Circulating Osteoprotegerin Levels Independently Predict All-cause Mortality in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: a Meta-analysis.

Background: Studies have shown inconsistent results regarding the association between circulating osteoprotegerin (OPG) levels and all-cause mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of this meta-analysis is to investigate the association between circulating OPG levels and all-cause mortality in patients with CKD. Methods: The PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases were searched for eligible studies investigating the association between circulating OPG levels and all-cause mortality in patients with CKD. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random effects model. Results: In all, 13 studies that included 2,895 patients with CKD were included in this analysis. According to the meta-analysis, patients with the highest circulating OPG level had a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality (7 studies; the adjusted HR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.45 - 2.44) compared with patients with the lower circulating OPG level. An increase of 1 pmol/L in the circulating OPG level was associated with a 6% increased risk of all-cause mortality (7 studies; the adjusted HR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.03-1.10). A subgroup analysis by dialysis methods suggested that an elevated circulating OPG level was independently associated with all-cause mortality in the HD only population. Conclusion: Elevated circulating OPG levels independently predict an increased risk of all-cause mortality in patients with CKD, especially in the HD only population.

An Artificial Neural Network Model Combined with Dietary Retinol Intake from Different Sources to Predict the Risk of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Objective: This study aimed to develop an artificial neural network (ANN) model combined with dietary retinol intake from different sources to predict the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in American adults. Methods: Data from the 2007 to 2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2014 were analyzed. Eligible subjects ( n = 6,613) were randomly divided into a training set ( n 1 = 4,609) and a validation set ( n 2 = 2,004) at a ratio of 7:3. The training set was used to identify predictors of NAFLD risk using logistic regression analysis. An ANN was established to predict the NAFLD risk using a training set. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the accuracy of the model using the training and validation sets. Results: Our study found that the odds ratios ( ORs) and 95% confidence intervals ( CIs) of NAFLD for the highest quartile of plant-derived dietary retinol intake (i.e., provitamin A carotenoids, such as ß-carotene) ( OR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.57 to 0.99) were inversely associated with NAFLD risk, compared to the lowest quartile of intake, after adjusting for potential confounders. The areas under the ROC curves were 0.874 and 0.883 for the training and validation sets, respectively. NAFLD occurs when its incidence probability is greater than 0.388. Conclusion: The ANN model combined with plant-derived dietary retinol intake showed a significant effect on NAFLD. This could be applied to predict NAFLD risk in the American adult population when government departments formulate future health plans.

Characterization of CrufCSP1 and Its Potential Involvement in Host Location by Cotesia ruficrus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), an Indigenous Parasitoid of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in China.

Chemosensory proteins (CSPs) are a class of soluble proteins that facilitate the recognition of chemical signals in insects. While CSP genes have been identified in many insect species, studies investigating their function remain limited. Cotesia ruficrus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) holds promise as an indigenous biological control agent for managing the invasive pest Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in China. This study aimed to shed light on the gene expression, ligand binding, and molecular docking of CrufCSP1 in C. ruficrus. A RT-qPCR analysis revealed that the expression of CrufCSP1 was higher in the wings, with male adults exhibiting significantly higher relative expression levels than other developmental stages. A fluorescence competitive binding analysis further demonstrated that CrufCSP1 has a high binding ability with several host-related volatiles, with trans-2-hexenal, octanal, and benzaldehyde showing the strongest affinity to CrufCSP1. A molecular docking analysis indicated that specific amino acid residues (Phe24, Asp25, Thr53, and Lys81) of CrufCSP1 can bind to these specific ligands. Together, these findings suggest that CrufCSP1 may play a crucial role in the process of C. ruficrus locating hosts. This knowledge can contribute to the development of more efficient and eco-friendly strategies for protecting crops and managing pests.

