followed up for postoperative antithrombotic treatment and the occurrence of the net adverse clinical and cerebrovascular events (NACCE) at 12 months post TAVI, including cardiogenic death, readmission to hospital for heart failure, nonfatal myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke and severe bleeding (BARC levels 3-5). Univariate logistic regression was used to analyze the related factors of NACCE. Results: Among the 115 selected patients, age was (73.8±6.9) years, there were 63 males. And 21 cases (18.2%) were diagnosed as AFbefore TAVI. In terms of postoperative antithrombotic therapy, 48.9% (46/94) of the patients in the non-AF group received monotherapy and 47.9% (45/94) received dual antiplatelet therapy. In the AF group, 47.6% (10/21) received anticoagulants and 33.3% (7/21) received dual antiplatelet therapy. The proportion of patients in the AF group taking non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOAC) was higher than that in the non-AF group (38.1% (8/21) vs. 2.1% (2/94), P<0.001). Patients in both groups were followed up to 12 months after TAVI. During the 12 months follow-up, the incidence of NACCE after TAVI was 14.3% (3/21) in the AF group, which was numerically higher than that in the non-AF group (6.4% (6/94)), but the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.441). The incidence of severe bleeding was significantly higher in the AF group than in the non-AF group (9.5% (2/21) vs. 0, P=0.032). Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that hypertension was associated with the risk of NACCE (OR=8.308, P=0.050), while AF was not associated with the risk of NACCE (P=0.235). Conclusion: The incidence of severe bleeding after TAVI is higher in patients with AF than in patients without AF prior TAVI, and there is a trend of increased risk of NACCE post TAVI in AF patients.

[Clinical characteristics of arrhythmia-onset sarcoidosis cases]

Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics of sarcoidosis patients with arrhythmia as the primary or main manifestation. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of arrhythmia-onset sarcoidosis cases between January 2017 and December 2020. Their clinical manifestations, radiological features, treatment and prognosis were reviewed and analyzed. Results: This study consisted of 3 females and 1 male, with a mean age of 51 years (range from 42 to 58 years old). Arrhythmia was the first or main clinical manifestation for all 4 cases, involving Ⅲ° atrioventricular block (AVB) (n=1), Ⅱ° type Ⅱ AVB (n=1), and frequent ventricular premature beats and short array ventricular tachycardia (n=2). Three cases were diagnosed with respiratory sarcoidosis simultaneously during the diagnostic evaluation for arrhythmia. One case was diagnosed with sarcoidosis because of abnormal chest CT images due to cervical lymph node enlargement 5 years after arrhythmia. All 4 cases were confirmed as presenting epithelioid cell granulomatous inflammation by bronchoscopic biopsies. Late gadolinium enhancement with cardiac magnetic resonance (LGE-CMR) imaging was arranged for two cases. Both of them had typical imaging findings of cardiac sarcoidosis. Three cases were confirmed of cardiac involvement through positron emission computed tomography (PET)-CT. None of the enrolled four cases were arranged with endomyocardial biopsy. All four cases were improved with oral corticosteroids, immunosuppressants and anti-arrhythmic medications. Two cases underwent cardiac pacemaker implantation. Conclusions: The possibility of cardiac sarcoidosis should be considered in middle-aged and elderly patients with unexplained high-degree AVB or ventricular arrhythmia. Chest CT is recommended for routine screening for those cases. LGE-CMR and/or PET-CT is recommended for them to confirm the diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis. Corticosteroids and immunosuppressants are effective for these patients.

Biological Response of Planktic Foraminifera to Decline in Seawater pH

Understanding the way in which a decline in ocean pH can affect calcareous organisms could enhance our ability to predict the impacts of the potential decline in seawater pH on marine ecosystems, and could help to reconstruct the paleoceanographic events over a geological time scale. Planktic foraminifera are among the most important biological proxies for these studies; however, the existing research on planktic foraminifera is almost exclusively based on their geochemical indices, without the inclusion of information on their biological development. Through a series of on-board experiments in the western tropical Pacific (134°33′54″ E, 12°32′47″ N), the present study showed that the symbiont-bearing calcifier Trilobatus sacculifer—a planktic foraminifer—responded rapidly to a decline in seawater pH, including losing symbionts, bleaching, etc. Several indices were established to quantify the relationships between these biological parameters and seawater pH, which could be used to reconstruct the paleoceanographic seawater pH. We further postulated that the loss of symbionts in planktic foraminifera acts as an adaptive response to the stress of low pH. Our results indicate that an ongoing decline in seawater pH may hinder the growth and calcification of planktic foraminifera by altering their biological processes. A reduction in carbonate deposition and predation could have profound effects on the carbon cycle and energy flow in the marine food web.

