Phytochelatin-Mediated Cultivar-Dependent Cd Accumulations of Lactuca sativa and Implication for Cd Pollution-Safe Cultivars Screening.

Cd pollution-safe cultivar (Cd-PSC) is a feasible strategy to minimize Cd contamination in leafy vegetables. The shoot Cd concentrations of 23 Lactuca sativa cultivars under Cd stress ranged from 0.124 to 2.155 mg·kg-1 with a maximum cultivar difference of 8 folds. Typical Cd-PSC C16 (L) and high-Cd-accumulating cultivar C13 (H) were screened to investigate the mechanisms of Cd accumulations in L. sativa through determining Cd concentrations, Cd subcellular distributions, phytochelatin profiles, and phytochelatin biosynthesis-related genes' expressions. Higher Cd distribution in a heat stable fraction in C13 (H) indicated that the high Cd accumulation trait of C13 (H) mainly depended on the Cd-phytochelatin complexes. Root phytochelatin concentrations were significantly elevated in C13 (H) (5.83 folds) than in C16 (L) (2.69 folds) (p < 0.05) under Cd stress. Significantly downregulated expressions of glutathione S-transferase rather than the regulation of phytochelatin synthesis genes in the root of C13 (H) might be responsible for sufficient glutathione supply for phytochelatins synthesis. These findings suggested that phytochelatin elevation in C13 (H) would favor the Cd root to shoot transportation, which provides new insights into the phytochelatin-related cultivar-dependent Cd accumulating characteristic in L. sativa.

Structural, Optical, Electrical, and Thermoelectric Properties of Bi2Se3 Films Deposited at a High Se/Bi Flow Rate.

Low-temperature synthesis of Bi2Se3 thin film semiconductor thermoelectric materials is prepared by the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition method. The Bi2Se3 film demonstrated excellent crystallinity due to the Se-rich environment. Experimental results show that the prepared Bi2Se3 film exhibited 90% higher transparency in the mid-IR region, demonstrating its potential as a functional material in the atmospheric window. Excellent mobility of 2094 cm2/V·s at room temperature is attributed to the n-type conductive properties of the film. Thermoelectrical properties indicate that with the increase in Se vapor, a slight decrease in conductivity of the film is observed at room temperature with an obvious increase in the Seebeck coefficient. In addition, Bi2Se3 thin film showed an enhanced power factor of as high as 3.41 µW/cmK2. Therefore, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD)-grown Bi2Se3 films on Al2O3 (001) substrates demonstrated promising thermoelectric properties.

Influence of Stent Length on Periprocedural Outcomes After Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients with ST Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

Purpose: A longer stent is associated with adverse events after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, little information is available on the relationship between stent length and periprocedural prognosis in patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We aimed to assess the target vessel stent length influence on angiographic outcomes and in-hospital major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) during primary PCI in patients with STEMI. Patients and Methods: This single-center retrospective observational study included 246 patients with STEMI admitted to the Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital between January 2019 and December 2021, who underwent primary PCI and successful stent implantation. The exclusion criteria included left main lesion, multiple diseased vessel-stenting, bleeding disorders, contrast allergy, and incomplete data. Patients were divided into two groups based on the median stents length: group A (≤29 mm, n=125) and group B (>29mm, n=121). Periprocedural outcomes were slow flow/no-reflow (SF-NR) and in-hospital MACE, which included acute heart failure, malignant arrhythmia, cardiovascular death, non-fatal stroke, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and urgent revascularization. Multivariate logistic analyses were used to explore the correlation between stent length and SF-NR. Results: A total of 246 patients (82.9% males) with a mean age of 59.9±12.6 years were included in the analysis. The incidence of SF-NR was significantly higher in group B than in group A (36.4% vs 23.2%, p=0.024). However, the in-hospital MACE incidence rate was similar between the two groups (7.2% vs 7.4%, p=0.943). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that stent length and diameter, and peak troponin I level were independent risk factors for SF-NR. Conclusion: Excessive stent length is an independent risk factor for SF-NR, without any significant influence on the risk of MACE during hospitalization.

Nanoscale Valley Modulation by Surface Plasmon Interference.

Excitons in two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted the attention of the community to develop improved photoelectronic devices. Previous reports are based on direct excitation where the out-of-plane illumination projects a uniform single-mode light spot. However, because of the optical diffraction limit, the minimal spot size is a few micrometers, inhibiting the precise manipulation and control of excitons at the nanoscale level. Herein, we introduced the in-plane coherent surface plasmonic interference (SPI) field to excite and modulate excitons remotely. Compared to the out-of-plane light, a uniform in-plane SPI suggests a more compact spatial volume and an abundance of mode selections for a single or an array of device modulation. Our results not only build up a fundamental platform for operating and encoding the exciton states at the nanoscale level but also provide a new avenue toward all-optical integrated valleytronic chips for future quantum computation and information applications.

