The ongoing role of serum uric acid in blood pressure

Positive association between blood pressure (BP) and uric acid is evident, but specific effect size of serum uric acid (SUA) at different levels on BP is unclear, and interaction effect of SUA with other metabolic factors on BP was rarely reported. A cross-sectional study was conducted by making use of data from an epidemic investigation. A total of 3658 subjects were enrolled in our data analysis. In male subjects, for each 1 mg/dL increase in the SUA level, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) increased by 1.339 mmHg [95% CI: 0.552–2.126] and 0.515 mmHg [95% CI: 0.013–1.016], respectively, after adjusting for age, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), estimated-glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), body mass index (BMI), drinking, smoking, and waist–hip ratio (WHR). And in female subjects, for each 1 mg/dL increase in the SUA level, SBP and DBP increased by 1.180 mmHg [95% CI: 0.401–1.959] and 0.549 mmHg [95% CI: 0.086–1.011], respectively, after adjusting the same factors. In males, in subjects with SUA < 6 mg/dL, SBP increased by 0.585 mmHg [95% CI: −0.976 to 2.146] for each 1 mg/dL increase in the SUA level, while in subjects with SUA ≥ 6 mg/dL, SBP increased by 3.271 mmHg [95% CI: 1.244–5.297] (p interaction = 0.0369), after adjusting age, BMI, smoking, drinking, TG, TC, FPG, eGFR, and WHR. This difference was not observed in DBP and females. Interaction effects between SUA and BMI, TG, FPG on BP were discovered. In conclusion, higher level of SUA has a stronger effect on BP and other metabolic factors: FPG, TG, and BMI could strengthen the effect of SUA on BP

Improved Palladium Extraction from Spent Catalyst Using Ultrasound-Assisted Leaching and Sulfuric Acid–Sodium Chloride System

This paper presents a process for efficiently recovering palladium (Pd) from spent Pd/Al2O3 catalysts used for hydrogenation reactions, using ultrasound-assisted leaching (UAL). A system composed of H2SO4 and NaCl was investigated under ultrasound-enhanced conditions and compared to regular leaching methods to demonstrate the superiority of UAL. Single-factor experiments were conducted to determine the optimal conditions for leaching, which included an ultrasound power of 200 W, a liquid–solid ratio of 5:1, a leaching time of 1 h, a leaching temperature of 60 °C, H2SO4 concentration of 60%, and 0.1 mol of NaCl. The leaching rate under these conditions was found to be 99%. Additionally, kinetic analysis of the UAL process showed that the apparent activation energy of the Pd leaching reaction was 28.7 kJ/mol, and it was found that Pd leaching from spent catalysts was controlled by diffusion. The tailings were analyzed by SEM, revealing that during ultrasonic leaching, the specific surface area of the spent catalyst increased, the mass transfer rate of the solution was accelerated, the passivation film on the surface of the spent catalyst was peeled off, and a new reaction interface was formed. This improved the leaching rate of Pd and provided a new approach to efficiently leach precious metals such as Pd from spent catalysts

Comparison of long-term quality of life between Billroth-I and Roux-en-Y anastomosis after distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract. Background:. The results of studies comparing Billroth-I (B-I) with Roux-en-Y (R-Y) reconstruction on the quality of life (QoL) are still inconsistent. The aim of this trial was to compare the long-term QoL of B-I with R-Y anastomosis after curative distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Methods:. A total of 140 patients undergoing curative distal gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy in West China Hospital, Sichuan University from May 2011 to May 2014 were randomly assigned to the B-I group (N = 70) and R-Y group (N = 70). The follow-up time points were 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months after the operation. The final follow-up time was May 2019. The clinicopathological features, operative safety, postoperative recovery, long-term survival as well as QoL were compared, among which QoL score was the primary outcome. An intention-to-treat analysis was applied. Results:. The baseline characteristics were comparable between the two groups. There were no statistically significant differences in terms of postoperative morbidity and mortality rates, and postoperative recovery between the two groups. Less estimated blood loss and shorter surgical duration were found in the B-I group. There were no statistically significant differences in 5-year overall survival (79% [55/70] of the B-I group vs. 80% [56/70] of the R-Y group, P = 0.966) and recurrence-free survival rates (79% [55/70] of the B-I group vs. 78% [55/70] of the R-Y group, P = 0.979) between the two groups. The scores of the global health status of the R-Y group were higher than those of the B-I group with statistically significant differences (postoperative 1 year: 85.4 ± 13.1 vs. 88.8 ± 16.1, P = 0.033; postoperative 3 year: 87.3 ± 15.2 vs. 92.8 ± 11.3, P = 0.028; postoperative 5 year: 90.9 ± 13.7 vs. 96.4 ± 5.6, P = 0.010), and the reflux (postoperative 3 year: 8.8 ± 12.9 vs. 2.8 ± 5.3, P = 0.001; postoperative 5 year: 5.1 ± 9.8 vs. 1.8 ± 4.7, P = 0.033) and epigastric pain (postoperative 1 year: 11.8 ± 12.7 vs. 6.1 ± 8.8, P = 0.008; postoperative 3 year: 9.4 ± 10.6 vs. 4.6 ± 7.9, P = 0.006; postoperative 5 year: 6.0 ± 8.9 vs. 2.7 ± 4.6, P = 0.022) were milder in the R-Y group than those of the B-I group at the postoperative 1, 3, and 5-year time points. Conclusions:. Compared with B-I group, R-Y reconstruction was associated with better long-term QoL by reducing reflux and epigastric pain, without changing survival outcomes. Trial Registration:. ChiCTR.org.cn, ChiCTR-TRC-10001434

