Optimization of culture conditions for HBV-specific T cell expansion in vitro from chronically infected patients.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) clearance depends on an effective adaptive immune response, especially HBV-specific T cell-mediated cellular immunity; however, it is difficult to produce enough HBV-specific T cells effectively. RESULTS: In this work, we investigated the proportions of stimulated cells, serum, and culture media as the three primary factors to determine the most effective procedure and applied it to HLA-A2 (+) people. In parallel, we also examined the correlation between clinical parameters and HBV-specific immunity. Concerning amplification efficiency, 4 × 105 cells stimulation was superior to 2 × 106 cells stimulation, AIM-V medium outperformed 1640 medium, and fetal bovine serum (FBS) exceeded human AB serum under comparable conditions. As expected, this procedure is also suitable for developing HBV-specific CD8 + T cells in HLA-A2(+) individuals. Expanded HBV-specific T cell responses decreased with treatment time and were negatively correlated with HBV DNA and HBsAg. Furthermore, the number of HBV-specific IFN-γ + SFCs was strongly correlated with the ALT level and negatively correlated with the absolute lymphocyte count and the ALB concentration. CONCLUSIONS: We confirm that stimulating 4 × 105 PBMCs in AIM-V medium supplemented with 10% FBS is the best approach and that HBeAg, HBsAg, and ALB are independent predictors of HBV-specific T-cell responses.

Ursonic acid from medicinal herbs inhibits PRRSV replication through activation of the innate immune response by targeting the phosphatase PTPN1.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), caused by the PRRS virus (PRRSV), has caused substantial economic losses to the global swine industry due to the lack of effective commercial vaccines and drugs. There is an urgent need to develop alternative strategies for PRRS prevention and control, such as antiviral drugs. In this study, we identified ursonic acid (UNA), a natural pentacyclic triterpenoid from medicinal herbs, as a novel drug with anti-PRRSV activity in vitro. Mechanistically, a time-of-addition assay revealed that UNA inhibited PRRSV replication when it was added before, at the same time as, and after PRRSV infection was induced. Compound target prediction and molecular docking analysis suggested that UNA interacts with the active pocket of PTPN1, which was further confirmed by a target protein interference assay and phosphatase activity assay. Furthermore, UNA inhibited PRRSV replication by targeting PTPN1, which inhibited IFN-ß production. In addition, UNA displayed antiviral activity against porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV) and Seneca virus A (SVA) replication in vitro. These findings will be helpful for developing novel prophylactic and therapeutic agents against PRRS and other swine virus infections.

Vidofludimus inhibits porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus infection by targeting dihydroorotate dehydrogenase.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) infection has caused huge economic losses in global swine industry over the last 37 years. PRRSV commercial vaccines are not effective against all epidemic PRRSV strains. In this study we performed a high-throughput screening (HTS) of an FDA-approved drug library, which contained 2339 compounds, and found vidofludimus (Vi) could significantly inhibits PRRSV replication in Marc-145 cells and primary porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs). Compounds target prediction, molecular docking analysis, and target protein interference assay showed that Vi interacts with dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), a rate-limiting enzyme in the de novo pyrimidine synthesis pathway. Furthermore, PRRSV infection was restored in the presence of excess uridine and cytidine which promote pyrimidine salvage, or excess orotate which is the product of DHODH in the de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway, thus confirming that the antiviral effect of Vi against PRRSV relies on the inhibition of DHODH. In addition, Vi also has antiviral activity against Seneca virus A (SVA), encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV), porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), and pseudorabies virus (PRV) in vitro. These findings should be helpful for developing a novel prophylactic and therapeutic strategy against PRRSV and other swine viral infections.

A NaCrO2@C free-standing cathode via electrospinning for sodium-ion batteries.

A flexible free-standing cathode is innovatively constructed with NaCrO2 as the electrochemical active substance via an electrospinning technique. The as constructed NaCrO2@C flexible free-standing cathode exhibits exceptional rate performance (106 mA h g-1 at 10C) and cyclability (retention rate of 87.5% after 300 cycles at 0.2C). This work provides a brand-new perspective to the development of flexible free-standing cathodes.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus infection triggers autophagy via ER stress-induced calcium signaling to facilitate virus replication.

