Photocatalytic Bicyclization of Indole-Tethered 1,6-Enynes for Diastereoselective Synthesis of Pyrrolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazoles.

A visible-light-driven photocatalytic protocol is established for the diastereoselective synthesis of pyrrolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazoles via a radical-triggered multicomponent bicyclization reaction starting from readily available indole-tethered 1,6-enynes and α-benzyl-α-bromomalonates under mild conditions. This photocatalytic approach exhibits a wide substrate compatibility and excellent tolerability toward various functional groups and boasts the benefit of efficient ring formation and chemical bond creation.

Photocatalytic Thio/Selenosulfonylation-Bicyclization of Indole-Tethered 1,6-Enynes Leading to Substituted Benzo[c]pyrrolo[1,2,3-lm]carbazoles.

The photocatalyzed radical-triggered thio/selenosulfonylation-bicyclization of indole-tethered 1,6-enynes has been established for the first time, enabling the synthesis of various previously unreported thio/selenosulfonylated benzo[c]pyrrolo[1,2,3-lm]carbazoles with moderate to good yields under mild conditions. The reaction pathway was proposed, consisting of energy transfer, homolytic cleavage, radical addition, 5-exo-dig, radical coupling, and a Mallory reaction cascade. This approach exhibits a wide substrate compatibility and excellent tolerability toward various functional groups and is characterized by its remarkable efficiency in both bond formation and annulation.

Phylogenomics and biogeographical diversification of Collabieae (Orchidaceae) and its implication in the reconstruction of the dynamic history of Asian evergreen broadleaved forests.

The tribe Collabieae (Epidendroideae, Orchidaceae) comprises approximately 500 species. Generic delimitation within Collabieae are confusing and phylogenetic interrelationships within the Collabieae have not been well resolved. Plastid genomes and nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences were used to estimate the phylogenetic relationships, ancestral ranges, and diversification rates of Collabieae. The results showed that Collabieae was subdivided into nine clades with high support. We proposed to combine Ancistrochilus and Pachystoma into Spathoglottis, merge Collabium and Chrysoglossum into Diglyphosa, and separate Pilophyllum and Hancockia as distinctive genera. The diversification of the nine clades of Collabieae might be associated with the uplift of the Himalayas during the Late Oligocene/Early Miocene. The enhanced East Asian summer monsoon in the Late Miocene may have promoted the rapid diversification of Collabieae at a sustained high diversification rate. The increased size of terrestrial pseudobulbs may be one of the drivers of Collabieae diversification. Our results suggest that the establishment and development of evergreen broadleaved forests facilitated the diversification of Collabieae.

[Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Soils of a City in Guangdong Province Based on Source Oriented and Monte Carlo Models].

Taking a city in Guangdong Province as the research area, the concentration and spatial distribution characteristics of heavy metals in the surface soil were studied to clarify the situation of soil heavy metal pollution and priority control factors, providing basic data for the prevention and control of soil heavy metal pollution in the city. The content characteristics of heavy metals in 221 soil samples in the city were analyzed, and the potential health risk assessment and source analysis were carried out through the Monte Carlo model, the potential health risk assessment (HRA) model, and the PMF receptor model. It was found that heavy metals ω(As), ω(Hg), ω(Cd), ω(Pb), ω(Cr), ω(Cu), ω(Ni), and ω(Zn) in the soil of the city were 18.16, 0.43, 1.46, 68.57, 98.34, 64.19, 26.53, and 257.32 mg·kg-1, respectively, with a moderate to high degree of variation. Except for Ni concentration, the soil concentrations of other heavy metal elements exceeded the background values of soil in Guangdong Province to a certain extent, and the concentrations of Cd and Zn exceeded the national secondary standards, resulting in severe heavy metal pollution; the main sources of heavy metals were industrial sources, and natural parent materials, lead battery manufacturing, transportation, artificial cultivation, and pesticide and fertilizer inputs also had an undeniable impact on the accumulation of heavy metals in the soil. Heavy metals in the soil had a certain degree of tolerable carcinogenic health risk for both children and adults, whereas non-carcinogenic risks could be ignored. The potential health risk of children was greater than that of adults, and the main exposure route was through oral intake. The input sources of pesticides and fertilizers and As should be the main controlling factors for the health risks of heavy metals in the city's soil, followed by mixed sources and Cr. There were differences in the spatial distribution characteristics and relative pollution levels of heavy metals, and it is necessary to deepen zoning monitoring and control, strengthen soil pollution prevention and control, and reduce human input of heavy metals in soil.

