Temporal trend in mortality due to congenital heart disease in China from 2008 to 2021.

BACKGROUND: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a leading cause of birth defect-related mortality. However, more recent CHD mortality data for China are lacking. Additionally, limited studies have evaluated sex, rural-urban, and region-specific disparities of CHD mortality in China. METHODS: We designed a population-based study using data from the Dataset of National Mortality Surveillance in China between 2008 and 2021. We calculated age-adjusted CHD mortality using the sixth census data of China in 2010 as the standard population. We assessed the temporal trends in CHD mortality by age, sex, area, and region from 2008 to 2021 using the joinpoint regression model. RESULTS: From 2008 to 2021, 33,534 deaths were attributed to CHD. The period witnessed a two-fold decrease in the age-adjusted CHD mortality from 1.61 to 0.76 per 100,000 persons (average annual percent change [AAPC] = -5.90%). Females tended to have lower age-adjusted CHD mortality than males, but with a similar decline rate from 2008 to 2021 (females: AAPC = -6.15%; males: AAPC = -5.84%). Similar AAPC values were observed among people living in urban (AAPC = -6.64%) and rural (AAPC = -6.12%) areas. Eastern regions experienced a more pronounced decrease in the age-adjusted CHD mortality (AAPC = -7.86%) than central (AAPC = -5.83%) and western regions (AAPC = -3.71%) between 2008 and 2021. Approximately half of the deaths (46.19%) due to CHD occurred during infancy. The CHD mortality rates in 2021 were lower than those in 2008 for people aged 0-39 years, with the largest decrease observed among children aged 1-4 years (AAPC = -8.26%), followed by infants (AAPC = -7.01%). CONCLUSIONS: CHD mortality in China has dramatically decreased from 2008 to 2021. The slower decrease in CHD mortality in the central and western regions than in the eastern regions suggested that public health policymakers should pay more attention to health resources and health education for central and western regions.

Right ventricular volume and function by three-dimensional echocardiography: results of the echocardiographic measurements in normal Chinese adults (EMINCA) II.

Three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography is an emerging technique for assessing right ventricular (RV) volume and function, but 3D-RV normal values from a large Chinese population are still lacking. The aim of the present study was to establish normal values of 3D-RV volume and function in healthy Chinese volunteers. A total of 1117 Han Chinese volunteers from 28 laboratories in 20 provinces of China were enrolled, and 3D-RV images of 747 volunteers with optimal image quality were ultimately analyzed by a core laboratory. Both vendor-dependent and vendor-independent software platforms were used to analyze the 3D-RV images. We found that men had larger RV volumes than women did in the whole population, even after indexing to body surface area, and older individuals had smaller RV volumes. The normal RV volume was significantly smaller than that recommended by the American Society of Echocardiography/European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging guidelines in both sexes. There were significant differences in 3D-RV measurements between the two vendor ultrasound systems and the different software platforms. The echocardiographic measurements in normal Chinese adults II study revealed normal 3D-RV volume and function in a large Chinese population, and there were significant differences between the sexes, ages, races, and vendor groups. Thus, normal 3D-RV values should be stratified by sex, age, race, and vendor.

Identification and characterization of an ene-reductase from Corynebacterium casei.

The asymmetric reduction of α, ß-unsaturated compounds conjugated with electron-withdrawing group by ene-reductases (ERs) is a valuable method for the synthesis of enantiopure chiral compounds. This study introduced an ER from Corynebacterium casei (CcER) which was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3), and the purified recombinant CcER was characterized for its biocatalytic properties. CcER exhibited the highest specific activity at 40 °C and pH 6.5, and showcased appreciable stability below 40 °C over a pH range of 6.0-7.0. The enzyme displayed high resistance to methanol. CcER accepted NADH or NADPH as a cofactor and exhibited a broad substrate spectrum towards α, ß-unsaturated compounds. It achieved complete conversion of 2-cyclohexen-1-one and good performance for stereoselective reduction of (R)-carvone (conversion 98 %, diastereoselectivity 96 %). This study highlights the robustness and potential of CcER.

Development and validation of the perceived symptom manageability scale among people living with the human immunodeficiency virus.

BACKGROUND: "Perceived Symptom Manageability (PSM)" is essential in symptom management among people living with HIV. As a standardized assessment instrument was lacking, we developed a PSM scale for people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PSM-HIV). METHODS: Data analysis was performed using the sample from HIV-designated medical institutions (N = 540). Psychometric testing, namely reliability and validity, is assessed by unidimensionality, internal consistency, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling. RESULTS: The final version of the PSM- HIV scale contained 15 items. This scale was submitted to a principal components analysis with varimax rotation, and three factors were obtained, explained by a total variance of 63.10%. The three factors were named Cognitive-Behavioral, Affective Interaction, and Self-Attitude. The results show that the scale had high reliability, Cronbach's α of the scale ranged from 0.71 to 0.92, and the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient was 0.88. The structural equation model supports a factor model with the acceptable fit (χ2/df (CMIN/DF) = 2.50, Root Mean square Residual (RMR) = 0.03, Goodness-of-Fit Index (GFI) = 0.93, Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index (AGFI) = 0.90, Normed Fit Index (NFI) = 0.93, Incremental Fit Index (IFI) = 0.96, Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.96). The average variance extracted was 0.38 ∼ 0.59, and the composite reliability was 0.70 ∼ 0.91, indicating that the convergent validity of the scale is acceptable. Subjects with different stages of the disease reached significance(χ2 = 9.02; df = 2, P<0.05), meaning moderate Known-Groups Comparison Validation. CONCLUSIONS: The PSM-HIV scale is a valid instrument that measures overall attitude and belief about controlling or coping with HIV-relevant symptoms.