Calcium (Ca2+), a ubiquitous second messenger, plays a crucial role in many cellular functions. Viruses often hijack Ca2+ signaling to facilitate viral processes such as entry, replication, assembly, and egress. Here, we report that infection by the swine arterivirus, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), induces dysregulated Ca2+ homeostasis, subsequently activating calmodulin-dependent protein kinase-II (CaMKII) mediated autophagy, and thus fueling viral replication. Mechanically, PRRSV infection induces endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and forms a closed ER-plasma membrane (PM) contacts, resulting the opening of store operated calcium entry (SOCE) channel and causing the ER to take up extracellular Ca2+, which is then released into the cytoplasm by inositol trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) channel. Importantly, pharmacological inhibition of ER stress or CaMKII mediated autophagy blocks PRRSV replication. Notably, we show that PRRSV protein Nsp2 plays a dominant role in the PRRSV induced ER stress and autophagy, interacting with stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) and the 78 kDa glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78). The interplay between PRRSV and cellular calcium signaling provides a novel potential approach to develop antivirals and therapeutics for the disease outbreaks.

A New Long Noncoding RNA, MAHAT, Inhibits Replication of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus by Recruiting DDX6 To Bind to ZNF34 and Promote an Innate Immune Response.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have increasingly been recognized as being integral to cellular processes, including the antiviral immune response. Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is costly to the global swine industry. To identify PRRSV-related lncRNAs, we performed RNA deep sequencing and compared the profiles of lncRNAs in PRRSV-infected and uninfected Marc-145 cells. We identified a novel lncRNA called MAHAT (maintaining cell morphology-associated and highly conserved antiviral transcript; LTCON_00080558) that inhibits PRRSV replication. MAHAT binds and negatively regulates ZNF34 expression by recruiting and binding DDX6, an RNA helicase forming a complex with ZNF34. Inhibition of ZNF34 expression results in increased type I interferon expression and decreased PRRSV replication. This finding reveals a novel mechanism by which PRRSV evades the host antiviral innate immune response by downregulating the MAHAT-DDX6-ZNF34 pathway. MAHAT could be a host factor target for antiviral therapies against PRRSV infection. IMPORTANCE Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in viral infection by regulating the transcription and expression of host genes, and interferon signaling pathways. Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) causes huge economic losses in the swine industry worldwide, but the mechanisms of its pathogenesis and immunology are not fully understood. Here, a new lncRNA, designated MAHAT, was identified as a regulator of host innate immune responses. MAHAT negatively regulates the expression of its target gene, ZNF34, by recruiting and binding DDX6, an RNA helicase, forming a complex with ZNF34. Inhibition of ZNF34 expression increases type I interferon expression and decreases PRRSV replication. This finding suggests that MAHAT has potential as a new target for developing antiviral drugs against PRRSV infection.

A comprehensive drought monitoring method integrating multi-source data.

