[Analysis of the epidemiological traits of occupational pneumoconiosis in Qinhuangdao between 1961 and 2020].

Objective: To study the prevalence of occupational pneumoconiosis in Qinhuangdao from 1961 to 2020 and offer a foundation for developing occupational pneumoconiosis prevention and control methods. Methods: In December 2020, the data of occupational pneumoconiosis cases diagnosed by medical institutions with occupational disease diagnosis qualifications in Qinhuangdao City from 1961 to 2020 were collected Anova or kruskal-Walls tests and chi-square tests were used for inter-group comparisons of continuous and categorical variables, and LSD tests or Tamhane T2 tests were used for multiple comparisons. Results: Between 1961 and 2020, 384 cases of pneumoconiosis were documented in Qinhuangdao, of which 382 (99.5%) patients were men and 2 (0.5%) were women. The average dust service duration is 15 (9, 25) years, with a minimum duration of 0.5 years and a maximum duration of 49 years; Cases were primarily distributed in Qinglong Manchu Autonomous County (187 cases, 48.7%) and the Haigang district (160 cases, 41.7%) ; Type of pneumoconiosis was silicosis (340 cases, 88.5%), mainly 273 cases (71.1%) of stage I, 88 cases (22.9%) of stage II, and 23 cases (6.0% of stage III) ; Cases of Phase II and III and with short lengths of service are mainly concentrated in medium-sized, small, private limited liability companies and collective enterprises. Rrock work (166 cases, 43.2%), and loading kiln workers (42 cases, 10.9%) were the main types. Conclusion: Because the distribution of pneumoconiosis cases in Qinhuangdao city is concentrated and the length of service is decreasing, it is important to enhance the oversight of important area, businesses, industries, and job categories in line with the growth of the region's mineral resources.

[Development in diagnostic criteria for allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis].

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is an allergic lung disease caused by the sensitization of Aspergillus fumigatus. In recent years, the research into ABPA has progressed, the testing methods have improved and the diagnostic criteria have been continuously updated. There is no gold standard for the diagnosis of the disease. The diagnostic criteria for ABPA include predisposing diseases, fungal-related immunoassay and pathological examination. Understanding the clinical significance of ABPA diagnostic criteria may help to prevent irreversible bronchopulmonary injury, improve respiratory function and improve the prognosis of patients.

[Microvascular perfusion and cardiac function after revascularization assessed by myocardial contrast echocardiography in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction].

Objectives: To evaluate microvascular perfusion and left ventricular function in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction after revascularization using myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE), and to explore clinical influencing factors of abnormal microvascular perfusion in these patients. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. The analysis was performed among patients admitted to Peking University People's Hospital for acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) from June 2018 to July 2021. All patients underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and completed MCE within 48 hours after PCI. Patients were divided into normal myocardial perfusion group and abnormal perfusion group according to the myocardial perfusion score. The echocardiographic indexes within 48 hours after PCI, including peak mitral valve flow velocity (E), mean value of early diastolic velocity of left ventricular septum and lateral mitral annulus (Em), left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS) and so on, were analyzed and compared between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the influencing factors of myocardial perfusion abnormalities. Results: A total of 123 STEMI patients, aged 59±13 years with 93 (75.6%) males, were enrolled. There were 50 cases in the normal myocardial perfusion group, and 73 cases in the abnormal myocardial perfusion group. The incidence of abnormal myocardial perfusion was 59.3% (73/123). The left ventricular volume index ((62.3±18.4)ml/m2 vs. (55.1±15.2)ml/m2, P=0.018), wall motion score index (WMSI) (1.59 (1.44, 2.00) vs. 1.24(1.00, 1.47), P<0.001) and mitral E/Em (17.8(12.0, 24.3) vs. 12.2(9.2, 15.7), P<0.001) were significantly higher whereas left ventricular global longitudinal strain (GLS) ((-10.8±3.4)% vs. (-13.8±3.5)%, P<0.001) was significantly lower in the abnormal myocardial perfusion group than those in the normal myocardial perfusion group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that left anterior descending (LAD) as culprit vessel (OR=3.733, 95%CI 1.282-10.873, P=0.016), intraoperative no/low-reflow (OR=6.125, 95%CI 1.299-28.872, P=0.022), and peak troponin I (TnI) (OR=1.018, 95%CI 1.008-1.029, P=0.001) were independent risk factors of abnormal myocardial perfusion. As for ultrasonic indexes, deceleration time of mitral E wave (OR=0.979, 95%CI 0.965-0.993, P=0.003), mitral E/Em (OR=1.100, 95%CI 1.014-1.194, P=0.022) and WMSI (OR=7.470, 95%CI 2.630-21.222, P<0.001) were independently related to abnormal myocardial perfusion. Conclusions: The incidence of abnormal myocardial perfusion after PCI is high in patients with acute STEMI. Abnormal myocardial perfusion is related to worse left ventricular systolic and diastolic function. LAD as culprit vessel, intraoperative no/low-reflow and peak TnI are independent risk factors of abnormal myocardial perfusion.

