Causal association between vitamin D and diabetic neuropathy: a Mendelian randomization analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Vitamin D has been linked to diabetic neuropathy (DN) in previous epidemiological observational studies, however, their findings are inconsistent. The causal relationship between vitamin D and DN remains unknown. In this study we aim to investigate the causal association of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) and DN. METHODS: Based on summary statistics from publicly available genome-wide association studies (GWAS) database, we detected the genetic correlation between serum 25OHD levels and DN by a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was used as the primary analysis, weighted median and MR-Egger were applied as complementary methods for MR estimates. In addition, we took sensitivity analyses including Cochran's Q test, MR-Pleiotropy Residual Sum and Outlier (MR-PRESSO) and leave-one-out analysis to ensure that we obtained stable and reliable results. RESULTS: Our MR study showed no significant genetic association between serum 25OHD levels and DN (OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 0.81-1.57, P = 0.46). Furthermore, in the reverse direction analysis, we did not find a significant causal effect of DN and serum 25OHD levels (OR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.98-1.00, P = 0.09). Results of MR-Egger, Weighted Median were consistent with those of the IVW method. The sensitivity analysis suggesting that no significant heterogeneity and genetic pleiotropy was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provided no evidence to support the causal association of serum 25OHD levels with DN.

Correlation between parathyroid function and serum levels of 1,25(OH)2D3, serum phosphorus, and parathyroid hormone after surgery for papillary thyroid carcinoma.

The objective of this work was to investigate the factors influencing parathyroid function (PTF) after surgery for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and the relationship of serum 1,25(OH)2D3 and serum phosphorus to parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. 113 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) were enrolled, including 75 patients with lowered PTF (70 patients with temporary (temporary reduction group) and 5 patients with permanent (permanent reduction group)) and 38 patients with normal PTF (normal group). The results of detection indexes showed that the serum PTH levels were decreased to different degrees compared with those before surgery. Serum 1,25(OH)2D3 levels decreased less in the normal group before and after surgery but decreased more in the temporary and permanent reduction groups. The change range of blood phosphorus before and after the surgery was small in the normal group, and the increase ranges in the temporary and permanent reduction groups were larger. The lowered PTF was negatively correlated with age and blood phosphorus (P<0.01) but positively correlated with serum PTH (P<0.05) and serum 1,25(OH)2D3 (P<0.01). In conclusion, lowered PTF after surgery for PTC was negatively correlated with blood phosphorus, which can indicate a decrease in PTH levels in patients. Meanwhile, the lowered PTF was positively correlated with serum PTH and serum 1,25(OH)2D3 levels.

The Impact of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on Psychological Outcomes and Quality of Life in Patients With Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.

Objective: The impact of the mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program on psychological outcomes and quality of life (QoL) in lung cancer patients remains unclear. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the MBSR program on psychological states and QoL in lung cancer patients. Methods: Eligible studies published before November 2021 were systematically searched from PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang databases. The risk of bias in eligible studies was assessed using the Cochrane tool. Psychological variables and QoL were evaluated as outcomes. We used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system to grade the levels of evidence. Statistical analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.4 and STATA 14.0. Results: A total of 17 studies involving 1,680 patients were included for meta-analysis eventually. MBSR program significantly relieved cancer-related fatigue (standard mean difference [SMD], -1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], -1.69 to -0.82; moderate evidence) and negative psychological states (SMD, -1.35; 95% CI, -1.69 to -1.02; low evidence), enhanced positive psychological states (SMD, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.56-1.27; moderate evidence), and improved quality of sleep (MD, -2.79; 95% CI, -3.03 to -2.56; high evidence). Evidence on MBSR programs' overall treatment effect for QoL revealed a trend toward statistical significance (p = 0.06, low evidence). Conclusion: Based on our findings, the MBSR program shows positive effects on psychological states in lung cancer patients. This approach should be recommended as a part of the rehabilitation program for lung cancer patients. Systematic Review Registration: https://archive.org/details/osf-registrations-mwvbq-v1, identifier: 10.17605/OSF.IO/MWVBQ.

Myricetin inhibits interferon-γ-induced PD-L1 and IDO1 expression in lung cancer cells.

Programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) and indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) are immune checkpoints induced by interferon-γ (IFN-γ) in the tumor microenvironment, leading to immune escape of tumors. Myricetin (MY) is a flavonoid distributed in many edible and medicinal plants. In this study, MY was identified to inhibit IFN-γ-induced PD-L1 expression in human lung cancer cells. It also reduced the expression of IDO1 and the production of kynurenine which is the product catalyzed by IDO1, while didn't show obvious effect on the expression of major histocompatibility complex-I (MHC-I), a crucial molecule for antigen presentation. In addition, the function of T cells was evaluated using a co-culture system consist of lung cancer cells and the Jurkat-PD-1 T cell line overexpressing PD-1. MY restored the survival, proliferation, CD69 expression and interleukin-2 (IL-2) secretion of Jurkat-PD-1 T cells suppressed by IFN-γ-treated lung cancer cells. Mechanistically, IFN-γ up-regulated PD-L1 and IDO1 at the transcriptional level through the JAK-STAT-IRF1 axis, which was targeted and inhibited by MY. Together, our research revealed a new mechanism of MY mediated anti-tumor activity and highlighted the potential implications of MY in tumor immunotherapy.

The complete chloroplast genome of Lonicera hypoglauca Miq (Caprifoliaceae: Dipsacales) from Guangxi, China.

Lonicera hypoglauca Miq, which is widely distribute in south China, is an important Chinese plant used in traditional medicine. Here we report the first complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequence of this species. The circular cp genome is 154,581 bp in size, including a large single-copy (LSC) region of 88,379 bp and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,646 bp, which were separated by two inverted repeat (IR) regions (IRA and B, 23,778 bp each). A total of 121 genes were annotated, including 8 ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), 33 transfer RNAs (tRNAs) and 80 protein-coding genes (PCGs). Phylogenetic analysis of 20 representative members within the Caprifoliaceae showed that L. hypoglauca is closely related to the Lonicera macranthoides. This study provides important genetic information for future systematic and evolutionary studies of L. hypoglauca.

Outbreak of mycoplasmal round pneumonia in an adult population: A case series.

BACKGROUND: Mycoplasmal pneumonia is a common type of adult community-acquired pneumonia in China, but round/spherical pneumonia caused by mycoplasma pneumoniae has rarely been reported. Here, we report an outbreak of mycoplasmal round pneumonia in a military dormitory in China. METHODS: We analysed epidemiological, clinical, imaging and laboratory data from a series of adults affected by an outbreak of mycoplasmal round pneumonia in the dormitory of a military hospital (Fuzhou General Hospital) in Fuzhou, China. The dormitory included 2 separate buildings. Mycoplasma antibody was detected using a passive agglutination assay. RESULTS: The first case in our series, a 23-year-old male intern, presented on July 16, 2015 with a 3-day history of low-grade fever, dizziness, fatigue and chest tightness. Chest computed tomography revealed spherical masses. Over the following 4 days, 11 individuals who had been in close contact with the first patient were found to have similar masses. All 12 cases were mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic, and fever was the only sign visible upon physical examination. Chest radiology revealed single, round consolidations in 3 cases and multiple round consolidations in 9 cases; consolidations ranged in size from 0.2 to 2.9 cm. Most cases had normal blood cell count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C reactive protein level. Nasopharyngeal swabs from all cases tested negative for 25 pathogens, including Mycoplasma pneumoniae, in a PCR-based assay performed on August 1, 2015. All 12 patients showed a 4-fold increase in the titre of anti-mycoplasmal pneumonia antibody in paired sera on August 13, 2015. Patients were given the antibiotic moxifloxacin or symptomatic treatment, and 11 of the 12 cases showed complete resolution of round pneumonia lesions within 4 weeks. CONCLUSION: This case series illustrates the diversity of clinical manifestations as well as imaging findings for mycoplasmal pneumonia, to which clinicians should pay more attention. Mycoplasmal round pneumonia should be included in differential diagnosis of multiple pulmonary nodules in adults in order to enable accurate clinical identification of disease and successful treatment and resolution.

High-yield production of mannitol by Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides CTCC G123 from chicory-derived inulin hydrolysate.

