Circulating microbiota and metabolites: Insights into cardiovascular diseases.

BACKGROUND: In almost every country, cardiovascular diseases are the major cause of death, which are responsible for 17.7 million deaths worldwide, or 54% of all deaths. However, the latest evidence has shown that non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular events are significantly influenced by the blood microbiota and circulating metabolites. METHODS: We searched online databases for the most recent related papers through the comprehensive international databases of the Institute of PubMed/ MEDLINE, ISI/WOS, and Scopus up to August 2022, using MESH terms and the related keywords in the English language. Considering the titles and abstracts, unrelated studies were excluded. The full texts of the remained studies were evaluated by authors, independently. Then, the studies' findings were assessed and reported. RESULTS: The study demonstrated that the bacterial profiles of patients with cardiovascular diseases and healthy individuals are significantly different. The diseased patients showed a significantly high abundance of phylum Proteobacteria, an important Proteobacterial component known as lipopolysaccharides that has been linked to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease, while phylum Firmicutes were found in healthy individuals. It suggests that Proteobacteria has a direct role in the onset of cardiovascular disease. CONCLUSION: We focused on the blood bacterial composition and circulating microbial metabolites in their relationship with the etiology and onset of cardiovascular disease. However, the various genera and species in the results reported were not always identical. Therefore, the microbial community structure of blood was more complicated and thus required a more in-depth exploration.

A case of multiple ART intolerance responds to Albuvirtide and Dolutegravir: Case report and literature review.

Upon confirming an HIV diagnosis, patients need to start life-long antiretroviral therapy (ART) as soon as possible. During HIV treatment, ART drugs can cause intolerable adverse reactions, leading to poor medication compliance, treatment failure, and advancement of the HIV stage. Herein, we report a case of AIDS intolerant to multiple antiviral drugs due to side effects that we finally stabilized with the Albuvirtide (ABT) and Dolutegravir (DTG) combination. A 48 -year-old woman developed intractable nausea, vomiting and abdominal discomfort within one month of starting ART. Over the course of four years, she was switched to four different ART regimens due to her intolerance of severe adverse effects, mainly gastrointestinal symptoms, rash, and lethargy. Over four years, she failed to attain viral suppression due to poor drug compliance. After several ART changes, we started her on the Long-acting antiretroviral therapy (LA ART), Albuvirtide, combined with Dolutegravir, which she tolerated well. The patient's general condition improved significantly and attained marked virologic suppression. The patient's condition has been well controlled for nearly two years with good adherence. This case emphasizes the influence of ART treatment options on medication compliance and the outcome of HIV infection.

MAPK activation in mature cataract associated with Noonan syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Noonan syndrome is an autosomal, dominantly inherited disease; it is physically characterized by short stature, short neck, webbed neck, abnormal auricles, high arched palate, and cardiovascular malformation. Its pathological condition is thought to be due to a gain-of-function mutation in the Ras-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signal transduction pathway. Eyelid abnormalities such as ocular hypertelorism and blepharoptosis are the most commonly observed eye complications. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of Noonan syndrome associated with mature cataract that required operation. A 42-year-old man was diagnosed with Noonan syndrome at the age of 1 year. He underwent an eye examination after complaining of decreased visual acuity in the right eye and was diagnosed with mature cataract, which was treated by cataract surgery. There were no intraoperative complications, and the postoperative course was uneventful. Protein analysis of lens capsule and epithelium at capsulorhexis showed MAPK cascade proteins such as ERK and p38MAPK were upregulated. An abnormality in the PTPN11 gene was also observed; a potential mechanism of cataract onset may be that opacity of the lens rapidly progressed due to abnormal activation of the Ras-MAPK signal transduction pathway. CONCLUSION: This case highlights the possible association of cataract formation with MAPK cascade protein upregulation in Noonan syndrome.

Sediments are important in regulating the algae-derived off-flavor (ß-cyclocitral) in eutrophic lakes.

