Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with low-grade albuminuria in Chinese adults (change not displayed)

BACKGROUND

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Low-grade albuminuria was recognized as an early indicator of CVD. Epidemiological studies investigating the association between NAFLD and low-grade albuminuria were limited.

AIM

To determine whether NAFLD is independently associated with the presence of low-grade albuminuria in Chinese adults.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional community-based population study was performed in 8270 Chinese adults aged 40 years or older.

METHODS

A first-voided early morning spot urine sample was obtained for urinary albumin and creatinine measurements. The highest quartile of urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio was defined as low-grade albuminuria, after excluding the participants with micro- or macroalbuminuria. NAFLD was diagnosed by using ultrasonography findings after the exclusion of alcohol abuse and other liver diseases.

RESULTS

The prevalence of low-grade albuminuria was significantly higher in participants with NAFLD than in those without NAFLD (33.6% vs. 21.3% in men and 30.4% vs. 22.8% in women, respectively). Multivariate-adjusted logistic regression analysis revealed that NAFLD was significantly associated with increased odds ratio of low-grade albuminuria in men (odds ratio, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.16-1.87) after adjusting for multiple confounders. The significant association was not detected in women.

CONCLUSIONS

NAFLD was significantly associated with an increased risk of present low-grade albuminuria in middle-aged and elderly Chinese men.

Functional Connectivity Abnormalities of Brain Regions with Structural Deficits in Young Adult Male Smokers

Smoking is one of the most prevalent dependence disorders. Previous studies have detected structural and functional deficits in smokers. However, few studies focused on the changes of resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) of the brain regions with structural deficits in young adult smokers. Twenty-six young adult smokers and 26 well-matched healthy non-smokers participated in our study. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and RSFC were employed to investigate the structural and functional changes in young adult smokers. Compared with healthy non-smokers, young smokers showed increased gray matter (GM) volume in the left putamen and decreased GM volume in the left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Moreover, GM volume in the left ACC has a negative correlation trend with pack-years and GM volume in the left putamen was positively correlated with pack-years. The left ACC and putamen with abnormal volumes were chosen as the regions of interest (ROIs) for the RSFC analysis. We found that smokers showed increased RSFC between the left ACC and right amygdala and between the left putamen and right anterior insula. We revealed structural and functional deficits within the frontostriatal circuits in young smokers, which may shed new insights into the neural mechanisms of smoking.

Electrophysiological mechanisms of biased response to smoking-related cues in young smokers

Cigarette smoking during young adult may result in serious health issues in later life. Hence, it is extremely necessary to study the smoking neurophysiological mechanisms in this critical transitional period. However, few studies revealed the electrophysiological mechanisms of cognitive processing biases in young adult smokers. In present study, nineteen young smokers with 12h abstinent and 19 matched nonsmokers were recruited. By employing event-related potentials (ERP) measurements during a smoking cue induced craving task, electrophysiological brain responses were compared between the young adult smokers and nonsmokers. The Slow Positive Wave (SPW) amplitude of smoking-related cues was enhanced in young adult smokers compared with nonsmokers. In addition, increased P300/SPW component of smoking-related cues relative to neutral cues were found in young adult smokers. Meanwhile, a positive correlation between Cigarette Per Day (CPD) and the amplitude of ERPs wave (P300/SPW) at anterior (Fz), central (Cz) were observed in young adult smokers. Our findings provided direct electrophysiological evidence for the cognitive processing bias of smoking cue and may shed new insights into the smoking behavior in young adult smokers.

Hemispheric asymmetries in subcortical visual and auditory relay structures in congenital deafness

Neuroplasticity - the capacity of the brain to change as a response to internal and external pressures - has been studied from a number of different perspectives. Perhaps one of the most powerful models is the study of populations that have been congenitally deprived of a sense. It has been shown that the right Auditory Cortex (AC) of congenitally deaf humans is neuroplastically modified in order to represent visual properties of a stimulus. One unresolved question is how this visual information is routed to the AC of congenitally deaf individuals. Here, we performed volumetric analysis of subcortical auditory and visual brains regions - namely the thalamus (along with three thalamic nuclei: the pulvinar, the lateral geniculate nucleus and the medial geniculate nucleus), and the inferior and superior colliculi - in deaf and hearing participants in order to identify which structures may be responsible for relaying visual information toward the altered AC. Because there is a hemispheric asymmetry in the neuroplastic changes observed in the AC of the congenitally deaf, we reasoned that subcortical structures that also showed a similar asymmetry in their total volume could have been enlisted in the effort of relaying visual information to the neuroplastically altered right AC. We show that for deaf, but not for hearing individuals, the right thalamus, right lateral geniculate nucleus and right inferior colliculus are larger than their left counterparts. These results suggest that these subcortical structures may be responsible for rerouting visual information to the AC in congenital deafness.

