Association of sdLDL-C With Incident Carotid Plaques With Stable and Vulnerable Morphology: A Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Small dense low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (sdLDL-C) particles are more atherogenic than large and intermediate low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) subfractions. We sought to investigate the association of sdLDL-C and the sdLDL-C/LDL-C ratio with incident carotid plaques with stable and vulnerable morphology in rural China. METHODS: This community-based cohort study used data from the RICAS study (Rose Asymptomatic Intracranial Artery Stenosis), which enrolled 887 participants (aged ≥40 years) who were living in Kongcun Town, Pingyin County, Shandong, and free of carotid plaques and had no history of clinical stroke or transient ischemic attack at baseline (2017). Incident carotid plaques and their vulnerability were detected by carotid ultrasound at follow-up (2021). Multivariable logistic regression models were used to explore the association of sdLDL-C or sdLDL-C/LDL-C ratio with incident carotid plaques while adjusting for demographic factors, vascular risk factors, and follow-up time. RESULTS: Of the 887 participants (mean age [SD], 53.89 [8.67%] years; 54.34% women), 179 (20.18%) were detected with incident carotid plaques during an average follow-up of 3.94 years (SD=0.14). Higher sdLDL-C or sdLDL-C/LDL-C ratio, but not LDL-C, was significantly associated with an increased risk of incident carotid plaques. The upper tertile of sdLDL-C (versus lower tertile) was associated with the multivariate-adjusted odds ratio of 2.48 (95% CI, 1.00-6.15; P=0.049; P for linear trend=0.046) for carotid plaques with vulnerable morphology (n=41), and the association remained significant in participants with normal LDL-C (<130 mg/dL; n=693; upper versus lower tertile: odds ratio, 3.38 [95% CI, 1.15-9.90]; P=0.027; P for linear trend=0.025). Moreover, the sdLDL-C/LDL-C ratio was associated with a higher odds ratio of incident carotid plaques in participants without diabetes (P for interaction=0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Higher sdLDL-C was associated with an increased risk of incident carotid plaques, especially carotid plaques with vulnerable morphology, even in participants with normal LDL-C. This suggests the potential of sdLDL-C as a therapeutic target for stroke prevention. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.chictr.org.cn; Unique identifier: ChiCTR1800017197.

Fibrous Conductive Metallogels with Hybrid Electron/Ion Networks for Boosted Extreme Sensitivity and High Linearity Strain Sensor.

Fibrous strain sensing materials with both high sensitivity and high linearity are of significant importance for wearable sensors, yet they still face great challenges. Herein, a photo-spun reaction encapsulation strategy is proposed for the continuous fabrication of fibrous strain sensor materials (AMGF) with a core-sheath structure. Metallogels (MOGs) formed by bacterial cellulose (BC) nanofibers and Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs), and thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) are employed as the core and sheath, respectively. The in situ ultraviolet light reduction of Ag+ ensured AgNPs to maintain the interconnections between the BC nanofibers and form electron conductive networks (0.31 S m-1 ). Under applied strain, the BC nanofibers experience separation, bringing AMGF a high sensitivity (gauge factor 4.36). The concentration of free ions in the MOGs uniformly varies with applied deformation, endowing AMGF with high linearity and a goodness-of-fit of 0.98. The sheath TPE provided AMGF sensor with stable working life (>10 000 s). Furthermore, the AMGF sensors are demonstrated to monitor complex deformations of the dummy joints in real-time as a wearable sensor. Therefore, the fibrous hybrid conductive network fibers fabricated via the photo-spun reaction encapsulation strategy provide a new route for addressing the challenge of achieving both high sensitivity and high linearity.

