The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in China has been declared a public health emergency of international ...concern. The cardiac injury is a common condition among the hospitalized patients with COVID-19. However, whether N terminal pro B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) predicted outcome of severe COVID-19 patients was unknown.
The study initially enrolled 102 patients with severe COVID-19 from a continuous sample. After screening out the ineligible cases, 54 patients were analyzed in this study. The primary outcome was in-hospital death defined as the case fatality rate. Research information and following-up data were obtained from their medical records.
The best cut-off value of NT-proBNP for predicting in-hospital death was 88.64 pg/mL with the sensitivity for 100% and the specificity for 66.67%. Patients with high NT-proBNP values (> 88.64 pg/mL) had a significantly increased risk of death during the days of following-up compared with those with low values (≤88.64 pg/mL). After adjustment for potential risk factors, NT-proBNP was independently correlated with in-hospital death.
NT-proBNP might be an independent risk factor for in-hospital death in patients with severe COVID-19.
ClinicalTrials, NCT04292964. Registered 03 March 2020.
The Chinese government has been prioritising the strengthening of its primary care system over the past two decades. This study reviews China's national policies in this domain from 2003 to 2018, ...incorporating academic literature and interviews with health officials and primary care providers. The aim is to assess these policies in alignment with the government's reform agenda and the ideal primary care system advocated in the public health literature. Initially focusing on network and infrastructure development, the Chinese government has progressively shifted its focus towards enhancing human resources and improving the service attributes of primary care facilities. Supported by detailed guidelines and increased funding, substantial progress has been made. Despite these advancements, significant gaps persist when comparing the current state of China's primary care system to the envisioned ideal. To gain a comprehensive understanding of these gaps, it is crucial to consider the Chinese government's agenda and the country's unique development trajectory, which has been influenced by its history of planned economy.
Long non‐coding RNA (lncRNA) is involved in the regulation of tumorigenesis and metastasis. In this study, we focused on the clinical relevance, biological effects, and molecular mechanisms of the ...lncRNA differentiation antagonizing non‐protein coding RNA (DANCR) in breast cancer. We compared the expression of DANCR between breast cancer and normal tissues, and between breast cancer cell lines and normal breast epithelial cells using quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR) analysis. By knocking down and overexpressing DANCR, we assessed its significance in regulating viability (MTT assay), migration/invasion (Transwell assay), epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (western blot), stemness (mammosphere formation assay and western blot), and production of inflammatory cytokines (qRT‐PCR and ELISA) of breast cancer cells in vitro, as well as xenograft growth in vivo. Furthermore, using ChIP and RNA immunoprecipitation, we examined the reciprocal regulation between DANCR and suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) in breast cancer. DANCR was significantly up‐regulated in tissue samples from patients with breast cancer, as well as in breast cancer cell lines, as compared with normal tissues and breast epithelial cells, respectively. The highest DANCR expression levels were associated with advanced tumor grades or lymph node metastasis. DANCR was necessary and sufficient to control multiple malignant phenotypes of breast cancer cells in vitro and xenograft growth in vivo. Mechanistically, DANCR promoted the binding of enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) to the promoter of SOCS3, thereby epigenetically inhibiting SOCS3 expression. Functionally, SOCS3 up‐regulation or EZH2 inhibition could rescue multiple malignant phenotypes induced by DANCR. Our data indicate that DANCR is a pleiotropic oncogenic lncRNA in breast cancer. Boosting SOCS3 expression may reverse the oncogenic activities of DANCR and thus provide a therapeutic strategy for breast cancer treatment.
Differentiation antagonizing non‐protein coding RNA (DANCR) binds to enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), recruiting EZH2‐ and EZH2‐generated H3K27me3 to the suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) promoter, thus inhibiting the transcription of SOCS3. DANCR induced down‐regulation of SOCS3‐induced inflammatory response and multiple malignant phenotypes in breast cancer cell.
