Colchicine Inhibits NETs and Alleviates Cardiac Remodeling after Acute Myocardial Infarction

PURPOSE

Colchicine, a multipotent anti-inflammatory drug, has been reported to alleviate cardiac remodeling and improve cardiac function after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, the underlying mechanism remains incompletely understood. Because neutrophils extracellular traps (NETs) enhance inflammation and participate in myocardial ischemia injury, and colchicine can inhibit NETosis, we thus aimed to determine whether colchicine exerts cardioprotective effects on AMI via suppressing NETs.

METHODS

Adult C57BL/6 mice were subjected to permanent ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery and treated with colchicine (0.1 mg/kg/day) or Cl-amidine (10 mg/kg/day) for 7 or 28 days after AMI. Cardiac function was evaluated by echocardiography, and NETs detected by immunofluorescence. ROS production was detected using 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetates (DCFH-DA) fluorometry. Intracellular Ca2+ concentration was assessed by a fluorometric ratio technique.

RESULTS

We found that colchicine treatment significantly increased mice survival (89.8% in the colchicine group versus 67.9% in control, n = 32 per group; log-rank test, p < 0.05) and improved cardiac function at day 7 (left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF): 28.0 ± 9.2% versus 12.6 ± 3.9%, n = 8 per group; p < 0.001) and at day 28 (LVEF: 26.2 ± 7.2% versus 14.8 ± 6.7%, n = 8 per group; p < 0.001) post-AMI. In addition, the administration of colchicine inhibited NETs formation and inflammation. Furthermore, colchicine inhibited NETs formation by reducing NOX2/ROS production and Ca2+ influx. Moreover, prevention of NETs formation with Cl-amidine significantly alleviated AMI-induced cardiac remodeling.

CONCLUSIONS

Colchicine inhibited NETs and cardiac inflammation, and alleviated cardiac remodeling after acute myocardial infarction.

Multivariate analysis of prognostic factors in patients with lip squamous cell carcinoma after surgery

BACKGROUND

Lip squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) was one of the most common cancer types of head and neck tumors. This study aimed to find more predictors of the prognosis in postoperative LSCC patients.

METHODS

A total of 147 LSCC patients between June 2012 and June 2018 were collected from two tertiary care institutions. There were 21 clinicopathological factors included and analyzed in our study. The univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to find the independent prognostic factors for predicting progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in postoperative LSCC patients. The role of adjuvant radiotherapy in various subgroups was displayed by Kaplan-Meier plots.

RESULTS

The 1-, 3-, and 5-year PFS of postoperative LSCC patients were 88.4%, 70.1%, and 57.8%, respectively. Similarly, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS of postoperative LSCC patients were 94.6%, 76.9%, and 69.4%, respectively. The results suggested that postoperative LSCC patients with age at diagnosis ≥ 70 years, grade with moderate or poor differentiate, the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage IV, higher systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), surgical margin < 5, and age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index (ACCI) ≥ 5 tend to have a poorer PFS (all P < 0.05). Besides, postoperative LSCC patients with age at diagnosis ≥ 70 years, AJCC stage IV, higher GPS, higher SII, and ACCI ≥ 5 tend to have a worse OS (all P < 0.05). Additionally, postoperative patients with LSCC in the subgroup of ACCI < 5 and AJCC III-IV stage was more likely to benefit from adjuvant radiotherapy, but not for the other subgroups.

CONCLUSION

We identified a series of significant immune-inflammation-related and comorbidity-related clinicopathological factors associated with the prognosis of postoperative LSCC patients by local data from two tertiary care institutions in China, which can be helpful for patients and surgeons to pay more attention to nutrition, inflammation, and complications and finally obtained a better prognosis.

Daqing formula ameliorated allergic asthma and airway dysbacteriosis in mice challenged with ovalbumin and ampicillin

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Asthma is a chronic airway inflammatory disease that can lead to several complications caused by bacterial infections. However, recurrent attacks of the disease require long-term use of antibiotics, resulting in lung dysbiosis and poor outcomes. Daqing Formula (DQF) is a well-known herbal medicine in Pharmacopoeia of China, which is widely used for various stimuli-induced lower respiratory diseases, including asthma, bronchitis, and pneumonia. Thus, it has been demonstrated to be a plant-derived broad-spectrum antibiotic for treating and preventing various acute and chronic respiratory diseases.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This study evaluated the efficacy and possible mechanism of DQF on allergic asthma and airway dysbiosis.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

The mice were co-challenged with ovalbumin and ampicillin to induce allergic asthma combined with airway dysbacteriosis. The populations of lung microbiota were detected by using 16s DNA sequencing. The levels of asthmatic markers in BALF were detected by ELISA. The levels of Th1/Th2 cytokines in splenic CD4+ cells of mice were analyzed by flow cytometry. The expressions of the GSK-3β signaling pathway in the lung tissues of asthmatic mice and eosinophils were detected by western blotting assay. The inhibition of DQF on the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in eosinophils of asthmatic mice.

RESULTS

The results showed that treatment with DQF at 200-800 mg/kg doses significantly reduced the frequency of nasal rubbing and lung inflammation as well as the number of total cells, eosinophils, and macrophages in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. It decreased the relative abundances of Streptococcus, Cuoriavidus, and Moraxella, increased Akkermansia and Prevotella_6 in lung tissues of asthmatic mice, and inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus pneumoniae and their resistant strains in vitro. Furthermore, DQF reduced the levels of eotaxin, TSLP, IL-4, IL-5, IL-25, and IL-33, but enhanced IFN-γ and IL-12 in BALF. It elevated the population of Th1 cells, inhibited eosinophil activation, and downregulated the expressions of p-GSK-3β, p-p65, nuclear β-catenin, and p-STAT3 in the lung tissues of asthmatic mice.

CONCLUSIONS

The results revealed that DQF reduced airway inflammation, ameliorated lung dysbiosis, shifted the Th1/Th2 balance, and inhibited eosinophil activation in asthmatic mice, indicating its potential for severe asthma treatment.

[Efficacy of alcohol septal ablation in mildly symptomatic or severely symptomatic patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy]