Association between atherogenic index of plasma and asymptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis in middle-aged and elderly women: A cross-sectional study in Shandong, China.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) is associated with progression of atherosclerosis and used to describe how pro- or anti-atherogenic components are balanced. However, the association of AIP with asymptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis (aICAS) is uncertain. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between AIP and aICAS in rural China. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 1990 participants aged ≥40 years free of stroke or transient ischemic attack were enrolled in this study. The presence of aICAS was examined by Transcranial Doppler ultrasound and confirmed by magnetic resonance angiography. The adjusted AIP (aAIP) was calculated according to the ratio of TG and HDL-C and further separated into 4 quartiles. Multiple logistic regression was used to investigate the association between aAIP and aICAS, and the dose-response relationship was explored by restricted cubic spline. After adjusting for conventional confounders, aAIP was significantly higher in the aICAS group than that in the non-aICAS group. Furthermore, the common odds ratios for aICAS risk increased with increasing aAIP quartiles. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that aAIP was independently associated with aICAS in female or middle-aged and elderly (age ≥50 years), and superior to other lipid profiles. Multiple-adjusted spline regression showed the dose-response association between aAIP levels and aICAS prevalence. CONCLUSIONS: AIP might be independently and positively associated with the prevalence of aICAS in middle-aged and elderly women, which might be superior to traditional and nontraditional lipid profiles in rural China.

The tissue distribution of Jinzhen oral liquid in healthy and influenza mice.

Jinzhen oral liquid (JZOL) is widely used in China. However, its tissue distribution, a vital part of the efficacy substances research, has not been reported yet. This study characterized its chemical components and its prototypes and metabolites in mice, and investigated its tissue distribution in pathological and healthy mice. Several constituents were characterized, including 55 constituents in JZOL, 11 absorbed prototypes and six metabolites in plasma and tissues. The metabolic pathways were demethylation, dehydration and acetylation. A sensitive, accurate and stable quantitative method was established and applied to the tissue distribution. After administration of JZOL, these seven components were rapidly distributed to various tissues, mainly staying in the small intestine, and less distributed to lung, liver and kidney. Compared with healthy mice, the absorption of baicalin, wogonoside, rhein, glycyrrhizic acid and liquiritin apioside was reduced in influenza mice, but their elimination was slow. However, influenza infection had no obvious effect on the overall distribution of the most important components (baicalin, glycyrrhizic acid and wogonoside) in the plasma or small intestine, but obviously affected the distribution of baicalin in liver. In summary, seven components are rapidly distributed to various tissues, and influenza infection has certain influence on the tissue distribution of JZOL.

A Spectral Encoding Simulator for Broadband Active Illumination and Reconstruction-Based Spectral Measurement.

Spectral reflectance or transmittance measurements provide intrinsic information on the material of an object and are widely used in remote sensing, agriculture, diagnostic medicine, etc. Most reconstruction-based spectral reflectance or transmittance measurement methods based on broadband active illumination use narrow-band LEDs or lamps combined with specific filters as spectral encoding light sources. These light sources cannot achieve the designed spectral encoding with a high resolution and accuracy due to their low degree of freedom for adjustment, leading to inaccurate spectral measurements. To address this issue, we designed a spectral encoding simulator for active illumination. The simulator is composed of a prismatic spectral imaging system and a digital micromirror device. The spectral wavelengths and intensity are adjusted by switching the micromirrors. We used it to simulate spectral encodings according to the spectral distribution on micromirrors and solved the DMD patterns corresponding to the spectral encodings with a convex optimization algorithm. To verify the applicability of the simulator for spectral measurements based on active illumination, we used it to numerically simulate existing spectral encodings. We also numerically simulated a high-resolution Gaussian random measurement encoding for compressed sensing and measured the spectral reflectance of one vegetation type and two minerals through numerical simulations. We reconstructed the spectral transmittance of a calibrated filter through an experiment. The results show that the simulator can measure the spectral reflectance or transmittance with a high resolution and accuracy.

Solid Particle Swarm Measurement in Jet Fuel Based on Mie Scattering Theory and Extinction Method.