In recent years, due to global warming and water eutrophication, cyanobacterial blooms have occurred frequently worldwide, resulting in a series of water quality problems, among which the odor problem in lakes is one of the focuses of attention. In the late stage of the bloom, a large amount of algae accumulated on the surface sediment, which will be a great hidden danger to cause odor pollution in lakes. ß-Cyclocitral is one of the typical algae-derived odor compounds that cause odor in lakes. In this study, an annual survey of 13 eutrophic lakes in the Taihu Lake basin was investigated to assess the effects of abiotic and biotic factors on ß-cyclocitral in water. Our results showed that high concentrations of ß-cyclocitral in the pore water (pore-ß-cyclocitral) were detected in the sediment and far exceeded that in the water column, with an average of about 100.37 times. Structural equation modeling indicated that algal biomass and pore-ß-cyclocitral can directly regulate the concentrations of ß-cyclocitral in the water column, and total phosphorus (TP) and temperature (Temp) promoted the algal biomass which further enhanced the production of ß-cyclocitral both in the water column and pore water. It was worth noting that when Chla ≥30 µg/L, the effects of algae on pore-ß-cyclocitral were significantly enhanced, and pore-ß-cyclocitral played a major role in the regulation of ß-cyclocitral concentrations in water column. Overall, our study facilitated a comprehensive and systematic understanding of the effects of algae on odorants and the dynamic regulatory processes in complex aquatic ecosystems, and revealed a long-neglected process, that was, the important contribution of sediments to ß-cyclocitral in the water column in eutrophic lakes, which would conduce to a more accurate understanding of the evolution of off flavors in lakes and also useful for the management of odors in lakes in the future.

Analysis of the blood bacterial composition of patients with acute coronary syndrome and chronic coronary syndrome.

Emerging evidence revealed that the blood microbiota plays a role in several non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease. However, the role of circulating microbes in atherosclerosis remains understudied. To test this hypothesis, we performed this study to investigate the microbial profile in the blood of Chines atherosclerosis volunteers. A total of seventy Acute Coronary Syndrome patients, seventy Chronic Coronary Syndrome patients, and seventy healthy individuals were examined using high-throughput Illumina Novaseq targeting the V3-V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene. The relationship between atherosclerosis and blood microbiome, clinical variables, and their functional pathways were also investigated. Our study observed significantly higher alpha diversity indices (Chao1, p = 0.001, and Shannon, p = 0.004) in the acute coronary syndrome group compared with chronic coronary syndrome and healthy group, although a significantly lower alpha diversity was observed in the chronic coronary syndrome compared to acute coronary syndrome and healthy group. Beta diversity based on principal coordinate analysis demonstrated a major separation among the three groups. In addition, using linear discriminant analysis, a significant distinct taxon such as Actinobacteria _ phylum, and Staphylococcus_ genus in the healthy group; Firmicutes_ phylum, and Lactobacillus_ genus in the chronic coronary syndrome group, and Proteobacteria and Acidobacteriota _ phyla in acute coronary syndrome group were observed among three groups. Clusters of Orthologous Genes grouped and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways suggested a significant variation among all groups (p < 0.05). The blood microbiota analysis provides potential biomarkers for the detection of coronary syndromes in this population.

