Microstructure and Efflorescence Resistance of Metakaolin Geopolymer Modified by 5A Zeolite.

In order to reduce the degree of efflorescence in alkali-activated metakaolin geopolymers, a modified 5A zeolite with cation-exchange properties was used to reduce the content of free alkali metal cations in the geopolymer. This work aims to investigate the effect of different dosages of modified 5A zeolite on the microstructure and properties of geopolymer by using compressive strength testing, pore structure analysis (BET), and SEM-EDS. The cation content in the leachate was evaluated using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The efflorescence area of the geopolymer was calculated using Image Pro Plus (IPP) software to evaluate the effect of modified 5A zeolite on the degree of efflorescence of the geopolymer and to reveal the effect of modified 5A zeolite on the migration patterns of Na+ and Ca2+ in the geopolymer. The results showed that modified 5A zeolite with a 4 wt.% content could optimize the pore structure and enhance the mechanical properties of MK geopolymer through internal curing and micro-aggregate effects, which could also exchange cations with the pore solution to form (N, C)-A-S-H gels. The Na+ leaching was reduced by 19.4%, and the efflorescence area of the MK geopolymer was reduced by 57.3%.

Potential benefits of spicy food consumption on cardiovascular outcomes in patients with diabetes: A cohort study of the China Kadoorie Biobank.

OBJECTIVES: Dietary capsaicin from spicy foods has potential benefits for those with cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs). However, to our knowledge there is no evidence linking spicy food consumption with cardiovascular outcomes in individuals with diabetes. The aim of this study was to explore the association between spicy food consumption and the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in individuals with diabetes from the CKB (China Kadoorie Biobank) study and to provide evidence-based dietary recommendations for those with CMDs. METHODS: This prospective study enrolled 26 163 patients from the CKB study who had diabetes without coronary heart disease, stroke, or cancer to our knowledge. Of the 26 163 patients enrolled, 17 326 never or rarely ate spicy food (non-spicy group), and 8837 ate spicy food ≥1 d/wk (spicy group). The primary outcomes were MACEs, including cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and stroke. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) of MACEs and their associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 8.5 y, MACEs occurred in 5465 participants (20.9%), with 3820 (22%) and 1645 (18.6%) cases occurring in the non-spicy and spicy groups, respectively. Spicy food consumption was independently associated with a decreased tendency for MACEs, with an adjusted HR of 0.94 (95% CI, 0.89-1.00; P = 0.041). Subgroup analysis showed consistency in the results that the regular spicy eating groups were associated with significantly lower incidence of MACEs than the non-spicy group. There was no statistical difference in the incidence of MACEs among the three different spicy eating frequency groups. CONCLUSION: This cohort study revealed that the consumption of spicy food was independently associated with a reduced incidence of adverse cardiovascular events in Chinese adults with diabetes, suggesting a beneficial effect on cardiovascular health. Further studies are needed to confirm the association between the consumption of different doses of spicy food and cardiovascular outcomes and the exact mechanism of action.

Qing-Xin-Jie-Yu Granule inhibits ferroptosis and stabilizes atherosclerotic plaques by regulating the GPX4/xCT signaling pathway.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Qing-Xin-Jie-Yu Granule (QXJYG) is an integrated traditional Chinese medicine formula used to treat atherosclerotic (AS) cardiovascular diseases. A randomized controlled trial found that QXJYG reduced cardiovascular events and experiments also verified that QXJYG attenuated AS by remodeling the intestinal flora. AIM OF THE STUDY: To determine whether QXJYG would attenuate AS and plaque vulnerability by regulating ferroptosis in high-fat diet-induced atherosclerotic ApoE-/- mice and to investigate the effects of QXJYG on macrophage ferroptosis in RAS-selective lethal 3 (RSL3)-induced J744A.1 cells. METHODS: AS models in ApoE-/- mice and RSL3-induced ferroptosis in J744A.1 cells were established to measure the protective and anti-ferroptotic effects of QXJYG in vivo and in vitro. The glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4)/cystine glutamate reverse transporter (xCT) signal pathway was examined by immunohistochemistry and western blotting. RESULTS: QXJYG attenuated AS progression and plaque vulnerability. Characteristic morphological changes of ferroptosis in the QXJYG-treated animals were rare. Total iron was significantly lower in the QXJYG group than in the model group (P < 0.05); QXJYG suppressed the lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels (malondialdehyde), enhanced the antioxidant capacity (superoxide dismutase and glutathione), and reduced inflammatory factors (interleukin [IL]-6, IL-1ß, tumor necrosis factor-α) associated with ferroptosis. Expression of GPX4/xCT in aorta tissues was remarkably increased in the QXJYG group. QXJYG inhibited ferroptosis in J744A.1 macrophages disturbed using RSL3. The Fe2+, LPO, and reactive oxygen species levels were lower in the QXJYG group than in the RSL3 group (P < 0.05). The QXJYG group showed higher expression of the GPX4/xCT signal pathway. CONCLUSION: QXJYG inhibits ferroptosis in vulnerable AS plaques partially via the GPX4/xCT signaling pathway.

