Circ_0020887 Silencing Combats Hypoxic-Induced Cardiomyocyte Injury in an MiR-370-3p/CYP1B1-Dependent Manner.

Targeting circular RNA has been a novel approach to preventing and limiting acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Here, we planned to investigate the role and mechanism of circ_0020887 in AMI progression.Hypoxic injury in human cardiomyocytes (AC16) was measured using cell counting kit-8 assay, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine assay, flow cytometry, and colorimetric assay kits. RNA and protein expressions were determined using real-time quantitative PCR and western blotting. Direct interplay between RNAs was determined using dual-luciferase reporter, RNA pull-down, and RIP assays.In the plasma and hypoxia-induced AC16 cells of patients with AMI, circ_0020887 and miR-370-3p were upregulated and downregulated, respectively, concomitant with the upregulation of cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1). Circ_0020887 interference could inhibit hypoxia-induced AC16 cell apoptosis, oxidative stress, and inflammatory response. Circ_0020887 could sponge miR-370-3p, and miR-370-3p could target CYP1B1. The inhibition effect of circ_0020887 knockdown on hypoxia-induced AC16 cell injury could be reversed by the miR-370-3p inhibitor. Besides, CYP1B1 overexpression also overturned the suppressive effect of miR-370-3p on hypoxia-induced AC16 cell apoptosis, oxidative stress, and inflammatory response.In conclusion, circ_0020887 regulated the miR-370-3p/CYP1B1 axis to regulate hypoxia-induced cardiomyocyte injury, confirming that circ_0020887 might promote cardiomyocyte injury.

Association between joint physical activity and sleep duration and hypertension in US adults: Cross-sectional NHANES study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have adequately demonstrated that physical activity or healthy sleep duration can reduce the risk of hypertension. However, the combined effects of physical activity and healthy sleep on hypertension have not been well explored in studies using nationally representative samples. METHODS: The data were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007-2018). Sleep duration and physical activity were obtained from self-reported questionnaires. Survey logistic regression and restricted cubic spline curves were used to evaluate the joint effects of physical activity and healthy sleep duration on hypertension. RESULTS: A total of 18,007 participants were enrolled in the main study. Physical activity was categorized into insufficient physical activity (600 < Met-min/week) and sufficient physical activity (≥600 Met-min/week). Sleep duration of ≤6 or ≥9 hours was defined as unhealthy sleep duration, and 7-8 hours was defined as healthy sleep duration. Compared to the individuals with unhealthy sleep duration and insufficient physical activity, only the participants with healthy sleep duration and sufficient physical activity (adjusted odds ratio: 0.76, 95% CI 0.66-0.88) were negatively associated with hypertension, while the participants with healthy sleep duration but insufficient physical activity or sufficient physical activity but unhealthy sleep duration were not associated with hypertension. Physical activity was nonlinearly associated with hypertension in the healthy sleep duration group, whereas in the unhealthy sleep duration group, physical activity was not associated with hypertension. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that sufficient physical activity and healthy sleep duration were negatively associated with hypertension. This underscores the importance of integrating both sufficient physical activity and healthy sleep duration in strategies aimed at reducing hypertension risk.

Palladium-Catalyzed Bicycloaromatization of o-(Alkynyl)styrenes with Alkynes: Economical Access to Chrysene Derivatives.

Herein, a palladium-catalyzed bicycloaromatization of o-(alkynyl)styrenes with alkynes is reported. In this protocol, the 6-endo-dig cyclization of o-(alkynyl)styrenes is followed by deprotonation to complete the first cycloaromatization, and then, a regioselective alkyne insertion/C-H activation occurs to achieve the second cycloaromatization, resulting in atom- and step-economical syntheses of polysubstituted chrysenes. Notably, the products can be further used to construct π-extended arenes using the Scholl reaction.

