Mass Spectrometry-Based Proteomic Analysis of Potential Host Proteins Interacting with GP5 in PRRSV-Infected PAMs.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is a typical immunosuppressive virus causing a large economic impact on the swine industry. The structural protein GP5 of PRRSV plays a pivotal role in its pathogenicity and immune evasion. Virus-host interactions play a crucial part in viral replication and immune escape. Therefore, understanding the interactions between GP5 and host proteins are significant for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) control. However, the interaction network between GP5 and host proteins in primary porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs) has not been reported. In this study, 709 GP5-interacting host proteins were identified in primary PAMs by immunoprecipitation coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Bioinformatics analysis revealed that these proteins were involved in multiple cellular processes, such as translation, protein transport, and protein stabilization. Subsequently, immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence assay confirmed that GP5 could interact with antigen processing and presentation pathways related proteins. Finally, we found that GP5 may be a key protein that inhibits the antigen processing and presentation pathway during PRRSV infection. The novel host proteins identified in this study will be the candidates for studying the biological functions of GP5, which will provide new insights into PRRS prevention and vaccine development.

Hydroxysafflor Yellow A Exerts Neuroprotective Effects by Inhibiting Protein Carbonyl Formation in Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.

Protein carbonylation by reactive oxygen species (ROS) is an important factor in the pathogenesis of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI). Carbonyls are mainly produced by peroxynitrite (ONOO-) and hemin/hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)/sodium nitrite (NaNO2)-mediated reactions. As the main active water-soluble chalcone chemical ingredient derived from Carthamus tinctorius L, hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) has been increasingly applied in the treatment of cerebrovascular disease (CVD). In this study, rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: the sham-surgery group (sham), the CIRI group (CIRI) and the CIRI treated with HSYA group (HSYA). We evaluated the protective properties of HSYA in a CIRI model in vivo, assessed its efficacy against ONOO- and hemin/H2O2/NaNO2-induced oxidative damage to cerebral cortical tissues in vitro, and explored the probable molecular mechanisms underlying its neuroprotective effects. The results showed that HSYA protected rats against CIRI by improving their neurological function score (P < .05), reducing infarct volume (P < .01), decreasing the content of protein carbonyls (P < .01) and elevating the glutathione (GSH) levels (P < .01). Further in vitro investigations found that HSYA pretreatment could inhibit protein carbonylation induced by exogenous ONOO- application in cortical brain tissues in a dose-dependent manner (P < .01). In terms of hemin/H2O2/NaNO2-triggered oxidative damage, HSYA slightly promoted the formation of carbonyl groups (P < .05). In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the neuroprotective capabilities of HSYA in CIRI are attributable, at least in part, to the enhancement in antioxidant capacity and the attenuation of protein oxidation, probably via the combined processes of ONOO- scavenging and the suppression of protein carbonyl formation.

Value of deep learning reconstruction of chest low-dose CT for image quality improvement and lung parenchyma assessment on lung window.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the performance of low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) with deep learning reconstruction (DLR) for the improvement of image quality and assessment of lung parenchyma. METHODS: Sixty patients underwent chest regular-dose CT (RDCT) followed by LDCT during the same examination. RDCT images were reconstructed with hybrid iterative reconstruction (HIR) and LDCT images were reconstructed with HIR and DLR, both using lung algorithm. Radiation exposure was recorded. Image noise, signal-to-noise ratio, and subjective image quality of normal and abnormal CT features were evaluated and compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test with Bonferroni correction. RESULTS: The effective radiation dose of LDCT was significantly lower than that of RDCT (0.29 ± 0.03 vs 2.05 ± 0.65 mSv, p < 0.001). The mean image noise ± standard deviation was 33.9 ± 4.7, 39.6 ± 4.3, and 31.1 ± 3.2 HU in RDCT, LDCT HIR-Strong, and LDCT DLR-Strong, respectively (p < 0.001). The overall image quality of LDCT DLR-Strong was significantly better than that of LDCT HIR-Strong (p < 0.001) and comparable to that of RDCT (p > 0.05). LDCT DLR-Strong was comparable to RDCT in evaluating solid nodules, increased attenuation, linear opacity, and airway lesions (all p > 0.05). The visualization of subsolid nodules and decreased attenuation was better with DLR than with HIR in LDCT but inferior to RDCT (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: LDCT DLR can effectively reduce image noise and improve image quality. LDCT DLR provides good performance for evaluating pulmonary lesions, except for subsolid nodules and decreased lung attenuation, compared to RDCT-HIR. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: The study prospectively evaluated the contribution of DLR applied to chest low-dose CT for image quality improvement and lung parenchyma assessment. DLR can be used to reduce radiation dose and keep image quality for several indications. KEY POINTS: • DLR enables LDCT maintaining image quality even with very low radiation doses. • Chest LDCT with DLR can be used to evaluate lung parenchymal lesions except for subsolid nodules and decreased lung attenuation. • Diagnosis of pulmonary emphysema or subsolid nodules may require higher radiation doses.

