Environmental effects of stratospheric ozone depletion, UV radiation, and interactions with climate change: UNEP Environmental Effects Assessment Panel, Update 2020

This assessment by the Environmental Effects Assessment Panel (EEAP) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) provides the latest scientific update since our most recent comprehensive assessment (Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences, 2019, 18, 595-828). The interactive effects between the stratospheric ozone layer, solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and climate change are presented within the framework of the Montreal Protocol and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We address how these global environmental changes affect the atmosphere and air quality; human health; terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems; biogeochemical cycles; and materials used in outdoor construction, solar energy technologies, and fabrics. In many cases, there is a growing influence from changes in seasonality and extreme events due to climate change. Additionally, we assess the transmission and environmental effects of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, in the context of linkages with solar UV radiation and the Montreal Protocol.

Detection of Acoustic Plasmons in Hole-Doped Lanthanum and Bismuth Cuprate Superconductors Using Resonant Inelastic X-Ray Scattering

High T_{c} superconductors show a rich variety of phases associated with their charge degrees of freedom. Valence charges can give rise to charge ordering or acoustic plasmons in these layered cuprate superconductors. While charge ordering has been observed for both hole- and electron-doped cuprates, acoustic plasmons have only been found in electron-doped materials. Here, we use resonant inelastic x-ray scattering to observe the presence of acoustic plasmons in two families of hole-doped cuprate superconductors (La_{1.84}Sr_{0.16}CuO_{4} and Bi_{2}Sr_{1.6}La_{0.4}CuO_{6+δ}), crucially completing the picture. Interestingly, in contrast to the quasistatic charge ordering which manifests at both Cu and O sites, the observed acoustic plasmons are predominantly associated with the O sites, revealing a unique dichotomy in the behavior of valence charges in hole-doped cuprates.

Intrauterine cytomegalovirus infection: a possible risk for cerebral palsy and related to its clinical features, neuroimaging findings: a retrospective study

Background

Abundant clinical evidences indicate that the increased risk of cerebral palsy (CP) may be associated with the intrauterine exposure to maternal infection. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common cause of CP. However, little is known about the relationship between the intrauterine exposure of the fetus to CMV infection and CP. This study aims to explore the relationships between intrauterine CMV infection and clinical symptoms, classification, intelligence development and brain neuroimaging findings in children with CP.

Methods

In this study, 147 children with CP in recent 6 years were retrospectively analyzed (average age: 14.76 ± 3.07months; sex (M/F): 103/44). 148 children had CMV IgG and IgM positive sera identified by TORCH examination were selected as the control group (average age: 15.10 ± 3.21months; sex (M/F): 102/46), which also undergo the examination of CMV-DNA in urine. The age and sex of children in the control group were matched with those in the CP group. CMV-DNA in urine was detected by CMV fluorescence quantitative PCR, and t-test was performed to analyze the number of copies. For the CP group, standardized rehabilitation treatment was performed and the function of gross motor was evaluated by GMFM scale before and after treatment. The Gesell developmental scale (GDS) was used to assess the level of intellectual development. The classification of CP was conducted and the results of magnetic resonance imaging were analyzed. Finally, the correlations between the copy number of CMV-DNA and the clinical characteristics of children with CP were evaluated by the method of Pearson and Spearman correlation analysis.

Results

The level of CMV infection was negatively correlated with the developmental quotient (DQ) of children with CP. Negative association was found between the level of CMV infection and the level of the gross motor development. The level of CMV infection was positively related with the occurrence probability of spastic quadriplegia. However, no associations were found between the abnormalities of brain tissue and the number of CMV copies. Moreover, CMV infection might add the difficulty of the rehabilitation treatment.

Conclusions

CMV infection is a risk factor for the occurrence of CP in children. Pregnancy examination should be strengthened. Early detection and control of CMV infection may contribute to the rehabilitation of children with CP and reduce the disability and social burden.

Exosomes derived from mmu_circ_0000623-modified ADSCs prevent liver fibrosis via activating autophagy

Prolonged parenchymal cell death leads to activation of fibrogenic cells, extracellular matrix accumulation, and eventually liver fibrosis. Increasing evidence shows that exosomes (Exos) secreted by adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) can be used to deliver circular RNAs (circRNAs) to treat liver fibrosis. To explore the uses of circRNA, circRNA expression profiles of hepatic tissue from normal and CCl4-induced mice were analyzed using high-throughput circRNA microarrays. The result showed that mmu_circ_0000623 expression was downregulated in CCl4-induced mice. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferin reporter experiments showed that mmu_circ_0000623 interacted with and regulated miR-125/ATG4D. In vitro and in vivo experiments showed that Exos from ADSCs, especially from mmu_circ_0000623-modified ADSCs, significantly suppressed CCl4-induced liver fibrosis by promoting autophagy activation. Autophagy inhibitor treatment significantly reversed the treatment effects of Exos. Proteins involved in autophagy and autophagy plaques positive for ATG4D expression were regulated by mmu_circ_0000623/miR-125. Our study found that Exos derived from mmu_circ_0000623-modified ADSCs prevented liver fibrosis via activating autophagy.

