Ventricular repolarization wave variations during the amiodarone treatment course

The aim of this study was to assess ventricular repolarization wave variations during the amiodarone treatment course for patients with ventricular arrhythmias and atrial fibrillation.Sixty-nine patients with ventricular arrhythmias and 9 patients with persistent atrial fibrillation were treated with intravenous injection of a 150 mg loading dose of amiodarone, followed by 1 mg/minute for 6 hours and 0.5 mg/minute for 48 hours. After the initial 24 hours of intravenous injection, amiodarone was also administered orally at a dose of 0.2 g tid for 1 week; followed by 0.2 g bid for 1 week and 0.2 g qd for maintenance. During the procedure, the heart rate, QT, QTc, QTd, QTcd TpTe, TpTe-c, TpTe-d, TpTe/QT, and QTp were measured on days 1, 3, 7, 10, 14, 17, and 20 of amiodarone treatment.The control rate of arrhythmias was 91.0% (71/78). The heart rate dropped significantly on the 7th day after treatment initiation and reached the minimal value on day 14. The QT interval was prolonged from day 3; TpTe was prolonged from day 7 to day 14; QTp was prolonged from day 1 to day 20. The longest QT interval (441.2 ± 33.9 ms) and TpTe (95.0 ± 18.0 ms) occurred on day 14. QTc, QTd, QTcd, TpTe-c, TpTe-d, and TpTe/QT showed no significant changes throughout the treatment.Amiodarone lowers the heart rate, prolongs QT and QTp intervals, and transiently prolongs TpTe. However, it has no effects on QTc, QTd, QTcd, TpTe-c, TpTe-d or TpTe/QT. Amiodarone prolongs QT interval evenly, showing no effects on repolarization dispersion. TpTe/QT is a better indicator of ventricular transmural repolarization dispersion compared with TpTe.

Increased serum periostin concentrations are associated with the presence of diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

PURPOSE

To determine the association between serum periostin and the presence of diabetic retinopathy (DR).

METHODS

Serum periostin was detected in 114 healthy subjects, 122 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and 159 patients with DR and compared among groups. Clinical data and other laboratory measurements such as glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), lipid profiles, serum creatinine (Cr) and high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) were also collected and compared among groups. For subgroup analysis, patients with DR were divided into a non-proliferated diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) group and a proliferated diabetic retinopathy (PDR) group. Multivariate analysis was performed using logistic regression models.

RESULTS

The serum periostin level was significantly higher in patients with diabetic retinopathy compared with healthy subjects and patients with T2DM (both P < 0.001, respectively). Also, the periostin level was significantly higher in the PDR group compared to the NPDR group (P = 0.044). Multivariate logistic regression revealed that serum periostin was independently associated with the presence of DR in patients with T2DM (P < 0.001). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for DR development using serum periostin showed that the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) was 0.838 (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The current study demonstrated that serum periostin is significantly associated with the presence of DR in patients with T2DM and is an independent risk factor of DR.

Rheology and microstructure of myofibrillar protein-starch composite gels: Comparison of native and modified starches

Composite gels were prepared from 2% myofibrillar protein (MP) imbedded with native starch (potato or tapioca starch) or their modified starches in 0.6 M NaCl at pH 6.2. The role of native starch (potato or tapioca) and their modified counterparts in the rheology and microstructure of MP gels was evaluated. Dynamic rheological testing with temperature sweeping (20-80 °C) showed substantial increases in the storage modulus (G') of the MP sols/gels with the addition of starch. The increase in G' was inversely related to the pasting temperature of specific starch types. The strength and water-holding capacity (WHC) of the MP composite gels containing esterified starches were superior to those containing native or cross-linked esterified starches. Microstructural analysis showed that the "packing effect" of potato starch (PS) on MP gels was more remarkable than that of tapioca starch (TS) because of the larger granule size of the PS. However, esterified TS (ETS) and native TS made the greatest contribution to the WHC of the MP gels at 80 °C.

[Clinical study of hydrogen-rich saline in the treatment of moderate to severe allergic rhinitis]

Objective:To investigate the effectiveness and safety of nasal lavage with hydrogen-rich saline in the treatment of moderate to severe allergic rhinitis.Method:Twenty patients with moderate to severe persistent allergic rhinitis were treated with normal saline and hydrogen-rich saline lavage the nasal cavity. The study was randomized doubl-blind self-control study. The symptoms and signs score, treatment index and total effective rate were evaluated before and after treatment, and the nasal conjunctivitis related quality of life questionnaire (BQLQ) was used to evaluate the life quality of patients.Result:There were significant differences of the symptoms, signs scores, the treatment index, the total efficiency and BQLQ between the two kinds of lavage fluid used for patients before and after treatment(P<0.05). No significant adverse reactions occurred during follow-up.Conclusion:Hydrogen-enriched saline is safe and effective for allergic rhinitis.

Rheology and microstructure of myofibrillar protein-olive oil composite gels: effect of different non-meat protein as emulsifier

BACKGROUND

Heat-induced composite gels were prepared with 20 g kg^-1 (2%) myofibrillar protein (MP) sol and 100 g kg^-1 (10%) olive oil pre-emulsified by MP or non-meat protein in 0.6 mol L^-1 NaCl, at pH 6.2. The effect of different non-meat protein (soy protein isolate, egg-white protein isolate and sodium caseinate) pre-emulsions on the rheological properties and microstructure of MP gel was evaluated.

