[Association between plasma selenium and the risk of impaired glucose regulation]

Objective: To investigate the association between plasma selenium exposure and the risk of impaired glucose regulation (IGR). Methods: A case-control study was conducted to select IGR patients who were admitted to the outpatient clinic of the Department of Endocrinology to perform oral glucose tolerance test(OGTT) at the Tongji Hospital affiliated to the Tongji Medical College from September 2004 to 2016 as a case group. Participants with normal glucose tolerance recruited from an unselected group of population undergoing routine health examinations in the same hospital were selected as a control group. The control group was matched according to the age (±5 years old) and sex of the case group. The inclusion criteria for subjects recruited were as follows: age ≥30 years, body mass index (BMI) <40 kg/m(2), no history of a diagnosis of IGR or type 2 diabetes, and no history of receiving pharmacological treatment for hyperlipidemia or hypertension. Patients with any clinically systemic disease such as neurological or endocrine disease, acute illness, chronic inflammatory disease or infectious disease were excluded from the study. A total of 1 957 subjects, 897 in the case group and 1 060 in the control group, were included. Questionnaires were used to collect information of all subjects, and peripheral venous blood was collected after fasting and OGTT, respectively. Plasma selenium, fasting blood glucose, blood lipid (total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low density lipoprotein cholesterol) and 2 h OGTT plasma glucose concentration were detected, respectively. The subjects were divided into low, medium and high concentration groups according to the tertiles of plasma selenium concentration in the control group. The multivariate unconditional logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the association between plasma selenium exposure and IGR. Results: The age (mean±SD) of the case and control group was (53.71±11.38) and (53.95±12.17) years old. The plasma selenium concentration [M (P(25), P(75))] in the case group was 92.81(77.07, 107.05) μg/L, which was significantly higher than the control group [88.73 (77.13, 100.88) μg/L] (P<0.05). The results of multivariate unconditional logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, family history of diabetes and hypertension, the risk of IGR was higher in the high-concentration group and the low-concentration group compared with the middle-concentration group, the values of OR (95%CI) were 1.22 (95%CI: 0.94-1.59) and 1.81 (95%CI: 1.42-2.30), respectively. Conclusion: The study suggested a U-shaped association between plasma selenium and IGR.

The function of microRNA-34a in osteoarthritis

AIM

To discuss the effects and mechanism of microRNA-34a in cell apoptosis induced by osteoarthritis.

METHODS

Collection of the normal and osteoarthritis synovial tissues and measurements of the miRNA-34a and TGIF2 gene expression. In the cell experiment, the cells were divided into Control, Blank and miRNA inhibitor group. The cell proliferation and apoptosis of the different groups were measured by MTT and flow cytometry and the TGIF2 protein expression in the different groups was evaluated by WB assay. The correlation between TGIF2 and miRNA-34a was analyzed by Double luciferase experiment.

RESULTS

Compared with normal synovial tissues, the miRNA-34a gene expression was significantly up-regulated and TGIF2 gene expression was significantly suppressed in osteoarthritis synovial tissues (p < 0.001, respectively). The cell proliferation was significantly depressed and the cell apoptosis rate was significantly increased in miRNA inhibitor group compared with the Control group (p < 0.001, respectively). Using the WB assay it was shown that the TGIF2 protein expression of miRNA inhibitor group was significantly suppressed compared with that of Control group (p < 0.01). By Double luciferase assay, TGIF2 gene was one target gene of miRNA-34a.

CONCLUSION

miRNA-34a could induce osteoarthritis synovial cell apoptosis via regulation of TGIF2 in vitro (Fig. 6, Ref. 29).

[The role of abnormal mitochondrial fusion and fission in PBDE-47-induced change in mitochondrial mass in PC12 cells]

