Gut microbiota signatures in Schistosoma japonicum infection-induced liver cirrhosis patients: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have assessed the role of gut microbiota in various cirrhosis etiologies, however, none has done so in the context of Schistosoma japonicum infection in humans. We, therefore, sought to determine whether gut microbiota is associated with S. japonicum infection-induced liver cirrhosis. METHODS: From December 2017 to November 2019, 24 patients with S. japonicum infection-induced liver cirrhosis, as well as 25 age- and sex-matched controls from the Zhejiang Province, China, were enrolled. Fecal samples were collected and used for 16S rRNA gene sequencing (particularly, the hypervariable V4 region) using the Illumina MiSeq system. Wilcoxon Rank-Sum and PERMANOVA tests were used for analysis. RESULTS: Eight hundred and seven operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were detected, of which, 491 were common between the two groups, whereas 123 and 193 were unique to the control and cirrhosis groups, respectively. Observed species, Chao, ACE, Shannon, Simpson, and Good's coverage indexes, used for alpha diversity analysis, showed values of 173.4 ± 63.8, 197.7 ± 73.0, 196.3 ± 68.9, 2.96 ± 0.57, 0.13 ± 0.09, and 1.00 ± 0.00, respectively, in the control group and 154.0 ± 68.1, 178.6 ± 75.1, 179.9 ± 72.4, 2.68 ± 0.76, 0.19 ± 0.18, and 1.00 ± 0.00, respectively, in the cirrhosis group, with no significant differences observed between the groups. Beta diversity was evaluated by weighted UniFrac distances, with values of 0.40 ± 0.13 and 0.40 ± 0.11 in the control and cirrhosis groups, respectively (P > 0.05). PCA data also confirmed this similarity (P > 0.05). Meanwhile, the relative abundance of species belonging to the Bacilli class was higher in cirrhosis patients [median: 2.74%, interquartile range (IQR): 0.18-7.81%] than healthy individuals (median: 0.15%, IQR: 0.47-0.73%; P < 0.01), and that of Lactobacillales order was also higher in cirrhosis patients (median: 2.73%, IQR: 0.16-7.80%) than in healthy individuals (median: 0.12%, IQR: 0.03-0.70%; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Cumulatively, our results suggest that the gut microbiota of S. japonicum infection-induced liver cirrhosis patients is similar to that of healthy individuals, indicating that bacterial taxa cannot be used as non-invasive biomarkers for S. japonicum infection-induced liver cirrhosis.

The Efficacy of Ginseng-Related Therapies in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Few randomized clinical trials have evaluated the efficacy of ginseng in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The current meta-analysis evaluated the ginseng-induced improvement in glucose control and insulin sensitivity in patients with type-2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance.Randomized clinical trials comparing ginseng supplementation versus control, in patients with T2DM or impaired glucose tolerance, were hand-searched from Medline, Cochrane, and Google Scholar databases by 2 independent reviewers using the terms "type 2 diabetes/diabetes/diabetic, impaired glucose tolerance, and ginseng/ginsenoside(s)." The primary outcome analyzed was the change in HbA1c, whereas the secondary outcomes included fasting glucose, postprandial glucose, fasting insulin, postprandial insulin, insulin resistance Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), triglycerides, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL), and high density lipoprotein (HDL).Of the 141 studies identified, 8 studies were chosen for the current meta-analysis. The average number of patients, age, and sex distribution among the groups were comparable. Results reveal no significant difference in HbA1c levels between the ginseng supplementation and the control groups (pooled standardized difference in means = -0.148, 95% CI: -0.637 to 0.228, P = 0.355). Ginseng supplementation improved fasting glucose, postprandial insulin, and HOMA-IR levels, though no difference in postprandial glucose or fasting insulin was observed among the groups. Similarly, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL levels showed significant difference between the treatment groups, while no difference in HDL was seen. In addition, ginseng-related therapy was ineffective in decreasing the fasting glucose levels in patients treated with oral hypoglycemic agents or insulin.The present results establish the benefit of ginseng supplementation in improving glucose control and insulin sensitivity in patients with T2DM or impaired glucose intolerance.

