A comparative study on anterior teeth retraction-related hard and soft tissue changes with physiologic anchorage control technique.

Aim of this comparative cross-sectional study was to evaluate the effect of anterior teeth retraction and related hard and soft tissue change under physiologic anchorage control in patients with chief complain of protrusive teeth. 68 Class I or II orthodontic patients undergoing four-premolar extraction and requiring maximum or medium anchorage were included. Patients were treated with physiologic anchorage control technique (PASS group, n = 34, 18.6 ± 7.7 years, 10 male and 24 female) and self-ligation technique (Damon group, n = 34, 17.5 ± 5.4 years, 13 male and 21 female), respectively. TADs were used for anchorage reinforcement in Damon group. Pre- and post-treatment cephalograms were collected. Twenty-six skeletal, dental and soft tissue items were measured and analyzed using a blinded method. T test and paired rank-sum test were used for statistical analysis. The baseline characteristics were similar between groups (P > 0.05). After treatment, inter-group comparison showed statistically significant differences in the decrease of skeletal measurements ∠ANB (- 0.73 ± 1.05° in PASS group and - 0.25 ± 0.84° in the Damon group), Wits value (- 2.56 ± 2.29 mm in PASS group and - 0.47 ± 2.15 mm in Damon group) and soft tissue measurement UL-E (- 2.75 ± 1.36 mm in PASS group and - 2.03 ± 1.30 mm in Damon group) and the increase of FCA and Z angle, which was 2.03 ± 2.12°and 9.52 ± 4.78°in PASS group and 0.97 ± 2.12°and 6.96 ± 4.43°in Damon group, respectively (P < 0.05). Our results indicated that significant anterior teeth retraction and profile improvement could be achieved with PASS technique without additional anchorage devices. Appropriate application of physiologic anchorage control could reduce the dependence of TADs for anterior teeth retraction.

STING is a cell-intrinsic metabolic checkpoint restricting aerobic glycolysis by targeting HK2.

Evasion of antitumour immunity is a hallmark of cancer. STING, a putative innate immune signalling adaptor, has a pivotal role in mounting antitumour immunity by coordinating innate sensing and adaptive immune surveillance in myeloid cells. STING is markedly silenced in various human malignancies and acts as a cell-intrinsic tumour suppressor. How STING exerts intrinsic antitumour activity remains unclear. Here, we report that STING restricts aerobic glycolysis independent of its innate immune function. Mechanistically, STING targets hexokinase II (HK2) to block its hexokinase activity. As such, STING inhibits HK2 to restrict tumour aerobic glycolysis and promote antitumour immunity in vivo. In human colorectal carcinoma samples, lactate, which can be used as a surrogate for aerobic glycolysis, is negatively correlated with STING expression level and antitumour immunity. Taken together, this study reveals that STING functions as a cell-intrinsic metabolic checkpoint that restricts aerobic glycolysis to promote antitumour immunity. These findings have important implications for the development of STING-based therapeutic modalities to improve antitumour immunotherapy.

A novel epitope tag from rabies virus has versatile in vitro applications.

Fusion tag technology is an important tool for rapid separation, purification, and characterization of proteins. Combined with monoclonal antibodies, tag epitope systems can be rapidly adapted to many assay systems. A monoclonal antibody that reacts with the matrix protein of the rabies virus CVS-11 strain was reported. The epitope (termed M) targeted by this antibody contains only six amino acids. We examine whether this specific sequence epitope can be applied as a protein tag. We show ectopic expression of M-tagged proteins has little impact on cell viability or major signaling pathways. The M tag system can be used for western blotting, immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence staining, and flow cytometry assays. The results indicate the specificity, sensitivity, and versatility of this novel epitope tag system are comparable to the widely used FLAG tag system, providing researchers with an additional tool for molecular analysis. KEY POINTS: • A short peptide (Pro Pro Tyr Asp Asp Asp) can be applied as a new tag. • The new epitope-tagging fusion system has no effect on the main cellular signaling pathway. • The epitope-tagging fusion system can be widely used for western blotting, immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, etc.

