Heterogenization of Salen Metal Molecular Catalysts in Covalent Organic Frameworks for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

Integrating a molecular catalyst with a light harvester into a photocatalyst is an effective strategy for solar light conversion. However, it is challenging to establish a crystallized framework with well-organized connections that favour charge separation and transfer. Herein, we report the heterogenization of a Salen metal complex molecular catalyst into a rigid covalent organic framework (COF) through covalent linkage with the light-harvesting unit of pyrene for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. The chemically conjugated bonds between the two units contribute to fast photogenerated electron transfer and thereby promote the proton reduction reaction. The Salen cobalt-based COF showed the best hydrogen evolution activity (1378 µmol g-1 h-1 ), which is superior to the previously reported nonnoble metal based COF photocatalysts. This work provides a strategy to construct atom-efficient photocatalysts by the heterogenization of molecular catalysts into covalent organic frameworks.

Microarray Profiling and Functional Identification of LncRNA in Mice Intestinal Mucosa Following Intestinal Ischemia/Reperfusion.

BACKGROUND: Intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is a common clinical event with high mortality, but its mechanism is elusive. Although long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have recently emerged as critical molecules in I/R damage in other organs, the changes in their expression and potential roles in intestinal I/R remain unclear. METHODS: The expression profiles of both lncRNAs and mRNAs in mouse intestinal mucosa after intestinal I/R were explored by a microarray approach, and their biological functions were elucidated by gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses. Then, some lncRNAs were further verified by qRT-PCR. Based on the coding-noncoding gene coexpression (CNC) network analyses, the role of lncRNA AK089510 in intestinal I/R-induced intestinal mucosa apoptosis was investigated by knockdown assay in vitro. RESULTS: A total of 3602 aberrantly expressed lncRNAs (1503 upregulated and 2099 downregulated) and 3158 mRNAs (1528 upregulated and 1630 downregulated) were identified. The dysregulated transcripts were enriched in the lipid metabolic process, apoptotic process, reactive oxygen species metabolic process, MAPK, TNF, ErbB, mTOR, and FoxO signaling pathways, and so on. The overexpression of lncRNA AK089510 was validated by qRT-PCR, and the CNC analysis revealed its target mRNAs. AK089510-siRNA reduced Casp6 and Casp7 expression and suppressed intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis after oxygen-glucose deprivation treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed the lncRNA and mRNA expression patterns in mouse intestinal mucosa after intestinal I/R and predicted their potential functions and pathways. We identified AK089510 as a novel lncRNA involved in the apoptosis of intestinal mucosa, advancing our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of intestinal I/R injury.

Clinical significance of stroke nurse in patients with acute ischemic stroke receiving intravenous thrombolysis.

BACKGROUND: Reports have proven that shorter door-to-needle time (DTN time) indicates better outcomes in AIS patients received intravenous thrombolysis. Efforts have been made by hospitals and centers to minimize DTN time in many ways including introducing a stroke nurse. However, there are few studies to discuss the specific effect of stroke nurse on patients' prognosis. This study aimed to compare consecutive AIS patients before and after the intervention to analyze the effect of stroke nurse on clinical outcome of AIS patients. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we observed 1003 patients from November 2016 to December 2020 dividing in two groups, collected and analyzed AIS patients' medical history, clinical assessment information, important timelines, 90 mRS score, etc. Comparative analysis and mediation analysis were also used in this study. RESULTS: A total of 418 patients was included in this study, and 199 patients were enrolled in the stroke nurse group and 219 was in the preintervention group. Baseline characteristics of patients showed no significant difference except there seems more patients with previous ischemic stroke history in the group of stroke nurse. (p = 0.008). The median DTN time significantly decreased in the stroke nurse group (25 min versus 36 min, p < 0.001) and multivariate logistic regression analysis showed the 90-day mRS clinical outcome significantly improved in the stroke nurse group (p = 0.001). Mediation analysis indicated the reduction of DTN time plays a partial role on the 90 days mRS score and the stroke nurse has some direct effect on the improvement of clinical outcome (p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of stroke nurse is beneficial to clinical outcome of AIS patients and can be use of reference in other hospitals or centers.

Admission blood cell counts are predictive of stroke-associated infection in acute ischemic stroke patients treated with endovascular therapy.

