A new species of Argentina (Rosaceae, Potentilleae) from Southeast Tibet, with reference to the taxonomic status of the genus

Argentina songzhuensis, a new species of tribe Potentilleae (Rosaceae) from Southeast Tibet, is described and illustrated. Placement of this species within Argentina was assessed based on morphological comparisons with related species and on phylogenetic analyses of nuclear ITS and plastid trnL-F sequences. The new species is similar to A. glabriuscula, but can be easily distinguished by its densely hairy leaflets, number of stamens (ca.10-12) and decurrent bases of the uppermost pair of leaflets. Our results support the generic status of Argentina and suggest that ventral stipular auricles may be a good synapomorphy for the genus. The recent transfer to Argentina of several Sibbaldia species as well as the genera Piletophyllum and Tylosperma is also confirmed by our molecular phylogenetic analyses. A taxonomic key to A. songzhuensis and other Argentina species in Tibet is provided

Prognostic value of new-onset right bundle-branch block in acute myocardial infarction patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and bundle-branch block have poor prognoses. The new European Society of Cardiology guideline suggests a primary percutaneous coronary intervention strategy when persistent ischemic symptoms occur in patients with persistent ischemic symptoms and right bundle-branch block (RBBB), but the level of evidence is not high. In fact, the presence of RBBB may lead to the misdiagnosis of transmural ischemia and mask the early diagnosis of ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Moreover, new-onset RBBB is occasionally caused by AMI. Our study aims to investigate the prognostic value of new-onset RBBB in AMI. Methods and Results We conducted a meta-analysis of studies to evaluate the prognostic value of RBBB in AMI patients. Of 914 primary records, five studies and 874 MI patients were included for meta-analysis. Compared with previous RBBB, AMI patients with new-onset RBBB had a higher risk of long-term mortality (RR, 1.66, 95% CI [1.31–2.09], I2 = 0.0%, p = 0.000, n = 2), ventricular arrhythmia (RR, 4.86, 95% CI [2.10–11.27], I2 = 0.0%, p = 0.000, n = 3), and cardiogenic shock (RR, 2.76, 95% CI [1.66–4.59], I2 = 0.0%, p = 0.000, n = 3), but a lower risk of heart failure (RR, 0.66, 95% CI [0.52–0.85], I2 = 2.50%, p = 0.001, n = 4). Compared with AMI patients with new-onset permanent RBBB, patients with new-onset transient RBBB had a lower risk of short-term mortality (RR, 0.20, 95% CI [0.11–0.37], I2 = 44.1%, p = 0.000, n = 4). Conclusion New-onset RBBB is likely to increase long-term mortality, ventricular arrhythmia, and cardiogenic shock, but not heart failure in AMI patients. AMI patients with new-onset transient RBBB have a lower risk of short-term mortality than those with new-onset permanent RBBB. Revascularization therapies should be considered when persistent ischemic symptoms occur in patients with RBBB, especially new-onset RBBB

A novel stepwise catheter ablation method of the mitral isthmus for persistent atrial fibrillation: efficacy and reproducibility

Abstract Background Ethanol infusion of the vein of Marshall (EI-VOM) has been widely used to facilitate mitral isthmus (MI) ablation. According to the literature, the success rate of achieving a bidirectional conduction block across the MI ranges from 51 to 96%, with no standardized strategy or method available for cardiac electrophysiologists. Objectives This study aimed to introduce and evaluate a novel ablation method of MI. Methods Consecutive patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (PeAF) that underwent catheter ablation were included. The MI ablation procedure followed a stepwise approach. In step 1, ethanol infusion of the vein of Marshall (EI-VOM) was performed. In step 2, a “V-shape” endocardial linear ablation connecting the left inferior pulmonary vein (LIPV) to mitral annulus (MA) was performed. In step 3, earliest activation sites(EASs) near the ablation line were identified using activation mapping followed by reinforced ablation. In step 4, precise epicardial ablation was performed, with the catheter introduced into the coronary sinus(CS) to target key ablation targets (KATs). Results 135 patients with PeAF underwent catheter ablation with the stepwise ablation method adopted in 119 cases. Bidirectional conduction blocks were achieved in 117 patients (98.3%). The block rates of every step were 0%, 58.0%, 44.0%, and 92.9%, and the cumulative block rates for the four steps were 0%, 58.0%, 76.5%, and 98.3%, respectively. No patient experienced fatal complications. Conclusions Our novel stepwise catheter ablation method for MI yielded a high bidirectional block rate with high reproducibility

Chloroplast phylogeography of the East Asian Arcto-Tertiary relict Tetracentron sinense (Trochodendraceae)

