Potassium affects the association between dietary intake of vitamin C and NAFLD among adults in the United States.

INTRODUCTION: Although the association between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and vitamin C has been well studied, the effects of dietary potassium intake on this relationship are still unclear. Thus, this study aimed to determine the effects of dietary potassium intake on the association between vitamin C and NAFLD. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional learn about with 9443 contributors the usage of 2007-2018 NHANES data. Multiple logistic regression evaluation has been utilized to check out the affiliation of dietary vitamin C intake with NAFLD and advanced hepatic fibrosis (AHF). Subsequently, we plotted a smoothed match curve to visualize the association. Especially, the analysis of AHF was conducted among the NAFLD population. In addition, stratified evaluation used to be developed primarily based on demographic variables to verify the steadiness of the results. Effect amendment by way of dietary potassium intake used to be assessed via interplay checks between vitamin C and NAFLD in the multivariable linear regression. RESULTS: In this cross-sectional study, we found that vitamin C was negatively related to NAFLD and AHF. The relationship between vitamin C and NAFLD was different in the low, middle and high potassium intake groups. Furthermore, potassium intake significantly modified the negative relationship between vitamin C and NAFLD in most of the models. CONCLUSION: Our research showed that potassium and vitamin C have an interactive effect in reducing NAFLD, which may have great importance for clinical medication.

Structural and energetic insight into the interactions between the benzolactam inhibitors and tumor marker HSP90α.

The heat shock protein 90α (HSP90α) provides a promising molecular target for cancer therapy. A series of novel benzolactam inhibitors exhibited distinct inhibitory activity for HSP90α. However, the structural basis for the impact of distinct R1 substituent groups of nine benzolactam inhibitors on HSP90α binding affinities remains unknown. In this study, we carried out molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and molecular mechanics and generalized Born/surface area (MM-GBSA) binding free energy calculations to address the differences. Molecular docking studies indicated that all nine compounds presented one conformation in the ATP-binding site of HSP90α N-terminal domain. MD simulations and subsequent MM-GBSA calculations revealed that the hydrophobic interactions between all compounds and HSP90α contributed the most to the binding affinity and a good linear correlation was obtained between the calculated and the experimental binding free energies (R=0.88). The per residue decomposition revealed that the most remarkable differences of residue contributions were found in the residues Ala55, Ile96, and Leu107 defining a hydrophobic pocket for the R1 group, consistent with the analysis of binding modes. This study may be helpful for the future design of novel HSP90α inhibitors.

[Relationship between perceptions of safety climate at workplace and depressive disorders in manufacturing workers].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the risk factors for depressive disorders in manufacturing workers and to provide a basis for developing health promotion measures at workplace. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was performed in 8085 front-line production workers from 33 manufacturing enterprises in Nanhai District of Foshan, Guangdong Province, China. The questionnaire contained a survey of demographic characteristics, the Safety Climate Scale, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, etc. The multilevel logistic regression analysis was applied to investigate the risk factors for depressive disorders in workers. RESULTS: A total of 6260 workers completed the survey; their mean age was 31.1 ± 8.6 years, and 53.2% of them were males. The multilevel logistic regression analysis showed that after adjustment for sociodemographic factors such as age, sex, and martial status, more depressive disorders were reported in the enterprises with higher score of "production safety training" than in those with lower score (OR = 1.46, 95%CI = 1.07 ∼ 1.97); fewer depressive disorders were reported in the enterprises with higher score of "colleagues concerned about production safety" than in those with lower score (OR = 0.08, 95%CI = 0.03 ∼ 0.26); the relationships of "safety warnings and precautions" and "managers concerned about production safety" with workers' depressive disorders were not statistically significant (OR = 0.78, 95%CI = 0.48 ∼ 1.28; OR = 1.08, 95%CI = 0.68 ∼ 1.72). CONCLUSION: Depressive disorders in manufacturing workers are related to the safety climate at workplace, which indicates that a good safety climate at workplace should be created to prevent and control depressive disorders in workers.

