Whole-course application of dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant to spinal-epidural anesthesia for cesarean section: A randomized, controlled trial.

Background: Dexmedetomidine is known to prolong the analgesic duration of spinal anesthesia, but it can be challenging to achieve further extension without opioids. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate a novel analgesic strategy using dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant to spinal-epidural anesthesia for elective cesarean surgery. Methods: The study was a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial conducted at a single center. Sixty parturients who underwent elective cesarean were randomly assigned to either group C or group D. Group D received an intrathecal injection of 12.5 mg ropivacaine and 5 µg dexmedetomidine followed by continuous epidural patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) infusion with a total volume of 100 ml, containing 0.2 % ropivacaine and 0.5 µg/kg dexmedetomidine. Group C received an intrathecal injection of 12.5 mg ropivacaine with an equivalent saline placebo followed by a similar PCA infusion, containing 0.2 % ropivacaine and an equivalent saline placebo. Results: The primary outcome was visual analog scale score on movement at 24 h after surgery. The results showed that the rest and motion pain scores in group D were significantly lower than those in group C at 6 h, 12 h, and 24 h after surgery (P < 0.05), with the differences at 24 h were 5.0 (5.0, 5.0)in group D versus 5.0 (5.0, 6.0) in group C (P = 0.04). Additionally, the time to the first PCA in group D was significantly longer than that in group C (P < 0.05), as well as the time of sensory and motor recovery. Conclusions: Whole-course application of dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant to spinal-epidural anesthesia could effectively extend the analgesic duration of ropivacaine to 24 h following elective cesarean surgery.

Fasudil alleviates cerebral ischemia­reperfusion injury by inhibiting inflammation and improving neurotrophic factor expression in rats.

The Rho kinase inhibitor fasudil exerts neuroprotective effects. We previously showed that fasudil can regulate M1/M2 microglia polarization and inhibit neuroinflammation. Here, the therapeutic effect of fasudil on cerebral ischemia­reperfusion (I/R) injury was investigated using the middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion (MCAO/R) model in Sprague­Dawley rats. The effect of fasudil on the phenotype of microglia and neurotrophic factors in the I/R brain and its potential molecular mechanism was also explored. It was found that fasudil ameliorated neurological deficits, neuronal apoptosis, and inflammatory response in rats with cerebral I/R injury. Fasudil also promoted the polarization of microglia into the M2 phenotype, in turn promoting the secretion of neurotrophic factors. Furthermore, fasudil significantly inhibited the expression of TLR4 and NF­κB. These findings suggest that fasudil could inhibit the neuroinflammatory response and reduce brain injury after I/R injury by regulating the shift of microglia from an inflammatory M1 phenotype to an anti­inflammatory M2 phenotype, which may be related to the regulation of the TLR4/ NF­κB signal pathway.

Two new species of Cerapanorpa (Mecoptera, Panorpidae) from the Qinling and Minshan mountains.

Two new species of Cerapanorpa Gao, Ma & Hua, 2016 are described from the Qinling and Minshan mountains, respectively. Cerapanorpa qinlingensis sp. nov. can be readily distinguished from its congeners by the elongate hypovalves and the extremely developed basal process of gonostylus in male genitalia. Cerapanorpa minshana sp. nov. is characterized by its bifurcated parameres and a cluster of long black bristles on the inner apex of the gonocoxite. The number of species of Cerapanorpa is raised to 21. An updated key to species of Cerapanorpa is presented.

Development of 19 novel microsatellite markers of lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria, Asparagaceae) from transcriptome sequencing.

The lily-of-the-valley Convallaria (Asparagaceae) consists of three herbaceous perennial species. The plants are commonly found in northern hemisphere, and are best-known for their ornamental and pharmaceutical value. In order to assess the genetic structure, diversity and demographic history of Convallaria species, 19 novel microsatellite markers were developed based on transcriptome data of C. keiskei. Polymorphism and cross-amplification of the markers were tested in three populations of C. keiskei and one population each of C. majalis and C. montana. The transferability rate in two species was both 89.5%. The average number of alleles detected per locus was 7.7, 3.3 and 2.7 in C. keiskei, C. majalis and C. montana, respectively, and the polymorphism information content correspondingly varied from 0.067 to 0.730, from 0.071 to 0.637 and from 0.195 to 0.680 at the population level. The observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.000 to 1.000 and from 0.000 to 0.833, respectively. Seven of the 19 loci showed significant deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The availability of these markers will provide a useful molecular tool for further population genetics, phylogeographic and breeding studies of Convallaria species.

Deleterious cardiovascular effect of exosome in digitalis-treated decompensated congestive heart failure.

