Science China. Life sciences
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In this study, we quantitatively compared relaxation enhanced compressed sensing (RECS-3D MERGE) with conventional 3D MERGE techniques on blood suppression efficiency, wall-lumen contrast and plaque burden measurement for carotid atherosclerotic imaging in equal scan time. Twelve patients were recruited in the study. RECS-3D MERGE and conventional 3D MERGE were implemented. 2D DIR-FSE was carried out as a reference standard. ⋯ However, the WA of 3D MERGE was significantly larger. The RECS-3D MERGE sequence achieved more sufficient blood suppression and higher image contrast without prolonging the scan time. These improvements lead to more accurate morphological measurements of carotid atherosclerotic imaging.
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Fulminant myocarditis is primarily caused by infection with any number of a variety of viruses. It arises quickly, progresses rapidly, and may lead to severe heart failure or circulatory failure presenting as rapid-onset hypotension and cardiogenic shock, with mortality rates as high as 50%-70%. Most importantly, there are no treatment options, guidelines or an expert consensus statement. ⋯ In this statement, we describe the clinical features and diagnostic criteria of fulminant myocarditis, and importantly, for the first time, we describe a new treatment regimen termed life support-based comprehensive treatment regimen. The core content of this treatment regimen includes (i) mechanical life support (applications of mechanical respirators and circulatory support systems, including intraaortic balloon pump and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, (ii) immunological modulation by using sufficient doses of glucocorticoid, immunoglobulin and (iii) antiviral reagents using neuraminidase inhibitor. The proper application of this treatment regimen may and has helped to save the lives of many patients with fulminant myocarditis.
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Thanks to the fast improvement of the computing power and the rapid development of the computational chemistry and biology, the computer-aided drug design techniques have been successfully applied in almost every stage of the drug discovery and development pipeline to speed up the process of research and reduce the cost and risk related to preclinical and clinical trials. Owing to the development of machine learning theory and the accumulation of pharmacological data, the artificial intelligence (AI) technology, as a powerful data mining tool, has cut a figure in various fields of the drug design, such as virtual screening, activity scoring, quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis, de novo drug design, and in silico evaluation of absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADME/T) properties. Although it is still challenging to provide a physical explanation of the AI-based models, it indeed has been acting as a great power to help manipulating the drug discovery through the versatile frameworks. Recently, due to the strong generalization ability and powerful feature extraction capability, deep learning methods have been employed in predicting the molecular properties as well as generating the desired molecules, which will further promote the application of AI technologies in the field of drug design.
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The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated protein 9 (CRISPR-Cas9) system provides a novel genome editing technology that can precisely target a genomic site to disrupt or repair a specific gene. Some CRISPR-Cas9 systems from different bacteria or artificial variants have been discovered or constructed by biologists, and Cas9 nucleases and single guide RNAs (sgRNA) are the major components of the CRISPR-Cas9 system. These Cas9 systems have been extensively applied for identifying therapeutic targets, identifying gene functions, generating animal models, and developing gene therapies. ⋯ The current review focuses on delivery systems for Cas9 mRNA, Cas9 protein, or vectors encoding the Cas9 gene and corresponding sgRNA. Non-viral delivery of Cas9 appears to help Cas9 maintain its on-target effect and reduce off-target effects, and viral vectors for sgRNA and donor template can improve the efficacy of genome editing and homology-directed repair. Safe, efficient, and producible delivery systems will promote the application of CRISPR-Cas9 technology in human gene therapy.