Droughts are the most expensive natural disasters on the planet. As a result of climate change and human activities, the incidence and impact of drought have grown in China. Timely and effective monitoring of drought is crucial for water resource management, drought mitigation, and national food security. In this study, we constructed a comprehensive drought index (YCDI) suitable for the Yellow River Basin using principal component analysis and the entropy weight-AHP method, which integrated a standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI), self-calibrating Palmer drought severity index (scPDSI), vegetation condition index (VCI), and standardized water storage index (SWSI). SWSI is calculated by the terrestrial water storage anomaly (TWSA), which can more comprehensively reflect the impact of surface water resources on drought (as compared with soil moisture-based indexes). The study results showed that: (1) compared with single drought index, YCDI has stronger ability to monitor drought process. In terms of time scale and drought degree, the monitoring results based on YCDI were similar with data presented in the China Flood and Drought Bulletin and Meteorological Drought Yearbook, reaching ~87% and ~69%, respectively. The correlation between drought intensity and crop harvest area was 0.56. (2) By the combined analysis of the Mann-Kendall test and Moving T test, it was found that the abrupt change of YCDI index at the time of 2009, mainly due to the precipitation in 2009 reached the lowest value in the past 30 years in northern China and extreme high temperature weather. (3) The YCDI of Henan and Shandong provinces in the middle and lower reaches of the basin decreased more significantly, with the maximum value reaching 0.097/yr, while the index in the upper reaches showed an increasing trend with the maximum rate of 0.096/yr. (4) The frequency of mild drought, moderate drought, severe drought and extreme drought in the Yellow River basin during the study period was 15.84%, 12.52%, 4.03% and 0.97%, respectively. Among them, the highest frequency of droughts occurred in Ningxia, Inner Mongolia and central Shaanxi provinces. Drought causation in the Yellow River basin is more influenced by human activities than climate change in the middle and lower reaches, while climate change is the main factor in the upper reaches. Overall, YCDI is a reliable indicator for monitoring the spatial and temporal evolution of drought in the Yellow River basin, and it can be used for monitoring soil moisture changes and vegetation dynamics, which can provide scientific guidance for regional drought governance.

Comparison of pathogenicity of different subgenotype porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome viruses isolated in China.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is an important pathogen causing huge economic losses to the swine industry worldwide, because of its rapid evolution and variation in genomes. It is necessary to monitor the newly emerging epidemic strains and compare their virulence diversity in swine. In this study, two strains of PRRSV2 were isolated from clinical samples by using primary porcine alveolar macrophage (PAMs) cells and designated as SD1805 and FJ1805, respectively. They were unable to grow in MARC-145 cells. Full-length genomes sequence analysis revealed that SD1805 strain has the molecular characterization of NADC30 strain from American, and belongs to the branch of NADC30-like PRRSV (NL-PRRSV) (lineagea 1). FJ1805 isolate came from the inter-subgenotype recombinant of NADC30 strain with a highly pathogenic PRRSV (HP-PRRSV) strain HUN4. Moreover, it belongs to a lineagea 3 represented by the Chinese isolate QYYZ. Pathogenicity analysis showed that SD1805 strain had similar mortality and viral loads in lungs to HP-PRRSV BB0907 strain. FJ1805 strain showed milder pathogenicity compared to NL-PRRSV strain FJ1402 that was previously isolated with Marc-145 cells. It provides evidence of the circulation of the different subgenotype PRRSV strains in China with variations in cell adaption and pathogenic abilities.

Prognostic significance of day-by-day in-hospital blood pressure variability in COVID-19 patients with hypertension.

Hypertension is the most common comorbidity in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and increases in-hospital mortality. Day-by-day blood pressure (BP) variability (BPV) is associated with clinical outcomes in hypertensive patients. However, little information is available on the association of BPV with the outcomes of COVID-19 patients with hypertension. This study aimed to demonstrate whether day-by-day in-hospital BPV had prognostic significance in these patients. The authors included 702 COVID-19 patients with hypertension from Huoshenshan Hospital (Wuhan, China), who underwent valid in-hospital BP measurements on at least seven consecutive days. Day-by-day BPV was assessed by standard deviation (SD), coefficient of variation (CV), and variation independent of mean (VIM). Overall, patients with severe COVID-19 and non-survivors had higher BPV than moderate cases and survivors, respectively. Additionally, higher BPV was correlated with greater age and higher levels of C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, high-sensitive cardiac troponin I, and B-type natriuretic peptide. In multivariable Cox regression, SD of systolic BP (SBP) was predictive of mortality [hazard ratio (HR) 1.17, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05-1.30] as well as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (HR 1.09, 95% CI 1.01-1.16). Similar trends were observed for CV and VIM of SBP, but not indices of diastolic BP variability. The authors demonstrated that day-by-day in-hospital SBP variability can independently predict mortality and ARDS in COVID-19 patients with hypertension. And high BPV might be correlated with severe inflammation and myocardial injury. Further studies are needed to clarify whether early reduction of BPV will improve the prognosis of these patients.

