Role of DNA damage response in cyclophosphamide-induced premature ovarian failure in mice.

AIM: To investigate the DNA damage response (DDR) in a cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced mouse model of premature ovarian failure (POF). METHODS: The POF model was established by injecting mice with CTX. The body, ovarian weights, the estrus cycle, and pathological changes of the ovaries were recorded. The serum levels of 17 ß-estradiol (E2) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were measured. The expression of Ki67, ß-galactosidase (ß-gal), p21, p53, γH2AX, and pATM in ovarian tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry. The expression of ß-gal, γH2AX, and pATM was analyzed by immunofluorescence staining of primary cultured granulosa cells (GCs). RESULTS: The body and ovarian weights decreased, the estrus cycles were erratic, and the FSH level increased, whereas the E2 level decreased in POF mice compared to controls. The pathological consequences of POF revealed an increase in atretic follicles, corpus luteum, and primordial follicles and a decrease in the number of primary, secondary, and tertiary follicles. Ki67 expression was reduced, ß-gal, p21, p53, γH2AX, and pATM expression were elevated in the ovaries of POF mice. The expression of ß-gal, γH2AX, and pATM increased in GCs with the concentration in a time-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: In total, CTX induced POF in mice, which was mediated by the DDR pathway of ATM-P53-P21.

Bioinformatics Analysis of Differentially Expressed Genes in Ischemic Cardiomyopathy Using GEO Database.

It was to analyze differentially expressed genes and their expression characteristics in ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) by bioinformatics and provide targets for drug therapy of ICM. For this purpose, the gene expression data of ICM in the gene expression omnibus (GEO) database were used, the differentially expressed genes between healthy myocardium and ICM myocardium were screened by R language, and then the differentially expressed genes were analyzed by protein-protein interaction (PPI), gene ontology (GO), and KEGG to select the key genes. Results showed that the useful genes of ICM were successfully screened in the GEO database, and KEGG pathway analysis was performed for the differentially expressed genes in ICM tissues, including the main pathways: viral carcinogenesis, energy metabolism, viral response, oxidative phosphorylation, influenza A, extracellular matrix receptor interaction, Epstein-Barr virus infection, chemokine receptor pathway, phagosome, proteasome, and protein digestion and absorption. PPI network analysis showed that C3, F5, FCGR3A, APOB, PENK, LUM, CHRDL1, FCGR3A, CIQB, and FMOD were critical genes. In conclusion, bioinformatics can screen out the key genes in ICM, which is helpful to understand the treatment of drug targets in ICM patients.

Design of Meat Product Safety Information Chain Traceability System Based on UHF RFID.

As a result of the current imperfection of the meat traceability system, there have been numerous food safety events with serious consequences. In this paper, a meat product information traceability system is designed to efficiently prevent such problems. This system develops an identification tag information reader based on ultra-high frequency (UHF) Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). It is compatible with LoRa wireless, USB serial port, RS485, and RJ45 Ethernet connection. Among them, the efficiency analysis of the Q-value algorithm finds that the recognition rate of the system reaches a maximum of about 0.367 when the number of tags n is about the frame length. The multi-tag anti-collision algorithm design based on the algorithm improves the efficiency of information collection in production and distribution links. The traceability code identification scheme is designed to effectively match various links, and the platform of system is built using LabVIEW2014 software, which has five sub-modules including user management, farm management, slaughter management, logistics management, and sales management. The system uses MySQL databases to store traceability information so that users can complete their queries by entering the traceability code on the system platform. The system not only has a low cost and a broad range of applications, but it also realizes the tracking record of meat product traceability information from breeding to selling, completes the function from information collection to information inquiry, and solves the problem of the incomplete traceability information chain. In addition, the system not only enhances the informational transparency of meat products in the product supply chain but also provides information for the regulatory authorities to effectively monitor safety.

A comprehensive exploration on distribution, risk assessment, and source quantification of heavy metals in the multi-media environment from Shaying River Basin, China.

Comprehensively understand the distribution of pollutants in the multi-media environment at basin scale is of major importance to the ecological risk assessment and pollution control. In this study, multi-media contamination characteristics of eight heavy metals in the water, soil, and sediment from the Shaying River Basin of China have been analyzed to probe their ecological risks and potential sources. Results revealed that heavy metal concentrations in pore water were higher than those in surface water. While the mean concentrations of most heavy metals increased follow the order of bankside soil (BS)

Multicomponent Solar Cells with High Fill Factors and Efficiencies Based on Non-Fullerene Acceptor Isomers.

