Risk factors for inspiratory muscle weakness in coronary heart disease.

BACKGROUND: Patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) are susceptible to lung function problems caused by respiratory muscle weakness. Many CHD patients show complications of respiratory muscle weakness, but the risk factors remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: To explore the risk factors for inspiratory muscle weakness in CHD. METHODS: This study enrolled 249 patients with CHD who underwent maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) measurement between April 2021 and March 2022.According to the percentage of MIP (MIP/Predicted normal value [PNV]), patients were divided into the inspiratory muscle weakness (IMW) (n = 149) (MIP/PNV<70%) and control groups (n = 100) (MIP/PNV≥70༅). Clinical information and MIP of the two groups were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: The incidence of IMW was 59.8% (n = 149). Age (P < 0.001); history of heart failure (P < 0.001), hypertension (P = 0.04), and peripheral artery disease (PAD) (P = 0.001); left ventricular end-systolic dimension (P = 0.035); presence of segmental motion abnormality of the ventricular wall (P = 0.030); and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = 0.001) and N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels (P < 0.001) in the IMW group were significantly higher than those in the control group. The proportion of anatomic complete revascularization (P = 0.009), left ventricular ejection fraction (P = 0.010), and alanine transaminase (P = 0.014) and triglycerides levels (P = 0.014) in the IMW group were significantly lower than those in the control group. Logistic regression analysis showed that anatomic complete revascularization (OR=0.350, 95%CI 0.157-0.781) and NT-proBNP level (OR=1.002, 95%CI 1.000-1.004) were independent risk factors for IMW. CONCLUSION: The independent risk factors for decreased IMW in patients with CAD were anatomic incomplete revascularization and NT-proBNP level.

miR-16-5p Regulates Ferroptosis by Targeting SLC7A11 in Adriamycin-Induced Ferroptosis in Cardiomyocytes.

Introduction: Adriamycin (ADR) is commonly used in tumor chemotherapy, but its nonreversible cardiotoxicity severely hampers its clinical application. Ferroptosis is an implicated cause of ADR-induced injury. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study explored whether ferroptosis is a pivotal pathogenic pathway underlying ADR-induced cardiotoxicity and the possible molecular mechanisms involved. Methods: In vivo and in vitro experimental models were used to study the mechanism of ADR-mediated ferroptosis. Ferroptosis levels were examined in mice and human/rat cardiomyocytes. Mechanistically, the expression levels of SLC7A11 and related miRNAs were examined. Bioinformatics prediction and luciferase reporter assays were used to verify the potential interaction between miR-16-5p and SLC7A11. The biological functions and interaction of SLC7A11 and miR-16-5p were investigated in vivo and in vitro. Results: Our study observed that ADR treatment significantly increased ferroptosis levels in vivo and in vitro. Ferroptosis-related pharmacological interventions further confirmed these results. Our data displayed that the SLC7A11 level was significantly decreased in cardiac tissues and cells, while an increased expression level of miR-16-5p was observed. Moreover, upregulation of SLC7A1 and inhibition of miR-16-5p attenuated ADR-induced cardiomyocyte ferroptosis injury. Interactive rescue experiments showed that the protective effects of miR-16-5p inhibition on ADR-induced cardiomyocyte injury were blocked by SLC7A11 knockdown. Discussion: Based on these findings, targeting miR-16-5p could partially reverse the ADR-induced cardiotoxicity by rescuing the SLC7A11 to attenuate ferroptosis. This study presents a pre-clinical basis to identify miR-16-5p/SLC7A11 as a potential treatment target for ADR-induced cardiotoxicity.

Effects of Nitrogen Deficiency on the Metabolism of Organic Acids and Amino Acids in Oryza sativa.

Organic acids metabolism and nitrogen (N) metabolism in rice seedlings and the relationship between them are not fully understood. In this study, rice (Oryza sativa L. ssp. Indica) variety "Huanghuazhan" was used as the experimental material, and three N levels (5 mM, 1 mM, and 0 mM NH4NO3) were set by the hydroponic method for different levels of N treatment. Our results showed that the increased content of malate in rice leaves caused by reducing N level was related to the increased synthesis of malate (the activity of leaf PEPC increased)and the decreased degradation of malate (the activity of leaf NADP-ME decreased), while the increased contents of citrate and isocitrate in rice leaves caused by reducing N level might not be caused by the increased biosynthesis, but due to the decrease in degradation of citrate and isocitrate (the activities of leaf CS, ACO, and NADP-IDH decreased). The increased content of malate in rice roots caused by reducing N level might be related to the increased biosynthesis and the decreased degradation of root malate (the activities of root NAD-MDH and PEPC increased, while the activity of NADP-ME decreased). Compared to the control (5 mM NH4NO3), the increased content of citrate in rice roots caused by reducing N level might be related to the increased biosynthesis rather than the decreased degradation of citrate, due to the higher activities of CS and ACO in rice roots under 0 mM N and 1mM N treatment when compared to that of the control ones. At the same time, the increased content of isocitrate in roots was related to the increased isomerization of isocitrate (the activity of root ACO increased) and the decreased degradation of isocitrate (the activity of root NADP-IDH decreased). With the reducing N level, the activities of N metabolism-related enzymes, such as nitrate reductase (NR), glutamine synthetase (GS), and glutamate synthase (GOGAT), decreased in rice leaves and roots, resulting in the decreased contents of total free amino acids (TFAAs) and soluble proteins in rice seedlings, and finally led to the growth inhibition. Our results showed that the dynamics of organic acids metabolism caused by reducing N level were different in rice leaves and roots. In conclusion, there was a close correlation between organic acids metabolism and N metabolism in rice leaves and roots under N-limited conditions; furthermore, such a correlation was more obvious in rice leaves than that of roots.

