Sleeping More Hours Per Day Than Working Can Prevent New-Onset Diabetes.

Objectives: We expressed the combined effect by the ratio of daily sleep time to daily work time. The aim of this study was to discussed the predictive ability of daily sleep hours/work hours (SH/WH) ratio for diabetes risk. Methods: Cox proportional hazards regression was used to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) of new-onset diabetes. Restricted cubic spline analyses were performed to visualize the influence trend of SH/WH ratio and diabetes risk. Results: The RCS model revealed a non-linear and L-shaped correlation between SH/WH ratio and diabetes risk. Compared with the participates with SH/WH ratio <1, those with a ratio ≥1 had a lower risk of developing diabetes. The multivariable adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of new-onset diabetes in Q2, Q3, Q4 and Q5 groups compared with Q1 group were 0.82 (0.57, 1.19), 1.05 (0.69, 1.59), 0.57 (0.36, 0.91), 0.66 (0.42, 1.06). The Kaplan-Meier curve showed that Q4 group had lower cumulative incidence. Conclusion: Sleeping longer than working (SH/WH ratio ≥1) can reduce risk for developing diabetes. A minimal risk observed at 1.10-<1.37 (the fourth quintile) of SH/WH ratio.

Adrenal crisis mainly manifested as recurrent syncope secondary to tislelizumab: a case report and literature review.

As an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI), tislelizumab is an anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) drug. With the extensive application of ICIs, there is an ever-increasing proportion of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in clinical settings, some of which may even be life-threatening. Herein, we present a patient with tislelizumab-induced adrenal crisis. The main clinical manifestation was recurrent syncope accompanied by high-grade fever. Timely identification and hormone replacement therapy helped the patient overcome the crisis well. Finally, the patient discontinued tislelizumab and switched to antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) therapy. We report this case to improve our understanding of this situation, identify this kind of disease, and prevent adrenal crisis in time. Eventually, limiting toxicities reduces the interruption of immunotherapy. Since irAEs are multisystem damage with more non-specific symptoms, except for oncologists, general practitioners who endorse the need for taking a holistic approach to the patient should play a vital role in the management of cancer treatment.

C1q/tumour necrosis factor-related protein-9 aggravates lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation via promoting NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

The NLRP3 inflammasome plays a vital role in inflammation by increasing the maturation of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and promoting pyroptosis. Given that C1q/tumour necrosis factor-related protein-9 (CTRP9) has been shown to be involved in diverse inflammatory diseases, we sought to assess the underlying impact of CTRP9 on NLRP3 inflammasome activation. In vitro, macrophages isolated from murine peritonea were stimulated with exogenous CTRP9, followed by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP). We demonstrated that CTRP9 markedly augmented the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, as shown by increased mature IL-1ß secretion, triggering ASC speck formation and promoting pyroptosis. Mechanistically, CTRP9 increased the levels of NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2)-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS). Suppressing ROS with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) or interfering with NOX2 by small interfering RNA weakened the promoting effect of CTRP9 on the NLRP3 inflammasome. Furthermore, NLRP3 inflammasome activation, pyroptosis and secretion of mature IL-1ß were significantly decreased in macrophages from CTRP9-KO mice compared to those from WT mice with the same treatment. In vivo, we established a sepsis model by intraperitoneal injection of LPS into WT and CTRP9-KO mice. CTRP9 knockout improved the survival rates of the septic mice and attenuated NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated inflammation. In conclusion, our study indicates that CTRP9 aggravates LPS-induced inflammation by promoting NLRP3 inflammasome activation via the NOX2/ROS pathway. CTRP9 could be a promising target for NLRP3 inflammasome-driven inflammatory diseases.

Osthole Attenuates Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis by Modulating NADPH Oxidase 4-Derived Oxidative Stress in Mice.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic progressive lung disease characterized by the extensive accumulation of myofibroblasts and collagens. However, the exact mechanism that underlies this condition is unclear. Growing evidence suggests that NADPH oxidases (NOXs), especially NOX4-derived oxidative stress, play an important role in the development of lung fibrosis. Bleomycin (BLM) is a tumor chemotherapeutic agent, which has been widely employed to establish IPF animal models. Osthole (OST) is an active constituent of the fruit of Cnidium ninidium. Here, we used an in vivo mouse model and found that OST suppressed BLM-induced body weight loss, lung injury, pulmonary index increase, fibroblast differentiation, and pulmonary fibrosis. OST also significantly downregulated BLM-induced NOX4 expression and oxidative stress in the lungs. In vitro, OST could inhibit TGF-ß1-induced Smad3 phosphorylation, differentiation, proliferation, collagen synthesis, NOX4 expression, and ROS generation in human lung fibroblasts in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, NOX4 overexpression could prevent the above effects of OST. We came to the conclusion that OST could significantly attenuate BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice, via the mechanism that involved downregulating TGF-ß1/NOX4-mediated oxidative stress in lung fibroblasts.

