Snoring, Inflammatory Markers, Adipokines and Metabolic Syndrome in Apparently Healthy Chinese

OBJECTIVE: Chronic low-grade inflammation and adipokines dysregulation are linked to mechanisms underscoring the pathogenesis of obesity-related metabolic disorders. Little is known about roles of these cytokines on the association between snoring and metabolic syndrome (MetS). We aimed to investigate whether a cluster of cytokines are related to snoring frequency and its association with MetS in apparently healthy Chinese. METHODS: Current analyses used a population-based sample including 1059 Shanghai residents aged 35-54 years. Self-reported snoring frequency was classified as never, occasionally and regularly. Fasting plasma glucose, lipid profile, insulin, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, interleukin-18, lipopolysaccharide binding protein, high-molecular-weight adiponectin and leptin were measured. MetS was defined by the updated National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria for Asian-Americans. RESULTS: Overweight/obese subjects had significantly higher prevalence of regular snorers than their normal-weight counterparts (34.8% vs. 11.5%, P<0.001). Regular snoring was associated with unfavorable profile of inflammatory markers and adipokines. However, those associations were abolished after adjustment for body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference. The MetS risk (multivariate-adjusted odds ratio 5.41, 95% confidence interval 3.72-7.88) was substantially higher in regular snorers compared with non-snorers. Controlling for BMI remarkably attenuated the association (2.03, 1.26-3.26), while adjusting for inflammatory markers and adipokines showed little effects. CONCLUSION: Frequent snoring was associated with an elevated MetS risk independent of lifestyle factors, adiposity, inflammatory markers and adipokines in apparently healthy Chinese. Whether snoring pattern is an economic and no-invasive indicator for screening high-risk persons needs to be addressed prospectively

Robust and tunable integrated polarization rotator

Integrated polarization rotators suffer from very high sensitivity to fabrication errors. A polarization rotator scheme that substantially increases fabrication tolerances is proposed. In the proposed scheme, two tunable polarization phase shifters are used to connect three rotator waveguide sections. By means of properly setting the polarization phase shifters, fabrication errors are compensated and perfect polarization rotation is achieved. Analytical conditions are shown that determine the maximum deviation that can be corrected with the proposed scheme. A design example is discussed, where the thermo-optic effect is used to provide the required tunable polarization phase shifting. Calculated 40dB extinction ratio is shown in presence of fabrication errors that would yield a 4dB extinction ratio in the conventional approach.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

A rare homozygous variant of MC2R gene identified in a Chinese family with familial glucocorticoid deficiency type 1: A case report

BackgroundMelanocortin-2 receptor (MC2R), a member of the G protein-coupled receptor family, is selectively activated by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). variants in MC2R are associated with family glucocorticoid deficiency 1 (FGD1).Case presentationWe first reported a Chinese family with two affected siblings with a homozygotic variant of c.712C&gt;T/p.H238Y in MC2R, presenting with skin hyperpigmentation, hyperbilirubinemia, and tall stature. These individuals showed novel clinical features, including congenital heart defects, not been found in other FGD1 patients.ConclusionsWe reported a Chinese family with affected siblings having a homozygotic variant of c.712C&gt;T/p.H238Y in MC2R.Our report may expand the genetic and clinical spectrum of FGD1

IL-1β-Mediated Up-Regulation of WT1D via miR-144-3p and Their Synergistic Effect with NF-κB/COX-2/HIF-1α Pathway on Cell Proliferation in LUAD

Background/Aims: IL-1β is an important mediator of “inflammation-cancer" transformation through IL-1β/NF-κB/COX-2/HIF-1α signaling pathway, whereas certain portion of patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) still suffer from rapid tumor progression in clinical practice, indicating the occurrence of potential bypass. Methods: Real-time polymerase chain reaction was applied to examine the expressions of mir-144-3p, WT1, NF-κB, COX2 and HIF-1α at the mRNA level in 127 LUAD samples and corresponding adjacent tissues. miR-144-3p mimic and antagormiR were used to trigger activation and suppression of miR-144-3p in A549 cells, respectively. MTT assay and Western blotting analysis were carried out to evaluate the cell proliferation. Stable clones with over-expression or knockdown of WT1 were generated with plasmid or shRNA by lentiviral vector technology in H1568 and H1650 NSCLC cell lines, respectively. Dual luciferase reporter assay was performed to validate the effect of miR-144-3p on WT1D. Xenograft model was established for in vivo experiment, and TCGA data were extracted for validation. Results: miR-144-3p could suppress the WT1D expression at the post-transcriptional level, hence regulating cell proliferation in LUAD. WT1 and COX-2 were independent prognostic factors of LUAD patients. In addition, inhibition of IL-1β/miR-144-3p/WT1D and IL-1β/NF-κB/COX-2/HIF-1α pathways using miR-144-3p mimic and Celecoxib, respectively, displayed synergistic suppressive effect on cell proliferation in LUAD. Conclusion: A de novo IL-1β/miR-144-3p/WT1D axis was involved in proliferative regulation of LUAD. Moreover, simultaneous blockade of both IL-1β/miR-144-3p/WT1D and IL-1β/NF-κB/COX-2/ HIF-1α pathways might have synergistic suppressive effect on cell proliferation in LUAD

