Serum irisin levels are negatively associated with blood pressure in dialysis patients.

Elevated blood pressure is highly prevalent among dialysis patients and is associated with high mortality. Irisin is a newly found myokine that has been indicated to be related to blood pressure regulation in animal experiments. Data regarding the effect of serum irisin levels on blood pressure in dialysis patients are limited. To identify the association between serum irisin levels and blood pressure and examine determinant factors of systolic blood pressure in dialysis patients, we recruited 300 dialysis patients at Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University. Serum irisin levels were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Blood pressure was self-measured on 7 consecutive days by an automated sphygmomanometer. The Pearson correlation test showed that the natural logarithm of irisin was negatively correlated with systolic blood pressure (r = -0.462, P < 0.001) and pulse pressure (r = -0.487, P < 0.001), but not correlated with diastolic blood pressure (r = -0.022, P = 0.709). Multivariate analysis revealed that the natural logarithm of irisin (ß = -0.336, P < 0.001), lean tissue mass (ß = 0.164, P = 0.005), diabetes mellitus (ß = 0.165, P = 0.003) and serum calcium (ß = -0.135, P = 0.019) were significant determinant factors for systolic blood pressure. This study is the first to demonstrate that serum irisin levels are significantly negatively associated with blood pressure in dialysis patients. Further studies are needed to provide possible mechanisms. We demonstrated that serum irisin levels were negatively associated with blood pressure in dialysis patients, which may provide a new target for antihypertensive treatment.

Hypoglycemic and H2O2-induced oxidative injury protective effects and the phytochemical profiles of the ethyl acetate fraction from Radix Paeoniae Alba.

Radix Paeonia Alba (RPA) is often used as food and medicine. This study aimed to enrich and identify the antioxidant and hypoglycemic bioactive compounds from RPA. The results indicated that the ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) showed the highest total phenolic content, DPPH, ABTS+ scavenging ability, and α-glucosidase inhibition ability (IC50 = 7.27 µg/ml). The EAF could alleviate H2O2-induced oxidative stress in HepG2 cells by decreasing the MDA and ROS levels, improving cell apoptosis, increasing the enzyme activity of GPX-Px, CAT, SOD, Na+/K+-ATP, and Ca2+/Mg2+-ATP, and stimulating T-AOC expression, which also enhanced the glucose uptake of insulin-resistant HepG2 cells. In addition, the EAF significantly reduced the fasting blood glucose level and improved glucose tolerance in diabetic mice. An HPLC-QTOF-MS/MS analysis displayed that procyanidin, digallic acid isomer, methyl gallate, tetragalloylglucose isomer, dimethyl gallic acid, and paeoniflorin were the major compounds in the EAF. These findings are meaningful for the application of the EAF in the medicinal or food industry to prevent and treat oxidative stress and diabetes mellitus.

Extraction optimization and identification of four advanced glycation-end products inhibitors from lotus leaves and interaction mechanism analysis.

Previous research indicated lotus leaves extract could effectively inhibit advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) formation, but the optimal extraction condition, bio-active compounds and interaction mechanism remain unclear. The current study was designed to optimize the extraction parameters of AGEs inhibitors from lotus leaves by bio-activity-guided approach. The bio-active compounds were enriched and identified, the interaction mechanisms of inhibitors with ovalbumin (OVA) were investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular docking. The optimum extraction parameters were solid-liquid ratio of 1:30, ethanol concentration of 70 %, ultrasonic time of 40 min, temperature of 50 °C, and power of 400 W. Isoquercitrin, hyperoside, astragalin, and trifolin were identified from the 80 % ethanol fraction of lotus leaves (80HY). Hyperoside and isoquercitrin were dominant AGEs inhibitors and accounted for 55.97 % of 80HY. Isoquercitrin, hyperoside, trifolin interacted with OVA via the same mechanism, hyperoside exhibited the strongest affinity, trifolin caused the most conformational changes.

Characteristic pollutants risk assessment of modified manganese residue utilization in sintered product.