Investigation of discordant sibling pairs from hereditary breast cancer families and analysis of a rare PMS1 variant

BACKGROUND

It is likely that additional genes for hereditary breast cancer can be identified using a discordant sib pair design. Using this design we identified individuals harboring a rare PMS1 c.605G>A variant previously predicted to result in loss of function.

OBJECTIVES

A family-based design and predictive algorithms were used to prioritize candidate variants possibly associated with an increased risk of hereditary breast cancer. Functional analyses were performed for one of the candidate variants, PMS1 c.605G>A.

METHODS

1) 14 discordant sister-pairs from hereditary breast cancer families were identified. 2) Whole exome sequencing was performed and candidate risk variants identified. 3) A rare PMS variant was identified in 2 unrelated affected sisters but no unaffected siblings. 4) Functional analysis of this variant was carried out using targeted mRNA sequencing.

RESULTS

Genotype-phenotype correlation did not demonstrate tracking of the variant with cancer in the family. Functional analysis revealed no difference in exon 6 incorporation, which was validated by analyzing PMS1 allele specific expression.

CONCLUSIONS

The PMS1 c.605G>A variant did not segregate with disease, and there was no variant-dependent impact on PMS1 exon 6 splicing, supporting this variant is likely benign. Functional analyses are imperative to understanding the clinical significance of predictive algorithms.

[Key data elements for clinical management and outcomes of patients with coronary artery disease: definitions from Coronary Artery Disease and Creative Antithrombotic Clinical Research Collaboration (CardiaCare)]

Objective: To develop a set of data elements and standardized definitions of Coronary Artery Disease and Creative Antithrombotic Clinical Research Collaboration (CardiaCare), aiming to facilitate the exchange of disparate data sources, enhance the abilities to support multicenter researches, and subsequently ensure the databases use under standardized process and criteria. Methods: The Cardiacare writing committee members reviewed data elements and definitions from published guidelines, clinical trials, databases, and standardized documents, then determined the data elements and standardized definitions, which should be included in CardiaCare. The writing committee also considered the specific domestic clinical management strategies during the establishment of Cardiacare. The resulting documents provide a series of key data elements and standardized definitions used in the management of coronary artery disease patients. Key data elements from CardiaCare could be sorted by clinical management flowsheet and outcome from hospitalization to long-term follow-up. Results: The Cardiacare standardized set comprised 864 data elements from admission to post-hospital follow-up visit. There were 8 tables in the documents, including demographic and admission information (23 elements), medical history and risk factors (102 elements), clinical presentations and diagnosis (22 elements), diagnostic and laboratory tests (111 elements), interventional diagnosis and treatment (118 elements), pharmacological therapy (213 elements), clinical outcomes (161 elements), and special subpopulations (114 elements: 87 elements for transcatheter valve replacement and 27 elements with cardiac rehabilitation). Conclusions: The Cardiacare standardized data elements set could provide support for real-world clinical research in consecutive data collection and databases mining. A wider applicability in various settings of CardiaCare needs to be explored further.

Efficient, Flexible Autoinduction Expression Systems with Broad Initiation in Bacillus subtilis

Low expression levels and inflexible induction initiation have been the main obstacles to produce proteins using bacterial quorum sensing (QS). The typical QS system in Bacillus subtilis, ComQXPA, activates the promoter P_srfA using ComX and ComA as an auto-inducer and a promoter activator, respectively. Here, we developed a series of flexible autoinduction expression systems in B. subtilis WB600 based on ComQXPA using a super-folder green fluorescent protein as the reporter. The -35 region of P_srfA was replaced with corresponding conserved sequences of σA-dependent promoters, yielding P₁ with 85% enhanced strength. We then applied a semi-rational design within the spacer between the -35 and -15 regions of P₁ to generate the QS promoter P_S1E, which generated 8.22-fold more expression than P_srfA. Based on P_S1E, we finally obtained three types of autoinduction expression systems with initiation ranging from 1.5-9.5 h by optimizing the combination of the promoters for ComX and ComA. The yield of Bacillus deramificans pullulanase generated using autoinduction expression systems in B. subtilis reached 80.2 U/mL, which was 36% more than that of the most powerful constitutive promoter P₅₆₆. Flexible autoinduction expression systems with diverse dynamic features have considerable potential for improving protein expression and metabolite production in B. subtilis.

