Resolving Uncertainties in the Quantification of Trace Elements within Organic-Rich Boreal Rivers for AF4-UV-ICP-MS Analysis.

Over the past few decades, asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) has emerged as a robust technique for the separation of colloid-associated trace elements (TEs) in aqueous samples. Nevertheless, little is known about potential artifacts and how to control them when measuring the concentrations of colloid-associated elements at low (µg L-1) or ultralow concentrations (ng L-1) using AF4-UV-ICP-MS. Water from a boreal river was selected as a challenging test material due to its high concentrations of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and Fe-rich colloids. These colloids are expected to be significant contributors to artifact occurrence, even in a metal-free, ultraclean laboratory. The results show that the adsorption of Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, and Pb onto acid-cleaned, non-channel surfaces (such as connection tubing and autosampler) accounted for up to 48% of TE loss. These losses on non-channel surfaces also represent potential sources of cross-contamination for Co, Ni, Cu, and Pb. New, uncleaned poly(ether sulfone) membranes are also sources of contamination for Ni and Cu. Analytical bias may exist in the measured concentrations of TEs, primarily due to the potential carryover of weakly adsorbed TEs (e.g., Ni and Cu) on the system surfaces by colloids in the samples (e.g., DOM). On the other hand, colloids in the samples can also act to gradually remove contaminants from the surfaces. For these types of DOM-rich waters, preconditioning the AF4 system using 40 mg C L-1 of Suwannee River Natural Organic Matter (SRNOM, pH = 7) is recommended to mitigate the impact of membrane fouling and carryover. A comprehensive strategy for minimizing instrumental artifacts is presented and discussed.

Application of a Biomimetic Nanoparticle-Based Mock Virus to Determine SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibody Levels in Blood Samples Using a Lateral Flow Assay.

The presence of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in blood, acquired through previous infection or vaccination, is known to prevent the (re)occurrence of outbreaks unless the virus mutates. Therefore, the measurement of neutralizing antibodies constitutes an indispensable tool in assessing an individual's and a population's immunity against SARS-CoV-2. For this reason, we have developed an innovative lateral flow assay (LFA) capable of detecting blood-derived neutralizing antibodies using a biomimetic SARS-CoV-2 mock virus system. Here, functionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) featuring the trimeric spike (S) protein at its surface imitate the virus's structure and are applied to monitor the presence and efficacy of neutralizing antibodies in blood samples. The detection principle relies on the interaction between mock virus and the immobilized angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, which is inhibited when neutralizing antibodies are present. To further enhance the sensitivity of our competitive assay and identify low titers of neutralizing antibodies, an additional mixing pad is embedded into the device to increase the interaction time between mock virus and neutralizing antibodies. The developed LFA is benchmarked against the WHO International Standard (21/338) and demonstrated reliable quantification of neutralizing antibodies that inhibit ACE2 binding events down to a detection limit of an antibody titer of 59 IU/mL. Additional validation using whole blood and plasma samples showed reproducible results and good comparability to a laboratory-based reference test, thus highlighting its applicability for point-of-care testing.

Transport Properties with Multiple Functions of Fe@C60-GNR Single Molecule.

Encouraged by the successful fabrication of C60-GNR (GNR=graphene nanoribbon) single-molecule transistors in experiments, four Fe-containing derived double-layered devices of Fe@C60-GNR are designed by employing different electrode linkages and their transport properties are investigated by using density functional theory (DFT) and nonequilibrium Green's function (NEGF) methods. Regardless of electrode connection, all these devices give rise to a smaller negative differential resistance (NDR) peak at V=0.2 and a higher peak at 1.2 V, suggesting their stable maneuverability as molecular devices and good candidates for developing on(off)-off(on)-on(off) current switches. The macroscopic NDR performance depends on the delocalization character and the crossing mechanism of the frontier orbitals. The peak-to-valley current ratios (Rmax) range from 454 to 2737, determined by the electrode linkage. Such a large Rmax-value is necessary for developing dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) cells. Encapsulating the Fe atom inside C60 not only improves the conductivity but also introduces the spin-polarized transport property. The spin-filtering efficiency (SFE) of almost all devices oscillates up and down in response to the bias voltage, indicating the possibility of designing on(off)-off(on)-on(off) spin switches and up-down spin switches. All these fascinating properties provide an important clue for designing similar molecular devices with multiple functions by trapping magnetic transition metal atoms inside fullerenes.

