Genomic analyses reveal the stepwise domestication and genetic mechanism of curd biogenesis in cauliflower.

Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis) is a distinctive vegetable that supplies a nutrient-rich edible inflorescence meristem for the human diet. However, the genomic bases of its selective breeding have not been studied extensively. Herein, we present a high-quality reference genome assembly C-8 (V2) and a comprehensive genomic variation map consisting of 971 diverse accessions of cauliflower and its relatives. Genomic selection analysis and deep-mined divergences were used to explore a stepwise domestication process for cauliflower that initially evolved from broccoli (Curd-emergence and Curd-improvement), revealing that three MADS-box genes, CAULIFLOWER1 (CAL1), CAL2 and FRUITFULL (FUL2), could have essential roles during curd formation. Genome-wide association studies identified nine loci significantly associated with morphological and biological characters and demonstrated that a zinc-finger protein (BOB06G135460) positively regulates stem height in cauliflower. This study offers valuable genomic resources for better understanding the genetic bases of curd biogenesis and florescent development in crops.

Left Atrial Dysfunction in Apical Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Assessed by Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Feature-tracking.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the left atrial (LA) function in participants with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (AHCM) by cardiovascular magnetic resonance feature tracking (CMR-FT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty typical AHCM (TAHCM) patients, 23 subclinical AHCM (SAHCM) patients and 32 normal healthy volunteers who underwent CMR exam were retrospectively analyzed. LA reservoir, conduit, and contractile function were quantified by volumetric and CMR-FT derived strain and strain rate (SR) parameters from 2-chamber and 4-chamber cine imaging. RESULTS: Compared with healthy participants, both TAHCM and SAHCM patients had impaired LA reservoir function (total strain [%]: TAHCM 31.3±12.2, SAHCM 31.8±12.3, controls 40.4±10.7, P <0.01; total SR [/s]: TAHCM 1.1±0.4, SAHCM 1.1±0.5, controls 1.4 ± 0.4, P <0.01) and conduit function (passive strain [%]: TAHCM 14.4±7.6, SAHCM 16.4±8.8, controls 23.3±8.1, P <0.01; passive SR [/s]: TAHCM -0.5±0.3, SAHCM -0.6±0.3, controls -1.0±0.4, P <0.01). Regarding contraction function, although TAHCM and SAHCM patients had preserved active emptying fraction and strain (all P >0.05), patients with TAHCM had the lowest active SR value among the 3 groups ( P= 0.03). LA reservoir and conduit strain were both significantly associated with left ventricular mass index and maximal wall thickness (all P <0.05). A moderate correlation between LA passive SR and left ventricular cardiac index ( P <0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The LA reservoir and conduit function are predominately impaired and appeared in both SAHCM and TAHCM patients.

Combined analysis of single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing reveals the expression patterns of circadian rhythm disruption in the immune microenvironment of Alzheimer's disease.

Background: Circadian rhythm disruption (CRD) represents a critical contributor to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Nonetheless, how CRD functions within the AD immune microenvironment remains to be illustrated. Methods: Circadian rhythm score (CRscore) was utilized to quantify the microenvironment status of circadian disruption in a single-cell RNA sequencing dataset derived from AD. Bulk transcriptome datasets from public repository were employed to validate the effectiveness and robustness of CRscore. A machine learning-based integrative model was applied for constructing a characteristic CRD signature, and RT-PCR analysis was employed to validate their expression levels. Results: We depicted the heterogeneity in B cells, CD4+ T cells, and CD8+ T cells based on the CRscore. Furthermore, we discovered that CRD might be strongly linked to the immunological and biological features of AD, as well as the pseudotime trajectories of major immune cell subtypes. Additionally, cell-cell interactions revealed that CRD was critical in the alternation of ligand-receptor pairs. Bulk sequencing analysis indicated that the CRscore was found to be a reliable predictive biomarker in AD patients. The characteristic CRD signature, which included 9 circadian-related genes (CRGs), was an independent risk factor that accurately predicted the onset of AD. Meanwhile, abnormal expression of several characteristic CRGs, including GLRX, MEF2C, PSMA5, NR4A1, SEC61G, RGS1, and CEBPB, was detected in neurons treated with Aß1-42 oligomer. Conclusion: Our study revealed CRD-based cell subtypes in the AD microenvironment at single-cell level and proposed a robust and promising CRD signature for AD diagnosis. A deeper knowledge of these mechanisms may provide novel possibilities for incorporating "circadian rhythm-based anti-dementia therapies" into the treatment protocols of individualized medicine.

