Down-regulation of long noncoding RNA LINC00472 alleviates sepsis-induced acute hepatic injury by regulating miR-373-3p/TRIM8 axis.

BACKGROUND: The long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been confirmed to be involved in sepsis-induced organ injury. Here, we first investigated the functional role and the underlying mechanism of lncRNA LINC00472 in sepsis-induced acute hepatic injury (AHI). METHODS: Human liver THLE-3 cells were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to mimic sepsis-induced AHI in vitro; intraperitoneal injection of LPS in rats were used as an in vivo model of AHI induced by sepsis. The expressions of LINC00472, miR-373-3p, and TRIM8 mRNA were detected by qRT-PCR. The effects of LINC00472 and miR-373-3p on the viability of THLE-3 cells were assessed by CCK-8 assay. Dual-luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays were performed to determine the binding relationship between LINC00472 and miR-373-3p as well as between miR-373-3p and TRIM8. The expressions of apoptosis-related proteins and TRIM8 were detected by Western blot; the levels of ALT, AST, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10 in the serum of rats were measured using ELSA assay. RESULTS: LINC00472 and TRIM8 were significantly upregulated in liver tissues and THLE-3 cells in sepsis-induced AHI models, while miR-373-3p was downregulated. Silencing of LINC00472 promoted cell viability and suppressed cell apoptosis in LPS-treated THLE-3 cells, whereas upregulation of LINC00472 had the opposite effect. Moreover, LINC00472 served as a sponge for miR-373-3p and negatively regulated its expression. miR-373-3p mimics could promote THLE-3 cell viability and suppress cell apoptosis. Additionally, TRIM8 was a direct target of miR-373-3p, which was downregulated in LINC00472-silenced cells and upregulated by the miR-373-3p inhibitor. Further, the co-transfection of miR-373-3p inhibitor reversed the effects of LINC00472 knockdown on cell viability and apoptosis. Downregulation of LINC00472 in rats restored the levels of ALT, AST, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α. CONCLUSION: Downregulation of LINC00472 ameliorates sepsis-induced AHI by regulating the miR-373-3p/TRIM8 axis.

Ideal cardiovascular health behaviors and factors prevent the development of hypertension in prehypertensive subjects.

BACKGROUND: Seven ideal health metrics were defined by AHA to monitor cardiovascular health. This study aimed to investigate the impact of ideal cardiovascular health behaviors and factors on the development of hypertension in prehypertensive subjects. METHODS: Thirty-two thousand eight-hundred and eighty-seven participants with prehypertension were included in the study after excluding for preexisting stroke, myocardial infarction or malignancy. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to calculate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals [CI] for the development of hypertension. RESULTS: During a follow-up of 52.2 months, 15,500 prehypertensive participants developed hypertension. The cumulative incidence of hypertension decreased with the number of ideal health metrics increased. It was 78.61%, 71.08%, 63.15%, 56.07% and 61.62% in prehypertensive individuals carrying ≤ 1, 2, 3, 4 and ≥ 5 ideal health behaviors or factors, respectively. After adjustment for age, gender, family history of hypertension, alcohol consumption, resting heart rate, plasma triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, the risk ratios of incident hypertension in the subjects who carried 2, 3, 4, and ≥ 5 ideal health metrics were 0.833 (95%CI: 0.789-0.880), 0.710 (95%CI: 0.672-0.749), 0.604 (95%CI: 0.568-0.642), and 0.581 (95%CI: 0.524-0.643), respectively, in comparison to those with ≤ 1 ideal health metric. A similar trend was also observed in male and female populations. Poor health metrics, including body mass index, diet (salt intake), physical activity, total cholesterol, and smoking, were predictors for the development of hypertension in prehypertensive individuals. CONCLUSION: Ideal cardiovascular health behaviors and factors are protective factors to prevent the progression from prehypertension to hypertension.

Predicting the risk of acute respiratory failure among asthma patients-the A2-BEST2 risk score: a retrospective study.

Objectives: Acute respiratory failure (ARF) is a common complication of bronchial asthma (BA). ARF onset increases the risk of patient death. This study aims to develop a predictive model for ARF in BA patients during hospitalization. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study carried out at two large tertiary hospitals. Three models were developed using three different ways: (1) the statistics-driven model, (2) the clinical knowledge-driven model, and (3) the decision tree model. The simplest and most efficient model was obtained by comparing their predictive power, stability, and practicability. Results: This study included 398 patients, with 298 constituting the modeling group and 100 constituting the validation group. Models A, B, and C yielded seven, seven, and eleven predictors, respectively. Finally, we chose the clinical knowledge-driven model, whose C-statistics and Brier scores were 0.862 (0.820-0.904) and 0.1320, respectively. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test revealed that this model had good calibration. The clinical knowledge-driven model demonstrated satisfactory C-statistics during external and internal validation, with values of 0.890 (0.815-0.965) and 0.854 (0.820-0.900), respectively. A risk score for ARF incidence was created: The A2-BEST2 Risk Score (A2 (area of pulmonary infection, albumin), BMI, Economic condition, Smoking, and T2(hormone initiation Time and long-term regular medication Treatment)). ARF incidence increased gradually from 1.37% (The A2-BEST2 Risk Score ≤ 4) to 90.32% (A2-BEST2 Risk Score ≥ 11.5). Conclusion: We constructed a predictive model of seven predictors to predict ARF in BA patients. This predictor's model is simple, practical, and supported by existing clinical knowledge.

