Identification and characterization of circular RNAs expression profiles in obstructive sleep apnea-induced liver injury.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have exhibited microRNA sponge activity, related to many important biological processes. Our study attempted to explore the comprehensive changes of circRNAs expression pattern in Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)-induced liver injury and provide a global perspective of differentially expressed circRNAs (DECs). Then, RT-qPCR was used to confirm the microarray data. Further, gene ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway analysis were performed to annotate the DECs. Finally, the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA interaction network was established to predicted the target genes and target miRNAs of DECs for a stepwise bioinformatics analysis. We revealed a total of eighty DECs. In the meantime, six circRNAs were randomly validated by RT-qPCR. Among these circRNAs, mmu_circRNA_000469, 37851, 38959, 38983, 31665 were up-regulated in both microarray and qRT-PCR tissues, while mmu_circRNA_27565 was down-regulated. GO analysis revealed that circRNAs-target genes were largely related to liver function process such as carboxylic acid metabolic process and negative regulation of mitochondrial membrane potential. Meanwhile, KEGG analysis found that there were 13 pathways related to these circRNAs- target genes. And the most enriched pathway was Natural killer cell mediated cytotoxicity, which strongly suggests that immune responses may be important for the process of OSA-induced liver injury. In addition, four significant DECs (mmu_circRNA_000469, 38959, 38983, 27565) and their target mRNA and target miRNAs were further selected to establish the regulation network. Our study revealed that circRNAs may play a crucial role in OSA-induced liver injury and thus mmu_circRNA_000469, 38959, 38983, 27565 may serve as biomarkers of biological process of OSA-induced liver injury.

Effect of aqueous extract of Millettia speciosa Champ on intestinal health maintenance and immune enhancement of Cyprinus carpio.

Millettia speciosa Champ (MSP) is a natural Chinese herb that improves gastrointestinal health and enhances animal immunity. An 8-week feeding trial with different MSP levels (0, 150, 300, and 600 mg/kg) was conducted to evaluate the promotive effects of MSP in Cyprinus carpio. Results indicate that MSP improved intestinal immunity to some extent evidenced by the immuno-antioxidant parameters and the 16S rRNA in the Illumina MiSeq platform. With the analysis of transcriptome sequencing, 4685 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, including 2149 up-regulated and 2536 down-regulated. According to the GO and KEGG enrichments, DEGs were mainly involved in the immune system. Transcriptional expression of the NOD-like signaling pathway and key genes retrieved from the transcriptome database confirmed that innate immunity was improved in response to dietary MSP administration. Therefore, MSP could be used as a feed supplement that enhances immunity. This may provide insight into Chinese herb additive application in aquaculture production.

Generation and application of a novel transgenic zebrafish line Tg(GAcyp1a:eGFP/Luc) as an in vivo assay to sensitive and specific monitoring of DLCs in the environment.

CYP1A is the most commonly used biomarker and transgenic fish which carrying a cyp1a promoter to drive a reporter gene can be used as reliable way to monitor dioxin/dioxin-like compounds (DLCs) in the environment. Here, we cloned the cyp1a promoter of Gambusia affinis and this promoter showed stronger transcriptional activity than that of zebrafish. Then, a Tg(GAcyp1a:eGFP/Luc) transgenic zebrafish line was first constructed with the G. affinis cyp1a promoter driving eGFP expression using meganuclease I-SceI mediated transgenesis technology. The Tg(GAcyp1a:eGFP/Luc) larvae at 72 h post-fertilization (hpf) were tested by exposing to TCDD for 72 h, and induced GFP was mainly expressed in the liver with low background. The Tg(GAcyp1a:eGFP/Luc) zebrafish showed high sensitivity (limit of detection of 0.322 ng/L TCDD and 0.7 TEQ-ng/L PCDD/Fs) and specificity (insensitive to responses to PAHs and PCBs). In addition, the transgenic line showed a low detection concentration of the DLCs contaminated environmental samples (as low as 1.8 TEQ-ng/L), and the eGFP fluorescence intensity and the chemical-TEQ values were closely correlated. In conclusion, a sensitively and specifically transgenic zebrafish line was established to convenient and effective to detect DLCs in the environment.

Circular RNA expression alterations and function prediction in OSA-induced pancreatic injury in mice: New insights into pathogenesis.

