Body composition and mortality in a cohort study of Chinese patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Objective: To analyse the characteristics and mortality of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients with different body compositions. Methods: In this study, 530 consecutive patients with HCM at West China Hospital were studied from November 2008 to May 2016. An equation based on body mass index (BMI) was used to obtain the Percent body fat (BF) and lean mass index (LMI). Patients were divided into five sex-specific BMI, BF and LMI quintiles. Results: The average BMI, BF and LMI were 23.1 ± 3.2 kg/m2, 28.1 ± 7.3% and 16.5 ± 2.2 kg/m2, respectively. Patients with higher BMI or BF were older and had more symptoms and adverse cardiovascular conditions; those with higher LMI were younger and had less coronary artery disease and lower serum NT-proBNP and creatine. BF correlated positively with resting left ventricular (LV) outflow tract gradient, mitral regurgitation (MR) degree and left atrial diameter but was inversely associated with septal wall thickness (SWT), posterior wall thickness (PWT), LV mass, and E/A ratio; LMI was positively correlated with SWT, LV end diastolic volume and LV mass but was negatively associated with MR degree.48 all-cause deaths occurred during a median follow-up of 33.8 months. Reversed J-shape associations of BMI and LMI with mortality were observed. A lower BMI or LMI was significantly associated with high mortality, especially for low-moderate BMI and LMI. No significant difference in mortality was found across BF quintiles. Conclusions: The associations of BMI, BF and LMI with baseline characteristics and cardiac remodelling are different in HCM patients. In Chinese HCM patients, low BMI and LMI predicted mortality but not BF.

The incidence and predictors of high-degree atrioventricular block in patients with bicuspid aortic valve receiving self-expandable transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

BACKGROUND: The high-degree atrioventricular block (HAVB) in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) treated with transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) remains high. The study aims to explore this poorly understood subject of mechanisms and predictors for HAVB in BAV self-expandable TAVI patients. METHODS: We retrospectively included 181 BAV patients for analysis. Using computed tomography data, the curvature of ascending aorta (AAo) was quantified by the angle (AAo angle) between annulus and the cross-section at 35 mm above annulus (where the stent interacts with AAo the most). The valvular anatomy and leaflet calcification were also characterized. RESULTS: The 30-day HAVB rate was 16.0% (median time to HAVB was three days). Type-1 morphology was found in 79 patients (43.6%) (left- and right-coronary cusps fusion comprised 79.7%). Besides implantation below membrane septum, large AAo angle [odds ratio (OR) = 1.08, P = 0.016] and type-1 morphology (OR = 4.97, P = 0.001) were found as the independent predictors for HAVB. Together with baseline right bundle branch block, these predictors showed strong predictability for HAVB with area under the cure of 0.84 (sensitivity = 62.1%, specificity = 92.8%). Bent AAo and calcified raphe had a synergistic effect in facilitating high implantation, though the former is associated with at-risk deployment (device implanted above annulus + prothesis pop-out, versus straight AAo: 9.9% vs. 2.2%, P = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS: AAo curvature and type-1 morphology are novel predictors for HAVB in BAV patients following self-expandable TAVI. For patients with bent AAo or calcified raphe, a progressive approach to implant the device above the lower edge of membrane septum is favored, though should be done cautiously to avoid pop-out.

Regulatory Functions of Nilaparvata lugens GSK-3 in Energy and Chitin Metabolism.

Glucose metabolism is a biologically important metabolic process. Glycogen synthase kinase (GSK-3) is a key enzyme located in the middle of the sugar metabolism pathway that can regulate the energy metabolism process in the body through insulin signaling. This paper mainly explores the regulatory effect of glycogen synthase kinase on the metabolism of glycogen and trehalose in the brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens) by RNA interference. In this paper, microinjection of the target double-stranded GSK-3 (dsGSK-3) effectively inhibited the expression of target genes in N. lugens. GSK-3 gene silencing can effectively inhibit the expression of target genes (glycogen phosphorylase gene, glycogen synthase gene, trehalose-6-phosphate synthase 1 gene, and trehalose-6-phosphate synthase 2 gene) in N. lugens and trehalase activity, thereby reducing glycogen and glucose content, increasing trehalose content, and regulating insect trehalose balance. GSK-3 can regulate the genes chitin synthase gene and glucose-6-phosphate isomerase gene involved in the chitin biosynthetic pathway of N. lugens. GSK-3 gene silencing can inhibit the synthesis of chitin N. lugens, resulting in abnormal phenotypes and increased mortality. These results indicated that a low expression of GSK-3 in N. lugens can regulate the metabolism of glycogen and trehalose through the insulin signal pathway and energy metabolism pathway, and can regulate the biosynthesis of chitin, which affects molting and wing formation. The relevant research results will help us to more comprehensively explore the molecular mechanism of the regulation of energy and chitin metabolism of insect glycogen synthase kinases in species such as N. lugens.