[Identification and 3D architecture analysis of the LIPC gene mutation in a pedigree with familial hypercholesterolemia-like phenotype].

Objective: To identify and analyze 3D architecture of the mutational sites of susceptible genes in a pedigree with familial hypercholesterolemia-like phenotype (FHLP). Methods: This is a case series study. A pedigree with suspected familial hypercholesterolemia was surveyed. The proband admitted in Beijing Anzhen Hospital in April 2019. Whole-exome sequencing was performed to determine the mutational sites of susceptible genes in the proband. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) sequencing was used to verify the pathogenic variant on proband's relatives. The structural and functional changes of the proteins were analyzed and predicted by Discovery Studio 4.0 and PyMol 2.0. Results: The patients in the pedigree showed abnormal lipid profiles, especially elevated levels of total cholesterol(TC). The genetic screening detected the c.1330C>T SNP in the exon 8 of lipase C (LIPC) gene, this mutation leads to an amino acid substitution from arginine to cysteine at position 444 (Arg444Cys), in the proband and proband's father and brother. In this family, members with this mutation exhibited elevated TC, whereas lipid profile was normal from the proband's mother without this mutation. This finding indicated that LIPC: c.1330C>T mutation might be the mutational sites of susceptible genes. The analysis showed that Arg444Cys predominantly affected the ligand-binding property of the protein, but had a limited impact on catalytic function. Conclusion: LIPC: c.1330C>T is a new mutational site of susceptible genes in this FHLP pedigree.

Limonitum Ameliorates Castor Oil-Induced Diarrhoea in Mice by Modulating Gut Microbiota.

Diarrhoea is a common clinical condition; its pathogenesis is strongly associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis. Limonitum is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine that exerts appreciable benefits regarding the amelioration of diarrhoea. However, the mechanism through which Limonitum ameliorates diarrhoea remains unclear. Here, the efficacy and underlying mechanism of Limonitum decoction (LD) regarding diarrhoea were explored from the aspect of gut microbiota. Castor oil (CO) was used to induce diarrhoea in mice, which were then used to evaluate the effects of LD regarding the timing of the first defecation, diarrhoea stool rate, degree of diarrhoea, diarrhoea score, intestinal propulsive rate, and weight of intestinal contents. The concentrations of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), including acetic, propionic, isobutyric, butyric and valeric acids, were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing technology was applied to evaluate changes in the gut microbiota under exposure to LD. LD was found to effectively ameliorate the symptoms of diarrhoea, and the diversity and relative abundance of gut microbiota were restored to normal levels following LD treatment. Additionally, LD significantly restored the observed reductions in SCFAs. These results provide strong evidence that LD can sufficiently ameliorate diarrhoea in mice by regulating their gut microbiota. The findings presented here highlight that Limonitum may constitute a prospective remedy for diarrhoea.

Impact of Spectators on a Two-Qubit Gate in a Tunable Coupling Superconducting Circuit.

Cross-resonance (CR) gates have emerged as a promising scheme for fault-tolerant quantum computation with fixed-frequency qubits. We experimentally implement an entangling CR gate by using a microwave-only control in a tunable coupling superconducting circuit, where the tunable coupler provides extra degrees of freedom to verify optimal conditions for constructing a CR gate. By developing a three-qubit Hamiltonian tomography protocol, we systematically investigate the dependency of gate fidelities on spurious qubit interactions and present the first experimental approach to the evaluation of the perturbation impact arising from spectator qubits. Our results reveal that the spectator qubits lead to reductions in CR gate fidelity dependent on ZZ interactions and particular frequency detunings between spectator and gate qubits. The target spectator demonstrates a more serious impact than the control spectator under a standard echo pulse scheme, whereas the degradation of gate fidelity is observed up to 22.5% as both the spectators are present with a modest ZZ coupling to the computational qubits. Our experiments uncover an optimal CR operation regime, and the method we develop here can readily be applied to improving other kinds of two-qubit gates in large-scale quantum circuits.

[A preliminary investigation of the clinical characteristics of community acquired pneumonia with concomitant pulmonary embolism].

