Crotonylation of NAE1 Modulates Cardiac Hypertrophy via Gelsolin Neddylation.

Background: Cardiac hypertrophy and its associated remodeling are among the leading causes of heart failure. Lysine crotonylation is a recently discovered posttranslational modification whose role in cardiac hypertrophy remains largely unknown. NAE1 (NEDD8 [neural precursor cell expressed developmentally downregulated protein 8]-activating enzyme E1 regulatory subunit) is mainly involved in the neddylation modification of protein targets.

The prognostic predictive value of the components of the PR interval in hospitalized patients with heart failure.

Objective: Previous reports on the epidemiology, influencing factors, and the prognostic value of the components of PR interval in hospitalized heart failure patients were limited.

Methods: This study retrospectively enrolled 1182 patients hospitalized with heart failure from 2014 to 2017. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore the association between the components of PR interval and the baseline parameters.

Emerging roles of ferroptosis in cardiovascular diseases.

The mechanism of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is complex and threatens human health. Cardiomyocyte death is an important participant in the pathophysiological basis of CVDs. Ferroptosis is a new type of iron-dependent programmed cell death caused by excessive accumulation of iron-dependent lipid peroxides and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and abnormal iron metabolism.

The circRNA CNEACR regulates necroptosis of cardiomyocytes through Foxa2 suppression.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are differentially expressed in various cardiovascular disease including myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, their functional impact on cardiomyocyte cell death, in particular, in necrotic forms of death remains elusive. In this study, we found that the level of mmu_circ_000338, a cardiac- necroptosis-associated circRNA (CNEACR), was reduced in hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) exposed cardiomyocytes and I/R-injured mice hearts.

Risks, characteristics, and control strategies of disinfection-residual-bacteria (DRB) from the perspective of microbial community structure.

The epidemic of COVID-19 has aroused people's particular attention to biosafety. A growing number of disinfection products have been consumed during this period. However, the flaw of disinfection has not received enough attention, especially in water treatment processes.

When old information is intermixed with new elements: An event-related potential study.

Previous research has focused on the event-related potential of the old/new effect, but the mechanism for cognitive conflict and subsequent integration processing both induced by intermixed (old and new) stimuli have not been widely researched. This paper describes the effect of familiar stimuli mixed with new information and presented as intermixed stimuli. Three conditions were set within a study-test paradigm incorporating old, new, and intermixed conditions.

In vitro Preparation and Evaluation of Sustained-Release Microcapsules of Salvianolic Acid.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the preparation of sustained-release microcapsules of salvianolic acid.

Methods: The stability of salvianolic acid microcapsules was improved, and the time of action was prolonged in the present study. This was prepared using the spray-drying method, with chitosan as the carrier.

Effect of ultraviolet disinfection on the fouling of reverse osmosis membranes for municipal wastewater reclamation.

Membrane fouling is a prominent problem that hinders the stable and efficient operation of the reverse osmosis (RO) system for wastewater reclamation. Previous studies showed that chlorine disinfection, which was commonly used in industrial RO systems as pretreatment, could lead to significant change in microbial community structure and resulted in serious biofouling. In order to prevent biofouling during wastewater reclamation, the effect of ultraviolet (UV) disinfection on RO membrane fouling was investigated and the mechanism was also revealed in this study.

Effects of microbial inactivation approaches on quantity and properties of extracellular polymeric substances in the process of wastewater treatment and reclamation: A review.

Microbial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) have a profound role in various wastewater treatment and reclamation processes, in which a variety of technologies are used for disinfection and microbial growth inhibition. These treatment processes can induce significant changes in the quantity and properties of EPS, and altered EPS could further adversely affect the wastewater treatment and reclamation system, including membrane filtration, disinfection, and water distribution. To clarify the effects of microbial inactivation approaches on EPS, these effects were classified into four categories: (1) chemical reactions, (2) cell lysis, (3) changing EPS-producing metabolic processes, and (4) altering microbial community.

Effect of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors on cardiac structure and function in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with or without chronic heart failure: a meta-analysis.

Background: Although the benefits of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) on cardiovascular events have been reported in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with or without heart failure (HF), the impact of SGLT2i on cardiac remodelling remains to be established.

Methods: We searched the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science databases up to November 16th, 2020, for randomized controlled trials reporting the effects of SGLT2i on parameters of cardiac structure, cardiac function, plasma N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level or the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) score in T2DM patients with or without chronic HF. The effect size was expressed as the mean difference (MD) or standardized mean difference (SMD) and its 95% confidence interval (CI).

Metagenomics analysis of the key functional genes related to biofouling aggravation of reverse osmosis membranes after chlorine disinfection.