Comparison between a novel sirolimus-eluting bioresorbable scaffold with everolimus-eluting metallic stent in patients with coronary artery disease: three-year follow-up from the neovas rct study

Background

Previous trials and meta-analyses have demonstrated that risk of adverse clinical events, especially thrombosis and target vessel myocardial infarction is increasing between 1 and 3 years after Bioresorbable Scaffolds (BRS) implantation.

Purpose

We sought to evaluate the long-term clinical outcomes of a novel NeoVas BRS in comparison with cobalt chromium everolimus-eluting stent (EES) following implantation in patients with coronary artery disease by 3-year follow-up results from the NeoVas RCT.

Methods

Overall, 560 patients with a single de novo native coronary artery lesion with reference vessel diameter 2.5–3.75 mm and lesion length ≤20 mm were randomized 1:1 to NeoVas BRS vs. cobalt-chromium everolimus-eluting stents (CoCr-EES). Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and fractional flow reserve (FFR) were both performed in a pre-specified subgroup at 3-year follow-up. Clinical outcomes from NeoVas RCT were analyzed by randomized device (intention to treat) cumulative to 3 years.

Results

Over 3 years, the overall target lesion failure (TLF) rate was 6.9% in the NeoVas group and 6.1% in the CoCr-EES group (HR 1.13, 95% CI 0.59 to 2.18; p=0.71). There was no statistically significant difference of the definite or probable stent thrombosis between the NeoVas group and the CoCr-EES group (1.1% vs. 0.7%, HR 1.51, 95% CI 0.26 to 8.73, p=0.64). In a landmark analysis of TLF, we found no difference in rate of late events from 2 to 3 years between two groups. FFR was not significantly different between the two group at 3 years (NeoVas vs. CoCr-EES, 0.89±0.07 vs. 0.90±0.05). NeoVas was largely absorbed (72.26% ± 13.21%) examined by OCT follow-up. Of 55 patients who finished 3-year absorption analysis, NeoVas was totally absorbed in 4 patients.

Conclusions

At the 3-year follow-up in the Neovas RCT trial, overall TLF rates were comparable between Neovas BRS and CoCr-EES, and adverse event rates relating to device safety were not increased with Neovas BRS compared with CoCr-EES up to 3 years after implantation.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: None.

[Technological evolution of laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgery in China]

After 30 years of development in China, laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgery has been widely accepted and popularized. In recent years, the application of a series of novel technologies, such as 3D laparoscopic system, 4k high-definition laparoscopy, near-infrared fluorescence imaging technique and telesurgery with 5G wireless system has injected new vitality to the laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgery in new era. It also well contributes to the further promotion and standardization of minimally invasive gastrointestinal surgery. This article reviews the application and development of novel techniques in minimally invasive gastrointestinal surgery. It is concluded that great progress has been made in clinical application of minimally invasive gastrointestinal surgery in China. In terms of surgical technology and equipment development, the period of mechanical imitation has passed and a new era focusing on innovation and originality is coming in China. The authors believe that Chinese laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgeons should remember their original intention, insist on the patient-centered concept in diagnosis and treatment, maintain innovative thinking and attitude and thus, push the development of minimally invasive gastrointestinal surgery to a new height in China.

[Perioperative serious complications in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement: a single-center experience]

