The self-rated health status and key influencing factors in middle-aged and elderly: Evidence from the CHARLS.

ABSTRACT: To evaluate the self-rate health (SRH) status and explore influence factors of middle-aged and elderly in China.China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey was conducted in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2018. Data of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey in 2018 was used in our study and a total of 17898 participants were included. SRH status was graded as "very good, good, average, bad, very bad." Participants who answered "very good" and "good" were regarded as self-rated good health and who answered "average," "bad" and "very bad" were regarded as self-rated poor health. Odds ratio and 95% confidence interval of Logistics regression were calculated to evaluate the correlation between SRH and chronic diseases, demographic characteristics and lifestyle of middle-aged and elderly participants.A total of 4476 (25.01%) participants reported they had good health, and 13422 (74.99%) reported they had poor health. 9975 participants self-rated they had no chronic disease (55.73%), and 7923 (44.27%) participants self-rated they suffered from one and above chronic diseases. The prevalence of chronic diseases showed significant odds ratio and trend with SRH poor rate of participants. The more kinds of chronic diseases they suffered from, the poorer SRH was reported in middle-aged and elderly participants. Except for the chronic diseases, participants with higher age, living in rural, with high Center for Epidemiological Survey-Depression Scale score of depression and fewer time of physical activities also correlated with higher SRH (poor) rate.The SRH (good) rate was very low in middle-aged and elderly, participants who accompanied with more kinds of chronic diseases, fewer physical activities, higher age and living in the rural had a worse health status. A more comprehensive and integrated health framework should be strengthened to improve the health of middle-aged and elderly in China.

Skin-patch of Xin Huang Pian on relieving joint symptoms in patients with acute gouty arthritis: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Active-Controlled Trial.

AIMS: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Xin Huang Pian skin patches for patients with acute gouty arthritis. BACKGROUND: In China, patients with acute gouty arthritis benefit from skin patcheses with herbal medicines. But the clinical effects of skin patches with Xin Huang Pian are rarely reported. DESIGN: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Active-Controlled Trial. METHODS: The trial was performed from January 2015-December 2018 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in China. It was conducted with one intervention group (skin patches of Xin Huang Pian, N = 30) and one active control group (skin patches of Diclofenac Diethylamine Emulgel, N = 31). Participants and study investigators were both blinded to the treatment assignments. The primary outcomes were the improvement of joints' symptoms. The secondary outcomes were changes in white blood cells, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein. RESULTS: Skin patches of Xin Huang Pian showed quick effect on decreasing joint pain at 3rd day of treatment. Wherever only at 7th day, Diclofenac Diethylamine Emulgel markedly lowered joint pain. Xin Huang Pian also showed superior effect than Diclofenac Diethylamine Emulgel on improving joint swelling and range of motion and decreasing the levels of C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. No adverse reactions were observed in skin patches of Xin Huang Pian treatment. CONCLUSION: Skin patches of Xin Huang Pian appeared to be safe and efficacious for relieving joint symptoms in patients with acute gouty arthritis. The mechanism might be associated with the decreased levels of C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. IMPACT: Skin-patcheses with Xin Huang Pian are more effective than Diclofenac Diethylamine Emulgel on improving joint pain, swelling and range of motion. Xin Huang Pian treatment showed superior effects compared with Diclofenac Diethylamine Emulgel on decreasing levels of C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Patients with acute gouty arthritis may benefit from skin patches of Xin Huang Pian for effective relief from joint pain and swelling. Chinese Clinical Trial Registration: ChiCTR-TRC-1300 4122.

[Effects of different low limits of irrigation on nutrients, enzyme activity and glomalin-rela-ted soil protein in soil aggregates of drip irrigation under plastic film.] / è†œä¸‹æ»´çŒä¸åŒçŒæ°´æŽ§åˆ¶ä¸‹é™å¯¹è®¾æ–½åœŸå£¤å›¢èšä½“å »åˆ†ã€é ¶æ´»æ€§å’Œçƒå›Šéœ‰ç´ å«é‡çš„å½±å“.

