Dietary Iron Modulates Glucose and Lipid Homeostasis in Diabetic Mice

Imbalance of iron homeostasis has been involved in clinical courses of metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, and nonalcoholic fatty liver, through mechanisms not yet fully elucidated. Herein, we evaluated the effect of dietary iron on the development of diabetic syndromes in genetically obese db/db mice. Mice (aged 7 weeks) were fed with high-iron (HI) diets (1000 mg/kg chow) or low-iron (LI) diets (12 mg/kg) for 9 weeks. HI diets increased hepatic iron threefold and led to fourfold higher mRNA levels of hepcidin. HI also induced a 60% increase in fasting glucose due to insulin resistance, as confirmed by decreased hepatic glycogen deposition eightfold and a 21% decrease of serum adiponectin level. HI-fed mice had lower visceral adipose tissue mass estimated by epididymal and inguinal fat pad, associated with iron accumulation and smaller size of adipocytes. Gene expression analysis of liver showed that HI diet upregulated gluconeogenesis and downregulated lipogenesis. These results suggested that excess dietary iron leads to reduced mass, increased fasting glucose, decreased adiponectin level, and enhancement of insulin resistance, which indicated a multifactorial role of excess iron in the development of diabetes in the setting of obesity.

Hepatic Autophagy Deficiency Compromises Farnesoid X Receptor Functionality and Causes Cholestatic Injury

Autophagy is important for hepatic homeostasis, nutrient regeneration, and organelle quality control. We investigated the mechanisms by which liver injury occurred in the absence of autophagy function. We found that mice deficient in autophagy because of the lack of autophagy-related gene 7 or autophagy-related gene 5, key autophagy-related genes, manifested intracellular cholestasis with increased levels of serum bile acids, a higher ratio of tauromuricholic acid/taurocholic acid in the bile, increased hepatic bile acid load, abnormal bile canaliculi, and altered expression of hepatic transporters. In determining the underlying mechanism, we found that autophagy sustained and promoted the basal and up-regulated expression of farnesoid X receptor (Fxr) in the fed and starved conditions, respectively. Consequently, expression of Fxr and its downstream genes, particularly bile salt export pump, and the binding of FXR to the promoter regions of these genes, were suppressed in autophagy-deficient livers. In addition, codeletion of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in autophagy deficiency status reversed the FXR suppression. Furthermore, the cholestatic injury of autophagy-deficient livers was reversed by enhancement of FXR activity or expression, or by Nrf2 deletion. Conclusion: Together with earlier reports that FXR can suppress autophagy, our findings indicate that autophagy and FXR form a regulatory loop and deficiency of autophagy causes abnormal FXR functionality, leading to the development of intracellular cholestasis and liver injury.

[Low-levels of HBsAg quantification at 48-week in HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B patients are the advantageous population for HBsAg clearance]

