Elevated AST/ALT ratio is associated with all-cause mortality and cancer incident.

BACKGROUND: The aspartate transaminase (AST)-to-alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ratio, which is used to measure liver injury, has been found to be associated with some chronic diseases and mortality. However, its relevance to cancer incidence resulting from population-based prospective studies has rarely been reported. In this study, we investigated the correlation of the AST/ALT ratio as a possible predictor of mortality and cancer incidence. METHODS: A total of 9,946 participants fulfilled the inclusion criteria for a basic public health service project of the Health Checkup Program conducted by the BaiYun Community Health Service Center, Taizhou. Deceased participants and cancer incident cases were from The Taizhou Chronic Disease Information Management System. Odds ratios (ORs) and interval of quartile range (IQR) computed by logistic regression analysis and cumulative incidence rate were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier survival method and compared with log-rank test statistics. RESULTS: Serum ALT and AST levels were both increased in patients with chronic diseases, but the ratio of AST/ALT was generally decreased. The cancer incident cases (488 new cases) had a greater baseline ratio (median =1.23, IQR: 0.96-1.54) than noncancer cases (median =1.15, IQR: 0.91-1.44). Compared to the first quartile of the AST/ALT ratio, the population in the top quartile had a higher cumulative cancer incidence rate (7.54% vs. 4.44%) during follow-up period. Furthermore, an elevated AST/ALT ratio increased the risk of all-cause mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The ratio of AST/ALT is a potential biomarker to assess healthy conditions and long-term mortality. Especially for cancer, the AST/ALT ratio not only increases at baseline but also predicts the future development of cancer. The clinical value and potential mechanism deserve further research.

The population characteristics of the main leukocyte subsets and their association with chronic diseases in a community-dwelling population: a cross-sectional study.

AIM: To analyse the characteristics of the main leukocyte subsets and elucidate their distributions amongst the natural population. We wanted to determine whether leukocyte subsets are potential biomarkers to evaluate the risk of common chronic diseases. BACKGROUND: The peripheral blood leukocyte count is a routine exam performed to detect pathogen infections. Recently, subsets of white blood cells and their homeostasis have shown strong associations with some chronic diseases. Therefore, studies aiming to discover whether the distribution of leukocyte counts and its subsets are useful for predicting health conditions are worthwhile. METHODS: This cross-sectional study analysed 10 564 residents from the basic public health service project of the Health Checkup Program performed by the BaiYun Community Health Service Center. Data on demographic information, physical measurements, medical history, and routine blood examination parameters were collected using questionnaires and health check-ups. Restricted cubic spline incorporated into logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between subsets of leukocytes and common chronic diseases. FINDINGS: The counts of leukocytes and their subsets in males were higher than those in females amongst all age groups, yet the percentages of lymphocytes and neutrophils did not present sex-specific differences. A low lymphocyte count and percentage were associated with old age. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in patients with hypertension was higher than that in the non-hypertensive population. The risk of NLR in the top quartiles was 1.17-fold higher than that in people in the lowest quartiles. CONCLUSIONS: The distributions of the white blood cell count and percentage were associated with age, sex, and body mass index (BMI). In addition to the immune barrier for pathogens, the NLR or monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) may be potentially used to indicate the risk of some chronic non-communicable diseases. Homeostasis of subsets of leukocytes may be an important biomarker for body health conditions.

Integrated Analysis of ceRNA Network to Reveal Potential Prognostic Biomarkers for Glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma (GBM), originating in the brain, is a universally aggressive malignant tumor with a particularly poor prognosis. Therefore, insight into the critical role of underlying genetic mechanisms is essential to developing new therapeutic approaches. This study aims to identify potential markers with clinical and prognostic significance in GBM. To this end, increasing numbers of differentially expressed RNA have been identified used to construct competitive endogenous RNA networks for prognostic analysis via comparison and analysis of RNA expression levels of tumor and normal tissues in glioblastoma. This analysis demonstrated that the RNA expression patterns of normal and tumor samples were significantly different. Thus, the resulting differentially expressed RNAs were used to construct competitive endogenous RNA (competing endogenous RNA, ceRNA) networks. The functional enrichment indicated mRNAs in the network are critically involved in a variety of biological functions. Additionally, the prognostic analysis suggested 27 lncRNAs, including LOXL1-AS1, AL356414.1, etc., were significantly associated with patient survival. Given the prognostic significance of these 27 lncRNAs in GBM, we sought to classify the samples. Importantly, Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that survival times varied significantly among the different categories. Overall, these results identify that the candidate lncRNAs are potential prognostic markers of GBM and its corresponding mRNAs may be a potential target for therapy.

