The preliminary evidence on the association of the gut microbiota with stroke risk stratification in South Chinese population

AimsThis study aimed to investigate the association between the gut microbiota and the risk of stroke.MethodsFaecal samples from 60 participants in South China, including 45 individuals with risk factors for stroke and 15 healthy controls, were collected and subjected to 16S rRNA sequencing. A bioinformatics analysis was performed to characterise the gut microbial diversity and taxonomic compositions at different risk levels (low, moderate, and high) of stroke. Functional prediction and correlation analyses between the microbiota and laboratory markers were performed to explore the potential mechanisms.ResultsA significant difference in beta diversity was observed between the participants from the stroke risk and healthy control groups. Linear discriminant effect size analysis revealed a large number of vascular beneficial bacteria enriched in the participants from the healthy control and low-risk groups, but a few vascular harmful bacteria were more abundant in the participants from the high-risk group than in those from the other groups. In addition, Anaerostipes, Clostridium_XlVb, and Flavonifractor, all of which belonged to the Firmicutes phylum, were enriched in the participants from the low-risk group, and their relative abundances gradually decreased as the stroke risk increased. Spearman’s analysis revealed that these outstanding microbiota correlated with the levels of triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, white blood cells, neutrophils, and carotid intima-media thickness.ConclusionThe preliminary evidence suggests that gut microbiota is associated with stroke risk. It potentially ameliorates atherosclerosis by targeting lipid metabolism and inflammation. This provides novel insights into the early screening of stroke risk and primary prevention

Erosion-induced CO2 flux of small watersheds

Soil erosion not only results in severe ecological damage, but also interferes with soil organic carbon formation and decomposition, influencing the global green-house effect. However, there is controversy as to whether a typical small watershed presumed as the basic unit of sediment yield acts as a CO2 sink or source. This paper proposes a discriminant equation for the direction of CO2 flux in small watersheds, basing on the concept of Sediment Delivery Ratio (SDR). Using this equation, watersheds can be classified as Sink Watersheds, Source Watersheds, or Transition Watersheds, noting that small watersheds can act either as a CO2 sink or as a CO2 source. A mathematical model for calculating the two discriminant coefficients in the equation is set up to analyze the conditions under which each type of watershed would occur. After assigning the model parameter values at three levels (low, medium, and high), and considering 486 scenarios in total, the influences are examined for turnover rate of the carbon pool, erosion rate, deposition rate, cultivation depth and period. The effect of adopting conservation measures like residue return, contour farming, terracing, and conservation tillage is also analyzed. The results show that Sink Watersheds are more likely to result in conditions of high erosion rate, long cultivation period, high deposition rate, fast carbon pool turnover rate, and small depth of cultivation; otherwise, Source Watersheds would possibly occur. The results also indicate that residue return and conservation tillage are beneficial for CO2 sequestration. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Geography, PhysicalGeosciences, MultidisciplinarySCI(E)EI0ARTICLE101-11094-9

Effect of a booster dose of influenza vaccine in patients with hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and renal transplant recipients: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis

Booster influenza vaccination has been recommended for patients with chronic renal disease in order to enhance the immune response to the influenza vaccine; however, the efficacy of a booster influenza vaccination is a matter of controversy. Therefore, we made a meta-analysis to determine the efficacy in patients with hemodialysis (HD), peritoneal dialysis (PD) and renal transplant recipient (RT). The sero-protection rate was used as a serologic parameter to describe the immune response to the vaccine. Statistical analysis was performed to calculate the pooled rate difference (RD) and 95% confidence interval (CI). The pooled RD for the H1N1, H3N2 and B influenza vaccines was 0.02 (95% CI: −0.02–0.06), 0.05 (95% CI: −0.01–0.11), 0.04 (95% CI: −0.02–0.10), respectively. We concluded that a booster dose of the influenza vaccine did not effectively enhance immunogenicity. Therefore, a booster dose of vaccine is not recommended for patients with hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and renal transplant recipients.Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province, Chin

