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Related studies have shown that ITGB2 mediates mitochondrial glycolytic transformation in cancer-associated fibroblasts and participates in tumor occurrence, metastasis and invasion of cancer cells. Based on these studies, we tried to construct a mitochondrial glycolysis regulatory network and explored its effect on mitochondrial homeostasis and ovarian cancer cells' cancerous characteristics. Our research revealed a distinct increase in the expression of ITGB2 and associated signaling pathway elements (PI3K-AKT-mTOR) in cases of ovarian cancer. ITGB2 might control mTOR expression via the PI3K-AKT pathway, thus promote mitochondrial glycolysis transformation and cell energy supply in ovarian cancer. This pathway could also inhibit mitophagy, maintain mitochondrial stability, and enhance the cancerous characteristics in case of ovarian cancer cells by mediating mitochondrial glycolytic transformation. Thus, we concluded that ITGB2-associated signaling route (PI3K-AKT-mTOR) may contribute to the progression of cancerous traits in ovarian cancer via mediating mitochondrial glycolytic transformation.

Multidrug resistance severely limits the efficacy of ovarian cancer (OC) treatment. Recent studies have revealed the carcinogenic role of LINC00707 RNA. However, the role of LINC00707 in the development of multidrug resistance in OC has not been clarified. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between LINC00707 and multidrug resistance in OC, which can facilitate the development of new therapeutic agents for effectively addressing this issue. The RNA expression of LINC00707, miR-382-5p and leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) in SKOV3 (a human OC cell line) cells was detected by qRT-PCR. The effects of LINC00707 on the proliferation and viability of SKOV3 cells were determined by MTT assay and colony formation assay. The interaction of LINC00707, miR-382-5p, and LRRK2 was bioinformatically predicted and verified with dual-luciferase reporter assay. In addition, the effect of LINC00707 on drug resistance in SKOV3 cells through targeting the miR-382-5p/LRRK2 axis was explored. The expression of LINC00707 and LRRK2 was significantly increased in SKOV3 cells, while miR-382-5p expression was significantly decreased. The results of bioinformatic prediction and colony formation assay demonstrated that LINC00707 could regulate LRRK2 expression in SKOV3 cells by targeting miR-382-5p. Additionally, knockdown of LINC00707 markedly increased expression of miR-382-5p and decreased that of LRRK2, increased cell proliferation and viability, as well as sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents in SKOV3 cells. Notably, these manifestations were more obvious with simultaneous knockdown of LINC00707 and miR-382-5p compared with knockdown of LINC00707 alone. LINC00707 is overexpressed in SKOV3 cells and promotes SKOV3 cell proliferation and resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs via targeting the miR-382-5p/LRRK2 axis.

Objective: Retrospective analysis of the efficacy and influencing factors of bladder preservation integrated therapy for unresectable invasive bladder cancer confined to the pelvis was done, also including the bladder function preservation and adverse effects analysis. Methods: Sixty-nine patients with unresectable locally invasive bladder cancer who received radiotherapy-based combination therapy from March 1999 to December 2021 at our hospital were selected. Among them, 42 patients received concurrent chemoradiotherapy, 32 underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapyand 43 with transurethral resection of bladder tumors (TURBT) prior to radiotherapy. The late adverse effect of radiotherapy, preservation of bladder function, replase and metastasis and survival were followed-up. Cox proportional hazards models were applied for the multifactorial analysis. Results: The median age was 69 years. There were 63 cases (91.3%) of uroepithelial carcinoma, 64 of stage Ⅲ and 4 of stage Ⅳ. The median duration of follow-up was 76 months. There were 7 grade 2 late genito urinary toxicities, 2 grade 2 gastrointestinal toxicities, no grade 3 or higher adverse events occurred. All patients maintained normal bladder function, except for 8 cases who lost bladder function due to uncontrolled tumor in the bladder. Seventeen cases recurred locally. There were 11 cases in the concurrent chemoradiotherapy group with a local recurrence rate of 26.2% (11/42) and 6 cases in the non-concurrent chemoradiotherapy group with a local recurrence rate of 22.2% (6/27), and the difference in local recurrence rate between the two groups was not statistically significant ( P =0.709). There were 23 cases of distant metastasis (including 2 cases of local recurrence with distant metastasis), including 10 cases in the concurrent chemoradiotherapy group with a distant metastasis rate of 23.8% (10/42) and 13 cases in the non-concurrent chemoradiotherapy group with a distant metastasis rate of 48.1% (13/27), and the distant metastasis rate in the non-concurrent chemoradiotherapy group was higher than that in the concurrent chemoradiotherapy group ( P =0.036). The median 5-year overall survival (OS) time was 59 months and the OS rate was 47.8%. The 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) time was 20 months and the PFS rate was 34.4%. The 5-year OS rates of concurrent and non-concurrent chemoradiotherapy group were 62.9% and 27.6% ( P <0.001), and 5-year PFS rates were 45.4% and 20.0%, respectively ( P =0.022). The 5-year OS rates of with or without neoadjuvant chemotherapy were 78.4% and 30.1% ( P =0.002), and the 5-year PFS rates were 49.1% and 25.1% ( P =0.087), respectively. The 5-year OS rates with or without TURBT before radiotherapy were 45.5% and 51.9% ( P =0.233) and the 5-year PFS rates were 30.8% and 39.9% ( P =0.198), respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis results showed that the clinical stage ( HR =0.422, 95% CI: 0.205-0.869) was independent prognostic factor for PFS of invasive bladder cancer. The multivariate analysis showed that clinical stages ( HR =0.278, 95% CI: 0.114-0.678), concurrent chemoradiotherapy ( HR =0.391, 95% CI: 0.165-0.930), neoadjuvant chemotherapy ( HR =0.188, 95% CI: 0.058-0.611), and recurrences ( HR =10.855, 95% CI: 3.655-32.638) were independent prognostic factors for OS of invasive bladder cancer. Conclusion: Unresectable localized invasive bladder cancer can achieve satisfactory long-term outcomes with bladder-preserving combination therapy based on radiotherapy, most patients can retain normal bladder function with acceptable late adverse effects and improved survival particularly evident in patients with early, concurrent chemoradiotherapy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

The removal of organic pollutants using green environmental photocatalytic degradation techniques urgently need high-performance catalysts. In this work, a facile one-step hydrothermal technique has been successfully applied to synthesize a Nb 2 O 5 photocatalyst with uniform micro-flower structure for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under UV irradiation. These nanocatalysts are characterized by transmission and scanning electron microscopies (TEM and SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method, and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). It is found that the prepared Nb 2 O 5 micro-flowers presents a good crystal phases and consist of 3D hierarchical nanosheets with 400-500 nm in diameter. The surface area is as large as 48.6 m 2 g -1 . Importantly, the Nb 2 O 5 micro-flowers exhibit superior catalytic activity up to 99.9% for the photodegradation of MO within 20 mins, which is about 60-fold and 4-fold larger than that of without catalysts (W/O) and commercial TiO 2 (P25) sample, respectively. This excellent performance may be attributed to 3D porous structure with abundant catalytic active sites.

Three new earthworm species are described from South China, namely Amynthas rusticanus sp. nov., Amynthas scaberulus sp. nov., and Amynthas yuanjiangensis sp. nov. They are widely distributed in South China, and be polymorphic in reproductive organs. Of three new species, A. rusticanus sp. nov. is a small species with three pairs of spermathecal pores in 5/6-7/8 or two pairs of spermathecal pores in 5/6-6/7; it has developed prostate glands in XVI-XX. A. scaberulus sp. nov. is a medium-sized species with two pairs of spermathecal pores in 7/8-8/9; the lower edge of each spermathecal pore forms a tiny papilla, and the prostate glands are either degenerated or developed. A. yuanjiangensis sp. nov. is a medium-sized species with four pairs of spermathecal pores in 5/6-8/9 and has degenerated or developed prostate glands. Barcode data for each species (partial sequence of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) are provided as well.

