[Epidemiological characteristics of waist circumference and abdominal obesity among Chinese adults in 2010-2012]

Objective: To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of waist circumference (WC) and abdominal obesity (AO) among Chinese adults aged 18 and above. Methods: Data were collected from China National Nutrition and Health Surveillance in 2010-2012. Multi-stage stratifies proportion to the population cluster random sampling method was conducted to determine 120 265 subjects aged 18 and above at 150 counties in 31 provinces in China mainland. WC was determined for all subjects, and AO was judged according to the "Healthy Adult Weight Determination" (WS/T 428-2013). Using the demographic data published by the National Bureau of Statistics of China in 2009, we performed complex sampling weighted treatment to calculate the WC, AO rate and 95%CI. Results: The mean WC of Chinese men aged 18 and above was 82.8 cm, which of urban men (84.1 cm) was higher than that of rural men (81.4 cm) (P<0.001). The average WC of women was 78.5 cm. There was no statistical difference between urban (78.7 cm) and rural women (78.4 cm) (P=0.965). With the increase of education level, the mean WC of male increased gradually from 81.2 cm to 84.3 cm (P<0.001), and the mean WC of female decreased from 80.3 cm to 74.3 cm (P<0.001). With the family income rose, the mean WC of men increased gradually from 81.9 cm to 84.7 cm (P<0.001), and the mean of WC of women decreased from 78.8 cm to 77.6 cm (P<0.001). The AO rate was 25.7% (95% CI: 23.7%-27.7%) in adults aged 18 years and older. The AO rate in urban males (29.8% (95%CI: 26.5%-33.1%)) was significantly higher than that of rural males (22.3% (95%CI: 19.3%-25.2%)) (P=0.001). There was no significant difference in the female AO rate between urban (25.6% (95%CI: 22.8%-28.4%)) and rural areas (25.1% (95%CI: 22.2%-27.9%)) (P=0.772). With the increase of the educational level, the AO rate of men increased from 20.1% (95%CI: 18.0%-22.1%) to 32.6% (95%CI: 28.6%-36.6%) (P<0.001), the rate of women decreased gradually from 31.3% (95%CI: 28.7%-33.9%) to 13.5% (95%CI: 10.9%-16.1%) (P<0.001). With the increase of family income, the AO rate of male increased gradually from 23.3% (95%CI: 20.7%-25.9%) to 31.8% (95%CI: 27.6%-36.1%) (P<0.001), the rate of female decreased from 26.5% (95% CI: 24.2%-28.7%) to 20.0% (95% CI: 17.2%-22.8%) (P<0.001). Conclusion: The prevalence of AO among Chinese residents aged 18 years and above was high, and there were significant differences in WC and AO rate between men and women under different age, region, educational level and family income level.

Determining the target protein localization in 3D using the combination of FIB-SEM and APEX2

Determining the cellular localization of proteins of interest at nanometer resolution is necessary for elucidating their functions. Besides super-resolution fluorescence microscopy, conventional electron microscopy (EM) combined with immunolabeling or clonable EM tags provides a unique approach to correlate protein localization information and cellular ultrastructural information. However, there are still rare cases of such correlation in three-dimensional (3D) spaces. Here, we developed an approach by combining the focus ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) and a promising clonable EM tag APEX2 (an enhanced ascorbate peroxidase 2) to determine the target protein localization within 3D cellular ultrastructural context. We further utilized this approach to study the 3D localization of mitochondrial dynamics-related proteins (MiD49/51, Mff, Fis1, and Mfn2) in the cells where the target proteins were overexpressed. We found that all the target proteins were located at the surface of the mitochondrial outer membrane accompanying with mitochondrial clusters. Mid49/51, Mff, and hFis1 spread widely around the mitochondrial surface while Mfn2 only exists at the contact sites.

