BACKGROUND: Previous evidence showed that ambient air pollution and cardiovascular mortality are related. However, there is a lack of evidence towards the modification effect of long-term lifestyle on the association between short-term ambient air pollution and death from cardiovascular events. METHOD: A total of 14,609 death from major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were identified among the China Kadoorie Biobank participants from 2013 to 2018. Ambient air pollution exposure including particulate matter 2.5 (PM_2.5), SO₂, NO₂, CO, and O₃ from the same period were obtained from space-time model reconstructions based on remote sensing data. Case-crossover design and conditional logistic regression was applied to estimate the effect of short-term exposure to air pollutants on MACE mortality. RESULTS: We found MACE mortality was significantly associated with PM_2.5 (relative percent increase 2.91% per 10 µg/m³ increase, 95% CI 1.32-4.53), NO₂ (5.37% per 10 µg/m³ increase, 95% CI 1.56-9.33), SO₂ (6.82% per 10 µg/m³ increase, 95% CI 2.99-10.80), and CO (2.24% per 0.1 mg/m³ increase, 95% CI 1.02-3.48). Stratified analyses indicated that drinking was associated with elevated risk of MACE mortality with NO₂ and SO₂ exposure; physical inactivity was associated with higher risk of death from MACE when exposed to PM_2.5; and people who had balanced diet had lower risk of MACE mortality when exposed to CO and NO₂. CONCLUSIONS The study results showed that short-term exposure to ambient PM_2.5, NO₂, SO₂, and CO would aggravate the risk of cardiovascular mortality, yet healthy lifestyle conduct might mitigate such negative impact to some extent.
Humans ; Cardiovascular Diseases/epidemiology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Air Pollution/adverse effects* ; Middle Aged ; Air Pollutants/analysis* ; Particulate Matter/analysis* ; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects* ; Life Style ; Aged ; Adult ; Risk Factors ; Cross-Over Studies ; East Asian People

Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy of "four-step" aortic valve anatomic repair for bicuspid aortic valve(BAV) with aortic regurgitation(AR).Methods:From August 2021 to November 2024, a total of 298 consecutive patients with BAV-AR underwent aortic valve anatomic repair(AVr) in Shanghai Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 266 males and 32 females, with age of 39(29.5, 48.5) years. All patients underwent " four-step" three-dimensional anatomic repair of the aortic annulus and leaflets, 129(43.3%) patients via upper mini-sternotomy and 169(56.7%) patients via conventional median sternotomy, with the main steps including: (1) deep dissecting and annuloplasty of the virtual basal ring(VBR); (2) symmetrical repairing of leaflets; (3) replacement or remodeling of the sinus of Valsalva; (4) annuloplasty of the sinotubular junction(STJ). Basal and perioperative data were retrospectively collected, and statistical analysis was performed in conjunction with follow-up data.Results:All patients successfully underwent anatomical repair without transferring to valve replacement during operation. Among them, 43 patients underwent aortic root reimplantation technique(Reimplantation group), while 255 patients underwent modified aortic root sleeve remodeling technique(Sleeve group). The median cardiopulmonary bypass time for the Reimplantation and Sleeve groups were 154(134, 169) minutes and 111(95, 129) minutes, respectively( P<0.05); the median aortic cross-clamp time were 112(100, 131) minutes and 80(67, 94) minutes, respectively( P<0.05). Preoperative TEE showed 35 patients(81.4%) and 229 patients(89.8%) with moderate and severe AR in Reimplantation and Sleeve groups, respectively. Postoperative TEE showed 41 patients(95.3%) with no/trace AR and 2 patients(4.7%) with central mild AR in Reimplantation group, while 212 patients(83.1%) with no/trace AR and 43 patients(16.9%) with central mild AR in Sleeve group. Follow-up was completed in all patients, with a median follow-up of 12.9(4.7, 21.2) months. Echocardiography was obtained in 271 patients(90.9%) at the latest follow-up, including no/trace AR in 167 patients(56.0%), mild AR in 89 patients(29.9%), moderate AR in 14 patients(4.7%), and severe AR in 1 patient(0.3%). Conclusion:Aortic valve anatomic repair by standardized "four-step" approach is safe and reproducible. Satisfied short- and mid-term outcome have obtained in selected BAV-AR patients.

