LncRNA CHKB-DT Downregulation Enhances Dilated Cardiomyopathy Through ALDH2.

BACKGROUND: Human cardiac long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) profiles in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) were previously analyzed, and the long noncoding RNA CHKB (choline kinase beta) divergent transcript (CHKB-DT) levels were found to be mostly downregulated in the heart. In this study, the function of CHKB-DT in DCM was determined. METHODS: Long noncoding RNA expression levels in the human heart tissues were measured via quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridization assays. A CHKB-DT heterozygous or homozygous knockout mouse model was generated using the clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 system, and the adeno-associated virus with a cardiac-specific promoter was used to deliver the RNA in vivo. Sarcomere shortening was performed to assess the primary cardiomyocyte contractility. The Seahorse XF cell mitochondrial stress test was performed to determine the energy metabolism and ATP production. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms were explored using quantitative proteomics, ribosome profiling, RNA antisense purification assays, mass spectrometry, RNA pull-down, luciferase assay, RNA-fluorescence in situ hybridization, and Western blotting. RESULTS: CHKB-DT levels were remarkably decreased in patients with DCM and mice with transverse aortic constriction-induced heart failure. Heterozygous knockout of CHKB-DT in cardiomyocytes caused cardiac dilation and dysfunction and reduced the contractility of primary cardiomyocytes. Moreover, CHKB-DT heterozygous knockout impaired mitochondrial function and decreased ATP production as well as cardiac energy metabolism. Mechanistically, ALDH2 (aldehyde dehydrogenase 2) was a direct target of CHKB-DT. CHKB-DT physically interacted with the mRNA of ALDH2 and fused in sarcoma (FUS) through the GGUG motif. CHKB-DT knockdown aggravated ALDH2 mRNA degradation and 4-HNE (4-hydroxy-2-nonenal) production, whereas overexpression of CHKB-DT reversed these molecular changes. Furthermore, restoring ALDH2 expression in CHKB-DT+/- mice alleviated cardiac dilation and dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS: CHKB-DT is significantly downregulated in DCM. CHKB-DT acts as an energy metabolism-associated long noncoding RNA and represents a promising therapeutic target against DCM.

LncRNA DCRT Protects Against Dilated Cardiomyopathy by Preventing NDUFS2 Alternative Splicing by Binding to PTBP1.

BACKGROUND: Dilated cardiomyopathy is characterized by left ventricular dilation and continuous systolic dysfunction. Mitochondrial impairment is critical in dilated cardiomyopathy; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we explored the cardioprotective role of a heart-enriched long noncoding RNA, the dilated cardiomyopathy repressive transcript (DCRT), in maintaining mitochondrial function. METHODS: The DCRT knockout (DCRT-/-) mice and DCRT knockout cells were developed using CRISPR-Cas9 technology. Cardiac-specific DCRT transgenic mice were generated using α-myosin heavy chain promoter. Chromatin coimmunoprecipitation, RNA immunoprecipitation, Western blot, and isoform sequencing were performed to investigate the underlying mechanisms. RESULTS: We found that the long noncoding RNA DCRT was highly enriched in the normal heart tissues and that its expression was significantly downregulated in the myocardium of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. DCRT-/- mice spontaneously developed cardiac dysfunction and enlargement with mitochondrial impairment. DCRT transgene or overexpression with the recombinant adeno-associated virus system in mice attenuated cardiac dysfunction induced by transverse aortic constriction treatment. Mechanistically, DCRT inhibited the third exon skipping of NDUFS2 (NADH dehydrogenase ubiquinone iron-sulfur protein 2) by directly binding to PTBP1 (polypyrimidine tract binding protein 1) in the nucleus of cardiomyocytes. Skipping of the third exon of NDUFS2 induced mitochondrial dysfunction by competitively inhibiting mitochondrial complex I activity and binding to PRDX5 (peroxiredoxin 5) and suppressing its antioxidant activity. Furthermore, coenzyme Q10 partially alleviated mitochondrial dysfunction in cardiomyocytes caused by DCRT reduction. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that the loss of DCRT contributed to PTBP1-mediated exon skipping of NDUFS2, thereby inducing cardiac mitochondrial dysfunction during dilated cardiomyopathy development, which could be partially treated with coenzyme Q10 supplementation.

Epoxyeicosatrienoic Acids Prevent Cardiac Dysfunction in Viral Myocarditis via Interferon Type I Signaling.