Reduction of the Spin Susceptibility in the Superconducting State of Sr_{2}RuO_{4} Observed by Polarized Neutron Scattering

Recent observations [A. Pustogow et al., Nature (London) 574, 72 (2019).NATUAS0028-083610.1038/s41586-019-1596-2] of a drop of the ^{17}O nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) Knight shift in the superconducting state of Sr_{2}RuO_{4} challenged the popular picture of a chiral odd-parity paired state in this compound. Here we use polarized neutron scattering (PNS) to show that there is a 34±6% drop in the magnetic susceptibility at the Ru site below the superconducting transition temperature. We measure at lower fields H∼1/3H_{c2} than a previous PNS study allowing the suppression to be observed. The PNS measurements show a smaller susceptibility suppression than NMR measurements performed at similar field and temperature. Our results rule out the chiral odd-parity d=z[over ^](k_{x}±ik_{y}) state and are consistent with several recent proposals for the order parameter including even-parity B_{1g} and odd-parity helical states.

Hydrogen sulfide in the nucleus tractus solitarii regulates gastric acid secretion in rats

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is a neuromodulator in the central nervous system. The physiological function of H₂S in the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) has rarely been reported. This research aimed to explore the role of H₂S in regulating gastric functions. Wistar rats were randomly assigned to sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS; 4 and 8 nmol) groups, physiological saline (PS) group, capsazepine (10 pmol) + NaHS (4 nmol) group, L703606 (4 nmol) + NaHS (4 nmol) group, and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (4 nmol) + NaHS (4 nmol) group. The pH values of gastric acid were measured using a pH meter pre- and post-injection. It was found that the microinjetion of NaHS (4 and 8 nmol), an exogenous H₂S donor, into the NTS (n = 6) remarkably decreased the pH values of gastric juice. The inductive effect of NaHS on gastric juice production could be suppressed by capsazepine (a transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 antagonist), L703606 (a NK1 receptor antagonist) and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (a nuclear fator-κB inhibitor). However, the same amount of PS did not induce any significant change in the pH value of gastric acid (P > 0.05). The findings of this study revealed that NaHS within the NTS remarkably promoted gastric acid secretion via the activation of TRPV1 channels and nuclear factor-κB-dependent mechanism in rats.

Non-invasive myocardial workiIndices derived from left ventricular pressure-strain loops in predicting the response to cardiac resynchronization therapy

Background

Non-invasive left ventricular (LV) pressure-strain loops (PSLs) which generated by combining LV longitudinal strain with brachial artery blood pressure, provide a novel method of quantifying global and segmental myocardial work (MW) indices with potential advantages over conventional echocardiographic strain which is load-dependent. The method has been introduced in echocardiographic software recently, making MW calculations more effectively and rapidly. The aim was to evaluate the role of non-invasive MW indices derived from LV PSLs in the prediction of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) response.

Methods

106 heart failure (HF) patients scheduled for CRT were included for MW analysis. Global and segmental (septal and lateral at the mid-ventricular level) MW indices were accessed before CRT. Response to CRT was defined as ≥15% reduction in LV end-systolic volume at 6-month follow-up in comparison with baseline value.

Results

CRT response was observed in 78 (74%) patients. At baseline, global work index (GWI) and global constructive work (GCW) were significant higher in CRT responders than in non-responders (both P<0.05). Besides, responders exhibited a significantly higher Mid Lateral MW and Mid Lateral constructive work (CW) (both P<0.001) but a significantly lower Mid Septal MW and Mid Septal myocardial work efficiency (MWE), as well as a significantly higher Mid Septal wasted work (WW) than non-responders (all P<0.01). Baseline Mid Septal MWE (OR 0.975, 95% CI 0.959–0.990, P=0.002) and Mid Lateral MW (OR 1.003, 95% CI 1.002–1.004, P<0.001) were identified as independent predictors of CRT response in multivariate regression analysis. Mid Septal MWE ≤42% combined with Mid Lateral MW ≥740 mm Hg% predicted CRT response with the optimal sensitivity of 79% and specificity of 82% (AUC = 0.830, P<0.001).