Regulation of Carbohydrate Metabolism by Trehalose-6-Phosphate Synthase 3 in the Brown Planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens.

Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) is one of the pests that harm rice. In this paper, a new trehalose-6-phosphate synthase gene, TPS3, was identified by transcriptome sequencing and gene cloning. To explore its role in the energy metabolism of N. lugens we examined the carbohydrate contents at different stages of development, the tissue expression of TPS, and some physiological and biochemical indicators by injecting dsTPS3 and dsTPSs (a proportional mixture of dsTPS1, dsTPS2, and dsTPS3). The glucose content at the fifth instar was significantly higher than that in the fourth instar and the adult stages. The trehalose and glycogen contents before molting were higher than those after molting. TPS1, TPS2, and TPS3 were expressed in the head, leg, wing bud, and cuticle, with the highest expression in the wing bud. In addition, compared with the control group, the glucose content increased significantly at 48 h after RNA interference, and the trehalose content decreased significantly after 72 h. qRT-PCR showed that the expression level of UGPase decreased significantly at 48 h after injection, whereas GS expression increased significantly at 48 h after injecting dsTPS3. After dsTPS injection, the expression levels of PPGM2, UGPase, GP, and GS increased significantly at 72 h. After interfering with the expression of TPS3 gene alone, UGPase expression decreased significantly at 48 h, and GS expression increased significantly at 72 h. Finally, combined with the digital gene expression and pathway analysis, 1439 and 1346 genes were upregulated, and 2127 and 1927 genes were downregulated in the dsTPS3 and dsTPSs groups, respectively. The function of most differential genes was concentrated in sugar metabolism, lipid metabolism, and amino acid metabolism. The results indicated that TPS3 plays a key role in the energy metabolism of N. lugens and confirmed that TPS3 is a feasible target gene for RNA interference in N. lugens. Simultaneously, they provide a theoretical basis for the development and utilization of TPS3 to control pests.

Glucose Utilization in the Regulation of Chitin Synthesis in Brown Planthopper.

Glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) and hexokinase (HK) are two key enzymes in the glycolysis and gluconeogenesis pathways, which catalyze the synthesis and degradation of glucose in insects, respectively. G6Pase and HK play an important role in insect growth by regulating the metabolism of glucose, leading to the efficient metabolism of other macromolecules. However, it is unclear whether these genes could be investigated for pest control through their actions on chitin metabolism. We studied the potential functions of G6Pase and HK genes in the regulation of chitin metabolism pathways by RNAi technology. Interference with G6Pase expression did not affect trehalose and chitin metabolism pathways in brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål). However, knockdown of the HK gene resulted in a significant decrease of expression of genes associated with the trehalose metabolic pathway but had no significant effect on trehalase activity, trehalose content, or glucogen content. Additionally, HK knockdown resulting in downregulation of the genes involved in chitin metabolism in the brown planthopper. These insects also showed wing deformities and difficulty in molting to varying degrees. We suggest that the silencing of HK expression directly inhibited the decomposition of glucose, leading to impaired chitin synthesis.

The impact of renal function on the prognostic value of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide in patients with coronary artery disease.

BACKGROUND: The impact of renal function on the prognostic value of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) remains unclear in coronary artery disease (CAD). This study sought to investigate the value of using NT-proBNP level to predict prognoses of CAD patients with different estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFRs). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted from a single registered database. 2087 consecutive patients with CAD confirmed by coronary angiography were enrolled. The primary endpoint was allcause mortality. RESULTS: The mean follow-up time was 26.4 ± 11.9 months and death events occurred in 197 cases. The NT-proBNP levels increased with the deterioration of renal function, as well as the optimal cutoff values based on eGFR stratification to predict endpoint outcome (179.4 pg/mL, 1443.0 pg/mL, 3478.0 pg/mL, for eGFR ≥ 90, 60-90 and < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2, respectively). Compared with the routine cut-off value or overall optimal one, stratified optimal ones had superior predictive ability for endpoint in each eGFR group (all with the highest Youden's J statistics). And the prognostic value became weaker as eGFR level decreased (eGFR ≥ 90 vs. 60-90 vs. < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2, odds ratio [OR] 7.7; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.7-33.9 vs. OR 4.8; 95% CI 2.7-8.5 vs. OR 3.0; 95% CI 1.5-6.2). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that NT-proBNP exhibits different predictive values for prognosis for CAD patients with different levels of renal function. Among the assessed values, the NT-proBNP cut-off value determined using renal function improve the accuracy of the prognosis prediction of CAD. Moreover, lower eGFR is associated with a higher NT-proBNP cut-off value for prognostic prediction.

Demography and Mass Rearing of the Medicinal Blister Beetle Epicauta impressicornis (Pic) (Coleoptera: Meloidae) at Different Temperatures.

