Variation and significance of serum microRNA-21 level in pediatric pulmonary artery hypertension associated with congenital heart disease.

Objective: This study strives to the variation and significance of microRNA-21 (miR-21) in children with congenital heart disease (CHD)-related pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH). Methods: Children with CHD (n = 179) were selected as subjects, including 101 children without PAH and 78 children with PAH. All children underwent general data collection, laboratory examination, echocardiography and cardiac catheterization. After detection of serum miR-21 expression, the predictive value and the impacts of serum miR-21 for PAH and postoperative critical illness were analyzed. Results: Serum creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB), B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and miR-21 were elevated, but ejection fraction (EF) and cardiac index (CI) were decreased in the CHD-PAH group. Serum miR-21 assisted in predicting PAH in CHD children, with the area under curve (AUC) of 0.801 (95% CI of 0.735∼0.857), a cut-off value of 2.56, sensitivity of 73.08, and specificity of 72.28%. Serum miR-21 in children with CHD-PAH was correlated with clinicopathological indicators such as systolic pulmonary artery pressure, mean pulmonary arterial pressure, BNP and CI. Serum miR-21 helped predict the development of postoperative critical illness in children with CHD-PAH, with an AUC of 0.859 (95% CI: 0.762-0.927, cut-off value: 4.55, sensitivity: 69.57%, specificity: 92.73%). Increased serum miR-21 was an independent risk factor of postoperative critical illness in children with CHD-PAH. Conclusion: Serum miR-21 was upregulated in children with CHD-PAH, which may serve as a predictive biomarker for the onset of PAH and postoperative critical illness in CHD children.

Detection of common pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis and atherosclerosis via microarray data analysis.

Despite extensive research reveal rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is related to atherosclerosis (AS), common pathogenesis between these two diseases still needs to be explored. In current study, we explored the common pathogenesis between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and atherosclerosis (AS) by identifying 297 Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) associated with both diseases. Through KEGG and GO functional analysis, we highlighted the correlation of these DEGs with crucial biological processes such as the vesicle transport, immune system process, signaling receptor binding, chemokine signaling and many others. Employing Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) network analysis, we elucidated the associations between DEGs, revealing three gene modules enriched in immune system process, vesicle, signaling receptor binding, Pertussis, and among others. Additionally, through CytoHubba analysis, we pinpointed 11 hub genes integral to intergrin-mediated signaling pathway, plasma membrane, phosphotyrosine binding, chemokine signaling pathway and so on. Further investigation via the TRRUST database identified two key Transcription Factors (TFs), SPI1 and RELA, closely linked with these hub genes, shedding light on their regulatory roles. Finally, leveraging the collective insights from hub genes and TFs, we proposed 10 potential drug candidates targeting the molecular mechanisms underlying RA and AS pathogenesis. Further investigation on xCell revealed that 14 types of cells were all different in both AS and RA. This study underscores the shared pathogenic mechanisms, pivotal genes, and potential therapeutic interventions bridging RA and AS, offering valuable insights for future research and clinical management strategies.

Formulating and Representing Multiagent Systems With Hypergraphs.

Graph-learning methods, especially graph neural networks (GNNs), have shown remarkable effectiveness in handling non-Euclidean data and have achieved great success in various scenarios. Existing GNNs are primarily based on message-passing schemes, that is, aggregating information from neighboring nodes. However, the diversity and complexity of complex systems from real-world circumstances are not sufficiently taken into account. In these cases, the individual should be treated as an agent, with the ability to perceive their surroundings and interact with other individuals, rather than just be viewed as nodes in existing graph approaches. Additionally, the pairwise interactions used in existing methods also lack the expressiveness for the higher-order complex relations among multiple agents, thus limiting the performance in various tasks. In this work, we propose a Multiagent Hypergraph Force-learning method dubbed MHGForce. First, we formalize the multiagent system (MAS) and illustrate its connection to graph learning. Then, we propose a generalized multiagent hypergraph-learning framework. In this framework, we integrate message-passing and force-based interactions to devise a pluggable method. The method empowers graph approaches to excel in downstream tasks while effectively maintaining structural information in the representations. Experimental results on the Cora, Citeseer, Cora-CA, Zoo, and NTU2012 datasets in node classification demonstrate the effectiveness and generality of our proposed method. We also discuss the characteristics of the MHGForce and explore its role through parametric analysis and visualization. Finally, we give a discussion, conclude our work, and propose future directions.