[Purification and some properties of D-carbamoylase].

A D-Carbamoylase produced by a strain NO. 2262 was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity with the recovery of 20% activity and the purification factor of 8 fold by three steps including (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, hydrophobic column and pre-packed Hitrap Q HR. It is indicated from the results of nativ-PAGE and SDS-PAGE analysis that the enzyme could be a homogeneous tetramer consisting of four 35 kD subunits. In addition, its optimal pH and optimal temperature are 8.0 and 45 degrees C respectively. The basic kinetic parameters of the enzyme are Km = 1.3 x 10(-3) mol/L and Vmax = 0.33 mumol/min with N-carbamyl-DL-Alanine as the substrate. The effect of bivalent metal ions on the enzyme was showed that Ni2+ could be as an activator, Zn2+ as a powerful inhibitor, while Co2+ had no any influence at all. Its N-terminal sequence is TRQKILAF in turn.

Prevalence of obesity among primary students between 2009 to 2014 in China: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, obesity has become the major public health problems worldwide. The detection rate of obesity is alarmingly rising among children and adolescents in China, whose population of 120 million are in range of obesity. It was estimated that 8% of her children are obese. METHODS: Publications between 2009 and 2014 on the obesity prevalence among primary school students in China were retrieved from PubMed, online Chinese periodical full-text databases of VIP, CNKI and Wanfang. Meta Analyst software was used to sum up and analyze the detection rates included in the previously retrieved literatures. RESULTS: After evaluation of the quality of the articles, 18 papers were finally included in our study, and the total sample sizes on the obesity investigation were 247547, in which 26466 were obesity. Meta-analysis findings showed that the pooled prevalence of obesity in primary school students is 10.0 %( 95% CI: 7.2%-13.5%). CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that the obesity prevalence status in China was still troublesome, for the situation will go worse if we currently fail to take effective and practical measures.

Introducción: En los últimos años, la obesidad se ha convertido en el principal problema de salud pública a nivel mundial. La tasa de detección de obesidad infantil está creciendo alarmantemente entre los niños y los adolescentes en China, cuya población de 120 millones se sitúa en el rango de obesidad. Se calculó que el 8% de los niños son obesos. Métodos: Se recopilaron publicaciones entre 2009 y 2014 sobre la prevalencia de obesidad entre los alumnos de primaria en China de PubMed, textos completos de bases de datos de periódicos chinos online de VIP, CNKI y Wanfang. Se empleó software de meta-análisis para resumir y analizar las tasas de detección incluidas en la bibliografía previamente obtenida. Resultados: Después de la evaluación de la calidad de los artículos, finalmente incluimos 18 artículos en nuestro estudio, y los tamaños de la muestra total en la investigación sobre obesidad fueron 247547, donde 26466 presentaron obesidad. Los resultados de los meta-análisis mostraron que la prevalencia de la obesidad en los alumnos de primaria es del 10,0% (IC del 95%: 7,2% - 13,5%). Conclusión: Nuestros resultados indican que la prevalencia de obesidad en China todavía supone un problema preocupante, dado que la situación será peor si no se toman medidas eficaces y prácticas.

[Intrinsic prokaryotic promoter activity of SUMO gene and its applications in the protein expression system of Escherichia coli].

Nowadays, SUMO fusion system is important for recombinant protein production in Escherichia coli, yet a few aspects remain to be improved, including the efficacy for vector construction and protein solubility. In this study, we found the SUMO gene Smt3 (Sm) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae conferred an unexpected activity of constitutive prokaryotic promoter during its PCR cloning, and the gene coding regions of SUMOs in most species had a sigma70-dependent prokaryotic promoter embedded, through the prediction via the BPROM program developed by Softberry. By combining the characters of Sm promoter activity and the Stu I site (added at the 3'-terminal of Sm), and introducing a His-tag and a hyper-acidic solubility-enhancing tag, we further constructed a set of versatile vectors for gene cloning and expression on the basis of Sm'-LacZa fusion gene. Experimentally started from these vectors, several target genes were subcloned and expressed through blue-white screening and SDS-PAGE analysis. The results manifest a few of expectable advantages such as rapid vector construction, highly soluble protein expression and feasible co-expression of correlated proteins. Conclusively, our optimized SUMO fusion technology herein could confer a large potential in E. coli protein expression system, and the simultaneously established co-expression vector systems could also be very useful in studying the protein-protein interactions in vivo.

