Role of Neuroimmune Interactions in COVID-19-related Cardiovascular Damage.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a global pandemic impacting over 200 countries/regions and more than 200 million patients worldwide. Among the infected patients, there is a high prevalence of COVID-19-related cardiovascular injuries. However, the specific mechanisms linking cardiovascular damage and COVID-19 remain unclear.

[Progress in the Role of Mechanical Stimulus in Cardiac Development].

Mechanical stimulus is critical to cardiovascular development during embryogenesis period.The mechanoreceptors of endocardial cells and cardiac myocytes may sense mechanical signals and initiate signal transduction that induce gene expression at a cellular level,and then translate molecular-level events into tissue-level deformations,thus guiding embryo development.This review summarizes the regulatory roles of mechanical signals in the early cardiac development including the formation of heart tube,looping,valve and septal morphogenesis,ventricular development and maturation.

Generation and characterization of cardiac valve endothelial-like cells from human pluripotent stem cells.

The cardiac valvular endothelial cells (VECs) are an ideal cell source that could be used for making the valve organoids. However, few studies have been focused on the derivation of this important cell type. Here we describe a two-step chemically defined xeno-free method for generating VEC-like cells from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs).

Which is the best prosthesis in an isolated or combined tricuspid valve replacement?

Objectives: The debate concerning the optimal choice of tricuspid position continues. We compared the long-term results of mechanical and biological prostheses in patients who underwent isolated or combined tricuspid valve replacement, at 2 major cardiac surgical centres in central China.

Methods: From January 1999 to December 2018, 338 patients underwent tricuspid valve replacement.

Sequential hydrophile and lipophile solubilization as an efficient method for decellularization of porcine aortic valve leaflets: Structure, mechanical property and biocompatibility study.

Antigenicity of xenogeneic tissues is the major obstacle to increased use of these materials in clinical medicine. Residual xenoantigens in decellularized tissue elicit the immune response after implantation, causing graft failure. With this in mind, the potential use is proposed of three protein solubilization-based protocols for porcine aortic valve leaflets decellularization.

Should a Mechanical or Biological Prosthesis Be Used for a Tricuspid Valve Replacement? A Meta-Analysis.

Background And Aim Of The Study: The prosthesis of choice for a tricuspid valve replacement is still unkown. This meta-analysis was undertaken to review the results of mechanical and bioprosthetic valves in the tricuspid position.

Methods: We identified all relevant studies published in the past 20 years (from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2014) through the Embase, Current Contents, and PubMed databases.

The Role of Interleukin-13 in Patients with Rheumatic Valvular Fibrosis: A Clinical and Histological Study.

Background And Aim Of The Study: Interleukin (IL)-13 is a major inducer of fibrosis in many chronic infectious diseases, yet few studies have reported its role in valvular fibrosis in patients with rheumatic heart disease (RHD). The study aim was to investigate the role of IL-13 in mitral valvular fibrosis in patients with RHD.

Methods: Peripheral blood samples were collected from surgical patients with RHD (n = 18) and from healthy controls (n = 9).

Domestication and geographic origin of Oryza sativa in China: insights from multilocus analysis of nucleotide variation of O. sativa and O. rufipogon.

Previous studies have indicated that China is one of the domestication centres of Asian cultivated rice (Oryza sativa), and common wild rice (O. rufipogon) is the progenitor of O. sativa.

Overexpression of AeNHX1, a root-specific vacuolar Na+/H+ antiporter from Agropyron elongatum, confers salt tolerance to Arabidopsis and Festuca plants.

Agropyron elongatum, a species in grass family, has a strong tolerance to salt stress. To study the molecular mechanism of Agropyron elongatum in salt tolerance, we isolated a homolog of Na(+)/H(+) antiporters from the root tissues of Agropyron plants. Sequence analysis revealed that this gene encodes a putative vacuolar Na(+)/H(+) antiporter and was designated as AeNHX1.

Analysis of amylose accumulation during seed development in maize.

Starch, which includes amylose and amylopectin, is the most important component in maize (Zea mays L.) seeds. The accumulation of amylose in maize seeds was examined in this study.