[Associations of occupational safety atmosphere and behaviors with unintentional injuries].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the associations of perception of safety atmosphere at workplace, occupational safety attitude and behaviors with occupational unintentional injury among manufacturing workers. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed and a self-administered questionnaire was used to inquire socio-demographic characteristics, perceived safety atmosphere, occupational safety attitudes, occupational safety behaviors and occupational unintentional injuries among 10585 manufacturing workers selected from 46 enterprises in Guangdong. Structural equation modeling was applied to assess the relationship of the perception of safety atmosphere at workplace, occupational safety attitude, and occupational safety behaviors with occupational unintentional injury. RESULTS: Among 24 pathways supposed in structural equation model, 20 pathways (except for the attitude toward occupational safety, the attitude toward managers' support, the work posture and individual protection) were significantly related to the occupational unintentional injuries. The further analysis indicated that the perceived safety atmosphere might impact the occupational unintentional injuries by the attitude toward occupational safety and occupational safety behaviors. CONCLUSION: Workers' perception of safety atmosphere indirectly influenced on occupational unintentional injuries through occupational safety attitudes and occupational safety behaviors.

[Near-infrared spectroscopy quantitative analysis model based on inverse regression].

In the present paper, an inverse regression method is used in near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy analysis to reduce dimension of predictor at first, then estimate linear regression function using the new derived low dimensional data. A real data set of 103 corn samples was used for analysis with this new inverse regression method. Taking 103 corn samples as experiment materials, seventy samples were chosen randomly to establish predicting model, the remaining thirty-three corn samples were viewed as prediction set. The new derived model is used to the prediction set. The coefficient is 0.986 and the average relative error is 2.1% between the model predication results and Kjeldahl's value for the protein content, and the resulis of using partial least square regression are 0.978 and 2.5%, respectively. The results demonstrate that the inverse regression method is feasible and has good property in near-infrared spectroscopy quantitative analysis, and also provides a new idea for chemometrics quantitative analysis.

[A retrospective study of clinical and pathological spectrum in 91 patients with chronic severe hepatitis B].

OBJECTIVE: In China, liver failure is also termed as severe hepatitis in whom chronic severe hepatitis B (CSHB) is most common. The aim of this study was to assess whether CSHB based on different liver injury extent can meet the international definition of acute-on-chronic liver failure(ACLF)criteria, according by their clinical and pathological feature. METHODS: A total of 91 patients with CSHB were involved in the study. The clinical findings, laboratory data and liver pathology features were retrospectively analyzed and grouped by hepatitis virus B carrier state (HBC), chronic hepatitis B (CHB) or liver cirrhosis (LC) before they started liver failure. RESULTS: 74 out of the 91 patients were male and 17 were female, the mean age was 40.6+/-11.2 years. 9.9%, 7.7% and 82.4% of the patients were based on HBC, CHB and LC respectively. The ages of HBC group were youngest. The mean age of HBC group (years) (25.8+/-6.6) was significantly lower than that of CHB group (36.9+/-9.0) and LC group (42.0+/-10.5)with P values of 0.032 and 0.001 respectively. Most cases presented with sub-acute liver failure characterized by high icterus and ascites. Predisposing factors included exertion, superinfection, virus variation, drugs or alcoholic injury. No difference found between PTA (F = 0.906, P = 0.408) and TBil (F = 0.839, P = 0.436) among the above three groups. The Alb and CHE levels in LC group were (30.3+/-5.1) g/L and (2926.8+/-1471.1) U/L respectively, which were lower than both HBC group [Alb (35.6+/-5.1) g/L, CHE (4363.5+/-2063.2) U/L] and CHB group [Alb (37.4+/-5.0) g/L, CHE (5167.1+/-1522.1) U/L] (F = 9.450; F = 9.297; P value less than 0.01).The level of CHO (1.8+/-1.0) mmol/L in LC group was lower than that of HBC group (2.9+/-1.0mmol/L, P = 0.034), while serum HBV DNA level of HBC group [(6.8+/-1.7) log10copies/ml] was higher than that of LC group [(4.2+/-2.6) log10copies/ml]. The liver tissue in HBC and CHB group showed massive or submassive necrosis which distribute evenly in different parts of liver and similarly in slides, most like acute/subacute severe hepatitis. The chronic lesion was easily covered by extensive necrosis in CSHB based on CHB, with portal fibrosis can be seen by masson stain. Characteristic picture of LC group were massive or submassive necrosis with some nodules were intact or only patchy necrosis of the parenchyma, disparity of extent and stage of necrosis existed in slides, which were the major difference in histopathological change in HBC and CHB group. CONCLUSION: Most of CSHB cases were based on liver cirrhosis, which match with the international definition of ACLF, while small part of CSHB cases based on HBC and CHB are identical to acute/subacute liver failure.

