ABSTRACT Introduction: According to the American Heart Association guideline for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), female patients undergoing on-pump CABG (ONCAB) are at higher risk of short-term adverse outcomes than male patients. However, whether off-pump CABG (OPCAB) can improve the short-term outcome of female patients compared to ONCAB remains unclear. Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis to study the effect of the female sex on short-term outcomes of OPCAB vs. ONCAB. A total of 31,115 patients were enrolled in 12 studies, including 20,245 females who underwent ONCAB and 10,910 females who underwent OPCAB. Results: The in-hospital mortality in female patients who underwent OPCAB was significantly lower than in those in the ONCAB group with (2.7% vs. 3.4%; odds ratio [OR] 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65-0.89) and without (OR 0.68; 95% CI 0.52-0.89) adjustment for cardiovascular risk factor. The incidence of postoperative stroke in female patients who underwent OPCAB was lower than in those in the ONCAB group (1.2% vs. 2.1%; OR 0.59; 95% CI 0.48-0.73) before cardiovascular risk factor adjustment but was not significant (OR 0.87; 95% CI 0,66-1.16) after adjustment. There was no significant difference in the incidence of postoperative myocardial infarction between women who underwent OPCAB and those in the ONCAB group (1.3% vs. 2.3%; OR 0.88; 95% CI 0.54-1.43). Conclusion: In contrast to the American Heart Association CABG guideline, female patients who had OPCAB don’t have unfavorable outcomes compared with the ONCAB group.

Abstract Introduction: The objective of this study is to evaluate the left ventricular systolic function of patients with coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) using the three-dimensional speckle-tracking imaging (3D-STI) technique. Methods: From June 2018 to June 2019,72 subjects from Huzhou Central Hospital were enrolled, including 42 CMD in-patients with typical chest pain or chest tightness and positive treadmill exercise stress test, but without coronary stenosis on coronary angiography, (the CMD group) and another 30 healthy individuals who were undergoing physical examinations in an outpatient clinic (the control group). Using 3D-STI technique, the global longitudinal strain (GLS), global radial strain (GRS), global circumferential strain (GCS), global area strain (GAS), and left ventricle were measured. Results: Compared with the control group, GLS and GAS were significantly reduced in the CMD group (P<0.05), while GRS and GCS were similar in both groups (P>0.05). Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that GLS and GAS were the influencing factors of CMD. For the diagnosis of CMD, the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of GLS was 0.883, and the area under the ROC curve of GAS was 0.875. GAS of -29.3% (log-rank test chi-square=34.245, P<0.001) was a strong predictor of major adverse cardiac events. Conclusion: 3D-STI technique has obvious advantages in the evaluation of the left ventricular systolic function for CMD patients. Moreover, 3D-STI parameters, especially GLS and GAS, can detect the early abnormal changes in the ischaemic myocardium. Being timelier and more sensitive than echocardiography, 3D-STI should be recommended for clinical application.

Abstract To illuminate changes in the secondary metabolic spectrum and hypoglycemic activity between Rose roxburghii fruit fermented (RRFF) by Chinese traditional distiller’s yeast and R. roxburghii fruit (RRF) using UPLC–MS/MS and streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. Secondary metabolomics in the RRFF apparently differs from those in RRF; 32 pentacyclic triterpenoids were identified first, and ursolic acid-substituted roxburix acids were found to be the marker compounds. Testing of HepG2 cells indicated that RRFF had good glucose consumption capacity. Additionally, fasting blood glucose levels, glucose tolerance tests, plasma insulin levels and insulin resistance in diabetic mice indicated that RRFF was better than RRF. More importantly, RRFF exhibited good structure in pancreatic tissue. These results indicate that the fermentation process is beneficial for increasing the content of triterpenoids and enhancing hypoglycemic activity. Traditional fermentation with Chinese traditional distiller’s yeast can provide a way to expand the application of nutritious fruits with short shelf life.

RESUMO Pholiota adiposa é um cogumelo com excelentes propriedades nutricionais e medicinais. No entanto, o rendimento do corpo de frutificação deste é baixo e o potencial de cultivo comercial deste fungo é limitado. 279 linhagens cruzadas foram obtidas pelo cruzamento mono-mono de linhagens monocarióticas derivadas de P. adiposa HS5 e HS4. Enzimas ligninolíticas e taxas de crescimento micelial foram utilizadas como marcadores para a triagem das linhagens cruzadas, e 18 linhagens foram seleccionadas para análise posterior. A linhagem cruzada A10B4 apresentou o maior rendimento (ie 165,91 ± 12,56 g por sacola), o qual 31,34 g e, 74,48 g a mais do que as linhagens HS5 e HS4, respetivamente. O tempo de colonização micelial de A10B4 foi 25,18 ± 1,33 d, sendo 5,64 d menor que HS5. A10B4 foi caracterizado, por marcadores moleculares de repetição de sequência inter-simples. Foram observadas diferenças nos produtos de PCR de linhagens parentais e cruzadas. Portanto, a linhagem híbrida recém-desenvolvida A10B4 (Renominada P. adiposa HS54), exibindo alto rendimento, pode ser adequada para cultivo comercial.