Stroke-associated infection (SAI) is a major medical complication in acute ischemic stroke patients (AIS) treated with endovascular therapy (EVT). Three hundred thirty-three consecutive patients with AIS caused by a large vessel occlusion in the anterior circulation who received EVT (142 (42.6%) of them were given IV tPA as bridging therapy) and 337 AIS patients who received IV tPA only (non-EVT) were enrolled in the study and evaluated to determine the association of inflammatory factors on admission with SAI. Among the 333 AIS patients undergoing EVT, SAI occurred in 219 (65.8%) patients. Patients with SAI had higher baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) total scores, white blood cell (WBC) and neutrophil counts, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) than those without SAI (P < 0.05). The multivariable logistic regression analyses showed that older age in addition to higher diastolic blood pressure (DBP), NIHSS score, fasting blood glucose, WBC and neutrophil counts, NLR, and PLR were significantly associated with SAI (P < 0.05). However, these associations were not revealed in 337 non-EVT AIS patients. Furthermore, based on the inflammatory markers, we developed a nomogram that provided the opportunity for more accurate predictions (compared with conventional factors) and appeared a better prognostic tool for SAI according to the decision curve analysis. In summary, if proven externally valid, our nomogram that included WBC count, NLR, and PLR may be a useful tool for SAI prediction in clinical practice.

The transferrin receptor CD71 regulates type II CD38, revealing tight topological compartmentalization of intracellular cyclic ADP-ribose production.

The CD38 molecule (CD38) catalyzes biogenesis of the calcium-mobilizing messenger cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR). CD38 has dual membrane orientations, and type III CD38, with its catalytic domain facing the cytosol, has low abundance but is efficient in cyclizing cytosolic NAD to produce cADPR. The role of cell surface type II CD38 in cellular cADPR production is unknown. Here we modulated type II CD38 expression and assessed the effects of this modulation on cADPR levels. We developed a photoactivatable cross-linking probe based on a CD38 nanobody, and, combining it with MS analysis, we discovered that cell surface CD38 interacts with CD71. CD71 knockdown increased CD38 levels, and CD38 knockout reciprocally increased CD71, and both could be cocapped and coimmunoprecipitated. We constructed a chimera comprising the N-terminal segment of CD71 and a CD38 nanobody to mimic CD71's ligand property. Overexpression of this chimera induced a dramatically large decrease in CD38 via lysosomes. Remarkably, cellular cADPR levels did not decrease correspondingly. Bafilomycin-mediated blockade of lysosomal degradation greatly elevated active type II CD38 by trapping it in the lysosomes but also did not increase cADPR levels. Retention of type II CD38 in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by expressing an ER construct that prevented its transport to the cell surface likewise did not change cADPR levels. These results provide first and direct evidence that cADPR biogenesis occurs in the cytosol and is catalyzed mainly by type III CD38 and that type II CD38, compartmentalized in the ER or lysosomes or on the cell surface, contributes only minimally to cADPR biogenesis.

Salen-Based Conjugated Microporous Polymers for Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

Exploring high-performance electrocatalysts, especially non-noble metal electrocatalysts, for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is critical to energy storage and conversion. Herein, we report for the first time that conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) incorporating salen can be used as OER electrocatalysts with outstanding performances. The best OER electrocatalyst (salen-CMP-Fe-3) exhibits a low Tafel slope of 63 mV dec-1 and an overpotential of 238 mV at 10 mA cm-2 . DFT and Grand Canonical Monte Carlo calculations confirmed that the significantly improved electrocatalytic properties can be attributed to the intrinsic catalytic activity of the salen moiety and the enrichment effect of the pore structures. This work demonstrates that salen-based conjugated polymers are a type of metal-coordinated porous polymer that show excellent catalyst performance.