Objective: To analyze the therapeutic effect on HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B patients treated with Peg-IFNα-2a combined with NAs to obtain the influencing factors for predicting HBsAg clearance. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted to investigate the effect of pegylated interferon alpha-2a combined with nucleoside analogues (lamivudine/adefovir dipivoxil) on HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B. The treatment course was 96 weeks. Patients were followed up 120 weeks after the treatment. HBsAg clearance at 120 weeks was taken as the objective of the study. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis screened the related factors affecting HBsAg clearance. χ (2) test was used to compare count data. Results: 111 patients were treated with pegylated interferon alpha-2a combined with nucleoside analogues, and 107 patients completed the scheduled course of treatment and follow-up. HBsAg clearance rate at120 week was 29.0% (31/107). The influencing factors for analysis were: (1) gender had no effect on HBsAg clearance rate; age and baseline levels of HBV DNA and alanine aminotransferase had no significant effect on HBsAg clearance; low baseline level of HBsAg (< 3.023 lgIU/ml) was beneficial to HBsAg clearance. The area under the working characteristic curve of the subjects was 0.746, the positive predictive value was 44.4%, and the negative predictive value was 86.8%. (2) HBsAg quantification or decline in 24 weeks and 48 weeks of treatment had a good predictive effect on HBsAg clearance, and the 48 weeks predicted value was higher than 24 weeks. When the HBsAg quantification was≤2.070 lgIU/ml at 48 weeks, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.931, the positive predictive value was 52.8%, and the negative predictive value was 94.4%. When HBsAg decreased from baseline to≥0.991 lgIU/ml, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.888, the positive predictive value was 50.8%, and the negative predictive value was 97.9%. (3) The analysis of HBsAg subgroup levels at 48 weeks suggested that the "interval analysis" can forecast HBsAg clearance more exactly than "nodal analysis" .The final HBsAg clearance rate of 100 IU/ml < HBsAg≤1 000 IU/ml, 10 IU/ml < HBsAg≤100 IU/ml and HBsAg≤10 IU/ml groups reached 6.7%, 31.8% and 67.7%, respectively. (4) The ALT abnormal group in the course of treatment obtained a higher HBsAg clearance rate (48.0%, 12/25). Conclusion: 96-weeks long-term treatment with pegylated interferon-alpha -alpha-2a combined with nucleoside analogues for HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B has a good predictive value for HBsAg clearance at baseline and during treatment. The "interval level" of HBsAg at 48-weeks is more accurate in predicting HBsAg clearance, suggesting that HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B patients with low HBsAg levels at 48-weeks are the advantageous populations with HBsAg clearance. These patients are worthy of prolonged treatment to pursue "clinical cure".

[The effects of different activators on the release curve of human platelet-rich plasma]

Objective: To compare and analyze the effects of different activators on the release curve of TGF-β(1) and PDGF-AB in platelet rich plasma(PRP). Methods: A total of 36 ml peripheral venous blood was obtained from 10 healthy adult volunteers, and the PRP was made by secondary centrifugation. The platelet activator was made by bovine thrombin 1 000 U in 1 ml 10% calcium chloride solution. The Thrombin-PRP group was made by PRP and the activator in a ratio of 10∶1.The Calcium chloride-PRP group was made in a ratio of 10∶1 by PRP and 10% calcium chloride solution instead. The fresh whole blood(whole blood group) and inactived PRP(PRP group) were used as the control groups. The 4 groups were incubated in warm water of 37 ℃ for 0, 1, 8, 24,72 and 168 h. A quantitative sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays(ELISA) was used to examine the amount of TGF-β(1) and PDGF-AB in different time points of each group. The release curves of TGF-β(1) and PDGF-AB were based on afore-mentioned data, and then comparisons of the release curves of TGF-β(1) and PDGF-AB in different groups were performed by repeated measurement variance analysis. Results: (1)The levels of TGF-β(1) and PDGF-AB in the whole blood group and the PRP group continued to increase within 168 h. PRP immediately formed into a gel after mixture with thrombin combined and calcium chloride, and the concentrations of TGF-β(1) and PDGF-AB reached the peak in 1 h after activation; increased from (42±21)ng/ml and (77±18)ng/ml to (84±21)ng/ml and (124±35)ng/ml, respectively, and then decreased gradually. The release curve was direct and rapid. The PRP became a gel state in approximate 1 h after mixture with calcium chloride, and the concentrations of TGF-β(1) and PDGF-AB were slowly rising and remained high at 168 h. (2)The AUC(0-168h) of TGF-β(1) and PDGF-AB in the PRP group was higher than that in the whole blood group (all P<0.05) , and the AUC(0-168h) of TGF-β(1) in the Calcium chloride-PRP group was higher than that in the Thrombin-PRP group(Z=-2.26, P<0.05).However, there was no significant difference in the AUC(0-168h) of PDGF-AB between the Calcium chloride-PRP group and the Thrombin-PRP group(Z=-1.512, P=0.131). Conclusion: Using calcium chloride as activator can get a higher release concentration of TGF-β(1) and PDGF-AB and a longer release time, with the largest area under the curve.

