Abstract Introduction: few previous studies suggest that serum iron status may be associated with liver function, but the relevant evidence remains limited, especially in adolescents. Objective: we aimed to investigate the association between serum ferritin, iron, and liver transaminases in adolescents. Methods: a cross-sectional study including 3,404 adolescents aged 10-19 was performed based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Weighted multivariate regression, subgroup analysis, and sensitivity analysis were used. Results: a total of 3,404 adolescents were eventually included. Serum ferritin and iron were positively correlated to alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). The association between serum ferritin and ALT remained positive in all genders and races, but only remained positive in girls and several races between serum ferritin and AST. The positive correlations kept present among girls between serum iron and ALT, and also kept present among girls and non-Hispanic whites between serum iron and AST. Additionally, serum ferritin and iron were also positively correlated to elevated ALT and elevated AST using binary logistic regression analysis. After excluding the subjects with serum ferritin levels above the upper limit of normal, the main results remained the same basically. Conclusion: the present results add novel evidences about the associations between serum ferritin, iron, and liver transaminases, which requires more confirmatory studies.

Resumen Introducción: pocos estudios previos sugieren que el estado del hierro sérico pueda estar asociado con la función hepática, pero la evidencia relevante sigue siendo limitada, especialmente en adolescentes. Objetivo: nuestro objetivo fue investigar la asociación entre la ferritina sérica, el hierro y las transaminasas hepáticas en adolescentes. Métodos: se realizó un estudio transversal que incluyó a 3,404 adolescentes de diez a 19 años de edad, basado en la Encuesta Nacional de Examen de Salud y Nutrición. Se utilizaron la regresión multivariada ponderada, el análisis de subgrupos y el análisis de sensibilidad. Resultados: finalmente, se incluyó un total de 3.404 adolescentes. La ferritina sérica y el hierro se correlacionaron positivamente con la alanina aminotransferasa (ALT) y la aspartato aminotransferasa (AST). La asociación entre ferritina sérica y ALT se mantuvo positiva en todos los géneros y razas, pero solo se mantuvo positiva en niñas y en varias razas entre ferritina sérica y AST. Las correlaciones positivas siguieron presentes en las niñas entre el hierro sérico y la ALT, y también en las niñas y personas blancas no hispanas entre el hierro sérico y la AST. Además, la ferritina sérica y el hierro también se correlacionaron positivamente con ALT elevada y AST elevada mediante análisis de regresión logística binaria. Después de excluir a los sujetos con niveles de ferritina sérica por encima del límite superior de la normalidad, los resultados principales se mantuvieron básicamente iguales. Conclusión: los presentes resultados agregan evidencias novedosas sobre las asociaciones entre la ferritina sérica, el hierro y las transaminasas hepáticas, lo que requiere más estudios confirmatorios.

ABSTRACT Objective: To investigate the accuracy of aortic dimensions measured by Revolution™ computed tomography (CT) in infants with complex coarctation of the aorta (CoA) and to further analyze the utility of the degree of CoA in predicting the risk of prolonged postoperative cardiac intensive care unit stay. Methods: A total of 30 infants with complex CoA who underwent surgical correction from January 2020 to July 2022 were retrospectively enrolled. General demographic data, preoperative imaging, and perioperative outcomes were collected. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to investigate predictors of prolonged postoperative cardiac intensive care unit stay, and the reliability of the CT measurements was assessed by the intraclass correlation coefficient. Results: All infants were divided into a mild or severe CoA group. The duration of mechanical ventilation and cardiac intensive care unit stay in the mild CoA group were significantly lower than those in the severe CoA group. After multivariate analysis, we found that the degree of CoA and age at surgery were significant predictors of prolonged postoperative cardiac intensive care unit stay. The intraclass correlation coefficient between CT measurements and intraoperative measurements was between 0.937 and 0.975, and the measurement results had good reliability. Conclusion: CT angiography can provide a comprehensive and accurate preoperative evaluation of aortic dimensions measured in infants with complex CoA. The degree of CoA is an independent risk factor for prolonged postoperative cardiac intensive care unit stay in infants with complex CoA.

Abstract Objectives To explore the role and possible mechanisms of action of apolipoprotein O (APOO) in autophagy in Myocardial Infarction (MI) in vivo and in vitro. Methods Differential gene expression and single Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) were used to evaluate MI-related candidate genes. Animal and cell MI models were established. Sh-APOO, si-APOO, and SB203580 were used to inhibit the expression of APOO or p38MAPK. Western blot and qRT-PCR were used to analyze the expression levels of the target protein or mRNA. Apoptosis was observed using the TUNEL assay. The plasma concentrations of CK-MB and cTn-I in humans and mice were determined. Results In the GSE23294 dataset, APOO mRNA was highly expressed in the left ventricle of mice with MI; GSEA revealed that APOO was positively correlated with p38MAPK, autophagy, and apoptosis. The plasma concentration of APOO in patients with MI was significantly higher than that in healthy subjects. The expression of APOO, Beclin-1, LC3, and Bax in mouse and AC16 cell MI models increased, while the level of Bcl-2 decreased. After silencing the APOO gene, the expression of APOO was downregulated; meanwhile, changes in autophagy, apoptosis and myocardial cell injury were reversed in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, autophagy was alleviated after AC16 cells were treated with SB203580. Conclusions The increased APOO expression in mouse and cell MI models may activate autophagy and apoptosis by regulating the p38MAPK signaling pathway, thus aggravating the myocardial injury. HIGHLIGHTS APOO was highly expressed in the left ventricle of mice with myocardial infarction. Increasing of APOO may activate autophagy and apoptosis in myocardial infarction. The regulation of APOO in autophagy and apoptosis was regulated by p38MAPK signaling pathway.

Inferential models are usually used to evaluate the effect of winter warming on range expansion of insects. Generally, correlative approaches used to predict changes in the distributions of organisms are based on the assumption that climatic boundaries are fixed. Spodoptera exigua Htibner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) overwinters as larvae or pupae in China regions. To understand the climate change impacts on overwintering of this species in regions of China, CLIMEX and Arc-GIS models were used to predict possible changes of distribution based on temperature. The climate change projection clearly indicated that the northern boundary of overwintering for S. exigua will shift northward from current distribution. Thus, the ongoing winter warming is likely to increase the frequency of S. exigua outbreaks.