To overcome the disadvantages of small and random samples in static detection, this paper presents a study on dynamic measurements of solid particles in jet fuel using large samples. In this paper, the Mie scattering theory and Lambert-Beer law are used to analyze the scattering characteristics of copper particles in jet fuel. We have presented a prototype for multi-angle scattered and transmitted light intensity measurements of particle swarms in jet fuel which is used to test the scattering characteristics of the jet fuel mixture with 0.5-10 µm particle sizes and 0-1 mg/L concentrations of copper particles. The vortex flow rate was converted to an equivalent pipe flow rate using the equivalent flow method. Tests were conducted at equivalent flow rates of 187, 250 and 310 L/min. Through numerical calculations and experiments, it has been discovered that the intensity of the scattering signal decreases as the scattering angle increases. Meanwhile, both the scattered light intensity and transmitted light intensity would vary with the particle size and mass concentration. Finally, the relationship equation between light intensity and particle parameters has also been summarized in the prototype based on the experimental results, which proves its detection capability.

Echocardiographic Characteristics of Pulmonary Artery Intimal Sarcoma: Comparison With CTPA.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the echocardiographic characteristics of patients with pulmonary artery intimal sarcoma (PAIS) and compared the results with those from computed tomographic pulmonary angiography (CTPA). METHOD: Twenty-six (26) patients were diagnosed with PAIS at the current institution during the study period, and 23 were eligible for analysis. Echocardiography and CTPA examinations were performed in all enrolled patients. RESULTS: The echocardiography results showed that most lesions had expansive growth in the left pulmonary artery (PA); the right PA; or a combination of the left PA, right PA, and main PA, with extension to the pulmonary valve and/or right ventricular outflow tract. These lesions also had distinctive sieve-like echogenic signals. Echocardiography also showed that some lesions had lobulated shapes, were nearly round and echolucent or with calcifications, and moved during imaging. The lesion distribution was similar in CTPA and echocardiography (p=0.361), but CTPA was more sensitive in detection of the complete shape (p=0.023). CONCLUSIONS: The unique echocardiographic characteristics of PAIS, especially the "sieve sign", could help in the diagnosis of this cancer. Transthoracic echocardiography is a non-invasive technique that appears effective in detecting PAIS.

Defatted hempseed meal altered the metabolic profile of fermented yogurt and enhanced the ability to alleviate constipation in rats.

BACKGROUND: Hempseeds (Cannabis sativa L.) are rich in easily digestible proteins, fats, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and insoluble fiber and are of high nutritional value. Probiotics have been found to relieve constipation, which solves a health problem that constantly troubles a lot of people. Therefore, the changes in the metabolites of fermented yogurt with or without 10% defatted hempseed meal (10% SHY or 0% SHY respectively) were studied and their laxative effects were examined through animal experiments. RESULTS: Amino acids and peptides, terpene glycosides, carbohydrates, lineolic acids, and fatty acids were found to be the major contributors to the discrimination of the metabolic profile between 0% SHY and 10% SHY. The differentially accumulated metabolites may lead to the discrepancy in the yogurt's functionality. Animal experiments showed that the 10% SHY treatment prevented constipation by increasing feces number, fecal water content, and small intestinal transit rate and reducing inflammatory injury in loperamide-induced constipated rats. Further analysis of the gut microbiota revealed that 10% SHY gavage increased the relative abundances of the Lactobacillus, Allobaculum, Turicibacter, Oscillibacter, Ruminococcus, and Phascolarctobacterium genera in the constipated rats, whereas Akkermansia, Clostridium_XIVa, Bacteroides, Staphylococcus, and Clostridium_IV were decreased. The combination of defatted hempseed meal and probiotics was found to be effective in relieving constipation, probably due to the enriched amino acids and peptides, such as Thr-Leu and lysinoalanine through correlation analysis. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated that defatted hempseed meal in yogurt altered the metabolic profile and effectively alleviated constipation in rats, which is a promising therapeutic candidate for constipation. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Predictors for symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage after intravenous thrombolysis with acute ischemic stroke within 6 h in northern China: a multicenter, retrospective study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study assessed the predictive factors for symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) after receiving intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) within 6 h in northern China. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed ischemic stroke patients who were treated with IVT between November 2016 and December 2018 in 19 hospitals in Shandong Province, China. Potential predictors of sICH were investigated using univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Of the 1293 enrolled patients (845 men, aged 62 ± 11 years), 33 (2.6%) developed sICH. The patients with sICH had increased coronary heart disease (36.4% vs. 13.7%, P = 0.001), more severe stroke (mean National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS] score on admission of 14 vs.7, P < 0.001), longer door-to-needle time [DNT] (66 min vs. 50 min, P < 0.001), higher blood glucose on admission, higher white blood cell counts (9000/mm3 vs. 7950/mm3, P = 0.004) and higher neutrophils ratios (73.4% vs. 67.2%, P = 0.006) et al. According to the results of multivariate analysis, the frequency of sICH was independently associated with the NIHSS score (OR = 3.38; 95%CI [1.50-7.63]; P = 0.003), DNT (OR = 4.52; 95%CI [1.69-12.12]; P = 0.003), and white blood cell count (OR = 3.59; 95%CI [1.50-8.61]; P = 0.004). When these three predictive factors were aggregated, compared with participants without any factors, the multi-adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of sICH for persons concurrently having one, two or three of these factors were 2.28 (0.25-20.74), 15.37 (1.96-120.90) and 29.05 (3.13-270.11), respectively (P for linear trend < 0.001), compared with participants without any factors. CONCLUSION: NIHSS scores higher than 10 on admission, a DNT > 50 min, and a white blood cell count ≥9000/mm3 were independent risk factors for sICH in Chinese patients within 6 h after IVT for AIS.

