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Abstract Sepsis‐induced myocardial injury is one of the most difficult complications of sepsis in intensive care units. Annexin A1 (ANXA1) short peptide (ANXA1sp) protects organs during the perioperative period. However, the protective effect of ANXA1sp against sepsis‐induced myocardial injury remains unclear. We aimed to explore the protective effects and mechanisms of ANXA1sp against sepsis‐induced myocardial injury both in vitro and in vivo. Cellular and animal models of myocardial injury in sepsis were established with lipopolysaccharide. The cardiac function of mice was assessed by high‐frequency echocardiography. Elisa assay detected changes in inflammatory mediators and markers of myocardial injury. Western blotting detected autophagy and mitochondrial biosynthesis‐related proteins. Autophagic flux changes were observed by confocal microscopy, and autophagosomes were evaluated by TEM. ATP, SOD, ROS, and MDA levels were also detected.ANXA1sp pretreatment enhanced the 7‐day survival rate, improved cardiac function, and reduced TNF‐α, IL‐6, IL‐1β, CK‐MB, cTnI, and LDH levels. ANXA1sp significantly increased the expression of sirtuin‐3 (SIRT3), mitochondrial biosynthesis‐related proteins peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ co‐activator 1α (PGC‐1α), and mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM). ANXA1sp increased mitochondrial membrane potential (△Ψm), ATP, and SOD, and decreased ROS, autophagy flux, the production of autophagosomes per unit area, and MDA levels. The protective effect of ANXA1sp decreased significantly after SIRT3 silencing in vitro and in vivo, indicating that the key factor in ANXA1sp's protective role is the upregulation of SIRT3. In summary, ANXA1sp attenuated sepsis‐induced myocardial injury by upregulating SIRT3 to promote mitochondrial biosynthesis and inhibit oxidative stress and autophagy.

Abstract Background Cancer case during pregnancy is rare, but it is the second leading cause of maternal mortality. Case presentation A-32-year old pregnant woman with a gestational age of 37 weeks was admitted to the hospital due to repeated coughing for 5 months. She received Veno-Venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (V-V ECMO) treatment for severe hypoxemia after delivery. She was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with bone metastasis and pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP). She subsequently received anti-tumor therapy and anti-infective therapy. After treatment, her condition improved and she was weaned from ECMO. Two weeks after weaning ECMO, her condition worsened again. Her family chose palliative treatment, and she ultimately died. Conclusions NSCLC is rare during pregnancy. At present, there is still a lack of standardized methods to manage these cases. For theses cases, the clinician should be wary of opportunistic infections, such as pneumocystis jirovecii (P. jirovecii) and Elizabethkingia spp. Specialized medical teams with abundant experience and multidisciplinary discussions from the perspectives of the patient’s clinical characteristics as well as preferences are crucial for developing individualized and the best approach.

Aim. To compare the clinical characteristics of survival and nonsurvival patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) and explore the risk of mortality in SAP patients. Methods. This was a single-center retrospective study performed in a severe acute pancreatitis diagnosis and treatment center. According to the outcome, SAP patients were divided into survival group and nonsurvival group. One-way ANOVA or independent t-test was used to compare the clinical characteristics of two groups of patients. Multivariate retrospective analysis was used to identify risk factors for mortality in SAP patients. Results. A total of 486 SAP patients were included in the study, and the 90-day mortality for SAP patients was 13.58%. The common etiologies of SAP are biliary tract diseases (69.75%) and hyperlipidemia (17.28%). The most common complications caused by SAP were organ failure (55.14%), ARDS (50.62%), AKI (30.45%), sepsis (27.16%), and abdominal fluid collection (27.57%). There were differences in age, complications, and medical intervention between the nonsurvival group and the survival group. The main causes of death were infection (46.97%), abdominal bleeding (28.79%), and organ failure (9.09%). The binary logistic regression analysis showed that there were significant differences in age, AKI, sepsis, abdominal hemorrhage, organ failure, laparotomy, creatinine, and APTT between the nonsurvival group and the survival group. Conclusion. Age, AKI, sepsis, abdominal hemorrhage, and organ failure are risk factors for mortality in SAP patients. SAP patients with high creatinine and prolonged APTT upon admission require doctors to be vigilant. The main cause of death in SAP patients is pancreatitis-related organ failure and secondary infection.

Abstract Objectives Previous studies have demonstrated that the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) is a key wakefulness-controlling nucleus in the thalamus. Therefore, PVT may also be involved in the process of general anesthesia. This study intends to explore the role of PVT in isoflurane anesthesia. Methods In the present study, we used the expression of c-Fos to observe the neuronal activity of PVT neurons under isoflurane anesthesia. We further recorded the effect of isoflurane anesthesia on the calcium signal of PVT glutamatergic neurons in real time with the help of calcium fiber photometry. We finally used chemogenetic technology to specifically regulate PVT glutamatergic neurons, and observed its effect on isoflurane anesthesia and cortical electroencephalography (EEG) in mice. Results We found that glutamatergic neurons of PVT exhibited high activity during wakefulness and low activity during isoflurane anesthesia. Activation of PVT glutamatergic neuronal caused an acceleration in emergence from isoflurane anesthesia accompanied with a decrease in EEG delta power (1–4 Hz). Whereas suppression of PVT glutamatergic neurons induced a delay recovery of isoflurane anesthesia, without affecting anesthesia induction. Conclusions Assuming a pharmacokinetic explanation for results can be excluded, these results demonstrate that the PVT is involved in regulating anesthesia emergence.