Objective: To understanding the clinical characteristics of the patients of pneumonia concomitant with acute pulmonary embolism, and the early identification of high-risk patients. Methods: Retrospective analysis of hospitalized patients with confirmed diagnosis of community acquired pneumonia (CAP) with concomitant pulmonary embolism (PE) within a period of 5 years. Patients hospitalized with CAP alone in the same period were included in the control group in a ratio of 1∶2 according to the principle of gender and age. The demographic characteristics, clinical feature, laboratory examination, radiographic and other clinical data of these 2 groups of patients were studied. Statistical analysis was performed by Chi-square test, Kruskal-Wallis test and logistic regression. Results: Thirty-nine patients with CAP combined with PE and 78 patients with CAP alone were included. Compared to patients with CAP alone, dyspnea (21/39 vs 21/78, P=0.004), a history of heart disease (10/39 vs 8/78, P=0.031), and a history of connective tissue diseases (3/39 vs 0/78, P=0.035) were more common to seen in patients with CAP combined with PE. D-dimer [2 222(854, 3 539) ng/ml vs 295(168, 707) ng/ml, P=0.000], arterial PH value (7.5±0.5 vs 7.4±0.4, P=0.022), BNP [103.9(48.7, 236.8) pg/ml vs 98.4(44.8, 246.3) pg/ml, P=0.028] and incidence of lower extremity venous thrombosis (18/39 vs 3/41, P=0.000) were higher in patients with CAP combined with PE, while arterial partial pressure of CO2 [(35.3±6.2) mmHg vs (38.4±4.4) mmHg, P=0.009, 1 mmHg=0.133 kPa] was lower. Logistic regression analysis showed that D-dimer (P=0.000) and dyspnea (P=0.033) were associated with the risk of PE. Conclusion: When patients with CAP represent dyspnea or have a history of heart disease or connective tissue diseases concomitant PE should be considered for differential diagnosis. Determination of D-dimer, arterial PH value, arterial partial pressure of CO2, BNP and ultrasonography of lower extremities had important implications for the diagnosis of pneumonia complicated with acute pulmonary embolism.

[Transient spontaneous regression of pulmonary lymphoma: two case report and review of the literature].

Objective: To investigate the clinical features and pathogenesis of spontaneous regression of lymphoma involving the respiratory system. Methods: Two cases of pulmonary lymphoma which regressed spontaneously were reported. Literatures with"spontaneous regression, lymphoma""spontaneous remission, lymphoma"published before February 2020 were searched in Wanfang, CNKI and Pubmed database. And cases with respiratory system involvement of lymphoma which regressed spontaneously were analyzed. A total of 22 cases were finally retrieved. There were 6 males and 16 females, with an average age of (62.5±16.8) years. Results: Common symptoms included dyspnea, cough, expectoration, fever and weakness. Imaging examination showed that any parts in respiratory system could be involved. The proportion of invasive and indolent lymphomas was approximately similar. The time interval between diagnosis of lymphoma and first sign of spontaneous regression of the disease was from 2 weeks to 1 year. Spontaneous regression of the disease could sustain from 50 days to 60 months. Moreover, 78.6% of patients achieved complete remission in their courses of treatment, and some patients showed wax and wane phenomena. Conclusions: Spontaneous regression of lymphoma may occur in any part of the respiratory system. When a patient exhibits spontaneous regression of pulmonary lesions, lymphoma should be considered in the differential diagnoses. Pathology study is needed to achieve a definitive diagnosis. Misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis related to empirical treatment of antibiotics and corticosteroid should be avoided.

Elucidation of multiple alkane hydroxylase systems in biodegradation of crude oil n-alkane pollution by Pseudomonas aeruginosa DN1.

AIMS: The purpose of this study was to elucidate the characteristics of multiple alkane hydroxylase systems in Pseudomonas aeruginosa DN1, including two homologues of AlkB (AlkB1 and AlkB2 ), a CYP153 homologue (P450), and two homologues of Alm-like (AlmA1 and AlmA2 ). METHODS AND RESULTS: DN1 was capable of utilizing diverse n-alkanes with chain lengths from 8 to 40 C atoms as the sole carbon source, and displayed high degradation efficiency (＞85%) of crude oil and a majority of n-alkanes using gas chromatography method. RT-qPCR analysis showed that the five enzyme genes could be induced by n-alkanes ranging from medium-chain length to long-chain length which indicated the dissimilarity of expression between those genes when grown on different n-alkanes. Notably, the expression of alkB2 gene was upregulated in the presence of all of the tested n-alkanes, particularly responded to long-chain n-alkanes like C20 and C32 . Meanwhile, long-chain n-alkanes (C20 -C36 ) significantly elevated cyp153 expression level, and the expression of two almA genes was only upregulated in the presence of n-alkanes with chain lengths of 20C's and longer. Furthermore, the disruption of those genes demonstrated that AlkB2 appeared to play a key role in the biodegradation of substrates of a broad-chain length ranges, besides other alkane hydroxylase systems ensured the utilization of n-alkanes with chain lengths of from 20 to 40 C atoms. CONCLUSION: The five functional alkane hydroxylase genes make DN1 an attractive option for its versatile alkane degradation, which is primarily dependent on the expression of alkB2 . SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Our findings suggest that P. aeruginosa DN1 is a predominately potential long-chain n-alkane-degrading bacterium with multiple alkane hydroxylase systems in crude oil-contaminated environment.

