Evaluation of a human glycated hemoglobin test in canine diabetes mellitus

Glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is widely used for monitoring and diagnosing human diabetes mellitus, but is rarely used in veterinary clinics. The goal of our study was to validate the commercial HbA1c testing system SD A1cCare analyzer (Bionote, Gyeoggi-do, South Korea) for use in dogs. Dogs were recruited with owner's consent. Diabetic status was determined based on clinical signs, fasting hyperglycemia, and glycosuria. Intra-assay precision and linearity were evaluated with EDTA, heparin, or citrate as anticoagulants, and had excellent precision with mean coefficients of variation (CVs) of 2.47%, 2.26%, and 1.92%, respectively. Diluted anticoagulated blood samples showed excellent linear relationships with R2 of 0.991, 0.996, and 0.994, respectively. Inter-assay precision revealed that the mean CV of the normal control was 2.18% and that of the high control was 2.01% (30 repeats). Observed total error of a normal control was 7.81%, and 6.12% for the high control. HbA1c level measured before and after removal of plasma and replacement by saline showed minimal interference by lipid contents ( p = 0.929). The HbA1c concentrations of diabetic dogs were significantly higher than those of non-diabetic dogs ( p < 0.001). HbA1c value >6.2% indicated canine diabetes through a classification and regression tree model. In most cases, fructosamine and HbA1c were highly correlated ( r = 0.674, p < 0.001). The HbA1c testing system could be a valuable testing system to evaluate canine diabetes mellitus, providing an alternative in-house option for use by veterinary clinicians.

Glucose starvation induces resistance to metformin through the elevation of mitochondrial multidrug resistance protein 1

Metformin, a drug for type 2 diabetes mellitus, has shown therapeutic effects for various cancers. However, it had no beneficial effects on the survival rate of human malignant mesothelioma (HMM) patients. The present study was performed to elucidate the underlying mechanism of metformin resistance in HMM cells. Glucose‐starved HMM cells had enhanced resistance to metformin, demonstrated by decreased apoptosis and autophagy and increased cell survival. These cells showed abnormalities in mitochondria, such as decreased ATP synthesis, morphological elongation, altered mitochondrial permeability transition pore and hyperpolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). Intriguingly, Mdr1 was significantly upregulated in mitochondria but not in cell membrane. The upregulated mitochondrial Mdr1 was reversed by treatment with carbonyl cyanide m‐chlorophenyl hydrazone, an MMP depolarization inducer. Furthermore, apoptosis and autophagy were increased in multidrug resistance protein 1 knockout HMM cells cultured under glucose starvation with metformin treatment. The data suggest that mitochondrial Mdr1 plays a critical role in the chemoresistance to metformin in HMM cells, which could be a potential target for improving its therapeutic efficacy.

Effects of organic zinc on tibia quality, mineral deposit, and metallothionein expression level of aged hens

The study aimed to determine the effects of methionine hydroxy analog chelate zinc on the tibia quality, mineral deposit, apparent retention of nutrients, and liver metallothionein (MT) expression level of aged laying hens. A total of 960 layers (Hy-Line Grey, 57 wk old) were randomly assigned into 4 groups, and each group had 8 replicates of 30 hens. During the first 2 wk, groups were fed a basal diet without extra zinc (Zn: 35.08 mg/kg). During the ensuing 14 wk, 4 levels of Zn (inorganic Zn: 80 mg/kg; organic Zn: 20, 40, 80 mg/kg) were added to the diet. The results indicated that both the Zn source and level did influence tibia strength and calcium (Ca) and Zn concentrations of tibia (P < 0.05), whereas there were no differences in the copper (Cu) and phosphorus (P) concentrations of the tibia and the tibia length (P > 0.05). Moreover, dietary supplementation with 40 or 80 mg/kg of organic Zn showed higher Zn and Ca concentrations in the tibia and higher tibia strength. The Cu concentration in the liver showed no difference among the 4 treatments, whereas the Zn concentration in the liver increased with the increasing Zn level. The apparent retention of P, iron (Fe), and manganese (Mn) was not affected by the Zn level or source (P > 0.05). However, the organic Zn group increased the apparent retention of Cu, Zn, Ca, crude protein (CP), and energy, and the group supplemented with 40 or 80 mg/kg of organic Zn obtained significant effects (P < 0.05). Moreover, dietary supplementation with 40 or 80 mg/kg organic Zn increased the MT mRNA expression of the liver at week 72, whereas 20 mg/kg of organic Zn decreased it (P < 0.05). In conclusion, this study suggested that an optimum dietary (40 mg/kg) organic Zn level plays a key role in promoting the apparent retention of minerals and nutrients, trace element deposit, and MT mRNA expression.

