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BACKGROUND: The incidence of left ventricular thrombus (LVT) is 4% to 15% in patients with anterior acute ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction (ant‐AMI) in the era of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). And patients with LVT have higher in‐hospital mortality. HYPOTHESIS: There is a relationship between LVT formation and 1‐year major adverse cardio‐cerebrovascular events (MACCE) in patients with ant‐AMI treated by PPCI. METHODS: Our study population included 1488 consecutive patients with ant‐AMI. The primary endpoint was the incidence of MACCE within 1 year after AMI. The secondary endpoint was the thrombosis disappearance. RESULTS: A total of 106 (7.1%) patients were diagnosed with LVT and 1382 (92.9%) patients without LVT. Patients with LVT had a higher incidence of MACCE than in patients without LVT (21.7%vs10.3%; P < 0.001). Univariate analysis showed LVT was associated with an increase in MACCE risk (odds ratio [OR] = 2.40; 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.37‐4.21]; P < 0.001). When examining MACCE components individually, LVT was only associated with the incidence of congestive heart failure (OR = 2.41; 95% CI [1.29‐4.58]; P = 0.001). After adjustment for principal confounders, LVT remained an independent risk factor for MACCE (HR = 2.28; 95% CI [1.12‐6.38]; P = 0.020). Other independent predictors include 24‐hour LVEF, creatine kinase peak value, and age. Further analysis found patients with LVT in international normalized ratio (INR) ≥ 2 group had lower MACCE risk and higher thrombus disappearance than in INR < 2 group (13.5%vs29.6%; P = 0.044; 90.4%vs74.1%; P = 0.029). CONCLUSION: For patients with ant‐AMI treated by PPCI, LVT is an independent predictor of 1‐year MACCE events. Treatment with vitamin K antagonist in the therapeutic range (INR ≥ 2) has the potential to reduce MACCE risk and promote disappearance of thrombus.

A novel water-soluble sulfated derivative, kaempferol-3'-sulfonate acid sodium (KS) with the composition of [C15 H9 O9 SNa]·2.5H2 O, was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, (1) H NMR, (13) C NMR, and HRMS. Its protective effects on human vascular smooth muscle cells injured by hydrogen peroxide were evaluated by CCK-8 method, flow cytometry, and Western blotting. The experimental results indicated that the KS can significantly increase cell viability and reduce apoptosis on H2 O2 -injured VSMCs, as well as reverse the effects of H2 O2 on Bcl-2, Bad, and caspase-3 expressions. In addition, LDH leakage, MDA levels, and SOD and GSH activities were also measured with spectrophotometry. The results indicated that the KS acted as antioxidant preventing LDH leakage and MDA production, while increasing intracellular SOD and GSH activities. These findings revealed that KS might potentially serve as an effective antioxidant agent for prevention and treatment of vascular disease caused by H2 O2 -injured VSMCs.

Previous work has shown that the presence of excess coat protein (CP) of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) in the chloroplasts was related with mosaic symptoms. However, whether these mosaic symptoms are directly induced by the interaction between CP and chloroplasts is unknown. To directly demonstrate the interaction between CP and the chloroplast, Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 was used as the chloroplast model. The cDNA encoding the CMV-CP was cloned in a cyanobacterial shuttle vector (pKT-CP) and transferred to Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. The CP was expressed in the cyanobacterium with the psbA promoter. The expression of CMV-CP hindered the growth of transgenic cyanobacterium cells and decreased its photosynthetic rate and the PS II activity. The transgenic cells showed increased fluorescence (F) from the phycobilisome terminal emitters and increased fluorescence (F) from PS II. The absorption spectra at room temperature showed the Chl and the phycocyanin absorption peak of the mutant strain significantly decreased. These results showed that CP may directly affect the cyanobacterium cells and decreased its photosynthesis, especially the PS II activity. These data might provide new evidence for mosaic symptoms being directly induced by the interaction between CP and chloroplasts.

