[Fertility preservation through natural and artificial ovaries: a review].

Ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC) is currently the exclusive choice for preserving fertility in both young girls before reaching puberty and young women who require immediate chemotherapy. Ovarian tissue transplantation has proven to be effective in restoring hormonal cycles and fertility. However, in certain cancer cases, there is a potential risk of inadvertently reintroducing malignant cells when transplanting cryopreserved ovarian tissue. Therefore, the use of an artificial ovary as an innovative and complementary approach allows for the development of isolated follicles, facilitates oocyte maturation and ovulation, and can partially restore endocrine function. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of techniques used to preserve fertility in natural ovarian tissues, including slow freezing, vitrification and hydrogel encapsulation methods. Additionally, it reviews fertility preservation techniques for artificial ovarian tissues, such as strategies involving hydrogel-encapsulated follicle, scaffolding for constructing ovarian microtissues, and 3D printing engineering. Lastly, this article explores current challenges and difficulties encountered in preserving ovarian tissue fertility, while also anticipating future trends in development, making it a valuable reference for the implementation of ovarian tissue fertility preservation.

TRBC1 in flow cytometry: Assay development, validation, and reporting considerations.

The assessment of T-cell clonality by flow cytometry has long been suboptimal, relying on aberrant marker expression and/or intensity. The introduction of TRBC1 shows much promise for improving the diagnosis of T-cell neoplasms in the clinical flow laboratory. Most laboratories considering this marker already have existing panels designed for T-cell workups and will be determining how best to incorporate TRBC1. We present this comprehensive summary of TRBC1 and supplemental case examples to familiarize the flow cytometry community with its potential for routine application, provide examples of how to incorporate it into T-cell panels, and signal caution in interpreting the results in certain diagnostic scenarios where appropriate.

Juveniles, young adults, and infants with hepatitis B virus infection: A genomic study.

Integration of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA into the human genome is recognized as an oncogenic factor and a barrier to hepatitis B cure. In the study, biopsy liver tissues were collected from adolescents and young adults with acute HBV infection younger than or equal to 35 years of age and from HBV-infected infant patients younger than or equal to 6 months of age. A high-throughput sequencing method was used to detect HBV DNA integration. Totally, 12 adolescents, young adults, and 6 infants were included. Among the 12 patients with acute HBV infection, immunohistochemical staining of intrahepatic hepatitis B surface antigen for all displayed negative results, and no HBV DNA integrants in the hepatocyte DNA were confirmed. All infant patients had elevated levels of alanine aminotransferase and high levels of serum HBV DNA. Numerous gene sites of hepatocyte DNA were integrated by HBV DNA for each infant patient, ranging from 120 to 430 integration sites. The fragile histidine triad gene was the high-frequency integrated site in the intragenic region for infant patients. In conclusion, hepatocyte DNA is integrated by HBV DNA in babies with active hepatitis B but seems seldom affected among adolescents and young adults with acute HBV infection. Infantile hepatitis B should be taken seriously considering abundant HBV DNA integration events.

Microplastics as emerging contaminants in textile dyeing sludge: Their impacts on co-combustion/pyrolysis products, residual metals, and temperature dependency of emissions.

As emerging contaminants in textile dyeing sludge (TDS), the presence and types of microplastics (MPs) inevitably influence the combustion and pyrolysis of TDS. Their effects on the co-combustion/pyrolysis emissions and residual metals of TDS remain poorly understood. This study aimed to quantify the impacts of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) on the transports and transformations of gaseous emissions and residual metals generated during the TDS combustion and pyrolysis in the air, oxy-fuel, and nitrogen atmospheres. Thermal degradation of the MPs in TDS occurred between 242-600 °C. MPs decomposed and interacted with the organic components of TDS to the extent that they increased the release of VOCs, dominated by oxygenated VOCs and hydrocarbons under the incineration and pyrolysis conditions, respectively. The presence of PE exerted a limited impact on the concentration and chemical form of metals, while PP reduced the residual amount of most metals due to the decomposition of mineral additives. Also, PP (with CaCO3 filler) reduced the acid-extractable content of cadmium, copper, and manganese in the bottom slag or coke but increased that of chromium. This study provides actionable insights into optimizing gas emissions, energy recovery, and ash reuse, thus reinforcing the pollution control strategies for both the MPs and TDS.

Increased Incidence of TdT-negative Pre-B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Associated With Poor Prognostic Features Among Mexican Children in Central Mexico.