Recurrent Cerebral Infarction Due to Moyamoya Disease Complicated With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Case Report and Literature Review.

INTRODUCTION: We report a rare case of moyamoya disease caused by an RNF213 mutation, complicated with systemic lupus erythematosus. CASE REPORT: A 32-year-old woman experienced 4 cerebral ischemia stroke events within 6 months. The main symptom was left limb weakness with blurred vision in the right eye. Results of digital subtraction angiography conducted at another hospital were consistent with moyamoya disease. On genetic testing, we found that the patient carried 2 mutations in the moyamoya disease-related gene RNF213 (p.R4810K, p.T1727M). On the basis of the laboratory immunologic indicators, such as positive antibodies and abnormal immunoglobulin levels and imaging examinations, the patient was finally diagnosed as moyamoya disease complicated with systemic lupus erythematosus. She was treated with aspirin, butylphthalide, urinary kallidinogenase, and sodium methylprednisolone. CONCLUSIONS: This was a 32-year-old young patient diagnosed with moyamoya disease carrying RNF213 gene mutation and accompanied by lupus with cerebral ischemic event as the first occurrence. The patient's condition was complex; therefore, comprehensive analysis and in-depth consideration were needed to avoid a missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis. When the primary disease cannot be identified, genetic testing can help to clarify the diagnosis of moyamoya disease.

Detection of Atrial Fibrillation based on Feature Fusion using Attention-based BiLSTM.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia, and its early detection is crucial for timely treatment. Conventional methods, such as Electrocardiogram (ECG), can be intrusive and require specialized equipment, whereas Photoplethysmography (PPG) offers a non-invasive alternative. In this study, we present a feature fusion approach for AF detection using attention-based Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM) and PPG signals. We extract frequency domain (FD) and time domain (TD) features from PPG signals, combine them with deep learning features generated from an attention-based BiLSTM network, and pass the fusion features through a softmax function. Our approach achieves high accuracy (96.5%) and favorable performance metrics (recall 93.20%, precision 94.50%, and F-score 93.09%), improving AF prediction and diagnosis, and providing support for clinicians in their diagnostic processes.

Causal relationship in gut microbiota and upper urinary urolithiasis using Mendelian randomization.

