Objective To explore the value of ascending aortic longitudinal strain (LS) in identification of hypertensive (HP) patients with a high risk of type A aortic dissection (AAD). Methods Total 40 primary HP patients with AAD (group C), 80 selected age‐ and sex‐matched primary HP patients (group A, normal‐sized ascending aorta (AA), n = 40; group B, dilated AA, n = 40) and 40 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. Brachial blood pressures were measured, and the aortic stiffness index (β) determined by M‐mode analysis was calculated as a conventional parameter of arterial stiffness. The LS of the anterior and posterior ascending aortic wall (AW‐LS and PW‐LS) were determined. Results Compared to the control group (34.21 ± 5.25%), the mean LS of AA in HP patients (group A 28.6 ± 5.95%; group B 23.64 ± 4.98%; group C 17.93 ± 3.96%; P < .001) were significantly reduced. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the mean LS (OR 0.719, 95% CI 0.615–0.839, P < .001) and pulse pressure (PP) (OR 1.055, 95% CI 1.006–1.106, P = .028) were identified as independent predictors of AAD in HP patients. The AUC of mean LS combined with PP reached 0.926 (sensitivity, 95.0%; specificity, 82.5%), which was higher than the mean LS, PP, stiffness index, and ascending aortic diameter (AAd) separately. Besides, the AW‐LS and PW‐LS were negatively correlated with the AAd, stiffness index, stroke volume, systolic blood pressure, and PP, respectively (P < .001). Conclusion The LS of AA evaluated by two‐dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography decreased significantly along with the expansion of aortic lumen and the occurrence of AAD in HP patients. It is also an independent predictor of AAD in HP patients.

Drawing inspiration from the jumping motions of living creatures in nature, jumping robots have emerged as a promising research field over the past few decades due to great application potential in interstellar exploration, military reconnaissance, and life rescue missions. Early reviews mainly focused on jumping robots made of lightweight and rigid materials with mechanical components, concentrating on jumping control and stability. Herein, attention is paid to the jumping mechanisms of soft actuators assembled from various soft smarting materials and powered by different stimulus sources. The challenges and prospects of soft jumping actuators are also discussed. It is hoped that this review will contribute to the further development of soft jumping actuators and broaden their practical applications.

Objectives To evaluate the common carotid stiffness via echo tracking in patients with hypertension and acute aortic dissection (AD) and to investigate the independent predictors for the occurrence of AD in hypertensive (HP) patients. Methods Fifty HP patients complicated by acute AD (AD group), 50 HP patients without AD (HP group), and 50 age‐matched healthy volunteers (control group) were enrolled to assess the common carotid stiffness index (β), single‐point pulsed wave velocity (PWVβ), and arterial compliance (AC) via echo tracking. Results The intima‐media thickness, diameter, β and PWVβ of the common carotid artery (CCA) in the AD group were significantly higher than those in the HP and control groups, whereas AC in the AD group was significantly lower (P < .05). In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, the systolic blood pressure (SBP; odds ratio [OR], 2.316; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.033–2.563; P < .001), β (OR, 2.140; 95% CI, 1.931–2.367; P < .001), PWVβ (OR, 1.212; 95% CI, 1.004–1.397; P = .023), and AC (OR, 0.565; 95% CI, 0.339–0.654; P < .001) were significantly related to the occurrence of AD in HP patients. The area under the curve values for the AC, SBP, β, and PWVβ were 0.822, 0.806, 0.778, and 0.741, respectively, and the area under the curve was up to 0.943 when these parameters were combined. Conclusions The compliance of the CCA decreased, and the stiffness of the CCA increased significantly in HP patients complicated by AD. The AC, β, and PWVβ of the CCA, together with the SBP, were independent predictors of the occurrence of AD in HP patients.

We aimed to determine the clinical characteristics and prognosis factors of young patients with gastric cancer (GC). A total of 101 young patients with GC referred to Zhengzhou University People's Hospital, Henan province, China between January 1st, 2003 and June 1st, 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. The medical records included ages, genders, marital status, family history of tumors, comorbidity, Helicobacter pylori ( H.pylori) infection, fibrinogen, prealbumin, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), tumor location, tumor size, TNM stage, differentiation of the tumor, WHO type, treatment method and prognostic factors effect were further assessed. The mean age of GC patients in our group was 26.0 years. The incidence was slightly higher in females (female: male = 1.1:1). Some patients had the family history of tumor and H.pylori infection (2.0%, 6.9%). The tumor sizes were mainly under 5 cm (52.4%) and the most locations were in the antrum (43.5%) and body (42.5%). A large number of patients were diagnosed as adenocarcinomas (66.3%) and the main histological of GC was poor differentiated (72.3%). Moreover, a high proportion of patients were diagnosed at the stages III-IV (61.4%), and most patients received surgery combined chemotherapy (63.4%), however, the survival outcome was poor. In univariate Cox analysis, tumor sizes, TNM stage were significantly associated with overall survival (OS) and the multivariate Cox analysis demonstrated that TNM stage was significantly associated with OS. GC in young patients has its unique biological and clinical features. A large majority of young patients were diagnosed at their advanced stages with poor prognostic. TNM stage was an independent prognostic factor for young patients with GC, early GC screening in young people should be actively promoted.