Impaired glucose tolerance in first-episode drug-naïve patients with schizophrenia: relationships with clinical phenotypes and cognitive deficits

BACKGROUND

Schizophrenia patients have a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) than normals. We examined the relationship between IGT and clinical phenotypes or cognitive deficits in first-episode, drug-naïve (FEDN) Han Chinese patients with schizophrenia.

METHOD

A total of 175 in-patients were compared with 31 healthy controls on anthropometric measures and fasting plasma levels of glucose, insulin and lipids. They were also compared using a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Neurocognitive functioning was assessed using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). Patient psychopathology was assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS).

RESULTS

Of the patients, 24.5% had IGT compared with none of the controls, and they also had significantly higher levels of fasting blood glucose and 2-h glucose after an oral glucose load, and were more insulin resistant. Compared with those patients with normal glucose tolerance, the IGT patients were older, had a later age of onset, higher waist or hip circumference and body mass index, higher levels of low-density lipoprotein and triglycerides and higher insulin resistance. Furthermore, IGT patients had higher PANSS total and negative symptom subscale scores, but no greater cognitive impairment except on the emotional intelligence index of the MCCB.

CONCLUSIONS

IGT occurs with greater frequency in FEDN schizophrenia, and shows association with demographic and anthropometric parameters, as well as with clinical symptoms but minimally with cognitive impairment during the early course of the disorder.

Long non-coding RNA RP5-833A20.1 inhibits proliferation, metastasis and cell cycle progression by suppressing the expression of NFIA in U251 cells

Early reports suggest that nuclear factor IA (NFIA) is important in the pathogenesis of glioma. Our previous study demonstrated that the long non‑coding RNA (lncRNA), RP5‑833A20.1, suppressed the expression of NFIA in THP‑1 macrophage-derived foam cells. However, the effect and possible mechanism of RP5‑833A20.1 on glioma remains to be fully elucidated, and whether the NFIA-dependent pathway is involved in its progression has not been investigated. In the present study, the mechanisms by which RP5‑833A20.1 regulates the expression of NFIA in glioma were investigated. The expression levels of RP5‑833A20.1 and NFIA were determined in U251 cells and clinical samples using reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. The effects of RP5‑833A20.1 on cell proliferation, invasion, cell cycle and apoptosis were evaluated using in vitro assays. The potential changes in protein expression were investigated using western blot analysis. The methylation status of the CpG island in the NFIA promoter was determined using bisulfite PCR (BSP) sequencing. It was found that the expression of RP5‑833A20.1 was downregulated, whereas the expression of NFIA was upregulated in glioma tissues, compared with corresponding adjacent nontumor tissues from 20 patients with glioma. The overexpression of RP5‑833A20.1 inhibited proliferation and cell cycle progression, and induced apoptosis in the U251 cells. The mRNA and protein levels of NFIA were markedly inhibited by overexpression of RP5‑833A20.1 in the U251 cells. The overexpression of RP5‑833A20.1 increased the expression of microRNA‑382‑5p in the U251 cells. The BSP assay revealed that the overexpression of RP5‑833A20.1 enhanced the methylation level of the NFIA promoter. These results demonstrated that RP5‑833A20.1 inhibited tumor cell proliferation, induced apoptosis and inhibited cell‑cycle progression by suppressing the expression of NFIA in U251 cells. Collectively, these results indicated RP5‑833A20.1 as a novel therapeutic target for glioma.

High-resolution mapping of a novel rat blood pressure locus on chromosome 9 to a region containing the Spp2 gene and colocalization of a QTL for bone mass

Through linkage analysis of the Dahl salt-sensitive (S) rat and the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR), a blood pressure (BP) quantitative trait locus (QTL) was previously located on rat chromosome 9. Subsequent substitution mapping studies of this QTL revealed multiple BP QTLs within the originally identified logarithm of odds plot by linkage analysis. The focus of this study was on a 14.39 Mb region, the distal portion of which remained unmapped in our previous studies. High-resolution substitution mapping for a BP QTL in the setting of a high-salt diet indicated that an SHR-derived congenic segment of 787.9 kb containing the gene secreted phosphoprotein-2 (Spp2) lowered BP and urinary protein excretion. A nonsynonymous G/T polymorphism in the Spp2 gene was detected between the S and S.SHR congenic rats. A survey of 45 strains showed that the T allele was rare, being detected only in some substrains of SHR and WKY. Protein modeling prediction through SWISSPROT indicated that the predicted protein product of this variant was significantly altered. Importantly, in addition to improved cardiovascular and renal function, high salt-fed congenic animals carrying the SHR T variant of Spp2 had significantly lower bone mass and altered bone microarchitecture. Total bone volume and volume of trabecular bone, cortical thickness, and degree of mineralization of cortical bone were all significantly reduced in congenic rats. Our study points to opposing effects of a congenic segment containing the prioritized candidate gene Spp2 on BP and bone mass.