Heart failure (HF) is a medical condition inability of the heart to pump sufficient blood to meet the metabolic demand of the body to take place. The number of hospitalized patients with cardiovascular diseases is estimated to be more than 1 million each year, of which 80% to 90% of patients ultimately progress to decompensated HF. Digitalis glycosides exert modest inotropic actions when administered to patients with decompensated HF. Although its efficacy in patients with HF and atrial fibrillation is clear, its value in patients with HF and sinus rhythm has often been questioned. A series of recent studies have cast serious doubt on the benefit of digoxin when added to contemporary HF treatment. We are hypothesizing the role and mechanism of exosome and its biological constituents responsible for worsening the disease state and mortality in decompensated HF patients on digitalis.

Risk Factors, Mechanisms and Treatments of Thromboangiitis Obliterans: An Overview of Recent Research.

BACKGROUND: Thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO) is a nonatherosclerotic thromboticocclusive vasculitis that affects the vessels of the small and medium-sized extremities. No explicit etiology or pathogenesis of TAO has been proven, and more effective treatments are needed. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to summarize and present an overview of recent advances regarding the risk factors, mechanisms and treatments of TAO and to organize the related information in figures to provide a comparatively complete reference. METHODS: We searched PubMed for English-language literature about TAO without article type limits, including articles about the risk factors, pathological mechanisms and treatments of TAO in the last 10 years with essential supplements (references over ranges and English abstracts of Russian literature). RESULTS: After screening content of works of literature, 99 references were evaluated. We found that risk factors of TAO include smoking, gene factors and periodontal diseases. The underlying mechanism of TAO involves oxidative stress, immunity, hemodynamic changes, inflammation and so on. Moreover, similarities in genetic factors and cigarette relevance existed between periodontal diseases and TAO, so further study of relationship was required. For TAO treatment, medicine, endovascular intervention and revascularization surgery, autologous cell therapy and novel therapies were also mentioned. Besides, a hypothesis that infection triggers autoimmunity in TAO could be speculated, in which TLR4 plays a key role. CONCLUSION: 1. A hypothesis is put forward that infections can trigger autoimmunity in TAO development, in which TLR4, as a key agent, can activate immune signaling pathways and induce autoimmune cytokines expression. 2. It is suggested to reconsider the association between periodontal diseases and TAO, as they share the same high-risk population. Controlling periodontal disease severity in TAO studies may provide new clues. 3. For TAO treatment, endovascular intervention and autologous cell therapy both showed promising long-term therapeutic effectiveness, in which autologous cell therapy is becoming more popular, although more clinical comparisons are needed.

[Assessment of aquatic ecological security for mountainous rivers: A case study in the Taizi River Basin, Northeast China.] / æ²³æµå±±åŒºæ®µæ°´ç”Ÿæ€å®‰å ¨è¯„ä¼°­­ä»¥å¤ªå­æ²³ä¸ºä¾‹.

Watershed ecological security is strongly associated with the aquatic ecological status of the upper mountainous area. The present study aimed to assess the watershed ecological security status of the mountainous area under the PSFR (Pressure-State-Function-Response) assessment framework. An evaluation index system was established according to the watershed characteristics, which included four project hierarchical layers, i.e., aquatic ecological pressure, aquatic ecological state, ecological function, and social response, 11 component layers and 23 evaluation indexes. This index system was applied to evaluate the watershed ecological security status of the mountainous area (35 sub-watersheds) in the Taizi River Basin, Liaoning Province. Our results showed that the aquatic ecological status of the study area could be classified into three groups: insecure, general secure and secure, no very insecure and very secure status. Nine sub-watersheds were at the insecure ecological status, accounting for 25.7% of the total sub-watersheds, whereas 22 sub-watersheds were at the general secure state, representing 62.9% of the study area. In contrast, only four sub-watersheds were grouped at the secure status. Furthermore, agricultural activity was identified as the most significant factor responsible for the aquatic ecological security of mountainous area in the Taizi River Basin. Habitat degradation, including water quality deterioration and habitat loss, significantly reduced the ecological functions of the Taizi River Basin, and decreases in rare and peculiar species and biodiversity also posed a threat to the ecological integrity of the study region. Our results could be applied to diagnose the major factors affecting aquatic ecological security, and provide information for effective ecological restoration.

The Beneficial Effects of Electroacupuncture at PC6 Acupoints (Neiguan) on Myocardial Ischemia in ASIC3 -/- mice.