Factors associated with prolonged viral shedding of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection in Shanghai: A multicenter, retrospective, observational study.

Shanghai has faced an unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic with the BA.2.2 strain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron infection. Comprehensive insights into its epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and viral shedding dynamics are currently limited. This study encompasses 208373 COVID-19 patients that were infected with the Omicron BA.2.2 sub-lineage in Shanghai, China. Demographic information, clinical symptoms, vaccination status, isolation status, as well as viral shedding time (VST) were recorded. Among the COVID-19 patients included in this study, 187124 were asymptomatic and 21249 exhibited mild symptoms. The median VST was 8.3 days. The common clinical symptoms included fever, persistent cough, phlegm, sore throat, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Factors such as advanced age, presence of comorbidities, mild symptomatology, and delayed isolation correlated with extended VST. Conversely, female gender and administration of two or three vaccine doses correlated with a reduction in VST. This investigation offers an in-depth characterization and analytical perspective on Shanghai's recent COVID-19 surge. Prolonged viral shedding of SARS-CoV-2 was observed in elderly, male, symptomatic patients, and those with comorbidity. Female, individuals with two or three vaccine doses, as well as those isolated early, shows an effective reduced VST.

Chromosome 12 Open Reading Frame 49 Promotes Tumor Growth and Predicts Poor Prognosis in Colorectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Little is known about the role of chromosome 12 open reading frame 49 (C12ORF49)-induced metabolic signal transduction in tumor growth. We investigated the relationship between C12ORF49 expression and prognosis in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. METHODS: C12ORF49 protein expression was measured in CRC tissues by Western blot and immunohistochemistry staining. Knock out of C12ORF49 in CRC cells was then performed, and the role of C12ORF49 in CRC cell proliferation and growth was examined. The expression of C12ORF49 in CRC was analyzed in Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) databases. A prognosis model with 11 C12ORF49-associated genes (CAGs) was generated by TCGA databases. RESULTS: C12ORF49 expression was significantly higher in CRC tumor tissue than in non-tumor tissue. Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo loss-of-function experiments, showed that C12ORF49 plays critical roles in promoting tumor cell growth. There was a significant correlation between C12ORF49 protein and the presence of tumor necrosis. C12ORF49 is critical for its interaction with SREBF1, TMEM41A, and S1PR3 in the poor prognosis of CRC. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that C12ORF49 plays a key role in CRC tumor growth.

Improving Mitochondrial Function in Skeletal Muscle Contributes to the Amelioration of Insulin Resistance by Nicotinamide Riboside.

High-fat diet (HFD)-induced insulin resistance (IR) in skeletal muscle is often accompanied by mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress. Boosting nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) using nicotinamide riboside (NR) can effectively decrease oxidative stress and increase mitochondrial function. However, whether NR can ameliorate IR in skeletal muscle is still inconclusive. We fed male C57BL/6J mice with an HFD (60% fat) ± 400 mg/kg·bw NR for 24 weeks. C2C12 myotube cells were treated with 0.25 mM palmitic acid (PA) ± 0.5 mM NR for 24 h. Indicators for IR and mitochondrial dysfunction were analyzed. NR treatment alleviated IR in HFD-fed mice with regard to improved glucose tolerance and a remarkable decrease in the levels of fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin and HOMA-IR index. NR-treated HFD-fed mice also showed improved metabolic status regarding a significant reduction in body weight and lipid contents in serum and the liver. NR activated AMPK in the skeletal muscle of HFD-fed mice and PA-treated C2C12 myotube cells and upregulated the expression of mitochondria-related transcriptional factors and coactivators, thereby improving mitochondrial function and alleviating oxidative stress. Upon inhibiting AMPK using Compound C, NR lost its ability in enhancing mitochondrial function and protection against IR induced by PA. In summary, improving mitochondrial function through the activation of AMPK pathway in skeletal muscle may play an important role in the amelioration of IR using NR.

