Left superior cervical ganglia lymph node mimicry and its role in rat ventricular arrhythmias following myocardial infarction.

Aim: Sympathetic overactivation may lead to severe ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) post-myocardial infarction (MI). The superior cervical ganglion (SCG) is an extracardiac sympathetic ganglion which regulates cardiac autonomic tone. We aimed to investigate the characteristics and functional significance of SCG on neuro-cardiac communication post-MI.

Blood chromium and lung function among Chinese young adults: A comprehensive analysis based on epidemiology and metabolomics.

Chromium (Cr) exposure is associated with various respiratory system diseases, but there are limited studies investigating its impact on lung function in young adults. The Cr exposure-related metabolomic changes are not well elucidated. This study recruited 608 students from a university in Shandong Province, China in 2019.

Oxytocin Attenuates Sympathetic Innervation with Inhibition of Cardiac Mast Cell Degranulation in Rats after Myocardial Infarction.

Sympathetic hyperinnervation is the leading cause of fatal ventricular arrhythmia (VA) after myocardial infarction (MI). Cardiac mast cells cause arrhythmias directly through degranulation. However, the role and mechanism of mast cell degranulation in sympathetic remodeling remain unknown.

Whole blood cadmium levels and depressive symptoms in Chinese young adults: A prospective cohort study combing metabolomics.

Objectives: To investigate the association between Cd exposure and depressive symptoms in Chinese young adults. And to investigate the potential metabolic changes associated with high blood Cd concentrations.

Methods: We conducted a cohort study in 2019 and 2021.

Effect of gastrodin against cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration in APP/PS1 mice via regulating gut microbiota-gut-brain axis.

Gastrodin (Gas) has exhibited protective activity in neurological disorders. Here, we investigated the neuroprotective effect and potential mechanisms of Gas against cognitive impairment via regulating gut microbiota. APPswe/PSEN1dE9 transgenic (APP/PS1) mice were treated intragastrically with Gas for 4 weeks, and then cognitive deficits, deposits of amyloid-β (Aβ) and phosphorylation of tau were analyzed.

Microbiota-derived metabolite Indoles induced aryl hydrocarbon receptor activation and inhibited neuroinflammation in APP/PS1 mice.

Gut microbiota alterations might affect the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) through microbiota-derived metabolites. For example, microbiota-derived Indoles via tryptophan metabolism prevented Aβ accumulation and Tau hyperphosphorylation, restored synaptic plasticity, and then promoted the cognitive and behavioral ability of APP/PS1 mice. The imbalanced compositions of Indoles-producing bacteria with tryptophan deficiency were found in male APP/PS1 mice, but the molecular mechanisms remained unclear.

Effect of Probiotic Fungi against Cognitive Impairment in Mice via Regulation of the Fungal Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis.

The fungal microbiota may be involved in the regulation of cognition and behavior, while the role of probiotic fungi against cognitive impairment is unclear. Here, we explored the idea that probiotic could participate in the regulation of microglia-induced neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease (AD) model mice. Cognitive deficits, deposits of amyloid-β (Aβ) and phosphorylation of tau, synaptic plasticity, microglia activation, and neuroinflammatory reactions were observed.

Effect of Coffee against MPTP-Induced Motor Deficits and Neurodegeneration in Mice Via Regulating Gut Microbiota.

The mechanisms of coffee against Parkinson disease (PD) remained incompletely elucidated. Numerous studies suggested that gut microbiota played a crucial role in the pathogenesis of PD. Here, we explored the further mechanisms of coffee against PD via regulating gut microbiota.

[Distribution of traditional Chinese medicine syndrome types of male infertility in Chengdu area].

Objective: To explore the distribution characteristics of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome types of male infertility in Chengdu area, China, in order to provide some objective evidence for the clinical treatment and studies of male infertility.

Methods: We collected the clinical data on 500 cases of male infertility treated in the outpatient and inpatient departments of the Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University of Chinese Medicine and Chengdu Hospital for Reproduction, Women and Children from January to December 2017. Based on the results of examinations using the four diagnostic methods of TCM, namely, observation, auscultation and olfaction, interrogation, and palpation, we differentiated the TCM syndromes of the patients and analyzed the distribution characteristics of the syndrome types.

Expression of PTEN-long nephritis and its effect on renal inflammation.

Based on the important functions of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN)-Long for renal diseases, the present study aimed to investigate the expression of PTEN-Long in patients and mice with nephritis and its effect on nephritis. Expression levels of PTEN-Long in serum of patients with nephritis, renal cell carcinoma (RCC) as well as normal controls, and in serum and renal tissues of mice were measured by western blotting. PTEN-Long knock-in and knock-out mice were constructed via the CRISPR-Cas9 technique.

Platelet desialylation is a novel mechanism and a therapeutic target in thrombocytopenia during sepsis: an open-label, multicenter, randomized controlled trial.

Background: Studies in murine models suggested that platelet desialylation was an important mechanism of thrombocytopenia during sepsis.

Methods: First, we performed a prospective, multicenter, observational study that enrolled septic patients with or without thrombocytopenia to determine the association between platelet desialylation and thrombocytopenia in patients with sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock. Gender- and age-matched healthy adults were selected as normal controls in analysis of the platelet desialylation levels (study I).

Assessment of acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome using B-type brain natriuretic peptide.

Objectives: To investigate the clinical value of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in the assessment of severity and prognosis in acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS).

Methods: Plasma BNP level, arterial blood gases, serum C-reactive protein level, alveolar-arterial oxygen tension difference and oxygenation index were measured in patients with and without ALI/ARDS within 24 h of admission to an intensive care unit. Patients with ALI/ARDS were divided into mild, moderate or severe groups according to the degree of hypoxaemia.

Relevance and therapeutic possibility of PTEN-long in renal cell carcinoma.

PTEN-Long is a translational variant of PTEN (Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog). Like PTEN, PTEN-Long is able to antagonize the PI3K-Akt pathway and inhibits tumor growth. In this study, we investigated the role PTEN-Long plays in the development and progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and explored the therapeutic possibility using proteinaceous PTEN-Long to treat ccRCC.

Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy for T1a renal tumors is safe and feasible.

Background: Some patients with exophytic renal masses less than 4 cm and suboptimal renal function, or a solitary kidney and bilateral renal tumors are considered for laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN), which is feasible for early-stage renal tumors, although it is still considered technically difficult and time consuming. Shortening the time of the operation and renal warm ischemia are required urgently. In this study, we report our initial experiences of LPN, especially with some improved surgical techniques.