Importance of exposure dynamics of metal-based nano-ZnO, -Cu and -Pb governing the metabolic potential of soil bacterial communities

Metal-based engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are known to affect bacterial processes and metabolic activities. While testing their negative effects on biological components, studies traditionally rely on initial exposure concentrations and thereby do not take into consideration the dynamic behavior of ENMs that ultimately determines exposure and toxicity (e.g. ion release). Moreover, functional responses of soil microbial communities to ENMs exposure can be caused by both the particulate forms and the ionic forms, yet their relative contributions remain poorly understood. Therefore, we investigated the dynamic changes of exposure concentrations of three different types of ENMs (nano-ZnO, -Cu and -Pb) and submicron particles (SMPs) in relation to their impact on the capacity of soil bacterial communities to utilize carbon substrates. The different ENMs were chosen to differ in dissolution potential. The dynamic exposures of ENMs were considered using a time weighted average (TWA) approach. The joint toxicity of the particulate forms and the ionic forms of ENMs was evaluated using a response addition model. Our results showed that the effect concentrations of spherical nano-ZnO, -Cu and SMPs, and Pb-based perovskites expressed as TWA were lower than expressed as initial concentrations. Both particulate forms and ionic forms of spherical 18nm, 43nm nano-ZnO and 50nm, 100nm nano-Cu contribute to the overall response at the EC₅₀ levels. The particulate forms for 150nm, 200nm and 900nm ZnO SMPs and rod-shaped 78nm nano-Cu mainly affected the soil microbial metabolic potential, while the Cu ions released from spherical 25nm nano-Cu, 500nm Cu SMPs and Pb ions released from perovskites mainly described the effects to bacterial communities. Our results indicate that the dynamic exposure of ENMs and relative contributions of particles and ions require consideration in order to pursue a naturally realistic assessment of environmental risks of metal-based ENMs.

A risk-score model for predicting risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in a rural Chinese adult population: A cohort study with a 6-year follow-up

BACKGROUND

Several prediction tools have been developed to identify people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and to quantify the probability of developing T2DM. However, most of the risk models were constructed based on cross-sectional studies and tea-drinking was not included.

METHODS

A total of 15 768 participants without known T2DM were followed up from 2007-2008 to 2013-2014; 12 654 were randomly assigned to the derivation dataset and 3114 to the validation dataset. We constructed a risk-score model for T2DM by using a Cox proportional-hazards model. Risk scores were calculated by multiplying β by 10 in the derivation cohort and were verified in the validation dataset. The model's accuracy was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).

RESULTS

Predictors for T2DM risk in the derivation dataset were drinking tea frequently, body mass index ≥28.0 kg/m² , waist to height ratio ≥ 0.5, triglycerides level 1.70 to 2.25 and ≥2.26 mmol/L, and fasting plasma glucose 5.6 to 6.0 and ≥6.1 mmol/L. The corresponding scores were -2, 7, 7, 4, 6, 11, and 25, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, and AUC (95% confidence interval) for this full model were 69.63%, 75.56%, and 0.791 (0.783-0.799), respectively. The ability of the non-invasive models to predict T2DM was not superior to that of the full model. With the validation dataset, the predictive performance was better for our full model than the Framingham risk-score model (AUC 0.731 vs 0.525, P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Our risk-score model has fair efficacy for predicting 6-year risk of T2DM in a rural adult Chinese population.

CHIP/Stub1 regulates the Warburg effect by promoting degradation of PKM2 in ovarian carcinoma

Tumor cells preferentially adopt aerobic glycolysis for their energy supply, a phenomenon known as the Warburg effect. It remains a matter of debate as to how the Warburg effect is regulated during tumor progression. Here, we show that CHIP (carboxyl terminus of Hsc70-interacting protein), a U-box E3 ligase, suppresses tumor progression in ovarian carcinomas by inhibiting aerobic glycolysis. While CHIP is downregulated in ovarian carcinoma, induced expression of CHIP results in significant inhibition of the tumor growth examined by in vitro and in vivo experiments. Reciprocally, depletion of CHIP leads to promotion of tumor growth. By a SiLAD proteomics analysis, we identified pyruvate kinase isoenzyme M2 (PKM2), a critical regulator of glycolysis in tumors, as a target that CHIP mediated for degradation. Accordingly, we show that CHIP regulates PKM2 protein stability and thereafter the energy metabolic processes. Depletion or knockout of CHIP increased the glycolytic products in both tumor and mouse embryonic fibroblast cells. Simultaneously, we observed that CHIP expression inversely correlated with PKM2 levels in human ovarian carcinomas. This study reveals a mechanism that the Warburg effect is regulated by CHIP through its function as an E3 ligase, which mediates the degradation of PKM2 during tumor progression. Our findings shed new light into understanding of ovarian carcinomas and may provide a new therapeutic strategy for ovarian cancer.