Estimation of central pulse wave velocity from radial pulse wave analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Arterial stiffness, commonly assessed by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), is an independent biomarker for cardiovascular disease. The measurement of cfPWV, however, has been considered impractical for routine clinical application. Pulse wave analysis using a single pulse wave measurement in the radial artery is a convenient alternative. This study aims to identify pulse wave features for a more accurate estimation of cfPWV from a single radial pulse wave measurement. METHODS: From a dataset of 140 subjects, cfPWV was measured and the radial pulse waveform was recorded for 30 s twice in succession. Features were extracted from the waveforms in the time and frequency domains, as well as by wave separation analysis. All-possible regressions with bootstrapping, McHenry's select algorithm, and support vector regression were applied to compute models for cfPWV estimation. RESULTS: The correlation coefficients between the measured and estimated cfPWV were r = 0.81, r = 0.81, and r = 0.8 for all-possible regressions, McHenry's select algorithm, and support vector regression, respectively. The features selected by all-possible regressions are physiologically interpretable. In particular, the amplitude ratio of the diastolic peak to the notch of the radial pulse waveform (Rn,dr,P) is shown to be correlated with cfPWV. This correlation was further evaluated and found to be independent of wave reflections using a dataset (n = 3,325) of simulated pulse waves. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed method may serve as a convenient surrogate for the measurement of cfPWV. Rn,dr,P is associated with aortic pulse wave velocity and this association may not be dependent on wave reflection.

Noninvasive estimation of aortic pressure waveform based on simplified Kalman filter and dual peripheral artery pressure waveforms.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Aortic pressure (Pa) is important for the diagnosis of cardiovascular disease. However, its direct measurement is invasive, not risk-free, and relatively costly. In this paper, a new simplified Kalman filter (SKF) algorithm is employed for the reconstruction of the Pa waveform using dual peripheral artery pressure waveforms. METHODS: Pa waveforms obtained in a previous study were collected from 25 patients. Simultaneously, radial and femoral pressure waveforms were generated from two simulation experiments, using transfer functions. In the first, the transfer function is a known finite impulse response; and in the second, it is derived from a tube-load model. To analyze the performance of the proposed SKF algorithm, variable amounts of noise were added to the observed output signal, to give a range of signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). Additionally, central aortic, brachial and femoral pressure waveforms were simultaneously collected from 2 Sprague-Dawley rats and the measured and reconstructed Pa waveforms were compared. RESULTS: The proposed SKF algorithm outperforms canonical correlation analysis (CCA), which is the current state-of-the-art blind system identification method for the non-invasive estimation of central aortic blood pressure. It is also shown that the proposed SKF algorithm is more noise-tolerant than the CCA algorithm over a wide range of SNRs. CONCLUSION: The simulations and animal experiments illustrate that the proposed SKF algorithm is accurate and stable in the face of low SNRs. Improved methods for estimating central blood pressure as a measure of cardiac load adds to their value as a prognostic and diagnostic tool.

Cocktail strategy based on a dual function nanoparticle and immune activator for effective tumor suppressive.

BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint inhibitor-mediated immunotherapy cannot be carried out on a large scale clinically due to its low universality. In recent years, cyclic guanosine monophosphate synthase/interferon gene stimulating factor (cGAS/STING)-mediated innate immune signaling pathway-mediated immunotherapy has attracted more and more attention. In addition, metabolic inhibitors also show good effects on tumor treatment, but their application is often limited because of their large first pass effect or difficult administration. METHODS: The particle size and potential parameters were measured by DLS. In order to determine the optimal ratio of the two drugs, we calculated the CI value of different nanoparticles through MTT experiment, and simulated their synergistic effect through Gaussian software. Then the morphology and crystal form of the best proportion of drugs were studied by TEM and XRD. The anti-tumor mechanism of composite nanoparticles was confirmed by the determination of metabolic related indexes, Q-PCR and WB. The antitumor effect and immune activation effect were comprehensively evaluated by in vivo and in vitro experiments. RESULTS: Here, we found and synthesized BCP nanoparticles ((BPA + CPI) @ PLGA NPs) which can effectively reduce the metabolism of tumor cells and inhibit cell proliferation. At the same time, the release of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) caused by mitochondrial metabolism disorder further activated the cGAS/STING signal pathway in Hepa1-6 cells. We found that the drug-treated Hepa1-6 cells had obvious TBK1 phosphorylation and STING dimerization. Combined with STING agonist, it could effectively promote the activation of CD8 T cells and enhanced the therapeutic effect on liver cancer. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that PLGA nanocarrier can successfully improve the dosage forms of two metabolic inhibitors and show the effect of synergistic therapy. BCP nanoparticles can also activate the innate immunity of tumor cells and significantly enhance tumor inhibition after combined with STING agonists. This study has high reference and transformation value for the combined treatment of immunosuppression and metabolic inhibition.