Objective: To compare the prognosis of mildly or severely symptomatic patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (OHCM) who underwent alcohol septal ablation (ASA). Methods: This retrospective study cohort consisted of patients with OHCM who received ASA treatment in Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University from March 2001 to August 2021. These patients were divided into mildly and severely symptomatic groups according to the severity of clinical symptoms. Long-term follow-up was conducted, and the following data were collected: duration of follow-up, postoperatire treatment, New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, arrhythmia events and pacemaker implantation, echocardiographic parameters, and cause of death. Overall survival and survival free from OHCM-related death were observed, and the improvement of clinical symptoms and resting left ventricular outflow tract gradient (LVOTG) and the incidence of new-onset atrial fibrillation were evaluated. The Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to determine and compare the cumulative survival rates of the different groups. Cox regression analysis models were used to determine predictors of clinical events. Results: A total of 189 OHCM patients were included in this study, including 68 in the mildly symptomatic group and 121 in the severely symptomatic group. The median follow-up of the study was 6.0 (2.7, 10.6) years. There was no statistical difference in overall survival between the mildly symptomatic group (5-year and 10-year overall survival were 97.0% and 94.4%, respectively) and the severely symptomatic group (5-year and 10-year overall survival were 94.2% and 83.9%, respectively, P=0.405); there was also no statistical difference in survival free from OHCM-related death between the mildly symptomatic group (5-year and 10-year survival free from HCM-related death were 97.0% and 94.4%, respectively) and the severely symptomatic group (5-year and 10-year survival free from HCM-related death were 95.2% and 92.6%, respectively, P=0.846). In the mildly symptomatic group, NYHA classification was improved after ASA (P<0.001), among which 37 patients (54.4%) were in NYHA class Ⅰ, and the resting left ventricular outflow tract gradient (LVOTG) decreased from 67.6 (42.7, 90.1) mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) to 24.4 (11.7, 35.6) mmHg (P<0.001). In severely symptomatic group, NYHA classification was also improved post ASA (P<0.001), among which 96 patients (79.3%) improved by at least one NYHA classification, and the resting LVOTG decreased from 69.6 (38.4, 96.1) mmHg to 19.0 (10.6, 39.8) mmHg (P<0.001). The incidence of new-onset atrial fibrillation was similar between the mildly and severely symptomatic groups (10.2% vs. 13.3%, P=0.565). Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that age was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality in OHCM patients post ASA (HR=1.068, 95%CI 1.002-1.139, P=0.042). Conclusions: Among patients with OHCM treated with ASA, overall survival and survival free from HCM-related death were similar between mildly symptomatic group and severely symptomatic group. ASA therapy can effectively relieve resting LVOTG and improve clinical symptoms in mildly or severely symptomatic patients with OHCM. Age was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality in OHCM patients post ASA.

Plantamajoside attenuates cardiac fibrosis via inhibiting AGEs activated-RAGE/autophagy/EndMT pathway

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) have been identified to transduce fibrogenic signals via inducing the activation of their receptor (RAGE)-mediated pathway. Recently, disrupting AGE-RAGE interaction has become a promising therapeutic strategy for chronic heart failure (CHF). Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) is close to the cardiac fibrosis pathological process. Our previous studies have demonstrated that knockout RAGE suppressed the autophagy-mediated EndMT, and thus alleviated cardiac fibrosis. Plantamajoside (PMS) is the major bioactive compound of Plantago Asiatica, and its activity of anti-fibrosis has been documented in many reports. However, its effect on CHF and the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Thus, we tried to elucidate the protective role of PMS in CHF from the viewpoint of the AGEs/RAGE/autophagy/EndMT axis. Herein, PMS was found to attenuate cardiac fibrosis and dysfunction, suppress EndMT, reduce autophagy levels and serum levels of AGEs, yet did not affect the expression of RAGE in CHF mice. Mechanically, PMS possibly binds to the V-domain of RAGE, which is similar to the interaction between AGEs and RAGE. Importantly, this competitive binding disturbed AGEs-induced the RAGE-autophagy-EndMT pathway in vitro. Collectively, our results indicated that PMS might exert an anti-cardiac fibrosis effect by specifically binding RAGE to suppress the AGEs-activated RAGE/autophagy/EndMT pathway.

Implications of m6A methylation and microbiota interaction in non-small cell lung cancer: From basics to therapeutics

N6-methyladenine (m6A) is one of the most common RNA epigenetic modifications in all higher eukaryotes. Increasing evidence demonstrated that m6A-related proteins, acted as oncogenes or tumor suppressors, are abnormally expressed in the cell lines and tissues of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In addition, lung as the special immune organ contacts with the outer environments and thereby inevitably suffers from different types of microbial pathogen attack. Those microbial pathogens affect the development, progression, and clinical outcomes of NSCLC via altering host m6A modification to disrupt pulmonary immune homeostasis and increase the susceptibility; conversely, host cells modulate m6A modification to repress bacterial colonization. Therefore, m6A harbors the potential to be the novel biomarkers and targets for predicting poor prognosis and chemotherapy sensitivity of patients with lung cancer. In this paper, we provided an overview of the biological properties of m6A-modifying enzymes, and the mechanistic links among lung microbiota, m6A modification and NSCLC. Although the flood of novel m6A-related inhibitors represents many dramatic improvements in NSCLC therapy, their efficacy and toxicity in NSCLC are explored to address these pivotal gaps in the field.

Gut microbiota: An emerging therapeutic approach of herbal medicine for prevention of colorectal cancer

The gut dysbiosis has emerged as a prominent player in the pathogenesis and development of colorectal cancer (CRC), which in turn intensifies dysregulated gut microbiota composition and inflammation. Since most drugs are given orally, this dysbiosis directly and indirectly impinges the absorption and metabolism of drugs in the gastrointestinal tract, and subsequently affects the clinical outcome of patients with CRC. Herbal medicine, including the natural bioactive products, have been used traditionally for centuries and can be considered as novel medicinal sources for anticancer drug discovery. Due to their various structures and pharmacological effects, natural products have been found to improve microbiota composition, repair intestinal barrier and reduce inflammation in human and animal models of CRC. This review summarizes the chemo-preventive effects of extracts and/or compounds derived from natural herbs as the promising antineoplastic agents against CRC, and will provide innovative strategies to counteract dysregulated microbiota and improve the lives of CRC patients.

Tunable Sample-Wide Electronic Kagome Lattice in Low-Angle Twisted Bilayer Graphene

Overlaying two graphene layers with a small twist angle θ can create a moiré superlattice to realize exotic phenomena that are entirely absent in a graphene monolayer. A representative example is the predicted formation of localized pseudo-Landau levels (PLLs) with kagome lattice in tiny-angle twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) with θ<0.3° when the graphene layers are subjected to different electrostatic potentials. However, this was shown only for the model of rigidly rotated TBG, which is not realized in reality due to an interfacial structural reconstruction. It is believed that the interfacial structural reconstruction strongly inhibits the formation of the PLLs. Here, we systematically study electronic properties of the TBG with 0.075°≤θ<1.2° and demonstrate, unexpectedly, that the PLLs are quite robust for all the studied TBG. The structural reconstruction suppresses the formation of the emergent kagome lattice in the tiny-angle TBG. However, for the TBG around the magic angle, the sample-wide electronic kagome lattices with tunable lattice constants are directly imaged by using a scanning tunneling microscope. Our observations open a new direction to explore exotic correlated phases in moiré systems.