Direct Observation of Electrostatically Driven Band Gap Renormalization in a Degenerate Perovskite Transparent Conducting Oxide

We have directly measured the band gap renormalization associated with the Moss-Burstein shift in the perovskite transparent conducting oxide (TCO), La-doped BaSnO_{3}, using hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. We determine that the band gap renormalization is almost entirely associated with the evolution of the conduction band. Our experimental results are supported by hybrid density functional theory supercell calculations. We determine that unlike conventional TCOs where interactions with the dopant orbitals are important, the band gap renormalization in La-BaSnO_{3} is driven purely by electrostatic interactions.

Irisin promotes osteoblast proliferation and differentiation via activating the MAP kinase signaling pathways

Physical exercise is able to improve skeletal health. However, the mechanisms are poorly known. Irisin, a novel exercise-induced myokine, secreted by skeletal muscle in response to exercise, have been shown to mediate beneficial effects of exercise in many disorders. In the current study, we demonstrated that irisin promotes osteoblast proliferation, and increases the expression of osteoblastic transcription regulators, such as Runt-related transcription factor-2, osterix/sp7; and osteoblast differentiation markers, including alkaline phosphatase, collagen type 1 alpha-1, osteocalcin, and osteopontin in vitro. Irisin also increase ALP activity and calcium deposition in cultured osteoblast. These osteogenic effects were mediated by activating the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p-p38 MAPK) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Inhibition of p38 MAPK by SB023580 or pERK by U0126 abolished the proliferation and up-regulatory effects of irisin on Runx₂ expression and ALP activity. Together our observation suggest that irisin directly targets osteoblast, promoting osteoblast proliferation and differentiation via activating P38/ERK MAP kinase signaling cascades in vitro. Whether irisin can be utilized as the therapeutic agents for osteopenia and osteoporosis is worth to be further pursued.

Differential behaviors of tea catechins under thermal processing: Formation of non-enzymatic oligomers

Tea catechins as a member of flavan-3-ols subclass with the same skeleton may behave differentially. This study investigated the chemical conversions of 8 catechins under heat treatment with the involvement of epimerization, hydrolysis and oxidation/condensation reactions. Three reactions were enhanced as temperature increased from 30 °C to 90 °C. The epimerization of non-gallated catechins was favored by epi-configuration but hindered by pyrogallol moiety, and the hydrolysis reaction of gallated catechins was facilitated by pyrogallol moiety. Epicatechin and epigallocatechin had the lowest thermostabilities due to epimerization and oxidation/condensation reactions respectively. Sufficient O2 was not a precondition for the occurrence of chemical conversions of catechins under heat treatment. Non-enzymatic oligomerization occurred to epi type catechins and catechin under heat treatment, and dehydrodicatechins A were mainly responsible for the browning of epicatechin and catechin solutions. The evidence of generation of catechin oligomers provides a novel way to explain sensory change of tea and relevant products during thermal processing.

Establishment, Differentiation, Electroporation and Nuclear Transfer of Porcine Mesenchymal Stem Cells

The limited success of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is largely attributed to defects in epigenetic reprogramming of the donor genome. Donor cell types with distinct potential competence may offer different epigenetic flexibility for subsequent genome reprogramming in SCNT. Stem cells possibly enable their genomes to be more readily reprogrammed than differentiated cells. To improve the efficiency of cloning, porcine mesenchymal stem cells (pMSCs) were isolated and well identified by 6-channel flow cytometry and differentiation assays and were used as donors in SCNT. Compared with porcine embryonic fibroblasts (pEFs), our results showed that pMSCs markedly enhanced cloned embryo development in terms of cleavage and blastocyst formation (p < 0.05). To enhance the epigenetic flexibility of pMSCs, classical reprogramming factors (RFs) were transfected by electroporation, and we achieved optimization with ectopic expression of RFs in pMSCs. Our results suggest that the epigenetic status of donor cells has an improvement on genome reprogramming, and multipotent pMSCs favoured subsequent embryonic development.

miR-23b-3p regulates the chemoresistance of gastric cancer cells by targeting ATG12 and HMGB2

Chemotherapy is an important treatment modality for gastric cancer (GC); however, it usually fails because of drug resistance, especially multidrug resistance (MDR). Previously, we found a novel subset of MDR-associated microRNAs (miRNAs) through high-throughput functional screening. In this report, we investigated the exact roles and mechanisms of miR-23b-3p in the MDR of GC. Using gain or loss-of-function in in vitro and in vivo experiments, we found that overexpression of miR-23b-3p reversed cancer cell resistance to multiple chemotherapeutics in vitro and sensitize tumors to chemotherapy in vivo. Reporter gene assay and western blot analysis showed that ATG12 and HMGB2 were the direct targets of miR-23b-3p. Meanwhile, ATG12 and HMGB2 were positively associated with the occurrence of autophagy. Reducing the expression of these target genes by siRNA or inhibition of autophagy both sensitized GC cells to chemotherapy. These findings suggest that a miR-23b-3p/ATG12/HMGB2/autophagy-regulatory loop has a critical role in MDR in GC. In addition, miR-23b-3p could be used as a prognostic factor for overall survival in GC. In conclusion, our data demonstrated that miR-23b-3p inhibited autophagy mediated by ATG12 and HMGB2 and sensitized GC cells to chemotherapy, and suggested the potential application of miR-23b-3p in drug resistance prediction and treatment.