Intraoperative ventilation strategies to prevent postoperative pulmonary complications: a network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: The debate on lung-protective ventilation strategies for surgical patients is ongoing. Evidence suggests that the use of low tidal volume VT improves clinical outcomes. However, the optimal levels of PEEP and recruitment manoeuvre (RM) strategies incorporated into low VT ventilation remain unclear. METHODS: Several electronic databases were searched to identify RCTs that focused on comparison between low VT strategy and conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV), or between two different low VT strategies in surgical patients. The primary outcome was postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). The secondary outcomes were atelectasis, pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and short-term mortality. Bayesian network meta-analyses were performed using WinBUGS. The odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% credible intervals (CrIs) were estimated. RESULTS: Compared with CMV, low VT ventilation with moderate-to-high PEEP reduced the risk of PPCs (moderate PEEP [5-8 cm H2O]: OR 0.50 [95% CrI: 0.28, 0.89]; moderate PEEP+RMs: 0.39 [0.19, 0.78]; and high PEEP [≥9 cm H2O]+RMs: 0.34 [0.14, 0.79]). Low VT ventilation with moderate-to-high PEEP and RMs also specifically reduced the risk of atelectasis compared with CMV (moderate PEEP+RMs: OR 0.36 [95% CrI: 0.16, 0.87]; and high PEEP+RMs: 0.41 [0.15, 0.97]), whilst low VT ventilation with moderate PEEP was superior to CMV in reducing the risk of pneumonia (OR 0.46 [95% CrI: 0.15, 0.94]). CONCLUSIONS: The combination of low VT ventilation and moderate-to-high PEEP (≥5 cm H2O) seems to confer lung protection in surgical patients undergoing general anaesthesia. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO (CRD42019144561).

CD38 produces nicotinic acid adenosine dinucleotide phosphate in the lysosome.

Nicotinic acid adenosine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) is a Ca2+-mobilizing second messenger that regulates a wide range of biological activities. However, the mechanism of its biogenesis remains controversial. CD38 is the only enzyme known to catalyze NAADP synthesis from NADP and nicotinic acid. CD38-mediated catalysis requires an acidic pH, suggesting that NAADP may be produced in acidic endolysosomes, but this hypothesis is untested. In this study, using human cell lines, we specifically directed CD38 to the endolysosomal system and assessed cellular NAADP production. First, we found that nanobodies targeting various epitopes on the C-terminal domain of CD38 could bind to cell surface-localized CD38 and induce its endocytosis. We also found that CD38 internalization occurred via a clathrin-dependent pathway, delivered CD38 to the endolysosome, and elevated intracellular NAADP levels. We also created a CD38 variant for lysosome-specific expression, which not only withstood the degradative environment in the lysosome, but was also much more active than WT CD38 in elevating cellular NAADP levels. Supplementing CD38-expressing cells with nicotinic acid substantially increased cellular NAADP levels. These results demonstrate that endolysosomal CD38 can produce NAADP in human cells. They further suggest that CD38's compartmentalization to the lysosome may allow for its regulation via substrate access, rather than enzyme activation, thereby providing a reliable mechanism for regulating cellular NAADP production.

ß-arrestin2 functions as a key regulator in the sympathetic-triggered immunodepression after stroke.

BACKGROUND: Stroke-induced immunodeficiency syndrome (SIDS) is regarded as a protective mechanism for secondary inflammatory injury as well as a contributor to infection complications. Although stroke-induced hyperactivation of the sympathetic system is proved to facilitate SIDS, the involved endogenous factors and pathways are largely elusive. In this study, we aim to investigate the function of beta-arrestin-2 (ARRB2) in the sympathetic-mediated SIDS. METHODS: Splenic ARRB2 expression and the sympathetic system activity were detected after establishing transient models of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). In addition, a correlation between ARRB2 expression and the sympathetic system activity was analyzed using a linear correlation analysis. Any SIDS reflected in monocyte dysfunction was investigated by measuring inflammatory cytokine secretion and neurological deficit scores and infarct volume were tested to assess neurological outcome. Further, ARRB2 expression in the monocytes was knocked down in vitro by siRNAs. Following the stimulation of noradrenaline and lipopolysaccharide, cytokine secretion and the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway were evaluated to gain insight into the mechanisms related to the contribution of ARRB2 to adrenergic-induced monocyte dysfunction. RESULTS: Splenic ARRB2 expression was significantly increased after stroke and also showed a significant positive correlation with the sympathetic system activity. Stroke-induced monocyte dysfunction resulted in an increase of the interleukin-10 (IL-10) level as well as a decrease of the interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) levels. Also, blockade of adrenergic-activity significantly reversed these cytokine levels, and blockade of adrenergic-activity improved stroke-induced neurological results. However, the improved neurological results had no significant correlation with ARRB2 expression. Furthermore, the in vitro results showed that the deficiency of ARRB2 dramatically repealed adrenergic-induced monocyte dysfunction and the inhibition of NF-κB signaling phosphorylation activity. CONCLUSIONS: ARRB2 is implicated in the sympathetic-triggered SIDS, in particular, monocyte dysfunction after stroke. Accordingly, ARRB2 may be a promising therapeutic target for the immunological management of stroke in a clinic.

