Changes of plasma fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21) in oral glucose tolerance test and effects of metformin on FGF-21 levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Wstęp: Badanie przeprowadzono w celu ustalenia, czy czynnik wzrostu fibroblastów-21 (FGF-21) uczestniczy w regulacji stężenia glukozy i czy zastosowanie metforminy u chorych na cukrzycę wpływa na stężenie FGF-21. Materiał i metody: Do badania włączono 43 osoby, w tym 27 chorych z nowo rozpoznaną cukrzycą typu 2 (nT2DM). U wszystkich przeprowadzono test doustnego obciążenia 75 g glukozy (OGTT). Próbki krwi pobrano w 0., 60.,120. i 180. minucie testu. Osobom z nT2DM zaproponowano udział w dalszych badaniach; zastosowano u nich metforminę w dawce 1,0 g/dobę przez tydzień. Wyniki: Zmiany stężenia FGF-21 w osoczu podczas OGTT zaobserwowano tylko w grupie chorych na nT2DM; w grupie kontrolnej stężenie FGF-21 pozostało niezmienione. Nie stwierdzono, by stężenia FGF-21 w poszczególnych punktach czasowych różniły się w zależności od płci badanych (p < 0,05). Zastosowanie metforminy u osób z nT2DM spowodowało istotne zmniejszenie stężeń glukozy i FGF-21 we wszystkich punktach czasowych OGTT oraz zmniejszenie stężenia insuliny w 60. i 180. minucie, co wskazuje na obniżenie wskaźnika HOMA-IR. Wnioski: FGF-21 nie uczestniczy w krótkoterminowej regulacji glikemii u ludzi, a zmiany jego stężenia podczas OGTT są opóźnione w T2DM. Być może FGF-21 bierze udział w metabolizowaniu metforminy, zwiększając wrażliwość na glukozę i insulinę. (Endokrynol Pol 2013; 64 (3): 220&#8211;224)Introduction: The objectives of our study were to investigate whether fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21) is involved in short-term regulation of glucose and the change of FGF-21 after metformin use in diabetic subjects. Material and methods: 43 subjects were recruited in the study, including 27 new-onset type 2 diabetes patients (nT2DM). A 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was administered to them. Blood samples were taken at 0, 60 ,120 and 180 minute of OGTT. nT2DM subjects were invited for further investigation, metformin was administered in a dose of 1.0 g every day for 1 week. Results: Plasma FGF-21 changed significantly in the nT2DM group during the OGTT administration but not in the control group. No gender differences were observed at different time points in FGF-21 levels (p < 0.05). Administration of metformin for nT2DM resulted in a significant decrease in both glucose and FGF-21 at all OGTT times and in insulin at 60 min and 180 min, indicative of a decrease in HOMA-IR. Conclusion: FGF-21 does not seem to be involved in short-term regulation of glycaemia in human subjects, and the change in OGTT delayed in T2DM. FGF-21 may participate in the processing of metformin, improving glucose and insulin sensitivity. (Pol J Endocrinol 2013; 64 (3): 220&#8211;224

Household Catastrophic Medical Expenses in Eastern China: Determinants and Policy Implications

Background: Much of research on household catastrophic medical expenses in China has focused on less developed areas and little is known about this problem in more developed areas. This study aimed to analyse the incidence and determinants of catastrophic medical expenses in eastern China. Methods: Data were obtained from a health care utilization and expense survey of 11,577 households conducted in eastern China in 2008. The incidence of household catastrophic medical expenses was calculated using the method introduced by the World Health Organization. A multi-level logistic regression model was used to identify the determinants. Results: The incidence of household catastrophic medical expenses in eastern China ranged from 9.24% to 24.79%. Incidence of household catastrophic medical expenses was lower if the head of household had a higher level of education, labor insurance coverage, while the incidence was higher if they lived in rural areas, had a family member with chronic diseases, had a child younger than 5 years old, had a person at home who was at least 65 years old, and had a household member who was hospitalized. Moreover, the impact of the economic level on catastrophic medical expenses was non-linear. The poorest group had a lower incidence than that of the second lowest income group and the group with the highest income had a higher incidence than that of the second highest income group. In addition, region was a significant determinant. Conclusions: Reducing the incidence of household catastrophic medical expenses should be one of the priorities of health policy. It can be achieved by improving residents’ health status to reduce avoidable health services such as hospitalization. It is also important to design more targeted health insurance in order to increase financial support for such vulnerable groups as the poor, chronically ill, children, and senior populations