Short-term socioeconomic status shift and long-term cardiovascular outcomes in China: a population-based cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Limited studies have discussed the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) shift on cardiovascular outcomes, especially in less developed regions and countries. We; therefore, explored the association between short-term SES shift and long-term cardiovascular outcomes in China. METHODS: In participants who had completed China Kadoorie Biobank study resurvey, 18 672 were included in the final analysis after excluding those who had cardiovascular diseases at baseline, and those who had a cardiovascular event before the resurvey. We used education, occupation, household income and healthcare cover as measurement of SES, and generated SES class for each individual at baseline and resurvey using latent class analysis. Outcomes of interest included cardiovascular death, major coronary event (MCE) and stroke. We used accelerated failure time model to obtain survival time ratio for each level of SES shift. RESULTS: During a mean time gap of 2.6 years, 10 273 (55%) individuals remained stable in SES, 7763 (41.6%) shifted towards higher SES and 636 (3.4%) shifted towards lower SES. Participants were followed up for a mean of 9.8 years. After adjusting for baseline factors, sharp but not moderate SES downshift was significantly associated with shortened event-free survival time before cardiovascular deaths (p=0.02) and MCEs (p<0.001) occurred. Contrarily, moderate and sharp SES upshift was significantly associated with prolonged event-free survival time before cardiovascular deaths (p=0.0027 and p<0.001) and MCEs (p=0.0079 and p=0.009) occurred. CONCLUSION: Short-term SES improvement is associated with better long-term cardiovascular outcome in China. High baseline SES might buffer out some unfavourable impact brought by moderate SES downshift. More comprehensive strategies should be considered in policy-making for socioeconomic development.

The effect of various types and doses of statins on C-reactive protein levels in patients with dyslipidemia or coronary heart disease: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Objective: The objective of this study was to measure the efficacy of various types and dosages of statins on C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in patients with dyslipidemia or coronary heart disease. Methods: Randomized controlled trials were searched from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, OpenGray, and ClinicalTrials.gov. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines for data extraction and synthesis. The pairwise meta-analysis compared statins and controls using a random-effects model, and a network meta-analysis compared the types and dosages of statins using the Bayesian random-effects model. The PROSPERO registration number is CRD42021242067. Results: The study included 37 randomized controlled trials with 17,410 participants and 20 interventions. According to the pairwise meta-analysis, statins significantly decreased CRP levels compared to controls (weighted mean difference [WMD] = -0.97, 95% confidence interval [CI] [-1.31, -0.64], P < 0.0001). In the network meta-analysis, simvastatin 40 mg/day appeared to be the best strategy for lowering CRP (Rank P = 0.18, WMD = -4.07, 95% CI = [-6.52, -1.77]). The same was true for the high-sensitivity CRP, non-acute coronary syndrome (ACS), <12 months duration, and clear measurement subgroups. In the CRP subgroup (rank P = 0.79, WMD = -1.23, 95% CI = [-2.48, -0.08]) and ≥12-month duration subgroup (Rank P = 0.40, WMD = -2.13, 95% CI = [-4.24, -0.13]), atorvastatin 80 mg/day was most likely to be the best. There were no significant differences in the dyslipidemia and ACS subgroups (P > 0.05). Node-splitting analysis showed no significant inconsistency (P > 0.05), except for the coronary heart disease subgroup. Conclusion: Statins reduced serum CRP levels in patients with dyslipidemia or coronary heart disease. Simvastatin 40 mg/day might be the most effective therapy, and atorvastatin 80 mg/day showed the best long-term effect. This study provides a reference for choosing statin therapy based on LDL-C and CRP levels.