Crystal structure of E. coli apolipoprotein N-acyl transferase

In Gram-negative bacteria, lipid modification of proteins is catalysed in a three-step pathway. Apolipoprotein N-acyl transferase (Lnt) catalyses the third step in this pathway, whereby it transfers an acyl chain from a phospholipid to the amine group of the N-terminal cysteine residue of the apolipoprotein. Here, we report the 2.6-Å crystal structure of Escherichia coli Lnt. This enzyme contains an exo-membrane nitrilase domain fused to a transmembrane (TM) domain. The TM domain of Lnt contains eight TM helices which form a membrane-embedded cavity with a lateral opening and a periplasmic exit. The nitrilase domain is located on the periplasmic side of the membrane, with its catalytic cavity connected to the periplasmic exit of the TM domain. An amphipathic lid loop from the nitrilase domain interacts with the periplasmic lipid leaflet, forming an interfacial entrance from the lipid bilayer to the catalytic centre for both the lipid donor and acceptor substrates.

Chronic Calcium Channel Inhibitor Verapamil Antagonizes TNF-α-Mediated Inflammatory Reaction and Protects Against Inflammatory Arthritis in Mice

It is well established that the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) plays a dominant role in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Calcium channel is recently reported to be closely associated with various inflammatory diseases. However, whether chronic calcium channel blocker verapamil plays a role in RA still remains unknown. To investigate the role of verapamil in antagonizing TNF-α-mediated inflammation reaction and the underlying mechanisms, bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) cells were cultured with stimulation of TNF-α, in the presence or absence of verapamil. Inflammation-associated cytokines, including IL-1, IL-6, inducible nitric oxide synthase 2 (NOS-2), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), were assessed, and verapamil suppressed TNF-α-induced expression of inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice models were established, and arthritis progression was evaluated by clinical and histological signs of arthritis. Treatment of verapamil attenuated inflammation as well as joint destruction in arthritis models. In addition, activity of NF-kB signaling pathway was determined both in vitro and in mice arthritis models, and verapamil inhibited TNF-α-induced activation of NF-kB signaling both in vitro and in mice models. Collectively, chronic calcium channel blocker verapamil may shed light on treatment of inflammatory arthritis and provide a potential therapeutic instrument for RA in the future.

Gilbert damping in CoFeB/GaAs(001) film with enhanced in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy

A 3.5 nm amorphous CoFeB film was sputtered on GaAs (001) wafer substrate without applying magnetic field during deposition, and a significant in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy (UMA) field (H_u) of about 300 Oe could be achieved. To precisely determine the intrinsic Gilbert damping constant (α) of this film, both ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect (TRMOKE) techniques were utilized. With good fitting of the dynamic spectra of FMR and TRMOKE, α is calculated to be 0.010 and 0.013, respectively. Obviously, the latter is 30% larger than the former, which is due to the transient heating effect during the TRMOKE measurement. In comparison with ordinary amorphous CoFeB films with negligible magnetic anisotropies, α is enhanced significantly in the CoFeB/GaAs(001) film, which may be mainly resulted from the enhanced spin-orbit coupling induced by the CoFeB/GaAs interface. However, the significant in-plane UMA plays minor role in the enhancement of α.

