The role and mechanisms of microvascular damage in the ischemic myocardium.

Following myocardial ischemic injury, the most effective clinical intervention is timely restoration of blood perfusion to ischemic but viable myocardium to reduce irreversible myocardial necrosis, limit infarct size, and prevent cardiac insufficiency. However, reperfusion itself may exacerbate cell death and myocardial injury, a process commonly referred to as ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, which primarily involves cardiomyocytes and cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs) and is characterized by myocardial stunning, microvascular damage (MVD), reperfusion arrhythmia, and lethal reperfusion injury. MVD caused by I/R has been a neglected problem compared to myocardial injury. Clinically, the incidence of microvascular angina and/or no-reflow due to ineffective coronary perfusion accounts for 5-50% in patients after acute revascularization. MVD limiting drug diffusion into injured myocardium, is strongly associated with the development of heart failure. CMECs account for > 60% of the cardiac cellular components, and their role in myocardial I/R injury cannot be ignored. There are many studies on microvascular obstruction, but few studies on microvascular leakage, which may be mainly due to the lack of corresponding detection methods. In this review, we summarize the clinical manifestations, related mechanisms of MVD during myocardial I/R, laboratory and clinical examination means, as well as the research progress on potential therapies for MVD in recent years. Better understanding the characteristics and risk factors of MVD in patients after hemodynamic reconstruction is of great significance for managing MVD, preventing heart failure and improving patient prognosis.

Determination of nine bioactive phenolic components usually found in apple juice by simultaneous UPLC-MS/MS.

The functional food ingredients of apple juice can significantly change during processing, transportation, and storage, thus affecting the quality of the product. A simple and derivation-free analytical method based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was developed and optimized for the simultaneous determination of functional food ingredients in apple juice bought in the market. Cleanup steps and chromatographic conditions were optimized to remove interference and decrease the matrix effect. The nine target analytes were separated on an Acquity UPLC system equipped with a BEH C18 column and detected by electrospray ionization source (ESI) operating in positive subsection acquisition mode under multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) conditions. The results showed that p-hydroxybenzoic acid, protocatechuate, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, epicatechin, phloridzin, hyperoside, procyanidin B2, and rutin could be sufficiently separated for content determination within 6 min. In the concentration range of 20 µg/L-50 mg/L, nine standard samples exhibited a good linear fit with correlation coefficients above .985.

The role of CD74 in cardiovascular disease.

Leukocyte differentiation antigen 74 (CD74), also known as invariant chain, is a molecular chaperone of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II) molecules involved in antigen presentation. CD74 has recently been shown to be a receptor for the macrophage migration inhibitory factor family proteins (MIF/MIF2). Many studies have revealed that CD74 plays an important role in cardiovascular disease. In this review, we summarize the structure and main functions of CD74 and then focus on the recent research progress on the role of CD74 in cardiovascular diseases. In addition, we also discuss potential treatment strategies that target CD74. Our systematic review of the role of CD74 in cardiovascular disease will fill some knowledge gaps in the field.

miR-140 inhibits osteogenic differentiation of human periodontal ligament fibroblasts through ras homolog gene family, member A -transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif pathway.

Osteogenesis induced by mechanical stretch is the main factor affecting the orthodontic treatment. Due to the masticatory force transmitted by tooth, human periodontal ligament fibroblasts (hPDLFs) could enhance osteogenic differentiation, and remolding of periodontal. Therefore, in-depth study of hPDLFs osteogenic differentiation and its regulatory mechanism is helpful in the understanding of periodontal remolding promoted by orthodontic force. In the present study, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide showed that miR-140 inhibited the viability of hPDLFs cells. Moreover, we provided evidence that miR-140 inhibited alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, Alizarin Red S (ARS) activity and the mRNA expression of osteogenesis associated genes, including ALP, runt-related transcription factor 2, collagen 1, and osteocalcin. Besides, double-luciferase reporter result demonstrated that Ras homolog gene family, member A (RhoA) was a downstream target gene of miR-140, and by inhibiting RhoA-transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) signaling pathway, miR-140 suppressed the osteogenesis differentiation of hPDLFs. Furthermore, overexpression of RhoA or TAZ promoted ALP activity, ARS activity and osteogenesis associated genes expression, which was inhibited by miR-140 mimics. Our findings not only provided a possible mechanism of hPDLFs osteogenic differentiation but also proposed the clinical application of miR-140 inhibitor to target RhoA-TAZ for orthodontic treatment.

