CircABPD1 alleviates oxidative lung injury of bronchopulmonary dysplasia through regulating miR-330-3p/HIF1α axis.

In the NICU, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a concerning common respiratory complication in preterm and low birth-weight infants. Clinical studies have confirmed that human milk has an important nutritional role for children with BPD, therefore, dentification of beneficial components in human milk that prevent BPD is urgently needed. Our previous work showed that human milk exosomes (HM-Exos) could inhibit apoptosis of alveolar type II epithelial cells (AT II), and the circular RNA (circRNA)-circABPD1 were highly expressed in preterm colostrum milk exosomes. Exosomes transport circRNAs that are stable and may exert anti-inflammatory and immune effects attracted the attention of researchers, but the role and mechanism of human milk exosome-derived circABPD1 in BPD remains unclear. Here, we constructed BPD in vivo and in vitro models through exposure to hyperoxia, verified the effect of circABPD1 and revealed its mechanism through rescue experiments. We found that circABPD1 had circRNA properties, and overexpression of circABPD1 could improve reduced alveolar number, enlarged the alveolar linear intercept in vivo models of BPD, promote cell proliferation, reduce oxidative stress levels and alleviate lung epithelial cell damage in vivo and in vitro models. Mechanistically, circABPD1 targets miR-330-3p and regulates the expression of HIF1α. These results suggest that circABPD1 can improve the pathologoical changes of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, promote cell proliferation, inhibit oxidative stress level, and alleviate lung injury by targeting the miR-330-3p/HIF1α axis, which provides a new idea for the prevention and treatment of bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

[Clinical features of preterm infants with a birth weight less than 1 500 g undergoing different intensities of resuscitation: a multicenter retrospective analysis].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical features of preterm infants with a birth weight less than 1 500 g undergoing different intensities of resuscitation. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for the preterm infants with a birth weight less than 1 500 g and a gestational age less than 32 weeks who were treated in the neonatal intensive care unit of 20 hospitals in Jiangsu, China from January 2018 to December 2019. According to the intensity of resuscitation in the delivery room, the infants were divided into three groups:non-tracheal intubation (n=1 184), tracheal intubation (n=166), and extensive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR; n=116). The three groups were compared in terms of general information and clinical outcomes. RESULTS: Compared with the non-tracheal intubation group, the tracheal intubation and ECPR groups had significantly lower rates of cesarean section and use of antenatal corticosteroid (P < 0.05). As the intensity of resuscitation increased, the Apgar scores at 1 minute and 5 minutes gradually decreased (P < 0.05), and the proportion of infants with Apgar scores of 0 to 3 at 1 minute and 5 minutes gradually increased (P < 0.05). Compared with the non-tracheal intubation group, the tracheal intubation and ECPR groups had significantly higher mortality rate and incidence rates of moderate-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia and serious complications (P < 0.05). The incidence rates of grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ intracranial hemorrhage and retinopathy of prematurity (stage Ⅲ or above) in the tracheal intubation group were significantly higher than those in the non-tracheal intubation group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: For preterm infants with a birth weight less than 1 500 g, the higher intensity of resuscitation in the delivery room is related to lower rate of antenatal corticosteroid therapy, lower gestational age, and lower birth weight. The infants undergoing tracheal intubation or ECRP in the delivery room have an increased incidence rate of adverse clinical outcomes. This suggests that it is important to improve the quality of perinatal management and delivery room resuscitation to improve the prognosis of the infants.

Effect of low intensity pulsed ultrasound on repairing the periodontal bone of Beagle canines.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the repairing effect of low intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) on the Beagle canines periodontal bone defect. METHODS: A total of 12 Beagle dogs with periodontal bone defect model were randomly divided into control group, LIPUS group, guided tissue regeneration (GTR) group and LIPUS+GTR group, with three in each. After completion of the models, no other proceeding was performed in control group; LIPUS group adopt direct exposure to radiation line LIPUS processing 1 week after modeling; GTR group adopted treatment with GTR, following the CTR standard operation reference; LIPUS+GTR group was treated with LIPUS joint GTR. Temperature change before treatment and histopathological change of periodontal tissue after repair was observed. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in temperature changes of periodontal tissue between groups (P>0.05). The amount and maturity of LIPUS+GTR group were superior to other groups; new cementum, dental periodontal bones of GTR group were superior to the control group but less than LIPUS group; new collagen and maturity of the control group is not high relatively. CONCLUSIONS: LIPUS can accelerate the calcium salt deposition and new bone maturation, thus it can serve as promoting periodontal tissue repair, and shortening the periodontal tissue repair time.