Blueberry is an important agricultural crop with high nutritional, health, and economic value. Despite the well-studied blueberry cultivation methods and soil requirements, little is known about how beneficial bacteria function in organic blueberry cultivation systems and their effects on acidic soils. In this study, a single bacteria Bacillus amyloliquefaciens JC65 and three biocontrol bacteria consortiums containing JC65 were applied to organic system. The effect of bacteria to blueberry growth, yield, fruit quality, and soil quality was investigated. A consortium of three mixed Bacillus ( B. amyloliquefaciens JC65, B. licheniforims HS10 and B. subtilis 7ze3) showed the highest growth improvement efficiency. The bacterial inoculation increased blueberry leaf chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate by 21.50%, 13.21% at 30 days, and increased average plant height by 2.72% at 69 days. Compared with the control, the inoculated plants showed an increased yield of 14.56%. Interestingly, blueberry fruit quality was also improved with supplement of the bacterial consortium. Fruit anthocyanin, soluble sugar, vitamin C, soluble solids, and soluble protein content were increased by 5.99%, 4.21%, 17.31%, 2.41%, and 21.65%, respectively. Besides, beneficial bacterial consortium also enables sustainable agriculture by improving soil ammonium nitrogen and organic matter by 3.77% and 2.96% after blueberry planting. In conclusion, the combination of beneficial bacteria showed a synergistic activity in organic system to promote the blueberry yield, fruit quality, and soil nutrient preservation., Competing Interests: All authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2020 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objective: To examine the short and long-term clinical outcomes of total arterial coronary artery bypass grafting. Methods: Clinic data of 208 patients with left main and multiple vessel coronary artery disease and undertaken total arterial coronary artery bypass grafting from February 2009 to December 2019 in Department of Cardiac Surgery, Rui Jin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine were analyzed retrospectively. There were 188 males and 20 females with an age of (54.7±10.7) years (range: 32 to 79 years). The harvest of arterial conduits and grafting strategies were depended upon the individual patient characteristics and surgeon's experience. Left internal thoracic artery (LITA) was applied in 207 cases, right internal thoracic artery (RITA) in 38 cases (bilateral internal thoracic artery (BITA) in 37 cases), and radial artery (RA) in 187 cases (188 grafts). The graft number per case was 2.6±0.7 (range: 2 to 4). Surgical procedures was completed with off-pump technique in 98.1% patients (204/208). Subgroup analysis was carried out between subgroup BITA ( n= 37) and subgroup SITA (single ITA+RA) ( n= 171). The t test, χ(2) test or Fisher exact test were used to compare the clinic characteristics between the two subgroups. The Kaplan-Meier curve was used to estimate the rate of late mortality, major adverse cardiac cerebrovascular event (MACCE), and target vessel revascularization (TVR). A Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify the independent prognosis factors of late mortality. Results: The overall mortality within 30 days postoperatively was 1.4%(3/208). The incidences of perioperative MACCE, re-operation for bleeding and deep sternal wound infection (DSWI) were 1.9%(4/208), 0.5%(1/208) and 1.4%(3/208), respectively. Perioperative myocardial infarction and TVR were not observed. There was no significant difference of 30-day mortality, MACCE, bleeding and DSWI between subgroup BITA and SITA+RA (all P >0.05). In a follow-up period of (5.4±2.8)years (range: 0.2 to 10.9 years), the incidence of all-cause mortality at 1-, 5- and 10-year was 2.3%, 3.4% and 6.9%, respectively. The incidence of MACCE was 3.9%,11.2% and 28.5%, respectively. The rate of TVR was 0.4%, 3.7% and 11.9%, respectively. Age>65 was an independent prognosis factor of late mortality ( HR =1.125, 95 % CI :1.050 to 1.205, P< 0.01). Conclusions: Total arterial coronary bypass grafting is safe and achievable with proper patient selection and surgical strategies. It significantly decreases the risks of late mortality and repeated revascularization.

Objective: To explore the development of cholestatic fibrosis induced by α-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT) and the inflammation pathways. Methods: Fifteen 129/Sv mice weighing (23±2) g were randomly divided into 2 groups: control group ( n =5) and experiment group ( n =10). The control group was fed commercial chow diet and the experiment group was fed the same diet supplemented with 0. 05% ANIT. Five mice in the experiment group were sacrificed on day 14 and 28 respectively. The gallbladder, serum and liver samples were collected. Biochemical indicators of cholestasis were detected following the procedures in the kit. Liver injury was evaluated by histopathological. Hepatic fibrosis and inflammatory response were analyzed by Q-PCR and WB. Results: Compared with the control group, total bile acid (TBA), the main cholestasis biomarker, was increased from (3. 2±0. 9) μmol/L to (31. 6±4. 3) μmol/L in A-D14 group. AST and ALT, the biomarkers of liver injury, were also increased significantly ( P ＜0. 05). The expression levels of fibrotic factor tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases 1 ( TIMP-1 ), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 ( MCP-1 ) and collagen protein I ( Collagen I ) were higher than those of control group ( P ＜0. 05). The expressions of fibrosis protein Collagen I and α-SMA were also up-regulated. The collagen fibers of the liver were largely deposited and the liver fibrosis occurred ( P ＜0. 05). The expression of inflammatory factors was higher than the control group, JNK, c-Jun and STAT3 were activated ( P ＜0. 05). In A-D28 group, except AST, matrix metalloproteinases 2 ( MMP-2 ) and Collagen I indicators were slightly decreased, other indicators of cholestasis, liver injury, liver fibrosis and inflammation continued to be up-regulated or stable ( P ＜0. 05). Conclusion: After 14-day treatment with 0. 05% ANIT diet, significant cholestatic liver fibrosis occurred in mice. After 28 days of treatment, cholestasis liver fibrosis kept stable. The JNK inflammatory pathway played a crucial role in the development of liver fibrosis.

Efferocytosis, which is known as the phagocytic clearance of dying cells by professional as well as non-professional phagocytes, including a great number of intracellular/extracellular factors and signals, is interrelated with the immune system, contributing to local and systemic homeostasis, especially in tissues with high constitutive rates of apoptosis. Accumulating studies have indicated that immune dysregulation is associated with the pathogenesis of the female reproductive system, which causes preeclampsia (PE), recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA), ruptured ectopic pregnancy, and so on. And some studies have revealed the pleiotropic and essential role of efferocytosis in these obstetrical disorders. More specifically, the occurrence and development of these diseases were in connection with some efferocytosis-related factors and signals, such as C1q, MBL, and IL-33/ST2. In this review, we systematically review the diverse impacts of efferocytosis in immune system and discuss its relevance to normal and pathological pregnancy. These findings may instruct future basic researches as well as clinical applications of efferocytosis-related factors and signals as latent predictors or therapeutic targets on the obstetrical disorders., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: To evaluate the long-term clinical outcomes of multiple arterial off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) on left main coronary artery or multivessel disease. Methods: A total of 329 patients [303 males and 26 females, with a mean age of (55.1±9.1) years old] with left main coronary artery or multivessel disease who underwent isolated multiple arterial OPCAB in Ruijin Hospital between January 2006 and June 2018 were included. The baseline characteristics, perioperative and long-term outcomes were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier analysis was applied for estimation of freedom from major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) and overall survival. Independent predictors of MACCE were assessed by Cox regression analysis. Results: The perioperative mortality was only 0.9% (3/329). The median follow-up time was 65(22, 126) months, and 302 (91.8%) patients were followed up. The long-term MACCE rate, mortality, cardiac mortality, myocardial infarction (MI) rate, stroke rate and target vessel revascularization (TVR) rate were 13.9%, 4.6%, 1.3%, 3.6%, 6.0% and 6.0%, respectively. Among the alive patients, 51.3% were in New York Heart Association (NYHA) Ⅰ class and 80.9% had no recurrence of angina pectoris. The estimated 5-year and 10-year overall survival rates were 97.3% and 93.1%, respectively. The estimated 5-year and 10-year freedom from MACCE survival rates were 91.5% and 78.0%, respectively. Senility ( OR= 1.058, 95 %CI : 1.020-1.097, P= 0.002) and history of MI ( OR= 2.200, 95 %CI : 1.131-4.412, P= 0.021) were the independent risk factors for late MACCE. Conclusion: Multiple arterial OPCAB appears to be safe and with excellent clinical outcomes in treating left main coronary artery or multivessel disease.

Stored product insects show high adaption to hypoxia and hypercapnia, but the underlying mechanism is still unclear. Herein, a comparative transcriptome on 4th adzuki bean weevil (Callosobruchus chinensis) instar larvae was studied to clarify the response mechanisms to hypoxia (HA) and hypoxia/hypercapnia (HHA) using NextSeq500 RNA-Seq. Transcript profiling showed a significant difference in HA or HHA exposure both quantitatively and qualitatively. Compared with control, 631 and 253 genes were significantly changed in HHA and HA, respectively. Comparing HHA with HA, 1135 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. The addition of hypercapnia made a complex alteration on the hypoxia response of bean weevil transcriptome, carbohydrate, energy, lipid and amino acid metabolism were the most highly enriched pathways for genes significantly changed. In addition, some biological processes that were not significantly enriched but important were also discussed, such as immune system and signal transduction. Most of the DEGs related to metabolism both in HHA and HA were up-regulated, while the DEGs related to the immune system, stress response or signal transduction were significantly down-regulated or suppressed. This research reveals a comparatively full-scale result in adzuki bean weevil hypoxia and hypoxia/hypercapnia tolerance mechanism at transcription level, which might provide new insights into the genomic research of this species.

