Diabetic cardiomyopathy can cause cardiac dysfunction and eventually lead to heart failure and sudden death. Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) Gas5 has been reported to play a function in cardiomyocyte. Here we studied the function of Gas5 on newborn mouse cardiomyocyte (NMC) apoptosis to detect its molecular mechanism. High-glucose treatment was implemented to induce the apoptosis of NMC in this study. And terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling assay, JC-1 assay, and flow cytometry analysis were conducted to know about the apoptosis of NMC when Gas5 and Tcf3 were silenced. Meanwhile, RNA pull-down assay and luciferase reporter assay were conducted to verify the binding of RNAs. Finally, rescue assay was implemented to evaluate the influence on apoptosis situation affected by competing endogenous RNA pathways. Tcf3 was found to bind to the Gas5 promoter to activate the expression of Gas5. Meanwhile, Gas5 and Tcf3 were both found to promote the apoptosis of NMC. Also, mmu-miR-320-3p could bind to Gas5 and Tcf3. Moreover, the Gas5/miR-320-3p/Tcf3 pathway was found to modulate the apoptosis of NMC. In conclusion, Tcf3-activated lncRNA Gas5 regulates NMC apoptosis in diabetic cardiomyopathy. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.BACKGROUND Treatment for severe systemic infections in heart transplantation is reduction in immunosuppression while treating the infection. An assay that measures adenosine triphosphate production in activated lymphocytes (ImmuKnow® ) objectively monitors cellular immunity of transplant recipients. In this study, we used ImmuKnow® to adjust immunosuppression in heart transplant recipients with severe systemic infections. METHODS Heart transplant recipients were followed with ImmuKnow® at the time of biopsy and diagnosis of systemic infection. Patients who developed an infection were monitored by ImmuKnow® assay with adjustments in immunosuppression based upon the results of the assay. Maintenance immunosuppression was reinstituted when the ImmuKnow® increased to >225 ng/mL of ATP. RESULTS Two or more ImmuKnow® assays were performed in 80 patients. Thirteen patients developed severe systemic infections. ImmuKnow® mean value at the time of diagnosis of infection was 109 ± 49.2 ng/mL. Reduction in immunosuppression and treatment of infection resulted in normalization of ImmuKnow® level, resolution of infection, and no episodes of rebound rejection. CONCLUSION Heart transplant recipients with severe systemic infections presented with a decreased ImmuKnow® , suggesting over immunosuppression. ImmuKnow® can be used as an objective measurement in withdrawing immunosuppression in heart transplant recipients with severe systemic infections. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Habitat fragmentation is an increasingly serious issue affecting primates in most regions where they are found today. Populations of Lemur catta (ring-tailed lemur) in Madagascar's south-central region are increasingly restricted to small, isolated forest fragments, surrounded by grasslands or small-scale agriculture. Our aim was to evaluate the potential for population viability of L. catta in nine forest fragments of varying sizes (2-46 ha, population range 6-210 animals) in south-central Madagascar, using a set of comparative, quantitative ecological measures. We used Poisson regression models with a log link function to examine the effects of fragment size, within-fragment food availability, and abundance of matrix resources (food and water sources) on L. catta population sizes and juvenile recruitment. We found a strong association between overall population size and (a) fragment size and (b) abundance of key food resources Melia azedarach and Ficus spp. (per 100 m along transect lines). Juvenile recruitment was also associated with fragment size and abundance of the two above-mentioned food resources. When the largest population, an outlier, was removed from the analysis, again, the model containing fragment size and abundance of M. azedarach and Ficus spp. was the best fitting, but the model that best predicted juvenile recruitment contained only fragment size. While our results are useful for predicting population presence and possible persistence in these fragments, both the potential for male dispersal and the extent of human disturbance within most fragments play crucial roles regarding the likelihood of long-term L. catta survival. While seven of the nine fragments were reasonably protected from human disturbance, only three offered the strong potential for male dispersal, thus the long-term viability of many of these populations is highly uncertain. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.OBJECTIVE Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), caused by various genetic mutations in hematopoietic stem cells, are associated with highly variable outcomes. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1) plays an important role in DNA damage repair and contributes to the progression of several types of cancer. Here, we investigated the impact of PARP1 V762A polymorphism on the susceptibility to and prognosis of MDS. METHODS Samples collected from 105 MDS patients and 202 race-matched healthy controls were subjected to polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism for genotyping. RESULTS The allele and genotype frequencies of PARP1 V762A did not differ between MDS patients and the control group.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/azd-9574.html  However, MDS patients with the PARP1 V762A non-AA genotype, which is associated with high gene activity, had shorter overall survival rates (P = .01) than those with the AA genotype. Multivariate analysis of overall survival also revealed PARP1 V762A non-AA genotype as a poor prognostic factor (P = .02). When patients were analyzed according to treatment history, the PARP1 V762A non-AA genotype was only associated with poor survival in patients who had received treatment (P = .02). CONCLUSION PARP1 V762A polymorphism may be an independent prognostic factor for MDS, and a predictive biomarker for MDS treatment. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.BACKGROUND AND AIM Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) is caused by the reflux of gastric contents beyond the esophagus into the larynx and pharynx. However, upper esophageal sphincter (UES) motility and proximal esophagus reflux parameters are poorly studied. This study aims to explore the characteristics of UES motility and reflux parameter among LPR patients. METHODS Patients with laryngopharyngeal symptoms only (L), patients with laryngopharyngeal symptoms and typical esophageal symptoms (L + E), patients with typical esophageal symptoms only (E), and healthy controls (H) were retrospectively included. Physiological profiles were studied and compared among groups using both high-resolution manometry and pH-impedance monitoring, including UES basal pressure, residual pressure, relaxation duration time, recovery time, the time to nadir pressure, UES length, proximal contractile integral, and proximal mean nocturnal baseline impedance (MNBI). Patients' symptom outcomes were also analyzed. RESULTS A total of 242 patients were included.