Novel ultrasound techniques in the identification of vulnerable plaques—an updated review of the literature

Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease partly mediated by lipoproteins. The rupture of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques and thrombosis are major contributors to the development of acute cardiovascular events. Despite various advances in the treatment of atherosclerosis, there has been no satisfaction in the prevention and assessment of atherosclerotic vascular disease. The identification and classification of vulnerable plaques at an early stage as well as research of new treatments remain a challenge and the ultimate goal in the management of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. The specific morphological features of vulnerable plaques, including intraplaque hemorrhage, large lipid necrotic cores, thin fibrous caps, inflammation, and neovascularisation, make it possible to identify and characterize plaques with a variety of invasive and non-invasive imaging techniques. Notably, the development of novel ultrasound techniques has introduced the traditional assessment of plaque echogenicity and luminal stenosis to a deeper assessment of plaque composition and the molecular field. This review will discuss the advantages and limitations of five currently available ultrasound imaging modalities for assessing plaque vulnerability, based on the biological characteristics of the vulnerable plaque, and their value in terms of clinical diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment efficacy assessment

Novel KCNJ10 Compound Heterozygous Mutations Causing EAST/SeSAME-Like Syndrome Compromise Potassium Channel Function.

Inwardly rectifying K+ channel 4.1 （Kir4.1）, encoded by KCNJ10 , is a member of the inwardly rectifying potassium channel family. In the brain, Kir4.1 is predominant in astrocytic glia and accounts for the spatial buffering of K+ released by neurons during action potential propagation. A number of studies have shown that mutations in KCNJ10 are associated with SeSAME/EAST syndrome, which is characterized by seizures, ataxia, sensorineural deafness, and electrolyte imbalance. Herein, we identified two siblings presenting with seizures and motor delays in one outbred kindred. Customized targeted-exome sequencing showed that both affected siblings are compound heterozygous for two KCNJ10 missense mutations （NM002241.4: c.601G > A: p.A201T and c.626T > C: p.I209T）. Prediction tools suggested that both amino acid substitutions were deleterious or disease causing. Further functional studies showed that Chinese hamster ovary （CHO） cells expressing either A201T and/or I209T Kir4.1 channels exhibited lower K+ currents, indicating compromised Kir4.1 biological function. Intriguingly, the A201T but not I209T mutation decreased total and cell surface Kir4.1 levels. Kir4.1 channels with the A201T mutation were unstable and degraded through lysosomal pathway. In conclusion, these data indicated that both A201T and I209T mutations disrupt Kir4.1 activity and are the cause of SeSAME/EAST-like syndrome in the siblings

SNX14 deficiency-induced defective axonal mitochondrial transport in Purkinje cells underlies cerebellar ataxia and can be reversed by valproate

共济失调是一类以运动协调性紊乱为主要特征的神经系统症状，临床表现包括步态不稳、丧失平衡、吞咽困难、眼球运动异常、肌张力受损等。厦门大学医学院神经科学研究所王鑫教授团队首次从轴突线粒体运输这一全新视角揭示了一类遗传性共济失调的发病机制，并发现抗癫痫药--丙戊酸大幅度减缓模型小鼠的疾病进程，具有较强的转化应用价值，有望为共济失调提供新的治疗手段。 该研究工作由王鑫教授指导完成，厦门大学医学院助理教授张洪峰和博士生洪育娟共同完成主要实验工作。Loss-of-function mutations in SNX14 cause autosomal recessive spinocerebellar ataxia 20, which is a form of early-onset cerebellar ataxia that lacks molecular mechanisms and mouse models. We generated Snx14-deficient mouse models and observed severe motor deficits and cell-autonomous Purkinje cell degeneration. SNX14 deficiency disrupted microtubule organization and mitochondrial transport in axons by destabilizing the microtubule-severing enzyme spastin, which is implicated in dominant hereditary spastic paraplegia with cerebellar ataxia, and compromised axonal integrity and mitochondrial function. Axonal transport disruption and mitochondrial dysfunction further led to degeneration of high-energy-demanding Purkinje cells, which resulted in the pathogenesis of cerebellar ataxia. The antiepileptic drug valproate ameliorated motor deficits and cerebellar degeneration in Snx14-deficient mice via the restoration of mitochondrial transport and function in Purkinje cells. Our study revealed an unprecedented role for SNX14-dependent axonal transport in cerebellar ataxia, demonstrated the convergence of SNX14 and spastin in mitochondrial dysfunction, and suggests valproate as a potential therapeutic agent.We thank Tim Huang for helpful discussion, Wei Mo for sharing mouse lines, Li Zhong for sharing reagents, Aidong Han, Luming Yao, Caiming Wu, Mingxia Zhu, Qingfeng Liu, Lin Zhu, Shuo Zhang, Haiping Zheng, and Changchuan Xie for technical assistance, and Cui Li for providing bioinformatics software. We also thank Novogene Co., Ltd. and PTM Biolab Co., Ltd. for technical assistance in the transcriptomic and proteomic analyses, respectively. 厦门大学医学院许华曦、赵颖俊、张云武、杜丹教授在研究过程中给予大力帮助和支持。本研究工作得到国家重点研发计划项目、国家自然科学基金、福建省自然科学基金、厦门大学校长基金的资助和支持