Background and Aims: Increased transcytosis of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) across the endothelium and oxidation of LDL deposited within the subendothelial space are crucial early events in atherogenesis. C1q/TNF-related protein (CTRP) 5 is a novel secreted glycoprotein and its biological functions are largely undefined., Methods: Expression of CTRP5 was analyzed in sera and atherosclerotic plaques of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). The role of CTRP5 in atherogenesis was investigated in vitro and in vivo., Results: We found CTRP5 serum levels were higher in patients with than without CAD (247.26 ± 61.71 vs. 167.81 ± 68.08 ng/mL, p < 0.001), and were positively correlated with the number of diseased vessels (Spearman's r = 0.611, p < 0.001). Increased expression of CTRP5 was detected in human coronary endarterectomy specimens as compared to non-atherosclerotic arteries. Immunofluorescence further showed that CTRP5 was predominantly localized in the endothelium, infiltrated macrophages and smooth muscle cells in the neointima. In vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrated that CTRP5 promoted transcytosis of LDL across endothelial monolayers, as well as the oxidative modification of LDL in endothelial cells. Mechanistically, we found that CTRP5 up-regulated 12/15-lipoxygenase (LOX), a key enzyme in mediating LDL trafficking and oxidation, through STAT6 signaling. Genetic or pharmacological inhibition of 12/15-LOX dramatically attenuated the deposition of oxidized LDL in the subendothelial space and the development of atherosclerosis., Conclusions: These data indicate that CTRP5 is a novel pro-atherogenic cytokine and promotes transcytosis and oxidation of LDL in endothelial cells via up-regulation of 12/15-LOX., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Four new species belonging to genera Amyntha and Metaphire were discovered from an extensive area in southern China, covering the provinces Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangxi and Anhui. The species are named Amynthas dispersus Sun Qiu, sp. nov., Amynthas shanghangensis Sun Qiu, sp. nov., Amynthas dentiformis Sun Jiang, sp. nov. and Metaphire sanmingensis Sun Jiang, sp. nov. The first two new species have four pairs of intersegmental spermathecal pores in 5/6-8/9. A. dispersus has elliptical and glandular male pore porophores raised on a low pad-like area surrounded by two to three shallow skin folds, the genital papillae are variable in the spermathecal pore and male pore regions, and prostate glands are vestigial or rudimentary. Amynthas shanghangensis has male porophores surrounded by three papillae, each prostate gland accompanied by an accessory gland, and the distal ½-⅓ of the spermathecal diverticulum dilated into a rod-shaped seminal chamber. Amynthas dentiformis has two pairs of spermathecal pores in 7/8-8/9, male pores always surrounded by two papillae, and small sacs on the dorsal and ventral margins of the intestinal caecae; the prostate gland occasionally has stalked accessory glands. M. sanmingensis is in the Metaphire houlleti-group, and has secondary male pores opening to copulatory pouches, rod-shaped spermathecal seminal chamber, as well as variable genital papillae in spermathecal and male pores regions. The GenBank accession numbers of DNA barcode data are attached under the description of each species.

Three new species of the genus Amynthas are described from Guangxi Province, China. They are named A. dissimilis sp. nov., A. anteporus sp. nov. and A. marsupiformis sp. nov. All of them have two pairs of spermathecal pores in 6/7-7/8, and belong to the tokioensis-group. Their morphological characteristics are compared to similar species in tokioensis-group from China and other Asian countries. In addition, the mitochondrial COI and 12S-tRNA-Val-16S sequence of three new species were determined, then pairwise distances between species were calculated. Both morphological and molecular evidences could easily distinguish the new species from earthworms previously reported in the tokioensis-group.

Background: Accumulating documents have demonstrated that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play critical roles in tumorigenesis. As an lncRNA, nuclear-enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1) has been identified to be involved in the progression of many types of cancers. However, the biological function of NEAT1 in cervical cancer is not fully investigated. The aim of this study was to disclose the specific biological function of lncRNA NEAT1 in cervical cancer progression., Methods: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was utilized to identify the expression of lncRNA NEAT1 in the cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. All cervical cancer samples used in this study were collected from the Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University between September 2012 and September 2017. The correlation between NEAT1 expression and the overall survival rate of cervical cancer patients was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier analysis. The effects of NEAT1 knockdown or overexpression on cell proliferation were tested by performing MTT assays and colony formation assays. Transwell assays were conducted to detect the migratory ability of cervical cancer cells, in which NEAT1 was silenced or overexpressed. Western blotting was utilized to validate whether NEAT1 promotes cervical cancer progression through activating PI3K-Akt signaling pathway., Results: High expression of NEAT1 predicted poor prognosis of cervical cancer patients (χ 2 = 0.735, P = 0.005). Knockdown of NEAT1 decreased the number of colonies in CaSki cell from 136.667 ± 13.503 to 71.667 ± 7.506 (t = -18.76, P = 0.003) and decreased the number of colonies in HeLa cell from 128.667 ± 13.317 to 65.667 ± 7.024 (t = -5.54, P = 0.031). However, overexpression of NEAT1 increased the number of colonies in SiHa cell from 84.667 ± 12.014 to 150.667 ± 18.037 (t = 7.27, P = 0.018). Knockdown of NEAT1 decreased the migratory number of CaSki cell from 100.333 ± 9.866 to 58.333 ± 5.859 (t = -8.08, P = 0.015) and reduced the migratory number in HeLa cell from 123.667 ± 12.097 to 67.667 ± 7.095 (t = -6.03, P = 0.026). Overexpression of NEAT1 increased the migratory number of SiHa cell from 127.333 ± 16.042 to 231.333 ± 31.786 (t = 4.92, P = 0.039)., Conclusion: NEAT1 may exert oncogenic function in cervical cancer and serve as a novel therapeutic target for cervical cancer., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest

Problem: To explore whether IL-33/ST2 axis modulates the polarization and efferocytosis of decidual macrophages (dMφs)., Method of Study: The phenotype characteristics of dMφs from both normal pregnant women and recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) patients were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and flow cytometry (FCM). Then, the efferocytosis and expression of IL-33 and its receptor (ST2) in dMφs were analyzed by FCM. Finally, the effects of sST2, a decoy receptor for IL-33 that inhibits the IL-33/ST2 signaling pathway, on the polarization and efferocytosis of dMφs and human macrophage cell line U937 were investigated., Results: Compared with normal pregnancy, dMφs from RSA patients presented a M1 phenotype with high secretion of IL-33, whereas the expression of ST2 decreased. However, dMφs from RSA patients possessed a more powerful efferocytosis ability to clear the apoptotic decidual stromal cells (DSCs) compared with dMφs from normal pregnancy patients. Treatment with recombinant human sST2 led to the up-regulation of M1 bias and efferocytosis ability of both normal dMφs and U937., Conclusion: This study indicates that IL-33 secreted by dMφs promotes M2 bias at the feto-maternal interface, and as a result, RSA might attribute to the disturbance of IL-33/ST2 axis and the enhancement of efferocytosis of dMφs subsequently., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: To investigate the long-term effect of biventricular (BIV) and right ventricular apical (RVA) pacing on cardiac function in patients with high-degree atrioventricular block (AVB) and left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)over 35%., Methods: A total of 118 consecutive patients with high-degree AVB in six hospitals from East China between May 2009 and December 2012 were enrolled in this randomized, double-blind and parallel controlled study. Patients were randomly assigned to BIV and RVA pacing with or without LV lead on after one-week cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Cardiac function including New York Heart Association(NYHA), 6 minute walking distance (6MWD), Minnesota living with heart failure (MLHF) score, LVEF, left ventricular end-diastolic volumes/diameters (LVEDV/LVEDD) and other echocardiography parameters, as well as N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP)were assessed at 6 months and 12 months., Results: A total of 114 patients were successfully implanted with CRT. Cardiac function was significantly improved after one-week BIV pacing (n=57) compared with pre-CRT: rate of patients with NYHA Ⅲ (25.44%(29/114) vs. 9.65%(11/114)), MLHF score (17.1±13.6 vs. 26.9±21.6), 6MWD ((315.4±121.8)m vs. (291.8±102.9)m) and NT-proBNP (157.0(70.0, 639.0) ng/L vs. 444.7(144.0, 1 546.0)ng/L, all P<0.05). In BIV group, 6MWD extended from (314.8±142.7)m to (332.7±117.5)m at 6 months (P<0.05), LVEF increased from (60.7±7.9)% at 1 week to (56.6±10.7)% at 6 months(P<0.05), both LVEDV and LVEDD decreased at 12 months compared with at 1 week ((116.2±39.5)ml vs. (131.4±49.6)ml and (50.2±5.6)mm vs. (52.5±6.8)mm, P<0.05). In RVA group (n=57), 6MWD increased at 6 months compared that at 1week ((342.4±109.9)m vs. (310.2±105.1)m, P<0.05), NT-proBNP was higher at 12 months than that at 1 week (349.5(191.8, 884.3)ng/L vs. 127.0(70.3, 336.7)ng/L, P<0.05). Compared with RVA group, BIV group had a bigger shrink in LVEDV decrease at 12 months was more significant in BIV group ((-16.68±24.30)ml vs. (9.09±29.30)ml, P<0.05)., Conclusions: Cardiac pacing could acutely improve the cardiac function in patients with high-degree AVB and LVEF over 35%. Improvements on cardiac function and remodeling are more significant after 12-month BIV pacing than that of RVA pacing. Clinical Trail Registry: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-TRC-10000832.