Transthoracic device closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defect via a small left intercostal incision in children.

Background: In children with perimembranous ventricular septal defect, surgical repair requires sternotomy and leaves unsightly scars, which can trigger long-term physical and psychological distress. However, transcatheter device closure is limited by vascular diameter, radiographic exposure, and expensive DSA equipment. We used an ultra-small left intercostal incision for transthoracic device closure to avoid the above problems and investigated its safety and feasibility by comparing it with surgical repair. Methods: This study enrolled 358 children with perimembranous ventricular septal defect. Among them, 152 patients were treated by surgical closure and 206 by transthoracic device closure via an ultra-small left intercostal incision. Perioperative clinical data and postoperative follow-up results were collected and analyzed retrospectively. Results: The success rate was similar (P = 0.265) in the two groups: 203/206 patients in the device group vs. 152/152 patients in the surgical group. The operative time, intensive care unit time, mechanical ventilation time, and postoperative hospital stay were significantly shorter in the device group than in the surgical group. Although the incision length of the device group (1.1 ± 0.2 cm) was significant shorter (P < 0.001) than that of the surgical group (6.7 ± 1.5 cm), there was no difference in hospitalization costs between the two groups (P = 0.099). Except for small residual shunt (16/206 vs. 3/152, P = 0.017), the incidence of complications in the device group was lower or equal to that in the surgical group, and all small residual shunt disappeared during follow-up. There was no thoracic deformity in the device group, compared with 11 cases in the surgery group during follow-up (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Transthoracic device closure via an ultra-small left intercostal incision under transesophageal echocardiography guidance is safe and feasible. With appropriate indications, it can be a suitable alternative to surgical closure for treating perimembranous ventricular septal defect in children.

ENPP2 alleviates hypoxia/reoxygenation injury and ferroptosis by regulating oxidative stress and mitochondrial function in human cardiac microvascular endothelial cells.

This study aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury in human cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (HCMECs) by regulating ferroptosis. H/R model was established with HCMECs and before the reperfusion, ferroptosis inhibitor ferrostatin-1 or ferroptosis inducer erastin was all administered. Wound-healing assay was performed to detect the migration ability of cells in each group, and the angiogenesis ability was determined by tube formation assay. The level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was detected by flow cytometry. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to observe the state of mitochondria. The expressions of related proteins in HCMECs were assessed by Western blot. From the results, H/R injury could inhibit the migration and angiogenesis, induce the ROS production, and cause the mitochondrial damage of HCMECs. Ferroptosis activator erastin could aggravate H/R injury in HCMECs, while the ferroptosis inhibitor ferrostatin-1 could reverse the effects of H/R on HCMECs. Western blot results showed that H/R or/and erastin treatment could significantly induce ACSL4, HGF, VEGF, p-ERK, and uPA protein expression and inhibit GPX4 expression. The addition of ferrostatin-1 resulted in the opposite trend of the proteins expression above to erastin treatment. What is more, overexpression of ENPP2 markedly suppressed the damaging effect of H/R on HCMECs and reversed the effects of H/R or erastin treatment on the expression of related proteins. These results demonstrated a great therapeutic efficacy of ENPP2 overexpression in preventing the development of H/R injury through inhibiting oxidative stress and ferroptosis.

A simple prediction model of hyperuricemia for use in a rural setting.

Currently, the most widely used screening methods for hyperuricemia (HUA) involves invasive laboratory tests, which are lacking in many rural hospitals in China. This study explored the use of non-invasive physical examinations to construct a simple prediction model for HUA, in order to reduce the economic burden and invasive operations such as blood sampling, and provide some help for the health management of people in poor areas with backward medical resources. Data of 9252 adults from April to June 2017 in the Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical College were collected and divided randomly into a training set (n = 6364) and a validation set (n = 2888) at a ratio of 7:3. In the training set, non-invasive physical examination indicators of age, gender, body mass index (BMI) and prevalence of hypertension were included for logistic regression analysis, and a nomogram model was established. The classification and regression tree (CART) algorithm of the decision tree model was used to build a classification tree model. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curve and decision curve analyses (DCA) were used to test the distinction, accuracy and clinical applicability of the two models. The results showed age, gender, BMI and prevalence of hypertension were all related to the occurrence of HUA. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the nomogram model was 0.806 and 0.791 in training set and validation set, respectively. The AUC of the classification tree model was 0.802 and 0.794 in the two sets, respectively, but were not statistically different. The calibration curves and DCAs of the two models performed well on accuracy and clinical practicality, which suggested these models may be suitable to predict HUA for rural setting.

