[Comparison of pulmonary vascular tortuosity and fractal dimension in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary disease and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension].

Objective: To compare the differences in pulmonary vascular morphological parameters between patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary disease (CTEPD) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension(CTEPH), and to explore the value of pulmonary artery morphology in the differential diagnosis of CTEPD and CTEPH. Methods: Thirty-nine patients with CTEPH [14 males, 25 females, mean age: (54.1±12.4) years] and 29 patients with CTEPD [10 males, 19 females, mean age: (51.4±18.0) years] from January 2018 to December 2020 were retrospectively included. The pulmonary artery and vein tree was segmented from the computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) images, and the morphological parameters of pulmonary vessels including the number of pulmonary arteries, pulmonary arterial tortuosity(distance metric, DM) and fractal dimension (FD), were calculated. The differences in pulmonary vascular morphological parameters between the two groups were compared, and the correlation between morphological parameters and hemodynamics was analyzed. Results: There was no significant difference in gender and age between CTEPH and CTEPD groups (χ2=0.015,P=0.904 & t=-0.729, P=0.469). The number of pulmonary arteries in CTEPH group (n=249.43±76.27) was significantly lower than that in CTEPF group (n=298.79±78.11, t=2.612, P=0.011). The pulmonary arterial tortuosity in CTEPH group (DM=1.26±0.17) was significantly higher than that in CTEPD group (DM=1.17±0.10, t=3.516, P=0.002). There was no significant difference in FD between CTEPH and CTEPD (FD=3.01±0.21 & 3.08±0.22, t=1.359, P=0.179). The number of pulmonary arteries was negatively correlated with pulmonary vascular resistance (r=-0.325, P=0.026). Pulmonary arterial tortuosity was positively correlated with mean pulmonary artery pressure (r=0.387,P=0.017), and was positively correlated with pulmonary vascular resistance (r=0.647, P<0.001). Conclusion: Pulmonary artery curvature is an important morphological parameter in differentiating CTEPH from CTEPD, and is related to mean pulmonary artery pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance.

[Self-reported quality of life in patients with coronary heart disease and analysis of the associated factors].

Objective: To investigate the quality of life and associated factors in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) in China. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 25 provinces and cities in China was performed from June to September 2020. A questionnaire was used to collect the socio-demographic and clinical information of patients with CHD, while the European Five-dimensional Quality of Life Scale (EQ-5D) was used to assess the quality of life. Multiple linear regression model was performed to analyze the associated factors. Results: The median age of the 1 075 responders was 60 (52, 67) years, and 797 (74.1%) were men. The EQ-5D and EQ-VAS indices were 0.7 (0.5, 0.8) and 60.0 (40.0, 80.0). Among the five dimensions in the quality of life scale, the frequency of anxiety/depression was the highest (59.8%), while problems in self-care was the lowest (35.8%). In the multiple linear regression model, female, increasing age, obesity, comorbidity(ies), anxiety/depression, social media channels, and receiving the CABG therapy were associated with the lower EQ-5D index (all P<0.05). In addition, increasing age, obesity, comorbidity (ies), depression, anxiety and depression, social media channels, and receiving the CABG therapy were associated with lower EQ-VAS index (all P<0.05). Conclusion: Over half of the patients with CHD in China have a low quality of life, which is related to gender, age, obesity, treatment pathway, the presence or absence of comorbidity (ies), and psychological state. In addition to managing the adverse effects of traditional socio-demographic factors on the quality of life, clinical practices should pay attention to the psychological state of patients. Moreover, establishing a WeChat group for doctor-patient communication could improve the quality of life of CHD patients.

Effect of uniconazole and nitrogen level on lodging resistance and yield potential of maize under medium and high plant density.