Eravacycline activity against clinical S. aureus isolates from China: in vitro activity, MLST profiles and heteroresistance.

BACKGROUND: Mortality rates for patients with Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infections have improved only modestly in recent decades and S. aureus infections remain a major clinical challenge This study investigated the in vitro antimicrobial activity of erevacycline (erava) against clinical S. aureus isolates from China, as well as the heteroresistance frequency of erava and sequence types (STs) represented in the sample. RESULTS: A sample of 328 non-duplicate clinical S. aureus isolates, including 138 methecillin-resistant (MRSA) and 190 methecillin-sensitive (MSSA) isolates, were collected retrospectively in China. Erava exhibited excellent in vitro activity (MIC50 ≤ 0.25 mg/L) against MRSA and MSSA, including isolates harboring Tet specific resistance genes. The frequency of erava heteroresistance in MSSA with erava MICs = 0.5 mg/L was 13.79% (4/29); no MRSA with erava MICs ≤0.5 mg/L exhibited heteroresistance. Heteroresistance- derived clones had no 30S ribosome subunit mutations, but their erava MICs (range, 1-4 mg/L) were suppressed dramatically in the presence of efflux protein inhibitors. CONCLUSIONS: Conclusively, erava exhibited excellent in vitro activity against S. aureus, however hints of erava heteroresistance risk and MIC creep were detected, particularly among MSSA with MICs of 0.5 mg/L.

Biofilm formation in erythromycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and the relationship with antimicrobial susceptibility and molecular characteristics.

PURPOSE: In this study, we aimed to investigate biofilm formation characteristics in clinical Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) isolates with erythromycin (ERY) resistance from China and further analyze their correlations with antimicrobial susceptibility and molecular characteristics. METHODOLOGY: A total of 276 clinical isolates of ERY-resistant S. aureus, including 142 methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains and 134 methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) strains, were retrospectively collected in China. Biofilms were determined by crystal violet staining and ERY resistance genes (ermA, ermB and ermC) were detected by polymerase chain reaction. Inducible clindamycin resistance was examined by D test and multilocus sequence typing, and clonal complexes (CCs) based on housekeeping genes were further determined. RESULTS: The frequency of biofilm formation among ERY-resistant S. aureus was 40.9% (113/276) in total and no significant difference was found for the frequency of biofilm formation between ERY-resistant MRSA and ERY-resistant MSSA (44.4% vs 37.3%, P > 0.05). In ERY-resistant MRSA isolates, the frequency of biofilm formation in ermA-positive, gentamicin-resistant and ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates was higher than that in ermA-negative, gentamicin-sensitive and ciprofloxacin-sensitive isolates, respectively (63.9% vs 23.6%, P < 0.01; 60.3% vs 27.5%, P < 0.01; 65.2% vs 26.3%, P < 0.01). In addition, tetracycline resistance facilitated biofilm formation in both ERY-resistant MRSA and MSSA and the frequency of biofilm formation in CC239- or CC7S. aureus isolates with ERY resistance was significantly higher compared with that in CC59S. aureus (both P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The ermA gene, and gentamicin, ciprofloxacin and tetracycline resistance facilitate biofilm formation in ERY-resistant MRSA isolates and, moreover, ERY-resistant S. aureus isolates with positive biofilm formation exhibited clonality clustering regarding CC239 and CC7.