This paper describes two new species of earthworms belonging to the Amynthas morrisi-group from Hainan Island, China: Amynthas zonarius sp. nov. and Amynthas wuzhimontis sp. nov. Both have two pairs of spermathecal pores in 5/6-6/7, and simple intestinal caeca. Amynthas zonarius sp. nov. has a pad-like male porophore, with flat-topped tubercle surrounded by 5 skin folds distal half of the spermathecal diverticulum dilated into band-shaped seminal chamber. Amynthas wuzhimontis sp. nov. has a seminal chamber constricted into moniliform subchambers and a glandular pad-like elliptical male pore porophore surrounded by the tumid area. Partial COI sequences of the holotypes of the two new species have been submitted to GenBank as DNA barcodes to enable molecular species identification.

Large volumes of untreated palm oil mill effluent (POME) pose threat to aquatic environment due to the presence of very high organic content. The present investigation involved two pilot-scale anaerobic expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) reactors, continuously operated for 1 year to treat POME. Setting HRT at 9.8 d, the anaerobic EGSB reactors reduced COD from 71179 mg/L to 12341 mg/L and recycled half of sludge by a dissolved air flotation (DAF). The average effluent COD was 3587 mg/L with the consistent COD removal efficiency of 94.89%. Adding cationic polymer (PAM) dose of 30 mg/L to DAF unit and recycling its half of sludge caused granulation of anaerobic sludge. Bacilli and small coccid bacteria were the dominant microbial species of the reactor. The reactor produced 27.65 m(3) of biogas per m(3) of POME which was utilized for electricity generation.

Palm oil is one of the most important agroindustries in Malaysia. Huge quantities of palm oil mill effluent (POME) pose a great threat to aqueous environment due to its very high COD. To make full use of discharged wastes, the integrated "zero discharge" pilot-scale industrial plant comprising "pretreatment-anaerobic and aerobic process-membrane separation" was continuously operated for 1 year. After pretreatment in the oil separator tank, 55.6% of waste oil in raw POME could be recovered and sold and anaerobically digested through 2 AnaEG reactors followed by a dissolved air flotation (DAF); average COD reduced to about 3587 mg/L, and biogas production was 27.65 times POME injection which was used to generate electricity. The aerobic effluent was settled for 3 h or/and treated in MBR which could remove BOD3 (30°C) to less than 20 mg/L as required by Department of Environment of Malaysia. After filtration by UF and RO membrane, all organic compounds and most of the salts were removed; RO permeate could be reused as the boiler feed water. RO concentrate combined with anaerobic surplus sludge could be used as biofertilizer.

Bacterial consortium EG03, consisted of several different antagonistic bacteria against Ralstonia solanacearum, was demonstrated to efficiently control bacterial wilt of pepper in field with a biocontrol efficacy of 85.8%. The traditional dilution plate method, the most probable number (MPN) method and Biolog system were adopted to determine effects of EG03 on characteristics of microbial community in pepper rhizosphere. It's shown that EGO3's effects on microbial community in pepper rhizospheric soil varied with time. There were an increase in the number of fungus and Bacillus spp. to some extent and a significant increase in that of nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Biolog analysis showed that the curve between average well color development (AWCD) and incubation time was S-shaped for all the treatments and that the AWCD of pepper rhizospheric soil at the early stage was higher than at the late stage. The analysis of carbon source utilization showed that EG03 decreased microbial utilization of carbon source in short-term, and the microbial community of pepper rhizospheric soil at the late stage composed mainly of microbes depended on sugars as carbon resource. EG03 treatment could decrease the five microbial diversity indices of rhizospheric microbes in short term, then increased those indices instead, especially with significant (P < 0.05) increases in Simpson index and McIntosh evenness.

Background: Sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) with a biodegradable polymer coating have demonstrated promising results but have not been compared to SES with a durable polymer in high-risk patients. We compared the efficacy of these 2 stent types in patients with acute myocardial infarction (STEMI)., Methods: One thousand one hundred ninety-two STEMI patients were randomized to receive SES coated with biodegradable (n = 596) or durable polymer (n = 596). The study end-point was the composite of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) including all-cause death, recurrent myocardial infarction (MI), or target lesion revascularization (TLR) at 1-year follow-up. Secondary end-points included individual components of primary end-point and stent thrombosis., Results: Compared with durable polymer SES, the noninferiority of SES with biodegradable polymer coating was established by an absolute risk difference of 0.9% in the primary end-point (12.4% vs. 13.3%, P = 0.67) and an upper limit of one-sided 95% confidence interval (CI) of 2.96% (P for noninferiority = 0.001). Rate of death, recurrent MI, and TLR were 7.9% and 8.6% (HR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.61-1.38, P = 0.67), 2.9% and 3.5% (HR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.42-1.54, P = 0.51), and 2.0% and 3.2% (HR: 0.62; 95% CI: 0.30-1.30, P = 0.20) in the biodegradable polymer SES and durable polymer SES group at 1-year clinical follow-up, respectively. Despite similar rates of 30-day ARC definite/probable stent thrombosis, late stent thrombosis (stent thrombosis occurring beyond 30 days) was lower with biodegradable polymer SES (0.7% vs. 2.2%, P = 0.028)., Conclusions: In patients undergoing primary PCI for STEMI, the use of biodegradable polymer SES was associated with noninferior 1-year rates of MACE compared with durable polymer SES., (© 2014, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

To investigate the relationship of polymorphisms in the cholesteryl ester transport protein (CETP) gene with coronary heart disease (CHD) and diabetes in subjects of Uyghur and Han Chinese origin, 266 subjects with CHD including 154 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 136 healthy subjects (as a control group) were enrolled in this study. Polymerase chain reaction and an enzymatic assay based on the ligase detection reaction were used to detect R451Q polymorphisms in the CETP gene. The data were used for genotyping to determine the allele frequency distribution of the CETP gene R451Q polymorphism to investigate its effects on lipid and apolipoprotein levels. Genotype and allele frequencies of CETP R451QA did not show any significant differences among the CHD and healthy control groups. Moreover, no significant difference in the CETP R451QA genotype and allele frequency was detected among the subjects of Uyghur and Han origin. Blood levels of lipids and apolipoproteins likewise lacked an association with CETP R451QA genotype frequencies in the CHD/diabetes group. We conclude that the R451Q polymorphisms in the CETP gene had no effects on blood lipid levels and are not a risk factor for CHD in Han and Uyghur Chinese.

Objective: To evaluate the application value of magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) combined with routine T2WI sequence in the determination of pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer., Methods: Clinical data of 51 cases with locally advanced mid-low rectal cancer undergoing neoadjuvant therapy plus radical resection in the Rectal Cancer Center at The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from June 2012 to April 2013 were analyzed retrospectively. Magnetic resonance DWI and T2WI sequences scanning were performed within 1 week before neoadjuvant therapy and within 1 week before operation. Routine single T2WI sequence and DWI combined with T2WI sequence were used separately to predict the residual tumor and to compare with postoperative pathological examination. The prediction values of two methods were compared., Results: Of 51 patients, 12 cases had pathological complete response (pCR). Prediction of DWI combined T2WI sequence was correct in 8 cases of pCR, whose sensitivity and specificity were higher than those of routine single T2WI sequence (66.7%, 94.9% vs. 33.3%, 84.6%). Prediction value of DWI combined T2WI sequence for pCR was significantly higher as compared to routine single T2WI sequence (AUC, 0.808 vs. 0.590, P=0.001)., Conclusion: Compared with the routine single T2WI sequence, DWI combined with T2WI sequence can improve the prediction accuracy of pathological complete response.

