Changes of cerebral structure and perfusion in subtypes of systemic sclerosis: a brain magnetic resonance imaging study.

OBJECTIVES: The characteristics of brain impairment in different subtypes of systemic sclerosis (SSc) (dcSSc, diffuse cutaneous SSc; lcSSc, limited cutaneous SSc) remain unclear. This study aimed to characterize cerebral structure and perfusion changes in different subtype of SSc patients using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. METHODS: Seventy SSc patients (46.0 ± 11.7 years, 62 females) and 30 healthy volunteers (44.8 ± 13.7 years, 24 females) were recruited and underwent brain MR imaging and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test. Gray matter (GM) volumes were measured using voxel-based morphometry analysis on T1-weighted images. Voxel-based and regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) was calculated on arterial spin labelling images. The cerebral structural and perfusion measurements by MR imaging were compared among dcSSc, lcSSc and healthy subjects using one-way ANOVA. The correlations between clinical characteristics and MR imaging measurements were also analyzed. RESULTS: The dcSSc patients exhibited a significant reduction in GM volume in the para-hippocampal region (cluster p < 0.01, FWE corrected) compared with healthy volunteers. Whereas, SSc patients, particularly lcSSc patients, showed elevated CBF in cerebellum, insula, cerebral cortex, and subcortical structures (regional analyses: all p < 0.05; voxel-based analyses: cluster p < 0.01, FWE corrected). Furthermore, clinical characteristics of modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) (r value ranged from -0.29 to -0.45), MoCA scores (r = 0.40) and antinuclear antibody (ANA) positivity (r=-0.33) were significantly associated with CBF in some regions (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The manifestations of brain involvement vary among different subtypes of SSc. In addition, severe skin sclerosis may indicate higher risk of brain involvement in SSc patients.

The deleterious effects and potential therapeutic strategy of fluorene-9-bisphenol on circadian activity and liver diseases in zebrafish and mice.

Increasing evidence indicates that disturbance of the clock genes, which leads to systemic endocrine perturbation, plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of metabolic and liver diseases. Fluorene-9-bisphenol (BHPF) is utilized in the manufacturing of plastic materials but its biological effects on liver homeostasis remain unknown. The impacts and involved mechanisms of BHPF on the liver diseases, metabolism, and circadian clock were comprehensively studied by zebrafish and mouse models. The therapeutic effect of melatonin (MT) was also verified. Zebrafish and mouse models with either acute exposure (0.5 and 1 µmol/L, 1-4 days post-fertilization) or chronic oral exposure (0.5 and 50 mg/(kg·2 days), 30 days) were established with various BHPF concentrations. Herein, we identified a crucial role for estrogenic regulation in liver development and circadian locomotor rhythms damaged by BHPF in a zebrafish model. BHPF mice showed chaos in circadian activity through the imbalance of circadian clock component Brain and Muscle Aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator-like 1 in the liver and brain. The liver sexual dimorphic alteration along with reduced growth hormone and estrogens played a critical role in damaged glucose metabolism, hepatic inflammation, and fibrosis induced by BHPF. Besides, sleep improvement by exogenous MT alleviated BHPF-related glucose metabolism and liver injury in mice. We proposed the pathogenesis of metabolic and liver disease resulting from BHPF and promising targeted therapy for liver metabolism disorders associated with endocrine perturbation chemicals. These results might play a warning role in the administration of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in everyday life and various industry applications.

Inhibition of voltage-gated sodium ion channel by corannulene and computational inversion blockage underlying mechanisms.

Corannulene (Cor), a special carbon material, evidenced strong protein binding capacity which regulating lysozyme crystallization and controlling reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Ion channel protein play role in regulating ion channel functions to affect physiological functions. However, the interaction between Cor and ion channel protein have not been studied. In this study, PEG/Cor nanoparticles (PEG/Cor Nps) were prepared by mPEG-DSPE. The PEG/Cor Nps localized in cytoplasm and produced cytotoxicity at high concentration. Whole cell patch clamp examined ion channel functions after incubate PEG/Cor Nps with PC-12 cell. we found that PEG/Cor Nps inhibited voltage-gated Na+ ion channels in a dose- and time-dependent manner but not act on voltage-gated K+ ion channels. The potential mechanisms were revealed by all-atom molecular dynamic (MD) simulations. The results showed that PEG/Cor Nps block the pore of sodium ion channel protein due to dose- and time-dependent accumulation. Besides, the orientation angle (θ) configuration of PEG/Cor Nps will be inverted with the accumulation to generate two blocking mechanisms. Different from other carbon nanomaterials, the blockage mechanism of PEG/Cor Nps provides novel insights into the mechanisms of interaction between carbon nanomaterials and protein.

