Diet quality and its association with type 2 diabetes and major cardiometabolic risk factors among adults in China

AIM

We examined the association between diet quality and diabetes and major cardiometabolic risks among adults in China.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We developed the China Dietary Guideline Index (CDGI) based on the 2007 Chinese dietary guidelines and tailored the Alternate Healthy Eating Index 2010 (which we call the tAHEI) to assess diet quality. Our analysis linked the dietary intake and covariates measured in 2006 with CM risk factors measured in 2009. We used diet data the longitudinal China Health and Nutrition Survey 2006 collected in 3 consecutive 24-h recalls from 4440 adults aged 18 to 65 to calculate both the tAHEI and the CDGI scores. We performed multivariable logistic regressions to analyze the association of each 2006 score with diabetes, abdominal obesity, elevated blood pressure, and lipid-related cardiometabolic risk factors in 2009. After we adjusted for potential confounders, adults in the top quintile compared with the bottom quintile of the tAHEI scores showed 36% lower odds of high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (odds ratio [OR] 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.46, 0.90] in men and 33% lower odds (OR 0.67; 95% CI 0.49, 0.91) in women, while the CDGI scores showed 35% lower odds of high LDL-C (OR 0.65; 95% CI 0.46, 0.92) in men only. Further, the CDGI scores indicated 55% lower odds of diabetes in the top versus the bottom quintile (OR 0.45; 95% CI 0.23, 0.87) in men only, whereas a null association was observed for the tAHEI scores for both sexes. Both index scores showed null associations with other cardiometabolic risk factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Chinese diets that scored high on both the CDGI and the tAHEI showed similarly negative associations with high LDL-C risk, whereas only CDGI score was negatively related to diabetes risk in men.

Faecal carriage of optrA-positive enterococci in asymptomatic healthy humans in Hangzhou, China

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the faecal carriage of optrA-positive enterococci among asymptomatic healthy humans in Hangzhou, China, and to characterize the genetic context of optrA.

METHODS

A total of 3458 stool samples from healthy individuals were collected and cultured on a selective medium containing 10 mg/L florfenicol and resulting enterococci were screened for the presence of optrA by PCR. OptrA variants were determined by amino acid sequence comparison with the original OptrA from Enterococcus faecalis E349. Whole genome sequencing and PCR mapping were performed to obtain and analyse the genetic environment of optrA.

RESULTS

Similar optrA carriage rates (∼3.5%) were detected in samples from adults (55/1558) and children (66/1900). Linezolid resistance rates for E. faecalis, Enterococcus faecium and other Enterococcus species were 58.5% (38/65), 42.3% (11/26) and 0% (0/31), respectively. Nineteen OptrA variants exhibiting different linezolid MICs were identified. Isolates carrying wild-type OptrA and variants RDK, KLDP, KD, D, RDKP, and EDP generally demonstrated linezolid MICs ≥8 mg/L. The OptrA variants, with fexA upstream and erm(A) downstream, were flanked by IS1216E at one or both ends. The fexA-optrA(wild-type) was located downstream of a Tn554 transposon, and was inserted into the radC gene. The EDM variant was detected in 31/73 enterococci with linezolid MICs ≤4 mg/L. Despite the variable genetic context, Tn558-araC-optrA(EDM)-erm(A)-met was the most common gene array.

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed a correlation between linezolid MIC, genetic context and OptrA variant. Intestinal colonization of healthy individuals by optrA-positive enterococci is a concern, and active epidemiological surveillance of optrA is warranted.

The associations between anthropometric measurements and left ventricular structure and function: the Echo-SOL Study

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study is to determine associations between anthropometry and echocardiographic measures of cardiac structure and function in Hispanic/Latinos.

METHODS

A total of 1,824 participants from ECHO-SOL were included. We evaluated associations between echocardiographic measures of left ventricular structure and function and anthropometric measures using multivariable-adjusted linear and logistic regression models adjusting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

RESULTS

The mean age was 56 ± 0.17 years, 57% were women. The mean body mass index (BMI) was 30 ± 9.4 kg m-2, waist circumference (WC) was 100 ± 18 cm, and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) was 0.93 ± 0.15. Adjusted analysis showed that 5-unit increment in BMI and 5-cm increase in WC was associated with 3.4 ± 0.6 and 1.05 ± 0.05 g m-2.7 (p < 0.05 for both) higher left ventricular (LV) mass index, respectively. Similarly, 0.1-unit increment in WHR was associated with 2.0 ± 0.16 g m-2.7 higher LV mass index (p < 0.01). WHR was associated with 0.22 ± 0.08% decrease in ejection fraction (p < 0.05). Concomitantly, 5-unit increment in BMI and WC was associated with increased odds of abnormal LV geometry (odds ratio 1.40 and 1.16, p = 0.03 and <0.01, respectively); 0.1-unit increment in WHR was associated with increased odds of abnormal LV geometry (odds ratio 1.51, p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Among Hispanic/Latinos, higher anthropometric measures were associated with adverse cardiac structure and function.

