Social media heterogeneity and preventive behaviours during the COVID-19 outbreak: a survey on online shopping.

BACKGROUND: Residents' adoption of preventive behaviours proved beneficial in preventing the large-scale transmission of the virus during the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak. It is critical to investigate how social media triggers residents' preventive behaviour decisions during the COVID-19 outbreak. METHODS: This paper selected online shopping as a specific preventive behaviour for empirical investigation. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted through the Sojump website from 1 to 15 March 2020, and a total of 1,289 valid questionnaires were collected from China. This paper uses multiple regression analysis to investigate the heterogeneous impacts of different information sources on residents' online shopping willingness and online shopping behaviour and the heterogeneous impacts of different information content in social media on the transformation of residents' online shopping willingness and online shopping behaviour. RESULTS: The findings indicate that both official-media and self-media positively promote residents' online shopping willingness and behaviour, with official-media having a stronger promotional effect than self-media. Furthermore, official-media and self-media can collaboratively promote residents' online shopping willingness and online shopping behaviour. The ease-of-use and usefulness of information significantly promoted the transformation of residents' online shopping willingness. CONCLUSIONS: This study analyses the heterogeneous impacts of social media on residents' preventive behaviours from the perspectives of information source differentiation and information content differentiation, which enriches related studies and provides feasible paths for promoting residents' preventive behaviours.

Glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPX3) suppresses the growth of melanoma cells through reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent stabilization of hypoxia-inducible factor 1-α and 2-α.

In this study, we aimed to explore the mechanism of glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPX3) in the growth of malignant melanoma (MM) cells by hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF1-α) and HIF2-α regulating the metabolism through reactive oxygen species (ROS). The messenger RNA and protein expression of GPX3, HIF1-α, HIF2-α in tissues, and cell lines were measured by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and Western blot analysis. A375 cells were transfected with GPX3 overexpression plasmid, small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting GPX3, or siRNA targeting HIF1-α/HIF2-α to upregulate or downregulate the expression of GPX3 or HIF1-α/HIF2-α. The effects of H2 O2 and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on the levels of HIF1-α and HIF2-α after overexpression of GPX3 were studied. The cell viability was detected by Cell Counting Kit-8. The levels of ROS, glucose uptake and lactic acid production, oxidative phosphorylation, and glycolysis of cells were measured for assessment of cellular metabolism. The expression of GPX3 decreased, while ROS, HIF1-α, and HIF2-α increased in MM tissues and cells. Overexpression of GPX3 inhibited the viability of MM cells and the growth of melanoma xenografts. The overexpression of GPX3 reduced the glucose uptake, extracellular lactic acid content, and extracellular acidification rate and increased the oxygen consumption rate level. Overexpression of GPX3 could reduce the levels of HIF1-α and HIF2-α, which could regulate metabolic levels. GPX3 reduced ROS level in MM to inhibit HIF1-α and HIF2-α. The addition of H2 O2 increased while NAC reduced the protein levels of HIF1-α and HIF2-α in the cells overexpressing GPX3. Our study demonstrates that GPX3 inhibits the growth of MM cells through its inhibitory effect on cell metabolic disorder by inhibiting HIF1-α via regulating ROS.

Tunable electronic structure and magnetic moment in C2N nanoribbons with different edge functionalization atoms.

First principles calculations based on density functional theory were carried out to study the electronic and magnetic properties of C2N nanoribbons (C2NNRs). The electronic structure could be modified by different methods using saturated or co-saturated H, O, and F on the edges, which can provide a new pathway at the nanoscale for fabricating 2D spintronic materials. It was found that the pristine armchair C2NNR (A-C2NNR) is a nonmagnetic semiconductor with a direct band gap, while the pristine zigzag C2NNRs (Z-C2NNRs) can show either magnetic semiconductor with an indirect band gap or magnetic metallic behavior depending on its ribbon widths. A-C2NNRs with one type of atom (H, O or F) saturated on the edges are nonmagnetic, while H and O (F and O) co-saturated A-C2NNRs show magnetic ground states. H and O (F and O) co-saturated Z-C2NNRs share a larger magnetic moment compared to the case with H, O and F saturated on the edges. Furthermore, O-saturated Z-C2NNR is a spin "gapless" semiconductor. Additionally, there is no need to spin flip in the process of electronic transition near the Fermi level. Therefore, C2NNRs might have potential applications in photoelectronic and spinelectronic devices.