OBJECTIVES: Increasing studies have shown that circular RNAs (circRNAs) participate in the pathogenesis and progression of many diseases. However, the function of circRNAs in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)-induced pancreatic damage has not been fully elucidated. In this study, the altered circRNA profiles in a chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) mouse model were investigated, aiming to provide novel clues for delineating the underlying mechanisms of OSA-induced pancreatic injury. METHODS: A CIH mouse model was established. circRNA microarray was then applied to profile circRNA expression in pancreatic samples from CIH groups and controls. Our preliminary findings were validated by qRT-PCR. Subsequently, GO and KEGG pathway analyses were carried out to annotate the biological functions of target genes of circRNAs. Lastly, we constructed a circRNA-miRNA-mRNA (ceRNA) network according to the predicted circRNA-miRNA and miRNA-mRNA pairs. RESULTS: A total of 26 circRNAs were identified to be differentially expressed, with 5 downregulated and 21 upregulated in the CIH model mice. Six selected circRNAs were preliminarily used to confirm the results by qRT-PCR, which were consistent with microarray. GO and pathway analysis indicated that numerous mRNAs were involved in the MAPK signaling pathway. The ceRNA analysis displayed the broad potentials of the dysregulated circRNAs to modulate their target genes by acting as miRNAs sponges. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our study first revealed the specific expression profile of circRNAs in CIH-induced pancreatic injury, which suggested a novel focus for investigating the molecular mechanism of OSA-induced pancreatic damage through modulating circRNAs.

CircRNA expression profiles and functional analysis in a mouse model of chronic intermittent hypoxia-induced renal injury: new insight into pathogenesis.

Increasing evidence has demonstrated that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of multiple diseases. However, the functions of circRNAs in renal injury induced by obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are poorly understood. The aim of this current study is to identify the global changes of circRNAs expression in OSA-induced renal damage. The mouse model of OSA treated by chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) was established. We assessed the expression profiles of circRNAs in CIH caused renal injury by microarray analysis. Bioinformatic analyses were further performed by us to assess those differentially expressed circRNAs. Quantitative realtime PCR (qRT-PCR) were then conducted to assure the data of microarray. Finally, a circRNA-miRNA -mRNA competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory network was constructed. We found 11 upregulated and 13 downregulated circRNAs in CIH-induced renal injury. The qRT-PCR validated that the six selected circRNAs were identical to the results of microarray. Both Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis were further employed to annotate the potential functions of dysregulated circRNAs. Finally, we established a ceRNA network to predict the target genes of circRNAs. In general, our results first illustrate that circRNAs are aberrantly expressed in OSA-induced renal injury, which might aid in offering novel genetic insights into this disease and potential therapeutic targets for OSA-associated chronic kidney disease.

Meta-analysis of the effects of CPAP therapy on estimated glomerular filtration rate in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

PURPOSE: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is highly prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease and may lead to a loss of kidney function. However, it remains unclear whether or not continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment improves the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in patients with OSA. This meta-analysis was designed to investigate the effect of CPAP therapy on eGFR in patients with OSA. METHODS: We searched the electronic databases Web of Science, Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Embase through June 1, 2022. Information about patients, CPAP duration, gender distribution, pre- and post-CPAP treatment eGFR, and age of patients were collected for further analysis. We applied the standardized mean difference (SMD) with a 95%confidence interval (CI) to analyze the pooled effects. Both Stata 12.0 software and Review Manager 5.2 software were employed for all statistical analyses. RESULTS: A sample of 13 studies with 519 patients was included in the meta-analysis. There was no significant change of eGFR levels before and after CPAP usage for patients with OSA (SMD = - 0.05, 95%CI: - 0.30 to 0.19, Z = 0.43, p = 0.67). However, subgroup analysis revealed that the level of eGFR was obviously decreased after CPAP therapy in patients with OSA and CPAP use duration > 6 months (SMD = - 0.30, 95% CI = - 0.49 to - 0.12, z = 3.20, p = 0.001), and elderly patients (> 60 years) (SMD = - 0.32, 95% CI = - 0.52 to - 0.11, z = 3.02, p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Meta-analysis confirmed that OSA treatment with CPAP has no clinically significant effect on eGFR.

Effects of TLR2/4 signalling pathway in western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) after Edwardsiella tarda infection.

