Effect of anti-gut inflammatory agent on insulin resistance and lipid profile of mice fed different diets

Purpose: To further explore the effect of 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) treatment on lipid levels in mice fed different diets.Methods: Groups of 9 - 10 mice each were randomly assigned to 6 different diets, low-fat diet (LFD) with or without 5-ASA, high-fat diet (HFD) with or without 5-ASA, and high-fat high-cholesterol diet (HFC) with or without 5-ASA for 12 weeks.Results: There were changes in gut microbiota of 5-ASA-treated mice, although gut permeability was similar between treated and non-treated groups. The level of fasting blood glucose, fasting plasma insulin and the curve of glucose tolerance test (GTT) in mice fed LFD, HFD or HFC diet were not affected by 5-ASA treatment. Although plasma lipid levels were similar between 5-ASA consuming and non-5-ASA groups in mice fed LFD and HFD, improved lipid profile was seen in mice that received HFC+5-ASA when compared with mice fed only HFC.Conclusion: These results indicate that targeting gut inflammation and dysbiosis with 5-ASA neither improves gut barrier nor insulin resistance (IR). Thus, results from therapies for metabolic disorder based on anti-gut inflammation should be interpreted with caution.</p

Retraction:5-aminosalicylic acid improves lipid profile in mice fed a high-fat cholesterol diet through its dual effects on intestinal PPARγ and PPARα (PLoS ONE (2018) 13,1 (e0191485) DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191485)

After publication of this work [1], PLOS ONE was notified of several concerns: · The second and third authors (DK, MH) were not aware of and did not approve this submission to PLOS ONE;MH passed away in 2016, before this manuscript was submitted to PLOS ONE. Incorrect email addresses for these authors were provided to the journal when the manuscript was submitted. · Questions were raised as to whether the corresponding author had appropriate permissions to publish the data, and whether author contributions had been accurately reported. · The research reported in Figs 1±3 and the qPCR data for PPARα and PPARγ were reported in a previously published article [2] that was not cited or discussed in [1]. In light of these concerns, the authors and PLOS ONE Editors retract this article [1]. ZW, DK, and ZB agreed with the retraction

Application of local singularity in prospecting potential oil/gas Targets

International audienceTogether with generalized self-similarity and the fractal spectrum, local singularity analysis has been introduced as one part of the new 3S principle and technique for mineral resource assessment based on multifractal modeling, which has been demonstrated to be useful for anomaly delineation. Local singularity is used in this paper to characterize the property of multifractal distribution patterns of geochemical indexes to delineate potential areas for oil/gas exploration using the advanced GeoDAS GIS technology. Geochemical data of four oil/gas indexes, consisting of acid-extracted methane (SC1), ethane (SC2), propane (SC3), and secondary carbonate (?C), from 9637 soil samples amassed within a large area of 11.2×104 km2 in the Songpan-Aba district, Sichuan Province, southwestern China, were analyzed. By eliminating the interference of geochemical oil/gas data with the method of media-modification and Kriging, the prospecting area defined by the local singularity model is better identified and the results show that the subareas with higher singularity exponents for the four oil/gas indexes are potential targets for oil/gas exploration. These areas in the shape of rings or half-rings are spatially associated with the location of the known producing drilling well in this area. The spatial relationship between the anomalies delineated by oil/gas geochemical data and distribution patterns of local singularity exponents is confirmed by using the stable isotope of ?13C

Thermal Properties of Cement-Based Composites for Geothermal Energy Applications

Geothermal energy piles are a quite recent renewable energy technique where geothermal energy in the foundation of a building is used to transport and store geothermal energy. In this paper, a structural–functional integrated cement-based composite, which can be used for energy piles, was developed using expanded graphite and graphite nanoplatelet-based composite phase change materials (CPCMs). Its mechanical properties, thermal-regulatory performance, and heat of hydration were evaluated. Test results showed that the compressive strength of GNP-Paraffin cement-based composites at 28 days was more than 25 MPa. The flexural strength and density of thermal energy storage cement paste composite decreased with increases in the percentage of CPCM in the cement paste. The infrared thermal image analysis results showed superior thermal control capability of cement based materials with CPCMs. Hence, the carbon-based CPCMs are promising thermal energy storage materials and can be used to improve the durability of energy piles

Preparation and Supercooling Modification of Salt Hydrate Phase Change Materials Based on CaCl2 2H2O/CaCl2

