The relationship between serum uric acid within the normal range and β-cell function in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes: differences by body mass index and gender

Background Elevated serum uric acid (SUA) has a positive correlation with insulin secretion and insulin resistance indexes. However, whether weight- and gender-specific differences regarding the relationship between SUA within the normal range and β-cell function and insulin resistance exist is unknown in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. Methods A total of 380 patients with type 2 diabetes were divided into two groups as overweight/obesity (n = 268) and normal weight (n = 112). Each group were again divided into low (LSUA) and high normal SUA (HSUA). The HbA1c, C-peptide, SUA, creatinine, and lipids profiles were measured. HOMA2IR and HOMA%2B were estimated using fasting glucose and C-peptide by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA). Pearson’s correlations and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to assess the associations between SUA levels and islet function indexes. Results In overweight/obesity subgroup, the levels of body mass index, fasting C-peptide (FCP), P2hCP, fasting CPI (FCPI), postprandial CPI (PPCPI), ΔC-peptide, HOMA2%B, and HOMA2IR were higher in HSUA group than in LSUA group. In contrast, the HbA1c, FBS, and P2hBS were lower in HSUA than in LSUA. In normal weight subgroup, there were no differences between the HSUA than LSUA group in terms of clinical characteristics. Pearson’s correlations indicated that there were no significant correlations between SUA and insulin secretory capacity in normal weight group, but in overweight/obesity group, SUA had positive significant correlations with P2hCP, FCPI, PPCPI, ΔC-peptide, and HOMA2%B. In the female group, there were no significant correlations between SUA and insulin secretory capacity. However, in the male group, SUA had positive significant correlations with insulin secretory capacity include P2hCP, FCPI, PPCPI, ΔC-peptide, and HOMA2%B. Multiple linear regression showed that SUA was significantly associated with HOMA2%B, but not with HOMA2IR in overweight/obesity and male group. Conclusions Our study shows that SUA levels within normal range were associated with β-cell function in T2DM patients with overweight/obesity or male. This finding supports that the association between SUA within normal range and insulin secretion ability differs by weight and sex

Optimization of the extraction process and metabonomics analysis of uric acid-reducing active substances from Gymnadenia R.Br. and its protective effect on hyperuricemia zebrafish

BackgroundAs Gymnadenia R.Br. (Gym) has an obvious uric acid-lowering effect, but its specific bioactive substances and mechanism are still unclear. The key metabolites and pathways used by Gym to reduce uric acid (UA) were identify.MethodsAn optimized extraction process for urate-lowering active substances from Gym was firstly been carried out based on the xanthine oxidase (XOD) inhibition model in vitro; then, the Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography and Q-Exactive mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QE-MS) based on non-targeted metabolomics analysis of Traditional Chinese Medicine were performed for comparison of Gym with ethanol concentration of 95% (low extraction rate but high XOD inhibition rate) and 75% (high extraction rate but low XOD inhibition rate), respectively; finally, the protective effect of ethanolic extract of Gym on zebrafish with Hyperuricemia (referred to as HUA zebrafish) was explored.ResultsWe found that the inhibition rate of Gym extract with 95% ethanol concentration on XOD was 84.02%, and the extraction rate was 4.32%. Interestingly, when the other conditions were the same, the XOD inhibition rate of the Gym extract with 75% ethanol concentration was 76.84%, and the extraction rate was 14.68%. A total of 539 metabolites were identified, among them, 162 different metabolites were screened, of which 123 were up-regulated and 39 were down-regulated. Besides significantly reducing the contents of UA, BUN, CRE, ROS, MDA, and XOD activity in HUA zebrafish by Gym and acutely reduce the activity of SOD.ConclusionAlong with the flavonoids, polyphenols, alkaloids, terpenoids, and phenylpropanoids, the ethanolic extract of Gym may be related to reduce the UA level of Gym

Solid polymer electrolytes: Ion conduction mechanisms and enhancement strategies

Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) possess comprehensive advantages such as high flexibility, low interfacial resistance with the electrodes, excellent film-forming ability, and low price, however, their applications in solid-state batteries are mainly hindered by the insufficient ionic conductivity especially below the melting temperatures, etc. To improve the ion conduction capability and other properties, a variety of modification strategies have been exploited. In this review article, we scrutinize the structure characteristics and the ion transfer behaviors of the SPEs (and their composites) and then disclose the ion conduction mechanisms. The ion transport involves the ion hopping and the polymer segmental motion, and the improvement in the ionic conductivity is mainly attributed to the increase of the concentration and mobility of the charge carriers and the construction of fast-ion pathways. Furthermore, the recent advances on the modification strategies of the SPEs to enhance the ion conduction from copolymer structure design to lithium salt exploitation, additive engineering, and electrolyte micromorphology adjustion are summarized. This article intends to give a comprehensive, systemic, and profound understanding of the ion conduction and enhancement mechanisms of the SPEs for their viable applications in solid-state batteries with high safety and energy density