Shunxin decoction improves diastolic function in rats with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction induced by abdominal aorta constriction through cyclic guanosine monophosphate-dependent protein kinase Signaling Pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether Shunxin decoction improves diastolic function in rats with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) by regulating the cyclic guanosine monophosphate-dependent protein kinase (cGMP-PKG) signaling pathway. METHODS: Except for control group 8 and sham surgery group 8, the remaining 32 male Sprague-Dawlay rats were developed into HFpEF rat models using the abdominal aorta constriction method. These rats in the HFpEF model were randomly divided into the model group, the Shunxin high-dose group, the Shunxin low-dose group, and the Qiliqiangxin capsule group. The three groups received high-dose Shunxin decoction, low-dose Shunxin decoction, and Qiliqiangxin capsule by gavage, respectively, for 14 d. After the intervention, the diastolic function of each rat was evaluated by testing E/A, heart index, hematoxylin-eosin staining, Masson, myocardial ultrastructure, and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). The Bioinformatics Analysis Tool for Molecular Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine (BATMAN-TCM) software was used to predict targets for which Shunxin decoction acts on the cGMP-PKG pathway. Natriuretic peptide receptor A (NPRA) and guanylate cyclase (GC) were detected by immunohistochemistry, and eNOS, phosphodiesterase 5A (PDE5A), and cGMP-dependent protein kinase 1(PKG I) were determined by Western blotting. RESULTS: Compared to the model group, the thickness of the interventricular septum at the end of diastole (IVSd) and the thickness of the posterior wall at the end of diastole (PWd) of the Shunxin decoction high-dose group, Shunxin decoction low-dose group, and Qiliqiangxin capsule group were all significantly reduced ( < 0.01). Furthermore, Shunxin decoction high-dose group E/A value was decreased ( < 0.01). Compared to the model group, the expression of NPRA and GC increased in the Shunxin decoction low-dose group and the Qiliqiangxin capsule group ( < 0.01). Compared to the model group, the expressions of eNOS and PKG I increased ( < 0.05) in the Shunxin decoction high-dose group. The expression of PDE5A expression decreased in the myocardium of the Shunxin decoction high-dose group, Shunxin decoction low-dose group, and Qiliqiangxin capsule group compared to the model group ( < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Shunxin decoction can improve diastolic function in rats with HFpEF. It increases the expression of NPRA, GC, and eNOS in the myocardial cell cGMP-PKG signaling pathway, upregulates cGMP expression, decreases PDE5A expression to reduce the cGMP degradation. Thus, the cGMP continually stimulates PKG I, reversing myocardial hypertrophy and improving myocardial compliance in HFpEF rats.

Roles of PE_PGRS family in Mycobacterium tuberculosis pathogenesis and novel measures against tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis remains a serious threat to global public health. As one of the most successful pathogens, Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an adept in evasion the host immune response. M. tuberculosis PE_PGRS family has been widely proposed as molecular mantra to deflect host immunity. The feature of this family is the conserved N-terminal and variable C-terminal. PE_PGRS proteins, with functions largely unknown, are only found among mycobacteria and located in the mycobacterial cell wall and cell membrane. Most PE_PGRS proteins have antigenicity. Polymorphic PGRS domain might play a role in neutralize immune response. Several members of PE_PGRS family have been heterologously expressed for further function characterization. PE_PGRS gene expressing stage-specifically, especially during M. tuberculosis persistence, is promising intervention target to prevent reactivation. The origin, physiological role and spatiotemporal regulation feature of this family remain elusive. The understanding of these questions will shed light on the pathogenesis of M. tuberculosis and facilitate the discovery of new effective antibacterial intervention.

The biotin synthesis pathway in Mycobacteria tuberculosis is a new target for the development of anti-tuberculosis drugs / 药学学报

italic>Mycobacterium tuberculosis, responsible for tuberculosis (TB), remains a major health problem worldwide and is one of the infectious diseases causing increased morbidity and mortality worldwide. Biotin, namely vitamin H, is an important cofactor necessary for fatty acid biosynthesis, gluconeogenesis and amino acid metabolism in organisms including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Due to its inability to ingestion biotin from outside, Mycobacterium tuberculosis can only obtain biotin through biotin biosynthesis. Different from the classical BioC-BioH, BioI-BioW and non-classical BioZ pathways, Mycobacterium tuberculosis synthesized biotin by "BioC-BioH(2)" pathway in the early stage. This review focuses on the unique biotin synthesis pathway of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its key genes, especially the response of this pathway and biotin-dependent carboxylase to tuberculosis first-and second-line drugs, as well as inhibitors and natural products targeting biotin synthesis.

