Chemical constituent analysis of the crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster planci and potential utilization value of the starfish as feed ingredient for animals

The crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster planci is a major management issue on coral reefs and the exploring of effective control methods to the starfish is an interesting goal. In this study, the chemical constituent of the starfish were analyzed and the toxicity of the starfish was tested when it was used as mice diet. The results showed that protein content of the starfish was 19.8 to 22.0% of dry weight and the amino acid composition was similar to that of fish meal. Though the starfish had little fatty acids (<1%), the fatty acids contained rich variety and unsaturated fatty acids on average accounted for more than 60% of total fatty acids. In addition, per gram (dry weight) of the starfish contained 65.4 to 97.4 μg astaxanthin, which was higher than that of shrimps. The starfish used as the feed for mice did not have negative influence on the growth and the health of the mice. Based on these results, we consider that the crown-of-thorns starfish A. planci has the potential to be an ingredient for animal feeds, thus reducing the usage of fish meal, fish oil and carotenoids. Hence, a method for resource utilization and control of A. planci was suggested.Key words: Chemical constituents, Acanthaster planci, astaxanthin, resource utilization, feed ingredient

Smoking cessation and carotid atherosclerosis: The guangzhou biobank cohort studydCVD

Introduction Smoking has been shown to be associated with carotid atherosclerosis in cross-sectional and prospective studies in Western populations. However, few studies have examined the reversal of risk resulting from quitting smoking, and the results are conflicting. Methods 959 men aged 50e85 years were randomly selected from phase III (2006e2007) of the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study into this cross-sectional study. Common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCAIMT) was measured by B-mode ultrasonography, and carotid artery plaques were identified. Major cardiovascular risk factors, including fasting triglyceride, low-density and high-density lipoprotein (LDL and HDL) cholesterol and glucose, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, were assessed. Results CCA-IMT and the number of carotid plaque increased from never to former to current smokers (both p≤0.001). Among former smokers compared to current smokers, after adjustment for cigarette pack-years and other potential confounders, the adjusted ORs (95% CI) for quitting for 1-9, 10-19 and 20+ years were 0.77 (0.47 to 1.26), 0.45 (0.26 to 0.79) and 0.37 (0.17 to 0.77) for the presence of CCA atherosclerosis, and 0.69 (0.43 to 1.12), 0.47 (0.27 to 0.82) and 0.45 (0.23 to 0.96) for the presence of carotid plaques, respectively. Longer duration of quitting smoking was also significantly associated with decreasing risk of the severity of CCA atherosclerosis and carotid plaques (all p≤0.001). Conclusion Smoking cessation was beneficial in attenuating the risk of carotid atherosclerosis associated with cigarette smoking. The short duration of cessation in earlier studies is a likely explanation for the inconsistent results.published_or_final_versio

Is better nutrition in childhood in a developing population associated with better cognitive function in later adulthood?: The Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study