Irrigation is the main source of soil water in greenhouse. There is a lack of understanding on the effects of drip irrigation under the plastic film on the distribution characteristics of soil nutrients, enzyme activity and glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) in soil aggregates. The effects of different irrigation low limits (20 kPa, D20; 30 kPa, D30; 40 kPa, D40) on soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), urease activity, invertase activity and GRSP in soil aggregates were investigated under the greenhouse with the continuously six years' irrigation. The results showed that compared with D20 and D40 treatments, D30 treatment significantly decreased the proportion of micro-aggregate (<0.25 mm), increased the proportion of macro-aggregate (>0.25 mm), and improved the mean mass diameter (MWD) by 26.4% and 13.4%, respectively. The concentrations of SOC, TN, TP and GRSP were relatively higher in 2-1 mm, 1-0.25 mm, and <0.053 mm aggregates. About 46.5% of SOC, 53.3% of TN and 37.7% of TP were distributed in the 1-0.25 mm aggregates. The urease and invertase activities were increased with the decreases in the size of aggregates, which were significantly increased in D30 and D40 treatments. The 1-0.25 mm aggregates had highest contributions to enzyme activities, with 38.7% of urease and 41.2% of invertase in bulk soil. Results from the correlation analysis showed that MWD was highly positively correlated with GRSP, SOC and urease activity, and the concentration of GRSP was highly positively correlated with SOC and urease activity. Therefore, the irrigation low limits of 30 kPa promoted soil aggregate stability and protection of soil aggregates to nutrients, enzyme activities and GRSP in greenhouse.

Serrated Au/Pd Core/Shell Nanowires with Jagged Edges for Boosting Liquid Fuel Electrooxidation.

Integration of 1D, core/shell, and jagged features into one entity may provide a promising avenue for further enhancing catalyst performance. However, designing such unique nanostructures is extremely challenging. Herein, 1D serrated Au/Pd core/shell nanowires (CSNWs) with jagged edges were produced simply by a one-pot, dual-capping-agent-assisted method involving co-reduction, galvanic replacement, directional coalescence of preformed nanoparticles, and site-selective epitaxial growth of Pd. Au/PdCSNWs, compared with the commercially available Pd/C, exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic performance towards liquid fuel oxidation because of the synergistic effect of the electronic structure and low-coordinated jagged edges.

Arabidopsis RhoGDIs Are Critical for Cellular Homeostasis of Pollen Tubes.

Rhos of plants (ROPs) play a key role in plant cell morphogenesis, especially in tip-growing pollen tubes and root hairs, by regulating an array of intracellular activities such as dynamic polymerization of actin microfilaments. ROPs are regulated by guanine nucleotide exchange factors (RopGEFs), GTPase activating proteins (RopGAPs), and guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitors (RhoGDIs). RopGEFs and RopGAPs play evolutionarily conserved function in ROP signaling. By contrast, although plant RhoGDIs regulate the membrane extraction and cytoplasmic sequestration of ROPs, less clear are their positive roles in ROP signaling as do their yeast and metazoan counterparts. We report here that functional loss of all three Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) GDIs (tri-gdi) significantly reduced male transmission due to impaired pollen tube growth in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrate that ROPs were ectopically activated at the lateral plasma membrane of the tri-gdi pollen tubes. However, total ROPs were reduced posttranslationally in the tri-gdi mutant, resulting in overall dampened ROP signaling. Indeed, a ROP5 mutant that was unable to interact with GDIs failed to induce growth, indicating the importance of the ROP-GDI interaction for ROP signaling. Functional loss of GDIs impaired cellular homeostasis, resulting in excess apical accumulation of wall components in pollen tubes, similar to that resulting from ectopic phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate signaling. GDIs and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate may antagonistically coordinate to maintain cellular homeostasis during pollen tube growth. Our results thus demonstrate a more complex role of GDIs in ROP-mediated pollen tube growth.

[Plant metabolomics approach for age discrimination of mountain cultivated ginseng using UPLC-Q-TOF/MS].

