Search for B^{-}→μ^{-}ν[over ¯]_{μ} Decays at the Belle Experiment

We report the results of a search for the rare, purely leptonic decay B^{-}→μ^{-}ν[over ¯]_{μ} performed with a 711  fb^{-1} data sample that contains 772×10^{6}  BB[over ¯] pairs, collected near the ϒ(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e^{+}e^{-} collider. The signal events are selected based on the presence of a high momentum muon and the topology of the rest of the event showing properties of a generic B-meson decay, as well as the missing energy and momentum being consistent with the hypothesis of a neutrino from the signal decay. We find a 2.4 standard deviation excess above background including systematic uncertainties, which corresponds to a branching fraction of B(B^{-}→μ^{-}ν[over ¯]_{μ})=(6.46±2.22±1.60)×10^{-7} or a frequentist 90% confidence level interval on the B^{-}→μ^{-}ν[over ¯]_{μ} branching fraction of [2.9,10.7]×10^{-7}.

A long-acting pegylated recombinant human growth hormone (Jintrolong® ) in healthy adult subjects: Two single-dose trials evaluating safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE

Jintrolong^® is a pegylated recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) (PEG-rhGH) developed for weekly subcutaneous (sc) injection. The current human tolerability trial and pharmacokinetics (PK) trial evaluated the safety, tolerability and PK of single-dose Jintrolong^® injection in healthy adult subjects.

METHODS

Both trials were single-centre, randomized, open-label and single-dose studies. In the human tolerability trial, 34 healthy subjects were randomized to receive single-dose Jintrolong^® sc injection (0.01, 0.06, 0.2, 0.5 or 0.8 mg/kg) or placebo. In the PK study, 30 healthy male subjects were evenly randomized into 3 groups to receive single-dose Jintrolong^® sc injection (0.1, 0.2 or 0.4 mg/kg), and the subjects receiving 0.4 mg/kg Jintrolong^® were given a single sc injection of conventional rhGH (0.067 mg/kg) after a 14-day washout period. Safety and PK profiles of Jintrolong^® were evaluated.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Jintrolong^® was well tolerated with no serious adverse events or local injection responses. The PK trial showed that the plasma growth hormone concentration elevated quickly and stayed at peak level between 12 and 48 hours post-Jintrolong^® injection, then decreased gradually back to baseline within 168 hours. Compared to single-dose conventional rhGH, Jintrolong^® at all doses demonstrated significantly longer half time and time to maximum plasma concentration, lower clearance and higher systemic drug exposure, indicating prolonged presence of GH in the subjects' circulation. Additionally, systemic exposure to Jintrolong^® increased in a dose-dependent manner.

WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION

Single-dose Jintrolong^® injection was well tolerated in healthy adult subjects, and the maximum tolerable dose was no lower than 0.8 mg/kg. Jintrolong^® was long-acting with the potential for weekly administration.

[Audiological basis of continuing to wear hearing aids in the contralateral ear of young children after cochlear implantation]

Objective: To study the accuracy of preoperative-ASSR in predicting behavioral thresholds of children at low age with profound hearing loss and to evaluate the feasibility of using hearing aids in non-operating ear after the cochlear implantation.Method: Children aged less than 2 years old at the time of surgery were selected as study subjects.The preoperative ASSR response threshold in 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 kHz were recorded.The play audiometry test was used to get the non operative ear behavioral thresholds of the children after three years old. Altogether 179 children with good cooperation and reliable results were enrolled in this study. The results of behavioral thresholds were made a comparison with the results of ASSR response threshold with corresponding frequency before operation for statistical analysis.Result: The behavioral threshold is better than corresponding ASSR response threshold with significant differences(P<0.01). Prediction rates of ASSR response threshold corresponding to behavioral thresholds from 0.5 kHz to 4.0 kHz are 49.7%, 70.9%, 59.2% and 60.9%.There are cases at all frequencies where ASSR showed no reaction but a behavioral thresholds were detected. The proportions of undrawn ASSR reaction at each frequency were 83.3%,75.5%,64.9%,45.1%.Conclusion: In profound hearing loss, the deviation between preoperative ASSR response thresholds and postoperative behavioral thresholds exists, especially in low frequency. No ASSR reaction in clinic cannot represent that there is no measurable hearing threshold. We suggest children at low age continue to wear hearing aids in the non operative ear after cochlear implantation. Whether to give up hearing aids should be judged after gaining the behavioral audiometry to avoid missing the bimodal opportunity.