[The changes of interdigestive migrating motor complex in rats with acute liver failure].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the changes and characteristics of interdigestive migrating motor complex (MMC) in rat models of acute liver failure. METHODS: 30 rat models with acute liver failure were induced with D-galactosamine and another 30 normal rats were used as controls. The indexes of MMC recorded by multi-channel physiological recorder were compared. RESULTS: No significant differences found between the two groups in antral and duodenal MMC cycles and frequencies of duodenal and jejunal MMC III phase. Compared with normal controls, the MMC II phase in the acute liver failure rats was significantly prolonged (t=-3.97, -3.85, P<0.05), the MMC III duration of antrum and duodenum (u=-4.99, t=4.66, P<0.05) was shorter and the MMC III frequency of antrum (u=-4.73, P<0.05) was faster. In addition, the MMC cycle and MMC III phase of jejunum were significantly prolonged (u=-1.63, t=-4.94, P<0.05) and the MMC III phase duration was significantly shorter in the acute liver failure rats (t=5.10, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Significantly prolonged MMC II phase characterized by migrating clustered contraction, shortened MMC III phase and extended jejunal MMC cycles were probably the major contributors to the gastrointestinal motility disorders in the rats with acute liver failure.

[Effects of neurotrophin 3 on interdigestive migrating motor complex in rats with acute liver injury.].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of neurotrophin 3(NT-3)on interdigestive migrating motor complex (MMC) in rats with D-galactosamine induced acute liver injury. METHODS: Twenty-four specific pathogen-free purebred rats were equally randomized into control and acute liver injury groups. The control group was injected with equal volume of normal saline via tail vein. Acute liver injury model of the rats was induced by D-galactosamine injection via the tail vein in the acute liver injury group. And the indexes of interdigestive MMC before and after NT-3 injection were recorded by a polygraph and analyzed in model group. The serum NT-3 concentration was assayed in the two groups. RESULTS: There were no significant changes of gastrointestinal MMC cycle and jejunal phase I MMC after NT-3 injection. Compared with the acute liver injury rats before NT-3 injection , the antral phases I, III and IV MMC were significantly prolonged [(577.44 ± 248.60)s vs (343.58 ± 227.30) s, (80.94 ± 21.15) s vs (24.76 ± 7.41) s, (405.69 ± 131.34) s vs (191.67 ± 128.15) s, P < 0.05] and the phase II MMC was shortened [ (883.94 ± 488.50) s vs (1519.00 ± 831.14) s, P < 0.05] in the acute liver injury group. The duodenal phases I, III and IV MMC were significantly prolonged [ (557.63 ± 335.14) s vs (309.46 ± 220.22) s,(75.91 ± 15.75) s vs (31.15 ± 13.67) s, (423.38 ± 135.22) s vs (209.77 ± 123.83) s, P < 0.05] and MMC II phase was shortened [ (748.81 ± 579.69) s vs (1535.86 ± 930.50) s, P < 0.05] in the acute liver injury rats. In addition, the jejunal MMC III and MMC IV phase was significantly prolonged [ (86.58 ± 23.40) s vs (31.41 ± 16.09) s,(385.18 ± 110.02) s vs (220.59 ± 159.30) s, P < 0.05] and phase II MMC was shortened [ (876.89 ± 652.01) s vs (1870.89 ± 1010.35) s, P < 0.05 ] in the acute liver injury rats. The serum NT-3 level was significantly higher in model group than in control group. CONCLUSION: NT-3 could enhance the gastrointestinal motility in acute liver injury rats.