[Treatment for peritoneal metastasis of colorectal cancer]

Peritoneal metastasis is the second leading cause of death of colorectal cancer patients. Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) combined with hyperthermia intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is the primary method to treat peritoneal metastasis of colorectal cancer, though there remain some controversies. We reviewed current studies of colorectal peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) and CRS+ HIPEC, and discussed some issues with regard to the scoring system for peritoneal metastasis, selection criteria for CRS+ HIPEC treatment, and the new drug application for colorectal PC. Peritoneal carcinomatosis index (PCI) is the most useful scoring system for peritoneal metastasis and CRS+ HIPEC is the primary treatment for colorectal PC. Patients with PCI<20 should receive thorough assessment on the feasibility of R0 or R1 resection and CRS+ HIPEC treatment. For patients with unresectable PC at the initial stage, active drug therapy should be adopted to achieve tumor regression, so that some of them would have the opportunity to receive CRS+ HIPEC treatment.

Expression of Kif5b protein is significantly associated with the progression, recurrence and prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

Kinesin family member 5b (Kif5b), a conventional kinesin, mainly participates in lysosome and mitochondria transportation. Some studies have indicated that Kif5b may be associated with the development of a variety of tumors. However, the role Kif5b plays in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has yet to be determined. Our study aimed at investigating the expression level of Kif5b in primary OSCC and discussing its clinical significance in patients' outcomes.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We measured Kif5b expression in 82 OSCC tissue samples with immunohistochemistry. The associations between the expression level of Kif5b and clinicopathological characteristics as well as patients' survival were statistically assessed.

RESULTS

Kif5b level was significantly associated with tumor size (p=0.034), histological differentiation (p=0.028), disease recurrence (p=0.018), surrounding tissue invasion (p=0.045), recurrence time (p=0.036) and survival status (p=0.030). Kaplan-Meier cumulative survival analyses indicated that high expression of Kif5b was linked to worse overall survival (p=0.0112) and disease-free survival (p=0.0085). The univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis further identified the expression status of Kif5b as an independent variable that correlated with patients' survival and recurrence. Furthermore, in 54 early-stage, clinically node negative OSCC patients, Kif5b expression were correlated with histological differentiation (p=0.034), disease recurrence (p=0.038) and surrounding tissue invasion (p=0.029). Univariate and multivariable logistic regression results showed that only Kif5b expression level could influence the probability of recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results reveal that Kif5b expression is associated with poor clinical outcome in OSCC and even in early-stage, clinically node negative OSCC and may be a potential target for OSCC treatment.

Adsorption of reactive dyes onto chitosan/montmorillonite intercalated composite: multi-response optimization, kinetic, isotherm and thermodynamic study

Chitosan/montmorillonite intercalated composite (CTS/MMT) was used as an effective adsorbent for removal of reactive dyes, i.e. Reactive Black 5 (RB5), Reactive Red 136 (RR136), Reactive Yellow 145 (RY145) and Reactive Blue 222 (RB222). Taguchi method attached grey relational analysis was applied to determine the optimal adsorption conditions, including pH, initial concentration of dye, temperature, adsorbent dosage and contact time, for achieving simultaneous maximization of removal percentage and adsorption capacity. The percentage contribution of each adsorption condition was determined in the analysis of variance and showed that the most effective parameter in removal of RB5, RY145 and RB222 is the dye solution pH, whereas the initial concentration was the determining factor for optimum efficiency for the dye RR136. Under respective optimal condition, the removal percentages and adsorption capacity of four reactive dyes onto CTS/MMT were both found in the following order: RR136 > RY145 > RB5 > RB222. The maximum removal percentages of 78.8 and 49.5%, and the adsorption capacity of 315.20 and 123.75 mg/g were obtained for RR136 and RB222, respectively. The adsorption behaviors showed that the adsorption kinetics and isotherms were in best agreement with Avrami fractionary order model and the Toth isotherm, respectively.