A Bibliometric and Knowledge-Map Analysis of Macrophage Polarization in Atherosclerosis From 2001 to 2021.

In recent years, studies of macrophage polarization in atherosclerosis have become an intense area of research. However, there are few bibliometric analyses regarding this area. In this review, we used CiteSpace 5.8.R3 and VOSviewer 1.6.16 software to perform text mining and knowledge-map analysis. We explored the development process, knowledge structure, research hotspots, and potential trends using a bibliometric and knowledge-map analysis to provide researchers with a macroscopic view of this field. The studies concerning macrophage polarization in atherosclerosis were downloaded from the Web of Science Core Collection. A total of 781 studies were identified and published by 954 institutions from 51 countries/regions. The number of studies of macrophage polarization in atherosclerosis increased over time. Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology published the highest number of articles and was the top co-cited journal. De Winther was the most prolific researcher, and Moore had the most co-citations. The author co-occurrence map illustrated that there was active cooperation among researchers. The most productive countries were the United States and China. Amsterdam University, Harvard University, and Maastricht University were the top three productive institutions in the research field. Keyword Co-occurrence, Clusters, and Burst analysis showed that "inflammation," "monocyte," "NF kappa B," "mechanism," and "foam cell" appeared with the highest frequency in studies. "Oxidative stress," "coronary heart disease," and "prevention" were the strongest citation burst keywords from 2019 to 2021.

Knowledge Mapping of Necroptosis From 2012 to 2021: A Bibliometric Analysis.

Background: Necroptosis, a recently discovered programmed cell death, has been pathologically linked to various diseases and is thus a promising target for treating diseases. However, a comprehensive and objective report on the current status of entire necroptosis research is lacking. Therefore, this study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis to quantify and identify the status quo and trending issues of necroptosis research in the last decade. Methods: Articles were acquired from the Web of Science Core Collection database. We used two bibliometric tools (CiteSpace and VOSviewer) to quantify and identify the individual impact and cooperation information by analyzing annual publications, journals, co-cited journals, countries/regions, institutions, authors, and co-cited authors. Afterwards, we identified the trending research areas of necroptosis by analyzing the co-occurrence and burst of keywords and co-cited references. Results: From 2012 to 2021, a total of 3,111 research articles on necroptosis were published in 786 academic journals by 19,687 authors in 885 institutions from 82 countries/regions. The majority of publications were from China and the United States, of which the United States maintained the dominant position in necroptosis research; meanwhile, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ghent University were the most active institutions. Peter Vandenabeele published the most papers, while Alexei Degterev had the most co-citations. Cell Death & Disease published the most papers on necroptosis, while Cell was the top 1 co-cited journal, and the major area of these publications was molecular, biology, and immunology. High-frequency keywords mainly included those that are molecularly related (MLKL, TNF-alpha, NF-κB, RIPK3, RIPK1), pathological process related (cell-death, apoptosis, necroptosis, necrosis, inflammation), and disease related (cancer, ischemia/reperfusion injury, infection, carcinoma, Alzheimer's disease). Conclusion: Necroptosis research had a stable stepwise growth in the past decade. Current necroptosis studies focused on its cross-talk with other types of cell death, potential applications in disease treatment, and further mechanisms. Among them, the synergy with ferroptosis, further RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL studies, its association with inflammation and oxidative stress and translational applications, and the therapeutic potential to treat cancer and neurodegenerative diseases are the trending research area. These might provide ideas for further research in the necroptosis field.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Exosomes in Cardiovascular Diseases From 2001 to 2021.

Background: Exosomes in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have become an active research field with substantial value and potential. Nevertheless, there are few bibliometric studies in this field. We aimed to visualize the research hotspots and trends of exosomes in CVDs using a bibliometric analysis to help understand the future development of basic and clinical research. Methods: The articles and reviews regarding exosomes in the CVDs were culled from the Web of Science Core Collection, and knowledge maps were generated using CiteSpace and VOSviewer software. Results: A total of 1,039 articles were included. The number of exosome articles in the CVDs increased yearly. These publications came from 60 countries/regions, led by the US and China. The primary research institutions were Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Nanjing Medical University. Circulation Research was the journal and co-cited journal with the most studies. We identified 473 authors among which Lucio Barile had the most significant number of articles and Thery C was co-cited most often. After analysis, the most common keywords are myocardium infarction, microRNA and mesenchymal stem cells. Ischemic heart disease, pathogenesis, regeneration, stem cells, targeted therapy, biomarkers, cardiac protection, and others are current and developing areas of study. Conclusion: We identified the research hotspots and trends of exosomes in CVDs using bibliometric and visual methods. Research on exosomes is flourishing in the cardiovascular medicine. Regenerative medicine, exosome engineering, delivery vehicles, and biomarkers will likely become the focus of future research.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Pyroptosis From 2001 to 2021.