The effects of microgravity on stem cells and the new insights it brings to tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Conventional two-dimensional (2D) cell culture techniques may undergo modifications in the future, as life scientists have widely acknowledged the ability of three-dimensional (3D) in vitro culture systems to accurately simulate in vivo biology. In recent years, researchers have discovered that microgravity devices can address many challenges associated with 3D cell culture. Stem cells, being pluripotent cells, are regarded as a promising resource for regenerative medicine. Recent studies have demonstrated that 3D culture in microgravity devices can effectively guide stem cells towards differentiation and facilitate the formation of functional tissue, thereby exhibiting advantages within the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Furthermore, We delineate the impact of microgravity on the biological behavior of various types of stem cells, while elucidating the underlying mechanisms governing these alterations. These findings offer exciting prospects for diverse applications.

Effects of topography and stand spatial structure on the diameter at breast height growth of major pioneer tree species of natural broad-leaved mixed forests in Zhejiang Province, China.

Based on the continuous inventory data of forest resources in Zhejiang Province in 2019 and 2021, we used statistical methods such as polynomial regression to analyze the impacts of topography and forest spatial structure on average annual diameter at breast height (DBH) growth of main pioneer tree species in natural broad-leaved mixed forests. The results showed that DBH of Schima superba, Quercus glauca, Quercus fabri, Lithocarpus glaber, Castanopsis eyrei, and Castanopsis sclerophylla were between 5-50.8, 5-41.5, 5-50.8, 5-43.9, 5-55.5, and 5-46.1 cm, respectively. We classified all the trees into three classes based on DBH: small (6-12 cm), medium (12-14 cm), and large (>26 cm). The average annual DBH growth of S. superba and Q. glauca was the highest on semi-shady slope and shady slope, with increases of 2.9%-15.7% and 1.1%-41.2%, respectively. The average annual DBH growth of large-diameter S. superba, L. glaber, C. eyrei and C. sclerophylla decreased with the increase of slope, with a maximum decrease of 27.0% for S. superba, with no significant difference among small- and medium-diameter trees as a whole. The slope position did not affect the annual DBH growth of small-diameter trees, while that of medium- and large-diameter S. superba, Q. glauca, and large-diameter Q. fabri, L. glaber decreased with the change of slope position from downhill, mesoslope, uphill to ridge, with a maximum decrease of 28.1% for L. glabe, and the major-diameter C. eyrei was on the contrary. Appropriate increase in the mingling was beneficial to the average annual DBH growth of medium- and large-diameter trees. Moderate mixing was suitable for S. superba, while low degree mixing and moderate mixing was suitable for Q. glauca, Q. fabri and L. glaber, and intensive mixing was suitable for C. eyrei and C. sclerophylla. No significant difference was observed for minor-diameter trees under the mingling. The neighborhood comparison only had a significant effect on the average annual DBH growth of large-diameter Q. glauca, Q. fabri, and L. glaber, which was significantly higher under subdominance-moderation than moderation-inferiority. The average annual DBH growth in the study area was mainly affected by aspect and mixing degree.

[Pollution Characteristics and Risk Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Soils of Guangzhou].

