MiR-214-3p Prevents the Development of Perioperative Neurocognitive Disorders in Elderly Rats.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify microRNAs (miRNAs) involved in the development of perioperative neurocognitive disorders (PND). METHODS: Plasma exosomal miRNA expression was examined in patients before and after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) using microarray and qRT-PCR and these patients were diagnosed as PND later. Elderly rats were subjected to CPB, and the cognitive functions were examined. Bioinformatics analysis was conducted to predict the targets of miR-214-3p. Rats were administered rno-miR-214-3p agomir before or after CPB to investigate the role of miR-214-3p in PND development. RESULTS: We identified 76 differentially expressed plasma exosomal miRNAs in PND patients after surgery (P<0.05, ∣log2FC∣>0.58), including the upregulated hsa-miR-214-3p (P=0.002399392). Prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) was predicted as a miR-214-3p target. In rats, CPB reduced the platform crossing numbers and target quadrant stay time, accompanied with hippocampal neuronal necrosis. The rno-miR-214-3p level was significantly increased in plasma exosomes but decreased in rat hippocampus after surgery, exhibiting a negative correlation (P<0.001, r=-0.762). A negative correlation between miR-214-3p and PTGS2 protein expression was also observed in the hippocampus after surgery. Importantly, rno-miR-214-3p agomir treatment, before or after surgery, significantly increased the platform crossing numbers (P=0.035) and target quadrant stay time (P=0.029) compared with negative control. Hippocampal PTGS2 protein level was increased in the untreated surgery group and decreased in response to rno-miR-214-3p agomir treatment before or after surgery (both P<0.05 vs. negative control). CONCLUSION: These data suggest that miR-214-3p/PTGS2 signaling contributes to the development of PND, serving as a potential therapeutic target for PND.

[Study on Behavioral Factors Affecting the Risk of New HBV Infection among Diabetic Patients].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the behavioral factors influencing of new hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in diabetic patients, so as to provide evidence for reducing the risk of new HBV infection in diabetic patients. METHODS: A nested case-control study was conducted to follow up and observe 4 586 diabetic patients. The 114 diabetic patients who newly developed HBV infection during the follow-up period were selected as the case group, and 228 diabetic patients who did not develop HBV infection in the same period were selected as the control group from the cohort population at a matching ratio of 1∶2 according to the age ±2 years. Questionnaire surveys and laboratory examinations were conducted in the cohort. The contents of the questionnaire included family history of hepatitis B, history of trauma, history of receiving/donating blood, individual-related behavioral characteristics, diabetes severity, and behavior related to diabetes treatment and management. In addition, the blood samples of the cohort were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The conditional logistic regression model was used to analyze the related behavioral factors affecting new HBV infection in diabetic patients. RESULTS: The median ages of the HBV group and the control group were 64 years old and 66 years old, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the composition of sex, age, ethnicity, occupation and amount of formal education between the two groups ( P>0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that diabetic patients with a family history of hepatitis B ( OR=13.052, 95% CI: 3.799 to 44.847) had a higher risk of new HBV infection, while diabetic patients who used blood collection/injection devices in a standardized way ( OR=0.189, 95% CI: 0.082 to 0.436), safety locking blood glucose needles ( OR=0.142, 95% CI: 0.073 to 0.276) and venous blood collection needles ( OR=0.019, 95% CI: 0.001 to 0.262) and self-testing of blood sugar at home ( OR=0.466, 95% CI: 0.222 to 0.980) had a lower risk of new HBV infection. CONCLUSION: Family history of hepatitis B is an independent factor that increases the risk for new HBV infection in diabetic patients. During the process of long-term blood glucose management of diabetic patients, standardized use of blood collection/injection devices, use of safer types of blood sampling lancet, and self-testing of blood glucose help can reduce the risk of HBV infection.

Expression Patterns of Three Important Hormone Genes and Respiratory Metabolism in Antheraea pernyi during Pupal Diapause under a Long Photoperiod.