Preserved myocardial viability in patients with chronic total occlusion of a single coronary artery.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the benefits of coronary collateral circulation on myocardial perfusion, viability and function in patients with total occlusion of a single coronary artery using the 99mTc-sestamibi SPECT and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET. METHODS: 164 Consecutive patients were included who underwent coronary angiography results exhibited total occlusion of a single coronary artery and received 99mTc-MIBI SPECT and 18F-FDG PET within 90 days of angiography. Myocardial perfusion and viability in patients with collateral circulation and those without it were compared. Long-term follow-up was performed through a review of patient clinical records. RESULTS: Collateral circulation was present in 56 patients (34%) and absent in 108 patients (66%). The total perfusion defect size in patients with collateral circulation decreased when compared to those without (30% ± 13% to 35% ± 14%, P < .05). The myocardial viability was 22% ± 12% in patients with collateral circulation, and 12% ± 9% in those without (P < .001). The left ventricular ejection fraction was higher, and the end-diastolic and end-systolic left ventricular volumes were lower in patients with collateral circulation (39% ± 11%, 138 ± 66, 89 ± 57) compared to patients without collateral circulation (31% ± 9%, 177 ± 55, 125 ± 48, all P < .001, respectively). Multi-factor logistic regression identified that concerning the variables of sex, age, viable myocardium, collateral circulation, treatment type and others, only treatment type was significantly associated with therapeutic effects (OR 3.872, 95% CI 1.915-7.830, P < .001). CONCLUSION: Collateral circulation can preserve resting myocardial blood perfusion and myocardial viability, and help maintain the function of the left ventricular myocardium. The appropriate treatment strategy will have a substantial impact on the therapeutic outcome.

Evaluation of left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction by 99mTc-MIBI gated SPECT and 18F-FDG gated PET in patients with prior myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to compare the accuracy of gated-SPECT (GSPECT) and gated-PET (GPET) in the assessment of left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic volumes (EDVs), end-systolic volumes (ESVs) and LV ejection fractions (LVEFs) among patients with prior myocardial infarction (MI). METHODS: One hundred and sixty-eight consecutive patients with MI who underwent GSPECT and GPET were included. Of them, 76 patients underwent CMR in addition to the two imaging modalities. The measurements of LV volumes and LVEF were performed using Quantitative Gated SPECT (QGS), Emory Cardiac Toolbox (ECTB), and 4D-MSPECT (4DM). RESULTS: The correlation between GPET, GSPECT, and CMR were excellent for LV EDV (r = 0.855 to 0.914), ESV (r = 0.852 to 0.949), and LVEF (r = 0.618 to 0.820), as calculated from QGS, ECTB, and 4DM. In addition, subgroup analysis revealed that EDV, ESV, and LVEF measured by GPET were accurate in patients with different extents of total perfusion defect (TPD), viable myocardium, and perfusion/metabolic mismatch. Furthermore, multivariate regression analysis identified that mismatch score was associated with the difference in EDV (P < 0.05) measurements between GPET and CMR. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with MI, LV volumes and LVEF scores measured by both GSPECT and GPET imaging were comparable to those determined by CMR, but should not be interchangeable in individual patients.