Objective: To observe the incidence of perioperative severe complications in aortic stenosis (AS) patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVR), and to explore the influence of the accumulated experience of the operators on the incidence of complications. Methods: This is a single-center retrospective study. Patients with AS who underwent TAVR from May 2016 to November 2020 in General Hospital of Northern Theater Command were included. The occurrence of severe complications during perioperative period was recorded. Severe complications included all-cause death, surgical transfer to thoracotomy, coronary artery occlusion, peripheral vascular approach complications, severe cerebrovascular events, moderate or above perivalvular leakage, valve displacement (implanted valve middle valve), pacemaker implantation, etc. In order to observe the influence of the accumulated experience of the operators on the occurrence of postoperative complications, the complications in each stage of the patients were counted and the bar chart was drawn with interval of every 30 patients. Results: A total of 119 patients were included, including 64 males and 55 females, the mean age was (73.9±6.9) years. The valve implantation was unsuccessful in 3 out of 119 patients (2.5%). There were 39 cases of severe complications during perioperative period, including 1 death (0.8%), 2 cases of thoracotomy (1.7%), 2 cases of coronary artery occlusion (1.7%), 8 cases of peripheral vascular approach complications (6.7%), and 1 case of new severe cerebrovascular event (0.8%), 3 cases of moderate or higher perivalvular leakage (2.5%), 8 cases of valve displacement leads to midvalvular implantation (6.7%), 14 cases of permanent pacemaker implantation due to new atrioventricular block (11.8%). The bar chart showed that the incidence of permanent pacemaker implantation and in-valve implantation did not significantly decrease with the accumulation of experience, while the incidence of other complications showed a decreasing trend after 30 cases. Conclusions: Most serious complications occurred in the early stage of TAVR in our center. The incidence of all cause death, coronary artery occlusion and peripheral vascular approach complications in the perioperative period post TAVR could be reduced in the TAVR center in the learning stage through the accumulation of procedure-related experience, but the incidence of pacemaker placement and the implanted valve within the valve dose not significantly decrease over time.

[Progress of researches on roles of dendritic cells in immune tolerance caused by Echinococcus infections]

Dendritic cells (DCs), a type of antigen-presenting cells (APC), are recognized as an important regulator of immune response and immune tolerance, and play a critical role in the host innate immunity and adaptive immunity. Previous studies have shown that the long-term parasization of Echinococcus in the host is strongly associated with the host immune tolerance induced by DCs. This review summarizes the research progress of the role of DCs in host immune tolerance caused Echinococcus infection, aiming to provide the theoretical basis and insights into the management and immunotherapy of Echinococcus infections.

Quantification of peak blood flow velocity at the cardiac valve and great thoracic vessels by four-dimensional flow and two-dimensional phase-contrast MRI compared with echocardiography: a systematic review and meta-analysis

AIM

To objectively examine the agreement and correlation between four-dimensional (4D) flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and traditional two-dimensional (2D) phase-contrast (PC) MRI with the reference standard of Doppler echocardiography for measuring peak blood velocity at the cardiac valve and great arteries, and to assess if 4D flow MRI offers an advantage over the traditional 2D method.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The literature was searched systematically for studies that evaluate the degree of correlation and agreement between 4D flow MRI or 2D PC MRI and Doppler retrieved from PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library. A meta-analysis was conducted to determine the peak velocity pooled bias with 95% limits of agreement (LoA) and correlation coefficient (r) for 4D flow MRI and 2D PC MRI compared with Doppler.

RESULTS

Ten studies that compared 4D flow MRI with Doppler and 12 studies that compared 2D PC MRI with Doppler were included. 4D flow MRI showed an underestimation with bias and 95% LoA of -0.09 (-0.41, 0.24) m/s (p=0.079) while 2D PC MRI showed a poorer agreement with a bias and 95% LoA of -0.25 (-0.53, 0.03), p=0.596. 4D flow MRI and 2D PC MRI showed a strong correlation with R=0.80 (95% CI 0.75, 0.84; p<0.001) and R=0.83 (95% CI 0.79, 0.87; p<0.001), respectively.

CONCLUSION

In this meta-analysis, 4D flow MRI provides improved assessment of peak velocity when compared with traditional 2D PC MRI. 4D flow MRI can be considered an important complement or substitute to Doppler echocardiography for peak velocity assessment.

Two new species of nematodes from shallow and deep-water sediments in the South China Sea

Two new species of free-living marine nematodes from the South China Sea are described: Gomphionema setiforme sp. nov. from intertidal sediment and Paracomesoma longissimum sp. nov. from upper continental slope sediment. Gomphionema setiforme sp. nov. is characterized by the punctated cuticle without lateral differentiation and cuticular pores; short cephalic setiform sensilla; spiral amphideal fovea with 4 turns close to the anterior body extremity; large cuticularized buccal cavity with a massive dorsal tooth; pharynx with a large posterior bulb; short, curved spicules; knife-like gubernaculum without apophyses and 11 cup-shaped precloacal supplements. Paracomesoma longissimum sp. nov. is characterized by cuticle with transverse rows of fine punctuations without lateral differentiation; buccal cavity with three teeth; lateral outer labial setiform sensilla 1.5 times as long as the other four outer labial setiform sensilla; spiral amphideal fovea with 2.5 turns; spicules 350360 m long or 15.716 times cloacal body diameter; plate-like gubernaculum without apophyses and 2528 papilliform precloacal supplements.