Diagnostic utility of corneal confocal microscopy in type 2 diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: The early pathological changes of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) are mainly small nerve fiber injuries. Corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) is an easy, rapid, non-invasive and repeatable technique to detect the damage of small nerve fibers. The purpose of this study was to explore the application of CCM in DPN and other chronic complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 220 individuals (48 normal healthy control participants and 172 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus) were included in the study. All participants were assessed and scored for neurological symptoms and neurological deficits, quantitative sensory test, neuroelectrophysiological test, and CCM. RESULTS: Corneal nerve fiber density, corneal nerve fiber length and corneal nerve branch density were significantly reduced in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus compared with normal healthy control subjects (P < 0.001, P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). In the DPN group, corneal nerve fiber density, corneal nerve branch density and corneal nerve fiber length were significantly lower than for patients without DPN (P < 0.001, P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the optimal cut-off values were 24.68, 39 and 15.315, respectively, in which corneal nerve fiber density and corneal nerve fiber length had moderate sensitivity and specificity. CONCLUSION: This study provides more support for the clinical use of CCM to diagnose type 2 diabetes mellitus-related complications, especially DPN.

CTRP9 alleviates foam cells apoptosis by enhancing cholesterol efflux.

The apoptosis of foam cells leads to instability of atherosclerotic plaques. This study was designed to explore the protective role of CTRP9 in foam cell apoptosis. In our experiment, CTRP9 alleviated foam cell apoptosis. Meanwhile, CTRP9 upregulated the expression of proteins important for cholesterol efflux, such as LXRα, CYP27A1, ABCG1 and ABCA1, and improved cholesterol efflux in foam cells. Moreover, CTRP9 inhibited Wnt3a and ß-catenin expression and ß-catenin nuclear translocation in foam cells. In addition, adenovirus overexpression of Wnt3a abolished the effect of CTRP9 on macrophage apoptosis. Mechanistically, the AMPK inhibitor abolished the effect of CTRP9 on foam cell apoptosis, and downregulation of AdipoR1 by siRNA abrogated the activation of AMPK and the effect of CTRP9 on foam cell apoptosis. We concluded that CTRP9 achieved these protective effects on foam cells through the AdipoR1/AMPK pathway.

The Association of Fasting C-peptide with Corneal Neuropathy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

PURPOSE: Damage to corneal nerve fibers has been demonstrated in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) that further progresses with increasing severity of diabetic peripheral neuropathy. However, the role of C-peptide in corneal nerve damage has not been reported in T2DM. The present study investigated the relationship of fasting C-peptide levels with corneal neuropathy evaluated by corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) in patients with T2DM. METHODS: 160 T2DM patients (72 females) aged 34-78 with duration ranging from 0 to 40 years underwent CCM to measure corneal nerve fiber length (CNFL), corneal nerve fiber density (CNFD), and corneal nerve branch density (CNBD). Pearson correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were used to explore the association of fasting C-peptide levels with corneal nerve parameters. Partial correlation analysis (adjusted for age and gender) was also conducted to analyze the correlation of metabolic indexes with these three corneal nerve parameters. The relationship between fasting C-peptide levels and duration of diabetes was also explored by Pearson correlation analysis. RESULTS: With an increase in fasting C-peptide levels, the values of CNFL, CNFD, and CNBD also showed a corresponding trend for an increase. Partial correlation analysis revealed that fasting C-peptide levels were positively associated with CNFL (r = 0.245, P = 0.002), CNFD (r = 0.180, P = 0.024), and CNBD (r = 0.214, P = 0.008) after adjusting for age and gender. Using multiple linear regression analysis, fasting C-peptide levels were also closely associated with CNFL (P = 0.047) and CNBD (P = 0.038) after multiple adjustments. However, this association disappeared after further adjusting for duration of diabetes. Further analysis indicated that fasting C-peptide levels declined with duration of diabetes (r = -0.267, P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: C-peptide was closely associated with corneal neuropathy and disease duration in T2DM. C-peptide levels might be both an indicator of beta-cell function and a marker of disease severity (such as diabetic corneal neuropathy) and duration.

CTRP9 induces macrophages polarization into M1 phenotype through activating JNK pathway and enhances VSMCs apoptosis in macrophages and VSMCs co-culture system.

