[Association between hair trace element and all-cause death in elderly people in Hainan].

Objective: To explore the association between hair trace element and all-cause death in the elderly in Hainan Province. Methods: The subjects of the study were elderly people from China Hainan Centenarian Cohort Study, a total of 163 elderly were included. The association between hair trace element level and all-cause death was analyzed by using Cox proportional risk regression model. Results: After fully adjusting the covariates, the multiple Cox proportional hazards regression analyses showed that selenium (Se), manganese (Mn), strontium (Sr) concentrations in hair were significantly associated with all-cause mortality, the hazard ratio (HR) were 0.72 (95%CI: 0.54-0.98, P=0.035), 1.50 (95%CI: 1.07-2.11, P=0.020) and 0.54 (95%CI: 0.37-0.79, P=0.001), respectively. Subgroup and cross analysis showed that hair copper (Cu) were significant association with death in the people with anemia, the HR were 1.81 (95%CI: 1.13-2.88, P=0.013). And, hair Mn interacted with anemia, the HR was 0.46 (95%CI: 0.22-0.94, P=0.033). Conclusions: Se, Mn and Sr concentrations in hair were associated with the elevated risk for all-cause death in the elderly in Hainan. Se, Mn and Sr concentrations in hair can be used as a reference index for the prediction of the death risk of long-lived elderly in community, suggesting that the daily diet of elderly people are rich and diverse, in order to maintain normal and balanced trace element content in the body.

Altered resting-state functional connectivity between subregions in the thalamus and cortex in migraine without aura.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Migraine is a complex and disabling neurological disorder, the exact neurological mechanisms of which remain unclear. The thalamus is considered to be the hub of the central processing and integration of nociceptive information, as well as the modulation of these processes. METHODS: A total of 48 migraineurs without aura (MWoAs) during the interictal phase and 48 age- and sex-matched healthy controls underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. We utilized masked independent component analysis and seed-based functional connectivity (FC) to investigate whether MWoAs exhibited abnormal FC between subregions in the thalamus and the cortex regions. RESULTS: The MWoAs showed significantly weaker FC between the anterior dorsal thalamic nucleus and left precuneus. Additionally, MWoAs exhibited significantly reduced FC between the ventral posterior nucleus (VPN) and left precuneus, right inferior parietal lobule (R-IPL) and right middle frontal gyrus. Furthermore, the FC Z-scores between the VPN and R-IPL were negatively correlated with pain intensity in MWoAs. The disease duration of patients was negatively correlated with the FC Z-scores between the VPN and R-IPL. CONCLUSION: These altered thalamocortical connectivity patterns may contribute to multisensory integration abnormalities, deficits in pain attention, cognitive evaluation and pain modulation. Pain sensitivity and disease duration are closely tied to abnormal FC between the VPN and R-IPL. Remarkably, recurrent headache attacks might contribute to this maladaptive functional plasticity closely related to pain intensity.

Sex, Residence and Fish Intake Predict Vitamin D Status in Chinese Centenarians.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Chinese centenarians and to identify the factors associated with vitamin D deficiency. DESIGN: Cross-sectional population-based study. SETTING: Hainan province in the south of China. PARTICIPANTS: 943 subjects aged 100 years old and older. METHODS: Details on sociodemographics and lifestyle characteristics were collected using a structured questionnaire. Anthropometrics and blood samples were obtained. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration < 20ng/mL (50nmol/L). RESULTS: The overall prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among these 943 centenarians was 39.9% (376 subjects) and the mean serum vitamin D concentrations were 22.7±9.5 (ng/mL). Female centenarians had higher prevalence of vitamin D deficiency than male (44.0% vs. 21.7%, P <0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that being female, urban residency, lower body mass index, higher serum parathyroid hormone levels, no fish consumption, and less sun exposure time were all significant and independent determinants of vitamin D deficiency. No significant associations of vitamin D deficiency with ethnic, education, geographic location, tea drinking, alcohol use, or smoking were found in this study. CONCLUSION: Vitamin D deficiency was common in Chinese centenarians, especially in women. Given that vitamin D deficiency is linked to numerous adverse health outcomes, dietary, outdoor activities and other intervention measures are needed to correct vitamin D deficiency in this population.

Dietary supplementation with Clostridium butyricum helps to improve the intestinal barrier function of weaned piglets challenged with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli K88.