Effect of CPAP on cognitive function in stroke patients with obstructive sleep apnoea: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment on cognitive function in stroke patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) by exploring randomised controlled trials (RCTs). METHODS: Published RCTs that assessed the therapeutic effects of CPAP on cognition in stroke patients with OSA, compared with controls or sham CPAP, were included. Electronic databases, including MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane library, were searched in October 2020 and October 2021. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane collaboration tools. A random effects or fixed effects model was used according to heterogeneity. The outcomes were global cognitive gain, improvement in cognitive domain and subjective sleepiness. RESULTS: 7 RCTs, including 327 participants, comparing CPAP with control or sham CPAP treatment were included. 6 RCTs with 270 participants reported results related to global cognition, and CPAP treatment had no significant effects on global cognitive gain in stroke patients with OSA (standardised mean difference (SMD), 0.18; 95% CI, -0.07 to 0.42; p=0.153). A subgroup analysis showed that an early start to (<2 weeks post stroke) CPAP treatment after stroke significantly improved global cognition (SMD, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.18 to 1.14; p=0.007), which was not found in the case of a delayed start to CPAP treatment. However, CPAP did not significantly help with memory, language, attention or executive function. Moreover, CPAP therapy significantly alleviated subjective sleepiness (SMD, -0.73; 95% CI, -1.15 to -0.32; p≤0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Early initiation of CPAP treatment might contribute to improvement in global cognition in stroke patients with OSA. This study had the following limitations: the sample size in each included study was relatively small; the scales related to cognitive assessment or subjective sleepiness were inconsistent; and the methodological quality was not high. Future trials should focus on including a greater number of stroke patients with OSA undergoing CPAP treatment. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020214709.

Construction of an SNP fingerprinting database and population genetic analysis of 329 cauliflower cultivars.

Cauliflower is one of the most important vegetable crops grown worldwide. However, the lack of genetic diversity information and efficient molecular markers hinders efforts to improve cauliflower. This study aims to construct DNA fingerprints for 329 cauliflower cultivars based on SNP markers and the KASP system. After rigorous filtering, a total of 1662 candidate SNPs were obtained from nearly 17.9 million SNP loci. The mean values of PIC, MAF, heterozygosity and gene diversity of these SNPs were 0.389, 0.419, 0.075, and 0.506, respectively. We developed a program for in silico simulations on 153 core germplasm samples to generate ideal SNP marker sets from the candidates. Finally, 41 highly polymorphic KASP markers were selected and applied to identify 329 cauliflower cultivars, mainly collected from the public market. Furthermore, based on the KASP genotyping data, we performed phylogenetic analysis and population structure analysis of the 329 cultivars. As a result, these cultivars could be classified into three major clusters, and the classification patterns were significantly related to their curd solidity and geographical origin. Finally, fingerprints of the 329 cultivars and 2D barcodes with the genetic information of each sample were generated. The fingerprinting database developed in this study provides a practical tool for identifying the authenticity and purity of cauliflower seeds and valuable genetic information about the current cauliflower cultivars.

Full-length chloroplast genome of Dongxiang wild rice reveals small single-copy region switching.

Background: Plant chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) typically has a circular structure, including a large single-copy region (LSC), a small single-copy region (SSC) and two inverted repeats (IR1 and IR2). The organization of these four elementary regions LSC-IR1-SSC-IR2 is highly conserved across all plant cpDNAs. Very few structural variations (SVs) occurring at the elementary-region level have been reported. Results: In the present study, we assembled the full-length cpDNA of Dongxiang wild rice line 159 (DXWR159). Using the long PacBio subreads, we discovered a large inversion of SSC and a large duplication of IR in DXWR159 cpDNAs. Significantly, we reported for the first time forward and reverse SSCs of cpDNAs in similar proportions and named the frequent inversion of a whole SSC as SSC switching. Conclusions: Our study helps researchers to correctly assemble the chloroplast genomes. Our recombination model explained the formation of large SVs in cpDNAs and provided insights into a novel scientific question that if there are common mechanisms in the formation or translocation of all kinds of transposon-like elements (TLEs). We propose that: (1) large inversion is the most accepted mutation type of SVs in cpDNAs; (2) SSC switching ubiquitous occurs in plant cpDNAs; and (3) further investigation of molecular mechanism underlying SSC switching may reveal new driving forces for large SVs.

