Fundamental probing limit on the high-order orbital angular momentum of light.

The orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light, possessing an infinite-dimensional degree of freedom, holds significant potential to enhance the capacity of optical communication and information processing in both classical and quantum regimes. Despite various methods developed to accurately measure OAM modes, the probing limit of the highest-order OAM remains an open question. Here, we report an accurate recognition of superhigh-order OAM using a convolutional neural network approach with an improved ResNeXt architecture, based on conjugated interference patterns. A type of hybrid beam carrying double OAM modes is utilized to provide more controllable degrees of freedom for greater recognition of the OAM modes. Our contribution advances the OAM recognition limit from manual counting to machine learning. Results demonstrate that, within our optical system, the maximum recognizable OAM modes exceed l = ±690 with an accuracy surpassing 99.93%, the highest achieved by spatial light modulator to date. Enlarging the active area of the CCD sensor extends the number of recognizable OAM modes to 1300, constrained only by the CCD resolution limit. Additionally, we explore the identification of fractional high-order OAM modes with a resolution of 0.1 from l = ±600.0 to l = ±600.9, achieving a high accuracy of 97.86%.

Learning-enabled data transmission with up to 32 multiplexed orbital angular momentum channels through a commercial multi-mode fiber.

Multiplexing orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes enable high-capacity optical communication. However, the highly similar speckle patterns of adjacent OAM modes produced by strong mode coupling in common fibers prevent the utility of OAM channel demultiplexing. In this paper, we propose a machine learning-supported fractional OAM-multiplexed data transmission system to sort highly scattered data from up to 32 multiplexed OAM channels propagating through a commercial multi-mode fiber parallelly with an accuracy of >99.92%, which is the largest bit number of OAM superstates reported to date (to the best of our knowledge). Here, by learning limited samples, unseen OAM superstates during the training process can be predicted precisely, which reduces the explosive quantity of the dataset. To verify its application, both gray and colored images, encoded by the given system, have been successfully transmitted with error rates of <0.26%. Our work might provide a promising avenue for high-capacity OAM optical communication in scattering environments.

Puerarin inhibits NHE1 activity by interfering with the p38 pathway and attenuates mitochondrial damage induced by myocardial calcium overload in heart failure rats.

Previous studies have shown that puerarin plays a key role in protecting humans and animals from cardiovascular diseases. The exact mechanism of the therapeutic effect of puerarin on various cardiovascular diseases (protective effect on cardiomyocytes) is still unclear. In the present study, we identify the role of puerarin in an animal model of experimental heart failure (HF) and explore its underlying mechanisms. The HF rat model is induced by intraperitoneal injection of adriamycin (ADR), and puerarin is administered intragastrically at low, medium, and high concentrations. We demonstrate that puerarin significantly improves myocardial fibrosis and inflammatory infiltration and, as a result, improves cardiac function in ADR-induced HF rats. Mechanistically, we find for the first time that puerarin inhibits overactivated Na +/H + exchange isoform 1 (NHE1) in HF, which may improve HF by decreasing Na + and Ca 2+ ion concentrations and attenuating mitochondrial damage caused by calcium overload; on the other hand, puerarin inhibits the activation of the p38 pathway in HF, reduces the expressions of TGF-ß and proinflammatory cytokines, and suppresses myocardial fibrosis. In conclusion, our results suggest that Puerarin is an effective drug against HF and may play a protective role in the myocardium by inhibiting the activation of p38 and its downstream NHE1.

Citronellal improves endothelial dysfunction by affecting the stability of the GCH1 protein.

