Role of PPAR-related genes in chronic heart failure: evidence from large populations.

BACKGROUND: The role of PPAR signaling and its associated genes in the pathogenesis and progression of chronic heart failure (CHF) remains elusive. METHODS: We accessed the gene expression profile and relevant baseline information of CHF samples from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, specifically from the GSE57338 project. RESULTS: From GSE57338 project, we derived the expression value of 126 PPAR-related genes. A protein-protein interaction network was then established to illustrate potential protein interactions. ClueGO analysis results revealed that these genes predominantly participate in functions such as export across plasma membrane, regulation of lipid metabolic process, fatty acid metabolism, circulatory system vascular processes, alcohol metabolism, triglyceride metabolism and regulation of lipid localization and response to nutrient. Using the cytohubba plug-in in Cytoscape, we pinpointed ACADM, PPARG and CPT2 as potential central molecules in HF pathogenesis and progression. Subsequent Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis delved into the potential biological role of these three genes in CHF. Immune infiltration analysis suggested that the infiltration level of neutrophils and M2 macrophages might be notably influenced by these genes, thereby playing a role in the CHF mechanism. CONCLUSIONS: Our research provides a comprehensive insight into the significance of PPAR associated genes in CHF development. Notably, the genes ACADM, PPARG and CPT2 emerged as potential targets for clinical interventions.

Optimal treatment for post-MI heart failure in rats: dapagliflozin first, adding sacubitril-valsartan 2 weeks later.

Background: Based on previous research, both dapagliflozin (DAPA) and sacubitril-valsartan (S/V) improve the prognosis of patients with heart failure (HF). Our study aims to investigate whether the early initiation of DAPA or the combination of DAPA with S/V in different orders would exert a greater protective effect on heart function than that of S/V alone in post-myocardial infarction HF (post-MI HF). Methods: Rats were randomized into six groups: (A) Sham; (B) MI; (C) MI + S/V (1st d); (D) MI + DAPA (1st d); (E) MI + S/V (1st d) + DAPA (14th d); (F) MI + DAPA (1st d) + S/V (14th d). The MI model was established in rats via surgical ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Histology, Western blotting, RNA-seq, and other approaches were used to explore the optimal treatment to preserve the heart function in post-MI HF. A daily dose of 1 mg/kg DAPA and 68 mg/kg S/V was administered. Results: The results of our study revealed that DAPA or S/V substantially improved the cardiac structure and function. DAPA and S/V monotherapy resulted in comparable reduction in infarct size, fibrosis, myocardium hypertrophy, and apoptosis. The administration of DAPA followed by S/V results in a superior improvement in heart function in rats with post-MI HF than those in other treatment groups. The administration of DAPA following S/V did not result in any additional improvement in heart function as compared to S/V monotherapy in rats with post-MI HF. Our findings further suggest that the combination of DAPA and S/V should not be administered within 3 days after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), as it resulted in a considerable increase in mortality. Our RNA-Seq data revealed that DAPA treatment after AMI altered the expression of genes related to myocardial mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative phosphorylation. Conclusions: Our study revealed no notable difference in the cardioprotective effects of singular DAPA or S/V in rats with post-MI HF. Based on our preclinical investigation, the most effective treatment strategy for post-MI HF is the administration of DAPA during the 2 weeks, followed by the addition of S/V to DAPA later. Conversely, adopting a therapeutic scheme whereby S/V was administered first, followed by later addition of DAPA, failed to further improve the cardiac function compared to S/V monotherapy.

Cost-effectiveness of sacituzumab govitecan versus chemotherapy in advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.

PURPOSE: The ASCENT trial demonstrated the efficacy of sacituzumab govitecan for the treatment of advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The current study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of receiving sacituzumab govitecan compared with standard of care chemotherapy from the United States payer perspective. METHODS: A partitioned survival approach was used to project the disease course of advanced or metastatic TNBC. Two survival modes were applied to analyze two groups of patients. The survival data were gathered from the ASCENT trial. Direct medical costs were derived from the data of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Utility data was collected from the published literature. The incremental cost-utility ratio (ICUR) was the primary outcome that measured the cost-effectiveness of therapy regimen. One-way sensitivity and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were implemented to explore the uncertainty and validate the stability of results. RESULTS: In the base-case, the ICUR of sacituzumab govitecan versus chemotherapy is $ 778,771.9/QALY and $ 702,281/QALY for full population group and brain metastatic-negative (BMN) group with the setting of classic survival mode. And in the setting of cure survival mode, the ICUR is $ 506,504.5/QALY for the full population group and $ 274,232.0/QALY for BMN population group. One-way sensitivity analyses revealed that the unit cost of sacituzumab govitecan and body weight were key roles that lower the ICUR value. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses also showed that reducing the unit price of sacituzumab govitecan can improve the likelihood of becoming cost-effective. CONCLUSION: The cost-effectiveness analysis suggested that from a US payer perspective, sacituzumab govitecan at current price is unlikely to be a preferred option for patients with advanced or metastatic TNBC at a threshold of $ 150,000/QALY.

Suppression of long noncoding RNA TTTY15 attenuates hypoxia-induced cardiomyocytes injury by targeting miR-455-5p.