Objective To investigate the role of Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)in the regulation of homocys-teine(Hcy)-induced ferroptosis in macrophages.Methods Mouse macrophage cells RAW264.7 were cultured and divided into control group,Hcy intervention group(Hcy group),and Hcy plus ferroptosis inhibitor group(Hcy+Fer-1 group).After transfection with interference fragments,macrophages were treated with Hcy,and then divided into control group,Hcy intervention group(Hcy group),TLR4 interference negative control plus Hcy intervention group(si-NC+Hcy group),and TLR4 interference plus Hcy intervention group(si-TLR4+Hcy group).Macrophages were transfected with overexpression lentivirus and treated with Hcy,then were divided into control group,Hcy intervention group(Hcy group),a TLR4 overexpression negative control plus Hcy intervention group(OE-NC+Hcy group),and a TLR4 overexpression plus Hcy intervention group(OE-TLR4+Hcy group).After 48 hours of intervention,real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR and western blot were used to detect the expression levels of TLR4 in macrophages treated with Hcy;western blot was used to detect the expression levels of ferroptosis-related proteins ACSL4,GPX4,and FTH1 in macrophages,and ferrous ion assay kit to detect the concentration of Fe2+in macrophages;reactive oxygen species(ROS)assay kit and laser confocal microscopy were used to detect the content of intracellular reactive oxygen species.Results Compared with those in the control group,the expression level of the pro-ferroptosis protein ACSL4 was increased in the Hcy group(P<0.05),while the expression levels of anti-ferroptosis proteins GPX4 and FTH1 were decreased(P<0.05);the concentration of Fe2+was increased(P<0.05),and the content of ROS was increased.Meanwhile,the protein and mRNA expres-sion levels of TLR4 were both increased in the Hcy group(P<0.05).After macrophages were transfected with TLR4 interference fragments,compared with those in the si-NC+Hcy group,the expression levels of GPX4 and FTH1 were increased(P<0.05);the expression level of ACSL4 was decreased(P<0.05);the concentration of Fe2+was decreased(P<0.05),and the content of ROS was reduced in the si-TLR4+Hcy group.After macro-phages were transfected with TLR4 overexpression lentivirus,compared with those in the OE-NC+Hcy group,the expression levels of GPX4 and FTH1 were decreased(P<0.05),and the expression level of ACSL4 was increased(P<0.05)in the OE-TLR4+Hcy group.Conclusion Hcy induces the occurrence of ferroptosis in macrophages,and Toll-like receptor 4 has a positive feedback regulatory effect on ferroptosis in macrophages.

Objective:To explore the impact of previous cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), and rubella virus (RV) infection on pregnancy outcomes in infertile women undergoing the first in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection and embryo transfer (IVF/ICSI-ET) treatment. Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of women who underwent IVF/ICSI-ET for the first time at the Reproductive Medicine Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from December 2017 to December 2022. The patients were divided into CMV-IgG (+) group ( n=154), RV-IgG (+) group ( n=86), HSV-IgG (+) group ( n=93) and IgG all-negative group ( n=172). The pregnancy outcomes of the patients in the virus-only infection group and the IgG all-negative group were compared. Patients who were previously co-infected with CMV and HSV were classified as the CMV+HSV-IgG (+) group ( n=344), and the pregnancy outcomes of patients with previous CMV and HSV co-infection and those with infection alone were further compared. Results:The two pronuclei (2PN) fertilization rate [63.90% (1 195/1 870)], the clinical pregnancy rate [51.30% (79/154)], and the live birth rate [45.45% (70/154)] of the CMV-IgG (+) group were significantly lower than those of the IgG completely negative group [68.68% (1 469/2 139), P=0.001; 68.60% (118/172), P=0.001; 61.05% (105/172), P=0.005]. The 2PN fertilization rate [61.62% (729/1 183)], the clinical pregnancy rate [50.54% (47/93)], and the live birth rate [43.01% (40/93)] of the HSV-IgG (+) group were significantly lower than those of the IgG completely negative group [68.68% (1 469/2 139), P=0.001; 68.60% (118/172), P=0.004; 61.05% (105/172), P=0.005]. There were no statistical differences in the 2PN fertilization rate, the clinical pregnancy rate, and the live birth rate between the RV-IgG (+) group and the IgG completely negative group (all P>0.05). Compared with the IgG completely negative group, there were no significant differences in the risk of complications such as gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and neonatal outcomes in the CMV-IgG (+) group, RV-IgG (+) group, and HSV-IgG (+) group (all P>0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that CMV-IgG (+) ( OR=0.453, 95% CI: 0.280-0.734, P=0.001; OR=0.515, 95% CI: 0.321-0.825, P=0.006), HSV-IgG (+) ( OR=0.425, 95% CI: 0.245-0.738, P=0.002; OR=0.447, 95% CI: 0.259-0.771, P=0.004) and CMV+HSV-IgG (+) ( OR=0.491, 95% CI: 0.329-0.733, P=0.001; OR=0.528, 95% CI: 0.357-0.780, P=0.001) were all independent influencing factors of patients' clinical pregnancy and live birth. There were no statistical differences in the clinical outcomes between the previous CMV and HSV co-infection group and the single infection group ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Previous CMV or HSV infection alone reduced the fertilization rate, the clinical pregnancy rate and the live birth rate of patients undergoing IVF/ICSI-ET treatment, but had no significant impact on pregnancy complications and neonatal outcomes. Pregnancy outcomes of patients with previous CMV and HSV co-infection were similar to those with infection alone.