Comparison of resting-state spontaneous brain activity between treatment-naive schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia (SZ) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) share many demographic characteristics and severity of clinical symptoms, genetic risk factors, pathophysiological underpinnings, and brain structure and function. However, the differences in the spontaneous brain activity patterns between the two diseases remain unclear. Here this study aimed to compare the features of intrinsic brain activity in treatment-naive participants with SZ and OCD and to explore the relationship between spontaneous brain activity and the severity of symptoms. METHODS: In this study, 22 treatment-naive participants with SZ, 27 treatment-naive participants with OCD, and sixty healthy controls (HC) underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo) and degree of centrality (DC) were performed to examine the intrinsic brain activity of participants. Additionally, the relationships among spontaneous brain activity, the severity of symptoms, and the duration of illness were explored in SZ and OCD groups. RESULTS: Compared with SZ group and HC group, participants with OCD had significantly higher ALFF in the right angular gyrus and the left middle frontal gyrus/precentral gyrus and significantly lower ALFF in the left superior temporal gyrus/insula/rolandic operculum and the left postcentral gyrus, while there was no significant difference in ALFF between SZ group and HC group. Compared with HC group, lower ALFF in the right supramarginal gyrus/inferior parietal lobule and lower DC in the right lingual gyrus/calcarine fissure and surrounding cortex of the two patient groups, higher ReHo in OCD group and lower ReHo in SZ group in the right angular gyrus/middle occipital gyrus brain region were documented in the present study. DC in SZ group was significantly higher than that in HC group in the right inferior parietal lobule/angular gyrus, while there were no significant DC differences between OCD group and HC group. In addition, ALFF in the left postcentral gyrus were positively correlated with positive subscale score (r = 0.588, P = 0.013) and general psychopathology subscale score (r = 0.488, P = 0.047) respectively on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) in SZ group. ALFF in the left superior temporal gyrus/insula/rolandic operculum of participants with OCD were positively correlated with compulsion subscale score (r = 0.463, P = 0.030) on the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). The longer the illness duration in SZ group, the smaller the ALFF of the left superior temporal gyrus/insula/rolandic operculum (Rho = 0.-492, P = 0.020). The longer the illness duration in OCD group, the higher the ALFF of the right supramarginal gyrus/inferior parietal lobule (Rho = 0.392, P = 0.043) and the left postcentral gyrus (Rho = 0.385, P = 0.048), and the lower the DC of the right inferior parietal lobule/angular gyrus (Rho = - 0.518, P = 0.006). CONCLUSION: SZ and OCD show some similarities in spontaneous brain activity in parietal and occipital lobes, but exhibit different patterns of spontaneous brain activity in frontal, temporal, parietal, occipital, and insula brain regions, which might imply different underlying neurobiological mechanisms in the two diseases. Compared with OCD, SZ implicates more significant abnormalities in the functional connections among brain regions.

Antibacterial Activity of a Promising Antibacterial Agent: 22-(4-(2-(4-Nitrophenyl-piperazin-1-yl)-acetyl)-piperazin-1-yl)-22-deoxypleuromutilin.

A novel pleuromutilin derivative, 22-(4-(2-(4-nitrophenyl-piperazin-1-yl)-acetyl)-piperazin-1-yl)-22-deoxypleuromutilin (NPDM), was synthesized in our laboratory and proved excellent antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In this study, more methods were used to further study its preliminary pharmacological effect. The antibacterial efficacy and toxicity of NPDM were evaluated using tiamulin as the reference drug. The in vitro antibacterial activity study showed that NPDM is a potent bactericidal agent against MRSA that induced time-dependent growth inhibition and a concentration-dependent post-antibiotic effect (PAE). Toxicity determination showed that the cytotoxicity of NPDM was slightly higher than that of tiamulin, but the acute oral toxicity study proved that NPDM was a low-toxic compound. In an in vivo antibacterial effect study, NPDM exhibited a better therapeutic effect than tiamulin against MRSA in a mouse thigh infection model as well as a mouse systemic infection model with neutropenia. The 50% effective dose (ED50) of NPDM in a Galleria mellonella infection model was 50.53 mg/kg. The pharmacokinetic properties of NPDM were also measured, which showed that NPDM was a rapid elimination drug in mice.

Combining SDAE Network with Improved DTW Algorithm for Similarity Measure of Ultra-Weak FBG Vibration Responses in Underground Structures.

Quantifying structural status and locating structural anomalies are critical to tracking and safeguarding the safety of long-distance underground structures. Given the dynamic and distributed monitoring capabilities of an ultra-weak fiber Bragg grating (FBG) array, this paper proposes a method combining the stacked denoising autoencoder (SDAE) network and the improved dynamic time wrapping (DTW) algorithm to quantify the similarity of vibration responses. To obtain the dimensionality reduction features that were conducive to distance measurement, the silhouette coefficient was adopted to evaluate the training efficacy of the SDAE network under different hyperparameter settings. To measure the distance based on the improved DTW algorithm, the one nearest neighbor (1-NN) classifier was utilized to search the best constraint bandwidth. Moreover, the study proposed that the performance of different distance metrics used to quantify similarity can be evaluated through the 1-NN classifier. Based on two one-dimensional time-series datasets from the University of California, Riverside (UCR) archives, the detailed implementation process for similarity measure was illustrated. In terms of feature extraction and distance measure of UCR datasets, the proposed integrated approach of similarity measure showed improved performance over other existing algorithms. Finally, the field-vibration responses of the track bed in the subway detected by the ultra-weak FBG array were collected to determine the similarity characteristics of structural vibration among different monitoring zones. The quantitative results indicated that the proposed method can effectively quantify and distinguish the vibration similarity related to the physical location of structures.

