Children＇s exercise capacity at high altitude in Tibet

Maximal oxygen uptake(exercise capacity) is a vital parameter in the evaluation of adaptation to high altitude,providing an index of the integrated function of the oxygen transport system.Previous studies of maximal oxygen uptake in population at high altitude have mainly focused on adults and adolescents,though data on children are uncommon.Maximal oxygen uptake can be measured directly,using an oxygen analyser,or indirectly through the development of equations for estimation from the maximal power output(W_(max)).Such estimations and studies of the physiological aspects of children's capacity to work and live at different altitudes in Tibet ancestry were not reported previously,although differences similar to those seen in adults may be expected to occur.The present paper summarized the findings of studies on exercise capacity among children living at high altitude in Tibet.

Effect and mechanism of reactive oxygen species-mediated NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 inflammasome activation in hepatic alveolar echinococcosis

BACKGROUND The NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3(NLRP3)inflammasome is a significant component of the innate immune system that plays a vital role in the development of various parasitic diseases.However,its role in hepatic alveolar echinococcosis(HAE)remains unclear.AIM To investigate the NLRP3 inflammasome and its mechanism of activation in HAE.METHODS We assessed the expression of NLRP3,caspase-1,interleukin(IL)-1β,and IL-18 in the marginal zone and corresponding normal liver of 60 patients with HAE.A rat model of HAE was employed to investigate the role of the NLRP3 inflammasome in the marginal zone of HAE.Transwell experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of Echinococcus multilocularis(E.multilocularis)in stimulating Kupffer cells and hepatocytes.Furthermore,immunohistochemistry,Western blotting,and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to evaluate NLRP3,caspase-1,IL-1β,and IL-18 expression;flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis and reactive oxygen species(ROS).RESULTS NLRP3 inflammasome activation was significantly associated with ROS.Inhibition of ROS production decreased NLRP3-caspase-1-IL-1βpathway activation and mitigated hepatocyte damage and inflammation.CONCLUSION E.multilocularis induces hepatocyte damage and inflammation by activating the ROS-mediated NLRP3-caspase-1-IL-1βpathway in Kupffer cells,indicating that ROS may serve as a potential target for the treatment of HAE.

Cauliflower-like Ni_(3)S_(2) foam for ultrastable oxygen evolution electrocatalysis in alkaline seawater

It is of great importance to design and develop electrocatalysts that are both long-lasting and efficient for seawater oxidation.Herein,a three-dimensional porous cauliflower-like Ni_(3)S_(2) foam on Ni foam(Ni_(3)S_(2) foam/NF)is proposed as a high-performance electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction in alkaline seawater.The as-synthesis Ni_(3)S_(2) foam/NF achieves exceptional efficacy,achieving a current density of 100 mA·cm^(−2)at mere overpotential of 369 mV.Notably,its electrocatalytic stability extends up to 1000 h at 500 mA·cm^(−2).

The Changing Trends of HIV/AIDS in An Ethnic Minority Region of China: Modeling the Epidemic in Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province

Objective This study was to investigate the HIV current situation in Liangshan prefecture, in order to predict prevalence and transmission trends. Methods Region-specific population, behavior, serosurveillence, and policy/program data （from 1995 to 2020） were gathered from various local and national organizations and applied to the Asian Epidemic Model （AEM） and used to derive estimates of future HIV prevalence, epidemic trends, and outcomes of intervention strategies. Results The AEM projections for 2020 included increased number of people living with HIV （PLHIV; to 136 617）, increased HIV prevalence （2.51%）, and 8037 deaths from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome （AIDS） in this region. However, the overall HIV incidence rate （per 10 000） was projected to decline from 27 in 2015 to 22 in 2020, largely due to a predicted decrease in HIV infection rate （per 10 000） from 658 in 2013 to 621 in 2020 among intravenous drug users. In contrast, the cases of HIV infection per i0 000 was projected to increase from 420 in 2010 to 503 in 2020 among men who have sex with men, and from 8 in 2010 to 15 in 2020 among the general population. The predominant risk factor for HIV transmission over the next decade in Liangshan was casual sex. Community-based outreach strategies to reduce injected drug use and casual sex, and to promote condom use, were predicted as effective interventions to decrease HIV transmission. Conclusion Implementation of a comprehensive public health program, with targeting to the region-specific at-risk populations, will help to mitigate HIV/AIDS spread in Liangshan.

The effect of exposure to normbaric hypoxia on the body weight in rats

为了确定大鼠的体重是否在标准气压缺氧环境下会减轻,本实验将12只5周龄Wis-tar大鼠移高至海拔2260m并使之持续暴露于含10%O2的低氧小低压舱内(相当于在海拔5000m)20日。在基线每5日测一次体重。由于标准气压缺氧环境可影响血循环功能,所以在大鼠移入高原前后20天,分别对其肺动脉压和血红蛋白浓度进行了测定。基线处体重为(222.4±20.7)g,而与基线处相比。大鼠体重在移高5、10、15和20天后明显下降,分别下降了(4.88±SD)%、(7.67土SD)%、(11.05±SD)%和(11.9±SD)%,差异显著(P<0.05)。基线处大鼠的平均肺动脉压为(21.3±2.5)mmHg,低氧暴露20天后肺动脉压明显增高[(45.3±5.8)mmHg,P<0.001]。血红蛋白浓度在基线处的平均值为(14.5±3.2)g/L,而在低氧暴露20天后明显增加[(22.6±5.4)g/L,P<0.001]。该结果显示,模拟高海拔可使大鼠体重明显下降,这与先前报道的人体试验结果相似。结果也进一步说明,标准气压下持续的低氧环境对肺动脉压和血红蛋白浓度可产生实质性影响。