[Study on the application of ridge regression to near-infrared spectroscopy quantitative analysis and optimum wavelength selection].

In the present paper, taking 66 wheat samples for testing materials, ridge regression technology in near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy quantitative analysis was researched. The NIR-ridge regression model for determination of protein content was established by NIR spectral data of 44 wheat samples to predict the protein content of the other 22 samples. The average relative error was 0.015 18 between the predictive results and Kjeldahl's values (chemical analysis values). And the predictive results were compared with those values derived through partial least squares (PLS) method, showing that ridge regression method was deserved to be chosen for NIR spectroscopy quantitative analysis. Furthermore, in order to reduce the disturbance to predictive capacity of the quantitative analysis model resulting from irrelevant information, one effective way is to screen the wavelength information. In order to select the spectral information with more content information and stronger relativity with the composition or the nature of the samples to improve the model's predictive accuracy, ridge regression was used to select wavelength information in this paper. The NIR-ridge regression model was established with the spectral information at 4 wavelength points, which were selected from 1 297 wavelength points, to predict the protein content of the 22 samples. The average relative error was 0.013 7 and the correlation coefficient reached 0.981 7 between the predictive results and Kjeldahl's values. The results showed that ridge regression was able to screen the essential wavelength information from a large amount of spectral information. It not only can simplify the model and effectively reduce the disturbance resulting from collinearity information, but also has practical significance for designing special NIR analysis instrument for analyzing specific component in some special samples.

[Near-infrared spectrum quantitative analysis model based on principal components selected by elastic net].

Elastic net is an improvement of the least-squares method by introducing in L1 and L2 penalties, and it has the advantages of the variable selection. The quantitative analysis model build by Elastic net can improve the prediction accuracy. Using 89 wheat samples as the experiment material, the spectrum principal components of the samples were selected by Elastic net. The analysis model was established for the near-infrared spectrum and the wheat's protein content, and the feasibility of using Elastic net to establish the quantitative analysis model was confirmed. In experiment, the 89 wheat samples were randomly divided into two groups, with 60 samples being the model set and 29 samples being the prediction set. The 60 samples were used to build analysis model to predict the protein contents of the 29 samples, and correlation coefficient (R) of the predicted value and chemistry observed value was 0. 984 9, with the mean relative error being 2.48%. To further investigate the feasibility and stability of the model, the 89 samples were randomly selected five times, with 60 samples to be model set and 29 samples to be prediction set. The five groups of principal components which were selected by Elastic net for building model were basically consistent, and compared with the PCR and PLS method, the model prediction accuracies were all better than PCR and similar with PLS. In view of the fact that Elastic net can realize the variable selection and the model has good prediction, it was shown that Elastic net is suitable method for building chemometrics quantitative analysis model.

[Study on the application of supervised principal component regression procedure to near-infrared spectroscopy quantitative analysis].

The present paper introduces the principle of a new modeling method, called supervised principal component regression, with which the model of the near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy quantitative analysis was established. Usually, there are many difficulties such as collinearity when establishing the quantitative analysis model for the high dimension of the spectral data. Using this new method, firstly according to some criterion, the wavelength information is selected in order to reduce the dimension of spectral data. Then the selected lower dimensional spectral data set is used to establish the principal component regression model. Taking sixty-six wheat samples as experiment materials, forty samples were chosen randomly to establish the predicting model, while the remaining twenty-sixth wheat samples were viewed as prediction set. In this example, 4 wavelengths, 4 632, 4 636, 5 994 and 5 997 cm(-1), were selected at first according to the coefficients between the response variable and each spectral data. Then two principal components of the spectral data at those four wavelengths were extracted to establish the principal component regression model. The model was used to the prediction set. The coefficient was 0.991 and the average relative error was 1.5% between the model predication results and Kjeldahl's value for the protein content. It is very important to select the most significant part of wavelength information from a large number of spectral data, not only because this procedure can alleviate the influence of collinearity in modeling, but also because it can be used to guide the design of special NIR analysis instrument for analyzing specific component in some samples.

