Clinical analysis of insulin resistance in liver cirrhosis patients

Objective·To investigate the insulin resistance in liver cirrhosis patients.Methods·Patients with liver cirrhosis from Xinhua Hospital,Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in 2013‒2017 were retrospectively assessed. Biochemical indexes, including fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting insulin and homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), were collected. The complications of liver cirrhosis were recorded, including esophagogastric varices bleeding (EVB), ascites and hepatic encephalopathy (HE). According to HOMA-IR value, the liver cirrhosis patients were divided into non-insulin resistance group (IR≤1.64) and insulin resistance group (IR>1.64). Various indicators were compared between the two groups.Results·A total of 376 patients with liver cirrhosis were included in this study. The proportions of Child-Pugh A, Child-Pugh B and Child-Pugh C were 162 (43.09%), 148 (39.36%), and 66 (17.55%), respectively. The main cause of liver cirrhosis was hepatitis B virus infection 163 (43.35%). Fasting insulin levels were measured in 208 of 376 liver cirrhosis patients. Among them, 117 patients (56.25%) had no insulin resistance and 91 patients (43.75%) had insulin resistance. The body mass index (BMI) of liver cirrhosis patients in the insulin resistance group was significantly higher than that in the non-insulin resistance group (P=0.000), and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the former was also higher (P=0.001). The scores of Child-Pugh in patients with liver cirrhosis in the insulin resistance group were lower than those in the non-insulin resistance group, and the difference in Child-Pugh score was statistically significant (6.93±1.99 vs 7.63±2.20, P=0.020). The proportion of Child-Pugh C grade in the insulin resistance group was significantly lower than that in the patients without insulin resistance (P=0.028). The prevalence of ascites in cirrhotic patients with insulin resistance was significantly lower than that in cirrhotic patients without insulin resistance (36.26% vs 66.67%, P=0.000). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of EVB and HE between the two groups (P>0.05).Conclusion·Nearly half of patients with liver cirrhosis are associated with insulin resistance. Compared with no-insulin resistance patients, cirrhotic patients with insulin resistance have a higher BMI, lower percentage of Child-Pugh C, and fewer ascites prevalence

Structural insights into photosystem II supercomplex and trimeric FCP antennae of a centric diatom Cyclotella meneghiniana

Diatoms are dominant marine algae and contribute around a quarter of global primary productivity, the success of which is largely attributed to their photosynthetic capacity aided by specific fucoxanthin chlorophyll-binding proteins (FCPs) to enhance the blue-green light absorption under water. We purified a photosystem II (PSII)-FCPII supercomplex and a trimeric FCP from Cyclotella meneghiniana (Cm) and solved their structures by cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). The structures reveal detailed organizations of monomeric, dimeric and trimeric FCP antennae, as well as distinct assemblies of Lhcx6_1 and dimeric FCPII-H in PSII core. Each Cm-PSII-FCPII monomer contains an Lhcx6_1, an FCP heterodimer and other three FCP monomers, which form an efficient pigment network for harvesting energy. More diadinoxanthins and diatoxanthins are found in FCPs, which may function to quench excess energy. The trimeric FCP contains more chlorophylls c and fucoxanthins. These diversified FCPs and PSII-FCPII provide a structural basis for efficient light energy harvesting, transfer, and dissipation in C. meneghiniana

Susceptibility‐guided sequential strategy versus empirical therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Abstract Background New treatment strategies are required against infections caused by Helicobacter pylori, which grows increasingly resistant to antibiotics. Polymerase chain reaction-based methods for antibiotic susceptibility testing are available for detecting H. pylori-specific mutations that confer resistance to clarithromycin and levofloxacin. Several meta-analyses have compared eradication rates for susceptibility-guided versus empirical therapy for H. pylori treatment; however, all have significant limitations and high heterogeneity, and the results are contradictory. The main objective of this trial is to assess whether a sequential strategy based on molecular susceptibility testing-guided therapy for H. pylori has a better eradication rate than empirical therapy. Methods This trial is designed as a prospective, randomised, open-label, active-controlled and single-centre study. Men and women who are H. pylori-positive, naïve to treatment, and aged 18–65 years will be recruited. A total of 500 participants will be randomised to receive either empirical therapy or a susceptibility-guided sequential strategy. Bismuth quadruple therapy will be the empirical first-line therapy, and in case of failure, high-dose dual (proton-pump inhibitor + amoxicillin) treatment will be the rescue therapy. For the susceptibility-guided sequential strategy, regimen selection will be based on H. pylori susceptibility to clarithromycin (first-line) and levofloxacin (rescue). A first-line treatment of clarithromycin triple therapy will be selected for clarithromycin-sensitive strains. For clarithromycin resistance, a high-dose dual therapy will be selected. During the rescue treatment, a levofloxacin quadruple regimen will be selected for levofloxacin-sensitive strains, and a furazolidone quadruple regimen will be selected for others. The primary outcome is the first-line eradication rate in both groups, and the overall (including first and rescue therapies) H. pylori eradication rate in both groups is one of the secondary outcomes. The eradication rates of H. pylori will be analysed by intention-to-treat analysis, modified intention-to-treat analysis, and per-protocol analysis. Discussion This randomised controlled trial will provide objective and valid evidence about the value of polymerase chain reaction-based molecular methods for antibiotic susceptibility testing in guiding H. pylori eradication. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT05549115. Released on 18 September 2022. First posted on 22 September 2022. Enrolment of the first participant on 20 September 2022. The study is retrospectively registered

Structural insights into photosystem II supercomplex and trimeric FCP antennae of a centric diatom Cyclotella meneghiniana

Diatoms are dominant marine algae and contribute around a quarter of global primary productivity, the success of which is largely attributed to their photosynthetic capacity aided by specific fucoxanthin chlorophyll-binding proteins (FCPs) to enhance the blue-green light absorption under water. We purified a photosystem II (PSII)-FCPII supercomplex and a trimeric FCP from Cyclotella meneghiniana (Cm) and solved their structures by cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). The structures reveal detailed organizations of monomeric, dimeric and trimeric FCP antennae, as well as distinct assemblies of Lhcx6_1 and dimeric FCPII-H in PSII core. Each Cm-PSII-FCPII monomer contains an Lhcx6_1, an FCP heterodimer and other three FCP monomers, which form an efficient pigment network for harvesting energy. More diadinoxanthins and diatoxanthins are found in FCPs, which may function to quench excess energy. The trimeric FCP contains more chlorophylls c and fucoxanthins. These diversified FCPs and PSII-FCPII provide a structural basis for efficient light energy harvesting, transfer, and dissipation in C. meneghiniana