Differential long noncoding RNA expressions in peripheral blood mononuclear cells for detection of acute ischemic stroke.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been highlighted to be involved in the pathological process of ischemic stroke (IS). The purpose of the present study was to investigate the expression profile of lncRNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of acute IS patients and to explore their utility as biomarkers of IS. Distinctive expression patterns of PBMC lncRNAs were identified by an lncRNA microarray and individual quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in four independent sets for 206 IS, 179 healthy controls (HCs), and 55 patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA). A biomarker panel (lncRNA-based combination index) was established using logistic regression. LncRNA microarray analysis showed 70 up-regulated and 128 down-regulated lncRNAs in IS patients. Individual qRT-PCR validation demonstrated that three lncRNAs (linc-DHFRL1-4, SNHG15, and linc-FAM98A-3) were significantly up-regulated in IS patients compared with HCs and TIA patients. Longitudinal analysis of lncRNA expression up to 90 days after IS showed that linc-FAM98A-3 normalized to control levels by day 7, while SNHG15 remained increased, indicating the ability of lncRNAs to monitor IS dynamics. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the lncRNA-based combination index outperformed serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurone-specific enolase (NSE) in distinguishing IS patients from TIA patients and HCs with areas under ROC curve of more than 0.84. Furthermore, the combination index increased significantly after treatment and was correlated with neurological deficit severity of IS. The panel of these altered lncRNAs was associated with acute IS and could serve as a novel diagnostic method.

Is goal-directed fluid therapy based on dynamic variables alone sufficient to improve clinical outcomes among patients undergoing surgery? A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Whether goal-directed fluid therapy based on dynamic predictors of fluid responsiveness (GDFTdyn) alone improves clinical outcomes in comparison with standard fluid therapy among patients undergoing surgery remains unclear. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched for relevant studies. Studies comparing the effects of GDFTdyn with that of standard fluid therapy on clinical outcomes among adult patients undergoing surgery were considered eligible. Two analyses were performed separately: GDFTdyn alone versus standard fluid therapy and GDFTdyn with other optimization goals versus standard fluid therapy. The primary outcomes were short-term mortality and overall morbidity, while the secondary outcomes were serum lactate concentration, organ-specific morbidity, and length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) and in hospital. RESULTS: We included 37 studies with 2910 patients. Although GDFTdyn alone lowered serum lactate concentration (mean difference (MD) - 0.21 mmol/L, 95% confidence interval (CI) (- 0.39, - 0.03), P = 0.02), no significant difference was found between groups in short-term mortality (odds ratio (OR) 0.85, 95% CI (0.32, 2.24), P = 0.74), overall morbidity (OR 1.03, 95% CI (0.31, 3.37), P = 0.97), organ-specific morbidity, or length of stay in the ICU and in hospital. Analysis of trials involving the combination of GDFTdyn and other optimization goals (mainly cardiac output (CO) or cardiac index (CIx)) showed a significant reduction in short-term mortality (OR 0.45, 95% CI (0.24, 0.85), P = 0.01), overall morbidity (OR 0.41, 95% CI (0.28, 0.58), P < 0.00001), serum lactate concentration (MD - 0.60 mmol/L, 95% CI (- 1.04, - 0.15), P = 0.009), cardiopulmonary complications (cardiac arrhythmia (OR 0.58, 95% CI (0.37, 0.92), P = 0.02), myocardial infarction (OR 0.35, 95% CI (0.16, 0.76), P = 0.008), heart failure/cardiovascular dysfunction (OR 0.31, 95% CI (0.14, 0.67), P = 0.003), acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (OR 0.13, 95% CI (0.02, 0.74), P = 0.02), pneumonia (OR 0.4, 95% CI (0.24, 0.65), P = 0.0002)), length of stay in the ICU (MD - 0.77 days, 95% CI (- 1.07, - 0.46), P < 0.00001) and in hospital (MD - 1.18 days, 95% CI (- 1.90, - 0.46), P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: It was not the optimization of fluid responsiveness by GDFTdyn alone but rather the optimization of tissue and organ perfusion by GDFTdyn and other optimization goals that benefited patients undergoing surgery. Patients managed with the combination of GDFTdyn and CO/CI goals might derive most benefit.

Blocking Sympathetic Nervous System Reverses Partially Stroke-Induced Immunosuppression but does not Aggravate Functional Outcome After Experimental Stroke in Rats.