B7-H3 confers stemness characteristics to gastric cancer cells by promoting glutathione metabolism through AKT/pAKT/Nrf2 pathway

Abstract. Background:. Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) are a small subset of cells in tumors that exhibit self-renewal and differentiation properties. CSCs play a vital role in tumor formation, progression, relapse, and therapeutic resistance. B7-H3, an immunoregulatory protein, has many protumor functions. However, little is known about the mechanism underlying the role of B7-H3 in regulating gastric cancer (GC) stemness. Our study aimed to explore the impacts of B7-H3 on GC stemness and its underlying mechanism. Methods:. GC stemness influenced by B7-H3 was detected both in vitro and in vivo. The expression of stemness-related markers was examined by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and flow cytometry. Sphere formation assay was used to detect the sphere-forming ability. The underlying regulatory mechanism of B7-H3 on the stemness of GC was investigated by mass spectrometry and subsequent validation experiments. The signaling pathway (Protein kinase B [Akt]/Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 [Nrf2] pathway) of B7-H3 on the regulation of glutathione (GSH) metabolism was examined by Western blotting assay. Multi-color immunohistochemistry (mIHC) was used to detect the expression of B7-H3, cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44), and Nrf2 on human GC tissues. Student's t-test was used to compare the difference between two groups. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the relationship between two molecules. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. Results:. B7-H3 knockdown suppressed the stemness of GC cells both in vitro and in vivo. Mass spectrometric analysis showed the downregulation of GSH metabolism in short hairpin B7-H3 GC cells, which was further confirmed by the experimental results. Meanwhile, stemness characteristics in B7-H3 overexpressing cells were suppressed after the inhibition of GSH metabolism. Furthermore, Western blotting suggested that B7-H3-induced activation of GSH metabolism occurred through the AKT/Nrf2 pathway, and inhibition of AKT signaling pathway could suppress not only GSH metabolism but also GC stemness. mIHC showed that B7-H3 was highly expressed in GC tissues and was positively correlated with the expression of CD44 and Nrf2. Importantly, GC patients with high expression of B7-H3, CD44, and Nrf2 had worse prognosis (P = 0.02). Conclusions:. B7-H3 has a regulatory effect on GC stemness and the regulatory effect is achieved through the AKT/Nrf2/GSH pathway. Inhibiting B7-H3 expression may be a new therapeutic strategy against GC

Efficacy and safety of low-dose aspirin on preventing transplant renal artery stenosis: a prospective randomized controlled trial

Abstract. Background:. Transplant renal artery stenosis (TRAS) is a vascular complication after kidney transplantation associated with poor outcomes. This study aimed to analyze the efficacy and safety of low-dose aspirin for preventing TRAS. Methods:. After kidney transplantation, patients were enrolled from January 2018 to December 2020 in Henan Provincial People's Hospital. A total of 351 enrolled recipients were randomized to an aspirin group with low-dose intake of aspirin in addition to standard treatment (n = 178), or a control group with only standard treatment (n = 173). The patients was initially diagnosed as TRAS (id-TRAS) by Doppler ultrasound, and confirmed cases were diagnosed by DSA (c-TRAS). Results:. In the aspirin and control groups, 15.7% (28/178) and 22.0% (38/173) of the recipients developed id-TRAS, respectively, with no statistical difference. However, for c-TRAS, the difference of incidence and cumulative incidence was statistically significant. The incidence of c-TRAS was lower in the aspirin group compared with the control group (2.8% [5/178] vs. 11.6% [20/173], P = 0.001). Kaplan–Meier estimates and Cox regression model identified the cumulative incidence and hazard ratio (HR) of TRAS over time in two groups, showing that recipients treated with aspirin had a significantly lower risk of c-TRAS than those who were not treated (log-rank P = 0.001, HR = 0.23, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.09–0.62). The levels of platelet aggregation rate (P < 0.001), cholesterol (P = 0.028), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = 0.003) in the aspirin group were decreased compared with the control group in the third-month post-transplantation. For the incidence of adverse events, there was no statistical difference. Conclusion:. Clinical application of low-dose aspirin after renal transplant could prevent the development of TRAS with no significant increase in adverse effects. Trial Registration:. Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT04260828