Extracellular DNA traps released by acute promyelocytic leukemia cells through autophagy

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) cells exhibit disrupted regulation of cell death and differentiation, and therefore the fate of these leukemic cells is unclear. Here, we provide the first evidence that a small percentage of APL cells undergo a novel cell death pathway by releasing extracellular DNA traps (ETs) in untreated patients. Both APL and NB4 cells stimulated with APL serum had nuclear budding of vesicles filled with chromatin that leaked to the extracellular space when nuclear and cell membranes ruptured. Using immunofluorescence, we found that NB4 cells undergoing ETosis extruded lattice-like structures with a DNA-histone backbone. During all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA)-induced cell differentiation, a subset of NB4 cells underwent ETosis at days 1 and 3 of treatment. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were significantly elevated at 3 days, and combined treatment with TNF-α and IL-6 stimulated NB4 cells to release ETs. Furthermore, inhibition of autophagy by pharmacological inhibitors or by small interfering RNA against Atg7 attenuated LC3 autophagy formation and significantly decreased ET generation. Our results identify a previously unrecognized mechanism for death in promyelocytes and suggest that ATRA may accelerate ET release through increased cytokines and autophagosome formation. Targeting this cellular death pathway in addition to conventional chemotherapy may provide new therapeutic modalities for APL.

Isolation and Characterization of a Novel Tembusu Virus Circulating in Muscovy Ducks in South China

Duck Tembusu virus (DTMUV) is an infectious pathogen that can cause epidemics in egg-laying ducks. Here, we isolated and characterized a DTMUV, designated GDLH01, thought to be responsible for the noticeable egg drop in Muscovy duck flocks in South China since 2011. The genome sequence of GDLH01 shared 97-99% homology with other avian-origin Tembusu viruses, and 99.5% homology with the mosquito-borne strain SDMS recently reported in China. Phylogenetic analysis based on the nucleotide sequence of the entire open reading frame confirmed that the isolate was of avian origin and closely related to a mosquito-borne strain. Our findings characterize a novel Tembusu virus circulating in Muscovy ducks in South China and emphasize the importance of reinforcing biosecurity measures and developing vaccines to prevent the spread of this viral pathogen.

The implication of frontostriatal circuits in young smokers: A resting-state study

The critical roles of frontostriatal circuits had been revealed in addiction. With regard to young smokers, the implication of frontostriatal circuits resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) in smoking behaviors and cognitive control deficits remains unclear. In this study, the volume of striatum subsets, i.e., caudate, putamen, and nucleus accumbens, and corresponding RSFC differences were investigated between young smokers (n1  = 60) and nonsmokers (n2  = 60), which were then correlated with cigarette smoking measures, such as pack_years-cumulative effect of smoking, Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND)-severity of nicotine addiction, Questionnaire on Smoking Urges (QSU)-craving state, and Stroop task performances. Additionally, mediation analysis was carried out to test whether the frontostriatal RSFC mediates the relationship between striatum morphometry and cognitive control behaviors in young smokers when applicable. We revealed increased volume of right caudate and reduced RSFC between caudate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), orbitofrontal cortex in young smokers. Significant positive correlation between right caudate volume and QSU as well as negative correlation between anterior cingulate cortex-right caudate RSFC and FTND were detected in young smokers. More importantly, DLPFC-caudate RSFC strength mediated the relationship between caudate volume and incongruent errors during Stroop task in young smokers. Our results demonstrated that young smokers showed abnormal interactions within frontostriatal circuits, which were associated with smoking behaviors and cognitive control impairments. It is hoped that our study focusing on frontostriatal circuits could provide new insights into the neural correlates and potential novel therapeutic targets for treatment of young smokers. Hum Brain Mapp 37:2013-2026, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Suppression of collagen-induced arthritis by lipopolysaccharide in DBA/1 mice