Joint population pharmacokinetic modeling of venlafaxine and O-desmethyl venlafaxine in healthy volunteers and patients to evaluate the impact of morbidity and concomitant medication

Introduction: Venlafaxine (VEN) is a widely used dual selective serotonin/noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor indicated for depression and anxiety. It undergoes first-pass metabolism to its active metabolite, O-desmethyl venlafaxine (ODV). The aim of the present study was to develop a joint population pharmacokinetic (PPK) model to characterize their pharmacokinetic characters simultaneously.Methods: Plasma concentrations with demographic and clinical data were derived from a bioequivalence study in 24 healthy subjects and a naturalistic TDM setting containing 127 psychiatric patients. A parent-metabolite PPK modeling was performed with NONMEM software using a non-linear mixed effect modeling approach. Goodness of fit plots and normalized prediction distribution error method were used for model validation.Results and conclusion: Concentrations of VEN and ODV were well described with a one-compartment model incorporating first-pass metabolism. The first-pass metabolism was modeled as a first-order conversion. The morbid state and concomitant amisulpride were identified as two significant covariates affecting the clearance of VEN and ODV, which may account for some of the variations in exposure. This model may contribute to the precision medication in clinical practice and may inspire other drugs with pre-system metabolism

Comprehensive Bibliometric Analysis of the Kynurenine Pathway in Mood Disorders: Focus on Gut Microbiota Research

Background: Emerging evidence implicates the dysregulated kynurenine pathway (KP), an immune-inflammatory pathway, in the pathophysiology of mood disorders (MD), including depression and bipolar disorder characterized by a low-grade chronic pro-inflammatory state. The metabolites of the KP, an important part of the microbiota-gut-brain axis, serve as immune system modulators linking the gut microbiota (GM) with the host central nervous system.Aim: This bibliometric analysis aimed to provide a first glimpse into the KP in MD, with a focus on GM research in this field, to guide future research and promote the development of this field.Methods: Publications relating to the KP in MD between the years 2000 and 2020 were retrieved from the Scopus and Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC), and analyzed in CiteSpace (5.7 R5W), biblioshiny (using R-Studio), and VOSviewer (1.6.16).Results: In total, 1,064 and 948 documents were extracted from the Scopus and WoSCC databases, respectively. The publications have shown rapid growth since 2006, partly owing to the largest research hotspot appearing since then, “quinolinic acid.” All the top five most relevant journals were in the neuropsychiatry field, such as Brain Behavior and Immunity. The United States and Innsbruck Medical University were the most influential country and institute, respectively. Journal co-citation analysis showed a strong tendency toward co-citation of research in the psychiatry field. Reference co-citation analysis revealed that the top four most important research focuses were “kynurenine pathway,” “psychoneuroimmunology,” “indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase,” and “proinflammatory cytokines,” and the most recent focus was “gut-brain axis,” thus indicating the role of the KP in bridging the GM and the host immune system, and together reflecting the field’s research foundations. Overlap analysis between the thematic map of keywords and the keyword burst analysis revealed that the topics “Alzheimer’s disease,” “prefrontal cortex,” and “acid,” were research frontiers.Conclusion: This comprehensive bibliometric study provides an updated perspective on research associated with the KP in MD, with a focus on the current status of GM research in this field. This perspective may benefit researchers in choosing suitable journals and collaborators, and aid in the further understanding of the field’s hotspots and frontiers, thus facilitating future research