Pulsed electromagnetic fields preserve bone architecture and mechanical properties and stimulate porous implant osseointegration by promoting bone anabolism in type 1 diabetic rabbits

The effects of exogenous pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) stimulation on T1DM-associated osteopathy were investigated in alloxan-treated rabbits. We found that PEMF improved bone architecture, mechanical properties, and porous titanium (pTi) osseointegration by promoting bone anabolism through a canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling-associated mechanism, and revealed the clinical potential of PEMF stimulation for the treatment of T1DM-associated bone complications.

INTRODUCTION

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is associated with deteriorated bone architecture and impaired osseous healing potential; nonetheless, effective methods for resisting T1DM-associated osteopenia/osteoporosis and promoting bone defect/fracture healing are still lacking. PEMF, as a safe and noninvasive method, have proven to be effective for promoting osteogenesis, whereas the potential effects of PEMF on T1DM osteopathy remain poorly understood.

METHODS

We herein investigated the effects of PEMF stimulation on bone architecture, mechanical properties, bone turnover, and its potential molecular mechanisms in alloxan-treated diabetic rabbits. We also developed novel nontoxic Ti2448 pTi implants with closer elastic modulus with natural bone and investigated the impacts of PEMF on pTi osseointegration for T1DM bone-defect repair.

RESULTS

The deteriorations of cancellous and cortical bone architecture and tissue-level mechanical strength were attenuated by 8-week PEMF stimulation. PEMF also promoted osseointegration and stimulated more adequate bone ingrowths into the pore spaces of pTi in T1DM long-bone defects. Moreover, T1DM-associated reduction of bone formation was significantly attenuated by PEMF, whereas PEMF exerted no impacts on bone resorption. We also found PEMF-induced activation of osteoblastogenesis-related Wnt/β-catenin signaling in T1DM skeletons, but PEMF did not alter osteoclastogenesis-associated RANKL/RANK signaling gene expression.

CONCLUSION

We reveal that PEMF improved bone architecture, mechanical properties, and pTi osseointegration by promoting bone anabolism through a canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling-associated mechanism. This study enriches our basic knowledge for understanding skeletal sensitivity in response to external electromagnetic signals, and also opens new treatment alternatives for T1DM-associated osteopenia/osteoporosis and osseous defects in an easy and highly efficient manner.

Thromboembolism Induced by Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cell Infusion: A Report of Two Cases and Literature Review

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the thromboembolism induced by blood-mediated inflammatory reactions against infused cells during the clinical application of stem cells.

METHODS

Two patients with renal transplantation and chronic kidney disease, respectively, experienced thromboembolism after umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (UCMSC) infusion. The clinical manifestations and the laboratory test results were collected and analyzed.

RESULTS

The patients received stem cell infusion through the peripheral veins and presented with a swollen and painful forearm postinfusion. Doppler ultrasound showed venous clots at the proximal end of the puncture site. Urokinase and warfarin were used for thrombolytic therapy. The swelling and pain were relieved and cured.

CONCLUSION

Safety concerns are still a primary hurdle for stem cell therapy, and thromboembolism as a critical complication should be prevented appropriately.

Characterization of the novel HLA-DQB1*03:279 allele by sequencing-based typing

HLA-DQB1*03:279 differs from HLA-DQB1*03:02:01:01 by one nucleotide substitution at position 218 (A>T).

Effects of Collagen Crosslinkers on Dentine: A Literature Review

This aim of this review is to explore the current research related to crosslinking agents used on dentine. A systematic search of publications in PubMed and Web of Science databases was performed. Further retrieval was conducted using the search terms of specific names of crosslinkers. Reviews, conference abstracts, dissertation and theses, non-English articles, studies of intrinsic crosslinking of dentine, studies of adhesives without specific crosslinker components, studies of crosslinker applications in other collagenous tissues or tooth-like structures and irrelevant studies were excluded. Manual screening was conducted on the bibliographies of remaining papers to identify other relevant articles. One hundred and one articles were included in this systematic review and full texts were retrieved. Both synthetic and naturally derived crosslinkers have been found to exhibit significant effects in biomodification of dentine via their multiple interactions with the dentine matrix. A stable matrix network or a durable hybrid layer in dentine bonding could be achieved, where the dentine collagen fibrils show improved biochemical and biomechanical properties and enzymatic biodegradation is reduced. Although no crosslinkers have been tested in clinical trials, extensive research has been conducted in laboratory studies to investigate their potential applicability for inhibition of demineralisation and/or promotion of remineralisation, caries prevention as well as improvement of bonding performance of adhesive systems. Further studies are needed to develop the feasibility for clinical use, reduce side effects as well as explore mechanisms of action and long-term effectiveness.