Background and Purpose: Volatile anesthetic isoflurane contributes to postoperative cognitive dysfunction and inhibition of long-term potentiation (LTP), a synaptic model of learning and memory, but the mechanisms are uncertain. Central neuronal α4β2 subtype nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are involved in the induction of LTP in the hippocampus. Isoflurane inhibits α4β2 nAChRs at concentrations lower than those used for anesthesia. Therefore, we hypothesized that isoflurane-inhibited LTP induction of hippocampal CA1 neurons via α4β2 nAChRs subtype inhibition., Methods: Transverse hippocampal slices (400μm thick) were obtained from male rats (6-8 weeks old). Population spikes were evoked using extracellular electrodes by electrical stimulation of the Schaffer collateral-commissural pathway of rat hippocampal slices. LTP was induced using high frequency stimulation (HFS; 100Hz, 1s). Clinically relevant concentrations (0.125-0.5mM) of isoflurane with or without nicotine (nAChRs agonist), mecamylamine (nAChRs antagonist), 3-[2(S)-2-azetidinylmethoxy] pyridine (A85380) and epibatidine (α4β2 nAChRs agonist), dihydro β erythroidine (DHβE) (α4β2 nAChRs antagonist) were added to the perfusion solution 20min before HFS to test their effects on LTP by HFS respectively., Results: A brief HFS induced stable LTP in rat hippocampal slices, but LTP was significantly inhibited in the presence of isoflurane at concentrations of 0.125-0.5mM. The inhibitive effect of isoflurane on LTP was not only reversible and could be prevented by nAChRs agonist nicotine and α4β2 nAChRs agonist A85380 and epibatidine, but also mimicked and potentiated by nAChRs antagonist mecamylamine and α4β2 nAChRs antagonist DHβE., Conclusions: Inhibition of α4β2 nAChRs subtype of hippocampus participates in isoflurane-mediated LTP inhibition., (Copyright © 2013 Société française d’anesthésie et de réanimation (Sfar). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To characterize the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among Chinese intravenous drug users (IDUs)., Methods: A total of 432 adult IDUs (95 women and 337 men) in Shanghai were included in the study. The third-generation Elecsys Anti-HCV assay (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Sandhofer Strasse 116, D-68305, Mannheim, Germany) was used to screen for antibodies against HCV. The RIBA strip, a supplemental anti-HCV test with high specificity, was performed on all of the samples that tested positive during the initial screening. All of the anti-HCV positive samples were analyzed with a Cobas TaqMan 48 Analyzer (Roche Diagnostics) for direct detection of HCV RNA. All of the HCV RNA-positive samples were sequenced for genotype determination., Results: The preliminary screening identified 262 (60.6%) subjects who were seropositive for HCV. Of the 62 females and 200 males seropositive subjects, 16 (16.7%) and 65 (19.3%), respectively, were confirmed by RIBA, yielding an overall HCV seropositive rate of 18.8%. Four female (6.5%) and 14 male (7.0%) subjects tested positive for HCV RNA, indicating an active infection rate of 4.2% for the entire study population. The 18 HCV RNA-positive serum samples were genotyped. Seven individuals were genotype 1b, and four were genotype 1a. One individual each was infected with genotypes 2a, 2b and 3a. Four subjects were co-infected with multiple strains: two with genotypes 1a and 2a, and two with genotypes 1b and 2a. The active infection rate among HCV-seropositive individuals was 22.2%, which was significantly lower than most estimates., Conclusion: The prevalence of HCV is relatively low among IDUs in Shanghai, with a spontaneous recovery rate much higher than previous estimates.

Background: No randomized trial has been performed to compare the efficacy of an intracoronary bolus of tirofiban versus urokinase during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We investigated whether the effects of adjunctive therapy with an intracoronary bolus of urokinase was noninferior to the effects of an intracoronary bolus of tirofiban in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing PCI., Methods: A total of 490 patients with acute STEMI undergoing primary PCI were randomized to an intracoronary bolus of tirofiban (10 µg/kg; n = 247) or urokinase (250 kU/20 ml; n = 243). Serum levels of P-selectin, von Willebrand factor (vWF), CD40 ligand (CD40L), and serum amyloid A (SAA) in the coronary sinus were measured before and after intracoronary drug administration. The primary endpoint was the rate of complete ( ≥ 70%) ST-segment resolution (STR) at 90 minutes after intervention, and the noninferiority margin was set to 15%., Results: In the intention-to-treat analysis, complete STR was achieved in 54.4% of patients treated with an intracoronary bolus of urokinase and in 60.6% of those treated with an intracoronary bolus of tirofiban (adjusted difference: -7.0%; 95% confidence interval: -15.7% to 1.8%). The corrected TIMI frame count of the infarct-related artery was lower, left ventricular ejection fraction was higher, and the 6-month major adverse cardiac event-free survival tended to be better in the intracoronary tirofiban group. An intracoronary bolus of tirofiban resulted in lower levels of P-selectin, vWF, CD40L, and SAA in the coronary sinus compared with an intracoronary bolus of urokinase after primary PCI (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: An intracoronary bolus of urokinase as an adjunct to primary PCI for acute STEMI is not equally effective to an intracoronary bolus of tirofiban with respect to improvement in myocardial reperfusion assessed by STR. This may be caused by less reduction in coronary circulatory platelet activation and inflammation.

Background: We investigated whether an additional intracoronary tirofiban bolus administration following upstream intravenous treatment could further improve myocardial reperfusion and clinical outcome in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)., Methods: A total of 453 eligible STEMI patients were randomly allocated to intracoronary bolus administration of tirofiban (10 μg/kg; n=229) or saline (10 mL; n=224) during primary PCI, followed by intravenous tirofiban infusion (0.15 μg/kg/min) for 24-36 h. Serum levels of P-selectin, vWF, CD40L and serum amyloid A (SAA) in the coronary sinus were measured before and after intracoronary bolus administration. The primary endpoint was ST-segment resolution (STR) at 90 min after the procedure. Second endpoints included corrected TIMI frame count (cTFC), left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction (EF), and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 30-day and 6-month follow-up., Results: Intracoronary tirofiban administration resulted in a higher rate of completed STR (59.0% vs. 44.6%, P=0.002), lower cTFC (21.6±5.4 vs. 23.7±7.8, P=0.048), and significantly reduced coronary sinus levels of P-selectin, vWF, CD40L and SAA. Patients treated with intracoronary tirofiban had a trend toward less MACE at 30 days (3.1% vs. 6.7%, P=0.072). At 6 months, left ventricular end-systolic volume was smaller, EF was higher and MACE-free survival was improved (96.1% vs. 90.6%, P=0.020) in the intracoronary tirofiban group., Conclusions: An additional intracoronary tirofiban bolus administration following upstream intravenous treatment reduces coronary circulatory platelet activation and inflammatory process, and significantly improves myocardial reperfusion and left ventricular function as well as 6-month MACE-free survival for STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Transradial access has been increasingly used during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in last decade. Clinical benefits of upstream use of tirfiban therapy in STEMI patients treated by primary PCI have been reported. We investigated the merits of transradial vs. transfemoral access in primary PCI for STEMI patients with upstream use of tirofiban., Methods: Patients with STEMI treated with tirofiban between December 2006 and October 2012 then by primary PCI were compared between transradial (n = 298) and transfemoral (n = 314) access. Baseline demographics, angiographic and PCI features and primary endpoint of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 30-day clinical follow-up were recorded., Results: Baseline and procedural characteristics were comparable between the two groups, apart from more patients in transradial group had hypertension and were treated by thrombus aspiration during primary PCI. Significantly fewer MACE occurred in the transradial group (5.4%) compared with the transfemoral group (9.9%) at 30-day clinical follow-up. Major bleeding events at 30-day clinical follow-up were 0 in transradial group and in 2.9% of transfemoral group. Multivariate analysis confirmed transradial approach as an independent negative predictor of 30-day MACE (HR 0.68; 95%CI 0.35 - 0.91; P = 0.03)., Conclusions: Using transradial approach in primary PCI for acute STEMI infarction patients treated with tirofiban was clearly beneficial in reducing bleeding complications and improving 30-day clinical outcomes.