This study aims to investigate the possible mechanisms of electroacupuncture (EA) at PC6 to improve myocardial ischemia (MI) by regulating the cardiac transient outward potassium current channel (Ito). According to the random number table, the mice were divided into six groups of six mice each: control group, MI group, PC6, LU7 (Lieque-point), ST36 (Zusanli-point), and nonacupoint group. Mice in the control group were injected with saline (20 mg/kg, 24 hours interval), and the other ASIC3 -/- mice were injected subcutaneously twice with isoproterenol (ISO) (20 mg/kg, 24 hours interval). In the preexperiment, 5 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg, 20 mg/kg, and 30 mg/kg of ISO were used, and the results showed that 5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg of ISO both could induce acute MI, but shorter duration of sustained MI. On the other hand, an injection of 30 mg/kg can make the mice experience arrhythmia or die immediately, and EA was operated at PC6, LU7, ST36 acupoints, and nonacupoint in the mice of PC6, LU7, ST36, and nonacupoint groups, respectively, after injecting twice. Then Western blotting techniques (Western Blot) were used to analyze the protein expressions of Kv1.4, Kv4.2, Kv4.3, and KchIP2. The results of this experiment showed that the protein expressions of Kv1.4, Kv4.2, Kv4.3, and KChIP2 in MI group were significantly lower than those in the control group (p < 0.01). Compared with MI group, the results of PC6, LU7, and ST36 groups obviously increased (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the expressions of PC6 group were higher than LU7 group and ST36 group (p < 0.05). And electrocardiogram's T-waves showed obvious pathological changes in the MI group compared to the control group (p < 0.01). After EA, the abnormal T-waves voltage of ECG in PC6, LU7, and ST36 groups was improved (p < 0.05). In addition, the rate change of PC6 group was larger than that of both LU7 and ST36 groups (p < 0.05). But the T-waves voltage of the nonacupoint group was not significantly different than that of the MI group (p > 0.05).

Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of toad lily Tricyrtis Macropoda (Liliaceae).

Tricyrtis (Liliaceae) is an endemic genus in East Asia. Many of the species in the genus are in Endangered condition due to habitat loss and extensive horticultural usage in recent decades. In present study, we reported the first Tricyrtis chloroplast (cp) genome, Tricyrtis macropoda, based on Illumina pair-end sequencing data. The complete chloroplast genome size is 155,778 bp. In total, 131 genes were identified, including 85 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNA genes, and 38 tRNA genes. Fifteen genes are containing introns (clpP and ycf3 contained two introns) and 14 genes had two copies. The overall GC content of this genome was 37.4%. A further phylogenomic analysis of Liliales, including 62 taxa, was conducted for the placement of genus Tricyrtis. The complete plastome of T. marcropoda will provide a valuable resource for further genetic conservation, phylogenomic, and evolution studies in the genus and family.

Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of Chinese privet Ligustrum lucidum (Oleaceae).

Ligustrum lucidum is a species of privet native to the southern half of China. It is often used as an ornamental tree, sometimes as a cultivar. In present study, we reported the Ligustrum lucidum chloroplast (cp) genome. The total chloroplast genome size of L. lucidum was 154,793 bp. In total, 124 genes were identified, including 81 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNA genes, and 35 tRNA genes. Twenty genes contained introns (clpP and ycf3 contained two introns) and 17 genes had two copies. The overall GC content of this genome was 38.2%. A further phylogenomic analysis of Oleaceae, including 21 taxa, was conducted for the placement of genus Ligustrum. The complete plastome of L. lucidum will provide a valuable resource for further genetic conservation, phylogenomic, and evolution studies of the genus and the family.

Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of summer snowflake (Leucojum aestivum, Amaryllidaceae).

Leucojum aestivum (Amaryllidaceae) is an important medicinal plant native to Europe, North Africa, and Central Asia. Its wild resources are Endangered because of excavation. In the present study, the chloroplast genome of L. aestivum was sequenced. The plastome length is 157,241 bp. A total of 132 genes were identified, consisting of 86 protein-coding genes, eight rRNA genes, and 38 tRNA genes. Thirty-four species from Asparagales were used for phylogenomic analysis.

The complete chloroplast genome of the Chinese Abelia Lineae chinensis (R.Br.) A.Braun & Vatke (Caprifoliaceae).

Linnaea chinensis (Caprifoliaceae), which inhabits in China and Japan, is commonly cultivated as an ornamental shrub. The complete chloroplast genome of L. chinensis was newly assembled in this study based on Illumina pair-end sequencing data. The full length of L. chinensis plastome is 155,813 bp. In total, 124 genes were identified, including 75 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNA genes, and 42 tRNA genes. The overall GC content of this genome was 38.4%. A further phylogenomic analysis including16 species from Adoxaceae and Caprifoliaceae was constructed.

