T he sex difference in blood pressure (BP) has long been recognized between premenopausal women and agedmatched men.1 Women are protected from most cardiovascular events compared with age-matched men before menopause, and postmenopausal women are at increased risk of cardiovascular complications compared with premenopausal women. 2 The pathophysiological mechanisms have been extensively explored, and increasing evidences have shown that the female hormone is one of the major mechanisms contributing to the above phenomena.3 Several studies have demonstrated the importance of the interaction between sex hormones and the renin-angiotensin system in regulating cardiovascular function and BP. 4,5 Angiotensin-II (Ang-II) is a key player in the development of hypertension. Ang-II type-1 (AT 1 R) and type-2 (AT 2 R) receptors play opposite roles in BP regulation, 6,7 with AT 2 R exerting a cardioprotective action in essential hypertension. 8 Early study demonstrates that AT 2 R provides a major clue for solving the mystery of sex differences in AT 2 R-mediated vasodilation 9 and hypertension. 10 However, the majority of researches on hypertension to date has been conducted in male animals and focused largely on the target organs, such as the heart, blood vessels, and kidney. The sex differences in neurocontrol of circulation at baroreflex level have almost been neglected although AT 1 R or AT 2 R has been identified in nodose ganglia (NG) or nucleus of tractus solitary (NTS). 11,12 Recent literatures have shown that adult female rats express Abstract-This study aims to understand the special expression patterns of angiotensin-II receptor (AT 1 R and AT 2 R) in nodose ganglia and nucleus of tractus solitary of baroreflex afferent pathway and their contribution in sex difference of neurocontrol of blood pressure regulation. In this regard, action potentials were recorded in baroreceptor neurons (BRNs) using whole-cell patch techniques; mRNA and protein expression of AT 1 R and AT 2 R in nodose ganglia and nucleus of tractus solitary were evaluated using real time-polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry at both tissue and single-cell levels. The in vivo effects of 17β-estradiol on blood pressure and AT 2 R expression were also tested. The data showed that AT 2 R, rather than AT 1 R, expression was higher in female than age-matched male rats. Moreover, AT 2 R was downregulated in ovariectomized rats, which was restored by the administration of 17β-estradiol. Single-cell real time-polymerase chain reaction data indicated that AT 2 R was uniquely expressed in Ah-type BRNs. Functional study showed that long-term administration of 17β-estradiol significantly alleviated the blood pressure increase in ovariectomized rats. Electrophysiological recordings showed that angiotensin-II treatment increased the neuroexcitability more in Ah-than C-type BRNs, whereas no such effect was observed in A-types. In addition, angiotensin-II treatment prolonged action potential duration, which was not further changed...

Fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF21) is closely related to various metabolic and cardiovascular disorders. However, the direct targets and mechanisms linking FGF21 to blood pressure control and hypertension are still elusive. Here we demonstrated a novel regulatory function of FGF21 in the baroreflex afferent pathway (the nucleus tractus solitarii, NTS; nodose ganglion, NG). As the critical co-receptor of FGF21, β-klotho (klb) significantly expressed on the NTS and NG. Furthermore, we evaluated the beneficial effects of chronic intraperitoneal infusion of recombinant human FGF21 (rhFGF21) on the dysregulated systolic blood pressure, cardiac parameters, baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) and hyperinsulinemia in the high fructose-drinking (HFD) rats. The BRS up-regulation is associated with Akt-eNOS-NO signaling activation in the NTS and NG induced by acute intravenous rhFGF21 administration in HFD and control rats. Moreover, the expressions of FGF21 receptors were aberrantly down-regulated in HFD rats. In addition, the up-regulated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ and -α (PPAR-γ/-α) in the NTS and NG in HFD rats were markedly reversed by chronic rhFGF21 infusion. Our study extends the work of the FGF21 actions on the neurocontrol of blood pressure regulations through baroreflex afferent pathway in HFD rats.

The detection data of IgM and IgG antibodies in 169 patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) were analyzed to evaluate differences in clinical performance between the colloidal gold method and chemiluminescence method. In this study, chemiluminescence detection of IgM antibody showed a positive conversion earlier (about 1-2 days earlier), positive conversion rates higher in different stages of disease, and a trend of declining positive rate later than colloidal gold method. For

The aim of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of Anbainuo (ABN) plus methotrexate (MTX) (ABN + MTX) versus conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (cDMARDs) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Forty-eight moderate to severe RA patients underwent ABN + MTX or cDMARDs treatment were consecutively enrolled and assigned to ABN + MTX group (n = 26) and control group (n = 22). Patients were followed up and their disease activity and quality of life (QoL) were evaluated at 3rd month, 6th month and 12th month after initiation of treatment. Treatment costs of 2 groups were calculated, then pharmacoeconomic analysis was performed. ABN + MTX increased drug cost and total cost while decreased indirect cost compared with cDMARDs after 12-month treatment. ABN + MTX group gained additional 0.22 quality-adjusted life years (QALY) and yielded an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of ¥104,293.6 per QALY after treatment. Sensitivity analysis reveals that rising ABN price by 20% produced an ICER of ¥130,403.6 per QALY, which was still lower than 3 times of the mean gross domestic product (GDP) per capita during the same period in China (¥165,960). Besides, ABN + MTX was more cost-effective in severe RA patients compared to moderate RA patients. ABN + MTX is cost-effective in treating moderate to severe RA patients compared with cDMARDs, although the total cost of ABN + MTX is relatively higher.