Metabolic and RNA sequencing analysis of cauliflower curds with different types of pigmentation.

Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) is a popular vegetable worldwide due to its delicious taste, high nutritional value and anti-cancer properties. Cauliflower normally produces white curds, and natural spontaneous mutations lead to the production of orange, purple or green curds. However, some white cauliflowers show uneven purple pigmentation in their curds, which seriously affects the appearance quality and economic value of this crop. The underlying mechanism is still unclear. In this study, we performed comparative transcriptional and metabolic profiling analysis of light orange, white and purplish cauliflower curds. Metabolite analysis revealed that the pigments conferring purple colouration were delphinin and cyanin. Transcriptome analysis showed that the anthocyanin metabolism-related structural genes DFR, ANS and UGT and the transcription factor genes PAP2, TT8, GL3, EGL3 and TTG1 were upregulated in purplish versus white curds. These findings shed light on the formation of purplish curds, which could facilitate the breeding of purely white or red cauliflower.

Left atrial dysfunction may precede left atrial enlargement and abnormal left ventricular longitudinal function: a cardiac MR feature tracking study.

BACKGROUND: The role of the dysfunction of left atrium in the occurrence and development of cardiovascular disease has been gradually recognized. We aim to compare the impact on left atrial (LA) function between patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and hypertension (HTN) without LA enlargement using cardiovascular magnetic resonance feature tracking (CMR-FT), and if possible, explore the capability of LA function for providing clinical implication and predicting clinical adverse events in the early stage of cardiovascular disease. METHODS: Consecutive 60 HCM patients and 60 HTN patients with normal LA size among 1413 patients who underwent CMR were retrospectively analyzed as well as 60 controls. Left atrial and ventricular functions were quantified by volumetric and CMR-FT derived strain analysis from long and short left ventricular view cines. The primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause death, stroke, new-onset or worsening heart failure to hospitalization, and paroxysmal or persistent atrial fibrillation. RESULTS: Compared to the controls, both HTN and HCM participants had impaired LA reservoir function (εs) and conduit function (εe) with the different stage of LA booster pump dysfunction (εa). LA strain was more sensitive than LV longitudinal strain (GLS) for evaluate primary endpoint (εs: 33.9% ± 7.5 vs. 41.2% ± 14.3, p = 0.02; εe: 13.6% ± 6.2 vs. 17.4% ± 10.4, p = 0.03; εa: 20.2% ± 6.0 vs. 23.7% ± 8.8, p = 0.07; GLS: -19.4% ± 6.4 vs. -20.0% ± 6.8, p = 0.70, respectively). After a mean follow-up of 6.8 years, 23 patients reached primary endpoint. Cox regression analyses indicated impaired LA reservoir and booster pump strain were associated with clinical outcomes in patients at the early stage of HTN and HCM (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: CMR-FT-derived strain is a potential and robust tool in demonstrating impaired LA mechanics, quantifying LA dynamics and underlining the impacts on LA-LV coupling in patients with HTN and HCM without LA enlargement. The corresponding LA dysfunction is a promising metric to assess clinical implication and predict prognosis at the early stage, superior to GLS.

Combined Features in Region of Interest for Brain Tumor Segmentation.

Diagnosis of brain tumor gliomas is a challenging task in medical image analysis due to its complexity, the less regularity of tumor structures, and the diversity of tissue textures and shapes. Semantic segmentation approaches using deep learning have consistently outperformed the previous methods in this challenging task. However, deep learning is insufficient to provide the required local features related to tissue texture changes due to tumor growth. This paper designs a hybrid method arising from this need, which incorporates machine-learned and hand-crafted features. A semantic segmentation network (SegNet) is used to generate the machine-learned features, while the grey-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM)-based texture features construct the hand-crafted features. In addition, the proposed approach only takes the region of interest (ROI), which represents the extension of the complete tumor structure, as input, and suppresses the intensity of other irrelevant area. A decision tree (DT) is used to classify the pixels of ROI MRI images into different parts of tumors, i.e. edema, necrosis and enhanced tumor. The method was evaluated on BRATS 2017 dataset. The results demonstrate that the proposed model provides promising segmentation in brain tumor structure. The F-measures for automatic brain tumor segmentation against ground truth are 0.98, 0.75 and 0.69 for whole tumor, core and enhanced tumor, respectively.