Changes in the trophic niche of Trichiurus japonicus in the Beibu Gulf in different periods.

We measured stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes and calculated trophic level and trophic niche of Trichiurus japonicus, with samples collected from the Beibu Gulf from 2008 to 2009 and 2018. The differences between two periods were compared and analyzed to explore the changes of its ecological adaptation. The results showed that value of δ13C varied substantially between the two periods. The narrowed range and the smaller mean value of δ13C in 2018 suggested that their food source changed from upper-middle to lower-middle waters. The values of δ15N were stable, and the range and mean values of trophic level (3.38-3.43) did not change significantly, which indicated a stable trophic level of T. japonicas in the past decade. The correlation between δ13C and preanal length was not significant, but a positive correlation between δ15N and preanal length. In terms of trophic niche, the indicators had decreased in different degrees in 2018 with 1.1%-32.1%. The value of total area and standard ellipse area decreased from 20.20 and 4.68 to 14.20 and 3.18, respectively, indicating that the niches of T. japonicas in the Beibu Gulf had varied obviously and that their ability to use resources and adapt to the environment had declined. It was speculated that in the past decade, the mean trophic level of T. japonicas in the Beibu Gulf had not changed significantly. Due to the change of food sources, however, the diversity of trophic sources had decreased, and the trophic niche had become smaller.

An improved embryonated chicken egg model for the evaluation of antiviral drugs against influenza A virus.

Influenza is a serious global public health problem and an economic burden. With the continual emergence of new influenza A virus strains, new antiviral drugs are needed urgently. In this study, an improved embryonated chicken egg model for evaluating antiviral activity against Influenza A virus was developed. In the model, the influenza A virus was injected into the allantoic cavity and ribavirin was injected into the albumen of the egg. The levels of influenza A virus in the allantoic fluid was titrated by the hemagglutination test after incubation for 72 h at 35.5 degrees C and 12 h at 4 degrees C. Ribavirin treatment at a dose of 25 mg/kg to 100 mg/kg decreased significantly the hemagglutination titers both of Influenza virus A/FM1, H1N1 (IVA1) (p < 0.01) and influenza virus A/Wuhan/359/95, H3N2 (IVA3) (p < 0.01). In a time-dependent drug addition assay, significant efficacy of ribavirin against both IVA1 and IVA3 was observed when the drug was administered before and shortly after viral inoculation (p < 0.01 or p < 0.05). In conclusion, ribavirin treatment showed significant antiviral activity against IVA1 and IVA3 in this model, suggesting that the improved model would be useful for evaluating the anti-influenza virus activity of potential inhibitors.

Composition and characteristics of distinct macrophage subpopulations in the mouse thymus.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the composition, morphology, characteristics, distribution and function of distinct macrophage subpopulations in the mouse thymus. Apoptosis of mouse thymocytes was induced by glucocorticoids and three monoclonal antibodies against Mac-2, F4/80 and ED1 were used for immunofluorescence staining and immunohistochemical analysis. The morphology of thymic macrophages was examined by transmission electron microscopy. Four subpopulations of mouse thymic macrophages were identified. Dendritic macrophages were identified using anti-Mac-2 and anti-F4/80 antibodies, and were demonstrated to be distributed in the entire thymus. Phagocytes were also observed. In addition, plate-shaped macrophages, identified using the anti-F4/80 antibody, were distributed under the thymic cortex capsule. Small oval macrophages, identified using the anti-Mac-2 antibody, were distributed in the thymic medulla and corticomedullary region (CMR), while phagocytes were not observed in these types of cell. ED1+ thymic macrophages with irregular forms were distributed in the CMR. All of the four subpopulations of mouse thymic macrophages described above exhibited acid phosphate activity. This study indicated the existence of macrophage subpopulations with different shapes, distribution and functions in the mouse thymus.

Effect of triptolide on T-cell receptor beta variable gene mRNA expression in rats with collagen-induced arthritis.

Triptolide (TP) has been used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but its mechanism of action is not understood. T-cell activation and associated release of cytokines appear to be major factors in the pathogenesis of RA. The overexpression of T-cell receptor (TCR) variable gene (V gene) fragments can cause the activation and infiltration of autoreactive T cells. This study examines the effects of TP on rats with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). The levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10) in the serum were examined with ELISA. Compared to the CIA group, the levels of IL-10 were greater in the TP treatment group. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction confirmed that the expression of TCR V beta (BV) 15 and TCR BV19 was increased in the CIA group, whereas in the TP treatment group, the expression was decreased. In this study, TP was found to enhance IL-10 levels and decrease the expression levels of TCR BV15 and TCR BV19. These changes might help explain the effectiveness of TP in the treatment of RA.