Chlorine disinfection is a common technology to control biofouling in the pretreatment of the reverse osmosis (RO) system for wastewater reclamation. However, chlorine disinfection could even aggravate the RO membrane biofouling because of the changes of microbial community structure. In this study, the mechanism of biofilm formation and EPS secretion after chlorine disinfection was investigated by analyzing the genes coding quorum sensing, exopolysaccharide biosynthesis, and amino acid biosynthesis.

Evaluating method and potential risks of chlorine-resistant bacteria (CRB): A review.

Chlorine-resistant bacteria (CRB) are commonly defined as bacteria with high resistance to chlorine disinfection or bacteria which can survive or even regrow in the residual chlorine. Chlorine disinfection cannot completely control the risks of CRB, such as risks of pathogenicity, antibiotic resistance and microbial growth. Currently, researchers pay more attention to CRB with pathogenicity or antibiotic resistance.

Simulating and predicting the flux change of reverse osmosis membranes over time during wastewater reclamation caused by organic fouling.

During the operation of the RO system, it's significant to predict the flux change over time. Previous research conducted detailed exploration on the dynamics of RO membrane fouling, and provided a solid database for modelling. In this study, a modified intermediate blocking model with two parameters was proposed to describe the flux change of RO membranes under a huge variety of conditions.

Functional identification of factor VIII B domain regions in hepatocyte cells.

Factor VIII (FVIII) functions as a cofactor within the intrinsic pathway of blood coagulation in process of FX activation by FIXa, for which deficiency results in the bleeding disorder hemophilia A. The gene of FVIII contains 26 exons that code for a 19 amino acid signal peptide and a 2332 amino acid polypeptide with a domain structure designated A1-A2-B-A3-C1-C2, of which the A domains are homologous with each other, as are the C domains. It has been well-documented that both the domains are the necessary elements for FVIII activities.

Membrane fouling potential of the denitrification filter effluent and the control mechanism by ozonation in the process of wastewater reclamation.

A process of denitrification filter (DNF) coupled with ultrafiltration (UF) and ozonation (DNF-UF-O) has been widely applied to advanced nitrogen removal for wastewater reclamation. Despite of the effective removal of nitrogen by DNF, the influence of DNF stage on the operation of UF was still unclear. In this study, a laboratory filtration system was used to investigate the membrane fouling potential of DNF effluent and the fouling control of ozonation.

Fouling properties of reverse osmosis membranes along the feed channel in an industrial-scale system for wastewater reclamation.

Membrane fouling is an inevitable disadvantage of the reverse osmosis (RO) process for wastewater reclamation. In order to clarify the development process of membrane fouling, all the fouled membranes along a feed channel of a two-stage industrial-scale RO system for wastewater reclamation (six elements in each stage) were autopsied and analyzed. The water flux and salt rejection efficiency of the fouled membranes at the head and tail were the lowest among 12 elements, thereby indicating more severe fouling on these membranes.

A simple method for in vitro preparation of natural killer cells from cord blood.

Background: Cord Blood (CB) has been considered a promising source of natural killer (NK) cells for cellular immunotherapy. However, it is difficult to expand the large numbers of highly pure NK cells from CB without cell sorting and feeder cells/multiple cytokines. In this study, we try to develop a simple, safe and economical method for ex vivo expansion and purification of NK cells from CB without cell sorting and feeder cells/multiple cytokines.

Distinguishing mummified thyroid nodules from malignant thyroid nodules.

Aim: To study the ultrasonographic (US) differences between "mummified" thyroid nodules and malignant thyroid nodules in order to achieve a more accurate imaging-based diagnosis and to avoid unnecessary biopsy.

Material And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the US features of mummified thyroid nodules, as confirmed by fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), in 193 cases. The US features included content, echo, shape, margin, microcalcification, suspicious lymph nodes and some characteristic features, including the cystic wall shrinkage sign, the concentric configuration or finger sign, calcification and halo.

Effects of chlorine disinfection on the membrane fouling potential of bacterial strains isolated from fouled reverse osmosis membranes.

Biofouling of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes is an inevitable issue in wastewater reclamation and limits the application of RO systems. Chlorine disinfection is widely used as a pretreatment to control biofouling. However, the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and cellular inclusions released during chlorine disinfection might also cause membrane fouling.

Immunosuppressive Effect of Exosomes from Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Defined Medium on Experimental Colitis.

Background And Objectives: The exosomes released by mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in classical FBS-containing media have been demonstrated as an alternative, cell-free therapy in various diseases including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It has been found that the function of exosomes is affected by culture condition. We previously developed a serum-free, xeno-free and chemically defined medium, and umbilical cord-derived MSCs in this medium retained the immunosuppressive capability.