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a severe heart disease caused by acute, persistent ischemia or hypoxia and finally leads to heart failure and sudden death. However, the intrinsic molecular mechanisms of MI remain largely unknown. lncRNAs have also been implicated in the process of ischemic heart diseases. However, the role of lncRNA TTTY15 in MI is not elucidated. We evaluated the expression of TTTY15 in MI and human cardiomyocyte under hypoxia. We explored the role of TTTY15 in cell injury under hypoxia. We searched for potential target of TTTY15. Up-regulation of TTTY15 was associated with hypoxia. Silencing TTTY15 prevented hypoxia-induced cell apoptosis and rescued the cell migration and invasion. TTTY15 targeted miR-455-5p, which regulated the Jun dimerization protein 2 (JDP2) expression. Knocking down miR-455-5p abolished effects of TTTY-15 silencing on cell injury. Suppression of long noncoding RNA TTTY15 attenuates hypoxia-induced cardiomyocytes injury by targeting miR-455-5p.

Recurrent female adnexal tumor of probably Wolffian origin: A case report.

OBJECTIVE: Wolffian adnexal tumors (WATs) are rare, and metastasis is uncommon. We present the case of a 53-year-old female with a recurrent WAT. CASE REPORT: The patient presented with abdominal distension, and ultrasound revealed heterogeneous echoes (130 × 93 × 116 mm3) around the uterus and ascites. Her cancer antigen 125 (CA125) and CA19-9 levels were elevated. Hysterectomy, bilateral oophorectomy, and tumor resection were performed. The histopathological diagnosis was a WAT. Two years later, multiple abdominal and pelvic masses were found on ultrasonography and computed tomography. Laparotomy revealed nodules in the omentum, mesentery, and pelvic peritoneum. Resection of the pelvic masses and partial resection of the omentum were performed. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the lesions were inhibin A, calretinin, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, cluster of differentiation 99, and Pax2 positive. Despite postoperative chemotherapy, she developed liver and renal failure 2 months after surgery, and died of the disease. CONCLUSION: This case further suggests that WATs have malignant potential, and close follow-up is necessary.

Determination of glyphosate in soil/sludge by high performance liquid chromatography.

In order to evaluate the pollution caused due to glyphosate (Glyp) in soils and sludge, it is important to establish a set of standard determination techniques. In this work, the previously reported HPLC analytical method for determination of Glyp has been improved in order to be applied for all kinds of soils/sludge. The soil/sludge samples were extracted using sodium phosphate and trisodium citrate aqueous solutions. The extract was adjusted to pH 9 and contaminations were removed by washing with n-hexane. The method developed in this work further involves derivatization with 9-fluorenylmethylchloroformate (FMOC-Cl) followed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with fluorescence detection. The method was validated in three soil (red soil, black soil and paddy soil) and two sludge samples (lake and river sludge) from China and verified in six laboratories. A good linear relationship (correlation coefficients ≥0.999) was observed within the range of 0.005-0.5mg/L. The limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantitation (LOQ) were determined to be 0.01mg/kg and 0.04mg/kg, respectively. The precision and accuracy were satisfactory with the relative standard deviation (RSD) lower than 15% and the mean recovery values ranging from 75% to 110% (n=6), that spiked at three levels (0.1, 0.5 and 1.0mg/kg).

Contact and fumigant toxicity of cinnamaldehyde and cinnamic acid and related compounds to Dermatophagoides farinae and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Acari: Pyroglyphidae).

Toxicities of (E)-cinnamaldehyde and (E)-cinnamic acid and their 41 structurally related compounds to adult Dermatophagoides farinae Hughes and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus Trouessart (Acari: Pyroglyphidae) were examined using fabric-circle contact plus fumigant and vapor-phase mortality bioassays. Results were compared with those of two acaricides, benzylbenzoate and dibutyl phthalate. In contact plus fumigant mortality bioassays, the most toxic compounds were (E)-cinnamaldehyde, methyl (E)-cinnamate, cinnamyl acetate, and hydrocinnamaldehyde against adult D.farinae (17.5-23.3 mg/m2) and D. pteronyssinus (19.0-24.0 mg/m2), based on 24-h 50% lethal concentration (LC50) values. These compounds were significantly more toxic than either benzyl benzoate (LC50, 64.9 and 60.5 mg/m2) or dibutyl phthalate (218.9 and 232.3 mg/m2). The toxicity of allyl cinnamate versus benzyl benzoate was not significantly different. Structure-activity relationship indicates that structural characteristics, such as types of functional groups, carbon skeleton, and saturation, appear to play a role in determining the compound toxicities. In vapor-phase mortality bioassays, these compounds were effective against adult D. farinae in closed, but not in open containers, indicating that their mode of delivery was largely a result of vapor action. The active compounds described merit further study as potential house dust mite control fumigants with contact action in light of global efforts to reduce the level of highly toxic synthetic acaricides in indoor environments.

Systemic aplasia cutis congenita: A case report and review of the literature.

Aplasia cutis congenita (ACC) belongs to a heterogeneous group of conditions characterized by a congenital absence of skin, usually on the vertex of the scalp. It can occur as an isolated defect or can be associated with a number of other congenital anomalies. Two cases of systemic ACC of a more severe and extensive type were recently reported. Here, we describe the third case of systemic ACC and review the available literature. A female infant was born with an extensive defect of the skin, a skull defect, imperforate hymen, and some other anomalies. She died soon after birth probably due to asphyxia and dehydration. We also compared the pathologic findings of the current case with those of the other two previously reported cases. This case suggests that systemic ACC might be recognized as a new syndrome. A limitation is that there is only 1 case, and it is difficult to gain a deeper understanding of its etiology and diagnostic criteria.