Gambusia affinis is regarded as an important animal model. Edwardsiella tarda is one of the most serious pathogens affecting aquaculture. The study explores the effects of TLR2/4 partial signalling pathway in G. affinis of E. tarda infection. The study collected the brain, liver, and intestine after E. tarda LD50 and 0.85% NaCl solution challenge at different times (0 h, 3 h, 9 h, 18 h, 24 h, and 48 h). In these three tissues, the mRNA levels of PI3K, AKT3, IRAK4, TAK1, IKKß, and IL-1ß were substantially enhanced (p < .05) then returned to normal levels. Additionally, Rac1 and MyD88 in liver had different trend with other genes in brain and intestine, which displayed significantly indifference. The overexpression of IKKß, and IL-1ß indicated that E. tarda also caused immune reaction in intestine and liver, which would be consistent with delayed edwardsiellosis, which causes intestinal lesions and liver and kidney necrosis. Additionally, MyD88 plays a smaller role than IRAK4 and TAK1 in this signalling pathways. This study could enrich the understanding of the immune mechanism of the TLR2/4 signalling pathway in fish and might help to prescribe preventive measures against E. tarda to prevent infectious diseases in fish.

LncRNA XR_595552 inhibition alleviates intermittent hypoxia-induced cardiomyocyte damage via activating the PI3K/AKT pathway.

BACKGROUND: Although the long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) expression profiles have been observed in previous study, the biological functions and underlying mechanisms of lncRNAs in OSA-related cardiac injury have not been elucidated. In the present study, we investigated a novel lncRNA, lncRNA XR_595552, and evaluated its role in intermittent hypoxia (IH)-induced damage in H9c2 cardiomyocytes. METHODS: H9c2 cells were exposed to IH condition. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was conducted to measure the expression changes of lncRNA XR_595552 in H9c2 cells stimulated by IH. H9c2 cells were subjected to IH after transfection. CCK-8 was used to evaluate cell viability, and apoptosis was analyzed by Western blotting. Additionally, the regulatory relationship between lncRNA XR_595552 and PI3K/AKT was tested by RT-qPCR and Western blot. RESULTS: IH significantly induced injury in H9c2 cells (inhibited cell viability and promoted cell apoptosis). lncRNA XR_595552 was upregulated in a cell model of IH. Inhibition of lncRNA XR_595552 protected H9c2 cells against IH-induced damage, as the viability was increased, Bax, Caspase-9, and Caspase-3 were downregulated, and Bcl-2 was upregulated. More interestingly, lncRNA XR_595552 downregulation activated the PI3K/AKT pathway. Blocking the PI3K/AKT signal pathway by the use of LY294002 eliminated the myocardioprotective effects of lncRNA XR_595552 in H9c2 cells under IH condition. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that lncRNA XR_595552, a novel lncRNA, may play a protective role in attenuating IH-induced injury in cardiomyocytes via a regulating PI3K/AKT pathway. The findings suggest that this lncRNA could serve as a therapeutic target to treat OSA-related cardiovascular disorders.

Comprehensive analysis of differentially expressed miRNAs in mice with kidney injury induced by chronic intermittent hypoxia.

Background: miRNAs have been reported to participate in various diseases. Nevertheless, the expression patterns of miRNA in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)-induced kidney injury remain poorly characterized. In the current study, miRNA sequencing (miRNA-seq) was conducted to investigate miRNA expression profiles in a chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH)-induced renal injury mouse model. Methods: The mouse model of chronic intermittent hypoxia was established. Differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRs) were detected using miRNA-seq technology. The sequencing data were subjected to Gene Ontology (GO) functional enrichment and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses using a bioinformatics approach. RT-qPCR was further used to evaluate the sequencing results. Finally, we created a network for clarifying the relationship between the miRNAs and target genes. Results: In total, nine miRNAs were identified to be upregulated and nine to be downregulated in a mouse model of renal injury induced by chronic intermittent hypoxia. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses revealed that the Wnt signaling pathway was involved in the development of chronic intermittent hypoxia-induced renal injury. Subsequently, eight DEmiRs, namely, mmu-miR-486b-3p, mmu-miR-215-5p, mmu-miR-212-3p, mmu-miR-344-3p, mmu-miR-181b-1-3p, mmu-miR-467a-3p, mmu-miR-467 d-3p, and mmu-miR-96-5p, showed a similar trend of expression when verified using RT-qPCR. Finally, five selected DEmiRs were used to construct a miRNA-mRNA network. Conclusion: In conclusion, a total of 18 DEmiRs were identified in the mouse model of chronic intermittent hypoxia-induced renal injury. These findings advance our understanding of the molecular regulatory mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of obstructive sleep apnea-associated chronic kidney disease.

The impact of deleting the mitfa gene in zebrafish on the intestinal microbiota community.