Background: Several reports in recent years have found an association between gut microbiota and upper urinary urolithiasis. However, the causal relationship between them remains to be clarified. Methods: Genetic variation is used as a tool in Mendelian randomization for inference of whether exposure factors have a causal effect on disease outcomes. We selected summary statistics from a large genome-wide association study of the gut microbiome published by the MiBioGen consortium with a sample size of 18,340 as an exposure factor and upper urinary urolithiasis data from FinnGen GWAS with 4,969 calculi cases and 213,445 controls as a disease outcome. Then, a two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis was performed by applying inverse variance-weighted, MR-Egger, maximum likelihood, and weighted median. In addition, heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy were excluded by sensitivity analysis. Results: IVW results confirmed that class Deltaproteobacteria (OR = 0.814, 95% CI: 0.666-0.995, P = 0.045), order NB1n (OR = 0.833, 95% CI: 0.737-0.940, P = 3.15 × 10-3), family Clostridiaceae1 (OR = 0.729, 95% CI: 0.581-0.916, P = 6.61 × 10-3), genus Barnesiella (OR = 0.695, 95% CI: 0.551-0.877, P = 2.20 × 10-3), genus Clostridium sensu_stricto_1 (OR = 0.777, 95% CI: 0.612-0.986, P = 0.0380), genus Flavonifractor (OR = 0.711, 95% CI: 0.536-0.944, P = 0.0181), genus Hungatella (OR = 0.829, 95% CI: 0.690-0.995, P = 0.0444), and genus Oscillospira (OR = 0.758, 95% CI: 0.577-0.996, P = 0.0464) had a protective effect on upper urinary urolithiasis, while Eubacterium xylanophilum (OR =1.26, 95% CI: 1.010-1.566, P = 0.0423) had the opposite effect. Sensitivity analysis did not find outlier SNPs. Conclusion: In summary, a causal relationship was found between several genera and upper urinary urolithiasis. However, we still need further randomized controlled trials to validate.

Simple high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet method for simultaneous separation and detection of 14 bisphenol pollutants in building materials.

A high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet method was developed for rapidly and simultaneously analyzing novel and typical bisphenols in building materials, including bisphenol S, diphenolic acid, bisphenol F, bisphenol E, bisphenol A, bisphenol B, bisphenol AF, bisphenol AP, bisphenol C, bisphenol FL, bisphenol Z, bisphenol BP, bisphenol M, and bisphenol P. By using a Kromasil 100-5 C18 column, these bisphenols were completely separated in 40 min via gradually increasing the concentration of methanol in the mobile phase from 45 to 80% during the elution process. In particular, this method achieved the synchronous analysis of bisphenol S, diphenolic acid, bisphenol FL, bisphenol BP, and bisphenol M through HPLC, which were difficult to separate and had to be identified and detected through mass spectrometry. The limits of detection of the method ranged from 0.002 to 0.040 mg/L for these 14 bisphenols, with a precision of less than 4.9% (n = 7, c = 0.05 mg/L). The analytical results for five types of building materials (phenolic, epoxy, polycarbonate, polyester, and polysulfone resins) indicated that the proposed method is appropriated for the rapid measurement of bisphenols in real samples.

First report of Colletotrichum circinans causing anthracnose on Polygonatum sibiricum in Liaoning Province, China.

