Plasma Lipoprotein-associated Phospholipase A2 in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome and Carotid Atherosclerosis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A₂(Lp-PLA₂) is a recently identified and potentially useful plasma biomarker for cardiovascular and atherosclerotic diseases. However, the correlation between the Lp-PLA₂activity and carotid atherosclerosis remains poorly investigated in patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS). The present study aimed to evaluate the potential role of Lp-PLA₂as a comprehensive marker of metabolic syndrome in individuals with and without carotid atherosclerosis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We documented 118 consecutive patients with MetS and 70 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects served as controls. The patients were further divided into two groups: 39 with carotid plaques and 79 without carotid plaques to elucidate the influence of Lp-PLA₂on carotid atherosclerosis. The plasma Lp-PLA₂activity was measured by using ELISA method and carotid intimal-media thickness (IMT) was performed by ultrasound in all participants.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Lp-PLA₂activity was significantly increased in MetS subgroups when compared with controls, and was higher in patients with carotid plaques than those without plaques (<it>P </it>< 0.05). Furthermore, we found that significant difference in Lp-PLA₂was obtained between patients with three and four disorders of metabolic syndrome (<it>P </it>< 0.01). Age (β = 0.183, <it>P </it>= 0.029), LDL-cholesterol (β = 0.401, <it>P </it>= 0.000) and waist-hip ratio (β = 0.410, <it>P </it>= 0.000) emerged as significant and independent determinants of Lp-PLA₂activity. Multiple stepwise regression analysis revealed that LDL-cholesterol (β = 0.309, <it>P </it>= 0.000), systolic blood pressure (β = 0.322, <it>P </it>= 0.002) and age (β = 0.235, <it>P </it>= 0.007) significantly correlated with max IMT, and Lp-PLA₂was not an independent predictor for carotid IMT.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Lp-PLA₂may be a modulating factor for carotid IMT via age and LDL-cholesterol, not independent predictor in the pathophysiological process of carotid atherosclerosis in patients with MetS.</p

Adjustment of the GRACE score by HemoglobinA1c enables a more accurate prediction of long-term major adverse cardiac events in acute coronary syndrome without diabetes undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention

Background: The Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) risk score is widely recommended for risk assessment in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Chronic hyperglycemia [hemoglobinA1c (HbA1c)] can independently predict major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in patients with ACS. We investigated whether the prediction of MACEs with the GRACE score could be improved with the addition of HbA1c content in ACS patients without diabetes mellitus (DM) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: We enrolled 549 ACS patients without DM who underwent PCI. The GRACE score and HbA1c content were determined on admission. Correlation was analyzed by Spearman&apos;s rank correlation. Cumulative MACE curve was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariate Cox regression was used to identify predictors of MACEs. Additionally, the predictive value of HbA1c content alone and combined with GRACE score was estimated by the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC), continuous net reclassification improvement (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI). Results: During a median of 42.3 months (interquartile range 39.3-44.2 months), 16 (2.9 %) were lost to follow-up, and patients experienced 69 (12.9 %) MACEs: 51 (9.6 %) all-cause deaths and 18 (3.4 %) nonfatal myocardial infarction cases. The GRACE score was positively associated with HbA1c content. Multivariate Cox analysis showed that both GRACE score and HbA1c content were independent predictors of MACEs (hazard ratio 1.030; 95 % CI 1.020-1.040; p &lt; 0.001; 3.530; 95 % CI 1.927-6.466; p &lt; 0.001, respectively). Furthermore, Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated increased risk of MACEs with increasing HbA1c content (log-rank 33.906, p &lt; 0.001). Adjustment of the GRACE risk estimate by HbA1c improved the predictive value of the GRACE score [increase in AUC from 0.75 for the GRACE score to 0.80 for the GRACE score plus HbA1c, p = 0.012; IDI = 0.055, p &lt; 0.001; NRI (&gt; 0) = 0.70, p &lt; 0.001]. Conclusions: HbA1c content is positively associated with GRACE risk score and their combination further improved the risk stratification for ACS patients without DM undergoing PCI.National Natural Science Foundation of China [91339116, 81400181]; National Natural Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of China [81025002]; National Basic Research Program of China (&quot;973 Project&quot;) [2012CB517804]SCI(E)[email protected]

Locally-applied 5-fluorouracil-loaded slow-release patch prevents pancreatic cancer growth in an orthotopic mouse model

