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OBJECTIVE To analyze the myocardial involvement and explore the strain characteristics of the left atrium and the left ventricle in patients with Fabry disease (FD) using conventional echocardiography and 2-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE). METHODS A retrospective study was conducted. Sixty-nine patients with FD who were treated in the Department of Cardiology, Neurology and Nephrology of Peking University First Hospital from August 2014 to February 2023 and underwent echocardiography examination in the Cardiology Department were collected (FD group). During the same time, 69 age- and sex-matched individuals who had no cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, renal, metabolic, and autoimmune diseases, and had no obvious abnormalities on echocardiography were included in the control group. The clinical data and laboratory tests were collected, and routine echocardiography and 2D-STE were performed to analyze left atrial strain and left ventricular longitudinal strain. The differences in relevant parameters between groups were compared. RESULTS Compared with the control group, the patients in the FD group had smaller body mass index and body surface area, slower heart rate, poorer estimated glomerular filtration rate, and significantly increased brain natriuretic peptide and cardiac troponin I (all P < 0.05). E'med in the FD group was reduced (8.4 ± 3.4 vs. 9.9 ± 2.8, P = 0.006) and E peak, E peak deceleration time, pulmonary artery systolic pressure increased, interventricular septum and left ventricular posterior wall thickened, left ventricular mass index, and early diastolic transmitral inflow velocity/septal mitral annular velocity (E/Eʹ) increased (all P  < 0.05). Compared with the control group, left atrial strains [including left atrial strain during reservoir phase (LASr), left atrial strain during contraction phase (LASct), left atrial strain during conduit phase (LAScd)] and left ventricular average global longitudinal strain (GLSavg) were reduced in the FD group. In the segmental longitudinal strain of the left ventricular, the strain was significantly reduced except for the strain of the basal and middle segment of the inferior wall (P  < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Patients with FD usually have multisystem involvement such as kidney and heart. Echocardiography usually shows varying degrees of myocardial hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction, while left ventricular ejection fraction is normal. Left atrial strain, left ventricular global, and segmental longitudinal strain are all decreased to varying degrees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the role of crushing operation on the cubical controlling features of coarse aggregates, and its influence on the shape distribution characteristics of aggregates (i.e. angularity, sphericity, and flatness & elongation ratio) were investigated through the second version of Aggregate Image Measuring System (AIMS II). Three types of aggregate from different origins were chosen and crushed by the vertical shaft impactor (VSI) with fixed rotational speed. The results indicate that the rotation speed of VSI is influenced by the input power of the machine to the particle sizes, and higher speed leads to more cracks on aggregates during the crushing process. By using X-ray diffraction (XRD), the aggregate samples from different origins and mineral compositions were analysed under the same working operation of crusher. Besides that, the correlation between particle shape characteristics influenced by the mineralogical composition, and their collision behaviours have been discussed according to the tested results. A recommendation for optimal operation of VSI on crushing granite aggregates is given based on this study. Whereas, the cubical condition of aggregates and energy saving factors were taken into account. Furthermore, petrographic analyses were imposed to correlate particle mineralogy to its collision behaviour during crushing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geochemical characteristics and Pb isotope variations in Fe-Mn deposits collected from the South China Sea (SCS) were studied in this paper. The mineralogical and chemical composition data indicate that the deposits are almost all hydrogenetic in origin. Compared with the Fe-Mn deposits in other oceans, the SCS Fe-Mn deposits have a significantly higher Pb content because of higher material supply in addition to a lower growth rate of the deposits. Pb isotope ratios in the surface of the SCS Fe-Mn deposits are relatively uniform, with a characteristic of relatively lower 206Pb/204Pb ratio. The Pb isotopic compositions of the SCS Fe-Mn deposits are controlled by the Pacific Deep Water and local inputs, which include eolian dust from the Asian continent and weathering products from Taiwan, Luzon and SCS submarine volcanic rocks. The continuously increasing 206Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/204Pb and 208Pb/204Pb ratios along the transect of nodule D581 over the past 3.5 Ma are affected by the stepwise closure of the Luzon Strait that reduced volcanic material supply and the deep current strengthen at the same time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The production of inflammatory cytokines resulting from amyloid β (Aβ) is associated with the initiation of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Atorvastatin (ATV) has been reported to improve AD, however, it is unclear how the anti-inflammatory mechanism is linked with its protection against the impairment of spatial cognitive function in AD. The present study was designed to explore what mechanism was possibly involved in the anti-inflammatory pathway in regard to the ATV treatment of AD.Methods: We used an AD model induced by the administration of Aβ(25-35) in male C57BL/6 mice and an in vitro culture system to study the protective effects of ATV on the spatial cognitive deficits, hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) impairment and inflammatory reaction.Results: The intragastric administration of ATV (5 mg/kg) in Aβ(25-35)-treated mice significantly ameliorated the spatial cognitive deficits and prevented the LTP impairment in hippocampal CA1. The increased Iba-1 positive cells and inflammatory components in the hippocampus were reduced after the ATV treatment. The anti-inflammatory and LTP protection of ATV were abolished using the replenishment of farnesyl pyrophosphate by the administration of farnesol (FOH). The hippocampal slices culture showed Aβ(25-35)-induced neurotoxicity in the absence of the presence of ATV. Treatment with ATV (0.5, 1, 2.5 μmol/L) dose-dependently prevented the cell damage in hippocampus induced by Aβ25-35.Conclusion: The administration of ATV ameliorated the cognitive deficits, depressed the inflammatory responses, improved the LTP impairment, and prevents Aβ25-35-induced neurotoxicity in cultured hippocampal neurons. These protective functions of ATV involved the pathway of reducing farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]