Applying Deep Learning to Continuous Bridge Deflection Detected by Fiber Optic Gyroscope for Damage Detection.

Improving the accuracy and efficiency of bridge structure damage detection is one of the main challenges in engineering practice. This paper aims to address this issue by monitoring the continuous bridge deflection based on the fiber optic gyroscope and applying the deep-learning algorithm to perform structural damage detection. With a scale-down bridge model, three types of damage scenarios and an intact benchmark were simulated. A supervised learning model based on the deep convolutional neural networks was proposed. After the training process under ten-fold cross-validation, the model accuracy can reach 96.9% and significantly outperform that of other four traditional machine learning methods (random forest, support vector machine, k-nearest neighbor, and decision tree) used for comparison. Further, the proposed model illustrated its decent ability in distinguishing damage from structurally symmetrical locations.

Relationship of myocardial hibernation, scar, and angiographic collateral flow in ischemic cardiomyopathy with coronary chronic total occlusion.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between myocardial viability and angiographic collateral flow is not fully elucidated in ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) with coronary artery chronic total occlusion (CTO). We aimed to clarify the relationship between myocardial hibernation, myocardial scar, and angiographic collateral flow in these patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: Seventy-one consecutive ICM patients with 122 CTOs and 652 dysfunctional segments within CTO territories were retrospectively analyzed. Myocardial hibernation (perfusion-metabolism mismatch) and the extent of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) abnormalities were assessed using 99mTc-sestamibi and 18F-FDG imaging. Myocardial scar was evaluated by late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging. Collateral flow observed on coronary angiography was assessed using Rentrop classification. In these patients, neither the extent nor frequency of myocardial hibernation or scar was related to the status of collateral flow. Moreover, the matching rate in determining myocardial viability was poor between any 2 imaging indices. The extent of 18F-FDG abnormalities was linearly related to the extent of LGE rather than myocardial hibernation. Of note, nearly one-third (30.4%) of segments with transmural scar still had hibernating tissue. Hibernation and non-transmural scar had higher sensitivity (63.0% and 66.7%) than collateral flow (37.0%) in predicting global functional improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Angiographic collateral cannot accurately predict myocardial viability, and has lower sensitivity in prediction of functional improvement in CTO territories in ICM patients. Hence, assessment of myocardial viability with non-invasive imaging modalities is of importance. Moreover, due to the lack of correlation between myocardial hibernation and scar, these two indices are complementary but not interchangeable.

Dual-time-point myocardial 18F-FDG imaging in the detection of coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial 18F-deoxyglucose (18F-FDG) uptake has been observed to be enhanced in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) under fasting conditions. However, whether the increased 18F-FDG is induced by myocardial ischemia and how to discriminate ischemic from physiological 18F-FDG uptake have rarely been investigated. METHODS: Under fasting conditions, 18F-FDG PET imaging was performed in 52 patients with suspected CAD. Two 18F-FDG imaging sessions were conducted within two hours after a single administration of 18F-FDG (dual-time-point imaging), and with an intervention of an exercise test after the first imaging. Abnormal 18F-FDG uptake was determined by the classification of the 18F-FDG distribution pattern, and the changes of the 18F-FDG distribution between the two PET imaging sessions were analyzed. 99mTc-sestamibi was injected at peak exercise and myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) was conducted after 18F-FDG imaging. Coronary angiography was considered the reference for diagnosing CAD. RESULTS: Overall, 54.8% (17/31) of CAD patients and 36.2% (21/58) of stenotic coronaries showed exercise-induced abnormal uptake of 18F-FDG. Based on the classification of the 18F-FDG distribution pattern, the sensitivity and specificity of exercise 18F-FDG imaging to diagnose CAD was 80.6% and 95.2% by patient analysis, 56.9% and 98.0% by vascular analysis, respectively. Compared with MPI, 18F-FDG imaging had a tendency to have higher sensitivity (80.6% vs 64.5%, P = 0.06) on the patient level. CONCLUSION: Myocardial ischemia can induce 18F-FDG uptake. With the classification of the 18F-FDG distribution pattern, dual-time-point 18F-FDG imaging under fasting conditions is efficient in diagnosing CAD.