Growth year is one of the important factors for the quality of mountain cultivated ginseng (MCG). For age differentiation of MCG, rhizome extracts of ginseng aged from 11 to 15 years were analyzed using a non-targeted approach with ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS)-based on plant metabolomics technique. Multivariate statistical methods such as principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squared discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA) were used to compare the derived patterns among the samples. The results showed that the chemical constituents of MCG rhizome extracts of ginseng aged from 11 to 15 years were different. The data set was subsequently applied to metabolite selection by variable importance in the projection (VIP) for sophisticated classification with the optimal number of metabolites. The OPLS-DA model of MCG has a high interpretability and predictive capability, which established by selecting metabolites of MCG aged from 11 to 15 years. By this approach, MCG samples aged from 11 to 15 years, which are the most in demand in the Chinese ginseng market, can be precisely differentiated on the basis of selected metabolites. This proposed analytical method is fast, accurate, and reliable for discriminating the growth year of MCG. Moreover, this study supplies a new method for the age discrimination of other Chinese medicinal materials.

Poor permeability and absorption affect the activity of four alkaloids from Coptis.

Coptidis rhizoma (Coptis) and its alkaloids exert various pharmacological functions in cells and tissues; however, the oral absorption of these alkaloids requires further elucidation. The present study aimed to examine the mechanism underlying the poor absorption of alkaloids, including berberine (BER), coptisine (COP), palmatine (PAL) and jatrorrhizine (JAT). An ultra­performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method was validated for the determination of BER, COP, PAL and JAT in the above experimental medium. In addition, the apparent oil­water partition coefficient (Po/w); apparent permeability coefficient (Papp), determined using a parallel artificial membrane permeability assay (PAMPA) plate; membrane retention coefficient (R %); and effect of P­glycoprotein (P­gp) inhibitor on the Papp of the four alkaloids were investigated. The intestinal absorption rate constant (Ka) and absorption percentage (A %) of the four alkaloids were also determined. The results of the present study demonstrated that the Po/w of the four alkaloids in 0.1 mol·l­1 HCl medium was significantly higher (P<0.01), compared with those of the alkaloids in phosphate buffer (pH 7.4). The Papp of BER was 1.0­1.2x10­6 cm·s­1, determined using a PAMPA plate, and the Papp of BER, COP, PAL and JAT decreased sequentially. The concentrations of the four alkaloids on the apical­to­basolateral (AP­BL) surface and the basolateral­to­apical (BL­AP) surface increased in a linear manner, with increasing concentrations between 10 and 100 µmol. In addition, the transportation of BER on the BL­AP surface was significantly faster (P<0.01), compared with that on the AP­BL surface and, following the addition of verpamil (a P­gp inhibitor), the Papp (AP­BL) of the four alkaloids increased, whereas the Papp (BL­AP) was significantly decreased (P<0.01). The rat intestinal perfusion experiment demonstrated that the four alkaloids were poorly absorbed; however, the Ka of BER was significantly higher, compared with the three other alkaloids. Furthermore, the A % and Ka provided evidence that the absorption of BER was increased in the jejunum, compared with in the ileum. In conclusion, the four alkaloids from Coptis appeared to be poorly absorbed, determined using a shake flask, pre­coated PAMPA plates, a Caco­2 cell monolayer model and intestinal perfusion; however, absorption was higher in the jejunum than in the ileum. Among the four alkaloids, the permeability of BER was markedly higher than the others, and P­gp efflux had a significant effect on the absorption of those alkaloids.

Response of the microbial community to seasonal groundwater level fluctuations in petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated groundwater.

The effects of seasonal groundwater level fluctuations on the contamination characteristics of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in soils, groundwater, and the microbial community were investigated at a typical petrochemical site in northern China. The measurements of groundwater and soil at different depths showed that significant TPH residue was present in the soil in this study area, especially in the vicinity of the pollution source, where TPH concentrations were up to 2600 mg kg(-1). The TPH concentration in the groundwater fluctuated seasonally, and the maximum variation was 0.8 mg L(-1). The highest TPH concentrations were detected in the silty clay layer and lied in the groundwater level fluctuation zones. The groundwater could reach previously contaminated areas in the soil, leading to higher groundwater TPH concentrations as TPH leaches into the groundwater. The coincident variation of the electron acceptors and TPH concentration with groundwater-table fluctuations affected the microbial communities in groundwater. The microbial community structure was significantly different between the wet and dry seasons. The canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) results showed that in the wet season, TPH, NO3(-), Fe(2+), TMn, S(2-), and HCO3(-) were the major factors correlating the microbial community. A significant increase in abundance of operational taxonomic unit J1 (97% similar to Dechloromonas aromatica sp.) was also observed in wet season conditions, indicating an intense denitrifying activity in the wet season environment. In the dry season, due to weak groundwater level fluctuations and low temperature of groundwater, the microbial activity was weak. But iron and sulfate-reducing were also detected in dry season at this site. As a whole, groundwater-table fluctuations would affect the distribution, transport, and biodegradation of the contaminants. These results may be valuable for the control and remediation of soil and groundwater pollution at this site and in other petrochemical-contaminated areas. Furthermore, they are probably helpful for reducing health risks to the general public from contaminated groundwater.