Research progress of high-sensitivity troponin in chronic kidney disease with acute myocardial infarction / 解放军医学杂志

The progress and clinical application of troponin detection technology have continuously improved the diagnosis rate of acute myocardial infarction(AMI),which effectively shortens the time of necrotic myocardial reperfusion.Earlier studies have found that high-sensitivity troponin(hs-cTn)is elevated to varying degrees in patients with chronic kidney disease(CKD).Therefore,when patients with CKD have AMI,the application of hs-cTn is limited to a certain extent,and with the lack of chest pain symptoms and the non-specificity of electrocardiogram performance in patients with CKD,it is particularly difficult to make a quick and accurate diagnosis of such patients.Based on this,this article will summarize the application of hs-cTn in AMI,the clinical characteristics of patients with CKD combined with AMI,how to improve the diagnostic accuracy of patients with CKD combined with AMI,and the value of hs-cTn in risk stratification and prognosis assessment of such patients to provide clinical medical staff with reference for early intervention or revascularization of patients.

Research Progress on the Novel Mechanosensitive Ion Channel Piezo1 in Cardiac Fibrosis / 医用生物力学

During the occurrence and development of various heart diseases,continuous deterioration of myocardial fibrosis leads to remodeling and dysfunction of the cardiac structure.As a newly discovered mechanically sensitive ion channel,Piezo1 has opened up a new field of research on cellular mechanical transduction.Piezo1 combines a fine force transducer with Ca2+ influx and participates in the regulation of cellular mechanical transduction,thereby regulating cellular biological functions.Recent studies have shown that the biomechanical changes induced by myocardial injury regulate the expression of Piezo1 in cardiomyocytes and cause an imbalance in calcium homeostasis,which plays an important role in the positive feedback loop of myocardial fibrosis.This review summarizes the theoretical basis and related studies of Piezo1 in regulating cardiac fibrosis and suggests that the Piezo1 channel may become a new target for the treatment of cardiac fibrosis,thereby providing a new research horizon for the prevention and treatment of cardiac fibrosis.

The relationships between odors and environmental factors at bloom and non-bloom area in Lake Taihu, China.

Lake Taihu has been experiencing taste and odor (T&O) events recently. And for the purpose of seeking the environmental factors having great influences on T&O compounds and supplying theory information for preventing the occurrence of T&O problems, Redundance analysis (RDA) was conducted for the dissolved and particle-bound forms of T&O compounds. And the whole lake was divided into the blooming and non-blooming areas. Results indicated that environmental factors, including biotic and abiotic factors, made great contributions to the variation of T&O compounds in Lake Taihu. The key biotic factors included Microcystis, Oscillatoria and chlorophyll-a. Microcystis made great contribution of these compounds in the blooming area and had close relationship with those particulate forms of odorants in Taihu. Oscillatoria made great and absolute contribution to odorants in the non-blooming area. Chlorophyll-a influenced greatly the odorants in the blooming area and had significant relationship with the particle-bound fractions in the whole lake. Dissolved oxygen and water temperature were the dominant abiotic factors with large contributions.

Research progress on the status and management of diabetes mellitus after acute pancreatitis / 中国实用护理杂志

Post-acute pancreatitis diabetes is one of the most common distant complications of acute pancreatitis. However, its incidence has been underestimated for a long time, indicating that it has not been taken seriously by healthcare professionals in clinical practice. This article provides a review of the urgent need for healthcare professionals to focus on the current status, adverse outcomes, screening and management aspects of diabetes after acute pancreatitis, and aims to provide a reference for healthcare professionals in their relevant clinical work.

Digital Analysis of Immunostaining of ZW10 Interacting Protein in Human Lung Tissues.

