Review on toxicology and activity of tomato glycoalkaloids in immature tomatoes.

Owing to the lack of selection and limited intelligence in mechanical picking, some immature tomatoes that contain alkaloids are thrown away. Tomatine alkaloids are steroidal alkaloids naturally present in Solanaceae plants, which are distributed in small amounts in immature tomato fruits and decrease as the fruits ripen. Tomato glycoalkaloids are harmful to human health. However, in small quantities, there is some evidence that these compounds might be beneficial, as other non-antioxidant bioactivities. This article considers recent research on the biological effects of tomato glycoalkaloids in immature tomatoes, providing reference value for the potential development of these compounds.

Characteristics of second-hand exposure to aerosols from e-cigarettes: A literature review since 2010.

In recent years, the use of electronic vaping products (also named e-cigarettes) has increased due to their appealing flavors and nicotine delivery without the combustion of tobacco. Although the hazardous substances emitted by e-cigarettes are largely found to be much lower than combustible cigarettes, second-hand exposure to e-cigarette aerosols is not completely benign for bystanders. This work reviewed and synthesized findings on the second-hand exposure of aerosols from e-cigarettes and compared the results with those of the combustible cigarettes. In this review, different results were integrated based upon sampling locations such as residences, vehicles, offices, public places, and experimental exposure chambers. In addition, the factors that influence the second-hand exposure levels were identified by objectively reviewing and integrating the impacts of combustible cigarettes and e-cigarettes on the environment. It is a challenge to compare the literature data directly to assess the effect of smoking/vaping on the indoor environment. The room volume, indoor air exchange rate, puffing duration, and puffing numbers should be considered, which are important factors in determining the degree of pollution. Therefore, it is necessary to calculate the "emission rate" to normalize the concentration of pollutants emitted under various experimental conditions and make the results comparable. This review aims to increase the awareness regarding the harmful effects of the second-hand exposure to aerosols coming from the use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes, identify knowledge gaps, and provide a scientific basis for future policy interventions with regard to the regulation of smoking and vaping.

Analysis of scanning systematic errors for airborne laser bathymetry.

For the Palmer mechanical scanning pattern of an airborne laser bathymetry system, the potential errors of the scanning system are analyzed, and the associated error model is derived. The model composes the description of laser rays, water surface fluctuations, and refraction, and introduces certain simplifications concerning the water surface and column. Based on the scanning error model, the impact of each error source on the vertical and horizontal positioning accuracy is investigated and established through a numerical simulation. The quantitative impacts of each inaccuracy on the coordinates of the laser footprints on the sea surface and bottom were calculated, with a height of 100 m for the airborne platform and a water depth of 10 m. To verify the correctness of the simulation results and the error model based on a theoretical analysis, experiments are utilized with the system that we developed. Both the simulation analysis and experimental results show that this method can effectively obtain the systematic errors. The outcomes of the error model and analysis will give the theoretical foundations for lowering the effect brought on by each error source in the compensation scanning system and improving the point cloud accuracy in the ensuing data processing.

PM1 exposure and spatial transmission of nicotine from the simulated second-hand vapor of pod-based electronic cigarettes.

Electronic cigarettes (E-cigarettes) have gained significant popularity in recent years as a substitute for combustible cigarettes. However, there is growing concern regarding the safety of E-cigarette products for both the users and those exposed passively to second-hand emissions, which contain nicotine and other toxic substances. In particular, the characteristics of second-hand PM1 exposure and the transmission of nicotine from E-cigarettes remain unclear. In this study, the untrapped mainstream aerosols from the E-cigarette and smoke from cigarettes were exhausted by the smoking machines which were operated under standardized puffing regimes to simulate second-hand vapor or smoke exposure. The concentrations and components of PM1 released from cigarettes and E-cigarettes were compared under varying environmental conditions and regulated using a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Additionally, the ambient nicotine concentrations and the size distribution of the generated aerosols were determined at different distances from the release source. Results showed that PM1 accounted for the highest proportion (98 %) of the released particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5, and PM10). The mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) of cigarette smoke (0.5 ± 0.01 µm, geometric standard deviation (GSD) 1.97 ± 0.1) was smaller than that of E-cigarette aerosols (1.06 ± 0.14 µm, GSD 1.79 ± 0.19). The PM1 concentrations and chemical components were effectively reduced when the HVAC system was utilized. Nicotine concentrations in E-cigarette aerosols were comparable to those of combustible cigarette emissions when close to the exposure source (0 m), while they declined more rapidly than cigarette smoke emissions with increasing distance from the source. Furthermore, the maximum nicotine concentrations occurred in 1 µm and 0.5 µm particles in E-cigarette and cigarette emissions, respectively. These results provide a scientific basis for the assessment of E-cigarette and cigarette aerosol passive exposure risks, guiding the development of environmental and human health control measures for these products.

