Analysis of COVID-19 Cases and Public Measures in China.

This paper briefly analyzes COVID-19 cases during Wuhan lockdown and travel restrictions on 23 January 2020 to 23 June 2020, which included total confirmed, in critical condition, deaths, recovered, and suspected cases in China. Results showed that there were 28,942 suspected cases on February 8, 2020, at the peak; then, it almost declined continually to only several cases. Total confirmed cases were more than 80,000 on March 1, 2020, but less than 84,000, and deaths were more than 3000 on March 4, 2020, but less than 4640, totally, thanks for the right public measures for COVID-19 in China, such as the Wuhan City lockdown and travel restrictions for isolation; positive screening and testing; and establishing a Huoshenshan hospital, a Leishenshan hospital, and a number of Fangcang shelter hospitals, traditional Chinese medicine and a combination of Chinese and western medicine, and the launch of the clinical trials of antiviral drugs (Lianhua Qingwen, remdesivir, and chloroquine). In addition, the iRT-ABCDEF program is very useful to control domestic, imported, and asymptomatic cases. Cases in critical condition decrease continually after the peak of 11,977 cases on February 18, 2020, and recovered cases increase continually to over 78,400 cases due to these right public measures and effective treatments. In recent months, there are only 2 deaths and only about ten cases in critical condition. All in all, these public measures in China are confirmed to be very effective and are worth conducting in countries worldwide.

Scientific papers: Which type would you prefer?

It's very important to enhance the quality of scientific papers produced by postgraduates and scholars from academic institutions. To encourage their academic and professional development, these young scientists should be encouraged to compose nonresearch articles, in addition to original research articles, including short essays, perspectives and reviews.

E-noise: An increasingly relevant health risk.

This article briefly reviews and discusses the current status of major non-communicable diseases (mNCDs), definition of e-noise, its possible link as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and other mNCDs, and proposes possible mechanisms and hypotheses on that link, and how to control e-noise in the future. E-noise is defined as signal from electronic products and instruments that emit radiation and electromagnetic fields. It includes not only the acoustic but also non-acoustic noise. Just like road traffic and aircraft noises, e-noise may not only lead to hearing loss and health problems such as fatigue, stress, irritability, headache, and insomnia, but may also endanger cardiovascular health and result in hypertension, ischemic heart disease (myocardial infarction), arrhythmia (atrial fibrillation) and stroke; brain and metabolic problems such as obesity and diabetes; mental and cognitive impairment; as well as changing of humans' long-evolved cortisol and circadian rhythms after long-term exposure. Even short-term exposure to excessive e-noise may lead to heightened stress responses and low quality of life. In conclusion, e-noise is a potential danger in our world, and further studies are needed of its effects on mechanisms of aging, disease, and human health.

Treatment of chronic heart failure in the 21st century: A new era of biomedical engineering has come.

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a challenging burden on public health. Therapeutic strategies for CHF have developed rapidly in the past decades from conventional medical therapy, which mainly includes administration of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, beta-blockers, and aldosterone antagonists, to biomedical engineering methods, which include interventional engineering, such as percutaneous balloon mitral valvotomy, percutaneous coronary intervention, catheter ablation, biventricular pacing or cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and CRT-defibrillator use, and implantable cardioverter defibrillator use; mechanical engineering, such as left ventricular assistant device use, internal artery balloon counterpulsation, cardiac support device use, and total artificial heart implantation; surgical engineering, such as coronary artery bypass graft, valve replacement or repair of rheumatic or congenital heart diseases, and heart transplantation (HT); regenerate engineering, which includes gene therapy, stem cell transplantation, and tissue engineering; and rehabilitating engineering, which includes exercise training, low-salt diet, nursing, psychological interventions, health education, and external counterpulsation/enhanced external counterpulsation in the outpatient department. These biomedical engineering therapies have greatly improved the symptoms of CHF and life expectancy. To date, pharmacotherapy, which is based on evidence-based medicine, large-scale, multi-center, randomized controlled clinical trials, is still a major treatment option for CHF; the current interventional and mechanical device engineering treatment for advanced CHF is not enough owing to its individual status. In place of HT or the use of a total artificial heart, stem cell technology and gene therapy in regenerate engineering for CHF are very promising. However, each therapy has its advantages and disadvantages, and it is currently possible to select better therapeutic strategies for patients with CHF according to cost-efficacy analyses of these therapies. Taken together, we think that a new era of biomedical engineering for CHF has begun.

RT-ABCDE strategy for management and prevention of human diseases.