In vitro studies of berberine metabolism and its effect of enzyme induction on HepG2 cells.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Berberine (BER) and BER-original herbal medicines have a variety of pharmacological functions and have been widely used in clinical. However, its effect of enzyme induction on cytochrome P450 (CYP) in human hepatocytes is unknown. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Metabolism of berberine and its effect on main metabolic enzymes in HepG2 cell in vitro was investigated. Cocktail probe drugs, mRNA expression and protein expression were used to evaluate the metabolism potency. Meanwhile, an UPLC-MS/MS method was validated for the analysis of BER and four probe drugs in HepG2 cell. RESULT: BER significantly increased the metabolism of midazolam, phenacetin and tolbutamide by inducing the CYP1A2 and 3A4 enzyme in a dose-dependent manner, the mRNA and protein expression of CYP1A2 and 3A4 were increased by berberine at 1000ng·mL(-1). The activity of CYP1A2 and 3A4 could be induced by BER more than 500ng·mL(-1) in HepG2 cell, which was confirmed by the increase of its mRNA and protein expression. CONCLUSION: BER increases the metabolism of cocktail drugs such as midazolam, phenacetin and tolbutamide by increasing the mRNA and protein expression of CYP1A2 and 3A4.

[CYP450 enzyme inhibition of berberine in pooled human liver microsomes by cocktail probe drugs].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of CYP450 enzyme inhibition of berberine in pooled human liver microsomes by cocktail probe drugs. METHOD: Cocktail probe drugs method has been established, an LC-MS/MS analytical method has been established to determine the five probes of midazolam, phenacetin, dextromethorphan, tolbutamide, chlorzoxazone and the internal standard was benzhydramine to evaluate the effect of CYP450 activity following administration of berberine in pooled human liver microsomes. RESULT: Compared with control group, the pharmacokinetics of midazolam, phenacetin and tolbutamide were no significant differences, but the pharmacokinetics of chlorzoxazone was significantly decreased. There were no significant differences for the pharmacokinetics of dextromethorphan when the concentration of berberine was 50 microg x L(-1). The pharmacokinetics of dextromethorphan was significantly decreased when the concentration of berberine was exceed 200 microg x L(-1). CONCLUSION: Berberine has no influence on the activities of CYP3A4, CYP1A2 and CYP2C19 below 2 000 microg x L(-1), but can inhibit the activity of CYP2E1 and CYP2D6 in concentration-dependent.

Protein S-ACYL Transferase10 is critical for development and salt tolerance in Arabidopsis.

Protein S-acylation, commonly known as palmitoylation, is a reversible posttranslational modification that catalyzes the addition of a saturated lipid group, often palmitate, to the sulfhydryl group of a Cys. Palmitoylation regulates enzyme activity, protein stability, subcellular localization, and intracellular sorting. Many plant proteins are palmitoylated. However, little is known about protein S-acyl transferases (PATs), which catalyze palmitoylation. Here, we report that the tonoplast-localized PAT10 is critical for development and salt tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. PAT10 loss of function resulted in pleiotropic growth defects, including smaller leaves, dwarfism, and sterility. In addition, pat10 mutants are hypersensitive to salt stresses. We further show that PAT10 regulates the tonoplast localization of several calcineurin B-like proteins (CBLs), including CBL2, CBL3, and CBL6, whose membrane association also depends on palmitoylation. Introducing a C192S mutation within the highly conserved catalytic motif of PAT10 failed to complement pat10 mutants, indicating that PAT10 functions through protein palmitoylation. We propose that PAT10-mediated palmitoylation is critical for vacuolar function by regulating membrane association or the activities of tonoplast proteins.

