(Hemiptera Reduviidae) is a hematophagous insect and the main vector of (Kinetoplastida Trypanosomatidae). In the present study, the authors investigated whether a serine protease activity from the saliva of has a role in vasomotor modulation, and in the insect-blood feeding by cleaving and activating protease-activated receptors (PARs). saliva was chromatographed as previously reported for purification of triapsin, a serine protease. The cleavage activity of triapsin on PAR peptides was investigated based on FRET technology. Mass spectrometry was used to analyze the sites of PAR-2 peptide cleaved by triapsin. learn more NO measurements were performed using the DAN assay (2,3-diaminonapthalene). The vasorelaxant activity of triapsin was measured in vessels with or without functional endothelium pre-contracted with phenylephrine (3 µM). Intravital microscopy was used to assess the effect of triapsin on mouse skin microcirculation. Triapsin was able to induce hydrolysis of PAR peptides and showed a higher prvation and vasodilation caused by saliva.Data from this study suggest a plausible association between triapsin activity mediated PAR-2 activation and vasodilation caused by T. infestans saliva. To explore the incidence, predictors, and prognosis of intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP)-related thrombocytopenia in critically ill patients. This multi-center study used the eICU Collaborative Research Database V1.2, comprising data on > 130,000 patients from multiple intensive care units (ICUs) in America between 2014 and 2015. A total of 710 patients undergoing IABP were included. Thrombocytopenia was defined as a drop in platelet count > 50% from baseline. From the cohort, 167 patients who developed thrombocytopenia were matched 11 with 167 patients who did not, after propensity score (PS) matching. The associations between IABP-related thrombocytopenia and clinical outcomes were examined by multivariable logistic regression. Among 710 patients undergoing IABP, 249 patients (35.07%) developed thrombocytopenia. The APACHE IVa score was a predictor of thrombocytopenia [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.09, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-1.15]. After 11 PS matching, in-hospital mortality (adjusteU and in-hospital LOS. Nonagenarians (NG), individuals aged ≥ 90 years, constitute an increasing proportion of hospitalizations presenting with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, not much is known about demographics, clinical outcomes, and trends of hospitalizations. Therefore, we analyzed data about hospitalizations and clinical outcomes among NGs with AF over ten years from 2005 to 2014 using a publically available database, the National Inpatient Sample. All hospitalizations and major outcomes of subjects ≥ 90 years with a primary diagnosis of AF (ICD-9-CM code 427.31) over a ten-year period were assessed in this study by multivariate logistic regression analysis. There were more females than males (176,268 females, 51,384 males) in this analysis. The number of hospitalizations for AF among NG increased by 50% (17,295 in 2005 to 25,830 in 2014). Males were more likely to undergo cardioversion (6.14% of males . 5.06% of females, < 0.0001). Over this period, in-hospital mortality declined from 3.21% in 2005 to 2.38% les population, mortality trends improved, rates of anticoagulation increased, and cardioversions increased. Despite the decreasing trend of in-hospital mortality since 2005, the relatively high mortality rate in males warrants further studies. To analyze the causes of renal artery stenosis (RAS) and compare the clinical characteristics in accordance with the primary disease among patients aged from 30 to 50. Patients were grouped by etiologies of RAS. Groups were retrospectively examined and compared regarding demographic data, clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, and imaging findings. A total of 152 patients (74 females, 78 males; mean age 40.70 ± 6.01 years) were enrolled, including 84 patients (55.3%) with atherosclerosis (AS), 46 patients (30.3%) with Takayasu arteritis (TA), 18 patients (11.8%) with fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD), and four patients (2.6%) with other etiologies. Patients in AS group had greater body mass index, higher prevalence of comorbidities and higher rate of smoking and drinking history. TA patients showed more constitutional symptoms and vascular findings, and higher erythrocyte sedimentation rate. RAS in both AS group and TA group mainly located on ostia and proximal segments, but RAS in FMD group mainly involved middle to distal segment of renal artery. The AS group had significantly lesser stenosis than the other groups. Although renal function evaluated by the estimated glomerular filtration rate did not significantly differ among the groups, the incidence of kidney shrinkage was significantly higher in the TA and FMD groups (39.1% and 50%, respectively) than in the AS group (8.3%). The FMD group had milder cardiac damage than other groups. AS was the most common cause of RAS in patients aged from 30 to 50, followed by TA and FMD. The etiology of RAS should be carefully distinguished based on clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, and imaging to ensure that proper treatment is provided.AS was the most common cause of RAS in patients aged from 30 to 50, followed by TA and FMD. The etiology of RAS should be carefully distinguished based on clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, and imaging to ensure that proper treatment is provided. Few studies from developed countries have quantitatively characterized the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients receiving contemporary intensive cardiac care. We sought to investigate these data in patients admitted to a Chinese intensive cardiac care unit (ICCU). We conducted a retrospective study using data from 2,337 consecutive admissions to the ICCU at a large centre in China from June 2016 to May 2017. Data were captured after systematic inspection of individual medical records regarding current demographics, primary diagnosis, comorbidities, illnesses severity, and in-hospital outcomes. The mean age was 65.6 ± 14.2 years, and females accounted for 32.0% of patients. The Charlson Comorbidity Index and Oxford Acute Severity of Illness Score were 2.4 ± 1.8 and 22.5 ± 10.4, respectively. The top reason for admission was ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (32.0%), and nonischaemic heart diseases accounted for 31.2% of all primary diagnoses. Noncardiovascular diseases were prevalent in the ICCU population, including chronic illnesses and acute noncardiovascular critical illnesses (ANCIs); in particular, 21.