Breast milk lead and cadmium levels in suburban areas of Nanjing, China.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate levels of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in the breast milk in the second postpartum month, to investigate the relationship between Pb/Cd levels in breast milk and some sociodemographic parameters, and to explore whether these levels affect the infants' physical status or the mothers' psychological status (postpartum depression). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2009 and December 2010. Altogether 170 healthy mothers were enrolled from Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital. The inclusion criteria were: voluntary to participate in this study, healthy, with no chronic disease, breastfeeding in the second postpartum month, living in a suburban but not non-industrial area of Nanjing, and not occupationally exposed to toxic metals. All the mothers completed a questionnaire and were evaluated based on the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) to identify the risk of postpartum depression. Pb and Cd levels in breast milk were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy. The infants of these mothers were examined for their z scores of weight for age, length for age, head circumference for age, and body mass index for age. RESULTS: The median breast milk levels of Pb and Cd were 40.6 µg/L and 0.67 µg/L, respectively. In 164 (96.5%) of the 170 samples, Pb levels were higher than the limit reported by the World Health Organization (> 5 µg/L). Breast milk Cd level was > 1 µg/L in 54 (31.8%) mothers. The mothers with a history of anemia had a higher breast milk Pb level than those without a history of anemia (41.1 µg/L vs. 37.9 µg/L, P = 0.050). The median breast milk Cd level in those who were active and passive smokers during pregnancy was significantly higher than that in non-smokers (0.88 µg/L vs. 0.00 µg/L, P = 0.025). The breast milk Cd level in the mothers not taking iron and vitamin supplements for 2 months postpartum was higher than in those taking the supplements (iron supplement: 0.74 µg/L vs. 0.00 µg/L, P = 0.025; vitamin supplement: 0.78 µg/L vs. 0.00 µg/L, P = 0.005). Breast milk Cd level at the second postpartum month was negatively correlated with the z scores of head circumference (r = - 0.248, P = 0.042) and weight for age at birth (r =- 0.241, P = 0.024) in girls. No correlation was found between the breast milk Pb/Cd levels and the EPDS scores. CONCLUSION: Considering the high levels of Pb and Cd in breast milk in this study, breast milk monitoring programs are necessary.

Folbp1 promotes embryonic myocardial cell proliferation and apoptosis through the WNT signal transduction pathway.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between Folate-binding protein one (Folbp1) and embryonic cardiac proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation. Folbp1 gene expression and short interference RNA expression vectors were constructed. Morphology of P19 cells during differentiation was observed by inverted microscope. Cell proliferation was tested using the 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazoliumbromide (MTT) method. Cell apoptosis was evaluated by DNA ladder and flow cytometry methods, and marker gene expression during differentiation, such as atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and cardiac troponin I (cTnI), and marker gene expression during apoptosis (Bax/Bcl-2) was measured by RT-PCR. Additionally, the critical genes (Wnt, GSK3beta, and/or beta-catenin) expressed in the Wnt signaling pathway were confirmed by RT-PCR. The Folbp1 expressing vector and the silencing vector were constructed. From day 5 of differentiation, the absorbance of cells overexpressing Folbp1 was notably higher than the controls, whereas the controls were notably higher than Folbp1 gene silenced P19 cells. P19 cell apoptosis with Folbp1 gene silencing was lower than the controls; however, more cells were driven into S phase. No significant morphological difference was observed in any of the groups. RT-PCR results show that ANP, cTnI, Wnt, Bax/Bcl-2, and beta-catenin were elevated whereas GSK3beta depressed in cells which overexpressed Folbp1 and was contradictory in Folbp1 gene silenced P19 cells. Folbp1 may be an important candidate mediator of folic acid deficiency-induced congenital cardiac anomalies which are induced by the dysfunction of proliferation and apoptosis of the myocardial cell, and possibly caused by the dysfunction of the Wnt signaling pathway.