Identification and functional characterization of caspases in turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) in response to bacterial infection.

Apoptosis is the autonomous and orderly death of cells under genetic control to maintain the stability of the internal environment, and is a programmed cell death process with unique morphological and biochemical properties that is regulated by a variety of factors. Caspase gene family has a significant function in the process of apoptosis. However, the knowledge of caspases in turbot remains largely unknown. In present study, a total of nine turbot caspase genes were identified. The mRNA length of these caspase genes was ranged from 1225 bp (caspase-7) to 3216 bp (caspase-2), and the protein length was ranged from 281 aa (caspase-3a) to 507 aa (caspase-10). Phylogenetic analysis showed these caspase genes were divided into three subfamilies. The qRT-PCR results showed that turbot caspase genes were expressed in all the examined organs, especially the intestine, kidney, blood and gills. Meanwhile, we explored the expression patterns of caspase genes in the intestine, skin and gills after Vibrio anguillarum and Aeromonas salmonids infections. The results showed that caspase genes showed different expression patterns in mucosal tissues after bacterial infection, demonstrating the critical role of caspase genes in mucosal immune responses. In addition, protein-protein interaction analysis showed that caspase proteins interacted with immune molecules such as NLR, IL-1ß, and birc. The results of interference and overexpression experiments showed that caspase-1 might play key roles in the regulation of the IL-1ß production, but the detailed mechanism needs to be further studied. The results of this study provide valuable information for further study the roles of caspase genes in turbot, which could help us to further understand the inflammatory pathways in teleost.

Non-monotonic changes in Asian Water Towers' streamflow at increasing warming levels.

Previous projections show consistent increases in river flows of Asian Water Towers under future climate change. Here we find non-monotonic changes in river flows for seven major rivers originating from the Tibetan Plateau at the warming levels of 1.5 °C, 2.0 °C, and 3.0 °C based on an observation-constrained hydrological model. The annual mean streamflow for seven rivers at 1.5 °C warming level decreases by 0.1-3.2% relative to the present-day climate condition, and increases by 1.5-12% at 3.0 °C warming level. The shifting river flows for the Yellow, Yangtze, Brahmaputra, and Ganges are mostly influenced by projected increases in rainfall, but those for the Mekong, Salween, and Indus are dictated by the relative changes in rainfall, snowmelt and glacier melt. Reduced river flows in a moderately warmed climate threaten water security in riparian countries, while elevated flood risks are expected with further temperature increases over the Tibetan Plateau.

Genome-wide identification and functional characterization of inhibitor of nuclear factor-κB (IκB) kinase (IKK) in turbot (Scophthalmus maximus).

The inhibitor of nuclear factor-κB (IκB) kinase (IKK) is involved in a variety of intracellular cell signaling pathways and is an important component of the NF-κB signaling pathway. IKK genes have been suggested to play important roles in the innate immune response to pathogen infection in both vertebrates and invertebrates. However, little information is available about IKK genes in turbot (Scophthalmus maximus). In this study, six IKK genes were identified including SmIKKα, SmIKKα2, SmIKKß, SmIKKε, SmIKKγ, and SmTBK1. The IKK genes of turbot showed the highest identity and similarity with Cynoglossus semilaevis. Then, phylogenetic analysis showed that the IKK genes of turbot were most closely related to C. semilaevis. In addition, IKK genes were widely expressed in all the examined tissues. Meanwhile, the expression patterns of IKK genes were investigated by QRT-PCR after Vibrio anguillarum and Aeromonas salmonicida infection. The results showed that IKK genes had varying expression patterns in mucosal tissues after bacteria infection, indicating that they may play key roles in maintaining the integrity of the mucosal barrier. Subsequently, protein and protein interaction (PPI) network analysis showed that most proteins interacting with IKK genes were located in the NF-κB signaling pathway. Finally, the double luciferase report and overexpression experiments showed that SmIKKα/SmIKKα2/SmIKKß involved in the activation of NF-κB in turbot. In summary, our results suggested that IKK genes of turbot played important roles in the innate immune response of teleost, and provide valuable information for further study of the function of IKK genes.