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Efficacy and safety of Tai Chi for Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:In Parkinson's disease (PD), wearing off and side effects of long-term medication and complications pose challenges for neurologists. Although Tai Chi is beneficial for many illnesses, its efficacy for PD remains uncertain. The purpose of this review was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Tai Chi for PD. METHODS:Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of Tai Chi for PD were electronically searched by the end of December 2013 and identified by two independent reviewers. The tool from the Cochrane Handbook 5.1 was used to assess the risk of bias. A standard meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.2 software. RESULTS:Ten trials with PD of mild-to-moderate severity were included in the review, and nine trials (n = 409) were included in the meta-analysis. The risk of bias was generally high in the blinding of participants and personnel. Improvements in the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III (mean difference (MD) -4.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) -6.67--2.01), Berg Balance Scale (MD: 4.25, 95% CI: 2.83-5.66), functional reach test (MD: 3.89, 95% CI: 1.73-6.04), Timed Up and Go test (MD: -0.75, 95% CI: -1.30--0.21), stride length (standardized MD: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.03-1.09), health-related quality of life (standardized MD: -1.10, 95% CI: -1.81--0.39) and reduction of falls were greater after interventions with Tai Chi plus medication. Satisfaction and safety were high. Intervention with Tai Chi alone was more effective for only a few balance and mobility outcomes. CONCLUSIONS:Tai Chi performed with medication resulted in promising gains in mobility and balance, and it was safe and popular among PD patients at an early stage of the disease. This provides a new evidence for PD management. More RCTs with larger sample size that carefully address blinding and prudently select outcomes are needed. PROSPERO registration number CRD42013004989

Analysis of X-band RCS statistical characteristics of ship body in motion state

ObjectiveIn order to clarify the interference of ship movement on the radar cross section (RCS) measurement statistics of a real ship, the statistical characteristics of ship body X-band RCS under various motion states are analyzed.MethodsA dynamic RCS simulation method of a ship body under low sea state motion is established, and a unified model of hydrodynamic simulation and electromagnetic scattering is created on the basis of the DTMB 5415 benchmark surface ship model. The dynamic RCS data of ships detected by X-band radar at a horizontal incident angle are obtained, and the influence boundaries and rules of statistical time, sea state, speed and sea wave direction on the statistical features of RCS are analyzed. Results The results show that the statistical characteristics of the dynamic RCS of a ship body are different from those in a static state. The influence range of the general values of RCS under low sea state, speed and wave angle is within 0.9 dB. The RCS of a ship's characteristic direction is sensitive to changes in the sea wave direction angle, and decreases gradually with the increase of the sea state.ConclusionsThe results of this study can provide references for better understanding the interference of ship motion on the statistical characteristics of RCS measurement, and support the selection of real ship RCS measurement conditions

Effectiveness, immunogenicity and safety of one vs. two-dose varicella vaccination：a meta-analysis

<p><b>Background</b>: Despite high 1-dose vaccination coverage, breakthrough varicella infections still occur. Therefore, 2-dose vaccination is recommended to enhance the immune response to the virus. However, the reported incremental vaccine effectiveness (VE) of 2-dose vaccination varies widely among studies.</p> <p><b>Methods</b>: To determine the overall effectiveness, immunogenicity and safety of one vs. two-dose varicella vaccination, we searched five databases for articles published during 1995–2017.</p> <p><b>Results</b>: The incremental VE/efficacy of 2-dose vaccination was 79% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 56%−90%) in randomized controlled trials，63% (95% CI: 36%−79%) in cohort studies and 81% (95% CI: 65%−90%) in case-control studies. Regarding immunogenicity, the pooled standardized mean differences (SMD) of geometric mean titer (GMT) and the pooled relative risk (RR) of seroconversion for 2-dose vs. 1-dose vaccine were 562.44 (95% CI: 471.78–653.10) and 1.03 (95% CI: 1.02–1.04), respectively. Children who received second dose vaccination were at increased risk of grade 3 redness (RR: 4.93, 95% CI: 1.89 − 12.87) and swelling of any intensity (RR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.08 − 1.66).</p> <p><b>Conclusions</b>: Two-dose varicella vaccination resulted in higher levels of immunogenicity and provided superior protection than 1-dose vaccination. Safety profiles showed 2-dose vaccination was well tolerated but the incidence of grade 3 redness and of any intensity was significantly higher.</p