Inflammation plays a critical role in the development of atherosclerosis (AS), which has been identified as a major predisposing factor for stroke. Macrophages and VSMCs are associated with plaque formation and progression. Macrophages can dynamically change into two main functional phenotypes, namely M1 and M2, they can produce either pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory factors which may affect the outcome of inflammation. As a member of CTRPs family, CTRP9 has been reported play important protective roles in the cardiovascular system. However, whether CTRP9 can regulate macrophage activation status in inflammatory responses and have effect on VSMCs behaviors in co-culture system have not been fully investigated. In the present study, using peritoneal macrophages treated with CTRP9, we found that CTRP9 facilitated macrophages towards M1 phenotype, promoted TNF-α secretion and MMPs expression. CTRP9 showed synergistic effect with LPS in inducing M1 macrophages. In macrophages-VSMCs co-culture system, apoptosis and down-regulated proliferation of VSMCs were accelerated with CTRP9-treated macrophages. Then we attempted to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms of CTRP9 resulting in M1 activation. The c-Jun NH2-terminal kinases (JNK) are members of the mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK) family, plays a central role in the cell stress response, with outcomes ranging from cell death to cell proliferation and survival. We found JNK expression was upregulated following CTRP9 stimulation, and inhibiting JNK phosphorylation level was associated with decreased expression of M1 markers and TNF-α concentration. Moreover, VSMCs apoptosis were ameliorated after inhibition of JNK. These results suggested that CTRP9 may promote macrophage towards M1 activation status through JNK signaling pathway activation.

Globular CTRP9 protects cardiomyocytes from palmitic acid-induced oxidative stress by enhancing autophagic flux.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress in cardiac myocytes is an important pathogenesis of cardiac lipotoxicity. Autophagy is a cellular self-digestion process that can selectively remove damaged organelles under oxidative stress, and thus presents a potential therapeutic target against cardiac lipotoxicity. Globular CTRP9 (gCTRP9) is a newly identified adiponectin paralog with established metabolic regulatory properties. The aim of this work is to investigate whether autophagy participates the protection effects of gCTRP9 in neonatal rat cardiac myocytes (NRCMs) under oxidative stress and the underlying mechanism. RESULTS: NRCMs were treated with PA of various concentrations for indicated time period. Our results showed that PA enhanced intracellular ROS accumulation, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) and increased activation of caspases 3. These changes suggested lipotoxicity due to excessive PA. In addition, PA was observed to impair autophagic flux in NRCMs and impaired autophagosome clearance induced by PA contributes to cardiomyocyte death. Besides, we found that gCTRP9 increased the ratio of LC3II/I and the expression of ATG5 which was vital to the formation of autophagosomes and decreased the level of P62, suggesting enhanced autophagic flux in the absence or presence of PA. The result was further confirmed by the methods of infection with LC3-mRFP-GFP lentivirus and blockage of autophagosome-lysosome fusion by BafA1. Moreover, gCTRP9 reestablished the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, suppressed ROS generation, and reduced PA -induced myocyte death. However, the protective effect of gCTRP9 on the cardiac lipotoxicity was partly abolished by blockade of autophagy by autophagy-related 5 (ATG5) siRNA, indicating that the effect of gCTRP9 on cell survival is critically mediated through regulation of autophagy. CONCLUSION: Autophagy induction by gCTRP9 could be utilized as a potential therapeutic strategy against oxidative stress-mediated damage in cardiomyocytes.

CTRP9 knockout exaggerates lipotoxicity in cardiac myocytes and high-fat diet-induced cardiac hypertrophy through inhibiting the LKB1/AMPK pathway.

CTRP9 has been reported to regulate lipid metabolism and exert cardioprotective effects, yet its role in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced cardiac lipotoxicity and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In the current study, we established HFD-induced obesity model in wild-type (WT) or CTRP9 knockout (CTRP9-KO) mice and palmitate-induced lipotoxicity model in neonatal rat cardiac myocytes (NRCMs) to investigate the effects of CTRP9 on cardiac lipotoxicity. Our results demonstrated that the HFD-fed CTRP9-KO mice accentuated cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-initiated apoptosis and oxidative stress compared with the HFD-fed WT mice. In vitro, CTRP9 treatment markedly alleviated palmitate-induced oxidative stress and ER stress-induced apoptosis in NRCMs in a dose-dependent manner. Phosphorylated AMPK at Thr172 was reduced, and phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) was strengthened in the heart of the HFD-fed CTRP9-KO mice compared with the HFD-fed control mice. In vitro, AMPK inhibitor compound C significantly abolished the effects of CTRP9 on the inhibition of the apoptotic pathway in palmitate-treated NRCMs. In a further mechanistic study, CTRP9 enhanced expression of phosphorylated LKB1 at Ser428 and promoted LKB1 cytoplasmic localization. Besides, silencing of LKB1 gene by lentivirus significantly prohibited activation of AMPK by CTRP9 and partially eliminated the protective effect of CTRP9 on the cardiac lipotoxicity. These results indicate that CTRP9 exerted anti-myocardial lipotoxicity properties and inhibited cardiac hypertrophy probably through the LKB1/AMPK signalling pathway.