Acute myeloid leukemia with cup-like blasts and FLT3-ITD and NPM1 mutations mimics features of acute promyelocytic leukemia: a case of durable remission after sorafenib and low-dose cytarabine.

Some previous researches raised the possibility of a novel acute myeloid leukemia (AML) entity presenting cup-like cytomorphology with mutations of both FLT3 and NPM1 or one of them. However, the clinical implications of this subtype remain unknown. We describe a 63-year-old patient belonging to this distinct AML subtype, who presented similar features of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) including nuclear morphology, negative for CD34 and HLA-DR, and abnormal coagulation. He had no response to both arsenic trioxide and CAG regimen (cytarabine, aclarubicin, and G-CSF). Given that the patient carried the FLT3-ITD mutation, we switched to a pilot treatment of FLT3 inhibitor sorafenib combined with low-dose cytarabine (LDAC). To date, the patient achieved durable complete remission over 58 months. These findings suggest that AML with cup-like blasts and FLT3-ITD and NPM1 mutations mimic APL, and the prognosis of this subtype may be improved by sorafenib combined with LDAC.

Anatomical evidence for the efferent pathway from the hypothalamus to autonomic innervation in the anterior chamber structures of eyes.

The autonomic innervation in the anterior chamber (AC) structures might play an efferent role in neural intraocular pressure (IOP) regulation, the center of which is thought to be located in the hypothalamus. In this study, we identified the efferent pathway from the hypothalamus to the autonomic innervation in the AC structures. Retrograde trans-multisynaptic pseudorabies virus (PRV) expressing green or red fluorescent protein, PRV531 and PRV724, was injected into the right and left AC of five rats, respectively; PRV531 was injected into the right AC of another five rats, and a non-trans-synaptic tracer, FAST Dil, was injected into the right AC of five rats as a control. Fluorescence signals in autonomic ganglia,the spinal cord and the central nervous system (CNS) were observed. Seven days after FAST Dil right AC injection, FAST Dil-labeled neurons were observed in the ipsilateral autonomic ganglia, including the superior cervical ganglion, pterygopalatine ganglion, and ciliary ganglion, but not in the CNS. Four and a half days after PRV531 injection into the right AC, PRV531-labeled neurons could be observed in the ipsilateral autonomic ganglia and bilateral hypothalamus nuclei, especially in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, paraventricular nucleus, dorsomedial hypothalamus, perifornical hypothalamus and ventral mammillary nucleus. Fluorescence signals of PRV531 mainly located in the ipsilateral autonomic preganglionic nuclei (Edinger-Westphal nucleus, superior salivatory nucleus and intermediolateral nucleus), but not in sensory trigeminal nuclei. Four and a half days after PRV531 right AC injection and PRV724 left AC injection, PRV531-labeled, PRV724-labeled, and double-labeled neurons could be observed in the above mentioned bilateral hypothalamus nuclei; but few contralateral infection-involving neurons (including double-labeled neurons) could be detected in the autonomic preganglionic nuclei. Our results indicate that there exist a both crossed and uncrossed hypothalamo-pre-parasympathetic and -pre-sympathetic tracts in the efferent pathways between the bilateral hypothalamic nuclei and the autonomic innervation of the bilateral AC.

Metformin restores hippocampal neurogenesis and learning and memory via regulating gut microbiota in the obese mouse model.

Numerous studies have shown that over-nutritional obesity may lead to pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes and cognitive decline. As the degree of metabolic disorders increases, the cognitive decline is getting worse. However, the cellular events that cause this cognitive dysfunction is yet to be clarified. We used a high-fat diet (HFD) consumption-induced obesity mouse model to test the effects of metformin on the hippocampal neurogenesis and learning and memory abilities of obese mice. 5-Bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) labelling and retrovirus labeling were applied to detect hippocampal newborn neurons. Behavioral experiments were used to detect learning and memory abilities of mice. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was performed to detect the composition of gut microbiota. The positron emission tomography (PET) was conducted to detect the energy metabolism activity of different mouse brain regions. Our results reveal that metformin restores the impairment of neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus and finally prevents the cognitive decline of the obese mice. Moreover, the therapeutic effects of metformin are achieved by regulating the composition of gut microbiota of mice, which may inhibit microglia activation and neuroinflammation in the brain of obese mice. This study suggests that metformin may be taken as a promising candidate for the intervention of cognitive decline related to imbalance of gut microbiota caused by obesity.