AIMS: The objective of this study was twofold: (i) to examine the effect of Clostridium butyricum on intestinal barrier function and (ii) to elucidate the mechanisms involved in enhanced intestinal barrier function. METHODS AND RESULTS: Forty-eight weaned piglets were assigned randomly to either a basal diet or a C. butyricum-supplemented diet. On day 15, all pigs were orally challenged with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) K88 or saline. Clostridium butyricum decreased serum diamine oxidase activity and d-lactic acid concentration, as well as increased intestinal tight junction proteins (ZO-1, claudin-3 and occludin) expression in ETEC K88-infected pigs. Moreover, C. butyricum decreased IL-1ß and IL-18 levels in serum and gut, whereas it increased IL-10 levels. Furthermore, C. butyricum downregulated NLRP3 and caspase-1 expression in ETEC K88-challenged pig gut, but did not affect apoptosis-associated speck-like protein expression. CONCLUSIONS: Clostridium butyricum enhanced intestinal barrier function and inhibited apoptosis-associated speck-like protein-independent NLRP3 inflammasome signalling pathway in weaned piglets after ETEC K88 challenge. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The novelty of this study lies in the beneficial effects of C. butyricum on intestinal health, likely by improving intestinal barrier function and alleviating inflammatory reactions.

Tanshinone IIA ameliorates chronic arthritis in mice by modulating neutrophil activities.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic immune inflammatory disease mediated by the influx of immune cells into the synovial joint space. As Tanshinone IIA (TIIA) has potent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, we used the adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) murine model of RA to investigate the impact of TIIA on RA and immune cell activation. The anti-arthritic activity of TIIA was investigated in an adjuvant-induced arthritis model of RA in mice. Myeloperoxidase and neutrophil elastase expression levels were assessed in ankle joints by immunohistochemistry analysis. Immune cell infiltration was evaluated in air pouch experiments. Proinflammatory cytokines expression levels were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) were assessed by immunostaining and confocal microscopy. Treatment with TIIA alleviated cartilage erosion and neutrophil infiltration in the ankle joints of AA mice and reduced proinflammatory cytokine expression levels in sera. TIIA suppressed interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor-α expression and release in neutrophils and promoted neutrophil apoptosis. TIIA also inhibited the NET formation of neutrophils. Our findings demonstrated that TIIA can ameliorate RA effectively by targeting neutrophils, indicating that TIIA may act as a potential therapeutic for RA.

Runoff characteristics and non-point source pollution analysis in the Taihu Lake Basin: a case study of the town of Xueyan, China.

Non-point source pollution is a significant environmental issue in small watersheds in China. To study the effects of rainfall on pollutants transported by runoff, rainfall was monitored in Xueyan town in the Taihu Lake Basin (TLB) for over 12 consecutive months. The concentrations of different forms of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), and chemical oxygen demand, were monitored in runoff and river water across different land use types. The results indicated that pollutant loads were highly variable. Most N losses due to runoff were found around industrial areas (printing factories), while residential areas exhibited the lowest nitrogen losses through runoff. Nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) and ammonia nitrogen (NH4-N) were the dominant forms of soluble N around printing factories and hotels, respectively. The levels of N in river water were stable prior to the generation of runoff from a rainfall event, after which they were positively correlated to rainfall intensity. In addition, three sites with different areas were selected for a case study to analyze trends in pollutant levels during two rainfall events, using the AnnAGNPS model. The modeled results generally agreed with the observed data, which suggests that AnnAGNPS can be used successfully for modeling runoff nutrient loading in this region. The conclusions of this study provide important information on controlling non-point source pollution in TLB.

Production of succinic acid from sugarcane molasses supplemented with a mixture of corn steep liquor powder and peanut meal as nitrogen sources by Actinobacillus succinogenes.

The potential of using corn steep liquor powder (CSLP), peanut meal (PM), soybean meal (SM), cotton meal (CM) and urea as the substitute of yeast extract (YE) as the nitrogen source was investigated for producing succinic acid (SA). Actinobacillus succinogenes GXAS137 was used as the fermenting bacterium and sugarcane molasses was used as the main substrate. None of these materials were able to produce SA as high as YE did. The CSLP could still be considered as a feasible and inexpensive alternate for YE as the yield of SA produced using CSLP was second only to the yield of SA obtained by YE. The use of CSLP-PM mixed formulation (CSLP to PM ratio = 2·6) as nitrogen source produced SA up to 59·2 g l(-1) with a productivity of 1·2 g l(-1) h(-1). A batch fermentation using a stirred bioreactor produced up to 60·7 g l(-1) of SA at the same formulation. Fed-batch fermentation that minimized the substrate inhibition produced 64·7 g l(-1) SA. These results suggest that sugarcane molasses supplemented with a mixture of CSLP and PM as the nitrogen source could be used to produce SA more economically using A. succinogenes. Significance and impact of the study: Succinic acid (SA) is commonly used as a platform chemical to produce a number of high value derivatives. Yeast extract (YE) is used as a nitrogen source to produce SA. The high cost of YE is currently the limiting factor for industrial production of SA. This study reports the use of a mixture of corn steep liquor powder (CSLP) and peanut meal (PM) as an inexpensive nitrogen source to substitute YE. The results showed that this CSLP-PM mixed formulation can be used as an effective and economic nitrogen source for the production of SA.