Conclusion

Mid Septal MWE and Mid Lateral MW can successfully predict response to CRT, and their combination can further improve the prediction accuracy. Assessment of MW indices before CRT could identify the marked misbalance in LV myocardial work distribution and has the potential to be widely used as a reliable complementary tool for guiding patient selection in clinical practice.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: None

Pomegranate-like C@TiO2 mesoporous honeycomb spheres for high performance lithium ion batteries

Pomegranate-like C@TiO₂ mesoporous honeycomb spheres have been synthesized through two simple steps: formation of TiO₂ mesoporous honeycomb spheres and the coating of polypyrrole followed by carbonization. TiO₂ mesoporous honeycomb spheres are of large specific surface area of 153 m² g^-1 and contain abundant mesopores, which leads to high electrochemical activity and good kinetic performance of TiO₂. A layer of amorphous carbon shell with the thickness of 30-40 nm tightly encapsulates a TiO₂ mesoporous honeycomb sphere, forming a novel pomegranate-like small sphere, which significantly improves electronic conductivity and structural stability of TiO₂. Benefiting from the unique pomegranate-like structure, C@TiO₂ mesoporous honeycomb spheres exhibit high specific capacity, stable long-term cycling performance and good rate capability as an anode material for lithium ion batteries (LIBs). After 500 cycles at 1 C, the discharge capacity still reaches 184 mAh g^-1. The electrochemical performance is superior to pure TiO₂ mesoporous honeycomb spheres and most of the reported high-performance TiO₂-based composites. This work provides a new high-performance TiO₂-carbon-based composite material for LIBs as well as a new valuable research strategy.

Identification and comprehensive analysis of the CLV3/ESR-related (CLE) gene family in Brassica napus L

The CLE (CLAVATA3/ESR) gene family, encoding a group of small secretory peptides, plays important roles in cell-to-cell communication, thereby controlling a broad spectrum of development processes. The CLE family has been systematically characterized in some plants, but not in Brassica napus. In the present study, 116 BnCLE genes were identified in the B. napus genome, including seven unannotated, six incorrectly predicted and five multi-CLE domain-encoding genes. These BnCLE members were separated into seven distinct groups based on phylogenetic analysis, which might facilitate the functional characterization of the peptides. Further characterization of CLE pre-propeptides revealed 31 unique CLE peptides from 45 BnCLE genes, which may give rise to distinct roles of BnCLE and expansion of the gene family. The biological activity of these unique CLE dodecamer peptides was tested further through in vitro peptide assays. Variations in several important residues were identified as key contributors to the functional differentiation of BnCLE and expansion of the gene family in B. napus. Expression profile analysis helped to characterize possible functional redundancy and sub-functionalization among the BnCLE members. This study presents a comprehensive overview of the CLE gene family in B. napus and provides a foundation for future evolutionary and functional studies.

Discovery of selection-driven genetic differences of Duroc, Landrace, and Yorkshire pig breeds by EigenGWAS and Fst analyses

Pigs are one of the earliest domesticated animals and multiple breeds have been developed to meet the various demands of consumers. EigenGWAS is a novel strategy to identify candidate genes that underlying population genetic differences and to infer candidate regions under selection as well. In this study, EigenGWAS and F_st analyses were performed using the public re-sequencing data of three typical commercial pig breeds, Duroc, Landrace and Yorkshire. The intersection of genome-wide significant SNPs detected by EigenGWAS and top-ranked 1% SNPs of F_st results were treated as signals under selection. Using the data of all three breeds, 3062 signals under selection were detected and the nearby genomic regions within 300 kb upstream and downstream covered 6.54% of whole genome. Pairs of breeds were analysed along with the pathway analysis. The gene function enrichment results indicated that many candidate genes located in the genomic regions of the signals under selection were associated with biological processes related to growth, metabolism, reproduction, sensory perception, etc. Among the candidate genes, the FSHB, AHR, PTHLH, KDR and FST genes were reported to be associated with reproductive performance; the KIT, KITLG, MITF, MC1R and EDNRB genes were previously identified to affect coat colour; the RETREG1, TXNIP, BMP5, PPARD and RBP4 genes were reported to be associated with lipid metabolism and growth traits. The identified genetic differences across the three commercial breeds will advance understanding of the artificial selection history of pigs and the signals under selection will suggest potential uses in pig genomic breeding programmes.