Lodging in maize results in grain yield reduction. This experiment investigated the effects of different application rates of the growth retardant, uniconazole (UCZ), and nitrogen (N) on medium and high maize population densities on lodging resistance and yield. UCZ was applied to maize seeds at concentrations of 0 (U0 ) and 25 (U25 ) mg kg-1 , and three different N application rates, 0 (N0 ), 150 (N150 ) and 225 (N225 ) kg ha-1 , at plant densities of 75,000 (D1 ) and 105,000 plants ha-1 (D2 ). UCZ application, different N rates and plant population density affected the lodging resistance and yield attributes of maize. The diameter, plumpness, cortex penetration and bending strengths of the internodes were enhanced with UCZ and N application at medium and high plant density, where maximum values were obtained with U25 N150 D1 . Internode length increased in the high-density population and higher N rate, whereas UCZ reduced internode length, where maximum internode length was obtained with U0 N225 D2 . Plant height, centre of gravity height, ear and height above ear-bearing node were higher with the high N rate, while UCZ reduced it significantly. UCZ, N rate and plant density enhanced lignin accumulation in the third internode and ear-bearing internode, where maximum values were obtained with U25 N150 D1 . Yield and yield attributes were also improved by UCZ, N rate and population density. Treatment with U25 N150 D2 significantly improved grain yield of maize compared with the other treatments.

Assessment of cerebral iron content in patients with Parkinson's disease by the susceptibility-weighted MRI.

OBJECTIVE: The overall goal of this study was to evaluate the usability of the susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) in (1) assessment of iron deposition to enhance our ability to detect PD in the early phase and (2) in estimation of the degree of PD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: SWI scans were carried out in 54 patients with PD (18 patients with the Hoehn-Yahr scale < 1.5 and 36 patients with the Hoehn-Yahr stage > 1.5) and 40 control individuals. The phase values of the substantia nigra, red nucleus, caudate nucleus, putamen, and globus pallidus were measured on the corrected phase image. RESULTS: Compared with control individuals, patients with both the early and intermediate/ advanced stages of PD had significantly different phase values in the substantia nigra, red nucleus, caudate nucleus, putamen, and globus pallidus (all p < 0.05). The phase values of the substantia nigra and globus pallidus inversely correlated with the Hoehn-Yahr scale (respectively, r = -0.845, p < 0.05, and r = -0.868, p < 0.05). Weaker correlations were found between the phase values of red nucleus, caudate nucleus, putamen, and Hoehn-Yahr scale (red nucleus r = -0.543, caudate nucleus r = -0.620, p < 0.05, putamen r = -0.537). CONCLUSIONS: A semi-quantitative assessment of the iron content of the substantia nigra and globus pallidus with the help of SWI may be useful for early diagnosis of PD and evaluation of the degree of this disease.

Public awareness of tuberculosis in China: a national survey of 69 253 subjects.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the level of awareness about tuberculosis (TB) in the public and associated factors in China. METHODS: Participants were recruited from 60 counties in 19 provinces and interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Questions asked covered the following areas: 1) overall TB awareness, 2) signs/symptoms of TB, 3) mode of TB transmission, 4) TB dispensaries, 5) free TB detection/treatment policy, 6) TB curability and 7) stigma attached to TB. Factors associated with TB awareness were examined using logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 69 253 respondents aged 12-65 years were interviewed, revealing an overall TB awareness rate of 89.0% (95%CI 88.8-89.3). The awareness rates for TB symptoms, TB dispensaries and the free TB detection/treatment policy were respectively 15.1% (95%CI 14.8-15.4), 41.9% (95%CI 41.6-42.3) and 44.7% (95%CI 44.3-45.0). Approximately 71.9% (95%CI 71.6-72.3) had some extent of stigma towards patients with TB. People in the farming industry and those with low educational levels had poorer knowledge of all aspects of TB knowledge and were more likely to stigmatise TB. CONCLUSIONS: Future TB control programmes in China should emphasise TB symptoms, TB dispensaries and its free TB detection/treatment policy to increase public TB awareness, and should target farm workers and people with low educational levels.

Cloning and analysis of a novel cDNA from Trichinella spiralis encoding a protein with an FYVE zinc finger domain.

A cDNA library from Trichinella spiralis adults 3 days post-infection was screened with a cDNA probe, designated T 54, derived from a newborn larvae subtracted cDNA library. Sequence analysis showed that the positive clone contained a cDNA insert of 1464 bp in length with a single open reading frame of 1290 bp, which encoded a protein of 429 amino acids with a putative molecular mass of 49.9 k Da. Database analysis predicted the deduced protein had a leucine zipper motif and an FYVE zinc finger domain. The recombinant fusion protein was expressed and rabbit anti-recombinant protein sera reacted with a single peptide migrating at approximately 55 k Da in crude worm extract from muscle larvae, adults and newborn larvae stages.