Correlation Between Serum microRNA-18a Level and Endothelial Function and Prognosis in Female Coronary Heart Disease Patients.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to analyze the correlation between serum microRNA (miR)-18a level, endothelial function, and prognosis in female coronary heart disease (CHD) patients. METHODS: One hundred sixtyfemale patients admitted to our hospital for the first occurrences of chest pain and tightness were divided into CHD and non-CHD groups based on the coronary angiography results. Clinical data, laboratory indexes, serum miR-18a level, and endothelial function [flow-mediated dilation (FMD) function, endothelin 1 (ET-1), and nitric oxide (NO)] were compared. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in clinical data (except CHD family history) between 2 groups. Coronary heart disease group had significantly lower levels of NO and FMD, while significantly higher levels of miR-18a and ET-1 than non-CHD group (P <.05). Pearson correlation showed that serum miR-18a level was positively correlated with ET-1 (r = 0.492, P <.001), and negatively correlated with NO and FMD (r = -0.504, -0.307, P <.001). The receiver operating characteristic) curve showed that the area under the curve of serum miR-18a level in predicting the occurrence of CHD in women was 0.878 (95% CI:  0.828-0.928). Compared with good prognosis group, poor prognosis group had signifi-cantly lower NO, and FMD levels, while higher proportions of acute coronary syndrome, multivessel disease, miR-18a, and ET-1 levels (P <.05). CONCLUSION: The expression of serum miR-18a in female CHD patients was high, which was related to endothelial function. The increase in serum miR-18a level was a risk factor for the occurrence of MACE in female CHD patients during follow-up, and the serum miR-18a level could effectively predict the occurrence of CHD in female patients.

Recent research progress of selenotungstate-based biomolecular sensing materials.

Polyoxometalates (POMs) have drawn significant attention on account of their structural designability, compositional diversity and great potential applications. As an indispensable branch of POMs, selenotungstates (SeTs) have been synthesized extensively. Some SeTs have been applied as sensing materials for detecting biomarkers (e.g., metabolites, hormones, cancer markers). To gain a comprehensive understanding of advancements in SeT-based sensing materials, we present an overview that encapsulates the sensing performances and mechanisms of SeT-based biosensors. SeT-based biosensors are categorized into electrochemical catalytic biosensors, electrochemical affinity biosensors, "turn-off" fluorescence biosensors and "turn-on" fluorescence biosensors. We anticipate the expansive potential of SeT-based biosensors in wearable and implantable sensing technologies, which promises to catalyze significant breakthroughs in SeT-based biosensors.

Effect of Product Presentation Videos on Consumers' Purchase Intention: The Role of Perceived Diagnosticity, Mental Imagery, and Product Rating.

The product presentation videos on E-commerce platforms have a significant influence on consumers' purchase decisions, and enterprises have focused on choosing the type of product presentation videos. Based on the resource matching theory, mental imagery theory and cue utilization theory, this study investigated the influence of product presentation videos type (product appearance video vs. product usage video) on consumers' purchase intention and the moderating effect of product rating (low vs. high). Through three pre-experiments and two formal experiments, the results showed that the product usage video has a stronger effect on consumers' purchase intention more than the product appearance video, which is mediated by perceived diagnosticity and mental imagery. In addition, product rating moderated the influence of product presentation videos type on consumers' purchase intention. The product usage video would improve consumers' purchase intention more than the product appearance video when the product rating is high; however, there is no significant difference in the impact of two types of videos on consumers' purchase intention when the product rating is low. This study supplements the research on product presentation videos and provides a reference for online retailers to select effective product presentation videos.