A New Framework for Performing Cardiac Strain Analysis from Cine MRI Imaging in Mice

Cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is one of the most rigorous form of imaging to assess cardiac function in vivo. Strain analysis allows comprehensive assessment of diastolic myocardial function, which is not indicated by measuring systolic functional parameters using with a normal cine imaging module. Due to the small heart size in mice, it is not possible to perform proper tagged imaging to assess strain. Here, we developed a novel deep learning approach for automated quantification of strain from cardiac cine MR images. Our framework starts by an accurate localization of the LV blood pool center-point using a fully convolutional neural network (FCN) architecture. Then, a region of interest (ROI) that contains the LV is extracted from all heart sections. The extracted ROIs are used for the segmentation of the LV cavity and myocardium via a novel FCN architecture. For strain analysis, we developed a Laplace-based approach to track the LV wall points by solving the Laplace equation between the LV contours of each two successive image frames over the cardiac cycle. Following tracking, the strain estimation is performed using the Lagrangian-based approach. This new automated system for strain analysis was validated by comparing the outcome of these analysis with the tagged MR images from the same mice. There were no significant differences between the strain data obtained from our algorithm using cine compared to tagged MR imaging. Furthermore, we demonstrated that our new algorithm can determine the strain differences between normal and diseased hearts.

3D porous framework of ZnO nanoparticles assembled from double carbon shells consisting of hard and soft carbon networks for high performance lithium ion batteries

Low electronic conductivity and large volume variation result in inferior lithium storage performance of ZnO. To overcome these shortcomings of ZnO, herein ZnO nanoparticles are encapsulated in resorcinol-formaldehyde resin-derived hard carbon and then further assembled into a 3-dimensional mesoporous framework structure using a polyvinyl pyrrolidone-derived soft carbon network. The synthesis methods include the polymerization of resorcinol-formaldehyde resin and a polyvinyl pyrrolidone-boiling method. ZnO@dual carbon has af large specific surface area (153.7 m² g^-1) and high porosity. It exhibits excellent cycling performance and high rate capability. After 350 cycles at 500 mA g^-1, the ZnO@dual carbon still delivers a discharge capacity of 701 mAh g^-1 while the actual discharge capacity of ZnO reaches 950.9 mAh g^-1. At 2 A g^-1, ZnO@dual carbon delivers the average discharge capacity of 469.6 mAh g^-1. The electrochemical performance of ZnO@dual carbon is remarkably superior to those of ZnO@single carbon, pure carbon and pure ZnO nanoparticles, demonstrating the superiority of the dual carbon-assembly structure. This composite structure greatly improves the structural stability of ZnO, enhances its electron conductivity and overall electron transport capacity; which facilitates electrolyte penetration and Li ion diffusion, leading to improved cycling stability and good rate capability.

A novel, rapid and simple method for detecting brucellosis based on rapid vertical flow technology

AIMS

To prevent the spread of brucellosis, a simple and rapid vertical flow technology (RVFT) for the detection of antibodies targeting brucellosis was developed.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In this study, Brucella sp. lipopolysaccharide was purified and used to detect brucellosis antibodies. Sheep IgG was used as a negative control. Colloidal gold-labeled recombinant staphylococcus aureus protein A was sprayed on a fibreglass membrane to prepare immunogold pads. Rapid vertical flow technology was used to detect Brucella in 1668 Sheep, 2743 bovine, 674 red deer and 420 human samples. The results indicated that the accuracy of this assay can reach 98%.

CONCLUSIONS

The established RVFT uses a single multifunctional buffer that can be used to detect antibodies in serum, plasma, whole blood and other biological samples while preserving the advantages of lateral-flow immunoassays.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This technology would be of great use in primary medical units and veterinary stations, and it is of great significance for the control of epidemic diseases.

[Clinical study of apatinib combined with chemotherapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer with negative driving genes]