Potential Implications of the Lung Microbiota in Patients with Chronic Obstruction Pulmonary Disease and Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Recently, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been considered as a common risk factor of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, very few studies have been conducted on the effects of COPD on the lung microbiota in patients with NSCLC. To identify the lung microbiota in patients with COPD and NSCLC (CN), the microbiome of the induced sputa of 90 patients was analyzed using 16S rDNA sequencing. The results showed no significant differences in the bacterial diversities of induced sputa among patients with COPD, NSCLC, and CN and no intrinsic differences among patients with different pathological types of lung cancer. After surgical operation, the diversities of the induced sputa in patients with CN significantly decreased. More remarkably, both the microbial community phenotypes and the components of the induced sputa in patients with CN obviously differed from those in patients with COPD or NSCLC. The relative abundances of Streptococcus, Veillonella, Moraxella, and Actinomyces significantly decreased, but those of Neisseria and Acinetobacter significantly increased in patients with CN compared with those in patients with COPD or NSCLC alone, resulting in increased Gram-negative microbiota and, therefore, in potential pathogenicity and stress tolerance, as well as in enhancement of microbial glycolipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and oxidative stress. Although COPD did not affect the number of pulmonary flora species in patients with NSCLC, these significant alterations in the microbial populations, phenotypes, and functions of induced sputa due to COPD would contribute to inflammation-derived cancer progression in patients with CN.

Procollagen C-proteinase enhancer 1 promotes physiologic retinal angiogenesis via regulating the process of collagen

AIM: To investigate the role of procollagen C-proteinase enhancer 1 (PCPE1) in retinal angiogenesis and relevant mechanisms. METHODS: The Pcolce1-knockout (KO) mice were used to explore the effect of PCPE1 on retinal angiogenesis in vivo. Pcolce1 siRNA were designed, cell count kit 8 (CCK8) assays and tube formation assays were performed to investigate the cell proliferation and tube formation abilities of retinal microvascular endothelial cells (hRMECs) in vitro. Mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEF) cells were isolated and cultured to analyze the effect of PCPE1 on enhancing procollagen cleavage. RESULTS: In vivo studies showed that the retinal vascular density of Pcolce1-/- mice was significantly lower than that of the control group. Furthermore, silencing of Pcolce1 inhibited cell proliferation and tube formation abilities of hRMECs in vitro. Additionally, much more pro-collagen was found in Pcolce1-/- MEF cells, compared to wild type MEF cells. CONCLUSION: PCPE1 may promote physiological retinal angiogenesis by regulating the processing of collagen, which may provide a potential therapeutic target of retinal vascular disease.

[Therapeutic effects of alcohol septal ablation in mildly symptomatic patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy]

Objective: To observe the therapeutic effects of alcohol septal ablation (ASA) in mildly symptomatic patients (NYHA class Ⅱ) with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy(HOCM). Methods: This retrospective study included 150 mildly symptomatic patients with HOCM hospitalized in Beijing Anzhen Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University from March 2001 to December 2017, consisting of medical therapy group (n=102) and ASA group (n=48). Baseline clinical data were collected, patients were followed up to a mean of 6.0 (3.5, 8.1) years. Overall and HCM-related mortality events (including chronic heart failure, atrial fibrillation related stroke, sudden cardiac death) were observed in the two groups. Moreover, the improvement of NYHA function classification and left ventricular outflow tract gradient (LVOTG) were also evaluated. Survival analysis was performed by Kaplan-Meier method. Results: Age of this cohort was (52.9±14.5)years, 92 cases(61.3%) were male. In the follow-up, LVOTG was reduced from (85.8±35.4)mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) to (27.7±19.8)mmHg (P<0.001) in the ASA group, and from (66.3±35.0)mmHg to (56.5±27.7)mmHg in medical therapy group(P<0.01). At the last clinical follow-up, there were 32 patients (66.7%) whose LVOTG were<30 mmHg, septal thickness decreased from (20.3±3.8)mm to (16.1±3.4)mm (P<0.001), NYHA classification was also remarkably improved (P<0.001). New-onset atrial fibrillation tended to be lower in the ASA group compared to medical therapy group (9.3%(4/43) vs. 20.8%(20/96),P=0.096). Eleven patients (10.8%) in the medical therapy group and 2 patients (4.2%) in the ASA group died during the follow-up. One patient received pacemaker during the peri-procedural period, 1 patient was implanted with two-chamber pacemaker due to Ⅲ° atrioventricular block at 10 years after operation in the ASA group. Survival free of all-cause mortality of ASA group at 5 and 10 years was 97.9% and 97.9%, respectively, which was comparable to the medical therapy group (P=0.231). Survival free of HCM-related mortality was similar between the two groups (P=0.397). Conclusions: Compared with medical therapy in mildly symptomatic patients with HOCM, long-term survival rate is similar after ASA. Meanwhile, ASA can remarkably reduce LVOTG and improve the clinical status of the patients. Therefore, ASA may be used as an alternative therapy for mildly symptomatic HOCM patients.

Polysaccharides from Platycodonis Radix ameliorated respiratory syncytial virus-induced epithelial cell apoptosis and inflammation through activation of miR-181a-mediated Hippo and SIRT1 pathways

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of bronchiolitis in young children, but there are few safe and effective treatments for this disease. Platycodonis Radix is widely used as an antitussive and expectorant drug for preventing various diseases in lower respiratory tract, in which the polysaccharides are one of the main bioactivity constituents. In this study, the protective effects of the P. Radix polysaccharides (PRP) against RSV-induced bronchiolitis in juvenile mice and RSV-induced apoptosis of epithelial HEp-2 cells were investigated. The results showed that PRP obviously decreased the levels of IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ and TSLP in lung tissues, and reduced the number of inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of RSV-infected mice. Furthermore, it reduced the apoptosis of RSV-infected HEp-2 cells and remarkably inhibited the mRNA expressions of RSV L gene, which indicated that PRP affected transcription and replication of RSV in host cells. Compared with that in RSV-infected group, miR-181a-5p in the PRP-treated group presented the highest relative abundance and its expression was violently reduced by approximately 30%. Mechanistically, PRP had the similar effects as miR-181a-5p antagomir on RSV-induced apoptosis and inflammation in HEp-2 cells via upregulating BCL2, MLL3 and SIRT1, which could be reversed by miR-181a-5p mimic. Therefore, it demonstrated that PRP not only protected against RSV-induced lung inflammation in mice but also inhibited apoptosis of RSV-infected HEp-2 cells via suppressing miR-181a-5p and transcriptionally activating Hippo and SIRT1 pathways.

[Drug-resistant gene polymorphisms in Plasmodium falciparum isolated from Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea in 2018 and 2019]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the genetic polymorphisms of Plasmodium falciparum multidrug resistance protein 1 (PfMDR1), chloroquine resistance transporter (PfCRT) and Kelch 13 (PfK13) genes in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, so as to provide insights into the development of the malaria control strategy in local areas.

METHODS

A total of 85 peripheral blood samples were collected from patients with Plasmodium falciparum infections in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea in 2018 and 2019, and genomic DNA was extracted. The PfMDR1, PfCRT and PfK13 genes were amplified using a nested PCR assay. The amplification products were sequenced, and the gene sequences were aligned.

RESULTS

There were no mutations associated with artemisinin resistance in PfK13 gene in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, while drug-resistant mutations were detected in PfMDR1 and PfCRT genes, and the proportions of PfMDR1_N86Y, PfMDR1_Y184F and PfCRT_K76T mutations were 35.29% (30/85), 72.94% (62/85) and 24.71% (21/85), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

There are mutations in PfMDR1, PfCRT and PfK13 genes in P. falciparum isolates from Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea.