In order to comprehensively study the pollution characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons （PAHs） in soils of Guangzhou， 222 topsoil samples were collected and analyzed. The ecological risk of soil PAHs pollution was evaluated using the effect interval low/median method （ERL/ERM） and the （BaP） toxicity equivalent method， and the health risk of soil PAHs pollution was evaluated using the lifelong cancer risk increment model. The source of PAHs was analyzed using the characteristic compound ratio method and PMF model. The results indicated that： the content of surface soil （∑16PAHs） in Guangzhou was 38-11 115 µg·kg-1， with an average of 526 µg·kg-1， and 16 types of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon monomers showed strong variation. There was a certain degree of ecological risk of PAHs in Guangzhou， and there was already a significant ecological risk of PAHs pollution in individual sampling points， which were generally in a state of mild pollution. Based on the results of the health risk assessment， the contribution rates of total cancer risk in both adults and children were presented as follows： skin contact > ingestion of soil > respiratory intake. The health risk of children was greater than that of adults， and the overall health risk was within an acceptable range. Source analysis showed that the main sources of soil PAHs in Guangzhou were coal （37.1%）； diesel （32%）； coking （17.3%）； and mixed sources of traffic emissions， biomass combustion， and petrochemical product volatilization （13.6%）. The overall source of soil PAHs belonged to mixed sources. The research results have enriched our understanding of the pollution status of PAHs in the surface soil of Guangzhou and are helpful in promoting soil pollution prevention and control actions.

Electroacupuncture attenuates nociceptive behaviors in a mouse model of cancer pain.

Pain is a major symptom in cancer patients, and cancer-induced bone pain (CIBP) is the most common type of moderate and severe cancer-related pain. The current available analgesic treatments for CIBP have adverse effects as well as limited therapeutic effects. Acupuncture is proved effective in pain management as a safe alternative therapy. We evaluated the analgesic effect of acupuncture in treatment of cancer pain and try to explore the underlying analgesic mechanisms. Nude mice were inoculated with cancer cells into the left distal femur to establish cancer pain model. Electroacupuncture (EA) treatment was applied for the xenograft animals. Pain behaviors of mice were evaluated, followed by the detections of neuropeptide-related and inflammation-related indicators in peripheral and central levels. EA treatment alleviated cancer-induced pain behaviors covering mechanical allodynia, thermal hyperalgesia and spontaneous pain, and also down-regulated immunofluorescence expressions of neuropeptide CGRP and p75 in the skin of affected plantar area in xenograft mice, and inhibited expressions of overexpressed neuropeptide-related and inflammation-related protein in the lumbar spinal cord of xenograft mice. Overall, our findings suggest that EA treatment ameliorated cancer-induced pain behaviors in the mouse xenograft model of cancer pain, possibly through inhibiting the expressions of neuropeptide-related and inflammation-related protein in central level following tumor cell xenografts.

Characteristics of the Hantaan virus complicated with SARS-CoV2 infection: A case series report.

Background: Coinfection poses a persistent threat to global public health due to its severe effect on individual-level infection risk and disease outcome. Coinfection of SARS-CoV2 with one or more pathogens has been documented. Nevertheless, this virus co-infected with the Hantaan virus (HTNV) is rarely reported. Case summary: Here, we presented three cases of HTNV complicated with SARS-CoV2 infection. Not only the conditions including general clinical manifestations, immune and inflammation parameters fluctuation presented in the single infection of HTNV or SARS-CoV2 can be found, but also the unexpected manifestations have attracted our attention that presented as more symptoms of HTNV infection including exudative changes in both lungs and an amount of bilateral pleural effusion as well as bilateral kidney enlargement rather than typical viral pneumonia in SARS-CoV2 infection. Fortunately, the conditions of patients gradually return to normal which is beneficial from the antiviral treatment, hemodialysis, and various supportive therapies including anti-inflammation, liver and gastric mucosa protection. Conclusion: Unexpected manifestations of coinfection patients present herein may be associated with multiple factors including virus load, competition or antagonism among antigens, and the susceptibility of target cells to the various pathogens, even though the pathogenesis of HTNV and SARS-CoV2 remains to be elucidated. Given that these two viruses have posed a profound influence on the socioeconomic, healthcare system worldwide, and the threat of coinfection to public health, it is warranted for clinicians, public health authorities, and infectious disease researchers to have a high index of consideration for patients co-infected with HTNV and SARS-CoV2.