Diversidade e estrutura genética em populações naturais de Hancornia speciosa var. speciosa Gomes no nordeste do Brasil

Hancornia speciosa Gomes is a fruit tree native from Brazil that belongs to Apocinaceae family, and is popularly known as Mangabeira. Its fruits are widely consumed raw or processed as fruit jam, juices and ice creams, which have made it a target of intense exploitation. The extractive activities and intense human activity on the environment of natural occurrence of H. speciosa has caused genetic erosion in the species and little is known about the ecology or genetic structure of natural populations. The objective of this research was the evaluation of the genetic diversity and genetic structure of H. speciosa var. speciosa. The genetic variability was assessed using 11 allozyme loci with a sample of 164 individuals distributed in six natural populations located in the States of Pernambuco and Alagoas, Northeastern Brazil. The results showed a high level of genetic diversity within the species (<img border=0 id="_x0000_i1026" src="/img/revistas/rbf/v34n4/a23img01.jpg" align=absmiddle>e= 0.36) seeing that the most of the genetic variability of H. speciosa var. speciosa is within its natural populations with low difference among populations ( <img border=0 id="_x0000_i1027" src="/img/revistas/rbf/v34n4/a23img02.jpg" align=absmiddle > or = 0.081). The inbreeding values within (<img border=0 id="_x0000_i1028" src="/img/revistas/rbf/v34n4/a23img03.jpg" align=absmiddle> = -0.555) and among populations (<img border=0 id="_x0000_i1029" src="/img/revistas/rbf/v34n4/a23img04.jpg" align=absmiddle> =-0.428) were low showing lacking of endogamy and a surplus of heterozygotes. The estimated gene flow ( <img border=0 id="_x0000_i1030" src="/img/revistas/rbf/v34n4/a23img05.jpg" align=absmiddle>m ) was high, ranging from 2.20 to 13.18, indicating to be enough to prevent the effects of genetic drift and genetic differentiation among populations. The multivariate analyses indicated that there is a relationship between genetic and geographical distances, which was confirmed by a spatial pattern analysis using Mantel test (r = 0.3598; p = 0.0920) with 1000 random permutations. The high genetic diversity index in these populations indicates potential for in situ genetic conservation

Lean Body Mass, Interleukin 18, and Metabolic Syndrome in Apparently Healthy Chinese

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate how lean body mass is related to circulating Interleukin 18 (IL-18) and its association with metabolic syndrome (MetS) among apparently healthy Chinese. METHODS: A population-based sample of 1059 Chinese men and women aged 35-54 years was used to measure plasma IL-18, glucose, insulin, lipid profile, inflammatory markers and high-molecular-weight (HMW)-adiponectin. Fat mass index (FMI) and lean mass index (LMI) were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. MetS was defined by the updated National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria for Asian-Americans. RESULTS: Circulating IL-18 was positively correlated with LMI after adjustment for FMI (correlation coefficient = 0.11, P<0.001). The association with the MetS (odds ratio 3.43, 95% confidence interval 2.01-5.85) was substantially higher in the highest than the lowest quartile of IL-18 after multiple adjustments including body mass index. In the stratified multivariable regression analyses, the positive association between IL-18 and MetS was independent of tertiles of FMI, inflammatory markers and HMW-adiponectin, but significantly interacted with tertile of LMI (P for interaction = 0.010). CONCLUSION: Elevated plasma IL-18 was associated with higher MetS prevalence in apparently healthy Chinese, independent of traditional risk factors, FMI, inflammatory markers and HMW-adiponectin. More studies are needed to clarify the role of lean mass in IL-18 secretion and its associated cardio-metabolic disorders

Associations of Amylin with Inflammatory Markers and Metabolic Syndrome in Apparently Healthy Chinese

BACKGROUND: Cellular and animal studies implicate multiple roles of amylin in regulating insulin action, glucose and lipid metabolisms. However, the role of amylin in obesity related metabolic disorders has not been thoroughly investigated in humans. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the distribution of circulating amylin and its association with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and explore if this association is influenced by obesity, inflammatory markers or insulin resistance in apparently healthy Chinese. METHODS: A population-based sample of 1,011 Chinese men and women aged 35-54 years was employed to measure plasma amylin, inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein [CRP] and interleukin-6 [IL-6]), insulin, glucose and lipid profiles. MetS was defined according to the updated National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria for Asian-Americans. RESULTS: Plasma amylin concentrations were higher in overweight/obese participants than normal-weight counterparts (P<0.001) without sex difference. Circulating amylin was positively associated with CRP, IL-6, BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting glucose, insulin, amylin/insulin ratio, HOMA-IR, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, while negatively associated with HDL cholesterol (all P<0.001). After multiple adjustments, the risk of MetS was significantly higher (odds ratio 3.71; 95% confidence interval: 2.53 to 5.46) comparing the highest with the lowest amylin quartile. The association remained significant even further controlling for BMI, inflammatory markers, insulin or HOMA-IR. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that amylin is strongly associated with inflammatory markers and MetS. The amylin-MetS association is independent of established risk factors of MetS, including obesity, inflammatory markers and insulin resistance. The causal role of hyperamylinemia in the development of MetS needs to be confirmed prospectively