Polygonatum sibiricum (Huangjing, Siberian Solomon's seal) is a perennial plant of the family Asparagaceae. Used in traditional Chinese medicine in northeast China, P. sibiricum has become widely cultivated in recent years. During late June and early July 2021, leaf fleck symptoms were observed on P. sibiricum at a plantation in Liaoning Province, a major Huangjing production region in China. According to our survey, the incidence of the disease was over 50%. Symptoms initially appeared on infected leaves as necrotic spots, which increased in size and extended to circular or elliptical, pale to light brown lesions with well-defined dark brown margin. To identify the pathogen, leaves showing typical symptoms of infected plants were collected. Leaf samples were excised from the junction of both healthy and symptomatic tissues as 5 mm diameter pieces. Tissue samples were surface-sterilized with successive washes of 75% ethanol (25 sec), 0.1% mercuric chloride solution (1.5 min), three rinses with sterile distilled water, and then left to air dry (Zhongda 2007). Finally, the tissue pieces were plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA), and incubated at 25°C for 5 days in the dark. Six individual colonies with similar cultural morphology were isolated by transferring mycelium plugs from the margins of colonies to new PDA dishes and were incubated under the same conditions. Two representative isolates (S3-2, S5-3) were used for morphological and molecular identifications. Colonies on PDA were initially whitish, then turned dark grey with age, and were covered with aerial mycelium. On the reverse side, colonies were initially whitish and turned grey to dark black with age. Conidia were hyaline, aseptate, little curved and apex acute, and with sizes of 17.5 to 22.5×3 to 4 µm. Setae were dark brown, subuliform with 2 to 4 septate, 110 to 160 µm long. The morphological and cultural characteristics are consistent with the description of Colletotrichum circinans (Damm, et al. 2009). For molecular identification, genomic DNA was extracted from mycelia of the representative fungal strains. Internal transcribed spacers (ITS) region, actin (ACT), chitin synthase 1(CHS-1), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), and betatubulin (TUB2) genes amplified by using specific primers and PCR conditions described in (Ji Ma, et al. 2020). The resulting sequences were submitted to the GenBank. BlastN revealed that ITS(OM019299, OM937757), ACT(OM455393, OM937756), CHS1(OM455391, OM937754), GAPDH(OM455392, OM937755), Tub2(OM455394, OM937758) were identified as C. circinans. The ITS, ACT, CHS1, GAPDH, Tub2 sequences of the strains and other Colletotrichum species were multiple aligned using ClustalW implemented in MEGA5.1 and used for phylogenetic tree construction by Maximum likelihood method, with bootstrap value of 1000 replicates (Tamura et al. 2011). Monilochaetes infuscans (CBS:869.96) was used as an outgroup. The analysis indicated that the strains grouped with C. circinans with good bootstrap support, further supporting the morphological and single-gene molecular identifications. Pathogenicity was demonstrated by in vivo inoculation of leaves of three-month-old healthy P. sibiricum seedlings. Before inoculation, all the leaves of P. sibiricum were surface-sterilized with 75% ethanol and washed with sterile water twice (Jin Chen, et al. 2021). Each plant was inoculated by placing three mycelial plugs (5mm; taken from an actively-growing colony of the isolates) on a single healthy leaf, and the second leaf of each plant was inoculated by a sterile PDA plug as a control. After inoculation, plants were placed in an incubator held at a constant 25℃ and relative humidity (>80%) with a 16h/8h day/night cycle. The experiment was repeated three times. The brown spots were observed after 6 days on inoculated leaves, while no visible disease symptoms were observed on control leaves. The acervulus and conidia were visible on the dorsal of diseased leaves 11-13 days after inoculation. The same pathogen was reisolated and confirmed as C.circinans by morphological comparison, fulfilling Koch's postulates. These results illustrated that C.circinans was responsible for the anthracnose disease of P. sibiricum. To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. circinans causing anthracnose on P. sibiricum in Liaoning Province, and an effective control method should be adopted to reduce losses.

Burnout among doctors in China through 2020: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To analyze surveys measuring the prevalence of burnout among Chinese doctors and reveal the overall prevalence, characteristics, timeline, and factors related to burnout. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted on China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WANFANG, PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Cochrane Library databases from their inception to 28 February 2021. Random-effects meta-analyses, meta-regression and planned subgroup analyses were performed, and the standardized mean difference was adopted for comparisons between subgroups. Egger's and Begg's tests were performed to evaluate publication bias. Heterogeneity across the studies was tested using the I2 statistic. The study protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42018104249). Results: In total, 3,210 records were reviewed; 64 studies including 48,638 Chinese doctors were eligible for meta-analysis. The prevalence of burnout increased continuously from 2008 to 2017 and decreased significantly from 2018 to 2020, a little increase from 2020 to 2021. The overall prevalence of burnout was 75.48% (95% CI, 69.20 to 81.26; I2 = 99.23%, P < 0.001), and high burnout was 9.37% (95% CI, 4.91 to 15.05, I2 = 98.88%, P < 0.001). The prevalence of emotional exhaustion was 48.64% (95% CI, 38.73 to 58.59; I2 = 99.53%, P < 0.001), depersonalization was 54.67% (95% CI, 46.95 to 62.27; I2 = 99.20%, P < 0.001), and reduced personal accomplishment was 66.53% (95% CI, 58.13 to 74.44; I2 = 99.37%, P < 0.001). Gender, marriage, professional title and specialty all influenced burnout. Conclusions: The results showed that the total prevalence of doctor burnout in China is very high. The prevalence of burnout varies by location. Gender, marital status and professional title all affect burnout scores.