Preoperative prediction of lymphovascular and perineural invasion in gastric cancer using spectral computed tomography imaging and machine learning.

BACKGROUND: Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) and perineural invasion (PNI) are important prognostic factors for gastric cancer (GC) that indicate an increased risk of metastasis and poor outcomes. Accurate preoperative prediction of LVI/PNI status could help clinicians identify high-risk patients and guide treatment decisions. However, prior models using conventional computed tomography (CT) images to predict LVI or PNI separately have had limited accuracy. Spectral CT provides quantitative enhancement parameters that may better capture tumor invasion. We hypothesized that a predictive model combining clinical and spectral CT parameters would accurately preoperatively predict LVI/PNI status in GC patients. AIM: To develop and test a machine learning model that fuses spectral CT parameters and clinical indicators to predict LVI/PNI status accurately. METHODS: This study used a retrospective dataset involving 257 GC patients (training cohort, n = 172; validation cohort, n = 85). First, several clinical indicators, including serum tumor markers, CT-TN stages and CT-detected extramural vein invasion (CT-EMVI), were extracted, as were quantitative spectral CT parameters from the delineated tumor regions. Next, a two-step feature selection approach using correlation-based methods and information gain ranking inside a 10-fold cross-validation loop was utilized to select informative clinical and spectral CT parameters. A logistic regression (LR)-based nomogram model was subsequently constructed to predict LVI/PNI status, and its performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). RESULTS: In both the training and validation cohorts, CT T3-4 stage, CT-N positive status, and CT-EMVI positive status are more prevalent in the LVI/PNI-positive group and these differences are statistically significant (P < 0.05). LR analysis of the training group showed preoperative CT-T stage, CT-EMVI, single-energy CT values of 70 keV of venous phase (VP-70 keV), and the ratio of standardized iodine concentration of equilibrium phase (EP-NIC) were independent influencing factors. The AUCs of VP-70 keV and EP-NIC were 0.888 and 0.824, respectively, which were slightly greater than those of CT-T and CT-EMVI (AUC = 0.793, 0.762). The nomogram combining CT-T stage, CT-EMVI, VP-70 keV and EP-NIC yielded AUCs of 0.918 (0.866-0.954) and 0.874 (0.784-0.936) in the training and validation cohorts, which are significantly higher than using each of single independent factors (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The study found that using portal venous and EP spectral CT parameters allows effective preoperative detection of LVI/PNI in GC, with accuracy boosted by integrating clinical markers.

Development and validation of a QuEChERS-HPLC-DAD method using polymer-functionalized melamine sponges for the analysis of antipsychotic drugs in milk.

The prohibition of antipsychotic drugs in animal foodstuffs has raised significant concerns. In this study, a novel matrix purification adsorbent comprising a polymer (polyaniline and polypyrrole)-functionalized melamine sponge (Ms) was employed for the high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) detection of three phenothiazines (chlorpromazine, thioridazine, and promethazine), and a tricyclic imipramine in milk. The as-prepared functionalized Ms was characterized using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and water contact angle measurements. Excellent linearity with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.999 was achieved for all drugs within the concentration range of 0.01-47.00 µg mL-1. The recoveries of the four analytes ranged from 92.1 % to 106.9 % at the three spiked levels. These results demonstrate the successful application of the proposed method for the determination of the four drugs. Cost-effective polymer-functionalized Ms is a viable alternative for matrix purification, enabling rapid determination of drug residues in diverse food samples.

A Retrospective Analysis of the Computed Tomography Findings and Diagnosis of 53 Cases of Elastofibroma in the Infrascapular Region.