Effects of Body Fat on the Associations of High-Molecular-Weight Adiponectin, Leptin and Soluble Leptin Receptor with Metabolic Syndrome in Chinese

BACKGROUND: Little is known regarding the associations between high-molecular-weight (HMW-) adiponectin, leptin and soluble leptin receptor (sOB-R) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Chinese. Also few studies elucidate the effects of inflammation and body fat mass on the relations. METHODS: Plasma HMW-adiponectin, leptin and sOB-R were measured among 1055 Chinese men and women (35∼54 yrs). Whole body and trunk fat mass were determined by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. MetS was defined by the updated NCEP/ATPIII criterion for Asian-Americans. RESULTS: HMW-adiponectin was inversely associated with MetS in multivariate model including fat mass index (FMI), inflammatory markers, leptin and sOB-R (OR in the highest quartile= 0.30, 95%CI 0.18∼0.50, P<.0001). Plasma sOB-R was also inversely associated with MetS independent of body fatness and inflammatory markers, whereas the association was somewhat attenuated after adjusting HMW-adiponectin (OR for the highest quartile = 0.78, 95%CI 0.47∼1.32, P = 0.15). In contrast, leptin was associated with increased odds of MetS independent of inflammatory markers, HMW-adiponectin, and sOB-R (OR for the highest quartile= 2.64, 95%CI 1.35∼5.18, P = 0.006), although further adjustment for FMI abolished this association. CONCLUSIONS: HMW-adiponectin exhibited strong inverse associations with MetS independent of body composition, inflammation, leptin and sOB-R; while the associations of leptin and sOB-R were largely explained by fat mass or HMW-adiponectin, respectively

Experimental Study on Co-Firing of Coal and Brewery Wastewater Sludge

The environmental pollution and high energy consumption caused by the coal-dominated energy structure in China have been the focus of attention for a long time. The co-firing of biomass with coal can save coal resources and realize effective utilization of biomass. In this paper, brewery wastewater sludge (SD) and bituminous coal (BC) were blended for an experimental study which aimed to provide basic experimental data and operational guidance as a reference for practical application in power plants. The co-firing characteristics of sludge and bituminous coal were studied. The results show that the burnout temperature and ignition temperature decrease with an increase in the sludge blending ratio. The Comprehensive Combustion Index (CCI) first rises, then decreases, reaching a maximum at about 15%. Compared with the atmosphere with 79% N2/21% O2, under the 79% CO2/21% O2 atmosphere, ignition is delayed and the burnout temperature is higher. Under an O2/CO2 atmosphere, as the O2 concentration improves, the thermo-gravimetric (TG) curve shifts to the low-temperature region, the burnout temperature drops significantly, and the comprehensive combustion characteristics are improved. With an increment of the heating rate, the curve of TG analysis shifts to the high-temperature region and the CCI increases. This study could provide helpful information on practical blending in coal-fired power plants for energy savings and emission reductions

Irreversible Electroporation in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer: How Important Is the New Weapon?

Background. Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a deadly disease with poor prognosis in the general population. We aimed to quantitate overall survival of patients with PC after irreversible electroporation (IRE) and the incidence of relevant complications. Methods. We performed a literature search via five electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases) up to August 2017. The primary outcomes were overall survival and prognosis. Secondary outcomes included the response of post-IRE complications. Fixed-effects or random-effects meta-analysis was conducted to pool these data. Results. A total of 15 eligible articles involving 535 patients were included. The primary outcomes showed that the pooled prevalence estimates of overall survival were 94.1% (95% CI: 90.7–97.5), 80.9% (95% CI: 72.5–89.4), 54.5% (95% CI: 38.3–70.6), and 33.8% (95% CI: 14.2–53.5) at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months, and the pooled prevalence data of complete response (CR) at 2 months, partial response (PR) at 3 months, and progression at 3 months were 12.5% (95% CI: 2.9–22.2), 48.5% (95% CI: 39.4–57.6), and 19.7% (95% CI: 7.3–32.2), respectively. The secondary outcomes showed that the pooled prevalence values of post-IRE complications were abscess 6.6% (95% CI: 0.2–13), fistula 10.6% (95% CI: 2.5–18.7), pain 33.5% (95% CI: 14.5–52.5), infection 16.1% (95% CI: 3.9–28.4), thrombosis 4.9% (95% CI: 1.2–8.5), pancreatitis 7.2% (95% CI: 3.1–11.2), bleeding 4.2% (95% CI: −0.5–8.9), cholangitis 4.2% (95% CI: −0.5–8.9), nausea 9.6% (95% CI: 4.4–14.8), biliary obstruction 13.8% (95% CI: 4.2–23.3), chest tightness 7.6% (95% CI: 0.5–14.6), and hypoglycemia 5.9% (95% CI: −0.4–12.2). Conclusions. This meta-analysis indicated a clear survival benefit for PC patients who received irreversible electroporation therapy, although future safety and effectivity monitoring from more large-scale studies will be needed