Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy for premenstrual syndrome symptoms in patients with obesity.

BACKGROUND: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a pathological condition characterized by a series of abnormal physical, psychological, and behavioral symptoms. We evaluated the effectiveness of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) in the treatment of patients with obesity and PMS. METHODS: In this case-control study, 131 patients with obesity (BMI ≥ 27.5 kg/cm2) diagnosed with moderate-to-severe PMS from March 2018 to March 2022 were prospectively selected to undergo LSG or not at their own discretion. Participants self-reported their PMS severity using the Premenstrual Syndrome Screening Tool. Among them, 68 patients chose LSG surgery, and 63 control group patients were followed up without surgery. Data were recorded at baseline and at 3 months post-treatment. We used a multivariate analysis to assess the improvement in PMS symptoms and associated factors. RESULTS: Of the 131 patients with obesity and PMS, the improvement rate of PMS in the LSG group was 57.35% (n = 39), while the improvement rate of PMS in the control group was 25.40% (n = 16). Furthermore, our study revealed that surgery is an independent factor affecting the improvement of patients with PMS. Additionally, there was a correlation between alcohol use, T2DM and obesity-related metabolic diseases, and BMI with PMS. The changes in BMI, testosterone, and estradiol(E2) levels may also contribute to the improvement of patients with obesity and PMS. CONCLUSION: LSG can improve the management of obesity in patients with PMS to some extent. Changes in BMI, testosterone, and E2 may be indicative of improvement in patients with obesity and PMS.

IFN­Î³ induces apoptosis in gemcitabine­resistant pancreatic cancer cells.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most prevalent and aggressive form of pancreatic cancer. Gemcitabine (GEM), the first­line treatment for PDAC, which alleviates symptoms and enhances the quality of life of patients. However, it is prone to lead to the development of drug resistance during treatment. Interferon (IFN)­Î³ exhibits antitumor and immunomodulatory properties. The present study aimed to explore the impact of IFN­Î³ on the viability, migration and apoptosis of GEM­resistant pancreatic cancer cells. Firstly, a GEM­resistant pancreatic cancer cell line, named PANC­1/GEM, was constructed. Hematoxylin and eosin staining analyzed the cell morphology, whereas reverse transcription­quantitative PCR (RT­qPCR) assessed the expression levels of the drug­resistance genes multidrug resistance­associated protein (MRP) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP). The MTT assay and cell counting techniques were used to determine the appropriate concentration of IFN­y and its effects on cell viability. The IFN­Î³­induced apoptosis of PANC­1/GEM cells was assessed using an Apoptosis Detection Kit, whereas the impact of IFN­Î³ on the migration of these cells was evaluated using a wound­healing assay. The MTT assay revealed a resistance index of 22.4 in the PANC­1/GEM cell line. RT­qPCR indicated that, compared with in wild­type cells, the PANC­1/GEM resistant strain exhibited lower MRP and higher BCRP mRNA expression levels. The optimal concentration of IFN­Î³ for affecting PANC­1/GEM cells was determined to be 0.3 µg/ml. At this concentration, IFN­Î³ induced PANC­1/GEM cell apoptosis, along with a notable reduction in migration. Following treatment of PANC­1/GEM cells with IFN­Î³, MRP expression increased whereas BCRP mRNA expression decreased, indicating a reversal in their drug­resistance gene expression. In conclusion, IFN­Î³ exhibited antitumor immune properties by upregulating MRP and downregulating BCRP expression, reversing drug­resistance gene expression, and reducing cell viability and migration, while promoting apoptosis in PANC­1/GEM cells. IFN­Î³ could potentially serve as a treatment option for patients with GEM­resistant pancreatic cancer.

Factors influencing the bariatric surgery treatment of bariatric surgery candidates in underdeveloped areas of China.

