HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Use on a Global Scale Among Men Who Have Sex with Men: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Knowledge of the proportion of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) use among men who have sex with men (MSM) and the specific gaps in PrEP use can stimulate enhanced focus on HIV prevention policies and programs. To summarize the proportion of PrEP use and explore the temporal trend in the proportion of PrEP use and factors associated with PrEP use among MSM on a global scale, we searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science Core Collection, and APA PsycINFO for studies reporting on the use of HIV PrEP among MSM before April 2022. Freeman-Tukey double arc-sine transformation and random-effects models were used to pool estimates. A total of 147 articles involving 395,218 MSM were included. The pooled proportions of PrEP use among MSM and PrEP-eligible MSM were 11.23% [95% confidence interval (CI): 9.71-12.84] and 16.04% (95% CI: 11.99-23.36), respectively. The proportion of PrEP use varied among countries with different support policies. ß regressions with the logit link showed that the proportion of PrEP use has increased in recent years. Interrupted time series analyses further supported that the approval of PrEP use would decrease the number of new HIV diagnoses among MSM. The main factors associated with PrEP use include health insurance, having a regular medical provider, prior HIV testing, past use of PrEP or Post-Exposure Prophylaxis, social networks, and stigma. Although the proportion of PrEP use among MSM has remained low, it has increased in recent years. More studies are needed to explore the factors associated with PrEP use, especially for PrEP-eligible MSM in low- and middle-income countries.

Correction to Dulaglutide Alleviates LPS-Induced Injury in Cardiomyocytes.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c06326.].

Modeling and correction of fringe patterns in Doppler asymmetric spatial heterodyne interferometry.

Doppler asymmetric spatial heterodyne (DASH) interferometry is a novel concept for observing atmospheric winds. This paper discusses a numerical model for the simulation of fringe patterns and a methodology to correct fringe images for extracting Doppler information from ground-based DASH measurements. Based on the propagation of optical waves, the fringe pattern was modeled considering different angular deviations and optical aberrations. A dislocation between two gratings can introduce an additional spatial modulation associated with the diffraction order, which was seen in laboratory measurements. A phase correction is proposed to remove phase differences between different row interferograms, which is the premise for calculating the average interferogram to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. Laboratory tests, simulation results, and Doppler velocity measurements indicate that a matrix determined in the laboratory can be applied to correct interferograms obtained from ground-based DASH measurements.

Chitosan and κ-carrageenan-derived nitrogen and sulfur co-doped carbon dots "on-off-on" fluorescent probe for sequential detection of Fe3+ and ascorbic acid.

This study develops a high sensitive and selective "on-off-on" fluorescent probe for sequential detection of iron ion (Fe3+) and ascorbic acid (AA) based on nitrogen and sulfur co-doped carbon dots (N, S-CDs), which were synthesized by using chitosan and κ-carrageenan as raw materials through one-step hydrothermal protocol. The synthesized N,S-CDs possess particularly high quantum yield (QY = 59.31%), excellent stability and excitation dependent behavior, showing great potential for practical applications. Furthermore, N,S-CDs provided high selectivity and strong anti-interference to Fe3+ due to its fluorescence quenching performance, revealing a wide linear concentration range from 1 to 100 µM for the detection of Fe3+ ion with an extremely low limit of detection of 57 nM, and presented reliable and accurate results in actual sample detection of Fe3+. The overall fluorescence quenching mechanism of N,S-CDs with Fe3+ was due to the formation of N,S-CDs/Fe3+ initiated to the aggregation and electron transfer of N,S-CDs, resulting in the static quenching of fluorescence. More interestingly, AA could reduce Fe3+ to Fe2+ and efficaciously recover the quenched fluorescence of N,S-CDs/Fe3+. N,S-CDs/Fe3+ as "turn-on" fluorescent probe was further applied for detecting AA in a linear range of 0.5-90 µM with a detection limit of 38 nM.

A novel LMNA indel mutation identified in a family with atrioventricular block and atrial fibrillation.

ABSTRACT: It is well known that many genetic factors are involved in the occurrence and progression of atrioventricular block (AV block) and atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the genetic variants discovered so far have only explained parts of these processes. More genes and variants remain to be identified. In the present study, a three-generation family with an autosomal dominant form of AV block and AF was enrolled. Whole exome sequencing was conducted in three affected and one unaffected family member. A total of 64 nonsynonymous variants was shared by three affected individuals and not present in the unaffected individual. By selection of variants absent in the known databases and were predicted to be deleterious, 4 novel variants were identified. Only one novel frameshift insertion in the LMNA gene (c.825_826insCAGG) was identified in another affected family member and not detected in other non-affected family members and the 100 controls. Our finding expanded the spectrum of variants associated with AV block and AF, and was valuable in the genetic diagnosis of AV block and AF.