Serum uric acid is related to left ventricular geometry and function in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

INTRODUCTION: Serum uric acid (SUA) is an oxidative stress-related biomarker of cardiovascular risk. We sought to discover whether or not SUA was related to left ventricular geometry (LVG) and function among individuals with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). METHODS: Patients with OSA and healthy controls were assessed for clinical features, echocardiography, polysomnography, and blood biochemical data. Patients with OSA were divided into four groups: normal geometry (NG), concentric remodeling (CR), eccentric hypertrophy (EH), and concentric hypertrophy (CH). Correlations of SUA with left ventricular (LV) structure and function were examined through Pearson correlation analysis. The risk variables of LVG were investigated using a multivariate logistic regression model. RESULTS: Compared to controls, patients with OSA had greater SUA levels. The eccentric hypertrophy (EH) and concentric hypertrophy (CH) groups showed substantially greater SUA levels than the normal geometry (NG) and concentric remodeling (CR) groups (p < 0.05). SUA correlated positively with left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and relative wall thickness (RWT) but negatively with the E/A ratio, according to the Pearson correlation analysis. SUA independently affected EH (OR = 1.021, 95%CI = 1.015-1.028, p < 0.001) and CH (OR = 1.034, 95%CI = 1.025-1.043, p < 0.001) in patients with OSA by the multivariate logistic regression model. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with OSA had elevated levels of SUA, which were seen to be closely linked with abnormal LVG and function. The findings suggest that SUA may raise the risk of LV structural and functional impairment in patients with OSA.

Functional features in patients with idiopathic macular hole treatment via OCT angiography.

To evaluate the optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography features in patients with idiopathic macular hole (IMH) before and after vitrectomy. This prospective study included 25 patients diagnosed with IMH in Shanxi eye hospital from August 2019 to December 2021. The study was divided into 3 groups: IMH eyes, fellow eyes and normal eyes. All unilateral IMH eyes underwent vitrectomy. There were significant differences in superficial retinal blood flow density (SRBFD, P < .001) and choroidal blood flow density (CBFD) between IMH and healthy control eyes before operation (P < .05). There was significant difference in SRBFD between fellow eyes and normal eyes (P = .038). The changes of SRBFD and CBFD in IMH eyes before and after operation were statistically significant (P < .05). The CBFD at 6 months after operation is negatively correlated with LogMAR visual acuity, and the CBFD of the fellow eye is also negatively correlated with LogMAR visual acuity. The SRBFD and CBFD had no correlation with the diameter of macular hole before and after operation. SRBFD and CBFD increased after vitrectomy, indicating that the blood supply of retina and choroid were partially restored after vitrectomy. There was no correlation between SRBFD, CBFD and hole diameter, but there was correlation between choroidal blood flow and LogMAR visual acuity.