Abstract The paraventricular thalamus (PVT) is a major component of the midline structure of the thalamus. It is one of the nonspecific nuclei of the thalamus, which plays a great role in the regulation of cortical arousal. PVT, an important node in the central nervous system, sends widespread outputs to many brain regions and also accepts plentiful inputs from many brain regions to modulate diverse functions, including sleep–wake state, attention, memory, and pain. Recently, with the increasing prevalence of sleep disorders and mood disorders, people pay great attention to PVT, which was implicated in arousal and emotional behaviors. Therefore, the main purpose of this review is to illustrate the characteristic of PVT to provide a reference for future research.

Abstract Background Amoebiasis is caused by the protozoan Entamoeba histolytica, which is a rare infectious disease in developed countries. If the trophozoites enter the blood, it can spread through the body, such as brain, and lungs. Cases of simultaneous infection of multiple organs are extremely rare. Case presentation Here we report a case of simultaneous infection of amoeba in pulmonary pleura, urinary system and central nervous system. Although the patient received anti amoeba treatment, the prognosis of the patient was poor. Conclusions In this patient, multiple extraintestinal amebic infections in the absence of clinically confirmed intestinal amebiasis or amebic liver abscess are rare and pose diagnostic challenges. The disseminated amebiasis has significantly increased the mortality. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment may reduce the mortality of disseminated amebiasis.

Objective(s): Melatonin, an important hormone secreted by the epiphysis, is a powerful anti-oxidant with a high potential to neutralize medical toxins. The goal of this study was to demonstrate the beneficial effect of melatonin on epididymal sperm and reproductive parameters in mice treated with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA).Materials and Methods: Thirty-nine SD rats were randomly split into D1 receptor agonist (chloro-APB), D1 receptor antagonist (SCH23390), and saline groups after preparing NB microinjection model. We observed the effect of NB microinjection of SCH23390, chloro-APB, or saline on the period of induction and recovery time of propofol anesthesia and recorded the changes of electroencephalogram (EEG) simultaneously.Results: NB microinjection of chloro-APB accelerated the recovery from propofol anesthesia (P0.05); NB microinjection of SCH23390 produced the opposite effects. NB microinjection of saline did not influence the induction or recovery of propofol anesthesia (P>0.05). NB injection of chloro-APB decreased the ratio of δ power and increasedαand β ratios in prefrontal cortex EEG (P0.05). Conclusion: D1 dopamine receptors in NB are involved in modulating the emergence from propofol anesthesia, but not affecting the induction of propofol anesthesia.

Aim. To compare the clinical characteristics of acute pancreatitis (AP) and recurrent acute pancreatitis (ARP) in children. Method. From January 2011 to January 2021, a total of 275 pediatric patients with AP admitted to a tertiary teaching hospital were enrolled. Results. The median age of 275 children was 12.0 years. Among them, 55 cases were ARP. The leading causes of pediatric pancreatitis were biliary tract and virus infection. The percent of male in the AP group was higher than that in the ARP group. Viral infection in the AP group were higher than that in the ARP group, but anatomical abnormalities were lower than those in the ARP group. The incidence of pancreatic pseudocysts in the ARP group was higher than that in the AP group. The median interval time from AP to ARP was 3.0 months. Conclusion. The main causes of pediatric pancreatitis were biliary tract and virus infection in the study. AP caused by virus infection seems to be less likely to develop into ARP. Female and anatomical abnormality are risks of ARP. Children with ARP are more likely to be complicated with pancreatic pseudocyst. There was no difference in ICU admission or mortality between AP and ARP.

Scoparone is a biologically active constituent isolated from Artemisia capillaris and possesses a variety of pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-allergic and anti-cardiovascular activities. However, there are no studies focusing on the effects of scoparone against cardiac fibrosis. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of scoparone on Angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling and its possible mechanism in cardiac fibroblasts (CFs). Our results demonstrated that scoparone effectively attenuated CFs proliferation in Ang II-stimulated CFs. Scoparone also prevented the differentiation of CFs to myofibroblasts and ECM proteins (type I collagen and fibronectin) expression in Ang II-stimulated CFs. Furthermore, scoparone prevented Ang II-induced the activation of TGF-β1/Smad signalling in CFs. Taken together, these studies indicated that scoparone attenuated Ang II-induced ECM remodeling in CFs, at least in part, by inhibiting TGF-β1/Smad signalling. These findings suggest that scoparone may be used a novel therapeutic agent against cardiac fibrosis. Keywords: Cardiac fibrosis, Scoparone, Extracellular matrix, TGF-β1/Smad signalling

