Modified Glucose-Insulin-Potassium Regimen Provides Cardioprotection With Improved Tissue Perfusion in Patients Undergoing Cardiopulmonary Bypass Surgery

Background Laboratory studies demonstrate glucose-insulin-potassium (GIK) as a potent cardioprotective intervention, but clinical trials have yielded mixed results, likely because of varying formulas and timing of GIK treatment and different clinical settings. This study sought to evaluate the effects of modified GIK regimen given perioperatively with an insulin-glucose ratio of 1:3 in patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. Methods and Results In this prospective, randomized, double-blinded trial with 930 patients referred for cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass, GIK (200 g/L glucose, 66.7 U/L insulin, and 80 mmol/L KCl) or placebo treatment was administered intravenously at 1 mL/kg per hour 10 minutes before anesthesia and continuously for 12.5 hours. The primary outcome was the incidence of in-hospital major adverse cardiac events including all-cause death, low cardiac output syndrome, acute myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest with successful resuscitation, congestive heart failure, and arrhythmia. GIK therapy reduced the incidence of major adverse cardiac events and enhanced cardiac function recovery without increasing perioperative blood glucose compared with the control group. Mechanistically, this treatment resulted in increased glucose uptake and less lactate excretion calculated by the differences between arterial and coronary sinus, and increased phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 and protein kinase B in the hearts of GIK-treated patients. Systemic blood lactate was also reduced in GIK-treated patients during cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. Conclusions A modified GIK regimen administered perioperatively reduces the incidence of in-hospital major adverse cardiac events in patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. These benefits are likely a result of enhanced systemic tissue perfusion and improved myocardial metabolism via activation of insulin signaling by GIK. Clinical Trial Registration URL: clinicaltrials.gov. Identifier: NCT01516138

Evaluating Open-Domain Dialogues in Latent Space with Next Sentence Prediction and Mutual Information

The long-standing one-to-many issue of the open-domain dialogues poses significant challenges for automatic evaluation methods, i.e., there may be multiple suitable responses which differ in semantics for a given conversational context. To tackle this challenge, we propose a novel learning-based automatic evaluation metric (CMN), which can robustly evaluate open-domain dialogues by augmenting Conditional Variational Autoencoders (CVAEs) with a Next Sentence Prediction (NSP) objective and employing Mutual Information (MI) to model the semantic similarity of text in the latent space. Experimental results on two open-domain dialogue datasets demonstrate the superiority of our method compared with a wide range of baselines, especially in handling responses which are distant to the golden reference responses in semantics.Comment: Accepted at ACL202

Simultaneous Estimation of Sub-canopy Topography and Forest Height with Single-baseline Single-polarization TanDEM-X Interferometric Data Combined with ICESat-2 Data

To address the challenge of retrieving sub-canopy topography using single-baseline single-polarization TanDEM-X InSAR data, we propose a novel InSAR processing framework. Our methodology begins by employing the SINC model to estimate the penetration depth (PD). Subsequently, we establish a linear relationship between PD and phase center height (PCH) to generate a wall-to-wall PCH product. To achieve this, space-borne LiDAR data are employed to capture the elevation bias between actual ground elevation and InSAR-derived elevation. Finally, the sub-canopy topography is derived by subtracting the PCH from the conventional InSAR-based DEM. Moreover, this approach enables the simultaneous estimation of forest height from single-baseline TanDEM-X data by combining the estimated PD and PCH components. The approach has been validated against Airborne Lidar Scanning data over four diverse sites encompassing different forest types, terrain conditions, and climates. The derived sub-canopy topography in the boreal and hemi-boreal forest sites (Krycklan and Remningstorp) demonstrated notable improvement in accuracy. Additionally, the winter acquisitions outperformed the summer ones in terms of inversion accuracy. The achieved RMSEs for the winter scenarios were 2.45 m and 3.83 m, respectively, representing a 50% improvement over the InSAR-based DEMs. And the forest heights are also close to the ALS measurements, with RMSEs of 2.70 m and 3.33 m, respectively. For the Yanguas site in Spain, characterized by rugged terrain, sub-canopy topography in forest areas was estimated with an accuracy of 4.27m, a 35% improvement over the original DEM. For the denser tropical forest site, only an average elevation bias could be corrected.This work is funded by the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2022YFB3902605), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 42227801, 42030112, 42204024, 42104016, 42330717), the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (State Agency of Research, AEI) and the European Funds for Regional Development under Project PID2020-117303GB-C22/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, the Natural Science Foundation for Excellent Young Scholars of Hunan Province (No. 2023JJ20061), and in part by the China Scholarship Council Foundation to the Joint Ph.D. Studies at University of Alicante (No. 202106370125)