[Experimental study on the glutamine's intervention effect on the opening of permeability transition pore in myocardial mitochondrial membrane].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the intervention effect and the possibly mechanism of the glutamine (Gln) on the opening change of the permeability transition pore (PTP) in the myocardial mitochondrial membrane under the overtraining state. METHODS: 30 SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups (n = 10): control group (CG group), overtraining group (OG group) and supplementary (Gln) + overtraining group group). Spectrophotometry was used to test the openness of the permeability transition pore in the myocardial mitochondrial membrane. Electrochemistry was used to test the malondialdehyde (MDA) and the glutathione (GSH) content and the phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity. RESULTS: OG group compared with the GOG group, the absorbance (A0) and the absorbance change (Delta A) were decreased significantly (P < 0.05). Rh123 fluorescence (F0) intensity was significantly increased (P < 0.05). Rhodamine123 (Rh123) fluorescence change (delta F) was significantly decreased (P < 0.05). Compared with the GOG, the mitochondrial GSH was significantly decreased (P < 0.05), the PLA2 activity and the content of MDA were significantly increased (P <0.05). CONCLUSION: Overtraining could lead to opening increase of permeability transition pore in the myocardial mitochondrial membrane, after overtraining, the production of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and PLA2 activity were increased, GSH content was decreased. But added exogenous Gln had a significant intervention effect for these changes.

HD-PTP is a catalytically inactive tyrosine phosphatase due to a conserved divergence in its phosphatase domain.

BACKGROUND: The HD-PTP protein has been described as a tumor suppressor candidate and based on its amino acid sequence, categorized as a classical non-transmembrane protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP). To date, no HD-PTP phosphorylated substrate has been identified and controversial results concerning its catalytic activity have been recently reported. METHODOLOGY AND RESULTS: Here we report a rigorous enzymatic analysis demonstrating that the HD-PTP protein does not harbor tyrosine phosphatase or lipid phosphatase activity using the highly sensitive DiFMUP substrate and a panel of different phosphatidylinositol phosphates. We found that HD-PTP tyrosine phosphatase inactivity is caused by an evolutionary conserved amino acid divergence of a key residue located in the HD-PTP phosphatase domain since its back mutation is sufficient to restore the HD-PTP tyrosine phosphatase activity. Moreover, in agreement with a tumor suppressor activity, HD-PTP expression leads to colony growth reduction in human cancer cell lines, independently of its catalytic PTP activity status. CONCLUSION: In summary, we demonstrate that HD-PTP is a catalytically inactive protein tyrosine phosphatase. As such, we identify one residue involved in its inactivation and show that its colony growth reduction activity is independent of its PTP activity status in human cancer cell lines.

Ventricular electrophysiology in congestive heart failure and its correlation with heart rate variability and baroreflex sensitivity: a canine model study.

AIMS: This study investigated ventricular electrophysiological characteristics and the correlation between these parameters and heart rate variability (HRV) and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) in a canine congestive heart failure (CHF) model. METHODS AND RESULTS: Haemodynamics, HRV, BRS, and ventricular electrophysiological variables were measured 4-5 weeks after sham operation (control dogs) and pacemaker implantation, and rapid right ventricular pacing at 240 bpm (CHF group). In the CHF group, significant differences from the control group in ventricular effective refractory period (VERP), monophasic action potential (MAP) duration (MAPD(90)), ventricular late repolarization duration (VLRD), the ratio of VERP to MAPD(90), dispersion of ventricular recovery time (VRT-D), and ventricular fibrillation threshold (VFT) were noted. Both BRS and the time and power domain parameters of HRV were significantly decreased in the CHF group compared with the control group, and a significant, positive correlation between HRV and BRS was identified in the CHF group. Heart rate variability and BRS were negatively and significantly correlated with VLRD and VRT-D, and were positively correlated with VERP/MAPD(90) and VFT in the CHF group. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that ventricular electrophysiological characteristics correlated with abnormal autonomic nerve function may have important effects on sudden cardiac death. Further research is warranted.