Objective: To investigate the effect of 2, 2', 4, 4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (PBDE-47) on the mitochondrial mass in rat adrenal pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells and the potential mechanisms. Methods: Highly differentiated PC12 cells were divided into control, 1, 10 or 20 μmol/L PBDE-47-treated groups and cultured for 24 h. Transmission electron microscopy was employed to observe the changes in mitochondrial morphology and quantity in PC12 cells. Flow cytometry was used to measure the fluorescence intensity of Nonyl Acridine Orange (NAO) , a fluorescent indicator of mitochondrial membrane cardiolipin, to reflect mitochondria mass. Western blotting was used to determine the expression levels of Mitofusion 1 (Mfn1) and Fission 1 (Fis1) proteins. To further explore the role of abnormal mitochondrial fusion and fission in PBDE-47-induced mitochondrial mass changes, PC12 cells were divided into control group, 5 μmol/L M1 treatment group, 20 μmol/L PBDE-47 treatment group and 5 μmol/L M1+20 μmol/L PBDE-47 combined treatment group and cultured for 24 h, then the fluorescence intensity of NAO and expression levels of Mfn1 and Fis1 proteins were detected. Results: The control group showed numerous mitochondria with normal morphology, while the number of mitochondria decreased after PBDE-47 treatment. Especially, the disappeared cristae, swelling and vacuoles of mitochondria and decreased fluorescence intensity of NAO (P<0.05) were observed in 10 and 20 μmol/L PBDE-47-treated groups. Meanwhile, the expression levels of Mfn1 and Fis1 proteins in the 10 and 20 μmol/L PBDE-47-treated groups were significantly decreased compared with control group (P<0.05) . However, 5 μmol/L M1 co-treatment with 20 μmol/L PBDE-47 significantly increased the levels of Mfn1 and Fis1 proteins and fluorescence intensity of NAO compared with the 20 μmol/L PBDE-47 group (P<0.05) . Conclusion: PBDE-47 can inhibit the mitochondrial fusion and fission process, thus leading to damage of mitochondria mass in PC12 cells.

Ferroelectric Control of Interface Spin Filtering in Multiferroic Tunnel Junctions

The electronic reconstruction occurring at oxide interfaces may be the source of interesting device concepts for future oxide electronics. Among oxide devices, multiferroic tunnel junctions are being actively investigated as they offer the possibility to modulate the junction current by independently controlling the switching of the magnetization of the electrodes and of the ferroelectric polarization of the barrier. In this Letter, we show that the spin reconstruction at the interfaces of a La_{0.7}Sr_{0.3}MnO_{3}/BaTiO_{3}/La_{0.7}Sr_{0.3}MnO_{3} multiferroic tunnel junction is the origin of a spin filtering functionality that can be turned on and off by reversing the ferroelectric polarization. The ferroelectrically controlled interface spin filter enables a giant electrical modulation of the tunneling magnetoresistance between values of 10% and 1000%, which could inspire device concepts in oxides-based low dissipation spintronics.

miRNA-31 over-expression improve synovial cells apoptosis induced by RA

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects and mechanism of miRNA-31 in synovial cells apoptosis induced by RA.

METHODS

The miRNA-31 gene expressions were extracted from synovial tissues of normal and RA patients by RT-PCR and H et E staining. The synovial cells of RA patients were isolated and randomly divided into Control, Blank and miRNA groups. The cell apoptosis of difference groups were measured by flow cytometry; the TNF-α and IL-1β concentrations of difference groups were measured by Elisa assay; TLR4 and NF-κB proteins expressions were measured by WB assay and the correlation between TLR4 and miRNA-31 were evaluated by double luciferase target experiment.

RESULTS

The miRNA-31 gene expression was significantly suppressed in RA tissues (p<0.001); Compared with control group, the cell apoptosis rate of miRNA group was significantly suppressed (p<0.001); TNF-α and IL-1β concentrations were significantly down-regulation in culture fluid (p<0.001, respectively) and TLR4 and NF-κB proteins expressions were significantly depressed (p<0.001, respectively) in miRNA group. By double luciferase target experiment, the TLR4 was a target gene of miRNA-31.

CONCLUSION

miRNA-31 is a key role in synovial cells apoptosis induced by RA (Fig. 7, Ref. 23).

Liquid crystal polymer receiver modules for electron cyclotron emission imaging on the DIII-D tokamak

A new generation of millimeter-wave heterodyne imaging receiver arrays has been developed and demonstrated on the DIII-D electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEI) system. Improved circuit integration, improved noise performance, and enhanced shielding from out-of-band emission are made possible by using advanced liquid crystal polymer (LCP) substrates and monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) receiver chips. This array exhibits ∼15 dB additional gain and >30× reduction in noise temperature compared to previous generation ECEI arrays. Each LCP horn-waveguide module houses a 3 × 3 mm GaAs MMIC receiver chip, which consists of a low noise millimeter-wave preamplifier, balanced mixer, and IF amplifier together with a local oscillator multiplier chain driven at ∼12 GHz. A proof-of-principle partial LCP instrument with 5 poloidal channels was installed on DIII-D in 2017, with a full proof-of-principle system (20 poloidal × 8 radial channels) installed and commissioned in early 2018. The enhanced shielding of the LCP modules is seen to greatly reduce the sensitivity of ECEI signals to out-of-band microwave noise which has plagued previous ECEI studies on DIII-D. The LCP ECEI system is expected to be a valuable diagnostic tool for pedestal region measurements, focusing particularly on electron temperature evolution during edge localized mode bursting.

