Publications by authors named "Xiao Chun Ma"

Background: High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) causes microvascular endothelial cell barrier dysfunction during acute lung injury (ALI) in sepsis, but the mechanisms have not been well understood. We studied the roles of RAGE and Rho kinase 1 (ROCK1) in HMGB1-induced human pulmonary endothelial barrier disruption.

Methods: In the present study, the recombinant human high mobility group box 1 (rhHMGB1) was used to stimulate human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMECs).

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MicroRNA168 (miR168) is a key miRNA that targets Argonaute1 (AGO1), a major component of the RNA-induced silencing complex. Previously, we reported that miR168 expression was responsive to infection by Magnaporthe oryzae, the causal agent of rice blast disease. However, how miR168 regulates immunity to rice blast and whether it affects rice development remains unclear.

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A novel magnetic molybdenum disulfide@graphene (FeO/MoS@G) nanocomposite with amphiphilic properties was prepared via a co-mixing solvothermal method. To demonstrate the feasibility of FeO/MoS@G as a sorbent during sample preparation, it was employed for the magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) of ten pyrethroids, three triazoles and two acaricide pyridaben and picoxystrobin in an emulsified aqueous solution. Dichloromethane was used as the extractant to form an emulsified aqueous solution.

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Background: Vascular endothelial dysfunction is considered a key pathophysiologic process for the development of acute lung injury. In this study, we aimed at investigating the effects of unfractionated heparin (UFH) on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced changes of vascular endothelial-cadherin (VE-cadherin) and the potential underlying mechanisms.

Methods: Male C57BL/6 J mice were randomized into three groups: vehicle, LPS, and LPS + UFH groups.

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MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play essential roles in rice immunity against Magnaporthe oryzae, the causative agent of rice blast disease. Here we demonstrate that Osa-miR162a fine-tunes rice immunity against M. oryzae and yield traits.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how the NPR-C receptor affects the development of salt-sensitive hypertension by using Dahl salt-sensitive (DS) and salt-resistant (DR) rats on different salt diets.
  • After six weeks, it was found that a high-salt diet notably raised the systolic blood pressure in DS rats, indicating a significant impact of salt intake on hypertension.
  • Various physiological markers, such as blood sodium levels, urinary sodium excretion, and renal health, were measured to understand the role of ANP and NPR-C in regulating blood pressure and kidney function.
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MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play essential roles in the regulation of plant growth and defense responses. More and more, miRNA-3ps are reported to act in plant development and immunity. miR156 is a conserved miRNA, and most previous studies focus on its roles in plant growth, development, and yield determinacy.

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MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are known to fine-tune growth, development, and stress-induced responses. Osa-miR1873 is a rice-specific miRNA targeting LOC_Os05g01790. Here, we show that Osa-miR1873 fine-tunes rice immunity against Magnaporthe oryzae and yield traits via LOC_Os05g01790.

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Background: Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is a common condition in the intensive care unit (ICU) and has a high mortality. Early evaluation of the severity and prognosis is very important for SAP therapy. Recently, red blood cell distribution (RDW) was associated with mortality of sepsis patients and could be used as a predictor of prognosis.

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Background: The mucosal layer plays an important role in regulating the intestinal barrier function. However, the underlying mechanisms of intestinal barrier dysfunction caused by trauma-hemorrhagic shock (THS) are still unknown.

Methods: In this study, we examined the barrier damages, inflammatory responses as well as the metabolic changes of the mucosal layer of the colon in a THS rat model.

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Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a clinical emergency that will increase the mortality if complicated with unstable hemodynamics. Because of its nonspecific clinical symptoms, it's a great challenge to make a PE diagnosis. The golden standard to diagnose PE is computed tomography of pulmonary artery (CTPA), but a diagnosis of PE also composed of evaluation of PE risk factors, possibilities, and risk stratification.

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Background: Poor inter-rater reliability in chest radiograph interpretation has been reported in the context of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), although not for the Berlin definition of ARDS. We sought to examine the effect of training material on the accuracy and consistency of intensivists' chest radiograph interpretations for ARDS diagnosis.

Methods: We conducted a rater agreement study in which 286 intensivists (residents 41.