Inflammatory cytokines and their correlations with different left ventricular geometries and functions in PHT patients.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate relationships between hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), tumor necrosis factor -α (TNF-α), interleukin-17A (IL-17A), and interferon -γ (IFN-γ), with left ventricular geometry (LVG) and function in patients with primary hypertension (PHT). METHODS: A total of 396 PHT patients were assigned into four groups: Normal Geometry (NG), Concentric Remodeling (CR), Eccentric Hypertrophy (EH), and Concentric Hypertrophy (CH). The correlation between hs-CRP, TNF-α, IL-17A, IFN-γ, and clinical, biochemical parameters were analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis and Logistic regression. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the clinical values of hs-CRP, TNF-α, IL-17A, and IFN-γ for abnormal LVG prediction. RESULTS: NG, CR, EH, and CH group all presented increasingly higher levels of Hs-CRP, TNF-α, IL-17A, and IFN-γ, and the increase was the most prominent in the CH group. Pearson correlation analysis showed that hs-CRP, IL-17A, and IFN-γ were all positively correlated with LASct. Hs-CRP, TNF-α, and IL-17A were all negatively correlated with GLS, LASr, and LAScd. However, IFN-γ was only negatively correlated with GLS and LAScd. Logistic regression analysis showed that hs-CRP and IL-17A were independently correlated with CR; hs-CRP, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-17A were independently correlated with EH and CH. ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of hs-CRP was 0.816. When the optimal diagnostic threshold of hs-CRP was 3.04 mg/L, the sensitivity and specificity of the abnormal LVG were 72.1% and 81.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: In PHT patients, hs-CRP, TNF-α, IL-17A, and IFN-γ were correlated with abnormal LVG and left ventricular function, suggesting that inflammatory cytokines may be involved in the process of PHT-induced abnormal left ventricular structure and function. In addition, hs-CRP can be used as a health screening index for patients at high risk of abnormal LVG.

Arbitrary-Order and Multichannel Optical Vortices with Simultaneous Amplitude and Phase Modulation on Plasmonic Metasurfaces.

The highly localized and uneven spatial distribution of the subwavelength light field in metal metasurfaces provides a promising means for the generation of optical vortices (OVs) with arbitrary topological charges. In this paper, a simple and reliable way for generating multichannel OVs on gold nanoporous metasurfaces is reported. The instantaneous field of arbitrary-order OVs can be regulated and concentrated on the same focal surface by adapting photonic spin-orbit interaction (SOI) and geometric phase. The focal ring energy distribution of OVs along the conical propagation path is accurately calculated, and the double phase of units induced by spin rotation is confirmed. Based on the parameter optimization of the nanohole arrangement, the simultaneous amplitude and phase modulation of multichannel OVs has been realized. Furthermore, the average multichannel signal-to-noise ratio exceeds 15 dB, which meets the requirements of high resolution and low crosstalk. Our study obtains broadband and efficient OVs, which can contribute to improving the capacity storage and security of optical information and possess great application prospects in beam shaping, optical tweezers, and communication coding.

Morphological and Functional Features in Patients with Idiopathic Macular Hole Treatment.

Purpose: To evaluate the multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography features in patients with idiopathic macular hole (IMH) before and after vitrectomy. Patients and Methods: This prospective study was conducted at Shanxi Eye Hospital from January 2019 to December 2021. Twenty-five eyes of 25 patients with unilateral IMH, the unaffected fellow eyes, and 30 eyes of healthy patients were investigated. All unilateral IMH eyes underwent vitrectomy. Results: The IMH eyes had significantly delayed latency (rings 2-5) of mfERG compared with the healthy control eyes, and the amplitude density of all rings of mfERG was reduced (P < 0.05). When comparing the mfERG components before surgery and at the follow-up, the amplitude density of IMH eyes (ring 1, 3, 4 and 5) was increased significantly (P < 0.05). The delayed implicit times of the second and fifth ring were significantly shortened compared with those of preoperative eyes (P < 0.05). The mean delayed implicit time of mfERG in six months after surgery was negatively correlated with visual acuity (r = -0.890, P = 0.043). Significant differences of superficial retinal blood flow density (SRBFD, P < 0.001) and choroidal blood flow density (CBFD) (P < 0.05) got via OCTA were found between IMH before surgery and healthy control eyes. SRBFD of the fellow eyes were significantly different with the healthy control eyes (P = 0.038). Statistically significance of SRBFD and CBFD changes in IMH eyes were found before and after surgery (P < 0.05). Conclusion: IMH eyes had a decreased amplitude density and a delayed implicit time in some regions. Additionally, SRBFD and CBFD were both increased after vitrectomy, which suggests that the blood supply of the retina and choroid is partially restored after vitrectomy.

Alleviation of Oxidative Damage Induced by CaCl2 Priming Is Related to Osmotic and Ion Stress Reduction Rather Than Enhanced Antioxidant Capacity During Germination Under Salt Stress in Sorghum.

