Joint association of physical activity and diet quality with dyslipidemia: a cross-sectional study in Western China.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the prevalence of dyslipidemia and assess the joint association of physical activity (PA) and diet quality on dyslipidemia risk in urban areas of Xinjiang. METHODS: Conducted from July 2019 to September 2021 in Xinjiang, China, this cross-sectional study involved 11,855 participants (mean age 47.1 ± 9.4 years, 53.1% male). Standard methods were used to measure plasma cholesterol levels, and validated questionnaires were employed to evaluate dietary habits and PA. The definition of dyslipidemia is based on 2023 Chinese guidelines for lipid management. PA was divided into guideline-recommended moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and non-MVPA, following World Health Organization guidelines. The Food Frequency Questionnaire was used to obtain the intake frequency of each dietary term. Each item was scored based on consumption frequency and divided into three groups (good, intermediate, and poor) based on total dietary score. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify dyslipidemia risk factors, as well as the joint association of PA and diet quality. RESULTS: Dyslipidemia prevalence among urban adults in Xinjiang was 39.3%, with notable sex disparities (52.6% in males vs. 24.3% in females, P < 0.001). Among participants with dyslipidemia, the awareness, treatment and control rates were 6.9%, 3.1%, and 1.9%, respectively. A significant multiplicative interaction between PA and diet quality is associated with dyslipidemia (P for interaction < 0.05). Less PA and poor diet quality were associated with an increased odds of dyslipidemia. Even individuals with poor (OR = 1.464, 95% CI: 1.106-1.939) or intermediate (OR = 1.229, 95% CI: 1.003-1.505) diet quality but adhering to recommended MVPA had lower odds of dyslipidemia compared to those with good diet quality but inadequate MVPA (OR = 1.510, 95% CI: 1.252-1.821). CONCLUSIONS: Dyslipidemia prevalence was 39.3% in urban adults in Xinjiang, with limited awareness, treatment, and control. Following guideline-recommended MVPA and maintaining good diet quality were protective against dyslipidemia. Low levels of PA associated with a higher prevalence of dyslipidemia, even in individuals with good diet quality.

Quercetin induces ferroptosis by inactivating mTOR/S6KP70 pathway in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Although recent studies increasingly suggest the potential anti-cancer effect of quercetin, the exact underlying mechanism remains poorly demonstrated in oral squamous cell carcinoma (oSCC). Therefore, our research explored the impacts of quercetin on the ferroptosis and mTOR/S6KP70 axis in oSCC cell lines. After treating oSCC cells with quercetin or indicated compounds and transfection with SLC7A11- or S6KP70-overexpressing plasmid, cell viability was detected by CCK-8 assay. The level of ferroptosis in oSCC cells was assessed by measuring ROS and GSH levels. The activation of mTOR/S6KP70 axis was assessed by Western blotting. Quercetin promoted ferroptosis in an mTOR/S6KP70-dependent manner to inhibit tumor growth in oSCC cells. Mechanistically, we revealed that quercetin induced lipid peroxidation and reduced GSH levels by repressing SLC7A11 expression in oSCC cells. Specifically, the effects of quercetin on ferroptosis and mTOR and S6KP70 phosphorylation were partially blocked by both mTOR agonist and S6KP70 overexpression. Moreover, mTOR inhibitor promoted ferroptosis in quercetin-treated oSCC cells. Our findings showed that ferroptosis may be a new anti-tumor mechanism of quercetin. Additionally, we identified that quercetin can target mTOR/S6KP70 cascade to inhibit the growth of oSCC cells.

Interplay between Risk Factors and Coronary Artery Calcium in Middle-Aged and Elderly Symptomatic Patients.