Estimation of aortic pulse wave velocity based on waveform decomposition of central aortic pressure waveform.

Objective.Aortic stiffness is associated with risk of cardiovascular events. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) is the current noninvasive gold standard for assessing aortic stiffness. However, the cfPWV measurement is challenging, requiring simultaneous signals at the carotid and femoral sites.Approach.In this study, the aortic PWV is estimated using a single radial pressure waveform and compared with cfPWV. 111 subjects' aortic PWVs are estimated from the decomposition of the derived central aortic pressure waveform based on three types of reconstructed flow waveform: the peak of triangular flow waveform based on 30% ejection time (Q30%tri), the peak of triangular flow waveform based on inflection point (Qtri), and averaged flow waveform (Qavg). The central aortic pressure waveform is derived from a radial pressure waveform via a validated transfer function.Main results.TheQavgis used for estimating aortic PWV without the determination of the peak point of the triangular flow waveforms. The estimated aortic PWV shows good agreement with cfPWV. The mean difference ± SD is 0.29 ± 1.50 m s-1(r2 = 0.29,p< 0.001) for theQ30%tri; 0.27 ± 1.40 m s-1(r2 = 0.38,p < 0.001) for theQtri; 0.23 ± 1.39 m s-1(r2 = 0.40,p < 0.001) for theQavg. The correlation between estimated aortic PWV based onQ30%triand measured cfPWV is weak. The results ofQtriandQavgshow no obvious difference.Significance.The proposed method can be used as a less complex way than conventional measurement of cfPWV to further assess arterial stiffness and predict cardiovascular risks or events.

Layer-by-layer assembly into bulk-like g-C3N4via artificial manipulation of electrostatic forces.

For the first time, bulk-like g-C3N4 was achieved through initiating layer-by-layer assembly, which involves the important process of artificially manipulating protonated and oxygen doped g-C3N4 nanosheets. When acting as a photocatalyst under UV-visible light irradiation, bulk-like g-C3N4 exhibited an excellent photocatalytic H2 production rate of 1538 µmol h-1 g-1, about 8 times higher than that of the bulk g-C3N4 counterpart.

Micronized curcumin fabricated by supercritical CO2 to improve antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Curcumin (CM) is a natural polyphenolic compound with multiple biomedical functions. However, clinical applications face more challenges due to its low dissolution rate and poor bioavailability. Micronization is an effective strategy to overcome these drawbacks. Herein, CM nanoparticles (CM NPs, ∼300 nm) were fabricated using solution enhanced dispersion by supercritical CO2 (SEDS). The solubility of CM NPs was remarkably enhanced. Aim to study the effects of micronization on the biological functions of CM, we investigated the antibacterial activity of original CM and CM NPs upon Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In vitro, the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) assay, solid-medium spot assay, growth kinetics assay and morphologic observation using atomic force microscopy (AFM) confirmed that the anti-P. aeruginosa activity of CM NPs was enhanced compared to original CM. Moreover, CM NPs also showed stronger inhibition for adhesion and biofilm formation of P. aeruginosa compared to original CM. Experiments on mice infected with P. aeruginosa showed that CM NPs have a better therapeutic effect than the original CM in vivo. In summary, CM NPs may be a novel and promising therapeutic candidate for bacterial infection.

Evidence for Ferroelectricity of All-Inorganic Perovskite CsPbBr3 Quantum Dots.