A rare case of adult herpes simplex encephalitis complicated with rhabdomyolysis.

BACKGROUND: Compelling evidence indicates that status epilepticus is a prevalent cause of rhabdomyolysis. However, cases of rhabdomyolysis induced by a single seizure accompanied by viral encephalitis are rarely reported. Herein, we present a case of adult Herpes Simplex Encephalitis complicated with rhabdomyolysis. CASE PRESENTATION: A 32-year-old male was patient presented with fever accompanied by episodes of convulsions, myalgia, and oliguria, which exacerbated the delirium. Routine blood examination showed impaired kidney function and elevated myoglobin (Mb) and creatine phosphokinase (CK) levels. MRI scanning revealed a damaged frontotemporal lobe and limbic system. In addition, herpes simplex virus (HSV) pathogen was identified in the cerebrospinal fluid thus indicating HSV infection. Therefore, a diagnosis of rhabdomyolysis triggered by HSV infection accompanied by epilepsy was made. Notably, the patient recovered well after early intervention and treatment. CONCLUSION: The case presented here calls for careful analysis of rhabdomyolysis cases with unknown causes, minor seizures, and without status epilepticus. This case also indicates that HSV virus infection might contribute to the rhabdomyolysis.

Death-associated Protein Kinase 1 Mediates Ventilator-induced Lung Injury in Mice by Promoting Alveolar Epithelial Cell Apoptosis.

BACKGROUND: Alveolar epithelial cell apoptosis is implicated in the onset of ventilator-induced lung injury. Death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) is associated with cell apoptosis. The hypothesis was that DAPK1 participates in ventilator-induced lung injury through promoting alveolar epithelial cell apoptosis. METHODS: Apoptosis of mouse alveolar epithelial cell was induced by cyclic stretch. DAPK1 expression was altered (knockdown or overexpressed) in vitro by using a small interfering RNA or a plasmid, respectively. C57/BL6 male mice (n = 6) received high tidal volume ventilation to establish a lung injury model. Adeno-associated virus transfection of short hairpin RNA and DAPK1 inhibitor repressed DAPK1 expression and activation in lungs, respectively. The primary outcomes were alveolar epithelial cell apoptosis and lung injury. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the 24-h cyclic stretch group showed significantly higher alveolar epithelial cell apoptotic percentage (45 ± 4% fold vs. 6 ± 1% fold; P < 0.0001) and relative DAPK1 expression, and this group also demonstrated a reduced apoptotic percentage after DAPK1 knockdown (27 ± 5% fold vs. 53 ± 8% fold; P < 0.0001). A promoted apoptotic percentage in DAPK1 overexpression was observed without stretching (49 ± 6% fold vs. 14 ± 3% fold; P < 0.0001). Alterations in B-cell lymphoma 2 and B-cell lymphoma 2-associated X are associated with DAPK1 expression. The mice subjected to high tidal volume had higher DAPK1 expression and alveolar epithelial cell apoptotic percentage in lungs compared with the low tidal volume group (43 ± 6% fold vs. 4 ± 2% fold; P < 0.0001). Inhibition of DAPK1 through adeno-associated virus infection or DAPK1 inhibitor treatment appeared to be protective against lung injury with reduced lung injury score, resolved pulmonary inflammation, and repressed alveolar epithelial cell apoptotic percentage (47 ± 4% fold and 48 ± 6% fold; 35 ± 5% fold and 34 ± 4% fold; P < 0.0001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: DAPK1 promotes the onset of ventilator-induced lung injury by triggering alveolar epithelial cell apoptosis through intrinsic apoptosis pathway in mice.

Surgery of the Primary Tumor Offers Survival Benefits of Breast Cancer with Synchronous Ipsilateral Supraclavicular Lymph Node Metastasis.