BACKGROUND: From year to year, the proportion of people living with overweight and obesity in China rises, along with the prevalence of diseases linked to obesity. Although bariatric surgery is gaining popularity, there are still several issues with its promotion compared to Western nations. Since less developed places in China are more widespread due to disparities in the development of different regions, there has been little exploration of the factors that might be related to acceptance of bariatric surgery in these regions. METHODS: Patients who visited the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery at the North Sichuan Medical College Affiliated Hospital from 2018 to 2022 and had obesity or other relevant metabolic problems were surveyed using a questionnaire. The relationship between demographic factors, socioeconomic status, and acceptance of bariatric surgery was analyzed. RESULTS: Of 334 patients, 171 had bariatric surgery. BMI, education level, marriage history, medical insurance, family support, and a history of type 2 diabetes were all linked to having bariatric surgery, according to a univariate analysis. In a multivariate analysis, BMI (P = 0.02), education (P = 0.02), family support (P<0.001), medical insurance coverage (P<0.001), and history of type 2 diabetes (P = 0.004) were all positively associated with a willingness to have bariatric surgery. Among 163 non-bariatric patients with obesity, 15.3% were not opposed to surgery but preferred trying medication first, 54.6% leaned towards medical therapy, and 30% were hesitant. Additionally, a majority of patients (48.55%) often lacked adequate knowledge about weight reduction therapy. Age, height, gender, smoking, drinking, family history of type 2 diabetes, education, and marital status did not significantly differ (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Many patients are concerned about the safety of surgical treatment and the possibility of regaining weight. Due to the relatively high cost of bariatric surgery, they tend to choose medical treatment. To enhance the acceptance of bariatric surgery in underdeveloped regions of China, it is crucial to focus on disseminating knowledge about bariatric surgery, offer pertinent health education to the community, and foster support from patients' families. The government should pay more attention to obesity and provide support in the form of medical insurance.

Long-Term Protective Effects and Mechanisms of Gastric Bypass Surgery on the Kidneys in Hypertensive Obese Rat.

OBJECTIVE: Investigate the long-term protective effects of gastric bypass surgery on the kidneys of hypertensive obese rats to better understand the role of gastric bypass surgery in preventing renal injury in humans with hypertension and obesity. METHODS: Compare 6-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats, including 30 Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and 30 sham operations. Body weight and blood pressure were monitored before and up to 12 months after the operation. Blood lipids, blood creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen were measured. Kidney pathology was assessed using HE staining, while renal fibrosis was observed via Masson staining. Inflammatory indicators were examined by ELISA. The expression of the NLRP3 gene in the kidney was measured using immunofluorescence and western blot, and the changes in key pathways including ASC/IL-1ß protein were verified. RESULTS: RYGB reduced the body weight of hypertensive obese rats and had a protective effect on blood pressure. Additionally, the bypass effectively mitigated renal inflammation and fibrosis. Moreover, RYGB modulated the expression of NLRP3 and prevented kidney damage via the ASC/IL-1 pathway. CONCLUSION: This study validates that RYGB effectively attains sustained blood pressure control in hypertensive obese rats and has a potential kidney-protective mechanism via the NLRP3-ASC/IL-1ß pathway.

Multiple Beneficial Effects of Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy for Patients with Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, and Restrictive Ventilatory Dysfunction.

BACKGROUND: Some studies have suggested that bariatric surgery improves pulmonary function in patients with obesity, but whether it alleviates pulmonary ventilation disorders in patients with obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and restrictive ventilatory dysfunction(RVD) is unclear. To evaluate the effect of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) in improving pulmonary ventilation function in patients with obesity, T2DM, and RVD. METHODS: We studied patients with T2DM and RVD (forced vital capacity (FVC) predicted < 80%, forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) > 70%) who underwent LSG from March 2018 to January 2020. Baseline data was recorded and follow-up visits were made at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after surgery to evaluate glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), body mass index (BMI), and pulmonary ventilation function. We used multivariate analyses to assess the remission of RVD (reversion of FVC to ≥80% of the predicted value). RESULTS: We enrolled 33 patients (mean age 46.9±5.2 years, 21 males). Two patients were lost to follow-up and another patient died. Thirty patients completed follow-up; 24 had remission of RVD (24/33, 72.7%). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that lower HbA1c (HR=0.35 (0.16 ~ 0.76), p=0.008), reduced waist size (0.9 (0.83 ~ 0.98), p=0.017), and shorter duration of diabetes (0.67(0.47~0.97), p=0.033) were associated with alleviation of pulmonary ventilation function. CONCLUSIONS: LSG not only controls the body weight and T2DM; it may also relieve pulmonary ventilation dysfunction in patients with obesity, T2DM, and RVD. The waist size, duration of diabetes, and HbA1c before LSG negatively affect recovery of pulmonary ventilation dysfunction.

Efficient biosynthesis of (S)-1-[2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]ethanol by a novel isolate Geotrichum silvicola ZJPH1811 in deep eutectic solvent/cyclodextrin-containing system.