CTRP9 induces iNOS expression through JAK2/STAT3 pathway in Raw 264.7 and peritoneal macrophages.

The C1q tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related proteins 9 (CTRP9), an adipocyte-derived cytokine, affects a number of physiological processes, including immune function and inflammation. We investigated whether CTRP9 affects the expression of inflammation-related genes in Raw 264.7 and peritoneal macrophages. The CTRP9-induced expression of iNOS increased in a time- and dose-dependent manner. LPS and CTRP9 promote the expression of iNOS jointly in Raw 264.7 and peritoneal macrophages. CTRP9 induced the phosphorylation of JAK2 and STAT3 in Raw 264.7 and peritoneal macrophages. VX509 (JAK2 inhibitor) reduced the CTRP9-induced iNOS protein production. In addition, the CTRP9-induced phosphorylation of JAK2 and STAT3 was dramatically reduced by VX509. Collectively, these results suggest that JAK2/STAT3 signaling is involved in the CTRP9-induced expression of iNOS.

Overexpression of lncRNA Gm2691 attenuates apoptosis and inflammatory response after myocardial infarction through PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Acute myocardial infarction is one of the most threatening disease in the world. In previous studies, numerous dysregulated lncRNAs exposed to ischemic reperfusion injury have been identified. In this differential lncRNAs, Gm2691 attracted our attention due to its high fold change. The aim of the study was to investigate the function and mechanism of lncRNA Gm2691 in ischemic reperfusion injury. AnaeroPack anaerobic system treated neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes were used to analyze the function of lncRNA Gm2691 in vitro. Tunel, Caspase3, and inflammation markers were detected to evaluate apoptosis and inflammatory response. Rat acute myocardial infarction was performed to elucidate the function of lncRNA Gm2691 in vivo. The results showed that LncRNA Gm2691 improved the cardiac function and attenuated the inflammatory response in vivo. We also found that lncRNA Gm2691 reduced the apoptosis and improved cell survival rates in anaeroPack anaerobic system treated neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes. Western blot analysis revealed that lncRNA Gm2691 decreased Akt and ERK1/2 activities, suggesting that lncRNA Gm2691 may functioned through Akt signaling pathway. We verified the function and mechanism of lncRNA Gm2691 and provide evidence that lncRNA Gm2691 may play important role in ischemic reperfusion injury, and understanding the precise role of Gm2691 will undoubtedly shed new light on the clinical treatment.

Overexpression of CTRP9 attenuates the development of atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

This study was aimed to explore the role of C1q/TNF-related protein 9 (CTRP9) on atherosclerotic lesion formation. A recombinant lentiviral vector carrying mouse CTRP9 (Lv-CTRP9) was injected intravenously into apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE-/-) mice given a high-fat diet (HFD). CTRP9 overexpression substantially attenuated atherosclerotic lesion size of mice. The accumulation of macrophages and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) was significantly decreased in atherosclerotic regions with CTRP9 overexpression by immunohistochemical analysis. In addition, CTRP9 downregulated the expressions of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), two main proinflammatory cytokines in atherosclerosis. Furthermore, the autophagy level remarkably increased which was presented by microtubule-associated protein light chain 3B (LC3B) conversion and sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1/p62) degradation. Further study showed that CTRP9 increased adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation and decreased mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) phosphorylation in vivo. These observations reveal that CTRP9 exerts a protecting role in early atherosclerotic lesions and its anti-atherosclerotic effect is associated with autophagy induction through AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway.

Electrochemical Skin Conductance May Be Used to Screen for Diabetic Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy in a Chinese Population with Diabetes.

Aims. This study aimed to assess whether the electrochemical skin conductance (ESC) could be used to screen for diabetic cardiac autonomic neuropathy (DCAN) in a Chinese population with diabetes. Methods. We recruited 75 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and 45 controls without diabetes. DCAN was diagnosed by the cardiovascular autonomic reflex tests (CARTs) as gold standard. In all subjects ESCs of hands and feet were also detected by SUDOSCAN™ as a new screening method. The efficacy was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results. The ESCs of both hands and feet were significantly lower in T2DM patients with DCAN than those without DCAN (67.33 ± 15.37 versus 78.03 ± 13.73, P = 0.002, and 57.77 ± 20.99 versus 75.03 ± 11.41, P < 0.001). The ROC curve analysis showed the areas under the ROC curve were both 0.75 for ESCs of hands and feet in screening DCAN. And the optimal cut-off values of ESCs, sensitivities, and specificities were 76 µS, 76.7%, and 75.6% for hands and 75 µS, 80.0%, and 60.0% for feet, respectively. Conclusions. ESC measurement is a reliable and feasible method to screen DCAN in the Chinese population with diabetes before further diagnosis with CARTs.