The combination of ferroelectric-optical properties in halide perovskites has attracted tremendous interess because of its potential for optoelectronic and energy applications. However, very few reports focus on the ferroelectricity of all-inorganic halide perovskites quantum dots. Herein, we report a excellent ferroelectricity in CsPbBr3 quantum dots (QDs) with a saturation polarization of 0.25 µC/cm2. Differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electronic microscopy revealed that the mechanism of ferroelectric-paraelectric switching of CsPbBr3 QDs can be attributed to the phase transition from cubic phase (Pm3̅m) to the orthorhombic phase (Pna21). In the orthorhombic CsPbBr3, the distortion of octahedral [PbBr6]4- structural units and the off-center Cs+ generated the slightly separated centers of positive charge and negative charge, resulting in the ferroelectric properties. The variable-temperature emission spectrum from 328 to 78 K exhibits green luminescence and a gradual red shift due to the phase transition. This finding opens up an avenue to explore the ferroelectric-optical properties of inorganolead halide perovskites for high-performance multifunctional materials.

A symbiotic hetero-nanocomposite that stabilizes unprecedented CaCl2-type TiO2 for enhanced solar-driven hydrogen evolution reaction.

Symbiotic hetero-nanocomposites prevail in many classes of minerals, functional substances and/or devices. However, design and development of a symbiotic hetero-nanocomposite that contains unachievable phases remain a significant challenge owing to the tedious formation conditions and the need for precise control over atomic nucleation in synthetic chemistry. Herein, we report a solution chemistry approach for a symbiotic hetero-nanocomposite that contains an unprecedented CaCl2-type titania phase inter-grown with rutile TiO2. CaCl2 structured TiO2, usually occurring when bulk rutile-TiO2 is compressed at an extreme pressure of several GPa, is identified to be a distorted structure with a tilt of adjacent ribbons of the c-axis of rutile. The structural specificity of the symbiotic CaCl2/rutile TiO2 hetero-nanocomposite was confirmed by Rietveld refinement, HRTEM, EXAFS, and Raman spectra, and the formation region (TiCl4 concentration vs. reaction temperature) was obtained by mapping the phase diagram. Due to the symbiotic relationship, this CaCl2-type TiO2 maintained a high stability via tight connection by edge dislocations with rutile TiO2, thus forming a CaCl2/rutile TiO2 heterojunction with a higher reduction capacity and enhanced charge separation efficiency. These merits endow symbiotic CaCl2/rutile TiO2 with a water splitting activity far superior to that of the commercial benchmark photocatalyst, P25 under simulated sunlight without the assistance of a cocatalyst. Our findings reported here may offer several useful understandings of the mechanical intergrowth process in functional symbiotic hetero-nanocomposites for super interfacial charge separation, where interfacial dislocation appears to be a universal cause.

Treatment with metformin prevents myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury via STEAP4 signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the underlying mechanism of metformin in reducing myocardial apoptosis and improving mitochondrial function in rats and H9c2 cells subjected with myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (I/R). METHOD: Following pretreatment with metformin, male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were used to establish an ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) model in vivo. Serum creatinine kinase-MB (CK-MB) and cardiac troponin T (cTnT) levels were examined by ELISA. Infarct size and apoptosis were measured by TTC staining and TUNEL assay. Pathological changes were evaluated by HE staining. H9c2 cells were used to establish a hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) model in vitro. Cell apoptosis and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were examined by flow cytometry and Rhodamine 123. The expression levels of STEAP4, Bcl-2, Bax and GAPDH in both myocardial tissues and H9c2 cells were determined by western blotting. RESULTS: We found that metformin decreased infarct size, increased expression of STEAP4, mitigated myocardial apoptosis and increased mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) when the models were subjected to H/R or I/R injuries. However, STEAP4 knockdown significantly abrogated the beneficial effect of metformin. CONCLUSIONS: We further demonstrated the protective effect of metformin on cardiomyocytes, which might be at least partly attributable to upregulation of STEAP4. Therefore, STEAP4 might be a new target to decrease apoptosis and rescue mitochondrial function in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Curcumin-Silk Fibroin Nanoparticles for Enhanced Anti-Candida albicans Activity In Vitro and In Vivo.

