Basic characterization, antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities of polysaccharides from sea buckthorn leaves.

The polysaccharides from Sea buckthorn leaves (SBLPs) were extracted by hot water and purified by DEAE cellulose, then separated into six polysaccharides (SBLP-S) by DEAE-52 column. Six separated polysaccharides were characterized by Ultraviolet Spectroscopy, Infrared Spectrum, High Performance Liquid Chromatographic and Congo red analysis. The antioxidant activity and immunological activity were investigated in vitro. The results revealed that the monosaccharide composition of SBLP-S-1, SBLP-S-2, SBLP-S-3, SBLP-S-5 and SBLP-S-6 contained Man, GlcN, Rib, Rha, GluA, GalA, Glu, Gal, Xyl, Ara and Fuc, among them, rare glucosamine was found. And SBLP-S-4 contained all above components except GlcN and GluA. FT-IR showed that SBLP-S were sulfated polysaccharide containing uronic acid. Molecular weights of SBLP-S were 338.659, 401.305, 599.849, 393.904, 626.895 and 176.862 kDa. The Congo-red test indicated that SBLP-S-2, SBLP-S-4, SBLP-S-5, and SBLP-S-6 had triple helix conformation. Crude polysaccharides had the strong scavenging activities on DPPH radicals, ABTS radicals and hydroxyl radicals. The six polysaccharides had the activity of immune stimulation on RAW264.7 cell. SBLP-S-2 promoted the phagocytosis best and SBLP-S-6 promoted the NO production best. The results suggested that SBLPs could be used as potential antioxidants and immunomodulatory agents in pharmaceutical and functional food fields.

CT-derived abdominal adiposity: Distributions and better predictive ability than BMI in a nationwide study of 59,429 adults in China.

BACKGROUND: Although abdominal adiposity is associated with an altered cardiometabolic risk profile, the specific contribution of abdominal adipose tissue distribution remains not fully understood. Computed tomography (CT) is a well-established and precise method to measure abdominal adipose tissue distribution. The present study investigated abdominal adiposity assessed by CT in a large-scale Chinese population. METHOD: A total of 59,429 adults who underwent a low dose chest CT for lung cancer screening at one of 13 health checkup centers throughout China were evaluated. Abdominal visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) areas were measured at the center of the 2nd lumbar vertebra with Mindways quantitative CT software using the existing CT dataset without any additional radiation exposure. The ratio of visceral to total adipose tissue (TAT) areas (VAT/TAT ratio) was calculated and expressed as a percentage. Anthropometric indices including body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference were also obtained. RESULTS: BMI, waist circumference, VAT area, SAT area, and the VAT/TAT ratio were 25.0 ±â€¯3.0 kg/m2, 90 ±â€¯8 cm, 194 ±â€¯77 cm2, 85 ±â€¯41 cm2, and 69.5 ±â€¯9.1%, respectively, in men and 23.3 ±â€¯3.1 kg/m2, 79 ±â€¯8 cm, 120 ±â€¯57 cm2, 123 ±â€¯53 cm2, and 48.9 ±â€¯9.7% in women. With increasing age, VAT area and the VAT/TAT ratio increased in both sexes whereas SAT area decreased in men (P < 0.001 for all). After adjustment for BMI and waist circumference, older individuals showed higher VAT area and higher VAT/TAT ratio than younger subjects (P < 0.001 for all). Adjusted VAT areas in participants aged 75 or older was 45 cm2 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 41 cm2, 50 cm2) higher in men and 43 cm2 (95% CI: 37 cm2, 49 cm2) higher in women compared with participants aged 31-44 years. Additionally, differences in VAT area across age groups increased as BMI or waist circumference increased. VAT and SAT areas, but not the VAT/TAT ratio, were positively associated with BMI and waist circumference in every age group. CONCLUSION: In a nationwide study conducted in China, distributions of CT-derived measures of visceral and subcutaneous adiposity were found to vary significantly between sex and age groups. Our study also revealed that the proportion of VAT (an important driver of cardiometabolic risk) could not be predicted from BMI in a Chinese population.

Opportunistic Screening Using Low-Dose CT and the Prevalence of Osteoporosis in China: A Nationwide, Multicenter Study.

Opportunistic screening for osteoporosis can be performed using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) imaging obtained for other clinical indications. In this study we explored the CT-derived bone mineral density (BMD) and prevalence of osteoporosis from thoracic LDCT in a large population cohort of Chinese men and women. A total of 69,095 adults (40,733 men and 28,362 women) received a thoracic LDCT scan for the purpose of lung cancer screening between 2018 and 2019, and data were obtained for analysis from the China Biobank Project, a prospective nationwide multicenter population study. Lumbar spine (L1 -L2 ) trabecular volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) was derived from these scans using quantitative computed tomography (QCT) software and the American College of Radiology QCT diagnostic criteria for osteoporosis were applied. Geographic regional differences in the prevalence of osteoporosis were assessed and the age-standardized, population prevalence of osteoporosis in Chinese men and women was estimated from the 2010 China census. The prevalence of osteoporosis by QCT for the Chinese population aged >50 years was 29.0% for women and 13.5% for men, equating to 49.0 million and 22.8 million, respectively. In women, this rate is comparable to estimates from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), but in men, the prevalence is double. Prevalence varied geographically across China, with higher rates in the southwest and lower rates in the northeast. Trabecular vBMD decreased with age in both men and women. Women had higher peak trabecular vBMD (185.4 mg/cm3 ) than men (176.6 mg/cm3 ) at age 30 to 34 years, but older women had lower trabecular vBMD (62.4 mg/cm3 ) than men (92.1 mg/cm3 ) at age 80 years. We show that LDCT-based opportunistic screening could identify large numbers of patients with low lumbar vBMD, and that future cohort studies are now required to evaluate the clinical utility of such screening in terms of fracture prevention and supporting national health economic analyses. © 2020 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR)..