Insecticidal effect of volatile compounds from plant materials of Murraya exotica against Red Imported Fire Ant Workers

The effect of volatile compounds from the mashed fresh, fallen, and dried leaves of Murraya exotica on the behavior of red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta, RIFA) workers was investigated by fumigation toxicity bioassay. The volatile compounds from different mashed leaves (fresh, fallen, and dried leaves) of M. exotica were collected by solid-phase microextraction and identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. β-Caryophyllene, α-cedrene, α-copaene, β-cubebene, and germacrene D were identified as major components of the volatile compounds. In exposure time from 1 d to 9 d, the mortality of RIFA increased from 5.00% to 100.00% (fresh leaves), 11.67% to 93.33% (fallen leaves), and 15.00% to 83.33% (dried leaves) in minor workers, whereas in major workers, the increases were from 13.33% to 93.33% (fresh leaves), 6.67% to 83.33% (fallen leaves), and 10.00% to 60.00% (dried leaves). The volatile compounds reduced the walking and grasping abilities and aggregation rate of RIFA workers. Results indicate that mashed leaves of M. exotica have potential for controlling RIFA

Essential oil from Chenopodium ambrosioides L. induces mitochondrial-mediated pathway and endoplasmic reticulum stress-related apoptosis in human liver cancer SMMC-7721 cells

Purpose: To evaluate the cytotoxic effect of essential oil derived from Chenopodium ambrosioides L. in Sichuan Province on human liver cancer SMMC-7721 cells, as well as its possible molecular mechanisms.Methods: Cytotoxicity was characterized by MTT assay and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of SMMC-7721 cells ultrastructure. The apoptotic effect of the essential oil was evaluated by changes in mitochondrial membrane potential and Western blot assay.Results: MTT assay data indicate that the essential oil was cytotoxic to SMMC-7721 cells, while TEN revealed that there were vacuoles and nucleus fragmentation in the SMMC-7721 cell cytosol, cell swelling, and a large amount of leakage. Mitochondrial membrane potential assay and Western Blot data indicate that the essential oil induced cell apoptosis.Conclusion: The essential oil of Chenopodium ambrosioides L. in Sichuan Province seems to induce apoptosis of human liver cancer SMMC-7721 cells via the mitochondrial-mediated pathway and endoplasmic reticulum stress. Thus, this plant requires further investigation as a potential source of ananti-liver cancer drug. Keywords: Chenopodium ambrosioides Essential oil; Anti-tumor activity, Liver cancer Apoptosis, SMMC-7721 cell

2-(4-Dimethyl­amino-2-hydroxy­benzoyl)benzoic acid methanol solvate

In the title compound, C16H15NO4·CH4O, the dihedral angle between the benzene rings is 75.21 (5)°. The structure is stabilized by an intra­molecular O—H⋯O inter­action [O⋯O = 2.589 (2) Å]. The solvent mol­ecule links symmetry-related mol­ecules of the complex via hydrogen bonds with O⋯O separations of 2.631 (2) and 2.815 (2) Å. C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds are also present

Deficiency of Mkrn2 causes abnormal spermiogenesis and spermiation, and impairs male fertility.