Objective:To explore the effect of S-allylmercaptocysteine(SAMC)on gastric cancer(GC)progression by regulating Th17/Treg immune balance.Methods:One hundred nude mice were randomly divided into control group(NC),low-dose SAMC group(SAMC-L),medium dose SAMC group(SAMC-M)and high-dose SAMC group(SAMC-H),with 25 mice in each group.Transplanted tumor model was established by subcutaneous injection of SGC-7901 cell suspension(0.2 ml,2×107 cells/ml)into the right shoulder of nude mice.Each group of nude mice was injected with corresponding doses of 0.9%sodium chloride solution and SAMC solution(100 mg/kg,200 mg/kg,400 mg/kg);injected once every 2 days and continuously administer for 3 weeks.After treatment,volume and mass of transplanted tumor were measured.Flow cytometry was used to detect proportion of Th17 and Treg cells in peripheral blood and transplanted tumors of nude mice;ELISA was used to detect IL-6,IL-10,IL-17,TGF-β1 levels in peripheral blood of nude mice;RT-qPCR was used to detect related markers mRNA levels of Th17 and Treg cells in peripheral blood and transplanted tumors of nude mice;Western blot was used to detect related markers protein levels of Th17 and Treg cells in transplanted tumors.Results:Compared with NC group,tumor volume and mass in SAMC-L group,SAMC-M group and SAMC-H group were decreased;Th17,Treg and Th17/Treg proportion in peripheral blood and transplanted tumors were decreased;IL-6,IL-10,IL-17 and TGF-β1 levels in peripheral blood were decreased;Foxp3,CTLA-4,GITR,RORγt,IL-17A mRNA and protein levels in peripheral blood and transplanted tumor were decreased,and there were significant differences in the above effects between different doses of SAMC groups(P<0.05).Conclusion:SAMC may inhibit GC progression by regulating Th17/Treg immune balance.