Curcumin (CM) has multiple pharmacological activities including anti-fungal activity, but its clinical application is limited due to low solubility in aqueous media, poor bioavailability and extensive first pass metabolism. We aimed to resolve the limitation and enhance antifungal activity of CM using nanotechnology. Using silk fibroin (SF) as a carrier, we fabricated curcumin-silk fibroin nanoparticles (CM-SF NPs) by solution enhanced dispersion of supercritical CO2 (SEDS) technique. The characterization of CM-SF NPs was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and thermo gravimetric apparatus (TGA). Following characterization of the NPs, we evaluated the antifungal activity of CM-SF NPs against Candida albicans in vitro and in vivo. A SF-based drug delivery system (CM-SF NPs, 85 ± 15 nm) was established by SEDS. Compared to original CM, water solubility of CM-SF NPs was improved, and its antifungal activity was enhanced. The natural compound-loaded SF nanoparticles may be a promising therapeutic candidate for fungal infection.

MicroRNA Expression Profile of Whole Blood Is Altered in Adenovirus-Infected Pneumonia Children.

Human adenovirus (Adv) infection is responsible for most community-acquired pneumonia in infants and children, which results in significant morbidity and mortality in children every year. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are associated with viral replication and host immune response. Knowing the miRNA expression profile will help understand the role of miRNAs in modulating the host response to adenovirus infection and possibly improve the diagnosis of adenovirus-infected pneumonia. In our study, total RNA extracted from whole blood of adenovirus-infected pneumonia children and healthy controls were analyzed by small RNA deep sequencing. Expression profiles of whole blood microRNAs were altered and distinctly different in adenovirus-infected children. The top 3 upregulated miRNA (hsa-miR-127-3p, hsa-miR-493-5p, and hsa-miR-409-3p) were identified in adenovirus-infected children and provided a clear distinction between infected and healthy individuals. Potential host target genes were predicated and validated by qRT-PCR to study the impact of microRNAs on the host genes. Most of the target genes were involved in the MAPK signaling pathway and innate immune response. These highly upregulated microRNAs may have crucial roles in Adv pathogenesis and are potential biomarkers for adenovirus-infected pneumonia.

CCAAT/enhancer binding protein homologous protein knockdown alleviates hypoxia-induced myocardial injury in rat cardiomyocytes exposed to high glucose.

Diabetic patients are more sensitive to ischemic injury than non-diabetics. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has been reported to be closely associated with the pathophysiology of ischemic injury in diabetes. The aim of the present study was to investigate the mechanisms involved in the progression of diabetes complicated by myocardial infarction (MI) and further verify the role of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP)-homologous protein (CHOP) using an in vitro model of diabetes/MI. The rats were exposed to 65 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ) and left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery ligation. ST-segment elevation, heart rate, left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP) and LV end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) were measured. Serum creatinine kinase-MB (CK-MB) and cardiac troponin T (cTnT) levels were examined by ELISA. Infarct size and apoptosis were measured by triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl-transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling assay. Pathological changes were evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining. H9c2 cells were used to establish an in vitro model of diabetes complicated by MI. Following CHOP knockdown, cell viability, cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were examined by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, flow cytometry and Hoechst staining. Glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), CHOP, B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), endoplasmic reticulum oxidoreductase 1 (Ero1)-α, Ero1ß and protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) levels in both myocardial tissues and H9c2 cells were determined by western blotting. In the present study, diabetes complicated by MI promoted ST-segment elevation and myocardial apoptosis, increased infarct size, induced pathological changes and elevated LVEDP, CK-MB, cTnT, GRP78, CHOP, Bax, Ero1α, Ero1ß and PDI; however, it decreased heart rate, LVSP and Bcl-2. Additionally, high glucose combined with hypoxic treatment reduced cell viability, induced cell cycle arrest at G1 phase, promoted cell apoptosis, and activated the GRP78/CHOP and Ero1/PDI signaling pathways, which were reversed by CHOP knockdown. Thus, CHOP may be an effective therapeutic target for the treatment of diabetes complicated by MI.