Multicomponent organic solar cells (OSCs), such as the ternary and quaternary OSCs, not only inherit the simplicity of binary OSCs but further promote light harvesting and power conversion efficiency (PCE). Here, we propose a new type of multicomponent solar cells with non-fullerene acceptor isomers. Specifically, we fabricate OSCs with the polymer donor J71 and a mixture of isomers, ITCF, as the acceptors. In comparison, the ternary OSC devices with J71 and two structurally similar (not isomeric) NFAs (IT-DM and IT-4F) are made as control. The morphology experiments reveal that the isomers-containing blend film demonstrates increased crystallinity, more ideal domain size, and a more favorable packing orientation compared with the IT-DM/IT-4F ternary blend. The favorable orientation is correlated with the balanced charge transport, increased exciton dissociation and decreased bimolecular recombination in the ITCF-isomer-based blend film, which contributes to the high fill factor (FF), and thus the high PCE. Additionally, to evaluate the generality of this method, we examine other acceptor isomers including IT-M, IXIC-2Cl and SY1, which show same trend as the ITCF isomers. These results demonstrate that using isomeric blends as the acceptor can be a promising approach to promote the performance of multicomponent non-fullerene OSCs.

Toxicological Assessment of Ammonia Exposure on Carassius auratus red var. Living in Landscape Waters.

To understand the toxic mechanism of ammonia and identify effective biomarkers on the oxidative stress for the fish Carassius auratus red var., acute and chronic toxicity tests were conducted. The 96-h LC50 of total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) for C. auratus was 135.4 mg L-1, the corresponding unionized ammonia (NH3) concentration was 1.5 mg L-1. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), glutathione-peroxidase (GSH-Px) and glutathione (GSH) showed an increase with a subsequent falling, while the malondialdehyde (MDA) increased during the chronic test. The SOD, MDA, and GSH could be effective biomarkers to evaluate the TAN oxidative stress, the maximum acceptable toxicant concentration (MATC) was 11.3 mg L-1 for TAN. To our knowledge, this is the first study to propose biomarkers to evaluate potential environmental risk and establish a risk threshold for TAN in C. auratus.

Safety and Efficacy of Using a Single Transradial MAC Guiding Catheter for Coronary Angiography and Intervention in Patients with ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: There are limited data on the impact of using a single dedicated radial guiding catheter in primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) via radial access. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of using a single guiding catheter (MAC 3.5) for left and right coronary angiography and intervention on catheterization laboratory door to balloon (C2B) time in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). METHODS: Three hundred and sixty patients were randomized (1:1) to using a single MAC3.5 guiding catheter (MAC group) or diagnostic Tiger catheter first for coronary angiography followed by guiding catheter selection (control group) for intervention. The primary outcomes were C2B. The secondary outcomes were major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 30 days and 6 months. RESULTS: Median C2B time (16.6 min, interquartile range [IQR] 14.3-20.2 min vs 19.0 min, IQR 14.3-23.1 min; P < 0.001), total procedure time (31.0 min, IQR 26.4-37.7 min vs 34.8 min, IQR 29.7-42.5 min, P < 0.001), and overall fluoroscopy time (8.0 min, IQR 6.4-10.4 min vs 8.8 min, IQR 6.5-12.2, P = 0.04) were significantly reduced in MAC Group. Contrast consumption were similar among both groups (103 ± 37 ml vs 110 ± 41 ml, P = 0.16). The MACE rate in MAC group and control group was 3.3 versus 4.4% (P = 0.586) at 30 days and 3.3 versus 5.0% (P = 0.429) at 6 months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A single MAC3.5 guiding catheter for coronary angiography and intervention can shorten C2B time, procedure time, and fluoroscopy time. (RAPID study; NCT01759043).

Urinary cadmium was linearly and positively associated with cardiac infarction/injury score and subclinical myocardial injury in the general population without cardiovascular diseases and chronic kidney disease.

PURPOSE: The study was to investigate the association between urinary cadmium with cardiac infarction/injury score (CIIS) and subclinical myocardial injury (SC-MI) in the general population without cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: In this large-scale cross-sectional study, we enrolled 4492 individuals without CVDs and CKD from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Logistic regression models, linear regression models, subgroup analyses, and restricted cubic spline (RCS) were performed to assess the association between urinary cadmium with CIIS and SC-MI. RESULTS: Participants with SC-MI had higher levels of urinary cadmium compared with those without SC-MI (P < 0.001). In multivariate regression analyses adjusting for all confounding variables, higher levels of urinary cadmium were strongly associated not only with higher risk of SC-MI but also with higher CIIS (P < 0.05). Further subgroup analyses showed that the association between urinary cadmium and SC-MI remained significant in the subgroups of ≥ 50 years, men, smokers, and those without diabetes or hypertension (P < 0.05). Additionally, RCS analysis showed that after adjusting for all confounding factors, urinary cadmium was linearly and positively associated with CIIS and SC-MI (P overall < 0.05, P for nonlinearity > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Urinary cadmium was linearly and positively associated with CIIS and SC-MI in the general population without CVDs and CKD.