Comparative transcriptome analysis identified candidate genes involved in mycelium browning in Lentinula edodes

Background

Lentinula edodes is one of the most popular edible mushroom species in the world and contains useful medicinal components, such as lentinan. The light-induced formation of brown film on the vegetative mycelial tissues of L. edodes is an important process for ensuring the quantity and quality of this edible mushroom. To understand the molecular mechanisms underlying this critical developmental process in L. edodes, we characterized the morphological phenotypic changes in a strain, Chamaram, associated with abnormal brown film formation and compared its genome-wide transcriptional features.

Results

In the present study, we performed genome-wide transcriptome analyses of different vegetative mycelium growth phenotypes, namely, early white, normal brown, and defective dark yellow partial brown films phenotypes which were exposed to different light conditions. The analysis revealed the identification of clusters of genes specific to the light-induced brown film phenotypes. These genes were significantly associated with light sensing via photoreceptors such as FMN- and FAD-bindings, signal transduction by kinases and GPCRs, melanogenesis via activation of tyrosinases, and cell wall degradation by glucanases, chitinases, and laccases, which suggests these processes are involved in the formation of mycelial browning in L. edodes. Interestingly, hydrophobin genes such as SC1 and SC3 exhibited divergent expression levels in the normal and abnormal brown mycelial films, indicating the ability of these genes to act in fruiting body initiation and formation of dikaryotic mycelia. Furthermore, we identified the up-regulation of glycoside hydrolase domain-containing genes in the normal brown film but not in the abnormal film phenotype, suggesting that cell wall degradation in the normal brown film phenotype is crucial in the developmental processes related to the initiation and formation of fruiting bodies.

Conclusions

This study systematically analysed the expression patterns of light-induced browning-related genes in L. edodes. Our findings provide information for further investigations of browning formation mechanisms in L. edodes and a foundation for future L. edodes breeding.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-019-5509-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

T2 mapping in dermatomyositis/polymyositis and correlation with clinical parameters

AIM

To explore the T2-mapping signal characteristics of the thigh muscles in patients with dermatomyositis/polymyositis (DM/PM) and to investigate the correlation between thigh muscle T2 values, clinical parameters, and serum creatinine kinase (CK).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Forty-two patients with DM/PM proven by diagnostic criteria were enrolled in the study along with 13 healthy control subjects. Both T2-mapping and conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images were obtained in the thigh musculature of all subjects. The T2 values of thigh muscles were compared between the DM/PM patients and control groups. Thirty-one DM/PM patients were evaluated with manual muscle testing (MMT) and serum CK levels. A Spearman correlation coefficient model was used to correlate the mean T2 values and clinical assessments. The Kruskal-Wallis test and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were also utilised. p-Values <0.05 reflected statistical significance.

RESULTS

The T2 value of all oedematous muscles was greater on average than that of the unaffected muscles of the DM/PM patients (p<0.05) and the muscles of healthy volunteers (p<0.05). The T2 value of unaffected muscles in DM/PM patients was also greater than that of the normal muscles in healthy volunteers (p<0.05). The area under the curves (AUCs) for T2 relaxation time values was 0.72 with respective sensitivity and specificity of 72.6% and 65.4%. The mean T2 relaxation time of the 31 patients group and the MMTs (p<0.05) was correlated without serum CK levels (p>0.05).