Background: The prognostic value of coronary artery calcium (CAC) combined with risk factor burdens in middle-aged and elderly patients with symptoms is unclear. Methods: A cohort study comprising 7432 middle-aged and elderly symptomatic patients (aged above 55 years) was conducted between December 2013 and September 2020. All patients had undergone coronary computed tomography angiography, and the Agatston score were used to measure CAC scores. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), which was defined as a composite outcome of nonfatal myocardial infarction, revascularization (percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass graft), stroke, and cardiovascular death. Congestive heart failure, cardiogenic shock, malignant arrhythmia, and all-cause mortality were defined as the secondary outcomes. Results: There are 970 (13%) patients with CAC 0-10, 2331 (31%) patients with CAC 11-100, and 4131 (56%) patients with CAC ≥ 101. The proportion of patients aged 55-65 years, 65-75 years and ≥ 75 years was 40.7%, 38.1% and 21.2%, respectively. The total number of MACCEs over the 3.4 years follow-up period was 478. The percentage of CAC ≥ 101 was higher among the 75-year-old group than the 55-65-year-old group, increasing from 46.5% to 68.2%. With the increase in the CAC score, the proportion of patients aged ≥ 75 years increased from 12.9% to 25.8%, compared to those aged 55-65 years. The number of risk factors gradually increased as the CAC scores increased in the symptomatic patients aged over 55 years and the similar tendencies were observed among the different age subgroups. The proportion of non-obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) was comparable between the three age groups (53.5% vs 51.9% vs 49.1%), but obstruction CAD increased with age. The incidence of MACCE in the group with CAC ≥ 101 and ≥ 4 risk factors was 1.71 times higher (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-2.92; p = 0.044) than the rate in the group with CAC ≥ 101 and 1 risk factor. In the CAC 0-10 group, the incidence of MACCE in patients aged ≥ 75 years was 12.65 times higher (95% CI: 6.74-23.75; p < 0.0001) than that in patients aged 55-65 years. By taking into account the combination of CAC score, age, and risk factor burden, the predictive power of MACCE can be increased (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.614). Conclusions: In symptomatic patients aged 55 or above, a rise in age, CAC scores, and risk factor burden was linked to a considerable risk of future MACCE. In addition, combining CAC scores, age and risk factors can more accurately predict outcomes for middle-aged and elderly patients with symptoms.

Prognostic value of fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio combined with coronary calcification score in patients with suspected coronary artery disease.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this work was to evaluate the predictive value of FAR combined with CACS for MACCEs. BACKGROUND: The fibrinogen-albumin-ratio (FAR), a novel biomarker of inflammation, is associated with the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD). Coronary calcification score (CACS) is associated with the severity of coronary stenosis and is closely related to the prognosis of CAD patients. What is the prognostic value of FAR in patients with chest pain, which has not been reported. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between CACS and FAR and their impact on prognosis in patients with suspected CAD. METHODS: We used information from 12,904 individuals who had coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) for chest pain and tracked down any significant adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs). The following formula was used to calculate FAR: fibrinogen (g/L)/albumin (g/L). Patients were separated into groups with greater levels of FAR (FAR-H) and lower levels of FAR (FAR-L) in accordance with the ideal cut-off value of FAR for MACCEs prediction. In addition, patients were divided into three groups based on their CACS scores (CACS ≤ 100, 100 < CACS ≤ 400, and CACS > 400). RESULTS: 4946 patients [62(55-71) years, 64.4% male] were ultimately enrolled in the present study. During follow-up, a total of 234 cases (4.7%) of MACCEs were documented. Linear regression analysis results showed that CACS (R2 = 0.004, Standard ß = 0.066, P < 0.001) was positively associated with FAR in patients with chest pain.Compared to ones with FAR-L, FAR-H had an increased risk for MACCEs (adjusted HR 1.371(1.053-1.786) P = 0.019). Multivariate Cox regression showed that age (adjusted HR 1.015 95% CI 1.001-1.028;p = 0.03), FAR (adjusted HR 1.355 95% CI 1.042-1.763;p = 0.023),FBG (adjusted HR 1.043 95% CI 1.006-1.083;p = 0.024) and CACS (adjusted HR 1.470 95% CI 1.250-1.727;p < 0.001) were the independent risk factors for MACCEs. The FAR and CACS significantly improved MACCEs risk stratification, contributing to substantial net reclassification improvement ( NRI 0.122, 95% CI 0.054-0.198, P < 0.001) and integrated discrimination improvement(IDI 0.011, 95% CI 0.006-0.017, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: FAR was an independent risk factor for MACCEs. The results showed that CACS was positively associated with FAR in patients with suspected CAD. A higher level of FAR and heavier coronary calcification burden was associated with worse outcomes among patients with suspected CAD. FAR and CACS improved the risk identification of patients with suspected CAD, leading to a significant reclassification of MACCEs.