OBJECTIVE: In this work, we have used histopathology as the gold standard for the diagnosis, calculated the sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) of computed tomography (CT), and analyzed the CT and clinical characteristics of pathologically proven elastofibromas. METHODS: A systematic retrospective analysis was performed on all patients with infrascapular lesions who were treated in the hospital from 2006 to 2018. CT and histopathological examinations were performed for all cases, and the CT sensitivity and PPV for the diagnosis of elastofibroma were calculated. 12 of 53 cases (20 lesions) underwent enhanced CT scan after CT plain scan, and the related clinical and CT features of elastofibromas have been discussed. RESULTS: Of the 54 patients treated during the study, CT diagnosis was consistent with histopathology in 53 cases. One was a false-positive patient. The PPV and sensitivity of the CT in the diagnosis of elastofibroma were 93.3% (95% CI 68.0%-99.8%) and 100%, respectively. The CT values of 12 patients with 20 lesions on plain and enhanced scans were statistically significant (P=0.001). The prevalence of elastofibromas in males and females was statistically significant (P=.000). There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of left and right elastofibromas (P=0.752). There was no significant difference in the volume of left and right lesions (P=0.209) and the volume of elastofibromas between males and females (P=.474). CONCLUSION: CT is the most practical tool for the evaluation of elastofibromas in the infrascapular region.

Confined Layer Slip Process in Nanolaminated Ag and Two Ag/Cu Nanolaminates.

The exceptional strength of nanolaminates is attributed to the influence of their fine stratification on the movement of dislocations. Through atomistic simulations, the impact of interfacial structure on the dynamics of an edge dislocation, which is compelled to move within a nanoscale layer of a nanolaminate, is examined for three different nanolaminates. In this study, we model confined layer slip in three structures: nanolaminated Ag and two types of Ag/Cu nanolaminates. We find that the glide motion is jerky in the presence of incoherent interfaces characterized by distinct arrays of misfit dislocations. In addition, the glide planes exhibit varying levels of resistance to dislocation motion, where planes with intersection lines that coincide with misfit dislocation lines experience greater resistance than planes without such intersection lines.

Simulated microgravity altered the gene expression profiles and inhibited the proliferation of Kupffer cells in the early phase by downregulating LMO2 and EZH2.

Microgravity is a primary challenge that need to overcome, when human travel to space. Our study provided evidence that Kupffer cells (KCs) are sensitive to simulated microgravity (SMG), and no similar research report has been found in the literature. Using transcriptome sequencing technology, it was showed that 631 genes were upregulated and 801 genes were downregulated in KCs after treatment under SMG for 3 days. The GO analysis indicated that the proliferation of KCs was affected when exposed to SMG for 3 days. CCK-8 assay confirmed that the proliferation of KCs was inhibited in the third day under the environment of SMG. Furthermore, we identified 8 key genes that affect the proliferation of KCs and predicted 2 transcription factors (TFs) that regulate the 8 key genes. Significantly, we found that microgravity could affect the expression of LMO2 and EZH2 to reduce the transcription of Racgap1, Ccna2, Nek2, Aurka, Plk1, Haus4, Cdc20, Bub1b, which resulting in the reduction in KCs proliferation. These finding suggested that the inhibition of KCs proliferation under microgravity may influence the homeostasis of liver, and LMO2 and EZH2 can be the targets in management of KCs' disturbance in the future practice of space medicine.

Intradural extramedullary spinal choristoma: A case report.

