The role of pulse indicator continuous cardiac output (PiCCO) and critical care ultrasound in volume status assessment during fluid resuscitation for and prognosis of septic shock patients.

Objectives: To investigate whether pulse index continuous cardiac output (PiCCO) and critical care ultrasound are highly consistent in volume status assessment during fluid resuscitation for septic shock patients and analyze their influence on the prognosis of septic shock. Methods: Eighty septic shock patients treated by Huizhou Central People's Hospital during December 2018 and December 2020 were included and divided into a study group and a control group by the presence of volume responsiveness, with each group having 40 patients. The control group was subject to PiCCO-guided fluid resuscitation therapy, while the study group was given fluid resuscitation therapy guided by critical care ultrasound. Cardiac output, cardiac function, and catheter-related infection (CRI) were documented for intergroup comparison to confirm whether these two techniques were consistent with each other regarding their effects on resuscitation for and prognosis of septic shock patients. Results: Mechanical ventilation duration (MVD) and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LoS) were significantly shorter in the study group when compared with the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (p<0.05, respectively). In terms of blood pressure parameters, the two groups did not differ greatly in diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and central venous pressure (CVP) before resuscitation (p>0.05, respectively); at 6h(six hour) after resuscitation, DBP, MAP, SBP, and CVP were substantially increased in both groups as compared with the pre-resuscitation levels (all p<0.05), but the differences between the two groups lacked statistical significance (all p>0.05). Comparing urine volume and degrees of positive fluid balance at 6 h and 12 h after resuscitation, drastic increases in urine volume and positive fluid balance were observed in both groups at 12 h as compared with at 6 h (all p<0.05); nevertheless, the two groups showed no statistically significant difference in urine volume and positive fluid balance at 6 h or 12 h (p>0.05, respectively). With regards to prognosis, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in the number of cases of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), dosage of vasoactive agents and 28-d mortality rate (all p>0.05). However, the incidence of CRI was markedly lower in the study group (0/40) as compared with the control group (5/40), and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusions: Both PiCCO and critical care ultrasound can help achieve favorable outcomes from resuscitation for septic shock patients. Compared with PiCCO, critical care ultrasound monitoring appears to be more effective in preventing CRI and reducing MVD and ICU LoS, thereby easing patients' medical burden.

Selenium Deficiency Leads to Changes in Renal Fibrosis Marker Proteins and Wnt/ß-Catenin Signaling Pathway Components.

Renal fibrosis is the final result of the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Earlier studies confirmed that selenium (Se) displays a close association with kidney diseases. However, the correlation between Se and fibrosis has rarely been explored. Thus, this article mainly aimed to investigate the effect of Se deficiency on renal fibrosis and the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. Twenty BALB/c mice were fed a diet containing 0.02-mg/kg Se (Se-deficient diet) or 0.18-mg/kg Se (standard diet) for 20 weeks. A human glomerular mesangial cell (HMC) cell line was transfected with lentiviral TRNAU1AP-shRNA vector to establish a stable Se deficiency model in vitro. As indicated in this study, the glutathione (GSH) content in the Se-deficient group displayed an obvious decline compared with that in the control group, whereas the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) was obviously elevated. The results of Masson staining showed fibrosis around the renal tubules, and the results of immunohistochemistry showed that the area of positive fibronectin expression increased. In the Se-deficient group, the levels of collagen I, collagen III, matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9), and other fibrosis-related proteins changed significantly in vivo and in vitro. Compared with the control group, the TRNAU1AP-shRNA group showed markedly reduced cell proliferation and migration abilities. Our data indicate that Se deficiency can cause kidney damage and renal fibrosis. Furthermore, the Wnt pathway is critical for the development of tissue and organ fibrosis. The data of this study demonstrated that the expression of Wnt5a, ß-catenin, and dishevelled 1 (Dvl-1) was significantly upregulated in the Se-deficient group. Therefore, the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway may play an important role in renal fibrosis caused by Se deficiency.

High iodine uptake in two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks.

Two 2-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (COFs; TJNU-203 and TJNU-204) with high crystallinity and large specific surface area are rationally fabricated using a three-connected distorted building block and linear linkers. The two COFs show high iodine uptake (5.885 g g-1 for TJNU-203 and 5.335 g g-1 for TJNU-204) on account of physical-chemical adsorption, which make them one among the best porous materials for iodine adsorption.

Impact of HBV infection on the association between HOTAIR SNPs and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma: A mediation and interaction analysis.