Can deep learning improve image quality of low-dose CT: a prospective study in interstitial lung disease.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether deep learning reconstruction (DLR) could keep image quality and reduce radiation dose in interstitial lung disease (ILD) patients compared with HRCT reconstructed with hybrid iterative reconstruction (hybrid-IR). METHODS: Seventy ILD patients were prospectively enrolled and underwent HRCT (120 kVp, automatic tube current) and LDCT (120 kVp, 30 mAs) scans. HRCT images were reconstructed with hybrid-IR (Adaptive Iterative Dose Reduction 3-Dimensional [AIDR3D], standard-setting); LDCT images were reconstructed with DLR (Advanced Intelligence Clear-IQ Engine [AiCE], lung/bone, mild/standard/strong setting). Image noise, streak artifact, overall image quality, and visualization of normal and abnormal features of ILD were evaluated. RESULTS: The mean radiation dose of LDCT was 38% of HRCT. Objective image noise of reconstructed LDCT images was 33.6 to 111.3% of HRCT, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was 0.9 to 3.1 times of the latter (p < 0.001). LDCT-AiCE was not significantly different from or even better than HRCT in overall image quality and visualization of normal lung structures. LDCT-AiCE (lung, mild/standard/strong) showed progressively better recognition of ground glass opacity than HRCT-AIDR3D (p < 0.05, p < 0.01, p < 0.001), and LDCT-AiCE (lung, mild/standard/strong; bone, mild) was superior to HRCT-AIDR3D in visualization of architectural distortion (p < 0.01, p < 0.01, p < 0.01; p < 0.05). LDCT-AiCE (bone, strong) was better than HRCT-AIDR3D in the assessment of bronchiectasis and/or bronchiolectasis (p < 0.05). LDCT-AiCE (bone, mild/standard/strong) was significantly better at the visualization of honeycombing than HRCT-AIDR3D (p < 0.05, p < 0.05, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Deep learning reconstruction could effectively reduce radiation dose and keep image quality in ILD patients compared to HRCT with hybrid-IR. KEY POINTS: • Deep learning reconstruction was a novel image reconstruction algorithm based on deep convolutional neural networks. It was applied in chest CT studies and received auspicious results. • HRCT plays an essential role in the whole process of diagnosis, treatment efficacy evaluation, and follow-ups for interstitial lung disease patients. However, cumulative radiation exposure could increase the risks of cancer. • Deep learning reconstruction method could effectively reduce the radiation dose and keep the image quality compared with HRCT reconstructed with hybrid iterative reconstruction in patients with interstitial lung disease.

Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of the LpSAPK Family Genes in Perennial Ryegrass Highlight LpSAPK9 as an Active Regulator of Drought Stress.

SAPK/SnRK2 family genes play crucial roles in plant growth, development, and abiotic stress responses. The objective of this study was to identify and characterize the LpSAPK genes in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.). The results showed that there are 10 LpSAPKs in perennial ryegrass that could be classified into three groups with similar genic (exon-intron) structures to their orthologous genes in Arabidopsis and other grass species. Ka/Ks analysis suggested that the LpSAPKs and their orthologs were under purifying selection to maintain their conserved function during evolution. Nine out of ten LpSAPKs were localized in the cytoplasm and nucleus with the exception of LpSAPK5 which was only observed in the cytoplasm. Most LpSAPKs were responsive to various abiotic stress and hormonal (ABA, cytokinin, and ethylene) treatments but were downregulated in leaves and upregulated in roots, suggesting that there were unknown cis elements in promoters of these genes or unidentified post-transcriptional mechanism responsible for the tissue-dependent stress-regulated expression of these LpSAPKs. Furthermore, LpSAPK9 was identified as a candidate positive regulator in drought tolerance using a yeast ectopic expression system, and LpSAPK9 showed contrasting expression changes in drought-sensitive and -tolerant ryegrass varieties, suggesting that expression levels of LpSAPK9 were related to ryegrass drought tolerance. These results will facilitate further functional analysis of LpSAPKs for molecular breeding of ryegrass and other related grass species.

