Preoperative serum cortisone levels are associated with cognition in preschool-aged children with tetralogy of Fallot after corrective surgery: new evidence from human populations and mice.

BACKGROUND: Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is the most common cyanotic congenital heart disease. Children with TOF would be confronted with neurological impairment across their lifetime. Our study aimed to identify the risk factors for cerebral morphology changes and cognition in postoperative preschool-aged children with TOF. METHODS: We used mass spectrometry (MS) technology to assess the levels of serum metabolites, Wechsler preschool and primary scale of intelligence-Fourth edition (WPPSI-IV) index scores to evaluate neurodevelopmental levels and multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect cortical morphological changes. RESULTS: Multiple linear regression showed that preoperative levels of serum cortisone were positively correlated with the gyrification index of the left inferior parietal gyrus in children with TOF and negatively related to their lower visual spaces index and nonverbal index. Meanwhile, preoperative SpO2 was negatively correlated with levels of serum cortisone after adjusting for all covariates. Furthermore, after intervening levels of cortisone in chronic hypoxic model mice, total brain volumes were reduced at both postnatal (P) 11.5 and P30 days. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that preoperative serum cortisone levels could be used as a biomarker of neurodevelopmental impairment in children with TOF. Our study findings emphasized that preoperative levels of cortisone could influence cerebral development and cognition abilities in children with TOF.

CARD9 mediated MAPK/NF-κB signal pathway participates in the pathophysiological process of septic hepatitis: The role of tiliroside.

The purpose of the present study was to search for biomarker and effective treatment measures for septic hepatitis. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to establish septic hepatitis (SH) model in vivo and in vitro. Proteomics, immunoprecipitation, molecular docking techniques, and CARD9 knockout (KO) mice and silence Chang liver Cell(CLC) were used to search for biomarker and possible treatment targets and treatment measures for SH. 46 differentially expressed proteins were found in the liver tissues of sepsis mice, among which CARD9 changed most. CARD9 KO and silence significantly relieved sepsis induced SH in vivo and in vitro. Tiliroside (TIS), an effective component of Buddleja officinalis Maxim, significantly improved SH by regulating CARD9 mediated MAPK/NF-κB signal pathway. In conclusion, CARD9 may be the important molecular targets for SH. TIS could protect SH via CARD9 mediated MAPK/NF-κB signal pathway. The findings provide a new treatment target for SH and a potential treatment measure.

Monolithic carbon aerogels within foam framework for high-temperature thermal insulation and organics absorption.

Carbon aerogels exhibit high porosity, good electrical conductivity, and low thermal conductivity, but their practical applications are greatly hindered by their tedious preparation and inherent structure brittleness. Herein, monolithic carbon aerogels (MCAs) with low density and large size are prepared via a facile sol-gel polymerization of phenolic resin within melamine foam (MF), followed by ambient pressure drying and co-carbonization. During ambient pressure drying process, the MF matrix can deliver supporting force to counteract against the solvent evaporation surface tension, thus inhibiting volume shrinkage and shape deformation. Upon co-carbonization process, the MF matrix and organic aerogel could pyrolyze and shrink cooperatively, which could effectively prevent the brittle fracture of monolith. Therefore, large-sized MCAs (up to 250 × 250 × 20 mm) with low densities of 0.12-0.22 g·cm-3 are obtained. The as-obtained MCAs possess high compressive strength (2.50 MPa), ultra-low thermal conductivity (0.051 W·m-1·K-1 at 25 °C and 0.111 W·m-1·K-1 at 800 °C), and high-volume organic absorption capability (77.3-88.0%, V/V). This facile and low-cost method for the fabrication of large-sized monolithic carbon aerogels with excellent properties could envision enormous potential for high-temperature thermal insulation and organics absorption.

Ultrahigh-strength carbon aerogels for high temperature thermal insulation.

Carbon aerogels with nanoporous structure are attractive for thermal insulation under extreme conditions, but their practical applications are usually plagued by the inherent brittleness and easy-oxidation characteristic at high temperature. Herein, silica-modified carbon aerogels (SCAs) with extraordinarily high strength are prepared via a facile sol-gel polymerization of phenolic resin and siloxane, followed by ambient pressure drying and carbonization. The resulting SCAs possess medium-high density of ∼0.5 g·cm-3 and mesoporous structure with the mean pore size of 33 nm. During carbonization process, the siloxane could be gradually transformed into the amorphous SiO2 particles and crystalline SiC particles, which are coated on the surface of carbon nanoparticle and consequently improve the oxidation-resistance of carbon aerogels. Due to the density-porosity trade-off, the SCAs have high compressive strength of 10.0 MPa and satisfied thermal conductivities of 0.118 W·m-1·K-1 at 25 °C and 0.263 W·m-1·K-1 at 1000 °C. Furthermore, needled carbon fiber-reinforced SCAs (CF-SCAs) with ultrahigh compressive strength of 210.5 MPa are prepared, which exhibit good thermal conductivities of 0.207 W·m-1·K-1 at 25 °C and 0.407 W·m-1·K-1 at 1000 °C. The ultrahigh mechanical strength, good oxidation-resistance, good thermal insulation as well as the facile preparation make the SACs great promising in high-temperature insulations especially under harsh conditions.

IL6R inhibits viability and apoptosis of pancreatic beta-cells in type 2 diabetes mellitus via regulation by miR-22 of the JAK/STAT signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a common disease of harming to people's health. MicroRNAs have recently been considered as key regulators of many biological processes, such as cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis. However, the effect of miR-22 expression by targeting IL6 receptor (IL6R) in T2DM and potential molecular mechanism involved remains to be elucidated. The present study aimed to explore the regulatory mechanism of miR-22 by targeting IL6R in pancreatic beta-cells viability and apoptosis of T2DM. METHODS: The expressions of miR-22, IL6R and apolipoprotein (apoA1, apoB and apoE) were examined by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). Pancreatic beta-cells were transiently transfected with a miR-22 mimic or si-IL6R plasmid which validated with qRT-PCR to analyze the expression of miR-22 or IL6R. Cell viability, apoptosis and protein expression levels were determined by CCK-8, flow cytometry and Western blotting, respectively. RESULTS: The proportion of INS-1E cell apoptosis was increased in islets of diabetic rats. Furthermore, miR-22 was downregulated and IL6R was upregulated in both diabetic serum and glucose-induced INS-1E cells. miR-22 overexpression or IL6R inhibition significantly strengthened cell viability and reduced the expression of apoptosis-related proteins to suppress cell apoptosis. IL6R was demonstrated as a target gene of miR-22 which could negatively regulate IL6R expression. Moreover, phosphorylation of JAK/STAT signaling pathway was activated by miR-22 overexpression or IL6R inhibition to strengthen the viability and suppress apoptosis of INS-1E cells. CONCLUSION: This study indicated that miR-22 strengthened the viability and suppressed apoptosis of INS-1E cells, partly by down-regulation of IL6R through the activation of JAK/STAT signaling pathway.