Experimental research on the dam-break mechanisms of the Jiadanwan landslide dam triggered by the Wenchuan earthquake in China.

Dam breaks of landslide dams are always accompanied by large numbers of casualties, a large loss of property, and negative influences on the downstream ecology and environment. This study uses the Jiadanwan landslide dam, created by the Wenchuan earthquake, as a case study example. Several laboratory experiments are carried out to analyse the dam-break mechanism of the landslide dam. The different factors that impact the dam-break process include upstream flow, the boulder effect, dam size, and channel discharge. The development of the discharge channel and the failure of the landslide dam are monitored by digital video and still cameras. Experimental results show that the upstream inflow and the dam size are the main factors that impact the dam-break process. An excavated discharge channel, especially a trapezoidal discharge channel, has a positive effect on reducing peak flow. The depth of the discharge channel also has a significant impact on the dam-break process. The experimental results are significant for landslide dam management and flood disaster prevention and mitigation.

lncRNA UCA1 regulates miR-132/Lrrfip1 axis to promote vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation.

UCA1 is predicted to bind to miR-132, which is a key player in the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). This research studied the role of lncRNA UCA1 in atherosclerosis. The binding of UCA1 to miR-132 was proved by dual luciferase activity assay and RNA immunoprecipitation. UCA1 and miR-132 failed to affect each other's expression in VSMCs. UCA1 was upregulated and miR-132 was decreased in atherosclerosis plasma. However, they are not closely correlated across atherosclerosis and control plasma sample. Interestingly, UCA1 suppressed the role of miR-132 in downregulating Lrrfip1 expression and promoting VSMC proliferation. Therefore, UCA1 is downregulated in atherosclerosis and may regulate miR-132/Lrrfip1 axis to promote VSMC proliferation.

Effects of recombinant human brain natriuretic peptide combined with tolvaptan on cardiac and renal function and serum inflammatory factors in patients with severe heart failure.

This study examined the effects of recombinant human brain natriuretic peptide (rhBNP) combined with tolvaptan on cardiac and renal function and serum inflammatory factors in patients with severe heart failure (HF). This retrospective study included 90 patients with severe HF who were treated at our hospital between January 2019 and August 2021. Patients treated with tolvaptan tablets were assigned to the control group, and those treated with rhBNP combined with tolvaptan were assigned to the observation group. Efficacy, cardiac function, levels of inflammatory factors, renal function, 6 minutes walking test, Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire score, and adverse reactions were assessed. The curative effect (97.78% vs 77.78%) and improvement in cardiac function were greater in the observation group than in the control group (P < .05). Decreased levels of inflammatory factors were seen in both groups after treatment, and the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-33, and intercellular adhesion factor-1 in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P < .05). The 6 minutes walking test was higher and the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire score was lower in the observation group compared with the control group (P < .05). The incidence of adverse reactions such as dry mouth, nausea, polyuria, hypotension, and headache in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (P < .05). In conclusion, for patients with severe HF, rhBNP combined with tolvaptan can improve cardiac function, alleviate symptoms of dyspnea, protect renal function, and reduce serum inflammatory factor levels when compared with tolvaptan alone.

MiR-223-3p affects myocardial inflammation and apoptosis following myocardial infarction via targeting FBXW7.

Background: Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the main causes of disability and death in the world, leading to myocarditis and cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Studies have shown that microRNA (miRNA) is involved in myocarditis and apoptosis. The main purpose of this study was to explore the regulatory mechanism of miR-223-3p on myocarditis and apoptosis after MI. Methods: We cultured H9c2 cells and detected the expression of miR-223-3p in cells treated with different concentrations of H2O2. Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were fed with normal diet, constructed an MI model and detect the expression of miR-223-3p in heart tissue. Overexpression or inhibition of miR-223-3p was conducted in MI model cells in vitro, and the contents of the inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in cell supernatant were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. Luciferase activity assay was used to detect the targeting relationship between miR-223-3p and FBXW7, and the expression of FBXW7 in cells was also detected. Overexpression of miR-223-3p was performed in MI rats to detect the expression of inflammatory factors, FBXW7, and apoptosis in rat cardiac tissue. Results: The expression of miR-223-3p was down regulated in MI models established in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of miR-223-3p can inhibit inflammatory response and apoptosis in H9c2 cells and cardiac tissues. It was revealed that miR-223-3p can inhibit the expression of FBXW7, reduce myocarditis and apoptosis after MI, and improve cardiac function. Conclusions: It is possible that miR-223-3p reduces myocarditis and apoptosis after MI and improves cardiac function by targeted inhibition of FBXW7 expression.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor-type O expression as a prognostic marker in patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: A prospective study.