Dulaglutide Alleviates LPS-Induced Injury in Cardiomyocytes.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Sepsis is a severe infection-induced disease with multiple organ failure, and sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy is a fatal condition. Inflammatory response and oxidative stress are reported to be involved in the development of sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy. Dulaglutide is a novel antidiabetic agent that is currently reported to exert an anti-inflammatory effect. The present study aims to explore the potential protective property of dulaglutide on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced injury on cardiomyocytes. METHODS: LPS was used to induce an in vitro injury model on cardiomyocytes. The mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) level was detected using MitoSOX red, and reduced glutathione (GSH) was measured to evaluate the status of oxidative stress in H9c2 myocardial cells. The expressions of NADPH oxidase-1 (NOX-1) and inducible nitric oxidesynthase (iNOS) were determined using real-time PCR and western blot analysis. Real-time PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were both used to detect the expressions and concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1ß, interleukin-17, matrix metalloproteinase-2, and matrix metalloproteinase-9 in H9c2 myocardial cells, respectively. The production of nitric oxide (NO) was measured using the Griess reagent. The levels of creatine kinase isoenzyme-MB (CK-MB) and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) were detected using ELISA. Western blot was utilized to determine the expressions of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), and p-NF-κB p65 in H9c2 myocardial cells in the nucleus. RESULTS: First, dulaglutide ameliorated LPS-induced oxidative stress by suppressing the production of mitochondrial ROS and elevating the level of reduced GSH, as well as downregulating NOX-1. Second, the LPS-induced cardiomyocyte injury was alleviated by dulaglutide through downregulating CK-MB and cTnI, accompanied by inhibiting iNOS expression and NO production. Lastly, the production of inflammatory factors and upregulation of MMPs induced by LPS were both significantly reversed by dulaglutide through suppressing the TLR4/Myd88/NF-κB signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Dulaglutide alleviated LPS-induced injury in cardiomyocytes by inhibiting inflammation and oxidative stress.

Dysregulated SREBP1c/miR-153 signaling induced by hypertriglyceridemia worsens acute pancreatitis and delays tissue repair.

Severe acute pancreatitis (AP) is a life-threatening disease with up to 30% mortality. Therefore, prevention of AP aggravation and promotion of pancreatic regeneration are critical during the course and treatment of AP. Hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) is an established aggravating factor for AP that hinders pancreatic regeneration; however, its exact mechanism remains unclear. Using miRNA sequencing and further verification, we found that miRNA-153 (miR-153) was upregulated in the pancreas of HTG animal models and in the plasma of patients with HTG-AP. Increased miR-153 aggravated HTG-AP and delayed pancreatic repair via targeting TRAF3. Furthermore, miR-153 was transcriptionally suppressed by sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor 1c (SREBP1c), which was suppressed by lipoprotein lipase malfunction-induced HTG. Overexpressing SREBP1c suppressed miR-153 expression, alleviated the severity of AP, and facilitated tissue regeneration in vivo. Finally, therapeutic administration of insulin also protected against HTG-AP via upregulating SREBP1c. Collectively, our results not only provide evidence that HTG leads to the development of more severe AP and hinders pancreatic regeneration via inducing persistent dysregulation of SREBP1c/miR-153 signaling, but also demonstrate that SREBP1c activators, including insulin, might be used to treat HTG-AP in patients.

In vivo effects of nitrosyl hydrogen on cardiac function and sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium pump (SERCA2a) in rats with heart failure after myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal Ca2+ circulation in cardiomyocytes is an important cause of decreased myocardial contractility in failing hearts. Nitroxyl hydrogen (HNO) can oxidize Ca2+ cycle-related proteins, alter their biological functions, promote Ca2+ recovery as well as release, and enhance myocardial contractility. In this study, we aim to observe the effect of nitrosyl hydrogen (HNO) on the cardiac function of rats with heart failure and elucidate the underlying mechanism. METHODS: Twenty six male Wistar rats were randomly divided into heart failure group (HF group), Angeli's salt treatment group (HF + AS group) and sham operation group (Sham group). The HF + AS group rats were treated with HNO donor Angeli's salt by intraperitoneal injection of 1 mg/kg/d, and the rats in the HF group and the Sham group were given the same amount of normal saline. Cardiac function was measured by echocardiography before and after treatment. NT-proBNP was measured by enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) kit after treatment. Western blot were used to measure the expression of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) in protein levels in rats. The activities of SERCA2a were detected by the biochemical kit finally. RESULTS: We found that Nitrosyl hydrogen could significantly increase LVEF, +dp/dt, -dp/dt (P<0.05), significantly decrease NT-ProBNP and LVEDP (P<0.01), and significantly enhance the activities of SERCA2a protein (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that Nitrosyl hydrogen could improve the cardiac function possibly by increasing protein activities of SERCA2a in rats.

Thermally stable monolithic Doppler asymmetric spatial heterodyne interferometer: optical design and laboratory performance.