AT1R gene rs389566 polymorphism contributes to MACCEs in hypertension patients.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possible association between AT1R gene polymorphisms and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) in hypertension patients combined with or without coronary artery disease (CAD) in Xinjiang. METHODS: 374 CAD patients and 341 non-CAD individuals were enrolled as study participants and all of them have a hypertension diagnosis. AT1R gene polymorphisms were genotyped by SNPscan™ typing assays. During the follow-up in the clinic or by telephone interview, MACCEs were recorded. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox survival analyses were used to explore the association between AT1R gene polymorphisms and the occurrence of MACCEs. RESULTS: AT1R gene rs389566 was associated with MACCEs. The TT genotype of the AT1R gene rs389566 had a significantly higher probability of MACCEs than the AA + AT genotype (75.2% vs. 24.8%, P = 0.033). Older age (OR = 1.028, 95% CI: 1.009-1.0047, P = 0.003) and TT genotype of rs389566 (OR = 1.770, 95% CI: 1.148-2.729, P = 0.01) were risk factors of MACCEs. AT1R gene rs389566 TT genotype may be a predisposing factor for the occurrence of MACCEs in hypertensive patients. CONCLUSION: We should also pay more attention to the prevent of MACCEs in hypertension patients combined with CAD. Especially those elderly hypertensive patients carrying AT1R rs389566 TT genotype requires avoidance of unhealthy lifestyle, better management of blood pressure control and reduce the occurrence of MACCEs.

Effects of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention and Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting on Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Reduced Ejection Fraction Heart Failure and Coronary Heart Disease: A Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the effects of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) on the clinical outcomes of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) complicated with reduced ejection fraction heart failure (HFrEF) through meta-analysis. METHODS: Three major literature databases - PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane - were searched by search terms and the literature retrieval time was publications dating from January 2007 to December 2021. To search for observational studies and randomized controlled trials (RCT) comparing the efficacy of PCI and CABG in patients with CHD and HFrEF, the abstract or full text of the literature was read and the final included literature was determined, according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. The quality of the included literature was evaluated using the Ottawa scale and data extraction was further completed. Data analysis was made using RevMan5.4 and R4.1 software; relevant forest plots and funnel plots were made, according to the extracted data. Egger's test was used to evaluate whether the data had publication bias. Outcomes were the major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). RESULTS: A total of 10 studies were included and 11,032 subjects were included, made up of 5,521 cases of PCI and 5,511 cases of CABG. The results showed no significant difference between the two groups in cardiac mortality (CM) (RR=1.13, 95% CI 0.98-1.30, P = 0.10) and in overall all-cause mortality (ACM) (RR=1.12, 95% CI 0.92-1.37, P = 0.25). In the subgroup analysis of ACM, in the subgroups with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) less than 35% and exceeding 35% and less than 50% (RR=1.12, 95% CI 0.92-1.37, P = 0.25) between the two groups, there was no statistical difference. However, among other MACE, compared with the PCI group, the CABG group had a lower risk of MACE (RR=1.58, 95%CI 1.49-1.70, P < 0.00001), myocardial infarction (MI) (RR=1.99, 95% CI 1.02-3.88, P = 0.04), heart failure (HF) (RR=1.29, 95% CI 1.17-1.43, P < 0.00001) and revascularization (RR=2.74, 95% CI 1.93-3.90, P < 0.00001). Finally in the CABG group, the risk of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) was higher (RR=0.71, 95% CI 0.58-0.86, P = 0.0006) than the PCI group. CONCLUSIONS: The mortality rates of PCI and CABG were similar in patients with CHD complicated with HFrEF. Compared with PCI, CABG had a lower incidence of MACE, MI, HF, and revascularization, and a higher incidence of stroke or TIA.