[Alterations of peripheral blood T cell subsets in patients with sepsis and the clinical implications].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the dynamic changes of CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood of patients with sepsis and discuss the clinical significance. METHODS: Sixty-four patients admitted in the Emergency Center and Emergency Intensive Care Unit of the Second Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University between August, 2007 and July, 2009 were enrolled in this study. CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood were detected by flow cytometry on days 1, 7 and 14 after admission, and the results were compared between the patients with improvement of the condition and those without improvement, with 20 healthy subjects as the control group. RESULTS: On day 1 after admission, CD3+ and CD4+ T lymphocytes and CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratio were obviously lower in the 2 groups of patients with sepsis than in the control group (P<0.05), but no significant difference was found in CD8+ T lymphocytes. The sepsis patients with clinical improvement showed significant higher CD3+ and CD4+ T lymphocyte percentages and CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratio than those without improvement on day 1. In the patients with clinical improvement, CD3+ and CD4+T lymphocytes and CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratio increased gradually with time and till day 14, they were comparable with the control levels; in the patients without improvement, CD3+ and CD4+ T lymphocytes and CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratio showed no obvious alterations in the course of observation. CONCLUSION: Immune imbalance occurs in patients with sepsis represented by lowered CD3+ and CD4+T lymphocyte percentages and CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratio in relation to the severity of the condition. CD3+ and CD4+ T lymphocytes and CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratio can be used as the indicators for assessing the severity of sepsis.

[Seasonal variations of calorific values of Pinus koraiensis-broadleaved mixed forest litters and soil macrofauna in China temperate zone].

In this paper, the calorific values of Pinus koraiensis-broadleaved mixed forest litters and soil microfauna in China temperate zone were determined, with their seasonal variation patterns studied. The results showed that both the calorific values and their seasonal variation patterns were differed with the kinds of tree species litters and soil macrofauna in the mixed forest. The mean gross calorific value (GCV) of P. koraiensis litter was the highest (19.71 kJ x g(-1)), followed by Betula costata (18.22 kJ x g(-1)), Tilia amurensis (18.13 kJ x g(-1)), mixed litter (17.91 kJ x g(-1)), Fraxinus mandshurica (16.94 kJ x g(-1)), and Acer mono (16.25 kJ x g(-1)). With the decomposition of litter, the GCV of P. koraiensis and A. mono litters decreased, while that of F. mandshurica litter had little change. The GCV of T. amurensis and B. costata litters presented an increasing trend in the next year of decomposition. Among the marofauna, scolopendra had the highest GCV (22.07 kJ x g(-1)), followed by earthworm (16.72 kJ x g(-1)) and diplopod (13.28 kJ x g(-1)). Earthworm and diplopod had the identical seasonal variation pattern of GCV, while scolopendra was different from them. There was no significant relationship between the seasonal variation of GCV in litters and soil macrofauna.

A long-term forecast analysis on worldwide land uses.

More and more lands worldwide are being cultivated for food production while forests are disappearing at an unprecedented rate. This paper aims to make a long-term forecast on land uses worldwide and provide the public, researchers, and government officials with a clear profile for land uses in the future. Data of land uses since 1961 were used to fit historical trajectories and make the forecast. The results show that trajectories of land areas can be well fitted with univariate linear regressions. The forecasts of land uses during the coming 25 years were given in detail. Areas of agricultural land, arable land, and permanent pasture land worldwide would increase by 6.6%, 7.2%, and 6.3% respectively in the year 2030 as compared to the current areas. Permanent crops land area all over the world is forecasted to increase 0.64% by 2030. By the year 2030 the areas of forests and woodland, nonarable and nonpermanent land worldwide would decrease by 2.4% and 0.9% against the current areas. All other land area in the world would dramatically decline by 6.4% by the year 2030. Overall the land area related to agriculture would tend to decrease in developed countries, industrialized countries, Europe, and North and Central America. The agriculture related land area would considerably increase in developing countries, least developed countries, low-income countries, Asia, Africa, South America, etc. Developing countries hold larger total land area than developed countries. Dramatic and continuous growth in agricultural land area of developing countries would largely contribute to the expected growth of world agricultural land area in the coming years. Population explosion, food shortage and poverty in the world, especially in developing countries, together caused the excessive cultivation of land for agricultural uses in the past years. Increasing agricultural land area exacerbates the climate changes and degradation of environment. How to limit the growth of human population is a key problem for reducing agricultural land expansion. Development and use of high-yielding and high-quality crop and animal varieties, diversification of human food sources, and technical and financial assistance to developing countries from developed countries, should also be implemented and strengthened in the future in order to slow down or even reverse the increase trend of agricultural land area. Sustainable agriculture is the effective way to stabilize the agricultural land area without food shortage. Through various techniques and measures, sustainable agriculture may meet the food production goals with minimum environmental risk. Public awareness and interest in sustainable agriculture will help realize and ease the increasing stress from agricultural land expansion.