A retrospective study of drug-coated balloon angioplasty for vertebral artery origin stenosis.

PURPOSE: Angioplasty using drug-coated balloon (DCB) for treatment of symptomatic vertebral artery origin stenosis (VAOS) is promising, but of uncertain benefit. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of using DCB in the treatment of severe VAOS. METHODS: This study included 20 patients with severe VAOS treated with DCB alone between April 2018 and December 2019. Vascular death, transient ischemic attack (TIA), and stroke related to the responsible artery within 30 days after procedure were recorded as primary endpoints. Restenosis, late TIA, and stroke related to VAOS and satisfied clinical outcome [modified Rankin Scale (mRS) ≤ 2] were documented at follow-up visit as secondary endpoints. RESULTS: Of 20 patients, 16 were performed DCB dilation successfully, and 4 were excluded due to further bailout stenting. After the procedure, no adverse event occurred within 30 days. Ten of 16 patients achieved residual VAOS (rVAOS) < 50% (lower rVAOS group), and the remaining 6 patients achieved rVAOS ≥ 50% but < 70% (higher rVAOS group). During follow-up, vertebral artery origin restenosis was detected in 3 (18.8%) of 16 patients by ultrasound. Among the 3 patients with restenosis, 2 were belonged to the higher rVAOS group, which might indicate a tendency that the more severe the residual stenosis, the higher the restenosis rate. All patients had no complaint in the whole follow-up period (median, 7 months; InterQuartile Range, 1-18 months). CONCLUSIONS: Angioplasty using DCB for VAOS may be feasible, safe, and effective. The degree of residual stenosis after using DCB alone may affect the restenosis rate.

Clinical Features and Outcomes of Pulmonary Artery Sarcoma.

OBJECTIVES: A retrospective cohort study was designed to describe the clinical features and outcomes of pulmonary artery sarcoma (PAS). METHODS: Twenty-two (22) consecutive patients diagnosed with PAS by pathological examination were enrolled and followed up until they died or until January 2020. The medical records were retrospectively reviewed to evaluate the clinical characteristics, image findings, and outcomes. RESULTS: 1) Twenty-one (21, 95.5%) patients were firstly misdiagnosed. Dyspnoea was the most common presenting symptom (19 of 22, 86.4%). 2) Filling defects in the right pulmonary artery were seen in 17 patients (77.3%) with computed tomography pulmonary angiography or magnetic resonance pulmonary angiography. Among those patients, 14 underwent positron emission tomography-computed tomography detection and 13 (92.9%) were found to have increased uptake value in the pulmonary artery. 3) The median survival (from diagnosis to death or January 2020) of the total series was 11.6 months (range, 0.7-68.5 months). The estimated cumulative survival rates at 1, 2, and 3 years were 52.6%, 32.8%, and 19.7%, respectively. Patients who received surgery and/or chemo-radiotherapy treatment had a better survival rate compared with patients without treatment (the estimated cumulative survival rates at 1, 2, and 3 years were 60.3%, 39.1%, and 29.3%, respectively, vs 33.3%, 16.6%, and 0, accordingly) and better survival time (median survival 17.02 vs 3.16 months, respectively) (p=0.025). CONCLUSIONS: Pulmonary artery sarcoma is easily misdiagnosed, as the symptoms and routine image detection are nonspecific. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography may be helpful in diagnosis. Surgery and/or chemo-radiotherapy offer a chance for better outcomes.