Silver-organic coordination networks for magnetic solid-phase extraction of trihalomethanes from environmental water samples: experimental and theoretical calculation study.

Trihalomethanes (THMs) are the primary toxic and carcinogenic byproducts during disinfection of drinking water. THMs have been frequently detected in water body and posed a huge threat to human health. Thus, analyzing the trace levels of THMs in an accurate and rapid method for water quality monitoring is important. In this paper, silver-based organic coordination networks (Ag-OCN) were fabricated with different diameters under mild pH condition. After modification with magnet, Fe3O4 @ Ag-OCN as extractant was applied to the magnetic solid-phase extraction of THMs from water samples. Gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used for sample quantification and detection. The magnetic extractant displayed good linearity in the range of 0.03-10 ug/L, low limits of detection (1.41-10.13 ng/L), and good reproducibility (relative standard deviations < 6.31%). Moreover, density-functional theory (DFT) calculation was also applied to investigate the possible interaction mechanism. Combining the experimental data with theoretical calculation, results showed that Fe3O4 @ Ag-OCN was a potential magnetic material for the enrichment and extraction of formed THMs at trace levels from water samples.

Puzzle-inspired carbon dots coupled with cobalt phosphide for constructing a highly-effective overall water splitting interface.

Inspired by the structure of puzzles, bombyx mori silk-derived carbon dots (CDs) with abundant negative groups, as jigsaw pieces, were combined with nano-CoP to create a highly effective electrocatalytic interface. The hollow cavity and thin wall of the bamboo-like CDs/CoP nanoarray is beneficial to produce more H˙ radicals and accelerate water decomposition.

Composite Material that Comprised Metal-Organic Nanotubes and a Sponge as a High-Performance Adsorbent for the Extraction of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products from Environmental Water Samples.

A composite material that comprised metal-organic nanotubes (MONTs) and a sponge, Cu-MONTs-sponge, was synthesized by using a rapid and convenient surfactant-assisted dip-coating method and used as a high-performance adsorbent for the solid-phase extraction of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCP) from environmental water samples. By adjusting the surfactant concentration, a composite material that contained metal-organic nanotubes and a macroporous 3D porous sponge was constructed. This modified sponge achieved outstanding reproducibility as an adsorbent, with the adsorption of trace or ultratrace amounts of contaminants. Moreover, this composite material was conveniently recycled and its extraction efficiency only decreased by 6.3-12.1 % after 30 adsorption/desorption cycles. The resulting composite exhibited excellent adsorption capacity for PPCPs, which was attributed to its unique porous structure, natural hydrophobicity, and electrostatic interactions between the metal-organic nanotubes and analyte molecules. This Cu-MONTs-sponge material is an ideal adsorbent for the extraction of trace amounts of PPCPs from environmental water samples.

The association of the CMIP rs16955379 polymorphism with dyslipidemia and the clinicopathological features of IgA nephropathy.

Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is among the most common primary glomerular diseases. The prognosis in IgAN is affected by dyslipidemia, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The c-Maf inducing protein (CMIP) gene has been found to be associated with lipid metabolism. But the association between the CMIP rs16955379 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and dyslipidemia or the related clinicopathological features in IgAN have not been reported thus far. The present study investigated the correlation between them. The CMIP rs16955379 SNP genotypes of 300 subjects with IgAN recruited from the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University were identified by polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing. Compared with the control (normal lipid) group, the dyslipidemia group with IgAN had higher blood uric acid, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen and urinary protein quantity, higher proportions of mesangial cell proliferation and renal tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis (IFTA), and a lower estimated glomerular filtration rate and serum albumin. The frequencies of the CMIP rs16955379 SNP TT genotype and T allele in the dyslipidemia group were higher than in the control group. Triglyceride, apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1), ApoA1/B, incidences of mesangial cell proliferation, and IFTA were higher in TT genotype carriers than in CC/CT genotype carriers. Serum lipid profiles and dyslipidemia were significantly associated with renal dysfunction and IFTA. IgAN patients with the TT genotype were more likely to have dyslipidemia, renal dysfunction and IFTA (P < 0.05 for all above). These results indicate that CMIP rs16955379 SNP may be a genetic susceptibility gene for dyslipidemia and poor renal outcome in IgAN.

