Induction mechanism of cigarette smoke components (CSCs) on dyslipidemia and hepatic steatosis in rats.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of cigarette smoke component (CSC) exposure on serum lipid levels in rats and the underlying molecular mechanism. METHODS: Male SPF-grade SD rats were randomly divided into a control group and a CSC exposure group, with the CSC group being exposed to CSC for 6 weeks. RT-PCR and Western blotting methods were used to detect lipid metabolism gene expression in rats, and 16S RNA gene sequencing was used to detect the gut microbiota in the rat cecum. Rat serum exosomes were prepared and identified, and the interaction of exosomal miR-291a-3p and miR-126a-5p with AMPK and CYP7A1 was detected by a dual luciferase reporter gene assay (DLRG). RESULTS: Serum indicators, including cholesterol levels and trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) content, were significantly affected in the CSC exposure group compared with the control group (P < 0.05), and the expression levels of adenylate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC) and HMG-CoA reductase (HMG-CoAR) genes were significantly increased (P < 0.05) in the liver, while the expression level of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) was markedly decreased (P < 0.01). 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the gut microbiota in the rat cecum showed that the abundance of Firmicutes in the CSC group increased significantly at the phylum level, while the abundances of Bacteroidota and Spirochaetota were reduced significantly (P < 0.01). The relative abundance of Romboutsia, Turicibacter, and Clostridium sensu stricto increased significantly (P < 0.01), and the relative abundance of Prevotella, Muribaculaceae_norank, Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 group, Roseburia, Treponema, and Ruminococcus significantly decreased (P < 0.01) at the genus level. In addition, the exosome miR-291a-3p and miR-126a-5p levels were markedly regulated by CSC exposure (P < 0.01). The interactions of miR-291a-3p and miR-126a-5p with AMPK and CYP7A1 mRNA were also validated by the DLRG method. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, the rat dyslipidemia induced by CSC exposure may be related to the interference of gut microbiota structure and interaction of miRNAs from serum exosomes with target mRNAs, which further regulated AMPK-ACC/CYP7A1 signaling in rats.

Increased expression of hematological and neurological expressed 1 (HN1) is associated with a poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma and its knockdown inhibits cell growth and migration partly by down-regulation of c-Met.

Hematologic and neurological expression 1 (HN1) has been reported to involved in certain cancers, but its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is largely unknown. The contribution of HN1 to HCC progression was investigated in the present study. We found that HN1 was significantly up-regulated in HCC tissues, compared with normal tissues, by analyzing the Oncomine and Human Protein Atlas database; and found that high expression of HN1 was markedly associated with worse overall survival, relapse-free survival, progression- free survival and disease-specific survival in HCC patients via exploring the Kaplan-Meier plotter database. Functional assays revealed that HN1 knockdown by siRNA induced G1 cell cycle arrest, and inhibited the growth and migration of HCC cells; accordingly, HN1 over-expression promoted HCC cells proliferation and migration. Further studies indicated that HN1 knockdown reduced the expression of cyclin D1 and CDK4, while upregulated the cell cycle inhibitor p21WAF1/Cip1. Moreover, HN1 knockdown decreased c-Met (receptor tyrosine kinase of hepatocyte growth factor) expression, and suppressed ERK activation, which is a common downstream signaling pathway triggered by c-Met; consistently, HN1 over-expression reversed these effects. Meanwhile, down-regulation of c-Met partly eliminated the effect of HN1 over-expression in HCC cells. Thus, the present findings suggested that HN1 promotes the progression of HCC to some extent by up-regulating the expression of c-Met, and may act as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for the treatment of HCC.

A high temporal-spatial vehicle emission inventory based on detailed hourly traffic data in a medium-sized city of China.