The reaction of CuCl(2).2 H2O with trivacant Keggin polyoxoanions K8Na2[A-alpha-GeW9O34].25 H2O or K10[A-alpha-SiW9O34].25 H2O in the presence of 1,2-diaminopropane (dap), ethylenediamine (en) or 2,2'-bipyridine (2,2'-bpy) under hydrothermal conditions afforded five novel hybrid inorganic-organic octa-Cu sandwiched polyoxotungstates (POTs): H4[CuII8(dap)4(H2O)2(B-alpha-GeW9O34)2].13 H2O (1), (H2en)2[CuII8-(en)4(H2O)2(B-alpha-GeW9O34)2].5 H2O(2), (H2en)2[CuII8(en)4(H2O)2(B-alpha-SiW9-O34)2].8 H2O (3), [CuII(H2O)2]H2[CuII8-(en)4(H2O)2(B-alpha-SiW9O34)2] (4), and [CuII2(H2O)2(2,2'-bpy)2]{[CuII(bdyl)]2-[CuII8(2,2'-bpy)4(H2O)2(B-alpha-GeW9-O34)2]}.4 H2O (bdyl=2,2'-bipyridinyl)(5). Additionally, CuCl(2).2 H2O reacts with the mixture of GeO2, Na2WO(4).2 H2O, H2SiW12O(40).2 H2O in the presence of 2,2'-bpy and 4,4'-bpy under hydrothermal conditions leading to another novel mixed-valent octa-Cu sandwiched POT hybrid: [CuI(2,2'-bpy)(4,4'-bpy)]2[{CuI2(2,2'-bpy)2(4,4'-bpy)]2[CuI2CuII6(2,2'-bpy)2(4,4'-bpy)2(B-alpha-GeW9O34)2}].2 H2O (6). 1, 2, and 3 are discrete dimers constructed from two trivacant Keggin [B-alpha-XW9O34]10- (X=GeIV/SiIV) fragments and an octa-Cu cluster whereas 4 displays the 3D (3,6)-connected nets with (4.6(2))(4(2).6(4).8(7).10(2)) topology, which are built by octa-Cu sandwiched polyoxometalate building blocks through copper cation bridges. 5 is a novel 2D layer based on octa-Cu sandwiched POT clusters and [CuII2(bdyl)] units. Interestingly, the rollover metalation of 2,2'-bpy is firstly observed in the system containing the copper complex under hydrothermal conditions. 6 is a discrete mixed-valent octa-Cu sandwiched POT supported by two CuI-complexes [CuI2-(2,2'-bpy)2(4,4'-bpy)]2+ through 4,4'-bpy bridges, which constructs a novel dodeca-copper cluster. Notably, the octa-Cu cluster in 6 is mixed-valent and is different from those in 1-5. To our knowledge, 1-6 represent a rare family of POTs incorporating novel octa-nuclear transition-metal clusters in polyoxometalate chemistry. They were structurally characterized by FT-IR spectra, elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The magnetic properties of 1, 4, and 5 were quantitatively analyzed by the MAGPACK software package.

In adults, angiogenic abnormalities are involved in not only tumor growth but several human inherited diseases as well. It is unclear, however, concerning how the normal vascular structure is maintained and how angiogenesis is initiated in normal adults. Using the Cre-LoxP-mediated conditional gene deletion, we show in the present study that in adult mice disruption of the transcription factor recombination signal-binding protein Jkappa (RBP-J) in endothelial cells strikingly induced spontaneous angiogenesis in multiple tissues, including retina and cornea, as well as in internal organs, such as liver and lung. In a choroidal neovascularization model, which mimics the angiogenic process in tumor growth and age-related macular degeneration, RBP-J deficiency induced a more intensive angiogenic response to injury. This could be transmitted by bone marrow, indicating that RBP-J could modulate bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells in adult angiogenesis. In addition, in the absence of RBP-J, proliferation of endothelial cells increased significantly, leading to accumulative vessel outgrowth. These findings suggest that in adults RBP-J-mediated Notch signaling may play an essential role in the maintenance of vascular homeostasis by repressing endothelial cell proliferation.