The resource disposal of electrolytic manganese residue can effectively solve the problem of environmental pollution caused by it, among which the problem of heavy metal pollution is the most prominent. In this study, a new type of eco-friendly brick mixed with electrolytic manganese residue was designed. The influence of the content of electrolytic manganese residue on its macroscopic properties, microscopic properties, and leaching characteristics was analyzed by test methods such as compressive strength test, radioactivity test, XRF, XRD, FTIR, and ICP test of bricks. The results showed that the manganese content in the EMR leachate was 8120 mg/L, which exceeded the Chinese standard. The leaching experiment of ordinary aqueous solution of sintered bricks mixed with 20% EMR showed that the content of heavy metals was far lower than the Chinese national standard. There was no non-carcinogenic risk of heavy metals in the strong acid leaching solution of sintered bricks mixed with 20% EMR. Only the carcinogenic risk values of Cr for adults and children were 4.21 × 10-4 and 9.82 × 10-4 respectively, both exceeding the USEPA limit, but the application scene of sintered bricks was difficult to achieve strong acidity, so it was judged that it had no carcinogenic risk to the human body. Characteristic heavy metals such as Mn, Cr, and As existed stably in sintered bricks through substitution and encapsulation. In addition, the compressive strength and radioactivity of EMR sintered bricks met the requirements of the Chinese national standard "Fired Ordinary Bricks." This product can be used as national standard MU20 grade brick. This study provided an efficient method for the safe and environmentally friendly disposal of EMR in a sustainable control system.

Characteristic pollutant purification analysis of modified phosphogypsum comprehensive utilization.

The waste product phosphogypsum (PG) is produced in phosphoric acid production processes. Its storage requires large amounts of land resources and poses serious environmental risks. In this work, detailed experimental research was carried out to investigate the potential reuse of PG after calcination modification as a novel building material for cast-in-place concrete products. The calcination modification mechanism was studied, and the environmental risk assessment of modified PG was presented. The results showed that the calcination modification includes crystal phase transformation, removal of impurities, and modifying the pH value. The calcination was carried out at 280 °C for 5 h, where the resulting product was a pH value of 7.1, and the soluble fluorine and phosphorus removal rates reached up to 69.2% and 71.2%, respectively. These removal rates met the requirements of the China national standard Phosphogypsum (GB/T 23456-2018). To ensure the environmental safety, ecological risk assessment methods for determining the leaching toxicity of the modified PG were employed. The toxicity of Ba and P elements in the modified PG products was assessed, as well as the leaching toxicity concentrations of all particular heavy metals, which were found well below the limits set by the national standards. All the results presented strongly suggest that the 280 °C modified PG presented here has excellent application potential as a raw component in building materials.

Resource recycling sustainability assessment in ready-mixed concrete manufactured on energy consumption and environmental safety in China.

With the rapid development of construction industry, consumption of ready-mixed concrete has increased rapidly in China. As a kind of green building material and waste comprehensive utilization product, industrial solid waste-based ready-mixed concrete have better performance in terms of resource conservation and durability. However, some typical issues are associated with industrial solid waste resource recycling in ready-mixed concrete production process such as energy and material consumption, as well as leaching pollutant emissions. So, a "life cycle assessment" of the particular elements has been carried out, determining the resources consumption of all the processes of the ready-mixed concrete production. Through preparation of several different strength grades of concrete, the embodied energy and resources consumption indicator are quantitative evaluation. In addition, the environmental safety assessment was also proposed. The results show a certain linear relationship of concrete with various strength grade and its resources consumption, the higher strength grade, the more resources consumption potentials in the production of concrete. In this case, the linear correlation coefficient R2=0.98313 between them, and the equivalent coefficient's order of the main resources, is as follows: the first is oil, then natural gas, iron ore, limestone, gypsum, and fly ash, and the last is coal. The more preceding shows more scarcity. Meanwhile, the general leaching of heavy metals Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr, Pb, Cd, and Ba of solid waste-based C20 concrete were also checked out. So, to further ensure the environmental safety, the potential ecological risk method was adopted to assess the heavy metal security and solid waste resource utilization.

Manure amendment increased the abundance of methanogens and methanotrophs but suppressed the type I methanotrophs in rice paddies.