The Chinese oak silkworm is commonly used in pupal diapause research. In this study, a long photoperiod was used to trigger pupal diapause termination. Genes encoding three hormones, namely prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH), ecdysis triggering hormone (ETH), and eclosion hormone (EH), were studied. Additionally, ecdysteroids (mainly 20-hydroxyecdysone, 20E) were quantified by HPLC. Pupal diapause stage was determined by measuring respiratory intensity. The pupae enter a low metabolic rate, which starts approximately 1 month after pupal emergence. ApPTTH expression showed a small increase at 14 days and then a larger increase from 35 days under the long photoperiod treatment. A similar pattern was observed for the titer of 20E in the hemolymph. However, ApETH expression later increased under the long photoperiod treatment (42 days) just before eclosion. Moreover, ApEH expression increased from 21 to 35 days, and then decreased before ecdysis. These results suggest that hormone-related gene expression is closely related to pupal development. Our study lays a foundation for future diapause studies in A. pernyi.

[Nutritional Knowledge and Skills of Fast-food Takeout Practitioners in Chengdu City].

Objective To investigate the current status of nutritional knowledge and skills of fast-food takeout practitioners in Chengdu City,so as to provide evidence for nutritional literacy education among takeout practitioners.Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted among 832 employees of fast-food takeout restaurants in Chengdu from April to September in 2019 through a multi-stage random sampling strategy.Results The awareness rate of nutritional knowledge of fast-food takeout practitioners in Chengdu was 77.28%,and the correct rates of answers to daily oil intake for adults,daily drinking water for adults and daily salt intake for adults in the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents were respectively 17.43%,22.60% and 25.36%.In addition,the proportion of practitioners with the ability to estimate the recommended intake of food for a meal,the ability to estimate condiments intake and the ability to interpret nutrition labels were 8.77%,8.77% and 15.02%,respectively.The awareness rate of nutritional knowledge was the lowest(71.47%)in the practitioners aged≤25 and the highest(84.53%)in those aged 26-39,and the difference was statistically significant(χ 2 =14.419,P=0.001).High awareness rate of nutritional knowledge was found in the practitioners of Han ethnic group(78.45%)compared with those of ethnic minorities(57.14%)(χ 2=10.346,P=0.001).Besides,the practitioners with a high degree of education showed high awareness rate of nutritional knowledge( [Formula: see text]=36.514,P<0.001),and the correct rate of chefs(17.86%)was higher than that(12.82%)of food matching staff(χ 2=4.068,P=0.044).Conclusions The fast-food takeout practitioners in Chengdu generally have good nutritional knowledge while have some knowledge gaps.At the same time,the nutrition-related skills of takeout practitioners are not good.We should focus on strengthening the training of takeout restaurant employees for the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents and nutrition labeling-related knowledge,carry out targeted nutritional knowledge training,and comprehensively strengthen the training of nutrition-related skills.

[Associations between Takeaway Food Nutrients and Nutritional Literacy of Takeaway Platform Practitioners in Chengdu].

Objective To investigate the nutritional literacy levels of the takeaway platform practitioners in Chengdu,the takeaway food nutrients,and the correlation between them.Methods We employed a multi-stage random sampling method to investigate the nutritional literacy levels of 100 takeaway platform restaurants in the main urban area of Chengdu and examined the nutritional components of hot set meals in each restaurant.A questionnaire survey was conducted on the nutritional literacy levels of chefs and food matching staff.The correlations of nutrient energy supply rationality with nutritional literacy level and set meal price were then analyzed.Results The total pass rate of nutrition knowledge of chefs/food matching staff was 61.0%.Only 2.0% of the set meals had reasonable total energy supply.The set meals with reasonable energy supply of available carbohydrate,protein,and fat accounted for 3.0%,62.0%,and 21.0%,and those with over energy supply accounted for 97.0%,26.0%,and 73.0%,respectively.The rest set meals provided insufficient energy.There was a positive correlation between the nutritional literacy level and the rationality of protein energy supply(r=0.414,P=0.003).Conclusions The nutritional literacy levels of chefs/food matching staff of takeaway food restaurants in Chengdu are moderate.The hot set meals on the takeaway platform have the problem of excess energy supply.The nutrition knowledge of chefs/food matching staff cannot effectively satisfy rational nutrition matching.The nutritional literacy levels of chefs/food matching staff showed no significant correlation with the rationality of nutrient energy supply.

Prefrontal cortex miR-29b-3p plays a key role in the antidepressant-like effect of ketamine in rats.