Degradation Effect and Magnetoelectric Transport Properties in CrBr3 Devices.

Two-dimensional (2D) magnetic materials exhibiting unique 2D-limit magnetism have attracted great attention due to their potential applications in ultrathin spintronic devices. These 2D magnetic materials and their heterostructures provide a unique platform for exploring physical effect and exotic phenomena. However, the degradation of most 2D magnetic materials at ambient conditions has so far hindered their characterization and integration into ultrathin devices. Furthermore, the effect of degradation on magnetoelectric transport properties, which is measured for the demonstration of exotic phenomena and device performance, has remained unexplored. Here, the first experimental investigation of the degradation of CrBr3 flakes and its effect on magnetoelectric transport behavior in devices is reported. The extra magnetic compounds derived from oxidation-related degradation play a significant role in the magnetoelectric transport in CrBr3 devices, greatly affecting the magnetoresistance and conductivity. This work has important implications for studies concerning 2D magnetic materials measured, stored, and integrated into devices at ambient conditions.

Machine Learning-Based Model for Predicting Incidence and Severity of Acute Ischemic Stroke in Anterior Circulation Large Vessel Occlusion.

Objectives: Patients with anterior circulation large vessel occlusion are at high risk of acute ischemic stroke, which could be disabling or fatal. In this study, we applied machine learning to develop and validate two prediction models for acute ischemic stroke (Model 1) and severity of neurological impairment (Model 2), both caused by anterior circulation large vessel occlusion (AC-LVO), based on medical history and neuroimaging data of patients on admission. Methods: A total of 1,100 patients with AC- LVO from the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University in North China were enrolled, of which 713 patients presented with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) related to AC- LVO and 387 presented with the non-acute ischemic cerebrovascular event. Among patients with the non-acute ischemic cerebrovascular events, 173 with prior stroke or TIA were excluded. Finally, 927 patients with AC-LVO were entered into the derivation cohort. In the external validation cohort, 150 patients with AC-LVO from the Hebei Province People's Hospital, including 99 patients with AIS related to AC- LVO and 51 asymptomatic AC-LVO patients, were retrospectively reviewed. We developed four machine learning models [logistic regression (LR), regularized LR (RLR), support vector machine (SVM), and random forest (RF)], whose performance was internally validated using 5-fold cross-validation. The performance of each machine learning model for the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC-AUC) was compared and the variables of each algorithm were ranked. Results: In model 1, among the included patients with AC-LVO, 713 (76.9%) and 99 (66%) suffered an acute ischemic stroke in the derivation and external validation cohorts, respectively. The ROC-AUC of LR, RLR and SVM were significantly higher than that of the RF in the external validation cohorts [0.66 (95% CI 0.57-0.74) for LR, 0.66 (95% CI 0.57-0.74) for RLR, 0.55 (95% CI 0.45-0.64) for RF and 0.67 (95% CI 0.58-0.76) for SVM]. In model 2, 254 (53.9%) and 31 (37.8%) patients suffered disabling ischemic stroke in the derivation and external validation cohorts, respectively. There was no difference in AUC among the four machine learning algorithms in the external validation cohorts. Conclusions: Machine learning methods with multiple clinical variables have the ability to predict acute ischemic stroke and the severity of neurological impairment in patients with AC-LVO.

Human urinary kininogenase reduces the endothelial injury by inhibiting Pyk2/MCU pathway.