[Long-term prognostic value of mean platelet volume in patients with stable coronary artery disease undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention].

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between admission mean platelet volume (MPV) and 2-year cardiac mortality in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and explored the consistence of this relationship in diabetes mellitus (DM) and non-DM subgroups. Method: A total of 4 293 patients who underwent PCI in Fuwai Hospital in 2013 were enrolled and divided into two groups according to MPV as follows: lower MPV (n=2 219, MPV≤10.5fL) and higher MPV (n=2 074, MPV>10.5fL). Result: Patients with high MPV had a higher rate of DM (30.4%(674/2 219) vs 34.5%(715/2 074)), smoking (53.3%(1 183/2219) vs 57.0%(1 182/2 074)), and previous coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) (4.0%(88/2 219) vs 5.4%(112/2 074)), while left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (64±7 vs 63±7), and glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (92±14 vs 91±15) were lower compared with patients in the low MPV group (all P<0.05). In the laboratory examination, patients with high MPV had higher glycosylated hemoglobin, and lower platelet count (all P<0.05). In coronary angiography, there was no significant difference in SYNTAX scores, left main/three-vessel lesions, stent type, success rate of operation, and total stent length (all P>0.05). Compared with low MPV group, patients with high MPV had ahigher cardiac mortality [18 (0.9%) vs 5 (0.2%), P=0.004]. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that compared to low MPV group, cardiac mortality in high MPV group was significantly higher (Log-rank P=0.004). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that high MPV was independently associated with 2-year cardiac mortality (HR 4.127, 95%CI 1.373 to 12.405, P=0.012). Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis also showed that MPV had a good diagnostic value in predicting 2-year cardiac mortality (area under the curve=0.624, 95%CI: 0.511-0.738, P=0.04). Subgroup analysis showed that in patients with DM (HR 2.090, 95%CI 1.217-3.589, P=0.008) and male (HR 1.561, 95%CI 1.007-2.421, P=0.047), MPV was significantly related with cardiac mortality. Conclusion: In patients with stable CAD who underwent elective PCI, high MPV was independently associated with an increase in 2-year cardiac mortality, especially in patients with DM and male gender.

[Population's acceptance and attitude toward a novel fecal immunochemical test for colorectal cancer screening: a multi-center survey in China].

Objective: To investigate the acceptance and attitude toward a novel fecal immunochemical test (FIT) in colorectal cancer screening among populations in China. Methods: From May 2018 to May 2019, 2 474 people aged 50-74 years were recruited from five provinces of China (Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hunan and Yunnan). The general demographic characteristics, acceptance of the new FIT technology and operational difficulties through the whole screening process were obtained through questionnaire survey. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the factors related to difficulties encountered in sampling stool, reading and uploading results. Results: The subjects were (60.0±6.4) years old, and female, high school of above educated, unemployed/retired/other, married and with medical insurance status of "new rural cooperative medical care (NRCMC)" accounted for 61.7% (1 526), 29.0%(718), 34.3% (849), 92.7% (2 293) and 31.3%(775), respectively. The population's acceptance of the FIT technology was 94.8%. In the process of FIT screening, the percentage of occurred difficulties in sampling stool, reading and uploading results were 33.1% (819), 46.4% (1 147) and 62.9% (1 557), respectively. The main difficulties were the uncertainty about whether the sampling operation was standard (28.0%), the inability to accurately judge the result displayed (32.5%) and the need for help without using a smartphone (44.2%). The results of multivariate logistic regression model analysis showed that people aged 65-74 years old and with medical insurance status of "NRCMC" were more likely to encounter difficulties in sampling, and those who were unemployed/retired/other and living with 3 or more family members were less likely to encounter difficulties in sampling. Those aged 65-74 years old, farmers or migrant workers, and those with "NRCMC" were more likely to encounter difficulties in readingresults, and those with 3 or more family members were less likely to encounter difficulties in reading result. Those with "NRCMC" were more likely to encounter difficulties in uploading results, and those with education level of high school or above, living with more than 3 family members were less likely to encounter difficulties in uploading results. Conclusion: The acceptance of the new FIT technology is relatively high among the subjects. Age, education level, occupation, number of family members living together and medical insurance status might be related to difficulties encountered in sampling stool, reading and uploading results, and it can be further strengthened in terms of the technology and characteristics of sub-populations.