Abstract P5-09-02: Tβ4 expression in cancer-associated endothelial cells enhances progression of invasive breast cancer

Background: Invasive breast cancer is a highly aggressive primary breast tumour with poor prognosis. As tumour angiogenesis is exhibited by invasive breast cancer, anti-angiogenic therapy has been intensively evaluated over the past decade. However, clinical studies were disappointing. Thymosin β4 (Tβ4), a multi-functional peptide, is associated with induction of angiogenesis, but the role of Tβ4 in tumorigenesis of invasive breast cancer is unknown. We tested whether Tβ4 inhibition could be a new target involved in tumour development and tumour angiogenesis for treatment of invasive breast cancer.

Methods: We have adapted a 3D co-culture system to acquire invasive breast cancer cells-associated endothelial cells (ECs), which is followed by characterising the differential gene expressions by PCR-based subtraction analysis. We performed Western blot analysis on the protein samples obtained from ECs-stimulated by invasive breast cancer cells. Expression of Tβ4 in invasive breast cancer was assessed by qPCR in the breast tissues (tumour, n=119; background, n=55), and protein expression confirmed by immunohistochemical examination in an invasive breast cancer tissue microarray. Finally, mice breast cancer xenografts plus non-invasively photoacoustic microscopy were used to analyse the effect of Tβ4 knockdown on the tumorigenesis of invasive breast cancer.

Results: We found that invasive breast cancer cells could stimulate an increase in Tβ4 expression in microvascular ECs. High Tβ4 levels were strongly associated with high malignant invasive breast cancer and poor clinical outcome. In vivo study showed that siRNA targeting Tβ4 blocked growth of invasive breast cancer in mice. Photoacoustic imaging revealed that knockdown of Tβ4 elicited anti-breast cancer growth, in part, through disruption of tumour vasculature. Our results demonstrate that endothelial cell-derived Tβ4 enhances the progression of breast cancer by up-regulating tumour angiogenesis and it indicates that a high level of tumour stromal Tβ4 is an independent predictor of poor outcome.

Conclusions: Inhibiting endothelial Tβ4 could be a new therapeutic target in anti-angiogenic strategy for treatment of invasive breast cancer.

Citation Format: Cai J, Jiang W. Tβ4 expression in cancer-associated endothelial cells enhances progression of invasive breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-09-02.

Eye patches: Protein assembly of index-gradient squid lenses

A parabolic relationship between lens radius and refractive index allows spherical lenses to avoid spherical aberration. We show that in squid, patchy colloidal physics resulted from an evolutionary radiation of globular S-crystallin proteins. Small-angle x-ray scattering experiments on lens tissue show colloidal gels of S-crystallins at all radial positions. Sparse lens materials form via low-valence linkages between disordered loops protruding from the protein surface. The loops are polydisperse and bind via a set of hydrogen bonds between disordered side chains. Peripheral lens regions with low particle valence form stable, volume-spanning gels at low density, whereas central regions with higher average valence gel at higher densities. The proteins demonstrate an evolved set of linkers for self-assembly of nanoparticles into volumetric materials.

Phylogenetic and genetic variation analyses of porcine circovirus type 2 isolated from China

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is a causative agent of PCV2-associated disease, which is a growing problem in the swine industry worldwide. High nucleotide substitution occurs in the capsid (Cap) gene of PCV2, which allows the continuous evolution and the emergence of novel PCV2 strains. In this study, we sequenced 24 Chinese PCV2 strains collected from healthy and diseased pigs between 2013 and 2015. Analyses of the genome, Cap and phylogeny classified the 24 Chinese PCV2 strains as PCV-2a (four of 24), PCV-2b (five of 24) and PCV-2d (15 of 24). All strains shared 89.5%-100% and 87.2%-100% identities with the nucleotide and amino acid (aa) sequences of Cap, respectively. Selection pressure analysis showed that five sites at the epitope regions in Cap were under positive selection. Further analysis by Jameson-Wolf antigenic index indicated that aa substitutions occurring at the epitope regions contributed to the antigenic alterations of the different PCV2 strains. High genetic variation and genotype shift to PCV2d occurred in recent years, and different genotypes coexisted in Chinese pig herds. The data provide evidence for the increased genetic diversity and insights into the molecular epidemiology of PCV2.