The population dynamics of the blister beetle, Epicauta impressicornis (Pic) (Coleoptera: Meloidae) had been investigated from 2014 to 2016 in field. The results showed that E. impressicornis is univoltine and overwintered in the fifth instar in the Luodian area of Guizhou, China. The biological and ecological characteristic of the beetle were analyzed at six temperatures (i.e., 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, and 36°C) in the laboratory using the age-stage, two-sex life table. The developmental duration, longevity, and total preoviposition period were significantly shortened with increases in temperatures. The adult preoviposition periods at 24, 27, and 30°C were significantly longer than at other temperatures, while the fecundities at 27 and 30°C were significantly higher than at other temperatures. Life expectancy (exj) decreased with age and the reproductive value (vxj) increased with age. The intrinsic rate of increase (r = 0.0921 d-1) and finite rate (λ = 1.0965 d-1) were the highest at 33°C, followed by 30°C (r = 0.0758 d-1, λ = 1.0788 d-1). Although the net reproductive rate (R0 = 17.63 offspring) was the lowest at 36°C, the values of r (0.0724 d-1) and λ (1.0751 d-1) were higher at 36°C than those at 21, 24, and 27°C. Our analysis for a mass-rearing system showed the most efficient and economical strategy would be to rear E. impressicornis at 30-33°C.

Monosodium glutamate exposure during the neonatal period leads to cognitive deficits in adult Sprague-Dawley rats.

Epidemiological surveys show that 70-80% of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) or show an abnormality of blood glucose levels. Therefore, an increasing number of evidence has suggested that diabetic hyperglycemia is tightly linked with the pathogenesis and progression of AD. In the present study, we replicated T2DM animal model via subcutaneous injection of newborn Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats with monosodium glutamate (MSG) during the neonatal period to investigate the effects and underlying mechanisms of hyperglycemia on cognitive ability. We found that neonatal MSG exposure induced hyperglycemia as well as Alzheimer-like learning and memory deficits with decreased dendritic spine density and hippocampal synaptic-related protein expression and increased phosphorylated tau levels in ∼3-month-old SD rats. Our results suggested that hyperglycemia probably causes cognitive impairment and Alzheimer-like neuropathological changes, which provide the experimental data connecting T2DM and AD.

Complete mitochondrial genome of the bamboo snout beetle, Cyrotrachelus buqueti (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

The bamboo snout beetle Cyrotrachelus buqueti (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a destructive forest pest and distributed widely in Southeast Asia. The 15,035 bp complete mitochondrial genome of the species consists of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs), 21 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs) and a control region (GenBank accession no. MG674390). The trnl gene was not found in the C. buqueti mitogenome. The gene order and the orientation of C. buqueti were similar to those found in other Coleoptera species. The nucleotide composition was significantly biased (A, G, C, and T was 38.18%, 10.10%, 16.16%, and 35.56%, respectively) with A + T contents of 73.74%. ATG, ATA, ATT, AAT, and TTG were initiation codons and TAA, TAG, and T were termination codons. All the 21 tRNAs displayed a typical cloverleaf secondary structure, except for trnS1 which lacked the dihydrouridine arm. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using 13 PCGs with 14 other beetles showed that C. buqueti is closely related to Eucryptorhynchus brandti, which agree with the traditional classification.

The impact of microbial immune enteral nutrition on the patients with acute radiation enteritis in bowel function and immune status.

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of microbial immune enteral nutrition by microecopharmaceutics and deep sea fish oil and glutamine and Peptisorb on the patients with acute radiation enteritis in bowel function and immune status. From June 2010 to January 2013, 46 acute radiation enteritis patients in Liaocheng People's Hospital were randomized into the microbial immune enteral nutrition group and the control group: 24 patients in treatment group and 22 patients in control group. The immune microbial nutrition was given to the study group, but not to the control group. The concentration of serum albumin and prealbumin and the number of CD3 (+) T cell, CD4 (+) T cell, CD8 (+) T cell, CD4 (+)/CD8 (+) and natural killer cell of the two groups were detected on the 1, 7 and 14 days after treatment. The arm muscle circumference and triceps skinfold thickness (TSF) were recorded, and the tolerance of the two groups for enteral nutrition and intestinal symptoms was collected and then comparing the two indicators and get results. The tolerance of microbial immune enteral nutrition group about abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhea was better than the control group (P values were 0.018, 0.04 and 0.008 after 7 days; P values were 0.018, 0.015 and 0.002 after 14 days); and the cellular immune parameters were better than the control group((△) P = 0.008,([Symbol: see text]) P = 0.039, (☆) P = 0.032); No difference was found in nutrition indicators. To the patients with acute radiation enteritis, microbial immune enteral nutrition could improve the patient's immune status, and the tolerance of enteral nutrition could be better for the bowel function and the patients' rehabilitation.