Methane (CH4) emission is the consequence of CH4 production and consumption performed by methanogens and methanotrophs, respectively. Fertilization is an important factor that regulates the behavior of methanogens and methanotrophs; however, the effect of manure and rice straw addition combined with inorganic fertilizers on these communities is not well understood. This study aimed to explore how manure and rice straw amendments together with inorganic fertilizers influenced the methanogenic and methanotrophic communities in a 31-year fertilized rice paddy. Manure amendment significantly increased the abundance of mcrA and pmoA genes by 61.2% and 63.3% compared with the unfertilized control, whereas inorganic NPK fertilization alone or rice straw addition did not affect their abundances. Manure and rice straw amendments greatly decreased the Shannon index and ACE index of the methanogenic communities, whereas inorganic NPK fertilization alone increased the ACE index of the methanotrophic communities compared with the unfertilized control. Methanosarcinaceae and Methylococcaceae dominated at the family level, representing 23.1-35.0% and 48.7-67.2% of the total reads, for the methanogenic and methanotrophic communities, respectively. Application of manure together with inorganic fertilizers suppressed the Methanocellales methanogens and the type I methanotrophs (Methylococcus and Methylobacter). Fertilization greatly altered the community structure of methanogens and methanotrophs, and manure addition had more apparent effects than rice straw. Moreover, total nitrogen, soil organic carbon, available phosphorus, and available potassium correlated significantly to the abundance, composition, and community structure of methanogens and methanotrophs. In conclusion, our study revealed that long-term manure amendment in combination with inorganic fertilizers significantly increased the abundance of methanogens and methanotrophs, but suppressed the type I methanotrophs in rice paddies.

[Effects of long-term different fertilization regimes on the abundance and community structure of ammonia oxidizers in paddy soils]. / 长期不同施肥制度对水稻土氨氧化微生物数量和群落结构的影响.

Ammonia oxidation, driven by the ammonia oxidizers, is the rate-limiting step of nitrification and plays a key role in soil nitrogen cycling. In this study, real-time PCR and Illumina MiSeq sequencing approaches were used to investigate the effects of long-term different fertilization regimes on the abundance and community structure of ammonia oxidizers, targeting the amoA genes, in a 30-year located experimental paddy soil in Ningxiang County, Hunan Province. Four treatments were compared, including control without fertilizer (CK), fertilizers NPK (CF), 70% NPK plus 30% manure (CFM1), and 40% NPK plus 60% manure (CFM2). The results showed that the abundance of amoA genes in AOA and AOB was in the range of 3.09×107-8.37×107 and 1.04×107-7.03×107 copies·g-1 dry soil, respectively. Fertilization significantly increased the AOA and AOB abundances. However, no significant difference was observed in AOB abundance between CFM2 and CK. Manure fertilization rate greatly affected the α diversity index of AOB rather than AOA. The Shannon index of AOA and ACE and Chao1 indexes of AOB observed in CFM1 were significantly higher than that in CK, respectively. Thaumarchaeota and Crenarchaeota were the predominant AOA phyla and Nitrosospira, environmental_samples_norank, Bacteria_unclassified and Nitrosomonadales_unclassified were the main AOB genus groups which accounted for 83.4% and 97.8% of the total AOA and AOB amoA gene reads, respectively. Venn diagram indicated that manure fertilization rate had a stronger effect on the OTU number of AOB amoA gene than that of AOA in different treatments, but it slightly altered the proportion of shared AOA and AOB amoA gene reads. Furthermore, there were pronounced differences in the community structure of AOB among different treatments than that of AOA. These results suggested that manure fertilization rate significantly affected the abundance, diversity and community structure of AOA and AOB. The Shannon index of AOA and the abundance and ACE and Chao1 indexes of AOB in CFM1 were significantly higher than that in the rest treatments, respectively. Our results provided basis for further exploring the response mechanism of ammonia oxidizers to different fertilization strategies and the roles of ammonia oxidizers in nitrogen transformation in agricultural systems.

Melamine Nephrotoxicity is Mediated by Hyperuricemia.

