[Study of the urban-impact on microbial communities and their virulence factors and antibiotic resistance genomes in the Nandu River, Haikou]

Objective: To explore the changes in bacterial community structure, antibiotic resistance genome, and pathogen virulence genome in river water before and after the river flowing through Haikou City and their transmission and dispersal patterns and to reveal anthropogenic disturbance's effects on microorganisms and resistance genes in the aquatic environment. Methods: The Nandu River was divided into three study areas: the front, middle and rear sections from the upstream before it flowed through Haikou City to the estuary. Three sampling sites were selected in each area, and six copies of the sample were collected in parallel at each site and mixed for 3 L per sample. Microbial community structure, antibiotic resistance, virulence factors, and mobile genetic elements were analyzed through bioinformatic data obtained by metagenomic sequencing and full-length sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. Variations in the distribution of bacterial communities between samples and correlation of transmission patterns were analyzed by principal co-ordinates analysis, procrustes analysis, and Mantel test. Results: As the river flowed through Haikou City, microbes' alpha diversity gradually decreased. Among them, Proteobacteria dominates in the bacterial community in the front, middle, and rear sections, and the relative abundance of Proteobacteria in the middle and rear sections was higher than that in the front segment. The diversity and abundance of antibiotic resistance genes, virulence factors, and mobile genetic elements were all at low levels in the front section and all increased significantly after flow through Haikou City. At the same time, horizontal transmission mediated by mobile genetic elements played a more significant role in the spread of antibiotic-resistance genes and virulence factors. Conclusions: Urbanization significantly impacts river bacteria and the resistance genes, virulence factors, and mobile genetic elements they carry. The Nandu River in Haikou flows through the city, receiving antibiotic-resistant and pathogen-associated bacteria excreted by the population. In contrast, antibiotic-resistant genes and virulence factors are enriched in bacteria, which indicates a threat to environmental health and public health. Comparison of river microbiomes and antibiotic resistance genomes before and after flow through cities is a valuable early warning indicator for monitoring the spread of antibiotic resistance.

[Measuring and analysis of the shoulder circumferences of 840 adults' permanent teeth crown preparations]

Objective: To measure and analyze the shoulder circumferences of adults' permanent teeth crown preparations based on data collected through the intraoral scanning, so as to provide dental anatomy data for clinical diagnosis and analysis. Methods: Intraoral scanning data of 840 complete crown preparations were collected, and were entrusted to the World Dental Laboratory Co., Ltd. in Fuzhou between March 2021 and June 2022. Except the data of the third molar, the rest data were categorized in terms of 14 tooth positions in the upper and lower jaw (each category involved 30 samples from male group and 30 samples from female group). Image measurement software was used to measure the shoulder circumferences of permanent teeth crown preparations. And analysis was conducted to reveal the difference of shoulder circumference diameters between male and female groups. And then they were grouped according to the mean value at each tooth position, on the premise that the difference between the maximum and minimum values and the mean value of the entire group was≤±1.00 mm. Analysis were further conducted to determine the differences of shoulder circumference diameters between each dental position and the differences between male and female in the same groups. Results: Bivariate analysis of variance showed that gender had no effect on the shoulder circumference of full crown preparations (F=0.55, P=1.457), while tooth position had a significant impact on the shoulder circumference of full crown preparations (F=273.15, P<0.001). The samples were classified into 5 groups according to the mean values of shoulder circumference diameters relating to each tooth position. Statistical analysis showed that Group 1, covering maxillary lateral incisor, mandibular central incisor and mandibular lateral incisor, had shoulder circumference with diameters of (16.62±2.21) mm; Group 2, consisting of maxillary central incisor, maxillary cusp, mandibular cusp, mandibular first premolar and mandibular second premolar, had diameters of (20.78±2.48) mm; Group 3, consisting of maxillary first premolar and maxillary second premolar, had diamerters of (22.09±2.72) mm; Group 4, covering maxillary first molar, maxillary second molar and mandibular first molar, had diamerters of (30.21±2.67) mm; while group 5, with mandibular second molar alone its member, had diamerters of (31.34±3.18) mm. The difference among the 5 groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusions: Significant differences of shoulder circumference diameters could be found between different tooth positions, while at the same tooth position, the differences between male and female are not significant. The 14 tooth positions could be grouped into 5 groups according to their shoulder circumference diameters. Future research could take the grouping as reference.

