Flavonoids are a class of secondary plant metabolites that have been shown to have multiple health benefits, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. This study was to explore the association ...between dietary flavonoid consumption and the prevalence of chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) in adults.
The six main types of flavonoids, including isoflavones, anthocyanidins, flavan-3-ols, flavanones, flavones, and flavonols, were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2010 and 2017-2018 by the two 24-h recall interviews. The prevalence of CRDs, including asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis, was determined through a self-administered questionnaire. The analysis included 15,753 participants aged 18 years or older who had completed a diet history interview. After adjustment for potential confounders, the inverse link was found with total flavonoids, anthocyanidins, flavanones, and flavones, with an OR (95%CI) of 0.86 (0.75-0.98), 0.84 (0.72-0.97), 0.80(0.69-0.92), and 0.85(0.73-0.98) for the highest group compared to the lowest group. WQS regression revealed that the mixture of flavonoids was negatively linked with the prevalence of CRDs (OR = 0.88 0.82-0.95, P < 0.01), and the largest effect was mainly from flavanones (weight = 0.41). In addition, we found that flavonoid intake was negatively linked with inflammatory markers, and systemic inflammation significantly mediated the associations of flavonoids with CRDs, with a mediation rate of 12.64% for CRP (P < 0.01).
Higher flavonoid intake was related with a lower prevalence of CRDs in adults, and this relationship may be mediated through systemic inflammation.
The present study addresses the cardiac arrhythmia (CA) classification problem using the deep learning (DL)-based method for electrocardiography (ECG) data analysis. Recently, various DL techniques ...have been utilized to classify arrhythmias, with one typical approach to developing a one-dimensional (1D) convolutional neural network (CNN) model to handle the ECG signals in the time domain. Although the CA classification in the time domain is very prevalent, current methods’ performances are still not robust or satisfactory. This study aims to develop a solution for CA classification in two dimensions by introducing the recurrence plot (RP) combined with an Inception-ResNet-v2 network. The proposed method for nine types of CA classification was tested on the 1st China Physiological Signal Challenge 2018 dataset. During implementation, the optimal leads (lead II and lead aVR) were selected, and then 1D ECG segments were transformed into 2D texture images by the RP approach. These RP-based images as input signals were passed into the Inception-ResNet-v2 for CA classification. In the CPSC, Georgia, and the PTB_XL ECG databases of the PhysioNet/Computing in Cardiology Challenge 2020, the RP-based method achieved an average F1-score of 0.8521, 0.8529, and 0.8862, respectively. The results suggested the excellent generalization ability of the proposed method. To further assess the performance of the proposed method, we compared the 2D RP-image-based solution with the published 1D ECG-based works on the same dataset. Also, it was compared with two traditional ECG transform into 2D image methods, including the time waveform of the ECG recordings and time-frequency images based on continuous wavelet transform (CWT). The proposed method achieved the highest average F1-score of 0.844, with only two leads of the 12-lead ECG original data, which outperformed other works. Therefore, the promising results indicate that the 2D RP-based method has a high clinical potential for CA classification using fewer lead ECG signals.
Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) are ideal seed cells for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Many studies have shown that 5-azacytidine (5-aza) can induce BMMSCs to ...differentiate into cardiomyogenic cells, but some issues still remain to be resolved. In this study, we investigated the effects of angiotensin II (Ang II) on the proliferation and differentiation of BMMSCs induced by 5-aza in vitro. BMMSCs were isolated from the bone marrow of Sprague-Dawley rats by density gradient centrifugation. The third-passage cells were divided into four groups: the Ang II group (0. 1 μmol/l) (group A), the 5-aza group (10 μmol/l) (group B), the Ang II combined with 5-aza group (0.1 and 10 μmol/l) (group C), and the untreated group as control. After 24 h of induction, the medium was changed to the complete culture medium without any inductor, and the cells were cultured for 3 weeks. Morphological changes were observed under a phase contrast microscope. The effect of Ang II and 5-aza on BMMSC proliferation was evaluated by the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. Cardiomyogenic cells were identified through immunofluorescence staining, and the induction ratio was examined by flow cytometry. The level of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) was examined by western blotting, and the ultrastructures of the induced cells were viewed with a transmission electron microscope. The MTT assay showed that the cell proliferation in group C outweighed that in either group A or group B, but no significant difference existed between group A and group B. The expression of specific proteins, namely, cTnI and sarcomeric α-actin in induced BMMSCs was verified as positive. Flow cytometry showed that the induction ratio in group C was higher than that in group A or group B. The protein levels of cTnI in groups A, B, and C were significantly higher than those in the control group. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the induced cells had myofilaments,
z
line-like substances, desmosomes, and gap junctions. Angiotensin II and 5-azacytidine can promote the proliferation and differentiation of BMMSCs into cardiomyocyte-like cells.
Epidemiological evidence of the associations between metal exposure and gout-related outcomes (including serum uric acid SUA, hyperuricemia and gout) is scarce. The aim of the study is to investigate ...the associations of metal exposure with SUA, hyperuricemia and gout in general adults.
In this study, the exposure to five blood metals (mercury, manganese, lead, cadmium and selenium) of general adults was analyzed based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2011 to 2018 (n = 14,871). Linear, logistic and weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression models were applied to examine the associations of blood metals with gout-related outcomes. Possible dose-response relationships were analyzed through restricted cubic spline regression.