CONCLUSION

T2 mapping is not only quantitatively used for subclinical muscle involvement in DM/PM, but also be used to demonstrate severity of damaged muscles in DM/PM.

Hypoxia promotes acquisition of aggressive phenotypes in human malignant mesothelioma

BACKGROUND

Hypoxia is a hallmark of the solid tumor microenvironment and is associated with poor outcomes in cancer patients. The present study was performed to investigate mechanisms underlying the hypoxia-induced phenotypic changes using human malignant mesothelioma (HMM) cells.

METHODS

Hypoxic conditions were achieved by incubating HMM cells in the air chamber. The effect of hypoxia on phenotype changes in HMM cells was investigated by performing in vitro clonogenicity, drug resistance, migration, and invasion assays. Signaling pathways and molecules involved in the more aggressive behaviors of HMM cells under hypoxia were investigated. A two-tailed unpaired Student's t-test or one-way ANOVA with Bonferroni post-test correction was used in this study.

RESULTS

Hypoxic conditions upregulated hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α) and HIF-2α in parallel with the upregulation of its target, Glut-1, in HMM cells. In vitro clonogenicity of HMM cells was significantly increased in hypoxic conditions, but the proliferation of cells at a high density in hypoxia was lower than that in normoxic conditions. The expression levels of HIF-2α and Oct4 were increased in hypoxic HMM cells. The percentage of cells with high CD44 expression was significantly higher in HMM cells cultured in hypoxia than those cultured in normoxia. Hypoxia significantly enhanced the resistance of HMM cells to cisplatin, which occurred through cytoprotection against cisplatin-induced apoptosis. While cisplatin treatment decreased the ratio of Bcl-2 to Bax in normoxic condition, hypoxia conversely increased the ratio in HMM cells treated with cisplatin. Hypoxia increased the mobility and invasiveness of HMM cells. Epithelial to mesenchymal transition was promoted, which was indicated by the repression of E-cadherin and the concomitant increase of vimentin in HMM cells.

CONCLUSIONS

The data illustrated that hypoxic conditions augmented the aggressive phenotypes of HMM cells at the biological and molecular levels. The present study provides valuable background information beginning to understand aggressiveness of HMM in tumor microenvironments, suggesting that a control measure for tumor hypoxia may be an effective therapeutic strategy to reduce the aggressiveness of cancer cells in HMM patients.

Routes of transmission of influenza A H1N1, SARS CoV, and norovirus in air cabin: Comparative analyses

Identifying the exact transmission route(s) of infectious diseases in indoor environments is a crucial step in developing effective intervention strategies. In this study, we proposed a comparative analysis approach and built a model to simulate outbreaks of 3 different in-flight infections in a similar cabin environment, that is, influenza A H1N1, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (CoV), and norovirus. The simulation results seemed to suggest that the close contact route was probably the most significant route (contributes 70%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 67%-72%) in the in-flight transmission of influenza A H1N1 transmission; as a result, passengers within 2 rows of the index case had a significantly higher infection risk than others in the outbreak (relative risk [RR]: 13.4, 95% CI: 1.5-121.2, P = .019). For SARS CoV, the airborne, close contact, and fomite routes contributed 21% (95% CI: 19%-23%), 29% (95% CI: 27%-31%), and 50% (95% CI: 48%-53%), respectively. For norovirus, the simulation results suggested that the fomite route played the dominant role (contributes 85%, 95% CI: 83%-87%) in most cases; as a result, passengers in aisle seats had a significantly higher infection risk than others (RR: 9.5, 95% CI: 1.2-77.4, P = .022). This work highlighted a method for using observed outbreak data to analyze the roles of different infection transmission routes.