OBJECTIVE

Injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has both promotion and inhibition effects on the autoimmune disease. Given the variable roles of LPS in autoimmune diseases, the role of LPS played in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA, autoimmune disease) model remains to be further determined.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

CIA was induced by intradermal injection of collagen type II (CII) in DBA/1 mice (day 0) followed by a booster injection on day 21. Mice of CIA with LPS injection group (CIA+ LPS group) were intraperitoneally injected with 50 µg LPS on day 42. Tissues such as carpal joints and fingers were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) for histopathology analysis. Inflammation, pannus formation and bone resorption were monitored by a macroscopic scoring system. Serum level of IgG2a antibody was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTS

The incidence of arthritis in CIA group was much higher than that in CIA+ LPS group (100%: 46.5%, p < 0.05), as same as the arthritis score (5.38:1.37, p = 8.16 × 10-6). Besides, the histopathologic score was also higher in CIA group than that in CIA+ LPS group (15.0:5.36). Compared with CIA group, mild synovial hyperplasia and no articular cartilage damage were observed in CIA+ LPS group. Besides, mice of CIA group produced a significantly higher level of IgG2a than CIA+ LPS group (3922 ng/ml: 2084 ng/ml, p = 0.0333) when arthritis developed.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings showed that LPS might suppress CIA progression under special conditions, opening up a new understanding of the roles of LPS in arthritis and new possibilities for a clinical therapy of CIA.

Disrupted inter-hemispheric functional and structural coupling in Internet addiction adolescents

Rapid progress had been made towards the effect of Internet addiction (IA) on the adolescents brain, relatively little is known about the alterations in inter-hemispheric resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) changes. In the current study, voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) was used to examine inter-hemispheric RSFC in IA adolescents (n=21) and controls (n=21). The integrity of the fibers connecting the regions, which showed aberrant inter-hemispheric functional connectivity, was assessed by fiber tractography analysis. In addition, the coupling of inter-hemispheric functional and structural connectivity was investigated. Relative to controls, IA adolescents showed decreased VMHC of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) values in the genu of corpus callosum (CC). The decreased VMHC of DLPFC was significantly negative correlated with the duration of IA. Moreover, the VMHC of DLPFC showed significant correlations with the FA of CC in healthy controls, which was disrupted in IA. Our findings provided more scientific evidence for the involvement of DLPFC in IA. It is hoped that multimodal imaging methods can provide deeper insights into the IA effects on the brain.

Isolation and characterization of L-valine-degrading Candida maltosa DLPU-zpb for D-valine preparation from DL-valine

To develop a practical process for D-valine preparation from DL-valine, L-valine was used as a sole source of carbon and nitrogen in basal minimal medium to isolate L-valine-degrading micro-organisms. A yeast strain DLPU-zpb was obtained, which showed asymmetric degrading activity against DL-valine. Based on the morphology, physiological and biochemical characteristics, and 26S rDNA D1/D2 domain sequence, strain DLPU-zpb was identified as Candida maltosa. The cells of this strain were used as a biocatalyst for eliminating the L-isomer from DL-valine. The L-isomer was completely degraded within 72 h under the conditions of 30°C, pH control at 6·0, 200 rev min(-1) and 50 g l(-1) DL-valine. The strain DLPU-zpb degraded L-valine effectively but not D-valine, and thus D-valine could be easily isolated from the resultant reaction mixture, which provides a new method for D-valine preparation from DL-valine.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

D-valine is an important raw material for medicines and its demand is increasing year by year. Several approaches for D-valine preparation have been reported, but none of them are likely to provide product at low cost. A newly isolated L-valine-degrading yeast strain Candida maltosa DLPU-zpb was described, which showed asymmetric degrading activity against DL-valine. Thus, a new and practical process for D-valine preparation from DL-valine could be developed. This is the first report of the asymmetric degrading ability of C. maltosa against DL-valine and D-valine preparation from DL-valine.

Sleep duration and snoring associate with hypertension and glycaemic control in patients with diabetes

AIMS

Few studies have analysed the effect of sleep duration and snoring on hypertension and glycaemic control in patients with diabetes. This study aims to investigate the relationship of sleep duration and snoring on prevalent hypertension and glycaemic control in people with diabetes.