Molecular cloning of a cDNA encoding a putative cuticle collagen of Trichinella spiralis.

A 5-day-old adult stage-specific cDNA fragment from Trichinella spiralis was identified by suppression subtractive hybridization and was used as a probe to screen the cDNA library. The cDNA sequence coding for a putative T. spiralis cuticle collagen was isolated. The cDNA encoded an open reading frame of 343 amino acid residues with molecular weight of 35.1 k Da. The deduced protein contained an N-terminal signal peptide, a nematode cuticle collagen N-terminal domain and a collagen triple helix repeat domain. Searches in GenBank using BLASTP showed up to 47% identity to cuticle collagens from other nematodes. Southern blot analysis of genomic DNA indicated this gene was present as a single copy in T. spiralis genome.

Involvement of Sp1 in the transcriptional regulation of the rat insulin-like growth factor-1 gene.

UNLABELLED: Most insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) transcripts are initiated in exon 1, but mechanisms of regulation are not well understood. Since potential Sp1 sites are found in footprinted regions within approximately 360 bp upstream and downstream from the major initiation sites in exon 1, we explored the involvement of Sp1 and Sp3 in regulation of IGF-1 expression. Gel shift assays showed strong Sp1 binding to the downstream site, but binding to the upstream site was weak; Sp1 bound to a CCTGCCCA sequence in downstream footprint region V, and Sp3 binding was centered on the same sequence. IGF-I basal promoter constructs containing a mutation in the downstream Sp1 site exhibited a 32% decrease in expression in CHO cells and a 75% decrease in HepG2 cells, indicating the importance of Sp1 for expression in vivo. Sp1 and Sp3 expression vectors provided three- to five-fold stimulation of wild-type IGF-I constructs, but had little effect on a construct containing a mutation in the downstream Sp1 site, and Sp1 had comparable effects in Drosophila SL2 cells. IGF-I heterologous promoter constructs exhibited similar responses: in both SL2 cells and CHO cells, stimulation by Sp1 was enhanced with constructs containing downstream region V. Since Sp1 also stimulated expression of concatamers of putative cis-acting sites fused to the SV40 promoter enhancer in pGL3, the results in combination indicate that the presence of IGF-I region V is sufficient to permit stimulation by Sp1. CONCLUSION: Sp1 and related factors may play an important role in the regulation of IGF-I gene transcription, through interactions with region V downstream from the major initiation sites in exon 1.

Vascular expression of extracellular superoxide dismutase in atherosclerosis.

We characterized a novel form of extracellular superoxide dismutase (ecSOD) in atherosclerotic vessels. Specific activity and protein expression of ecSOD was increased two- to threefold in apo E-deficient compared with control aortas. RNase protection assays demonstrated that the expected ecSOD transcript was not increased in either apo E-deficient mice or cholesterol-fed LDL receptor-deficient mice, but that a second, lower molecular weight transcript was present and became predominant as atherosclerosis progressed. Sequence analysis revealed that this novel ecSOD has a 10-bp deletion in the 3' untranslated region and an asparagine to aspartic acid mutation at amino acid 21. Studies of isolated macrophages and immunohistochemistry suggested that the truncated ecSOD transcript was expressed by lipid-laden but not control macrophages. Recombinant wild-type and novel ecSODs expressed in Sf9 cells exhibited similar SOD activities. These experiments show that ecSOD expression is increased in atherosclerotic vessels and that this is characterized by an alteration in mRNA and protein structure. Further, the source of this altered ecSOD is likely the lipid-laden macrophage. The enzymatic properties of this novel ecSOD may have important implications for the function of the lipid-laden macrophage and the atherosclerotic process.

Reactive oxygen species produced by macrophage-derived foam cells regulate the activity of vascular matrix metalloproteinases in vitro. Implications for atherosclerotic plaque stability.