Complex Intratissue Microbiota Forms Biofilms in Periodontal Lesions

Periodontitis is caused by dysbiotic subgingival bacterial communities that may lead to increased bacterial invasion into gingival tissues. Although shifts in community structures associated with transition from health to periodontitis have been well characterized, the nature of bacteria present within the gingival tissue of periodontal lesions is not known. To characterize microbiota within tissues of periodontal lesions and compare them with plaque microbiota, gingival tissues and subgingival plaques were obtained from 7 patients with chronic periodontitis. A sequencing analysis of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that species richness and diversity were not significantly different between the 2 groups. However, intersubject variability of intratissue communities was smaller than that of plaque communities. In addition, when compared with the plaque communities, intratissue communities were characterized by decreased abundance of Firmicutes and increased abundance of Fusobacteria and Chloroflexi. In particular, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Porphyromonas gingivalis were highly enriched within the tissue, composing 15% to 40% of the total bacteria. Furthermore, biofilms, as visualized by alcian blue staining and atomic force microscopy, were observed within the tissue where the degradation of connective tissue fibers was prominent. In conclusion, very complex bacterial communities exist in the form of biofilms within the gingival tissue of periodontal lesions, which potentially serve as a reservoir for persistent infection. This novel finding may prompt new research on therapeutic strategies to treat periodontitis.

Effect of epigallocatechin-3-gallate on acrylamide-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in PC12 cells

Acrylamide (ACR) is a chemical intermediate utilized in industry. ACR is also formed during heating of foods containing carbohydrates and amino acids. Therefore, humans are widely exposed to ACR, and ACR neurotoxicity in humans is a significant public health issue attracting wide attention. In this study, we investigated the potential neuroprotective effects of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the most abundant polyphenolic compound in green tea, in PC12 cells treated with ACR. ACR-treated PC12 cells pretreated with various concentrations of EGCG (2.5, 5 and 10 μM) for 24 h had increased viability and acetylcholinesterase activity and reduced apoptosis and necrosis compared to cells exposed to ACR alone. EGCG reduced the expression of bax mRNA, decreased cytochrome c release, reduced intracellular calcium levels, inactivated caspase 3 and increased mitochondrial membrane potential, suggesting that EGCG prevents ACR-induced apoptosis through a mitochondrial-mediated pathway. In addition, EGCG inhibited the formation of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation while enhancing superoxide dismutase activity and glutathione levels, thereby reducing oxidative stress. Our results indicate that pretreatment of PC12 cells with EGCG attenuates ACR-induced apoptosis by reducing oxidative stress. Therefore, drinking green tea may reduce nerve injury induced by ACR.

VEGF Promotes Glycolysis in Pancreatic Cancer via HIF1α Up-Regulation

BACKGROUND

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is highly expressed in many types of tumors, including pancreatic cancer. Tumor cellderived VEGF promotes angiogenesis and tumor progression. However, the role of VEGF in glucose metabolism remains unclear.

OBJECTIVE

We investigated the role and the underlying mechanism of VEGF in the glucose metabolism of pancreatic cancer cells.

METHOD

Pancreatic cancer cells were stimulated with VEGF165 for 1 or 2 h. The oxygen consumption rates (OCR) and extracellular acidification rates (ECAR) were measured using the Seahorse XF96 Extracellular Flux Analyzer. Glycolytic enzymes were detected by quantitative real-time PCR. Neuropilin 1 (NRP1) was silenced by shRNA in order to investigate its role in VEGF-induced glycolysis. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed to identify the correlation among VEGF, NRP1 and hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) in pancreatic cancer tissues.

RESULTS

VEGF stimulation led to a metabolic transition from mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis in pancreatic cancer. HIF1α and NRP1 protein levels were both increased after VEGF stimulation. The down-regulation of NRP1 reduced glycolysis in pancreatic cancer cells. NRP1 and VEGF levels both correlated with HIF1α expression in pancreatic tumor tissues.

CONCLUSION

VEGF enhances glycolysis in pancreatic cancer via HIF1α up-regulation. NRP1 plays a key role in VEGF-induced glycolysis.