Seed germination is the sensitive period to salt stress. Calcium chloride (CaCl2) has been proved as an effective priming agent which can promote the sorghum germination under salt stress. However, there are few reports on CaCl2 priming to improve the salt tolerance during seed germination. The present study investigated the effects of CaCl2 priming on sorghum germination, antioxidant metabolism, osmotic regulation and ion balance under salt stress (150 mM NaCl). The results revealed that the salt stress inhibited the elongation of mesocotyl and root and reduced the germination rate of sorghum. While CaCl2 priming significantly promoted the elongation of mesocotyl and root, and increased the germination rate of sorghum under salt stress. CaCl2 priming notably increased the content of osmotic substances in mesocotyl and root of sorghum under salt stress, and increased the relative water content in these tissues. CaCl2 priming decreased Na+ content and increased K+, Ca2+ contents and the K+/ Na+ in mesocotyl and root, such effects might be induced by up-regulating the expression of NHX2, NHX4, SOS1, AKT1, AKT2, HKT1, HAK1, and KUP. CaCl2 priming reduced the antioxidant enzymes activities and related gene expression compared with untreated sorghum seeds under salt stress. In short, CaCl2 priming improved sorghum germination by enhancing osmotic regulation and ion balance instead of antioxidant enzyme activity. However, the molecular mechanisms of Ca2+ signaling induced by CaCl2 priming in association with the enhanced germination in primed sorghum seeds under salt stress need to be addressed in future studies.

The relationship of interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein with left ventricular geometry and function in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and pre-hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels with left ventricular geometry (LVG) and function in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and pre-hypertension. METHODS: A total of 458 patients were assigned into four groups: normal geometry (NG), concentric remodeling (CR), eccentric hypertrophy (EH), and concentric hypertrophy (CH). Pearson correlation and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine the correlation between IL-6, CRP, and clinical, polysomnographic, and biochemical parameters with LVG and function. RESULTS: IL-6 and CRP levels were higher in the EH and CH groups than those in the NG and CR groups. The results of the Pearson correlation analysis showed that IL-6 level was positively correlated with the E/e' ratio and peak systolic pulmonary venous reverse velocity (PVa) duration time (PVaD), while negatively correlated with the E/A ratio, s', and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). CRP level was positively correlated with A-wave duration time (AD), peak systolic pulmonary venous flow velocity (PVs), PVa and PVaD, while negatively correlated with the E/A ratio. The results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that IL-6 and CRP levels were correlated with EH (ß = 1.213, odds ratio [OR] = 3.363, p < 0.001; ß = 1.258, OR = 3.518, p < 0.001) and CH (ß = .938, OR = 2.555, p = 0.008; ß = 1.239, OR = 3.454, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: IL-6 and CRP levels are associated with LVG and function, suggesting that IL-6 and CRP levels are involved in OSAS and pre-hypertension, leading to abnormal left ventricular structure and function.

Effects of high serum uric acid levels on oxidative stress levels and semen parameters in male infertile patients.

ABSTRACT: This study is to investigate the effect of high serum uric acid (UA) level on oxidative stress and semen quality of male infertility patients.A cohort of 654 male individuals aged between 20 and 45 years old were included in this study, and their semen and venous blood samples were collected. The serum UA, blood glucose, blood lipids, and hormone levels were determined by chemiluminescence method. The changes in inflammatory factors, oxidative stress, adipokines, and biochemical indices in seminal plasma were determined by ELISA. Organic acids in seminal plasma were detected with reversed-phase ultra high performance liquid chromatography.Compared with the control group, the amount of semen and the total number of sperm in the hyperuricemia group significantly reduced (P < .05). Semen volume decreased with the increase of serum UA level, and the total number of sperm also decreased. The level of luteinizing hormone increased and the level of testosterone decreased in the hyperuricemia group. The concentration of superoxide dismutase decreased and the concentration of endothelin increased in the hyperuricemia group (P < .05). The concentration of seminal plasma α-glucosidase and alkaline phosphatase in the hyperuricemia group decreased significantly (P < .05). Compared with the control group, the contents of ascorbic acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, and UA in the seminal plasma were significantly reduced in the hyperuricemia group (P < .05).Blood UA level may become a new risk predictor of semen quality in infertile men.