Aim: A phylogeographical study of the widespread but phylogenetically isolated East Asian endemic tree species Tetracentron sinense (Trochodendraceae) was performed to evaluate whether and how Pleistocene and pre-Pleistocene climate changes helped to influence current phylogeographical patterns, and to describe the current patterns of genetic diversity and their implications for conservation. Location: Southwestern and central subtropical China. Methods: Sequences of four chloroplast spacer regions were obtained from 157 individuals of T. sinense. A haplotype network was constructed using tcs. Genetic diversity and differentiation, spatial analysis of molecular variance (SAMOVA) and analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) were used to test for genetic structure. beast was used to estimate the divergence times between haplotypes. Historical demographic expansion was tested using pairwise mismatch distribution analysis. Results: Of the 21 recovered haplotypes, three were widely distributed, but most were restricted to particular regions. Populations with high haplotype diversity were located in western Hubei, southern Sichuan and southern Chongqing. The two earliest-diverging haplotypes were found in southwestern China. The haplotype distribution of T. sinense demonstrated significant phylogeographical structure (NST \u3e GST; P \u3c 0.05). The best partitioning of genetic diversity by SAMOVA (K = 5) produced groups that matched the main tcs-derived clades. Two independent range expansions within SAMOVA-derived groups 2 and 3 were dated to approximately 399 and 311 ka, respectively. The time to the most recent common ancestor of all haplotypes was 9.6 (95% highest posterior density: 27.0–2.2) Ma, but most of the haplotype diversity appeared during the Quaternary. Main conclusions: The extant distribution of T. sinense is likely to have been shaped by both pre-Quaternary and Pleistocene climate changes. Southwestern China may have served as an important refugium for T. sinense throughout the Neogene, while the species also occupied multiple refugia during the late Pleistocene glacial periods. Populations of T. sinense were resolved into five allopatric groups, between which there is apparently no seed movement

Prenatal levonorgestrel exposure induces autism-like behavior in offspring through ERβ suppression in the amygdala

Abstract Background Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in social communication and restricted or repetitive behaviors or interests. ASD is now diagnosed in more than one out of 100 children and is biased towards males by a ratio of at least 4:1. Many possible explanations and potential causative factors have been reported, such as genetics, sex, and environmental factors, although the detailed mechanisms of ASD remain unclear. Methods The dams were exposed through oral contraceptives to either vehicle control (VEH) alone, levonorgestrel (LNG) alone, ethinyl estradiol (EE) alone, or a combination of LNG/EE for 21 days during their pregnancy. The subsequent 10-week-old offspring were used for autism-like behavior testing, and the limbic tissues were isolated for analysis. In another experimental group, 8-week-old male offspring were treated by infusion of ERβ overexpression/knockdown lentivirus in the amygdala, and the offspring were analyzed after 2 weeks. Results We show that prenatal exposure of either LNG alone or a LNG/EE combination, but not EE alone, results in suppression of ERβ (estrogen receptor β) and its target genes in the amygdala with autism-like behavior in male offspring, while there is a much smaller effect on female offspring. However, we find that there is no effect on the hippocampus and hypothalamus. Further investigation shows that ERβ suppression is due to LNG-mediated altered methylation on the ERβ promoter and results in tissue damage with oxidative stress and the dysfunction of mitochondria and fatty acid metabolism, which subsequently triggers autism-like behavior. Overexpression of ERβ in the amygdala completely restores LNG-induced ERβ suppression and autism-like behaviors in offspring, while ERβ knockdown mimics this effect, indicating that ERβ expression in the amygdala plays an important role in autism-like behavior development. Conclusions We conclude that prenatal levonorgestrel exposure induces autism-like behavior in offspring through ERβ suppression in the amygdala. To our knowledge, this is the first time the potential effect of oral contraceptives on the contribution of autism-like behavior in offspring has been discovered

Additional file 1: of Resveratrol ameliorates prenatal progestin exposure-induced autism-like behavior through ERβ activation

Table S1. Sequences of primers for the real time quantitative PCR (qPCR). Figure S1. Postnatal resveratrol treatment increases expression of SOD2 and ERRα, while it has no effect on the expression of ERβ and SIRT1 in the hypothalamus and hippocampus of prenatal norethindrone exposed offspring. Figure S2. Both resveratrol and norethindrone treatment do not change the expression and activity of SIRT1 in the amygdala. Figure S3. Postnatal resveratrol treatment ameliorates prenatal norethindrone exposure-induced oxidative stress, dysfunction of mitochondria and lipid metabolism through ERβ activation. Figure S4. Prenatal resveratrol treatment prevents prenatal norethindrone exposure-induced epigenetic changes, oxidative stress, and the dysfunction of mitochondria and lipid metabolism. Data S1. Statistical details for Fig. 2. Data S2. Statistical details for Fig. 3. Data S3. Statistical details for Fig. 4. Data S4. Statistical details for Fig. 5. Data S5. Statistical details for Fig. 6. Data S6. Statistical details for Fig. 7. (DOCX 402 kb

Additional file 1: Table S1. of Prenatal levonorgestrel exposure induces autism-like behavior in offspring through ERβ suppression in the amygdala

Sequences of primers for the real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR).Table S2. mRNA level by qPCR in the hypothalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala from 10 weeks old offspring. Figure S1. Prenatal levonorgestrel exposure does not affect the expression of ERβ and its target genes in the hypothalamus and hippocampus in 10-week-old offspring. Three-month-old pregnant dams were exposed to LNG (20 μg levonorgestrel), EE (10 μg ethinyl estradiol), LNG/EE (20 μg LNG and 10 μg EE combination), or VEH (vehicle, 5% ethanol in organic sesame oil) by subcutaneous daily injection of 0.1 ml for 21 days until pup delivery. Both male and female offspring were sacrificed at 10 weeks old to isolate the hypothalamus and hippocampus tissues for further analysis. (a–c) The mRNA levels in the hypothalamus for genes of ERβ (a), SOD2 (b), and ERRα (c), n = 5. (d–f) The mRNA levels in the hippocampus for genes of ERβ (d), SOD2 (e), and ERRα (f), n = 5. Results are expressed as mean ± SEM. Data S1 Statistical details for Fig. 1. Data S2 Statistical details for Fig. 2. Data S3 Statistical details for Fig. 3. Data S4 Statistical details for Fig. 5. (DOCX 63 kb