Myocarditis is a challenging inflammatory disease of the heart, and better understanding of its pathogenesis is needed to develop specific drug therapies. Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), active molecules synthesized by CYP (cytochrome P450) enzymes from arachidonic acids and hydrolyzed to less active dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids by sEH (soluble epoxide hydrolase), have been attributed anti-inflammatory activity. Here, we investigated whether EETs have immunomodulatory activity and exert protective effects on coxsackie B3 virus-induced myocarditis. Viral infection altered eicosanoid epoxide and diol levels in both patients with myocarditis and in the murine heart and correlated with the increased expression and activity of sEH after coxsackie B3 virus infection. Administration of a sEH inhibitor prevented coxsackie B3 virus-induced cardiac dysfunction and inflammatory infiltration. Importantly, EET/sEH inhibitor treatment attenuated viral infection or improved viral resistance by activating type I IFN (interferon) signaling. At the molecular level, EETs enhanced the interaction between GSK3ß (glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta) and TBK1 (TANK-binding kinase 1) to promote IFN-ß production. Our findings revealed that EETs and sEH inhibitors prevent the progress of coxsackie B3 virus-induced myocarditis, particularly by promoting viral resistance by increasing IFN production.

Genome-Wide Identification of Gene Loss Events Suggests Loss Relics as a Potential Source of Functional lncRNAs in Humans.

Gene loss is a prevalent source of genetic variation in genome evolution. Calling loss events effectively and efficiently is a critical step for systematically characterizing their functional and phylogenetic profiles genome wide. Here, we developed a novel pipeline integrating orthologous inference and genome alignment. Interestingly, we identified 33 gene loss events that give rise to evolutionarily novel long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) that show distinct expression features and could be associated with various functions related to growth, development, immunity, and reproduction, suggesting loss relics as a potential source of functional lncRNAs in humans. Our data also demonstrated that the rates of protein gene loss are variable among different lineages with distinct functional biases.

In Situ Visualizing Carboxylesterase Activity in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Using an Activatable Endoplasmic Reticulum Targetable Proximity Labeling Far-Red Fluorescent Probe.

Carboxylesterase (CE), an enzyme widely present in organisms, is involved in various physiological and pathological processes. Changes in the levels of CEs in the liver may predict the presence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Here, a novel dicyanoisophorone (DCI)-based proximity-labeled far-red fluorescent probe DCI2F-Ac with endoplasmic reticulum targeting was proposed for real-time monitoring and imaging of the CEs activity. DCI2F-Ac featured very low cytotoxicity and biotoxicity and was highly selective and sensitive for CEs. Compared with traditional CEs probes, DCI2F-Ac was covalently anchored directly to CEs, thus effectively reducing the loss of in situ fluorescent signals due to diffusion. Through the "on-off" fluorescence signal readout, DCI2F-Ac was able to distinguish cell lines and screen for CEs inhibitors. In terms of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, it was found that thapsigargin (Tg) induced upregulation of CEs levels but not tunicamycin (Tm), which was related to the calcium homeostasis of the ER. DCI2F-Ac could efficiently detect downregulated CEs in the livers of T2DM, and the therapeutic efficacy of metformin, acarbose, and a combination of these two drugs was assessed by tracking the fluctuation of CEs levels. The results showed that combining metformin and acarbose could restore CEs levels to near-normal levels with the best antidiabetic effect. Thus, the DCI2F-Ac probe provides a great opportunity to explore the untapped potential of CEs in liver metabolic disorders and drug efficacy assessment.

YY1: a key regulator inhibits gastric cancer ferroptosis and mediating apatinib-resistance.