GSTT1 and GSTM1 polymorphisms and prostate cancer risk in Asians: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) enzymes are involved in conjugation of electrophilic compounds to glutathione, and glutathione S-transferase T 1 (GSTT1) and glutathione S-transferase M 1 (GSTM1) polymorphisms have been implicated as risk factors for prostate cancer. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to define the effect of GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes on prostate cancer risk in Asians. We searched the PubMed and Wanfang Medical databases to identify published case-control studies investigating the associations of GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes with risk of prostate cancer in Asians. Heterogeneity was assessed using Cochran's Q statistic and odds ratios (OR) with corresponding 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CI) from individual studies were pooled using fixed or random effects models according to the heterogeneity. There were 18 studies (2,046 cases, 2,876 controls) on GSTM1 polymorphism, 15 studies (1,677 cases, 2,431 controls) on GSTT1 polymorphism, and 6 studies (675 cases, 853 controls) on GSTM1/GSTT1 interaction analysis. Overall, GSTM1 null genotype was significantly associated with increased risk of prostate cancer in Asians (random effects OR 1.80, 95 % CI 1.48-2.18, P < 0.001), and GSTT1 null genotype was also significantly associated with increased risk of prostate cancer in Asians (random effects OR 1.40, 95 % CI 1.10-1.80, P < 0.001). In addition, the GSTM1/GSTT dual null genotype was associated with higher risk of prostate cancer in Asians (random effects OR 2.14, 95 % CI 1.59-2.89, P = 0.007). In conclusion, GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes are associated with increased risk of prostate cancer in Asians, and GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes are risk factors for the development of prostate cancer.

An analysis of China's physician salary payment system.

Physician payment system (PPS) is a principal incentive system to motivate doctors to provide excellent care for patients. During the past decade, physician remuneration in China has not been in proportional to physician's average work load and massive responsibilities. This paper reviewed the constitution of the PPS in China, and further discussed the problems and issues to be addressed with respect to pay for performance. Our study indicated that the lower basic salary and bonus distribution tied to "profits" was the major contributor to the physician's profit-driven incentive and the potential cause for the speedy growth of health expenditures. We recommend that government funding to hospitals should be increased to fully cover physicians' basic salary, a flexible human resource and talent management mechanism needs to be established that severs personal interest between physicians and hospitals, and modern performance assessment and multiplexed payment systems should be piloted to encourage physicians to get the more legitimate compensation.

Reversing resistance of multidrug-resistant hepatic carcinoma cells with parthenolide.

AIM: To investigate the mechanism of reversing resistance of a hepatic carcinoma multidrug-resistant cell BEL-7402/5-FU with parthenolide (PTL). MATERIALS & METHODS: BEL-7402/5-FU cells were treated with different concentrations of PTL and/or 5-fluorouracil. The proliferation inhibition rates, NF-κB, P-glycoprotein, MRP, Bcl-2, WNT1 and p53 levels were determined. RESULTS: The results showed that PTL did not only have proliferation inhibition influence on BEL-7402/5-FU in a concentration-dependent manner, but also significantly increased the proliferation inhibition role of 5-fluorouracil on BEL-7402/5-FU, to reverse the resistance of hepatic carcinoma-resistant cells. PTL could also inhibit the NF-κB activity and the expression of P-glycoprotein, MRP, Bcl-2 and WNT1, and increase the expression of p53. CONCLUSION: Our research suggests that clinical administration of PTL may be useful for hepatic carcinoma patients.

Chemokine CXCL16 regulates neutrophil and macrophage infiltration into injured muscle, promoting muscle regeneration.

Only a few specific chemokines that mediate interactions between inflammatory and satellite cells in muscle regeneration have been identified. The chemokine CXCL16 differs from other chemokines because it has both a transmembrane region and active, soluble chemokine forms. Indeed, we found increased expression of CXCL16 and its receptor, CXCR6, in regenerating myofibers. Muscle regeneration in CXCL16-deficient (CXCL16KO) mice was severely impaired compared with regeneration in wild-type mice. In addition, there was decreased MyoD and myogenin expression in regenerating muscle in CXCL16KO mice, indicating impaired satellite cell proliferation and differentiation. After 1 month, new myofibers in CXCL16KO mice remained significantly smaller than those in muscle of wild-type mice. To understand how CXCL16 regulates muscle regeneration, we examined cells infiltrating injured muscle. There were more infiltrating neutrophils and fewer macrophages in injured muscle of CXCL16KO mice compared with events in wild-type mice. Moreover, absence of CXCL16 led to different expression of cytokines/chemokines in injured muscles: mRNAs of macrophage-inflammatory protein (MIP)-1alpha, MIP-1beta, and MIP-2 were increased, whereas regulated on activation normal T cell expressed and secreted, T-cell activation-3, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 mRNAs were lower compared with results in muscles of wild-type mice. Impaired muscle regeneration in CXCL16KO mice also resulted in fibrosis, which was linked to transforming growth factor-beta1 expression. Thus, CXCL16 expression is a critical mediator of muscle regeneration, and it suppresses the development of fibrosis.