Preoperative CT texture analysis of gastric cancer: correlations with postoperative TNM staging

AIM

To explore the role of computed tomography (CT) texture analysis in predicting pathologic stage of gastric cancers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Preoperative enhanced CT images of 153 patients (112 men, 41 women) with gastric cancers were reviewed retrospectively. Regions of interest (ROIs) were manually drawn along the margin of the lesion on the section where it appeared largest on the arterial and venous CT images, which yielded texture parameters, including mean, maximum frequency, mode, skewness, kurtosis, and entropy. Correlations between texture parameters and pathological stage were analysed with Spearman's correlation test. The diagnostic performance of CT texture parameters in differentiating different stages was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.

RESULTS

Maximum frequency in the arterial phase and mean, maximum frequency, mode in the venous phase correlated positively with T stage, N stage, and overall stage (all p<0.05) of gastric cancer. Entropy in the venous phase also correlated positively with N stage (p=0.009) and overall stage (p=0.032). Skewness in the arterial phase had the highest area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.822 in identifying early from advanced gastric cancers. Multivariate analysis identified four parameters, including maximum frequency, skewness, entropy in the venous phase, and differentiation degree from biopsy, for predicting lymph node metastasis of gastric cancer. The multivariate model could distinguish gastric cancers with and without lymph node metastasis with an AUC of 0.892.

CONCLUSION

Multiple CT texture parameters, especially those in the venous phase, correlated well with pathological stage and hold great potential in predicting lymph node metastasis of gastric cancers.

Adult exposure to bisphenol A in rare minnow Gobiocypris rarus reduces sperm quality with disruption of testicular aquaporins

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disrupter which has adverse effects on male reproduction. Aquaporins (AQPs), well known water-selective channels, play important roles in spermatogenesis and sperm functions. However, whether AQPs participate in the process that BPA induces abnormal sperms has not been investigated to date. In the present study, adult male rare minnows Gobiocypris rarus were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations BPA (15 and 225 μg/L) for 1, 2 and 3 weeks. Results showed that BPA exposure disrupted sperm motility, increased the percentage of abnormal sperm cells, and decreased sperm tolerance to hypotonic solution and sperm fertilization capacity. Meanwhile, protein levels of AQPs were up-regulated, and their distribution in the testis was abnormal following BPA exposure. The following chromatin immune coprecipitation showed that BPA could regulate aqp3 and 8 expression through the ERE in their 5'-flanking region. The present study demonstrated that BPA could decrease the sperm quality in rare minnow, and AQP3 and 8 might play significant roles in this process.

[Clinical efficacy of tonsillectomy in renal transplant patients with recurrent IgA nephropathy]

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic efficacy of tonsillectomy for patients with recurrence of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) after kidney transplantation. Methods: From May 2014, tonsillectomy was performed in 11 renal transplant patients with biopsy-proved recurrent IgAN. In a median follow-up of 14 (4-38) months, data of proteinuria, hematuria, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and serum levels of IgA in these patients were compared before and after tonsillectomy.Patient's survival and renal graft survival were also summarized. Results: A remission of proteinuria was observed in 8 patients after tonsillectomy, and this status maintained well in the subsequent follow-up.Three patients had no or minimal reduction of proteinuria after tonsillectomy and returned to dialysis within 1 year after tonsillectomy.Possible causes could be severe primary IgAN of crescentric glomerulonephritis, IgAN recurrence in kidney retransplantation, and late tonsillectomy after IgAN recurrence.Serum levels of IgA significant decreased and no patients developed acute rejection or infection after tonsillectomy.In the 1-year follow-up, no patients died and grafts survived well in 8 out of 11 patients. Conclusions: Tonsillectomy may represent an effective and reliable way to treat recurrence IgAN after kidney transplantation, and may be applied widely in the future clinical management. However, early intervention is critical and effects may depend on the pathological features of primary IgAN.