Compared with the lowest quartile of blood metals, mercury (quartile 2 and 4), lead (quartile 2, 3, and 4) and selenium (quartile 2 and 4) were found to be positively correlated with SUA and hyperuricemia. Higher levels of mercury and lead were associated with gout, but only those in the fourth quartile had statistical significance (OR 95%CI: 1.39 1.10-1.75 and 1.905 1.41-2.57) respectively). The WQS index of the blood metals was independently correlated with SUA (β 95%CI: 0.17 0.13-0.20), hyperuricemia (OR 95%CI: 1.29 1.16-1.42) and gout (OR 95%CI: 1.35 1.15-1.58). Among them, lead was the most heavily weighted component (weight = 0.589 for SUA, 0.482 for hyperuricemia, and 0.527 for gout). In addition, restricted cubic spline regression models showed a linear association of lead with the prevalence of hyperuricemia and gout.
Our results suggested that blood metal mixtures were positively associated with gout-related outcomes, with the greatest effect coming from lead.
C-terminal Src kinase (CSK) is the major inhibitory kinase for Src family kinases (SFKs) through the phosphorylation of their C-tail tyrosine sites, and it regulates various types of cellular ...activity in association with SFK function. As a cytoplasmic protein, CSK needs be recruited to the plasma membrane to regulate SFKs' activity. The regulatory mechanism behind CSK activity and its subcellular localization remains largely unclear. In this work, we developed a genetically encoded biosensor based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) to visualize the CSK activity in live cells. The biosensor, with an optimized substrate peptide, confirmed the crucial Arg
site in the CSK SH2 domain and displayed sensitivity and specificity to CSK activity, while showing minor responses to co-transfected Src and Fyn. FRET measurements showed that CSK had a relatively mild level of kinase activity in comparison to Src and Fyn in rat airway smooth muscle cells. The biosensor tagged with different submembrane-targeting signals detected CSK activity at both non-lipid raft and lipid raft microregions, while it showed a higher FRET level at non-lipid ones. Co-transfected receptor-type protein tyrosine phosphatase alpha (PTPα) had an inhibitory effect on the CSK FRET response. The biosensor did not detect obvious changes in CSK activity between metastatic cancer cells and normal ones. In conclusion, a novel FRET biosensor was generated to monitor CSK activity and demonstrated CSK activity existing in both non-lipid and lipid raft membrane microregions, being more present at non-lipid ones.
Hyperprolactinemia is a common antipsychotic-induced adverse event in psychiatric patients, and the quality of clinical studies investigating the best treatments has varied. Thus, to better summarize ...the clinical evidence, we performed an umbrella review of overlapping systematic reviews and meta-analyses for the treatment of antipsychotic-induced hyperprolactinemia.
The PubMed, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, Scopus and EMBASE were searched, and reviews and meta-analyses meeting our inclusion criteria were selected. Relevant data were extracted, and an umbrella review was conducted of all included meta-analyses. The quality of included meta-analyses was assessed by using PRISMA scores and AMSTAR 2 quality evaluation. Finally, the clinical evidence for appropriate treatments was summarized and discussed.
Five meta-analyses published between 2013 and 2020 met the requirements for inclusion in this umbrella review. The PRISMA scores of the included meta-analyses ranged from 19.5-26. AMSTAR 2 quality evaluation showed that 2 of the 5 included meta-analyses were of low quality and 3 were of very low quality. The included meta-analyses provide clinical evidence that adding aripiprazole or a dopamine agonist can effectively and safely improve antipsychotic-induced hyperprolactinemia. Two meta-analyses also showed that adjunctive metformin can reduce serum prolactin level, but more clinical trials are needed to confirm this finding.
Adjunctive dopamine agonists have been proven to be effective and safe for the treatment of antipsychotic-induced hyperprolactinemia. Among the researched treatments, adding aripiprazole may be the most appropriate.
microRNAs in heart failure Xing, Yujie; Gao, Dengfeng; Liu, Zhongwei ...
Chinese medical journal,
2014, Volume:
127, Issue:
18
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Heart failure is the leading cause of mortality in the world and represents the fastest growing subclass of cardiovascular diseases. An increasing body of evidence indicates an important role for ...microRNAs （miRNAs） in the pathogenesis and progression of heart failure. miRNAs are a class of small non-coding RNAs about 20 to 24 nucleotides （nt） （a few less than 20 nt） to regulate target gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Mature miRNAs are formed after shearing a period of hairpin loop structure, the length of 70-80 nt and single stranded RNA precursors （pre-miRNA） with Dicer or nuclease as similar as Dicer.
To explore the feasibility of constructing engineered myocardial tissues (EMTs) in vivo, using polylactic acid -co-glycolic acid (PLGA) for scaffold and cardiomyocyte-like cells derived from bone ...marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) for seeded cells.
BMMSCs were isolated from femur and tibia of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats by density-gradient centrifugation. The third passage cells were treated with 10 μmol/L 5-azacytidine (5-aza) and 0.1 μmol/L angiotensin II (Ang II) for 24 h, followed by culturing in complete medium for 3 weeks to differentiated into cardiomyocyte-like cells. The cardiomyocyte-like cells were seeded into PLGA scaffolds to form the grafts. The grafts were cultured in the incubator for three days and then implanted into the peritoneal cavity of SD rats. Four weeks later, routine hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, immunohistochemical staining for myocardium-specific cardiac troponin I (cTnI), scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to analyze the morphology and microconstruction of the EMTs in host rats.
HE staining showed that the cardiomyocyte-like cells distributed equally in the PLGA scaffold, and the nuclei arranged in the spindle shape. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that majority of engrafted cells in the PLGA -Cardiomyocyte-like cells group were positive for cTnI. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the inoculated cells well attached to PLGA and grew in 3 dimensions in construct. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the EMTs contained well arranged myofilaments paralleled to the longitudinal cell axis, the cells were rich in endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria, while desmosomes, gap junction and Z line-like substances were also can be observed as well within the engrafted cells.
We have developed an in vivo method to construct engineered myocardial tissue. The in vivo microenvironment helped engrafted cells/tissue survive and share similarities with the native heart tissue.
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