Previous studies have demonstrated that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs12427129 and rs3816153 in HOX transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR) might interact with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection to increase the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, it is unclear whether HBV infection is a potential mediator between HOTAIR rs12427129, rs3816153, and HCC. This study, including 1262 HCC cases and 1559 controls, aimed to use a four-way decomposition method to quantify the interaction and mediation effects of HBV infection in the association between rs12427129, rs3816153, and HCC. We found that rs12427129 and rs3816153 were associated with a risk of HBV infection among the controls (CC: CT+TT, adjusted odds ratio (OR)=1.77, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.32-2.36 and GG: GT+TT, adjusted OR=0.63, 95% CI=0.48-0.82). The four-way decomposition revealed that rs12427129, rs3816153, and HBV infection had statistically significant reference interaction on HCC (excess risk (95% CI): -0.362 (-0.530, -0.195), p<0.001 and excess risk (95% CI): 0.433 (0.059, 0.808), p=0.023), and the proportion attributed to reference interaction were 110.82% and 125.27%, respectively. The pure indirect effect suggested that the rs3816153 GT + TT genotype can reduce the risk of HCC by 21.79% (excess risk (95% CI): -0.075 (-0.142, -0.009), p=0.026) when HBV infection as a mediator. Our findings suggested that HBV infection interacts or mediates with the association between rs12427129, rs3816153, and HCC. This would provide a new perspective for exploring the underlying biological mechanism between HOTAIR SNPs, HBV infection, and HCC.

The association of lncRNA SNPs and SNPs-environment interactions based on GWAS with HBV-related HCC risk and progression.

BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) plays an essential role in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV-related HCC) occurrence and development. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) may affect HBV-related HCC susceptibility by altering the function of lncRNA. However, the relationship between lncRNA SNPs and HBV-related HCC occurrence and development is still unclear. METHODS: In the present study, based on HBV-related HCC genome-wide association studies, eight potentially functional SNPs from two lncRNAs were predicted using a set of bioinformatics strategies. In 643 HBV-related HCC patients, 549 CHB carriers, and 553 HBV natural clearance subjects from Southern Chinese, we evaluated associations between SNPs and HBV-related HCC occurrence or development with odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) under credible genetic models. RESULTS: In HBV-related HCC patients, rs9908998 was found to significantly increase the risk of lymphatic metastasis under recessive model (Adjusted OR = 1.95, 95% CI = 1.20-3.17). Lnc-RP11-150O12.3 rs2275959, rs1008547, and rs11776545 with cancer family history may show significant multiplicative and additive interactions on HBV-related HCC susceptibility (all pAdjusted < .05). The associations of rs2275959, rs1008547, and rs11776545 with distant metastasis of HBV-related HCC patients were observed in additive model (Adjusted OR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.06-1.97 for rs2275959; Adjusted OR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.06-1.98 for rs1008547; Adjusted OR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.03-1.91 for rs11776545). CONCLUSION: Taken together, lnc-ACACA-1 rs9908998, lnc-RP11-150O12.3 rs2275959, rs1008547, and rs11776545 might be predictors for HBV-related HCC risk or prognosis.

Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Decrease the Expression of RANKL in Collagen-Induced Arthritis Rats via Reducing the Levels of IL-22.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the transplantation effect of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on the expression of interlukin-22 (IL-22) and RANKL in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rats. METHODS: 32 CIA models were established. 16 CIA rats were transplanted with MSCs, and others were used as nontreatment CIA controls. The concentrations of IL-22 and RANKL in serum were detected by ELISA and those in synovial tissue of rats' joints by immunohistochemical staining. In addition, the expression of RANKL mRNA was measured by RT-PCR in the fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs), cultured with IL-22 in vitro, which were delivered from the joints of CIA rats treated with or without MSCs. RESULTS: The transplantation of MSCs into CIA rats relieved the destruction of joints, measured by AI score, X-ray, and histopathology. MSCs also reduced the expression of IL-22 and RANKL in serum by ELISA (P < 0.001) and similarly in FLSs by immunohistochemical staining. In vitro, IL-22 induced significantly the expression of RANKL mRNA in cultured FLSs in a dose-dependent manner, whereas this induction was significantly reduced in FLSs derived from CIA rats transplanted with MSCs (normal controls: F = 79.33, P < 0.001; CIA controls: F = 712.72, P < 0.001; and CIA-MSC rats: F = 139.04, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the transplantation of MSCs can reduce the expression of RANKL in vivo by downregulating the levels of IL-22, thereby ameliorating the degree of RA bone destruction. This study provides a theoretical basis for a potential therapy of RA with MSCs, and IL-22 and RANKL may become two new targets to treat RA.