[The long-term benefits of cochlear implantation for children and their families]

Objective:To study the auditory language ability of children with artificial cochlea after entering normal schools as well as the school life conditions and to evaluate the long-term comprehensive benefits of surgery on children along with their families. Method:The questionnaire was designed referring to the categories of auditory performance (CAP), the speech intelligibility rating (SIR), and family burden scale of diseases (FBS), with the questions involving four aspects of the general conditions, the auditory language ability, the school life conditions and the family conditions. Altogether 50 families were participated. Children who had applied artificial cochlea for at least two years and studied in normal schools were selected as the studying objects. The follow-up questionnaire was conducted on the parents. The differences were compared in the auditory language ability and the school life conditions, grouped by gender, age at surgery, parents' educational level, residence, service time of artificial cochlea and parent-child time in general. Meanwhile, the differences of 15 family conditions were compared before and after surgery. Result:The variable factors were of no obvious statistical significance in the comparison among groups of the auditory language ability (P>0.05); In the comparison of the school life conditions, there were significant differences in the number of making friends when grouped by parent-child time (P<0.05), there wes no statistical significance in the comparison among groups of the remaining various factors (P>0.05); In the comparison of family conditions before and after surgery, the rest of the indexes were of significant differences (P<0.05), there was no significant differences in the economic burden and social time of parents (P>0.05). Family conditions improved evidently after surgery. Conclusiont:Under the circumstances of different variable factors, after 2 years of rehabilitation, children are able to acquire better auditory language ability, and adjust themselves to the school life, finishing their studies, still there is a deficiency in the aspect of organizational competence in comparison to age-matched children. In addition, with children's recovery and attending schools, parents' mental stress is significantly reduced, family life returns to normal, and family atmosphere becomes harmonious. Not only can the artificial cochlea help rid children of disability, but also it can be of obvious benefits to their families.

Berberine Improves Cognitive Deficiency and Muscular Dysfunction via Activation of the AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1a Pathway in Skeletal Muscle from Naturally Aging Rats

OBJECTIVE

The manifestations of aging include cognitive deficits and muscular dysfunction, which are closely linked to impairment of mitochondrial biogenesis. Berberine, an isoquinoline alkaloid, presents multiple anti-diabetic pharmacological effects. Evidence has indicated that insulin resistance and cognitive impairment share the same pathogenesis, and berberine could reverse glucose metabolism abnormalities and muscle mitochondrial dysfunction induced by a high-fat diet. This study was used to investigate whether berberine could be used as an anti-aging drug to prevent cognitive deficits and muscular dysfunction in natural aging.

METHODS

Biochemical indicators and an intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test were tested in 5-month-old rats (5 mo group), 24-month-old rats (24 mo group) and 24-month-old rats that had undergone 6 months of berberine treatment (BBR group). A Morris water maze test was conducted to assess the cognitive ability of the rats. Insulin resistance in whole-body was evaluated by intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT). The morphology of the skeletal muscle tissue was observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride, ATP and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were assessed with corresponding reagent kits. The protein expressions of GLUT4, AMPK, SIRT1 and PGC-1α in skeletal muscle were examined by Western blot.

RESULTS

The results showed that administration of berberine for 6 months significantly improved cognitive deficits and insulin resistance in naturally aging rats (p<0.01). Furthermore, berberine treatment helped normalize the disordered alignment and the decreased number of muscle fibers (p<0.01) in the skeletal muscle of 24 mo rats. Berberine decreased the levels of ROS in both the serum and the skeletal muscle of 24 mo rats (p<0.01). Berberine increased the protein expression of p-AMPK, SIRT1 and PGC-1α and increased the production of ATP in the skeletal muscle of aging rats (p<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Berberine markedly ameliorates aging-related reductions in cognitive ability and muscular function, and the activation of the AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α pathway in skeletal muscle may be the underlying protective mechanism of berberine on muscular function.

Bisphenol A regulates rare minnow testicular vitellogenin expression via reducing its promoter Er recruitment

Vitellogenins (Vtgs) are major precursor of the egg-yolk proteins. They are synthesized in liver of adult female ovipara, but normally silent in males. For their sensitive response to estrogen, Vtgs are usually used as biomarkers for environmental estrogenic compounds. In the present study, three vtg subtypes (vtg1, vtg2 and vtg3) were proved to present in the testis of rare minnow Gobiocypris rarus for the first time. Immunohistochemistry result showed that Vtg proteins mainly deposit in spermatogonium and spermatocytes. Following 225μg/L bisphenol A (BPA) exposure 1, 3 and 9 weeks, testicular vtg mRNAs were mostly significantly decreased. The further chromatin immunoprecipitation showed that BPA could decrease estrogen receptor (Er) recruitment in vtg promoter, which possibly reduced Er's transcription activation effect on vtgs. However, different from the continuously decreased vtg mRNA levels, testicular Vtg protein levels were recovered at week 9. Considering the induced hepatic Vtg expression, testicular Vtgs may be replenished by the induced hepatic Vtgs under BPA exposure.