Urinary sediment miRNAs reflect tubulointerstitial damage and therapeutic response in IgA nephropathy.

BACKGROUND: Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common glomerulonephritis worldwide. The clinical spectrum of IgAN varies from minor urinary abnormalities to rapidly progressive renal failure. Evaluation of the disease by repeated renal biopsy is not practical due to its invasive procedure. Urinary sediment miRNAs promise to serve as non-invasive biomarkers to assess kidney injury of IgAN. METHODS: Fifty two biopsy-proven IgAN patients and twenty five healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Urinary sediment miRNAs were extracted. Expressions of miR-34a, miR-205, miR-21, miR-146a and miR-155 were quantified by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-QPCR). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to investigate the value of the miRNAs for predicting diagnosis of IgAN and evaluating histopathological injury. The patients were treated according to the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) guidelines and followed up. The roles of miRNAs in reflecting therapeutic efficacy and disease progression were analyzed. RESULTS: 1. The IgAN group had significantly lower urinary miR-34a, miR-205, and miR-155, but higher miR-21 levels than controls. The ROC revealed that urinary miR-34a ≤ 0.047, miR-205 ≤ 0.209, miR-21 ≥ 0.461 and miR-155 ≤ 0.002 could distinguish patients with IgAN from healthy ones. In addition, miR-205 ≤ 0.125 and miR-21 ≥ 0.891 can distinguish IgAN patients with severe tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis from those with mild tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis. 2. After a mean 15.19 months follow-up, the reduction of proteinuria (g/24 h/year) was positively correlated with baseline urinary miR-21 and inversely correlated with miR-205. The levels of baseline eGFR and miR-205 in the complete remission group were significantly higher than non-complete remission group (p < 0.001; p = 0.018), while proteinuria, miR-21 and miR-146a were lower than non-complete remission group (p = 0.002; p = 0.021; p = 0.009). But multivariate analysis revealed that only baseline eGFR correlated with the remission of IgAN (p = 0.001, OR = 1.042). CONCLUSIONS: The levels of some urinary sediment miRNAs, especially baseline miR-21 and miR-205, may be used as potential prognostic markers for evaluating the tubulointerstitial damage of IgAN. Furthermore, baseline levels of urinary miRNAs may be predictors of therapeutic efficacy and disease progression.

Evaluation and Treatment of Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) Stress in Right Ventricular Dysfunction during Monocrotaline-Induced Rat Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

PURPOSE: Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress contributes to pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH). However, the exact roles of ER stress in right ventricular (RV) dysfunction, which is strongly associated with PAH, are largely unknown. Here, we aimed to explore how ER stress affects RV function in a rat PAH model and evaluated the effects of an ER stress inhibitor on RV dysfunction. METHODS: We examined expression changes of an ER marker: chaperone glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), three ER stress sensor proteins: activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6), inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1), and protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK), and a key ER stress-induced apoptosis indicator: CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP), with inflammation indicators: interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in RV at 3, 7, 14 and 28 days following a single dose of monocrotaline (MCT) injection, with or without a preventive treatment [4-phenylbutyric acid (PBA)]. RV function was evaluated by histological, molecular and echocardiographic analysis. RESULTS: 1) GRP78 protein expression started to increase (1.5 ± 0.06 fold change) at 3d post MCT injection, even before the formation of PAH. 2) ATF6, IRE1, and PERK showed distinctive expression patterns post MCT injection. 3) CHOP expression remained low at day 3 & 7, but significantly increased at day 14 (p < 0.05), along with the peak of RV cardiomyocytes apoptosis. 4) PBA inhibited ER stress and alleviated remodeling and dysfunction in the RV. CONCLUSIONS: The early phase of ER stress might benefit RV function, whereas the extended phase led to RV cardiomyocyte apoptosis and dysfunction. Inhibition of ER stress by PBA during PAH directly improved RV function.