[Establishment of a D-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide induced acute-on-chronic liver failure model in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a practical and reproducible animal model of human acute-on-chronic liver failure for further study of the pathophysiological mechanism of acute-on-chronic liver failure and for drug screening and evaluation in its treatment. METHODS: Immunological hepatic fibrosis was induced by human serum albumin in Wistar rats. In rats with early-stage cirrhosis (fibrosis stage IV), D-galactosamine and lipopolysaccharide were administered. Mortality and survival time were recorded in 20 rats. Ten rats were sacrificed at 4, 8, and 12 hours. Liver function tests and plasma cytokine levels were measured after D-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide administration and liver pathology was studied. Cell apoptosis was detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling assay. RESULTS: Most of the rats treated with human albumin developed cirrhosis and fibrosis, and 90% of them died from acute liver failure after administration of D-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide, with a mean survival time of (16.1+/-3.7) hours. Liver histopathology showed massive or submassive necrosis of the regenerated nodules, while fibrosis septa were intact. Liver function tests were compatible with massive necrosis of hepatocytes. Plasma level of TNFalpha increased significantly, parallel with the degree of the hepatocytes apoptosis. Plasma IL-10 levels increased similarly as seen in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure. CONCLUSION: We established an animal model of acute-on-chronic liver failure by treating rats with human serum albumin and later with D-galactosamine and lipopolysaccharide. TNFalpha-mediated liver cell apoptoses plays a very important role in the pathogenesis of acute liver failure.

[Histopathological changes in livers of patients with chronic severe hepatitis B].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the histopathological features in livers of chronic severe hepatitis B (CSHB) patients. METHODS: Histology of 42 livers was studied. HE, Masson, Sweet and D-PAS staining and cytokeratin 7, CD68 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen immuno-histochemical staining were used in the study. RESULTS: In CSHB, the livers showed massive or submassive necrosis in a background of other histological changes of chronic hepatitis B. The characteristic pictures of these livers were necrosis of all the hepatocytes in some nodules, while in other nodules there were only patchy necroses of the parenchyma. In some other nodules the necrotic hepatocytes were all removed and only the scaffolding stroma remained. Meanwhile, regeneration of hepatocytes and bile ductules were also seen. CONCLUSIONS: The liver histopathological changes in CSHB are identical, but not of the same degree as those of acute severe and subacute severe hepatitis B. In making differential diagnoses for liver aspiration biopsies of these patients, this fact should be kept in mind.

[Analysis on the multi-distribution and the major influencing factors on severe acute respiratory syndrome in Beijing].

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the multi-dimension nature of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) transmission. METHODS: Based on the data of SARS in 2003 and the geographic information system of Beijing, as well as under the broad range of the theorems and techniques of data-driven and model-driven knowledge mining, hierarchical techniques were used to test the hot spots. Wavelet technique was also used to decompose Moran's I frequency to survey the spatial clustering process of SARS. For factors analysis, BW test was used to distinguish factors which influencing SARS process. In temporal aspects, susceptive-infective-removal model (SIR) without Taylor expansion was solved by a genetic-simulated annealing algorithm, that directly provided a new approach to obtain epidemic parameters from the SIR model. RESULTS: Different order of spatial hot spots were noticed and the clustering were relevant with the means of transportation. Diffusion dynamics were changed along with the temporal process of SARS. Regarding factor analysis, geographic relationship, population density, the amount of doctors and hospitals appeared to be the key elements influencing the transmission of SARS. The predictable number of SARS cases evolving with time were also calculated. CONCLUSIONS: Cluster detection of close contacts of SARS infective in Beijing revealed the spatial characters of urban population flow and having important implications in the prevention and control of this communicable diseases. Some human and physical environment factors played statistical significant roles in different periods during SARS epidemics. An efficient algorithm was developed to solve SIR model directly, enabling the estimation of epidemic parameters from SIR and early forecast.