Pitavastatin activates mitophagy to protect EPC proliferation through a calcium-dependent CAMK1-PINK1 pathway in atherosclerotic mice.

Statins play a major role in reducing circulating cholesterol levels and are widely used to prevent coronary artery disease. Although they are recently confirmed to up-regulate mitophagy, little is known about the molecular mechanisms and its effect on endothelial progenitor cell (EPC). Here, we explore the role and mechanism underlying statin (pitavastatin, PTV)-activated mitophagy in EPC proliferation. ApoE-/- mice are fed a high-fat diet for 8 weeks to induce atherosclerosis. In these mice, EPC proliferation decreases and is accompanied by mitochondrial dysfunction and mitophagy impairment via the PINK1-PARK2 pathway. PTV reverses mitophagy and reduction in proliferation. Pink1 knockout or silencing Atg7 blocks PTV-induced proliferation improvement, suggesting that mitophagy contributes to the EPC proliferation increase. PTV elicits mitochondrial calcium release into the cytoplasm and further phosphorylates CAMK1. Phosphorylated CAMK1 contributes to PINK1 phosphorylation as well as mitophagy and mitochondrial function recover in EPCs. Together, our findings describe a molecular mechanism of mitophagy activation, where mitochondrial calcium release promotes CAMK1 phosphorylation of threonine177 before phosphorylation of PINK1 at serine228, which recruits PARK2 and phosphorylates its serine65 to activate mitophagy. Our results further account for the pleiotropic effects of statins on the cardiovascular system and provide a promising and potential therapeutic target for atherosclerosis.

Can patient gratitude expression boost innovative performance? The role of work meaningfulness and supervisory support.

Based on emotions as social information (EASI) theory, the current study proposed how and when patient gratitude expression could promote nurses' innovative performance. Using a time-lagged data of 649 nurses from three class A tertiary hospitals in China, the results showed that patient gratitude expression was positively related to nurses' innovative performance, and nurses' work meaningfulness mediated such effect. Furthermore, supervisory support moderated the relationship of work meaningfulness with nurses' innovative performance, as well as the indirect relationship between patient gratitude expression and innovative performance through work meaningfulness, such that the indirect relationship was stronger when supervisory support is higher. Our research helps to expand our understanding of how patient gratitude expression as an organizational external factor influences nurses' innovation in healthcare, and meanwhile, provides management insights for hospital managers to focus on patient gratitude expression and enhance nurse innovation.

Cardiovascular Indicators of Systemic Circulation and Acute Mountain Sickness: An Observational Cohort Study.

Background: Acute high-altitude (HA) exposure results in blood pressure (BP) and cardiac function variations in most subjects, some of whom suffer from acute mountain sickness (AMS). Several previous studies have found that cardiovascular function indicators are potentially correlated with AMS. Objectives: This study aims to examine HA-induced cardiovascular adaptations in AMS patients and compare them with healthy subjects. It also aims to investigate the relationship between cardiovascular function indicators and AMS, as well as to provide some insightful information about the prevention and treatment of AMS. Methods: Seventy-two subjects were enrolled in this cohort study. All the subjects ascended Litang (4,100 m above sea level). They were monitored by a 24-h ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) device and underwent echocardiography examination within 24 h of altitude exposure. The 2018 Lake Louise questionnaire was used to evaluate AMS. Results: Acute mountain sickness group consisted of more women (17 [60.7%] vs. 10 [22.7%], p = 0.001) and fewer smokers (5 [17.9%] vs. 23 [52.3%], p = 0.003). Compared with subjects without AMS, subjects with AMS had lower pulse pressure (PP) (daytime PP, 45.23 ± 7.88 vs. 52.14 ± 4.75, p < 0.001; nighttime PP, 42.81 ± 5.92 vs. 49.39 ± 7.67, p < 0.001) and lower effective arterial elastance (Ea) (1.53 ± 0.24 vs. 1.73 ± 0.39, p = 0.023). Multivariate regression indicated that female sex (OR = 0.23, p = 0.024), lower daytime PP (OR = 0.86, p = 0.004), and lower Ea (OR = 0.03, p = 0.015) at low altitude (LA) were independent risk factors for AMS. Combined daytime PP and Ea at LA had a high predictive value for AMS (AUC = 0.873; 95% CI: 0.789-0.956). Correlation analysis showed that AMS-induced headache correlated with daytime PP (R = -0.401, p < 0.001) and nighttime PP at LA (R = -0.401, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that AMS patients had a lower PP and Ea at LA. These baseline indicators of vasodilation at LA were closely associated with AMS, which may explain the higher headache severity in subjects with higher PP at LA.