Development of polymorphic microsatellites for Sillago sihama based on next-generation sequencing and transferability to Sillago japonica

Sillago sihama (Forsskål, 1775), a commercially important marine fishery species in the Indo-West Pacific, is being developed as a target species for aquaculture and stock enhancement in China. However, due to the limitations of traditional isolation methods, the available microsatellite loci, or simple sequence repeats (SSRs), of S. sihama lack diversity. We used a stepwise approach including Illumina sequencing, primer screening, and SSR marker validation to develop diverse SSRs for S. sihama. A total of 853.48 Mb clean sequences were assembled with high coverage and sequencing depth, and 27,288 potential SSRs were identified. A set of 18 novel SSR markers with four type motifs including 11 di-, 1 tri-, 5 tetra-, and 1 hexanucleotide repeats were successfully isolated. The ranges of number of alleles per locus and observed and expected heterozygosities were 5-24, 0.226-0.968, and 0.319-0.950, respectively. The diversity parameters exhibited high levels of polymorphism in these 18 loci. Three loci with the presence of both null alleles and inbreeding showed significant deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium after Bonferroni correction. Moreover, 13 loci developed in S. sihama showed high transferability to the closely related species Sillago japonica. The polymorphic SSR markers developed in this study may serve as valuable tools for further basic and applied research on the genetic resources of S. sihama as well as S. japonica. Our results indicate that this approach, based on next-generation sequencing technology, is convenient, cost-effective, and suitable for SSR marker isolation in other sillaginid fishes.

[Application of TB type thermal balloon endometrial ablation for the treatment of abnormal uterine bleeding]

Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy, safety and promotion value of TB type thermal balloon endometrial ablation in the treatment of abnormal uterine bleeding. Methods: Fourty three patients who had received TB type endometrial ablation system for treatment of abnormal uterine bleeding from January, 2015 to January, 2016 in theDepartment of gynecology, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital were enrolled in this study. The intra-operative and post-operative complications and improvement of abnormal uterine bleeding and dysmenorrhea were observed. Results: There were nointra-operative complication occurred, such as uterine perforation, massive hemorrhage or surrounding organ damage. At 6 months after operation, 32 patients developed amenorrhea, 6 developed menstrual spotting, 3 developed menstruation with a small volume and 1 had a normal menstruation. No menstruation with an increased volume occurred. The occurrence of amenorrhea was 76.19% and the response rate was 97.62%.At 6 months after operation, 1 case had no response, 2 cases had partial response and 11 cases had complete response among the 14 cases of pre-operative dysmenorrhea; only 3 cases still had anemia among the 23 cases of pre-operative anemia. Compared with before treatment, patients with dysmenorrhea and anemia both significantly reduced with a statistically significant difference(P<0.01). Conclusion: TB type thermal balloon endometrial ablation has a significant efficacy with high safety for the treatment of abnormal uterine bleeding, which could have clinical promotion practice.

MiR-328 targeting PIM-1 inhibits proliferation and migration of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells in PDGFBB signaling pathway

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been recognized to mediate PDGF-induced cell dysregulation, but their exact functions remain to be elucidated. By using a sensitive S-Poly(T) Plus qRT-PCR method, the expression profiling of 1,078 miRNAs were investigated in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) with or without PDGFBB stimulation. MiR-328 was found as a prominent down-regulated miRNA, displaying a specific dose- and time-dependent downregulation upon PDGFBB exposure. Functional analyses revealed that miR-328 could inhibit PASMCs proliferation and migration both with and without PDGFBB treatment. The Ser/Thr-protein kinase-1 (PIM-1) was identified as a direct target of miR-328, and functionally confirmed by a rescue experiment. In addition, the decrease of miR-328 by PDGFBB might be due to the increased expression of DNA methylation transferase 1 (DNMT1) and DNA methylation. Finally, serum miR-328 level was downregulated in PAH patients associated with congenital heart disease (CHD- PAH). Overall, this study provides critical insight into fundamental regulatory mechanism of miR-328 in PDGFBB-activited PASMCs via targeting PIM- 1, and implies the potential of serum miR-328 level as a circulating biomarker for CHD- PAH diagnosis.