Although recent studies have shed insights on some of the potential causes of male infertility, new underlining molecular mechanisms still remain to be elucidated. Makorin-2 (Mkrn2) is an evolutionarily conserved gene whose biological functions are not fully known. We developed an Mrkn2 knockout mouse model to study the role of this gene, and found that deletion of Mkrn2 in mice led to male infertility. Mkrn2 knockout mice produced abnormal sperms characterized by low number, poor motility, and aberrant morphology. Disruption of Mkrn2 also caused failure of sperm release (spermiation failure) and misarrangement of ectoplasmic specialization (ES) in testes, thus impairing spermiogenesis and spermiation. To understand the molecular mechanism, we found that expression of Odf2, a vital protein in spermatogenesis, was significantly decreased. In addition, we found that expression levels of Odf2 were decreased in Mkrn2 knockout mice. We also found that MKRN2 was prominently expressed in the sperm of normal men, but was significantly reduced in infertile men. This result indicates that our finding is clinically relevant. The results of our study provided insights into a new mechanism of male infertility caused by the MKRN2 downregulation

CFEVER: A Chinese Fact Extraction and VERification Dataset

We present CFEVER, a Chinese dataset designed for Fact Extraction and VERification. CFEVER comprises 30,012 manually created claims based on content in Chinese Wikipedia. Each claim in CFEVER is labeled as "Supports", "Refutes", or "Not Enough Info" to depict its degree of factualness. Similar to the FEVER dataset, claims in the "Supports" and "Refutes" categories are also annotated with corresponding evidence sentences sourced from single or multiple pages in Chinese Wikipedia. Our labeled dataset holds a Fleiss' kappa value of 0.7934 for five-way inter-annotator agreement. In addition, through the experiments with the state-of-the-art approaches developed on the FEVER dataset and a simple baseline for CFEVER, we demonstrate that our dataset is a new rigorous benchmark for factual extraction and verification, which can be further used for developing automated systems to alleviate human fact-checking efforts. CFEVER is available at https://ikmlab.github.io/CFEVER.Comment: AAAI-2

FY2014 Annual Report

Abstract Background This population-based study was designed to investigate whether consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) is associated with lower serum total testosterone concentration in men 20–39 years old. Methods All data for this study were retrieved from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011–2012. The primary outcome was serum testosterone concentration, and main independent variable was SSB intake. Other variables included age, race/ethnicity, poverty/income ratio, body mass index (BMI), serum cotinine, heavy drinking, and physical activity. Results Among all subjects (N = 545), 486 (90.4%) had normal testosterone levels (defined as ≥231 ng/dL) and 59 (9.6%) had low testosterone levels (defined as < 231 ng/dL). Multivariate logistic regression revealed the odds of low testosterone was significantly greater with increasing SSB consumption (Q4 [≥442 kcal/day] vs. Q1 [≤137 kcal/day]), adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.29, p = 0.041]. After adjusting for possible confounding variables, BMI was an independent risk factor for low testosterone level; subjects with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 had a higher risk of having a low testosterone level than those with BMI < 25 kg/m2 (aOR = 3.68, p = 0.044). Conclusion SSB consumption is significantly associated with low serum testosterone in men 20–39 years old in the United States

IN VIVO ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS OF TARAXASTEROL AGAINST ANIMAL MODELS

Background: Traditional Chinese medicine Taraxacum officinale has been widely used to treat various inflammatory diseases. Taraxasterol is one of the main active components isolated from Taraxacum officinale. Recently, we have demonstrated that taraxasterol has the in vitro anti-inflammatory effects. This study aims to determine the in vivo anti-inflammatory effects of taraxasterol against animal models. Materials and Methods: Anti-inflammatory effects were assessed in four animal models by using dimethylbenzene-induced mouse ear edema, carrageenan-induced rat paw edema, acetic acid-induced mouse vascular permeability and cotton pellet-induced rat granuloma tests. Results: Our results demonstrated that taraxasterol dose-dependently attenuated dimethylbenzene-induced mouse ear edema and carrageenan-induced rat paw edema, decreased acetic acid-induced mouse vascular permeability and inhibited cotton pellet-induced rat granuloma formation. Conclusion: Our finding indicates that taraxasterol has obvious in vivo anti-inflammatory effects against animal models. It will provide experimental evidences for the traditional use of Taraxacum officinale and taraxasterol in inflammatory diseases