Dietary sodium butyrate alleviates the oxidative stress induced by corticosterone exposure and improves meat quality in broiler chickens.

The present study was to investigate the effects of dietary microencapsulated sodium butyrate (SB) and acute pre-slaughter stress, mimicked by subcutaneous corticosterone (CORT) administration, on BW, carcass characteristics, muscle antioxidant status, and meat quality of broiler chickens. A total of 120 1-d-old broiler chickens were fed a control diet (without SB) or a 0.4-g microencapsulated SB/kg diet. On 42 d, half of the birds from each treatment were given 1 single subcutaneous injection of CORT (4 mg/kg of BW in corn oil) to mimic acute stress, whereas the other half were injected with the same amount of corn oil (sham control). Three hours later, BW loss was determined and breast meat samples were collected. The results showed that the BW of the CORT-challenged groups lost much more than the sham control group (P < 0.001), whereas it was alleviated by the dietary microencapsulated SB (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the catalase activity was decreased and malondialdehyde level was increased by the stress (P < 0.05), and the microencapsulated-SB diet significantly inhibited this effect (P < 0.05). Lower pH values and higher yellowness values were also observed in CORT-challenged chickens (P < 0.05), and the microencapsulated-SB diet treatment partially exerted a preventive effect. Microencapsulated SB significantly decreased the contents of saturated fatty acids and C18:0 (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001), and increased C20:0 and C20:4 contents. However, the effect of the stress treatment on fatty acid composition was insignificant (P > 0.05). In addition, diet and stress did not significantly influence carcass characteristics and the chemical composition of breast meat (P > 0.05). These results suggest that microencapsulated SB was favorable for chickens in the presence of stress, which may be partially ascribed to the ability of SB to decrease catabolism and oxidative injury of tissues.

Sodium butyrate maintains growth performance by regulating the immune response in broiler chickens.

1. The experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary sodium butyrate on the growth performance and immune response of broiler chickens. In experiment 1, 240 1-d-old chickens were allocated into 4 dietary groups (0, 0·25, 0·50 or 1·00 g sodium butyrate/kg) with 6 replicates each. In experiment 2, 120 1-d-old chickens were fed a control diet (without sodium butyrate) or 1·00 g sodium butyrate/kg diet. Half of the chickens fed on each diet were injected intra-peritoneally with 0·5 g/kg body weight of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at 16, 18 and 20 d of age. 2. There was no effect of dietary sodium butyrate on growth performance. On d 21, serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were decreased in chickens given 1·00 g sodium butyrate/kg, serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities were significantly increased, and malondialdehyde (MDA) was decreased by dietary sodium butyrate at 0·50 or 1·00 g/kg. On d 42, serum IL-6 was markedly decreased by dietary sodium butyrate, while 1·00 g sodium butyrate/kg greatly reduced MDA and increased catalase. 3. LPS challenge significantly reduced the growth performance of chickens. Serum IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α, corticosterone, alpha-1 acid glycoprotein (AGP) and prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) were increased in LPS-challenged chickens. Dietary sodium butyrate supplementation maintained the body weight gain and feed intake. Sodium butyrate supplementation inhibited the increase in IL-6 and AGP in serum at 16 d of age and TNF-α, corticosterone, AGP and PGE(2) at 20 d of age. Similar inhibitory effects of sodium butyrate in serum glucose and total protein concentrations were also found at 20 d of age. 4. The results indicated that dietary sodium butyrate supplementation can improve the growth performance in chickens under stress and that this may be used to moderate the immune response and reduce tissue damage.

Influence of canthaxanthin on broiler breeder reproduction, chick quality, and performance.

