Severity of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease is Associated with Development of Metabolic Syndrome: Results of a 5-Year Cohort Study

Aims: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered to be a hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome (MS). However, a few studies have examined the effect of NAFLD on the development of MS. We evaluated the relationship between the development of MS and clinical severity of NAFLD according to alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Participants who underwent abdominal ultrasonography and blood samplings for health check-ups both in 2005 and 2010 were recruited. NAFLD was diagnosed if a person showed fatty liver on ultrasonography without significant alcohol consumption. Subjects with MS at baseline were excluded. Results: A total of 2,728 subjects met the inclusion criteria. Fatty liver (FL) with normal ALT was found in 369 (13.5%) subjects and FL with elevated ALT in 328 (12.0%). During 5 years of follow up, 582 (21.3%) incident cases of MS developed between 2005 and 2010. The incidence of MS was higher in patients with NAFLD compared to control group (41.2% in FL with elevated ALT, 34.7% in FL with normal ALT and 15.7% in control, p<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for MS increased according to the severity of NAFLD [OR (95% CI), 1.29 (0.97−1.71) in FL with normal ALT and 1.54 (1.18−1.33) in FL with elevated ALT, p=0.01]. Conclusions: We have demonstrated that development of MS is significantly increased according to the clinical severity of NAFLD. These findings have implications in the clinical availability of NAFLD as a predictor of MS

The Arabidopsis ABA-Activated Kinase OST1 Phosphorylates the bZIP Transcription Factor ABF3 and Creates a 14-3-3 Binding Site Involved in Its Turnover

indicates that members of the Snf1-Related Kinases 2 family (SnRK2) are essential in mediating various stress-adaptive responses. Recent reports have indeed shown that one particular member, OPEN STOMATA (OST)1, whose kinase activity is stimulated by the stress hormone abscisic acid (ABA), is a direct target of negative regulation by the core ABA co-receptor complex composed of PYR/PYL/RCAR and clade A Protein Phosphatase 2C (PP2C) proteins. and that phospho-T451 is important for stabilization of ABF3. on T451 to create a 14-3-3 binding motif. In a wider physiological context, we propose that the long term responses to ABA that require sustained gene expression is, in part, mediated by the stabilization of ABFs driven by ABA-activated SnRK2s

Oxidation behavior of graphene-coated copper at intrinsic graphene defects of different origins

The development of ultrathin barrier films is vital to the advanced semiconductor industry. Graphene appears to hold promise as a protective coating; however, the polycrystalline and defective nature of engineered graphene hinders its practical applications. Here, we investigate the oxidation behavior of graphene-coated Cu foils at intrinsic graphene defects of different origins. Macro-scale information regarding the spatial distribution and oxidation resistance of various graphene defects is readily obtained using optical and electron microscopies after the hot-plate annealing. The controlled oxidation experiments reveal that the degree of structural deficiency is strongly dependent on the origins of the structural defects, the crystallographic orientations of the underlying Cu grains, the growth conditions of graphene, and the kinetics of the graphene growth. The obtained experimental and theoretical results show that oxygen radicals, decomposed from water molecules in ambient air, are effectively inverted at Stone-Wales defects into the graphene/Cu interface with the assistance of facilitators

Maize ABP9 enhances tolerance to multiple stresses in transgenic Arabidopsis by modulating ABA signaling and cellular levels of reactive oxygen species

The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) play critical roles in mediating abiotic stress responses in plants. It is well known that ABA is involved in the modulation of ROS levels by regulating ROS-producing and ROS-scavenging genes, but the molecular mechanisms underlying this regulation are poorly understood. Here we show that the expression of maize ABP9 gene, which encodes a bZIP transcription factor capable of binding to the ABRE2 motif in the maize Cat1 promoter, is induced by ABA, H2O2, drought and salt. Constitutive expression of ABP9 in transgenic Arabidopsis leads to remarkably enhanced tolerance to multiple stresses including drought, high salt, freezing temperature and oxidative stresses. ABP9 expressing Arabidopsis plants also exhibit increased sensitivity to exogenously applied ABA during seed germination, root growth and stomatal closure and improved water-conserving capacity. Moreover, constitutive expression of ABP9 causes reduced cellular levels of ROS, alleviated oxidative damage and reduced cell death, accompanied by elevated expression of many stress/ABA responsive genes including those for scavenging and regulating ROS. Taken together, these results suggest that ABP9 may play a pivotal role in plant tolerance to abiotic stresses by fine tuning ABA signaling and control of ROS accumulation

Association Study with 77 SNPs Confirms the Robust Role for the rs10830963/G of MTNR1B Variant and Identifies Two Novel Associations in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Development

CONTEXT: Genetic variation in human maternal DNA contributes to the susceptibility for development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). OBJECTIVE: We assessed 77 maternal single nucleotide gene polymorphisms (SNPs) for associations with GDM or plasma glucose levels at OGTT in pregnancy. METHODS: 960 pregnant women (after dropouts 820: case/control: m99'WHO: 303/517, IADPSG: 287/533) were enrolled in two countries into this case-control study. After genomic DNA isolation the 820 samples were collected in a GDM biobank and assessed using KASP (LGC Genomics) genotyping assay. Logistic regression risk models were used to calculate ORs according to IADPSG/m'99WHO criteria based on standard OGTT values. RESULTS: The most important risk alleles associated with GDM were rs10830963/G of MTNR1B (OR = 1.84/1.64 [IADPSG/m'99WHO], p = 0.0007/0.006), rs7754840/C (OR = 1.51/NS, p = 0.016) of CDKAL1 and rs1799884/T (OR = 1.4/1.56, p = 0.04/0.006) of GCK. The rs13266634/T (SLC30A8, OR = 0.74/0.71, p = 0.05/0.02) and rs7578326/G (LOC646736/IRS1, OR = 0.62/0.60, p = 0.001/0.006) variants were associated with lower risk to develop GDM. Carrying a minor allele of rs10830963 (MTNR1B); rs7903146 (TCF7L2); rs1799884 (GCK) SNPs were associated with increased plasma glucose levels at routine OGTT. CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed the robust association of MTNR1B rs10830963/G variant with GDM binary and glycemic traits in this Caucasian case-control study. As novel associations we report the minor, G allele of the rs7578326 SNP in the LOC646736/IRS1 region as a significant and the rs13266634/T SNP (SLC30A8) as a suggestive protective variant against GDM development. Genetic susceptibility appears to be more preponderant in individuals who meet both the modified 99'WHO and the IADPSG GDM diagnostic criteria