The effect of bisoprolol on dendritic cell (DC) migration was investigated, including the analysis of protein expression, cytokine secretion and activation of the PI3K-pathway. The chemotactic cell numbers in cholesterol-loaded DCs treated with epinephrine were significantly decreased by 26.66±6.29% (6h), 35.67±2.91% (12h) and 29.33±1.09% (24h). This effect was significantly reversed by 46.00±10.65% (6h), 64.25±6.77% (12h) and 55.74±5.51% (24h) when bisoprolol and epinephrine were both present. In cholesterol-loaded DCs, treatment with epinephrine significantly increased AR-β1 protein expression by 56.99±4.87%, but inhibited β-arrestin 2 and CCR7 protein expression by 30.51±4.22% and 25.31±0.04%, respectively. These effects were reversed by bisoprolol by 36.87±4.40%, 41.47±3.95% and 30.14±0.54%, respectively. TNF-α and MMP9 levels were decreased by 68.33±4.00% and 39.57±9.21% in cholesterol-loaded DCs treated with epinephrine. In contrast, when bisoprolol and epinephrine were administered together, the secretion of these proteins was significantly increased by 233.81±37.06 % and 76.66±14.21%, respectively. Treatment with epinephrine decreased PI3K-phosphorylation by 31.88±2.79%, 40.24±5.69% and 30.93±4.66% at 15, 30 and 60min, respectively, whereas the effect of epinephrine on the expression of phosphorylated PI3K was reversed by 49.49±12.12%, 70.93±16.14% and 47.62±6.00%, respectively, when cells were treated with both bisoprolol and epinephrine. Wortmannin inhibited the effects of bisoprolol on PI3K-phosphorylation (38.63±6.12%), the expression of CCR7 (23.4±2.72%), the secretion of TNF-α (69.46±4.48%) and MMP9 (43.15±4.63%), and the number of chemotactic cells (36.84±5.22%). This is the first study to establish a signaling pathway, epinephrine-AR-β1-β-arrestin2-PI3K-MMP9/CCR7, which plays a critical role in the migration of DCs., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Current strategies to help tobacco smokers quit have limited success as a result of the addictive properties of the nicotine in cigarette smoke. We hypothesized that a single administration of an adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene transfer vector expressing high levels of an anti-nicotine antibody would persistently prevent nicotine from reaching its receptors in the brain. To test this hypothesis, we constructed an AAVrh.10 vector that expressed a full-length, high-affinity, anti-nicotine antibody derived from the Fab fragment of the anti-nicotine monoclonal antibody NIC9D9 (AAVantiNic). In mice treated with this vector, blood concentrations of the anti-nicotine antibody were dose-dependent, and the antibody showed high specificity and affinity for nicotine. The antibody shielded the brain from systemically administered nicotine, reducing brain nicotine concentrations to 15% of those in naïve mice. The amount of nicotine sequestered in the serum of vector-treated mice was more than seven times greater than that in untreated mice, with 83% of serum nicotine bound to immunoglobulin G. Treatment with the AAVantiNic vector blocked nicotine-mediated alterations in arterial blood pressure, heart rate, and locomotor activity. In summary, a single administration of a gene transfer vector expressing a high-affinity anti-nicotine monoclonal antibody elicited persistent (18 weeks), high titers of an anti-nicotine antibody that obviated the physiologic effects of nicotine. If this degree of efficacy translates to humans, AAVantiNic could be an effective preventative therapy for nicotine addiction.

Background: Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been clearly identified as the first therapeutic option for patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The importance of reducing door-to-balloon (D2B) time has gained increased recognition. This study aimed to assess the feasibility, safety and efficacy of the strategy of direct ambulance transportation of patients with acute STEMI to catheterization lab to receive primary PCI., Methods: The study population included 141 consecutive patients with chest pain and ST-segment elevation who were admitted to the catheterization laboratory directly by the ambulance and underwent primary PCI (DIRECT group). Another 145 patients with STEMI randomly selected from the PCI database, were served as control group (conventional group); they were transported to catheterization laboratory from emergency room (ER). The primary endpoint of D2B time, and secondary endpoint of in-hospital and 30-day major adverse cardiac events (MACE, including death, non-fatal reinfarction, and target vessel revascularization) were compared., Results: Baseline and procedural characteristics between the two groups were comparable, except more patients in the DIRECT group presented TIMI 0-1 flow in culprit vessel at initial angiogram (80.1% and 73.8%, P = 0.04). Comparing to conventional group, the primary endpoint of D2B time was reduced ((54 ± 18) minutes and (112 ± 55) minutes, P < 0.0001) and the percentage of patients with D2B < 90 minutes was increased in the DIRECT group (96.9% and 27.0%, P < 0.0001). The success rate of primary PCI with stent implantation with final Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) 3 flow was significantly higher in the DIRECT group (93.8% and 85.2%, P = 0.03). Although no significant difference was found at 30-day MACE free survival rate between the two groups (95.0% and 89.0%, P = 0.06), a trend in improving survival status in the DIRECT group was demonstrated by Kaplan-Meier analysis., Conclusion: Direct ambulance transport of STEMI patients to the catheterization laboratory could significantly reduce D2B time and improve success rate of primary PCI and 30-day clinical outcomes.

The title compound, [Mg(C(10)H(8)N(2))(H(2)O)(4)](C(7)H(4)FO(2))(2), consists of a bivalent [Mg(C(10)H(8)N(2))(H(2)O)(4)](2+) cation and two 4-fluorbenzoate anions. In the complex cation, the Mg(II) atom is coordinated by two N atoms from a 2,2'-bipyridine ligand and four water O atoms in a distorted MgN(2)O(4) octa-hedral geometry. The Mg(II) atom is located on a twofold rotation axis and thus a cation exhibits C(2) mol-ecular symmetry. The 2,2'-bipyridine ligands exhibit nearly perfect planarity (r.m.s. deviations = 0.0061 Å). In the crystal, O-H⋯O and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the cations and anions into a three-dimensional supra-molecular network.

Background: Randomized, controlled trials have demonstrated the superiority of sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) implantation during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), as opposed to bare-metal stents, in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). This study aimed to test the hypothesis that clinical benefits of SES treatment were independent of gender in this setting., Methods: A total of 2042 patients with STEMI undergoing SES-based primary PCI were prospectively enrolled into Shanghai Acute Coronary Event (SACE) registry (1574 men and 468 women). Baseline demographics, angiographic and PCI features, and in-hospital and 30-day major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were analyzed as a function of gender., Results: Compared with men, women were older and more frequently had hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia. Use of platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitor (GPI, 65.5% vs. 62.2%, P = 0.10) and procedural success rate (95.0% vs. 94.2%, P = 0.52) were similar in both genders. In-hospital death and MACE occurred in 3.8% and 7.6%, and 4.5% and 8.1% in the male and female patients, respectively (all P > 0.05). At 30-day follow-up, survival (94.3% vs. 93.8%, P = 0.66) and MACE-free survival (90.2% vs. 89.3%, P = 0.52) did not significantly differ between men and women. After adjustment for differences in patient demographics, angiographic and procedural features, there were no significant difference in either in-hospital (OR = 0.77, 95%CI of 0.48 to 1.22, P = 0.30) or 30-day mortality (OR = 1.28, 95%CI of 0.73 to 2.23, P = 0.38) between women and men., Conclusion: Despite more advanced age and clustering of risk factors in women, female patients with STEMI treated by SES-based primary PCI had similar in-hospital and short-term clinical outcomes as their male counterparts.

Background: Current guidelines support primary percutaneous coronary intervention (primary PCI) as the first treatment of choice (as opposed to thrombolytic therapy) for patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) especially when delivered within 12 hours of symptom onset. We aimed to evaluate the impact of different clinical pathways on reduction of reperfusion delay and subsequent improvement in outcomes in patients with STEMI., Methods: From November 2005 to November 2007, 546 consecutive patients with definite STEMI, who upon arrival at the emergency room were triaged to undergo primary PCI, were included. Of them, 271 patients were brought directly to catheterization laboratory (rapid group), and 275 patients were admitted to the coronary care unit (CCU) or cardiac ward first, and then transferred to the catheterization laboratory (non-rapid group). Primary endpoint was door-to-balloon (D2B) time, and secondary endpoints included infarct size assessed by peak CK-MB level and rates of major cardiac adverse events (MACE) including death, reinfarction, or target-vessel revascularization during hospitalization and at 30-day clinical follow-up., Results: Baseline clinical characteristics, angiographic features and procedural success rates were comparable between the two groups, except that more patients received glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitors before angiography (84.0% and 77.1, P = 0.042) and had TIMI 3 flow in the culprit vessel at initial angiogram (17.1% and 9.2%, P = 0.007) in the non-rapid group. The D2B time was shortened ((108 +/- 44) minutes and (138 +/- 31) minutes, P < 0.0001), and number of patients with D2B time < 90 minutes was greater (22.6% and 10.9%, P < 0.0001) in the rapid group. The advantages associated with rapid intra-hospital transfer were enhanced if the patients presented to the hospital at regular hours. Peak CK-MB level was significantly reduced in the rapid group. In-hospital mortality (4.1% and 5.8%) and cumulative MACE rate (7.0% and 9.8%) did not significantly differ between rapid and non-rapid groups. At 30 days, cumulative death- and MACE-free survival rates were improved in the rapid group (94.5% and 89.5%, P = 0.035; 90.1% and 84.0%, P = 0.034, respectively)., Conclusions: Clinical pathway with bypass of CCU/cardiac ward admission was associated with rapid reperfusion, smaller infarct size, and improved short-term survival for patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI. In the future, it is essential to reduce the time delay for patients presenting at off-hours.