Neurological adaptations to hypoxia in Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii) with a view of molecular biology of respiratory globin-neuroglobin

Neuroglobin(Ngb) is a respiratory protein that is preferentially expressed in brain of mouse and man.In this article,Tibetan antelope,living at altitude of 3 000～5 000 m for millions of years,was selected as the model of hypoxia-tolerant adaptation species.Using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) and Western blot techniques,expression of Ngb gene was amplified and analyzed in antelope brain tissue.Our results showed that Ngb homology protein in Tibetan antelope was identified with more sequence similarity with cattle(96%),sheep(95%),and human(95%).We detected that there were some mutations occurred in the Open Reading Frame of Ngb in Tibetan antelope compared with sheep.Phylogenetic analysis of Ngb chain showed that it was closer to cattle than the others.This study suggests possible roles of central nervous system enriched Ngb in adaptation of Tibetan antelope to extremely high altitude.

Energy power in mountains:difference in metabolism pattern results in different adaption traits in Tibetans

Energy metabolism plays an important role in life survival for species living in high altitude hypoxia condition.Air-breathing organisms require oxygen to create energy.Tibetans are the well-adapted highlanders in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.It was thought that different metabolic approaches could lead to different adaptation traits to high altitude hypoxia.Recently identified hypoxia inducible factors pathway regulators,endothelial PAS domain protein1(EPAS1)/HIF-2α and PPARA,were involved in decreasing hemoglobin concentrations in Tibetans.Because EPAS1 and PPARA also modulated the energy metabolism during hypoxia,we hypothesized that positive selected EPAS1 and PPARA genes were also involved in unique energy metabolisms in Tibetans.In this brief review,we take a look into genetic determinations to energy metabolisms for hypoxia adaptations traits in Tibetans and mal-adaptive conditions such as high altitude diseases.

The RING finger protein family in health and disease

Ubiquitination is a highly conserved and fundamental posttranslational modification(PTM)in all eukaryotes regulating thousands of proteins.The RING(really interesting new gene)finger(RNF)protein,containing the RING domain,exerts E3 ubiquitin ligase that mediates the covalent attachment of ubiquitin(Ub)to target proteins.Multiple reviews have summarized the critical roles of the tripartite-motif(TRIM)protein family,a subgroup of RNF proteins,in various diseases,including cancer,inflammatory,infectious,and neuropsychiatric disorders.Except for TRIMs,since numerous studies over the past decades have delineated that other RNF proteins also exert widespread involvement in several diseases,their importance should not be underestimated.This review summarizes the potential contribution of dysregulated RNF proteins,except for TRIMs,to the pathogenesis of some diseases,including cancer,autoimmune diseases,and neurodegenerative disorder.Since viral infection is broadly involved in the induction and development of those diseases,this manuscript also highlights the regulatory roles of RNF proteins,excluding TRIMs,in the antiviral immune responses.In addition,we further discuss the potential intervention strategies targeting other RNF proteins for the prevention and therapeutics of those human diseases.

Effect of aqueous extract of Sanweitanxiang powder on calcium homeostasis protein expression in ischemic-reperfusion injury rat heart

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the underlying mechanism of reduced myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats using the traditionalTibetan medicine Sanweitanxiang powder (SWTX). METHODS: Rats were randomly divided into six groups (n=10) as follows: (a) propranolol dinitrate control group, given propranolol dinitrate 0.02 g/kg for 10 days before I/R, (b) SWTX with a high dose group, given SWTX 1.5 g/kg for 10 days before I/R, (c) SWTX with a medium dose group, given SWTX 1.25 g/kg for 10 days before I/R, (d) sham group (Sham), in which the rat heart was exposed by pericardiotomy but without I/R, (e) SWTX with a low dose group, given SWTX 1.0 g/kg for 10 days before I/R, and (f) I/R injury group. Rats were intragastrically pretreated with propranolol dinitrate orSWTX. After that, the operation to cause ischemia and reperfusion was conducted.The histopathologic changes of rat hearts were observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining and transmission electron microscopy. Ca2+ homeostasis protein expression was determined by western blot. RESULTS: After SWTX pretreatment, the development of ultrastructural pathological changes from IR injury was attenuated. A decrease in the expression of B-cell lymphoma 2 associated X protein, and an increase in the expression of B-cell lymphoma 2 were observed. An increased activation of extracellular signal regulated kinases were found. Compared with the sham group, the expression of sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium-ATPase, phospholamban, and calsequestrin were all up-regulated after pretreatment with SWTX. CONCLUSION: The protective mechanism of SWTX pretreatment on myocardial I/R injury might be related to its effect on maintaining the balance of calcium homeostasis in rat heart.