OBJECTIVE: We tested whether melamine nephrotoxicity was exacerbated by urate (a typical component of renal stones in humans) in rats with hyperuricemiainduced by the uricase inhibitor, potassium oxonate (Oxo). METHODS: Rats were exposed to melamine or Oxo alone or combinations of melamine (200-400 mg/kg) and Oxo (200-600 mg/kg) for 3 consecutive days. Kidney injury was evaluated by renal biochemical functions, histomorphology, and lipid peroxidation. Kidney crystals were analyzed for their composition. RESULTS: Nephrotoxicity was minimal in animals administered melamine or Oxo alone, but it was demonstrable in animals administered at least 800 mg/kg of the two compounds combined. All rats in the 400+600 (melamine+Oxo) and 400+400 mg/kg groups and 4 out of 6 in the 200+600 mg/kg group died within 3 days; no rat died in the 200+400 or 200+200 mg/kg group. Dose-dependent renal damage resembling clinical findings in affected patients was observed in rats administered the two compounds. Crystal composition determination revealed the existence of melamine and uric acid in the affected kidneys, resembling human stones. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that uric acid plays a key role in melamine-related kidney injury in humans. Future studies should consider uric acid together with melamine when examining adverse effects in humans.

The clinical profile and prognosis of Chinese children with melamine-induced kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Studies have reported inconsistent results regarding clinical feature and the prognosis status of the affected children in China melamine-contamination event. We summarized available literatures by performing a review and meta-analysis. METHODS: Statistical pooling was performed using random-effects model; the sources of heterogeneity were explored through subgroup analyses. RESULTS: Twenty-six studies involving 2164 patients with kidney abnormalities were identified; 94.4% of the patients had urinary calculi and 95.8% of the calculi were < 10 mm in diameter. Of 2040 patients with known types of treatment, 5.6% underwent surgical treatment. The pooled recovery rates at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after diagnosis or treatment initiation were 67.1%, 76.3%, 85.4%, and 92.3%, respectively; these pooled rates did not differ between the study subgroups stratified by mean age at diagnosis, mean duration of melamine exposure, types of patients (inpatient/outpatient), and treatment types (specific/nonspecific), except that the 1-month recovery rate for studies involving a specific treatment (71.9%) was higher than that for studies involving non-specific treatment (46.2%). CONCLUSION: The majority of patients had small calculi and could recover without surgical treatment. Kidney abnormalities remained in about 8% of the patients at 12-month followup, indicating a need for longer-term followup.

[A cohort study of longer-term impact of melamine contaminated formula on infant health].

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively evaluate the health status of infants with exposure to melamine-contaminated milk formula prior to September 2008. METHODS: The cohort study was conducted in an area close to the manufacturer of Sanlu dairy products. There were three groups (n = 47 each). In September 2008, the exposure group I included infants with exposure to melamine and a diagnosis of renal abnormalities, the exposure group IIhad exposure to melamine but there was no diagnosis of renal abnormalities and the non-exposure group had no exposure to melamine. The exposure II and non-exposure groups were matched with those of exposure group I by birthplaces, gender and date of birth ( ± 3 months). Kidney function tests (urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, uric acid, serum albumin, ß2-microglobulin and cystatin C), liver function tests (alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase), growth and development assessment and urinary system ultrasonography were implemented between November 2011 and June 2012. The analysis of covariance (least significant difference method) was performed to compare the differences of relevant variables among three groups. RESULTS: The urinary system ultrasonography showed that all abnormalities disappeared in exposure group I and all infants of another two groups had normal ultrasonography. There were statistically significant differences in serum uric acid and albumin of kidney function in exposure group I, exposure group II and non-exposure group ((344 ± 75) and (338 ± 98) and (282 ± 69) µmol/L , (47 ± 5) and (47 ± 6) and (43 ± 5) g/L, all P < 0.05) among three groups. However the differences in the remaining markers of kidney function, markers of liver function and Z scores of weight-for-age and height-for age were all statistically insignificant (all P > 0.05). Further pair-wise comparisons showed that the levels of serum uric acid and albumin in exposure group I were higher than those in non-exposure group (P = 0.001 and 0.010). And the levels of serum uric acid and albumin in exposure group II were also higher than those in non-exposure group (P = 0.003 and 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: All affected infants have recovered from kidney abnormalities. Early infant exposure to melamine-contaminated milk formula appears to have no obvious impact on liver function and growth. But its potential impact on kidney function should be further assessed.

[Clinical value of wireless capsule endoscopy in diagnosis of small bowel disease in children].