Objective:To explore the impact of previous cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), and rubella virus (RV) infection on pregnancy outcomes in infertile women undergoing the first in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection and embryo transfer (IVF/ICSI-ET) treatment. Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of women who underwent IVF/ICSI-ET for the first time at the Reproductive Medicine Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from December 2017 to December 2022. The patients were divided into CMV-IgG (+) group ( n=154), RV-IgG (+) group ( n=86), HSV-IgG (+) group ( n=93) and IgG all-negative group ( n=172). The pregnancy outcomes of the patients in the virus-only infection group and the IgG all-negative group were compared. Patients who were previously co-infected with CMV and HSV were classified as the CMV+HSV-IgG (+) group ( n=344), and the pregnancy outcomes of patients with previous CMV and HSV co-infection and those with infection alone were further compared. Results:The two pronuclei (2PN) fertilization rate [63.90% (1 195/1 870)], the clinical pregnancy rate [51.30% (79/154)], and the live birth rate [45.45% (70/154)] of the CMV-IgG (+) group were significantly lower than those of the IgG completely negative group [68.68% (1 469/2 139), P=0.001; 68.60% (118/172), P=0.001; 61.05% (105/172), P=0.005]. The 2PN fertilization rate [61.62% (729/1 183)], the clinical pregnancy rate [50.54% (47/93)], and the live birth rate [43.01% (40/93)] of the HSV-IgG (+) group were significantly lower than those of the IgG completely negative group [68.68% (1 469/2 139), P=0.001; 68.60% (118/172), P=0.004; 61.05% (105/172), P=0.005]. There were no statistical differences in the 2PN fertilization rate, the clinical pregnancy rate, and the live birth rate between the RV-IgG (+) group and the IgG completely negative group (all P>0.05). Compared with the IgG completely negative group, there were no significant differences in the risk of complications such as gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and neonatal outcomes in the CMV-IgG (+) group, RV-IgG (+) group, and HSV-IgG (+) group (all P>0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that CMV-IgG (+) ( OR=0.453, 95% CI: 0.280-0.734, P=0.001; OR=0.515, 95% CI: 0.321-0.825, P=0.006), HSV-IgG (+) ( OR=0.425, 95% CI: 0.245-0.738, P=0.002; OR=0.447, 95% CI: 0.259-0.771, P=0.004) and CMV+HSV-IgG (+) ( OR=0.491, 95% CI: 0.329-0.733, P=0.001; OR=0.528, 95% CI: 0.357-0.780, P=0.001) were all independent influencing factors of patients' clinical pregnancy and live birth. There were no statistical differences in the clinical outcomes between the previous CMV and HSV co-infection group and the single infection group ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Previous CMV or HSV infection alone reduced the fertilization rate, the clinical pregnancy rate and the live birth rate of patients undergoing IVF/ICSI-ET treatment, but had no significant impact on pregnancy complications and neonatal outcomes. Pregnancy outcomes of patients with previous CMV and HSV co-infection were similar to those with infection alone.

Objective:To explore the effect of S-allylmercaptocysteine(SAMC)on gastric cancer(GC)progression by regulating Th17/Treg immune balance.Methods:One hundred nude mice were randomly divided into control group(NC),low-dose SAMC group(SAMC-L),medium dose SAMC group(SAMC-M)and high-dose SAMC group(SAMC-H),with 25 mice in each group.Transplanted tumor model was established by subcutaneous injection of SGC-7901 cell suspension(0.2 ml,2×107 cells/ml)into the right shoulder of nude mice.Each group of nude mice was injected with corresponding doses of 0.9%sodium chloride solution and SAMC solution(100 mg/kg,200 mg/kg,400 mg/kg);injected once every 2 days and continuously administer for 3 weeks.After treatment,volume and mass of transplanted tumor were measured.Flow cytometry was used to detect proportion of Th17 and Treg cells in peripheral blood and transplanted tumors of nude mice;ELISA was used to detect IL-6,IL-10,IL-17,TGF-β1 levels in peripheral blood of nude mice;RT-qPCR was used to detect related markers mRNA levels of Th17 and Treg cells in peripheral blood and transplanted tumors of nude mice;Western blot was used to detect related markers protein levels of Th17 and Treg cells in transplanted tumors.Results:Compared with NC group,tumor volume and mass in SAMC-L group,SAMC-M group and SAMC-H group were decreased;Th17,Treg and Th17/Treg proportion in peripheral blood and transplanted tumors were decreased;IL-6,IL-10,IL-17 and TGF-β1 levels in peripheral blood were decreased;Foxp3,CTLA-4,GITR,RORγt,IL-17A mRNA and protein levels in peripheral blood and transplanted tumor were decreased,and there were significant differences in the above effects between different doses of SAMC groups(P<0.05).Conclusion:SAMC may inhibit GC progression by regulating Th17/Treg immune balance.