BACKGROUND: Controversy exists around the locoregional management of the primary tumor for breast cancer associated with synchronous ipsilateral supraclavicular lymph node metastasis (sISLM) due to the rarity of the disease and limited available data. This study aimed to compare outcomes of patients in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database with sISLM who underwent surgical resection and radiation of the primary tumor with those who did not. METHODS: This population-based retrospective study included breast cancer patients with sISLM without distant metastases from 2004 to 2016 in the SEER database. In this study, patients had been stratified by operative management, and propensity score matching (PSM) had been successfully applied. RESULTS: A total of 1172 breast cancer patients with sISLM were included in the study: 863 (73.6%) of patients underwent the primary tumor resection, and 309 (26.4%) patients did not undergo surgery. The median survival time in the surgery group was longer compared to the nonsurgery group in the overall cohort and the PSM cohort. We concluded that the primary tumor resection was associated with improved survival. Subgroup analysis further demonstrated that local surgery was not inferior to radical surgery. CONCLUSION: For selected breast cancer patients with sISLM, surgery is a promising local intervention which may improve the survival.

Sufficient Lumbar Lateral Recess Decompression Acquired by Undercutting "Superior Articular Process Neck" Plus Intervertebral Disk Annuloplasty in Percutaneous Transforaminal Endoscopic Surgery.

BACKGROUND Percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic surgery has been used as a surgical measure for lumbar lateral recess stenosis. However, the necessary decompressive range has never been clearly documented in detail. Here, we discuss the effectiveness of a percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic procedure with clearly defined decompressive range. MATERIAL AND METHODS The relevant data were retrospectively collected from a series of degenerative lateral recess stenosis patients who acquired a prospectively designed percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic procedure in our department. The decompressive procedure mainly included undercutting of superior articular process and intervertebral disk annuloplasty. Leg pain and back pain was evaluated using visual analogue scale (VAS). The functional status was assessed using Oswestry disability index (ODI). The clinical results were also evaluated using MacNab criteria. RESULTS From May 2014 to October 2018, a total of 33 patients who met our inclusion criteria were included for analysis. There were no perioperative complications. Leg pain VAS decreased from preoperative score of 6.18±2.38 to final follow-up score of 0.45±1.00 (P<0.01). Back pain VAS decreased from preoperative score of 1.88±2.19 to final follow-up score of 0.64±1.02 (P<0.01). ODI (%) decreased from preoperative score of 47.86±18.15 to final follow-up score of 6.29±6.75 (P<0.01). At the final follow-up, the results of MacNab criteria were excellent in 18 cases (54.55%), good in 14 cases (42.42%), fair in 1 case (3.03%) and poor in 0 cases. None of the patients complained of recurrence of the symptoms during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Undercutting of "superior articular process neck" plus intervertebral disk annuloplasty is sufficient for lumbar lateral recess decompression in a transforaminal approach.

Repetitively hypoxic preconditioning attenuates ischemia/reperfusion-induced liver dysfunction through upregulation of hypoxia-induced factor-1 alpha-dependent mitochondrial Bcl-xl in rat.

Repetitive hypoxic preconditioning (HP) enforces protective effects to subsequently severe hypoxic/ischemic stress. We hypothesized that HP may provide protection against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in rat livers via hypoxia-induced factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α)/reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent defensive mechanisms. Female Wistar rats were exposed to hypoxia (15 h/day) in a hypobaric hypoxic chamber (5500 m) for HP induction, whereas the others were kept in sea level. These rats were subjected to 45 min of hepatic ischemia by portal vein occlusion followed by 6 h of reperfusion. We evaluated HIF-1α in nuclear extracts, MnSOD, CuZnSOD, catalase, Bad/Bcl-xL/caspase 3/poly-(ADP-ribose)-polymerase (PARP), mitochondrial Bcl-xL, and cytosolic cytochrome C expression with Western blot and nitroblue tetrazolium/3-nitrotyrosine stain. Kupffer cell infiltration and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick-end labeling method apoptosis were determined by immunocytochemistry. The ROS value from liver surface and bile was detected by an ultrasensitive chemiluminescence-amplification method. Hepatic function was assessed with plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels. HP increased nuclear translocation of HIF-1α and enhanced Bcl-xL, MnSOD, CuZnSOD, and catalase protein expression in a time-dependent manner. The response of HP enhanced hepatic HIF-1α, and Bcl-xL expression was abrogated by a HIF-1α inhibitor YC-1. Hepatic I/R increased ROS levels, myeloperoxidase activity, Kupffer cell infiltration, ALT and AST levels associated with the enhancement of cytosolic Bad translocation to mitochondria, release of cytochrome C to cytosol, and activation of caspase 3/PARP-mediated apoptosis. HP significantly ameliorated hepatic I/R-enhanced oxidative stress, apoptosis, and mitochondrial and hepatic dysfunction. In summary, HP enhances HIF-1α/ROS-dependent cascades to upregulate mitochondrial Bcl-xL protein expression and to confer protection against I/R injury in the livers.

