The poor control of hypertension in China

Hypertension is one of the most important modifiable risk factor for life-threatening diseases. In China, the percentages of those with hypertension that are aware, treated and controlled are unacceptably low. However, multiple factors contribute to this status. China’s experience demonstrates that health development does not automatically follow economic growth.Key words: Hypertension, China, awareness, treatment, control

Cardioprotective effects of tanshinone IIA pretreatment via kinin B2 receptor-Akt-GSK-3β dependent pathway in experimental diabetic cardiomyopathy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Aims</p> <p>Diabetic cardiomyopathy, characterized by myocardial structural and functional changes, is a specific cardiomyopathy develops in patients with diabetes mellitus. The present study was to investigate the role of kinin B2 receptor-Akt-glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β signalling pathway in mediating the protective effects of tanshinone IIA (TSN) on diabetic cardiomyopathy.</p> <p>Methods and results</p> <p>Streptozocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats (n = 60) were randomized to receive TSN, TSN plus HOE140 (a kinin B2 receptor antagonist), or saline. Healthy Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (n = 20) were used as control. Left ventricular function, myocardial apoptosis, myocardial ultrastructure, Akt, GSK-3β and NF-κB phosphorylation, the expression of TNF-α, IL-6 and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were examined. Cardiac function was well preserved as evidenced by increased left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and ± dp/dt (maximum speed of contraction/relaxation), along with decreased myocardial apoptotic death after TSN administration. TSN pretreatment alleviated mitochondria ultrastructure changes. TSN also enhanced Akt and GSK-3β phosphorylation and inhibited NF-κB phosphorylation, resulting in decreased TNF-α, IL-6 and MPO activities. Moreover, pretreatment with HOE140 abolished the beneficial effects of TSN: a decrease in LVEF and ± dp/dt, an inhibition of cardiomyocyte apoptosis, a destruction of cardiomyocyte mitochondria cristae, a reduction of Akt and GSK-3β phosphorylation, an enhancement of NF-κB phosphorylation and an increase of TNF-α, IL-6 and MPO production.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data indicated that TSN is cardioprotective in the context of diabetic cardiomyopathy through kinin B2 receptor-Akt-GSK-3β dependent pathway.</p

Alterations of the Gut Microbiome Associated With the Treatment of Hyperuricaemia in Male Rats

Hyperuricaemia is an important risk factor for many diseases including gout, hypertension, and type II diabetes. The gut microbiota is associated with hyperuricaemia and has also been demonstrated to play significant roles in the effects of drug therapy. This study used Illumina MiSeq sequencing to explore alterations of the gut microbiome associated with allopurinol and benzbromarone treatment in the male rat with hyperuricaemia. After drug treatment, both allopurinol and benzbromarone caused an increase of the genera Bifidobacterium and Collinsella and a decrease of the genera Adlercreutzia and Anaerostipes. In addition, allopurinol and benzbromarone caused respective unique changes in genera. The genera Bilophila, Morganella, and Desulfovibrio specifically decreased due to allopurinol treatment. Decreased Butyricimonas and Ruminococcus and increased Proteus were caused by benzbromarone treatment. The PICRUST analysis indicated that allopurinol renovated the disorder of nucleotide metabolism and benzbromarone renovated the disorder of lipid metabolism in the gut microbiota of male rats with hyperuricaemia. These findings demonstrated that the gut microbiota may be altered by the treatment of hyperuricaemia with allopurinol and benzbromarone in male rats. Such alterations of the gut microbiota could be considered as indicators of the effectiveness of drug therapy

Sulfonated Dopant-Free Hole-Transport Material Promotes Interfacial Charge Transfer Dynamics for Highly Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

The integration of a functional group into dopant-free hole-transport materials (HTMs) to modify the perovskite|HTM interface has become a promising strategy for high-performance and stable perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In this work, a sulfonated phenothiazine-based HTM is reported, namely TAS, which consists of a butterfly structure with a readily synthesized N,​N-​bis[4-​(methylthio)​phenyl]​aniline side functional group. The interaction between TAS and perovskite via Pb–S bond induces a dipole moment that deepens the valence band of perovskite and thereby leads to enhanced open-circuit voltage in corresponding n-i-p PSCs. More importantly, the functionalization of perovskite surface via Pb–S bond promotes the hole extraction reaction while suppressing the interfacial non-radiative recombination, contributing to a 20–50% performance improvement compared to less- (4-​(methylthio)​-​N-​[4-​(methylthio)​phenyl]​aniline, DAS) or non-interacting (N,N-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)aniline, TAO) counterparts. Consequently, TAS-based PSCs exhibit superior device stability with a high PCE retention (>90% of the initial value) after 125 days of storage in the air.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

The cause analysis of benign uretero-ileal anastomotic stricture after radical cystectomy and urinary diversion

BackgroundBenign uretero-ileal anastomotic stricture (UIAS) is a major complication following radical cystectomy (RC) and ileal orthotopic bladder substitution, and it can occur in combination with other complications. But risk factors for patients with UIAS have not been well described.Material and methodsWe retrospectively reviewed 198 patients treated with RC for bladder cancer from 2014 to 2019 at the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital. Patient demographic and clinical variables were examined to determine the risk factors associated with UIAS by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis.ResultsA total of 180 patients into the group standards and in all 360 uretero-ileal anastomoses. Among the above cases, 22 patients developed UIAS, including 10 cases of left UIAS, nine cases of right UIAS, and three cases of bilateral UIAS. There was no difference in demographic, operative, or perioperative variables between patients with and without UIAS. In a multivariate analysis, after adjusting for gender, age, surgical methods, and underlying diseases, intraoperative or postoperative blood transfusion (HR = 0.144, P &lt;0.01), postoperative urinary tract infection (HR = 3.624, P &lt;0.01), and extracorporeal bladder anastomosis (HR = 3.395, P = 0.02) significantly increased the risk of UIAS.ConclusionsIn our experience, intraoperative or postoperative blood transfusion, postoperative urinary tract infection, and extracorporeal neobladder anastomoses increased the risk of UIAS after radical cystectomy and ileal orthotopic bladder substitution surgery. Further studies with larger samples are necessary to validate this result