Synthetic diagnostic for electron cyclotron emission imaging

Synthetic diagnostics are aimed at simulating the response of diagnostic systems under actual experimental scenarios and are the key to drawing quantitative inferences from experimental data. The synthetic Electron Cyclotron Emission Imaging (ECEI) diagnostic is suitable for evaluation of the improvement arising from the application of Field Curvature Adjustment (FCA) lenses in the design of the upgraded Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) tokamak ECEI system. In previous ECEI systems, a curved image plane is inevitable in optics systems comprising only convex lenses, which leads to significant crosstalk between vertically adjacent channels and strongly limits the vertical channel resolution of the imaging system. The synthetic ECEI diagnostic results show that, with FCA lenses applied, the upgraded ECEI system has significant advantages to focus on high poloidal wavenumber structures with the aberrations from the spherical surfaces corrected and the various artifacts related to the field curvature suppressed. Also, the synthetic ECEI diagnostic is used for some quantitative calculations to partially decouple the effect of density fluctuations and temperature fluctuations for a given plasma.

Associations between variants of bone morphogenetic protein 7 gene and growth traits in chickens

1. Enhancing bone strength to solve leg disorders in poultry has become an important goal in broiler production. Bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7), a member of the BMP family, represents an attractive therapeutic target for bone regeneration in humans and plays critical roles in skeletal development. 2. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between BMP7 gene expression, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and growth traits in chickens. Here, a SNP (c.1995T>C) in the chicken (Gallus gallus) BMP7 gene was identified, that was associated with growth and carcass traits. 3. Genotyping revealed that the T allele occurred more frequently in breeds with high growth rates, whereas the C allele was predominant in those with low growth rates. The expression level of BMP7 in the thigh bone of birds with the TT genotype was significantly higher than in those with the CC genotype at 21, 42 and 91 d of age. 4. These findings suggest that selecting the birds with the TT genotype of SNP c.1995T>C could improve bone growth, could reduce leg disorders in fast-growing birds. The SNP c.1995T>C may serve as a selective marker for improving bone growth and increasing the consistency of body weights in poultry breeding.

[Comparison of safety and effectiveness between retroperitoneal laparoscopic tumor aspiration and laparoscopic partial nephrectomy in the treatment of renal angiomyolipoma]

OBJECTIVE

To compare the safety and treatment effectiveness of retroperitoneal laparoscopic tumor aspiration and laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) in the treatment of renal angiomyolipoma (RAML).

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of patients with pathologically confirmed RAML who received operation between August 2010 and August 2016 in the Department of Urology, Peking University First Hospital. Among them, a series of 121 patients were included in this trial according to the inclusion criteria, of which 74 cases could be collected and followed-up effectively. Based on the detailed surgical route, the 74 patients were divided into groups A and B: group A, which underwent retroperitoneal laparoscopic tumor aspiration, included 43 cases; group B, which received retroperitoneal LPN, included 31 cases. Patient demographics, intraoperative variables and postoperative outcomes were reported and compared between the groups.

RESULTS

No statistical difference was detected in both groups before the treatment. Intraoperatively, the mean estimated blood loss was 48.7 mL in group A and 102.9 mL in group B, and the mean operative time was 70.1 min (21.2 min of warm ischemia time included) in group A and 103.6 min (28.5 min of warm ischemia time included) in group B, which were both statistically different. In group A, no complications occurred and yet 2 complications of transfusion and 1 complication of urine leakage were discovered in group B, although all finally recovered only with conservative treatment. A statistical difference was observed in the complication rates. Post-operatively, the mean serum creatinine level was 1.13 mg/dL in group A, and the level was 1.08 mg/dL in group B, in which no evident difference was detected. In a mean 52.6-months' follow-up, a recurrence of 3 cases in group A (7.0%) and a recurrence of 2 cases in group B (6.5%) were reported. No evident difference was also detected between the groups in the tumor recurrence rates.

CONCLUSION

Due to the improvements in the intraoperative blood loss and operative time, retroperitoneal laparoscopic tumor aspiration may be provided with more potential advantages in the safety, also with equal efficacy of lower tumor recurrence rates when compared with the traditional retroperitoneal LPN in the treatment of RAML.

