[Effects of berberine on the serum cystatin C levels and urine albumin/creatine ratio in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus].

Objective: To investigate the effects of berberine on urine albumin/creatine ratio (UACR) and serum cystatin C (Cys C) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: A total of 114 T2DM inpatients or outpatients, including 46 males and 68 females aged (55±14) years between January 2015 and January 2016 were randomly divided into two groups: the control group (n=57) only with hypoglycemic agents, and the intervention group (n=57) with berberine (0.4 g, 3 times a day) on the basis of treatment from the control group. Both groups were treated and followed up for six months. All the clinical and biochemical parameters were routinely evaluated before and after treatment. And the safety of berberine was assessed. Results: After the treatment, the improvement of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), systolic pressure (SP), high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), rythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in the intervention group were significantly better than those in the control group (all P<0.05), as well as the UACR[47(26, 120) mg/g vs 103(42, 267) mg/g, P<0.001]and serum Cys C[(0.83±0.30) mg/L vs (0.98±0.25) mg/L, P=0.031]. However, there was no statistically significant difference of UACR and Cys C between before and after treatment in the control group (all P>0.05). Compared to the control group, the patients in the intervention group had lesser UACR[47(26, 120) mg/g vs 68(28, 158) mg/g, P=0.039], and lower serum Cys C[(0.83±0.30) mg/L vs (0.96±0.30)mg/L, P=0.041]. Berberine had no obvious adverse effects. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the berberine administration was independently associated with the reduction of UACR (ß=-0.051, P=0.041) and Cys C (ß=-0.068, P=0.033) in T2DM patients. Conclusion: Berberine improves diabetic kidney disease by reducing UACR and serum Cys C in T2DM patients, and it was safe.

[Association between serum uric acid levels and high sensitive C-reactive protein in patients with type 2 diabetes].

Objective: To investigate the relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: A total of 400 patients who were hospitalized in the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism of Jinshan Branch, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital between April 2014 and December 2015 were divided into normouricemia (NUA, n=319) group and hyperuricemia (HUA, n=81) group according to the presence of HUA. Clinical features of the two groups were compared. Patients were further stratified into quartiles based on SUA levels, and then association between hs-CRP and SUA was analyzed. Results: Compared to the NUA group, the patients with HUA had higher hs-CRP concentration [2.12 (1.15, 6.73) mg/L vs 1.14 (0.52, 3.44) mg/L, P<0.001], erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) [19.0 (10.5, 29.5) mm/h vs 12.0 (8.0, 17.0) mm/h, P<0.001], body mass index (BMI) [(25.2±3.6) kg/m(2) vs (23.6±3.6) kg/m(2,) P<0.001], and homeostasis model assessment-2 of insulin resistance (HOMA2-IR) index [1.88 (1.11, 2.94) vs 1.27 (0.77, 2.00), P<0.001]. After adjusting for age, the median level of hs-CRP of female with HUA was higher than that of male, female with NUA, and male with NUA (2.59, 1.94, 1.25 and 1.09 mg/L, respectively, P<0.001). There was significant difference in the prevalence of HUA among the patients with underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity (0, 12.3%, 21.6% and 25.8%, respectively, P=0.002). After adjusting for age and gender, duration of diabetes, BMI, serum lipids, level of SUA was still correlated with hs-CRP, HOMA2-IR, fasting C-peptide, blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, Cystatin C, microalbuminuria, respectively(all P<0.05). The level of SUA was positively associated with the increase of hs-CRP level (P=0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that there was an independent and positive association between SUA and hs-CRP levels. Conclusion: SUA was independently associated with hs-CRP in T2DM patients, which suggested that chronic inflammation exists in HUA patients.

Comparison of Mitochondrial Function in Boar and Bull Spermatozoa Throughout Cryopreservation Based on JC-1 Staining.

BACKGROUND: Poor reproductivity hampers the commercialization of cryopreserved boar semen. OBJECTIVE: This study was to determine the differences in the sperm mitochondrial function between boar and bull semen at different cryopreservation stages. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Boar and bull fresh, equilibrated, and frozen-thawed spermatozoa were evaluated for mitochondrial function using JC-1 under a fluorescent microscope. RESULTS: Bull and boar percentage of spermatozoa staining green (PSSG) showed no difference between fresh and equilibrated semen (P> 0.05). However, frozen-thawed bull and boar semen demonstrated significantly higher PSSG (P < 0.01) than fresh and equilibrated semen. Frozen-thawed boar semen represented a significantly higher PSSG (P < 0.01) than bull semen. CONCLUSION: Negative cryopreservation influence on boar and bull spermatozoa was not significantly produced by pre-freezing procedures, but rather by freezing and thawing. Cryopreservation has more pronounced negative effects on boar than on bull spermatozoa, which partly explains lagged commercialization of frozen boar semen.