In 2017, with the rising Chinese film market, some Chinese private film and television companies began to establish other businesses, many of which failed. The aim of this study was to investigate ...the future development route of a Chinese private film and television company. In this paper, a detailed study of the case was employed to utilize facts and information such as the number of Chinese theater lines, the representative Chinese film box office, and Bona Films’ yearly financial statement. As a result of the article’s investigation, first and foremost, the Bona Film is in a loss situation in 4Ps due to the outbreak. Thus, Bona Film needs government policy support. Then, from the standpoint of the 4Ps, Bona Film is primarily concerned with the investment, production, and distribution of Nationalist films. The product category is too narrow. Finally, Bona Film’s cinema is too small to build a complete Bona Film system.
Twelve organophosphorus flame retardants (PFRs) were identified in the sediments and the sediment core collected from the rivers and the estuary in the Pearl River Delta, with the aim of ...investigating their spatial and vertical distributions. The concentrations of PFRs ranged from 8.3 to 470ng/g dry weight with high levels of PFRs in the urban area and the e-waste recycling region. Generally, TPhP, TCPP, TEHP, TCEP, and TBEP were the dominant compounds of the PFRs, the composition of which varied across the different regions, reflecting the different sources of PFRs. In the estuary, the PFRs mainly derived from the Xijiang River and the Shunde sections. Increased concentrations of halogen-containing PFRs have been observed in the upper layers of the sediment core. Conversely, relatively high concentrations of halogen-free PFRs were observed in the lower layers of the sediment core, indicating different usage patterns or environmental behaviors between the halogen and the non-halogen PFRs in the study area.
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•Levels of ∑12PFRs in sediments from the PRD ranged from 8.3–470ng/g dw.•High levels of PFRs were in the urbanized area and e-waste area.•The dominant PFRs were TPhP, TCPP, TEHP, TCEP and TBEP in the PRD.•Composition varied across different regions reflecting various sources of PFRs.•Halogen and non-halogen PFRs exhibited different vertical profile in sediment core.
Ischaemia‐reperfusion injury (I/RI) is a common cause of acute kidney injury (AKI). The molecular basis underlying I/RI‐induced renal pathogenesis and measures to prevent or reverse this pathologic ...process remains to be resolved. Basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF2) is reported to have protective roles of myocardial infarction as well as in several other I/R related disorders. Herein we present evidence that FGF2 exhibits robust protective effect against renal histological and functional damages in a rat I/RI model. FGF2 treatment greatly alleviated I/R‐induced acute renal dysfunction and largely blunted I/R‐induced elevation in serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen, and also the number of TUNEL‐positive tubular cells in the kidney. Mechanistically, FGF2 substantially ameliorated renal I/RI by mitigating several mitochondria damaging parameters including pro‐apoptotic alteration of Bcl2/Bax expression, caspase‐3 activation, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and KATP channel integrity. Of note, the protective effect of FGF2 was significantly compromised by the KATP channel blocker 5‐HD. Interestingly, I/RI alone resulted in mild activation of FGFR, whereas FGF2 treatment led to more robust receptor activation. More significantly, post‐I/RI administration of FGF2 also exhibited robust protection against I/RI by reducing cell apoptosis, inhibiting the release of damage‐associated molecular pattern molecule HMBG1 and activation of its downstream inflammatory cytokines such as IL‐1α, IL‐6 and TNF α. Taken together, our data suggest that FGF2 offers effective protection against I/RI and improves animal survival by attenuating mitochondrial damage and HMGB1‐mediated inflammatory response. Therefore, FGF2 has the potential to be used for the prevention and treatment of I/RI‐induced AKI.
•Species of bacteria and fungi that dealt with PAHs and heavy metals were reviewed.•Factors affecting bioremediation of PAHs and heavy metals were discussed.•Bioremediation mechanisms of PAHs and ...heavy metals were elucidated.•Potential research needs for this field were discussed.
In recent years, knowledge in regard to bioremediation of combined pollution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals by bacteria and fungi has been widely developed. This paper reviews the species of bacteria and fungi which can tackle with various types of PAHs and heavy metals entering into environment simultaneously or successively. Microbial activity, pollutants bioavailability and environmental factors (e.g. pH, temperature, low molecular weight organic acids and humic acids) can all affect the bioremediation of PAHs and heavy metals. Moreover, this paper summarizes the remediation mechanisms of PAHs and heavy metals by microbes via elucidating the interaction mechanisms of heavy metals with heavy metals, PAHs/PAHs metabolites with PAHs and PAHs with heavy metals. Based on the above reviews, this paper also discusses the potential research needs for this field.
