Targeting OsNIP3;1 via CRISPR/Cas9: A strategy for minimizing arsenic accumulation and boosting rice resilience.

Arsenic (As) contamination in rice poses a significant threat to human health due to its toxicity and widespread consumption. Identifying and manipulating key genes governing As accumulation in rice is crucial for reducing this threat. The large NIP gene family of aquaporins in rice presents a promising target due to functional redundancy, potentially allowing for gene manipulation without compromising plant growth. This study aimed to utilize genome editing to generate knock-out (KO) lines of genes of NIP family (OsLsi1, OsNIP3;1) and an anion transporter family (OsLsi2), in order to assess their impact on As accumulation and stress tolerance in rice. KO lines were created using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, and the As accumulation patterns, physiological performance, and grain yield were compared against wild-type (WT) under As-treated conditions. KO lines exhibited significantly reduced As accumulation in grain compared to WT. Notably, Osnip3;1 KO line displayed reduced As in xylem sap (71-74%) and grain (32-46%) upon treatment. Additionally, these lines demonstrated improved silicon (23%) uptake, photosynthetic pigment concentrations (Chl a: 77%; Chl b: 79%, Total Chl: 79% & Carotenoid: 49%) overall physiological and agronomical performance under As stress compared to WT. This study successfully utilized genome editing for the first time to identify OsNIP3;1 as a potential target for manipulating As accumulation in rice without compromising grain yield or plant vigor.

Analysis of the human liver model through semi-analytical and numerical techniques with non-singular kernel.

This work consists of the study of the time-fractional human liver model with the Caputo-Fabrizio fractional derivative. The existence and uniqueness of the proposed model are shown using fixed point theory. Also, the stability of the considered model is shown using the Ulam Hyres theorem and the Lyapunov function. The solution of the proposed model is obtained using a semi-analytical and numerical scheme. The series solution obtained from the semi-analytical method gives the proper result at any time, similarly, the numerical scheme gives the solution for a long time. The obtained numerical results are compared with real clinical data and earlier published work and found to be very close to real data than earlier published work. Results in the graphs and tables show that the proposed fractional-order model is superior to the traditional model.

Towards a Saphenous Vein Graft Moratorium.

Atherosclerosis develops and rapidly progresses in saphenous veins grafts after coronary bypass surgery. In contrast to native coronary artery, percutaneous revascularization does not impede the progression of saphenous vein atherosclerosis and saphenous vein graft failure commonly ensues. The protracted patency of arterial grafts is likely to account for most of the long-term superiority of coronary artery bypass surgery over percutaneous revascularization in patients with complex coronary artery disease. Long-lasting, complete coronary revascularization may be best achieved by combining surgical arterial grafting of diseased coronary arteries to percutaneous revascularization with drug-eluting stents than by the continued use of saphenous vein grafts.

A Practical Approach to Hybrid Coronary Revascularization.

Combined surgical and percutaneous coronary revascularization, ie, hybrid coronary revascularization (HCR) consists of surgical left internal mammary artery (LIMA) bypass to the left anterior descending artery (LAD) and percutaneous revascularization of other diseased coronary arteries. Developed as a 1-stage procedure, HCR has not been widely adopted by the cardiovascular community. The recommended minimally invasive approach through a small left thoracotomy incision is technically demanding, and same-day percutaneous revascularization requires a hybrid operating room that is not available in most hospitals. In this review, we consider present HCR protocols, barriers to widespread adoption of HCR, and we give special attention to the surgical approach for the LIMA graft to the LAD and the timing of percutaneous revascularization. We conclude that grafting the LIMA to the LAD through a median sternotomy approach and delaying the percutaneous revascularization may facilitate the widespread use of HCR in patients with multivessel coronary artery disease and a low to intermediate Synergy between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery score.

Precardiogenic Shock: A New Clinical Entity.

The pathogenesis of cardiogenic shock (CS) has evolved from an acute event due to a large myocardial infarction to a semiacute event due to rapid hemodynamic deterioration on a background of preexisting left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Pre-CS refers to the period of rapid hemodynamic deterioration that precedes overt CS with hypotension, inflammatory response, and end-organ failure. Mortality remains extremely high in CS and has not improved over the past decades. Pre-CS offers a unique opportunity to initiate early treatment that may result in better clinical outcomes. The present review addresses the definition, recognition, and management of pre-CS with the pharmacologic or mechanical support of the failing left ventricle.

Epicardial Adipose Tissue and Cardiovascular Disease.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Epicardial adipose tissue has been associated with the development/progression of cardiovascular disease. We appraise the strength of the association between epicardial adipose tissue and development/progression of cardiovascular diseases like coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. RECENT FINDINGS: Cross-sectional clinical and translational correlative studies have established an association between epicardial adipose tissue and progression of coronary artery disease. Recent studies question this association and underline the need for longitudinal studies. Epicardial adipose tissue also plays a definite role in the pathobiology of atrial fibrillation and its recurrence after ablation. In contrast to an early paradigm, epicardial adipose tissue does not appear to play a key role in the pathogenesis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in obese patients. The association of epicardial adipose tissue with atrial fibrillation is robust. In contrast, the association of epicardial adipose tissue with coronary artery disease and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is tenuous. Additional research, including longitudinal studies, is needed to confirm or refute these proposed associations.

Obesity and Pulmonary Hypertension.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Whether the present obesity epidemic will increase the prevalence of pulmonary hypertension over the next decades is unclear. We review the obesity-related mechanisms that may further the development and progression of pulmonary hypertension. RECENT FINDINGS: Systemic and local inflammation, insulin resistance and oxidative stress contribute to the pathobiology of obesity and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Preliminary data suggest that expansion of adipose tissue surrounding the pulmonary artery may hasten the progression of pulmonary arterial hypertension in obese persons. Further, obesity-associated cardiac and pulmonary conditions may increase the prevalence of groups 2 and 3 pulmonary hypertension. The obesity epidemic is likely to increase the prevalence of pulmonary arterial hypertension by enabling vascular remodeling. Obesity-associated cardiac and pulmonary conditions will increase pulmonary hypertension prevalence.

An Analysis on Groundwater Recharge by Mathematical Model in Inclined Porous Media.

The present paper discusses the analysis of solution of groundwater flow in inclined porous media. The problem related to groundwater flow in inclined aquifers is usually common in geotechnical and hydrogeology engineering activities. The governing partial differential equation of one-dimensional groundwater recharge problem has been formed by Dupuit's assumption. Three cases have been discussed with suitable boundary conditions and different slopes of impervious incline boundary. The numerical as well as graphical interpretation has been given and its coding is done in MATLAB.