In this article, the authors summarized the RT-ABCDE strategy for the management and prevention of human diseases, which includes ReTro-ABCDE (Examination regularity, Disease and risk factor control, Changing lifestyle and reducing pathways of infection and spread, Biochemical and Antagonistic index control and therapeutic treatment as well as RT--Routine and Right Treatment). The RT-ABCDE strategy, a novel concept and an essential method, should be a routine strategy for disease control and prevention. It should be proposed and applied in both clinical and preventive medicine.

VEGF-C gene therapy augments postnatal lymphangiogenesis and ameliorates secondary lymphedema.

Although lymphedema is a common clinical condition, treatment for this disabling condition remains limited and largely ineffective. Recently, it has been reported that overexpression of VEGF-C correlates with increased lymphatic vessel growth (lymphangiogenesis). However, the effect of VEGF-C-induced lymphangiogenesis on lymphedema has yet to be demonstrated. Here we investigated the impact of local transfer of naked plasmid DNA encoding human VEGF-C (phVEGF-C) on two animal models of lymphedema: one in the rabbit ear and the other in the mouse tail. In a rabbit model, following local phVEGF-C gene transfer, VEGFR-3 expression was significantly increased. This gene transfer led to a decrease in thickness and volume of lymphedema, improvement of lymphatic function demonstrated by serial lymphoscintigraphy, and finally, attenuation of the fibrofatty changes of the skin, the final consequences of lymphedema. The favorable effect of phVEGF-C on lymphedema was reconfirmed in a mouse tail model. Immunohistochemical analysis using lymphatic-specific markers: VEGFR-3, lymphatic endothelial hyaluronan receptor-1, together with the proliferation marker Ki-67 Ab revealed that phVEGF-C transfection potently induced new lymphatic vessel growth. This study, we believe for the first time, documents that gene transfer of phVEGF-C resolves lymphedema through direct augmentation of lymphangiogenesis. This novel therapeutic strategy may merit clinical investigation in patients with lymphedema.

SEEDi1.0-3.0 strategies for major noncommunicable diseases in China.

The purpose of this article is to briefly introduce the status and challenges of major noncommunicable diseases (mNCDs), which include cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer, as well as related risk factors, such as environmental pollution, smoking, obesity and sleep disorders. "S-E-E-D" rules or the strategies of "S-E-E-D" intervention (SEEDi) consist of four core healthy elements: sleep, emotion, exercise and diet. The history of SEEDi1.0-3.0 is also introduced, which includes versions 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 3.0 of the program. These guidelines are suitable for prevention and control of mNCDs. Not only the "Healthy China" initiated in China's "13th Five-year Plan," but also the "Healthy World" philosophy needs SEEDi1.0-3.0 strategies for control of mNCDs.

Novel strategies halt cardiovascular, diabetes, and cancer strips.

In this article, we introduce briefly several strategies for preventing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and promoting healthcare for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). These novel strategies include four core elements of health - sleep, emotion, exercise, and diet - and consist of SEED intervention (SEEDi) and E(e)SEEDi due to supplementation of the environment as a core element, and Hu's healthy lifestyles intervention (HHLi) which originates from E(e)SEED-BasED healthy lifestyles. They are suitable for the early evaluation of risk factors, and play a key role in the prevention and management of human NCDs when combined with the RT-ABCDEF strategy and the Grade 210 prevention, which include obesity-OSA-hypertension syndrome and C-type hypertension, especially in halting cardiovascular, diabetes and cancer (CDC) strips we first discovered. After successful clinical practice, we may expect our novel strategies for controlling these chronic diseases according to the conception of mass prevention and treatment.

[Seven core principles for treatment of hypertension].

The seven core principles (SeCP) for treatment of hypertension were (1) early identification, early diagnosis, early and life-long treatment; (2) application of long-acting and slow-released anti-hypertension drugs to control blood pressure smoothly; (3) use low dosage and combined therapy; (4) individual and racial therapy; (5) integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine; (6) life style improvement; (7) enhancing compliance. Being more comprehensive and detailed than the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee (JNC-7), the 2003' European Society of Hypertension/European Society of Cardiology (ESH/ESC2003), the report of the fourth working party of the British Hypertension Society (2004-BHS IV), and the 2004' Chinese Guideline of Hypertension (CGH2004), the programmatic SeCP should be promoted in clinical practice for hypertension patients and doctors to follow and apply.

A novel management program for hypertension.

In this article, we describe a comprehensive management program for hypertension (HTN), based on the experience of leading cardiovascular centers in China. This comprehensive approach, adhering to a number of core principles, includes diagnosis and therapeutic interventions. Therapeutic management includes lifestyle changes, risk factor management and pharmacological intervention and should allow reliable lowering blood pressure (BP). Additional paragraphs discuss the relationship between paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF), and HTN.

["3Y" problem and principle in gene therapy].