Prognostic Value of Serum Galectin-3 in Chronic Heart Failure: A Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between serum galectin-3 and all-cause death (ACD) and cardiovascular death (CVD) in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). METHODS: The PubMed and Embase databases and Clinical Trials Registry (www.clinicaltrials.gov) were searched for studies with data on serum galectin-3 and ACD and CVD in CHF patients. The hazard ratios (HRs) of ACD and CVD were calculated and presented with 95% CIs. HRs were pooled using fixed effects or random effects models when appropriate. Sensitivity analysis, meta-regression and subgroup analysis were applied to find the origin of heterogeneity. Visual inspection of Begg's funnel plot and Egger's test were performed to assess the possibility publication bias. RESULTS: Pooled data included the results from 6,440 patients from 12 studies in the meta-analysis. Higher serum galectin-3 was associated with a higher risk of ACD (HR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.14-1.67) and CVD (HR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.02-1.25) in CHF patients. In the subgroup analyses, higher serum galectin-3 was associated with an increased risk of ACD in all subgroups. The pooled HR of the shorter follow-up group (1.78; 95% CI, 1.50-2.11) was significantly higher than the pooled HR of the longer follow-up group (1.15; 95% CI, 1.05-1.25). Sensitivity analysis of eliminating one study in each turn indicated that Koukoui et al.'s study had the largest influence on the risk of all-cause death. All-cause death publication bias was not detected (Pr>|z| = 0.35 for Begg's test and P>|t| = 0.15 for Egger's test). CONCLUSIONS: Serum galectin-3 has prognostic value of both all-cause death and cardiovascular death in CHF. Serum galectin-3 could be useful for risk classification in patients with CHF. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=193399.

Marine-Derived Piericidin Diglycoside S18 Alleviates Inflammatory Responses in the Aortic Valve via Interaction with Interleukin 37.

Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is a valvular disease frequently in the elderly individuals that can lead to the valve dysfunction. Osteoblastic differentiation of human aortic valve interstitial cells (HAVICs) induced by inflammation play a crucial role in CAVD pathophysiological processes. To date, no effective drugs for CAVD have been established, and new agents are urgently needed. Piericidin glycosides, obtained from a marine-derived Streptomyces strain, were revealed to have regulatory effects on mitochondria in previous studies. Here, we discovered that 13-hydroxypiericidin A 10-O-α-D-glucose (1→6)-ß-D-glucoside (S18), a specific piericidin diglycoside, suppresses lipopolysaccharide- (LPS) induced inflammatory responses of HAVICs by alleviating mitochondrial stress in an interleukin (IL)-37-dependent manner. Knockdown of IL-37 by siRNA not only exaggerated LPS-induced HAVIC inflammation and mitochondrial stress but also abrogated the anti-inflammatory effect of S18 on HAVICs. Moreover, S18 alleviated aortic valve lesions in IL-37 transgenic mice of CAVD model. Microscale thermophoresis (MST) and docking analysis of five piericidin analogues suggested that diglycosides, but not monoglycosides, exert obvious IL-37-binding activity. These results indicate that S18 directly binds to IL-37 to alleviate inflammatory responses in HAVICs and aortic valve lesions in mice. Piericidin diglycoside S18 is a potential therapeutic agent to prevent the development of CAVD.

Interfacial and Permeating Modification Effect of n-type Non-fullerene Acceptors toward High-Performance Perovskite Solar Cells.

Interface passivation in the electron transport layer (ETL) has emerged as a very important and challenging topic for the improvement of stability and efficiency of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Here, we introduce the n-type small organic molecule Y6 that acts as an effective ETL modifier through surface engineering. As a result, the simple PCBM + Y6 ETL led to significantly stronger light absorption, higher electron extraction ability and transportability, and reduced recombination loss in regular MAPbI3 PSCs. The power conversion efficiency can be significantly increased from 17.39 to 20.02% in inverted p-i-n MAPbI3 PSCs without additional alternation, with an increment of over 15%, along with higher open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current. What is more, the devices with the Y6-modified ETL also exhibited better long-term stability compared to the control devices. This indicates the feasibility of enhancing absorption over a wider light spectrum in a single-junction cell and gaining a comprehensive understanding of interface engineering between the ETL and perovskite layer.