Objective To investigate the role of Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)in the regulation of homocys-teine(Hcy)-induced ferroptosis in macrophages.Methods Mouse macrophage cells RAW264.7 were cultured and divided into control group,Hcy intervention group(Hcy group),and Hcy plus ferroptosis inhibitor group(Hcy+Fer-1 group).After transfection with interference fragments,macrophages were treated with Hcy,and then divided into control group,Hcy intervention group(Hcy group),TLR4 interference negative control plus Hcy intervention group(si-NC+Hcy group),and TLR4 interference plus Hcy intervention group(si-TLR4+Hcy group).Macrophages were transfected with overexpression lentivirus and treated with Hcy,then were divided into control group,Hcy intervention group(Hcy group),a TLR4 overexpression negative control plus Hcy intervention group(OE-NC+Hcy group),and a TLR4 overexpression plus Hcy intervention group(OE-TLR4+Hcy group).After 48 hours of intervention,real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR and western blot were used to detect the expression levels of TLR4 in macrophages treated with Hcy;western blot was used to detect the expression levels of ferroptosis-related proteins ACSL4,GPX4,and FTH1 in macrophages,and ferrous ion assay kit to detect the concentration of Fe2+in macrophages;reactive oxygen species(ROS)assay kit and laser confocal microscopy were used to detect the content of intracellular reactive oxygen species.Results Compared with those in the control group,the expression level of the pro-ferroptosis protein ACSL4 was increased in the Hcy group(P<0.05),while the expression levels of anti-ferroptosis proteins GPX4 and FTH1 were decreased(P<0.05);the concentration of Fe2+was increased(P<0.05),and the content of ROS was increased.Meanwhile,the protein and mRNA expres-sion levels of TLR4 were both increased in the Hcy group(P<0.05).After macrophages were transfected with TLR4 interference fragments,compared with those in the si-NC+Hcy group,the expression levels of GPX4 and FTH1 were increased(P<0.05);the expression level of ACSL4 was decreased(P<0.05);the concentration of Fe2+was decreased(P<0.05),and the content of ROS was reduced in the si-TLR4+Hcy group.After macro-phages were transfected with TLR4 overexpression lentivirus,compared with those in the OE-NC+Hcy group,the expression levels of GPX4 and FTH1 were decreased(P<0.05),and the expression level of ACSL4 was increased(P<0.05)in the OE-TLR4+Hcy group.Conclusion Hcy induces the occurrence of ferroptosis in macrophages,and Toll-like receptor 4 has a positive feedback regulatory effect on ferroptosis in macrophages.

Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy of "four-step" aortic valve anatomic repair for bicuspid aortic valve(BAV) with aortic regurgitation(AR).Methods:From August 2021 to November 2024, a total of 298 consecutive patients with BAV-AR underwent aortic valve anatomic repair(AVr) in Shanghai Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, 266 males and 32 females, with age of 39(29.5, 48.5) years. All patients underwent " four-step" three-dimensional anatomic repair of the aortic annulus and leaflets, 129(43.3%) patients via upper mini-sternotomy and 169(56.7%) patients via conventional median sternotomy, with the main steps including: (1) deep dissecting and annuloplasty of the virtual basal ring(VBR); (2) symmetrical repairing of leaflets; (3) replacement or remodeling of the sinus of Valsalva; (4) annuloplasty of the sinotubular junction(STJ). Basal and perioperative data were retrospectively collected, and statistical analysis was performed in conjunction with follow-up data.Results:All patients successfully underwent anatomical repair without transferring to valve replacement during operation. Among them, 43 patients underwent aortic root reimplantation technique(Reimplantation group), while 255 patients underwent modified aortic root sleeve remodeling technique(Sleeve group). The median cardiopulmonary bypass time for the Reimplantation and Sleeve groups were 154(134, 169) minutes and 111(95, 129) minutes, respectively( P<0.05); the median aortic cross-clamp time were 112(100, 131) minutes and 80(67, 94) minutes, respectively( P<0.05). Preoperative TEE showed 35 patients(81.4%) and 229 patients(89.8%) with moderate and severe AR in Reimplantation and Sleeve groups, respectively. Postoperative TEE showed 41 patients(95.3%) with no/trace AR and 2 patients(4.7%) with central mild AR in Reimplantation group, while 212 patients(83.1%) with no/trace AR and 43 patients(16.9%) with central mild AR in Sleeve group. Follow-up was completed in all patients, with a median follow-up of 12.9(4.7, 21.2) months. Echocardiography was obtained in 271 patients(90.9%) at the latest follow-up, including no/trace AR in 167 patients(56.0%), mild AR in 89 patients(29.9%), moderate AR in 14 patients(4.7%), and severe AR in 1 patient(0.3%). Conclusion:Aortic valve anatomic repair by standardized "four-step" approach is safe and reproducible. Satisfied short- and mid-term outcome have obtained in selected BAV-AR patients.