[Effects of Butylphthalide on the expressions of HMGB1 and RAGE in frontal lobe of rats after chronic sleep deprivation].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Butylphthalide on the expressions of HMGB1 and RAGE in frontal lobe of rats after chronic sleep deprivation. METHODS: Chronic sleep deprivation and butylphthalide treatment was performed in Sprague Dawley(SD)rats and the rats were divided into three groups (n＝6): platform control group, chronic sleep deprivation group and chronic sleep deprivation + butylphthalide intervention group. Rats suffering chronic sleep deprivation were put in multiple platforms box for 18 h per day and sleep deprivation lasted for 28 days. Rats in butylphthalide intervention group were intraperitoneally injected with butylphthalide 100 mg/(kg·d) for 14 days after sleep deprivation. After collecting brains, high-mobility group box (HMGB1) and nuclear transcription factor kappB (NF-κB)p65 were detected by immunohistochemistry. The expression of HMGB1, silent information regulator of transcription 1 (SIRT1), receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) and NF-κB in frontal lobe were determinated by Western blot. RESULTS: Compared with platform control group, the expression levels of HMGB1, RAGE and nuclear NF-κB p65 were increased significantly, while the expression of SIRT1 was decreased siginificantly in frontal lobe of chronic sleep deprivation group (all P＜0.05). Compared with chronic sleep deprivation group, the expression levels of of HMGB1, RAGE and nuclear NF-κB p65 were decreased significantly, while the expression of SIRT1 was increased significantly in chronic sleep deprivation + butylphthalide intervention group (all P＜0.05). CONCLUSION: Butylphthalide can inhibit HMGB1/RAGE/NF-κB pathway in frontal lobe of rats after chronic sleep deprivation by changing the expression of HMGB1 and RAGE, and reducing the nuclear translocation of NF-κBp65.

Recurrent primary pyogenic ventriculitis in an adult woman: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Recurrent primary pyogenic ventriculitis has not been reported previously. We present a unique case of recurrent primary pyogenic ventriculitis in an adult. And we believe that our study makes a significant contribution to the literature. CASE PRESENTATION: An adult woman with uncontrolled diabetes experienced two episodes of pyogenic ventriculitis caused by Escherichia coli over 4 years. She had typical imaging features, and the source of infection was undetermined. After antibiotic treatment, she recovered fully. CONCLUSIONS: Early recognition and therapy will improve patient prognosis.

Phoenixin-20 Prevents ox-LDL-Induced Attachment of Monocytes to Human Aortic Endothelial Cells (HAECs): A Protective Implication in Atherosclerosis.

The exact cause of atherosclerosis is not known, and therefore, the current treatment options are limited. The activation of endothelial cells by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) plays a key role in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. Phoenixin-20 is one of the newly identified neuropeptides with pleiotropic effects in the regulation of reproduction and other biological functions. G-protein receptor-coupled 173 (GPR173) is the putative receptor of Phoenixin-20. In the present study, we show that endothelial GPR173 is repressed upon ox-LDL stimulation in human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs). We further elaborate on the hypothesis that GPR173 could be involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis through a series of experiments. Our results indicate that ox-LDL remarkably triggers the increase of ROS, NOX-4, pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1ß, IL-8, and MCP-1 expression, as well as adhesion molecules ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 release. However, the agonism of GPR173 using Phoenixin-20 significantly ameliorates all of these harmful effects from ox-LDL by suppressing the NF-κB pathway. Furthermore, we show that agonism of GPR173 by Phoenixin-20 prevents the attachment of monocytes THP-1 to endothelial cells, which is an important therapeutic approach to preventing atherogenesis. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that GPR173 agonism by Phoenixin-20 plays a protective role against ox-LDL-induced endothelial dysfunction, implying that Phoenixin-20 may have therapeutic implications in atherosclerosis.

Glycosides of Caulis Lonicerae inhibits the inflammatory proliferation of IL-1ß-mediated fibroblast-like synovial cells cocultured with lymphocytes.