Influence of eight rootstocks on fruit quality of Morus multicaulis cv. ‘Zijing’ and the comprehensive evaluation of fruit quality traits

Mulberry (Morus L.) has become an important crop throughout the world due to its fruits have been industrially exploited for various commercially valuable products. Many studies on mulberry related to genetic diversity, fruit quality, and breeding programs have been carried out, but little information on mulberry rootstocks is available, especially the possibility of applying grafting to improve the fruit quality. Here, we evaluated the effects of 8 different rootstocks on the fruit quality of ‘Zijing’ mulberry. Twelve fruit quality traits were extremely different except for the fruit shape index (FSI). ‘Zijing’ on ‘Zheza 2’ had the highest fruit weight (FW) and size, as well as titratable acidity (TA), but lower levels of other compounds content except the total soluble solids content (TSS) were detected. ‘Yuesang 51’ exhibited the highest soluble sugar content (SSC), reducing sugar content (RSC), SSC/TA ratio, anthocyanin content (AC) and the lower TA. In contrast, the lowest TSS, SSC and RSC were shown in ‘Guisang 5’. Moreover, ‘Guisang 12’ exhibited the highest TSS and soluble protein content (SPC). The highest vitamin C content (VC) was observed in ‘Guisang 6’. ‘Tang 10 × Lun109’, Zhenzhubai seedlings, ‘Yuesang 11’ together with ‘Yuesang 51’ had the lowest and similar levels of TA. Most importantly, these fruit quality traits were evaluated by principal component analysis (PCA), and ‘Yuesang 51’ with good comprehensive fruit quality was screened out, followed by ‘Guisangyou 12’. Overall, these results contribute to evaluating the roles of different rootstocks on improving fruit quality of mulberry

Testing and Data Reduction of the Chinese Small Telescope Array (CSTAR) for Dome A, Antarctica

The Chinese Small Telescope ARray (hereinafter CSTAR) is the first Chinese astronomical instrument on the Antarctic ice cap. The low temperature and low pressure testing of the data acquisition system was carried out in a laboratory refrigerator and on the 4500m Pamirs high plateau, respectively. The results from the final four nights of test observations demonstrated that CSTAR was ready for operation at Dome A, Antarctica. In this paper we present a description of CSTAR and the performance derived from the test observations.Comment: Accepted Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics (RAA) 1 Latex file and 20 figure

Effects of Herb-Partitioned Moxibustion on the miRNA Expression Profiles in Colon from Rats with DSS-Induced Ulcerative Colitis

Objective. This study explored the mechanism of herb-partitioned moxibustion (HM) on dextran sulfate sodium- (DSS-) induced ulcerative colitis (UC) from the miRNA perspective. Methods. Rats were randomly divided into 3 groups [normal control (NC) group, UC model (UC) group, and herb-partitioned moxibustion (UCHM) group]. The UC and UCHM groups were administered 4% DSS for 7 days. The UCHM group received HM at the Tianshu (bilateral, ST25). The effect of HM on UC was observed and the miRNA expression profile in the colon tissues was analyzed. Results. Compared with the UC group, the body weights were significantly higher in the UCHM group on day 14 (P<0.001); the macroscopic colon injury scores and microscopic histopathology scores in the UCHM group decreased (P<0.05); and there were 15 differentially expressed miRNAs in the UCHM group. The changes in miR-184 and miR-490-5p expression levels on the UC were reversed by HM intervention. Validation using qRT-PCR showed that two miRNAs expression trend was consistent with the sequencing results. Conclusion. HM at ST25 might regulate miR-184 and miR-490-5p expression, act on the transcription of their target genes to regulate inflammatory signaling pathways, and attenuate inflammation and tissue injury in the colons of rats with DSS-induced UC