Synthesis of β-Phenethyl Ethers by Base-Catalyzed Alcohol Addition Reactions to Aryl Alkenes

The direct anti-Markovnikov addition of alcohols to styrene derivatives represents a streamlined route to β-phenethyl ethers, a substructure frequently found in pharmaceuticals and other bioactive ­molecules. Here, we discuss how the development of such a reaction can complement and address limitations of current methods for β-phenethyl ether synthesis. In particular, we highlight our recent ­approach toward achieving this challenging alcohol addition reaction through P4-t-Bu superbase catalysis. A summary of compatible aryl alkenes and alcohols is provided to inform readers of potential applications of this new catalytic transformation, as well as its current limitations and future directions.

1 Introduction

2 Anti-Markovnikov Alcohol Addition to Aryl Alkenes: Background

3 Superbase-Catalyzed Alcohol Addition to Aryl Alkenes

4 Summary and Outlook

Copy Number Variations with Isolated Fetal Ventriculomegaly

BACKGROUND

Copy Number Variations (CNVs) are an important genetic cause of a number of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs). However, the association between CNVs and the development and prognosis of fetal isolated mild ventriculomegaly (IMV) is unclear.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate possible associations between CNVs and the development of fetal IMV.

METHODS

This retrospective study recruited 154 subjects with ultrasound-confirmed fetal IMV and 190 subjects in a control cohort who underwent a high-risk prenatal serum screening program. The exclusion criteria included fetus G-banding chromosomal abnormality or positive fetus TORCH infection. DNA samples from all 344 fetuses were examined by an SNP-array. Developmental outcomes were assessed during postnatal follow-up.

RESULTS

Fourteen pathogenic CNVs (pCNVs) were identified in 13 out of 154 IMV fetuses. Three pCNVs were found in 3 out of 190 subjects in the prenatal screening high-risk cohort, with a significant difference (P value=0.016, X2 test). Notably, the 14 pCNVs detected in the IMV cohort were all associated with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs), including autism, intellectual disability. Among the 13 IMV fetuses carrying pCNVs, five subjects were found in the postnatal follow-up to manifest NDs, including two with autism and three with mild neurodevelopmental delay. The other 8 subjects consisted of three normal infants younger than 12-months old, two lost in the follow-up, and three with the termination of pregnancy. Out of 141 IMV subjects without detectable pCNVs, 123 subjects showed normal development, 16 were lost in the follow-up, 2 subjects terminated the pregnancy due to fetal hydrocephalus or congenital heart disease in the late fetus development.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests an association between pCNVs and fetal IMV. pCNVs may be involved in the pathological process of fetal IMV and postnatal NDs. Identifying specific genomic alterations may provide an insight into pathogenetic mechanism and aid better diagnosis and prognosis of neurodevelopmental outcomes in fetal IMV.

[Risk factors related to HIV new infections among men who have sex with men in a cohort study]

Objectives: To analyze and understand the risk factors related to HIV new infections among men who have sex with men (MSM). Methods: A longitudinal observational study among MSM was conducted to collect information on HIV related behaviors and sero-conversion. Univariate and multivariate generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to discuss the risk factors for HIV new infection. Results: A total number of 4 305 MSM were followed during 2013-2015. Among those self-reported MSM who are seeking partners on the Interner tended to have higher proportion on receptive anal intercourse and consistent condom use during anal intercourse than the subgroups seeking their partners in gay bars or bathrooms. HIV incidence among followed MSM during the study period appeared as 4.3/100 person years, with adjusted RR (aRR) of HIV infection for receptive anal intercourse as group 2.20 (95% CI: 1.49-3.24) times than that of insertion anal intercourse group. Those who used rush-poppers (aRR=1.55, 95% CI: 1.10-2.17), unprotected anal intercourse (aRR=2.24, 95%CI: 1.62-3.08), and those with syphilis infection (aRR=2.95, 95%CI: 2.00-4.35) were also risk factors for HIV new infections. After controlling other factors, the relationship between the ways of seeking partners and HIV new infection was not statistical significant. Conclusion: Risk factors for HIV new infection among MSM appeared complex and interactive, suggesting that further studies are needed to generate tailored strategies for the prevention of HIV epidemic among MSM population.