Tanshinone IIA protects against methylglyoxal-induced injury in human brain microvascular endothelial cells.

Tanshinone IIA is one of the major diterpenes from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge and has been shown to possess a protective effect on the endothelial cells. The present study aimed to investigate whether tanshinone IIA could protect against methylglyoxal (MGO)-induced injury in human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC). Using cultured HBMEC, cell viability was measured by MTT assay and trypan blue dye exclusion test. Cellular oxidative stress was measured by production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and H2O2. AnnexinV/PI staining and western blot were performed to determine cell apoptosis and protein expression. We found that MGO treatment caused a concentration and time-dependent decrease in cell viability, which was inhibited by pretreatment with tanshinone IIA. Exposure to MGO promoted the accumulation of AGEs, and production of ROS, TBARS and H2O2 in the cultured HBMEC, which were inhibited by tanshinone IIA pretreatment. Addition of tanshinone IIA significantly reduced MGO-induced cell apoptosis as shown by flow cytometry. On the molecular level, tanshinone IIA administration altered the expression of apoptosis-related proteins such as p53, Bax, Bcl-2 and cyto C. In addition, MGO treatment remarkably increased the phosphorylation of MAPK family including p38, JNK and ERK. By contrast, addition of tanshinone IIA inhibited the activation of MAPK family members. These data indicated that tanshinone IIA could protect against MGO-induced cell injury through inhibiting MAPK activation in HBMEC.

The effectiveness of leucine on muscle protein synthesis, lean body mass and leg lean mass accretion in older people: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

In the present study, we performed a meta-analysis to assess the ability of leucine supplementation to increase the muscle protein fraction synthetic rate and to augment lean body mass or leg lean mass in elderly patients. A literature search was conducted on Medline, Cochrane, EMBASE and Google Scholar databases up to 31 December 2013 for clinical trials that investigated the administration of leucine as a nutrient that affects muscle protein metabolism and muscle mass in elderly subjects. The included studies were randomised controlled trials. The primary outcome for the meta-analysis was the protein fractional synthetic rate. Secondary outcomes included lean body mass and leg lean mass. A total of nine studies were included in the meta-analysis. The results showed that the muscle protein fractional synthetic rate after intervention significantly increased in the leucine group compared with the control group (pooled standardised difference in mean changes 1·08, 95% CI 0·50, 1·67; P< 0·001). No difference was found between the groups in relation to lean body mass (pooled standardised difference in mean changes 0·18, 95% CI - 0·18, 0·54; P= 0·318) or leg lean mass (pooled standardised difference in mean changes 0·006, 95% CI - 0·32, 0·44; P= 0·756). These findings suggest that leucine supplementation is useful to address the age-related decline in muscle mass in elderly individuals, as it increases the muscle protein fractional synthetic rate.

Clinical effectiveness of protein and amino acid supplementation on building muscle mass in elderly people: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: A major reason for the loss of mobility in elderly people is the gradual loss of lean body mass known as sarcopenia. Sarcopenia is associated with a lower quality of life and higher healthcare costs. The benefit of strategies that include nutritional intervention, timing of intervention, and physical exercise to improve muscle loss unclear as finding from studies investigating this issue have been inconsistent. We have performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the ability of protein or amino acid supplementation to augment lean body mass or strength of leg muscles in elderly patients. METHODS: Nine studies met the inclusion criteria of being a prospective comparative study or randomized controlled trial (RCT) that compared the efficacy of an amino acid or protein supplement intervention with that of a placebo in elderly people (≥ 65 years) for the improvement of lean body mass (LBM), leg muscle strength or reduction associated with sarcopenia. RESULTS: The overall difference in mean change from baseline to the end of study in LBM between the treatment and placebo groups was 0.34 kg which was not significant (P = 0.386). The overall differences in mean change from baseline in double leg press and leg extension were 2.14 kg (P = 0.748) and 2.28 kg (P = 0.265), respectively, between the treatment group and the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that amino acid/protein supplements did not increase lean body mass gain and muscle strength significantly more than placebo in a diverse elderly population.