We report on a thermally stable monolithic Doppler asymmetric spatial heterodyne (DASH) interferometer with field-widening prisms for thermospheric wind measurements by observing the Doppler shift of the airglow emission. Analytical deduction and numerical simulation are applied to determine the central optical path difference, the thermal compensation condition and the field-widening design. A monolithic interferometer with optimized configuration was built and tested in the laboratory. Laboratory tests show that the best visibility of 0.94 was realized with the 9 ° field-of-view illumination, while the thermal responses of the spatial frequency and the optical phase offset are 0.0154 cm-1/°C and 0.469 rad/°C, respectively.

Advances in research on treatment of heart failure with nitrosyl hydrogen.

Heart failure is the end stage of various heart diseases such as ischemic heart disease, dilated cardiomyopathy, valvular heart disease, congenital heart disease, and hypertensive myocardial damage. It is characterized by a decrease in myocardial contractility, but there is currently no ideal treatment. Nitroxyl hydrogen (HNO) is considered to be a protonated form of NO. It has special chemical properties compared to other nitrogen oxides. In the body of organisms, HNO can participate in all aspects of the occurrence and development of heart failure (HF) and react with some proteins closely related to cardiac activity, changing its spatial structure and exerting cardioprotective effects. In recent years, studies have shown that HNO can inhibit cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, reduce inflammation, enhance myocardial contractility, dilate coronary arteries as well as peripheral blood vessels in early heart failure, and protect the heart against heart failure. This paper, combined with the latest research results at home and abroad, clarifies that nitrosyl hydrogen exerts cardioprotective effects through various processes that occur in the development of heart failure.

Effective wind and temperature retrieval from Doppler asymmetric spatial heterodyne spectrometer interferograms.

This paper presents a method for wind velocity and Doppler temperature retrieval from interferograms of a Doppler asymmetric spatial heterodyne spectrometer. This method is based on the analytic representation of the signal and the subsequent algorithms. It turns out to be more robust than the conventional Fourier transform method at low SNR. The influence of optical dispersion on the accuracy of the retrieved parameters is also characterized. The effective optical path difference is suggested for use in wind and temperature retrieval routines. Computer simulations are used to characterize the accuracy of the proposed method, in particular regarding the influence of optical dispersion.

Lysophosphatidic Acid Is Associated With Cardiac Dysfunction and Hypertrophy by Suppressing Autophagy via the LPA3/AKT/mTOR Pathway.

Background: Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), as a phospholipid signal molecule, participates in the regulation of various biological functions. Our previous study demonstrated that LPA induces cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in vitro; however, the functional role of LPA in the post-infarct heart remains unknown. Growing evidence has demonstrated that autophagy is involved in regulation of cardiac hypertrophy. The aim of the current work was to investigate the effects of LPA on cardiac function and hypertrophy during myocardial infarction (MI) and determine the regulatory role of autophagy in LPA-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Methods: In vivo experiments were conducted in Sprague-Dawley rats subjected to MI surgery or a sham operation, and rats with MI were assigned to receive an intraperitoneal injection of LPA (1 mg/kg) or vehicle for 5 weeks. The in vitro experiments were conducted in H9C2 cardiomyoblasts. Results: LPA treatment aggravated cardiac dysfunction, increased cardiac hypertrophy, and reduced autophagy after MI in vivo. LPA suppressed autophagy activation, as indicated by a decreased LC3II-to-LC3I ratio, increased p62 expression, and reduced autophagosome formation in vitro. Rapamycin, an autophagy enhancer, attenuated LPA-induced autophagy inhibition and H9C2 cardiomyoblast hypertrophy, while autophagy inhibition with Beclin1 siRNA did not further enhance the hypertrophic response in LPA-treated cardiomyocytes. Moreover, we demonstrated that LPA suppressed autophagy through the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway because mTOR and PI3K inhibitors significantly prevented LPA-induced mTOR phosphorylation and autophagy inhibition. In addition, we found that knockdown of LPA3 alleviated LPA-mediated autophagy suppression in H9C2 cardiomyoblasts, suggesting that LPA suppresses autophagy through activation of the LPA3 and AKT/mTOR pathways. Conclusion: These findings suggest that LPA plays an important role in mediating cardiac dysfunction and hypertrophy after a MI, and that LPA suppresses autophagy through activation of the LPA3 and AKT/mTOR pathways to induce cardiomyocyte hypertrophy.

Alfvén waves as a solar-interplanetary driver of the thermospheric disturbances.

Alfvén waves have been proposed as an important mechanism for the heating of the Sun's outer atmosphere and the acceleration of solar wind, but they are generally believed to have no significant impact on the Earth's upper atmosphere under quiet geomagnetic conditions due to their highly fluctuating nature of interplanetary magnetic field (i.e., intermittent southward magnetic field component). Here we report that a long-duration outward propagating Alfvén wave train carried by a high-speed stream produced continuous (~2 days) and strong (up to ± 40%) density disturbances in the Earth's thermosphere in a way by exciting multiple large-scale gravity waves in auroral regions. The observed ability of Alfvén waves to excite large-scale gravity waves, together with their proved ubiquity in the solar atmosphere and solar wind, suggests that Alfvén waves could be an important solar-interplanetary driver of the global thermospheric disturbances.