To improve the accuracy and temporal-spatial resolution for a vehicle emission inventory in a medium-sized city with a strip road network, this study was conducted based on detailed hourly traffic-flow data for each day of 2014, and covered all road types and regions in the city of Foshan. Detailed hourly emission characteristics and sources in five regions were analysed. The results showed that the total vehicle emissions of CO, NOX, VOCs, and PM2.5 were 13.10 × 104, 0.23 × 104, 4.46 × 104, and 0.18 × 104 tons, respectively. Motorcycles (MCs) and light passenger cars (LPCs) were the dominant contributors of CO emissions, while buses and heavy passenger cars (HPCs) were the dominant contributors for NOX. As a whole, the daytime contributions to total emissions were close to 80%, and emissions during the peak periods accounted for almost 40%. Specifically, the hourly emissions of each pollutant on workdays were higher than on non-workdays (maximum up to 64.2%), and for some roads the early peak periods changed significantly from workdays to non-workdays. At expressways, artery roads, and local roads, the daily emission intensities of CO, NOx, and PM2.5 in Foshan were close to or even higher than that of Beijing. On a regional scale, the temporal variation of vehicle emissions on workdays at artery roads of different regions were similar. In addition, the higher emission intensities of CO and VOCs were identified in DaLiang-RongGui (DLRG) and that of NOX and PM2.5 were in Central Region (CR). These results are meaningful for decision-makers to help provide more detailed vehicle pollution control measures in Foshan with a strip road network and only one ring road.

Novel and supplementary management of pancreatic fluid collections: Endoscopic ultrasound-guided drainage.

AIM: To compare efficacy and safety of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided and surgical drainage in pancreatic fluid collection management. METHODS: Data were obtained retrospectively from January 2012 to December 2016. Patients with pancreatic fluid collection were performed EUS-guided or surgical procedure. Main outcome measures including clinical efficiency, complication, duration of procedures, hospital stay and cost were analyzed. RESULTS: Thirty-six patients were enrolled into the study, including 14 in endoscopic group while 22 in the surgical group. Twelve (86%) patients were treated successfully by endoscopic approach while 21 (95%) patients benefited through surgical procedure. Endoscopic treatment had higher recurrence and complication rates than surgery, resulting in more re-interventions. Meanwhile, duration of procedure, hospital stay and cost were significantly lower in endoscopic group. CONCLUSION: Both approaches were effective and safe. EUS-guided approach should be the first-line treatment in mild and simple cases, while surgical approach should be considered as priority in severe and complex cases.

Vehicle emission trends in China's Guangdong Province from 1994 to 2014.

Exploring vehicle emission trends within and outside the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region during a long period was scientific and practical, for the economic rapid unbalanced development, continuous implements of severe reducing vehicle emissions measures in Guangdong province. Multi-year inventories of vehicle emissions from 1994 to 2014 were estimated based on the emissions factors of different emissions standards and vehicle kilometers travelled for all types of vehicles. The trends and characteristics of the emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen oxides (NOx), fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and course particulate matter (PM10) were then analyzed within and outside the PRD region. In the above two regions, the total amount of the five pollutant emissions varied greatly with gross domestic product (GDP) from 1994 to 2014, showing the overall performance of the first increasing up to 1.6-3.0 times before 2002, and then decreasing. However, the five pollutant emissions in the PRD region were 2.4-3.3 times more than in the non-PRD region. In both regions, light passenger cars and motorcycles were the main contributors to CO and VOC emissions (65%-80%), and heavy duty trucks and passenger cars were the main contributors to NOx, PM2.5 and PM10 emissions (around 42%-50%). Moreover, compared to CO and VOCs emissions, the changes in the contribution of every vehicles type to NOx, PM2.5 and PM10 emissions were more obvious, and coincided with the implementation time of emission and fuel standards in the non-PRD region. It was noted that CO and VOC emission variations was correlated closely with the population of yellow-label light passenger cars and motorcycles, whereas those of NOx and PM2.5 was coincided that of yellow-label heavy passenger cars and trucks.