Ketamine has a rapid, obvious, and persistent antidepressant effect, but its underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as important modulators of ketamine's antidepressant effect. We investigated the alteration in miR-29b-3p in the brain of rats subjected to ketamine administration and chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), and a sucrose preference test and forced swimming test were used to evaluate the rats' depressive-like state. We used recombination adeno-associated virus (rAAV) or lentivirus-expressing miR-29b-3p to observe the change in metabotropic glutamate receptor 4 (GRM4). Cell culture and electrophysiological recordings were used to evaluate the function of miR-29b-3p. Ketamine dramatically increased miR-29b-3p expression in the prefrontal cortex of the normal rats. The dual luciferase reporter test confirmed that GRM4 was the target of miR-29b-3p. The miR-29b-3p levels were downregulated, while the GRM4 levels were upregulated in the prefrontal cortex of the depressive-like rats. The ketamine treatment increased miR-29b-3p expression and decreased GRM4 expression in the prefrontal cortex of the depressive-like rats and primary neurons. By overexpressing and silencing miR-29b-3p, we further validated that miR-29b-3p could negatively regulate GRM4. The silencing of miR-29b-3p suppressed the Ca2+ influx in the prefrontal cortex neurons. The miR-29b-3p overexpression contributed to cell survival, cytodendrite growth, increases in extracellular glutamate concentration, and cell apoptosis inhibition. The overexpression of miR-29b-3p by rAAV resulted in a noticeable relief of the depressive behaviors of the CUMS rats and a lower expression of GRM4. The miR-29b-3p/GRM4 pathway acts as a critical mediator of ketamine's antidepressant effect in depressive-like rats and could be considered a potential therapeutic target for treating major depression disorder.

Elevated Serum and Cerebrospinal Fluid Free Fatty Acid Levels Are Associated with Unfavorable Functional Outcome in Subjects with Acute Ischemic Stroke.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) free fatty acid (FFA) levels in a cohort of patients with an acute ischemic stroke (AIS). In a prospective study, FFA levels were measured using an enzyme cycling method on admission in serum and CSF of 252 consecutive patients with AIS. The prognostic value of FFA to predict the functional outcome and mortality within 90-day was compared with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score and with other known outcome predictors. Serum and CSF levels of FFA increased with increasing severity of stroke as defined by the NIHSS score (all P < 0.001). Patients with an unfavorable outcomes and non-survivors had significantly increased FFA serum and CSF levels on admission (all P < 0.0001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for common risk factors showed that serum FFA ≥0.71 mmol/L (third quarters) was an independent predictor of functional outcome (odds ratios (OR) = 4.86; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 2.26-10.48) and mortality (OR = 7.72; 95 % CI 3.01-21.48). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of serum FFA was 0.79 (95 % CI, 0.72-0.86) for functional outcome and 0.86 (95 % CI, 0.78-0.94) for mortality. Similarly, CSF FFA level also was an indicator for predicting of functional outcome and mortality. FFA levels in serum and CSF may serve as independent biomarkers in addition of the traditional methods for assessing the functional outcome and mortality of AIS.

The diagnostic and prognostic value of serum CXCL12 levels in patients with ischemic stroke.

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential diagnostic and prognostic role of CXC chemokine ligand-12 (CXCL12) in Chinese patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). All consecutive patients with first-ever AIS from January 2014 to August 2014 were recruited to participate in the study. CXCL12 and NIH Stroke Scale were measured at the time of admission. Short-term functional outcome was measured by modified Rankin scale 3 months after admission. Multivariate analyses were performed using logistic regression models. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the accuracy of serum CXCL12 in diagnosing stroke and prognosing functional outcome. From 375 screened patients, a total of 288 patients with first-ever AIS were included in this study. Based on the ROC curve, the optimal cutoff value of serum CXCL12 levels as an indicator for auxiliary diagnosis of AIS was projected to be 3.5 ng/mL, which yielded a sensitivity of 88.1 % and a specificity of 73.5 %, with the area under the curve at 0.907 (95 % CI 0.882-0.932). In multivariate analysis, there was an increased risk of unfavorable outcome associated with serum CXCL12 levels ≥7.6 ng/mL (OR 4.356, 95 % CI 2.993-7.132, P < 0.0001) after adjusting for possible confounders. Our study demonstrated that elevated serum CXCL12 level at admission was an independent diagnostic and prognostic marker in patients with AIS.