Caulis Lonicerae, the dried stem of Lonicera japonica, has been confirmed to have antiinflammatory and antioxidant therapeutic effects. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the functional mechanism of glycosides extracted from Caulis Lonicerae on the inflammatory proliferation of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß)-mediated fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) from rats. Rat FLSs (RSC-364) co-cultured with lymphocytes induced by IL-1ß were used as a cell model. Glycosides in a freeze-dried powder of aqueous extract from Caulis Lonicerae were identified using high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry. After treatment with glycosides, the inflammatory proliferation of FLS, induced by IL-1ß, decreased significantly. Flow cytometry analysis showed that treatment with glycosides restored the abnormal balance of T cells by intervening in the proliferation and differentiation of helper T (Th) cells. Glycosides also inhibited the activation of Janus kinase signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) and nuclear factor (NF)-κB signaling pathways by suppressing the protein expression of key molecules in these pathways. Therefore, we concluded that the glycosides of Caulis Lonicerae can intervene in the differentiation of Th cells, suppressing the activation of JAK-STAT and NF-κB signaling pathways, contributing to the inhibitory effect on inflammatory proliferation of FLS co-cultured with lymphocytes induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Identification of biomarkers and pathways in hypertensive nephropathy based on the ceRNA regulatory network.

BACKGROUND: Hypertensive nephropathy (HTN) is a kind of renal injury caused by chronic hypertension, which seriously affect people's life. The purpose of this study was to identify the potential biomarkers of HTN and understand its possible mechanisms. METHODS: The dataset numbered GSE28260 related to hypertensive and normotensive was downloaded from NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus. Then, the differentially expressed RNAs (DERs) were screened using R limma package, and functional analyses of DE-mRNA were performed by DAVID. Afterwards, a ceRNA network was established and KEGG pathway was analyzed based on the Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) database. Finally, a ceRNA regulatory network directly associated with HTN was proposed. RESULTS: A total of 947 DERs were identified, including 900 DE-mRNAs, 20 DE-lncRNAs and 27 DE-miRNAs. Based on these DE-mRNAs, they were involved in biological processes such as fatty acid beta-oxidation, IRE1-mediated unfolded protein response, and transmembrane transport, and many KEGG pathways like glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, carbon metabolism. Subsequently, lncRNAs KCTD21-AS1, LINC00470 and SNHG14 were found to be hub nodes in the ceRNA regulatory network. KEGG analysis showed that insulin signaling pathway, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, pathways in cancer, lysosome, and apoptosis was associated with hypertensive. Finally, insulin signaling pathway was screened to directly associate with HTN and was regulated by mRNAs PPP1R3C, PPKAR2B and AKT3, miRNA has-miR-107, and lncRNAs SNHG14, TUG1, ZNF252P-AS1 and MIR503HG. CONCLUSIONS: Insulin signaling pathway was directly associated with HTN, and miRNA has-miR-107 and lncRNAs SNHG14, TUG1, ZNF252P-AS1 and MIR503HG were the biomarkers of HTN. These results would improve our understanding of the occurrence and development of HTN.

Ultrasound-Targeted Microbubble Destruction-Mediated miR-206 Overexpression Promotes Apoptosis and Inhibits Metastasis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells Via Targeting PPIB.

BACKGROUND: Ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) has been found to be an effective method for delivering microRNAs (miRNAs, miRs). The current study is aimed at discovering the potential anti-cancer effects of UTMD-mediated miR-206 on HCC. METHODS: In our study, the expressions of miR-206 and peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase B (PPIB) in HCC tissues and cells were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). PPIB expressions in HCC and adjacent normal tissues were analyzed by gene expression profiling interactive analysis (GEPIA). MiR-206 mimic and mimic control were transfected into HCC cells using UTMD. Potential binding sites between miR-206 and PPIB were predicted and confirmed by TargetScan and dual-luciferase reporter assay, respectively. Cell migration, invasion, and apoptosis were detected by wound healing assay, Transwell, and flow cytometry, respectively. The expressions of apoptosis-related proteins (Bax, Bcl-2), Epithelial-to-mesenchymal (EMT) markers (E-cadherin, N-cadherin and Snail) and PPIB were measured by Western blot. RESULTS: MiR-206 expression was downregulated while PPIB expression was upregulated in HCC, and PPIB was recognized as a target gene of miR-206 in HCC tissues. UTMD-mediated miR-206 inhibited HCC cell migration and invasion while promoting apoptosis via regulating the expressions of proteins related to apoptosis, migration, and invasion by targeting PPIB. CONCLUSION: Our results suggested that the delivery of UTMD-mediated miR-206 could be a potential therapeutic method for HCC treatment, given its effects on inhibiting cell migration and invasion and promoting cell apoptosis.