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of apatinib combined with chemotherapy in the first-line treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with negative driving genes. Methods: From January 2016 to March 2018, 62 advanced NSCLC patients with negative driving genes diagnosed at Xuzhou Cancer Hospital were randomly divided into study group (30 cases) and control group (32 cases), respectively. The patients in the study group were treated with standard first-line chemotherapy combined with apatinib, while those in control group were treated with chemotherapy alone. Results: The disease control rate (DCR) and objective remission rate (ORR) in the study group were 60.0% and 16.7%, respectively, higher than 46.9% and 9.3% in the control group, but without statistical difference (P>0.05). The median progression-free survival (PFS) of study group and control group were 6.4 months and 4.9 months, respectively (P=0.004), and the median overall survival (OS) were 11.3 months and 9.2 months, respectively (P=0.006). Multivariate survival analysis indicated that treatment regimen (P=0.001) was the independent prognostic factor of PFS, and PS score (P=0.002), clinical stage (P=0.02) and treatment regimen (P<0.001) were the independent prognostic factors of OS. After treatment, the incidence of hypertension and hand-foot syndrome in the study group were 46.7% and 53.3%, respectively, significantly higher than 3.3% and 0 in the control group, respectively (P<0.05). The incidence of grade 3-4 adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in the study group was 26.7% (8/30), mainly including hypertension, hand-foot syndrome and bone marrow suppression. The incidence of grade 3-4 ADRs in the control group was 15.6% (5/32), all of which were bone marrow suppression, without significant difference (P=0.286). There was no difference in serum levels of VEGF and CEA between the two groups before treatment. After treatment, the serum level of VEGF in the study group was (169.3±10.1) pg/ml, lower than (211.8±16.7) pg/ml of the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Apatinib combined with first-line chemotherapy for advanced NSCLC patients with negative driving genes is safe and beneficial for survival. This therapeutic strategy can significantly prolong the PFS and OS, and further improvement and application can be considered as a choice in the clinical treatment.

Metformin relieves acute respiratory distress syndrome by reducing miR-138 expression

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether metformin can relieve acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Its potential mechanism was also explored.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The ARDS model was established by injecting LPS into mice that received metformin in advance and the mice in the control group. Pulmonary edema was detected by W/D ratios (wet-to-dry weight ratios), and the vascular exudation was reflected by the protein content and cell number of alveolar lavage fluid. Meanwhile, MPO (myeloperoxidase) activity assay was performed to analyze the neutrophil aggregation. The expression of inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-17, were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This series of experiments reflected the alleviation effect of metformin on ARDS. To further study the mechanism, we cultured alveolar macrophages (NR8383) in vitro and treated them with LPS and metformin. Western blot was used to detect the phosphorylation levels of p38, ERK, NF-kB, and SIRT1 expression level. Bioinformatics method was then used to predict the binding of miR-138 to SIRT1. The mRNA and protein expression of SIRT1 was detected in NR8383 cells transfected with miR-138 inhibitor. The dual luciferase gene reporter assay was used to detect the relative luciferase activities of miR-138 and SIRT1.

RESULTS

Pulmonary edema, vascular exudation, and neutrophil accumulation were observed in the ARDS model mice, and the levels of inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α, IL-1b, IL-6, and IL-17 were significantly increased. After metformin treatment, these pulmonic damage indicators were found to be partially reversed. At the same time, metformin could significantly reduce LPS-induced death. After NR8383 was treated with metformin and LPS, the expression of SIRT1 was higher than that of LPS treatment alone, but the expression of p-p38, p-ERK, and p-NF-κB was significantly decreased. After the addition of metformin in NR8383 after LPS treatment, the expression level of miR-138-5p was significantly decreased, and miR-138-5p was confirmed to target SIRT1 and regulate its expression.

CONCLUSIONS

Metformin could reduce LPS-induced pulmonic injury and increase expression of inflammatory factors. A possible mechanism might be that metformin-induced low expression of mir-138-5p could target SIRT1 to increase its expression and suppress the MAPK pathway, thus alleviating ARDS.

Research and analysis of 74 bloodstream infection cases of Acinetobacter baumannii and drug resistance

OBJECTIVE

We aimed at investigating the clinical and bacteriological features and drug resistance of bloodstream infection of Acinetobacter baumannii, so as to provide new evidence for treatment of bloodstream infection of Acinetobacter baumannii.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Statistical analysis was carried out for the clinical and bacteriological features and drug sensitivity of 74 bloodstream infection cases of Acinetobacter baumannii who were admitted to this hospital between July 2016 and June 2017.

RESULTS

Among 74 patients, about 72.0% of them were admitted to the ICU and Respiratory Department; the average age of these patients was 63 years old. Among 74 patients, 62 patients stayed in the hospital for over 2 weeks (83.8%), and 35 for over 1 month (47.3%); 72.0% of patients experienced intrusive operation, in which 28.0% of patients dead. The experiment of drug sensitivity showed that tigecycline had the highest sensitivity (100%), sequentially followed by amikacin (over 90.0%) and other anti-bacterial drugs (less than 40.0%). Pan-drug resistance was identified in 42 patients, accounting for 56.8%. Comparison between the pan-drug resistant and non-pan-drug resistant patients showed that in the first two weeks before the positive blood culture, there were statistically significant differences in administration of carbapenem antibiotics and intrusive operation (p<0.05). Among the patients, the lowest resistance to carbapenem antibiotics was 8.16%, while the rate of resistance to other 12 antibiotics was more than 40.00%. Multiple-resistant strain mainly originated from the ICU and the burn center.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with bloodstream infection of Acinetobacter baumannii, the pan-drug resistant strains account for a vast majority with a high mortality rate. Age, intrusive operation and length of stay in hospital longer than 2 weeks are the common susceptible factors, while the administration of carbapenem antibiotics and intrusive operations might be the high-risk factors leading to pan-drug resistant cases.