Construction of Covalent-Organic Frameworks (COFs) from Amorphous Covalent Organic Polymers via Linkage Replacement.

Covalent-organic frameworks (COFs) as porous crystalline materials show promising potential applications. However, developing facile strategies for the construction of COFs directly from amorphous covalent organic polymers (COPs) is still a great challenge. To this end, we report a novel approach for easy preparation of COFs from amorphous COPs through the linkage replacement under different types of reactions. Four COFs with high crystallinity and porosity were constructed via the linkage substitution of polyimide-linked COPs to imine-linked COFs as well as imine-linked COPs to polyimide-linked COFs. The realization of the linkage substitution would significantly expand the research scope of COFs.

A Novel Strategy for the Construction of Covalent Organic Frameworks from Nonporous Covalent Organic Polymers.

The field of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) has been developed significantly in the past decade on account of their important characteristics and vast application potential. On the other hand, the discovery of novel synthetic methodology is still a challenging task to further promote the preparation of COFs. Herein, an interesting protocol for the conversion of amorphous nonporous covalent organic polymers (COPs) to COFs was established, affording four COFs with high crystallinity and porosity. Specifically, imine-linked amorphous COP-1 was successfully converted to COF-1-4 by replacing one type of linker with other organic building blocks. The realization of this conversion provides a facile method for constructing COFs from COPs.

Annual patterns of macroalgal blooms in the Yellow Sea during 2007-2017.

The world's largest macroalgal blooms caused by Ulva prolifera have occurred in the Yellow Sea for 11 consecutive years. The area covered by blooms has been approximately 500 km2 in previous years, while in 2017, the maximum area decreased significantly to 312 km2. In this study, we concluded that species competition between Ulva and Sargassum (fast rise of the golden tides), extreme high sea surface temperature and harvest for floating Ulva macroalgae were the three critical factors influencing the sharp reduction in covered area for blooms in 2017. In addition, analysis of annual variations of Pyropia aquaculture area in the Southern Yellow Sea over the past two decades revealed that a great expansion in "Sansha" regions was mainly responsible for the initial blooms in 2007, and that this expansion supported the great biomass of the blooms in following years. Based on these findings, we suggest comprehensive utilization of the macroalgal blooms is a feasible way to control them.

SNP-SNP and SNP-environment interactions of potentially functional HOTAIR SNPs modify the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma.

HOX transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR) has been widely regarded as a functional lncRNA contributing to multiple cancers. However, few studies have examined the effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in HOTAIR on the occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, three potentially functional HOTAIR SNPs (rs17105613, rs12427129, and rs3816153) were selected using bioinformatic tools. A case-control study including 1262 cases and 1559 controls was conducted to explore the association of HOTAIR SNPs with the risk of HCC in a Southern Chinese population. We found that SNPs rs12427129 and rs3816153 were associated with the risk of HCC in dominant genetic models (CC: CT + TT, adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.72, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.57-0.90 and GG: GT + TT, adjusted OR = 1.30, 95%CI = 1.08-1.57). Additionally, SNP-environment interactions for rs12427129, rs3816153, and HBsAg status were found to enhance the risk of HCC, with FDR-P as an additive interaction equal to 0.0006 and 0.0144, respectively. In multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) analysis, the three-factor model (HBsAg status, rs12427129 and rs3816153) yielded the highest test accuracy of 77.74% (permutation P < 0.001). Interestingly, the effect of rs12427129 and rs3816153 on the risk of HCC could be modified by HBsAg status, while the rs12427129 CT/TT genotype could antagonize the detrimental effect of rs3816153 GT/TT genotype on HCC. Our findings suggest that rs12427129 and rs3816153, including their SNP-SNP and SNP-environment interaction with HBsAg status, potentially play important roles on the susceptibility to HCC.

Identification of isoliquiritigenin as an activator that stimulates the enzymatic production of glycyrrhetinic acid monoglucuronide.