Fast switching ferroelectric liquid crystal Pancharatnam-Berry lens

A ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) cell with continuously alignment structure is realized by a polarization hologram method for fabricating a Pancharatnam-Berry (PB) lens, which is employed as a concave/convex lens. The PB phase can be maintained by the optical axis in-plane switching; meanwhile, its diffraction efficiency can be tuned in a certain range by electrically controlling azimuthal angle and optical biaxiality of the smectic helical structure realized by deformed helix ferroelectric liquid crystals. The measured diffraction efficiency of the fabricated device is up to 87% and the response time can be 300μs with a low electric voltage. The FLC PB lens can have potential applications in existing optical devices and the realization of FLC with continuous alignment structure can be further used for other LC-based optical devices.

Attenuation of compensatory right ventricular hypertrophy and heart failure following monocrotaline-induced pulmonary vascular injury by the Na+-H+ exchange inhibitor cariporide

Pulmonary hypertension results in compensatory right ventricular (RV) hypertrophy. We studied the role of the Na+-H+ exchange (NHE) in the latter process by determining the effect of the NHE-1 inhibitor cariporide after monocrotaline-induced pulmonary artery injury. Sprague-Dawley rats received a control or cariporide diet for 7 days, at which time they were administered either monocrotaline (60 mg/kg) or its vehicle. Twenty-one days later, monocrotaline control, but not cariporide-fed animals, demonstrated increased RV weights and cell size of 65 and 52%, respectively. Monocrotaline alone significantly increased RV systolic pressure and end diastolic pressure by 70 and 94%, respectively, whereas corresponding values with cariporide were significantly reduced to 33 and 42%. Central venous pressure increased by 414% in control animals, which was significantly reduced by cariporide. Monocrotaline treatment produced a decrease in cardiac output of 28 and 8% in the absence or presence of cariporide (P < 0.05 between groups), respectively. Although body weights were significantly lower in both monocrotaline-treated groups compared with vehicle treatment, with cariporide the net gain in body weight was twice that seen in the monocrotaline-treated animals without cariporide. Monocrotaline also increased RV NHE-1 and atrial natriuretic peptide mRNA expression, which was abrogated by cariporide. Monocrotaline-induced myocardial necrosis, fibrosis, and mononuclear infiltration was completely prevented by cariporide. Cariporide had no effect on monocrotaline-induced pulmonary intimal wall thickening. Our results demonstrate that cariporide directly attenuates myocardial dysfunction after monocrotaline administration independent of pulmonary vascular effects. NHE-1 inhibition may represent an effective adjunctive therapy that selectively targets myocardial hypertrophic responses in pulmonary vascular injury.

The myocardial Na+/H+ exchanger: a potential therapeutic target for the prevention of myocardial ischaemic and reperfusion injury and attenuation of postinfarction heart failure

The myocardial Na+/H+ exchange (NHE) represents a major mechanism for pH regulation during normal physiological processes but especially during ischaemia and early reperfusion. However, there is now very compelling evidence that its activation contributes to paradoxical induction of cell injury. The mechanism for this most probably reflects the fact that activation of the exchanger is closely coupled to Na+ influx and therefore to elevation in intracellular Ca2+ concentrations through the Na+/Ca2+ exchange. The NHE is exquisitely sensitive to intracellular acidosis; however, other factors can also exhibit stimulatory effects via phosphorylation-dependent processes. These generally represent various autocrine and paracrine as well as hormonal factors such as endothelin-1, angiotensin II and alpha1-adrenoceptor agonists, which probably act through receptor-signal transduction processes. Thus far, 6 NHE isoforms have been identified and designated as NHE1 through NHE6. All except NHE6, which is located intracellularly, are restricted to the sarcolemmal membrane. In the mammalian myocardium the NHE1 subtype is the predominant isoform, although NHE6 has also been identified in the heart. The predominance of NHE1 in the myocardium is of some importance since, as discussed in this review, pharmacological development of NHE inhibitors for cardiac therapeutics has concentrated specifically on those agents which are selective for NHE1. These agents, as well as the earlier nonspecific amiloride derivatives have now been extensively demonstrated to possess excellent cardioprotective properties, which appear to be superior to other strategies, including the extensively studied phenomenon of ischaemic preconditioning. Moreover, the salutary effects of NHE inhibitors have been demonstrated using a variety of experimental models as well as animal species suggesting that the role of the NHE in mediating injury is not species specific. The success of NHE inhibitors in experimental studies has led to clinical trials for the evaluation of these agents in high risk patients with coronary artery disease as well as in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI). Recent evidence also suggests that NHE inhibition may be conducive to attenuating the remodelling process after MI, independently of infarct size reduction, and attenuation of subsequent postinfarction heart failure. As such, inhibitors of NHE offer substantial promise for clinical development for attenuation of both acute responses to myocardial as well as chronic postinfarction responses resulting in the evolution to heart failure.