Stoke results in activation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), inducing systemic immunosuppression. However, the potential mechanisms underlying stroke-induced immunosuppression remain unclear. Here, we determined the SNS effects on functional outcome and explored the interactions among SNS, ß-arrestin2 and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) after experimental stroke in rats. In the current study, stroke was induced by a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rats, and SNS activity was inhibited by intraperitoneal injection of 6-hydroxydopamine HBr (6-OHDA). 7.0 T Micro-MRI and Longa score were employed to assess the functional outcome after stroke. Flow cytometry and ELISA assay were used to measure the expression of MHC class II, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ). Western blot was conducted to analyze ß-arrestin2 and NF-κB protein expression levels after experimental stroke. We found significantly increased infarct volumes and functional impairment after MCAO at different post-surgery time points, which were not aggravated by 6-OHDA treatment. SNS blockade partially reversed the expression of MHC class II after stroke over time, as well as TNF-α and IFN-γ levels in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages in vitro. Treatment of MCAO rats with SNS-inhibitor significantly diminished NF-κB activation and enhanced ß-arrestin2 expression after stroke. This study suggests that pharmacological SNS inhibition dose not aggravate functional outcome after stroke. Stroke-induced immunosuppression may be involved in the SNS-ß-arrestin2-NF-κB pathway.

Analysis of Diagnostic Value of YKL-40 in Ovarian Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Early diagnosis of ovarian cancer is crucial in clinical practice but is difficult. Accumulating studies have investigated the utility of YKL-40 in early detection of ovarian cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the overall accuracy of YKL-40 in diagnosis of ovarian cancer through a meta-analysis of published studies. METHODS: A comprehensive search of related literature was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases. Meta-DiSc 1.4 and STATA 11.0 were selected for data analysis, and Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool version 2 was used to assess the quality of included studies. Data from selected studies were pooled to yield summary sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios, diagnostic odds ratio, and summary receiver operating characteristic curve. RESULTS: A total of 13 studies dating up to May 2015 with 1623 individuals were enrolled in the present study. The pooled characteristics of these studies were as follows: sensitivity 0.71 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.68-0.75), specificity 0.90 (95% CI, 0.88-0.92), positive likelihood ratio 7.24 (95% CI, 4.22-12.43), negative likelihood ratio 0.34 (95% CI, 0.27-0.42), and diagnostic odds ratio 24.93 (95% CI, 12.61-49.27), respectively. The area under the curve was 0.8471. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that YKL-40 could be regarded as an effective biomarker for diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

Inhibition of Adhesion of Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli to HEp-2 Cells by Binding of a Novel Peptide to EspB Protein.

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) is a major cause of infantile diarrhea in developing countries. The translocator EspB is a key virulence factor in the process of the attaching and effacing effect of EPEC and plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of the bacteria. In this study, we aimed to select the peptides binding to EspB protein by phage display library and further investigate whether these peptides can decrease the extent of invasion and virulence of EPEC on host cells by targeting to EspB protein. The expression and purification of EspB protein from E. coli was demonstrated by Western blotting. The Ph.D. 12-mer peptide phage display library was used to screen the candidate peptides binding specifically to EspB protein. Furthermore, the affinity of these candidate peptides bound to EspB was identified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Moreover, we investigated whether these screened peptides could decrease the adherence ratio of EPEC to HEp-2 cells with increasing concentration. Successful purification of EspB protein from pET21b-EspB-transformed E. coli was identified by Western blotting. Then, the candidate peptides including phages 6, 7, 8, and 12 were screened by the Ph.D. 12-mer peptide phage display library and ELISA test demonstrated that their affinity binding to EspB protein was high compared with the control. Functional analysis indicated that synthetic peptide-6 (YFPYSHTSPRQP) significantly decreased the adherence ratio of EPEC to HEp-2 cells with increasing concentration (P < 0.01). Peptide-6 (100 µg/mL) could lead to a 40 % decrease in the adherence ratio of EPEC to HEp-2 cells compared with control (P < 0.01). However, the other three peptides at different concentrations showed only a slight ability to block the adherence of EPEC to host cells. Our data provided a potential strategy to inhibit the adhesion of EPEC to epithelial cells by a candidate peptide targeted toward EspB protein.

Identification of Infantile Diarrhea Caused by Breast Milk-Transmitted Staphylococcus aureus Infection.