Chicory is an agricultural plant with considerable potential as a carbohydrate substrate for low-cost production of biochemicals. In this work, the production of mannitol by Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides CTCC G123 from chicory-derived inulin hydrolysate was investigated. The bioconversion process initially suffered from the leakage of fructose to the phosphoketolase pathway, resulting in a low mannitol yield. When inulin hydrolysate was supplemented with glucose as a substrate for mannitol production in combination with aeration induction and nicotinic acid induced redox modulation strategies, the mannitol yield greatly improved. Under these conditions, significant improvement in the glucose consumption rate, intracellular NADH levels and mannitol dehydrogenase specific activity were observed, with mannitol production increasing from 64.6 to 88.1 g/L and overall yield increase from 0.69 to 0.94 g/g. This work demonstrated an efficient method for the production of mannitol from inulin hydrolysate with a high overall yield.

[Changes of microbial abundance and functional genes in oil and gas under gaseous hydrocarbon condition].

Objective: Hydrocarbon microseepage is a natural phenomenon that hydrocarbon gases of subsurface petroleum accumulations migrate upward by reservoir pressure. The detection of the activity and distribution of these highly specialized populations can be used to forecast the existence of oil and gas deposits. However, the hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacterial population are usually not predominant in soil samples above the typical onshore oil and gas reservoirs. It is hard to assess the abundance of hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria. Methods: In this study, changes of microbial abundance and functional genes were studied. Results: Under gaseous hydrocarbon condition, changes of methane and butane oxidizing bacteria were different. Furthermore, changes of functional genes indicated that genome analysis was more proper for microbial anomalies detection. Conclusion: The profiling data of this study provide a comprehensive insight into gene expression profiles and lay the foundation for optimizing the microbial prospecting technology.

Variations of different dissolved and particulate phosphorus classes during an algae bloom in a eutrophic lake by 31P NMR spectroscopy.

Characterization of phosphorus (P) pools is vital to understanding the contribution of P to water eutrophication. In this study, dissolved and particulate P classes during an algae bloom in Lake Taihu, as well as their relationships with the main environmental factors, were analyzed based on solution 31P NMR. The results showed that dissolved P was dominated by orthophosphate (Ortho-P) in heavily polluted regions and by orthophosphate monoester (Mono-P) and orthophosphate diester (Diester-P) in lightly polluted regions, indicating that the main dissolved P classes varied with the degree of lake pollution. The difference in the temporal variation patterns of dissolved P classes revealed that dissolved Ortho-P is the preferred class, and its concentration may be affected by major primary producers. It also revealed that dissolved Mono-P is prone to accumulation under the effects of algal blooms, especially in heavily polluted regions. The main particulate P classes were similar to those of dissolved P, but their variation trends were the same in different lake regions. There were significant positive correlations between the major particulate P classes and Chl a during the majority of the sampling period, indicating that living algal cells have a major contribution to particulate P. Obvious temporal variations of P classes may affect the bioavailability and dynamics of P in the water of Lake Taihu, but the particle reactivities of the main inorganic and organic P classes were similar. Therefore, they have little effect on P partitioning between the dissolved and particulate phases.

The metabolomic study on atherosclerosis mice and its application in a traditional Chinese medicine Sishen granule.