To investigate the effect of canthaxanthin supplied via a maternal route on the production of both breeder hens and chickens, 270 Chinese Three-Yellow breeder hens were randomly divided into 2 groups consisting of 135 birds each (5 replicates of 27) for study. The breeder hens were fed either a basal diet or the basal diet supplemented with 6 mg of canthaxanthin/kg for 24 wk. At the end of the 24-wk breeder experiment, all hatching eggs laid in 5 consecutive days of each group were collected and incubated. For each breeder group, 100 newly hatched chicks (5 replicates of 20) were reared under environmentally controlled conditions for 21 d. Canthaxanthin supplementation resulted in the following outcomes: an enhancement of the serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of breeder hens (P = 0.029), a significant increase in the yolk colorimetric score of Roche Yolk Color Fan (RYCF; P < 0.001), and a significant improvement of the antioxidant status of the egg yolk (P < 0.05). The chicks that hatched from eggs laid by breeder hens fed the canthaxanthin supplementation diet demonstrated a higher pigmentation colorimetric score of RYCF for their shank skin (P < 0.05), and the antioxidant capacity of the newly hatched chicks was significantly increased (P < 0.05). Both of these positive effects on shank skin pigmentation colorimetric score of RYCF and antioxidant capacity were observed for at least 7 d posthatching, and the chicks that hatched from canthaxanthin-enriched eggs showed a lower mortality (0 vs. 4%) during the first 21 d posthatching. These findings support the hypothesis that canthaxanthin supplementation of the maternal diet enhances the protective capacity of tissues against oxidative stress in vivo, which might be beneficial for poultry producers.

Macrophage biospecific extraction and high performance liquid chromatography for hypothesis of immunological active components in Cordyceps sinensis.

A method, namely macrophage biospecific extraction and high performance liquid chromatography for screening potential immunological active components in Cordyceps sinensis, a well-known traditional Chinese medicine, was developed. Two components, which could interact with macrophage, in aqueous extract of C. sinensis (WECS) were found by comparing the HPLC chromatograms of WECS before and after interacted with macrophage. The two compounds were identified as guanosine and adenosine. Their effects on mice macrophage were also investigated in vitro. The results showed that adenosine and guanosine could attenuate NO (p<0.01) but augment interleukin-lbeta (IL-1beta) (p<0.05) release of macrophage during the tested concentrations. In addition, guanosine (0.10 micromol/ml) also increased alpha-tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) release of macrophage. The data suggest that macrophage biospecific extraction and HPLC is a useful method to screen immunological active components from Chinese medicines.

Protective effects of Ginkgo biloba leaf extracts on trichloroethylene-induced human keratinocyte cytotoxicity and apoptosis.

The objective of this study was to assess the protective effects of Ginkgo biloba leaf extracts (EGb) on trichloroethylene (TCE)-induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis in normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK). Cytotoxicity was determined by neutral red uptake, and lipid peroxidation of the cells was assessed by malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Electron microscopy and flow cytometry were used to evaluate NHEK apoptosis. Treatment of NHEK with various concentrations of TCE caused a substantial decrease in cell viability. NR(50 )from the cytotoxicity assay was found to be 4.53 mM. TCE caused an increase in MDA, while an inhibition of SOD activity, in a concentration-dependent manner. Electron microscopic examination revealed typical morphologic changes of apoptosis in cells treated with TCE. Incubation of NHEK with TCE (0, 0.125, 0.5, 2.0 mM) for 4 h increased the proportion of apoptotic cells from control of 19.23% to nearly 44.35%. Pretreatment of EGb at 10-200 mg/l dose-dependently attenuated the cytotoxic effect of TCE, prevented TCE-induced elevation of lipid peroxidation and decline of antioxidant enzyme activities. Similar inhibition by EGb on TCE-mediated NHEK apoptosis was also observed. These results suggest that EGb can protect NHEK from TCE-induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis, which may be associated with the superoxide scavenging effect and enhancement of antioxidant enzyme activities.

Eudesmanolides, aromatic derivatives, and other constituents from Carpesium cernuum.

A new eudesmanolide 13-hydroxy-4 alpha H-eudesman-5,7(11)-dien-12,8 beta-olide (1) and a new aromatic derivative 3-methyl-8-acetoxy-9,10-diisobutanoyloxy-p-cymene (6), along with ten known compounds were isolated from the roots of Carpesium cernuum L. Their structures were elucidated by spectral methods (IR, EIMS, FAB-MS, 1D and 2D NMR). Compound 2, 3 and compound 10 exhibited moderate antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

Pregnane glycoside, lignan glycosides, triterpene glycosyl ester and flavonoid glycosides from Rubus amabilis.

Two new compounds, 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-3 beta, 15 alpha-dihydroxypregn-5-en-20-one (1) and (-)-secoisolariciresinol-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside (2), along with six known compounds (3-8), have been isolated from the aerial parts of Rubus amabilis Focke. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated mainly by spectroscopic methods and some chemical transformations.

Degradation of green tea catechins in tea drinks.