Analysis of the influencing factors associated with dyssynchrony and cardiac dysfunction in children with ventricular pre-excitation.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between ventricular pre-excitation-related dyssynchrony, on cardiac dysfunction, and recovery. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study included 76 children (39 boys and 37 girls) with a median age of 5.25 (2.67-10.75) years. The patients with pre-excitation-related cardiac dysfunction (cardiac dysfunction group, n = 34) had a longer standard deviation of the time-to-peak systolic strain of the left ventricle and larger difference between the maximum and minimum times-to-peak systolic strain than those with a normal cardiac function (normal function group, n = 42) (51.77 ± 24.70 ms versus 33.29 ± 9.48 ms, p < 0.05; 185.82 ± 92.51 ms versus 111.93 ± 34.27 ms, p < 0.05, respectively). The cardiac dysfunction group had a maximum time-to-peak systolic strain at the basal segments of the anterior and posterior septa and the normal function group at the basal segments of anterolateral and posterolateral walls. The prevalence of ventricular septal dyssynchrony in the cardiac dysfunction group was significantly higher than that in the normal function group (94.1% (32/34) versus 7.7% (3/42), p < 0.05). The patients with ventricular septal dyssynchrony (n = 35) had a significantly higher prevalence of intra-left ventricular systolic dyssynchrony than those with ventricular septal synchrony (n = 41) (57.1% (20/35) versus 14.6% (6/41), p < 0.05). During follow-up after pathway ablation, the patients who recovered from intra-left ventricular dyssynchrony (n = 29) had a shorter left ventricular ejection fraction recovery time than those who did not (n = 5) (χ2 = 5.94, p < 0.05). Among the patients who recovered, 93.1% (27/29) had a normalised standard deviation of the time-to-peak systolic strain and difference between the maximum and minimum times-to-peak systolic strain within 1 month after ablation. CONCLUSION: Ventricular pre-excitation may cause ventricular septal dyssynchrony; thus, attention must be paid to intra-left ventricular dyssynchrony and cardiac dysfunction. Whether intra-left ventricular systolic dyssynchrony can resolve within 1 month may be a new early predictor of patient prognosis.

New-onset autoimmune phenomena post-COVID-19 vaccination.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to an unprecedented setback for global economy and health. Vaccination is one of the most effective interventions to substantially reduce severe disease and death due to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Vaccination programmes are being rolled out globally, but most of these vaccines have been approved without extensive studies on their side-effects and efficacy. Recently, new-onset autoimmune phenomena after COVID-19 vaccination have been reported increasingly (e.g. immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia, autoimmune liver diseases, Guillain-Barré syndrome, IgA nephropathy, rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus). Molecular mimicry, the production of particular autoantibodies and the role of certain vaccine adjuvants seem to be substantial contributors to autoimmune phenomena. However, whether the association between COVID-19 vaccine and autoimmune manifestations is coincidental or causal remains to be elucidated. Here, we summarize the emerging evidence about autoimmune manifestations occurring in response to certain COVID-19 vaccines. Although information pertaining to the risk of autoimmune disease as a consequence of vaccination is controversial, we merely propose our current understanding of autoimmune manifestations associated with COVID-19 vaccine. In fact, we do not aim to disavow the overwhelming benefits of mass COVID-19 vaccination in preventing COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. These reports could help guide clinical assessment and management of autoimmune manifestations after COVID-19 vaccination.

Dickkopf-1 as a promising therapeutic target for autoimmune diseases.

Dickkopf-1 (DKK-1) is mostly known as a mature inhibitor of classic Wnt signaling pathways, which plays a critically role in regulating bone formation and bone metastasis. In recent years, the roles of DKK-1 played in bone resorption, bone formation, immune homeostasis and inflammation have been investigated. The role of DKK-1 in the pathogenesis and treatment of autoimmune diseases (ADs), including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), etc, has attracted widespread attention. Various studies have found that DKK-1 may be used as a biomarker for the occurrence and development of ADs, and as a potential target for the treatment of ADs. In this review, we have briefly summed up the intricate immunological functions and regulatory mechanisms of DKK-1 in ADs, aiming to further learning more about the role of DKK-1 involved in the pathogenesis of ADs and provide an outlook for the potential future researches.