Background: Pyroptosis is a new programmed cell death discovered in recent years. Pyroptosis plays an important role in various diseases. Nevertheless, there are few bibliometric analysis systematically studies this field. We aimed to visualize the research hotspots and trends of pyroptosis using a bibliometric analysis to help understand the future development of basic and clinical research. Methods: The articles and reviews regarding pyroptosis were culled from Web of Science Core Collection. Countries, institutions, authors, references and keywords in this field were visually analyzed by using CtieSpace and VOSviewer software. Results: A total of 2845 articles and reviews were included. The number of articles regarding pyroptosis significantly increased yearly. These publications mainly come from 70 countries led by China and the USA and 418 institutions. We identified 605 authors, among which Thirumaladevi Kanneganti had the most significant number of articles, and Shi JJ was co-cited most often. Frontiers in immunology was the journal with the most studies, and Nature was the most commonly cited journal. After analysis, the most common keywords are nod like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 inflammasome, apoptosis, cell death, gasdermin D, mechanism, caspase-1, and others are current and developing areas of study. Conclusion: Research on the pyroptosis is flourishing. Cooperation and exchanges between countries and institutions must be strengthened in the future. The related pathway mechanism of pyroptosis, the relationship between pyroptosis and other types of programmed cell deaths as well as the role of pyroptosis in various diseases have been the focus of current research and developmental trends in the future research.

Knowledge Domain and Emerging Trends in Ferroptosis Research: A Bibliometric and Knowledge-Map Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the cooperation and impact of authors, countries, institutions, and journals, evaluate the knowledge base, find the hotspot trends, and detect the emerging topics regarding ferroptosis research. METHODS: The articles and reviews related to ferroptosis were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection on November 1, 2020. Two scientometric software (CiteSpace 5.7 and VOSviewer 1.6.15) were used to perform bibliometric and knowledge-map analysis. RESULTS: A total of 1,267 papers were included, in 466 academic journals by 6,867 authors in 438 institutions from 61 countries/regions. The ferroptosis-related publications were increasing rapidly. Cell Death & Disease published the most papers on ferroptosis, while Cell was the top co-cited journal, publication journals and co-cited journals were major in the molecular and biology fields. The United States and China were the most productive countries; meanwhile, the University of Pittsburgh, Columbia University and Guangzhou Medical University were the most active institutions. Brent R Stockwell published the most papers, while Scott J Dixon had the most co-citations; simultaneously, active cooperation existed in ferroptosis researchers. Ten references on reviews, mechanisms, and diseases were regarded as the knowledge base. Five main aspects of ferroptosis research included regulation mechanisms, nervous system injury, cancer, relationships with other types of cell death, and lipid peroxidation. The latest hotspots were nanoparticle, cancer therapy, iron metabolism, and in-depth mechanism. Notably Nrf2 might have turning significance. The emerging topics on ferroptosis research were the further molecular mechanism of ferroptosis and the wider application of ferroptosis-related disease with advanced technology. CONCLUSION: This study performed a full overview of the ferroptosis research using bibliometric and visual methods. The information would provide helpful references for scholars focusing on ferroptosis.

Chinese Herbal Medicines and Active Metabolites: Potential Antioxidant Treatments for Atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a complex chronic disease that occurs in the arterial wall. Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the occurrence and progression of atherosclerotic plaques. The dominance of oxidative stress over antioxidative capacity generates excess reactive oxygen species, leading to dysfunctions of the endothelium and accelerating atherosclerotic plaque progression. Studies showed that Chinese herbal medicines and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) might regulate oxidative stress; they have already been used to treat diseases related to atherosclerosis, including stroke and myocardial infarction. This review will summarize the mechanisms of oxidative stress in atherosclerosis and discuss studies of Chinese herbal medicines and TCM preparations treating atherosclerosis, aiming to increase understanding of TCM and stimulate research for new drugs to treat diseases associated with oxidative stress.