Simultaneous non-contrast angiography and intraplaque haemorrhage (SNAP) imaging for cervical artery dissections

AIM

To evaluate the feasibility of high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with a simultaneous non-contrast angiography and intraplaque haemorrhage (SNAP) sequence in identifying cervical artery dissections (CeAD).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Fifty-three patients with suspected CeAD underwent the SNAP sequence (including non-contrast magnetic resonance angiography [MRA] and heavy T1-weighting vessel wall images simultaneously in a single scan) and conventional MRI sequences (including three-dimensional [3D] time-of-flight MRA and T1-weighted black-blood imaging [T1W BB]) and cervical vascular ultrasound (CVUS). In diagnosis of CeAD, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of SNAP, and the diagnostic coherence between SNAP and conventional sequences and between SNAP and CVUS was analysed. At follow-up, the absolute signal (AS) and signal index (SI) of the intramural haematoma (IMH) between vessel wall images on SNAP and T1W-BB images were compared. The image quality of SNAP was analysed by comparing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) between vessel wall images from the SNAP and T1W-BB sequences.

RESULTS

The SNAP sequence was found to provide good performance in the diagnosis of CeAD (sensitivity 72.2%, specificity 98.2%); good agreement was found between SNAP and conventional sequences (Cohen's κ=0.76, p<0.05); and excellent agreement was found between SNAP and CVUS (Cohen's κ=0.83, p<0.05). There was no significant difference between AS or SI of the IMH of the vessel wall images within the SNAP and T1W-BB sequences during the review. The SNAP sequence had higher SNR of the IMH compared to T1W-BB, T2W-BB, proton-density-weighted volume isotropic turbo-spin-echo acquisition imaging (PD-VISTA) sequences (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

The SNAP sequence holds the potential to be preferred choice for screening of patients with a high suspicion of CeAD and for the follow-up of IMH after treatment.

Prognostic factors for treatment success in patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in China

OBJECTIVE

To examine the clinical outcomes and associated prognostic factors among patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in China.

METHODS

This retrospective study involved 243 patients with MDR-TB. All patients received standard regimens containing para-amino salicylic acid (PAS) and/or cycloserine (CS). The demographic, social and clinical characteristics of patients were recorded and the patients were followed up for 24 months.

RESULTS

Treatment success was closely associated with young age, non-farming occupations, shorter history or smoking, normal urine results, initial MDR-TB treatment regimen, increased haemoglobin, direct bilirubin, uric acid and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, and lower white blood cell, neutrophil and blood platelet counts (all P < 0.05). On multivariable analysis, increased haemoglobin (hazard ratio [HR] 1.019, 95%CI 1.007-1.032, P = 0.002) and TSH levels (HR 1.002, 95%CI 1.006-1.039, P = 0.008), normal urine results (HR 1.541, 95%CI 1.008-2.358, P = 0.046) and initial MDR-TB treatment regimen (HR 2.238, 95%CI 1.090-4.597, P = 0.028) were prognostic factors for treatment success in MDR-TB.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher haemoglobin and TSH levels, normal urine results and initial MDR-TB treatment regimen might predict successful treatment of MDR-TB.

Intracellular manipulation and measurement with multipole magnetic tweezers

The capability to directly interrogate intracellular structures inside a single cell for measurement and manipulation is important for understanding subcellular and suborganelle activities, diagnosing diseases, and developing new therapeutic approaches. Compared with measurements of single cells, physical measurement and manipulation of subcellular structures and organelles remain underexplored. To improve intracellular physical measurement and manipulation, we have developed a multipole magnetic tweezers system for micromanipulation involving submicrometer position control and piconewton force control of a submicrometer magnetic bead inside a single cell for measurement in different locations (spatial) and different time points (temporal). The bead was three-dimensionally positioned in the cell using a generalized predictive controller that addresses the control challenge caused by the low bandwidth of visual feedback from high-resolution confocal imaging. The average positioning error was quantified to be 0.4 μm, slightly larger than the Brownian motion–imposed constraint (0.31 μm). The system is also capable of applying a force up to 60 pN with a resolution of 4 pN for a period of time longer than 30 min. The measurement results revealed that significantly higher stiffness exists in the nucleus’ major axis than in the minor axis. This stiffness polarity is likely attributed to the aligned actin filament. We also showed that the nucleus stiffens upon the application of an intracellularly applied force, which can be attributed to the response of structural protein lamin A/C and the intracellular stress fiber actin filaments.