OBJECTIVE: Gastric cancer (GC) stands as a prevalent and deadly global malignancy. Despite its role as a preoperative neoadjuvant therapy, Apatinib's effectiveness is curtailed among GC patients exhibiting elevated YY1 expression. YY1's connection to adverse prognosis, drug resistance, and GC metastasis is established, yet the precise underlying mechanisms remain elusive. This study aims to unravel potential pathogenic pathways attributed to YY1. DESIGN: Utilizing bioinformatics analysis, we conducted differentially expressed genes, functional annotation, and pathway enrichment analyses, and further validation through cellular and animal experiments. RESULTS: Higher YY1 expression correlated with diminished postoperative progression-free survival (PFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) rates in TCGA analysis, identifying YY1 as an independent DSS indicator in gastric cancer (GC) patients. Notably, YY1 exhibited significantly elevated expression in tumor tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues. Bioinformatics analysis revealed noteworthy differentially expressed genes (DEGs), transcriptional targets, factors, and co-expressed genes associated with YY1. LASSO Cox analysis unveiled Transferrin as a prospective pivotal protein regulated by YY1, with heightened expression linked to adverse DSS and PFS outcomes. YY1's role in governing the p53 signaling pathway and ferroptosis in GC cells was further elucidated. Moreover, YY1 overexpression dampened immune cell infiltration within GC tumors. Additionally, YY1 overexpression hindered GC cell ferroptosis and mediated Apatinib resistance via the p53 pathway. Remarkably, IFN-a demonstrated efficacy in reversing Apatinib resistance and immune suppression in GC tissues. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings underscore the pivotal role of YY1 in driving GC progression and influencing prognosis, thus pinpointing it as a promising therapeutic target to enhance patient outcomes.

Preliminary study of finger temperature recovery in patients with diabetes mellitus following cold stimulation.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the difference in temperature recovery following cold stimulation between participants with and without diabetes mellitus (DM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The participants without (control group; n = 25) and with (DM group; n = 26) DM were subjected to local cold stimulation (10º C for 90 s). The thermal images of their hands were continuously captured using a thermal camera within 7 min following cold stimulation, and the highest temperature of each fingertip was calculated. According to the temperature values at different timepoints, the temperature recovery curves were drawn, and the baseline temperature (T-base), initial temperature after cooling (T0), temperature decline amplitude (T-range), and area under the temperature recovery curve > T0 (S) were calculated. Finally, symmetry differences between the two groups were analysed. RESULTS: No statistical differences in the T-base, T0, and T-range were observed between the DM and control groups. After drawing the rewarming curve according to the temperature of the fingertips of the patients following cold stimulation, the S in the DM group was significantly lower than that in the control group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the asymmetry of the base temperature of the hand was observed in the DM group. CONCLUSIONS: Following cold stimulation, the patients with DM exhibited a different rewarming pattern than those without DM. Thus, cold stimulation tests under infrared thermography may contribute to the early screening of diabetic peripheral neuropathy in future.

Saccharopolyspora mangrovi sp. nov., a novel mangrove soil actinobacterium with distinct metabolic potential revealed by comparative genomic analysis.

A novel mangrove soil-derived actinomycete, strain S2-29T, was found to be most closely related to Saccharopolyspora karakumensis 5K548T based on 16 S rRNA sequence (99.24% similarity) and genomic phylogenetic analyses. However, significant divergence in digital DNA-DNA hybridization, average nucleotide identity, and unique biosynthetic gene cluster possession distinguished S2-29T as a distinct Saccharopolyspora species. Pan genome evaluation revealed exceptional genomic flexibility in genus Saccharopolyspora, with > 95% accessory genome content. Strain S2-29T harbored 718 unique genes, largely implicated in energetic metabolisms, indicating different metabolic capacities from its close relatives. Several uncharacterized biosynthetic gene clusters in strain S2-29T highlighted the strain's untapped capacity to produce novel functional compounds with potential biotechnological applications. Designation as novel species Saccharopolyspora mangrovi sp. nov. (type strain S2-29T = JCM 34,548T = CGMCC 4.7716T) was warranted, expanding the known Saccharopolyspora diversity and ecology. The discovery of this mangrove-adapted strain advances understanding of the genus while highlighting an untapped source of chemical diversity.

Unveiling the mechanism of source-sink rebalancing in cucumber-pumpkin heterografts: the buffering roles of rootstock cotyledon.

