Abstract Objective: As a greater proportion of patients survived their initial cardiac insult, Chronic Heart Failure (CHF) is becoming a major cause of worldwide morbidity and mortality. However, the mechanism underlying the inflammation in patients with CHF has not yet been elaborated. This study aims to explore the associations between inflammation and CHF patients, and the predictive performance of inflammatory indicators in identifying patients with CHF. Methods: A matched case-control study was conducted by recruiting 385 patients who were diagnosed with CHF from January 2018 to December 2019 in The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University. Each CHF patient was matched against one control subject without CHF on the criteria of age, sex, Body Mass Index (BMI), smoking status, and comorbidities. The clinical data and systemic inflammatory indicators were compared between the two groups, independent risk factors of CHF were identified by multivariate regression analysis, and the predictive values of systemic inflammatory indicators for CHF were analyzed by Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: After processed in the univariate and multivariate regression analysis models, three systemic inflammatory indicators (hs-CRP [high sensitivity C Reactive Protein], LMR [lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio], and Monocyte-to-High-density-lipoprotein Ratio [MHR]) were considered as independent predictors of CHF, among which the hs-CRP exhibited the best predictive performance (AUC = 0.752, 95%CI 0.717‒0.786, p < 0.001), followed by LMR (AUC = 0.711, 95% CI 0.675‒0.747, p < 0.001) and MHR (AUC = 0.673, 95% CI 0.635‒0.710, p < 0.001). The three-indicator combination showed an improved diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.757, 95% CI 0.724‒0.791, p < 0.001). In addition, the results of subgroup comparisons demonstrated that hs-CRP and MHR were associated with the severity of CHF (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The systemic inflammatory indicators such as hs-CRP, LMR, and MHR were independently correlated with the attack of CHF and might be the complementary markers of the diagnosis of CHF. HIGHLIGHTS Two novel inflammation-related markers, LMR and MHR are associated with Chronic Heart Failure (CHF). LMR and MHR were first proposed to be the predictors of a diagnosis of CHF in this study, which suggested that inflammation was associated with CHF, and anti-inflammation therapy might be a potential target for future therapeutic interventions. Compared with special inflammatory indicators such as TNF or IL-1, LMR and MHR are routinely measured in clinical practice and less time-consuming, which makes them suitable for popularization.

Abstract This study revealed for the first time the dynamic changes of bacterial community and physic-chemical properties in the process of tomatoes fermentation. In the early phase of fermentation, Proteobacteria and Firmicutes account for 86.04% and 9.97%, respectively. Then, Firmicutes replaced Proteobacteria to be the dominant phylum from day 10. Among then, Lactobacillus decreased from 20 to 30 days and then rapidly increased. The total sugar showed a gradual decreased while the nitrite content increased in the early phases. The total acid content increased from initial 0.6% to 2.03% on day 30, mainly including citric acid, malic acid and lactic acid. In the later stages, the number of microorganisms and bacterial community tended to be stable, along with the content of organic acids and nitrite. During fermentation, the physic-chemical parameters inevitably change, mainly due to microbial metabolism, affecting in turns the development of the micro-ecosystem. These results contribute to our knowledge about bacterial participation in the process of fermentation and will help improve the quality of fermented food and vegetables.

Abstract Rosa Laevigata Michx., contents of bioactive components contribute to the health beneftis of consuming fresh, snacks and medicine, is widely used as the Chinese medicinal herbs. The effect of fruit ripening on the bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity of Rosa laevigata Michx fruits was investigated. The results showed that, the bioactive compounds, including titratable acidity, reducing sugar, total ascorbic acid, total polyphenol and total flavonoids, significant changes occurred at different ripening stages. The contents of reducing sugar, total polyphenol and total flavonoids were directly proportional to the maturity. However, the content of titration acid and ascorbic acid is inversely proportional to the maturity. Antioxidant capacity and ROS inhibition are proportional to the maturity, and the antioxidant capacity of Rosa laevigata Michx significantly increase during maturity. The Rosa laevigata Michx fruits at fully ripe stage had higher healthcare and medicinal value.