Microarray analysis reveals altered circulating microRNA expression in mice infected with Coxsackievirus B3

Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is a common causative agent in the development of inflammatory cardiomyopathy. However, whether the expression of peripheral blood microRNAs (miRNAs) is altered in this process is unknown. The present study investigated changes to miRNA expression in the peripheral blood of CVB3-infected mice. Utilizing miRNA microarray technology, differential miRNA expression was examined between normal and CVB3-infected mice. The present results suggest that specific miRNAs were differentially expressed in the peripheral blood of mice infected with CVB3, varying with infection duration. Using miRNA microarray analysis, a total of 96 and 89 differentially expressed miRNAs were identified in the peripheral blood of mice infected with CVB3 for 3 and 6 days, respectively. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to validate differentially expressed miRNAs, revealing a consistency of these results with the miRNA microarray analysis results. The biological functions of the differentially expressed miRNAs were then predicted by bioinformatics analysis. The potential biological roles of differentially expressed miRNAs included hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. These results may provide important insights into the mechanisms responsible for the progression of CVB3 infection.

Structural characterization of coatomer in its cytosolic state

Studies on coat protein I (COPI) have contributed to a basic understanding of how coat proteins generate vesicles to initiate intracellular transport. The core component of the COPI complex is coatomer, which is a multimeric complex that needs to be recruited from the cytosol to membrane in order to function in membrane bending and cargo sorting. Previous structural studies on the clathrin adaptors have found that membrane recruitment induces a large conformational change in promoting their role in cargo sorting. Here, pursuing negative-stain electron microscopy coupled with single-particle analyses, and also performing CXMS (chemical cross-linking coupled with mass spectrometry) for validation, we have reconstructed the structure of coatomer in its soluble form. When compared to the previously elucidated structure of coatomer in its membrane-bound form we do not observe a large conformational change. Thus, the result uncovers a key difference between how COPI versus clathrin coats are regulated by membrane recruitment.

Silver Nanoparticles, Ions, and Shape Governing Soil Microbial Functional Diversity: Nano Shapes Micro

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) affect microbial metabolic processes at single cell level or lab-culture strains. However, the impact of different AgNPs properties such as the particle, ion release, and shape on functional responses of natural soil microbial communities remain poorly understood. Therefore, we assessed the relative importance of particles and ions of AgNPs in bacterial toxicity and how the functional diversity of soil microbial communities were impacted by AgNPs shapes (i.e., plates, spheres, and rods) in laboratory incubations. Our results showed that the relative contribution of AgNPs_(particle) increased with increasing exposure concentrations (accounted for about 60–68% of the total toxicity at the highest exposure level). In addition, the functional composition of the microbial community differed significantly according to different AgNPs shapes. The various properties of AgNPs thus can significantly and differentially affect the functional composition of microbial communities and associated ecosystem processes depending on the level of environmental exposure.

Overexpression of soybean R2R3-MYB transcription factor, GmMYB12B2, and tolerance to UV radiation and salt stress in transgenic Arabidopsis

MYB, v-myb avian myeloblastosis viral oncogene homolog, proteins play central roles in plant stress response. Previously, we identified a novel R2R3-MYB transcription factor, GmMYB12B2, which affected the expression levels of some key enzyme genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis in transgenic Arabidopsis. In the present study, we analyzed the expression levels of GmMYB12B2 under salt, low temperature, drought, abscisic acid (ABA), and ultraviolet (UV) radiation treatments in soybean using semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The expression of GmMYB12B2 was drastically induced by UV irradiation and salt treatment, but no response was detected under low temperature, drought, and ABA stresses. A detailed characterization of the GmMYB12B2 overexpression lines revealed that GmMYB12B2 might be involved in response of plants to UV radiation and salt stresses. Transgenic Arabidopsis lines constitutively expressing GmMYB12B2 showed an increased tolerance to salt and UV radiation treatment compared with wild-type plants. The expression levels of certain salt stress-responsive genes, such as DREB2A and RD17, were found to be elevated in the transgenic plants. These results indicate that GmMYB12B2 acts as a regulator in the plant stress response.