Rural sewage treatment is now paid more and more attention in China. Vermifiltration technology could be one of the practical options under the review of previous studies. It showed good removal rates of contaminants on small to pilot scales for short-term tests. However, the impacts of season, temperature or other unknown factors are usually not taken into account. In this study, a larger vermifilter was designed to treat the sewage on village scale for long-term operation. Filter material composition was optimized by a half year experimentation. The treatment effects of vermifiltration were also compared with traditional activated sludge process for the same influent sewage. The results showed that the designed vermifiltration system could continuously treat the sewage produced by more than 100 inhabitants per day. COD, BOD5 and SS concentration in outflow were rather stable despite the fluctuation of hydraulic loading rate and organic input during one year test. It can also remove N and P to some extent. A suspending design of vermifilter bed cause adequate oxygen content in outflow of vermifilter. The comparative test showed that the treatment efficacy of vermifiltration was similar as activated sludge process. Generally, this vermifiltration system has practical application value for village sewage treatment.

Background: We investigated the impact of glycated albumin (GA) and endogenous secretory receptor for advanced glycation end products (esRAGE) and RAGE polymorphisms on occurrence of in-stent restenosis (ISR) in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes., Methods: Four hundred nineteen patients with diabetes were divided, based upon the presence or absence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and ISR, into Group I (205 patients without CAD), Group II (128 patients with CAD but without ISR) and Group III (86 patients with ISR). One hundred fifty-two normal subjects were served as controls. Serum concentrations of GA and esRAGE were measured, and RAGE polymorphisms (-374T>A, -429T>C and G82S) were analyzed., Results: Serum GA concentration was higher and, in contrast, esRAGE concentration was lower in Group III than in the other groups (P<0.05). These two protein concentrations correlated closely with loss index (all P<0.01), and were independent risk factors for ISR in diabetic patients (P=0.01 and P=0.025, respectively). However, there were no differences in the allele and genotype frequencies in the 3 polymorphisms of RAGE gene between groups., Conclusions: Increased GA and decreased esRAGE concentrations, but not -374T>A, -429T>C and Gly82Ser polymorphisms of RAGE gene, are associated with ISR in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes.

A laboratory-scale intermittently aerated membrane bioreactor was applied to treat synthetic household wastewater characterized with low organic matter and high nitrogen concentration. Experimental results showed that at the condition of HRT 12 h, aeration/non-aeration cycle 30 min/60 min and a very long SRT, more than 90% of COD and close 100% ammonia nitrogen could be removed, and the average removal efficiency of TN was more than 80%, but this treatment process seemed to be not available in phosphorus removal. Nitrification was accomplished quickly and completely in the system. The denitrification appeared to be the rate-limiting step for TN removal in the system. Furthermore, a positive linear correlation between the fouling rate and the MLSS concentration was founded, and the higher the MLSS concentration was, the higher fouling rate was.

Background: Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been identified as the first therapeutic option for patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The strategy of transferring patient to a PCI center was recently recommended for those with acute STEMI who were present to PCI incapable hospitals, which include lack of facilities or experienced operators. In China, some local hospitals have been equipped with PCI facilities, but they have no interventional physicians qualified for performing primary PCI. This study was conducted to assess the feasibility, safety and efficacy of the strategy of transferring physician to a PCI-equipped hospital to perform primary PCI for patients with acute STEMI., Methods: Three hundred and thirty-four consecutive STEMI patients with symptom presentation = 12 hours in five local hospitals from November 2005 to November 2007 were randomized to receive primary PCI by either physician transfer (physician transfer group, n=165) or patient transfer (patient transfer group, n=169) strategy. Door-to-balloon time, in-hospital and 30-day major adverse cardiac events (MACE, including death, non-fatal re-infarction, and target vessel revascularization) were compared between the two groups., Results: Baseline characteristics between the two groups were comparable. Thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) 3 flow was revealed in more patients in the physician transfer group at initial angiography (17.6% vs 10.1%, P<0.05). The success rate of primary PCI (96.3% vs 95.4%, P>0.05) and length of hospital stay were similar between the two groups ((15+/-4) days vs (14+/-3) days, P>0.05). In the physician transfer group, door-to-balloon time was significantly shortened ((95+/-20) minutes vs (147+/-29) minutes, P<0.0001) and more patients received primary PCI with door-to-balloon time less than 90 minutes (21.2% vs 7.7%, P<0.001). During hospitalization, MACE occurred in 6.7% and 11.2% of patients in the physician and patient transfer groups, respectively (P=0.14). At 30-day clinical follow-up, the occurrence rates of death, non-fatal re-infarction, and target vessel revascularization (TVR) were 3.6% vs 5.9%, 4.2% vs 8.9%, and 1.2% vs 2.4% in the physician and patient transfer groups, respectively (all P>0.05). The cumulative composite of MACE was significantly reduced (8.9% vs 17.2%, P=0.03) and MACE free survival (91.0% vs 82.9%, P<0.05) was significantly improved in the physician transfer group at 30 days., Conclusion: The strategy of transferring physician to local hospital to perform primary PCI for patients with acute STEMI is feasible, safe and efficient in reducing the door-to-balloon time and 30-day MACE rate.

Background: Drug-eluting stent (DES) has been used widely for the treatment of patients with acute coronary syndrome with or without diabetes mellitus during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), but its long-term safety and efficacy in diabetic patients with acute ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remain uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the clinical outcomes after primary coronary intervention with DES implantation for diabetic patients with acute STEMI, compared with non-diabetic counterparts., Methods: From December 2004 to March 2006, 56 consecutive diabetic patients (diabetic group) and 170 non-diabetic patients (non-diabetic group) with acute STEMI who underwent primary PCI with DES implantation in 3 hospitals were enrolled. Baseline clinical, angiographic, and procedural characteristics, as well as occurrence of major adverse cardiac event (MACE) including cardiac death, non-fatal recurrent myocardial infarction (re-MI) and target vessel revascularization (TVR) during hospitalization and one-year clinical follow-up were compared between the two groups., Results: Patients in diabetic group were more hyperlipidemic (69.6% and 51.8%, P = 0.03) and had longer time delay from symptom onset to admission ((364 +/- 219) minutes and (309 +/- 223) minutes, P = 0.02) than those in non-diabetic group. The culprit vessel distribution, reference vessel diameter, and baseline TIMI flow grade were similar between the two groups, but multi-vessel disease was more common in diabetic than in non-diabetic group (82.1% and 51.2%, P < 0.001). Despite similar TIMI flow grades between the two groups after stenting, the occurrence of TIMI myocardial perfusion grade (TMPG) = 2 was lower in diabetic group (75.0% vs 88.8% in non-diabetic groups, P = 0.02). The MACE rate was similar during hospitalization between the two groups (5.4% vs 3.5%, P = 0.72), but it was significantly higher in diabetic group (16.1%) during one-year follow-up, as compared with non-diabetic group (6.5%, P = 0.03). The cumulative one-year MACE-free survival rate was significantly lower in diabetic than in non-diabetic group (78.6% vs 90.0%, P = 0.02). Angiographic stent thrombosis occurred in 5.4% and 1.2% of the patients in diabetic and non-diabetic group, respectively (P = 0.19). All of these patients experienced non-fatal myocardial infarction., Conclusions: Although the early clinical outcomes were similar in diabetic and non-diabetic patients with acute STEMI treated with DES implantation, the cumulative MACE-free survival at one-year follow-up was worse in diabetic than in non-diabetic patients. More effective diabetes-related managements may further improve the clinical outcomes of diabetic cohort suffering STEMI.