Genetic basis of the very short life cycle of ‘Apogee’ wheat

Background: ‘Apogee’ has a very short life cycle among wheat cultivars (flowering 25 days after planting under a long day and without vernalization), and it is a unique genetic material that can be used to accelerate cycling breeding lines. However, little is known about the genetic basis of the super-short life of Apogee wheat. Results: In this study, Apogee was crossed with a strong winter wheat cultivar ‘Overland’, and 858 F2 plants were generated and tested in a greenhouse under constant warm temperature and long days. Apogee wheat was found to have the early alleles for four flowering time genes, which were ranked in the order of vrn-A1 \u3e VRN-B1 \u3e vrn- D3 \u3e PPD-D1 according to their effect intensity. All these Apogee alleles for early flowering showed complete or partial dominance effects in the F2 population. Surprisingly, Apogee was found to have the same alleles at vrn-A1a and vrn-D3a for early flowering as observed in winter wheat cultivar ‘Jagger.’ It was also found that the vrn-A1a gene was epistatic to VRN-B1 and vrn-D3. The dominant vrn-D3a alone was not sufficient to cause the transition from vegetative to reproductive development in winter plants without vernalization but was able to accelerate flowering in those plants that carry the vrn-A1a or Vrn-B1 alleles. The genetic effects of the vernalization and photoperiod genes were validated in Apogee x Overland F3 populations. Conclusion: VRN-A1, VRN-B1, VRN-D3, and PPD-D1 are the major genes that enabled Apogee to produce the very short life cycle. This study greatly advanced the molecular understanding of the multiple flowering genes under different genetic backgrounds and provided useful molecular tools that can be used to accelerate winter wheat breeding schemes

The role of serum and urinary biomarkers in the diagnosis of early diabetic nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes

Background Previous studies have shown that a variety of biomarkers are closely related to the occurrence and development of early-stage diabetic nephropathy (DN) in patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of multiple sera and urinary biomarkers in the diagnosis of early-stage DN in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods We enrolled 287 patients with type 2 diabetes, who were classified into normoalbuminuria (n = 144), microalbuminuria (n = 94), or macroalbuminuria (n = 49) groups based on their urine albumin to creatinine ratios (UACR), along with 42 healthy controls. We assessed 13 biomarkers, including transferrin (Tf), immunoglobulin G (IgG), podocalyxin, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase, α-1-microglobulin, 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-18 in urine samples, along with cystatin C, total bilirubin, and uric acid in sera samples, to evaluate their diagnostic roles. From the measurements, the blood neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio was also calculated. Results Urinary Tf, IgG, NGAL, and TNF-α were significantly related to the UACR. We calculated the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (area under the curve) and found that urinary IgG (0.894), NGAL (0.875), Tf (0.861), TNF-α (0.763), and the combination of urinary Tf + IgG + TNF-α + NGAL (0.922) showed good diagnostic value for early-stage DN. Conclusions Urinary Tf, IgG, NGAL, TNF-α, and the combination of all four biomarkers demonstrated excellent diagnostic value for early-stage DN in patients with type 2 diabetes

Comparative experimental study on reactive crystallization of Ni(OH)(2) in an airlift-loop reactor and a stirred reactor

The objective of this work is to study the reactive crystallization in an airlift-loop reactor (ALR) using the precipitation of Ni(OH)(2) as a model reaction. The growth of Ni(OH)(2) particles in an ALR and a stirred tank was quantified by scanning electronic microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), laser particle analyzer, tap densitometer and optical microscope, and the growth process of Ni(OH)(2) particles is analyzed. It is found that the Ni(OH)(2) particles prepared in an ALR have a better sphericity than those in a stirred tank and the growth of Ni(OH)(2) particle tap density mainly depends on the size of crystallites: the bigger the size of crystallites, the bigger the tap density is. Based on these, the growth process of Ni(OH)(2) particles in ALR is elaborated. Crystallites precipitated from solution aggregate to form large particles with much void. These constituting crystallites continue to grow up, that takes up the void inside particles and makes the tap density increase. (C) 2017 The Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and Chemical Industry Press. All rights reserved.</p

Comparative experimental study on reactive crystallization of Ni(OH)_2 in an airlift-loop reactor and a stirred reactor

The objective of this work is to study the reactive crystallization in an airlift-loop reactor (ALR) using the precipitation of Ni(OH) 2 as a model reaction. The growth of Ni(OH) 2 particles in an ALR and a stirred tank was quantified by scanning electronic microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), laser particle analyzer, tap densitometer and optical microscope, and the growth process of Ni(OH) 2 particles is analyzed. It is found that the Ni(OH) 2 particles prepared in an ALR have a better sphericity than those in a stirred tank and the growth of Ni(OH) 2 particle tap density mainly depends on the size of crystallites: the bigger the size of crystallites, the bigger the tap density is. Based on these, the growth process of Ni(OH) 2 particles in ALR is elaborated. Crystallites precipitated from solution aggregate to form large particles with much void. These constituting crystallites continue to grow up, that takes up the void inside particles and makes the tap density increase

Predictive value of thyroid-stimulating hormone in postmenopausal type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with normal thyroid function associated with ultrasound-diagnosed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

We aimed to determine the role of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) of postmenopausal type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) women with normal thyroid function in identifying ultrasound-diagnosed nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The association between ultrasound-diagnosed NAFLD and biochemical parameters of 376 patients was analyzed among overall patients and in different age groups (≤60 years; 60–70 years; >70 years). The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to analyze the diagnostic ability of TSH for ultrasound-diagnosed NAFLD. The prevalence of ultrasound-diagnosed NAFLD in postmenopausal T2DM women was 44.1%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the levels of BMI (OR = 0.843, 95%CI: 0.779–0.913), HbA1c (OR = 0.836, 95%CI: 0.738–0.946), TG (OR = 0.539, 95%CI: 0.408–0.712), ALT (OR = 0.979, 95%CI: 0.962–0.995) were independent risk factors of NAFLD. BMI and TG were related to the NFALD risk of patients in the three age groups. HOMA-IR and HbA1c were independent risk factors of NAFLD among patients aged ≤60 years and 60–70 years, respectively. The TSH with the best diagnostic ability was among ≤60 years old patients (sensitivity = 0.486; specificity = 0.730). Higher BMI, abnormal glucose and lipid metabolism had a higher risk for developing NFALD, and TSH diagnosis is more meaningful in relatively young patients