To investigate the mechanism of resistance to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) powdery mildew, suppression subtractive hybridization was conducted between an isogenic resistant line carrying Pm21 and its recurrent parent Yangmai 5 to isolate the resistance relative genes. A cDNA fragment specifically expressed in the resistant line was obtained and its full length was cloned by in silico cloning and RT-PCR. This gene encoded a deduced protein of 219 amino acids with a leucine-rich repeat (LRR) motif, often found in plant resistance genes, and was designated as Ta-LRR2. Ta-LRR2 had an increased expression level in the resistant line after inoculation with Erysiphe graminis DC. f. sp. tritici Marchal. PCR analysis with different cytogenetic stocks suggested that Ta-LRR2 was specifically associated with chromosome arms 6VS and 6AS. Linkage analysis further showed that Ta-LRR2 could be used as a resistance gene analog polymorphism marker of Pm21 for marker-assisted selection in germplasm enhancement and breeding practice. Moreover, how to isolate Pm21 based on the information obtained for Ta-LRR2 is discussed. (Managing editor: Li-Hui Zhao)

After converting cropland to forest, carbon is sequestered in the aggrading biomass of the new forests, but the question remains, to what extent will the former arable soil contribute as a sink for CO2? Quantifying changes in soil carbon is an important consideration in the large-scale conversion of cropland to forest. Extensive field studies were undertaken to identify a number of suitable sites for comparison of soil properties under pasture and forest. The present paper describes results from a study of the effects of first rotation larch on soil carbon in seven stands in an afforestation chronosequence compared with adjacent Korean pine, pasture, and cropland. An adjacent 250-year-old natural forest was included to give information on the possible long-term changes in soil carbon in northeast China in 2004. Soil carbon initially decreased during the first 12 yr before a gradual recovery and accumulation of soil carbon occurred. The initial (0–12 yr) decrease in soil carbon was an average 1.2% per year among case studies, whereas the increase in soil carbon (12–33 yr) was 1.90% per year. Together with the carbon sequestration of forest floors, this led to total soil carbon stores of approximately 101.83 Mg/hm2 over the 33-year chronosequence. Within the relatively short time span, carbon sequestration occurred mainly in tree biomass, whereas soil carbon stores were clearly higher in the 250-year-old plantation (184 Mg/hm2). The ongoing redistribution of mineral soil carbon in the young stands and the higher soil carbon contents in the 250-year-old afforested stand suggest that nutrient-rich afforestation soils may become greater sinks for carbon (C) in the long term. (Managing editor: Ya-Qin Han)

A polyoxometalate-based inorganic–organic hybrid compound [CoII(2, 2′-bpy)2]2[Mo8O26] (1) was synthesized by hydrothermal methods and structurally characterized by IR spectrum, TG analysis and X-ray diffraction. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P21/n, a = 10.0681(2), b = 16.4467(2), c = 15.7838(3) A, β = 100.046(1)°, V = 2573.52(8) A3, Z = 2. The structure of 1 is built up from β-[Mo8O26]4− subunits covalently linked via [CoII(2, 2′-bpy)2]2+ fragments into a infinite 1D {[CoII(2, 2′-bpy)2]2[Mo8O26]}∞ polymer.

Research output and impact metrics derived from commercial citation databases such as Web of Science and Scopus have become commonly used indicators of predominantly English language scholarly performance. Yet it has been pointed out that existing metrics are largely inadequate to reflect scholars' overall peer-mediated performance, especially in the social sciences and humanities (SSH) where publication forms are more diverse. In this paper alternative metrics exploring a variety of communication sources were explored, with the aim of better reflecting SSH scholarship. Data for a group of 16 SSH scholars resident on Taiwan were collected, along with the number of grants and awards received from the chief public grantmaking body for the sciences on the island. Principle component analysis revealed four underlying dimensions represented by the 18 metrics. Multiple-regression analyses were performed to examine how well each of the metrics and dimensions predicted the number of public grants awarded the study cohorts. Differences in the significance of the predictors were found between the social sciences and humanities. The results suggest the need to consider disciplinary differences when evaluating scholarly performance.