The purpose of this study is to introduce a methodology of the immunostaining of human lung tissues, followed by whole-slide digital scanning and image analysis. Digital scanning is a fast way to scan a stack of slides and produce digital images with high quality. It can produce concordant results with conventional light microscopy (CLM) by pathologists. Furthermore, the availability of digital images makes it possible that the same slide can be concurrently observed by multiple people. Moreover, digital images of slides can be stored in a database, which means the long-term deterioration of glass slides is avoided. The limitations of this technique are as follows. First, it needs high-quality prepared tissue and the original immunohistochemistry (IHC) slides without any damage or excess sealant residue. Second, tumor or nontumor areas should be specified by experienced pathologists before the analysis using software, in order to avoid any confusion about the tumor or nontumor areas during scoring. Third, the operator needs to control the color reproduction throughout the digitization process in whole-slide imaging.

Phenotypic plasticity in gut length in the planktivorous filter-feeding silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix).

Phenotypic plasticity widely exists in the external morphology of animals as well as the internal traits of organs. In the present study, we studied the gut length plasticity of planktivorous filter-feeding silver carp under different food resources in large-net cage experiments in Meiliang Bay of Lake Taihu in 2004 and 2005. There was a significant difference in stocking density between these 2 years. Under a low stocking density and abundant food resources, silver carp increased their energy intake by feeding on more zooplankton. Meanwhile, silver carp adjusted their gut length to match the digestive requirements of food when exposed to different food resources. In the main growth seasons (from April to October), silver carp significantly increased their relative gut length when feeding on more phytoplankton in 2005 (p < 0.01, 9.23 +/- 1.80 in 2004 and 10.77 +/- 2.05 in 2005, respectively). There was a nearly significant negative correlation between zooplankton proportion in the diet and the relative gut length when silver carp were stocked in a high density (p = 0.112). It appears that silver carp might have evolved plasticity to change their gut length rapidly to facilitate efficient utilization of food resources. Such resource polymorphisms in the gut may be a good indication of temporal adaptation to resource conditions. Our work provided field evidence for understanding the functional basis of resource polymorphisms and the evolution of phenotypic plasticity in planktivorous filter-feeding fish.

Synergistic apoptotic effects of silibinin in enhancing paclitaxel toxicity in human gastric cancer cell lines.

Gastric cancer (GC) is the 3rd leading cause of tumor­associated mortality worldwide. The efficacy of paclitaxel, a frequently used GC chemotherapeutic agent, is hindered due to drug resistance, dose­induced toxicity and adverse side effects. Silibinin, an active compound of a widely consumed dietary supplement, milk thistle extract, has recently been demonstrated to have strong antitumor efficacy in a human GC cell model. Thus, to enhance the efficacy of GC treatment, the present study evaluated whether silibinin exerted a synergistic therapeutic effect with paclitaxel. It was observed that the combination of silibinin­paclitaxel was able to trigger cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. The cell cycle arrest assay indicated that silibinin and paclitaxel alone induced a G2/M phase arrest, and the silibinin­paclitaxel combination strongly inhibited G2/M cells from entering the S phase. The apoptosis assay and western blot analysis of poly­ADP­ribose polymerase, pro­caspase 3 and pro­caspase 8 demonstrated that silibinin synergized with paclitaxel in promoting SGC­7901 GC cell apoptosis. Furthermore, upregulation of the ratio of apoptosis regulator Bcl­2/apoptosis regulator BAX and tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 6 (Fas)/Fas ligand indicated that the silibinin­paclitaxel combination activated the death receptor­mediated pathway in SGC­7901 cells. The results of the present study suggested that silibinin enhanced the therapeutic potential of paclitaxel against human GC SGC­7901 cells.