Background: Ketamine is a commonly used intravenous anesthetic which produces dissociation anesthesia, analgesia, and amnesia. The mechanism of ketamine-induced synaptic inhibition in high-level cortical areas is still unknown. We aimed to elucidate the effects of different concentrations of ketamine on the glutamatergic synaptic transmission of the neurons in the primary somatosensory cortex by using the whole-cell patch-clamp method. Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats (11–19 postnatal days, n=36) were used to obtain brain slices (300 μM). Spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (data from 40 neurons) were recorded at a command potential of -70 mV in the presence of bicuculline (a competitive antagonist of GABAA receptors, 30 μM) and strychnine (glycine receptor antagonist, 30 μM). Miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (data from 40 neurons) were also recorded when 1 μM of tetrodotoxin was added into the artificial cerebrospinal fluid. We used GraphPad Prism5for statistical analysis. Significant differences in the mean amplitude and frequency were tested using the Student paired 2-tailed t test. Values of P

In this study, a cryogenic turbo-based refrigerator, with high-speed foil gas bearing turboexpander and plate-fin heat exchanger, was presented. For the cooling process of a cryogenic refrigerator is long and complex, the efficient simulation of the dynamic performance is vital for its evaluation and operation. It is difficult to achieve this purpose. Because the cryogenic refrigerator will go through great temperature changes, resulting in dynamic performances of components going to complexity. In this article, the turboexpander was simulated using CFX, and the matching models with expansion works of consumption and utilization were unified and modified. With numerical calculation of heat exchanger, the dynamic simulation model of the refrigerator was improved via MATLAB code. The calculation method of the required input energy of the refrigerator in cooling processes was proposed based on the simulation and integration. The energy efficiency and economy cost of the refrigerator were evaluated under different operation modes. The refrigerator with a motor was more stable than the one with a blower. The refrigerator was tested under different conditions, the results of which agreed well with simulation data. The simulation method is efficient to serve practical applications, improve energy efficiency and reduce costs.

Frost formation degrades the performance of heat exchangers greatly, thus influencing the cryogenic refrigerator. Different from frost formation on the evaporator surface, the growth and migration of frost layer inside the heat exchanger is of low temperature and humidity. In addition to the constantly changing boundary conditions, the effective prediction is difficult. In the present study, a numerical model was proposed to analyze the frost formation in the cryogenic heat exchanger of a reverse Brayton air refrigerator. Under small amounts of moisture, the growing of frost layer was simulated through the numerical heat and mass transfer by adopting semiempirical correlations. The frost formation model was inserted into the transient model of refrigerator, and numerical calculations were performed on heat and mass transfer rates, and growth and migration of frost layers in forced convection conditions. Experiments were conducted under different air humidity to investigate the frost formation and verify the numerical model. Through the model, the influences of frosting on the refrigerator were evaluated under different moisture contents and running time. It can be used to predict the performance of air refrigerators with low humidity and provide a basis for improving the system operation and efficiency.

Background: Owing to the lack of valid biomarkers, the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis relies solely on the behavioral phenotypes of children. Several researchers have suggested an association between ASD and inflammation; however, the complex relationship between the two is unelucidated to date. Therefore, the current study aims to comprehensively identify novel circulating ASD inflammatory biomarkers. Methods: Olink proteomics was applied to compare the plasma inflammationrelated protein changes in a group of the healthy children (HC, n = 33) and another with ASD (n = 31). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) of the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were calculated. The functional analysis of the DEPs was performed using Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia Genes and Genomes. Pearson correlation tests were used employed to analyze the correlation between the DEPs and clinical features. Results: A total of 13 DEPs were significantly up-regulated in the ASD group compared with the HC group. The four proteins, namely, STAMBP, ST1A1, SIRT2, and MMP-10 demonstrated good diagnostic accuracy with the corresponding AUCs (95% confidence interval, CI) of 0.7218 (0.5946-0.8489), 0.7107 (0.5827-0.8387), 0.7016 (0.5713-0.8319), and 0.7006 (0.568-0.8332). Each panel of STAMBP and any other differential protein demonstrated a better classification performance [AUC values from 0.7147 (0.5858-0.8436, STAMBP/AXIN1) to 0.7681 (0.6496-0.8867, STAMBP/MMP-10)]. These DEP profiles were enriched in immune and inflammatory response pathways, including TNF and NOD-like receptor signaling pathways. The interaction between STAMBP and SIRT2 (R = 0.97, p = 8.52×10-39) was found to be the most significant. In addition, several DEPs related to clinical features in patients with ASD, particularly AXIN1 (R = 0.36, p = 0.006), SIRT2 (R = 0.34, p = 0.010) and STAMBP (R = 0.34, p = 0.010), were positively correlated with age and parity, indicating that older age and higher parity may be the inflammation-related clinical factors in ASD. Conclusion: Inflammation plays a crucial role in ASD, and the up-regulated inflammatory proteins may serve as potential early diagnostic biomarkers for ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]