To obtain improved efficacy against pancreatic cancer, we investigated the efficacy and safety of a locally-applied 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-loaded polymeric patch on pancreatic tumors in an orthotopic nude-mouse model. The 5-FU-releasing polymeric patch was produced by 3D printing. After application of the patch, it released the drug slowly for 4 weeks, and suppressed BxPC-3 pancreas cancer growth. Luciferase imaging of BxPC3-Luc cells implanted in the pancreas was performed longitudinally. The drug patch delivered a 30.2 times higher level of 5-FU than an intra-peritoneal (i.p.) bolus injection on day-1. High 5-FU levels were accumulated within one week by the patch. Four groups were compared for efficacy of 5-FU. Drug-free patch as a negative control (Group I); 30% 5-FU-loaded patch (4.8 mg) (Group II); 5-FU i.p. once (4.8 mg) (Group III); 5-FU i.p. once a week (1.2 mg), three times (Group IV). The tumor growth rate was significantly faster in Group I than Group II, III, IV (p=0.047 at day-8, p=0.022 at day-12, p=0.002 at day-18 and p=0.034 at day-21). All mice in Group III died of drug toxicity within two weeks after injection. Group II showed more effective suppression of tumor growth than Group IV (p=0.018 at day-12 and p=0.017 at day-21). Histological analysis showed extensive apoptosis in the TUNEL assay and by Ki -67 staining. Western blotting confirmed strong expression of cleaved caspase-3 in Group II. No significant changes were found hematologically and histologically in the liver, kidney and spleen in Groups I, II, IV but were found in Group III.113Ysciescopu

The complete mitochondrial genomes of five longicorn beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) and phylogenetic relationships within Cerambycidae

Cerambycidae is one of the most diversified groups within Coleoptera and includes nearly 35,000 known species. The relationships at the subfamily level within Cerambycidae have not been convincingly demonstrated and the gene rearrangement of mitochondrial genomes in Cerambycidae remains unclear due to the low numbers of sequenced mitogenomes. In the present study, we determined five complete mitogenomes of Cerambycidae and investigated the phylogenetic relationship among the subfamilies of Cerambycidae based on mitogenomes. The mitogenomic arrangement of all five species was identical to the ancestral Cerambycidae type without gene rearrangement. Remarkably, however, two large intergenic spacers were detected in the mitogenome of Pterolophia sp. ZJY-2019. The origins of these intergenic spacers could be explained by the slipped-strand mispairing and duplication/random loss models. A conserved motif was found between trnS2 and nad1 gene, which was proposed to be a binding site of a transcription termination peptide. Also, tandem repeat units were identified in the A C T-rich region of all five mitogenomes. The monophyly of Lamiinae and Prioninae was strongly supported by both MrBayes and RAxML analyses based on nucleotide datasets, whereas the Cerambycinae and Lepturinae were recovered as non-monophyletic

The complete mitochondrial genome of Mantis religiosa (Mantodea: Mantidae) from Canada and its phylogeny

The complete mitochondrial genome of Mantis religiosa (Mantodea: Mantidae) from Canada was successfully sequenced. The mitochondrial genome was a circular molecule of 15,521 bp in length, containing 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes, 23 tRNA genes (including an extra tRNAArg gene), and the control region. The AT content of the whole genome was 76.9% and the length of the control region was 636 bp with 81.9% AT content. The structure of the M. religiosa mitochondrial genome from Canada was almost identical to M. religiosa from China and their genetic distance was just 0.017. In Bayesian inference (BI) and maximum likelihood (ML) analyses, we found that M. religiosa was a sister clade to Statilia sp. and the monophyly of the genera Hierodula and Rhombodera was not supported

Stray dogs as indicators of Toxoplasma gondii distributed in the environment: the first report across an urban-rural gradient in China

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Toxoplasmosis is an important parasitic zoonosis caused by the protozoan <it>Toxoplasma gondii </it>that is distributed world-wide and infects a variety of hosts. However, the prevalence of <it>T. gondii </it>in the environment (such as soil, water and food) is largely unknown. Due to the technical difficulty in oocyst counting directly, an alternative assay using the serologic status of <it>T. gondii </it>in free-living animals, such as stray or free-living dogs, as an indicator, can be used to evaluate environmental contamination indirectly, as they are exposed to the same risk of infection as humans and other animals.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the present study, 231 stray or free-living dogs across an urban-rural gradient were examined to assess the frequency of <it>T. gondii </it>in the environment. Specific antibodies to <it>T. gondii </it>were found in 93 dogs (40.3%) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and no statistically significant differences were observed in seroprevalences of <it>T. gondii </it>between urban dogs (38.7%) and rural dogs (41%) (<it>p </it>> 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>A high seroprevalence of <it>T. gondii </it>in stray or free-living dogs in the present study indicates that there would be a wide distribution and a constant infection pressure of <it>T. gondii </it>across an urban-rural gradient, and the oocysts of <it>T. gondii </it>in the environment would be an important source of infection for humans and other animals both in urban and rural areas in China.</p