Interfacial Doping of Heteroatom in Porous SnO2 for Highly Sensitive Surface Properties.

The design and synthesis of heteroatom-doping porous materials with unique surface/interfaces are of great significance for enhancing the sensitive surface performance in the fields of catalytic energy, especially gas sensor, CO oxidation, and ammonium perchlorate decomposition. Usually, the template method followed by a high-temperature calcination process is considered as the routes of choice in preparing ion-doped porous materials, but it requires extra templates and will undergo complicated steps. Here, we present a simple fusion/diffusion-controlled intermetallics-transformation method to synthesize various heteroatom-doping porous SnO2 only by changing the species of intermetallics. By this new method, Ni-doped popcornlike SnO2 with plenty of ∼30 nm pores and two kinds of Cu-doped SnO2 nanocages was successfully constructed. Phase-evolution investigations demonstrated that growth kinetics, diffusion, and solubility of the intermediates are highly related to the architecture of final products. Moreover, low-solid-solution limit of MO x (M: Ni, Cu) in SnO2 made the ion dope close to the surface to form a special surface/interfaces structure, and selective removal of MO x produce abundant pores to increase the surface area. As a consequence, Ni-doped composite exhibits higher sensitivity in formaldehyde detection with a relative low-operating temperature in a short response time (i.e., 23.7-50 ppm formaldehyde, 170 °C, and 5 s) and Cu-doped composites show excellent activity in decreasing the catalytic temperature of CO oxidation and ammonium perchlorate decomposition. The fusion/diffusion-controlled intermetallics-transformation method reported in this work could be readily adopted for the synthesis of other active heteroatom-doping porous materials for multipurpose uses.

Cardioprotective effect of Notch signaling on the development of myocardial infarction complicated by diabetes mellitus.

The present study aimed to elucidate the role of Notch signaling in the development of myocardial infarction (MI) concomitant with diabetes in vivo and in vitro and evaluated the therapeutic effect of the Notch signaling in vitro. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were subjected to 25 min of ischemia and 2 h of reperfusion. Cardiac troponin T (cTnT) and creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) isoenzyme levels were detected. Infarct size was measured by 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. Myocardial apoptosis and fibrosis were examined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling and Masson Trichrome staining, respectively. The mRNA and protein levels of Notch signaling components, including Notch1, Notch4, Delta-like 1, Jagged1, Mastermind-like protein 1 and p300, were quantified by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting analyses, respectively. H9c2 cells were treated with/without 33 mM high glucose (HG) and/or subjected to hypoxia in the presence/absence of Jagged1. Cell viability and apoptosis were determined by MTT assay and Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide assay. Levels of the Notch signaling pathway members were examined. The present findings revealed that diabetes elevated CK-MB and cTnT, increased infarct size, induced myocardial apoptosis and inhibited the Notch signaling pathway in vivo after ischemia/reperfusion. Ischemia/reperfusion augmented the severity of MI in diabetic rats. Furthermore, HG reduced cell viability and induced cell apoptosis in H9c2 cells after hypoxia exposure, which was inhibited by Jagged1. We also found that HG inhibited Notch signaling in H9c2 cells after hypoxia, whereas Jagged1 exerted its cardioprotective effect on hypoxic injury (in HG environments or not) by activating the Notch signaling pathway. In conclusion, these findings suggest that diabetes promoted the progression of MI in vivo and in vitro via the inhibition of the Notch signaling pathway. Jagged1 may protect against MI in in vitro models by activating Notch signaling.