RATIONALE: A choristoma is a rare and benign neoplasm characterized by the presence of normal tissue in an anomalous anatomical location. In contrast, choristoma tend to occur in other body regions rather than within the spinal canal. Before our findings, only 4 cases of intraspinal choristoma had been recorded. Because its composition is complex and very rare, routine examinations, such as magnetic resonance imaging, are difficult to diagnose, and the possibility of its occurrence is often missed in clinical diagnosis. If there is no specificity in its components, such as in this case, even pathological examinations can only confirm the diagnosis as choristoma after eliminating other possibilities. Therefore, in clinical practice, when encountering patients with intraspinal tumors, it is essential to consider the possibility of choristoma. In this case, the choristoma lack of specific constituent composition sets it apart from previously reported intraspinal choristoma, significantly raising the diagnostic challenge, which offers valuable insights for clinical diagnosis. PATIENT CONCERNS: A female patient aged 48 years was admitted to our medical center due to experiencing persistent lower back pain accompanied by radiating pain in both legs for 5 months. Based on the findings from the neurological physical examination and magnetic resonance imaging, the patient was diagnosed with an intradural space-occupying lesion located at the level of the first lumbar vertebral body. We performed an enhanced magnetic resonance neurography examination to further determine the positional relationship between the occupation and nerves in preparation for surgery. Postoperative pathological biopsy showed that the mass was an intraspinal choristoma. DIAGNOSIS: Intradural extramedullary spinal choristoma. INTERVENTION: Occupied lesion is removed surgically. OUTCOMES: After surgery, all symptoms were significantly relieved, and when the patient was discharged, all symptoms disappeared completely. There was no sign of recurrence after 1 year of follow-up. LESSONS: Intraspinal choristomas are not specific and need to be diagnosed by pathologic examination. Early detection of and intervention for intraspinal tumors can mitigate nerve dysfunction.

Physiological responses of typical subtropical landscape shrubs to artificial light at night.

Artificial light at night is rapidly spreading and has become an important component of global change. Although numerous studies have focused on its potential ecological impacts, the physiological response mechanisms of landscape plants to artificial light at night have rarely been quantified. With common landscape shrubs in subtropical regions of China, Hydrangea paniculata, Photinia fraseri and Ligustrum japonicum, as test materials, we exa-mined the responses of antioxidant enzyme system and biomass in the light environment at night under different light quality (yellow light, white light) with different light intensities (20, 40, 60 lx) . The results showed that artificial light at night significantly increased the membrane peroxidation, stimulated plant antioxidant protection systems and raised the antioxidant enzyme activities of the three species. The effects of light quality on plant antioxidant enzymes varied across dspecies. The peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activities of H. paniculata under white light were 1.5 and 1.3 times as that under yellow light, respectively. Both enzyme activities of P. fraseri were 1.1 times as that under white light than under yellow light. The activities of two enzymes in L. japonicum under white light were 88.6% and 99.5% of those under yellow light, respectively. The antioxidant enzyme activities of the three species increased with increasing light intensity at night, whereas the contents of malondialdehyde increased rapidly and the antioxidant enzyme activities decreased when beyond a certain light intensity threshold (at 120 d, the threshold was about 40 lx). The protective enzymes that played the major role under nighttime light stress were different among the three species. For H. paniculata, POD and CAT complemented each other to resist stress-induced oxidative damage, while the main enzyme of L. japonicum was POD. The biomass of the three species increased significantly under artificial light at night. H. paniculata was the most sensitive to nighttime light stress, while L. japonicum had the strongest resistance to the stress. The deciduous shrub H. paniculata could tolerate the white night light lower than 40 lx, while the evergreen shrubs P. fraseri and L. japonicum could tolerate the yellow night light lower than 40 lx.

[Characterization and Health Risk of Heavy Metals in PM2.5 from Road Fugitive Dust in Five Cities of Yunnan Province].

In order to study the contents, sources, and health risk of PM2.5 in road fugitive dust in Yunnan, road fugitive dust samples were collected from five typical cities including Kunming, Baoshan, Wenshan, Zhaotong, and Yuxi. Particulate matter resuspension technology was used to levitate the dust samples and collect PM2.5. Eight heavy metals including chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), selenium (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) in PM2.5 were detected using ICP-MS. The results showed that the contents of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb in road fugitive dust seriously exceeded the background values of Yunnan soil. The enrichment factors showed that most of the heavy metals in PM2.5 of road fugitive dust in the five cities of Yunnan were moderately enriched and strongly enriched, which were greatly influenced by human activities. The results of correlation analysis and principal component analysis showed that the heavy metals in PM2.5 of road fugitive dust in Yunnan were all affected by soil and traffic sources. The other sources varied greatly in different cities:Kunming was affected by iron and steel melting sources, Baoshan and Yuxi were affected by non-ferrous metal smelting sources, and Zhaotong was affected by coal sources. Health risk analysis showed that Cr, Pb, and As in road fugitive dust PM2.5 had non-carcinogenic risk in children in Kunming, Yuxi, and Zhaotong, respectively, and Cr in Kunming also had a lifetime carcinogenic risk.