Green tea cateachins (GTC). namely (-) epicatechin (EC), (-) epicatechin gallate (ECG), (-) epigallocatechin (EGC), and (-) epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), have been studied extensively for their wide-ranging biological activities. The goal of the present study was to examine the stability of GTC as a mixture under various processing conditions. The stability study demonstrated that GTC was stable in water at room temperature. When it was brewed at 98 degrees C for 7 h, longjing GTC degraded by 20%. When longjing GTC and pure EGCG were autoclaved at 120 degrees C for 20 min, the epimerization of EGCG to (-) gallocatechin gallate (GCG) was observed. The relatively high amount of GCG found in some tea drinks was most likely the epimerization product of EGCG during autoclaving. If other ingredients were absent, the GTC in aqueous solutions was pH-sensitive: the lower the pH, the more stable the GTC during storage. When it was added into commercially available soft drinks or sucrose solutions containing citric acid and ascorbic acid, longjing GTC exhibited varying stability irrespective of low pH value. This suggested that other ingredients used in production of tea drinks might interact with GTC and affect its stability. When canned and bottled tea drinks are produced, stored, and transported, the degradation of GTC must be taken into consideration.

[Effect of alcohol extract of Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc on GLUT4 expression in skeletal muscle in type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetic mellitus rats].

OBJECTIVE: Based on its effects of decreasing postprandial plasma glucose and increasing insulin level in non-insulin-dependent diabetic mellitus (NIDDM) rats, we studied the effects of Alcohol extract of Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc on the GLUT4 expression in NIDDM model rats. METHOD: The rat model of NIDDM was made. The animals were divided into three groups(six for each group): group I: control; group II: NIDDM model; group III: NIDDM model + Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc. The drug was given orally to animals one time a day, uninterrupted for a month. The GLUT4 mRNA and its protein expression in skeletal muscle were observed with Northern blot and Western blot method, respectively. RESULT: The GLUT4 mRNA expression in skeletal muscle was decreased remarkably in NIDDM rats (P < 0.01, compared to control group). Alcohol extract of Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc increased GLUT4 mRNA expression in NIDDM rats(P < 0.01), compared to NIDDM model group). The result of GLUT4 protein expression was similar to GLUT4 mRNA expression. CONCLUSION: This experiment demonstrated that alcohol extract of Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc can increase GLUT4 mRNA and its protein expression in NIDDM rats through promoting proliferation of islet and increasing postprandial secretion of insulin and therefore accelerate glucose transport.

New antimicrobial mono- and sesquiterpenes from Soroseris hookeriana subsp. erysimoides.

A new monoterpene and a new guaianolide were isolated from the aerial parts of the Tibetan medicinal plant Soroseris hookeriana subsp. erysimoides (Asteraceae), in addition to (1R,4R,5R)-5-hydroxybornan-2-one 5-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, beta-sitosterol, daucosterol, diosmetin, isoluteolin, p-methoxybenzoic acid, isovanillic acid, two phenylmethanol derivatives (vanilioloside and phenylmethanol glucopyranoside), and five guaianolides [3 beta,8 beta-dihyroxyguaia-4(15),10(14),11(13)-triene-12,6 alpha-olide, dentalactone, 10 alpha-hydroxy-8-deoxy-10,14-dihydrodeacylcinaropicrin, glucozaluzanin C and 8-epideacylcinaropicrin glucoside]. By a combination of spectroscopic methods (IR, EI-MS, 1H- and 13C-NMR, and DEPT), the structure of the new guaianolide was established as 3 beta,8 beta-dihydroxy-11 alpha H-guaia-4(15),10(14)-diene-12,6 alpha-olide, and that of the new monoterpene as (1R,4R,5R)-5-benzoyloxybornan-2-one. The antimicrobial activity of all isolates except the two sterols were measured using Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, and Trichophyton rubrum as test microorganisms. The new guaianolide was shown to be equally active (MIC: 50 micrograms/ml) against E. coli, B. subtilis and A. niger. The new monoterpene inhibited exclusively the growth of B. subtilis with MIC at 25 micrograms/ml. p-Methoxybenzoic acid and isovanillic acid were inhibitory against A. niger (MIC: 25 micrograms/ml), the latter being also active against B. subtilis with MIC at 25 micrograms/ml. The flavonoids diosmetin and isoluteolin almost equally inhibited the growth of B. subtilis (MIC: 25 micrograms/ml) and the human pathgenic fungus T. rubrum (MIC: 50 micrograms/ml).

Nor-lignan and sesquiterpenes from Cremanthodium ellisii.

A nor-lignan and two sesquiterpenes, along with six known compounds, have been isolated from the medicinal plant Cremanthodium ellisii. Their structures were determined on the basis of spectral evidence, especially 2D NMR (1H-1H COSY, HMQC, HMBC).