Endothelial dysfunction (ED) serves as the pathological basis for various cardiovascular diseases. Guanosine triphosphate cyclopyrrolone 1 (GCH1) emerges as a pivotal protein in sustaining nitric oxide (NO) production within endothelial cells, yet it undergoes degradation under oxidative stress, contributing to endothelial cell dysfunction. Citronellal (CT), a monoterpenoid, has been shown to ameliorate endothelial dysfunction induced by in atherosclerosis rats. However, whether CT can inhibit the degradation of GCH1 protein is not clear. It has been reported that ubiquitination may play a crucial role in regulating GCH1 protein levels and activities. However, the specific E3 ligase for GCH1 and the molecular mechanism of GCH1 ubiquitination remain unclear. Using data-base exploration analysis, we find that the levels of the E3 ligase Smad-ubiquitination regulatory factor 2 (Smurf2) negatively correlate with those of GCH1 in vascular tissues and HUVECs. We observe that Smurf2 interacts with GCH1 and promotes its degradation via the proteasome pathway. Interestingly, ectopic Smurf2 expression not only decreases GCH1 levels but also reduces cell proliferation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, mostly because of increased GCH1 accumulation. Furthermore, we identify BH 4/eNOS as downstream of GCH1. Taken together, our results indicate that CT can obviously improve vascular endothelial injury in Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) rats and reverse the expressions of GCH1 and Smurf2 proteins in aorta of T1DM rats. Smurf2 promotes ubiquitination and degradation of GCH1 through proteasome pathway in HUVECs. We conclude that the Smurf2-GCH1 interaction might represent a potential target for improving endothelial injury.

Leveraging the ATP-P2X7 receptor signalling axis to alleviate traumatic CNS damage and related complications.

The P2X7 receptor is an exceptional member of the P2X purinergic receptor family, with its activation requiring high concentrations of extracellular adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) that are often associated with tissue damage and inflammation. In the central nervous system (CNS), it is highly expressed in glial cells, particularly in microglia. In this review, we discuss the role and mechanisms of the P2X7 receptor in mediating neuroinflammation and other pathogenic events in a variety of traumatic CNS damage conditions, which lead to loss of neurological and cognitive functions. We raise the perspective on the steady progress in developing CNS-penetrant P2X7 receptor-specific antagonists that leverage the ATP-P2X7 receptor signaling axis as a potential therapeutic strategy to alleviate traumatic CNS damage and related complications.

Diagnostic ultrasound-mediated microbubble cavitation dose-dependently improves diabetic cardiomyopathy through angiogenesis.

Ultrasound-mediated microbubble cavitation (UMMC) induces therapeutic angiogenesis to treat ischemic diseases. This study aimed to investigate whether diagnostic UMMC alleviates diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) and, if so, through which mechanisms. DCM model was established by injecting streptozocin into rats to induce hyperglycemia, followed by a high-fat diet. The combined therapy of cation microbubble with low-intensity diagnostic ultrasound (frequency = 4 MHz), with a pulse frequency of 20 Hz and pulse length (PL) of 8, 18, 26, or 36 cycles, was given to rats twice a week for 8 consecutive weeks. Diagnostic UMMC therapy with PL at 8, 18, and 26 cycles, but not 36 cycles, dramatically prevented myocardial fibrosis, improved heart functions, and increased angiogenesis, accompanied by increased levels of PI3K, Akt, and eNOS proteins in the DCM model of rats. In cultured endothelial cells, low-intensity UMMC treatment (PL = 3 cycles, sound pressure level = 50%, mechanical index = 0.82) increased cell viability and activated PI3K-Akt-eNOS signaling. The combination of diagnostic ultrasound with microbubble destruction dose-dependently promoted angiogenesis, thus improving heart function through PI3K-Akt-eNOS signaling in diabetes. Accordingly, diagnostic UMMC therapy should be considered to protect the heart in patients with diabetes.

Protective effect of vitamin B6 against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity by modulating NHE1 expression.

Doxorubicin (DOX) has been used to treat various types of cancer, but its application is limited due to its heart toxicity as well as other drawbacks. Chronic inhibition of Na+ /H+ exchanger (NHE1) reduces heart failure and reduces the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS); vitamin B6 (VitB6 ) has been demonstrated to have a crucial role in antioxidant mechanism. So, this study was designed to explore the effect of VitB6 supplement on the DOX-induced cardiotoxicity and to imply whether NHE1 is involved. Ultrasonic cardiogram analysis revealed that VitB6 supplement could alleviate DOX-induced cardiotoxicity; hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and Masson's staining further confirmed this effect. Furthermore, VitB6 supplement exhibited significant antioxidative stress and antiapoptosis effect, which was evidenced by decreased serum malondialdehyde (MDA) content and increased serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) content, and decreased Bcl-2-associated X protein/B-cell lymphoma-2 ratio, respectively. Collectively, VitB6 supplement may exert antioxidative and antiapoptosis effects to improve cardiac function by decreasing NHE1 expression and improve DOX-induced cardiotoxicity.