Mexican and Hispanic children in Mexico and the United States, respectively, have the highest incidence and worst outcomes of pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) compared with other racial/ethnic groups. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) is an intranuclear DNA polymerase normally present on immature lymphocytes (TdT-positive) and distinguishes ALL from mature lymphoid malignancies. We performed a multisite retrospective study to determine the incidence of TdT-negative precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (pre-B ALL) among Mexican, Caucasian, and US-born Hispanic children to correlate TdT expression with patient characteristics and known prognostic factors. Fisher exact test was performed for categorical variables and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for continuous variables. TdT-negative pre-B ALL was most frequently identified in patients with National Cancer Institute high-risk disease ( P =0.014). TdT-negative expression was also most frequently associated with hypodiploid pre-B ALL ( P =0.001) and KMT2A gene rearrangement ( P =0.0012). Mexican children had the highest incidence of TdT-negative ALL compared with Caucasians and US Hispanics ( P <0.001), with an increased incidence of poor prognostic features as well. This study demonstrates significant differences in TdT-negative expression, genomic alterations, and leukemic ploidy based on race and ethnicity.

Evaluation of MERRA-2 and CAMS reanalysis for black carbon aerosol in China.

Black carbon (BC) constitutes a pivotal component of atmospheric aerosols, significantly impacting regional and global radiation balance, climate, and human health. In this study, we evaluated BC data in two prominent atmospheric composition reanalysis datasets: the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2) and the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), and analyzed the causes of their deviations. This assessment is based on observational data collected from 34 monitoring stations across China from 2006 to 2022. Our research reveals a significant and consistent decline in BC concentrations within China, amounting to a reduction exceeding 67.33%. However, both MERRA-2 and CAMS reanalysis data fail to capture this declining trend. The average annual decrease of BC in MERRA-2 from 2006 to 2022 is only 0.06 µg/m3 per year, while the BC concentration in CAMS even increased with an average annual value of 0.014 µg/m3 per year. In 2022, MERRA-2 had overestimated BC concentration by 20% compared to observational data, while CAMS had overestimated it by approximately 66%. In the regional BC concentration analysis, the data quality of the reanalysis data is better in the South China (RM = 0.59, RC = 0.53), followed by the North China (RM = 0.50, RC = 0.42). Reanalysis BC data in Northwest China and the Tibetan Plateau are difficult to use for practical analysis due to their big difference with observation. In a comparison of the anthropogenic BC emissions inventory used in the two atmospheric composition reanalysis datasets with the Multi-resolution Emission Inventory model for Climate and air pollution research (MEIC) emissions inventory, we found that: Despite the significant decline in China's BC emissions, MERRA-2 still relies on the 2006 emissions inventory, while CAMS utilizes emission inventories that even show an increasing trend. These factors will undoubtedly lead to greater deviations between reanalysis and observational data.

[Mechanism of Mongolian drug Naru-3 in initiation of neuroinflammation of neuropathic pain from MMP9/IL-1ß signaling pathway].

Neuropathic pain(NP) has similar phenotypes but different sequential neuroinflammatory mechanisms in the pathological process. It is of great significance to inhibit the initiation of neuroinflammation, which has become a new direction of NP treatment and drug development in recent years. Mongolian drug Naru-3 is clinically effective in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia, sciatica, and other NPs in a short time, but its pharmacodynamic characteristics and mechanism of analgesia are still unclear. In this study, a spinal nerve ligation(SNL) model simulating clinical peripheral nerve injury was established and the efficacy and mechanism of Naru-3 in the treatment of NPs was discussed by means of behavioral detection, side effect evaluation, network analysis, and experimental verification. Pharmacodynamic results showed that Naru-3 increased the basic pain sensitivity threshold(mechanical hyperalgesia and thermal radiation hyperalgesia) in the initiation of SNL in animals and relieved spontaneous pain, however, there was no significant effect on the basic pain sensitivity threshold and motor coordination function of normal animals under physiological and pathological conditions. Meanwhile, the results of primary screening of target tissues showed that Naru-3 inhibited the second phase of injury-induced nociceptive response of formalin test in mice and reduced the expression of inflammatory factors in the spinal cord. Network analysis discovered that Naru-3 had synergy in the treatment of NP, and its mechanism was associated with core targets such as matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP9) and interleukin-1ß(IL-1ß). The experiment further took the dorsal root ganglion(DRG) and the stage of patho-logical spinal cord as the research objects, focusing on the core targets of inducing microglial neuroinflammation. By means of Western blot, immunofluorescence, agonists, antagonists, behavior, etc., the mechanism of Naru-3 in exerting NP analgesia may be related to the negative regulation of the MMP9/IL-1ß signaling pathway-mediated microglia p38/IL-1ß inflammatory loop in the activation phase. The relevant research enriches the biological connotation of Naru-3 in the treatment of NP and provides references for clinical rational drug use.