The changing HIV-1 genetic characteristics and transmitted drug resistance among recently infected population in Yunnan, China.

Multiple human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 genotypes in China were first discovered in Yunnan Province before disseminating throughout the country. As the HIV-1 epidemic continues to expand in Yunnan, genetic characteristics and transmitted drug resistance (TDR) should be further investigated among the recently infected population. Among 2828 HIV-positive samples newly reported in the first quarter of 2014, 347 were identified as recent infections with BED-captured enzyme immunoassay (CEIA). Of them, 291 were successfully genotyped and identified as circulating recombinant form (CRF)08_BC (47.4%), unique recombinant forms (URFs) (18.2%), CRF01_AE (15.8%), CRF07_BC (14.4%), subtype C (2.7%), CRF55_01B (0.7%), subtype B (0.3%) and CRF64_BC (0.3%). CRF08_BC and CRF01_AE were the predominant genotypes among heterosexual and homosexual infections, respectively. CRF08_BC, URFs, CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC expanded with higher prevalence in central and eastern Yunnan. The recent common ancestor of CRF01_AE, CRF07_BC and CRF08_BC dated back to 1983.1, 1992.1 and 1989.5, respectively. The effective population sizes (EPS) for CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC increased exponentially during 1991-1999 and 1994-1999, respectively. The EPS for CRF08_BC underwent two exponential growth phases in 1994-1998 and 2001-2002. Lastly, TDR-associated mutations were identified in 1.8% of individuals. These findings not only enhance our understanding of HIV-1 evolution in Yunnan but also have implications for vaccine design and patient management strategies.

[Safety and efficacy of second generation drug eluting stents in diabetic and non-diabetic patients].

Objective: To investigate the long-term prognosis of Second generation drug-eluting stents(G2-DES) in diabetic mellitus(DM) and non-DM patients. Methods: Patients with coronary heart disease(CHD) in Fuwai Hospital from January 2013 to December 2013 who had exclusively G2-DES implantation, were consecutively included the follow-up period was 2 years. Results: A total of 6 094 patients with CHD were implanted with G2-DES, of which 1 862 patients with DM, and 4 232 patients without DM.The proportion of DM patients receiving G2-DES implantation with the following characteristics: advanced age, female, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, history of previous stroke, history of peripheral artery disease, previous history of PCI, and with triple vessel, high preoperative Syntax score, high number of target lesions, B2 or C type lesions, severe calcification lesions, and chronic occlusive disease were significantly higher than those of non-DM patients(P<0.05). The incidence of major adverse cardiac and cerebral vascular events(MACCE), target vascular revascularization(TVR) and target lesion revascularization(TLR) were higher in DM patients than in non-DM patients during 2 year's follow-up(P<0.05). The univariate COX regression analysis showed that diabetes was risk factor for MACCE in patients with CHD implanting G2-DES(HR=1.241, 95%CI: 1.053-1.463, P=0.010). However, multivariable COX analysis showed that DM was not an independent risk factor for MACCE in CHD patients with G2-DES(HR=1.125, 95%CI: 0.952-1.330, P=0.167). While age, female, preoperative Syntex score, triple vessel, B2 or C lesion were independent risk factors for poor clinical prognosis in CHD patients with G2-DES. Conclusions: (1) CHD patients with DM often accompany more clinical risk factors and complicated coronary lesions; (2) the incidence of MACCE, TVR and TLR in DM patients is significantly higher than non-DM patients with G2-DES during the 2 year's follow-up; (3) after multivariate adjustment, DM is not an independent risk factor for poor clinical prognosis in CHD patients with G2-DES, while traditional risk factors and complex coronary lesions are independent risk factors for poor clinical prognosis.

Evaluation of trace mineral source and preharvest deletion of trace minerals from finishing diets on tissue mineral status in pigs.