Synthesis of TEMPO radical decorated hollow porous aromatic frameworks for selective oxidation of alcohols.

A bottom-up approach was developed to prepare TEMPO radical decorated hollow aromatic frameworks (HPAF-TEMPO) by using TEMPO radical functionalized monomers and SiO2 nanospheres as templates. The accessible inner layer, high density of TEMPO sites, and hybrid micro-/mesopores of the HPAF-TEMPO enable the aerobic oxidation of a broad range of alcohols with high efficiency and excellent selectivity.

2-Amino-3'-dialkylaminobiphenyl-based fluorescent intracellular probes for nitric oxide surrogate N2O3.

Fluorescent probes for nitric oxide (NO), or more frequently for its oxidized surrogate dinitrogen trioxide (N2O3), have enabled scientists to study the contributions of this signaling molecule to many physiological processes. Seeking to improve upon limitations of other probes, we have developed a family of fluorescent probes based on a 2-amino-3'-dialkylaminobiphenyl core. This core condenses with N2O3 to form benzo[c]cinnoline structures, incorporating the analyte into the newly formed fluorophore, which results in product fluorescence with virtually no background contribution from the initial probe. We varied the substituents in the core in order to optimize both the reactivity of the probes with N2O3 and their cinnoline products' fluorescence wavelengths and brightness. The top candidates were then applied to cultured cells to verify that they could respond to NO within cellular milieus, and the top performer, NO530, was compared with a "gold standard" commercial probe, DAF-FM, in a macrophage-derived cell line, RAW 264.7, stimulated to produce NO. NO530 demonstrated similar or better sensitivity and higher selectivity for NO than DAF, making it an attractive potential alternative for NO tracking in various applications.

Enhanced arsenate removal from aqueous solution by Mn-doped MgAl-layered double hydroxides.

In this study, Mn-doped MgAl-layered double hydroxides (LDHs) were successfully synthesized for efficient removal arsenate from aqueous solution. The structure and composition of Mn-doped MgAl-LDHs intercalated by different ions such as CO32-, Cl-, or NO3- were investigated. The characterizations of XRD, ATR FT-IR, SEM, TG-DTA, and N2 adsorption-desorption presented that the Mn-doped MgAl-LDHs (donated as Mn-LDHs) have very similar physical morphologies and properties to the MgAl-Cl-LDHs (donated as Mg-LDHs). However, the Mn-LDHs exhibits more preferable arsenate adsorption than Mg-LDHs. The As(V) removal kinetics data of Mn-LDHs is followed pseudo-second-order expression. The adsorption capacity of As(V) on Mn-LDHs via Langmuir isotherm model was 166.94 mg g-1. The results of XPS revealed that the enhanced removal mechanism can be attributed to surface complexation of As(V) with Mn on the surface of Mn-LDHs. These results prove that Mn-doped LDHs can be considered as a potential material for adsorption As(V) from wastewater.

Degradation of Rhodamine B Under Visible-Light by Cu-Doped ZnAl Layered Double Hydroxide.

The Cu-doped ZnAl layered double hydroxides (LDH) were papered by coprecipitation. The prepared samples were characterized by mutiple techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area, scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-vis diffuse-reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS). The doping of Cu2+ into the LDH sheets results in formation of the distorted CuO6 octahedrons which contribute for the excitation of electrons under visible light. The doped Cu2+ also serves as photo-generated charges separator and improves the visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity of ZnAl LDH. A degradation mechanism based on the hydroxyl radical as the active species was proposed.

High dispersions of nano zero valent iron supported on biochar by one-step carbothermal synthesis and its application in chromate removal.