Predictive values of carotid high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging for large embolus shedding in carotid artery stenting.

BACKGROUND: Embolus shedding is one of the important complications in carotid artery stenting (CAS). Carotid high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MRI) is often used to directly reflect important biological characteristics, such as plaque size and composition, as well as the structure of the carotid artery wall. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive values of carotid HR-MRI for large embolus shedding in CAS. METHODS: In total, 195 patients with carotid stenosis were enrolled. Preoperative carotid HR-MRI was performed to define the nature of the carotid plaques. CAS was performed in all patients, and intraoperative embolic protection devices were used to collect the shed emboli. According to the diameter and number of shed emboli, the patients were divided into the small-embolus group (group X) and largeembolus group (group Y). Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors of large embolus shedding. RESULTS: Group Y included 58 patients, and group X included 137 patients. Age, stenosis length, smoking, and ≥3 transient cerebral ischemic attacks were risk factors for large embolusshedding. Two cases of shed large emboli developed from stable plaques, and 56 cases of large emboli developed from vulnerable plaques. When vulnerable plaques were associated with more risk factors, the incidences of large embolus shedding in cases with vulnerable plaques combined with 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 risk factors were 44 % (4/9), 68.1% (15/22), 72.2% (13/18), 76.5% (13/17), and 84.6% (11/13), respectively. DISCUSSION: Carotid HR-MRI can predict the incidence of large embolus shedding in CAS.

Rational engineering strategies for achieving high-yield, high-quality and high-stability of natural product production in actinomycetes.

Actinomycetes are recognized as excellent producers of microbial natural products, which have a wide range of applications, especially in medicine, agriculture and stockbreeding. The three main indexes of industrialization (titer, purity and stability) must be taken into overall consideration in the manufacturing process of natural products. Over the past decades, synthetic biology techniques have expedited the development of industrially competitive strains with excellent performances. Here, we summarize various rational engineering strategies for upgrading the performance of industrial actinomycetes, which include enhancing the yield of natural products, eliminating the by-products and improving the genetic stability of engineered strains. Furthermore, the current challenges and future perspectives for optimizing the industrial strains more systematically through combinatorial engineering strategies are also discussed.

Platelet count trends and response to fondaparinux in a cohort of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia suspected patients after pulmonary endarterectomy.

A definitive diagnosis of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is difficult to make, especially in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. In this retrospective cohort study, we assessed the platelet count trends and the response to fondaparinux in a population of patients of suspected HIT after pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA). Patients enrolled in this study were over the age of 18 years, and survived longer than 7 days after PEA between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2015. HIT likelihood was assessed by the 4 T's score and interpreted by our institutional algorithm. 54 patients were operated, and 49 patients met the inclusion criteria. Six patients met the criteria for suspected HIT and were treated with fondaparinux until the platelet recovered. No significant difference was observed of clinical characteristics between intermediate to high HIT likelihood patients (HIT SUSPECTED) and low HIT likelihood patients (NO HIT SUSPECTED). HIT SUSPECTED patients reached platelet count lowest later (about 5.5 days after PEA), while NO HIT SUSPECTED patients is about 4.0 days after PEA. Percentage of platelet counts decrease (> 50%) was larger than NO HIT SUSPECTED patients (< 50%). There was no difference in mortality or residual pulmonary hypertension between HIT SUSPECTED and NO HIT SUSPECTED patients. Two HIT SUSPECTED patients who used heparin after PEA died, the other four survived by replacing heparin or low molecular weight heparin with fondaparinux. Suspected HIT patients should be surveilled carefully. Platelet counts trends may have some hints in the prevention of HIT. Fondaparinux may be effective for patients with suspected HIT.