Activation of Na+/H+ exchanger-directed protein kinases in the ischemic and ischemic-reperfused rat myocardium

The activity of the Na(+)/H(+) exchanger has been implicated as an important contributing factor in damage to the myocardium that occurs during ischemia and reperfusion. We examined regulation of the protein in ischemic and reperfused isolated hearts and isolated ventricular myocytes. In isolated myocytes, extracellular signal-regulated kinases were important in regulating activity of the exchanger after recovery from ischemia. Ischemia followed by reperfusion caused a strong inhibitory effect on NHE1 activity that abated with continued reperfusion. Four major protein kinases of size 90, 55, 44, and 40 kDa phosphorylated the Na(+)/H(+) exchanger. The Na(+)/H(+) exchanger-directed kinases demonstrated dramatic increases in activity of 2-10-fold that was induced by 3 different models of ischemia and reperfusion in intact hearts and isolated myocytes. p90(rsk) was identified as the 90-kDa protein kinase activated by ischemia and reperfusion while ERK1/2 was identified as accounting for some of the 44-kDa protein kinase phosphorylating the Na(+)/H(+) exchanger. The results demonstrate that MAPK-dependent pathways including p90(rsk) and ERK1/2 and are important in regulating the Na(+)/H(+) exchanger and show their dramatic increase in activity toward the Na(+)/H(+) exchanger during ischemia and reperfusion of the myocardium. They also show that ischemia followed by reperfusion have important inhibitory effects on Na(+)/H(+) exchanger activity.

The myocardial Na(+)-H(+) exchange: structure, regulation, and its role in heart disease

The Na(+)-H(+) exchange (NHE) is a major mechanism by which the heart adapts to intracellular acidosis during ischemia and recovers from the acidosis after reperfusion. There are at least 6 NHE isoforms thus far identified with the NHE1 subtype representing the major one found in the mammalian myocardium. This 110-kDa glycoprotein extrudes protons concomitantly with Na(+) influx in a 1:1 stoichiometric relationship rendering the process electroneutral, and its activity is regulated by numerous factors, including phosphorylation-dependent processes. There is convincing evidence that NHE mediates tissue injury during ischemia and reperfusion, which probably reflects the fact that under conditions of tissue stress, including ischemia, Na(+)-K(+) ATPase is inhibited, thereby limiting Na(+) extrusion, resulting in an elevation in [Na(+)](i). The latter effect, in turn, will increase [Ca(2+)](i) via Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchange. In addition, NHE1 mRNA expression is elevated in response to injury, which may further contribute to the deleterious consequence of pathological insult. Extensive studies using NHE inhibitors have consistently shown protective effects against ischemic and reperfusion injury in a large variety of experimental models and has led to clinical evaluation of NHE inhibition in patients with coronary artery disease. Emerging evidence also implicates NHE1 in other cardiac disease states, and the exchanger may be particularly critical to postinfarction remodeling responses resulting in development of hypertrophy and heart failure.

Modulation of Na+/H+ exchange isoform 1 mRNA expression in isolated rat hearts

Na+/H+ exchange (NHE) has been demonstrated to mediate myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury as well as injury produced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC). However, changes in gene expression in response to injurious factors have not been extensively studied. We examined Na+/H+ exchange isoform 1 (NHE-1) expression using Southern detection of the RT-PCR product in response to 30 min of global ischemia with or without reperfusion in isolated rat hearts or to 30 min of exposure to either H2O2 (100 microM) or LPC (5 microM). We also determined whether ischemic preconditioning (2x 5-min ischemia) alters basal NHE-1 expression or the subsequent response to insult. Ischemia with or without reperfusion increased NHE-1 expression approximately sevenfold (P < 0.05), whereas either H2O2 or LPC increased expression approximately twofold. Preconditioning reduced NHE-1 message by approximately 70% (P < 0.05) and significantly attenuated the effects of ischemia, H2O2, or LPC. The internal standard, beta-globin was unaffected by any treatment. Our results indicate that NHE-1 expression is rapidly increased in response to ischemia with or without reperfusion as well as in response to H2O2 or LPC. In contrast, preconditioning was associated with downregulation of NHE-1. These results may be important in furthering our understanding of NHE-1 in cardiac disease states and suggest that the antiporter adapts rapidly to cardiac conditions associated with pathology.

Augmented retinal endothelin-1, endothelin-3, endothelinA and endothelinB gene expression in chronic diabetes

PURPOSE

Endothelins (ETs) belong to a family of vasoactive peptides implicated in several disorders of the microvasculature. In the present study, we investigated ET-1 and ET-3 peptide mRNAs and ETA, ETB receptor mRNAs in the retina of diabetic BB/W rats and age-matched, non-diabetic control animals, following six months of diabetes.