Effects of Tropical Cyclones on ENSO Lian, Tao; Ying, Jun; Ren, Hong-Li ...
Journal of climate,
10/2019, Letnik:
32, Številka:
19
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Numerous studies have investigated the role of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in modulating the activity of tropical cyclones (TCs) in the western Pacific on interannual time scales, but the ...effects of TCs on ENSO are less discussed. Some studies have found that TCs sharply increase surface westerly anomalies over the equatorial western–central Pacific and maintain them there for a few days. Given the strong influence of equatorial surface westerly wind bursts on ENSO, as confirmed by much recent literature, the effects of TCs on ENSO may be much greater than previously expected. Using recently released observations and reanalysis datasets, it is found that the majority of near-equatorial TCs (simply TCs hereafter) are associated with strong westerly anomalies at the equator, and the number and longitude of TCs are significantly correlated with ENSO strength. When TC-related wind stresses are added into an intermediate coupled model, the simulated ENSO becomes more irregular, and both ENSO magnitude and skewness approach those of observations, as compared with simulations without TCs. Adding TCs into the model system does not break the linkage between the heat content anomaly and subsequent ENSO event in the model, which manifest the classic recharge–discharge ENSO dynamics. However, the influence of TCs on ENSO is so strong that ENSO magnitude and sometimes its final state—that is, either El Niño or La Niña—largely depend on the number and timing of TCs during the event year. Our findings suggest that TCs play a prominent role in ENSO dynamics, and their effects must be considered in ENSO forecast models.
Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD), as one of the common postoperative complications, mainly occurs after surgery and anesthesia, especially in the elderly. It refers to cognitive function ...changes such as decreased learning and memory ability and inability to concentrate. In severe cases, there could be personality changes and a decline in social behavior. At present, a great deal of research had been carried out on POCD, but its specific mechanism remains unclear. The release of peripheral inflammation-related factors, the degradation and destruction of the blood-brain barrier, the occurrence of central inflammation, and the neuronal apoptosis and synaptic loss could be promoted by neuroinflammation indicating that inflammatory mechanisms may play key roles in the occurrence of POCD.
We previously found that the disorder of soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH)/cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)-mediated arachidonic acid (ARA) metabolism contributes to the pathogenesis of the non-alcoholic fatty ...liver disease (NAFLD) in mice. However, the exact mechanism has not been elucidated. Accumulating evidence points to the essential role of cellular senescence in NAFLD. Herein, we investigated whether restoring the balance of sEH/COX-2-mediated ARA metabolism attenuated NAFLD via hepatocyte senescence. A promised dual inhibitor of sEH and COX-2, PTUPB, was used in our study to restore the balance of sEH/COX-2-mediated ARA metabolism. In vivo, NAFLD was induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) using C57BL/6J mice. In vitro, mouse hepatocytes (AML12) and mouse hepatic astrocytes (JS1) were used to investigate the effects of PTUPB on palmitic acid (PA)-induced hepatocyte senescence and its mechanism. PTUPB alleviated liver injury, decreased collagen and lipid accumulation, restored glucose tolerance, and reduced hepatic triglyceride levels in HFD-induced NAFLD mice. Importantly, PTUPB significantly reduced the expression of liver senescence-related molecules p16, p53, and p21 in HFD mice. In vitro, the protein levels of γH2AX, p53, p21, COX-2, and sEH were increased in AML12 hepatocytes treated with PA, while Ki67 and PCNA were significantly decreased. PTUPB decreased the lipid content, the number of β-gal positive cells, and the expression of p53, p21, and γH2AX proteins in AML12 cells. Meanwhile, PTUPB reduced the activation of hepatic astrocytes JS1 by slowing the senescence of AML12 cells in a co-culture system. It was further observed that PTUPB enhanced the ratio of autophagy-related protein LC3II/I in AML12 cells, up-regulated the expression of Fundc1 protein, reduced p62 protein, and suppressed hepatocyte senescence. In addition, PTUPB enhanced hepatocyte autophagy by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway through Sirt1, contributing to the suppression of senescence. PTUPB inhibits the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway through Sirt1, improves autophagy, slows down the senescence of hepatocytes, and alleviates NAFLD.
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