Model learning to identify systemic regulators of the peripheral circadian clock.

MOTIVATION: Personalized medicine aims at providing patient-tailored therapeutics based on multi-type data toward improved treatment outcomes. Chronotherapy that consists in adapting drug administration to the patient's circadian rhythms may be improved by such approach. Recent clinical studies demonstrated large variability in patients' circadian coordination and optimal drug timing. Consequently, new eHealth platforms allow the monitoring of circadian biomarkers in individual patients through wearable technologies (rest-activity, body temperature), blood or salivary samples (melatonin, cortisol) and daily questionnaires (food intake, symptoms). A current clinical challenge involves designing a methodology predicting from circadian biomarkers the patient peripheral circadian clocks and associated optimal drug timing. The mammalian circadian timing system being largely conserved between mouse and humans yet with phase opposition, the study was developed using available mouse datasets. RESULTS: We investigated at the molecular scale the influence of systemic regulators (e.g. temperature, hormones) on peripheral clocks, through a model learning approach involving systems biology models based on ordinary differential equations. Using as prior knowledge our existing circadian clock model, we derived an approximation for the action of systemic regulators on the expression of three core-clock genes: Bmal1, Per2 and Rev-Erbα. These time profiles were then fitted with a population of models, based on linear regression. Best models involved a modulation of either Bmal1 or Per2 transcription most likely by temperature or nutrient exposure cycles. This agreed with biological knowledge on temperature-dependent control of Per2 transcription. The strengths of systemic regulations were found to be significantly different according to mouse sex and genetic background. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: https://gitlab.inria.fr/julmarti/model-learning-mb21eccb. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Association of NFKB1 gene rs28362491 mutation with the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have reported that NFKB1 gene rs28362491 polymorphism was associated with susceptibility to coronary heart disease in populations of different genetic backgrounds. To date, there have been no studies on the association between NFKB1 gene rs28362491 polymorphism and the occurrence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event (MACCE). The present study was to explore the relationship between NFKB1 gene rs28362491 polymorphism and MACCEs to investigate whether identifying NFKB1 gene polymorphism is beneficial to evaluating MACCE risks and patients' prognoses. METHODS: We recruited 257 high-risk of cardiovascular disease patients with chest pain or precordial discomfort. The SNPscan™ were used to analyze the NFKB1 gene rs28362491 polymorphism. All patients were followed up in the clinic or by telephone interview for MACCEs. RESULTS: During the followed-up time (mean: 30.1 months) 49 patients had MACCEs (19.1%). Patients with the different genotypes of NFKB1 rs28362491 had different incidence rate of MACCE. The incidence of MACCE in patients carried II, ID and DD genotype was 16.5%, 15.9%, 32.6%, respectively. Log-rank analysis showed that the survival rate in patients with NFKB1 rs28362491 DD genotype was much lower than that in II or ID genotype carriers (P = 0.034). After excluding the influence of traditional risk factors of MACCEs, Cox regression showed that the DD genotype carriers had 2.294-fold relative risk of MACCEs comparing with patients carried II or ID genotype. CONCLUSION: The NFKB1 gene rs28362491 mutant was an independent predictor of worse long-term prognosis for MACCEs. Therefore, identifying NFKB1 gene rs28362491 mutant may be used as a good way for guiding the standardized management of patients with high-risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Comparative analysis of the association between traditional and lipid-related obesity indicators and isolated systolic hypertension : Association of obesity indicators with ISH.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a well-known modified risk factor for isolated systolic hypertension (ISH), but evidence is lacking regarding whether the combination of anthropometric and lipid indicators could strengthen their correlation with ISH. Therefore, we compared the association of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), visceral adiposity index (VAI), lipid accumulation product index (LAP), and cardiometabolic index (CMI) with ISH. METHODS: A total of 106,248 adults who received routine health screening and did not have diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg were recruited in this cross-sectional study. The associations between these indicators and ISH were evaluated using multivariate regression. RESULTS: Each standard deviation (SD) increase in traditional obesity indicators (especially WHR and WHtR) had significantly higher multivariate-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) than each SD increase in lipid-related obesity indicators. In addition, multivariate-adjusted ORs for ISH in the third (vs. the first) tertile of traditional obesity indicators were also significantly higher than those of lipid-related indicators. Moreover, traditional obesity indicators exhibited a higher area under the ROC curve for discriminating ISH than lipid-related obesity indicators. CONCLUSIONS: Traditional obesity indicators were more strongly associated with ISH than lipid-related obesity indicators among Chinese adults.