Engineer Nanoscale Defects into Selective Channels: MOF-Enhanced Li+ Separation by Porous Layered Double Hydroxide Membrane.

Two-dimensional (2D) membrane-based ion separation technology has been increasingly explored to address the problem of lithium resource shortage, yet it remains a sound challenge to design 2D membranes of high selectivity and permeability for ion separation applications. Zeolitic imidazolate framework functionalized modified layered double hydroxide (ZIF-8@MLDH) composite membranes with high lithium-ion (Li+) permeability and excellent operational stability were obtained in this work by in situ depositing functional ZIF-8 nanoparticles into the nanopores acting as framework defects in MLDH membranes. The defect-rich framework amplified the permeability of Li+, and the site-selective growth of ZIF-8 in the framework defects bettered its selectivity. Specifically speaking, the ZIF-8@MLDH membranes featured a high permeation rate of Li+ up to 1.73 mol m-2 h-1 and a desirable selectivity of Li+/Mg2+ up to 31.9. Simulations supported that the simultaneously enhanced selectivity and permeability of Li+ are attributed to changes in the type of mass transfer channels and the difference in the dehydration capacity of hydrated metal cations when they pass through nanochannels of ZIF-8. This study will inspire the ongoing research of high-performance 2D membranes through the engineering of defects.

Comparative effectiveness of two methods for inducing osteoarthritis in a novel animal model, the Diannan small-ear pig.

BACKGROUND: Varieties of animals were used to study osteoarthritis pathogenesis. The Diannan small-ear pig, which is native to Yunnan, China, is thought to have an articular anatomy similar to that of humans and is more likely to be a source of pathological tissues than other animals. The aim of this study was to determine whether this animal can serve as a more effective osteoarthritis model and explore the role of SDF-1/CXCR4 signaling pathway in the development of Osteoarthritis in animals. METHODS: Twenty-seven adult pigs were randomly divided into three groups and underwent the Hulth procedure, papain articular injection, and conventional breeding. After 4, 8, and 12 weeks, cartilage tissues from knee joint were extracted for general and histological observation, immunofluorescence, and biochemical analysis. Synovium was taken out for stromal cell-derived factor-1 analysis. RESULTS: Histopathological observation showed obvious cartilage loss in two experimental groups, this cartilage loss was more severe in the chemical groups. Synovial stromal cell-derived factor1 levels increased over time in all groups. mRNA and protein levels of matrix metalloproteinase-3 were much higher in the chemical groups than in the other groups, whereas levels of collagen type II and aggrecan were significantly lower in the chemical groups than in the other groups. Immunofluorescence assays of collagen type II revealed an apparent reduction in this marker in the chemical groups compared with the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicated that the Diannan small-ear pig can be used as an effective osteoarthritis model. In addition, it is much more convenient and much faster to induce osteoarthritis by intra-articular injection of papain, which is a method worthy of being promoted.

CNTs Intercalated LDH Composite Membrane for Water Purification with High Permeance.

The pursuit of improved water purification technology has motivated extensive research on novel membrane materials to be carried out. In this paper, one-dimensional carboxylated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were intercalated into the interlayer space of layered double hydroxide (LDH) to form a composite membrane for water purification. The CNTs/LDH laminates were deposited on the surface of the hydrolyzed polyacrylonitrile (PAN) ultrafiltration membrane through a vacuum-assisted assembly strategy. Based on the characterization of the morphology and structure of the CNTs/LDH composite membrane, it was found that the intercalation of CNT created more mass transfer channels for water molecules. Moreover, the permeance of the CNTs/LDH membrane was improved by more than 50% due to the low friction and rapid flow of water molecules in the CNT tubes. Additionally, the influence of preparation conditions on the separation performance was investigated using Evans blue (EB). Optimized fabrication conditions were given (the concentration of CoAl-LDH was 0.1 g/L and the weight ratio of CNTs was 2 wt.%). Next, the separation performances of the prepared CNTs/LDH composite membrane were evaluated using both single and mixed dye solutions. The results showed that the composite membrane obtained possessed a retention of 98% with a permeance of 2600 kg/(m2·h·MPa) for EB, which was improved by 36% compared with the pristine LDH composite membrane. Moreover, the stability of the CNTs/LDH composite membrane was investigated in 100 h with no obvious permeance drop (less than 13%), which exhibited its great potential in water purification.