To explore the relationship between the mitfa gene and intestinal microbiota, the 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing was performed to compare the intestinal microbiota composition of the mitfa knockout zebrafish line (CKO group) and the wild-type zebrafish (WT group) in this study. The results showed that the Fusobacteria and Firmicutes were significantly decreased and the Dependentiae and Patescibacteria were significantly increased in the CKO group at the phylum level. Furthermore, the relative abundance of Citrobacter, Gordonia, Mesorhizobium, Legionella, and Bradyrhizobium were extremely higher in the CKO group, whereas the other four genera Nocardia, Pannonibacter, Shinella, and Cetobacterium were significantly declined in the CKO group at the genus level. Due to these changed intestinal microbiota appear to be related to lipid metabolism and immunity, eight lipid metabolism-related genes and nine inflammation-related genes were detected in the intestinal. The results showed that the expression levels of these genes were significant differences between the CKO and WT group. These results indicated that the deletion of mitfa can affect the expression levels of immune and metabolism-related genes, and causing changes in the composition of the intestinal microbiota.

LncRNA XR_596701 protects H9c2 cells against intermittent hypoxia-induced injury through regulation of the miR-344b-5p/FAIM3 axis.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) participate in various biological processes and cardiovascular diseases. Recently, a novel lncRNA XR_596701 was found to be differentially expressed in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)-induced myocardial tissue compared to normal myocardial tissues. However, the pathological effect and regulatory mechanism of XR_596701 in intermittent hypoxia (IH)-mediated cardiomyocytes damage have not been studied. The subcellular localization of XR_596701 was determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Gene expressions of XR_596701 and miR-344b-5p were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in IH-induced H9c2 cells. Cell proliferation was measured by 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) staining assay. Cell apoptosis was detected by Hoechst 33342/PI staining and immunofluorescence (IF). Apoptotic protein of H9c2 cells was measured by western blot. The direct interaction between XR_596701 and miR-344b-5p as well as miR-344b-5p and Fas apoptotic inhibitory molecule 3 (FAIM3) were examined using dual-luciferase reporter assay. The significance of XR_596701 and miR-344b-5p on cell proliferation and apoptosis was evaluated by using gain-of-function and loss-of-function approaches. XR_596701 was upregulated, while miR-344b-5p downregulated in IH-induced H9c2 cells. Functionally, suppression of XR_596701 and overexpression of miR-344b-5p inhibited cell proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis in H9c2 cells. The roles of XR_596701 were achieved by sponging miR-344b-5p. And the function of miR-344b-5p was reversed by targeting FAIM3. Additionally, FAIM3 mediated IH-induced H9c2 cells damage by XR_596701. XR_596701 was serve as a novel lncRNA that indicated protective roles on proliferation and apoptosis of IH-induced H9c2 cells through the miR-344b-5p/FAIM3 axis.

Circular RNA Expression Profiles and Bioinformatic Analysis in Mouse Models of Obstructive Sleep Apnea-Induced Cardiac Injury: Novel Insights Into Pathogenesis.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) participate in the development of various kinds of diseases. However, the function and roles of circRNAs in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)-induced cardiovascular disease remain poorly understood. Therefore, we sought to explore the circRNA expression profiles and predict their functions in OSA-induced cardiac injury with the use of bioinformatics analysis. The model of OSA was established in mouse treated by chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) exposure. Then, we screened the circRNA profile using circRNA microarray. By comparing circRNA expression in three matched pairs of CIH-treated cardiac tissues and controls, differentially expressed circRNAs were identified in the CIH groups. Comparison of the selected circRNAs expression levels was performed between qRT-PCR and microarray. Meanwhile, we employed Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses to predict the functions of these selected circRNAs. Finally, we constructed a circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network based on the target prediction. It was found that a total of 124 circRNAs were differentially expressed in CIH-treated cardiac tissues (p ≤ 0.05, fold-change ≥ 1.5). Among them, 23 circRNAs were significantly down-regulated, and the other 101 were up-regulated. Then, ten circRNAs were randomly selected to validate the reliability of the microarray results by using qRT-PCR. Next, we conducted the GO and KEGG pathway analysis to explore the parental genes functions of differentially expressed circRNA. Finally, two significantly differentially expressed circRNAs (mmu_circRNA_014309 and mmu_circRNA_21856) were further selected to create a circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulation network. Our study did first reveal that the differentially expressed circRNAs played a vital role in the pathogenesis of OSA-induced cardiac damage. Thus, our findings bring us closer to unraveling the pathophysiologic mechanisms and eliciting novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of OSA-associated cardiovascular diseases.

miR-3574 ameliorates intermittent hypoxia-induced cardiomyocyte injury through inhibiting Axin1.