Abnormalities of myocardial perfusion and glucose metabolism in patients with isolated left ventricular non-compaction.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of myocardial perfusion and glucose metabolic abnormalities and their significance in patients with isolated left ventricular non-compaction (ILVNC) have not been well investigated. METHODS: Seventeen ILVNC patients who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and (99m)Tc-sestamibi SPECT/fluorine-18 deoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) PET imaging were included. Left ventricular non-compaction, regional wall motion abnormalities, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and delayed enhancement (DE) were estimated using CMR. Myocardial perfusion and metabolism were evaluated with SPECT/PET. RESULTS: Ninety-five (32.9%) segments were considered non-compacted. DE was present in 52 (18.0%) segments and 10 (58.8%) patients. The rate of occurrence of DE was significantly higher in compacted segments than in non-compacted segments (22.7% vs 8.4%, P = .003). Myocardial perfusion abnormalities were present in 92 (31.8%) segments, of which 66 were perfusion/metabolism match and 26 were perfusion/metabolism mismatch. The rate of occurrence of perfusion abnormality was similar between compacted and non-compacted segments (32.0% vs 31.6%, P = .948), but it was significantly higher in segments with DE than in those without DE (51.9% vs 27.4%, P = .001). None of the imaging features alone (non-compaction, DE, perfusion abnormalities, match or mismatch) showed significant correlations with LVEF (all P > .05). CONCLUSION: In the current study, myocardial perfusion/metabolism mismatch and match were observed in both non-compacted and compacted myocardium in ILVNC patients. Further research is warranted to determine their pathologic and clinical significance.

Implications of the changes in serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and cystatin C in patients with chronic kidney disease.

AIM: Early intervention in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) significantly improves the prognosis. The present widely used markers of renal function, such as serum creatinine (sCr), fail to reflect early renal damage and predict the progression of disease. The authors aimed to evaluate whether neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), a novel specific biomarker of acute kidney injury, could predict the progression of CKD. METHODS: We identified 92 patients with stage 2-4 CKD caused by primary chronic glomerulonephritis. The patients were followed for 2 years, the changes in NGAL levels in the progressive and non-progressive groups were compared. RESULTS: First, the serum NGAL levels of patients with stage 2-4 CKD were significantly increased compared with the control group. Second, based on Pearson correlation analysis, positive correlations existed between NGAL and cystatin C levels and between NGAL and sCr levels. Third, bounded by the progress of renal function, the area under the curve of serum NGAL was 0.872 (95% confidence interval, 0.786-0.933), which suggests a blood NGAL cut-off level of 246 ng/mL (sensitivity 85.19%, specificity 81.54%). Fourth, Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis showed that the serum NGAL level was closely related to the end-point of renal function in patients with CKD. Fifth, Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that the estimated glomerular filtration rate and blood NGAL are associated with progression of CKD. CONCLUSION: Serum NGAL is an effective biomarker for detecting early-stage renal damage in CKD patients. Serum NGAL was significantly correlated with the severity of renal damage and the progression of renal function deterioration.

The correlation between peripheral leukocyte telomere length and indicators of cardiovascular aging.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between telomere length in peripheral blood white cells and cardiovascular function in a healthy, aging Han Chinese population. METHODS: In 2012, peripheral blood leukocytes were obtained from 139 healthy individuals in Beijing, China, and telomere restriction fragment (TRF) length was assayed using a digoxigenin-labeled hybridization probe in Southern blot assays. Indicators of cardiovascular function were also evaluated, including electrocardiograms (ECG), (RR, P, PR, QRS, ST and T intervals); blood pressure (BP), (SBP, DBP, PP, PPI); cardiovascular ultrasound (left ventricular ejection fraction, LVEF); mitral early and late diastolic peak flow velocity (MVE and MVA); and lipid indices (TC, TG, HDL, LDL, LCI). The relationships of these cardiovascular indictors to telomere length were evaluated. RESULTS: No correlations were found between telomere length and ECG, BP or lipid indices even after adjustment for age. Correlations were found between TFR length and some cardiovascular ultrasound indictors (D, MVEA, MVEDT, MVES, MVEL, MVEI, IMT), but these were not seen after adjusting for age. CONCLUSIONS: We did not find that leukocyte TFR length was associated with cardiovascular ultrasound indictors, ECG, BP, or lipid indices in this population of healthy Han Chinese individuals. Telomere length may serve as a genetic factor in biological aging.