LncRNA GAS5 regulates redox balance and dysregulates the cell cycle and apoptosis in malignant melanoma cells.

PURPOSE: Clinical outcomes for advanced malignant melanoma (MM) are often poor due to tumor invasiveness, metastasis, recurrence, and multidrug resistance. METHODS: We investigated whether apoptosis, cell cycle regulation, oxidative status, and redox balance were altered by changes in the expression of the long noncoding RNA, growth arrest-specific transcript 5 (GAS5), in MM cells. RESULTS: Analysis of clinical samples from MM patients showed that the rate of reduced GAS5 expression, relative to that in adjacent noncancerous tissues, was significantly lower for tumors from patients with advanced disease (76.6%, P < 0.001), as evidenced by larger tumor size, higher TNM stage, and higher incidences of ulceration and metastasis (P < 0.001 for all). Cell culture experiments showed that siRNA-mediated knockdown of GAS5 increased the viability of A375-GAS5si cells. Flow cytometry and western blotting showed that GAS5 knockdown increased MM cell proliferation by inducing G1/S cell cycle progression through increases in Cyclin D1, CDK4, and p27 expression (P < 0.05 for all) and by inhibiting apoptosis through an increase in Bcl-2 expression (P < 0.001). Knockdown of GAS5 also increased levels of superoxide anion (P < 0.01), NADP+(P < 0.001), and oxidized glutathiones (P < 0.01) through increases in NOX4 expression (P < 0.001), G6PD expression (P < 0.01), and NOX activity (P < 0.05), and RNA co-immunoprecipitation showed that GAS5 induced these changes through a physical interaction between GAS5 and the G6PD protein. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show GAS5 contributes to regulation of the apoptosis, cell cycle, homeostasis of reactive oxygen species, and redox balance in MM cells, and suggest that reduced GAS5 expression contributes to disease progression in MM patients.

Sex differences in antidepressant-like effect of chronic repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in rats.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive neurophysiological technique. Pre-clinical and clinical studies supported that rTMS might have antidepressant effects. However, whether antidepressant effect of chronic rTMS is gender-dependent is still unknown. In this study, male and female Wistar rats received 10-day rTMS (4 trains of 15 Hz; 200 stimuli/day; 1.0 T) or control condition, and then were subjected to the forced-swim test (FST). We found that female rats consistently showed higher activity levels than males in FST and revealed the significant effects of gender and rTMS as well as the interaction of gender and rTMS. The result suggested the antidepressant-like effects of chronic rTMS on behavioral components in FST are gender-dependent. The gender discrepancy related to rTMS should not be neglected in antidepressant treatment of rTMS.

Effect of chronic and acute low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on spatial memory in rats.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a novel, non-invasive neurological and psychiatric tool. The low-frequency (1 Hz or less) rTMS is likely to play a particular role in its mechanism of action with different effects in comparison with high-frequency (>1 Hz) rTMS. There is limited information regarding the effect of low-frequency rTMS on spatial memory. In our study, each male Wistar rat was daily given 300 stimuli (1.0 T, 200 micros) at a rate of 0.5 Hz or sham stimulation. We investigated the effects of chronic and acute rTMS on reference/working memory process in Morris water maze test with the hypothesis that the effect would differ by chronic or acute condition. Chronic low-frequency rTMS impaired the retrieval of spatial short- and long-term spatial reference memory but not acquisition process and working memory, whereas acute low-frequency rTMS predominantly induced no deficits in acquisition or short-term spatial reference memory as well as working memory except for long-term reference memory. In summary, chronic 0.5 Hz rTMS disrupts spatial short- and long-term reference memory function, but acute rTMS differently affects reference memory. Chronic low-frequency rTMS may be used to modulate reference memory. Treatment protocols using low-frequency rTMS in neurological and psychiatric disorders need to take into account the potential effect of chronic low-frequency rTMS on memory and other cognitive functions.