DETERMINING THE ELEMENTAL AND ISOTOPIC COMPOSITION OF THE PRESOLAR NEBULA FROM GENESIS DATA ANALYSIS: THE CASE OF OXYGEN

We compare element and isotopic fractionations measured in solar wind samples collected by NASA's Genesis mission with those predicted from models incorporating both the ponderomotive force in the chromosphere and conservation of the first adiabatic invariant in the low corona. Generally good agreement is found, suggesting that these factors are consistent with the process of solar wind fractionation. Based on bulk wind measurements, we also consider in more detail the isotopic and elemental abundances of O. We find mild support for an O abundance in the range 8.75 - 8.83, with a value as low as 8.69 disfavored. A stronger conclusion must await solar wind regime specific measurements from the Genesis samples.

Inhibition of JAK2 Signaling Alleviates Hyperlipidemia-Intensified Caerulin-Induced Acute Pancreatitis In Vivo

RATIONALE

Studies have implied the positive association of JAK2/STAT3 signaling with the onset and severity of acute pancreatitis (AP). However, definitive functional study of JAK2/STAT3 signaling in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis in vivo is missing and its potential as a therapeutic target and the underlying mechanisms remain to be determined.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to explore the role of JAK2/STAT3 signaling in the pathogenesis of hyperlipidemia-intensified caerulin-induced AP and its potential as a therapeutic target.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Using the caerulin-induced acute pancreatitis rat model, we showed that JAK2/STAT3 signaling was activated in pancreas and systemic inflammation was increased during AP. Pharmacological suppression of JAK2 by its inhibitor AG490 robustly protected against tissue damage, attenuated JAK2/STAT3 signaling and inflammatory responses. Local pancreatic tissue damage and phosphor- JAK2 in the pancreatic tissue were enhanced in animals fed with high fat diet compared to chow-diet fed animals. Interestingly, JAK2 inhibitor AG490 significantly inhibited pancreas necrosis and systemic inflammation in animals fed with high fat or chow-diet, but did not affect STAT3 signaling.

CONCLUSION

These results establish that JAK2 activation plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of caerulin-induced AP in animals on both chow and high-fat diets by regulating necrosis and systemic inflammation. Thus, our results not only clarify novel signaling mechanisms in AP but also suggest that JAK2 might constitute a target in the management of hyperlipidemia-intensified caerulin-induced AP.

Evidence for Isospin Violation and Measurement of CP Asymmetries in B→K^{*}(892)γ

We report the first evidence for isospin violation in B→K^{*}γ and the first measurement of the difference of CP asymmetries between B^{+}→K^{*+}γ and B^{0}→K^{*0}γ. This analysis is based on the data sample containing 772×10^{6}BB[over ¯] pairs that was collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB energy-asymmetric e^{+}e^{-} collider. We find evidence for the isospin violation with a significance of 3.1σ, Δ_{0+}=[+6.2±1.5(stat)±0.6(syst)±1.2(f_{+-}/f_{00})]%, where the third uncertainty is due to the uncertainty on the fraction of B^{+}B^{-} to B^{0}B[over ¯]^{0} production in ϒ(4S) decays. The measured value is consistent with predictions of the standard model. The result for the difference of CP asymmetries is ΔA_{CP}=[+2.4±2.8(stat)±0.5(syst)]%, consistent with zero. The measured branching fractions and CP asymmetries for charged and neutral B meson decays are the most precise to date. We also calculate the ratio of branching fractions of B^{0}→K^{*0}γ to B_{s}^{0}→ϕγ.