Objective: There is growing evidence that early life exposures, such as childhood socioeconomic status, are related to later adulthood cognition. However, the specific aspect of early conditions underlying this association is not clear. Animal protein intake is positively associated with earlier walking in infants. Dietary supplementation with meat in infants and children in developing countries results in better cognitive function, independent of iron status. Protein energy supplementation with vegetables, milk and sugar (not meat) given from birth to 24 months in developing populations is associated with better cognitive function in early adulthood (mean age 32 years), especially amongst women. Inadequate childhood nutrition is associated with poor short term academic and cognitive outcomes. However, it is not known whether childhood nutrition has life long effects on cognitive function. We examined the association of childhood meat eating with adulthood cognitive function in southern China where the older population lived through significant hardship during their early years. Methods: Multivariable linear regression was used in a crosssectional study of 20,086 Chinese men and women aged >50 years from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study (phases 2 and 3) 2005–8. We assessed the association of childhood meat eating with amnesic-MCI and delayed 10-word recall score. The 10-word recall is a test of new learning ability from the CERAD (Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease) test battery which has been validated as a culturally and educationally sensitive tool for identifying dementia in population based research in developing countries. Amnesic-MCI was defined as a delayed recall score of 3 or less out of 10, corresponding to 1 standard deviation below the mean. Results: Adjusted for age, sex and education, childhood meat eating 1–6 days per week and daily childhood meat eating were associated with a higher 10-word recall score (number of words recalled 50.08 [95% confidence interval50.02 to 0.13] and 0.24 [0.16 to 0.33] respectively) and with lower odds of amnesic-MCI (odds ratio50.80 [95% confidence interval50.72 to 0.89] and 0.79 [0.67 to 0.94] respectively). Additional adjustment for childhood and adulthood socio economic position and current physical activity attenuated these findings, however daily childhood meat eating remained associated with a higher 10-word recall score (0.17 [0.08 to 0.26]. Conclusions: A diet that includes a small amount of daily meat in childhood (after infancy) may have long-term positive effects on cognitive function. If confirmed, these results highlight the importance of adequate childhood nutrition. Alternatively childhood meat eating may reflect a generally more cognitively protective childhood environment and nutrition. Irrespective, these findings also emphasise the childhood and adolescent antecedents of adult disease, with corresponding public health implications for healthy aging. Future research should examine the role of childhood exposures in long term cognitive development and if a role for childhood meat eating is verified, should elucidate the type and quantity of macro and micro nutrients that may be cognitively protective and the biological mechanisms behind these effects, so that preventive strategies can be implemented. Acknowledgements: The University of Hong Kong (HKSAR), Guangzhou Public Health Bureau (China), Guangzhou Science and Technology Bureau (China), The University of Birmingham (UK).published_or_final_versio

A pan-Asian survey of risk perception, attitudes and practices associated with live animal markets.

Key Messages 1. Causal attributions for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) of the H5N1 virus among live poultry, consumers, retailers and breeders in Vietnam, Thailand, Guangzhou and Hong Kong were studied. 2. Three main themes embodying lay explanation for the causes of H5N1 HPAI emerged: viruses, husbandry-related factors, and vulnerability factors. 3. A deeper understanding of the perceptions of risks, biases, causal attributions, and both the facilitators and barriers to change is needed for planning effective changes in health related behaviour.published_or_final_versio

Effect of alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenase gene polymorphisms on alcohol-associated hypertension: the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study

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Life-course origins of social inequalities in adult immune cell markers of inflammation in a developing southern Chinese population: the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study

BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic position (SEP) throughout life is associated with cardiovascular disease, though the mechanisms linking these two are unclear. It is also unclear whether there are critical periods in the life course when exposure to better socioeconomic conditions confers advantages or whether SEP exposures accumulate across the whole life course. Inflammation may be a mechanism linking socioeconomic position (SEP) with cardiovascular disease. In a large sample of older residents of Guangzhou, in southern China, we examined the association of life course SEP with inflammation. METHODS: In baseline data on 9,981 adults (>/= 50 years old) from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study (2006-08), we used multivariable linear regression and model fit to assess the associations of life course SEP at four stages (childhood, early adult, late adult and current) with white blood, granulocyte and lymphocyte cell counts. RESULTS: A model including SEP at all four life stages best explained the association of life course SEP with white blood and granulocyte cell count for men and women, with early adult SEP (education) making the largest contribution. A critical period model best explained the association of life course SEP with lymphocyte count, with sex-specific associations. Early adult SEP was negatively associated with lymphocytes for women. CONCLUSIONS: Low SEP throughout life may negatively impact late adult immune-inflammatory status. However, some aspects of immune-inflammatory status may be sensitive to earlier exposures, with sex-specific associations. The findings were compatible with the hypothesis that in a developing population, upregulation of the gonadotropic axis with economic development may obscure the normally protective effects of social advantage for men.published_or_final_versio

Evaluation of moderate alcohol use and cognitive function among men using a mendelian randomization design in the guangzhou biobank cohort study