Long noncoding RNA MALAT1 polymorphism predicts MACCEs in patients with myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) participates in the occurrence and development of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases such as stroke and coronary heart disease by regulating inflammatory reactions, programmed cell death, and other pathological processes. Previous studies revealed that the MALAT1 gene polymorphism was associated with cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases. However, the prognostic role of the MALAT1 polymorphism in major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) remains unknown. Therefore, this study intends to explore the association between the MALAT1 rs3200401 polymorphism and MACCEs. METHOD: We enrolled 617 myocardial infarction (MI) patients and 1125 control participants who attended the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January 2010 to 2018. SNPscan™ typing assays were used to detect the MALAT1 rs3200401 genotype. During the follow-up, MACCEs were recorded. Kaplan-Meier curves and univariate and multivariate Cox survival analyses were used to explore the correlation between MALAT1 gene polymorphisms and the occurrence of MACCEs. RESULTS: Among the total participants and MI patients, the frequencies of the T allele (total Participants 19.5% vs. 15.3%, P = 0.047, MI patients 20.7% vs. 14.1%, P = 0.014) and CT + TT genotypes (total Participants 37.4% vs. 28.1%, P = 0.013, MI patients 39.5% vs. 25.8%, P = 0.003) were significantly higher in subjects with MACCEs than in subjects without MACCEs. However, in control participants, the frequencies of the T allele (16.6% vs. 16.0%, P = 0.860) and CT + TT genotypes (31.4% vs. 29.3%, P = 0.760) were not higher in subjects with MACCEs than in subjects without MACCEs. In addition, among the total participants and MI patients, the Kaplan-Meier curve analysis indicated that the subjects with rs3200401 CT + TT genotypes had a higher incidence of MACCEs than CC genotype carriers (P = 0.015, P = 0.001). Nevertheless, similar results were not observed in the control participants (P = 0.790). Multivariate Cox regression indicated that compared with patients with the CC genotype, patients with CT + TT genotypes had a 1.554-fold increase in MACCE risk (hazard ratio: 1.554, 95% confidence interval: 1.060-2.277, P = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS: The MALAT1 rs3200401 CT + TT genotypes could be a risk factor for MACCEs in MI patients, suggesting that the MALAT1 gene may become a biomarker for poor prognosis in MI patients.

GLUT4 gene rs5418 polymorphism is associated with increased coronary heart disease risk in a Uygur Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: To explore possible associations between glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) genetic polymorphisms in the patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) in Han and Uygur Chinese populations in Xinjiang, China. METHODS: Two GLUT4 polymorphisms (rs5418 and rs5435) were genotyped in 1262 Han (628 CHD patients and 634 healthy controls) and 896 Uyghur (397 CHD patients and 499 healthy controls) Chinese populations. RESULTS: In the Han Chinese population, there were no significant differences in allelic or genotypic distribution of rs5418 and rs5435 between the CHD and control groups (all P > 0.05). However, in the Uygur population, there were significant differences in genotype and allele distributions for rs5418 between CHD and the control group (all P < 0.05). Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that carriers with the rs5418 A allele had a higher risk of CHD compared to carriers of the rs5418 G allele (OR = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.069-1.649, P = 0.01), after adjustment for gender, age, drinking and smoking behavior, hypertension and diabetes. Furthermore, haploid association analysis of the two SNP loci of the GLUT4 gene showed that the AC haplotype was associated with CHD in the Uygur population (P = 0.001598; OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.1228-1.6406). CONCLUSIONS: rs5418 GLUT4 gene variants are associated with CHD in the Uygur Chinese population.