Isovitexin potentiated the antitumor activity of cisplatin by inhibiting the glucose metabolism of lung cancer cells and reduced cisplatin-induced immunotoxicity in mice

The increased resistance and toxicity have become the main causes of chemotherapy failure for treating lung cancer. The combination of chemotherapeutic drugs with other agents has been recognized as a promising strategy to overcome these difficulties. Isovitexin (IVT) is a well-known flavone C-glycoside found in many plants and has attracted wide attention due to its obvious antitumor and antioxidant effects. In this study, we investigated the synergistic effects of IVX and cisplatin (DDP) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) A549 and H1975 cells. The results showed that the combined treatment with IVT and DDP markedly inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis of the two NSCLC cells. Using a mouse model of A549 xenograft, IVT potentiated the inhibition of DDP on tumor growth, but reduced DDP-induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity in mice. Remarkedly, IVT promoted lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- and lectin- stimulated splenocyte proliferation, and enhance cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) and natural killer (NK) cell activities as well as the production of IL-2 and TNF-α. Furthermore, IVT significantly reduced glucose uptake, lactate production, and ATP production, and downregulated the protein expressions of pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2)-mediated pathway in both A549 and H1975 cells. After the over-expression of PKM2 in the NSCLC cells, the synergistic antitumor effect of IVT and DDP was markedly weakened. Therefore, IVT not only inhibited cell proliferation and glucose metabolism via downregulating the expression of PKM2 to enhance the antitumor activity of DDP against lung cancer cells, and improved DDP-induced immunotoxicity in mice. It also presented a novel strategy to enhance the anti-tumor effect of platinum-based chemotherapy against NSCLC.

[Long-term outcomes and risk factors of ostial/shaft lesions in unprotected left main coronary artery after percutaneous coronary intervention]

Objective: To evaluate the long-term clinical outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES) for ostial/shaft lesions in patients with unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA). Method: A total of 271 patients with isolated ostial/midshaft lesions in unprotected left main coronary artery who received drug-eluting stents (DES) implantation between January 2003 and July 2009 in Beijing An Zhen Hospital were consecutively enrolled . The endpoints of the study were all-cause death, repeat revascularization, myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke. Cox regression was carried out to analyze the all-cause mortality. Meanwhile, multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the independent risk factors of all-cause death. Results: The mean age of the patients was (62±10) years, and 201 of them (74.2%) were male. The median follow-up was 12.5 years (interquartile range: 10.1-14.5 years). During the follow-up, 46 patients (17.0%) died, of whom 20 (7.4%) died of a cardiovascular cause. A total of 38 (14.0%) cases suffered a MI, and 15 (5.5%) cases suffered a stroke. Repeat revascularization was performed in 63 (23.2%) cases. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age (HR=1.041, 95%CI: 1.003-1.081, P=0.033), creatinine (HR=1.028, 95%CI:1.014-1.042, P<0.001) and diabetes mellitus (HR=1.924,95%CI: 1.053-3.514, P=0.033) were independent risk factors of all-cause death, whereas left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (HR=0.972, 95%CI:0.953-0.992, P=0.007) was a protective factor. Conclusions: During a median follow-up of 12.5 years, the prognosis of PCI for left main ostium/shaft lesion was good. Age, creatinine and diabetes mellitus are independent risk factors of all-cause death.

First-Principles Study of Anharmonic Lattice Dynamics in Low Thermal Conductivity AgCrSe_{2}: Evidence for a Large Resonant Four-Phonon Scattering

We report a study of the anharmonic lattice dynamics in low lattice thermal conductivity (κ_{l}) material AgCrSe_{2} by many-body perturbation theory. We demonstrate surprisingly giant four-phonon scattering exclusive for the heat-carrying transverse acoustic phonons due to large quartic anharmonicity and nondispersive phonon band structure, which lead to four-phonon Fermi resonance and breaks the classical τ^{-1}∼ω^{m}T^{n} relation for phonon-phonon interactions. This strong resonant scattering extends over the Brillouin zone and substantially suppresses the thermal transport, even down to a low temperature of 100 K. The present results provide fundamental insights into the four-phonon resonant dynamics in the low-κ_{l} system with flat phonon dispersions, i.e., cuprous halides and skutterudites.

[Long-term prognosis of drug eluting stents implantation in elderly patients with unprotected left main coronary artery disease]

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics and long-term prognosis of implantation of drug-eluting stents (DES) for elderly patients with unprotected left main artery (ULM) disease. Methods: A total of 414 patients (327 males and 87 females) who underwent DES implantation were enrolled in the Department of Cardiology, Beijing Anzhen Hospital from January 2005 to March 2010, with a mean age of (61.5±10.7) years old. The patients were divided into two groups according to age: 300 cases in the group of age <70 years old, and 114 cases in the group of age ≥70 years old. The clinical characteristics and long-term prognosis of two groups were compared. Results: In the group of age ≥ 70 years old, the proportion of female was higher (31.6% vs 17.0%, P=0.001) and the incidence of chronic total occlusion (CTO) (P=0.020), hypertension (P=0.018) and cerebrovascular disease (P=0.013) were higher than those in the group of <70 years old. All-cause mortality and cardiac mortality were also higher than those in the group of <70 years old (P=0.025, P=0.013). The follow-up period was (21.4±9.6) months. After adjusting for multiple clinical factors, there were no statistical differences of incidence of the total major adverse cardiac and cerebral events (MACCE), myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular events, and revascularization recurrence between the two groups. But all-cause mortality (HR=3.790, 95%CI: 1.271-11.298, P=0.017) and cardiac mortality (HR=17.424, 95%CI: 2.440-124.410, P=0.004) in the group of age ≥70 years old were still remarkably higher than those in the group of <70 years old. Conclusions: Age is an independent risk factor for increased mortality after DES stent implantation in ULM disease. DES stent implantation in age ≥70 years old patients with ULM disease is considered feasible, but it needs to be treated with caution.

[Long-term outcome comparison of ostial/shaft lesions in unprotected left main coronary artery treated by PCI or CABG]

Objective: To evaluate long-term clinical outcomes of consecutive patients treated with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI) with drug-eluting stents(DES) for ostial/shaft lesions in unprotected left main coronary artery(ULMCA). Method: A total of 259 patients with isolated ostial/midshaft lesions in unprotected left main coronary artery were enrolled consecutively who received DES implantation or underwent CABG between January 2003 and July 2009 in Beijing Anzhen Hospital. The endpoints of the study were death, repeat revascularization, myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke. Time to the primary endpoint was evaluated according to the Kaplan-Meier method, and the log-rank test was applied to compare the incidence of the endpoint. Adjusted risks for adverse outcomes were compared by multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analyses. Results: A total of 259 patients were included, including 149 in PCI group and 110 in CABG group. And 193(74.5%) cases were males.The age was (61.4±9.8) years old. The median follow-up was 10.1 years (interquartile range 8.3 to 11.2 years) in the overall patients. There were no significant difference for the incidence of death [37.0% vs. 43.1% ，P=0.143] , MI [34.0% vs. 19.4% ，P=0.866], stroke [6.4% vs. 11.7% ， P=0.732], repeart revascularization [33.6% vs. 39.9% ，P=0.522] between PCI group and CABG group before multivariate adjusting，according to the incidence calculated with Kaplan-Meier. After adjusting covariates such as age, left ventricular ejection fraction（LVEF） and serum creatine with multivariate Cox hazard regression model, there was still no significant difference between the two groups. Conclusions: PCI with DES is as effective and safe as CABG in patients with left main ostium/shaft lesion during a median follow-up of 10.1 years.