Body Mass Index: An Effective Predictor of Ejection Fraction Improvement in Heart Failure.

Background: Heart failure patients with higher body mass index (BMI) exhibit better clinical outcomes. Therefore, we assessed whether the BMI can predict left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) improvement following heart failure. Methods and Results: We included 184 patients newly diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy and reduced EF in our center and who underwent follow-up examination of EF via echocardiography after 6 months. The EF improved at 6 months in 88 participants, who were included in the heart failure with recovered EF (HFrecEF) subgroup. Patients in whom the EF remained reduced were included in the heart failure with persistently reduced EF (persistent HFrEF) subgroup. Our analyses revealed that EF increase correlated with age (r = -0.254, P = 0.001), left ventricular diastolic dimension (LVDD; r = -0.210, P = 0.004), diabetes (P = 0.034), brain natriuretic peptide (r = -0.199, P = 0.007), and BMI grade (P = 0.000). BMI grade was significantly associated with elevated EF after adjustment for other variables (P = 0.001). On multivariable analysis, compared to patients with persistent HFrEF, those with HFrecEF had higher BMI [odds ratio (OR) = 2.342 per one standard deviation increase; P = 0.001] and lower LVDD (OR = 0.466 per one standard deviation increase; P = 0.001). ROC-curve analysis data showed that BMI > 22.66 kg/m2 (sensitivity 84.1%, specificity 59.4%, AUC 0.745, P = 0.000) indicate high probability of EF recovery in 6 months. Conclusions: Our data suggest that higher BMI is strongly correlated with the recovered EF and that BMI is an effective predictor of EF improvement in patients with heart failure and reduced EF.

Electrospinning Ag-TiO2 Nanorod-Loaded Air Treatment Filters and Their Applications in Air Purification.

The efficient treatment of the problem of air pollution is a practical issue related to human health. The development of multi-functional air treatment filters, which can remove various kinds of pollutants, including particulate matter (PM) and organic gases, is a tireless pursuit aiming to address the actual needs of humans. Advanced materials and nano-manufacturing technology have brought about the opportunity to change conventional air filters for practical demands, with the aim of achieving the high-efficiency utilization of photons, a strong catalytic ability, and the synergetic degradation of multi-pollutants. In this work, visible-responding photocatalytic air treatment filters were prepared and combined with a fast and cost-effective electrospinning process. Firstly, we synthesized Ag-loaded TiO2 nanorod composites with a controlled size and number of loaded Ag nanoparticles. Then, multi-functional air treatment filters were designed by loading catalysts on electrospinning nanofibers combined with a programmable brush. We found that such Ag-TiO2 nanorod composite-loaded nanofibers displayed prominent PM filtration (~90%) and the degradation of organic pollutants (above 90%). The superior performance of purification could be demonstrated in two aspects. One was the improvement of the adsorption of pollutants derived from the increase of the specific surface area after the loading of catalysts, and the other was the plasmonic hot carriers, which induced a broadening of the optical absorption in the visible light range, meaning that many more photons were utilized effectively. The designed air treatment filters with synergistic effects for eliminating both PM and organic pollutants have promising potential for the future design and application of novel air treatment devices.

Upregulation of OTUD7B (Cezanne) Promotes Tumor Progression via AKT/VEGF Pathway in Lung Squamous Carcinoma and Adenocarcinoma.

OTUD7B, a multifunctional deubiquitinylase, plays an essential role in inflammation and proliferation signals. However, its function in lung cancer remains largely unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of OTUD7B in patients with lung adenocarcinoma and squamous carcinoma and to characterize its molecular mechanisms in lung cancer progression and metastasis. Two tissue microarrays containing 150 pairs of lung squamous carcinoma and matched adjacent non-cancer tissues, and one tissue microarray containing 75 pairs of lung adenocarcinoma and adjacent non-cancer tissues were included, and immunohistochemical staining was performed to assess the clinical relevance of OTUD7B in non-small cell lung cancer. OTUD7B is highly expressed in both lung squamous carcinoma and adenocarcinoma and correlates with a worse prognosis. MTT proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion assays and immunoblotting assay in NCI-H358 and A549 cell lines suggested that OTUD7B enhances EGF-induced Akt signal transduction and promotes lung cancer cell proliferation and migration. Immunohistochemical staining of large-scale lung cancer subjects (171 cases) revealed positive correlation of OTUD7B and VEGF expression. ELISA and tube formation assay revealed OTUD7B promotes VEGF production and angiogenesis. NCI-H358 tumor model demonstrated OTUD7B is required for lung tumor progression by facilitating activation of Akt signaling. These findings collectively identified OTUD7B as an independent predictive factor for the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer and revealed OTUD7B promotes lung cancer cell proliferation and metastasis via Akt/VEGF signal pathway.

