Elevated NT-proBNP predicts unfavorable outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke after thrombolytic therapy.

OBJECTIVE: Few studies correlated n-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) with early neurological deterioration (END) and prognosis of acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) patients with rt-PA intravenous thrombolysis. Therefore this study aimed to investigate the relationship between NT-proBNP and END, and prognosis after intravenous thrombolysis in patients with AIS. METHODS: A total of 325 patients with AIS were enrolled. We performed the natural logarithm transformation on the NT-proBNP [ln(NT-proBNP)]. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship between ln(NT-proBNP) and END, and prognosis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to show the sensitivity and specificity of NT-proBNP. RESULTS: After thrombolysis, among 325 patients with AIS, 43 patients (13.2%) developed END. In addition, three months follow-up showed a poor prognosis in 98 cases (30.2%) and a good prognosis in 227 cases (69.8%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that ln(NT-proBNP) was an independent risk factor for END (OR = 1.450,95%CI:1.072 ~ 1.963, P = 0.016) and poor prognosis at three months follow-up (OR = 1.767, 95%CI: 1.347 ~ 2.317, P < 0.001) respectively. According to ROC curve analysis, ln(NT-proBNP) (AUC 0.735, 95%CI: 0.674 ~0.796, P < 0.001) had a good predictive value for poor prognosis, with a predictive value of 5.12 and sensitivity and specificity of 79.59% and 60.35% respectively. When combined with NIHSS to predict END(AUC 0.718, 95%CI: 0.631 ~ 0.805, P < 0.001) and poor prognosis(AUC 0.780, 95%CI: 0.724 ~ 0.836, P < 0.001), the predictive value of the model is further improved. CONCLUSION: NT-proBNP is independently associated with END and poor prognosis in patients with AIS following intravenous thrombolysis and has a particular predictive value for END and poor prognosis.

1α,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 Promotes Angiogenesis After Cerebral Ischemia Injury in Rats by Upregulating the TGF-ß/Smad2/3 Signaling Pathway.

Stroke is a disease with high morbidity, disability and mortality, which seriously endangers the life span and quality of life of people worldwide. Angiogenesis and neuroprotection are the key to the functional recovery of penumbra function after acute cerebral infarction. In this study, we used the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model to investigate the effects of 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-D3) on transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß)/Smad2/3 signaling pathway. Cerebral infarct volume was measured by TTC staining. A laser speckle flow imaging system was used to measure cerebral blood flow (CBF) around the ischemic cortex of the infarction, followed by platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1/CD31) and isolectin-B4 (IB4) immunofluorescence. The expression of vitamin D receptor (VDR), TGF-ß, Smad2/3, p-Smad2, p-Smad3, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was analyzed by western blot and RT-qPCR. Results showed that compared with the sham group, the cerebral infarction volume was significantly increased while the CBF was reduced remarkably in the MCAO group. 1,25-D3 reduced cerebral infarction volume, increased the recovery of CBF and expressions of VDR, TGF-ß, p-Smad2, p-Smad3, and VEGF, significantly increased IB4+ tip cells and CD31+ vascular length in the peri-infarct area compared with the DMSO group. The VDR antagonist pyridoxal-5-phosphate (P5P) partially reversed the neuroprotective effects of 1,25-D3 described above. In summary, 1,25-D3 plays a neuroprotective role in stroke by activating VDR and promoting the activation of TGF-ß, which in turn up-regulates the TGF-ß/Smad2/3 signaling pathway, increases the release of VEGF and thus promotes angiogenesis, suggesting that this signaling pathway may be an effective target for ischemic stroke treatment. 1,25-D3 is considered to be a neuroprotective agent and is expected to be an effective drug for the treatment of ischemic stroke and related diseases.

Gold Nanorods with Spatial Separation of CeO2 Deposition for Plasmonic-Enhanced Antioxidant Stress and Photothermal Therapy of Alzheimer's Disease.