Multi-omics revealed molecular mechanism of biphenyl phytoalexin formation in response to yeast extract-induced oxidative stress in Sorbus aucuparia suspension cells.

KEY MESSAGE: Yeast extract-induced oxidative stress in Sorbus aucuparia suspension cells leads to the biosynthesis of various hormones, which activates specific signaling pathways that augments biphenyl phytoalexin production. Pathogen incursions pose a significant threat to crop yield and can have a pronounced effect on agricultural productivity and food security. Biphenyl phytoalexins are a specialized group of secondary metabolites that are mainly biosynthesized by Pyrinae plants as a defense mechanism against various pathogens. Despite previous research demonstrating that biphenyl phytoalexin production increased dramatically in Sorbus aucuparia suspension cells (SASCs) treated with yeast extract (YE), the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. To address this gap, we conducted an in-depth, multi-omics analysis of transcriptome, proteome, and metabolite (including biphenyl phytoalexins and phytohormones) dynamics in SASCs exposed to YE. Our results indicated that exposure to YE-induced oxidative stress in SASCs, leading to the biosynthesis of a range of hormones, including jasmonic acid (JA), jasmonic acid isoleucine (JA-ILE), gibberellin A4 (GA4), indole-3-carboxylic acid (ICA), and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). These hormones activated specific signaling pathways that promoted phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and augmented biphenyl phytoalexin production. Moreover, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated during this process also acted as signaling molecules, amplifying the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis cascade through activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Key genes involved in these signaling pathways included SaBIS1, SaBIS2, SaBIS3, SaPAL, SaB4H, SaOMT, SaUGT1, SaLOX2, SaPR1, SaCHIB1, SaCHIB2 and SaCHIB3. Collectively, this study provided intensive insights into biphenyl phytoalexin accumulation in YE-treated SASCs, which would inform the development of more efficient disease-resistance strategies in economically significant cultivars.

Adipocyte-Specific Hnrnpa1 Knockout Aggravates Obesity-Induced Metabolic Dysfunction via Upregulation of CCL2.

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 (HNRNPA1) is involved in lipid and glucose metabolism via mRNA processing. However, whether and how HNRNPA1 alters adipocyte function in obesity remain obscure. Here, we found that the obese state downregulated HNRNPA1 expression in white adipose tissue (WAT). The depletion of adipocyte HNRNPA1 promoted markedly increased macrophage infiltration and expression of proinflammatory and fibrosis genes in WAT of obese mice, eventually leading to exacerbated insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance, and hepatic steatosis. Mechanistically, HNRNPA1 interacted with Ccl2 and regulated its mRNA stability. Intraperitoneal injection of CCL2-CCR2 signaling antagonist improved adipose tissue inflammation and systemic glucose homeostasis. Furthermore, HNRNPA1 expression in human WAT was negatively correlated with BMI, fat percentage, and subcutaneous fat area. Among individuals with 1-year metabolic surgery follow-up, HNRNPA1 expression was positively related to percentage of total weight loss. These findings identify adipocyte HNRNPA1 as a link between adipose tissue inflammation and systemic metabolic homeostasis, which might be a promising therapeutic target for obesity-related disorders.

Realizing a Superior Conversion Efficiency of ≈11.3% in the Group IV-VI Thermoelectric Module.

GeTe-based materials exhibit superior thermoelectric performance, while the development of power generation devices has mainly been limited by the challenge of designing the interface due to the phase transition in GeTe. In this work, via utilizing the low-temperature nano-Ag sintering technique and screening suitable Ti-Al alloys, a reliable interface with excellent connection performance has been realized. The Ti-Al intermetallic compounds effectively inhibit the diffusion process at Ti-34Al/Ge0.9 Sb0.1 Te interface. Thus, the thickness of the interfacial reaction layer only increases by ≈2.08 µm, and the interfacial electrical contact resistivity remains as low as ≈15.2 µΩ cm2 even after 30 days of isothermal aging at 773 K. A high conversion efficiency of ≈11.3% has been achieved in the GeTe/PbTe module at a hot-side temperature of 773 K and a cold-side temperature of 300 K. More importantly, the module's performance and the reliability of the interface remain consistently stable throughout 50 thermal cycles and long-term aging. This work promotes the application of high-performance GeTe materials for thermoelectric power generation.