METHODS

Total mRNA was extracted from each retina and was subjected to reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for ET-1, ET-3, ETA and ETB. Simultaneously, beta-globin was amplified and used as a housekeeping gene. The products were analyzed on agarose gels and the specificity of the amplification was established by hybridization with amplification-specific biotinylated oligoprobes. For quantification, the products from the linear phase of amplification were subjected to serial dilution slot-blot hybridization and densitometry.

RESULTS

ETs and their receptor mRNA expressions were present in the retina. Retinas from the diabetic animals showed significant increases in ET-1, ET-3 ET(A), ET(B) mRNA expressions compared to those from control rats.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicate that retinal ET-1, ET-3, ET(A) and ET(B) mRNA expression in increased in the chronically diabetic BB/W rat. Augmented gene expression of ETs and their receptors potentially may be of importance in the pathogenesis of retinal microangiopathy in diabetes.

Protective effects against hydrogen peroxide-induced toxicity by activators of the ATP-sensitive potassium channel in isolated rat hearts

Activation of ATP-sensitive (KATP) channels has been shown to exert protective effects on the ischemic and reperfused myocardium. Reactive oxygen species are thought to mediate, at least in part, this form of cardiac injury. Using isolated perfused rat hearts, we therefore studied whether KATP activation exerts any effect on the direct deleterious effects of either 200 microM hydrogen peroxide or a free radical generating system consisting of purine plus xanthine oxidase in terms of function and energy metabolite status. On their own, hydrogen peroxide or the combination of purine plus xanthine oxidase treatment resulted in a time-dependent depression of myocardial contractility, which reached over 90% after 30 min perfusion, an effect which was associated with approximately 1000% elevation in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP). The KATP channel opener cromakalim (0.5 microM) significantly attenuated the hydrogen peroxide-induced loss in systolic function throughout the treatment period, and reduced the elevation in LVEDP with significant attenuation 10, 15 and 20 min after hydrogen peroxide addition. Contractile dysfunction produced by hydrogen peroxide was associated with significantly reduced tissue ATP, creatine phosphate and glycogen content to approximately 70, 60 and 70% of control, respectively. The depletion of these metabolites was significantly attenuated to 35, 23 and 23% of control, respectively, in the presence of cromakalim. The protective effects of cromakalim against contractile dysfunction, as well as depletion in intermediary energy metabolites, was abolished in the presence of the KATP channel antagonist glibenclamide (1 microM). However, glibenclamide on its own failed to alter the cardiac response to hydrogen peroxide with respect to any parameter. The responses to the free radical generating system consisting of purine plus xanthine oxidase was unaffected by cromakalim. Our study shows that KATP channel activation selectively protects against the cardiotoxic influence of hydrogen peroxide, and may explain, in part, the salutary effects of KATP activators in myocardial ischemia.

Transient ischemia in the presence of an adenosine deaminase plus a nucleoside transport inhibitor confers protection against contractile depression produced by hydrogen peroxide. Possible role of glycogen

We previously reported that adenosine A1 receptor activation protects against the cardiodepressant effects of hydrogen peroxide in isolated rat hearts. The present study examined whether a transient ischemic period of 5 min duration, which preconditions the heart against ischemic and reperfusion-induced dysfunction, can bestow protection against 30-min exposure to hydrogen peroxide in isolated rat hearts. Transient ischemia on its own failed to alter the cardiac response to hydrogen peroxide. However, when transient ischemia was carried out in the presence of the nucleoside transport inhibitor S-(4-Nitrobenzyl)-6-thioguanosine and the adenosine deaminase inhibitor erythro-9-(2-Hydroxy-3-nonyl)adenine, a significant attenuation of the hydrogen peroxide-induced loss in contractility was evident and this was associated with significant preservation of tissue glycogen content. The protective effect of the transient ischemia/drug combination on both functional changes and glycogen levels was abolished by the adenosine A1 receptor antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1, 3-dipropylxanthine as well as by glibenclamide, a blocker of the ATP-sensitive potassium channel (KATP). To further assess the role of glycogen in the protection against hydrogen peroxide, we compared the effects of the adenosine A1 agonist N6-cyclopentyl adenosine (CPA) and insulin. While both treatments protected against hydrogen peroxide the effect of insulin was superior to any other treatment. Moreover, while all protective modalities preserved glycogen stores after hydrogen peroxide treatment, the protection afforded by insulin was also associated with significantly elevated glycogen levels prior to hydrogen peroxide administration. No protection by either CPA or insulin was evident in the absence of exogenous glucose. Taken together, our results demonstrate that a brief period of ischemia with concomitant administration of agents which increase interstitial adenosine levels protects against hydrogen peroxide toxicity. The effect is mediated by activation of adenosine A1 receptors and is linked to KATP stimulation. Moreover, our results are strongly suggestive of an important role of glycogen preservation in bestowing protective effects against hydrogen peroxide cardiotoxicity.