PRP1, a heteropolysaccharide from Platycodonis Radix, induced apoptosis of HepG2 cells via regulating miR-21-mediated PI3K/AKT pathway

Two polysaccharides (PRP1 and PRP2) were isolated from Platycodonis Radix. Preliminary structural analysis indicated that PRP1 was composed of glucose, fructose, and arabinose in a molar ratio of 1:1.91:1.59 with a molecular weight of 440 kDa, whereas PRP2 was composed of arabinose, fructose, and galactose in a molar ratio of 1:1.39:1.18 with a molecular weight of 2.85 kDa. Compared with PRP2, PRP1 exerted stronger anticancer activity in vitro. Treatment with 5-30 μg/ml of PRP1 significantly inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells in vitro, and oral administration at the doses of 75-300 mg/kg also reduced the tumor growth in vivo. The miRNA expression patterns of human liver cancer cells HepG2 in vivo under PRP1 treatment were established, and microRNA-21 (miR-21) as the onco-miRNA was appreciably downregulated. PRP1 repressed the expression of miR-21, which directly targeted and suppressed PTEN (a negative regulator of the PI3K/Akt signaling cascade), and subsequently upregulated the expression of PTEN but downregulated the PI3K/AKT pathway, thereby promoting liver cancer cell apoptosis. These findings indicated that PRP1 inhibited the proliferation and induced the apoptosis of HepG2 mainly via inactivating the miR-21/PI3K/AKT pathway. Therefore, PRP1 could be used as a food supplement and candidate for the treatment of liver cancer.

Liquid-like thermal conduction in intercalated layered crystalline solids

As a generic property, all substances transfer heat through microscopic collisions of constituent particles ¹ . A solid conducts heat through both transverse and longitudinal acoustic phonons, but a liquid employs only longitudinal vibrations^2,3. As a result, a solid is usually thermally more conductive than a liquid. In canonical viewpoints, such a difference also serves as the dynamic signature distinguishing a solid from a liquid. Here, we report liquid-like thermal conduction observed in the crystalline AgCrSe₂. The transverse acoustic phonons are completely suppressed by the ultrafast dynamic disorder while the longitudinal acoustic phonons are strongly scattered but survive, and are thus responsible for the intrinsically ultralow thermal conductivity. This scenario is applicable to a wide variety of layered compounds with heavy intercalants in the van der Waals gaps, manifesting a broad implication on suppressing thermal conduction. These microscopic insights might reshape the fundamental understanding on thermal transport properties of matter and open up a general opportunity to optimize performances of thermoelectrics.

[Source Apportionment of Black Carbon Aerosol in the North Suburb of Nanjing]

Based on one year real-time measurements from a seven-wavelength Aethalometer combined with an Aethalometer model, the measured aerosol absorption coefficients at different wavelengths have been used to apportion the contribution of fossil fuel and biomass burning sources to the total black carbon (BC) mass concentration in the north suburb of Nanjing. Good consistency in the relationship between the Angstrom absorption exponent(α)and the ratio of BC from biomass burning sources to total BC (BB) was obtained during this period. The α was highest in winter and lowest in summer, which indicates the change in the source of the absorbing aerosols and their relative source strength. The BC and the BC from fossil fuel (BC_ff) and biomass burning (BC_bb) mass concentrations exhibit significant diurnal variation, with higher values during 07:00 to 09:00 (local time) and 18:00 to 21:00. The BC_ff was three to five times higher than the BC_bb and contributes greatest to the BC mass concentrations throughout the day. Night time BC values were about a factor of 1.2 higher than day time BC values. Meanwhile, the concentration weighted trajectory (CWT) analysis indicates that the highest value of BC was concentrated in the Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, and Fujian provinces.

[Predictive value of serial platelet function testing on outcome in patients undergoing complex percutaneous coronary intervention]

Objective: To observe the predictive value of serial platelet function testing (PFT) on outcome in patients undergoing complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: Six hundred and two consecutive patients undergoing complex PCI in Anzhen hospital were enrolled during October 2011 to June 2012.Adenosine diphosphate(ADP)-induced platelet aggregation was measured by light transmission aggregometry on the first, sixth and twelfth month after PCI and the mean value was calculated.The cut-off value of high on-treatment platelet reactivity (HTPR) was defined as 40%.The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiovascular and cerebral event (MACCE). Clinical outcomes were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method and differences were compared using the log-rank test.Multivariate analyses by Cox proportion hazards regression were applied to identify variables independently associated with the adverse outcomes. Results: Five hundred and eighty-five patients (HTPR, n=285; non-HTPR, n=280) finished the follow-up ((28.47±7.45) months). A total of 33 cases of MACCE were observed during the follow-up, among which 29 cases(8.42%) were in HTPR group and 9 cases (3.21%) in the non-HTPR group.Kaplan-Meier analysis suggested that HTPR was associated with an increased incidence of MACCE (log-rank test, P=0.01). The Cox multivariate analysis indicated that HTPR was an independent risk factor of MACCE (HR=2.69, 95%CI 1.23-5.85, P=0.01) in patients undergoing complex PCI.Incidence of MACCE was similar between HTRP patients receiving standard dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) or prolonged DAPT (>12 months). Conclusion: Serial PFT could predict the long-term prognosis of patients underwent complex PCI.

[Value of early-stage cerebral oxygen utilization coefficient in predicting delayed encephalopathy after acute carbon monoxide poisoning]

Objective: To investigate the dynamic change in cerebral oxygen utilization coefficient (O(2)UCc) in the early stage of acute severe carbon monoxide poisoning (ASCMP) and its value in predicting delayed encephalopathy after acute carbon monoxide poisoning (DEACMP) . Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted for patients with ASCMP who were admitted to our hospital from November 2013 to March 2016, and their baseline features and physiological parameters were recorded. Observation ended at two months after acute poisoning; according to the presence or absence of DEACMP, the patients were divided into DEACMP group with 21 patients and non-DEACMP group with 64 patients. The change in O(2)UCc was monitored on admission and at 6, 24, 48, and 72 hours. Spearman correlation was used to investigate the correlation between O(2)UCc and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the accuracy of O(2)UCc in predicting DEACMP. Results: Both groups had a significant increase in O(2)UCc on admission, and the DEACMP group had a significantly greater increase than the non-DEACMP group (52.57%±9.30% vs 41.46±%6.37%, P<0.05) . Then both groups tended to have a reduction in O(2)UCc, and the DEACMP group had a significantly higher O(2)UCc than the non-DEACMP group at 6, 24, and 48 hours (47.40%±7.92%, 39.38%±8.01%, and 32.29%±6.31% vs 34.51%±7.89%, 28.79%±5.4%, and 27.72%±5.46%, P<0.05) . On admission and at 6, 24, and 48 hours, O2UCc was positively correlated with APACHE II score (r=0.304, 0.398, 0.426, and 0.300, P=0.005, 0.000, 0.000, and 0.005) . The ROC curve showed that O(2)UCc had a value in predicting DEACMP on admission and at 6, 24, and 48 hours, and 6-hour O2UCc had the highest predictive value with an area under the ROC curve of 0.870 (95% confidence interval 0.794-0.947, P<0.05) . Conclusion: The dynamic change in O(2)UCc has a reference value in early identification of DEACMP, and O(2)UCc can be used as an important reference index for predicting DEACMP.