Heterologous Expression of Dehydration-Inducible MfWRKY17 of Myrothamnus Flabellifolia Confers Drought and Salt Tolerance in Arabidopsis.

: As the only woody resurrection plant, Myrothamnus flabellifolia has a strong tolerance to drought and can survive long-term in a desiccated environment. However, the molecular mechanisms related to the stress tolerance of M. flabellifolia are largely unknown, and few tolerance-related genes previously identified had been functionally characterized. WRKYs are a group of unique and complex plant transcription factors, and have reported functions in diverse biological processes, especially in the regulation of abiotic stress tolerances, in various species. However, little is known about their roles in response to abiotic stresses in M. flabellifolia. In this study, we characterized a dehydration-inducible WRKY transcription factor gene, MfWRKY17, from M. flabellifolia. MfWRKY17 shows high degree of homology with genes from Vitis vinifera and Vitis pseudoreticulata, belonging to group II of the WRKY family. Unlike known WRKY17s in other organisms acting as negative regulators in biotic or abiotic stress responses, overexpression of MfWRKY17 in Arabidopsis significantly increased drought and salt tolerance. Further investigations indicated that MfWRKY17 participated in increasing water retention, maintaining chlorophyll content, and regulating ABA biosynthesis and stress-related gene expression. These results suggest that MfWRKY17 possibly acts as a positive regulator of stress tolerance in the resurrection plant M. flabellifolia.

Experiments and Simulations on the Magnetorheology of Magnetic Fluid Based on Fe3O4 Hollow Chains.

This work reports an experiment/simulation combination study on the magnetorheological (MR) mechanism of magnetic fluid based on Fe3O4 hollow chains. The decrease of shear stress versus the increasing magnetic field was observed in a dilute magnetic fluid. Hollow chains exhibited a higher MR effect than pure Fe3O4 hollow nanospheres under a small magnetic field. A modified particle level simulation method including the translational and rotational motion of chains was developed to comprehend the correlation between rheological properties and microstructures. Sloping cluster-like microstructures were formed under a weak external field (24 mT), while vertical column-like microstructures were observed under a strong field (240 mT). The decrease of shear stress was due to the strong reconstruction process of microstructures and the agglomeration of chains near the boundaries. The chain morphology increased the dip angle of microstructures and thus improved the MR effect under a weak field. This advantage made Fe3O4 hollow chains to be widely applied for small and low-power devices in the biomedical field. Dimensionless viscosity as a function of the Mason number was collapsed onto linear master curves. Magnetic fluid in Poiseuille flow in a microfluidic channel was also observed and simulated. A qualitative and quantitative correspondence between simulations and experiments was obtained.

Evaluation of Quiescent-Interval Single-Shot Magnetic Resonance Angiography in Diabetic Patients With Critical Limb Ischemia Undergoing Digital Subtraction Angiography: Comparison With Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Angiography With Calf Compression at 3.0 Tesla.