Prevalence and clinical characteristics of lower limb atherosclerotic lesions in newly diagnosed patients with ketosis-onset diabetes: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: The clinical features of atherosclerotic lesions in ketosis-onset diabetes are largely absent. We aimed to compare the characteristics of lower limb atherosclerotic lesions among type 1, ketosis-onset and non-ketotic type 2 diabetes. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed in newly diagnosed Chinese patients with diabetes, including 53 type 1 diabetics with positive islet-associated autoantibodies, 208 ketosis-onset diabetics without islet-associated autoantibodies, and 215 non-ketotic type 2 diabetics. Sixty-two subjects without diabetes were used as control. Femoral intima-media thickness (FIMT), lower limb atherosclerotic plaque and stenosis were evaluated and compared among the four groups based on ultrasonography. The risk factors associated with lower limb atherosclerotic plaque were evaluated via binary logistic regression in patients with diabetes. RESULTS: After adjusting for age and sex, the prevalence of lower limb plaque in the patients with ketosis-onset diabetes (47.6%) was significantly higher than in the control subjects (25.8%, p = 0.013), and showed a higher trend compared with the patients with type 1 diabetes (39.6%, p = 0.072), but no difference was observed in comparison to the patients with non-ketotic type 2 diabetes (62.3%, p = 0.859). The mean FIMT in the ketosis-onset diabetics (0.73 ± 0.17 mm) was markedly greater than that in the control subjects (0.69 ± 0.13 mm, p = 0.045) after controlling for age and sex, but no significant differences were found between the ketosis-onset diabetics and the type 1 diabetics (0.71 ± 0.16 mm, p = 0.373), and the non-ketotic type 2 diabetics (0.80 ± 0.22 mm, p = 0.280), respectively. Age and FIMT were independent risk factors for the presence of lower limb plaque in both the ketosis-onset and non-ketotic type 2 diabetic patients, while sex and age in the type 1 diabetic patients. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence and risk of lower limb atherosclerotic plaque in the ketosis-onset diabetes were remarkably higher than in the control subjects without diabetes. The features and risk factors of lower limb atherosclerotic lesions in the ketosis-onset diabetes resembled those in the non-ketotic type 2 diabetes, but different from those in the type 1 diabetes. Our findings provide further evidences to support the classification of ketosis-onset diabetes as a subtype of type 2 diabetes rather than idiopathic type 1 diabetes

Efficacy and efficacy-influencing factors of stem cell transplantation on patients with Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundCell transplants as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease have been studied for decades, and stem cells may be the most promising cell sources for this treatment. We aimed to investigate whether stem cell transplantation contributes to the cure for Parkinson’s disease and the factors that may influence the efficacy for this therapy.MethodsPubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, SinoMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), and ChinaInfo were thoroughly searched to find controlled trials or randomized controlled trials performing stem cell transplantation in patients with Parkinson’s disease. The pooled effects were analyzed to evaluate the weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95% confidence intervals.ResultsNine articles were identified including 129 individuals. Stem cell transplantation was an effective treatment for Parkinson’s disease (WMD = −14.86; 95% CI: −16.62 to −13.10; p &lt; 0.00001), with neural stem cells, umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSCs), and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) being effective cell sources for transplantation. Stem cell transplantation can be effective for at least 12 months, but its long-term effectiveness remains unknown due to the limited studies monitoring patients for more than 1 year, not to mention decades.ConclusionData from controlled trials suggest that stem cell transplantation as a therapy for Parkinson’s disease can be effective for at least 12 months. The factors that may influence its curative effect are time after transplantation and stem cell types.Systematic review registration(Registration ID: CRD42022353145)

In vitro dissolution and in vivo gamma-scintigraphic evaluation of press-coated salbutamol sulfate tablet

The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro and in vivo performance of salbutamol sulfate press-coated tablets for delayed release. The in vitro release behavior of press-coated tablets with the outer layer of PEG 6000/Eudragit S100 blends (2:1) in pH 1.2 (0.1 mol L–1 HCl) and then pH 6.8 buffer solution was examined. Morphological change of the press-coated tablet during in vitro release was recorded with a digital camera. Release of salbutamol sulfate from press-coated tablets was less than 5 % before 3 h and was completed after 8 h in pH 6.8 phosphate buffer solution. In vivo gamma scintigraphy study carried out on healthy men indicated that the designed system released the drug in lower parts of the GI tract after a lag time of 5 hours. The results showed the capability of the system of achieving delayed release of the drug in both in vitro and in vivo gamma scintigraphy studies