Three-Dimensional Limit of Bulk Rashba Effect in Ferroelectric Semiconductor GeTe.

Ferroelectric Rashba semiconductors (FERSCs) have recently attracted intensive attention due to their giant bulk Rashba parameter, αR, which results in a locking between the spin degrees of freedom and the switchable electric polarization. However, the integration of FERSCs into microelectronic devices has provoked questions concerning whether the Rashba effect can persist when the material thickness is reduced to several nanometers. Here we find that αR can keep a large value of 2.12 eV Å in the 5.0 nm thick GeTe film. The behavior of αR with thickness can be expressed by the scaling law and provides a 3D thickness limit of the bulk Rashba effect, dc = 2.1 ± 0.5 nm. Finally, we find that the thickness can modify the Berry curvature as well, which influences the polarization and consequently alters the αR. Our results give insight into understanding the factors influencing αR in FERSCs and pave a novel route for designing Rashba-type quantum materials.

Comparative of the Effectiveness and Safety of Biological Agents, Tofacitinib, and Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Ulcerative Colitis: Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Biological agents are commonly used for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC). As new treatments, tofacitinib, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) have demonstrated efficacy in treating UC. This network meta-analysis aims to determine the efficacy and safety of biological agents, tofacitinib, and FMT. METHODS: A network meta-analysis was conducted by systematically searching the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Libraries. According to strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, we included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of biological agents, tofacitinib, and FMT in UC. A random-effect model was chosen by the network meta-analysis and sensitivity analysis. Heterogeneity test and publication bias test were performed to determine the efficacy of treatments. RESULTS: Data were extracted from 16 RCTs and we found that all treatments were more effective than the placebos. A total of 21 comparisons were made to determine efficiency. We found that infliximab, vedolizumab, and FMT performed better curative effect in terms of absolute effects and relative ranks. Furthermore, there was no statistical difference in the efficacy of biological agents, tofacitinib, and FMT. Moreover, no treatments were found to increase the occurrence of adverse events when compared with placebos, except infliximab. However, vedolizumab seemed to reduce the occurrence of adverse events compared with infliximab. CONCLUSION: Of the biological agents, vedolizumab and infliximab were the most effective, suggesting that biological agents are still a better choice. Nevertheless, tofacitinib and FMT may be promising alternatives with high efficacies. However, more safety and maintenance studies need to be conducted in future for the acquisition of more accurate results.Abbreviations: FMT: Fecal microbiota transplantation; UC: Ulcerative colitis; RCTs: Randomized controlled trials; IBD: Inflammatory bowel disease; CD: Crohn's disease; IBS: Irritable bowel syndrome; CDI: Clostridium difficile infections; ITT: Intention-to-treat; RR: Relative risk; CI: Confidence interval; CrI: Credible intervals; IFX: Infliximab; ADA: Adalimumab; TFB: Tofacitinib; GLM: Golimumab; VDZ: Vedolizumab; PBO: Placebo; wk: week; F: Female; M: Male; AEs: Adverse events; SAEs: Serious adverse events; anti-TNF: Anti-tumor necrosis factors.

Association between CCN1 gene polymorphism and acute coronary syndrome in Chinese Han and Uygur populations.