Grafting onto pumpkin rootstock is widely applied in cucumber production to improve growth and yield, as well as to overcome soil-borne diseases and enhance resistance to abiotic stresses. In this study, we constructed the cucumber-pumpkin heterografts with the one-cotyledon grafting method, and examined the effects of heterografting on biomass allocation and sugar partitioning, with cucumber and pumpkin self-grafts used as control. Compared with cucumber self-grafts, heterografting onto pumpkin rootstock promoted photosynthesis in cucumber scion, and led to higher sucrose contents in the 1st true leaf (source) and newly emerged leaf (sink). Thereby, the scion part of heterografts accumulated more biomass than cucumber self-grafts. In contrast, when compared to pumpkin self-grafts, grafting with cucumber scion reduced root vigor and biomass but promoted cotyledon growth in pumpkin rootstock. The roots (sink) of heterografts contained less sucrose and hexoses, and showed reduced sucrose synthase (SuSy) and hexokinase (HXK) activities. However, the rootstock cotyledon (source) contained more sucrose and starch, and showed higher activities of HXK, cell-wall invertase (CWIN), and enzymes for starch synthesis and degradation. Furthermore, removal or shade of rootstock cotyledon led to reduced growth of root and scion. Silencing of CmoMEX1a gene in rootstock cotyledon inhibited maltose export and reduced root growth of heterografts. These results indicated that rootstock cotyledon, especially its starch content, played a buffering role in the growth regulation of cucumber-pumpkin heterografts. Taken together, our results provided a major contribution to our understanding of source-sink sugar partitioning and scion-rootstock growth balancing in cucumber-pumpkin heterografts.

Molecular characterization, spatio-temporal expression patterns of crtc2 gene and its immune roles in yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco).

cAMP response element binding (CREB) protein 2 (CRTC2) is a transcriptional coactivator of CREB and plays an important role in the immune system. Thus far, the physiological roles of Crtc2 in teleost are still poorly understood. In this study, the crtc2 gene was identified and characterized from yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco; therefore, the gene is termed as pfcrtc2), and its evolutionary and molecular characteristics as well as potential immunity-related roles were investigated. Our results showed that the open reading frame of pfcrtc2 was 2346 bp in length, encoding a protein with 781 amino acids. Gene structure analysis revealed its existence of 14 exons and 13 introns. A phylogenetic analysis proved that the tree of crtc2 was clustered into five groups, exhibiting a similar evolutionary topology with species evolution. Multiple protein sequences alignment demonstrated high conservation of the crtc2 in various vertebrates with similar structure. Syntenic and gene structural comparisons further established that crtc2 was highly conserved, implying its similar roles in diverse vertebrates. Tissue distribution pattern detected by quantitative real-time PCR showed that the pfcrtc2 gene was almost expressed in all detected tissues except for eyes, with the highest expression levels in the gonad, indicating that Crtc2 may play important roles in various tissues. In addition, pfcrtc2 was transcribed at all developmental stages in yellow catfish, showing the highest expression levels at 12 h after fertilization. Finally, the transcriptional profiles of crtc2 were significantly increased in yellow catfishes injected with Aeromonas hydrophila or Poly I:C, which shared a consistent change pattern with four immune-related genes including IL-17A, IL-10, MAPKp38, and NF-κBp65, suggesting pfCrtc2 may play critical roles in preventing both exogenous bacteria and virus invasion. In summary, our findings lay a solid foundation for further studies on the functions of pfcrtc2, and provide novel genetic loci for developing new strategies to control disease outbreak in teleost.

Feasibility and safety of endoscopic resection for the jejunoileal lesions.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic resection (ER) for jejunoileal lesions (JILs) has been technically challenging. We aimed to characterize the clinicopathologic characteristics, feasibility, and safety of ER for JILs. METHOD: We retrospectively investigated 52 patients with JILs who underwent ER from January 2012 to February 2022. We collected and analyzed clinicopathological characteristics, procedure-related parameters, outcomes, and follow-up data. RESULTS: The mean age was 49.4 years. Of the 52 JILs, 33 ileal tumors within 20 cm from the ileocecal valve were resected with colonoscopy, while 19 tumors in the jejunum or the ileum over 20 cm from the ileocecal valve received enteroscopy resection. The mean procedure duration was 49.0 min. The en bloc resection and en bloc with R0 resection rates were 86.5% and 84.6%, respectively. Adverse events (AEs) included one (1.9%) major AE (delayed bleeding) and five (9.6%) minor AEs. During a median follow-up of 36.5 months, two patients had local recurrence (3.8%), while none had metastases. The 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) were 92.9% and 94.1%, respectively. Compared with the enteroscopy group, overall AEs were significantly lower in the colonoscopy group (P < 0.05), but no statistical differences were observed in RFS (P = 0.412) and DSS (P = 0.579). There were no significant differences in AEs, RFS, and DSS between the endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) and the endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) group. CONCLUSIONS: ER of JILs has favorable short-term and long-term outcomes. Both ESD and EMR can safely and effectively resect JILs in appropriately selected cases.