Vulnerable areas of atherosclerotic plaques often contain lipid-laden macrophages and display matrix metalloproteinase activity. We hypothesized that reactive oxygen species released by macrophage-derived foam cells could trigger activation of latent proforms of metalloproteinases in the vascular interstitium. We showed that in vivo generated macrophage foam cells produce superoxide, nitric oxide, and hydrogen peroxide after isolation from hypercholesterolemic rabbits. Effects of these reactive oxygens and that of peroxynitrite, likely to result from simultaneous production of nitric oxide and superoxide, were tested in vitro using metalloproteinases secreted by cultured human vascular smooth muscle cells. Enzymes in culture media or affinity-purified (pro-MMP-2 and MMP-9) were examined by SDS-PAGE zymography, Western blotting, and enzymatic assays. Under the conditions used, incubation with xanthine/xanthine oxidase increased the amount of active gelatinases, while nitric oxide donors had no noticeable effect. Incubation with peroxynitrite resulted in nitration of MMP-2 and endowed it with collagenolytic activity. Hydrogen peroxide treatment showed a catalase-reversible biphasic effect (gelatinase activation at concentrations of 4 microM, inhibition at > or = 10-50 microM). Thus, reactive oxygen species can modulate matrix degradation in areas of high oxidant stress and could therefore contribute to instability of atherosclerotic plaques.

Transcriptional regulation of the insulin-like growth factor-I receptor gene: evidence for protein kinase C-dependent and -independent pathways.

An important mechanism whereby growth factors stimulate vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation is by increasing insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I receptor binding. To characterize the mechanisms involved, we studied transcription of the IGF-I receptor gene in rat aortic smooth muscle cells. Angiotensin II (100 nM) and basic fibroblast growth factor (5 ng/ml) caused a marked increase in IGF-I receptor messenger RNA (mRNA) levels, peaking at 3 h (215 +/- 16.8% and 85 +/- 7.4% above control, respectively). Nuclear run-on assays indicated that angiotensin II and fibroblast growth factor stimulated IGF-I receptor gene transcription by 2.1- and 2.5-fold, respectively. Down-regulation of protein kinase C, a serine/threonine kinase that is important in growth factor-activated signal transduction, completely inhibited fibroblast growth factor- but not angiotensin II-mediated up-regulation of IGF-I receptor mRNA. The protein kinase C inhibitors chelerythrine (3 microns), calphostin C (100 nM), and staurosporine (10 nM) also blocked fibroblast growth factor but not angiotensin II induction of IGF-I receptor mRNA. Thus, angiotensin II and fibroblast growth factor transcriptionally regulate the IGF-I receptor gene by protein kinase C-independent and -dependent pathways, respectively. In view of our prior data indicating that IGF-I receptor density is a critical determinant of vascular smooth muscle cell growth, our findings have particular relevance to understanding mechanisms whereby growth factors regulate vascular proliferation in vivo.

Regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell insulin-like growth factor I receptors by phosphorothioate oligonucleotides. Effects on cell growth and evidence that sense targeting at the ATG site increases receptor expression.

We have recently shown that insulin-like growth factor I (IGF I) is a mediator of angiotensin II-induced mitogenesis in vascular smooth muscle cells (Delafontaine, P., and Lou H. (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268, 16866-16870). To study the role of the IGF I receptor in vascular smooth muscle cell growth, phosphorothioate oligonucleotides were used to modulate IGF I receptors. An antisense oligonucleotide targeting the ATG site inhibited basal and serum-induced DNA synthesis in vascular smooth muscle cells. Mismatch oligonucleotide had no effect, while surprisingly sense oligonucleotide increased IGF I receptor number and basal and serum-induced DNA synthesis. A 51% reduction in IGF I receptor number following exposure to 5 microM antisense oligonucleotide markedly inhibited angiotensin II-induced mitogenesis. A 70% increase in IGF I receptor number following exposure to 5 microM sense oligonucleotide resulted in a 4-fold increase in basal [3H]thymidine incorporation, and angiotensin II (1-1000 nM) had no additive stimulatory effect. An antisense oligonucleotide targeting a sequence starting at +109 base pairs (relative to ATG) also reduced IGF I receptor number, however, the corresponding sense oligonucleotide was without effect. These findings demonstrate that alterations in vascular smooth muscle cell IGF I receptor density play a critical role in the proliferative response of vascular smooth muscle cells to serum and to angiotensin II. In addition, the surprising observation that an ATG-directed sense oligonucleotide up-regulates IGF I receptors identifies a novel effect of oligonucleotides on gene expression.