A one-step carbothermal synthesis and characterization of biochar-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI/BC) was performed for the removal of hexavalent chromium (Cr(vi)) from aqueous solution. High dispersions of nanoscale zero-valent iron supported on biochar were successfully synthesized by the pyrolysis of an iron-impregnated biomass (corn stover) as the carbon and iron source under nitrogen atmosphere. The effects of the pyrolytic temperature on the Fe mineralogies formed on the biochar are discussed. In general, the effects of the treatment time, initial solution pH, and nZVI/BC dosage on the Cr(vi) removal are presented. The results showed high crystallinity and purity, and nZVI/BC was obtained at a pyrolytic temperature of 800 °C. The batch experimental results determined that the adsorption capacity of Cr(vi) decreases with the increase in the initial pH value from 4.0 to 10.0. The Cr(vi) adsorption kinetics data effectively followed a pseudo-second-order kinetics with a calculated rate constant of 0.0.3396 g mg-1 min-1. The calculated thermodynamic parameters, such as ΔG°, ΔH°, and ΔS°, were evaluated, and the results indicated that the Cr(vi) reduction on nZVI/BC was a spontaneous and endothermic process. The adsorption mechanism of Cr(vi) was investigated by XRD and XPS analyses and the results demonstrated that Cr(vi) was reduced to Cr(iii) and the oxidation of nZVI occurred during the reaction process. These results prove that nZVI/BC synthesized by a one-step carbothermal method can be considered as a potential candidate for the removal of Cr(vi) from aqueous solutions.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis peptide E7/HLA-DRB1 tetramers with different HLA-DR alleles bound CD4+ T cells might share identical CDR3 region.

Human CD4+ T cells play an important role in the immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). However, little is known about the spectratyping characteristics of the CD4+ T-cell receptor (TCR) α- and ß-chains CDR3 region in tuberculosis (TB) patients. We sorted MTB peptide E7-bound CD4+ T cells by using E7/HLA-DR tetramers constructed with different HLA-DRB1 alleles and extracted the CDR3 amino-acid sequences of TCR α- and ß-chains. The results showed that the CDR3 sequences of E7-bound CD4+ T cells were completely or partially identical in a single patient. The sequences of MTB peptide C5-bound CD4+ T cells shared another, and non-peptide bound CD4+ T cells, as well as unbound CD4+ T cells with tetramers were different from each other. Specifically, diverse CDR3 sequences of E7-bound CD4+ T cells displayed similar protein tertiary structure in one TB patient. In summary, the TCR α- and ß-chains of CDR3 lineage of CD4+ T cells in TB patients apparently drifted, and the predominant CDR3 sequences of TCR α- and ß-chains that recognized the MTB antigen exhibited peptide specificity, and certain HLA-DR restriction was also established. This study elucidates the possible causes and mechanisms of peptide-specific CD4+ T-cell-related presentation against MTB.

Improved Visible-Light-Induced Photocatalytic Performance of ZnAl Layered Double Hydroxide by Incorporation of Ni2.

NiZnAl layered double hydroxides (LDH) with Ni/Zn/Al ratios ranging from 0.1/2/1 to 1/2/1 were papered by coprecipitation. The prepared samples were characterized by multiple techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area, scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-vis diffuse-reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS). The incorporation of Ni2+ into the brucite sheets preserves the layered structure of ZnAl LDH. The doped Ni2+ serves as the photogenerated charges separator and improves the visible light photocatalytic activity of ZnAl LDH at a reasonable content. A degradation mechanism based on the hydroxyl radical as the active species was proposed.

In situ synthesis of layered double hydroxides on γ-Al2O3 and its application in chromium(VI) removal.

Mg-Al layered double hydroxides (LDHs) adsorbent was synthesized in situ on γ-Al2O3 for the removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution. The material was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electronic microscopy and thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis. Compared to the LDHs powder, the calcined LDHs sorbent prepared in situ on γ-Al2O3 had higher specific surface area and was easy to recover and reuse. The adsorptive capacity for removing Cr(VI) from aqueous solution was resulting from the memory effect of LDHs based on the XRD results. Both the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir model fit the experimental data well. Furthermore, the adsorbent exhibits excellent sorption-regeneration performances.

Structurally Rigid 9-Amino-benzo[c]cinnoliniums Make Up a Class of Compact and Large Stokes-Shift Fluorescent Dyes for Cell-Based Imaging Applications.