BACKGROUND: CCN1 plays a crucial role in the modulation of cardiovascular diseases. However, whether CCN1 genetic variants are involved in the susceptibility of ACS remains unknown. Hence, the present study investigates the association between CCN1 polymorphisms and ACS among Han and Uygur populations in Xinjiang, China. RESULTS: In this case-control study, 1234 Han (547 ACS patients and 687 controls) and 932 Uygur (471 ACS patients and 461 controls) were genotyped using SNPscanTM for three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs, rs6576776, rs954353, and rs3753794) of the human CCN1 gene. In the Uygur population, we found that the detected frequencies of the C allele (25.3% vs. 18.3%, P<0.001) and CC genotype (6.4% vs. 3.0%, P=0.001) of rs6576776 were significantly higher in the ACS patients than in the control participants. Differences in rs6576776 regarding the dominant model (CC+CG vs. GG, 44.2% vs. 55.8%, P=0.001) and the recessive model (CC vs. CG+GG, 6.4% vs. 93.6%, P=0.016) were observed between the two groups. The frequencies of the GGC and AGC haplotypes in those with ACS were significantly higher than those in the control group (all P<0.05) in the Uygur population. After adjusting for hypertension, diabetes, lipids and smoking, all of which indicate that the rs6576776 C allele is associated with higher risk of ACS (odds ratio (OR)=1.798, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.218-2.656, P=0.003). In Han population, neither the distribution of genotypes and alleles of the CCN1 gene three SNPs nor the distribution of haplotypes constructed with the three SNPs exhibited a significant difference between the ACS patients and control participants. CONCLUSIONS: Our study document that the CCN1 gene rs6576776 C allele is associated with higher susceptibility of ACS and that the frequencies of GGC and AGC haplotypes are higher among the Uygur ACS patients.

Genetic polymorphism of IDOL gene was associated with the susceptibility of coronary artery disease in Han population in Xinjiang, China.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. In this study, we aimed to explore whether some genetic variants of the human IDOL gene were associated with CAD among Chinese population in Xinjiang. METHODS: We designed two independent case-control studies. The first one included in the Han population (448 CAD patients and 343 controls), and the second one is the Uygur population (304 CAD patients and 318 controls). We genotyped three SNPs (rs2072783, rs2205796, and rs909562) of the IDOL gene. RESULTS: Our results revealed that, in the Han female subjects, for rs2205796, the distribution of alleles, dominant model (TT vs. GG + GT) and the additive model (GG + TT vs. GT) showed significant differences between CAD patients and the control subjects (P = 0.048, P = 0.014, and P = 0.032, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The rs2205796 polymorphism of the IDOL gene is associated with CAD in the Chinese Han female population in Xinjiang, China.

FBXW7 gene polymorphism is associated with type 2 diabetes in the Uygur population in Xinjiang, China.

BACKGROUND: FBXW7 gene expression is positively correlated with glycolipid metabolism and is associated with diabetes in animal models. In the current study, we focused on exploring whether genetic variants of the FBXW7 gene were associated with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and the risk factors for T2DM in Uygur people in Xinjiang, China. METHODS: A total of 2164 Chinese Uygur subjects (673 T2DM patients and 1491 controls) were recruited for our case-control study, and four SNPs (rs10033601, rs2255137, rs2292743 and rs35311955) of the FBXW7 gene were genotyped using the improved multiplex ligation detection reaction (iMLDR) technique. RESULTS: Our study showed that the genotypes using the overdominant model (GA vs AA + GG) of rs10033601 and using the overdominant model (TA vs TT + AA) of rs2292743 were significantly different between T2DM patients and the controls (P = 0.005 and P = 0.012, respectively). After multivariate adjustments for confounders, the rs10033601 and rs2292743 SNPs were still independent risk factors for T2DM [GA vs AA + GG: odds ratio = 1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.12-1.64, P = 0.002; TA vs TT + AA: OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.06-1.55, P = 0.011]. Participants within the Chinese Uygur populations and who with the GA genotype of rs10033601 and the TA genotype of rs2292743 were associated with significantly elevated glucose levels. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that both rs10033601 and rs2292743 of the FBXW7 gene were associated with T2DM in the Uygur populations in Xinjiang.

Candidatus Rickettsia xinyangensis as Cause of Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis, Xinyang, China, 2015.

In 2015, we evaluated 221 patients with undifferentiated fever and tick bite or animal exposure in Xinyang, China, for Rickettsia infection. Three with mild disease were infected with Candidatus R. xinyangensis, which clustered with R. fournieri and R. vini in phylogenetic analyses. Field investigations suggest Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks might be involved in transmission.