OBJECTIVE: An experiment was conducted to evaluate dietary supplemental trace mineral source and deletion on mineral content in tissues. METHODS: Weanling crossbred pigs (n = 144; 72 barrows and 72 gilts; body weight [BW] = 7.4±1.05 kg) were used. A basal diet was prepared, and trace mineral premix containing either inorganic (ITM) or organic (OTM) trace minerals (Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn) was added to the basal diet. Pigs were blocked by sex and BW and randomly allotted to 24 pens for a total of 6 pigs per pen, and fed a diet containing either ITM or OTM supplemented at the 1998 NRC requirement estimates for each of 5 BW phases (Phase I to V) from 7 to 120 kg. The trace mineral supplementation was deleted for 6, 4, 2, and 0 wk of Phase V; regarding nutrient adequacy during this phase, the indigenous dietary Fe and Mn was sufficient, Cu was marginal and Zn was deficient. RESULTS: At the end of Phase IV, Mn content (mg/kg on the dry matter basis) was greater (p<0.05) in heart (0.77 vs 0.68), kidney (6.32 vs 5.87), liver (9.46 vs 8.30), and longissimus dorsi (LD; 0.30 vs 0.23) of pigs fed OTM. The pigs fed OTM were greater (p<0.05) in LD Cu (2.12 vs 1.89) and Fe (21.75 vs 19.40) and metacarpal bone Zn (141.86 vs 130.05). At the end of Phase V, increased length of deletion period (from 0 to 6 wk) resulted in a decrease (linear, p<0.01) in liver Zn (196.5 to 121.8), metacarpal bone Zn (146.6 to 86.2) and an increase (linear, p<0.01) in heart Mn (0.70 to 1.08), liver Mn (7.74 to 12.96), and kidney Mn (5.58 to 7.56). The only mineral source by deletion period interaction (p<0.05) was observed in LD Zn. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated differential effects of mineral deletion on tissue mineral content depending on both mineral assessed and source of the mineral.

[Clinical characteristics and prognosis in the patients of stroke after percutaneous coronary intervention].

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis in patients with stroke after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: From January 2013 to December 2013, 10 724 consecutive patients undergoing PCI including acute coronary syndrome and stable angina pectoris were enrolled.A two years' follow up was conducted among these patients to investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with stroke and of those without. A comparison was done between the two groups. Results: One hundred and forty-five patients had stroke (1.4%) during the follow-up period after PCI, including 124 cases with ischemic stroke (1.2%), out of whom 4 (3.2%) patients died; 21 cases with hemorrhagic stroke, out of whom 9 patients (42.9%) died.There was more female, and more patients with risks factors, hypertension, previous myocardial infarction, previous stroke, etc. in the patients with stroke.During the 2-year follow-up, patients with stroke experienced higher incidence of all-cause mortality (9% vs 1.1%, P<0.000 1). There were no significant differences in the incidences of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, revascularization, stent thrombosis and major adverse cardiovascular event rates between the two groups.COX regression analysis showed that stroke after PCI was associated with the increased mortality (HR=8.387, 95%CI: 4.725-14.855, P<0.000 1). Meanwhile, after propensity score matched analyses (129 pairs), the trend was not changed, and stroke was still an independent risk factor of all-cause mortality (HR=6.737, 95%CI: 1.52-29.85, P=0.012). Conclusions: The patients underwent PCI, who had stroke later, had more clinical risk factors, and more serious degree of atherosclerosis.The incidence of stroke is an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality in patients with coronary heart disease after PCI.

[Usefulness of the residual SYNTAX score to predict long term outcome in acute coronary syndrome patients underwent percutaneous coronary intervention].

Objective: To quantify the extent and complexity of residual coronary stenosis following PCI by the residual SYNTAX score, and to evaluate its impact on adverse ischemic outcomes in acute coronary syndrome(ACS) patients. Methods: From January 2013 to December 2013, a total of 1 414 consecutive moderate- and high-risk ACS patients who underwent any PCI with multi-vessel coronary artery disease were evaluated.Patients were stratified by rSS quartiles and their outcomes were compared. Results: The rSS was 4.8±6.7. 591 patients (41.8%) had rSS=0(CR), 233 patients (16.5%) had rSS>0 but ≤ 3, 296 patients (20.9%) had rSS>3 but ≤8 and 294 patients (20.8%) had rSS>8.Clinical risk factors were more frequent in patients with incomplete revascularization(IR) compared with complete revascularization(CR). The 2-year rates of all-caused death(1.2% vs 0.4%, 2.0%, 4.4%, P=0.003), cardiac death, revascularization and MACCE were significantly higher in high rSS group, compared to other groups.By multivariable analysis, rSS was a strong independent predictor of ischemic outcomes at 2-year, including all-cause mortality (HR=1.05, 95%CI 1.01-1.09, P=0.019), cardiac death, revascularization and MACCE. Conclusions: The rSS is a strong independent predictor of all-caused death, cardiac death, revascularization and MACCE and has moderated predictive ability for those ischemic outcomes.