Erythropoietin Ameliorates Lung Injury by Accelerating Pulmonary Endothelium Cell Proliferation via Janus Kinase-Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 Pathway After Kidney Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Kidney ischemia and reperfusion injury could cause microvascular barrier dysfunction, lung inflammatory cascades activation, and programmed cell death of pulmonary endothelium, leading to acute lung injury. Our study aimed at determining whether erythropoietin (EPO) can ameliorate lung dysfunction following renal ischemia and reperfusion (IR) injury and explored the underlying mechanisms.

METHODS

In vivo, C57BL/6 mice received EPO (6000 U/kg) before right renal vascular pedicles clamping for 30 minutes, followed by 24 hours of reperfusion. The lung histopathologic changes and inflammatory cytokines expression were assessed. In vitro, cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells were treated with EPO, and apoptosis rate, proliferation capacity, and phosphorylation status of the Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Jak-STAT3) pathway were measured respectively in the presence or absence of lipopolysaccharide stimulation.

RESULTS

In vivo, EPO remarkably attenuated pulmonary interstitial and alveolar epithelial edema caused by renal IR injury. In vitro, the proliferation capacity of human umbilical vein endothelial cells was significantly increased under EPO stimulation, which correlated with changes in Jak-STAT3 signaling.

CONCLUSION

Our data indicated that EPO is able to ameliorate acute lung tissue damage induced by renal IR, and at least in part, via the Jak-STAT3 pathway.

[Study on genetic structure differences and adjustment strategies in different areas of China]

Objective: To describe the genetic structure of populations in different areas of China, and explore the effects of different strategies to control the confounding factors of the genetic structure in cohort studies. Methods: By using the genome-wide association study (GWAS) on data of 4 500 samples from 10 areas of the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB), we performed principal components analysis to extract the first and second principal components of the samples for the component two-dimensional diagram generation, and then compared them with the source of sample area to analyze the characteristics of genetic structure of the samples from different areas of China. Based on the CKB cohort data, a simulation data set with cluster sample characteristics such as genetic structure differences and extensive kinship was generated; and the effects of different analysis strategies including traditional analysis scheme and mixed linear model on the inflation factor (λ) were evaluated. Results: There were significant genetic structure differences in different areas of China. Distribution of the principal components of the population genetic structure was basically consistent with the geographical distribution of the project area. The first principal component corresponds to the latitude of different areas, and the second principal component corresponds to the longitude of different areas. The generated simulation data showed high false positive rate (λ=1.16), even if the principal components of the genetic structure was adjusted or the area specific subgroup analysis was performed, λ could not be effectively controlled (λ>1.05); while, by using a mixed linear model adjusting for the kinship matrix, λ was effectively controlled regardless of whether the genetic structure principal component was further adjusted (λ=0.99). Conclusions: There were large differences in genetic structure among populations in different areas of China. In molecular epidemiology studies, bias caused by population genetic structure needs to be carefully treated. For large cohort data with complex genetic structure and extensive kinship, it is necessary to use a mixed linear model for association analysis.

Semi-dominant mutation in the cysteine-rich receptor-like kinase gene, ALS1, conducts constitutive defence response in rice

Plants have evolved a sophisticated two-branch defence system to prevent the growth and spread of pathogen infection. The novel Cys-rich repeat (CRR) containing receptor-like kinases, known as CRKs, were reported to mediate defence resistance in plants. For rice, there are only two reports of CRKs. A semi-dominant lesion mimic mutant als1 (apoptosis leaf and sheath 1) in rice was identified to demonstrate spontaneous lesions on the leaf blade and sheath. A map-based cloning strategy was used for fine mapping and cloning of ALS1, which was confirmed to be a typical CRK in rice. Functional studies of ALS1 were conducted, including phylogenetic analysis, expression analysis, subcellular location and blast resistance identification. Most pathogenesis-related (PR) genes and other defence-related genes were activated and up-regulated to a high degree. ALS1 was expressed mainly in the leaf blade and sheath, in which further study revealed that ALS1 was present in the vascular bundles. ALS1 was located in the cell membrane of rice protoplasts, and its mutation did not change its subcellular location. Jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA) accumulation were observed in als1, and enhanced blast resistance was also observed. The mutation of ALS1 caused a constitutively activated defence response in als1. The results of our study imply that ALS1 participates in a defence response resembling the common SA-, JA- and NH1-mediated defence responses in rice.