CircNSD1 promotes cardiac fibrosis through targeting the miR-429-3p/SULF1/Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

Cardiac fibrosis is a detrimental pathological process, which constitutes the key factor for adverse cardiac structural remodeling leading to heart failure and other critical conditions. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have emerged as important regulators of various cardiovascular diseases. It is known that several circRNAs regulate gene expression and pathological processes by binding miRNAs. In this study we investigated whether a novel circRNA, named circNSD1, and miR-429-3p formed an axis that controls cardiac fibrosis. We established a mouse model of myocardial infarction (MI) for in vivo studies and a cellular model of cardiac fibrogenesis in primary cultured mouse cardiac fibroblasts treated with TGF-ß1. We showed that miR-429-3p was markedly downregulated in the cardiac fibrosis models. Through gain- and loss-of-function studies we confirmed miR-429-3p as a negative regulator of cardiac fibrosis. In searching for the upstream regulator of miR-429-3p, we identified circNSD1 that we subsequently demonstrated as an endogenous sponge of miR-429-3p. In MI mice, knockdown of circNSD1 alleviated cardiac fibrosis. Moreover, silence of human circNSD1 suppressed the proliferation and collagen production in human cardiac fibroblasts in vitro. We revealed that circNSD1 directly bound miR-429-3p, thereby upregulating SULF1 expression and activating the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. Collectively, circNSD1 may be a novel target for the treatment of cardiac fibrosis and associated cardiac disease.

Concurrent fibrous dysplasia is associated with a high incidence of cystic formation in vestibular schwannomas.

BACKGROUND: Fibrous dysplasia (FD) is a rare hereditary bone disorder, typically accompanied by a seemingly-high percentage of cystic changes in central nerve system tumors. This study aimed to investigate the associations between concurrent FD lesions and the cystic formation of vestibular schwannoma (VS). METHODS: Patients with VSs in our institution from January 2020 to September 2022 were retrospectively included. Based on the contrasted MRI, VSs were grouped as the cystic and solid type. Concurrent FD was diagnosed based on the radiological findings. A logistic analysis was applied to investigate the relationship between concurrent FD and cystic VSs. The effect of the interaction between gender and concurrent FD on the cystic formation of VSs was further analyzed. RESULTS: The current study included 1255 patients with VSs (681 females with a median age of 47 years). Of them, 142 (11.3%) were with cystic VSs. A higher percentage of cystic VSs was observed in female patients (P = 0.021), patients with concurrent FDs (P < 0.001) and those with a larger VS volume (P < 0.001). An increasing trend in percentage of cystic VSs was found among patients with from 0 to ≥ 3 FD lesions (P for trend as < 0.001). A multivariate logistic analysis identified concurrent FD (odds ratio, 6.58; 95%CI, 1.66-26.09; P = 0.007) and VS volume (odds ratio, 1.55; 95%CI, 1.66-1.70; P < 0.001) as independent risk factors related to the cystic formation. CONCLUSION: Concurrent FD is associated with a high incidence of cystic formation in VSs, which provides a new breakthrough point to investigate the underlying mechanism of cystic formation of VSs.

The difference of functional MR imaging in evaluating outcome of patients with diffuse and compact brain arteriovenous malformation.

Microsurgical resection is an effective method to treat brain arteriovenous malformations (BAVMs). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can evaluate the spatial relationship of nidus and eloquent. Diffuse BAVMs are related to poor outcomes postoperatively. The role of fMRI in evaluating outcomes in patients with different nidus types remains unclear. BAVM patients received microsurgical resection were included from a prospective, multicenter cohort study. All patients underwent fMRI evaluation preoperatively and were regularly followed up postoperatively. Diffuse BAVM is radiologically identified as nidus containing normal brain tissue interspersing between malformed vessels. Lesion-to-eloquent distance (LED) was calculated based on the relationship between nidus and eloquent. The primary outcome was 180-day unfavorable neurological status postoperatively. The risk of primary outcome was investigated within different BAVM nidus types. The LED's performance to predict poor outcome was evaluated using area under curve (AUC). 346 BAVM patients were included in this study. 93 (26.9%) patients were found to have a 180-day unfavorable outcome. Multivariate logistic analysis demonstrated LED (odd ratio [OR], 0.44; 0.34-0.57; P < 0.001) and mRS at admission (OR, 2.59; 1.90-3.54; P < 0.001) as factors of unfavorable outcome. Subgroup analysis showed LED and mRS at admission as factors of unfavorable outcome for patients with compact BAVMs (all P < 0.05), but not for patients with diffuse BAVMs. Subsequent analysis showed that LED performed poorly to predict the unfavorable outcome for patients with diffuse BAVMs, compared with patients with compact BAVMs (AUC as 0.69 vs. 0.86, P < 0.05). A larger cutoff value of LED to unfavorable outcome was found in patients with diffuse BAVMs (15 mm) compared with patients with compact BAVMs (4.7 mm). Usage of LED to evaluate postoperative outcome of patients with diffuse BAVMs differs from its use in patients with compact BAVMs. Specific assessment strategy considering BAVM nidus types could help improve patients' outcome. MITASREAVM cohort (unique identifier: NCT02868008, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02868008?term=NCT02868008&rank=1 ).