Glycyrrhetinic acid monoglucuronide (GAMG) is a great value-added and has considerable commercial interest due to its strong pharmacological activities and functional low-calorie sweetener. However GAMG is quite rare in natural plants, and it must be prepared from glycyrrhizin (GL) by hydrolysing one terminal glucuronic acid. ß-Glucuronidase is the key enzyme in the biotransformation of GL to GAMG, but its activities need to be enhanced to facilitate the industrial large-scale production of GAMG. In this study, we identified that isoliquiritigenin (ISL), as one of chemical compositions from the total flavonoids glycyrrhiza (TFG), can significantly enhance ß-glucuronidase activity in vitro. Measurements using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) showed that the activity of ß-glucuronidase could be increased by 2.66-fold via the addition of ISL to a ß-glucuronidase solution that contained GL at a 3:10 molar ratio of ISL to GL. ISL was concluded to be an activator because ISL could reduce the Km and Ea of ß-glucuronidase reacting with GL. This study sheds new light on the mechanism of ß-glucuronidase and helps to make industrial production of GAMG through fermentation feasible.

Intestinal Absorption of Triterpenoids and Flavonoids from Glycyrrhizae radix et rhizoma in the Human Caco-2 Monolayer Cell Model.

Glycyrrhizae radix et rhizoma has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of various diseases. Triterpenoids and flavonoids from the plant have many beneficial effects and their chemical structures are modified in the gastrointestinal tract after oral administration. However, absorption of these triterpenoids and flavonoids still needs to be defined. Here, the uptake and transepithelial transport of the selected major triterpenoids, glycyrrhizin (1), glycyrrhetic acid-3-O-mono-ß-d-glucuronide (2), and glycyrrhetinic acid (3); and the selected major flavonoids, licochalcone A (4), licochalcone B (5), licochalcone C (6), echinatin (7), isoliquiritin apioside (8), liquiritigenin (9), liquiritin apioside (10) isolated from Glycyrrhizae radix et rhizoma, were investigated in the human intestinal epithelium-like Caco-2 cell monolayer model. Compounds 3, 5-7, and 9 were designated as well-absorbed compounds, 2 and 4 were designated as moderately absorbed ones, and 1, 8, and 10 were assigned for the poorly absorbed ones. The absorption mechanism of well and moderately absorbed compound was mainly passive diffusion to pass through the human intestinal Caco-2 cell monolayer. These findings provided useful information for predicting their oral bioavailability and the clinical application.

A pH-controlled recyclable indolinooxazolidine tagged N-heterocyclic carbene Ru catalyst for olefin metathesis.

An indolinooxazolidine tagged N-heterocyclic carbene Ru olefin metathesis catalyst was synthesized and the molecular structure of this new Ru complex was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. This complex is a homogeneous catalyst and can be recovered by controlling the polarity of the indolinooxazolidine tag. Under acidic conditions the indolinooxazolidine tag exists as an open protonated form and under basic conditions the tag is in a closed form. The distribution of this catalyst in a two-phase system can be controlled by simply changing the pH, making the recovery of this catalyst easily obtainable.

Myricitrin Alleviates Oxidative Stress-induced Inflammation and Apoptosis and Protects Mice against Diabetic Cardiomyopathy.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) has been increasingly considered as a main cause of heart failure and death in diabetic patients. At present, no effective treatment exists to prevent its development. In the present study, we describe the potential protective effects and mechanisms of myricitrin (Myr) on the cardiac function of streptozotosin-induced diabetic mice and on advanced glycation end products (AGEs)-induced H9c2 cardiomyocytes. In vitro experiments revealed that pretreatment with Myr significantly decreased AGEs-induced inflammatory cytokine expression, limited an increase in ROS levels, and reduced cell apoptosis, fibrosis, and hypertrophy in H9c2 cells. These effects are correlated with Nrf2 activation and NF-κB inhibition. In vivo investigation demonstrated that oral administration of Myr at 300 mg/kg/day for 8 weeks remarkably decreased the expression of enzymes associated with cardiomyopathy, as well as the expression of inflammatory cytokines and apoptotic proteins. Finally, Myr improved diastolic dysfunction and attenuated histological abnormalities. Mechanistically, Myr attenuated diabetes-induced Nrf2 inhibition via the regulation of Akt and ERK phosphorylation in the diabetic heart. Collectively, these results strongly indicate that Myr exerts cardioprotective effects against DCM through the blockage of inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. This suggests that Myr might be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of DCM.

Highly efficient nitrogen chelated ruthenium carbene metathesis catalysts.