Alterations of high density lipoprotein subclasses in obese subjects.

The object of this study was to investigate the characteristics of lipid metabolism in obese subjects, with particular emphasis on the alteration of HDL subclass contents and distributions. A population of 581 Chinese individuals was divided into four groups (25 underweight subjects, 288 of desirable weight, 187 overweight, and 45 obese) according to body mass index (BMI). Apoprotein A-I (apoA-I) contents of plasma HDL sub-classes were determined by 2-D gel electrophoresis associated with an immunodetection method. The concentrations of TG and the apoA-I content of pre-beta 1-HDL were significantly higher (P < 0.01 and P < 0.01, respectively), but the levels of HDL cholesterol, and the apoA-I contents of HDL2a and HDL2b were significantly lower (P < 0.01, P < 0.05, and P < 0.01, respectively) in obese subjects than in subjects having a desirable weight. Moreover, with the elevation of BMI, small-sized pre-beta 1-HDL increased gradually and significantly, whereas large-sized HDL2b decreased gradually and significantly. Meanwhile, the variations in HDL subclass distribution were more obvious with the elevation of TG levels in obese as well as overweight subjects. In addition, Pearson correlation analysis revealed that BMI and TG levels were positively correlated with pre-beta 1-HDL but negatively correlated with HDL2b. Multiple regression analysis also showed that TG concentrations were associated independently and positively with high pre-beta 1-HDL and independently and negatively with low HDL2b in obese and overweight subjects. The HDL particle size was smaller in obese and overweight subjects. The shift to smaller size was more obvious with the elevation of BMI and TG, especially TG levels. These observations, in turn, indicated that HDL maturation might be abnormal, and reverse cholesterol transport might be impaired.

LncRNA GAS5 is a critical regulator of metastasis phenotype of melanoma cells and inhibits tumor growth in vivo.

The present study intended to demonstrate the effects of long noncoding RNA growth arrest-specific transcript 5 (GAS5) on the migration and invasion of melanoma cells. We first detected the expression of GAS5 among four kinds of melanoma cell lines, followed by constructing GAS5-knocked down and overexpressed stable cells. Next, we evaluated the effects of GAS5 on cell migration and invasion using wound healing and gelatin zymography assays. Finally, melanoma cells with different GAS5 expression were injected into nude mice, and the tumor volumes were recorded and tumor tissues were analyzed after sacrificing the mice. This study systematically examined the function of GAS5 in mediating melanoma metastasis and revealed that GAS5 plays an anticancer role in melanoma via regulating gelatinase A and B, both in vitro and in vivo.

Lentiviral-mediated overexpression of long non-coding RNA GAS5 reduces invasion by mediating MMP2 expression and activity in human melanoma cells.

The present study evaluated the effects of long non-coding RNA GAS5 on the migration and invasion of melanoma cells. Using the SK-Mel­110 melanoma cell line, we stably expressed GAS5, visualized the distribution of GAS5 by RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and examined changes in cell migration and invasion with Transwell assays. In GAS5 overexpressed SK-Mel­110 cells, migrated and invaded cells decreased by 65.3 and 55.6%, respectively. Moreover, the MMP2 protein level, and its activity was downregulated by 67.9 and 15.8%, respectively. Overexpressing lncRNA GAS5 inhibited the migration and invasion ability of melanoma SK-Mel­110 cells, partially by decreasing the MMP2 expression and its activity. This study is the first to reveal a potential relationship between lncRNA GAS5 and the migration and invasion of melanoma.

Relationship between plasma lipid concentrations and HDL subclasses.