PURPOSE: To assess the diagnostic performance of quiescent-interval single-shot magnetic resonance angiography (QISS-MRA) at 3 tesla in diabetic patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) vs contrast-enhanced MR angiography (CE-MRA) using digital subtraction angiography (DSA) as the standard of reference. METHOD: Thirty-seven consecutive diabetic patients (mean age 71.8±7.2 years; 30 men) with CLI (Fontaine stage III-IV) underwent QISS-MRA and CE-MRA with calf compression; DSA was the standard. Image quality (5-point Likert-type scale) and stenosis severity (5-point grading) for QISS-MRA and CE-MRA were evaluated by 2 blinded readers in 1147 and 654 vessel segments, respectively. Per-segment and per-region (pelvis, thigh, calf) sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were calculated. RESULTS: Image quality of QISS-MRA was lower compared with CE-MRA in the pelvic region (p<0.001 in both readers) and thigh region (p=0.033 in reader 1 and p=0.018 in reader 2), whereas in the calf region, the image quality of QISS-MRA was better than CE-MRA (p=0.009 in reader 1 and p=0.001 in reader 2). In segment-based analyses, there was no difference between QISS-MRA and CE-MRA in sensitivity [89.5% vs 90.3% in reader 1 (p=0.774) and 87.6% vs 90.6% in reader 2 (p=0.266)] or specificity [94.2% vs 92.9% in reader 1 (p=0.513) and 92.9% vs 92.9% in reader 2 (p>0.999)]. In region-based analyses, QISS-MRA and CE-MRA yielded similar sensitivity and specificity in all areas but the pelvic region for reader 2 (specificity 95.5% vs 84.8%, p=0.041). CONCLUSION: QISS-MRA performed very well in diabetic patients with CLI and was a good alternative for patients with contraindications to CE-MRA.

Association of Circulating Adipsin, Visfatin, and Adiponectin with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Adults: A Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Some adipokines, such as adiponectin and leptin, have been reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), while the association of adipsin and visfatin with NAFLD still remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the association of circulating adipsin, visfatin, and adiponectin with NAFLD in Chinese adults. METHODS: We recruited a total of 211 eligible subjects, including 100 NAFLD cases and 111 age and sex frequency-matched controls. Circulating adipsin, visfatin, and adiponection concentrations were measured by enzymatic immunoassay. Unconditional logistic regression was conducted to assess the associations between quartiles of adipokines and NAFLD. RESULTS: Compared with the controls, NAFLD cases had higher levels of adipsin and lower levels of visfatin and adiponectin. By multivariate logistic analysis, adjusting for potential confounders, circulating adipsin levels were found to be positively associated with NAFLD risk, and circulating levels of visfatin and adiponectin were inversely associated with the risk of NAFLD (all p-trend < 0.05). The ORs were 3.76 (95% CI 1.27-11.08) for adipsin, 0.30 (95% CI 0.10-0.91) for visfatin, and 0.30 (95% CI 0.10-0.88) for adiponectin comparing subjects in the highest quartile with those in the lowest. After stratified by obesity status, the association of higher adipsin with increased risk of NAFLD was only observed in nonobese group. Additionally, the inverse association between adiponectin and NAFLD was found in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicated that increased circulating levels of adipsin and decreased circulating levels of visfatin and adiponectin were independently associated with the increased risk of NAFLD.

Prophylactic use of probiotic chocolate modulates intestinal physiological functions in constipated rats.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the in vivo prophylactic effect of probiotic chocolate on constipation. Rats were administered chocolate containing 2.5 × 1010 CFU g-1 of probiotics daily for 4 weeks and treated with loperamide (5 mg kg-1 ) daily at the fourth week of treatment. RESULTS: Probiotic chocolate treatment significantly (P < 0.05) increased the intestinal motility, colon length, fecal moisture content and number of excreted fecal pellets in constipated rats. Moreover, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction data and histological images also revealed that both probiotic chocolate LYC and BB12 treatments were capable of upregulating the mRNA expression levels of colonic ZO-1, occludin and AQP8, leading to the maintenance of the defensive barrier function in the constipated rats compared with the negative controls. Interestingly, these treatments also modulated gut bacterial populations by increasing the abundance levels of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, as well as reducing the abundance level of Enterobacteriaceae. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that probiotic chocolate LYC and BB12 could potentially be used as alternative agents for prophylactic constipation. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.