Expression of Glut-1 and HK-II in Pancreatic Cancer and Their Impact on Prognosis and FDG Accumulation.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to analyze the expression of Glut-1 and HK-II, the association between their expression and 18F-FDG accumulation in pancreatic cancer. METHODS: Fifty patients with histologically proven pancreatic cancer were included in this preliminary study, all of whom received 18F-FDG PET/CT performance before surgery. Immunohistochemical staining of tumor tissue and adjacent normal tissue was performed for Glut-1 and HK-II. By combining proportions and intensity of immunochemical staining, we obtained the modified immunohistological scores for Glut-1 and HK-II respectively. The relationship between expression of Glut-1, HK-II and series of parameters was analyzed, i.e. clinicopathological characteristics, prognosis of patients and SUVmax of PET-CT. RESULTS: Compared with normal tissue, the Glut-1 and HK-II expression in pancreatic cancer tissue was significantly increased (P<.001). There was no correlation between expression of Glut-1, HK-II and age, gender, tumor size, tumor location, tumor histological type, tumor differentiation, the nerve infiltration, vascular invasion, local infiltration, lymph node metastasis or tumor staging in pancreatic cancer (P>.05). During the follow-up period, the survival curves of low Glut-1 group and high Glut-1 group were statistically different (P=.049). Multivariate analysis (Cox regression) revealed that Glut-1 expression was not associated with mortality (P>.05). No statistical difference was found in the survival curves of negative HK-II group and positive HK-II group (P=.545). There was no correlation between 18F-FDG uptake and expression of Glut-1 and HK-II(P>.05). CONCLUSION: The Glut-1 and HK-II expression in pancreatic cancer tissue was significantly increased. There was no correlation between expression of Glut-1, HK-II and clinicopathological characteristics, prognosis and 18F-FDG uptake.

Mycophenolic acid inhibits the phosphorylation of nuclear factor­κB and Akt in renal tubular epithelial cells.

Renal tubulointerstitial injury induced by albumin overload is a critical stage during the progression of renal interstitial fibrosis and progression of chronic renal diseases. Inosine­5'­monophosphate dehydrogenase inhibitor mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), a pro­drug of mycophenolic acid (MPA), is known to attenuate the progression of renal interstitial fibrosis; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms of the anti­ï¬brotic effects of derivatives of MMF have not yet been studied. The present study assessed the effects of the MPA on renal tubular epithelial cells. Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF­ß1) has been indicated to have a central role in the underlying molecular mechanisms of renal fibrosis; furthermore, nuclear transcription factor­κB (NF­κB) is a transcription factor associated with the production of inflammatory cytokines, cell proliferation and apoptosis. In addition, the Akt signaling pathway has important roles in cell proliferation, differentiation, metabolism and apoptosis. The present study subjected the NRK52E rat kidney epithelial­derived cell line to albumin overload, which resulted in an increase in TGF­ß1 production as well as phosphorylation of Akt and the binding activity of NF­κB to the promoter region of the TGF­ß1 gene, which was, however, reduced following pre­incubation of the cells with MPA. In addition, the effects of albumin were partially blocked by Ly294002, a specific inhibitor of Akt. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggested that MPA may exert its anti­fibrotic effects by inhibiting the upregulation of TGF­ß1 and the activation of NF­κB following albumin overload, which may be partly dependent on the Akt pathway.

[Effect of greenbelt on pollutant dispersion in street canyon].

The effect feature of greenbelt on flow field and pollutant dispersion in urban street canyon was researched. The greenbelt was assumed as uniform porous media and its aerodynamics property defined by the pressure loss coefficient. Subsequently, the pollutant dispersion in the street canyon of which there was greenbelt in the middle was simulated with the steady-state standard kappa-epsilon turbulence model and species transport equation. The simulated results agreed well with the wind-tunnel data. Compared with the treeless case, it finds that the street canyon contain a clockwise vortex, the pollutant concentration of the leeward was several times than the windward and the growth rate of pollutant concentration was 46.0%. The further simulation for the impact of tree crown position on the airflow and pollutant dispersion finds that the height of major vortex center in the street canyon increases with the height of tree crown and gradually closes the top of windward building This causes that the average wind speed in the street canyon decreases. Especially when the top of tree crown over the roof and hinder the air flow above the street canyon, the average pollutant concentration increases with the height of tree crown rapidly.