Association of air pollutants and meteorological factors with tuberculosis: a national multicenter ecological study in China.

The impact of weather variability and air pollutants on tuberculosis (TB) has been a research hotspot. Previous studies have mostly been limited to a certain area or with a small sample size of cases, and multi-scale systematic studies are lacking. In this study, 14,816,329 TB cases were collected from 31 provinces in China between 2004 and 2018 to estimate the association between TB risk and meteorological factors and air pollutants using a two-stage time-series analysis. The impact and lagged time of meteorological factors and air pollutants on TB risk varied greatly in different provinces and regions. Overall cumulative exposure-response summary associations across 31 provinces suggested that high monthly mean relative humidity (RH) (66.8-82.4%, percentile56-100 (P56-100)), rainfall (316.5-331.1 mm, P96-100), PM2.5 exposure concentration (93.3-145.0 µg/m3, P58-100), and low monthly mean wind speed (1.6-2.1 m/s, P0-38) increased the risk of TB incidence, with a relative risk (RR) of 1.10 (95% CI: 1.04-1.16), 1.10 (95% CI: 1.03-1.16), 2.08 (95% CI: 1.18-3.65), and 2.06 (95% CI: 1.27-3.33), and attributable risk percent (AR%) of 9%, 9%, 52%, and 51%, respectively. Conversely, high monthly average wind speed (2.3-2.9 m/s, P54-100) and mean temperature (20.2-25.3 °C, P79-96), and low monthly average rainfall (2.4-25.2 mm, P0-7) and concentration of SO2 (8.1-21.2 µg/m3, P0-16) exposure decreased the risk of TB incidence, with an overall cumulative RR of 0.92 (95% CI: 0.87-0.98), 0.74 (95% CI: 0.59-0.94), 0.87 (95% CI: 0.79-0.95), and 0.72 (95% CI: 0.56-0.93), respectively. Our study provided insights into future planning of public health interventions for TB.

Citronellal alleviates doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity by suppressing oxidative stress and apoptosis via Na+ /H+ exchanger-1 inhibition.

The medical usage of Doxorubicin (DOX) as a chemotherapeutic agent is restricted owing to its cardiotoxic properties. This study was designed to explore the effect and underlying mechanisms of Citronellal (CT) on DOX-related cardiotoxicity in rats. Rats were divided into six groups: control, DOX, CT, Lithium chloride (LiCl) (a Na+/H+exchanger-1 [NHE1] activator), DOX + CT, and DOX + CT + LiCl. To induce cardiotoxicity, a cumulative dose of 15 mg/kg DOX was intraperitoneally injected into rats. CT (150 mg/kg) and LiCl (1 mg/kg) were given daily by oral gavage for 6 weeks. CT improved cardiac functional parameters and attenuated the cardiac pathological changes induced by DOX. Further study indicated that CT administration regulated the levels of oxidative stress and apoptosis-related factors and in myocardial tissues, reducing cell per-oxidative damage and apoptosis. Besides this, CT attenuated DOX-induced NHE1 upregulation, and the preventive effects of CT against DOX-induced cardiotoxicity were abrogated by the concurrent administration of LiCl. These results demonstrate that CT could ameliorate DOX-induced cardiotoxicity by inhibiting the NHE1-mediated oxidative stress, apoptosis in rats.

Dok3 is involved in cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury via regulation of inflammation and apoptosis.

Cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with high morbidity and mortality worldwide, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Downstream-of-kinase 3 (Dok3), a member of the Dok family of adaptor proteins plays a critical role in inflammatory response and immune regulation; however, the role of Dok3 in cisplatin-induced AKI remains unclear. This study explored the effect and potential molecular mechanisms of Dok3 in cisplatin-induced AKI using Dok3 knockout (Dok3-/-) and control mice (129S) with or without administration of a single intraperitoneal injection of cisplatin. Apoptosis was assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, and Hoechst staining. Inflammatory factors were measured using ELISA kits. Protein and gene expression levels were measured by western blot analysis and real-time PCR, respectively. The results showed that Dok3 was expressed in renal tubular epithelial cells. Dok3 expression was decreased in kidneys of mice treated with cisplatin and cisplatin-treated HK2 cells. Dok3-/- mice showed lower creatinine levels and NGAL expression, and increased survival rates compared to 129S mice. Cisplatin-induced production of TNF-α and IL-6, and renal tubular cell apoptosis was attenuated in Dok3-/- mice. In vitro experiments demonstrated that HK2 cells overexpressing Dok3 exhibited exacerbated cisplatin-induced apoptosis and production of TNF-α and IL-6. These findings demonstrate that Dok3 regulates cisplatin-induced AKI by regulating apoptosis and inflammation.

Citronellal ameliorates doxorubicin-induced hepatotoxicity via antioxidative stress, antiapoptosis, and proangiogenesis in rats.

Doxorubicin (DOX) is a very effective broad-spectrum anticancer drug, yet its clinical application is badly restricted due to its serious side effects. Citronellal (CT), a specialized metabolite of plants found in Cymbopogon spp., is proved to exhibit many beneficial properties. In the current study, we intended to investigate the effect of CT on DOX-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Rats were treated with CT (200 mg/kg b.w./day orally), and given DOX (2.5 mg/kg b.w./week, intraperitoneally) to induce hepatotoxicity for six consecutive weeks. The results showed that CT administration could attenuate the DOX-induced pathological changes of liver tissues and ameliorated the inappropriate alteration of liver function biomarkers (serum glutamic aspartate aminotransferase, glutamic pyruvic transaminase, and albumin) in serum and oxidative stress parameters (malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, and reduced glutathione) in the liver. Moreover, CT mitigated the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and caspase-3 expression to inhibit cell apoptosis. Further study indicated that CT therapy could enhance the protein levels of p-PI3K, p-Akt, and CD31 in the liver. These results demonstrate that CT can ameliorate DOX-induced hepatotoxicity in rats mediated by antioxidative stress, antiapoptosis, and proangiogenesis.

Vitamin B6 prevents Isocarbophos-induced posterior cerebral artery injury in offspring rats through up-regulating S1P receptor expression.

We have previously reported that the long-term exposure of Isocarbophos, a kind of organophosphorus compounds, induces vascular dementia (VD) in rats. Studies have also shown that organophosphorus compounds have adverse effects on offsprings. Vitamin B6 is a coenzyme mainly involved in the regulation of metabolism and has been demonstrated to ameliorate VD. Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), a biologically active lipid, plays a vital role in the cardiovascular system. However, whether S1P is involved in the therapeutic effects of Vitamin B6 on posterior cerebral artery injury has yet to be further answered. In the present study, we aimed to explore the potential influence of Vitamin B6 on Isocarbophos-induced posterior cerebral artery injury in offspring rats and the role of the S1P receptor in this process. We found that Vitamin B6 significantly improves the vasoconstriction function of the posterior cerebral artery in rats induced by Isocarbophos by the blood gas analysis and endothelium-dependent relaxation function assay. We further demonstrated that Vitamin B6 alleviates the Isocarbophos-induced elevation of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, IL-1, and IL-6 by using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. By performing immunofluorescence and the western blot assay, we revealed that Vitamin B6 prevents the down-regulation of S1P in posterior cerebral artery injury. It is worth noting that Fingolimod, the S1P inhibitor, significantly inhibits the Vitamin B6-induced up-regulation of S1P in posterior cerebral artery injury. Collectively, our data indicate that Vitamin B6 may be a novel drug for the treatment of posterior cerebral artery injury and that S1P may be a drug target for its treatment.

Floralozone protects endothelial function in atherosclerosis by ameliorating NHE1.