Optimal clinical indicators are crucial for evaluating the prognosis of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). In the present study, the potential prognostic value of protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor-type O (PTPRO) expression in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with ACS undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was investigated. Patients diagnosed with ACS were prospectively recruited, and PTPRO expression in mononuclear cells separated from peripheral blood was assessed by western blotting. The prognosis was judged by the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events. Cox regression analyses were performed to assess the association between PTPRO expression and prognosis. In the enrolled 185 patients with ACS, PTPRO expression was lower after PCI compared with that before PCI (P<0.05). Although the pre-PCI PTPRO expression did not differ significantly between the good and poor prognosis groups, PTPRO expression after PCI was significantly lower in the good prognosis group compared with the poor prognosis group (P<0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the prognostic value of post-PCI PTPRO expression was significantly greater than that for pre-PCI PTPRO expression (P<0.05). Cox regression analysis identified high post-PCI PTPRO expression as an independent risk factor for poor prognosis in patients with ACS (P<0.05), and further analysis indicated that the post-PCI PTPRO expression level was associated with the prognosis of patients with ACS (P<0.05). PTPRO expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells after PCI is associated with the prognosis of patients with ACS, with high PTPRO expression indicating a high risk of poor prognosis in patients with ACS.

Alloy-like ternary polymer solar cells with over 17.2% efficiency.

Ternary strategy has been considered as an efficient method to achieve high performance polymer solar cells (PSCs). A power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.22% is achieved in the optimized ternary PSCs with 10 wt% MF1 in acceptors. The over 8% PCE improvement by employing ternary strategy is attributed to the simultaneously increased JSC of 25.68 mA cm-2, VOC of 0.853 V and FF of 78.61% compared with Y6 based binary PSCs. The good compatibility of MF1 and Y6 can be confirmed from Raman mapping, contact angle, cyclic voltammetry and morphology, which is the prerequisite to form alloy-like state. Electron mobility in ternary active layers strongly depends on MF1 content in acceptors due to the different lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) levels of Y6 and MF1, which can well explain the wave-like varied FF of ternary PSCs. The third-party certified PCE of 16.8% should be one of the highest values for single bulk heterojunction PSCs. This work provides sufficient references for selecting materials to achieve efficient ternary PSCs.

Adsorption characteristics of Cu(II) and Zn(II) by nano-alumina material synthesized by the sol-gel method in batch mode.

This study mainly focuses on the preparation, characterization, and sorption performance for Cu(II) and Zn(II) by using nano-alumina material (NA) synthesized through the sol-gel method. The SEM, EDS, FT-IR, and XRD analysis methods were implemented to identify the micromorphology and crystal structure of the synthesized NA absorbent and its structure after the adsorbing procedure. The effect of effective variables including various absorbent dose, contact time, initial ion concentration, and temperature on the removal of Cu(II) and Zn(II) from aqueous solution by using NA was investigated through a single factor experiment. Kinetic studies indicated that adsorption of copper and zinc ions by NA was chemical adsorption. The adsorption isotherm data were fitted by Langmuir (R2: 0.919, 0.914), Freundlich (R2: 0.983, 0.993), and Temkin (R2: 0.876, 0.863) isotherms, indicating that copper and zinc ions were easily adsorbed by NA with maximum adsorption capacities of 87.7 and 77.5 mg/g for Cu2+ and Zn2+, respectively. Thermodynamic parameters indicated that the adsorption of Cu2+ was spontaneous(G<0) and the adsorption of Zn2+ might not be spontaneous (G > 0) by NA. Graphical abstract ᅟ.

Dithieno[3,2-b:2',3'-d]pyridin-5(4H)-one based D-A type copolymers with wide bandgaps of up to 2.05 eV to achieve solar cell efficiencies of up to 7.33.

Two new polymers, PDTPO-IDT and PDTPO-IDTT, are synthesized through copolymerization of 4-(2-octyldodecyl)-dithieno[3,2-b:2',3'-d]pyridin-5(4H)-one (DTPO) with indacenodithiophene (IDT) or indacenodithieno[3,2-b]thiophene (IDTT). The rational combination of the planar DTPO unit with ladder-type IDT and IDTT units endows the resulting copolymers with wide optical bandgaps of ca. 2.05 eV, low HOMO energy levels of ca. -5.32 eV and good hole-transporting abilities with a hole mobility of 1.0 × 10-3 cm2 V-1 s-1. The polymer solar cell (PSC) in a conventional structure based on PDTPO-IDT as donor and [6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) as acceptor achieves a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of up to 7.33%, the highest value for PSCs based on polymers with optical bandgap over 2.0 eV to date, along with a remarkable open-circuit voltage (Voc) approaching 0.97 V. The performance of the PDTPO-IDTT based PSC is slightly behind this with a moderate PCE of 5.47% under the same conditions. The relationship between the copolymer structures and optoelectronic properties as well as photovoltaic performance are comprehensively investigated by experiments and theoretical simulations.