OBJECTIVE: The pathological change of small bowel is difficult to examine because it is anatomically unique. The development of wireless capsule endoscopy provides an unique opportunity to visualize the entire small bowel in a minimally invasive manner. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and clinical value of wireless capsule endoscopy in children. METHODS: During the last 4 years (June, 2004-June, 2008), 46 times of wireless capsule endoscopy were performed in 43 patients with suspected small bowel disease, including obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (n = 11), recurrent abdominal pain (n = 20), chronic diarrhea (n = 9), protein losing enteropathy (n = 2), recurrent vomiting (n = 1). Of the 43 cases, 28 were male and 15 were female, the age ranged from 6 to 18 years, 8 of these cases were < 10 years old. The weight of the patients ranged between 15 kg and 60 kg. The average time of capsule passing through the stomach and the small intestine, the tolerance to and complication of wireless capsule endoscopy in patients, the image quality of capsule endoscopy, and the cleanliness of small intestine after fasting for 8 hours were observed and recorded. RESULT: All the patients could easily swallow the capsule and had good tolerance. The overall success rate was 94% (43/46). The median time of capsule passing through the stomach and small intestine was 73 min (range, 3 - 600 min) and 246 min (range, 73 - 413 min), respectively. The diagnostic yield of pathological change in small intestine was 90% (37/41), and the diagnostic accordance rate was 84% (31/37). Based on the wireless capsule endoscopy, diagnostic findings included Crohn's diseases (15), lymph follicular hyperplasia (4), nonspecific enteritis (4), vascular malformations (3), small bowel tumour (2), primary intestinal lymphangiectasia (2), gastrointestinal motility disorders (2), Meckel's diverticulum (1), angioma (1), small intestinal worm disease (1), duodenal ulcer (1), and polyposis syndromes (1). The capsule of 1 patient remained in the stomach. The cleanliness of small intestine after 8 hours fasting was good. And the capsule endoscopy can show high quality small intestine image. CONCLUSION: Wireless capsule endoscopy is a noninvasive, safe and useful tool for the investigation of the small intestine in children, especially for obscure gastrointestinal bleeding and Crohn's disease.

[Diagnosis and treatment of Crohn's disease in children: 10 years' clinical experience].

OBJECTIVE: To enhance our understanding of pediatric Crohn's disease and improve diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic efficacy by characterizing the clinical picture and reviewing 10 years' clinical experience in diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: Nine cases with active Crohn's disease diagnosed between 1996 and 2005, including 8 males and 1 female, aged 6 - 13 years, were reviewed. Clinical, radiologic, endoscopic and histological data as well as therapeutic results were analized. RESULTS: The mean interval from the onset of symptoms to the diagnosis was 10 months. The sites of involvement were both the small intestine and colon in 6, small intestine only in 3. Abdominal pain and diarrhea were the two most common gastrointestinal symptoms. The main extraintestinal manifestations were weight loss in 7, hypoalbuminemia in 5, mild anemia in 5, fever in 4 and hypocalcemia in 2. All the patients had undergone colonoscopy, and the findings included ulcerations, segmental lesions, cobblestone appearance, pseudopolyps and perianal abnormalities. Capsule endoscopic examination in one patient demonstrated the segmental distribution with typical longitudinal cleft-like ulcers and cobblestone appearance. Gastrointestinal barium meal X-ray examination was performed in 7 patients, the main findings were segmental strictures and abnormal mucosa. Histological examination of biopsy specimens mainly showed nonspecific chronic inflammation. Non-caseating granulomas were identifiable in 2 cases. Although there were many macroscopic and microscopic features supporting the diagnosis of Crohn's disease, no epithelioid granuloma could be found in surgical specimens of two patients. Treatment was given up by parents of 2 patients after the diagnosis was established. All the other 7 patients were treated with 5-acetylsalicylic acid, antibiotics and nutritional support during the acute phase. Corticosteroids were used in two patients. Long-term remission was achieved and maintained in 3 children, and in one of them medication could be discontinued and had no signs of disease activity at the end of the follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Children and adolescents presenting with Crohn's disease commonly have weight loss and nutritional impairment, which may provide clues to the diagnosis. Appropriate formulation and higher dosage of 5-acetylsalicylic acid [30-50 mg/(kg x d)] may be effective in inducing and maintaining remission in pediatric Crohn's disease.