Observational studies usually show that moderate alcohol use is associated with better cognitive function. Such studies are vulnerable to residual confounding arising from systematic differences between moderate alcohol users and others. A Mendelian randomization study carried out in a suitable population, such as southern Chinese men, in which alcohol use is low to moderate and is influenced by genotype, offers an alternative and superior approach for clarifying the causal effect of moderate alcohol use on cognitive function. The authors used aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) genotype (AA, GA, or GG) as an instrumental variable in 2-stage least squares analysis to obtain unbiased estimates of the relation of alcohol consumption (measured in alcohol units (10 g ethanol) per day) with cognitive function, assessed from delayed 10-word recall score (n = 4,707) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score (n = 2,284), among men from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study (2003-2008). ALHD2 genotype was strongly associated with alcohol consumption, with an F statistic of 71.0 in 2-stage least squares analysis. Alcohol consumption was not associated with delayed 10-word recall score (-0.03 words per alcohol unit, 95% confidence interval:-0.18, 0.13) or MMSE score (0.06 points per alcohol unit, 95% confidence interval:-0.22, 0.34). Moderate alcohol use is unlikely to be cognitively protective. © The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved.postprin

Evidence for antigenic seniority in influenza A (H3N2) antibody responses in southern China

A key observation about the human immune response to repeated exposure to influenza A is that the first strain infecting an individual apparently produces the strongest adaptive immune response. Although antibody titers measure that response, the interpretation of titers to multiple strains - from the same sera - in terms of infection history is clouded by age effects, cross reactivity and immune waning. From July to September 2009, we collected serum samples from 151 residents of Guangdong Province, China, 7 to 81 years of age. Neutralization tests were performed against strains representing six antigenic clusters of H3N2 influenza circulating between 1968 and 2008, and three recent locally circulating strains. Patterns of neutralization titers were compared based on age at time of testing and age at time of the first isolation of each virus. Neutralization titers were highest for H3N2 strains that circulated in an individual's first decade of life (peaking at 7 years). Further, across strains and ages at testing, statistical models strongly supported a pattern of titers declining smoothly with age at the time a strain was first isolated. Those born 10 or more years after a strain emerged generally had undetectable neutralization titers to that strain (<1:10). Among those over 60 at time of testing, titers tended to increase with age. The observed pattern in H3N2 neutralization titers can be characterized as one of antigenic seniority: repeated exposure and the immune response combine to produce antibody titers that are higher to more 'senior' strains encountered earlier in life. © 2012 Lessler et al.published_or_final_versio

Estimated birth weight and adult cardiovascular risk factors in a developing southern Chinese population: a cross sectional study

Background. Birth weight is negatively associated with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, but the associations are less well-established in developing populations where birth weight is often unavailable. We studied the association of birth weight and cardiovascular risk, using birth rank as an instrumental variable, in Southern China. Methods. We used published data on birth weight by birth rank from an appropriate population and baseline data from the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study phases 2 & 3 (2005-8) to examine the adjusted associations, using instrumental variable analysis, of birth weight with clinically measured cardiovascular risk factors and the metabolic syndrome in older (≥ 50 years) men (n = 5,051) and women (n = 13,907). Results. Estimated birth weight was associated with lower blood pressure (systolic -0.25 mm Hg 95% confidence interval (CI), -0.53 to 0.03 and diastolic -0.33 mm Hg 95% CI -0.48 to -0.18 per standard deviation higher birth weight), but had little association with glucose, lipids, waist-hip ratio, body mass index or the metabolic syndrome, adjusted for age, sex, early environment and number of offspring. Conclusion. Birth weight may impact blood pressure; however associations of birth weight with other cardiovascular risk factors may not be related to foetal exposures, but speculatively could be an historical co-incidence, with corresponding implications for prevention. © 2010 Schooling et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.published_or_final_versio

Association of a genetic polymorphism in the gene encoding fibrinogen beta chain with hypertension in Hong Kong Chinese

published_or_final_versionThe 15th Annual Research Conference of the Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 16 January 2010. In Hong Kong Medical Journal, 2010, v. 16, suppl. 1, p. 51, abstract no. 8