The Inhibitory Effect of Eplerenone on Cell Proliferation in the Contralateral Kidneys of Rats with Unilateral Ureteral Obstruction

BACKGROUND

The unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) model not only induces renal interstitial fibrosis in the obstructed kidney but also induces injury in the contralateral kidney. We hypothesized that activation of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) may induce fibrosis in the early stage of UUO.

METHODS

Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats weighting 200 ± 10 g were used in this study and randomly divided into 3 groups: a UUO group, a UUO and eplerenone group, and a sham group. The contralateral kidney and plasma were harvested for further study 10 days after surgery.

RESULTS

The level of plasma aldosterone (869.95 ± 55.851 pg/mL) was significantly higher in the UUO group than that in the sham group (478.581 ± 36.186 pg/mL vs. UUO, p < 0.05). The infiltrated inflammatory cells (F4/80) and deposited collagens were increased significantly in the contralateral kidneys in the UUO group compared to those in the sham group, which were decreased by eplerenone. However, proliferating cell nuclear antigen was increased 2.47 times in the UUO group compared to the sham group in the contralateral kidney (p < 0.01), and those changes are attenuated by eplerenone. The expression of SGK-1 protein and mRNA was upregulated in the contralateral kidney in the UUO group, which is suppressed by eplerenone treatment. NF-κB pathway effecters were also changed markedly in the contralateral kidney in the UUO group and partly reversed by eplerenone.

CONCLUSION

Aldosterone induces inflammatory cell proliferation via the MR/SGK-1 and NF-κB pathways and eventually leads to fibrosis in the contralateral kidney.

[Ventilator-associated pneumonia among premature infants <34 weeks' gestational age in neonatal intensive care unit in China: a multicenter study]

Objective: To investigate the incidence and pathogen distribution of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) among preterm infants admitted to level Ⅲ neonatal intensive care units (NICU) in China. Method: A prospective study was conducted in 25 level Ⅲ NICU, enrolling all preterm infants <34 weeks gestational age admitted to the participating NICU within the first 7 days of life from May 2015 to April 2016. Chi-square test, t test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for statistical analysis. Result: A total of 7 918 patients were enrolled, within whom 4 623(58.4%) were males. The birth weight was (1 639±415) g and the gestational age was (31.4±2.0) weeks; 4 654(58.8%) infants required non-invasive mechanical ventilation and 2 154(27.2%) required intubation. Of all the mechanically ventilated patients, VAP occurred in 95 patients. The overall VAP rate was 7.0 episodes per 1 000 ventilator days, varying from 0 to 34.4 episodes per 1 000 ventilator days in different centers. The incidence of VAP was 9.6 and 6.0 per 1 000 ventilator days in children's hospitals and maternity-infant hospitals respectively, without significant differences (t=1.002, P=0.327). Gram-negative bacilli (76 strains, 91.6%) were the primary VAP microorganisms, mainly Acinetobacter baumannii (24 strains, 28.9%), Klebsiella pneumonia (23 strains, 27.7%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (10 strains, 12.0%). Conclusion: The incidence of VAP in China is similar to that in developed counties, with substantial variability in different NICU settings. More efforts are needed to monitor and evaluate the preventable factors associated with VAP and conduct interventions that could effectively reduce the occurrence of VAP.

[Comparison on the long-term outcomes post percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting for bifurcation lesions in unprotected left main coronary artery]

Objective: To compare the long-term clinical outcomes of consecutive patients treated with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES) for bifurcation lesions in unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA). Methods: A total of 663 consecutively patients with unprotected left main bifurcation disease (defined as stenosis≥50%) who received either drug-eluting stents (DES) implantation (n=316) or underwent CABG (n=347) between January 2003 and July 2009 in Beijing Anzhen Hospital were enrolled retrospectively in this study.The endpoints of the study were death, repeat revascularization, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, the composite of cardiac death, MI or stroke and MACCE (major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events, the composite of cardiac death, MI, stroke or repeat revascularization). To reduce the bias between two compared groups , our study applid propensity score matching by logistic regression.Cumulative survival rate was calculated by Kaplan-Meier method.Multiple regression analyses, hazard ratio(HR) and 95%CI were tested by Cox proportional hazard models with the CABG group as the reference category. Results: The median follow-up was 7.2 years (interquartile range 5.1 to 8.3 years) in the overall patients.Unadjusted analysis showed that MACCE rate (PCI 44.5% vs. CABG 45.7%, P=0.036), the rate of repeat revascularization (PCI 33.7% vs. CABG 19.5%, P<0.001), the composite rate of serious outcomes (cardiac death, MI or stroke) (PCI 20.4% vs. CABG 34.3%, P=0.032), stroke rate (PCI 3.7% vs. CABG 23.5%, P<0.001) were significantly different for patients undergoing PCI or CABG. Death rate (PCI 13.0% vs. CABG 18.9%, P=0.12) and MI rate (PCI 11.3% vs. CABG 6.1%, P=0.108) were similar between PCI and CABG group.After adjusting covariates with multivariate Cox hazard regression model, there was no significant difference in rates of death (P=0.286), MI(P=0.165) and the composite rate of serious outcomes (cardiac death, MI or stroke) (P=0.305) between the two groups. Patients in PCI group suffered significant higher rates of MACCE(P=0.011), mainly driven by the significant higher rates of repeat revascularization(HR=2.46, 95%CI 1.662-3.642, P<0.001). However, stroke rate was still significantly higher in CABG group than in PCI group(P=0.001)after multivariate adjusting. After propensity score matching (PSM), there was no more significant difference for all covariates in the matched cohorts (202 pairs). Further PSM analysis showed that overall findings were consistent with multivariate Cox hazard regression model except for MI (PCI 12.7% vs. CABG 3.8%, P=0.039). Conclusions: During a follow-up up to 8.3 years, the survival rate is similar between the PCI and the CABG group in patients with unprotected left main bifurcation disease.The rate of repeat revascularization is significantly higher whereas stroke rate is significantly lower in the PCI group compared to CABG group.After propensity score matching, PCI group not only had a significant higher rate of repeat revascularization, but also had significantly higher risk of MI in the matched cohorts; while they did not seem to translate into any disparity of mortality in ULMCA bifurcation disease patients.Accordingly, PCI for ULMCA disease can be used as a reasonable treatment option alternative to CABG.