Statin-ezetimibe versus statin lipid-lowering therapy in patients with acute coronary syndromes undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

BACKGROUND: Studies comparing the clinical efficacy and safety of intensive statin therapy with ezetimibe-statin combination therapy are still rare at present, especially in Asian population. METHODS: We enrolled 202 patients who suffered acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between May and July in 2016. Patients were allocated into three groups based on the lipid lowering strategy: moderate-intensity statin group (n=118), ezetimibe combined with moderate-intensity statin group (ezetimibe-statin combination, n=55) and intensive statin group (n=29). The lipid profiles and side effects were analyzed and compared among the patients in three groups at admission, 1 month and 3 months after PCI. The clinical outcomes of the patients were observed through 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: One month after PCI, the level of non-high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (non-HDL-C) was decreased by 41.9%, 21.6% and 29.8% by ezetimibe-statin combination therapy, moderate-intensity statin therapy and intensive statin therapy, respectively (P<0.05). The reduction percentages of TC and LDL-C were significantly higher in ezetimibe-statin combination group than in moderate-intensity statin group (P<0.001). The proportion of patients reaching LDL-C goal was higher in ezetimibe-statin combination group (69.1%, P=0.007) and intensive statin group (67.9%, P=0.047) compared with moderate-intensity statin group (46.9%) at 1 month after PCI. There was no significant difference among the three groups with respect to hepatic enzymes level, creatine kinase (CK) level and incidence of muscle symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The reduction percentage of non-HDL-C was larger in ezetimibe-statin combination group than intensive statin group. This finding suggested that statin/ezetimibe combination therapy could be an alternative to intensive statin therapy in Chinese patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Ultrathin LiCoO2 Nanosheets: An Efficient Water-Oxidation Catalyst.

Ultrathin cation-exchanged layered metal oxides are promising for many applications, while such substances are barely successfully synthesized to show several atomic layer thickness, owing to the strong electrostatic force between the adjacent layers. Herein, we took LiCoO2, a prototype cation-exchanged layered metal oxide, as an example to study. By developing a simple synthetic route, we synthesized LiCoO2 nanosheets with 5-6 cobalt oxide layers, which are the thinnest ever reported. Ultrathin nanosheets thus prepared showed a surprising coexistence of increased oxidation state of cobalt ions and oxygen vacancy, as demonstrated by magnetic susceptibility, X-ray photoelectron, electron paramagnetic resonance, and X-ray absorption fine spectra. This unique feature enables a higher electronic conduction and electrophilicity to the adsorbed oxygen than the bulk. Consequently ultrathin LiCoO2 nanosheets provided a current density of 10 mA cm-2 at a small overpotential of a mere 0.41 V and a small Tafel slope of ∼88 mV/decade, which is strikingly followed by an excellent cycle life. The findings reported in this work suggest that ultrathin cation-exchanged layered metal oxides could be a next generation of advanced catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction.

Efficacy and safety of ticagrelor versus clopidogrel with different dosage in high-risk patients with acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Dual antiplatelet therapy is recommended as a standard antiplatelet strategy in acute coronary syndrome. For those with reduced pharmacologic response to clopidogrel, strengthening antiplatelet therapy (clopidogrel 150mg daily) may reduce adverse clinical events. Ticagrelor is a direct-acting inhibitor of the adenosine diphosphate receptor P2Y12 that has a more rapid onset and offset than clopidogrel. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we compared ticagrelor (180mg loading dose 90mg twice daily thereafter), clopidogrel (300mg loading dose, 75mg or 150mg daily thereafter) for the prevention of cardiovascular events in 273 high-risk patients admitted to coronary care unit with acute coronary syndrome. RESULTS: The rate of IST in hospital was significantly reduced in patients of ticagrelor group comparing with those receiving clopidogrel 75mg (0.69% vs 8.2%, p=0.009). Moreover, the TVR rate was less in the ticagrelor group than clopidogrel 75mg group (2.7% vs 13.1%, p=0.007) 6months follow-up. The incidence of MACCE has no difference between the two clopidogrel groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis of MACCE-free indicated that there was no difference between the three groups. Ticagrelor significantly increased the rate of minor bleeding compared with clopidogrel 75mg daily during hospital (45.5% vs 26.2%,p=0.012) and 6-month follow-up (66.9% vs 45.9%,p=0.004).Bleeding-free prognosis was significantly better in the clopidogrel 75mg daily group. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing PCI, the rate of in-stent thrombosis and TVR were significantly reduced treated with ticagrelor compared with clopidogrel 75mg daily, without an increase of overall major bleeding, but with an increase of minor bleeding.