Niao Du Kang Mixture Increases the Expression of mir-129-5p to Relieve Renal Fibrosis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of Niao Du Kang (NDK) mixture in renal fibrosis of rats and to explore the mechanism underlying the effect of NDK on renal fibrosis. METHODS: Unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) was used to replicate a rat renal interstitial fibrosis model. The drug-administered groups were given 20 ml/kg (NDK-H), 10 ml/kg (NDK-M), and 5 ml/kg (NDK-L) NDK mixture once a day for 21 days beginning 48 hours after surgery. The 24-hour urine protein and serum creatinine (CR) levels in the sham group rats, UUO rats, and NDK mixture-treated rats were measured after the last administration. The pathological changes of rat kidney tissue were observed by HE staining. The degree of fibrosis was observed by Masson's staining and scored. The expression levels of TGF-ß, α-SMA mRNA, and mir-129-5p in kidney were detected by qRT-PCR. HK-2 cells were treated with 5 ng/ml TGF-ß to induce HK-2 cell fibrosis. The expression levels of TGF-ß, α-SMA mRNA, and mir-129-5p in HK-2 cells were detected by qRT-PCR. TargetScan predicted the target gene of mir-129-5p, HK-2 cells were transfected with mir-129-5p mimic, and an overexpressed mir-129-5p HK-2 cell model was constructed. qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of PDPK1 mRNA. Western blot was used to detect the expression of PDPK1, AKT, and p-AKT in HK-2 cells induced by TGF-ß and in UUO rats. RESULTS: NDK mixture significantly reduced the 24-hour urine protein and CR levels of UUO rats. HE staining showed that the NDK mixture group exhibited a significantly reduced degree of renal interstitial fibrosis. NDK mixture also reduced the expression of TGF-ß and α-SMA, and the middle-dose group showed a better therapeutic effect. In vitro studies showed that NDK mixture-containing serum increased the expression of mir-129-5p to reduce renal fibrosis. In addition, NDK mixture increased the expression of mir-129-5p in vivo. Further studies indicated that mir-129-5p could target PDPKl to reduce its expression. The NDK-containing serum group also exhibited reduced expression of PDPK1. CONCLUSION: NDK mixture can significantly improve renal function and improve renal fibrosis in UUO model rats. Furthermore, NDK mixture can inhibit the expression of PDPK1 by upregulating the expression of mir-129-5p and then inhibiting the PI3K/AKT pathway to improve renal fibrosis.

[Research on raman spectra and energy transfer in Tm3+, Ho3+ single and co-doped YVO4 crystals].

Raman spectra of Tm3+ :YVO4, Ho3+ :YVO4 and Tm3+: Ho3+: YVO4 crystals were measured at room temperature by HRD-1 double grating monochromator, with the excitation laser beam were parallel and perpendicular to c axis, respectively. For the Ho3+: YVO4, it was found that the Raman spectrum excited by laser beam perpendicular to axis c is stronger than that by parallel excitation, and because 488 nm laser was very close to the absorption peak of Ho3+, the competition between absorption and scattering results in the 475 cm(-1) Raman mode weakening and external mode widening. It was also found that the most probable phonon energy focused on the 880 cm(-1), which was brought about by the breathe mode of (VO4)3-, Like YAG, YVO4 is a kind of crystal with high phonon energy too. Comparing the luminescence of Tm3+ :YVO4 with that of Tm3+: Ho3+: YVO4, it was found that the intensity of Ho3+ 2.09 microm is about 4/5 of that of Tm3+ 1.85 microm, which means the sensitization efficiency of Tm3+ to Ho3+ was as high as up to 80%, and since the overlap between the luminescence of Tm3+ with the absorption of Ho3+ is quite small, the radiative energy transfer between them was very less possible, and most probability, this process was via the nonradiative, phonon-aided cross-relaxation between Tm3+ and near resonance energy transfer between Tm3+ and Ho3+.

[Spectral properties of the hemoporphyrin derivative interacting with hemoglobin].

The quenching reaction of hemoporphyrin derivative with hemoglobin (Hb) was studied by using fluorescence spectra and absorption spectra. It was shown that HpD has a powerful ability to quench the Hb fluorescence via a nonradiative energy transfer mechanism. The formation constants of them were analyzed at different temperature according to Stern-Volmer equation and double-reciprocal equation, which are bigger at high temperature than at low temperature. The critical binding site was calculated (R0 = 3.22 nm) by Föster energy transfer mechanism, and the thermodynamic parameters were obtained.

[Fourier transform infrared and near-infrared Raman spectra of human red blood cell].

The human red blood cell was studied by Fourier transform infrared and near-infrared Raman spectroscopy.The assignment of the characteristic groups of human red blood cell structure was basically confirmed. At the same time, the authors observed that the intensity of different Raman shift signal has different varying law when the power of laser is changing. Near-infrared laser Raman spectroscopy combined with infrared spectroscopy is an effective method to study the structure of human red blood cell.