The injury of endothelial cells is one of the initiating factors in restenosis after endovascular treatment. Human urinary kallidinogenase (HUK) is a tissue kallikrein which is used for ischemia-reperfusion injury treatment. Studies have shown that HUK may be a potential therapeutic agent to prevent stenosis after vascular injury, however, the precise mechanisms have not been fully established. This study is to investigate whether HUK can protect endothelial cells after balloon injury or H2O2-induced endothelial cell damage through the proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2 (Pyk2)/mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) pathway. Intimal hyperplasia, a decrease of pinocytotic vesicles and cell apoptosis were found in the common carotid artery balloon injury and H2O2-induced endothelial cell damage, Pyk2/MCU was also up-regulated in such pathological process. HUK could prevent these injuries partially via the bradykinin B2 receptor by inhibiting Pyk2/MCU pathway, which prevented the mitochondrial damage, maintained calcium balance, and eventually inhibited cell apoptosis. Furthermore, MCU expression was not markedly increased if Pyk2 was suppressed by shRNA technique in the H2O2 treatment group, and cell viability was significantly better than H2O2-treated only. In short, our results indicate that the Pyk2/MCU pathway is involved in endothelial injury induced by balloon injury or H2O2-induced endothelial cell damage. HUK plays an protective role by inhibiting the Pyk2/MCU pathway in the endothelial injury.

Enhancing the Oxidation Resistance of Al2O3-SiC-C Castables via Introducing Micronized Andalusite.

Additions of andalusite aggregates (19 wt%) were shown in previous literature to enhance the antioxidation of Al2O3-SiC-C (ASC) castables. This work aims to investigate whether micronized andalusite has a greater influence on antioxidation improvement than andalusite aggregates. Various low contents (5 wt% and below) of micronized andalusite (≤5 µm) were introduced as a substitute for brown fused alumina in the matrix of ASC castables. The antioxidation of castable specimens was estimated by the oxidized area ratio on the fracture surface after a thermal shock test. The microstructure and phases of micronized andalusite and the castable specimens were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The results suggest that the antioxidation effects of ASC castables with a low addition of micronized andalusite are effectively enhanced. The heat-induced transformation of andalusite produces SiO2-rich glass, favoring the sintering of the castable matrix and impeding oxygen diffusion into the castable's interior. Therefore, the castable antioxidation is enhanced without deteriorating the hot modulus of rupture.

Temporal trends in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among middle-aged and elderly adults from 2011 to 2015 in China: the China health and retirement longitudinal study (CHARLS).

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The objective of the study was to evaluate the updated prevalence of MetS and provide a comprehensive illustration of the possible temporal changes in MetS prevalence in China from 2011 to 2015. METHODS: The data for this study are from the 2011 and 2015 waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). CHARLS is a nationally representative survey targeting populations aged 45 and above from 28 provinces in mainland China. A total of 11,847 and 13,013 participants were eligible for data analysis at the two time points. RESULTS: The estimated prevalence of MetS in 2015 was 20.41% (95% CI: 19.02-21.8%) by the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (ATP III) criteria, 34.77% (95% CI: 33.12-36.42%) by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria, 39.68% (95% CI: 37.88-41.47%) by the revised ATP III criteria, and 25.55% (95% CI: 24.19-26.91%) by the Chinese Diabetes Society (CDS) criteria. The prevalence was higher among women and elderly adults and in urban and northern populations. Furthermore, the trends in the prevalence decreased significantly between 2011 and 2015 by the ATP III, revised ATP III and CDS criteria. However, trends increased significantly from 2011 to 2015 by the IDF criteria. CONCLUSIONS: A higher prevalence of MetS is found in those who reported being middle aged and elderly, women, residing in northern China or living in urban areas. Additionally, temporal changes in the prevalence of MetS varied according to different criteria. Increased attention to the causes associated with populations who have higher levels of MetS is warranted.

Association between serum uric acid and bone mineral density in patients with type 2 diabetes: A 6-year longitudinal study in China.