A study on the application of cross-frequency coupling characteristics of neural oscillation in the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment / 生物医学工程学杂志

In order to fully explore the neural oscillatory coupling characteristics of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), this paper analyzed and compared the strength of the coupling characteristics for 28 MCI patients and 21 normal subjects under six different-frequency combinations. The results showed that the difference in the global phase synchronization index of cross-frequency coupling under δ-θ rhythm combination was statistically significant in the MCI group compared with the normal control group ( P = 0.025, d = 0.398). To further validate this coupling feature, this paper proposed an optimized convolutional neural network model that incorporated a time-frequency data enhancement module and batch normalization layers to prevent overfitting while enhancing the robustness of the model. Based on this optimized model, with the phase locking value matrix of δ-θ rhythm combination as the single input feature, the diagnostic accuracy of MCI patients was (95.49 ± 4.15)%, sensitivity and specificity were (93.71 ± 7.21)% and (97.50 ± 5.34)%, respectively. The results showed that the characteristics of the phase locking value matrix under the combination of δ-θ rhythms can adequately reflect the cognitive status of MCI patients, which is helpful to assist the diagnosis of MCI.

Effect of CKIP-1 on hepatocyte apoptosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease / 中华内科杂志

Objective:To explore the effect and underlying mechanism of casein kinase 2 interacting protein-1 (CKIP-1) on hepatocyte apoptosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).Methods:Experimental study. An NAFLD cell model was established by inducing human hepatoma cell line, HepG 2 cells, with oleic acid (OA). Flag-CKIP-1 expression vector and shRNA-CKIP-1 were transfected into HepG 2 cells. Flow cytometry was used to detect the effect of CKIP-1 on the activity and apoptosis of NAFLD hepatocytes. The levels of apoptosis-related proteins were detected by Western blot. CKIP-1 knockout mice in C57BL/6 back-ground were fed with either standard or high-fat diet for 8 weeks. Apoptosis-related signal proteins in NAFLD hepatocytes were detected by immunohistochemistry. Results:After CKIP-1 was transfected into HepG 2 cells, the degree of OA induced cell liposis was significantly reduced ( P<0.05). Annexin V-FITC/PI flow cytometry showed that CKIP-1 reduced the apoptosis of steatotic hepatocytes. Overexpression of CKIP-1 could significantly inhibit the expression of caspase-3 and caspase-9 and increase the expression of Bcl-2/Bax ( P<0.05). Knockdown of CKIP-1 could increase the expression of caspase-3 and caspase-9 ( P<0.05). CKIP-1 knockout could further increase the expression of caspase-3 and caspase-9 in NAFLD mice ( P<0.01, P<0.05), and further decrease the expression of Bcl-2/Bax ( P<0.05). Conclusion:CKIP-1 inhibited the apoptosis of steatotic hepatocytes by up-regulating the expression of apoptosis inhibitor gene, Bcl-2/Bax, and affecting the proteases, caspase-3 and caspase-9.

Comparison of the myopia control effects of orthokeratology lens and peripheral defocus spectacles / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM: To investigate the effect of peripheral defocus spectacles and orthokeratology lenses on the control of axial length in children and adolescents with myopia.METHODS: Prospective study. A total of 71 cases(134 eyes)of children and adolescents with myopia who visited the Second Hospital of Longyan from June 2019 to June 2021 were selected. They were fitted with peripheral defocus spectacles for 12mo and then switched to orthokeratology lenses. The growth of axial length was observed at 3, 6, and 12mo after wearing peripheral defocus spectacles and orthokeratology lenses.RESULTS: The median axial length growth after wearing peripheral defocus spectacles and orthokeratology lenses for 12mo was 0.35 and 0.14mm, respectively. The axial growth at 3, 6, and 12mo after wearing orthokeratology lenses was lower than those after wearing peripheral defocus spectacles(P&#x0026;#x003C;0.001), and the growth rate of axial length was significantly reduced. The patients were divided into a rapid progression group(axial growth ≥0.4 mm, 29 cases, 54 eyes)and a non-rapid progression group(axial growth &#x0026;#x003C;0.4mm, 42 cases, 80 eyes)according to the axial growth of peripheral defocus spectacles for 12mo. The median axial growth after wearing peripheral defocus spectacles for 12mo in the two groups was 0.70 and 0.24mm, respectively, while the median axial growth after wearing orthokeratology lenses was 0.31 and 0.09mm, respectively. The growth rate was reduced by 56% and 63% respectively in the two groups after wearing orthokeratology lens. The axial growth of cases wearing orthokeratology lenses for 12mo in the non-rapid progression group was lower than that in the rapid progression group, and it did not change with age or diopter. There was no significant difference among different ages and different diopters in the rapid progression group(P&#x0026;#x003E;0.05). In the non-rapid progression group, axial growth of cases aged 7-12 years was higher than those aged 13-16 years(P&#x0026;#x003C;0.05), but there was no significant difference among different diopters(P&#x0026;#x003E;0.05).CONCLUSION: Orthokeratology lens is more effective than peripheral defocus spectacles in controlling axial growth in children and adolescents with myopia, and the control effect of orthokeratology lens on rapid-progressing myopia is remarkable.