Although an atherosclerosis (AS) model using low-density lipoprotein receptor deletion mice has been widely applied, its pathological pathway in metabolite level is still not clear. To further reveal the metabolite profile and identify the potential biomarkers in AS development, a serum metabolomic approach was developed based on reversed-phase liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-Q-TOF-MS). The established metabolomic platform was also used for elucidating the therapeutic mechanism of a traditional Chinese medicine named Sishen granule (SSKL). Twenty-one potential biomarkers in AS mouse serum were identified. Through functional analysis of these biomarkers, inflammation, proliferation, dysfunction of energy metabolism and amino acid metabolism were considered the most relevant pathological changes in AS. DNA damage products were found for the first time in the metabolomic study of AS. The network established by 20 biomarkers revealed that pyruvate metabolism, citrate cycle, fatty acid metabolism and urea metabolism were seriously disturbed. This metabolomic study not only supplied a systematic view of the progression of AS but also provided a theoretical basis for the treatment of AS. This metabolomic study also demonstrated that SSKL had therapeutic effectiveness for AS through partly reversing the inflammation reaction and amino acid metabolism dysfunction. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Metabolomic study on the faecal extracts of atherosclerosis mice and its application in a Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The intestinal microbiota and their metabolites are closely related to the formation of atherosclerosis (AS). In this study, a metabolomic approach based on the reversed-phase liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-Q-TOF-MS) platform was established to analyze the metabolic profiling of fecal extracts from AS mice model. The established metabolomic platform was also used for clearing the effective mechanism of a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) named Sishen granule (SSKL). Totally, sixteen potential biomarkers in faeces of AS mice were identified and 5 of them could be reversed by SSKL. Through functional analysis of these biomarkers and the established network, lipid metabolism, cholesterol metabolism, energy cycle, and inflammation reaction were considered as the most relevant pathological changes in gastrointestinal tract of AS mice. The metabolomic study not only revealed the potential biomarkers in AS mice' faeces but also supplied a systematic view of the pathological changes in gastrointestinal metabolite in AS mice. This metabolomic study also demonstrated that SSKL had the therapeutic effectiveness on AS through partly reversing the lipid metabolism, inflammation and energy metabolism.

Accumulation and localization of cadmium in potato (Solanum tuberosum) under different soil Cd levels.

Phytoavailability and uptake mechanism of Cd in edible plant tissues grown on metal polluted agricultural soils has become a growing concern worldwide. Uptake, transport, accumulation and localization of cadmium in potato organs under different soil Cd levels were investigated using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis. Results indicated that Cd contents in potato organs increased with increasing soil Cd concentrations, and the order of Cd contents in different organs was leaves > stems/roots > tubers. Root-to-stem Cd translocation coefficients ranged from 0.89 to 1.81. Cd localization in potato tissues suggested that leaves and stems should be the main compartment of Cd storage and uptake. Although low concentrations of Cd migrated from the root to tuber, Cd accumulation in the tuber exceeded the standard for food security. Therefore, the planting of potato plants in farmland containing Cd should be closely evaluated due to its potential to present health risks.

Responses of root architecture development to low phosphorus availability: a review.

BACKGROUND: Phosphorus (P) is an essential element for plant growth and development but it is often a limiting nutrient in soils. Hence, P acquisition from soil by plant roots is a subject of considerable interest in agriculture, ecology and plant root biology. Root architecture, with its shape and structured development, can be considered as an evolutionary response to scarcity of resources. SCOPE: This review discusses the significance of root architecture development in response to low P availability and its beneficial effects on alleviation of P stress. It also focuses on recent progress in unravelling cellular, physiological and molecular mechanisms in root developmental adaptation to P starvation. The progress in a more detailed understanding of these mechanisms might be used for developing strategies that build upon the observed explorative behaviour of plant roots. CONCLUSIONS: The role of root architecture in alleviation of P stress is well documented. However, this paper describes how plants adjust their root architecture to low-P conditions through inhibition of primary root growth, promotion of lateral root growth, enhancement of root hair development and cluster root formation, which all promote P acquisition by plants. The mechanisms for activating alterations in root architecture in response to P deprivation depend on changes in the localized P concentration, and transport of or sensitivity to growth regulators such as sugars, auxins, ethylene, cytokinins, nitric oxide (NO), reactive oxygen species (ROS) and abscisic acid (ABA). In the process, many genes are activated, which in turn trigger changes in molecular, physiological and cellular processes. As a result, root architecture is modified, allowing plants to adapt effectively to the low-P environment. This review provides a framework for understanding how P deficiency alters root architecture, with a focus on integrated physiological and molecular signalling.

Accumulation and phytoavailability of hexachlorocyclohexane isomers and cadmium in Allium sativum L. under the stress of hexachlorocyclohexane and cadmium.

The effects of Cd and HCHs with single and combined forms on Cd and HCHs phytoavailability of Allium sativum L. were investigated. The results indicated that the coexistence of Cd and HCHs presented antagonistic interactions mostly, which might be partly due to the formation of Cd-HCHs complex, compared with single stress. The bioaccumulation of Cd and HCHs in plants depended largely on their concentrations applied in pot soils, and the phytoavailability of HCH isomers was in the sequence: δ- > γ- ≥ ß- > α-HCH.