This study aimed to develop a biotransformation process for the production of (S)-1-[2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]ethanol, a key chiral intermediate of Plk1 inhibitor, and increase its productivity through medium engineering strategy. A fungus isolate Geotrichum silvicola ZJPH1811 was adopted as biocatalyst for 2'-(trifluoromethyl)acetophenone reduction, and gave the best performance with > 99.2% product ee. To improve the yield, choline acetate/cysteine (ChAc/Cys) was introduced as co-solvent in reaction system, which accelerated mass transfer and protected cells from substrate inhibition. Moreover, a synergistic effect of methylated-ß-cyclodextrin (MCD) and ChAc/Cys was found in the bioreduction, with further enhancement in substrate concentration and cell membrane permeability. Compared with buffer system, in the developed ChAc/Cys-MCD-containing system, substrate loading and product yield were increased by 6.7-fold and 2.4-fold respectively. This is the first report on (S)-1-[2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]ethanol production with G. silvicola, and provides valuable insight into the synergistic effect of DES and CDs in biocatalysis.

Two virulent sRNAs identified by genomic sequencing target the type III secretion system in rice bacterial blight pathogen.

BACKGROUND: Small non-coding RNA (sRNA) short sequences regulate various biological processes in all organisms, including bacteria that are animal or plant pathogens. Virulent or pathogenicity-associated sRNAs have been increasingly elucidated in animal pathogens but little is known about similar category of sRNAs in plant-pathogenic bacteria. This is particularly true regarding rice bacterial blight pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pathovar oryzae (Xoo) as studies on the virulent role of Xoo sRNAs is very limited at present. RESULTS: The number and genomic distribution of sRNAs in Xoo were determined by bioinformatics analysis based on high throughput sequencing (sRNA-Seq) of the bacterial cultures from virulence-inducing and standard growth media, respectively. A total of 601 sRNAs were identified in the Xoo genome and ten virulent sRNA candidates were screened out based on significant differences of their expression levels between the culture conditions. In addition, trans3287 and trans3288 were also selected as candidates due to high expression levels in both media. The differential expression of 12 sRNAs evidenced by the sRNA-Seq data was confirmed by a convincing quantitative method. Based on genetic analysis of Xoo ΔsRNA mutants generated by deletion of the 12 single sRNAs, trans217 and trans3287 were characterized as virulent sRNAs. They are essential not only for the formation of bacterial blight in a susceptible rice variety Nipponbare but also for the induction of hypersensitive response (HR) in nonhost plant tobacco. Xoo Δtrans217 and Δtrans3287 mutants fail to induce bacterial blight in Nipponbare and also fail to induce the HR in tobacco, whereas, genetic complementation restores both mutants to the wild type in the virulent performance and HR induction. Similar effects of gene knockout and complementation were found in the expression of hrpG and hrpX genes, which encode regulatory proteins of the type III secretion system. Consistently, secretion of a type III effector, PthXo1, is blocked in Δtrans217 or Δtrans3287 bacterial cultures but retrieved by genetic complementation to both mutants. CONCLUSIONS: The genetic analysis characterizes trans217 and trans3287 as pathogenicity-associated sRNAs essential for the bacterial virulence on the susceptible rice variety and for the HR elicitation in the nonhost plant. The molecular evidence suggests that both virulent sRNAs regulate the bacterial virulence by targeting the type III secretion system.

Osteoclast stimulatory transmembrane protein induces a phenotypic switch in macrophage polarization suppressing an M1 pro-inflammatory state.

Macrophages are the key cells in metabolic syndrome and are also a risk factor for metabolic disease. Macrophages have different functions and transcriptional profiles, but all are required for maintaining homeostasis. It is well known that macrophages play a key role in inflammation and early atherogenesis, and are present in two phenotypes: pro-inflammatory (M1) and anti-inflammatory (M2). Osteoclast stimulatory transmembrane protein (oc-stamp) is a multiple-pass transmembrane protein; however, its function remains unclear. In this study, we explored the role of oc-stamp in macrophages physiology. The results showed that oc-stamp was notably decreased under LPS and IFN-γ stimulation, while it was increased with IL-4 treatment. Furthermore, oc-stamp induced a phenotypic switch in macrophage polarization, suppressing the M1 pro-inflammatory state in the overexpression group, and promoting the M1 pro-inflammatory state in the knockdown group. Further study revealed that oc-stamp regulated macrophage polarization possibly via STAT6. Taken together, our results are the first to demonstrate that oc-stamp may play an important role in macrophage polarization and inhibit the M1 pro-inflammatory state.