Hsa_circ_0046159 is involved in the development of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

The present study was performed to screen for potential molecular biomarkers and to assess the underlying mechanisms of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) by using sequencing data analysis of microRNAs (miRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs). Total RNA was isolated from peripheral-blood samples from five CTEPH patients and from five normal individuals. Based upon the identification of differentially expressed miRNAs (Affymetrix miRNA chip) and circRNAs (Agilent circRNA chip), target predictions for these differentially expressed miRNAs and functional enrichment analyses of the miRNAs and circRNAs were performed. Subsequently, the miRNA partner predictions of these differentially expressed circRNAs and co-expression analyses of differentially expressed circRNAs and miRNAs were conducted. Based on the results of these analyses, a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network was constructed. Finally, the expression of circRNAs was detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Within the miRNA-circRNA regulatory network, hsa_circ_0026480 and hsa_circ_0046159 were predicted to interact with miR-27a-3p and miR-1226-3p, respectively with greater degree. Specially, ATP2A2-that had a ceRNA relationship with hsa_circ_0046159-was predicted as a target of miR-1226-3p. The results of RT-PCR also revealed a significantly increased expression of hsa_circ_0046159 in CTEPH samples than that in normal samples.

Association between serum bilirubin and asymptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis: results from a population-based study.

INTRODUCTION: The effects of bilirubin on asymptomatic intracranial atherosclerosis (aICAS) remain uncertain. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between bilirubin and aICAS in rural-dwelling Chinese people. METHODS: This population-based study included 2013 participants from the Kongcun Town Study, which aimed to investigate the prevalence of aICAS in people aged ≥ 40 years who were free of stroke and hepatic and gall disease history. Baseline data were collected via interviews, clinical examinations, and laboratory tests. Total bilirubin (Tbil), direct bilirubin (Dbil), and indirect bilirubin (Ibil) levels were divided into high-concentration group and low-concentration group, respectively. We diagnosed aICAS and moderate-to-severe aICAS (m-saICAS) (≥ 50% stenosis) by integrating transcranial Doppler ultrasound with magnetic resonance angiography. The association between bilirubin and aICAS, as well as m-saICAS, was analyzed using logistic regression. RESULTS: Of the 2013 participants, those in the high-concentration group of Tbil (odds ratio (OR), 0.50; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.42-0.87), Dbil (OR 0.60, 95%CI 0.41-0.87), and Ibil (OR 0.67; 95%CI 0.47-0.97) had a lower risk of aICAS than those in the low-concentration group after adjusting all confounders. The high concentrations of Tbil, Dbil, and Ibil were also negatively associated with m-saICAS. After stratification according to age, Tbil, Dbil, and Ibil were significantly negatively associated with aICAS among participants aged ≥ 60 years. CONCLUSION: Tbil, Dbil, and Ibil might be independent protective factors for aICAS and moderate-to-severe aICAS in rural-dwelling Chinese people, especially among older participants aged ≥ 60 years.

Oscillating shear stress mediates mesenchymal transdifferentiation of EPCs by the Kir2.1 channel.

Although endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are considered to be an essential source of vascular endothelial repair, their bidirectional differentiation determines that they play a double-edged role in the restoration of endothelial injury. In this research, we investigated the effect of Kir2.1 ion channel on the transdifferentiation of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) under the oscillating shear stress (OSS) and the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathological vascular remodeling. EPCs were treated with OSS (± 3.5 dynes/cm2, 1 Hz) simulated with the parallel flow chamber system. The results have shown that OSS promoted the expression of α-SMA and SM22, markers of mesenchymal cells on EPCs. Moreover, OSS also increased expression of Kir2.1 in EPCs. The down-regulation of Kir2.1 reduced OSS-induced EPC mesenchymal transdifferentiation. The overexpression of Kir2.1 suppressed the angiogenic abilities of EPCs in vitro. In parallel, the overexpression of Kir2.1 on EPCs thickened the carotid tunica intima in rat carotid artery balloon injured model in vivo. Taken together, those data indicated that the OSS could facilitate the transdifferentiation of EPCs by increasing Kir2.1 expression. This study provides a novel insight into the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases and gives evidence for Kir2.1 as a potential therapeutic target.