Core-shell cisplatin/SiO2 nanocapsules combined with PTC-209 overcome chemotherapy-Acquired and intrinsic resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma.

The primary cause of cisplatin resistance in liver cancer is reduced intracellular drug accumulation and altered DNA repair/apoptosis signaling. Existing strategies to reverse cisplatin resistance have limited efficacy, as they target individual factors. This study proposes a drug delivery system consisting of a cisplatin core, a silica shell with a tetra-sulfide bond, and a PEG-coated surface (Core/shell-PGCN). The system is designed to consume glutathione (GSH) and reduce cisplatin excretion from cells, thereby overcoming acquired cisplatin resistance. In addition, Core/shell-PGCN incorporates PTC-209 (Core/shell-PGCN@PTC-209), a Bmi1 inhibitor that suppresses liver cancer stem cells (CSC), to mitigate DNA repair/apoptosis signaling and reverse intrinsic cisplatin resistance. In vivo and in vitro results demonstrate that Core/shell-PGCN@PTC-209 can comprehensively regulate GSH and CSC, reverse intrinsic and acquired cisplatin resistance, and enhance the efficacy of cisplatin in treating liver cancer. This "inner cultivation, outer action" approach may offer a new strategy for reversing cisplatin resistance in liver cancer. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Cisplatin resistance is widely observed in liver cancer (HCC) chemotherapy, with two mechanisms identified: acquired and intrinsic. Most strategies aimed at overcoming cisplatin resistance focus on a single perspective. This study introduces a core-shell drug delivery system (DDS) combined with HCC stem cell inhibitors, which can effectively address cisplatin resistance in HCC by targeting both acquisition and internality. Specifically, the core-shell drug delivery system can impede cisplatin efflux by neutralizing the acquired resistance factor (GSH), thus overcoming acquired resistance. Additionally, HCC stem cell inhibitors can reverse intrinsic resistance by inhibiting HCC stem cells. Therefore, this study contributes to the application of DDS in combating drug resistance in HCC and enhances its potential for clinical implementation.

Anti-inflammatory therapeutic biomarkers identified of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell therapy on aging mice by serum proteomics and peptidomics study.

Aging is accompanied by deterioration in physical condition, and creates high risks of diseases. Stem cell therapy exhibited promising potential in delaying aging. However, the unelucidated therapeutic mechanism limits future clinical application. Herein, to systematically understand the response to stem cell transfusion at the molecular level, we performed quantitative serum proteomic and peptidomics analyses in the 24-month-old aging mice model with or without mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) treatment. As a result, a total of 560 proteins and 2131 endogenous peptides were identified, among which, 6 proteins and 9 endogenous peptides derived from 6 precursor proteins were finally identified as therapeutic biomarkers after MSC transfusion on aging mice both by untargeted label-free quantification and targeted parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) quantification. Amazingly, the biological function of these differential proteins was mainly related to inflammation, which is not only the important hallmark of aging, but also the main cause of inducing aging. The reduction of these inflammatory protein content after MSC treatment further suggests the anti-inflammatory effect of MSC therapy reported elsewhere. Therefore, our study provides new evidence for the anti-inflammatory effect of MSC therapy for anti-aging and offers abundant data to support deeper investigations of the therapeutic mechanism of MSC in delaying aging.

MiR-223-3p affects the proliferation and apoptosis of HCAECs in Kawasaki disease by regulating the expression of FOXP3.