Simultaneous Imaging of Cerebrovascular Structure and Function in Hypertensive Rats Using Synchrotron Radiation Angiography

Hypertension has a profound influence on the structure and function of blood vessels. Cerebral vessels undergo both structural and functional changes in hypertensive animals. However, dynamic changes of cerebrovasculature and the factors involved in this process are largely unknown. In this study, we explored the dynamic changes of vascular structure in hypertensive rats using novel synchrotron radiation angiography. Twenty-four spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and 24 Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats underwent synchrotron radiation (SR) angiography. Each group had 8 animals. We studied the cerebral vascular changes in SHR over a time period of 3–12-month and performed quantitative analysis. No vascular morphology differences between SHR and SD rats were observed in the early stage of hypertension. The number of twisted blood vessels in the front brain significantly increased at the 9- and 12-month observation time-points in the SHR compared to the SD rats (p < 0.01). The vessel density of the cortex and the striatum in SHR was consistently higher than that in SD rats at time points of 3-, 9-, and 12-month (p < 0.001). Vascular elasticity decreased both in SHR and SD rats with aging. There were statistically significant differences in the relative vascular elasticity of extracranial/intracranial internal carotid artery, middle cerebral artery, posterior cerebral artery and anterior cerebral artery between SHR and SD rats at 12-month (p < 0.01). We concluded that the dynamic vascular alterations detected by SR angiography provided novel imaging data for the study of hypertension in vivo. The longer the course of hypertension was, the more obvious the vascular differences between the SHR and the SD rats became.

Texture analysis of CT images in predicting malignancy risk of gastrointestinal stromal tumours

AIM

To explore the role of texture analysis of computed tomography (CT) images in predicting the malignancy risk of gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Seventy-eight patients with histopathologically confirmed GISTs underwent preoperative CT. Texture analysis was performed on unenhanced and contrast-enhanced CT images, respectively. Fourteen CT texture parameters were obtained and compared among GISTs at different malignancy risks with one-way analysis of variance or independent-samples Kruskal-Wallis test. Correlations between CT texture parameters and malignancy risk were analysed with Spearman's correlation test. Diagnostic performance of CT texture parameters in differentiating GISTs at low/very low malignancy risk was tested with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.

RESULTS

Three parameters on unenhanced images (r=-0.268-0.506), four parameters on arterial phase (r=-0.365-0.508), and six parameters on venous phase (r=-0.343-0.481) imaging correlated significantly with malignancy risk of GISTs, respectively (all p<0.05). For identifying GISTs at low/very low malignancy risk, three parameters on unenhanced images (area under ROC curve [AUC], 0.676-0.802), four parameters on arterial phase (AUC, 0.637-0.811), and six parameters on venous phase (AUC, 0.636-0.791) imaging showed significant diagnostic performance, respectively (all p<0.05), especially maximum frequency on both unenhanced and contrast-enhanced images (AUC, 0.791-0.811).

CONCLUSION

Texture analysis of CT images holds great potential to predict the malignancy risk of GISTs preoperatively.

miR-214 modulates cisplatin sensitivity of osteosarcoma cells through regulation of anaerobic glycolysis

Osteosarcoma is the most frequent primary bone tumor originating from adolescents and young adults. Despite improvements in the chemo- or radio- therapy of osteosarcoma patients, survival rate has not increased and drug resistance becomes a major factor that limits the effectiveness. Therefore, investigation of new treatment modalities is urgently required to optimize therapeutic options. Our previous study described an oncogenic role of miR-214 through promotion of osteosarcoma cells proliferation. In this study, we report miR-214 contributes to cisplatin resistance in osteosarcoma cells. Overexpression of miR-214 decreased the cisplatin sensitivity. By establishing an osteosarcoma cisplatin resistant cell line, we find miR-214 is significantly upregulated in cisplatin resistant cells. Moreover, we show miR-214 promotes anaerobic glycolysis rates of osteosarcoma cells but suppresses mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Consistently, cisplatin resistant cells exhibit upregulated glycolysis but decreased mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, a phenotype called "Warburg effect". Finally, we demonstrate inhibition of glycolysis by either glycolysis inhibitor or miR-214 inhibition significantly re-sensitizes cisplatin resistant osteosarcoma cells. In summary, this study illustrates a miRNA-involved chemosensitivity of osteosarcoma and will contribute to the developments of therapeutic agents for the anti-chemoresistance treatments.

Quantitative imaging of Candida utilis and its organelles by soft X-ray Nano-CT

Soft X-ray microscopy has excellent characteristics for imaging cells and subcellular structures. In this paper, the yeast strain, Candida utilis, was imaged by soft X-ray microscopy and three-dimensional volumes were reconstructed with the SART-TV method. We performed segmentation on the reconstruction in three dimensions and identified several types of subcellular architecture within the specimen cells based on their linear absorption coefficient (LAC) values. Organelles can be identified by the correlation between the soft X-ray LAC values and the subcellular architectures. Quantitative analyses of the volume ratio of organelles to whole cell in different phases were also carried out according to the three-dimensional datasets. With such excellent features, soft X-ray imaging has a great influence in the field of biological cellular and subcellular research.

