BACKGROUND Mild-to-moderate fibrosis is rarely diagnosed because the disease is asymptomatic in the early stage. The serum level of Mac-2 binding protein glycosylation isomer (M2BPGi) has been found to increase with the severity of liver fibrosis. The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic performance of M2BPGi in screening liver fibrosis using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) as a reference standard and to compare it with using the aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio (APRI) and the Fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4) in health checkups. METHODS This cross-sectional study consecutively selected subjects at health examinations who underwent MRE and M2BPGi testing at eight health promotion centers in Korea between January and September 2019. The serum M2BPGi level was measured using the chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay method. The measured levels were indexed using the cutoff index (COI). COI values of M2BPGi were compared with the MRE results. RESULTS The median (interquartile) values of COI for fibrosis stages F0 (normal liver stiffness), F1 (mild fibrosis), F2 (significant fibrosis), and ≥F3 (advanced fibrosis) were 0.49 (0.34-0.61), 0.48 (0.38-0.68), 0.64 (0.43-1.03), and 1.01 (0.75-1.77), respectively (P  less then  .0001). The AUCs of the COI for the screening of fibrosis stage ≥F1, ≥F2, and ≥F3 were 0.591, 0.698, and 0.853, respectively. Using a threshold of 0.75 for COI to exclude advanced fibrosis had a sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value of 80.0%, 77.9%, and 98.9%, respectively. The AUC for excluding advanced fibrosis was better for M2BPGi than for FIB-4 and APRI. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/odq.html CONCLUSION Serum M2BPGi was useful for screening significant and advanced fibrosis in health checkups. © 2020 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.OBJECTIVES Central or peripheral venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (va ECMO) is widely used in postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock (PCS). Available data suggest controversial results for both types. Our aim was to investigate PCS patients treated with either peripheral (pECMO) or central ECMO (cECMO) concerning their outcome. METHODS Between April 2006 and October 2016, 156 consecutive patients with va ECMO therapy due to PCS were identified and included in this retrospective analysis. Patients were divided into cECMO and pECMO groups. Statistical analysis of risk factors concerning 30-day mortality of the mentioned patient cohort was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics. RESULTS Fifty-six patients received cECMO and 100 patients were treated with pECMO due to PCS. In the group of cECMO peripheral vascular disease was significantly more present (cECMO 19 [34%] vs pECMO 14 [14%]; P  less then  .01). On-site ECMO complications occurred significantly more frequent in patients treated with cECMO (cECMO 44 [79%] vs pECMO 54 [54%] g/dL; P  less then  0.01). More often cECMO patients required a second look operation due to mediastinal bleeding (cECMO 52 [93%] vs pECMO 61 [61%] g/dL; P  less then  .01). Thirty-day mortality was comparable with nearly 70% in both cohorts (cECMO 39 [70%] vs pECMO 69 [69%]; P = .93). CONCLUSION Patients supported by cECMO or pECMO due to refractory PCS did not show significant differences in 30-day mortality, despite a lower incidence of on-site ECMO complications and re-exploration in pECMO patients. PCS itself is associated with high mortality and peripheral cannulation might help to save resources compared with central cannulation. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.We used a recently published, open-access data set of U.S. streamwater nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations to test whether watershed land use differentially influences N and P concentrations, including the relative availability of dissolved and particulate nutrient fractions. We tested the hypothesis that N and P concentrations and molar ratios in streams and rivers of the United States reflect differing nutrient inputs from three dominant land-use types (agricultural, urban and forested). We also tested for differences between dissolved inorganic nutrients and suspended particulate nutrient fractions to infer sources and potential processing mechanisms across spatial and temporal scales. Observed total N and P concentrations often exceeded reported thresholds for structural changes to benthic algae (58, 57% of reported values, respectively), macroinvertebrates (39% for TN and TP), and fish (41, 37%, respectively). The majority of dissolved N and P concentrations exceeded threshold concentrations kg within streams. Our findings suggest that most U.S. streams and rivers have concentrations of N and P exceeding those considered protective of ecological integrity, retain dissolved N less efficiently than P, which is retained proportionally more in particles, and thus transport and export high NP streamwater to downstream ecosystems on a continental scale. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.BACKGROUND Regular long-term physical exercise has favorable effects on endothelial function in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the effects of an acute exercise bout in the cold on endothelial function are not known. METHODS At first, the effects of moderate-intensity aerobic lower-body exercise were assessed in CAD patients (n=16) in a neutral [+22°C] and cold [-15°C] environment. Secondly, responses to static and dynamic upper-body exercise in a neutral [+22°C] and cold [-15°C] environment were investigated in CAD patients (n=15). All experiments were performed in a random order. Endothelial function was measured by flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery in response to reactive hyperaemia, before and after the exposures in a neutral environment. RESULTS No significant temperature*exercise*condition (pre-post) interaction was observed in FMD% when comparing rest vs. aerobic exercise or static vs. dynamic upper-body exercise. Relative reactive hyperaemia during FMD protocol, measured by changes in shear rate, was elevated after rest compared to aerobic exercise (p=0.001) and after static compared to dynamic upper-body exercise (p less then 0.001). However, no significant temperature*exercise*condition interaction was observed when FMD% was normalized shear rate. CONCLUSIONS Endothelial function to an acute bout of exercise among CAD patients were not modified by the environmental temperature where the exercise was performed. The present findings argue against the hypothesis that exercise in cold environmental conditions impair endothelial function in patients with CAD. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.