Clinical application of superselective transarterial embolization of renal tumors in zero ischaemia robotic-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy

ObjectiveTo assess the feasibility and safety of zero ischaemia robotic-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (RALPN) after preoperative superselective transarterial embolization (STE) of T1 renal cancer.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the data of 32 patients who underwent zero ischaemia RALPN after STE and 140 patients who received standard robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (S-RALPN). In addition, we selected 35 patients treated with off-clamp RALPN (O-RALPN) from September 2017 to March 2022 for comparison. STE was performed by the same interventional practitioner, and zero ischaemia laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) was carried out by experienced surgeon 1-12 hours after STE. The intraoperative data and postoperative complications were recorded. The postoperative renal function, routine urine test, urinary Computed Tomography (CT), and preoperative and postoperative glomerular filtration rate (GFR) data were analyzed.ResultsAll operations were completed successfully. There were no cases of conversion to opening and no deaths. The renal arterial trunk was not blocked. No blood transfusions were needed. The mean operation time was 91.5 ± 34.28 minutes. The mean blood loss was 58.59 ± 54.11 ml. No recurrence or metastasis occurred.ConclusionFor patients with renal tumors, STE of renal tumors in zero ischaemia RALPN can preserve more renal function, and it provides a safe and feasible surgical method

Optimal load demand forecasting in air conditioning using deep belief networks optimized by an improved version of snake optimization algorithm

Abstract Air conditioning systems play a vital role in maintaining comfortable indoor environments, particularly in hot and humid climates. However, these systems consume a significant amount of energy, making load demand forecasting an important aspect of energy management. In this study, the authors propose a novel approach for load demand forecasting in air conditioning systems using a hybrid deep belief network (HDBN) and an improved snake optimization algorithm (ISOA). The HDBN is a machine learning technique that combines deep learning and probabilistic graphical models to capture complex patterns in the input data. The ISOA is a nature‐inspired optimization algorithm that mimics the movement of a snake to search for optimal solutions. The proposed approach is evaluated using real‐world data from a commercial building in a hot and humid region. The results show that the proposed HDBN/ISOA approach outperforms other commonly used techniques in terms of accuracy. The proposed approach can be used to optimize energy consumption and reduce costs in air conditioning systems

The Roles of Multiple UNC-40 (DCC) Receptor-Mediated Signals in Determining Neuronal Asymmetry Induced by the UNC-6 (Netrin) Ligand

The polarization of post-mitotic neurons is poorly understood. Preexisting spatially asymmetric cues, distributed within the neuron or as extracellular gradients, could be required for neurons to polarize. Alternatively, neurons might have the intrinsic ability to polarize without any preestablished asymmetric cues. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the UNC-40 (DCC) receptor mediates responses to the extracellular UNC-6 (netrin) guidance cue. For the HSN neuron, an UNC-6 ventral-dorsal gradient asymmetrically localizes UNC-40 to the ventral HSN surface. There an axon forms, which is ventrally directed by UNC-6. In the absence of UNC-6, UNC-40 is equally distributed and the HSN axon travels anteriorly in response to other cues. However, we find that a single amino acid change in the UNC-40 ectodomain causes randomly oriented asymmetric UNC-40 localization and a wandering axon phenotype. With UNC-6, there is normal UNC-40 localization and axon migration. A single UNC-6 amino acid substitution enhances the mutant phenotypes, whereas UNC-6 second-site amino acid substitutions suppress the phenotypes. We propose that UNC-40 mediates multiple signals to polarize and orient asymmetry. One signal triggers the intrinsic ability of HSN to polarize and causes randomly oriented asymmetry. Concurrently, another signal biases the orientation of the asymmetry relative to the UNC-6 gradient. The UNC-40 ectodomain mutation activates the polarization signal, whereas different forms of the UNC-6 ligand produce UNC-40 conformational changes that allow or prohibit the orientation signal

Influence of Scandium Addition on Stress Corrosion Cracking Susceptibility of Al-Zn-Mg Alloy in Different Corrosive Environments

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) susceptibilities of Al-Zn-Mg alloys without and with Scandium addition were evaluated in 3.5% NaCl solution at different pH and different strain rate, using slow strain rate test technique. The results indicate that Sc addition reduces grain size and width of precipitation free zones, and transforms grain boundary precipitates from continuous distribution into interrupted distribution by inhibiting recrystallization. In solution at pH 1, pH 3 and pH 7, Sc addition reduces the degree of localized corrosion of alloy surface and SCC susceptibility of Al-Zn-Mg alloy. However, in solution at pH 10 and pH 12, grain refinement significantly promotes the diffusion of hydrogen atoms into matrix, thus Sc addition increases SCC susceptibility of Al-Zn-Mg alloy. Under different strain rate conditions, Sc addition can all reduce SCC susceptibility of Al-Zn-Mg alloy in solution at pH 1, pH 3 and pH 7, and can all increase SCC susceptibility of Al-Zn-Mg alloy in solution at pH 10 and pH 12. As a result, Sc modified Al-Zn-Mg alloy in practical applications should be avoided in alkaline environments