[Establishment of a method for detection of thiols in seminal plasma and its application in patients with hyperuricemia].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a method of reversed-phase ultra-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence (UPLC-FL) detection for simultaneous determination of homocysteine (Hcy), cysteine (Cys), cysteine glycine (CysGly) and glutathione (GSH) and analysis of the contents of the four thiols in the seminal plasma of normal men and patients with hyperuricemia (HUA). METHODS: Seminal plasma samples were collected from 30 normal sperm donors and 30 HUA patients and reduced with tris (2-carboxyethyl) phosphine hydrochloride. Then, the samples were subjected to protein precipitation with trichloroacetic acid solution, derivative reaction with 7-fluorobenzofuran-4-sulfate and isolation with a C18 column, with 0.025 mol/L KH2PO4 (pH 3.0) for mobile phase A and pure methanol for B, followed by equal gradient elution with an excitation wavelength of 380 nm and an emission wavelength of 510 nm. RESULTS: The correlation coefficients (R2) of the four thiols all exceeded 0.999, with an average recovery rate of 94.23－107.87%. Compared with the normal sperm donors, the HUA patients showed significantly increased contents of Cys (ï¼»108.01 ± 48.03ï¼½ vs ï¼»250.10 ± 55.87ï¼½ µmol/L, P < 0.05), Hcy (ï¼»113.97 ± 6.32ï¼½ vs ï¼»48.35 ± 15.07ï¼½ µmol/L, P < 0.05), and GSH (ï¼»3.15 ± 1.48ï¼½ vs ï¼»4.63 ± 1.17ï¼½ µmol/L, P < 0.05), but a decreased level of CysGly (ï¼»12.79 ± 3.18ï¼½ vs ï¼»5.94 ± 0.99ï¼½ µmol/L, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The method of reversed-phase UPLC-FL detection established in this study has made it possible simultaneous detection of Hcy, Cys, CysGly and GSH in the seminal plasma, which is applicable to laboratory research and clinical routine examination. Patients with hyperuricemia may incur oxidative damage to the reproductive system.

[Ultra-performance liquid chromatography for determination of the contents of biogenic amines in the seminal plasma].

OBJECTIVE: To establish an ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method for determination of the contents of the three biogenic amines putacine, spermidine and spermine in human seminal plasma. METHODS: Seminal plasma samples were extracted with 5% trichloroacetic acid and processed by pre-column derivatization with dansyl chloride. Chromatographic separation was performed with a C18 (2.1×50 mm,1.7 µm) chromatographic column using water and acetonitrile for mobile-phase gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.3 ml/min, a detection wavelength of 245 nm, a column temperature of 35℃ and an injection volume was 3.0 µl. The contents of putacine, spermidine and spermine in the seminal plasma of 52 healthy sperm donors (the normal group) and 23 azoospermia patients (the AS group) were measured, and their correlation with routine semen parameters were analyzed. RESULTS: The three biogenic amines showed a good linearity (r ≥ 0.999), with a lower detection limit of 0.03－0.08 µg/ml. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of precision was ≤ 0.72% and the average recovery rate was 79.74%－108.87%. The normal group, compared with the AS patients, showed significantly higher contents of putrescine (ï¼»8.19 ± 7.85ï¼½ vs ï¼»2.43 ± 1.38ï¼½ mg/ml, P < 0.05), spermidine (ï¼»77.30 ± 32.58ï¼½ vs ï¼»31.99 ± 16.21ï¼½ mg/ml, P < 0.05) and spermine (ï¼»246.44 ± 83.99ï¼½ vs ï¼»166.15 ± 79.28ï¼½ mg/ml, P < 0.05). However, the contents of the three biogenic amines in the seminal plasma exhibited no significant correlation with the routine semen parameters in the normal group. CONCLUSIONS: The ultra-performance liquid chromatography method we established, with the advantages of high sensitivity and reproducibility and short peak-time, can quickly and accurately determine the contents of biogenic amines in the seminal plasma.