BACKGROUND: It is generally accepted that different high-density lipoprotein (HDL) subclasses have distinct but interrelated metabolic functions. HDL is known to directly influence the atherogenic process and changes in HDL subclasses distribution may be related to the incidence and prevalence of atherosclerosis. METHODS: Apo-AI contents(mg/l) of plasma HDL subclasses were determined by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled with immunodetection for apo-AI. Four hundred forty-two Chinese adults subjects aged 33 to 78 years were assigned to different groups according to the third Report of NCEP (ATP III) guidelines. The subjects were first divided into 2 groups, normal and high TG, then further classified by plasma TC, HDL-C and LDL-C concentrations. The subjects were also divided into TC desirable and TC high groups. RESULTS: Apo-A contents of prebeta(1)-HDL were higher while HDL(2b) were lower in high TG subjects vs. the corresponding normal TG subjects according to plasma TC and LDL-C concentrations. With the increase of plasma TC concentrations, apo-AI contents of prebeta(1)-HDL were significantly higher in high TC subgroup vs. TC desirable subgroup in normal TG subjects. With the decrease of HDL-C concentrations, apo-AI contents of HDL(2b) tended to decrease in normal TG subjects. And, with the increases of LDL-C concentration, in normal TG subjects, apo-AI contents of prebeta(1)-HDL and HDL(3b) were significantly higher and those of HDL(2b) were significantly lower in very high LDL-C subgroup vs. LDL-C optimal subgroup. On the other hand, apo-AI contents of prebeta(1)-HDL and HDL(3a) were significantly higher, while HDL(2a) and HDL(2b) were significantly lower in high TG and very high TG subgroup vs. normal TG subgroup within either TC desirable or TC high subjects. In a multivariate linear regression model, TG and TC concentrations were all associated independently and positively with high prebeta(1)-HDL; however, HDL-C were inversely associated with high prebeta(1)-HDL. And TG and TC concentrations were all associated independently and negatively with low HDL(2b), but HDL-C and apo-AI were positively associated with low HDL(2b). CONCLUSIONS: With the increase of plasma TG, TC, LDL-C or the decrease of plasma HDL-C concentrations, there was a general shift toward smaller-sized HDL, which, in turn, indicates that reverse cholesterol transport might be weakened and HDL maturation might be abnormal. Plasma TG concentration is a more important factor than TC concentration on the changes of HDL subclass distribution. Moreover, when TG is normal and HDL-C decreased, large-size HDL particles tended to decrease.

Relationship between plasma HDL subclasses distribution and apoA-I gene polymorphisms.

BACKGROUND: It is generally accepted that apolipoprotein (apo) A-I is the dominant structural apolipoprotein of HDL particles and different HDL subclasses have distinct but interrelated metabolic functions. HDL is known to directly affect the atherogenic process hence changes in HDL subclasses distribution may be related to the incidence and prevalence of atherosclerosis. METHODS: The ApoA-I contents (mg/l) of plasma HDL subclasses were determined by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled with immunodetection and apoA-I genotypes were assayed by PCR-RFLP in 307 Chinese subjects (169 males, 138 females). RESULTS: The G/G and C/C genotypes were the most frequent at -78 bp and +83 bp of apoA-I gene, respectively. There were no significant differences in the frequencies of rare A allele at -78 bp and rare T allele at +83 bp between males and females. Compared with the G/G carriers, G/A and A/A carriers had significantly higher plasma concentrations of TG, apoC-II, apoC-III, apoA-I contents of prebeta(1)-HDL, HDL(3a) and TG/HDL-C ratio. And in addition, A/A carriers had significantly lower apoA-I contents of HDL(2a) and HDL(2b). Females had increased plasma concentrations of apoA-I, HDL-C, apoA-I contents of HDL(2a) and HDL(2b) while decreased apoA-I contents of prebeta(1)-HDL, HDL(3b) and TG/HDL-C ratio as compared to males carrying the same genotype. No significant differences were demonstrated on the concentrations of plasma lipids, lipoproteins, apolipoproteins and apoA-I contents of plasma HDL subclasses between the C/C and C/T subjects. CONCLUSION: The G/A polymorphism at -78 bp of apoA-I gene was associated with changes of HDL subclasses distribution. There was a general shift towards smaller-sized HDL, which, in turn, indicated that reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) might be weakened and HDL maturation might be abnormal in the subjects with G/A mutation.