OBJECTIVE: miRNAs play critical roles in the regulation of many cardiovascular diseases. However, its role and potential mechanism in cardiac injury caused by obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) remain poorly elucidated. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of miR-3574 on cardiomyocyte injury under intermittent hypoxia (IH). RESULTS: We confirmed that IH inhibited cell viability, induced cell apoptosis and suppressed miR-3574 expression in the H9c2. miR-3574 overexpression could ameliorate the effects of IH on the cell viability and cell apoptosis in the H9c2. Axin1 was a target gene of miR-3574, and miR-3574 overexpression reduced the expression of Axin1. miR-3574 could inhibit the IH-induced cardiomyocyte injury via downregulating Axin1. However, Axin1 could partially reverse these effects of miR-3574. CONCLUSION: Our study first reveals that miR-3574 could alleviate IH-induced cardiomyocyte injury by targeting Axin1, which may function as a novel and promising therapy target for OSA-associated cardiovascular diseases. METHODS: H9c2 were exposed to IH condition. CCK-8 assay was applied to determine cell viability of H9c2. qRT-PCR was conducted to measure the expression level of mRNA and miRNA. Western blot assay was then performed to detect the protein levels. Finally, we used dual-luciferase reporter assay identify the potential target of miR-3574.

Impact of CPAP treatment for obstructive sleep apnea on visceral adipose tissue: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: It is still controversial if the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment for patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can markedly influence an effect on visceral adipose tissue (VAT). The current study aimed to assess the efficacy of CPAP interventions in reducing VAT in OSA patients. METHODS: The Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library (up to December, 2019) were searched for randomized trials that assessed the effect of CPAP therapy in decreasing VAT in OSA patients. Information on the study, pre- and post-CPAP treatment of VAT, and patient characteristics were extracted for analysis. The standardized mean difference (SMD) was applied to measure the summary estimates. The analysis was conducted with STATA 13.0 and RevMan v.5.3. RESULTS: Five studies (6 cohorts) that involved 169 patients were enrolled in the meta-analysis. There was no significant change of VAT in patients with OSA before and after CPAP treatment (SMD = - 0.00, 95% CI = - 0.21 to 0.21, z = 0.01, p = 0.99). Subgroup analyses further demonstrated that the results were not influenced by CPAP therapy duration, patient age, sample size, or baseline body mass index. CONCLUSIONS: Among the patients with OSA, our meta-analysis revealed that treatment with CPAP does not significantly lead to a reduction of VAT. High-quality randomized controlled trials may provide further clarifying information.

Efficacy of continuous positive airway pressure on subcutaneous adipose tissue in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

PURPOSE: It remains inconclusive whether continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy can significantly reduce subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) aimed to evaluate the impact of CPAP treatment on SAT in patients with OSA. METHODS: We searched Pubmed, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Embase for RCTs, which investigated the effectiveness of CPAP treatment in reducing SAT among patients with OSA. Following the PRISMA guidelines, we extracted information on the study and patient characteristics, and pre- and post-CPAP measures of SAT. We then calculated the overall effects using the standardized mean difference (SMD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: A total of 5 RCTs (comprising 153 patients) met inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. We found that the SAT did not change before and after CPAP treatment in patients with OSA (SMD = - 0.02, 95% CI - 0.25 to 0.2, z = 0.19, p = 0.85). Subgroup analyses indicated that the outcome was not affected by age, CPAP therapy duration, baseline body mass index, and measure utilized. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis of RCTs suggests that CPAP therapy does not significantly decrease the level of SAT among patients with OSA. Further large-scale, and high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to better address this issue.

Clinical characteristics of chronic liver disease with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a cohort study in Wuhan, China.