Research on rolling bearing fault diagnosis based on multi-dimensional feature extraction and evidence fusion theory

Rolling bearing failure is the main cause of failure of rotating machinery, and leads to huge economic losses. The demand of the technique on rolling bearing fault diagnosis in industrial applications is increasing. With the development of artificial intelligence, the procedure of rolling bearing fault diagnosis is more and more treated as a procedure of pattern recognition, and its effectiveness and reliability mainly depend on the selection of dominant characteristic vector of the fault features. In this paper, a novel diagnostic framework for rolling bearing faults based on multi-dimensional feature extraction and evidence fusion theory is proposed to fulfil the requirements for effective assessment of different fault types and severities with real-time computational performance. Firstly, a multi-dimensional feature extraction strategy on the basis of entropy characteristics, Holder coefficient characteristics and improved generalized box-counting dimension characteristics is executed for extracting health status feature vectors from vibration signals. And, secondly, a grey relation algorithm is used to calculate the basic belief assignments (BBAs) using the extracted feature vectors, and lastly, the BBAs are fused through the Yager algorithm for achieving bearing fault pattern recognition. The related experimental study has illustrated the proposed method can effectively and efficiently recognize various fault types and severities in comparison with the existing intelligent diagnostic methods based on a small number of training samples with good real-time performance, and may be used for online assessment.

Alzheimer's Disease rs11767557 Variant Regulates EPHA1 Gene Expression Specifically in Human Whole Blood

Large-scale genome-wide association studies have reported EPHA1 rs11767557 variant to be associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk in the European population. However, it is still unclear how this variant functionally contributes to the underlying disease pathogenesis. The rs11767557 variant is located approximately 3 kb upstream of EPHA1 gene. We think that rs11767557 may modify the expression of nearby genes such as EPHA1 and further cause AD risk. Until now, the potential association between rs11767557 and the expression of nearby genes has not been reported in previous studies. Here, we evaluate the potential expression association between rs11767557 and EPHA1 using multiple large-scale eQTLs datasets in human brain tissues and the whole blood. The results show that rs11767557 variant could significantly regulate EPHA1 gene expression specifically in human whole blood. These findings may further provide important supplementary information about the regulating mechanisms of rs11767557 variant in AD risk.

A switch in the poly(dC)/RmlB complex regulates bacterial persister formation

Bacterial persisters are phenotypic variants that tolerate exposure to lethal antibiotics. These dormant cells are responsible for chronic and recurrent infections. Multiple mechanisms have been linked to persister formation. Here, we report that a complex, consisting of an extracellular poly(dC) and its membrane-associated binding protein RmlB, appears to be associated with persistence of the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Environmental stimuli triggers a switch in the complex physiological state (from poly(dC)/RmlB to P-poly(dC)/RmlB or RmlB). In response to the switch, bacteria decrease proton motive force and intracellular ATP levels, forming dormant cells. This alteration in complex status is linked to a (p)ppGpp-controlled signaling pathway that includes inorganic polyphosphate, Lon protease, exonuclease VII (XseA/XseB), and the type III secretion system. The persistence might be also an adaptive response to the lethal action of the dTDP-l-rhamnose pathway shutdown, which occurs due to switching of poly(dC)/RmlB.

The mechanisms underlying bacterial persisters formation remain poorly understood. Here, Chen et al. identify a complex formed by extracellular poly(dC) and the binding protein RmlB that controls Pseudomonas aeruginosa persister formation in response to environmental stimuli.

Rare earth double perovskites: a fertile soil in the field of perovskite oxides

This review summarizes the compositions, syntheses, and applications of rare earth A₂B′B′′O₆ double perovskites.

Synthesis and photocatalytic activities of a CuO/TiO2 composite catalyst using aquatic plants with accumulated copper as a template

A CuO/TiO₂ photocatalyst was synthesized by using a hydrolysis method. In the synthesis, the Eichhornia crassipes accumulated with copper was used and combined with titanium chloride precursor.

