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Objective: Levosimendan has been demonstrated to reduce the incidence of cardiogenic shock and facilitate weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass. However, the beneficial effects of levosimendan treatment on hospital outcomes in patients receiving venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) are uncertain. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the short-term effects of levosimendan use for patients undergoing VA-ECMO. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for English articles published from inception to July 15, 2021. Observational studies comparing levosimendan versus non- levosimendan for VA-ECMO were considered eligible for the current study. Results: Nine observational studies with 1058 patients were included. In-hospital mortality was 46.3% in the levosimendan group as compared with 50.7% in the control group. Levosimendan significantly reduced in-hospital mortality in patients undergoing VA-ECMO compared with the control group (RR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67–0.95; p = 0.013). The incidence of weaning from VA-ECMO was 79.3% in the levosimendan group as compared with 63.4% in the control group. Levosimendan significantly increase the incidence of weaning from VA-ECMO in patients as compared with the control group (RR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.07–1.34; p = 0.002). In the one-way sensitivity analysis for estimating the effect of each study on mortality or weaning from VA-ECMO, omission of each study did not make a significant difference. Conclusions: Our study indicates that levosimendan use significantly reduced in-hospital mortality and increase the incidence of weaning in patients undergoing VA-ECMO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GPR112 protein, as a member of adhesion class G protein-coupled receptors family (aGPCRs), is encoded by GPR112 gene. It contains seven transmembrane domains and interacts with G protein to perform its functions. Zebrafish is an important model organism for studying the development of vertebrates. Its genome contains the homologous gene GPR1112a of GPR112, which is expressed in both juvenile and adult fish. To study the role of GPR112 in vertebrate survival and development, CRISPR-Cas9 technology was utilized to construct a gpr112a knockout zebrafish line. First, a pair of sgRNAs targeting the second exon of the gpr112a gene were synthesized and microinjected to obtain F0 generation chimeric zebrafish. Next, the F1 generation zebrafish obtained by mating the chimeras with wild-type zebrafish were genotyped. The gpr112a mutant hetero-zygotes were screened and the gpr112a mutant alleles were subjected to Sanger sequencing to determine the establishment of gpr112a knockout lines. The gpr112a mutant heterozygous zebrafish were then selfed to obtain gpr112a mutant homozygous zebrafish. After microscopic imaging and observation, the zebrafish homozygous for the gpr112a mutation at 7 days post fertilization did not show a phenotype that was significantly different from that of the wild type, which may be caused by the compensatory mechanism of the zebrafish body. This study laid a foundation for exploring the role of GPR112 gene in vertebrate survival and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the expression of CD146 and its role in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Methods: Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was performed to analyse the expression and relationship of sCD146, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), sVEGFR1 and sVEGFR2 in vitreous specimens from PDR and idiopathic epiretinal membranes (IERM) or idiopathic macular hole patients. The location of CD146 in ERMs was detected by immunofluorescence. The oxygen‐induced retinopathy (OIR) mice model was established and the adeno‐associated virus expressing a shRNA of CD146 (AAV1‐shCD146‐GFP) was administered via intravitreal injection. The effect of AAV1‐shCD146‐GFP was explored by immunofluorescence, Western blot and quantitative real‐time PCR. Results: The levels of sCD146 in vitreous specimens from PDR patients and CD146 in retinas from OIR mice were significantly increased. Immunofluorescence showed that CD146 was co‐located with CD31, VEGF, VEGFR1 and VEGFR2, respectively. Intravitreal injection of AAV1‐shCD146‐GFP could dramatically reduce the formation of neovascularization and non‐perfusion area by inhibiting VEGFR2 phosphorylation. Conclusion: Our results indicated that CD146 was involved in the development of retinal neovascularization via VEGFR2 pathway. Anti‐CD146 may be an innovative or adjuvant therapy, which provides a new direction for the treatment of PDR and other ocular neovascular diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon neutrality lays out a grand blueprint for carbon emission reduction and climate governance in China. How to reduce energy consumption is the key to achieving this goal. The economic development and energy consumption show a very large gap at the provincial level, and this paper divides China into six regions (North, Northeast, East, Mid-South, Southwest, and Northwest) and analyzes the dynamic changes and reveals the driving factors that have affected CO2 emission changes from 1997 to 2017. Then, the driving forces including energy intensity, energy structure, energy efficiency, economic activity, and population scale were discussed employing the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) based on provincial panel data. The results show that CO2 emissions from energy consumption show an upward trend, from 4145 Mt in 1997 to 13,250 Mt in 2017, with an annual average growth rate of 1.06%; coal consumption is the main source of CO2 emission. The regions with the highest proportion of CO2 emissions are the East and North, which account for 50% of total emissions. China's CO2 emissions from energy consumption, coal consumption, and output have shown significant spatial autocorrelation at the provincial scale. According to coal consumption, energy consumption CO2 emissions are divided into three stages: phase I (1997–2002), the increase in CO2 emissions in six regions was attributed to significant and positive impacts of energy intensity, economic activity, and population scale, the effects of which exceeded those of the energy structure and energy efficiency; phase II (2003–2012), the economic activity effect on CO2 emissions was highest in the East region, followed by the North and Mid-South regions; phase III (2013–2017), the East, Mid-South, and Southwest regions of China were dominated by the positive effects of energy intensity, economic activity, and population scale. The major driver of CO2 emissions is economic activity; the energy efficiency effect is an important inhibitory factor. Regional economic development and energy consumption in China are unbalanced; we conclude that differentiated emission reduction measures should be of particular concern for policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]