Anti-inflammatory activity of polysaccharides from Phellinus linteus by regulating the NF-κB translocation in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages.

Inflammatory response remains one of the most common and serious complications of disease. In order to profound understanding relationship between Phellinus linteus polysaccharides (TCM) and inflammation, inflammatory cell model was constructed by LPS acting RAW264.7 cell line. The results showed that TCM could decrease the pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-2, IL-6 and IL-12) contents and the mRNA expression levels and increase the anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10) contents and the mRNA expression levels. Additionally, the levels of NF-κB translocation was significantly decreased, which associated with the IκBα phosphorylation level decreased and the AMPKα phosphorylation level increased. These results indicated that TCM could reduce the inflammatory responses in the LPS induced inflammatory cell model might be related to inhibit NF-κB translocation and regulate the balance of anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory factors.

Proteomic Analysis Reveals Coordinated Regulation of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis through Signal Transduction and Sugar Metabolism in Black Rice Leaf.

Black rice (Oryza sativa L.) is considered to be a healthy food due to its high content of anthocyanins in the pericarp. The synthetic pathway of anthocyanins in black rice grains has been identified, however, the proteomic profile of leaves during grain development is still unclear. Here, isobaric Tags Relative and Absolute Quantification (iTRAQ) MS/MS was carried out to identify statistically significant changes of leaf proteome in the black rice during grain development. Throughout three sequential developmental stages, a total of 3562 proteins were detected and 24 functional proteins were differentially expressed 3-10 days after flowering (DAF). The detected proteins are known to be involved in various biological processes and most of these proteins were related to gene expression regulatory (33.3%), signal transduction (16.7%) and developmental regulation and hormone-like proteins (12.5%). The coordinated changes were consistent with changes in regulatory proteins playing a leading role in leaves during black rice grain development. This indicated that signal transduction between leaves and grains may have an important role in anthocyanin biosynthesis and accumulation during grain development of black rice. In addition, four identified up-regulated proteins associated with starch metabolism suggested that the remobilization of nutrients for starch synthesis plays a potential role in anthocyanin biosynthesis of grain. The mRNA transcription for eight selected proteins was validated with quantitative real-time PCR. Our results explored the proteomics of the coordination between leaf and grain in anthocyanins biosynthesis of grain, which might be regulated by signal transduction and sugar metabolism in black rice leaf.

Metasurface integrated high energy efficient and high linearly polarized InGaN/GaN light emitting diode.

We proposed and demonstrated an integrated high energy efficient and high linearly polarized InGaN/GaN green LED grown on (0001) oriented sapphire with combined metasurface polarizing converter and polarizer system. It is different from those conventional polarized light emissions generated with plasmonic metallic grating in which at least 50% high energy loss occurs inherently due to high reflection of the transverse electric (TE) component of an electric field. A reflecting metasurface, with a two dimensional elliptic metal cylinder array (EMCA) that functions as a half-wave plate, was integrated at the bottom of a LED such that the back-reflected TE component, that is otherwise lost by a dielectric/metal bi-layered wire grids (DMBiWG) polarizer on the top emitting surface of the LED, can be converted to desired transverse magnetic (TM) polarized emission after reflecting from the metasurface. This significantly enhances the polarized light emission efficiency. Experimental results show that extraction efficiency of the polarized emission can be increased by 40% on average in a wide angle of ±60° compared to that with the naked bottom of sapphire substrate, or 20% compared to reflecting Al film on the bottom of a sapphire substrate. An extinction ratio (ER) of average value 20 dB within an angle of ±60° can be simultaneously obtained directly from an InGaN/GaN LED. Our results show the possibility of simultaneously achieving a high degree of polarization and high polarization extraction efficiency at the integrated device level. This advances the field of GaN LED toward energy efficiency, multi-functional applications in illumination, display, medicine, and light manipulation.