BACKGROUND: Previous work has described acute liver injury (ALI) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia patients, However, there is limited analyses available investigating chronic liver disease (CLD) in COVID-19 patients. This study aimed to investigate clinical characteristics and outcomes of CLD confirmed in COVID-19 patients. RESULTS: A total of 104 cases (each group containing 52 patients) were analyzed in this study. The CLD group showed an average of 14 (10.0~21.2) length of stay (LOS) days, compared to the group without CLD that only showed an average of 12.5 (10~16) LOS days (Relative Risk [RR] = 1.34, 95% CI (1.22~1.48), P<0.001; Adjusted Relative Risk was 1.24 (95% CI: 1.12~1.39)). The CLD group contained a higher mortality rate and slight liver injury. Furthermore, COX regression model analyses suggested that the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was an independent predictor of mortality risk (P < 0.001) in the CLD group. Additionally, a high NLR significantly correlated with a shorter overall survival (P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 patients also diagnosed with CLD suffered longer LOS, slight liver injuries and a higher mortality when compared to COVID-19 patients without CLD. The NLR was an independent risk factor for in-hospital deaths. Increased expression of NLR was an indicator of poor prognosis in COVID-19 patients with CLD. Thus, COVID-19 patients diagnosed with CLD and who show a higher NLR need additional care. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed at the Wuhan Jin Yin-tan Hospital from February 2, 2020 to April 2, 2020. COVID-19 patients diagnosed with CLD or not diagnosed with CLD were enrolled in this study. The clinical characteristics and outcomes of these patients were compared.

Effects of CPAP therapy on subcutaneous adipose tissue in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: a meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is an effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, studies provide conflicting results on the effects of CPAP on subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) in patients with OSA. We therefore performed a meta-analysis to evaluate whether or not CPAP has an effect on SAT in patients with OSA. METHODS: Studies were retrieved by searching the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, and Pubmed. Information on study and patient characteristics, study design, and SAT pre- and post-CPAP treatment was extracted for analysis. Different methods for measurement of SAT were also notated. Standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were measured to estimate the change in SAT before and after CPAP treatment. Meta-analysis was performed using the RevMan v.5.3 and Stata 14.0. RESULTS: A total of 10 studies met inclusion criteria encompassing 309 patients in the final analysis. The pooled estimate showed that CPAP treatment resulted in no significant change in SAT (SMD = - 0.014, 95% CI = - 0.161 to 0.133, p = 0.896). Meta-regression analyses revealed no predictor, including methods of measuring SAT, that influenced the CPAP effect on SAT. CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis demonstrated that after CPAP therapy, there was no significant change in SAT in patients with OSA.

Inhibition of miR-193a-3p protects human umbilical vein endothelial cells against intermittent hypoxia-induced endothelial injury by targeting FAIM2.

OBJECTIVE: The functions and molecular regulatory mechanisms of miR-193a-3p in cardiac injury induced by obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are poorly understood. This study aimed to explore the role of miR-193a-3p in intermittent hypoxia(IH)-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) injury. RESULTS: In this study, we found that IH significantly decreased viability but enhanced cell apoptosis. Concurrently, the miR-193a-3p expression level was increased in HUVECs after IH. Subsequent experiments showed that IH-induced injury was ameliorated through miR-193a-3p silence. Fas apoptotic inhibitory molecule 2 (FAIM2) was predicted by bioinformatics analysis and further identified as a direct target gene of miR-193a-3p. Interestingly, the effect of miR-193a-3p inhibition under IH could be reversed by down-regulating FAIM2 expression. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, our study first revealed that miR-193a-3p inhibition could protect HUVECs against intermittent hypoxia-induced damage by negatively regulating FAIM2. These findings could advance our understanding of the underlying mechanisms for OSA-related cardiac injury. METHODS: We exposed HUVECs to IH condition; the expression levels of miR-193a-3p were detected by RT-qPCR. Cell viability, and the expressions of apoptosis-associated proteins were examined via CCK-8, and western blotting, respectively. Target genes of miR-193a-3p were confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay.

Effects of CPAP on visceral adipose tissue in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: a meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: The efficacy of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on visceral adipose tissue (VAT) yielded conflicting results. This meta-analysis was performed to assess whether OSA treatment with CPAP could reduce VAT. METHODS: The PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science were searched before April 2019. Information on characteristics of study participants, pre- and post-CPAP treatment of VAT, and study design was utilized for analysis. Standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to fully analyze the overall effects. Eleven studies were obtained and the meta-analysis was performed using RevMan v.5.2 and STATA 12.0. RESULTS: A total of 11 studies (16 cohorts) were pooled into meta-analysis, which included 398 patients. The value of VAT before and after CPAP treatment showed no change in OSA patients (SMD = - 0.02, 95% CI - 0.16 to 0.12, z = 0.24, p = 0.81). Subgroup analyses were further conducted, which revealed that age, gender distribution, baseline body mass index, daily duration, CPAP therapy duration, measure, sample size, and study design did not affect the results. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis revealed that CPAP therapy has no effect on VAT in OSA patients. Further large-scale, well-designed randomized controlled trials are required to address this issue.