Aeroembolism in left atrium during catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation in a patient with dextrocardia: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Air embolus penetrating into heart chamber as a complication during percutaneous radiofrequency catheter ablation has been infrequently reported. CASE PRESENTATION: A 55-year-old man with dextrocardia who suffered from abdominal pain was suspected to have multiple arterial thromboembolisms, which might have originated from left atrium thrombosis since he had atrial fibrillation. He received oral anticoagulant therapy and catheter ablation of the arrhythmia. During the ablation procedure, an iatrogenic aeroembolism penetrated into the left atrium due to improper operation. Ultimately, the entire air embolus was extracted from the patient, who was free of any aeroembolism events thereafter. CONCLUSIONS: It is essential for an operator to pay full attention to all details of the procedure to avoid an aeroembolism during catheter ablation. In case of aeroembolism, removal by aspiration is an optimal and effective treatment.

Synthesis and Electroluminescence Property of New Hexaphenyl Benzene Derivatives Including Emitting Core for OLED.

Three new emitting compounds of 5P-2TPA, 5P-2An and 5P-2Py for OLED based on hexaphenyl benzene moiety were synthesized. Physical properties were systematically examined by the change of the substitution groups of the synthesized materials. Photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of the synthesized materials showed maximum emitting wavelengths of about 437~488 nm in solution state and 457~516 nm in film state, indicating blue emission color. OLED devices were fabricated by the synthesized compounds using vacuum deposition process as an emitting layer. Device structure was ITO/2-TNATA 60 nm/NPB 15 nm/EML 35 nm/TPBi 20 nm/LiF 1 nm/Al 200 nm. External quantum efficiencies and CIE values of 5P-2TPA, 5P-2An and 5P-2Py were 3.34, 1.06 and 2.06% and (0.14, 0.12), (0.23, 0.45) and (0.24, 0.45), respectively. The three compounds exhibited thermal stablility with high Td of 426 °C, 449 °C and 467 °C.

Meta-analysis of drug-eluting versus bare metal stents in patients with indications for oral anticoagulation undergoing coronary stenting.

BACKGROUND: Current expert consensus recommends the use of bare metal stent (BMS) for patients with an indication for oral anticoagulation (OAC) undergoing coronary stenting. The use of drug-eluting stents (DES) should be limited. However, there is a lack of evidence to support these recommendations. We performed a meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of DES to BMS in these patients. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane library, and relevant journals. Studies comparing the efficacy and safety of DES to BMS in patients with an indication for OAC undergoing coronary stenting were included. End points included major adverse cardiac events (MACE), death, bleeding complications, and stroke. The outcome assessments were measured by hazard ratio (HR) and its 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: We yielded 453 studies by primary searching. According to the inclusion criteria, four studies enrolling 1,522 patients were finally included. A pooled estimate of HR for MACE, all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, and bleeding complications showed no significant differences between patients treated with DES and BMS. The risk of target vessel revascularization (TVR) was significantly decreased in the DES implanted patients in comparison with patients with a BMS implantation. CONCLUSION: For patients with an indication for OAC undergoing coronary stenting, DES might a DES can be as safely used as a BMS, and is superior in reducing the risk of TVR.

Purinergic responses of calcium-dependent signaling pathways in cultured adult human astrocytes.

BACKGROUND: The properties of Ca2+ signaling mediated by purinergic receptors are intrinsically linked with functional activity of astrocytes. At present little is known concerning Ca2+-dependent purinergic responses in adult human astrocytes. This work has examined effects of purinergic stimulation to alter levels of intracellular Ca2+ in adult human astrocytes. Ca2+-sensitive spectrofluorometry was carried out to determine mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ following adenosine triphosphate (ATP) or 3'-O-(4-benzoyl)benzoyl-ATP (Bz-ATP) stimulation of adult human astrocytes. In some experiments pharmacological modulation of Ca2+ pathways was applied to help elucidate mechanisms of Ca2+ signaling. RT-PCR was also performed to confirm human astrocyte expression of specific purinoceptors which were indicated from imaging studies. RESULTS: The endogenous P2 receptor agonist ATP (at 100 µM or 1 mM) applied in physiological saline solution (PSS) evoked a rapid increase of [Ca2+]i to a peak amplitude with the decay phase of response exhibiting two components. The two phases of decay consisted of an initial rapid component which was followed by a secondary slower component. In the presence of Ca2+-free solution, the secondary phase of decay was absent indicating this prolonged component was due to influx of Ca2+. This prolonged phase of decay was also attenuated with the store-operated channel (SOC) inhibitor gadolinium (at 2 µM) added to standard PSS, suggesting this component was mediated by SOC activation. These results are consistent with ATP activation of P2Y receptor (P2YR) in adult human astrocytes leading to respective rapid [Ca2+]i mobilization from intracellular stores followed by Ca2+ entry through SOC. An agonist for P2X7 receptor (P2X7R), BzATP induced a very different response compared with ATP whereby BzATP (at 300 µM) elicited a slowly rising increase in [Ca2+]i to a plateau level which was sustained in duration. The BzATP-induced increase in [Ca2+]i was not enhanced with lipopolysaccharide pre-treatment of cells as previously found for P2X7R mediated response in human microglia. RT-PCR analysis showed that adult human astrocytes in vitro constitutively express mRNA for P2Y1R, P2Y2R and P2X7R. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that activation of metabotropic P2YR (P2Y1R and/or P2Y2R) and ionotropic P2X7R could mediate purinergic responses in adult human astrocytes.