An expert review of the inverse problem in electrocardiographic imaging for the non-invasive identification of atrial fibrillation drivers.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Electrocardiographic imaging (ECGI) has emerged as a non-invasive approach to identify atrial fibrillation (AF) driver sources. This paper aims to collect and review the current research literature on the ECGI inverse problem, summarize the research progress, and propose potential research directions for the future. METHODS AND RESULTS: The effectiveness and feasibility of using ECGI to map AF driver sources may be influenced by several factors, such as inaccuracies in the atrial model due to heart movement or deformation, noise interference in high-density body surface potential (BSP), inconvenient and time-consuming BSP acquisition, errors in solving the inverse problem, and incomplete interpretation of the AF driving source information derived from the reconstructed epicardial potential. We review the current research progress on these factors and discuss possible improvement directions. Additionally, we highlight the limitations of ECGI itself, including the lack of a gold standard to validate the accuracy of ECGI technology in locating AF drivers and the challenges associated with guiding AF ablation based on post-processed epicardial potentials due to the intrinsic difference between epicardial and endocardial potentials. CONCLUSIONS: Before performing ablation, ECGI can provide operators with predictive information about the underlying locations of AF driver by non-invasively and globally mapping the biatrial electrical activity. In the future, endocardial catheter mapping technology may benefit from the use of ECGI to enhance the diagnosis and ablation of AF.

Simulated microgravity altered the proliferation, apoptosis, and extracellular matrix formation of L929 fibroblasts and the transforming growth factor-ß1/Smad3 signaling pathway.

Exposure to microgravity can adversely affect the fitness of astronauts. The integrity of the skin plays a crucial role in protecting against mechanical forces and infections, fluid imbalance, and thermal dysregulation. In brief, the skin wound may cause unknown challenges to the implementation of space missions. Wound healing is a physiological process that relies on the synergistic action of inflammatory cells, extracellular matrix (ECM), and various growth factors to maintain the integrity of skin after trauma. Fibroblasts are present almost throughout the entire process of wound repair, especially in the scar formation at the endpoint of wound healing. However, there is limited knowledge about the extent to which fibroblasts are affected by the lack of gravity during wound healing. In this study, we utilized the rotary cell culture system, a ground-based facility that mimics the weightless condition, to study the alterations of L929 fibroblast cells under simulated microgravity (SMG). Our results demonstrated that the SM condition exerted negative influences on the proliferation and ECM formation of the L929 fibroblast. Whereas, the apoptosis of fibroblast was significantly upregulated upon exposure to SMG conditions. Moreover, the transforming growth factor-ß1/Smad3 (TGF-ß1/smad3) signaling pathway of L929 fibroblast related to wound repair was also altered significantly under a weightless environment. Overall, our study provided evidence that fibroblasts are strongly sensitive to SMG and elucidated the potential value of the TGF-ß1/Smad3 signaling pathway modulating wound healing in the future practice of space medicine.

Autophagy in hepatic macrophages can be regulator and potential therapeutic target of liver diseases: A review.

Hepatic macrophages are a complex population of cells that play an important role in the normal functioning of the liver and in liver diseases. Autophagy, as a maintainer of cellular homeostasis, is closely connected to many liver diseases. And its roles are not always beneficial, but manifesting as a double-edged sword. The polarization of macrophages and the activation of inflammasomes are mediated by intracellular and extracellular signals, respectively, and are important ways for macrophages to take part in a variety of liver diseases. More attention should be paid to autophagy of hepatic macrophages in liver diseases. In this review, we focus on the regulatory role of hepatic macrophages' autophagy in a variety of liver diseases; especially on the upstream regulator of polarization and inflammasomes activation of the hepatic macrophages. We believe that the autophagy of hepatic macrophages can become a potential therapeutic target for management of liver diseases.