[Mechanism of Jiaotai Pills in treatment of depression by UHPLC-TOF-MS combined with network pharmacology and experimental validation].

This study aims to analyze the constituents of Jiaotai Pills migrating to the blood in normal rats by UHPLC-TOF-MS technique and reveal the underlying mechanism of Jiaotai Pills in the treatment of depression by network pharmacology and animal experiments. UHPLC-TOF-MS technique was used to detect the constituents of Jiaotai Pills in the blood of rats after intragastric administration. The intersection target of the constituents and depression was screened by DisGeNET and SwissTargetPrediction database, and the protein-protein interaction(PPI) network was constructed. Key targets were imported into the DAVID platform for Gene Ontology(GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway annotation. Combined with constituents, targets, and pathways, the "constituent-target-pathway" network was constructed by Cytoscape 3.9.1 software, through which the key targets and pathways of Jiaotai Pills against depression were predicted. The depression model of chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS) was established on rats. After that, behavioral experiments were conducted. The expression of inflammatory factors in serum and the neurotransmitters in the brain were detected by ELISA, and the expression of key targets in the hippocampus was detected by Western blot. The results showed that a total of 17 constituents of Jiaotai Pills were identified in the blood, including 10 alkaloids. There were 124 intersection targets between constituents of Jiaotai Pills and depression disorder. A total of 52 core targets were screened according to PPI results, including NLRP3 and caspase-1, etc. KEGG enrichment analysis mainly involved 15 typical pathways such as NOD-like receptor pathway. The results of animal experiments showed that Jiaotai Pills significantly improved the depression-like behavior of CUMS depressive model on rats, decreased the levels of IL-1ß, TNF-α and IL-6 in serum, and increased the expression of neurotransmitters such as 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT), dopamine(DA), and norepinephrine(NE) in the brain. Besides, Jiaotai Pills also down-regulated the expression of NLRP3 and caspase-1 proteins in the hippocampus and inhibited the NLRP3-mediated NOD-like receptor signaling pathway. In conclusion, Jiaotai Pills may play a role in the treatment of depression by inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome and the NOD-like receptor pathway mediated by NLRP3.

Pathological Characteristics and Classification of Unstable Coronary Atherosclerotic Plaques.

Important forensic diagnostic indicators of sudden death in coronary atherosclerotic heart disease, such as acute or chronic myocardial ischemic changes, sometimes make it difficult to locate the ischemic site due to the short death process, the lack of tissue reaction time. In some cases, the deceased died of sudden death on the first-episode, resulting in difficulty for medical examiners to make an accurate diagnosis. However, clinical studies on coronary instability plaque revealed the key role of coronary spasm and thrombosis caused by their lesions in sudden coronary death process. This paper mainly summarizes the pathological characteristics of unstable coronary plaque based on clinical medical research, including plaque rupture, plaque erosion and calcified nodules, as well as the influencing factors leading to plaque instability, and briefly describes the research progress and technique of the atherosclerotic plaques, in order to improve the study on the mechanism of sudden coronary death and improve the accuracy of the forensic diagnosis of sudden coronary death by diagnosing different pathologic states of coronary atherosclerotic plaques.

Glimepiride, a novel soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor, protects against heart failure via increasing epoxyeicosatrienoic acids.