Activities of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) of ceria nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs) provide the possibility for their application in nervous system oxidative stress diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD). The addition of hot electrons produced by a plasma photothermal effect can expand the photocatalytic activity of CeO2 to the near-infrared region (NIR), significantly improving its redox performance. Therefore, we coated both ends of gold nanorods (Au NRs) with CeO2 NPs, and photocatalysis and photothermal therapy in the NIR are introduced into the treatment of AD. Meanwhile, the spatially separate structure enhances the catalytic performance and photothermal conversion efficiency. In addition, the photothermal effect significantly improves the permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and overcomes the shortcomings of traditional anti-AD drugs. To further improve the therapeutic efficiency, Aß-targeted inhibitory peptides were modified on the middle surface of gold nanorods to synthesize KLVFF@Au-CeO2 (K-CAC) nanocomposites. We have verified their biocompatibility and therapeutic effectiveness at multiple levels in vitro and in vivo, which have a profound impact on the research and clinical transformation of nanotechnology in AD therapy.

High time-resolved PM2.5 composition and sources at an urban site in Yangtze River Delta, China after the implementation of the APPCAP.

In this study, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 water-soluble inorganic ions, bulk organic carbon (OC), and elemental carbon (EC) were monitored from 1/1/2017 to 12/31/2017 and validated using filter-based offline analysis at an urban site in Nanjing, China. Compared with 2013 or before, the annual average of PM2.5 concentration (36.5 ± 32.9 µg m-3) in 2017 decreased by more than 40%, NO3- (12.8 ± 11.4 µg m-3) became the most abundant water-soluble ion instead of SO42- (9.29 ± 6.07 µg m-3), and the relative contribution of OC (5.92 ± 3.40 µg m-3) and EC (2.95 ± 1.53 µg m-3) to bulk PM2.5 (24.9 ± 9.31%) increased substantially, indicating the effectiveness of the control policy for reducing gaseous precursor emissions. Based on the diurnal variations of water-soluble ions and gaseous pollutants, NH4+, SO42-, and NO3- were secondarily formed and NH4NO3 dominated the composition of ammonium salts in PM2.5. The diurnal changes of OC, EC, and OC/EC ratios reflected prominent influences from local traffic patterns. Positive matrix factorization was performed using hourly data of PM2.5 components (PMF1-h), of which the results were justified by comparing to those using 23-h averaged data (PMF23-h). Given that the secondary ion formation was still the dominant source (68.2%) of PM2.5, and the average PM2.5 concentration in urban Nanjing remained higher than Tier II limit (35 µg m-3) of the Chinese National Ambient Air Quality Standard, controlling emissions of PM2.5 precursor gases should be continued after the completion of Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan in 2017.

Complex effects of apoplexy secondary to pituitary adenoma.

Pituitary adenoma apoplexy is a well-known clinical syndrome induced by insulin infusion, cardiac surgery, trauma, and hypothalamic releasing factors. Pituitary apoplexy can cause secondary cerebral infarct and internal carotid artery occlusion. With blockade of tumor perfusion, apoplexy triggers a sudden onset of headache, visual impairment, cranial nerve palsy, disturbances of consciousness, eyelid ptosis, and hemiparesis. However, pituitary adenoma cells with high metabolic demand cannot survive with deficient blood supply and glucose concentrations. Moreover, a number of case reports have shown that spontaneous remission of syndromes, such as acromegaly, may be caused by pituitary adenoma after apoplexy. Therefore, understanding mechanism that underlies the balance between pituitary adenoma apoplexy and subsequent spontaneous remission of syndromes may suggest new approaches for treatment of pituitary adenoma apoplexy.

[Correlation Analysis Between Characteristics of VOCs and Ozone Formation Potential in Summer in Nanjing Urban District].

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is an important precursor of photochemical ozone pollution (O3) in the atmosphere. Their concentration variation directly affects the characteristics of the ozone pollution. The concentration, speciation of VOCs, ozone and its precursors in Nanjing were analyzed and measured using online gas detection systems in August 2013. VOCs/NOx discriminant method was used to get the sensitive control factors of ozone. The results showed that the averaged volume fraction of VOCs was 52. 05 x 10(-9), and the largest one reached 200 x 10(-9) in Nanjing urban district. The order of volume fraction of each species VOCs was alkane > oxygen-containing VOCs > alkene > aromatics. The averaged concentration of ozone was 76.5 microg x m(-1) and the exceeding concentration of hourly standard was 5.9%. The change trends of ozone precursors VOCs and NOx were basically identical and Ozone showed the obvious negative correlation during the period of high concentrations of ozone. There were some differences in the concentrations of the same VOCs in different ozone concentration periods. The ozone generation in Nanjing urban district was sensitive to VOCs, and Nanjing belonged to VOCs control area in summer.

