Comparative transcriptome analysis of Saposhnikovia divaricata to reveal drought and rehydration adaption strategies.

BACKGROUND: Water scarcity has become one of the most prevalent environmental factors adversely affecting plant growth and development. Different species have developed multiple ways of drought resistance. Saposhnikovia divaricata is a commonly used traditional herb in East Asia. However, limited information is available on the drought response of this herb and further clarification of underlying molecular mechanism remains a challenge. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, a comparative transcriptome analysis was firstly conducted to identify the major pathways and candidate genes involved in the drought adaptive response of S. divaricata. The seedlings of S. divaricata were subjected to progressive drought by withholding water for 16 days followed by 8 days of rehydration. Transcriptome analysis identified a total of 89,784 annotated unigenes. The number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) gradually increased with the deepening of drought and decreased after rehydration. Gene Ontology enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis suggested genes related to oxidoreductase activity, carbohydrate metabolism, plant hormone signaling pathway and secondary metabolism were important in drought response of S. divaricata. Specific genes involved in reactive oxygen species scavenging system (POD, Cu/Zn-SOD, APX), abscisic acid and jasmonic acid signaling pathway (PYL4, PP2Cs, JAR1, JAZ) and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis (4CL, CCR, CAD) underwent dynamic alterations under drought and rehydration. Finally, the expression pattern of 12 selected DEGs from the transcriptomic profiling was validated by real-time quantitative PCR. CONCLUSION: Our study laid a foundation for understanding the stress response of S. divaricata and other Apiaceae family plant at molecular level.

Time-restricted eating with or without low-carbohydrate diet reduces visceral fat and improves metabolic syndrome: A randomized trial.

Overconsumption of carbohydrate-rich food combined with adverse eating patterns contributes to the increasing incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in China. Therefore, we conducted a randomized trial to determine the effects of a low-carbohydrate diet (LCD), an 8-h time-restricted eating (TRE) schedule, and their combination on body weight and abdominal fat area (i.e., primary outcomes) and cardiometabolic outcomes in participants with MetS. Compared with baseline, all 3-month treatments significantly reduce body weight and subcutaneous fat area, but only TRE and combination treatment reduce visceral fat area (VFA), fasting blood glucose, uric acid (UA), and dyslipidemia. Furthermore, compared with changes of LCD, TRE and combination treatment further decrease body weight and VFA, while only combination treatment yields more benefits on glycemic control, UA, and dyslipidemia. In conclusion, without change of physical activity, an 8-h TRE with or without LCD can serve as an effective treatment for MetS (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04475822).

The association between subclinical hypothyroidism and metabolic syndrome: an update meta-analysis of observational studies.

The association between subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been widely discussed. This study aimed to conduct an update and comprehensive meta-analysis to reveal the risk of MetS and its components in SCH. PubMed, Embase and ISI Web of Knowledge were searched to identify relevant studies through February 20th, 2020. Review Manager 5.3 and Stata 14.0 were used to conduct the meta-analysis. Both fixed-effects and random-effects models were used. In total, 18 articles (19 studies) incorporating 79,727 participants were included. The pooled OR for MetS comparing subjects with SCH with euthyroid subjects was 1.28 (95% CI: 1.19 to 1.39, p = 0.04, I2 = 40%). Subgroup analysis results showed significant associations of SCH and MetS in the adult subgroup (OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.18-1.40), Asian population subgroup (OR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.19-1.42) and cross-sectional study design subgroup (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.16-1.47). Significant associations of SCH and MetS also existed in all MetS definition criteria subgroups except the Chinese Diabetes Society (CDS) subgroup. SCH was correlated with MetS and was not affected by the subgroup analysis stratified by the proportion of females in the total population, the TSH cutoff value in SCH diagnostic criteria, or the adjustment for confounding factors. SCH was identified to be associated with an increased risk of obesity, hypertension, high triglyceride (TG) levels and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. In conclusion, SCH is significantly associated with an increased risk of MetS and four out of five components of MetS.