Role of tRNA selenocysteine 1 associated protein 1 in the proliferation and apoptosis of cardiomyocyte­like H9c2 cells.

Transfer RNA selenocysteine 1 associated protein 1 (Trnau1ap) serves an essential role in the synthesis of selenoproteins, which have critical functions in numerous biological processes. Selenium deficiency results in a variety of diseases, including cardiac disease. However, the mechanisms underlying myocardial injury induced by selenium deficiency remain unclear. The present study examined the effects of Trnau1ap under­ and overexpression in cardiomyocyte­like H9c2 cells, by transfection with small interfering RNA and an overexpression plasmid, respectively. Expression levels of glutathione peroxidase, thioredoxin reductase and selenoprotein K were decreased in Trnau1ap­underexpressing cells, and increased in Trnau1ap­overexpressing cells. Using MTT, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, annexin V and caspase­3 activity assays, it was demonstrated that reducing Trnau1ap expression levels inhibited the proliferation of H9c2 cells and induced apoptosis. Conversely, increasing Trnau1ap expression levels promoted cell growth. Western blot analysis revealed that the phosphoinositide 3­kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway was activated in Trnau1ap­underexpressing cells. Furthermore, the apoptotic pathway was activated in these cells, evidenced by relatively greater expression levels of B­cell lymphoma (Bcl­2)­associated X protein and reduced expression levels of Bcl­2. Taken together, these findings suggest that Trnau1ap serves a key role in the proliferation and apoptosis of H9c2 cells. The present study provides insight into the underlying mechanisms of myocardial injury induced by selenium deficiency.

[Whole-liver perfusion imaging by multi-slice spiral computed tomography based on Couinaud segments for evaluation of the blood flow state in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the blood flow characteristics of hepatitis B cirrhosis based on Couinaud's hepatic segments and to analyze the correlation between perfusion parameters of liver cirrhosis in the hepatic segments and between the different Child-Pugh classifications by using the pattern of whole liver perfusion detected by multi-slice spiral computed tomography (MSCT). METHODS: Whole-liver perfusion enhanced CT imaging scan was performed for 51 patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis (including 24 classified as Child-Pugh A, 19 as Child-Pugh B, and 8 as Child-Pugh C) and 20 patients without any liver abnormalities (who served as the control group).The perfusion parameters of Couinaud's segments were measured in order to compare the blood perfusion differences among the Couinaud's hepatic segments in liver cirrhosis. The blood flow characteristics were analyzed for each lobe and compared between groups, and the time to peak and peak of enhancement values of the aorta and portal veins and spleen were recorded and compared between groups.The F-test was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The liver cirrhosis group showed higher time to peak for aorta and portal veins and spleen but lower peak of enhancement values than the control group. The hepatic arterial perfusion (HAP) was significantly higher in segment 3 than in segment 7 were (11.40+/- 5.72 vs.9.46+/-5.18 mL/min/100 mL; P less than 0.05). In addition, the differences of the portal venous perfusion (PVP) and total hepatic perfusion (THP) were significant between the liver lobes in various groups (P less than 0.05). The HAP and hepatic perfusion index (HPI) were not significantly different between the groups, but the HAP and HPI in every lobe were higher in the Child C subgroup than in either the Child A or Child B subgroups. CONCLUSION: The cirrhotic liver has different blood flow in the various Couinaud's segments. Whole-liver perfusion MSCT can reflect the hemodynamic changes of liver cirrhosis and Child-Pugh classification, and as such may be helpful for distinguishing the normal liver from the cirrhotic liver.

Dishevelled-1 (Dvl-1) protein: a potential participant of oxidative stress induced by selenium deficiency.

Oxidative stress induced by selenium deficiency has been shown to be associated with cardiovascular diseases. Nevertheless, the mechanism associated with oxidative stress induced by selenium deficiency is poorly understood. In the present study, 36 weaning C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 4 groups as follows: control (n =9), 4-week selenium deficiency (n =9), 8-week selenium deficiency (n = 9), and 12-week selenium deficiency (n =9). The levels of myocardial glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were determined by Western blotting or commercial kits. Real-time PCR was performed to detect the mRNA expression of dishevelled-1 (Dvl-1) protein. Western blotting was conducted to evaluate the protein expression levels of Dvl-1 and ß-catenin. Our results demonstrated that the levels of GPx and SOD were significantly reduced, along with an increase in MDA in selenium-deficient mice. Importantly, Dvl-1 and ß-catenin were clearly upregulated under oxidative stress. Collectively, our findings indicate that Dvl-1 may be an underlying participant of oxidative stress induced by selenium deficiency.