Prevalence and Potential Associated Factors of Depression among Chinese Older Inpatients

INTRODUCTION

Little is known about the current representative depression situation among Chinese older inpatients. The aim of this study is to examine prevalence of depression and associated risk factors among Chinese older inpatients by a large-scale cross-sectional national survey.

METHODS

This study is based on baseline survey data from a large-scale cohort study in a representative sample of Chinese older inpatients. The procedure of this study involves physical examination and face-to-face questionnaire interviews. Depression was assessed based on the Geriatric Depression Scale 15. Mixed-effect Poisson regression model was used to examine the relationship between depression and covariates by controlling the cluster effect of hospital wards.

RESULTS

Of all 9727 respondents, the mean age of all respondents was 72.4±5.7 years, from 65 to 97. The average GDS score was 2 (1, 4). The prevalence rate of depression was 16.7% (95%CI: 15.8-17.4%) among older inpatients. The prevalence rates were 14.6% for males and 19.5% for females respectively. After controlling the cluster effect of hospital wards, age, gender, ADL score, educational level, BMI, frail, marriage, falls, alcohol drinking, cognitive function, living conditions, vision, hearing, sleep and defecation function were associated with depression. Emaciation (OR=1.176, 95%CI: 1.107-1.249), frail (OR=1.562, 95%CI: 1.489-1.639), divorced or widowed (OR=1.083 95%CI: 1.017-1.153), living in the bungalow (OR=1.075, 95%CI: 1.023-1.130), falls (OR=1.078, 95%CI: 1.030-1.128), cognitive function (OR=1.142, 95%CI: 1.091-1.195), vision dysfunction (OR=1.125, 95%CI: 1.076-1.177), hearing dysfunction (OR=1.061, 95%CI: 1.011-1.113), sleep dysfunction (OR=1.237, 95%CI: 1.194-1.282), defecation dysfunction (OR=1.160, 95%CI: 1.103-1.221) could increase prevalence risk of depression.

CONCLUSIONS

There was a high prevalence of depression among Chinese older inpatients. Demographic characteristics, physical and mental conditions indicators have strong effect on prevalence and strength of depression. Therefore, it is essential to assess depression and perform comprehensive measures to improve physical and mental conditions in order to manage depressive symptoms in older inpatients.

Altered N-methyl D-aspartate receptor subunit expression causes changes to the circadian clock and cell phenotype in osteoarthritic chondrocytes

The chondrocyte circadian clock is altered in osteoarthritis. This change is implicated in the disease-associated changes in chondrocyte phenotype and cartilage loss. Why the clock is changed is unknown. N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDAR) are critical for regulating the hypothalamic clock. Chondrocytes also express NMDAR and the type of NMDAR subunits expressed changes in osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE

To determine if NMDAR regulate the chondrocyte clock and phenotype.

DESIGN

Chondrocytes isolated from macroscopically-normal (MN) and osteoarthritic human cartilage were treated with NMDAR antagonists or transfected with GRIN2A or GRIN2B-targetting siRNA. H5 chondrocytes were transfected with GluN2B-expression plasmids. Clock genes and chondrocyte phenotypic markers were measured by RT-qPCR.

RESULTS

PER2 amplitude was higher and BMAL1 amplitude lower in osteoarthritic compared to MN chondrocytes. In osteoarthritic chondrocytes, NMDAR inhibition restored PER2 and BMAL1 expression to levels similar to MN chondrocytes, and resulted in reduced MMP13 and COL10A1. Paradoxically, NMDAR inhibition in MN chondrocytes resulted in increased PER2, decreased BMAL1 and increased MMP13 and COL10A1. Osteoarthritic, but not MN chondrocytes expressed GluN2B NMDAR subunits. GluN2B knockdown in osteoarthritic chondrocytes restored expression of circadian clock components and phenotypic markers to levels similar to MN chondrocytes. Ectopic expression of GluN2B resulted in reduced BMAL1, increased PER2 and altered SOX9, RUNX2 and MMP13 expression. Knockdown of PER2 mitigated the effects of GluN2B on SOX9 and MMP13.

CONCLUSIONS

NMDAR regulate the chondrocyte clock and phenotype suggesting NMDAR may also regulate clocks in other peripheral tissues. GluN2B expression in osteoarthritis may contribute to pathology by altering the chondrocyte clock.