Magnetic metal-organic nanotubes: An adsorbent for magnetic solid-phase extraction of polychlorinated biphenyls from environmental and biological samples.

A new type of three-dimensional, echinus-like magnetic Fe3O4 @ cobalt(Ⅱ)-based metal-organic nanotube (Fe3O4 @ Co-MONT) yolk-shell microspheres, have been designed and synthesized for the first time. Fe3O4 @ Co-MONTs yolk-shell microspheres were characterized by scanning electron micrographs, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectra, X-ray diffraction, and vibrating sample magnetometry. The feasibility of the new material for use as an absorbent was investigated for magnetic solid phase-extraction (MSPE) of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from environmental water samples and biological samples. The Plackett-Burman design and Box-Behnken design were used to determine and optimize the extraction parameters influencing the extraction efficiency through response surface methodology. Under the optimized conditions, the developed method showed good linearity within the range of 5-1000ngL(-1), low limits of detection (0.31-0.49ngL(-1)), and good reproducibility (RSD<10%). The proposed method was successfully applied for the analysis of PCBs in real environmental water samples. These results demonstrated that Fe3O4 @ Co-MONTs is a promising adsorbent material for the MSPE of PCBs at trace levels from environmental water samples and biological samples.

In situ hydrothermal growth of ytterbium-based metal-organic framework on stainless steel wire for solid-phase microextraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from environmental samples.

In this paper, we report the use of a porous ytterbium-based metal-organic framework (Yb-MOF) coating material with good thermal stability for the headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from environmental samples. The Yb-MOF thin films, grown in situ on stainless steel wire in solution, exhibited high selectivity and sensitivity toward PAHs. Under the optimal conditions, the novel fibers achieved large enrichment factors (130-2288), low limits of detection (0.07-1.67ngL(-1)), and wide range of linearity (10-1000ngL(-1)) for 16 PAHs in the tested samples. The novel fiber was successfully used in the analysis of PAHs in real environmental samples. These results demonstrated that Yb-MOF is a promising coating material for the SPME of PAHs at trace levels from environmental samples.

Feasibility of metal-organic nanotubes [Cu3(µ3-O)(µ-OH)(triazolate)2]+-coated fibers for solid-phase microextraction of polychlorinated biphenyls in water samples.

Metal-organic nanotubes (MONTs), a novel class of hybrid materials, have attracted considerable attention because of their uniform and fixed internal diameters, impressive topological structures, and versatile applications. However, to the best of our knowledge, no studies on MONTs coating fabrication for solid-phase microextraction are yet available. The aim of this work is to investigate the feasibility of using [Cu3(µ3-O)(µ-OH)(triazolate)2]+ as a solid-phase microextraction coating material to enrich trace levels of polychlorinated biphenyls in water samples. The novel [Cu3(µ3-O)(µ-OH)(triazolate)2]+-coated fibers achieved large enhancement factors (396­1343), low limits of detection (3.9­21.7 pg L−1), and wide linearity (0.1­500 ng L−1) for detecting polychlorinated biphenyls. Relative standard deviations obtained ranged from 2.12 to 7.22%, and spiked PCBs recoveries (spiking concentrations of 1 and 5 ng L−1) in four environmental water samples ranged from 71.3 to 104%. These findings indicate that [Cu3(µ3-O)(µ-OH)(triazolate)2]+ as a solid-phase microextraction coating material is an excellent alternative for the rapid and sensitive analysis of trace levels of polychlorinated biphenyls in the environment.