ABSTRACT Pholiota adiposa is a mushroom with excellent nutritional and medicinal properties. However, fruiting body yields are low, and the commercial cultivation potential of this fungus is limited. Here, 279 crossbred strains were obtained by the mono-mono crossing of monokaryotic strains derived from P. adiposa HS5 and HS4. Laccase enzymes and mycelial growth rates were used as markers to screen the crossbred strains, and 18 strains were selected for further analysis. Crossbred strain A10B4 displayed the highest yield (i.e. 165.91 ± 12.56 g per bag), which was 31.34 g and 74.48 g more than that of strains HS5 and HS4, respectively. The mycelial colonization time of A10B4 was 25.18 ± 1.33 d, which was 5.64 d shorter than that of HS5. A10B4 was characterized by inter-simple sequence repeat molecular markers. Differences in PCR products from parental and crossbred strains were observed. Therefore, the newly developed hybrid strain A10B4, named P. adiposa HS54 exhibiting high yield, might be suitable for commercial cultivation.

Abstract Background: The MVD gene mutations are identified in porokeratosis, which is considered a skin-specific autoin- flammatory keratinization disease. However, the biological function of MVD gene remains largely unknown. Therefore, we analyzed the function of mvda gene, orthologous to the human MVD gene, in developing zebrafish. Methods: Morpholino antisense oligonucleotide technique was used to generate mvda loss-of-function phenotypes. Knockdown of mvda was confirmed by RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy were performed to analyze the morphology of the epidermis. Angiogenesis study was presented using the Tg(fli1a:EGFP)yl transgenic strain. In addition, acridine orange staining was used to examine the apoptotic cells in vivo. Results: As expected, the mvda morphants showed abnormal morphology of the epidermis. Moreover, we observed ectopic sprouts in trunk angiogenesis and impaired formation of the caudal vein plexus in the mvda-deficient zebrafish. Besides, increased apoptosis was found throughout the tail, heart, and eyes in mvda zebrafish morphants. Conclusions: These findings indicated the essential role of mvda in the early development of zebrafish. This was the first in vivo knockdown study of the zebrafish mvda gene, which might offer insight into the biological function of the human MVD gene.

OBJECTIVES: Retinoblastoma (RB) is a highly malignant eye tumor with a low survival rate and a high metastatic rate. The current work was designed to investigate the potential roles of microRNA-144 (miR-144) in the diagnosis and prognosis of RB. METHODS: miR-144 expression levels in RB tissues and adjacent normal tissues, as well as serum samples from RB patients and healthy controls were measured. The association between miR-144 expression levels and clinical features were analyzed. Moreover, diagnostic and prognostic values of miR-144 in RB were verified by receiver operating characteristic analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival assays. RESULTS: The expression level of miR-144 was markedly decreased in tumor tissues of RB patients, and the expression level of miR-144 was positively associated with tumor size and metastasis in RB patients. Moreover, miR-144 can distinguish tumor tissues from normal tissues with high specificity and sensitivity, and RB patients with lower miR-144 expression have shorter overall and disease-free survival rates than those with higher miR-144 expression. Alternatively, miR-144 also decreased in the serum of RB patients in comparison with healthy subjects, and miR-144 expression levels in the tissue samples and serum were positively correlated. Furthermore, miR-144 levels in the serum of RB patients sensitively distinguished RB patients from healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: miR-144 expression was downregulated in serum and tissue samples of RB patients and may function as a diagnostic and prognostic marker for RB.

ABSTRACT Cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5) is a protein kinase that is homologous to mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). Mutations in the CDKL5 gene cause X-linked infantile spasms and phenotypes that overlap with that of Rett syndrome, which is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused primarily by mutations in the methyl CpG binding protein 2 gene (MECP2). Previous studies in transfected cell lines showed that CDKL5 interacts with MeCP2 and DNA (cytosine-5)-methyltransferase 1 (Dnmt1). However, little is known about the relationships of CDKL5 with interacting proteins in primary neuronal cultures. In this study, we investigated the expression patterns of CDKL5, MeCP2 and Dnmt1, and their interaction in cultured rat cortical neurons. Using real-time PCR analysis, we found that CDKL5, MeCP2 and Dnmt1 have similar expression patterns at the mRNA level. In contrast, the expression patterns of those proteins at the protein level are different and could be inversely correlated, as shown by western blotting. Using co-immunoprecipitation, we further demonstrated that CDKL5 interacts with MeCP2 and Dnmt1 in primary rat cortical neurons. These data suggest that a functional link exists among CDKL5, MeCP2 and Dnmt1 during neuronal development and may provide further insight into the pathogenesis of Rett syndrome.