Combined Iron/Hydroxytriazole Dual Catalytic System for Site Selective Oxidation Adjacent to Azaheterocycles

This report details a new method for site-selective methylene oxidation adjacent to azaheterocycles. A dual catalysis approach, utilizing both an iron Lewis acid and an organic hydroxylamine catalyst, proved highly effective. We demonstrate that this method provides complementary selectivity to other known catalytic approaches and represents an improvement over current heterocycle-selective reactions that rely on stoichiometric activation.

Aberrant Thalamocortical Connectivity in Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy

The purpose of this study was to investigate the functional connectivity (FC) of thalamic subdivisions in patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME). Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data were acquired from 22 JME and 25 healthy controls. We first divided the thalamus into eight subdivisions by performing independent component analysis on tracking fibers and clustering thalamus-related FC maps. We then analyzed abnormal FC in each subdivision in JME compared with healthy controls, and we investigated their associations with clinical features. Eight thalamic sub-regions identified in the current study showed unbalanced thalamic FC in JME: decreased FC with the superior frontal gyrus and enhanced FC with the supplementary motor area in the posterior thalamus increased thalamic FC with the salience network (SN) and reduced FC with the default mode network (DMN). Abnormalities in thalamo-prefrontocortical networks might be related to the propagation of generalized spikes with frontocentral predominance in JME, and the network connectivity differences with the SN and DMN might be implicated in emotional and cognitive defects in JME. JME was also associated with enhanced FC among thalamic sub-regions and with the basal ganglia and cerebellum, suggesting the regulatory role of subcortical nuclei and the cerebellum on the thalamo-cortical circuit. Additionally, increased FC with the pallidum was positive related with the duration of disease. The present study provides emerging evidence of FC to understand that specific thalamic subdivisions contribute to the abnormalities of thalamic-cortical networks in JME. Moreover, the posterior thalamus could play a crucial role in generalized epileptic activity in JME.

DNA methylation and expression of imprinted genes are associated with the viability of different sexual cloned buffaloes

The DNA methylation of imprinted genes is an important way to regulate epigenetic reprogramming of donor cells in somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). However, the effects of sexual distinction on the DNA methylation of imprinted genes in cloned animals have seldom been reported. In this study, we analysed the DNA methylation status of three imprinted genes (Xist, IGF2 and H19) from liveborn cloned buffaloes (L group, three female and three male), stillborn cloned buffaloes (S group, three female and three male) and natural reproduction buffaloes (N group, three female and three male), using bisulphite sequencing polymerase chain reaction (BS-PCR). The expression levels of these imprinted genes were also investigated by quantitative real-time PCR (QRT-PCR). The DNA methylation levels of H19 were not significantly different among the groups. However, the Xist in female and IGF2 in male of the S group were found to be significantly hypomethylated in comparison with the same sexual buffaloes in L group and N group (p < .05). Furthermore, the expression levels of Xist, IGF2 and H19 in the stillborn female cloned buffaloes of S group were significantly higher than that of the female buffaloes in the L group and N group (p < .05). The expression levels of IGF2 and H19 in the stillborn male cloned buffaloes in the S group were significantly higher than that of the male buffaloes in the L group and N group (p < .05). These results indicate that Xist may be associated with the viability of female cloned buffaloes, and IGF2 may also be related to the viability of male cloned buffaloes.

[A preliminary study on the clinical characteristics of Parkinson's disease patients with restless legs syndrome]

Objective: To study the clinical characteristics of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS). Methods: Ninety-nine PD patients and eighty-nine control group were included into this study and assessed for RLS by the question 6 of the non-motor symptoms questionnaire (NMSquest). The PD patients were divided into the RLS group and non RLS group, according to their answers to the NMSquest.The severity of motor symptoms, anxiety, depression and quality of life were evaluated according Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Parkinson' s Disease Quality Of Life Questionnaire(PDQ-39), respectively. Results: (1)18.2%(18/81)of the PD patients experienced RLS, the incidence was significantly higher than the general population (P<0.001). (2) The RLS patients were more often women (66.7% vs 33.3%, P=0.033 ). (3) The UPDRS-Ⅱ score(20±7, P=0.008), UPDRS-Ⅲ score(43±14, P=0.015), BDI score(23±13, P=0.002), BAI score(18±8, P=0.012), PDQ-39 score(75±26, P=0.000)in RLS group were significantly higher compared with non RLS group. (4) RLS showed no association with the course of the disease, the age, the PD onset age and levodopa dose equivalents. Conclusions: RLS more likely appears in PD patients, especially in women. The PD patients with RLS commonly suffer from serious motor symptom, low quality of life, anxiety and depression.