A novel echocardiographic parameter to identify individuals susceptible to acute mountain sickness.

BACKGROUND: Acute mountain sickness (AMS) may cause life-threatening conditions. This study aimed to screen echocardiographic parameters at sea level (SL) to identify predictors of AMS development. METHODS: Overall, 106 healthy men were recruited at SL and ascended to 4100 m within 7 days by bus. Basic characteristics, physiological data, and echocardiographic parameters were collected both at SL and 4100 m above SL. AMS was identified by 2018 Lake Louise Questionnaire Score. RESULTS: After acute high altitude exposure (AHAE), 33 subjects were diagnosed with AMS and exhibited lower lateral mitral valve tissue motion annular displacement (MV TMADlateral) at SL than AMS-free subjects (13.09 vs. 13.89 mm, p = 0.022). MV TMADlateral at SL was significantly correlated with AMS occurrence (OR = 0.717, 95% CI: 0.534-0.964, p = 0.028). The MV TMADlateral<13.30-mm group showed over 4-fold risk for AMS development versus the MV TMADlateral≥13.30-mm group. After AHAE, the MV TMADlateral<13.30-mm group had increased HR (64 vs. 74 bpm, p = 0.001) and right-ventricular myocardial performance index (0.54 vs. 0.69, p = 0.009) and decreased left ventricular global longitudinal strain (-21.50 vs. -20.23%, p = 0.002), tricuspid valve E/A ratio (2.11 vs. 1.89, p = 0.019), and MV E-wave deceleration time (169.60 vs. 156.90 ms, p = 0.035). CONCLUSION: MV TMADlateral at SL was a potential predictor of AMS occurrence and might be associated with differential alterations of ventricular systolic and diastolic functions in subjects with different MV TMADlateral levels at SL after AHAE.

Echocardiographic Right Ventricular Outflow Track Notch Formation and the Incidence of Acute Mountain Sickness.

Yuan, Fangzhengyuan, Zhexue Qin, Chuan Liu, Shiyong Yu, Jie Yang, Jun Jin, Shizhu Bian, Xubin Gao, Jihang Zhang, Chen Zhang, Mingdong Hu, Jingbin Ke, Yuanqi Yang, Jingdu Tian, Chunyan He, Wenzhu Gu, Chun Li, Rongsheng Rao, and Lan Huang. Echocardiographic right ventricular outflow track notch formation and the incidence of acute mountain sickness. High Alt Med Biol. 22:263-273, 2021. Background: High-altitude exposure causes acute mountain sickness (AMS) and increases pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP). The notching of echocardiographic right ventricular outflow tract flow velocity envelope (right ventricular outflow tract [RVOT] notching), is related to increased PAP. We speculate that acute high-altitude exposure may trigger RVOT notching, which may be associated with AMS. Methods: All 130 subjects, ascended to 4,100 m from low altitude by bus within 7 days, underwent physiological and echocardiographic testing. The subjects with a total score of 3 or above and in the presence of a headache were diagnosed with AMS according to Lake Louise criteria. Results: After high-altitude exposure, the incidence of RVOT notching and AMS was 20% and 28.5%, respectively. The subjects with AMS had a higher incidence (37.8%) of RVOT notching than those without AMS (12.9%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that RVOT notching was associated with systolic pulmonary artery pressure (SPAP) (odds ratio [OR], 1.11; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05-1.17; p < 0.001) and the occurrence of AMS (OR, 5.48; 95% CI, 1.96-15.35; p = 0.001). Although linear regression analysis showed a weak correlation between SPAP and Lake Louise AMS score in the overall population (r = 0.20, p = 0.020), this correlation was more pronounced in the subpopulation with RVOT notching (r = 0.44, p = 0.023) and SPAP was not related to Lake Louise AMS score in the subpopulation without RVOT notching (r = 0.03, p = 0.698). Among AMS symptoms, the incidence of headache and fatigue were higher in subjects with RVOT notching than those in subjects without RVOT notching. Conclusions: We first observe that high-altitude exposure triggers RVOT notching formation, which is associated with AMS occurrence. Clinical Trials.gov ID: ChiCTR-RCS-12002232.

Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Restricted in Cytoplasmic Location by Viral GP5 Facilitates Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Replication via Its Glycolytic Activity.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is one of the most important endemic swine pathogens, causing enormous losses in the global swine industry. Commercially available vaccines only partially prevent or counteract the virus infection and correlated losses. PRRSV's replication mechanism has not been well understood. In this study, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) was screened to bind with the viral major envelope glycoprotein 5 (GP5) after PRRSV infection. The interacting sites are located within a 13-amino-acid (aa) region (aa 93 to 105) of GP5 and at Lys227 of GAPDH. Interestingly, viral GP5 restricts the translocation of GAPDH from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. Moreover, cytoplasmic GAPDH facilitates PRRSV replication by virtue of its glycolytic activity. The results suggest that PRRSV GP5 restricts GAPDH to the nucleus and exploits its glycolytic activity to stimulate virus replication. The data provide insight into the role of GAPDH in PRRSV replication and reveal a potential target for controlling viral infection. IMPORTANCE PRRSV poses a severe economic threat to the pig industry. PRRSV GP5, the major viral envelope protein, plays an important role in viral infection, pathogenicity, and immunity. However, interactions between GP5 and host proteins have not yet been well studied. Here, we show that GAPDH interacts with GP5 through binding a 13-aa sequence (aa 93 to 105) in GP5, while GP5 interacts with GAPDH at the K277 amino acid residue of GAPDH. We demonstrate that GP5 interacts with GAPDH in the cytoplasm during PPRSV infection, inhibiting GAPDH entry into the nucleus. PRRSV exploits the glycolytic activity of GAPDH to promote viral replication. These results enrich our understanding of PRRSV infection and pathogenesis and open a new avenue for antiviral prevention and PRRSV treatment strategies.

The Association Between Notching of the Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Flow Velocity Doppler Envelope and Impaired Right Ventricular Function After Acute High-Altitude Exposure.

INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) is increased and right ventricular (RV) function is well preserved in healthy subjects upon exposure to high altitude (HA). An increase in PAP may trigger notching of the right ventricular outflow tract Doppler flow velocity envelope (RVOT notch), which is associated with impaired RV function in patients with pulmonary hypertension. However, whether HA exposure can induce RVOT notch formation and the subsequent impact on cardiac function in healthy subjects remains unclear. METHODS: A total of 99 subjects (69 males and 30 females) with a median age of 25 years were enrolled in this study; they traveled from 500 to 4100 m by bus over a 2-day period. All subjects underwent a comprehensive physiological and echocardiographic examination 1 day before ascension at low altitude and 15 ± 3 h after arrival at HA. The RVOT notch was determined by the presence of a notched shape in the RVOT Doppler flow velocity envelope. The systolic PAP (SPAP) was calculated as Bernoulli equation SPAP = 4 × (maximum tricuspid regurgitation velocity)2+5 and mean PAP (mPAP) = 0.61 × SPAP+2. Cardiac output was calculated as stroke volume × heart rate. Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) was calculated as 1.9+1.24 × mitral E/e'. Pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) was calculated as (mPAP-PCWP)/CO. RESULTS: After HA exposure, 20 (20.2%) subjects had an RVOT notch [notch (+)], and 79 (79.8%) subjects did not have an RVOT notch [notch (-)]. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, the SPAP, right ventricular global longitude strain (RV GLS), and tricuspid E/A were independently associated with the RVOT notch. The SPAP, mPAP, PVR, standard deviations of the times to peak systolic strain in the four mid-basal RV segments (RVSD4), peak velocity of the isovolumic contraction period (ICV), and the peak systolic velocity (s') at the mitral/tricuspid annulus were increased in all subjects. Conversely, the pulse oxygen saturation (SpO2), RV GLS, and tricuspid annulus plane systolic excursion (TAPSE)/SPAP were decreased. However, the increases of SPAP, mPAP, PVR, and RVSD4 and the decreases of SpO2, RV GLS, and TAPSE/SPAP were more pronounced in the notch (+) group than in the notch (-) group. Additionally, increased tricuspid ICV and mitral/tricuspid s' were found only in the notch (-) group. CONCLUSION: HA exposure-induced RVOT notch formation is associated with impaired RV function, including no increase in the tricuspid ICV or s', reduction of RV deformation, deterioration in RV-pulmonary artery coupling, and RV intraventricular synchrony.