BACKGROUND: Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs), which exert multiple endogenous protective effects, are hydrolyzed into less active dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DHETs) by soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH). However, commercial drugs related to EETs or sEH are not yet in clinical use. METHODS: Firstly, the plasma concentration of EETs and DHETs of 316 patients with heart failure (HF) were detected and quantitated by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Then, transverse aortic constriction (TAC)-induced HF was introduced in cardiomyocyte-specific Ephx2-/- mice. Moreover, Western blot, real-time PCR, luciferase reporter, ChIP assays were employed to explore the underlying mechanism. Finally, multiple sEH inhibitors were designed, synthesized, and validated in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: The ratios of DHETs/EETs were increased in the plasma from patients with HF. Meanwhile, the expression of sEH was upregulated in the heart of patients and mice with HF, especially in cardiomyocytes. Cardiomyocyte-specific Ephx2-/- mice ameliorated cardiac dysfunction induced by TAC. Consistently, Ephx2 knockdown protected Angiotensin II (AngII)-treated cardiomyocytes via increasing EETs in vitro. Mechanistically, AngII could enhance the expression of transcript factor Krüppel-like factor 15 (KLF15), which in turn upregulated sEH. Importantly, glimepiride was identified as a novel sEH inhibitor, which benefited from the elevated EETs during HF. CONCLUSIONS: Glimepiride attenuates HF in mice in part by increasing EETs. CLINICAL TRIAL IDENTIFIER: NCT03461107 (https://clinicaltrials.gov).

Homology-directed repair of an MYBPC3 gene mutation in a rat model of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Variants in myosin-binding protein C3 (MYBPC3) gene are a main cause of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), accounting for 30% to 40% of the total number of HCM mutations. Gene editing represents a potential permanent cure for HCM. The aim of this study was to investigate whether genome editing of MYBPC3 using the CRISPR/Cas9 system in vivo could rescue the phenotype of rats with HCM. We generated a rat model of HCM ("1098hom") that carried an Mybpc3 premature termination codon mutation (p.W1098x) discovered in a human HCM pedigree. On postnatal day 3, the CRISPR/Cas9 system was introduced into rat pups by a single dose of AAV9 particles to correct the variant using homology-directed repair (HDR). Analysis was performed 6 months after AAV9 injection. The 1098hom rats didn't express MYBPC3 protein and developed an HCM phenotype with increased ventricular wall thickness and diminished cardiac function. Importantly, CRISPR HDR genome editing corrected 3.56% of total mutations, restored MYBPC3 protein expression by 2.12%, and normalized the HCM phenotype of 1098hom rats. Our work demonstrates that the HDR strategy is a promising approach for treating HCM associated with MYBPC3 mutation, and that CRISPR technology has great potential for treating hereditary heart diseases.

Atomic-scale observation of non-classical nucleation-mediated phase transformation in a titanium alloy.

Two-phase titanium-based alloys are widely used in aerospace and biomedical applications, and they are obtained through phase transformations between a low-temperature hexagonal closed-packed α-phase and a high-temperature body-centred cubic ß-phase. Understanding how a new phase evolves from its parent phase is critical to controlling the transforming microstructures and thus material properties. Here, we report time-resolved experimental evidence, at sub-ångström resolution, of a non-classically nucleated metastable phase that bridges the α-phase and the ß-phase, in a technologically important titanium-molybdenum alloy. We observed a nanosized and chemically ordered superstructure in the α-phase matrix; its composition, chemical order and crystal structure are all found to be different from both the parent and the product phases, but instigating a vanishingly low energy barrier for the transformation into the ß-phase. This latter phase transition can proceed instantly via vibrational switching when the molybdenum concentration in the superstructure exceeds a critical value. We expect that such a non-classical phase evolution mechanism is much more common than previously believed for solid-state transformations.

Control over Berry Curvature Dipole with Electric Field in WTe_{2}.

Berry curvature dipole plays an important role in various nonlinear quantum phenomena. However, the maximum symmetry allowed for nonzero Berry curvature dipole in the transport plane is a single mirror line, which strongly limits its effects in materials. Here, via probing the nonlinear Hall effect, we demonstrate the generation of Berry curvature dipole by applied dc electric field in WTe_{2}, which is used to break the symmetry constraint. A linear dependence between the dipole moment of Berry curvature and the dc electric field is observed. The polarization direction of the Berry curvature is controlled by the relative orientation of the electric field and crystal axis, which can be further reversed by changing the polarity of the dc field. Our Letter provides a route to generate and control Berry curvature dipole in broad material systems and to facilitate the development of nonlinear quantum devices.