Endothelial dysfunction is the pathological basis of atherosclerosis. Incomplete understanding of endothelial dysfunction etiology has impeded drug development for this devastating disease despite the currently available therapies. Floralozone, an aroma flavor, specifically exists in rabbit ear grass. Recently, floralozone has been demonstrated to inhibit atherosclerosis, but the underlying mechanisms are undefined. The present study was undertaken to explore whether floralozone pharmacologically targets endothelial dysfunction and therefore exerts therapeutic effects on atherosclerosis. The Na+/H+ exchanger 1 (NHE1), a channel protein, plays a vital role in atherosclerosis. Whether NHE1 is involved in the therapeutic effects of floralozone on endothelial dysfunction has yet to be further answered. By performing oil red staining and hematoxylin-eosin staining, vascular functional study, and oxidative stress monitoring, we found that floralozone not only reduced the size of carotid atherosclerotic plaque but also prevented endothelial dysfunction in atherosclerotic rats. NHE1 expression was upregulated in the inner membrane of carotid arteries and H2O2-induced primary rat aortic endothelial cells. Inspiringly, floralozone prevented the upregulation of NHE1 in vivo and in vitro. Notably, the administration of NHE1 activator LiCl significantly weakened the protective effect of floralozone on endothelial dysfunction in vivo and in vitro. Our study demonstrated that floralozone exerted its protective effect on endothelial dysfunction in atherosclerosis by ameliorating NHE1. NHE1 maybe a drug target for the treatment of atherosclerosis, and floralozone may be an effective drug to meet the urgent needs of atherosclerosis patients by dampening NHE1.

Systematic profiling of staralog response to acquired drug resistant kinase gatekeeper mutations in targeted cancer therapy.

Kinase-targeted therapy has been widely used as a lifesaving strategy for cancer patients. However, many patients treated with targeted cancer drugs are clinically observed to rapidly develop acquired resistance. Kinase gatekeeper mutation is one of the most chief factors contributing to the resistance, which modulates the accessibility of kinase's ATP-binding pocket. Previously, the pan-kinase inhibitor Staurosporine and its analogs (termed as Staralogs) have been reported to exhibit wild-type sparing selectivity for some kinase gatekeeper mutants, such as EGFR T790M, Her2 T798M and cSrc T338M. Here, we describe an integrative approach to systematically profile the molecular response of 15 representative Staralogs to 17 kinase gatekeeper mutations in targeted cancer therapy. With the profile we are able to divide gatekeeper mutations into three classes (i.e. classes I, II and III) and to divide Staralogs into two groups (i.e. groups 1 and 2) using heuristic clustering. The class I and II mutations confer consistent sensitivity and resistance for all Staralogs, respectively, while the class III mutations address divergent effects on different Staralogs. The mutations to Ile residue can generally reduce Staralog affinity by inducing unfavorable steric hindrance, whereas the mutations to Met and Leu residues would improve Staralog affinity by establishing favorable S···π interaction, van der Waals packing and/or hydrophobic contact. The group 1 and 2 Staralogs are primarily determined by carbonyl or hydroxyl substitution state at the position 7 of Staralog core, where points to kinase gatekeeper residue and can thus be directly influenced by gatekeeper mutation.

Floralozone Ameliorated Atherosclerosis in Experimental Atherosclerotic Rats Involved with Sphingosine 1-Phosphate 1 Enhancement.

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a chronical pathological process of the arterial narrows due to the AS plaque formation. The aim of this study was to explore the therapeutic effect and the underlying mechanism of Floralozone on experimental atherosclerotic model rats. Experimental atherosclerotic model rats were induced by the right carotid artery balloon injury and intraperitoneal injection of vitamin D3 in rats after 4 weeks high-fat diet. The results exhibited that Floralozone could ameliorate vascular injury and vasorelaxation of descending aortas and increase the superoxide dismutase activity and the expression of sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) 1 and reduce the intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6 level, and the malondialdehyde activity in experimental atherosclerotic rats. However, Fingolimod, an S1P1 inhibitor, could reverse these Floralozone effects in experimental atherosclerotic rats. Our results indicated that Floralozone could inhibit the atherosclerotic plaque formation and improves arterial stenosis and reduces endothelial dysfunction in experimental atherosclerotic rats, which might be involved with S1P1 enhancement.