Chewing substances with or without tobacco and risk of cardiovascular disease in Asia: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether people who ever use any form of chewing substance in Asia are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). METHODS: PubMed and ISI Web of Science were searched for relevant studies, with no limitation on language or study year. Studies were included if they provided quantitative estimate of the association between ever use of chewing substance and the occurrence of CVD. Two authors independently implemented inclusion criteria, abstracted study characteristics, and performed meta-analysis. Summary relative risks were estimated on the basis of a random effect model. We used Q statistic and Egger's test to examine heterogeneity across studies and potential publication bias, respectively. RESULTS: Eight eligible studies were included. The relative risk of CVD for ever using chewing substances with or without tobacco was 1.26 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.12-1.40), which was unchanged when restricted to cohort studies [1.25 (1.08-1.42)] or cohort studies in Taiwan [1.31 (1.12-1.51)]. The summary relative risk for ischemic heart disease was 1.27 (1.02-1.52), and was lowered to 1.26 (0.85-1.67) after exclusion of a cross-sectional study. The overall relative risk for cerebrovascular disease was 1.32 (1.08-1.56). On the basis of the Taiwan data, the summary relative risk of CVD for betel (Areca catechu) chewing was 1.30 (1.17-1.44). Data on dose-response were limited to betel chewing in Taiwan, suggesting a relationship between risk of CVD and cumulative exposure. Two large cohorts in Taiwan reported a greater risk of CVD with betel chewing than with smoking. CONCLUSIONS: An association was detected between betel chewing with or without tobacco and the risk of CVD. Betel chewing may impose a greater CVD risk than smoking. More effort is needed in developing betel chewing cessation programmes. The relationship between betel chewing and subgroups of CVD requires further investigation.

Expression, purification, and characterization of recombinant lumbrokinase PI239 in Escherichia coli.

Lumbrokinase (LK) is an important fibrinolytic enzyme derived from earthworms. It has been found that LK is composed of a group of isoenzymes. To construct and express the mature peptide of LK PI239 in Escherichia coli, we amplified and optimized the gene of LK which was then cloned into the prokaryotic expression vector pET-22b(-). The recombinant LK (rLK) protein was expressed as inclusion bodies and we have developed a purification process of rLK from these inclusion bodies. A step-down urea concentration strategy was applied to the rLK renaturation process. The purified and renatured rLK apparently ameliorated the conditions of the model thrombosis rats used, and may be developed into a therapeutic agent for thrombotic-associated diseases.

[Effect of testosterone on neointimal proliferation and blood lipids after balloon-induced aorta injury in rabbits].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of testosterone on neointimal proliferation and blood lipids after balloon-induced aorta injury in male rabbits. METHODS: Twenty-five male white rabbits were randomly divided into five groups with 5 in each. G1 underwent sham castration served as control group, rabbits in remaining 4 groups were castrated. One week after the castration, rabbits in G3, G4, G5 groups received 3 mg/kg, 6 mg/kg, 12 mg/kg testosterone undecanoate i.m, respectively, G2 was not received. Two weeks after the castration, deendothelializing balloon-induced injury in right iliac artery was performed in all animals. Two weeks after the injury, blood samples were drawn for measurement of plasma testosterone and lipids, and the right iliac arteries were excised for computer imagining analysis. RESULT: Compared with G1, plasma levels of total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG), low density lipoprotein(LDL) in G3, G4 and G5, gradually decreased, plasma levels of high density lipoprotein(HDL)gradually increased. There were most significant differences of plasma TC, TG and LDL(P<0.05) between G2 and G1. There were not significant differences of plasma TC, TG, HDL and LDL among all groups before endothelial denudation and 2 weeks after endothelial denudation (P>0.05). In G3, G4 and G5 the intimal area and radio of intima/media gradually decreased, there were significant differences between G2, G3, G4 and G1(P<0.05), the differences between G1 and G2 were most significant, and those of G5 were close to G1. Endothelial cell repair was observed with electron microscope. Endothelial cells from G2 to G5 became smoother gradually, which in G5 were very close to G1. CONCLUSION: Testosterone inhibits the intima proliferation induced by balloon-induced injury and improves blood lipids levels. The effects are enhanced by the dose increasing.