Sex-Dependent Association Between Early Morning Ambulatory Blood Pressure Variations and Acute Mountain Sickness.

BACKGROUND: Acute high altitude (HA) exposure elicits blood pressure (BP) responses in most subjects, and some of them suffer from acute mountain sickness (AMS). However, a 24-h ambulatory BP (ABP) change and the correlation with the occurrence of AMS in different sexes are still unclear. OBJECTIVES: This prospective study aimed to investigate HA induced BP responses in males and females and the relationship between AMS and 24-h ABP. METHODS: Forty-six subjects were matched according to demographic parameters by propensity score matching with a ratio of 1:1. All the subjects were monitored by a 24-h ABP device; the measurement was one period of 24 h BP. 2018 Lake Louise questionnaire was used to evaluate AMS. RESULTS: Both the incidence of AMS (14 [60.9%] vs. 5 [21.7%], P = 0.007) and headache (18 [78.3%] vs. 8 [34.8%], P = 0.003) were higher in females than in males. All subjects showed an elevated BP in the early morning [morning systolic BP (SBP), 114.72 ± 13.57 vs. 120.67 ± 11.10, P = 0.013]. The elevation of morning SBP variation was more significant in females than in males (11.95 ± 13.19 vs. -0.05 ± 14.49, P = 0.005), and a higher morning BP surge increase (4.69 ± 18.09 vs. -9.66 ± 16.96, P = 0.005) was observed after acute HA exposure in the female group. The increase of morning SBP was associated with AMS occurrence (R = 0.662, P < 0.001) and AMS score (R = 0.664, P = 0.001). Among the AMS symptoms, we further revealed that the incidence (R = 0.786, P < 0.001) and the severity of headache (R = 0.864, P < 0.001) are closely correlated to morning SBP. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that females are more likely to suffer from AMS than males. AMS is closely associated with elevated BP in the early morning period, which may be correlated to higher headache incidence in subjects with higher morning SBP.

Sex Differences in the Incidence and Risk Factors of Myocardial Injury in COVID-19 Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Male novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients tend to have poorer clinical outcomes than female patients, while the myocardial injury is strongly associated with COVID-19-related adverse events. Owing to a lack of corresponding data, we aimed to investigate the sex differences in the incidence of myocardial injury in COVID-19 patients and to identify the potential underlying mechanisms, which may partly account for the sex bias in the incidence of adverse events. This retrospective study included 1,157 COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized in Huoshenshan Hospital from 12 March 2020 to 11 April 2020. Data on the patients' demographic characteristics, initial symptoms, comorbidities and laboratory tests were collected. Totally, 571 (49.4%) female and 586 (50.6%) male COVID-19 patients were enrolled. The incidence of myocardial injury was higher among men than women (9.2 vs. 4.9%, p = 0.004). In the logistic regression analysis, age, and chronic kidney disease were associated with myocardial injury in both sexes. However, hypertension [odds ratio (OR) = 2.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.20-4.22], coronary artery disease (OR = 2.46, 95% CI 1.14-5.34), leucocyte counts (OR = 3.13, 95% CI 1.24-7.86), hs-CRP (OR = 4.45, 95% CI 1.33-14.83), and D-dimer [OR = 3.93 (1.27-12.19), 95% CI 1.27-12.19] were independent risk factors only in the men. The correlations of hs-CRP and D-dimer with hs-cTnI and BNP were stronger in the men. The incidence of myocardial injury in COVID-19 patients is sex-dependent, predominantly in association with a greater degree of inflammation and coagulation disorders in men. Our findings can be used to improve the quality of clinical management in such settings.