METHODS

In the baseline survey of the REACTION study, 56 032 patients with diabetes were categorized into four groups according to self-reported sleep duration: < 6, 6-7.9, 8-8.9 and ≥ 9 h. Snoring frequency was evaluated as 'usually', 'occasionally' or 'never'. Hypertension was assessed by systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, self-reported previous diagnosis and antihypertensive medications. 'Good' glycaemic control was defined as HbA1c < 53 mmol/mol (7.0%) and 'poor' glycaemic control as HbA1c ≥ 53 mmol/mol (7.0%).

RESULTS

Controlling for potential confounders and intermediates, sleep ≥ 9 h relative to intermediate sleep (6-7.9 h) was significantly associated with prevalent hypertension (OR: 1.25, 95% CI: 1.18-1.32) and poor glycaemic control (OR: 1.11, 95% CI: 1.05-1.18), and a U-shaped association was found between sleep duration and prevalent hypertension (P for quadratic trend = 0.019). Usually snoring was positively associated with prevalent hypertension (OR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.23-1.37), whereas the association between snoring and poor glycaemic control was only on the borderline of statistical significance.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with a sleep duration of 6-7.9 h, longer sleep duration was associated with a higher prevalence of hypertension and poor glycaemic control in people with diabetes. Moreover, the relationship between sleep duration and prevalent hypertension was U-shaped. These findings may propose important public health implications for diabetes management.

Association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and autonomic dysfunction in a Chinese population

BACKGROUND

Autonomic dysfunction (AD) accompanying with chronic liver disorders led to an increased risk of mortality. However, researches that investigated the association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and AD were insufficient.

AIMS

To study the association of NAFLD with AD in middle-aged and elderly Chinese adults.

DESIGN

Four thousand nine hundred seventy-four adults aged 40 years or older were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. NAFLD was diagnosed by hepatic B-mode ultrasonography. Autonomic function was assessed using a simple EZSCAN test by measuring sudomotor function, with an AD index > 50% defined as a manifestation of AD.

METHODS

Pearson correlation, multiple stepwise linear regression, univariate and multivariate logistic regression was employed to examine the relationship between NAFLD and AD, controlling for potential confounders.

RESULTS

The prevalence of AD was significantly higher in participants with NAFLD than those without (40.75 vs. 26.86%, P < 0.0001). Age, body mass index, status of diabetes, sex, diastolic blood pressure and prevalent NAFLD, were positively correlated with AD index in multiple stepwise linear regression analysis (all P < 0.05), whereas total cholesterol was negatively related to it (P = 0.0043). Compared with the participants without NAFLD, those with NAFLD had an increased odds of the prevalent AD (odds ratio 1.38; 95% confidence interval 1.15-1.64; P = 0.0004) after controlling for multiple confounders.

CONCLUSIONS

The presence of NAFLD was significantly associated with AD, as indicated by abnormal sudomotor function. The association was independent from various conventional risk factors.

Reduced frontal cortical thickness and increased caudate volume within fronto-striatal circuits in young adult smokers

BACKGROUND

Smoking during early adulthood results in neurophysiological and brain structural changes that may promote nicotine dependence later in life. Previous studies have revealed the important roles of fronto-striatal circuits in the pathology of nicotine dependence; however, few studies have focused on both cortical thickness and subcortical striatal volume differences between young adult smokers and nonsmokers.

METHODS

Twenty-seven young male adult smokers and 22 age-, education- and gender-matched nonsmokers were recruited in the present study. The cortical thickness and striatal volume differences of young adult smokers and age-matched nonsmokers were investigated in the present study and then correlated with pack-years and Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND).

RESULTS

The following results were obtained: (1) young adult smokers showed significant cortical thinning in the frontal cortex (left caudal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), right lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)), left insula, left middle temporal gyrus, right inferior parietal lobule, and right parahippocampus; (2) in regards to subcortical striatal volume, the volume of the right caudate was larger in young adult smokers than nonsmokers; and (3) the cortical thickness of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and OFC were associated with nicotine dependence severity (FTND) and cumulative amount of nicotine intake (pack-years) in smokers, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed reduced frontal cortical thickness and increased caudate volume in the fronto-striatal circuits in young adult smokers compared to nonsmokers. These deficits suggest an imbalance between cognitive control (reduced protection factors) and reward drive behaviours (increased risk factors) associated with nicotine addiction and relapse.