[Association between serum lipoprotein-cholesterol levels and HDL subpopulations].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of serum HDL-C or LDL-C levels on the components of serum HDL subpopulations. METHODS: Apolipoprotein (apo) A-I contents of serum HDL subpopulations in 292 subjects were determined by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis in conjunction with immunodection. RESULTS: With the decrease of serum HDL-C levels, the apoA-I contents of pre beta1-HDL and HDL3b increased and were significantly higher (P<0.01; P<0.05) in the low HDL-C group than in the high HDL-C group. But on the contrary, with the decrease of serum HDL-C levels, the apoA-I contents of HDL2b and HDL2a decreased and were significantly lower (P<0.01) in the middle and low HDL-C groups than in the high HDL-C group. With the increase of serum LDL-C levels, the apoA-I contents of pre beta1-HDL, HDL3C and HDL3b increased; the apoA-I contents of pre beta1-HDL and HDL3b were significantly higher in the high LDL-C group (P<0.05) and very high LDL-C group (P<0.01), and those of HDL3C were also significantly higher in the very high LDL-C group (P<0.01). But on the contrary, with the increase of LDL-C levels, the apoA-I contents of HDL2b decreased and were significantly lower in the high LDL-C group (P<0.05) and very high LDL-C group (P<0.01) when compared with the apoA-I contents of the desirable LDL-C group. CONCLUSION: With the decrease of serum HDL-C levels or increase of serum LDL-C levels, the small-sized HDL increased and the large-sized HDL decreased; furthermore, the HDL-C levels were more closely related to the components of the large-sized HDL (HDL2a, HDL2b).

[The interrelationships between serum triglyceride, total cholesterol and HDL subpopulations].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of serum triglyceride (TG) level and total cholesterol (TC) level on the change of the contents of serum HDL subpopulations. METHODS: The apolipoprotein (apo) A-I contents of serum HDL subpopulations in 289 subjects were determined by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis associated with immunodetection method. RESULTS: Analysis of the data on the serum TG levels in subjects revealed that the apoA-I contents of pre beta 1-HDL, pre beta 2-HDL, HDL3b and HDL3a increased with the increase of TG level, whereas the apoA-I contents of HDL2a and HDL2b decreased. By comparison with the data of normal TG group, the apoA-I contents of pre beta 1-HDL and HDL3b in the high TG and very high TG groups were significantly higher, whereas those of HDL2b were significantly lower in the high TG and very high TG groups. Analysis of the data on the serum TC levels in subjects revealed that the apoA-I contents of pre beta 1-HDL, pre beta 2-HDL, HDL2c and HDL3b increased with the increase of TC level, while the apoA-I contents of HDL2b decreased. As compared with the data of TC desirable group, the apoA-I contents of pre beta 1-HDL, HDL3c and HDL3b were significantly higher in the high TC group. CONCLUSION: With the increase of serum TG or TC, there is a general shift toward small-sized HDL in subjects. Besides, the change of serum TG level is a more important factor influencing the components of HDL subpopulations, compared with the change of serum TC level.

Influence of apolipoproteinCII concentrations on HDL subclass distribution.

AIM: To demonstrate the interrelationship between plasma apolipoprotein(apo)CII concentrations and the pattern of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) subclass distribution. METHODS: ApolipoproteinA-I contents of plasma HDL subclasses were quantified by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis associated with immunodetection in 504 Chinese subjects. RESULTS: Compared with subjects in the lowest tertile of the apoCII group, the contents of prebeta(1)- HDL, HDL(3b), and HDL(3a) were significantly higher than HDL(2a) and HDL(2b) in subjects in the middle and highest tertiles of the apoCII group. Moreover, regardless of whether apoB100 increased, prebeta(1)-HDL contents increased, but HDL(2b) fell when apoCII rose while, at any apoCII levels, HDL(2b) rose with the elevation of apoA-I. Additionally, a reduction in prebeta(1)-HDL (from 131.9 to 90.6 mg/L) but an increase in HDL(2b) (from 269.1 to 382.7 mg/L) with a rise in the apoCIII/CIi value (between 0.8 and 5.6) were also observed. CONCLUSION: The particle size of HDL become smaller with the increase of apoCII levels, implying that the efficiency of reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) was impaired and blocked the maturation of HDL. ApoCII might be an independent factor affecting the distribution of HDL subclasses. Further, the apoCIII/CII ratio correlated with the size of HDL particles.