Optimal antithrombotic therapy after transcatheter aortic valve replacement in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is prevalent in patients with aortic stenosis (AS) undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Depending on the timing of AF detection, it is usually categorized as pre-existing AF or new-onset AF. Antiplatelet therapy, rather than a vitamin K antagonist, may be considered as the primary treatment for patients without an indication for oral anticoagulants who undergo TAVR. However, the optimal postprocedural antithrombotic regimen for patients with AF undergoing TAVR remains unknown. In this review, we briefly introduce the management strategies of antithrombotic therapy and list the evidence from related studies to elucidate the optimal antithrombotic management for patients with AF undergoing TAVR.

Electrochemical Deposition of CsPbBr3 Perovskite for Photovoltaic Devices with Robust Ambient Stability.

Alkali halide perovskites have emerged as representative candidates for novel opto-electronic devices owing to their balanced efficiency and stability. However, their fabrication method still remains a challenging topic with conflicts among their effectiveness, complexity, and cost. Herein, a complete two-step electrochemical method has been applied in the fabrication of inorganic perovskites for the first time. The dimension and microstructure of CsPbBr3 can be easily controlled by variation of simple physical parameters during the fabrication. By optimizing the parameters, high-quality CsPbBr3 films are obtained, and the champion device has achieved an efficiency of 7.86% with a high open-circuit voltage of 1.43 V. More importantly, the as-fabricated materials have shown an extraordinary robust stability against environmental conditions even after 150 days of exposure to air without encapsulation. This has evidently proved the electrochemical methods as an effective route for perovskite synthesis in its future development.

MicroRNA-215-3p Suppresses the Growth, Migration, and Invasion of Colorectal Cancer by Targeting FOXM1.

Previous investigations have indicated that microRNA-215-3p is dysregulated in many kinds of cancers and functions as oncogene or tumor suppressor. However, the potential role of microRNA-215-3p in the progression of colorectal cancer remains not well known. Herein, we demonstrated that microRNA-215-3p was downregulated in human colorectal cancer tissues and was reversely correlated to the lymph node metastasis of colorectal cancer. Overexpression of microRNA-215-3p inhibited the clonogenic abilities and metastasis-relevant traits of colorectal cancer cell in vitro. Consistently, upregulation of microRNA-215-3p inhibited the growth and metastasis of colorectal cancer cell in vivo. Forkhead box protein M1 was identified as a direct target of microRNA-215-3p and reexpression of forkhead box protein M1 reversed the suppressive impacts of microRNA-215-3p on the growth, mobility, and invasion abilities of colorectal cancer cell. Altogether, these results revealed the vital role of microRNA-215-3p in the tumorigenesis and metastasis of colorectal cancer.

Hierarchy of interfacial passivation in inverted perovskite solar cells.

The crucial hierarchy of the interfacial passivation at different positions of perovskite solar cells together with the corresponding mechanism has been studied despite the selection of passivation mediums in this work. The passivation on the upper interface could more effectively enhance the device performance with an efficiency of 19.55% compared to the pristine and lower passivated cells (15.90% and 18.39%, respectively). Furthermore, the upper passivated devices exhibit better long-term and thermal stability than the lower passivated and pristine ones.

Pharmacological postconditioning with atorvastatin calcium attenuates myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury in diabetic rats by phosphorylating GSK3ß.