Comprehensive study of the blazars from Fermi-LAT LCR: The log-normal flux distribution and linear RMS-Flux relation

Fermi-LAT LCR provide continuous and regularly-sampled gamma-ray light curves, spanning about 14 years, for a large sample of blazars. The log-normal flux distribution and linear RMS-Flux relation of the light curves for a few of Fermi blazar have been examined in previous studies. However, the probability that blazars exhibit log-normal flux distribution and linear RMS-Flux relation in their gamma-ray light curves has not been systematically explored. In this study, we comprehensively research on the distribution of gamma-ray flux and the statistical characteristics on a large sample of 1414 variable blazars from the Fermi-LAT LCR catalog, including 572 FSRQs, 477 BL Lacs, and 365 BCUs, and statistically compare their flux distributions with normal and log-normal distributions. The results indicate that the probability of not reject log-normal is 42.05% for the large sample, and there is still 2.05% probability of not reject normality, based on the joint of Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Shapiro-Wilk and Normality tests. We further find that the probability that BL Lacs conforms to the log-normal distribution is higher than that of FSRQs. Besides, after removing sources with less than 200 data points from this large sample, a sample of 549 blazars, which is still a large sample comparing to the previous studies, was obtained. Basing on dividing the light curves into segments every 20 points (or 40 points, or one year), we fitted the linear RMS-Flux relation of this three different sets, and found that the Pearson correlation coefficients are all close to 1 of the most blazars. This result indicates a strong linear correlation between the RMS and the flux of this 549 blazars. The log-normal distribution and linear RMS-Flux relation indicate that the variability of gamma-ray flux for most blazars is non-linear and multiplicative process.Comment: 13pages, 5figures, Accepted for publication in RA

Identification of Halloween Genes and RNA Interference-Mediated Functional Characterization of a Halloween Gene shadow in Plutella xylostella

Ecdysteroids play an essential role in controlling insect development and reproduction. Their pathway is regulated by a group of enzymes called Halloween gene proteins. The relationship between the Halloween genes and ecdysteroid synthesis has yet to be clearly understood in diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), a worldwide Lepidoptera pest attacking cruciferous crops and wild plants. In this study, complete sequences for six Halloween genes, neverland ( nvd ), shroud ( sro ), spook ( spo ), phantom ( phm ), disembodied ( dib ), shadow ( sad ), and shade ( shd ), were identified. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a strong conservation in insects, including Halloween genes of P. xylostella that was clustered with all other Lepidoptera species. Three Halloween genes, dib , sad , and shd were highly expressed in the adult stage, while nvd and spo were highly expressed in the egg and pupal stages, respectively. Five Halloween genes were highly expressed specifically in the prothorax, which is the major site of ecdysone production. However, shd was expressed predominantly in the fat body to convert ecdysone into 20-hydroxyecdysone. RNAi-based knockdown of sad , which is involved in the last step of ecdysone biosynthesis, significantly reduced the 20E titer and resulted in a longer developmental duration and lower pupation of fourth-instar larvae, as well as caused shorter ovarioles and fewer fully developed eggs of P. xylostella . Furthermore, after the knockdown of sad , the expression levels of Vg and VgR genes were significantly decreased by 77.1 and 53.0%. Meanwhile, the number of eggs laid after 3 days was significantly reduced in sad knockdown females. These results suggest that Halloween genes may play a critical role in the biosynthesis of ecdysteroids and be involved in the development and reproduction of P. xylostella . Our work provides a solid basis for understanding the functional importance of these genes, which will help to screening potential genes for pest management of P. xylostella

Optical observations of NEA 3200 Phaethon (1983 TB) during the 2017 apparition

The near-Earth asteroid 3200 Phaethon (1983 TB) is an attractive object not only from a scientific viewpoint but also because of JAXA's DESTINY+ target. The rotational lightcurve and spin properties were investigated based on the data obtained in the ground-based observation campaign of Phaethon. We aim to refine the lightcurves and shape model of Phaethon using all available lightcurve datasets obtained via optical observation, as well as our time-series observation data from the 2017 apparition. Using eight 1-2-m telescopes and an optical imager, we acquired the optical lightcurves and derived the spin parameters of Phaethon. We applied the lightcurve inversion method and SAGE algorithm to deduce the convex and non-convex shape model and pole orientations. We analysed the optical lightcurve of Phaethon and derived a synodic and a sidereal rotational period of 3.6039 h, with an axis ratio of a/b = 1.07. The ecliptic longitude (lambda) and latitude (beta) of the pole orientation were determined as (308, -52) and (322, -40) via two independent methods. A non-convex model from the SAGE method, which exhibits a concavity feature, is also presented.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, 1 figure in Appendix A. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics (A&A