OBJECTIVE: Kawasaki disease (KD) can lead to permanent damage to coronary structures, the pathogenesis of which remains unknown. This experiment was designed to investigate whether miR-223-3p secreted in the serum of KD patients affects the proliferation and apoptosis of HCAECs in KD by regulating FOXP3. METHODS: Blood samples were collected in acute febrile phase of KD, after IVIG treatment, and from healthy controls. Transfected into HCAECs cells by synthetic FOXP3 siRNA/NC. A co-culture system was established between HCAECs cells transfected with FOXP3 siRNA/NC and THP1 cells added with three sera. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the expressions of miR-223-3p, RORγt, and Th17 in serum of KD patients were significantly upregulated, and the expressions of TGF-ß1, FOXP3 and Treg were significantly downregulated. At the same time, the levels of IL-6, IL-17, and IL-23 were significantly increased, and the levels of IL-10 and FOXP3 were significantly decreased. After IVIG treatment, the patient's above results were reversed. The serum of KD patients increased the expression of miR-223-3p and inhibited the expression of FOXP3 in HCAECs cells. IVIG serum is the opposite. Overexpression of miR-223-3p also promoted the apoptosis of HCAECs. In addition, serum from KD patients promoted apoptosis, whereas serum after IVIG treatment inhibited apoptosis. KD patient serum downregulated the expression of FOXP3, Bcl2, TGF-ß1 and IL-10 in cells, and upregulated the expression of caspase3, Bax, IL-17, IL-6, and IL-23. The opposite results were obtained with IVIG-treated sera. CONCLUSION: miR-223-3p secreted in serum of KD patients can regulate the expression of FOXP3 and affect the proliferation, apoptosis, and inflammation of cells.

Highly efficient and durable syngas production over one-step synthesized synergistic oxygen carriers in biomass chemical looping gasification.

Biomass chemical looping gasification (BCLG) gives a promising platform for cost-effective and low-polluting syngas production. To overcome the cumbersome process and poor dispersion of two-step synthesized synergistic oxygen carriers (OCs), NiO-LaFeO3 synergistic OCs were synthesized in one-step by sol-gel method with the found best Ni introduction amount of 0.5. The high lattice oxygen mobility and powerful oxidation capacity derived from the Ni-Fe synergistic effect made it perform better in the BCLG reaction. Due to the extraordinary stability of crystalline phase and oxygen activity, its reactivity did not suffer from any degradation during the 50 long-time redox cycles over 2750 min under the optimal working conditions of the ex-situ configuration, mutual mode and steam/biomass mass ratio of 5.0. The gas yield, carbon conversion, syngas selectivity and H2/CO ratio were constantly maintained around 1846.45 mL/g, 86.74%, 79.96% and 2.0, respectively. This study provides a feasible technical route for highly efficient and durable syngas production.

Probiotic-fermented Portulaca oleracea L. alleviated DNFB-induced atopic dermatitis by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Probiotic fermentation is a mild and safe biological method to boost the performance of herbs. Portulaca oleracea L. (PO), with folklore records of purgative, anti-dermatological and anti-epidemic effects, has been demonstrated to possess anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and antioxidant properties. However, the potential of PO for the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD) has not been sufficiently explored. AIM OF STUDY: This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic benefits of PO and fermented Portulaca oleracea L. (FPO) and explore their intrinsic mechanisms. METHODS: By utilizing 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene-induced AD mice as a model, the histopathology of the lesions was observed using H&E and toluidine blue staining methods; the levels of immunoglobulin E (Ig E), histamine (HIS), and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) in serum were measured using ELISA, whereas, the expression of inflammatory cytokines in skin lesion was measured using ELISA and immunohistochemistry experiments. The expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), IKKα, NF-κB mRNA was measured using qPCR; and the expression of TNF-α、p-IKKα, p-IκBα, p-NF-κB was measured using western blotting. RESULTS: Both 20 mg/mL PO and FPO alleviated mast cell infiltration and lesion pathology, reduced serum levels of Ig E, HIS and TSLP, down-regulated the expression of AD-related inflammatory cytokines, such as, TNF-α, interferon-γ, and interleukin-4, and increased filaggrin expression. Furthermore, they inhibited the expression of TNF-α, IKKα, and NF-κB genes and TNF-α, p-IKKα, p-NF-κB and p-IκBα proteins associated with the NF-κB signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: PO and FPO has a positive therapeutic potential on AD, indicating that it may be employed as alternative therapies for AD.

Research on the oncogenic role of the house-keeping gene GAPDH in human tumors.

Background: As an internal reference gene, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) plays an important role in glycolysis. While increasing evidence suggests that GAPDH plays a crucial role in tumorigenesis of some cancers, no systematic analysis of GAPDH has been conducted. Here, we sought to analyze the expression of GAPDH and its oncogenic processes in pan-cancer. Methods: GAPDH was investigated in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) tumor types using several bioinformatic tools including Tumor IMmune Estimation Resource (TIMER), Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), University of ALabama at Birmingham CANcer (UALCAN), cBio Cancer Genomics Portal (cBioPortal), and Search Tool for Recurring Instances of Neighbouring Genes (STRING) for the expression and relationships with prognosis and immune infiltration separately. Results: Through our analysis, we measured the higher expression of GAPDH across the majority of TCGA tumors. GAPDH overexpression predicts poor survival in patients with tumors expressing a high level of GAPDH. Moreover, the genetic changes in GAPDH contributed to an increased mRNA expression. Additionally, GAPDH expression was negatively correlated with immune infiltration involving cancer-associated fibroblasts, neutrophil cell and endothelial. Conclusions: The house-keeping gene GAPDH might be a promising biomarker for pan-cancer prognosis. And GAPDH is not suitable as an internal reference gene for most cancer research, whether RNA or protein analyses.

