Empagliflozin inhibits coronary microvascular dysfunction and reduces cardiac pericyte loss in db/db mice

BackgroundCoronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) is a pathophysiological feature of diabetic heart disease. However, whether sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors protect the cardiovascular system by alleviating CMD is not known.ObjectiveWe observed the protective effects of empagliflozin (EMPA) on diabetic CMD.Materials and methodsThe mice were randomly divided into a db/db group and a db/db + EMPA group, and db/m mice served as controls. At 8 weeks of age, the db/db + EMPA group was given empagliflozin 10 mg/(kg⋅d) by gavage for 8 weeks. Body weight, fasting blood glucose and blood pressure were dynamically observed. Cardiac systolic and diastolic function and coronary flow reserve (CFR) were detected using echocardiography. The coronary microvascular structure and distribution of cardiac pericytes were observed using immunofluorescence staining. Picrosirius red staining was performed to evaluate cardiac fibrosis.ResultsEmpagliflozin lowered the increased fasting blood glucose levels of the db/db group. The left ventricular ejection fraction, left ventricular fractional shortening, E/A ratio and E/e′ ratio were not significantly different between the three groups. CFR was decreased in the db/db group, but EMPA significantly improved CFR. In contrast to the sparse and abnormal expansion of coronary microvessels observed in the db/db group, the number of coronary microvessels was increased, and the capillary diameter was decreased in the db/db + EMPA group. The number and microvascular coverage of cardiac pericytes were reduced in the db/db mice but were improved by EMPA. The cardiac fibrosis was increased in db/db group and may alleviate by EMPA.ConclusionEmpagliflozin inhibited CMD and reduced cardiac pericyte loss in diabetic mice

Design and Control of Advanced Mechatronics Systems

Research and experiments on mechatronics systems, which are a synergistic integration of mechanical engineering, electronic control, and systems concepts, have contributed significantly to the design of systems, devices, processes, and products [...

Design and Control of Advanced Mechatronics Systems

Research and experiments on mechatronics systems, which are a synergistic integration of mechanical engineering, electronic control, and systems concepts, have contributed significantly to the design of systems, devices, processes, and products [...

The Perceived Restorative Quality of Viewing Various Types of Urban and Rural Scenes: Based on Psychological and Physiological Responses

Attention restoration theory argues that the type of visual scene is important; however, related research is mostly based on a dichotomous comparison between natural and urban environments. Few studies have evaluated complex scenes comprising both natural and artificial elements. Therefore, we compared the differences between four types of environments: urban artificial scenes, urban natural scenes, rural artificial scenes, and rural natural scenes—using a survey based on the Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS), perception complexity scoring, and eye tracking. Participants (N = 119) viewed photographs in a random order. The results showed significant differences between the visual landscape scores and eye-tracking data for each type of visual image: PRS, perception complexity, average fixation duration, and mean pupil size. Rural natural scenes had a higher restoration effect than the other scenes. Waterscapes and well-maintained vegetation had positive correlations between the typical landscape element indices and restorative benefits in different scene types. Contrastingly, weeds and hardscapes showed negative correlations, which can be attributed to the maintenance of these typical elements. The harmony of elements with circumstances in a scene was a key factor. The results provide a reference for urban and rural landscape planning and design to improve perceived restorative quality

Rosmarinic Acid Delays Tomato Fruit Ripening by Regulating Ripening-Associated Traits

Fruits are excellent sources of essential vitamins and health-boosting minerals. Recently, regulation of fruit ripening by both internal and external cues for the improvement of fruit quality and shelf life has received considerable attention. Rosmarinic acid (RA) is a kind of natural plant-derived polyphenol, widely used in the drug therapy and food industry due to its distinct physiological functions. However, the role of RA in plant growth and development, especially at the postharvest period of fruits, remains largely unknown. Here, we demonstrated that postharvest RA treatment delayed the ripening in tomato fruits. Exogenous application of RA decreased ripening-associated ethylene production and inhibited the fruit color change from green to red based on the decline in lycopene accumulation. We also found that the degradation of sucrose and malic acid during ripening was significantly suppressed in RA-treated tomato fruits. The results of metabolite profiling showed that RA application promoted the accumulation of multiple amino acids in tomato fruits, such as aspartic acid, serine, tyrosine, and proline. Meanwhile, RA application also strengthened the antioxidant system by increasing both the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the contents of reduced forms of antioxidants. These findings not only unveiled a novel function of RA in fruit ripening, but also indicated an attractive strategy to manage and improve shelf life, flavor, and sensory evolution of tomato fruits

Exogenous Rosmarinic Acid Application Enhances Thermotolerance in Tomatoes

Due to global warming, high-temperature stress has become a major threat to plant growth and development, which causes a severe challenge to food security worldwide. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the plant bioactive molecules, which could be a promising approach to strengthening plant thermotolerance. Rosmarinic acid (RA) serves as a plant-derived phenolic compound and has beneficial and health-promoting effects for human beings. However, the involvement of RA in plant stress response and the underlying molecular mechanism was largely unknown. In this study, we found that exogenous RA application conferred improved thermotolerance in tomatoes. The transcript abundance and the enzyme activity of enzymatic antioxidants, such as ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), and dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR), were further promoted by RA treatment in tomato plants subjected to high-temperature stress. Moreover, RA activated the antioxidant system and modulated the cellular redox homeostasis also associated with the redox status of nonenzymatic glutathione and ascorbic acid. The results of RNA-seq data showed that transcriptional regulation was involved in RA-mediated thermotolerance. Consistently, the gene expression of several high temperature-responsive transcription factors like HsfA2, and WRKY family genes were substantially induced by RA treatment, which potentially contributed to the induction of heat shock proteins (HSPs). Overall, these findings not only gave a direct link between RA and plant thermotolerance but also provided an attractive approach to protecting crop plants from high-temperature damage in a global warming future

Association of serum ADAMTS-7 levels with left ventricular reverse remodeling after ST-elevation myocardial infarction

Abstract Background Left ventricular reverse remodeling (LVRR) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is associated with a good prognosis. Serum levels of ADAMTS-7 might be used for the prognosis of STEMI. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum ADAMTS-7 levels and LVRR. Methods This was a prospective study of 104 patients with STEMI who underwent revascularization and 63 controls. ADAMTS-7 serum levels were measured on days 1, 3, and 7 and in months 1 and 6 after STEMI. A decrease ≥ 15% of the left ventricular end-systolic volume at 6 months was defined as LVRR. Results The serum levels of ADAMTS-7 in patients with LVRR were lower than those without LVRR (3.84 ± 2.26 vs. 5.02 ± 2.54, P = 0.032) 7 days after STEMI and the difference between day 7 and day 1 (ΔADAMTS-7) was even significantly lower (− 1.31 ± 0.94 vs. − 0.30 ± 0.22, P = 0.021). Multivariate analysis showed that ΔADAMTS-7(day 7 minus day 1) was independently associated with LVRR (OR = − 0.322, 95% CI = − 0.996 to − 0.074, P = 0.028). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that LVRR could be predicted (sensitivity 89%, specificity 82%, and area under the curve 0.896) when ΔADAMTS-7(day 7 minus day 1) was < − 0.39. Conclusions ΔADAMTS-7(day 7 minus day 1) might be a potential predictive factor for LVRR