Diabetes is an independent risk factor for myocardial ischemia, and many epidemiological data and laboratory studies have revealed that diabetes significantly exacerbated myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury and ameliorated protective effects. The present study aimed to determine whether pharmacological postconditioning with atorvastatin calcium lessened diabetic myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury, and investigated the role of glycogen synthase kinase (GSK3ß) in this. A total of 72 streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were randomly divided into six groups, and 24 age-matched male non-diabetic Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups. Rats all received 40 min myocardial ischemia followed by 180 min reperfusion, except sham-operated groups. Compared with the non-diabetic ischemia/reperfusion model group, the diabetic ischemia/reperfusion group had a comparable myocardial infarct size, but a higher level of serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and morphological alterations to their myocardial cells. Compared with the diabetic ischemia/reperfusion group, the group that received pharmacological postconditioning with atorvastatin calcium had smaller myocardial infarct sizes, lower levels of cTnI, reduced morphological alterations to myocardial cells, higher levels of p-GSK3ß, heat shock factor (HSF)-1 and heat shock protein (HSP)70. The cardioprotective effect conferred by atorvastatin calcium did not attenuate myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury following application of TDZD-8, which phosphorylates and inactivates GSK3ß. Pharmacological postconditioning with atorvastatin calcium may attenuate diabetic heart ischemia/reperfusion injury in the current context. The phosphorylation of GSK3ß serves a critical role during the cardioprotection in diabetic rats, and p-GSK3ß may accelerate HSP70 production partially by activating HSF-1 during myocardial ischemic/reperfusion injury.

High-Performance Perovskite Solar Cells Engineered by an Ammonia Modified Graphene Oxide Interfacial Layer.

The introduction of an ammonia modified graphene oxide (GO:NH3) layer into perovskite-based solar cells (PSCs) with a structure of indium-tin oxide (ITO)/poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene):poly(4-styrenesulfonate) ( PEDOT: PSS)-GO: NH3/CH3NH3PbI3-xClx/phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM)/(solution Bphen) sBphen/Ag improves their performance and perovskite structure stability significantly. The fabricated devices with a champion PCE up to 16.11% are superior in all the performances in comparison with all the reference devices without the GO:NH3 layer. To understand the improved device performances, synchrotron-based grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV-visible absorption measurements have been conducted on perovskite films on different substrates. It was found that these improvements should be partially attributed to the improved crystallization and preferred orientation order of peovskite structure, partially to the improved morphology with nearly complete coverage, partially to the enhanced optical absorption caused by the PEDOT: PSS-GO:NH3 layer, and partially to the better matched energy-level-alignment at the perovskite interface. Furthermore, the device was shown to be more stable in the ambient condition, which is clearly associated with the improved peovskite structure stability by the GO:NH3 layer observed by the GIXRD measurements. All these achievements will promote more applications of chemically modified graphene oxide interfacial layer in the PSCs as well as other organic multilayer devices.

Comparison of transvenous versus transthoracic catheter-based device closure of patent ductus arteriosus with amplatzer duct occluder.

OBJECTIVE: This study compared the clinical outcome of the transvenous versus transthoracic approach for closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). BACKGROUND: There are no data regarding the results of transvenous versus transthoracic catheter-based device closure of PDA with Amplatzer duct occluder (ADO) despite their increasing use as alternatives to conventional surgery. METHODS: In this observational study, a total of 150 consecutive patients with PDA were allocated either to the transvenous approach (group A, n = 108) and the transthoracic approach (group B, n = 42) by using ADO between January 2010 and April 2012. Echocardiography was performed to evaluate the prespecified initial and 6-month success of PDA closure. The technical indices and procedure-related major acute and chronic complications were documented. RESULTS: There were similar initial success rates (98.2% vs 100%; P>.05) and 6-month success rates (99.1% vs 100%; P>.05) between groups, and group A had fewer major acute complications (3.7% vs 85.7%; P<.001), shorter operating time (1.3 hours vs 2.1 hours; P<.001), Intensive Care Unit stay (0 hours vs 23.0 hours; P<.001), and recovery time (3.8 days vs 9.5 days; P<.001), and lower rates of general anesthesia (36.1% vs 100%; P<.001), blood transfusion (0.9% vs 71.4%; P<.001), and extra use of antibiotics (27.8% vs 78.6%; P<.001), and lower total cost of hospitalization ($3815.78 vs $5730.21; P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Despite similar efficacy for duct closure with ADO, transvenous approach was associated with fewer acute complications, more periprocedural comfort, and lower cost; thus, transthoracic approach should not be a reasonable choice for duct closure except for particular indications.