[Efficacy comparison between conservative therapy and septal ablation in patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy]

Objective: To compare the effects of septal ablation (SA) versus conservative medication (CM) on the hemodynamic, clinical status and survival in patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). Methods: This retrospective study included 350 consecutive patients with HOCM (mean age (51.3±13.5) years old) hospitalized in Anzhen Hospital between September 2002 to September 2014. The patients were followed up to 14 years and the follow up rate was 99.4% (348/350). Overall and cardiac-related mortalities were compared between SA group (n=184) and CM group (n=184). Moreover, SA related cardiac function and hemodynamics improvement were also evaluated, predictors for clinical events were evaluated by Cox regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to compare the total mortality between the two groups. The log-rank test was used to compare the survival curve differences between the two groups. Results: The median follow-up period was 4 years (1-14 years). The annual mortalities of SA and CM were 2.4% and 0.6% respectively (P<0.001) and cumulative sudden cardiac death (SCD)rates were 3.61% (6/166) and 0.54% (1/184) respectively (P=0.031). Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that the age was the most important independent predictor for overall mortality(HR=1.259, 95%CI 1.101-1.438, P=0.001). In addition, left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) gradient was significantly reduced post SA (peak velocity of LVOT: baseline (4.23±1.05) m/s, post SA: (1.83±0.79) m/s, P<0. 01) and heart function was also significantly improved post SA (NYHA at baseline: 2.97±0.29, post SA: 1.74±0.53, P<0.001). Conclusion: SA could significantly improve the hemodynamics and clinical status in drug-resistant patients with HOCM. In comparison to patients received CM, overall survival rate was significantly higher in SA group without extra risk of SCD.

[Characteristics of Black Carbon Aerosol and Influencing Factors in Northern Suburbs of Nanjing]

Based on the hourly averaged data of black carbon(BC) aerosol, PM_2.5, gaseous pollutants, and meteorological data in the northern suburb of Nanjing from January to October 2015, characteristics and influencing factors of BC concentration variation were analyzed. The mean concentration of BC was found to be (2524±1754) ng·m^-3 during the observation period. BC concentrations in Nanjing showed strong seasonality, the highest mean concentration of BC occurred during winter reaching (3468±2455) ng·m^-3, and the lowest mean BC concentration was found during spring being (2142±1240) ng·m^-3; a distinct diurnal variation of BC with two high peaks occurred, one in the morning during 07:00 to 08:00 and the other in late evening during 21:00 to 22:00 local time. The strong correlation between BC and NO_x indicated a greater impact of vehicle emissions on BC concentration, while a lower rate of ΔBC/ΔCO was found in the northern suburb of Nanjing, suggesting that biomass burning emission might be another important source of BC in here. BC concentration increased with decreasing wind speed. BC concentration lower than 2000 ng·m^-3 mainly occurred in westerly wind and adjacent wind in all seasons, whereas BC concentration higher than 6000 ng·m^-3 more frequently appeared in easterly winds in autumn and winter. BC concentration was higher in hazy and heavy hazy weather, which were 2 and 2.3 times as large as that in non-hazy weather, respectively.

Association between TXNRD1 polymorphisms and anti-tuberculosis drug-induced hepatotoxicity in a prospective study

Anti-tuberculosis drug-induced hepatotoxicity (ATDH) is a serious adverse reaction to anti-tuberculosis (TB) treatment. Thioredoxin reductase 1 (TXNRD1), encoded by the TXNRD1 gene, is an important enzyme involved in oxidant challenge. TXNRD1 plays a key role in regulating cell growth and transformation, and protects cells against oxidative damage. We investigated the association between TXNRD1 polymorphisms and ATDH susceptibility. In this prospective study, 280 newly diagnosed TB patients were followed-up for 3 months after beginning anti-TB therapy. Tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (tag-SNPs) of TXNRD1 were selected using Haploview 4.2 based on the HapMap database of the Chinese Han in Beijing (CHB) panel. Genotyping was performed using the MassARRAY platform. Of the 280 patients enrolled in this study, 33 were lost to follow-up, 24 had ATDH, and 223 were free from ATDH. After adjusting for sex, age, smoking status, and body mass index, there were no significant differences in the allele and genotype frequency distributions of TXNRD1 SNPs between the ATDH and non-ATDH groups (all P > 0.05). The haplotype analysis showed that haplotype TCAGCC was associated with an increased risk of ATDH susceptibility [P = 0.024, OR (95%CI) = 6.273 (1.023-38.485)]. Further stratified analyses showed that the haplotype TCAGCC was associated with ATDH susceptibility in female subjects [P = 0.036, OR (95%CI) = 5.711 (0.917-35.560)] and non-smokers [P = 0.029, OR (95%CI) = 6.008 (0.971-37.158)]. Our results suggest that TXNRD1 variants may favor ATDH susceptibility in females and non-smokers. Further studies are required to verify this association.

[Clinical value of serum presepsin (SCD14-ST) concentration measurement in patients with pesticide poisoning]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the value of serum presepsin concentration measurement in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of patients with pesticide poisoning patients.

METHODS

A total of 160 patients with pesticide poisoning were enrolled as study subjects and divided into moderate organophosphate pesticide poisoning group (40 patients) , severe organophosphate pesticide poisoning group (40 patients) , abamectin pesticide poisoning group (40 patients) , and paraquat poisoning group (40 patients). A total of 20 healthy volunteers were enrolled as the control group. All the patients with poisoning received conventional treatment of pesticide poisoning immediately after admission, and serum presepsin concentration was measured on days 1 (within 24 hours after poisoning) , 3, and 7 of admission, and biochemical and radiological parameters related to the patient's condition were also examined. The patients with a Presepsin concentration of >800 pg/ml on day 1 of admission were randomly divided into conventional treatment group and ulinastatin treatment group, and the treatment outcome was compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

Compared with the healthy control group, the groups with pesticide poisoning showed significant increases in serum Presepsin concentrations, with the highest degree of increase on day 1 (P <0.05). The serum Presepsin concentration was positively correlated with alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatine kinase, creatine kinase MB, lactate dehydrogenase, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, interleukin-18, and white blood cell count, but negatively correlated with cholinesterase. In the conventional treatment group and ulinastatin treatment group, the overall response rate was 68% and 78.8%, respectively, with a significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05). In 40 patients with paraquat poisoning, 32 experienced an increase in serum presepsin concentration, and among these 32 patients, 27 (83%) experienced exudation on lung CT.

CONCLUSION

Serum Presepsin concentration measurement can assist early diagnosis, evaluation of disease severity, and guidance for clinical medication in patients with pesticide poisoning, especially in those with severe pesticide poisoning and a tendency to multiple organ failure.

[Relationship between the mean platelet aggregation degree and the prognosis of patients underwent long-term dual antiplatelet therapy following drug eluting stent implantation]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the association between the mean platelet aggregation degree and the prognosis of patients underwent long-term dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT more than 12 months) following drug eluting stent (DES) implantation.