[Application of near-infrared spectroscopy technology in extraction and concentration process of Reduning injection].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a rapid quantitative analysis method for the content of chlorogenic acid and solid content in the extraction liquid concentration process during the production of Reduning injection by using the near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, in order to reflect the concentration state in a real-time manner and really realize the quality control of concentrating process of the extraction and concentration process. METHOD: The samples during the Jinqing extraction liquid concentration process were collected. After the removal of abnormal samples, the spectra pretreatment and the wave band selection, the quantitative calibration model between NIR spectra and chlorogenic acid HPLC analytical value and solid content was established by using PLS algorithm, and unknown samples were predicted. RESULT: The correlation coefficients between the chlorogenic acid content and the solid content were respectively 0.992 1 and 0.994 0, and the correlation coefficients of the verification model were respectively 0.994 4 and 0.998 4, with the root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC) of 0.814 6 and 2.656 1 and the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 0.704 6 and 1.876 7 respectively, and the relative standard errors of predictions (RSEP) were 6.01% and 2.93% respectively. CONCLUSION: The method is simple, rapid, nondestructive, accurate and reliable, thus could be adopted for the fast monitoring of the chlorogenic acid content and the solid content during the concentration process of Reduning injection extraction liquid.

Alleviative effects of the parthenolide derivative ACT001 on insulin resistance induced by sodium propionate combined with a high-fat diet and its potential mechanisms.

The increasing side effects of traditional medications used to treat type II diabetes have made research into the development of safer and more effective natural medications necessary. ACT001, a derivative of parthenolide, has been shown to have good anti-inflammatory and antitumor effects; however, its role in diabetes is unclear. The short-chain fatty acid propionate is a common food preservative that has been found to cause disturbances in glucose metabolism in mice and humans. This study aimed to investigate whether sodium propionate could aggravate insulin resistance in obese mice and cause diabetes and to study the alleviative effects and potential mechanisms of action of ACT001 on insulin resistance in diabetic mice. Type II diabetic mice were adminietered sodium propionate combined with a high-fat diet (HFD + propionate) by gavage daily for four weeks. Biochemical analysis showed that ACT001 significantly affected blood glucose concentration in diabetic mice, mainly by downregulating the expression of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 2 and glucose-6-phosphatase. Meanwhile, the level of fatty acid-binding protein 4 in the liver was significantly decreased. ACT001 has a protective effect on the liver and adipose tissue of mice. In addition, the results of the running wheel experiment indicated that ACT001 alleviated the circadian rhythm disorder caused by insulin resistance to a certain extent. This study revealed the potential mechanism by which ACT001 alleviates insulin resistance and provides ideas for developing natural antidiabetic drugs.

Effects of fluorene-9-bisphenol exposure on anxiety-like and social behavior in mice and protective potential of exogenous melatonin.

Fluorene-9-bisphenol (BHPF) is widely used in the manufacture of plastic products and potentially disrupts several physiological processes, but its biological effects on social behavior remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of BHPF exposure on anxiety-like and social behavior in female mice and the potential mechanisms, thereby proposing a potential therapy strategy. We exposed female Balb/c mice to BHPF by oral gavage at different doses (0.5, 50 mg/kg bw/2-day) for 28 days, which were found BHPF (50 mg/kg) exposure affected motor activity in the open field test (OFT) and elevated cross maze (EPM), resulting in anxiety-like behaviors, as well as abnormal social behavioral deficits in the Social Interaction Test (SIT). Analysis of histopathological staining results showed that BHPF exposure caused damage to hippocampal neurons in the CA1/CA3/DG region and decreased Nissl pyramidal neurons in the CA1/CA3 regions of the hippocampus, as well as a decrease in parvalbumin neuron expression. In addition, BHPF exposure upregulated the expression of excitatory and inhibitory (E/I) vesicle transporter genes (Vglut1, Vglut2, VGAT, GAD67, Gabra) and axon growth gene (Dcc) in the mouse hippocampus. Interestingly, behavioral disturbances and E/I balance could be alleviated by exogenous melatonin (15 mg/kg bw/2-day) therapy. Our findings suggest that exogenous melatonin may be a potential therapy with protective potential for ameliorating or preventing BHPF-induced hippocampal neuronal damage and behavioral disturbances. This study provided new insight into the neurotoxicological effects on organisms exposed to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and aroused our vigilance in current environmental safety about chemical use.