MicroRNA-140-5p targeting tumor necrosis factor-α prevents pulmonary arterial hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by the apoptosis resistance and hyperproliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). Its pathogenesis has not been revealed. Here, we carried out experiments to investigate the functions of miR-140-5p and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). METHODS: We selected GSE703 from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) Database to conduct microarray analysis using R software and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). Combing bioinformatics results, the upregulation of miR-140-5p inhibited PAH progression through targeting TNF-α. RNA expression was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and protein level was measured by western blot analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). We conducted monocrotaline (MCT) injection to rats to form PAH animal models. The lung tissues were observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and Sirius red-picric acid staining. Right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) and the ratio of right ventricle (RV)-to-left ventricle (LV) plus septum (S) weight (RV/[LV + S]) were measured in MCT-induced animal models. Overexpression of miR-140-5p and TNF-α were utilized to research the proliferation, migration, and phenotypic variation of hypoxia-mediated PASMCs. The binding between miR-140-5p and TNF-α 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) was confirmed via luciferase reporter assay. RESULTS: Downregulation of miR-140-5p and upregulation of TNF-α were observed in PAH rat model and hypoxia-mediated PASMCs. And we proved that overexpression of miR-140-5p could suppress the proliferation, migration, and phenotypic variation of PASMCs, therefore inhibiting PAH pathogenesis. Luciferase assay verified that miR-140-5p targeted TNF-α directly. A converse correlation was also shown between miR-140-5p and TNF-α in PASMCs. CONCLUSIONS: miR-140-5p and TNF-α are important regulators in PAH pathology and may serve as a therapeutic target for PAH.

Long noncoding RNA UCA1 promotes the proliferation of hypoxic human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells.

Our study explored the effects of lncRNA UCA1 on the proliferation and apoptosis in hypoxic human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (HPASMCs) and highlighted the endogenous relationship between UCA1, ING5, and hnRNP I in cell proliferation. Hypoxia-induced HPASMCs were used to simulate pulmonary arterial hypertension in vitro. Microarray assay was adopted to screen the dysregulated expressed lncRNAs in HPASMCs to find out the target gene of our study. And RT-qPCR was performed to detect the expression of lncRNA UCA1 under hypoxia and normoxia. After transfection, the relationship between UCA1 and cell proliferation in HPASMCs under hypoxia were determined by cell proliferation assay and relative expression of PCNA. Next, ELISA assays were conducted to measure the protein levels of PCNA and ING5. What's more, flow cytometry was employed to measure the apoptosis rate in differentially UCA1-expressed HPASMCs. RIP assays were conducted to further clarify the endogenous relationship between UCA1 and ING5 in hypoxic HPASMCs. Finally, the effects of ING5 to HPASMCs were detected after transfection of ING5 and UCA1 to figure out the role of ING5 in HPASMCs. Hypoxia was revealed to induce proliferation and inhibited apoptosis in HPASMCs. Besides, UCA1 was confirmed to be highly expressed under hypoxia compared with normoxia. UCA1 boosted cell proliferation under hypoxia in HPASMCs. However, the apoptosis was suppressed in the hypoxic HPASMCs transfected with pcDNA3.1-UCA1. Further, mechanism studies found that UCA1 competed with ING5 for hnRNP I, so that upregulating UCA1 inhibited the protein levels of ING5. And finally we found that ING5 restrained cell viability, but promoted cell apoptosis in hypoxic HPASMCs, which was reversed by UCA1 over-expression. In summary, our findings manifested that UCA1 promoted proliferation and restrained apoptosis by competing with ING5 for hnRNP I in HPASMCs induced by hypoxia, indicating their potential roles for the cure of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension.

Angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers prevent aortic arterial stiffness in elderly patients with hypertension.