Current incidence of duplicate publication in otolaryngology.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Duplicate publication--deemed highly unethical--is the reproduction of substantial content in another article by the same authors. In 1999, Rosenthal et al. identified an 8.5% incidence of duplicate articles in two otolaryngology journals. We explored the current incidence in three otolaryngology journals in North America and Europe. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective literature review. METHODS: Index articles in 2008 in Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Laryngoscope, and Clinical Otolaryngology were searched using MEDLINE. Potential duplicate publications in 2006 through 2010 were identified using the first, second, and last authors' names. Three authors independently investigated suspected duplicate publications--classifying them by degree of duplication. RESULTS: Of 358 index articles screened, 75 (20.9%) had 119 potential duplicates from 2006 to 2010. Full review of these 119 potential duplicates revealed a total of 40 articles with some form of redundancy (33.6% of the potential duplicates) involving 27 index articles (7.5% of 358 index articles); one (0.8%) "dual" publication (identical or nearly identical data and conclusions to the index article); three (2.5%) "suspected" dual publications (less than 50% new data and same conclusions); and 36 (30.3%) publications with "salami-slicing" (portion of the index article data repeated) were obtained. Further analysis compared the likelihood of duplicate publication by study source and subspecialty within otolaryngology. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of duplicate publication has not significantly changed over 10 years. "Salami-slicing" was a concerning practice, with no cross-referencing in 61% of these cases. Detecting and eliminating redundant publications is a laborious task, but it is essential in upholding the journal quality and research integrity.

Synthesis and electroluminescence property of new hexaphenylbenzene derivatives including amine group for blue emitters.

Three new blue-emitting compounds of 5P-VA, 5P-VTPA, and 5P-DVTPA for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) based on hexaphenylbenzene moiety were demonstrated. Physical properties by the change of the substitution groups of the synthesized materials were systematically examined. Photoluminescence spectrum of the synthesized materials showed maximum emitting wavelengths of about 400 to 447 nm in solution state and 451 to 461 nm in film state, indicating deep blue emission color. OLED devices were fabricated by the synthesized compounds using vacuum deposit process as an emitting layer. The device structure was ITO/2-TNATA 60 nm/ NPB 15 nm/ EML 35 nm/ TPBi 20 nm/ LiF 1 nm/ Al 200 nm. External quantum efficiencies and CIE values of 5P-VA, 5P-VTPA, and 5P-DVTPA were 1.89%, 3.59%, 3.34%, and (0.154, 0.196), (0.150, 0.076), (0.148, 0.120), respectively. 5P-VTPA and 5P-DVTPA exhibited superior highly blue quality and thermal property such as high Td of 448°C and 449°C.

Upregulation of heme oxygenase-1 expression by hydroxysafflor yellow A conferring protection from anoxia/reoxygenation-induced apoptosis in H9c2 cardiomyocytes.

BACKGROUND: Reperfusion therapy is widely utilized for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), so ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) of the heart is frequently encountered in clinical practice. The curative effects of reperfusion therapy for AMI are favourable in most cases, but reperfusion can also cause harmful effect to cardiomyocytes. Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) is an effective therapeutic agent to alleviate I/R injury, but the mechanisms underlying this therapeutic effect are unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: The H9c2 cardiomyocyte cell line was incubated with or without HSYA during hypoxia, then it was reoxygenated. In the presence of HSYA, reoxygenation resulted in the upregulated expression and activity of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), phosphorylation of Akt, translocation of nuclear factor Nrf2, and most importantly, a reduction in A/R-induced apoptosis. An HO-1 inhibitor completely suppressed HO-1 enzymatic activity upregulated by HSYA and notably diminished the anti-apoptotic effect of HSYA. An inhibitor of PI3K, completely blocked Akt phosphorylation induced by HSYA and partly negated HSYA-induced upregulation of HO-1, translocation of nuclear factor Nrf2 and suppression of apoptosis in the H9c2 cardiomyocytes. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that HSYA can provide protection to H9c2 cardiomyocytes against A/R-induced apoptosis. This protective effect largely depends on the upregulation of HO-1 expression through the PI3K/Akt/Nrf2 signaling pathway.