[Impact and clinical outcome of intra-aortic balloon pump use during percutaneous coronary intervention].

Objective: To observe the impact and clinical outcome of intra-aortic balloon pump(IABP) use in patients underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: From January 2013 to December 2013, 10 724 consecutive patients undergoing PCI were enrolled.After 2 years' follow-up, the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events such as death, myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, revascularization, recurrent stroke were recorded, propensity score was used to match baseline data, and the clinical outcomes in patients with IABP and non-IABP were compared. Results: The overall use of IABP was 1.3%(143/10 724), clinical and angiographic risks were significantly higher in IABP group than non-IABP group.The rate of cardiac shock was significantly higher (9.8%(14/143) vs. 0.2%(16/10 581), P<0.01) and left ventricular ejection fraction was significantly lower (54.3%±11.0% vs. 62.9%±7.2%, P<0.01) in the IABP group than in the non-IABP group.Patients in IABP group had a significantly higher rate of left main or triple-vessel disease (P<0.01), and their SYNTAX score, target lesion number, stent number were also significantly higher compared with non-IABP patients (all P<0.01). During the 2-year follow-up, all-cause mortality was significantly higher in IABP group than in non-IABP group (10.5%(15/142) vs. 1.1%(116/10 581), P<0.001). Multivariable analyses indicated that IABP was associated with increased mortality (HR=3.51, 95%CI 1.71-7.17, P=0.001). However, after propensity score matched analyses (137 pairs), IABP use was no longer an independent predictor of all-cause mortality (HR=2.09, 95%CI 0.72-6.13, P=0.177). Conclusions: In this single large center of coronary heart disease in China, the IABP usage was about 1.3%.Propensity score matched analyses showed that during the 2 years' follow-up, adverse effect including similar long-term mortality is similar between PCI patients with or without IABP after adjusting for confounders.

[Impact of platelet distribution width on the extent and long-term outcome of patients with stable coronary artery disease post percutaneous coronary intervention].

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between platelet distribution width(PDW) and the extent of coronary artery disease and 2-year outcome in patients received percutaneous coronary artery intervention(PCI) because of stable coronary artery disease(SCAD). Methods: We consecutively enrolled 4 293 patients who received PCI because of SCAD in Fuwai Hospital from Jan 2013 to Dec 2013, patients were followed up for 2 years. Patients were divided into three groups according to tertiles values of PDW as follows: PDW≤11.4%(1 402 patients), 11.4%12.9% (1 450 patients). Major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) were defined as the occurrence of death, myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularization, intra stent thrombosis and stroke during follow-up. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the relationship between PDW and the extent of CAD. Multivariable Cox regression was used to evaluate the relationship between PDW and prognosis of SCAD patients. Results: PDW was associated with diabetes mellitus, body mass index, red cell distribution width, mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet counts and glycosylated haemoglobin (P<0.05), but not associated with age, sex, estimated glomerular filtration rate (P>0.05). PDW was not correlated with the extent of CAD(P=0.990), SYNTAX score(P=0.721), no-reflow phenomenon after PCI(P=0.978). Multivariable logistic regression also showed no relationship between PDW and extent of CAD (OR=0.994, 95%CI 0.961-1.029, P=0.73). PDW was found to be an independent risk factor of 2-year cardiac death (HR=1.242, 95%CI 1.031-1.497, P=0.022), but was not an independent risk factor of all-cause death and MACCE. Conclusions: PDW is not related with the extent of coronary artery disease. PDW is an independent risk factor of 2-year cardiac death, but is not an independent risk factor of all-cause death and MACCE in this patient cohort.

Ectopic expression of Arabidopsis thaliana Na+(K+)/H+ antiporter gene, AtNHX5, enhances soybean salt tolerance.