Backgrounds and aims: Increased arterial stiffness may increase cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers (ARBs) are potentially useful in controlling the central blood pressure and arterial stiffness in mild to moderate essential hypertension, while the effects of ARBs in aged patients with essential hypertension are not entirely investigated. Methods: The carotid-femoral arterial pulse wave velocity (PWV) was measured in aged patients with essential hypertension. Results: In a cross-sectional study, PWV value was significantly higher in these old patients with essential hypertension, compared to patients without essential hypertension. In correlation analysis, PWV was associated positively with age, hypertension duration, and carotid atherosclerosis. However, there was no relationship between PWV and gender in aged patients with essential hypertension. In a perspective study, 6-12 months administration of ARBs (losartan, 50 mg/day; telmisartan, 40 mg/day; valsartan 80 mg/day; irbesartan, 150 mg/day) remarkably reduced PWV in aged patients with essential hypertension. Regression analyses of multiple factors indicated that the effects of ARBs on arterial stiffness were not associated with the reduction of blood pressure. Conclusion: ARB treatment is a negative risk factor of arterial stiffness in aged patients with essential hypertension.

Tau accumulation induces synaptic impairment and memory deficit by calcineurin-mediated inactivation of nuclear CaMKIV/CREB signaling.

Intracellular accumulation of wild-type tau is a hallmark of sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the molecular mechanisms underlying tau-induced synapse impairment and memory deficit are poorly understood. Here we found that overexpression of human wild-type full-length tau (termed hTau) induced memory deficits with impairments of synaptic plasticity. Both in vivo and in vitro data demonstrated that hTau accumulation caused remarkable dephosphorylation of cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) in the nuclear fraction. Simultaneously, the calcium-dependent protein phosphatase calcineurin (CaN) was up-regulated, whereas the calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV (CaMKIV) was suppressed. Further studies revealed that CaN activation could dephosphorylate CREB and CaMKIV, and the effect of CaN on CREB dephosphorylation was independent of CaMKIV inhibition. Finally, inhibition of CaN attenuated the hTau-induced CREB dephosphorylation with improved synapse and memory functions. Together, these data indicate that the hTau accumulation impairs synapse and memory by CaN-mediated suppression of nuclear CaMKIV/CREB signaling. Our findings not only reveal new mechanisms underlying the hTau-induced synaptic toxicity, but also provide potential targets for rescuing tauopathies.

Outcomes of Surgical and Chemotherapeutic Treatments of Goblet Cell Carcinoid Tumors of the Appendix.

BACKGROUND: Goblet cell carcinoids (GCCs) of the appendix are rare mucinous neoplasms, for which optimal therapy is poorly described. We examined prognostic clinical and treatment factors in a population-based cohort. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with GCC from 1984 to 2014 were identified from the British Columbia Cancer Agency and the Vancouver Lower Mainland Pathology Archive. RESULTS: Of 88 cases with confirmed appendiceal GCCs, clinical data were available in 86 cases (annual population incidence: 0.66/1,000,000). Median age was 54 years (range 25-91) and 42 patients (49%) were male. Metastasis at presentation was the strongest predictor of overall survival (OS), with median OS not reached for stage I-III patients, and measuring 16.2 months [95% confidence interval (CI) 9.1-29] for stage IV patients. In 67 stage I-III patients, 51 (76%) underwent completion hemicolectomy and 9 (17%) received adjuvant 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy. No appendicitis at initial presentation and Tang B histology were the only prognostic factors, with inferior 5-year recurrence-free survival (53 vs. 83% with appendicitis, p = 0.02; 45% Tang B vs. 89% Tang A, p < 0.01). Of 19 stage IV patients, 10 (62.5%) received 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy and 11 (61%) underwent multiorgan resection (MOR) ± hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Low mitotic rate and MOR ± HIPEC were associated with improved 2-year OS, but only MOR ± HIPEC remained significant on multivariate analysis (hazard ratio 5.4, 95% CI 1.4-20.9; p = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: In this population-based cohort, we demonstrate excellent survival outcomes in stage I-III appendiceal GCCs and clinical appendicitis. Hemicolectomy remains the standard treatment. In metastatic disease, outcomes remain poor, although MOR ± HIPEC may improve survival.