Structure and Properties of Oxidized Chitosan Grafted Cashmere Fiber by Amide Covalent Modification.

In this study, oxidized chitosan grafted cashmere fibers (OCGCFs) were obtained by crosslinking the oxidized chitosan onto cashmere fibers by amide covalent modification. A novel method was developed for the selective oxidation of the C6 primary hydroxyls into carboxyl groups for chitosan. The effect of oxidization reaction parameters of HNO3/H3PO4-NaNO2 mediated oxidation system on the oxidation degree, structure, and properties of chitosan were investigated. The chemical structure of the oxidized chitosan was characterized by solid-state cross-polarization magic angle spinning carbon-13 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (CP/MAS 13C-NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and its morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Subsequently, the effect of the oxidized chitosan grafting on OCGCF was examined, and the physical properties, moisture regain, and antibacterial activity of OCGCFs were also evaluated. The results showed that oxidation of chitosan mostly occurred at the C6 primary hydroxyl groups. Moreover, an oxidized chitosan with 43.5-56.8% carboxyl content was realized by ranging the oxidation time from 30 to 180 min. The resulting OCGCF had a C-N amido bond, formed as a result of the reaction between the primary amines in the cashmere fibers and the carboxyl groups in the oxidized chitosan through the amide reaction. The OCGCF exhibited good moisture regain and remarkable bacteriostasis against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria with its durability.

FadR1, a pathway-specific activator of fidaxomicin biosynthesis in Actinoplanes deccanensis Yp-1.

Fidaxomicin, an 18-membered macrolide antibiotic, is highly active against Clostridium difficile, the most common cause of diarrhea in hospitalized patients. Though the biosynthetic mechanism of fidaxomicin has been well studied, little is known about its regulatory mechanism. Here, we reported that FadR1, a LAL family transcriptional regulator in the fidaxomicin cluster of Actinoplanes deccanensis Yp-1, acts as an activator for fidaxomicin biosynthesis. The disruption of fadR1 abolished the ability to synthesize fidaxomicin, and production could be restored by reintegrating a single copy of fadR1. Overexpression of fadR1 resulted in an approximately 400 % improvement in fidaxomicin production. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays indicated that fidaxomicin biosynthesis is under the control of FadR1 through its binding to the promoter regions of fadM, fadA1-fadP2, fadS2-fadC, and fadE-fadF, respectively. And the conserved binding sites of FadR1 within the four promoter regions were determined by footprinting experiment. All results indicated that fadR1 encodes a pathway-specific positive regulator of fidaxomicin biosynthesis and upregulates the transcription levels of most of genes by binding to the four above intergenic regions. In summary, we not only clearly elucidate the regulatory mechanism of FadR1 but also provide strategies for the construction of industrial high-yield strain of fidaxomicin.

Neuroacanthocytosis: a case report of chorea-acanthocytosis.

Neuroacanthocytosis is a rare progressive neurodegenerative disease, including Chorea-acanthocytosis, McLeod syndrome, Huntington's disease-like 2, and pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration, where Chorea-acanthocytosis occupies the main entity of this disease group. Here, a classic case of Chorea-acanthocytosis is reported that exhibited gradually deteriorating abnormal movements of limbs and face, swallowing difficulty, and lip and cheek biting for the past two years. Peripheral blood smears revealed that 35% of the red blood cells were acanthocytes and electron microcopy scans clearly showed the morphology of acanthocytes. VPS13A gene sequencing found a heterozygous novel VPS13A gene mutation (c.80dupT). Brain magnetic resonance imaging scans showed moderate anterior horn dilation of lateral ventricles and bilateral atrophy of the head of caudate nucleus. Several suggestive features are summarized to provide diagnostic clues for Chorea-acanthocytosis and facilitate future diagnosis and treatment.