Broadband circularly polarizing dichroism with high efficient plasmonic helical surface.

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a broadband and high efficient circularly polarizing dichroism using a simple single-cycle and single-helical plasmonic surface array arranged in square lattice. Two types of helical surface structures (partially or completely covered with a gold film) are investigated. It is shown that the circular polarization dichroism in the mid-IR range (3µm - 5µm) can reach 80% (when the surface is partially covered with gold) or 65% (when the surface is completely covered with gold) with a single-cycle and single-helical surface. Experimental fabrications of the proposed helical plasmonic surface are implemented with direct 3D laser writing followed by electron beam evaporation deposition of gold. The experimental evaluations of the circular polarization dichroism are in excellent agreement with the simulation. The proposed helical surface structure is of advantages of easy-fabrication, high-dichroism and scalable to other frequencies as a high efficient broadband circular polarizer.

iTRAQ-Based Quantitative Proteomics Analysis of Black Rice Grain Development Reveals Metabolic Pathways Associated with Anthocyanin Biosynthesis.

BACKGROUND: Black rice (Oryza sativa L.), whose pericarp is rich in anthocyanins (ACNs), is considered as a healthier alternative to white rice. Molecular species of ACNs in black rice have been well documented in previous studies; however, information about the metabolic mechanisms underlying ACN biosynthesis during black rice grain development is unclear. RESULTS: The aim of the present study was to determine changes in the metabolic pathways that are involved in the dynamic grain proteome during the development of black rice indica cultivar, (Oryza sativa L. indica var. SSP). Isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) MS/MS were employed to identify statistically significant alterations in the grain proteome. Approximately 928 proteins were detected, of which 230 were differentially expressed throughout 5 successive developmental stages, starting from 3 to 20 days after flowering (DAF). The greatest number of differentially expressed proteins was observed on 7 and 10 DAF, including 76 proteins that were upregulated and 39 that were downregulated. The biological process analysis of gene ontology revealed that the 230 differentially expressed proteins could be sorted into 14 functional groups. Proteins in the largest group were related to metabolic process, which could be integrated into multiple biochemical pathways. Specifically, proteins with a role in ACN biosynthesis, sugar synthesis, and the regulation of gene expression were upregulated, particularly from the onset of black rice grain development and during development. In contrast, the expression of proteins related to signal transduction, redox homeostasis, photosynthesis and N-metabolism decreased during grain maturation. Finally, 8 representative genes encoding different metabolic proteins were verified via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis, these genes had differed in transcriptional and translational expression during grain development. CONCLUSIONS: Expression analyses of metabolism-related protein groups belonging to different functional categories and subcategories indicated that significantly upregulated proteins were related to flavonoid and starch synthesis. On the other hand, the downregulated proteins were determined to be related to nitrogen metabolism, as well as other functional categories and subcategories, including photosynthesis, redox homeostasis, tocopherol biosynthetic, and signal transduction. The results provide valuable new insights into the characterization and understanding of ACN pigment production in black rice.

Primary analysis for clinical efficacy of immunotherapy in patients with pancreatic cancer.

AIMS: Immunotherapy is an important treatment for pancreatic cancer (PC) patients. To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of immunotherapy in the treatment of PC, we performed a systemic review and meta-analysis of the relevant published clinical trials, collectively referred to as DC, DC-CIK, LAK, NK and GM-CSF secreting PC cell lines. MATERIALS & METHODS:  A total of 413 patients in 11 eligible trials with PC were selected for the present meta-analysis. RESULTS: The estimated pooled overall survival showed a significant improvement for PC patients who received immunotherapy compared with nonimmunotherapy. The lymphocyte subsets, immune cytokine levels and serum cancer markers in the peripheral blood of PC patients were significantly improved after immunotherapy. CONCLUSION: The results showed that immunotherapy can improve the efficacy of the treatment of PC patients.

[Laparoscopic resection of true pancreatic cyst: report of 5 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the experience in laparoscopic resection of true pancreatic cyst. METHODS: Five patients with true pancreatic cyst, including 1 case of pancreatic head cyst and 4 cases of distal pancreatic cyst, underwent laparoscopic resection. Among them one case with pancreatic head cyst and 4 cases of distal pancreatic cyst underwent simple laparoscopic cyst resection and one case of distal pancreatic cyst underwent laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy with resection of the spleen. The curative effects were evaluated. A follow-up lasting 2 approximately 33 months was conducted. RESULTS: All operations were successful with intraoperative blood loss of 50 to 150 ml. The patients could get up and move about 6 hours after the operation and were recovered and discharged 4 to 6 days later. Follow-up showed that all symptoms disappeared and no recurrence of cyst occurred. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic resection of true pancreatic cyst is feasible with the advantages of reduced injury and earlier recovery.