A series of nitrogen chelated ruthenium carbene metathesis catalysts containing an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) and a carbonyl group have been developed and their catalytic activities for olefin metathesis reactions were investigated. The X-ray structure of the [(H2IMes)(Cl)2Ru]C(H)CH2[p-F(C6H3)NC(CF3)(C(O)OCH2CH3)] complex shows that the carbonyl oxygen of the ester and the imine nitrogen are both coordinated to the Ru metal to give an octahedral structure. The catalytic activity of these ruthenium carbene complexes for olefin metathesis reactions was tested. Some of the complexes bearing electron withdrawing groups had high initiation rates. These complexes exhibited excellent performance for both ring-closing metathesis and cross metathesis.

Myricitrin Attenuates High Glucose-Induced Apoptosis through Activating Akt-Nrf2 Signaling in H9c2 Cardiomyocytes.

Hyperglycemia, as well as diabetes mellitus, has been shown to trigger cardiac cell apoptosis. We have previously demonstrated that myricitrin prevents endothelial cell apoptosis. However, whether myricitrin can attenuate H9c2 cell apoptosis remains unknown. In this study, we established an experiment model in H9c2 cells exposed to high glucose. We tested the hypothesis that myricitrin may inhibit high glucose (HG)-induced cardiac cell apoptosis as determined by TUNEL staining. Furthermore, myricitrin promoted antioxidative enzyme production, suppressed high glucose-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in H9c2 cells. This agent significantly inhibited apoptotic protein expression, activated Akt and facilitated the transcription of NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)-mediated protein (heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO-1) expression as determined by Western blotting. Significantly, an Akt inhibitor (LY294002) or HO-1 inhibitor (ZnPP) not only inhibited myricitrin-induced HO-1/NQO-1 upregulation but also alleviated its anti-apoptotic effects. In summary, these observations demonstrate that myricitrin activates Nrf2-mediated anti-oxidant signaling and attenuates H9c2 cell apoptosis induced by high glucose via activation of Akt signaling.

Origins and features of oil slicks in the Bohai Sea detected from satellite SAR images.

Oil slicks were detected using satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images in 2011. We investigated potential origins and regional and seasonal features of oil slick in the Bohai Sea. Distance between oil slicks and potential origins (ships, seaports, and oil exploitation platforms) and the angle at which oil slicks move relative to potential driving forces were evaluated. Most oil slicks were detected along main ship routes rather than around seaports and oil exploitation platforms. Few oil slicks were detected within 20km of seaports. Directions of oil slicks movement were much more strongly correlated with directions of ship routes than with directions of winds and currents. These findings support the premise that oil slicks in the Bohai Sea most likely originate from illegal disposal of oil-polluted wastes from ships. Seasonal variation of oil slicks followed an annual cycle, with a peak in August and a trough in December.

Advances in mechanisms and modifications for rendering yeast thermotolerance.

Thermotolerant Saccharomyces cerevisiae is widely regarded as an attractive strain with which to accomplish the coupling of enzyme saccharification, ethanol fermentation and ethanol distillation in non-grain fuel bioethanol fermentation systems, and it has many advantages for increasing the ethanol yield and reducing production costs. This review provided an overview of the yeast heat-resistant mechanisms from six aspects, including gene expression responses, heat shock proteins, trehalose, ATPase, the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway and heat-induced antioxidant defenses. Innovative methods, such as random and rational strategies for improving yeast thermotolerance, were further discussed, and several special cases were provided. To rationally engineer thermotolerance in yeast, the advances in employing heat-resistant mechanisms of thermophiles were particularly discussed. By designing and constructing heat-resistant devices consists of heat-resistant parts from thermophiles to yeast, a superior thermotolerance of S. cerevisiae has been achieved, providing a new system with important applications for research regarding the improvement of the robustness of microbes.

An atom economical method for the direct synthesis of quinoline derivatives from substituted o-nitrotoluenes.

A highly efficient one-pot procedure for the preparation of substituted quinolines from substituted o-nitrotoluenes with electron-withdrawing groups and olefins (acrylic esters and acrylonitriles) using a cesium catalyst has been developed. A plausible [2+4] cycloaddition mechanism is proposed. This method uses nitroaromatic compounds as the starting materials to give quinoline derivatives in good to high yields under mild conditions with no transition metal catalysis. It provides an atom economical pathway for the synthesis of quinoline derivatives which could be used in industrial processes.

p-Toluenesulphonic acid-promoted, I2-catalysed sulphenylation of pyrazolones with aryl sulphonyl hydrazides.

Aryl pyrazolone thioethers were synthesized via the I2-catalysed cross-coupling of pyrazolones with aryl sulphonyl hydrazides in the presence of p-toluenesulphonic acid, which has been proposed to promote the reaction by facilitating the decomposition of sulphonyl hydrazides.