Green Tea Intake: A Protective Factor Against Postsurgical Hypothyroidism and Hypoparathyroidism.

PURPOSE: Tea and coffee are the most commonly consumed types of drinks, identified with multiple health benefits. However, the association between tea and coffee intake and postsurgical hypothyroidism and hypoparathyroidism (PHypoTP) is still unclear. Therefore, the objective of this study is to explore the effect of tea and coffee intake on the risk of PHypoTP. DESIGN: Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR). METHODS: The primary approach for MR estimates was the inverse-variance-weighted method. MR-Egger, MR Pleiotropy RESidual Sum and Outlier (PRESSO), weighted median, simple mode, and weighted mode were used to detect pleiotropy and heterogeneity. FINDINGS: We found that green tea intake was causally associated with the decreased risk of PHypoTP (ß = -0.019; 95% confidence interval: -0.038 to -0.001; P = .029). However, there was no significant association between coffee intake and the risk of PHypoTP. No heterogeneity or pleiotropy in these results was detected. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide the genetic evidence supporting that green tea intake was a protective factor against PHypoTP. Accordingly, we may suggest that patients after thyroidectomy to add green tea into their habitual diet during nursing education.

A case of minimally invasive small-incision off-pump ligation of a coronary artery fistula monitored by transesophageal echocardiography.

This case demonstrated intraoperative real-time transesophageal echocardiographic monitoring in minimally invasive small-incision Off-pump ligation of a coronary artery fistula,demonstrating the importance of esophageal echocardiography in surgical monitoring.

A novel antagonist of the CCL5/CCR5 axis suppresses the tumor growth and metastasis of triple-negative breast cancer by CCR5-YAP1 regulation.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive subtype of breast cancer (BC) with a high mortality rate, and few effective therapeutic strategies are available. CCL5/CCR5 is an appealing immunotherapeutic target for TNBC. However, its signaling mechanism is poorly understood and its direct antagonists have not been reported. Here, we developed a high-throughput screening (HTS) assay for discovering its antagonists. Verteporfin was identified as a more selective and potent antagonist than the known CCR5 antagonist maraviroc. Without photodynamic therapy, verteporfin demonstrated significant inhibition on TNBC tumor growth through immune regulation, remarkable suppression of lung metastasis by cell-intrinsic mechanism, and a significant extension of overall survival in vivo. Mechanistically, CCR5 was found to be essential for expression of the key hippo effector YAP1. It promoted YAP1 transcription via HIF-1α and exerted further control over the migration of CD8+ T, NK, and MDSC immune cells through chemokines CXCL16 and CXCL8 which were identified from RNA-seq. Moreover, the CCR5-YAP1 axis played a vital role in promoting metastasis by modulating ß-catenin and core epithelial-mesenchymal transition transcription factors ZEB1 and ZEB2. It is noteworthy that the regulatory relationship between CCR5 and YAP1 was observed across various BC subtypes, TNBC patients, and showed potential relevance in fifteen additional cancer types. Overall, this study introduced an easy-to-use HTS assay that streamlines the discovery of CCL5/CCR5 axis antagonists. Verteporfin was identified as a specific molecular probe of this axis with great potentials as a therapeutic agent for treating sixteen malignant diseases characterized by heightened CCR5 and YAP1 levels.

Associations of Serum Uric Acid to High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Ratio with Trunk Fat Mass and Visceral Fat Accumulation.

Background: It has been reported recently that the ratio of uric acid to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (UHR) is correlated with several metabolic disorders. The present study aimed to investigate the associations of UHR with body fat content and distribution. Methods: This study enrolled 300 participants (58 men and 242 women) aged 18 to 65 years. The levels of serum uric acid and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were measured by standard enzymatic methods. The overall fat content and segmental fat distribution were assessed with an automatic bioelectrical impedance analyzer. In the population with obesity, the visceral fat area (VFA) and subcutaneous fat area (SFA) were measured using magnetic resonance imaging. Results: Among the study population, 219 individuals (73.0%) were with obesity. The median level of UHR in individuals with obesity was 33.7% (26.2% - 45.9%), which was significantly higher than that in those without obesity [22.6% (17.0% - 34.4%), P < 0.01]. UHR was positively associated with overall fat content and segmental fat distribution parameters (all P < 0.01). In multivariate linear regression analysis, compared with body mass index, waist circumference was more closely associated with UHR (standardized ß = 0.427, P < 0.001) after adjusting for confounding factors. Additionally, total fat mass (standardized ß = 0.225, P = 0.002) and trunk fat mass (standardized ß = 0.296, P = 0.036) were more closely linked to UHR than total fat-free mass and leg fat mass, respectively. In the population with obesity, VFA was independently correlated with UHR (P < 0.01), while SFA was not associated with UHR. Conclusion: UHR was significantly associated with overall fat content and trunk fat accumulation. In the population with obesity, UHR was positively associated with VFA. Attention should be paid to the role of excessive trunk fat mass in the relationship between UHR and metabolic disorders.