Correlation between diffusion tensor imaging parameters and clinical assessments in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy with and without high signal intensity

STUDY DESIGN

A cross-sectional observational study.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study is to compare the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) between patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) with and without high T2-weighted signal intensity, and to correlate each parameter with clinical assessments.

SETTING

CSM is a common cause of spinal cord dysfunction. The significance of T2 high signal intensity in the prognosis of CSM remains controversial.

METHODS

Diffusion tensor imaging was performed at the cervical spinal cord in 40 patients with CSM and 42 healthy subjects. Patients with high signal intensity were separated from those without high signal intensity. ADC and FA values were compared among different groups, and the correlation between each parameter and the modified Japanese Orthopedic Association (mJOA) score was examined.

RESULTS

The ADC and FA values of C2/3 differed significantly from those of C5/6 and C6/7 in healthy subjects. Patients with CSM had a higher ADC but a lower FA value than did healthy subjects. In all patients with CSM, there was a negative linear correlation between ADC and mJOA score, but FA value correlated positively with mJOA score. Secondary analysis suggested that FA value in patients with high signal intensity was lower than that in patients without high signal intensity. FA value showed a positive linear correlation with mJOA score in the patients with high signal intensity but not in the patients without high signal intensity.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with high signal intensity may have more severe spinal cord injury than patients without high signal intensity, and FA may be a useful indicator of functional status in patients with CSM with high signal intensity.

Association between bone mineral density, muscle strength, and vitamin D status in patients with myasthenia gravis: a cross-sectional study

Myasthenia gravis (MG) patients had low proximal hip BMD, which could be explained by reduced muscle strength, elevated bone resorption markers, vitamin D deficiency, and increased PTH levels in those with MG compared to controls.

INTRODUCTION

Muscle strength is closely correlated with bone mineral density (BMD) and vitamin D status. Here, we evaluated muscle strength, BMD, and vitamin D status in a large sample of Chinese patients with MG.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional survey, 86 patients with MG without glucocorticoid treatment and 86 healthy controls were included. Serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25OHD], parathyroid hormone (PTH), bone turnover markers (BTMs), and BMD were measured and compared between the two groups. Grip strength and one-leg standing time (OLST) were also assessed in MG patients.

RESULTS

Low grip strength and short OLST were found in 11 (12.8%) and 12 (14.0%) MG patients, respectively. There were 3 (3.5%) MG patients with low bone mass for chronological age. Serum beta C-terminal telopeptide and PTH levels were higher (p < 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively), and BMD at the femoral neck and trochanter were lower in MG patients (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively) compared to healthy controls. In patients with MG, grip strength was positively correlated with BMD. Serum 25OHD levels were lower in MG patients than in healthy controls (17.36 ± 6.64 vs. 22.11 ± 7.28 ng/ml, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Grip strength was positively correlated with BMD in Chinese patients with MG. MG patients tended to have low proximal hip BMD, which may partially be explained by reduced muscle strength, vitamin D deficiency, increased PTH levels, and elevated bone resorption markers compared to controls.

Intra-aortic balloon pumping and thrombocytopenia in patients with acute coronary syndrome : Incidence, risk factors, and prognosis

BACKGROUND

Thrombocytopenia is a frequently encountered phenomenon during intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP), which may limit its prolonged utilization. The aim of the study was to explore the risk factors and clinical implications of IABP-associated thrombocytopenia in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed the data of 222 patients with ACS undergoing invasive treatment strategy supported by IABP. The incidence and risk factors of IABP-associated thrombocytopenia, and the association between thrombocytopenia and relevant clinical endpoints (in-hospital death, bleeding according to the TIMI scale, and thromboembolic events), were analyzed.