METHODS

A total of 752 patients were retrospectively analyzed who were received DES between September 2006 and June 2009. Adenosine diphosphate-induced platelet aggregation (ADP) was monitored during the course of treatment with DAPT, and the mean platelet aggregation degree of each participant was calculated. Based on the mean platelet aggregation degree, patients were divided into the low ADP degree group (374 cases) and the high ADP degree group (378 cases). The median follow-up period was 32.2(25.1, 34.8) months. The comparison of the composite endpoints (all-cause death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, repeat revascularization and stroke) was performed between the two groups.

RESULTS

Compared with the high ADP degree group, there were more male, younger and smoker patients in the low ADP degree group (all P<0.05). COX regression analysis showed that the low ADP degree group was associated with a decreased incidence of primary endpoints (HR=0.463, 95%CI 0.23-0.92, P=0.028). After adjustment with multivariable COX regression analysis, the relationship was proven to be independent of other risk factors (HR=0.495, 95%CI 0.25-0.99, P=0.046). The Kaplan-Meier curve demonstrated the incidence of the composite endpoints was significantly higher in high ADP degree group compared to that of low ADP degree group (log-rank χ(2)=5.042, P=0.025).

CONCLUSION

The mean adenosine diphosphate-induced platelet aggregation degree is associated with the prognosis of patients underwent long term DAPT after DES implantation.

Combination of the Manifold Dimensionality Reduction Methods with Least Squares Support vector machines for Classifying the Species of Sorghum Seeds

This study was carried out for rapid and noninvasive determination of the class of sorghum species by using the manifold dimensionality reduction (MDR) method and the nonlinear regression method of least squares support vector machines (LS-SVM) combing with the mid-infrared spectroscopy (MIRS) techniques. The methods of Durbin and Run test of augmented partial residual plot (APaRP) were performed to diagnose the nonlinearity of the raw spectral data. The nonlinear MDR methods of isometric feature mapping (ISOMAP), local linear embedding, laplacian eigenmaps and local tangent space alignment, as well as the linear MDR methods of principle component analysis and metric multidimensional scaling were employed to extract the feature variables. The extracted characteristic variables were utilized as the input of LS-SVM and established the relationship between the spectra and the target attributes. The mean average precision (MAP) scores and prediction accuracy were respectively used to evaluate the performance of models. The prediction results showed that the ISOMAP-LS-SVM model obtained the best classification performance, where the MAP scores and prediction accuracy were 0.947 and 92.86%, respectively. It can be concluded that the ISOMAP-LS-SVM model combined with the MIRS technique has the potential of classifying the species of sorghum in a reasonable accuracy.

Broad temperature plateau for thermoelectric figure of merit ZT>2 in phase-separated PbTe0.7S0.3

Thermoelectrics interconvert heat to electricity and are of great interest in waste heat recovery, solid-state cooling and so on. The efficiency of thermoelectric materials depends directly on the average ZT (dimensionless figure of merit) over a certain temperature range, which historically has been challenging to increase. Here we report that 2.5% K-doped PbTe0.7S0.3 achieves a ZT of >2 for a very wide temperature range from 673 to 923 K and has a record high average ZT of 1.56 (corresponding to a theoretical energy conversion efficiency of ~20.7% at the temperature gradient from 300 to 900 K). The PbTe0.7S0.3 composition shows spinodal decomposition with large PbTe-rich and PbS-rich regions where each region exhibits dissimilar types of nanostructures. Such high average ZT is obtained by synergistically optimized electrical- and thermal-transport properties via carrier concentration tuning, band structure engineering and hierarchical architecturing, and highlights a realistic prospect of wide applications of thermoelectrics.

Recent developments in the genetics of asthma

Asthma is a complex genetic disease with multiple genes involved in the pathogenesis. Some of these genes have been investigated to determine whether they influence an individual's response to asthma medication. We summarise the recent developments in the genetics of asthma as they pertain to the three main treatments available - inhaled glucocorticoids (GCs), (2)-agonists and leukotriene modulators. It has been shown that polymorphisms in the (2)-adrenergic receptor ((2)AR) gene influence responsiveness to (2)-agonists. Polymorphisms in the 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) gene and the leukotriene C(4) (LTC4) synthase gene have been associated with response to medications that target the LT pathway. However, no polymorphisms have been identified that influence response to anticholinergics or are involved in steroid resistance. In the future, knowledge of an individual's genotype may help us tailor treatment to make it the most appropriate form for that asthmatic individual.

TSO1 is a novel protein that modulates cytokinesis and cell expansion in Arabidopsis

Previous analyses of tso1 mutants revealed a loss of control of directional cellular expansion and coordination of growth of adjacent cells, and defects in karyokinesis and cytokinesis. We isolated TSO1 using a map-based approach, and show that it is a member of a family of at least three genes in Arabidopsis. Consistent with the mutant phenotype, TSO1 transcript was most abundant in flowers, where it accumulated to the highest levels in developing ovules and microspores. The putative TSO1 protein has two cysteine-rich regions that are similar to the CXC domains of a variety of proteins from plants and animals, including a class of kinesins involved in chromosome segregation, and enhancer of zeste-type proteins. Visualization of TSO1-fusion proteins indicated that TSO1 is a nuclear protein. The tso1 mutant phenotypes and the novelty of the TSO1 sequence suggest the existence of previously unknown participants in regulation of directional processes in eukaryotic cells.

Endothelin-1 and photoreleased diacylglycerol increase L-type Ca2+ current by activation of protein kinase C in rat ventricular myocytes

The amphotericin B-perforated whole-cell patch clamp technique was used to determine the modulation of L-type Ca2+ channels by protein kinase C (PKC)-mediated pathways in adult rat ventricular myocytes. Application of 10 nM endothelin-1 (ET-1) increased peak Ca2+ current (ICa) by 28.2 +/- 2.5 % (n = 13) and slowed current decay. These effects were prevented by the endothelin receptor antagonist PD145065 (10 microM) and by the PKC inhibitor chelerythrine (8 microM). To establish if direct activation of PKC mimicked the ET-1 effect, the active and inactive phorbol esters (phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate and 4alpha-phorbol-12, 13-didecanoate) were tested. Both phorbol esters (100 nM) resulted in a small (approximately 10%) increase in ICa, suggesting PKC-independent effects. Bath application of dioctanoylglycerol (diC8), a diacylglycerol (DAG) analogue which is capable of directly activating PKC, caused a gradual decline in peak ICa (50.4 +/- 6.2 %, n = 5) and increased the rate of current decay. These effects were unaffected by the PKC inhibitor chelerythrine (8 microM). Intracellular photorelease of caged diC8 with 3 or 10 s exposure to UV light produced a concentration-dependent increase in peak ICa (20. 7 +/- 8.5 % (n = 8) for 3 s UV and 60.8 +/- 11.4 % (n = 13) for 10 s UV), which could be inhibited by chelerythrine. Our results demonstrate that both ET-1 and intracellularly photoreleased diC8 increase ICa by a PKC-mediated pathway, which is in direct contrast to the PKC-independent inhibition of ICa produced by bath-applied diC8. We conclude that specific cellular pools of DAG are crucially important in the regulation of ICa by PKC.