Mechanism Repositioning Based on Integrative Pharmacology: Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Safflower in Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius. L) possesses anti-tumor, anti-thrombotic, anti-oxidative, immunoregulatory, and cardio-cerebral protective effects. It is used clinically for the treatment of cardio-cerebrovascular disease in China. This study aimed to investigate the effects and mechanisms of action of safflower extract on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (MIR) injury in a left anterior descending (LAD)-ligated model based on integrative pharmacology study and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight-tandem mass spectrometer (UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS). Safflower (62.5, 125, 250 mg/kg) was administered immediately before reperfusion. Triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC)/Evans blue, echocardiography, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) ability, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were determined after 24 h of reperfusion. Chemical components were obtained using UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were performed. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting were used to analyze mRNA and protein levels, respectively. Safflower dose-dependently reduced myocardial infarct size, improved cardiac function, decreased LDH levels, and increased SOD levels in C57/BL6 mice. A total of 11 key components and 31 hub targets were filtered based on the network analysis. Comprehensive analysis indicated that safflower alleviated inflammatory effects by downregulating the expression of NFκB1, IL-6, IL-1ß, IL-18, TNFα, and MCP-1 and upregulating NFκBia, and markedly increased the expression of phosphorylated PI3K, AKT, PKC, and ERK/2, HIF1α, VEGFA, and BCL2, and decreased the level of BAX and phosphorylated p65. Safflower shows a significant cardioprotective effect by activating multiple inflammation-related signaling pathways, including the NFκB, HIF-1α, MAPK, TNF, and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. These findings provide valuable insights into the clinical applications of safflower.

The Effect of Female Sex on Short-Term Outcomes of Patients Undergoing Off-Pump Versus On-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

ABSTRACT Introduction: According to the American Heart Association guideline for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), female patients undergoing on-pump CABG (ONCAB) are at higher risk of short-term adverse outcomes than male patients. However, whether off-pump CABG (OPCAB) can improve the short-term outcome of female patients compared to ONCAB remains unclear. Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis to study the effect of the female sex on short-term outcomes of OPCAB vs. ONCAB. A total of 31,115 patients were enrolled in 12 studies, including 20,245 females who underwent ONCAB and 10,910 females who underwent OPCAB. Results: The in-hospital mortality in female patients who underwent OPCAB was significantly lower than in those in the ONCAB group with (2.7% vs. 3.4%; odds ratio [OR] 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65-0.89) and without (OR 0.68; 95% CI 0.52-0.89) adjustment for cardiovascular risk factor. The incidence of postoperative stroke in female patients who underwent OPCAB was lower than in those in the ONCAB group (1.2% vs. 2.1%; OR 0.59; 95% CI 0.48-0.73) before cardiovascular risk factor adjustment but was not significant (OR 0.87; 95% CI 0,66-1.16) after adjustment. There was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative myocardial infarction between women who underwent OPCAB and those in the ONCAB group (1.3% vs. 2.3%; OR 0.88; 95% CI 0.54-1.43). Conclusion: In contrast to the American Heart Association CABG guideline, female patients who had OPCAB don't have unfavorable outcomes compared with the ONCAB group.

Novel role for integrin ß4 in asthmatic children infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

Objectives: The regulatory role of integrin ß4 (ITGB4) in asthmatic children infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) was analyzed, and its potential molecular mechanisms and function were studied.Methods: We collected epidemiological data from 70,455 asthmatic children. The immunofluorescence assay was used to test 9 index IgMs against respiratory tract pathogens for 736 serum samples. Then, 98 children with severe asthma were treated via fiberoptic bronchoscope examination. During the surgery, the patients' lavage fluid was collected. Additionally, differences in transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-ß) expression between the MP-infected and noninfected groups were examined. Experiments were performed using white blood cell counting methods and flow cytometry for 98 asthmatic children.Results: We tested 736 specimens, and the percentages of MP, RSV, and ADV infections were 50.27%, 11.68%, and 10.05%, respectively. The percentage of eosinophils was increased significantly in the AS-I-MP group, and their TGF-ß expression levels were increased, which was related to tissue fibrosis. Furthermore, MP infection exacerbated the decreasing trend of ITGB4 expression in patients' blood compared with the noninfected group.Conclusions: There might be a chain reaction from MP infection to an increase in ITGB4, a decrease in TGF-ß, a large accumulation of eosinophils and the development of asthma in children.