Automated 3D segmentation of hippocampus based on active appearance model of brain MR images for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

AIM: To investigate the hippocampal regional deformation modes by means of a novel method of automatic segmentation for discriminating between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and normal aging; and to further provide the effective evidence for the early diagnosis of AD. METHODS: Twenty AD patients and sixty healthy volunteers were included in this retrospective study. High-resolution structural volumetric images were obtained on a 3.0 T MR imaging system. Data were processed to create three-dimensional (3D) active appearance model (AAM) of hippocampus. Automatic recognition and 3D segmentation were carried out on both sides of the hippocampus in brain MR images of individuals with this model, and the hippocampal statistical shape model was established for AD group and control group. Student's t test was used to identify whether there was difference between AD group and control group in the hippocampal regional deformation detected by automatic segmentation, and to compare whether there was difference between the automated segmentation and the manual tracing for quantifying hippocampal volumes on left/right side of the same sex group of healthy volunteers and if there was genderwise difference. Pearson's Correlation test was employed to determine whether there was a correlation between automated segmentation and manual tracing for quantifying hippocampal volumes. RESULTS: No significant difference was detected between automated segmentation and manual tracing for quantifying hippocampal volumes on left/right side of the same sex group of healthy volunteers (P>0.05). Further there was no significant genderwise difference (P>0.05). A very strong positive correlation existed between both methods for quantifying hippocampal volumes (denoted R(2) near 1.0, P<0.001). Noticeable atrophy of bilateral hippocampal head was found among twenty patients with AD through statistical shape model compared with control group (P<0.05), especially on the left where inward-deformation was significantly found. CONCLUSION: This novel method of automated segmentation of the hippocampus based on AAM has been found to be reliable and accurate in our study, which may be an alternative to manual segmentation. The featured atrophy of hippocampal head can be regarded as an important biomarker for the early diagnosis of AD.

Comparison of dual-source parallel radio frequency transmission liver MRI at 3.0 T with conventional MRI.

AIM: Aim of the present study was to investigate the role of dual-source parallel Radio frequency (RF) and single-source excitation in liver imaging at 3.0 T MR. METHODS: This study was a retrospective analysis. One hundred and seven subjects underwent a 3.0 T TX MR scanning including axial spectrally selective attenuated inversion recovery (SPAIR) T2WI, axial DWI and coronal balanced-fast field echo (Balanced FFE). Each sequence was carried out with both single-source and dual-source RF excitation. Student's t test was used to compare whether there was difference between single-source and dual-source RF excitation in the image uniformity, single-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to determine whether there was difference between conventional and parallel transmission in the score of image quality. Reader agreement was assessed using the Cohen's Kappa test. RESULTS: For the image uniformity, there was significant difference between single-source and dual-source excitation (418.40±66.75 for single-source vs. 416.26±50.61 for dual-source, t=2.524, P<0.05). There also existed significant difference between single-source and dual-source excitation in SNR and CNR, respectively. The SNR and CNR of parallel transmission (22.03±12.16 and 18.33±10.01, respectively) were both higher than those of single transmission (20.36±11.21 and 15.22±8.95, respectively) (t=-2.630, P<0.05 for SNR and t=-4.238, P<0.05 for CNR). Image quality comparisons revealed significantly better results with dual-source than single-source RF excitation at SPAIR T2WI (1.4±0.42 vs. 1.81±0.27), DWI (1.08±0.46 vs. 1.63±0.36) and balanced FFE sequence (0.95±0.45 vs. 1.65±0.37, Z=-5.894, -5.801 and -6.985, respectively, P<0.01). In the comparison of image quality, the agreement between the two readers was very good (Kappa>0.8, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Dual-source parallel RF excitation MR imaging in liver enables reducing dielectric shading, improving homogeneity of the RF magnetic induction field, and increasing SNR and CNR at 3.0 T.

Translocation of active mitochondria during buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) oocytes in vitro maturation, fertilization and preimplantation embryo development.

Mitochondria are energy-supplying organelles, whose distribution and functional integrity are necessary for cell survival and development. In this study, the mitochondrial distribution pattern and activity during buffalo oocyte in vitro maturation, fertilization and preimplantation embryo development were revealed using a fluorescent dye and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Distribution of active mitochondria changed during buffalo oocyte in vitro maturation. Active mitochondria were transferred from the outer to inner and perinuclear cytoplasm as oocytes matured in vitro and aggregated around the pronuclei in the fertilized eggs. Active mitochondria were also observed in preimplantation embryos. In the two-cell stage, they were distributed throughout the cytoplasm. From four-cell to the spherical embryonic stages, active mitochondria translocated to the perinuclear and the periphery of the cytoplasm. These results confirm that mitochondria play an important role in oocyte and embryo. The distribution of active mitochondria might be a marked feature of buffalo oocyte maturation, fertilization and preimplantation embryo development in vitro.