Association of Fish Oil Supplementation with Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Individuals with Diabetes and Prediabetes: A Prospective Study in the UK Biobank.

This study aimed to explore the association between habitual intake of fish oil supplementation and the risk of developing CHD in patients with prediabetes and diabetes. Habitual use of fish oil was assessed by repeated questionnaires. Cox proportional hazard models were applied to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Over a median follow-up of 11.6 years, 4304 and 3294 CHD cases were documented among 47,663 individuals with prediabetes and 22,146 patients with diabetes in the UK Biobank, respectively. After multivariable adjustment, the HRs (95% CI) of CHD were 0.91 (0.85-0.98) and 0.87 (0.80-0.95) for individuals utilizing fish oil supplementation compared with non-users among the participants with prediabetes and diabetes, respectively. Furthermore, we identified an inverse relationship between fish oil use and CHD incidence, which was significantly mediated by serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in individuals with prediabetes and by very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) in patients with diabetes at baseline. The inverse associations were consistent in the analyses stratified by potential confounders. In conclusion, the consumption of fish oil supplements was linked to decreased serum CRP and VLDL-C levels and subsequent CHD risk among adults with prediabetes and diabetes. Our findings highlight the important role of the habitual intake of fish oil supplements in preventing CHD in individuals with impaired glucose metabolism.

[Sleep disorders associated with essential tremor and Parkinson's disease].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the sleep quality and explore the manifestations of sleep disorders for 62 essential tremor (ET) patients, 60 normal controls and 62 Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. METHODS: A total of 62 ET patients, 60 normal controls and 62 PD patients from June 2009 to December 2013 were recruited. All of them were outpatients at Second Affiliated Hospital, Soochow University and Hospital of Changshu Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Sleep was assessed with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). RESULTS: The global PSQI score was 4.7 ± 2.5 in controls, 6.0 ± 4.0 in ET cases and 7.4 ± 3. 7 in PD cases. PD cases had the highest PSQI score, followed by ET (intermediate) and lowest scores in controls (F = 9.022, P = 0.000). A poor quality of sleep was observed in normal controls (23/62, 38.3%) compared to ET cases (34/62, 54.8%) and PD cases (40/62, 64.5%) (χ² = 8.555, P = 0.014 when comparing all three groups and χ² = 1.206, P = 0.272 when ET vs PD). The ESS score increased from normal controls (4.4 ± 2.5) to ET cases (6.3 ± 4.8) and PD cases (8.2 ± 4.2). An ESS score ≥ 10 (an indicator of greater than normal levels of daytime sleepiness) was observed in 6 (10.0%) normal controls, compared to ET cases (16, 25.8%) and PD cases (20, 32.3%) (χ² = 9.047, P = 0.011 when comparing all three groups and χ² = 0.626, P = 0.429 when ET vs PD). For normal controls, ET and PD patients, the factor scores of subjective sleep were 0.6 ± 0.7, 0.8 ± 0.8 and 1.1 ± 0.7; the factor scores of quality sleep latency 0.6 ± 0.7, 0.9 ± 0.9 and 1.1 ± 1.0; the factor scores of sleep duration 0.6 ± 0.8, 0.7 ± 1.0 and 1.0 ± 0.9; the factor scores of sleep efficiency 0.6 ± 0.8, 0.9 ± 0.9 and 1.0 ± 1.0; the factor scores of sleep disturbances 1.2 ± 0.6, 1.2 ± 0.5 and 1.7 ± 0.7; the factor scores of daytime dysfunction 1.2 ± 1.0, 1.3 ± 1.0 and 2.0 ± 1.1 respectively. There were inter-group statistical differences in subjective sleep (F = 7.709, P = 0.001), quality sleep latency (F = 4.414, P = 0.013), sleep duration (F = 4.464, P = 0.013), sleep efficiency (F = 3.201, P = 0.043), sleep disturbances (F = 12.594, P = 0.000) and daytime dysfunction (F = 9.022, P = 0.000) . However, no inter-group statistical differences existed in use of sleeping medication (F = 1.200, P = 0.304). There were statistical differences in subjective sleep (P < 0.05), sleep efficiency (P < 0.05) and daytime dysfunction (P < 0.05) between ET and PD patients. CONCLUSION: Some sleep scores in ET are intermediate between those of PD cases and normal controls. And it suggests that a mild form of sleep dysregulation may be present in ET.

Radio-sensitization by Piper longumine of human breast adenoma MDA-MB-231 cells in vitro.

BACKGROUND: The current study investigated the effects of Piper longumine on radio-sensitization of human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and underlying mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells were cultured in vitro and those in logarithmic growth phase were selected for experiments divided into four groups: control, X-ray exposed, Piper longumine, and Piper longumine combined with X-rays. Conogenic assays were performed to determine the radio-sensitizing effects. Cell survival curves were fitted by single-hit multi-target model and then the survival fraction (SF), average lethal dose (D0), quasi-threshold dose (Dq) and sensitive enhancement ratio (SER) were calculated. Cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM).Western blot assays were employed for expression of apoptosis-related proteins (Bc1-2 and Bax) after treatment with Piper longumine and/or X-ray radiation. The intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level was detected by FCM with a DCFH-DA probe. RESULTS: The cloning formation capacity was decreased in the group of piperlongumine plus radiation, which displayed the values of SF2, D0, Dq significantly lower than those of radiation alone group and the sensitive enhancement ratio (SER) of D0 was1.22 and 1.29, respectively. The cell apoptosis rate was increased by the combination treatment of Piper longumine and radiation. Piper longumine increased the radiation-induced intracellular levels of ROS. Compared with the control group and individual group, the combination group demonstrated significantly decreased expression of Bcl-2 with increased Bax. CONCLUSIONS: Piper longumine at a non-cytotoxic concentration can enhance the radio-sensitivity of MDA- MB-231cells, which may be related to its regulation of apoptosis-related protein expression and the increase of intracellular ROS level, thus increasing radiation-induced apoptosis.