[Correlation of seminal plasma biochemical indexes with routine semen parameters in sperm donors].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship of seminal plasma biochemical indexes with routine semen parameters and that between seminal plasma biochemical indexes. METHODS: Using the automatic biochemical analyzer, we measured the contents of neutral α-glucosidase (NAG), fructose hexokinase (Fru) , citric acid (CA), acid phosphatase (ACP), (zinc) Zn, uric acid (UA), lactase dehydrogenase (LDH) and α-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (α-HBDH) in the seminal plasma of 84 sperm donors in the Human Sperm Bank of Hebei Province. We analyzed the correlation between these indexes and that between routine semen parameters and these indexes. RESULTS: Sperm concentration and total sperm count were correlated positively with the contents of seminal plasma NAG, ACP, Zn, CA, LDH and α-HBDH (P<0.05) but negatively with Fru (P<0.05), the percentage of progressively motile sperm positively with seminal plasma Zn (P<0.05), and CA positively with NAG, Zn, LDH, α-HBDH and ACP (P<0.01) but negatively with Fru (P<0.01), NAG positively with Zn, LDH, α-HBDH and ACP (P<0.05) but Fru negatively with ACP (P<0.01), Zn positively with LDH, α-HBDH and ACP (P<0.01), and LDH positively with α-HBDH and ACP (P<0.01) but UA negatively with ACP (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Biochemical indexes in the seminal plasma of healthy men are not only closely related to each other, but also to some routine semen parameters.

Changes in Corneal Morphology with Age in Asian Population: A Multicenter Study of 30,618 Cases.

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate normal reference ranges for corneal morphological parameters and investigate age-related changes in these parameters in Asian subjects with healthy eyes in order to provide reference data for preoperative evaluation of corneal refractive surgery and the early differential diagnosis of subclinical and asymptomatic keratoconus. METHODS: This cross-sectional, multicenter, observational study was conducted in five provinces of China, from January 2014 through October 2019. It is a retrospective analysis. Examiner-blinded clinical measurements were performed after stratification of the subjects into the following age groups: < 18, 18-30, 31-40, 41-50. We evaluated 30,618 healthy eyes of Chinese subjects who exhibited a normal corneal morphology, had no history of eye surgery or trauma, stopped wearing soft contact lenses for at least 2 weeks (rigid contact lenses for at least 4 weeks), and underwent topographic studies for both eyes on the same day. RESULTS: While the anterior and posterior corneal curvatures (K1 and K2) increased with age, corneal astigmatism of the anterior and posterior surfaces (ΔK) and central, minimum, and overall corneal thicknesses decreased with age. Age-related decrease of the overall corneal thickness was more obvious toward the periphery. The anterior and posterior corneal surface heights exhibited a decrease and an increase, respectively. Both index of height asymmetry (IHA) and index of vertical asymmetry (IVA) exhibited an increase with age. CONCLUSIONS: The cornea exhibits overall thinning with age and gradually changes from a flat ellipse to an elongated ellipse in Asian individuals with healthy eyes. However, the anterior and posterior surfaces become smoother with age. Owing to the very large number of cases, these small differences are statistically significant. The results obtained are consistent with the hypothesis that a normal cornea seems to withstand quite well the effect of IOP, external pressures, and the natural cross-linking.

Reference values of urine protein/creatinine ratio in healthy Dalian adults.

BACKGROUND: The urine protein/creatinine ratio (UPCR) is commonly used in current clinical practice. However, there are only few published clinical data on UPCR from large cohorts of Chinese adults. This study aimed to determine the overall and age- and sex-specific UPCR reference values for healthy Dalian adults. METHODS: According to the Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute EP28-A3c guidelines, 1321 healthy Dalian adults (646 men and 675 women) aged 20-69 years were enrolled. Urine protein and creatinine levels were analyzed in the random morning spot urine samples, and UPCR was calculated. The 95th percentile of the UPCR was used as the normal upper limit. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to test differences among groups. RESULTS: The UPCR reference value was 141.7 mg/g for the entire cohort, 128.7 mg/g for men, and 150.8 mg/g for women. In addition, women had relatively higher UPCR values than men in the same age group. We also compared the UPCR reference values between different estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) groups and found that women had significantly higher UPCR values than men in the normal eGFR groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the overall and age- and sex-specific UPCR reference values for healthy Dalian adults.