Drought and salt stresses are the two major factors influencing the yield and quality of crops worldwide. Na(+)(K(+))/H(+) antiporters (NHXs) are ubiquitous membrane proteins that play important roles in maintaining the cellular pH and Na(+)(K(+)) homeostasis. The model plant Arabidopsis potentially encodes six NHX genes, namely AtNHX1 to 6. In the present study, AtNHX5, a comparatively less well-studied NHX, was cloned and transferred into a soybean variety, Dongnong-50, via Agrobacterium-mediated cotyledonary node transformation to assess its role in improving salt tolerance of the transgenic plants. The transgenic soybean plants were tolerant to the presence of 300 mM NaCl whereas the non-transgenic plants were not. Furthermore, after NaCl treatment, the transgenic plants had a higher content of free proline but lower content of malondialdehyde compared to the non-transgenic plants. Our results revealed that that AtNHX5 possibly functioned by efficiently transporting Na(+) and K(+) ions from the roots to the leaves. Overall, the results obtained in this study suggest that soybean salt tolerance could be improved through the over expression of Arabidopsis AtNHX5.

[Effects and related mechanism of flavone from Galium verum L on peroxide induced oxidative injury in human umbilical vein endothelial cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of flavone from Galium verum L (FGVL) on hydrogen peroxide induced oxidative injury in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), and explore related mechanisms. METHODS: HUVEC were divided into five groups: control group (1640 complete medium), injured group (HUVEC treated with 100 µmol/L hydrogen peroxide for 4 h), FGVL group (HUVEC treated with 12.5 mg/L FGVL (group F1), 25.0 mg/L (group F2), 50.0 mg/L (group F3) for 24 h before hydrogen peroxide). The nitric oxide content was measured by nitric acid reductase method. The 6-keto-Prostacyclin-F1α (6-keto-PGF1α), thromboxane B2 (TXB2), interleukin(IL)-6 and IL-22 were determined by ELISA.mRNA expression of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (Akt) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) was detected by RT-PCR.Protein expression of p-Akt (ser(473)) and p-eNOS (ser(1177)) was determined by Western blot.Cell apoptosis was observed with fluorescence microscope after Hoechst33258 staining. RESULTS: (1) The contents of nitric oxide were significantly lower in the injured group than in the control group ((34.11±1.78) µmol/L vs. (74.81±2.93) µmol/L, P<0.05), which was significantly increased in group F2 ((41.86±2.32) µmol/L) and group F3 ((62.79±1.16) µmol/L) compared with injured group (both P<0.05). (2)The secretion level of 6-keto-PGF1α was significantly lower in the injured group ((44.84±3.87) ng/L) than in the control group ((82.38±3.98) ng/L, P<0.05), which was significantly increased in group F1 ((52.76±1.78) ng/L), FGVL 2 group which was(56.58±1.44) ng/L and FGVL 3 group which was(67.78±2.02) ng/L than that of injured group(all P<0.05). The secretion level of TXB2 was significantly higher in the injured group((43.37±3.96) ng/L) than in the control group ((25.56±1.75) ng/L, P<0.05), which was significantly reduced group F2 group ((32.41±1.68) ng/L) and group F3 ((28.23±2.15) ng/L) than that of injured group(both P<0.05). (3) The contents of IL-6 and IL-22 were significantly higher in the injured group ((539.74±11.63) ng/L) and ((23.70±3.05) ng/L, respectively) than in the control group ((288.67±19.52) ng/L) and ((23.70±3.05) ng/L, respectively, both P<0.05). The contents of IL-6 were significantly lower in group F1, F2 and F3 compared to that of injured group(all P<0.05). The contents of IL-22 were significantly lower in group F2 and F3 than that of injured group(both P<0.05). (4)The relative levels of PI3K mRNA and eNOS mRNA in injured group (0.68±0.09 and 0.22±0.03, respectively) were significantly lower compared to control group(0.81±0.12 and 0.63±0.11, respectively, both P<0.05), PI3K mRNA in group F2 (0.76±0.03) and group F3 (PI3K mRNA 0.83±0.06) as well as eNOS mRNA in group F1 (0.37±0.08), F2 (0.53±0.04) and F3 (0.56±0.09) than those of injured group(all P<0.05). The mRNA expression of Akt was similar among groups (P>0.05). (5) The relative levels of p-Akt (ser(473)) and p-eNOS (ser(1177)) in injured group (0.48±0.05 and 0.23±0.03, respectively) were significantly lower compared to control group (0.71±0.12 and 0.66±0.05, respectively, both P<0.05), which was up-regulated in group F1, F2 and F3 groups compared to injured group(all P<0.05). (6) The cell apoptosis rate in injured groups was significantly higher compared to control group which ((63.67±11.37)% vs. (4.67±1.15)%, P<0.05) which was significantly reduced in group F1((43.33±4.16)%), F2((18.33±4.93)%) and F3((15.67±2.08)%) compared to injured group(all P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The FGVL can reduce hydrogen peroxide induced oxidative injury in HUVEC by increasing the level of nitric oxide through PI3K/Akt/eNOS pathway.