ABSTRACT: The relationship between serum uric acid (UA) and bone mineral density (BMD) has been proposed by several researchers. However, there has been no consensus regarding the relationships among serum UA, diabetes, and BMD. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between UA, BMD, and at least osteopenia in type 2 diabetes patients.This research was a longitudinal study performed at Xiao-Tang-Shan Hospital in Beijing. Type 2 diabetes diagnosis was consistent with the WHO standard classification. Participants with osteopenia or osteoporosis documented by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry were defined as having "at least osteopenia." A generalized additive model and multivariable logistic regressions were performed to explore the relationship between serum UA and at least osteopenia. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was conducted. Propensity score matching was used to verify the correctness of the cutoff point.In total, 3476 type 2 diabetes patients free of any osteopenia-related diseases were recruited in 2012 and followed up to 2018. The general proportions of patients with at least osteopenia in 2018 was 16.46% (572/3476). Serum UA was negatively associated with BMD stratified by sex, age group, and BMI level. Setting the first quartile as the reference, the risk of at least osteopenia in the fourth quartile was significant among all patients (odds ratio [OR]: 0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.57, 0.98) and specifically in females (OR: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.43, 0.97), patients aged over 50 years (OR: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.60, 0.97) and patients with a BMI greater than 25 (OR: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.47, 0.97). The optimal cutoff point for the serum UA level to distinguish at least osteopenia in diabetic patients was 395 µmol/L.Serum UA concentration is negatively associated with the occurrence of at least osteopenia in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes.

Clinical characteristics of cytomegalovirus gastritis: A retrospective study from a tertiary medical center.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) gastritis is a rare opportunistic infection with diverse clinical manifestations. Our study aimed to investigate the clinical features of Chinese patients with CMV gastritis.Six inpatients diagnosed with CMV gastritis were retrospectively enrolled, based on the finding of inclusion bodies in routine hematoxylin and eosin staining or positive anti-CMV monoclonal antibodies under immunohistochemistry in the gastric biopsy. Data, including demographics, diagnostic measurements, and medications, were collected.Abdominal pain was the most frequently reported symptom, occurring in 4 patients. Five patients were immunocompromised with associated underlying diseases, and 3 patients had decreased leukocyte differentiation antigen 4 positive (CD4) T lymphocyte counts. Only 3 patients had either positive cytomegalovirus (CMV)-immunoglobulin (Ig) M or increased copies of CMV-DNA peripherally. All patients had gastric lesions in the antrum of the stomach, including ulcers or erosions observed by gastroscopy. All patients received ganciclovir by intravenous injection (IV) as the first line anti-CMV therapy, and attained complete (4) or partial remission (2) during the follow-up.CMV gastritis should be taken into consideration in patients with immunocompromised status who have abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting. Gastroscopy and necessary biopsy are the major diagnostic methods for CMV gastritis. Early diagnosis leads to a better prognosis for these patients.

Dandelion-like CuCo2O4 arrays on Ni foam as advanced positive electrode material for high-performance hybrid supercapacitors.

In this paper, CuCo2O4 dandelion arrays grown on nickel foam (CuCo2O4/NF) was successfully synthesized by a simple hydrothermal route with post-heat-treatment for emolying as a high-performance positive electrode material for hybrid supercapacitors. Due to the unique tree-dimension porous (3D) microstructure and binder-free electrode architecture, the CuCo2O4/NF electrode deliveries a large specific capacitance of 2656.7 F g-1 at an areal current density of 1 mA cm-2. Moreover, it has an outstanding rate performance, as well as striking cycling stability. Additionally, a hybrid supercapacitors (HSCs) was fabricated using CuCo2O4 as positive electrode and corals-like N-doping porous carbon (N-CCs) as negative electrode. The device exhibited a broad potential window of 1.55 V and a high specific capacitance of 273.9 F g-1, which result in a largest energy density of 91.4 Wh kg-1 and a maximum power density of 13.4 kW kg-1. Finally, the assembled device manifests a preeminent electrochemical stability which maintained a 92.32% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles. The practical application was visually validated by lighting a blue light-emitting diode.