NLRP3 inflammasome and its role in age-related macular degeneration / 中华实验眼科杂志

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of central vision loss among people aged 50 years and older, is one of the major eye diseases causing blindness in the world.Clinically, advanced AMD is divided into two types, non-exudative AMD with manifestation of geographic atrophy and exudative AMD with manifestation of choroidal neovascularization.The pathogenesis of AMD is complex, and the para-inflammation is recognized as an important risk factor.Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain like receptors 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is a cytoplasmic pattern recognition receptor and is expressed in several kings of cells, including retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, microglial cells, Müller glia cells and retinal vascular endothelial cells.Recent studies have suggested that NLRP3 inflammasome plays an important role in the pathophysiology of both non-exudative and exudative AMD.The role of the NLRP3 inflammasome and its effector cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 in AMD were reviewed in this article to provide guidance on future prevention and therapy of AMD.

Efficacy of compound chamomile and lidocaine hydrochloride gel in prevention of complications related to laryngeal mask airway insertion / 中华麻醉学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of compound chamomile and lidocaine hydrochloride gel in prevention of complications related to laryngeal mask airway (LMA) insertion.Methods:Ninety American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status Ⅰ or Ⅱ patients, aged 18-60 yr, undergoing elective surgery with ventilation using LMA under general anesthesia, were divided into 3 groups ( n=30 each) using a random number table method: paraffin oil group (group A), compound lidocaine cream group (group B), and compound chamomile and lidocaine hydrochloride gel group (group C). The paraffin oil, compound lidocaine cream, and compound chamomile and lidocaine hydrochloride gel were evenly applied on the front, shoulder and back of the LMA before inserting the LMA in A, B and C groups, respectively.The severity of sore throat, oropharyngeal mucositis score, hoarseness score and occurrence in each time period (0-1 h, >1-6 h, >6-24 h, > 24-48 h) were recorded at 1, 6, 24 and 48 h after removal of the laryngeal mask.The stress responses during removal of the LMA and occurrence of drug-related adverse reactions within 48 h after removal of LMA were recorded. Results:Twenty-nine cases in group A, 28 cases in group B and 27 cases in group C completed the trial.Compared with group A, the severity of sore throat at each time point after removal of the LMA and incidence of sore throat in each time period were significantly decreased, the oropharyngeal mucositis score at 6, 24 and 48 h after removal of the LMA and the incidence of oropharyngeal mucositis in the time period >1-48 h were decreased, and the incidence of drug-related adverse reactions was increased in group C ( P<0.05). Compared with group B, the severity of sore throat at 6 h after removal of the LMA and incidence of sore throat > 1-48 h after removal of the LMA were significantly decreased, the oropharyngeal mucositis score at 6, 24 and 48 h after removal of the LMA and incidence of oropharyngeal mucositis in the time period >1-48 h after LMA removal were reduced, and the incidence of drug-related adverse reactions was decreased in group C ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the hoarseness score and incidence of hoarseness after removal of the LMA and incidence of stress responses during removal of the LMA among the three groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Compound chamomile and lidocaine hydrochloride gel has a certain efficacy in preventing complications related to LMA placement.