[Urine cardiac specific microRNA-1 level in patients with ST segment elevation acute myocardial infarction].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the change of urine level of cardiac specific microRNA-1 (miR-1) in patients with ST segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEAMI) and investigate its potential applications. METHODS: Urine samples were collected from 20 STEAMI patients within 12 hours after STEAMI and from 20 healthy volunteers as control. Urine miR-1 concentrations were measured with real-time quantity reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), at the same time serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase (CK-MB) concentrations were measured. RESULTS: Serum level of cTnI, CK-MB and urine level of miR-1 in STEAMI patients were obviously higher than those in healthy control group [cTnI in blood: 19.27±7.53 µg/L vs. 0.02±0.01 µg/L, CK-MB in blood: 93.82±12.30 µg/L vs. 0.86±0.63 µg/L, miR-1 in urine (Ct value): 45.50±4.21 vs. 52.63±4.41, P<0.05 or P<0.01]. The urine miR-1 level in patients with STEAMI had a strong correlation with serum CK-MB or cTnI when CK-MB < 300 µg/L and cTnI <50 µg/L (Ct value of urine miR-1 with blood CK-MB: r=-0.81, P<0.01; Ct value of urine miR-1 with blood cTnI: r=-0.63, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that urine miR-1 could be a novel sensitive biomarker the early diagnosis of SETAMI.

[Changes in cardiac specific microRNA-208a level in peripheral blood in ST segment elevation acute myocardial infarction patients].

OBJECTIVE: To observe serum cardiac specific microRNA-208a (miR-208a) levels in ST segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEAMI) patients, and to explore the role of serum miR-208a levels in the diagnosis of STEAMI. METHODS: The serum miR-208a concentrations were assessed within 12 hours after STEAMI, while 30 healthy individuals as control. Serum miR-208a concentrations were measured with real-time quantity reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI) or MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase (CK-MB) concentrations were measured with enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: The contents of serum cTnI or CK-MB in STEAMI patients were significantly higher than those in healthy individuals (cTnI: 17.72±8.43 µg/L vs. 0.05±0.01 µg/L, CK-MB: 250.83±177.26 µg/L vs. 71.20±20.50 µg/L, both P<0.01). Serum miR-208a concentrations were detected in all individuals with STEAMI within 60 PCR cycle (0-6 hours: 44.95±4.77, 6-12 hours: 43.98±4.68), but were beyond detection for all individuals in the healthy control group. The serum miR-208a relative levels in STEAMI patients were at least more than 215 fold than that in healthy persons, compared with qRT-PCR (Ct=60) of miR-208a in healthy control persons (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Serum miR-208a may be a new biomarker the early diagnosis of STEAMI patients.

[Study on the excitation mechanism of upconversion red emission from Er3+ under square wave excitation].

The rise and decay curves of Er3+ 4F9/2 upconversion emission in oxyfluoride tellurite glass were measured under the excitation at 808 nm from a laser diode driven by square waves. The lifetime of the intermediate state could be determined via rise times. Then the accumulation process of the 4F9/2 population was confirmed. The excitation mechanism of up-conversion red emission under 808 nm excitation was confirmed by the rate equations and analyzing the relationship between the time constants of the rise and decay processes and the intermediate state. Square wave excited upconversion emission may also be used for measuring lifetimes of infrared energy levels with a conventional photomultiplier tube.

[Electrooptical properties of nanoscale and bulk SrAl2O4: Eu, Dy].

Nanoscale and bulk SrAl2O4 : Eu2+, Dy3+ were prepared respectively by auto-combustion of citrate gelatin and high temperature solid state method. The crystalline structure was examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The current-voltage characteristic was measured with a Keithley source meter 2 410. The VUV spectra were carried out with VUV spectrometer. There-result showed that light irradiation increased the current, which indicates that some electrons are excited to the conduction band of host lattice. VUV excitation spectrum of nanoscale SrAl2O4 : Eu2+, Dy3+ shifts to the shorter wavelength relative to bulk material because it has narrower bandgap. As a result, the current of nanoscale material is weaker than that of the bulk one.

[Investigations on the movement of pigment particles in the electrophoretic liquids].

In the present report, the authors studied the movement of pigment particles which decide the display status, enduced the equation of the motion and the expression of reflectivity, and estimated the value of the delay time. Combining the above theoretical conclusion with the experimental results, the authors discussed the feasibility of the passive matrix addressing of electrophoretic image displays, and provided good advice on how to acquire display devices of good quality.