Polymorphisms in Four Genes (KCNQ1 rs151290, KLF14 rs972283, GCKR rs780094 and MTNR1B rs10830963) and Their Correlation with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Han Chinese in Henan Province, China

Genetic variants at KCNQ1 rs151290, KLF14 rs972283, GCKR rs780094 and MTNR1B rs10830963 have been associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), but the results are contradictory in Chinese populations. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of these four SNPs with T2DM in a large population of Han Chinese at Henan province, China. Seven-hundred-thirty-six patients with T2DM (cases) and Seven-hundred-sixty-eight healthy glucose-tolerant controls were genotyped for KCNQ1 rs151290, KLF14 rs972283, GCKR rs780094 and MTNR1B rs10830963. The association of genetic variants in these four genes with T2DM was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. Genotypes and allele distributions of KCNQ1 rs151290 were significantly different between the cases and controls (p < 0.05). The AC and CC genotypes and the combined AC + CC genotype of rs151290 in KCNQ1 were associated with increases risk of T2DM before (OR = 1.482, 95% CI = 1.062–2.069; p = 0.021; OR = 1.544, 95% CI = 1.097–2.172, p = 0.013; and OR = 1.509, 95% CI = 1.097–2.077, p = 0.011, respectively) and after (OR = 1.539, 95% CI = 1.015–2.332, p = 0.042; OR = 1.641, 95% CI = 1.070–2.516, p = 0.023; and OR = 1.582, 95% CI = 1.061–2.358, p = 0.024; respectively) adjustment for sex, age, anthropometric measurements, biochemical indexes, smoking and alcohol consumption. Consistent with results of genotype analysis, the C allele of rs151290 in KCNQ1 was also associated with increased risk of T2DM (OR = 1.166, 95% CI = 1.004–1.355, p = 0.045). No associations between genetic variants of KLF14 rs972283, GCKR rs780094 or MTNR1B rs10830963 and T2DM were detected. The AC and CC genotypes and the C allele of rs151290 in KCNQ1 may be risk factors for T2DM in Han Chinese in Henan province.

Association between eating alone and depressive symptom in elders: a cross-sectional study

Background

Depression is one of the main health concerns in elders which could lead to many negative outcomes. Eating alone is an emerging issue in elders in China and would become more serious along with the fast course of industrialization and urbanization, as well as population aging. However, their relationship was seldom researched.

Methods

Using a two-stage cluster sampling strategy, an investigation was conducted in 2014 among 9,361 permanent residents aged 60 years and above in Zhejiang Province, China. Totally, 7,968 cognitively normal elders were included in our analysis. Multilevel logistic regression was used to explore the association between eating arrangement (number of companions in mealtime) and depressive symptom as well as the association between eating alone and depressive symptom in relation to living alone.

Results

In our sample, 17.1 % of the elders ate alone and 8.7 % had depressive symptom. We observed a distinct inverse association between eating arrangement (number of companions in mealtime) and geriatric depressive symptom (female: OR = 1.12, P = 0.027; aged 60–74 years: OR = 1.16, P = 0.002), after adjustment for demography, socioeconomic status, social relation, health behaviors, underlying conditions and living alone. We then introduced a combined variable of eating alone and living alone and examined its relationship with depressive symptom. We found that compared with elders who ate and lived with others, those who ate alone but lived with others had a significant increased odds of depressive symptom (female: OR = 1.62, P = 0.027; aged 60–74 years: OR = 1.59, P = 0.025).

Conclusions

Our results suggested that a lack of companionship in mealtime might be independently associated with geriatric depressive symptom for females and those aged 60–74 years. What’s more, eating alone might be a stronger factor associated with depressive symptom than living alone. We recommend interventions to be performed in encouraging elders especially females and those aged 60–74 years to eat with others. Longitudinal studies in different populations which focus on this topic are required to better understand this issue.