Effects of yinchenhao decoction (see text) for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in rats and study of the mechanism.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of Yinchenhao Decoction (see text) for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in rats and study the mechanism. METHODS: Total 18 male SD rats were randomly divided into a normal control group, a model group and a treatment group, 6 rats in each group. Rats in the model and treatment groups were fed with high-fat forage for 10 weeks to prepare the NASH model, and the rats in the treatment group were administrated with Yinchenhao Decoction from the 6th week for 5 weeks. All rats were sacrificed at the end of the 10th week and the samples were collected. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) level, and hepatic triglyceride (TG) and free fatty acid (FFA) contents were determined. Hepatic pathological changes were detected by HE staining. RESULTS: Serum ALT activity, TNF-alpha level, hepatic TG and FFA contents, and the fatty deposition in hepatocytes were significantly reduced in the rats of the treatment group. CONCLUSION: Yinchenhao Decoction has good therapeutic effects for NASH, protecting the liver function and reducing the fatty deposition in liver, which are possibly related with reduction of FFA content and inhibition of TNF-alpha expression.

Prevalence of the precore G1896A mutation in Chinese patients with e antigen negative hepatitis B virus infection and its relationship to pre-S1 antigen

This study investigated the prevalence of the precore G1896A mutation in Chinese patients with hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) negative HBV infection and its relation to serum HBV pre-S1 antigen. The overall prevalence of the precore G1896A mutation was 72.6 percent in HBeAg-negative Chinese patients with detectable serum HBV DNA. The prevalence of the precore G1896A is significantly higher in Chinese HBeAg-negative patients with chronic hepatitis B than that in inactive HBV carriers with detectable serum HBV DNA. Serum pre-S1 and the precore G1896A mutation were simultaneously detected in most of Chinese HBeAg-negative patients.

Prevalence of the precore G1896A mutation in Chinese patients with e antigen negative hepatitis B virus infection and its relationship to pre-S1 antigen.

This study investigated the prevalence of the precore G1896A mutation in Chinese patients with hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) negative HBV infection and its relation to serum HBV pre-S1 antigen. The overall prevalence of the precore G1896A mutation was 72.6% in HBeAg-negative Chinese patients with detectable serum HBV DNA. The prevalence of the precore G1896A is significantly higher in Chinese HBeAg-negative patients with chronic hepatitis B than that in inactive HBV carriers with detectable serum HBV DNA. Serum pre-S1 and the precore G1896A mutation were simultaneously detected in most of Chinese HBeAg-negative patients.

Comparison of real-time polymerase chain reaction with the COBAS Amplicor test for quantitation of hepatitis B virus DNA in serum samples.

AIM: To compare the clinical performance of a real-time PCR assay with the COBAS Amplicor Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Monitor test for quantitation of HBV DNA in serum samples. METHODS: The reference sera of the Chinese National Institute for the Control of Pharmaceutical and Biological Products and the National Center for Clinical Laboratories of China, and 158 clinical serum samples were used in this study. The linearity, accuracy, reproducibility, assay time, and costs of the real-time PCR were evaluated and compared with those of the Cobas Amplicor test. RESULTS: The intra-assay and inter-assay variations of the real-time PCR ranged from 0.3% to 3.8% and 1.4% to 8.1%, respectively. The HBV DNA levels measured by the real-time PCR correlated very well with those obtained with the COBAS Amplicor test (r = 0.948). The real-time PCR HBV DNA kit was much cheaper and had a wider dynamic range. CONCLUSION: The real-time PCR assay is an excellent tool for monitoring of HBV DNA levels in patients with chronic hepatitis B.