The Effect of Female Sex on Short-Term Outcomes of Patients Undergoing Off-Pump Versus On-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

INTRODUCTION: According to the American Heart Association guideline for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), female patients undergoing on-pump CABG (ONCAB) are at higher risk of short-term adverse outcomes than male patients. However, whether off-pump CABG (OPCAB) can improve the short-term outcome of female patients compared to ONCAB remains unclear. METHODS: We conducted a meta-analysis to study the effect of the female sex on short-term outcomes of OPCAB vs. ONCAB. A total of 31,115 patients were enrolled in 12 studies, including 20,245 females who underwent ONCAB and 10,910 females who underwent OPCAB. RESULTS: The in-hospital mortality in female patients who underwent OPCAB was significantly lower than in those in the ONCAB group with (2.7% vs. 3.4%; odds ratio [OR] 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65-0.89) and without (OR 0.68; 95% CI 0.52-0.89) adjustment for cardiovascular risk factor. The incidence of postoperative stroke in female patients who underwent OPCAB was lower than in those in the ONCAB group (1.2% vs. 2.1%; OR 0.59; 95% CI 0.48-0.73) before cardiovascular risk factor adjustment but was not significant (OR 0.87; 95% CI 0,66-1.16) after adjustment. There was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative myocardial infarction between women who underwent OPCAB and those in the ONCAB group (1.3% vs. 2.3%; OR 0.88; 95% CI 0.54-1.43). CONCLUSION: In contrast to the American Heart Association CABG guideline, female patients who had OPCAB don't have unfavorable outcomes compared with the ONCAB group.

Compound Danshen Dripping Pills pretreatment protects the heart from ischemia/reperfusion injury by enhancing autophagic flux

Abstract Compound Danshen Dripping Pills (CDDPs) have been used in clinical treatment to protect the heart from ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury for many years. However, the underlying mechanism implicated in the protective effects remains to be explored. Here, we determined the effects of CDDPs in Sprague-Dawley rats with the IR model. Cardiac function in vivo was assessed by echocardiography. Transmission electron microscopy, histological and immunohistochemical techniques, Western blotting and recombinant adeno-associated virus 9 transfection were used to illustrate the effects of CDDPs on IR and autophagy. Our results showed that pretreatment with CDDPs decreased the level of serum myocardial enzymes and infarct size in rats after IR. Apoptosis evaluation showed that CDDPs significantly ameliorated the cardiac apoptosis level after IR. Meanwhile, CDDPs pretreatment increased myocardial autophagic flux, with upregulation of LC3B, downregulation of p62, and increased autophagosomes and autolysosomes. Moreover, the autophagic flux inhibitor chloroquine could increase IR injury, while CDDPs could partially reverse the effects. Furthermore, our results showed that the activation of AMPK/mTOR was involved in the cardioprotective effect exerted by CDDPs. Herein, we suggest that CDDPs partially protect the heart from IR injury by enhancing autophagic flux through the activation of AMPK/mTOR.

Surface Display of porcine circovirus type 2 antigen protein cap on the spores of bacillus subtilis 168: An effective mucosal vaccine candidate.

The oral mucosal vaccine has great potential in preventing a series of diseases caused by porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) infection. This study constructed a recombinant Bacillus subtilis RB with PCV2 Capsid protein (Cap) on its spore surface and cotB as a fusion partner. The immune properties of the recombinant strain were evaluated in a mouse model. IgA in intestinal contents and IgG in serum were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results demonstrated that recombinant spores could activate strong specific mucosal and humoral immune responses. In addition, spores showed good mucosal immune adjuvant function, promoting the proliferation of CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and other immune cells. We also found that the relative expression of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α and IFN in the small intestinal mucosa was significantly up-regulated under the stimulation of recombinant bacteriophage. These effects are important for the balance of Th1/Th2-like responses. In summary, our results suggest that recombinant B. subtilis RB as a feed additive provides a new strategy for the development of novel and safe PCV2 mucosal subunit vaccines.