Staphylococcus aureus is a well-known organism which is responsible for a variety of human infectious diseases including skin infections, pneumonia, bacteremia, and endocarditis. Few of the microorganisms can be transmitted from mother to the newborn or infant by milk breastfeeding. This study aims to identify transmission of S. aureus from healthy, lactating mothers to their infants by breastfeeding. Stool specimens of diarrheal infants and breast milk of their mother (totally three pairs) were collected and six Staphylococcus aureus isolates were cultured positively. Homology and molecular characters of isolated strains were tested using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), spa typing, and multilocus sequence typing. Furthermore, toxin genes detection was also performed. Each pair of isolates has the same PFGE type and spa type. Four Sequence types (STs) were found among all the isolates; they are ST15, ST188, and ST59, respectively. Among the strains, seb, sec, and tst genes were found, and all were negative for pvl gene. The homology of the S. aureus strains isolated from the infants' stool and the mothers' milk was genetically demonstrated, which indicated that breastfeeding may be important in the transmission of S. aureus infection, and the character of S. aureus needed to be further evaluated.

Clinical benefits of aortic cross-clamping versus limb remote ischemic preconditioning in coronary artery bypass grafting with cardiopulmonary bypass: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: We assessed whether aortic cross-clamping or limb remote ischemic preconditioning improved postoperative outcomes, reduced myocardial injury and incidences of postoperative complications in patients undergoing on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). MATERIALS AND METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials databases were searched for studies comparing the effects of ischemic preconditioning with no preconditioning in adult patients undergoing on-pump CABG. The primary end points were mechanical ventilation time, the length of stay in intensive care unit and hospital, whereas the secondary end points were peak values of myocardial biomarkers and postoperative complications. Mean differences were estimated for the primary end points, as well as standard mean differences and odds ratios for the secondary end points. RESULTS: A total of 29 randomized controlled trials with 1791 patients were included. Compared with control group, aortic cross-clamping preconditioning reduced mechanical ventilation time (mean difference [95% confidence interval {CI}]) (-5.59 h [-9.21 to -1.96]), whereas limb remote ischemic preconditioning was not associated with improvement of postoperative outcomes. For myocardial biomarkers, both aortic cross-clamping and limb remote ischemic preconditioning reduced peak values of myocardial biomarkers (standard mean difference [95% CI]) (-0.48 [-0.81 to -0.14]; -0.19 [-0.36 to -0.02], respectively). Subgroup analysis showed that aortic cross-clamping preconditioning protocols with ischemia episodes <5 min did reduce the release of biomarkers (-0.69 [-1.04 to -0.34]) but those with 5 min ischemia episodes elevated them (0.40 [0.04-0.75]). Cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, renal, and intestinal complications were reported, and aortic cross-clamping preconditioning seemed to reduce the incidences of cardiac arrhythmia (odds ratio [95% CI]) (0.46 [0.27-0.80], P = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac surgeons could consider aortic cross-clamping or limb remote ischemic preconditioning to reduce myocardial injury during CABG. Moreover, aortic cross-clamping preconditioning is associated with a decreased risk of postoperative respiratory failure and cardiac arrhythmia.

The calcium signaling enzyme CD38 - a paradigm for membrane topology defining distinct protein functions.

CD38 is a single-pass transmembrane enzyme catalyzing the synthesis of two nucleotide second messengers, cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) from NAD and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) from NADP. The former mediates the mobilization of the endoplasmic Ca2+-stores in response to a wide range of stimuli, while NAADP targets the endo-lysosomal stores. CD38 not only possesses multiple enzymatic activities, it also exists in two opposite membrane orientations. Type III CD38 has the catalytic domain facing the cytosol and is responsible for producing cellular cADPR. The type II CD38 has an opposite orientation and is serving as a surface receptor mediating extracellular functions such as cell adhesion and lymphocyte activation. Its ecto-NADase activity also contributes to the recycling of external NAD released by apoptosis. Endocytosis can deliver surface type II CD38 to endo-lysosomes, which acidic environment favors the production of NAADP. This article reviews the rationale and evidence that have led to CD38 as a paradigm for membrane topology defining distinct functions of proteins. Also described is the recent discovery of a hitherto unknown cADPR-synthesizing enzyme, SARM1, ushering in a new frontier in cADPR-mediated Ca2+-signaling.