Isolation and Characterization of a Moderately Virulent Classical Swine Fever Virus Emerging in China

Classical swine fever (CSF) is a devastating infectious disease of pigs caused by classical swine fever virus (CSFV). In China, CSF has been under control owing to extensive vaccination with the lapinized attenuated vaccine (C-strain) since 1950s, despite sporadic or endemic in many regions. However, recently, CSF outbreaks occurred in a large number of swine herds in China. Here, we isolated 15 CSFV strains from diverse C-strain-vaccinated pig farms in China and characterized the genetic variations and antigenicity of the new isolates. The new strains showed unique variations in the E2 protein and were clustered to the subgenotype 2.1d of CSFV recently emerging in China in the phylogenetic tree. Cross-neutralization test showed that the neutralizing titres of porcine anti-C-strain sera against the new isolates were substantially lower than those against both the highly virulent Shimen strain and the subgenotype 2.1b strains that were isolated in China in 2006 and 2009, respectively. In addition, experimental animal infection showed that the HLJZZ2014 strain-infected pigs displayed lower mortality and less severe clinical signs and pathological changes compared with the Shimen strain-infected pigs. The HLJZZ2014 strain was defined to be moderately virulent based on a previously established assessment system for CSFV virulence evaluation, and the virus shedding and the viral load in various tissues of the CSFV HLJZZ2014 strain-infected pigs were significantly lower than those of the Shimen strain-infected pigs. Taken together, the subgenotype 2.1d isolate of CSFV is a moderately virulent strain with molecular variations and antigenic alterations.

Spin excitations in hole-overdoped iron-based superconductors

Understanding the overall features of magnetic excitation is essential for clarifying the mechanism of Cooper pair formation in iron-based superconductors. In particular, clarifying the relationship between magnetism and superconductivity is a central challenge because magnetism may play a key role in their exotic superconductivity. BaFe2As2 is one of ideal systems for such investigation because its superconductivity can be induced in several ways, allowing a comparative examination. Here we report a study on the spin fluctuations of the hole-overdoped iron-based superconductors Ba1-xKxFe2As2 (x = 0.5 and 1.0; Tc = 36 K and 3.4 K, respectively) over the entire Brillouin zone using inelastic neutron scattering. We find that their spin spectra consist of spin wave and chimney-like dispersions. The chimney-like dispersion can be attributed to the itinerant character of magnetism. The band width of the spin wave-like dispersion is almost constant from the non-doped to optimum-doped region, which is followed by a large reduction in the overdoped region. This suggests that the superconductivity is suppressed by the reduction of magnetic exchange couplings, indicating a strong relationship between magnetism and superconductivity in iron-based superconductors.

Brief Questionnaire Derived from PANSS Using a General Probability Model to Assess and Monitor the Clinical Features of Schizophrenia

AIM

Patients with schizophrenia require continuous treatment much longer than the duration of their hospitalization, which makes their family members essential in their medical care. However, the evaluation of the disease state could only be done by professionals. This prompted us to seek potent indicators of disease states that are understandable and easy to use for the patients' family.

METHOD

Specific items were firstly extracted from the total PANSS scale. Then 3 096 PANSS scores were analyzed using a nonlinear mixed-effects model (NONMEM). A questionnaire was subsequently developed for family members to assess and monitor the overall severity of schizophrenia. Finally this questionnaire was validated in 33 patients.

RESULTS

2 items (P1 and N4) were extracted from the 8 effective remission items according to the correlation coefficients between the total PANSS score and different combinations of items. P1N4 was defined as the sum of these 2 items. A model was then developed to describe the probability of PANSS≥60, with P1N4 as indicators. The results indicated that P1N4 could make a good predictor of the overall probability of PANSS≥60, which was independent of treatment. A brief questionnaire with 7 questions was developed based on the results. External validation results indicated the questionnaire's suitability for a good assessment.

CONCLUSION

Questionnaire developed based on P1 and N4 may facilitate the patients' family members to better understand the disease state and help to prevent relapse.