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Article Synopsis
  • Sepsis is a major cause of death in critically ill patients, and a national survey was conducted in China to gather data on its epidemiology and treatment.
  • The study took place across all provinces in mainland China from December 2015 to January 2016, focusing on patients admitted to Intensive Care Units to determine the incidence and causes of sepsis.
  • The findings offer insights into the most common infection types, guide antibiotic treatment, and identify risk factors associated with higher mortality, aiming to enhance clinical management of sepsis in the country.
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Background: Urine output (UO) is an essential criterion of the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) definition and classification system for acute kidney injury (AKI), of which the diagnostic value has not been extensively studied. We aimed to determine whether AKI based on KDIGO UO criteria (KDIGOUO) could improve the diagnostic and prognostic accuracy, compared with KDIGO serum creatinine criteria (KDIGOSCr).

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of the database of a previous study conducted by China Critical Care Clinical Trial Group (CCCCTG), which was a 2-month prospective cohort study (July 1, 2009 to August 31, 2009) involving 3063 patients in 22 tertiary Intensive Care Units in Mainland of China.

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Background: The complications of atherosclerosis such as coronary and cerebrovascular disease, are the most prevalent causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1883832 (-1C/T) in CD40 gene has been recently suggested to contribute to the susceptibility to atherosclerosis in Chinese population; however, previous genetic association studies yielded inconsistent results.

Methods: A meta-analysis of eligible studies reporting the association between rs1883832 and atherosclerosis in Chinese population was carried out.

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Objective: To investigate the effect of down-regulation of high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) expression on the proliferation and migration abilities of human umbilical vein endothelial cell ( HUVEC) in vitro.

Methods: The method of stable transfection was used to transfect the pRNA-u6.1/Neo-control and pRNA-u6.

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To determine whether low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) is able to reduce pulmonary inflammation and improve the survival in rats with endotoxin-induced acute lung injury (ALI). Rat ALI model was reproduced by injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) into tail vein. Rats were divided randomly into three groups: control group, ALI group, LMWH-treated group.

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Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) has been recognized as a major healthcare problem affecting millions of patients worldwide. However, epidemiologic data concerning AKI in China are still lacking. The objectives of this study were to characterize AKI defined by RIFLE criteria, assess the association with hospital mortality, and evaluate the impact of AKI in the context of other risk factors.

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Article Synopsis
  • Chronic hyperglycemia negatively impacts endothelial cells, and this study investigates if short episodes of high glucose levels worsen damage from endotoxin exposure.
  • Researchers hypothesized that high glucose would increase the permeability of endothelial cells when exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and experiments showed significant changes in cell structure and function.
  • Findings indicated that high glucose levels elevate the permeability of pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells in response to LPS while also affecting nitric oxide synthase (NOS) pathways by increasing inducible NOS and decreasing endothelial NOS production.
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Interleukin-4 (IL-4) is a pleiotropic cytokine that plays an important role in the immune system. Emerging evidences have shown that the common polymorphism (-590C/T; rs2243250 C>T) in the IL-4 gene may play an important role in the development of various liver diseases, but individually published studies revealed inconclusive results. This meta-analysis aims to derive a more precise estimation of the association between the IL-4 -590C/T polymorphism and susceptibility to liver disease.

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Objective: To examine the effect of downregulation of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) on severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) associated with acute lung injury (ALI), and its subsequent effect on disease severity.

Methods: Wistar rats were given an IV injection of pRNA-U6.1/Neo-HMGB1, pRNA-U6.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to explore how high glucose concentration affects endothelial cells when exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and to understand the possible injury mechanisms involved.
  • Human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells were classified into different groups based on their glucose exposure and LPS stimulation, and various assessments including microfilament structure and permeability were performed after incubation.
  • Results showed that high glucose levels led to significant changes in cell structure, increased permeability, and altered expression of key proteins involved in nitric oxide production, indicating a detrimental effect on endothelial cell function.
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The nucleus of the endothelial cell contains large amounts of high-mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB1), a cytokine mediator of inflammation, and the endothelium may be a crucial source of HMGB1 during the inflammatory response. Therefore, the downregulation of HMGB1 expression by RNA interference (RNAi) may decrease inflammatory activity. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible mechanism of action and the effect of HMGB1 on homeobox A9 (HOXA9) and E-selectin expression.

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