Experimental Investigation on Thermal Performance of Vapor Chambers with Diffident Wick Structures

In this paper, a type of vapor chamber with a gradient pore size wick (VC-G) was developed, and its thermal performance was experimentally tested and compared with two types of VCs with uniform pore size wick (which can be defined as VC-U (200) and VC-U (50) as the powder size of the wick is 50-mesh and 200-mesh, respectively) and a VC without a wick (VC-N). In addition, a VC heat transfer ability experiment platform was built, and the thermal resistance, temperature distribution and thermal response time of the VC with different wick structures were experimentally investigated. The experiment results show that the capillary driving force provided by gradient pore size wick increases gradually from outside, which can not only promote the condensation fluid to gather in the central heat source but also facilitate the vapor to spread around. Therefore, compared with VC-U (200), VC-U (50) and VC-N, VC-G shows the best heat transfer performance, temperature uniform performance and start-up performance

Operation Mode and Energy Consumption Analysis of a New Energy Tower and Ground Source-Coupled Heat Pump System

In order to solve the problems of performance degradation in energy tower heat pump (ETHP) systems under low temperature conditions and soil heat imbalances in ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems in cold regions, a new coupled system of ETHP and GSHP systems (the ET–GSHP system) and its operating mode were proposed. The mathematical model of the system was constructed along with the system’s form and operation scheme. The COP (coefficient of performance) and total energy consumption of the coupled system were then simulated and studied under a number of common operating situations. The heating season is divided into four periods based on varying outdoor ambient temperatures: the first period operates in series mode and has an average outdoor temperature of 2.38 °C; the second period operates in parallel mode and has an average outdoor temperature of −8.56 °C; the third period uses soil source heat pumps to operate separately; and the fourth period operates in series mode and has an average outdoor temperature of −11.32 °C. Operation of the coupled system in four periods was simulated and analyzed, and the operational efficiency and energy saving of the system were analyzed using an actual commercial building in a cold region as an example. The results demonstrate that the ET–GSHP system’s overall energy consumption during the heating period is reduced by 4.34% when compared to the traditional GSHP systems; the system’s COP can maintain a high level throughout the heating period, with an average COP of 3.315; and the soil temperature at the conclusion of the heating period is 25 °C, which is 8.89 °C higher than that of the traditional GSHP system, providing a guarantee of summer heat return. The new ET–GSHP system significantly boosts the efficiency of the system’s operation, achieves effective coupling between various heat sources through multi-stage control, and offers improved energy-saving advantages

Physicochemical Properties and Antibiosis Activity of the Pink Pigment of <i>Erwinia persicina</i> Cp2

The control and management of fungal diseases is a worldwide problem. A variety of microbial pigments have excellent antibacterial effects, and naturally occurring bacterial pigments may help in tackling fungal diseases. In order to explore the basic properties and biological functions of the pink pigment produced by Erwinia persicina Cp2, we used organic solvents to extract the pink pigment, analyzed the physicochemical properties of the pigment, determined the chemical composition using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS), and selected five pathogenic fungi to study the inhibitory effects of the pink pigment. The results showed that the main component of the pink pigment was usambarensine, which had a good light stability and a good temperature stability at room temperature (2+, and Zn2+ all greatly affect the stability of the pink pigment, while Fe2+ and Fe3+ made the pigment darker. Meanwhile, the pigment could exert a good inhibitory effect against four plant pathogenic fungi: Alternaria solani, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Rhizoctonia solani, and Fusarium proliferatum. However, the inhibition of Fusarium oxysporum. f. sp cucumerinum decreased significantly in the later stages. This study had detected the purification process and antifungal activity on five fungi of the pink pigment of Erwinia persicina Cp2. It lays a theoretical and practical foundation for the production of related biological agents

Stability determination of candidate reference genes in cucumber plants subjected to stresses from Phytophthora melonis

Stable reference genes are indispensable for ensuring the fidelity of determined gene expression levels. However, the expression levels of reference genes are unable to remain constant under all possible experimental conditions. Therefore, the stability determination of reference genes is necessary in an experimental system set. In the preset study, the stability of nine cucumber candidate reference genes (CsACT, CsUBQ, CsEF1&alpha;, CsCYP, Cs&alpha;TU, CsCACS, CsTIP41, CsYSL8 and CsHEL) subjected to stresses from Phytophthora melonis(P. melonis) were determined using four different analysis methods, including Delta Ct, BestKeeper, NormFinder and GeNorm. The study results revealed that CsUBQ and CsCYP were the most stable genes suitable as internal control in cucumber plants under attack by P. melonis condition

CO₂‑Responsive Pillar[5]arene-Based Molecular Recognition in Water: Establishment and Application in Gas-Controlled Self-Assembly and Release

Here we developed a novel CO₂-responsive pillararene-based molecular recognition motif established from a water-soluble pillar[5]­arene and an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS). The inclusion complex acted as a supramolecular amphiphile and self-assembled into spherical bilayer vesicles as confirmed by DLS, SEM, and TEM experiments. These vesicles were disrupted upon bubbling N₂ or adding much more SDS to eliminate the inclusion complex. The assembly and disassembly of vesicles were successfully employed in gas and surfactant triggered releases of calcein, a water-soluble dye