[Relationship between ambulatory blood pressure and myocardial performance index in hypertensive patients]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the relationship between ambulatory blood pressure and myocardial performance index (MPI) in hypertensive patients.

METHODS

A total of 76 hospitalized patients with untreated hypertension from January to June 2013 were recruited. They received the examinations of office blood pressure, 24 h ambulatory blood pressure and echocardiography. MPI was determined by the following formula: MPI=(isovolumic contraction time+isovolumic relaxation time)/ejection time. Based upon left ventricular MPI, they were divided into two groups of MPI>0.47 (n=38) and MPI≤0.47 (n=38). The mean levels of office blood pressure, ambulatory blood pressure, blood pressure load, morning blood pressure surge (early morning blood pressure minus the lowest night-time blood pressure) and nocturnal blood pressure changes were compared between two groups. And the determinants of MPI were identified by multivariate regression analysis.

RESULTS

As compared to those with MPI≤0.47, patients with MPI>0.47 had higher 24 h and daytime systolic blood pressures, 24 h, daytime and nighttime diastolic blood pressures, 24 h, daytime and nighttime systolic blood pressure loads, 24 h, daytime and nighttime diastolic blood pressure loads and morning systolic blood pressure surges (all P<0.05). No inter-group differences existed in the mean levels of office blood pressure, nighttime systolic blood pressure, morning diastolic blood pressure surge, nocturnal systolic or diastolic blood pressure changes (all P>0.05). Multivariate regression analysis showed that nocturnal diastolic blood pressure (β=0.285, P=0.005) and daytime systolic blood pressure load (β=0.397, P<0.001) were independently associated with MPI. And other factors independently associated with MPI were left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and early diastolic mitral annular velocity (Em).

CONCLUSION

The increases of blood pressure level and blood pressure load are associated with an elevation of left ventricular MPI.

[Association between ambulatory blood pressure levels and blood pressure variability with myocardial performance index in untreated hypertensive patients]

OBJECTIVE

To observe the association between ambulatory blood pressure levels and blood pressure variability (BPV) with myocardial performance index (MPI) in untreated hypertensive patients.

METHODS

From January to September 2013, a total of 81 untreated hypertensive patients were included in this study. All patients received ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and echocardiography measurements. MPI was determined in all patients by the following formula: MPI = (isovolumic contraction time + isovolumic relaxation time)/ejection time. The patients were divided into two groups according to left ventricular MPI: patients with MPI < 0.47 (n = 39) and patients with MPI ≤ 0.47 (n = 42). The mean levels and standard deviation (SD) of 24 h, daytime and nighttime blood pressures were compared between the two groups. SD was used to express BPV. Determinants of MPI were identified by multivariate regression analysis.

RESULTS

24 h and daytime systolic blood pressure, 24 h, daytime and nighttime diastolic blood pressure, as well as SD of 24 h and daytime systolic blood pressure ((130.1±8.7), (134.0±8.2), (89.1±6.3), (90.9±6.4), (83.1±9.9), (13.7±3.3) and (14.2±3.5) mmHg (1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa), respectively) were significantly higher in patients with MPI > 0.47 than those ((124.8±8.7), (126.7±8.8), (84.5±7.1), (86.2±7.4), (76.4±7.5), (11.8±2.1) and (10.4±1.9) mmHg, respectively) in patients with MPI ≤ 0.47 (all P < 0.05). Multivariate regression analysis showed that 24 h diastolic blood pressure (β = 0.239, P = 0.007) and SD of 24 h systolic blood pressure (β = 0.333, P < 0.001), left ventricular mass index and early diastolic mitral annular velocity were independently associated with MPI.

CONCLUSION

The increase of diastolic blood pressure and systolic BPV are associated with the deterioration of left ventricular function.

Identification and functional characterization of a novel fungal immunomodulatory protein from Postia placenta

In this study, a previously unknown fungal immunomodulatory protein (FIP), here called FIP-ppl, was identified from the basidiomycete fungus Postia placenta by searching its genome sequence database using known FIPs as baits, which was the first basidiomycete FIP to be identified outside the order of edible macro fungi. The gene FIP-ppl was synthesized and expressed in Escherichia coli to produce a glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion protein. The fusion protein was purified on a GST affinity column and the protein tag was removed using in situ thrombin cleavage. The purified recombinant protein (rFIP-ppl) displayed hemagglutination activity toward rabbit red blood cells but not against human red blood cells. RFIP-ppl stimulated mouse splenocyte cell proliferation and enhanced interleukin-2 (IL-2) release. Antitumor assays indicated that rFIP-ppl had significant cell proliferation inhibitory activity and apoptotic effects in human tumor cells with more pronounced inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptotic effects on gastric tumor cells (MGC823) than against hepatoma (HepG2) cells. This study confirms an alternative means of identifying, producing, and isolating new FIPs. It may provide convenient access to FIP-ppl with potential human therapeutic applications.