Somatic gene therapy based on nonviral and viral vectors is an attractive approach for treatment of human diseases. However,the application of gene therapy to human disease is currently hampered by potential hazards of methods of gene delivery,the relatively low efficiency and intracellular stability of target gene. Therefore,we summarized them as the "3Y" problems----(safety,efficacy and stability) and also think people should abide the "3Y" principles in gene therapy.

Cardiovascular, diabetes, and cancer strips: evidences, mechanisms, and classifications.

OBJECTIVES: To report and name firstly that there are cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes mellitus (DM) and cancers (CDC) strips; and disclose their mechanisms, classifications, and clinical significances. STUDY DESIGN: Narrative and systematic review study and interpretive analysis. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SELECTION: to collect and present related evidences on CDC strips from evidence-based, open-access, both Chinese- and English-language literatures in recent 10 years on clinical trials from PubMed according to keywords "CVD, DM and cancers" as well as authors' extensive clinical experience with the treatment of more than fifty thousands of patients with CVD, diabetes and cancers over the past decades, and analyze their related mechanisms and categories which based on authors' previous works. DATA EXTRACTION: data were mainly extracted from 48 articles which are listed in the reference section of this review. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed data were included, narratively and systematically reviewed. RESULTS: With several conceptual and technical breakthrough, authors present related evidences on CDC strips, these are, CVD and DM, DM and cancers, cancers and CVD linked, respectively; And "Bad SEED" +/- "bad soil" theory or doctrine may explain this phenomenon due to "internal environmental injure, abnormal or unbalance" in human body resulting from the role of risk factors (RFs) related multi-pathways and multi-targets, which including organ & tissue (e.g., vascular-specific), cell and gene-based mechanisms. Their classifications include main strips/type B, and Branches/type A as showed by tables and figures in this article. CONCLUSIONS: There are CDC strips and related mechanisms and classifications. CDC strips may help us to understand, prevent, and control related common non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as well as these high risk strips.

Inhibition of MEK blocks GRP78 up-regulation and enhances apoptosis induced by ER stress in gastric cancer cells.

We studied potential interactions between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response and the MEK/ERK pathway. Induction of ER stress did not trigger significant apoptosis, but caused rapid activation of ERK1/2 in gastric cancer cells. Inhibition of MEK enhanced ER stress-induced apoptosis via a caspase-dependent, mitochondria-mediated mechanism. This was associated with blockage of ER stress-mediated up-regulation of GRP78. The latter appeared to be critical in antagonizing the apoptosis-inducing potential of ER stress. Thus, activation of MEK/ERK by ER stress is necessary for induction of GRP78 that protects against apoptosis in gastric cancer cells submitted to ER stress.

Inhibition of apoptosis facilitates necrosis induced by cisplatin in gastric cancer cells.

Although cisplatin has been shown to induce both apoptosis and necrosis in cancer cells, the potential interconnections between these modes of cell death induced by the drug remain unknown. We studied this phenomenon in gastric cancer cell lines and identified one cell line (SGC-7901) that underwent apoptosis, and another cell line (BGC-823) that primarily underwent nonapoptotic cell death, in response to cisplatin. Apoptosis in cisplatin-treated SGC-7901 cells seemed to be caspase dependent and was mediated, at least in part, by the BH3-only protein, Noxa. This was evidenced by the rapid upregulation of Noxa and inhibition of apoptosis by small interfering RNA knockdown of Noxa. Nonapoptotic cell death induced by cisplatin in BGC-823 cells was characterized by lack of DNA fragmentation, delayed externalization of phosphatidylserine, caspase independence, plasma membrane disruption, and intracellular vacuole formation, indicative of necrosis. Surprisingly, blockage of apoptosis induction by a general caspase inhibitor or by Noxa small interfering RNA in SGC-7901 failed to protect against cisplatin-induced cell death. Under such conditions, SGC-7901 cells displayed cellular features associated with necrosis. Cisplatin-induced apoptosis, thus, seems to precede necrosis when the apoptotic machinery is operative. When the apoptosis program is defective, necrotic cell death takes place as an alternative pathway leading to cell demise. Induction of different modes of cell death that are interrelated in the same cells by cisplatin has the potential to be exploited in formulating new adjuvant cancer therapies.

Principles of safety, efficacy and stability in gene therapy--review.

Somatic gene therapy based on nonviral and viral vectors is an attractive approach for treatment of human diseases. It has developed from preliminary animal experiments to clinical trials. Vectors and target genes used in gene therapy are mainly focused on viral, nonviral vector and single target gene or monogene and each vector system has a series of advantages and limitations. However, the application of gene therapy to human disease is currently hampered by potential hazards of methods of gene delivery, the relatively low efficiency and intracellular stability of target gene. Safety, efficacy and stability are three problems that people often met and also three principles that people should be followed in gene therapy.