Classic fluorescent dyes, such as coumarin, naphthalimide, fluorescein, BODIPY, rhodamine, and cyanines, are cornerstones of various spectroscopic and microscopic methods, which hold a prominent position in biological studies. We recently found that 9-amino-benzo[c]cinnoliniums make up a novel group of fluorophores that can be used in biological studies. They are featured with a succinct conjugative push-pull backbone, a broad absorption band, and a large Stokes shift. They are potentially useful as a small-molecule alternative to R-phycoerythrin to pair with fluorescein in multiplexing applications.

Practical assay for nitrite and nitrosothiol as an alternative to the Griess assay or the 2,3-diaminonaphthalene assay.

Nitrite is a heavily assayed substrate in the fields of food safety, water quality control, disease diagnosis, and forensic investigation and more recently in basic biological studies on nitric oxide physiology and pathology. The colorimetric Griess assay and the fluorimetric 2,3-diaminonaphthalene (DAN) assay are the current gold standards for nitrite quantification. They are not without limitations, yet have amazingly survived 156 and 44 years, respectively, due to the lack of a practical alternative. Both assays exhibit slow detection kinetics due to inactivation of nucleophiles under strongly acidic media, require an extensive incubation time for reaction to go completion, and hence offer a limited detection throughput. By converting an intermolecular reaction of the Griess assay intramolecularly, we designed a novel probe (NT555) for nitrite detection, which displays superior detection kinetics and sensitivity. NT555 was constructed following our "covalent-assembly" probe design principle. Upon detection, it affords a gigantic bathochromic shift of the absorption spectrum and a sensitive turn-on fluorescence signal from a zero background, both of which are typical of an "assembly" type probe. Overall, NT555 has addressed various difficulties associated with the Griess and the DAN assays and represents an attractive alternative for practical applications.

A vapor phase hydrothermal modification method converting a honeycomb structured hybrid film into photoactive TiO2 film.

Transforming an organic/inorganic hybrid material into a pure inorganic material without losing its original structure is of interest for a range of applications. In this work, a simple and effective vapor phase hydrothermal method was developed to transform a 3D honeycomb structured PS/TTIP hybrid film into a photoactive TiO2 film without dismantling the originally templated 3D structure. The method utilizes the vapor phase hydrothermal process to create titania network/clusters with sufficient mechanical strength via the formation of Ti-oxo bridges. The organic components of the sample can be removed by means of pyrolysis while perfectly maintaining the original 3D honeycomb structure. The resultant film can be directly used for photocatalysis applications and could be further modified for other applications. In principle, this method can be used to preserve 3D structures of other organic/inorganic hybrid films during their conversion to pure inorganic films via a pyrolysis process, if mechanically strong networks can be formed as a result of hydrolysis reactions. The ability to preserve the preferred 3D structure during the subsequent conversion processes enables realization of the full benefit of unique architectures created by a templating method.

Control of polarization for a broadband dichroic filter at 45 degrees incidence.

A method for the control of polarization for a broadband dichroic filter was reported and some design examples were elaborated. This method could be applied over a wide range of wavelengths and a wide range of polarizations in the transmission region. A nonpolarizing broadband dichroic filter and a broadband dichroic filter with certain polarization were designed and fabricated by electron beam evaporation with ion beam assisted deposition. The experimental spectral performances showed good agreement with their theoretical curves. In addition, the application of the method was discussed.

[Efficacy and safety of Fufang Biejia Ruangan tablet in patients with chronic hepatitis B complicated with hepatic fibrosis].

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical therapeutic effects and safety of Fufang Biejia Ruangan tablet (FBRt) in patients with chronic hepatitis B complicated with hepatic fibrosis. METHODS: Totally 420 patients were randomly divided into two groups, FBRt group (300 cases) were treated with Fufang Biejia Ruangan tablets and control group (120 cases) were treated with He Luo Shu Gan capsule, the patients in both groups were treated for 6 months. RESULTS: The cure rate and total effective rate of FBRt group were significantly higher than those of control group (55.67 percent and 81.67 percent vs. 15.8 percent and 60.00 percent, P less than 0.01). CONCLUSION: Fufang Biejia Ruangan tablet could alleviate clinical symptoms and hepatic fibrosis. Fufang Biejia Ruangan tablet is effective and safe in treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis B complicated with liver fibrosis.