Assessment of left ventricular deformation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus by cardiac magnetic resonance tissue tracking.

To quantify the global and regional left ventricular (LV) myocardial strain in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) tissue-tracking techniques and to determine the ability of myocardial strain parameters to assessment the LV deformation. Our study included 98 adult T2DM patients (preserved LV ejection fraction [LVEF], 72; reduced LVEF, 26) and 35 healthy controls. Conventional LV function, volume-time curve parameters and LV remodeling index were measured using CMR. Global and regional LV myocardial strain parameters were measured using CMR tissue tracking and compared between the different sub-groups. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to assess the diagnostic accuracy. Regression analyses were conducted to determine the relationship between strain parameters and the LV remodeling index. The results show that global radial peak strain (PS) and circumferential PS were not significantly different between the preserved-LVEF group and control group (P > 0.05). However, longitudinal PS was significantly lower in the preserved-LVEF group than in the control group (P = 0.005). Multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses showed that global longitudinal PS was independently associated (ß = 0.385, P < 0.001) with the LV remodeling index. In conclusion, early quantitative evaluation of cardiac deformation can be successfully performed using CMR tissue tracking in T2DM patients. In addition, global longitudinal PS can complement LVEF in the assessment of cardiac function.

Single-cell assessment of transcriptome alterations induced by Scriptaid in early differentiated human haematopoietic progenitors during ex vivo expansion.

Priming haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) in vitro with specific chromatin modifying agents and cytokines under serum-free-conditions significantly enhances engraftable HSC numbers. We extend these studies by culturing human CD133+ HSPCs on nanofibre scaffolds to mimic the niche for 5-days with the HDAC inhibitor Scriptaid and cytokines. Scriptaid increases absolute Lin-CD34+CD38-CD45RA-CD90+CD49f+ HSPC numbers, while concomitantly decreasing the Lin-CD38-CD34+CD45RA-CD90- subset. Hypothesising that Scriptaid plus cytokines expands the CD90+ subset without differentiation and upregulates CD90 on CD90- cells, we sorted, then cultured Lin-CD34+CD38-CD45RA-CD90- cells with Scriptaid and cytokines. Within 2-days and for at least 5-days, most CD90- cells became CD90+. There was no significant difference in the transcriptomic profile, by RNAsequencing, between cytokine-expanded and purified Lin-CD34+CD38-CD45RA-CD49f+CD90+ cells in the presence or absence of Scriptaid, suggesting that Scriptaid maintains stem cell gene expression programs despite expansion in HSC numbers. Supporting this, 50 genes were significantly differentially expressed between CD90+ and CD90- Lin-CD34+CD38-CD45RA-CD49f+ subsets in Scriptaid-cytokine- and cytokine only-expansion conditions. Thus, Scriptaid treatment of CD133+ cells may be a useful approach to expanding the absolute number of CD90+ HSC, without losing their stem cell characteristics, both through direct effects on HSC and potentially also conversion of their immediate CD90- progeny into CD90+ HSC.

[Study on rapid recognition technique of schistosome susceptibility water body I Animal skin making and effect assessment].

OBJECTIVE: To develop a bionic animal skin and evaluate its detective effect of Schistosoma japonicum cercariae so as to provide a new technique for the monitoring of the schistosome susceptibility water body. METHODS: A bionic animal skin was made with pigskin and the experiments were carried out for evaluating its detective effects of S. japonicum cercariae in laboratory and simulate fields, and at the same time, the sentinel mouse method was used as the control. RESULTS: In the laboratory, the cercariae were found in 10-, 30-, 60-cercaria subgroups in the bionic animal skin group after 1 and 2 hours, but the cercariae were found only in the 60-cercaria subgroup in the sentinel mouse group. In the simulate fields, in the water body with 5 schistosome-infected Oncomelania hupensis snails, the cercariae were found in 2 bionic animal skin devices (2/4) and 3 bionic animal skin devices (3/4) after 2 hours and 4 hours respectively, and in the water body with 10 schistosome-infected O. hupensis snails, the cercariae were found in 4 bionic animal skin devices (4/4) and 3 bionic animal skin devices (3/4) after 2 hours and 4 hours respectively in the bionic animal skin group. In the the sentinel mouse group, in the above-mentioned water bodies (with 5 or 10 schistosome-infected O. hupensis snails), the cercariae were found in 2 sentinel mice (2/4) and 1 sentinel mice (1/4) after 2 hours and 4 hours respectively; and the cercariae were found in 2 sentinel mice (2/4) and 3 sentinel mice (3/4) after 2 hours and 4 hours respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The bionic animal skin device can be used to detect the S. japonicum cercariae, and its sensibility and efficiency are superior to the traditional sentinel mouse method.

Assessment of environmental improvement measures using a novel integrated model: a case study of the Shenzhen River catchment, China.

Integrated water environmental management in a rapidly urbanizing area often requires combining social, economic and engineering measures in order to be effective. However, in reality, these measures are often considered independently by different planners, and decisions are made in a hierarchical manner; this has led to problems in environmental pollution control and also an inability to devise innovative solutions due to technological lock-in. In this paper, we use a novel coupled system dynamics and water environmental model (SyDWEM) to simulate the dynamic interactions between the socio-economic system, water infrastructure and receiving water in a rapidly urbanizing catchment in Shenzhen, China. The model is then applied to assess the effects of proposed socio-economic or engineering measures on environmental and development indicators in the catchment for 2011-2020. The results indicate that 1) measures to adjust industry structures have a positive effect on both water quantity and quality in the catchment; 2) measures to increase the labor productivity, the water use efficiency, the water transfer quota or the reclaimed wastewater reuse can alleviate the water shortage, but cannot improve water quality in the river; 3) measures to increase the wastewater treatment rate or the pollutant removal rate can improve water quality in the river, but have no effect on water shortage. Based on the effectiveness of the individual measures, a combination of socio-economic and engineering measures is proposed, which can achieve water environmental sustainability in the study area. Thus, we demonstrate that SyDWEM has the capacity to evaluate the effects of both socio-economic and engineering measures; it also provides a tool for integrated decision making by socio-economic and water infrastructure planners.

[Assessment of early-stage physiological response to acute lung injury in canine models using balloon catheter system for measuring esophageal and gastric pressure].

OBJECTIVE: To explore feasible and reliable methods for estnbolishment and of acute lung injury model in animal models. METHODS: Twenty-four healthy adult mongrel dogs with oleic acid-induced acute lung injury were evaluated for early-stage physiological response to acute lung injury using a balloon catheter system for measuring esophageal and gastric pressure. RESULTS: In canine models of early-stage oleic acid-induced acute lung injury that sustained spontaneous breathing, in terms of respiratory mechanics, some parameters obviously increased including the respiratory rate (RR), minute ventilation (VE), peak inspiratory volume (Vinsp, peak), mean inspiratory volume (VT/Ti), inspiratory airway resistance (Raw, insp) (P<0.001 for all the parameters), with also significantly increased peak transdiaphragmatic pressure (Pdi, peak, P=0.0185). The tidal volume (VT) and dynamic lung compliance (CL,dyn), however, were significantly decreased (P<0.001), and significant variation occurred in the ratio of inspiratory time to duration of one breath (Ti/Ttot, P=0.163). In terms of gas exchange, the pH, PaO(2), SaO(2), PaO(2)/FiO(2), and end tidal partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PETCO(2)) all evidently declined (P<0.001), but PaCO(2) and ratio of alveolar dead space to tidal volume [VD(alv)/VT] increased significantly (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Application of balloon catheter system for measuring esophageal and gastric pressures allows objective evaluation of the various physiological responses in early stage of acute lung injury.