A noble bimetal oxysulfide CuVOS catalyst for highly efficient catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol and organic dyes

A novel CuVOS catalyst was successfully synthesized by a facile method. The CuVOS with optimum amount of N₂H₄ had higher catalytic activity.

[Study of bone mineral density and serum bone turnover markers in newly diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus patients]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the changes of bone mineral density (BMD) and serum bone turnover factor in newly diagnosed systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) patients.

METHODS

Eighty newly diagnosed SLE patients and 80 age and gender matched healthy controls were enrolled. None of the SLE patients had ever received glucocorticoid, immunosuppressive agents or vitamin D. BMD was measured at radius,lumbar spine and hip by dual X ray absorptiometry (DXA). Bone turnover markers including serum levels of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRAP5b),bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP) and 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 (25-OH-VD3) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Logistic regression was employed to analyze the risk factors associated with decreased BMD.

RESULTS

Mean age of the SLE patients was (32.8±12.4) years, and 85% were female, none of whom were post-menopausal. BMD was significantly reduced in all the measured sites, compared with the healthy controls. Sixteen (20%) of the patients were osteopenic in at least one site measured locations. The serum levels of 25-OH-VD3 were markedly reduced in the newly diagnosed SLE patients than those of the normal controls [(46.1+12.3) nmol/L vs. (25.4+11.2) nmol/L, P<0.001)]. The serum levels of 25-OH-VD3 in the SLE patients with nephritis were much lower than those without nephritis (P=0.04). A significant negative correlation was demonstrated between the serum concentration of 25-OH-VD3 and the disease activity scores as measured by SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) (r=-0.3,P=0.001). The serum TRAP5b concentration was positively correlated with SLEDAI (r=0.435,P=0.003). Age (P=0.058) and SLEDAI (P=0.085) were probably associated with decreased BMD in Logistic regression analysis.

CONCLUSION

The study showed reduced BMD in untreated SLE patients. The role of chronic inflammation was of probable importance in bone metabolism.

Root and detritus of transgenic Bt crop did not change nematode abundance and community composition but enhanced trophic connections

Transgenic Bacillus thuringensis (Bt) crops are widely deployed to control lepidopterous pests with minimal impact on non-target soil invertebrates. However, most of the results were obtained from field works, the great environmental variation may conceal the small spatial-temporal scaled changes in microhabitats, such as those created near the roots (rhizosphere) or around decomposing residues (detritusphere), which are expected to impact free-living soil organisms more than the bulk soils. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of root and straw residues of transgenic crops on soil, by comparing nematode communities in the rhizosphere (soil microsites only affected by living root), the detritusphere (soil microsites affected by crop aboveground residues) and the rhizosphere-detritusphere interface (soil microsites intensively co-affected by root and residues) of Bt rice and its non-Bt near isoline. Bt rice did not affect nematode abundance and community composition, however, it enhanced the network connections within nematode communities, in both the rhizosphere and detritusphere, indicating the frequency of co-occurring species increased due to the moderate stress of crystal (Cry) as a labile resource of protein or as a moderate pressure of toxic compounds. Furthermore, 60-80% of the correlation between Cry protein (Cry1Ab/Cry1Ac) and nematode genera were positive in the rhizosphere and detritusphere of Bt rice, suggesting that higher Cry protein concentration was associated with the intensive co-occurrence among nematode populations. This finding offers new insights into how the biotic interactions of non-target soil community response to both live and dead parts of transgenic crop, highlighting the moderate stress of Cry protein might affect the community structure and consequent functioning of soil ecosystem based on the elaborately developed knowledge of biotic interactions via ecological network analysis.