Genome-wide identification of microRNAs and phased siRNAs in soybean roots under long-term salt stress.

BACKGROUND: Salinity stress, as the key limiting factor for agricultural productivity, can activate a series of molecular responses and alter gene expression in plants. Endogenous regulatory small RNAs, such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and phased siRNAs (phasiRNAs), play crucial roles during stress adaptation and prevent the injury from environmental circumstances. OBJECTIVE: To identify long-term salt stress responsive miRNAs and phasiRNAs as well as their associated genes and pathways in soybean roots. METHODS: Small RNA and degradome sequencing strategies were applied to genome widely investigate miRNAs and phasiRNAs in soybean roots under control and long-term salt stress conditions. RESULTS: In this study, stringent bioinformatic analysis led to the identification of 253 conserved and 38 novel miRNA candidates. Results of expression profiling, target and endogenous target mimics predictions provided valuable clues to their functional roles. Furthermore, 156 genes were identified to be capable of generating 21 nt and 24 nt phasiRNAs, in which 37 candidates were confirmed by degradome data for miRNA-directed cleavage. Approximately 90% of these phasiRNA loci were protein coding genes. And GO enrichment analysis pointed to "signal transduction" and "ADP binding" entries and reflected the functional roles of identified phasiRNA genes. CONCLUSION: Taken together, our findings extended the knowledge of salt responsive miRNAs and phasiRNAs in soybean roots, and provided valuable information for a better understanding of the regulatory events caused by small RNAs underlying plant adaptations to long-term salt stress.

CT features of COVID-19 patients with two consecutive negative RT-PCR tests after treatment.

The objective of this study is to expound the CT features of COVID-19 patients whose throat swab samples were negative for two consecutive nucleic acid tests after treatment. We retrospectively reviewed 46 COVID-19 patients with two consecutive negative RT-PCR tests after treatment. The cases were divided into moderate group and severe/critical group according to disease severity. Clinical and CT scanning data were collected. CT signs of pulmonary lesions and the score of lung involvement were expounded. Thirty-nine moderate cases and seven severe/critical cases were included. Residual pulmonary lesions were visible in CT images. Moderate patients showed peripheral lesions while severe/critical cases exhibited both central and peripheral lesions with all lobes involvement. Mixed ground glass opacity (GGO) and pulmonary consolidation were noted. A larger proportion of severe patients showed reticular pulmonary interstitium thickening. Air bronchogram, pleural effusion, vascular enlargement, bronchial wall thickening, bronchiectasis, pleural thickening and pleural adhesion were more frequently observed in severe/critical group. The severe/critical group showed higher CT score. Pulmonary lesions persisted even after twice consecutive negative nucleic acid tests. We strongly recommended regular follow-up of CT scans after nucleic acid tests conversion. Evaluation of complete remission should base on chest CT.

Neuropsychological and neuroimaging assessments of early cognitive impairment in patients after mild ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack.

This study aimed to identify markers of early cognitive impairment after acute mild ischemic cerebrovascular disease. To further explore the relationship between neuroimaging markers of vascular and neurodegenerative injuries and post-stroke cognitive impairment, 86 patients with transient ischemic attack/acute mild ischemic stroke were recruited. Demographic information, clinical data, stroke scale scores (Modified Rankin Scale, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale), and neuroimaging parameters (medial temporal lobe atrophy, global cortical atrophy, white matter hyperintensities, location and number of acute infarcts) were collected. All participants underwent neuropsychological evaluation at the time of discharge. The neurocognitive assessment was conducted using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Basic and Trail-Making Test A. It was found that low Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Basic scores were associated with global cortical atrophy and lower education levels. The completion time on the Trail-Making Test A was significantly correlated with medial temporal lobe atrophy and less education. It is concluded that global cortical atrophy and lower education levels can be used as rapid indicators of early cognitive impairment in patients after a transient ischemic attack and acute mild ischemic stroke. Medial temporal lobe atrophy also appears to be associated with mental processing speed in patients after a transient ischemic attack and acute mild ischemic stroke.