Blood pressure and left ventricular function changes in different ambulatory blood pressure patterns at high altitude.

Acute high-altitude (HA) exposure induces physiological responses of the heart and blood pressure (BP). However, few studies have investigated the responses associated with dipper and non-dipper BP patterns. In this prospective study, 72 patients underwent echocardiography and 24-h ambulatory BP testing at sea level and HA. Patients were divided into dipper and non-dipper groups according to BP at sea level. Acute HA exposure elevated 24-h systolic and diastolic BP and increased BP variability, particularly in the morning. Moreover, acute exposure increased left ventricular torsion, end-systolic elastance, effective arterial elastance, and untwisting rate, but reduced peak early diastolic velocity/late diastolic velocity and peak early diastolic velocity/early diastolic velocity, implying enhanced left ventricular systolic function but impaired filling. Dippers showed pronounced increases in night-time BP, while non-dippers showed significant elevation in day-time BP, which blunted differences in nocturnal BP fall, and lowest night-time and evening BP. Dippers had higher global longitudinal strain, torsion, and untwisting rates after acute HA exposure. Variations in night-time systolic BP correlated with variations in torsion and global longitudinal strain. Our study firstly demonstrates BP and cardiac function variations during acute HA exposure in different BP patterns and BP increases in dippers at night, while non-dippers showed day-time increases. Furthermore, enhanced left ventricular torsion and global longitudinal strain are associated with BP changes. Non-dippers showed poor cardiac compensatory and maladaptive to acute HA exposure. However, the exact mechanisms involved need further illumination.

Prediction of High-Altitude Cardiorespiratory Fitness Impairment Using a Combination of Physiological Parameters During Exercise at Sea Level and Genetic Information in an Integrated Risk Model.

Insufficient cardiorespiratory compensation is closely associated with acute hypoxic symptoms and high-altitude (HA) cardiovascular events. To avoid such adverse events, predicting HA cardiorespiratory fitness impairment (HA-CRFi) is clinically important. However, to date, there is insufficient information regarding the prediction of HA-CRFi. In this study, we aimed to formulate a protocol to predict individuals at risk of HA-CRFi. We recruited 246 volunteers who were transported to Lhasa (HA, 3,700 m) from Chengdu (the sea level [SL], <500 m) through an airplane. Physiological parameters at rest and during post-submaximal exercise, as well as cardiorespiratory fitness at HA and SL, were measured. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were employed to predict HA-CRFi. We analyzed 66 pulmonary vascular function and hypoxia-inducible factor- (HIF-) related polymorphisms associated with HA-CRFi. To increase the prediction accuracy, we used a combination model including physiological parameters and genetic information to predict HA-CRFi. The oxygen saturation (SpO2) of post-submaximal exercise at SL and EPAS1 rs13419896-A and EGLN1 rs508618-G variants were associated with HA-CRFi (SpO2, area under the curve (AUC) = 0.736, cutoff = 95.5%, p < 0.001; EPAS1 A and EGLN1 G, odds ratio [OR] = 12.02, 95% CI = 4.84-29.85, p < 0.001). A combination model including the two risk factors-post-submaximal exercise SpO2 at SL of <95.5% and the presence of EPAS1 rs13419896-A and EGLN1 rs508618-G variants-was significantly more effective and accurate in predicting HA-CRFi (OR = 19.62, 95% CI = 6.42-59.94, p < 0.001). Our study employed a combination of genetic information and the physiological parameters of post-submaximal exercise at SL to predict HA-CRFi. Based on the optimized prediction model, our findings could identify individuals at a high risk of HA-CRFi in an early stage and reduce cardiovascular events.