[Molecular mechanisms and relationship of M2-polarized macrophages with early response in multiple myeloma]

目的

探讨替代活化型巨噬细胞（M2 MΦ）和多发性骨髓瘤（MM）早期治疗反应的关系及其在发病机制中的可能作用。

方法

采用免疫组化法标记240例MM患者骨髓标本中的MΦ；建立体外M2 MΦ诱导培养体系，构建Transwell共培养模型与RPMI 8226和U266细胞共培养，CCK-8法检测M2 MΦ对细胞增殖的影响，流式细胞术检测对地塞米松（1 µ mol/L）诱导骨髓瘤细胞凋亡的影响，ELISA法检测对TNF-α和IL-6表达的影响，real time PCR法检测对趋化因子、血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）及其受体表达的影响。

结果

①依据骨髓组织M2 MΦ浸润程度将患者分为高浸润组（92例）和低浸润组（148例），高浸润组患者早期治疗有效率明显低于低浸润组，差异有统计学意义（23.9%对73.0%，χ²=60.31，P<0.001）。②培养24、36 h，共培养组细胞增殖能力较对照组显著上升：M2 MΦ+RPMI 8226细胞组与对照组比较，P值分别为0.005、0.020；M2 MΦ+U266细胞与对照组比较，P值分别为0.030、0.020。③地塞米松诱导后，共培养组与对照组比较，RPMI 8226细胞凋亡率下降（29.0%对71.0%，t=4.97，P=0.008），U266细胞凋亡率也下降（24.9%对67.7%，t=6.99，P=0.002）。④共培养48 h后，与对照组比较，加入M2 MΦ后可促进RPMI 8226和U266细胞分泌IL-6、TNF-α，促进表达CCL2、CCL3、CCR2、CCR5、VEGFA、VEGFR-1和VEGFR-2。

结论

MM患者骨髓组织M2 MΦ浸润程度和早期治疗反应相关。M2 MΦ通过促进骨髓瘤细胞分泌系列炎症因子、趋化因子和相关受体的表达，从而促进骨髓瘤细胞增殖以及保护骨髓瘤细胞免于凋亡。

[Effect of nasal glucocorticoid combined with loratadine or montelukast on allergic rhinitis]

Objective:To evaluate the effect of nasal glucocorticoid combined with second-generation antihistamines or leukotriene receptor antagonists on the treatment of moderate severe allergic rhinitis, and explore the optimal scheme of personalized treatment for AR patients.Method:Fiftyseven patients with persistent moderatesevere allergic rhinitis were randomly divided into three groups and treated by mometasone furoate aqueous nasal spray (group MOM), mometasone furoate aqueous nasal spray combined with loratadine (group MOM+L), mometasone furoate aqueous nasal spray combined with montelukast (group MOM+M) for 4 weeks. Four major clinical symptoms of allergic rhinitis: nasal congestion, nose itching, sneezing and runny nose were evaluated by "symptom rating score" before treatment and after treatment for 4 weeks.Result:After treatment, the total nasal symptom scores of each group showed a decreasing tendency, and the differences between various time points were statistically significant (P< 0.05). For the symptom of nasal congestion, the symptom score of MOM+M group was significantly lower than that of MOM group and MOM+L group at the 2nd and 4th week after treatment. For the symptoms of sneezing and nasal itching, MOM+L group had the lowest score at each time point after treatment and the difference was statistically significant compared with MOM group (P< 0.05), but there was no significant difference between MOM group and MOM+M group (P> 0.05). For the symptom of runny nose, the score of MOM+L group was significantly lower than MOM group (P< 0.05) at the 1st and 2nd week, MOM+M group was significantly lower than MOM group (P< 0.05) at the 2nd and 4th week, while there was no significant difference between MOM+L group and MOM+M group (P> 0.05).Conclusion:Nasal glucocorticoid alone or combined with secondgeneration antihistamines or leukotriene receptor antagonists can effectively control nasal symptoms of moderatesevere allergic rhinitis, yet the effect of combination therapy is better. For nasal congestion, nasal glucocorticoid combined with leukotriene receptor antagonists have a better effect. For nasal itching and sneezing, the choice of nasal glucocorticoid combined with second-generation antihistamines may be more sensible. For runny nose, nasal glucocorticoid combined with second-generation antihistamines or leukotriene receptor antagonists have similar efficacy.