BAG5 protects against mitochondrial oxidative damage through regulating PINK1 degradation.

Mutations in PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1) gene cause PARK6 familial Parkinsonism, and loss of the stability of PINK1 may also contribute to sporadic Parkinson's disease (PD). Degradation of PINK1 occurs predominantly through the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS), however, to date, few of the proteins have been found to regulate the degradation of PINK1. Using the yeast two-hybrid system and pull-down methods, we identified bcl-2-associated athanogene 5 (BAG5), a BAG family member, directly interacted with PINK1. We showed that BAG5 stabilized PINK1 by decreasing the ubiquitination of PINK1. Interestingly, BAG5 rescued MPP(+)- and rotenone-induced mitochondria dysfunction by up-regulating PINK1 in vitro. In PINK1-null mice and MPTP-treated mice, BAG5 significantly increased in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) although PINK1 was decreased. Our findings indicated that BAG5, as a key protein to stabilize PINK1, is a promising therapeutic tool for preventing mitochondrial dysfunction following oxidative stress.

[Mutation detection of parkin gene by denaturing high performance liquid chromatography].

OBJECTIVE: To detect parkin gene mutation of early-onset parkinsonism (EOP) by denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC). METHODS: The blood cell genomic DNA of 82 EOP patients was isolated. Exons of parkin gene were amplified by PCR. The PCR products were detected by DHPLC. The sample with abnormal peak shape was sequenced. RESULTS: Three point mutations were identified in 82 EOP patients compared with 100 healthy controls. Mutations in intron include IVS1-39 G --> T and IVS9 +18 C --> T. The T1422C mutation was in coding region and resulted in 441 Cys --> Arg. CONCLUSION: Three heterozygous mutations are found in sporadic EOP patients and genetic diagnosis of parkin gene by DHPLC is applicable in EOP patients.

[Determination of trace phenol compounds using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry coupled with Tenax adsorption tube for enrichment of air samples].

A novel determination method for trace of seven phenol compounds in air samples has been established. They were collected with Tenax adsorption tube (180 mm x 60 mm glass tube packed with 150 mg Tenax (40 - 60 mesh)) and desorbed with methanol. Five microlitres of naphthalene-D8 (internal standard) solution was added to the eluate. One microlitre of the mixture solution was injected into an HP-5MS capillary column (30 m x 0.25 mm x 0.25 microm) and determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with selected ion monitoring (GC-MS/SIM). The selected ions were m/z 94, 95, 66, 108, 107, 77, 90, 122, 121, 107 and 136. The quantitative ions, m/z 94 for phenol, m/z 108 for cresol, m/z 122 for xylenol and m/z 136 for internal standard, were selected. The average recoveries of phenol compounds (spiked at the levels of 0.25, 1.00, 5.00 microg) ranged from 92.4% to 102% and the relative standard deviations were less than 4.8%. When the air sample volume was 10 L, the detection limits were less than 0.001 mg/m3. Good linearities were observed in the range from 0.05 to 20.0 mg/L. The method is simple, fast, sensitive and accurate for the determination of phenol compounds in air samples.

[Determination of seven nitrobenzene compounds in water samples by single-drop microextraction with capillary gas chromatography].

A method suitable for the extraction of nitrobenzene, nitrotoluenes and nitrochlorobenzenes from water samples using single-drop microextraction with capillary gas chromatography is presented. Parameters, such as organic solvents, drop volume of organics, agitation, immerge depth of needle point, aqueous sample volume, exposure time and temperature were controlled and optimized. The developed protocol was found to yield a linear calibration curve in a concentration range from 0.8 to 32 microg/L for nitrobenzene and nitrotoluenes and a range from 0.04 to 3.2 microg/L for nitrochlorobenzenes (r2 > 0.999). The limits of detection were found to be in the range between 0.01 and 0.3 microg/L. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) and relative recoveries (n = 5) from tap water fortified samples were 3.1% -7.9%, and 101% - 105%, and from waste water fortified samples were 3.3% - 7.9%, and 92.5% - 97.0%, respectively. The single-drop microextraction is proved to be a environmental friendly, sensitive, fast and simple tool for the preconcentration of trace nitrobenzene, nitrotoluenes and nitrochlorobenzenes from water samples.