RESULTS

IABP-associated thrombocytopenia was observed in 54.5% (121/222) of the patients. The incidence of thrombocytopenia was higher and the magnitude of reduction in platelet count was greater in the Arrow balloon group (n = 89) compared with the Datascope balloon group (n = 133; 68.5% vs. 45.1%, p = 0.001; 48.7% vs. 33.2%, p < 0.001; respectively). Independent predictors of thrombocytopenia included older age and Arrow balloon utilization (odds ratio [OR]: 1.054; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.028-1.080; p<0.001; OR: 2.468; 95%CI: 1.375-4.431; p = 0.002; respectively). The incidence of in-hospital death was higher in patients who developed thrombocytopenia than those who did not (9.1% vs. 2.0%, p = 0.041), and thrombocytopenia was correlated with in-hospital death (OR: 5.932; 95%CI: 1.221-28.822; p = 0.027). However, the rates of TIMI bleeding and thromboembolic events were similar between the two groups (5.8% vs. 5.0%, p = 1.000; 3.2% vs. 6.0%, p = 0.518; respectively), and thrombocytopenia was not associated with TIMI bleeding or thromboembolic events (OR: 0.940; 95%CI: 0.267-3.307; p = 0.923; OR: 0.541, 95%CI: 0.148-1.974, p = 0.352; respectively).

CONCLUSION

IABP-associated thrombocytopenia occurred in 54.5% of patients with ACS undergoing an invasive strategy and it was correlated with increased in-hospital mortality. Older age and use of the Arrow balloon may predict IABP-associated thrombocytopenia.

[The impact of red blood cell distribution width on outcome of elective percutaneous coronary intervention in non-anemia patients]

Objective: Previous studies have revealed that the red blood cell distribution width (RDW) was associated with long-term prognosis in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, they did not exclude patients with anemia. This study, thus, investigated the association between RDW and prognosis in non-anemia patients. Methods: A total of 2 732 patients underwent elective PCI from July 2009 to September 2011 were enrolled in the study. These patients were divided into two groups based on their baseline median RDW levels: low RDW group (RDW<12.1%) and high RDW group (RDW≥12.1%). All the subjects were followed up for an average period of 18 months and the associations between baseline RDW levels and postoperative mortality were analyzed. Results: Patients in the high RDW group were elder and had more women than those in low RDW group. Most of them had prior history of hypertension, stroke, myocardial infarction, but few of them were current smokers. Subjects in the high RDW group had higher systolic blood pressure and total cholesterol levels, and lower erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume, hemoglobin level, estimated glomerular filtration rate level, and left ventricular ejection fraction. Moreover, more subjects in the high RDW group were combined with left main, ostial and chronic total occlusion lesion, and had a lower complete revascularization rate. The postoperative mortality was significantly higher in the high RDW group than that in the low RDW group (2.4% vs 0.6%, P<0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that preoperative high RDW level was an independent risk factor for postoperative mortality after adjustment of other factors (HR 3.930, 95%CI 1.600-9.656, P=0.003). Conclusion: High RDW might be a marker for the postoperative mortality in non-anemic patients undergoing elective PCI.

Uncovering potential key genes associated with the pathogenesis of asthma: A microarray analysis of asthma-relevant tissues

BACKGROUND

The present study aimed to discover more potential genes associated with the pathogenesis of asthma.

METHODS

The microarray data of GSE67940 was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in bronchial alveolar lavage cells from patients with mild-moderate asthma (notSA) and severe asthma (SA) compared with normal controls (NC), respectively. Functional and pathway enrichment analysis, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis were performed upon the identified up- and down-regulated DEGs. Besides, the gene association network based on the common up-regulated and down-regulated genes was generated and transcriptional regulatory pairs of overlapping DEGs in the PPI network were identified.

RESULTS

A total of 104 DEGs (30 up- and 74 down-regulated genes) were identified in notSA vs. NC. Additionally, 2796 DEGs were screened out in SA vs. NC group, including 320 up-regulated DEGs, and 135 down-regulated DEGs. Specially, 41 overlapping DEGs were screened out in notSA vs. NC and SA vs. NC, including 16 common up-regulated genes and 25 common down-regulated genes. No pathways were enriched by the DEGs in notSA vs. NC. DEGs in SA vs. NC were associated with cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. VEGFA was a hub protein in both the PPI networks of DEGs in notSA vs. NC and SA vs. NC. Gene association network showed that signalling pathways and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction were involved in. The overlapping VEGFA, and IFRD1, and ZNF331 were regulated by more TFs.

CONCLUSION

Genes such as VEGFA, and IFRD1, and ZNF331 may be associated with pathogenesis of asthma.