We studied the use of a combination of electrocoagulation (EC) and ozonation for the decolorization of the azo dye, C.I. Reactive Yellow 84 (RY84). The effects of initial dye concentration, initial pH, current density, salt concentration, ozone flow rate, temperature and interelectrode distance on the decolorization of RY84 were investigated. The results showed that a synergistic effect was achieved by combining EC with ozone for the decolorization of RY84. Under the experimental conditions, the decolorization rate increased with an increase in current density. However, the decolorization rate decreased with an increase in initial dye concentration and salt concentration. The interelectrode distance did not substantially affect the decolorization rate. Other operating parameters such as initial pH, ozone flow rate and temperature had both positive and negative effects. Over 97% of the color decay was achieved within 10 min reaction time under reasonable experimental conditions. When the decolorization of RY84 was complete, the efficiency of removal of total organic carbon (TOC) was more than 85%.

Objective: To investigate the effect of propofol on the synaptic long-term potentiation (LTP) in the CA(1) area of rats hippocampal slices and the possible mechanisms of its effect, and to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the effect of propofol on memory., Methods: Hippocampal slices (400 microm thick) were obtained from male Sprague-Dawley rats (2 month old) that were ether-anesthetized and decapitated. The slices were prepared in artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF), oxygenated with 95% O2 and 5% CO2. One glass electrode filled with superfusion solution was positioned in the pyramidal cell layer of the CA(1) area of rats hippocampal slices to simultaneously record evoked population spikes (PS). For LTP induction, high-frequency stimulation (HFS) conditioning pulses (100 Hz/1 s) were applied to the Schaffer collateral-commissural pathway of hippocampus using a bipolar stimulating electrode. The present study was performed to determine the effect of propofol at concentrations of 1 - 100 micromol/L on the LTP induction in rats hippocampal slices and to explore the functional importance of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) type receptors in the effect of propofol on LTP induction., Results: The amplitude of the PS in hippocampal slices of rats was significantly increased by 52% +/- 12% after HFS compared with that of pre-HFS. The amplitude of the PS was not significantly changed after HFS by perfusion of propofol at concentrations of 1, 5 micromol/L, when compared with the value in control group. The amplitude of the PS after HFS in the presence of propofol at 10, 30, 50 and 100 micromol/L was 124% +/- 9%, 112% +/- 8%, 106% +/- 7%, 102% +/- 6% respectively, which was significantly decreased compared with the control (all P < 0.01). The amplitude of the PS under perfusion with 50 micromol/L propofol after HFS in the presence of 50 micromol/L picrotoxin or 10 micromol/L bicuculline was 150% +/- 11%, 147% +/- 11% respectively, which was dramatically increased compared with the value of pre-HSF and 50 micromol/L propofol (all P < 0.01), but did not differ significantly from the control group. The amplitude of the PS under perfusion with 50 micromol/L propofol after HFS in the presence of 5 micromol/L CGP35348 has no significant difference compared with the value of pre-HSF and 50 micromol/L propofol, but it was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.01)., Conclusion: The inhibition of LTP induction in hippocampus of rats may contribute to propofol-induced deficits in memory, and the underlying mechanism is involved in the activation of GABA(A) receptor other than GABA(B) receptor.

Background: 'Histologic otosclerosis' refers to a disease process without clinical symptoms or manifestations that can only be discovered by sectioning of the temporal bone at autopsy. 'Clinical otosclerosis' concerns the presence of otosclerosis at a site where it causes conductive hearing loss by interfering with the motion of the stapes or of the round window membrane. Various authors have studied the prevalence of histologic otosclerosis on laboratory collections of temporal bones. Some 12-15% of the temporal bones with histologic otosclerosis have demonstrated stapedial fixation. Using these figures for calculating the prevalence of clinical otosclerosis gives an extrapolated clinical prevalence of 0.99-1.2%. This does not correlate well with the clinical data on otosclerotic families from which a clinical prevalence of 0.3% has been estimated., Objective: To study the prevalence of histologic otosclerosis in an unselected series of temporal bones., Study Design: During a 1-year period, 118 consecutive pairs of temporal bones of deceased patients at a tertiary center were collected to determine the prevalence of otosclerosis. Although histology remains the gold standard for evaluation of otosclerosis, the gross observation of temporal bone slices combined with microradiography was used to screen for otosclerotic lesions more rapidly and with a lower cost-benefit ratio. The temporal bones with suspected otosclerosis shown with these techniques were further analyzed by conventional histology., Results: 2.5% of the 236 temporal bones (or 3.4% of patients) studied demonstrated histologic otosclerosis., Conclusions: Although the prevalence of 2.5% is much lower than previously published figures on histologic otosclerosis, the extrapolated data (extrapolated clinical prevalence = 0.30-0.38%) correlate well with clinical studies of otosclerotic families. The previous studies based on laboratory collections were likely biased by the presence of hearing loss or other otological diseases.

Background: Histologic otosclerosis is a disease process without clinical symptoms or manifestations that can be discovered only by sectioning of the temporal bone at autopsy. Clinical otosclerosis is otosclerosis at a site where it causes conductive hearing loss by interfering with the motion of the stapes or of the round window membrane. Various authors have studied the prevalence of histologic otosclerosis on laboratory collections of temporal bones. Some 12% to 15% of temporal bones with histologic otosclerosis have demonstrated stapedial fixation. Using these figures for calculating the prevalence of clinical otosclerosis gives an extrapolated clinical prevalence of 0.99% to 1.2%. This does not correlate well with the clinical data on otosclerotic families, from which a clinical prevalence of 0.3% has been estimated., Objective: To study the prevalence of histologic otosclerosis in an unselected series of temporal bones., Study Design: During a 1-year period, 118 consecutive pairs of temporal bones of deceased patients at a tertiary care center were collected to determine the prevalence of otosclerosis. Although histology remains the gold standard for evaluation of otosclerosis, the gross observation of temporal bone slices combined with microradiography was used to screen for otosclerotic lesions more rapidly and with a lower cost/benefit ratio. The temporal bones, which were suspected of having otosclerosis with these techniques, were further analyzed by conventional histology., Results: 2.5% of the 236 temporal bones (or 3.4% of patients) studied demonstrated histologic otosclerosis., Conclusions: Although the prevalence of 2.5% is much lower than previously published figures on histologic otosclerosis, the extrapolated data (extrapolated clinical prevalence = 0.30% to 0.38%) correlate well with clinical studies of otosclerotic families. The previous studies based on laboratory collections were likely biased by hearing loss or other otologic diseases.

Secretion of p-aminohippurate (PAH) from blood into the sperm-free lumen of the rat cauda epididymidis was studied by a stop-flow luminal perfusion technique. After an intravenous injection of [3H]PAH, radioactive material with chromatographic properties similar to those of free PAH appeared in perfusates. The highest concentration of PAH reached in the lumen was about 3 times that of the free PAH in blood. This was achieved after equilibration of the epididymis with perfusate for 20 min. Luminal accumulation of PAH by the epididymis was inhibited by intravenous injection of probenecid (32 mg/kg). However, deprivation of androgens by castration for 21 days had no effect on secretion. The rate of secretion (from blood to lumen) of PAH altered in a non-linear fashion with the concentration of free PAH in the blood and showed saturation at a free blood concentration of about 4 mumol/l. The apparent Km and Vmax values were 2 mumol PAH/l blood and 0.2 mumol PAH/h. 20 cm tubule, respectively. Based on the concentration profile of PAH across epididymal cells, a model was proposed for the secretion of PAH. It is concluded that the secretory mechanism is similar to that of the renal tubule. The significance of these results was discussed in relation to the functions of spermatozoa in the male reproductive tract.

Concentrations of gossypol in blood plasma, rete testis fluid, and fluid from the caudia epididymidis were measured simultaneously by high performance liquid chromatography in rats treated with gossypol (15 mg/kg daily for 3 weeks). Antispermatogenic effects were demonstrated by loss of sperm motility in the cauda epididymidis and structural changes in the testis. It was found in these treated rats that concentrations of gossypol were lower in rete testis fluid compared with blood plasma but increased significantly in fluid from the cauda epididymidis. The results indicate a restriction of the blood-testis barrier to gossypol and its local concentration in the epididymis after fluid resorption.

Male rats fed with gossypol acetic acid at a dose rate of 20 mg/kg/day for 16 weeks were rendered infertile. Spermatozoa flushed out from the cauda epididymides completely lost their capacity to initiate forward motility. However, the rate of testicular fluid secretion measured by the efferent duct ligation technique was not affected by gossypol treatment. The sodium and potassium concentrations of the secreted fluid were found to be unchanged. It is concluded that at low antifertility doses, gossypol disrupts spermatogenic elements in the testis without affecting fluid secretion by the Sertoli cells.