Quantification of left atrial function in patients with non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy by cardiovascular magnetic resonance feature tracking imaging: a feasibility and reproducibility study.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and is associated with adverse outcomes in HCM patients. Although the left atrial (LA) diameter has consistently been identified as a strong predictor of AF in HCM patients, the relationship between LA dysfunction and AF still remains unclear. The aim of this study is to evaluate the LA function in patients with non-obstructive HCM (NOHCM) utilizing cardiovascular magnetic resonance feature tracking (CMR-FT). METHODS: Thirty-three patients with NOHCM and 28 healthy controls were studied. The global and regional LA function and left ventricular (LV) function were compared between the two groups. The following LA global functional parameters were quantitively analyzed: reservoir function (total ejection fraction [LA total EF], total strain [εs], peak positive strain rate [SRs]), conduit function (passive ejection fraction [LA passive EF], passive strain [εe], peak early-negative SR [SRe]), and booster pump function (active ejection fraction [LA active EF], active strain [εa], peak late-negative SR [SRa]). The LA wall was automatically divided into 6 segments: anterior, antero-roof, inferior, septal, septal-roof and lateral. Three LA strain parameters (εs, εe, εa) and their corresponding strain rate parameters (SRs, SRe, SRa) during the reservoir, conduit and booster pump LA phases were segmentally measured and analyzed. RESULTS: The LA reservoir (LA total EF: 57.6 ± 8.2% vs. 63.9 ± 6.4%, p < 0.01; εs: 35.0 ± 12.0% vs. 41.5 ± 11.2%, p = 0.03; SRs: 1.3 ± 0.4 s- 1 vs. 1.5 ± 0.4 s- 1, p = 0.02) and conduit function (LA passive EF: 28.7 ± 9.1% vs. 37.1 ± 10.0%, p < 0.01; εe: 18.7 ± 7.9% vs. 25.9 ± 10.0%, p < 0.01; SRe: - 0.8 ± 0.3 s- 1 vs. -1.1 ± 0.4 s- 1, p < 0.01) were all impaired in patients with NOHCM when compared with healthy controls, while LA booster pump function was preserved. The LA segmental strain and strain rate analysis demonstrated that the εs, εe, SRe of inferior, SRs, SRe of septal-roof, and SRa of antero-roof walls (all p < 0.05) were all decreased in the NOHCM cohort. Correlations between LA functional parameters and LV conventional function and LA functional parameters and baseline parameters (age, body surface area and NYHA classification) were weak. The two strongest relations were between εs and LA total EF(r = 0.84, p < 0.01), εa and LA active EF (r = 0.83, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with healthy controls, patients with NOHCM have LA reservoir and conduit dysfunction, and regional LA deformation before LA enlargement. CMR-FT identifies LA dysfunction and deformation at an early stage.

Overexpression of miR-146a Might Regulate Polarization Transitions of BV-2 Cells Induced by High Glucose and Glucose Fluctuations.

Microglia are critical in neuroinflammation. M1/M2 polarization transitions of microglial phenotypes determine the states of neuroinflammation and are regulated by multiple pathways, including miRNAs and other epigenetic regulations. This study investigated the polarization transitions of microglia induced by high glucose and glucose fluctuations, and the role of miR-146a in regulating M1/M2 polarization transitions of microglia. BV-2 cells were cultured with 25 mmol/L glucose, 75 mmol/L glucose, and 25 mmol/L-75 mmol/L glucose fluctuation for 48 h. BV-2 cells overexpressing miR-146a were generated using a lentiviral vector. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to measure mRNA expression of miR-146a, CD11b, iNOS, Arg-1, IRAK1, TRAF6, and NF-κB. Immunofluorescence was used to measure CD11b expression. Western blot was used to measure protein expression of CD11b, iNOS, and Arg-1. Compared with those in the 25 mmol/L glucose control group, expression of CD11b, iNOS, TNF-α, and IL-6 in the 75 mmol/L glucose or glucose fluctuation groups of cultured BV-2 cells were significantly increased, while Arg-1 and IL-10 was significantly decreased. These effects were reversed by overexpression of miR-146a. Furthermore, expression of IRAK1, TRAF6, and NF-κB was significantly increased in the high glucose and glucose fluctuation groups; this was reduced after miR-146a overexpression. In sum, high glucose and glucose fluctuations induced polarization transitions from M1 to M2 phenotype in BV-2 cells. Overexpression of miR-146a might protect BV-2 cells from high glucose and glucose fluctuation associated with M1/M2 polarization transitions by downregulating the expression of IRAK1, TRAF6, and NF-κB.