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Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a malignant cardiovascular disease. Eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) plays an important role in the proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) in hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension (HPH) rats. However, the regulatory mechanism of eIF2α remains poorly understood in PAH rats. Here, we discover eIF2α is markedly upregulated in monocrotaline (MCT)-induced PAH rats, eIF2α can be upregulated by mRNA methylation, and upregulated eIF2α can promote PASMC proliferation in MCT-PAH rats. GSK2606414, eIF2α inhibitor, can downregulate the expression of eIF2α and alleviate PASMC proliferation in MCT-PAH rats. And we further discover the mRNA of eIF2α has a common sequence with N 6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification by bioinformatics analysis, and the expression of METTL3, WTAP, and YTHDF1 is upregulated in MCT-PAH rats. These findings suggest a potentially novel mechanism by which eIF2α is upregulated by m6A modification in MCT-PAH rats, which is involved in the pathogenesis of PAH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardio-Cerebrovascular Disease is a collective term for cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular disease, being a serious threat to human health. A growing number of studies have proved that the content of inflammatory factors or mediators determines the stability of vascular plaque and the incidence of cardio-cerebrovascular event, and involves in the process of Cardio-Cerebrovascular Diseases. Interleukin-6 is a widely used cytokine that causes inflammation and oxidative stress, which would further result in cardiac and cerebral injury. The increased expression of interleukin-6 is closely related to atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, heart failure and ischemic stroke. It is a key risk factor for these diseases by triggering inflammatory reaction and inducing other molecules release. Therefore, interleukin-6 may become a potential target for Cardio-Cerebrovascular Diseases in the future. This paper is aimed to discuss the expression changes and pathological mechanisms of interleukin-6 in Cardio-Cerebrovascular Diseases, and to provide a novel strategy for the prevention and treatment of Cardio-Cerebrovascular Diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Unlike unipolar depression, depressive episode of bipolar disorder is often associated with clinical characteristics, such as atypical and mixed symptoms. However, there are currently no valid and reliable specific tools available to assess the specific psychiatric symptomatology of depressive episode of bipolar disorder in China. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Bipolar Depression Rating Scale (BDRS) in Chinese patients with bipolar disorder. Methods: The sample of this study included 111 patients with bipolar disorder (30 male, 81 female). All participants were interviewed with the Chinese version of the BDRS (BDRS-C), the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17), the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS). A psychometric analysis of the BDRS was conducted. Results: The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the BDRS-C reached a value of 0.869. The BDRS-C score and scores for the HAMD-17 (r = 0.819, p < 0.01), the MADRS (r = 0.882, p < 0.01) and the YMRS (r = 0.355, p < 0.01) exhibited significant positive correlations. Close correlations were observed between the mixed subscale score of the BDRS-C and the YMRS score (r = 0.784, p < 0.01). Exploratory factor analysis resulted in three factors: a primary depressive symptoms cluster, a secondary depressive symptoms cluster, and a mixed symptoms cluster. Conclusion: The Chinese version of the BDRS has satisfactory psychometric properties. This is a valid and reliable instrument to assess depressive symptomatology in patients with bipolar disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automatic detection of early rottenness caused by P enicillium is still a challenge due to the high similarity between the rotten region and sound tissue, and the large variations in surface background color of apples. A hyperspectral reflectance imaging system and a systematic approach were developed to detect the early rottenness caused by P enicillium on Fuji apples. The principal component analysis of the hyperspectral reflectance images in the full region (400-1,000 nm) of spectra was used to develop hyperspectral image analytical algorithm and select the efficient wavelengths. Independent component analysis ( ICA) based on the selected efficient wavelengths (810 and 970 nm, respectively) and simple thresholding methods were used to segment and classify the rottenness from the sound tissue. Finally, ICA-based image processing and classification algorithm was developed based on the images at 810 and 970 nm to realize the fast inspection of early rottenness. The detection result with 97% overall accuracy indicated that the proposed system and algorithm were efficient and suitable for the detection of the early rottenness caused by P enicillium on Fuji apples. This study was the first attempt to use hyperspectral imaging system to detect the early rottenness caused by P enicillium on Fuji apples and would lay a foundation for the development of multispectral imaging system for fast inspection of rottenness. The limitation of our research is the limited inspection view of the samples. Future work will be focused on simultaneous whole surface inspection using multispectral imaging system. Practical Applications The algorithm and results in our paper can provide a foundational basis to develop a real-time inspection system to detect rottenness on apples in the postharvest processing line, or develop a monitoring system to monitor the quality changes in storage shelf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new anthraquinone glycosides, named 1-methyl-8-hydroxyl-9,10-anthraquinone-3-O-β-d-(6'-O-cinnamoyl)glucopyranoside (1) and rhein-8-O-β-d-[6'-O-(3''-methoxyl malonyl)]glucopyranoside (2), have been isolated from the roots of Rheum palmatum, together with seven known compounds, rhein-8-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (3), physcion-8-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (4), chrysophanol-8-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (5), aleo-emodin-8-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (6), emodin-8-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (7), aleo-emodin-ω-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (8), and emodin-1-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (9). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of chemical and spectral analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ion back flow(IBF) is defined as the ions that are generated during multiplication in a thick-gas-electron-multiplier (THGEM) detector flow along the electric field. In order to suppress the IBF effect, we study ion transportation for THGEMs with various high voltages and geometrical parameters. By measuring the currents of all the electrodes of the THGEMs, the effective gain and ion back flow ratio are calculated. The measurement and simulation results reveal that with a staggered triple THGEM configuration, ion back flow can be suppressed to 1% with a proper working high voltage. The gain of the staggered configuration is less than that of the aligned configuration by 5% under the same high voltage condition. The design and the results are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic balance of cardiomyocytes and neurons is essential to maintain the normal physiological functions of heart and brain. If excessive cells die in tissues, serious Cardio-Cerebrovascular Diseases would occur, namely, hypertension, myocardial infarction, and ischemic stroke. The regulation of cell death plays a role in promoting or alleviating Cardio-Cerebrovascular Diseases. Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent new type of cell death that has been proved to occur in a variety of diseases. In our review, we focus on the critical role of ferroptosis and its regulatory mechanisms involved in Cardio-Cerebrovascular Diseases, and discuss the important function of ferroptosis-related inhibitors in order to propose potential implications for the prevention and treatment of Cardio-Cerebrovascular Diseases., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Luo, Su, Gong, Liang, Huang, Chen, Wang and Tian.)

Microglia-associated neuroinflammation plays an important role in the pathophysiology of ischemic stroke. Microglial activation and polarization, and the inflammatory response mediated by these cells play important roles in the development, progression and outcome of brain injury after ischemic stroke. Currently, there is no effective strategy for treating ischemic stroke in clinical practice. Therefore, it is clinically important to study the role and regulation of microglia in stroke. In this review, we discuss the involvement of microglia in the neuroinflammatory process in ischemic stroke, with the aim of providing a better understanding of the relationship between ischemic stroke and microglia., Competing Interests: None