RESULTS

Adding emulsion enhanced the gel strength of MP gel except for the soy protein isolate (SPI) as emulsifier group, but all emulsion group markedly improved (P < 0.05) the water-holding capacity and the storage modulus (G') of MP gels. SDS-PAGE show that some non-meat protein bands partially participated in the formation of MP composite gels with different kinds of emulsion added. Micrographs revealed that these emulsions made the gels become denser and more compact with subtle diverse effects.

CONCLUSION

Different meat or non-meat proteins as emulsifier have varied impacts on the rheology and microstructure of MP gels, indicating the potential and feasibility of these non-meat proteins as emulsifiers to modify the textural properties in comminuted meat products. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Comparison of microbial communities from different Jinhua ham factories

Microbes in different aged workshops play important roles in the flavor formation of Jinhua ham. However, microbial diversity, community structure and age related changes in workshops are poorly understood. The microbial community structure and diversity in Jinhua ham produced in factories that have 5, 15, and 30 years of history in processing hams were compared using the pyrosequencing technique. Results showed that 571,703 high-quality sequences were obtained and located in 242 genera belonging to 18 phyla. Bacterial diversity and microbial community structure were significantly different with the years of workshops. Three-phase model to characterize the changes of ham microbial communities was proposed. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry assays indicated that the hams produced in different aged workshops have great differences in number and relative contents of volatiles compounds. These results suggest that different aged factories could form special and well-balanced microbial diversity, which may contribute to the unique flavor characteristics in Jinhua ham.

Plasma vascular endothelial growth factor B levels are increased in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus and associated with the first phase of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion function of β-cell

PURPOSE

To detect plasma vascular endothelial growth factor B (VEGF-B) in individuals with different glucose tolerance and investigate the relationship between plasma VEGF-B levels and the first phase of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 45 patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), 37 patients with impaired glucose regulation (IGR), and 39 Normal glucose tolerance (NGT) subjects, all of whom underwent intravenous glucose tolerance test. Plasma VEGF-B levels were assayed by ELISA. The first phase of insulin secretion was evaluated by acute insulin response (AIR), the area under the curve of the first-phase (0-10 min) insulin secretion (AUC) and glucose disposition index (GDI).

RESULTS

The T2DM and IGR groups had higher plasma VEGF-B levels than the NGT group (P < 0.01). Plasma VEGF-B levels were negatively correlated with AIR, AUC, GDI, HOMA-β (P < 0.01), and positively correlated with plasma glucose, HbA1c, triglyceride, free fatty acid (FFA), fasting insulin, and HOMA-IR (P < 0.01). Logistic regression analysis revealed that higher VEGF-B levels [145.59-180.07 pg/ml, OR 3.55 (95% CI 1.05-12.02) and >180.07 pg/ml, OR 3.64 (95% CI 1.16-11.42)] were related to a greater probability of β-cell hypofunction, compared with low VEGF-B levels (<145.59 pg/ml). After adjusting for triglyceride or FFA, the association between VEGF-B levels and β-cell hypofunction disappeared (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study provides evidence that plasma VEGF-B levels were higher in patients with newly diagnosed T2DM, and were strongly associated with glucose and lipid metabolism and the first-phase insulin secretion function of β-cells. VEGF-B may be involved in the mechanism of β-cell dysfunction in T2DM.

A novel and simple cell-based electrochemical biosensor for evaluating the antioxidant capacity of Lactobacillus plantarum strains isolated from Chinese dry-cured ham

The analysis of antioxidants in foodstuffs has become an active area of research, leading to the recent development of numerous methods for assessing antioxidant capacity. Here we described the fabrication and validation of a novel and simple cell-based electrochemical biosensor for this purpose. The biosensor is used to assess the antioxidant capacity of cell-free extracts from Lactobacillus plantarum strains isolated from Chinese dry-cured ham. The biosensor relies on the determination of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) (the flux of H₂O₂ released from RAW 264.7 macrophage cells) to indirectly assess changes in intracellular oxidative stress level as influenced by L. plantarum strains. A one-step acidified manganese dioxide (a-MnO₂) modified gold electrode (GE) was used to immobilize RAW 264.7 macrophage cells, which were then encapsulated in a 3D cell culture system consisting of alginate/ graphene oxide (NaAlg/GO). The biosensor exhibited a rapid and sensitive response for the detection of H₂O₂ released from RAW264.7 cells. The detection limit was 0.02μM with a linear response from 0.05μM to 0.85μM and the biosensor was shown to have good stability and outstanding repeatability. This technique was then used for evaluating the antioxidant ability of extracts from L. plantarum NJAU-01. According to the electrochemical investigations and assays of SEM, TEM, and ROS, these cell-free extracts effectively reduced the oxidative stress levels in RAW264.7 cells under external stimulation. Extracts from L. plantarum strains at a dose of 10¹⁰CFU/mL showed the highest antioxidant activities with a relative antioxidant capacity (RAC) rate of 88.94%. Hence, this work provides a simple and efficient electrochemical biosensing platform based on RAW264.7 cells for fast, sensitive and quantitative assessment of antioxidant capacity of L. plantarum strains. The method demonstrates its potential for rapid screening for evaluating antioxidant properties of samples.