Salt hydrates have issues of supercooling when they are utilized as phase change materials (PCMs). In this research, a new method was adopted to prepare a salt hydrate PCM (based on a mixture of calcium chloride dihydrate and calcium chloride anhydrous) as a novel PCM system to reduce the supercooling phenomenon existing in CaCl2 6H2O. Six samples with different compositions of CaCl2 were prepared. The relationship between the performance and the proportion of calcium chloride dihydrate (CaCl2 2H2O) and calcium chloride anhydrous (CaCl2) was also investigated. The supercooling degree of the final PCM reduced with the increase in volume of CaCl2 2H2O during its preparation. The PCM obtained with 66.21 wt % CaCl2 2H2O reduced the supercooling degree by about 96.8%. All six samples, whose ratio of CaCl2 2H2O to (CaCl2 plus CaCl2 2H2O) was 0%, 34.03%, 53.82%, 76.56%, 90.74%, and 100% respectively, showed relatively higher enthalpy (greater than 155.29 J/g), and have the possibility to be applied in buildings for thermal energy storage purposes. Hence, CaCl2 2H2O plays an important role in reducing supercooling and it can be helpful in adjusting the solidification enthalpy. Thereafter, the influence of adding different percentages of Nano-SiO2 (0.1 wt %, 0.3 wt %, 0.5 wt %) in reducing the supercooling degree of some PCM samples was investigated. The test results showed that the supercooling of the salt hydrate PCM in Samples 6 and 5 reduced to 0.2 C and 0.4 C respectively. Finally, the effect of the different cooling conditions, including frozen storage (20 C) and cold storage (5 C), that were used to prepare the salt hydrate PCM was considered. It was found that both cooling conditions are effective in reducing the supercooling degree of the salt hydrate PCM. With the synergistic action of the two materials, the performance and properties of the newly developed PCM systems were better especially in terms of reducing the supercooling degree of the PCM. The novel composite PCMs are promising candidates for thermal energy storage applications

Circadian Clock Genes in the Metabolism of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common disease, which is characterized by the accumulation of triglycerides in the hepatocytes without excess alcohol intake. Circadian rhythms can participate in lipid, glucose, and cholesterol metabolism and are closely related to metabolism seen in this disease. Circadian clock genes can modulate liver lipid metabolism. Desynchrony of circadian rhythms and the influences imparted by external environmental stimuli can increase morbidity. By contrast, synchronizing circadian rhythms can help to alleviate the metabolic disturbance seen in NAFLD. In this review, we have discussed the current research connections that exist between the circadian clock and the metabolism of NAFLD, and we have specifically focused on the key circadian clock genes, Bmal1, Clock, Rev-Erbs, Rors, Pers, Crys, Nocturnin, and DECs

Effects of ambient temperatures between 5 and 35 °C on energy balance, body mass and body composition in mice

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work was partly supported by grants (31670417 and 31870388 to Z.J.Z., and 92057206 to J.R.S) from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the National Key R&D Program of China (2019YFA0801900 to J.R.S).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Decreased default mode network functional connectivity with visual processing regions as potential biomarkers for delayed neurocognitive recovery: A resting-state fMRI study and machine-learning analysis

ObjectivesThe abnormal functional connectivity (FC) pattern of default mode network (DMN) may be key markers for early identification of various cognitive disorders. However, the whole-brain FC changes of DMN in delayed neurocognitive recovery (DNR) are still unclear. Our study was aimed at exploring the whole-brain FC patterns of all regions in DMN and the potential features as biomarkers for the prediction of DNR using machine-learning algorithms.MethodsResting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was conducted before surgery on 74 patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery. Seed-based whole-brain FC with 18 core regions located in the DMN was performed, and FC features that were statistically different between the DNR and non-DNR patients after false discovery correction were extracted. Afterward, based on the extracted FC features, machine-learning algorithms such as support vector machine, logistic regression, decision tree, and random forest were established to recognize DNR. The machine learning experiment procedure mainly included three following steps: feature standardization, parameter adjustment, and performance comparison. Finally, independent testing was conducted to validate the established prediction model. The algorithm performance was evaluated by a permutation test.ResultsWe found significantly decreased DMN connectivity with the brain regions involved in visual processing in DNR patients than in non-DNR patients. The best result was obtained from the random forest algorithm based on the 20 decision trees (estimators). The random forest model achieved the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 84.0, 63.1, and 89.5%, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the classifier reached 86.4%. The feature that contributed the most to the random forest model was the FC between the left retrosplenial cortex/posterior cingulate cortex and left precuneus.ConclusionThe decreased FC of DMN with regions involved in visual processing might be effective markers for the prediction of DNR and could provide new insights into the neural mechanisms of DNR.Clinical Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-DCD-15006096

High blood galectin-3 level associated with risk of frailty in aging

BackgroundFrailty is one of the most problematic expressions of population aging, but its underlying mechanism has not been fully elucidated. Circulating galectin-3 (Gal-3) is involved in the pathogenesis of many age-related diseases. This study aims to explore the influence of circulating Gal-3 on the regulation of frailty and aging and to identify the potential mechanism further.MethodsIn this cross-sectional analysis, the Fried frailty phenotype (FP) was assessed among 149 community elderly residents in Shanghai. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated by the Ficoll-Paque density gradient method, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) encoding transcription factors in frailty were detected by Illumina and bioinformatics analyzed with R software. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analyses and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed to explore the functional roles of these DEGs and the target genes related to frailty phenotypes. The serum Gal-3 concentration was tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Mouse frailty phenotype was used to construct an in vivo model of frailty, after which the serum levels of circulating Gal-3 and its gene expression levels in mouse tissues were determined.ResultsParticipants’ mean age was 72.04 ± 7.05 years. In total, 21.48% were frail and 36.91% were pre-frail. The mean serum Gal-3 concentration was 46.34 ± 17.99 ng/mL in frail participants, 32.30 ± 8.14 ng/mL in pre-frail participants, and 26.00 ± 5.87 ng/mL in non-frail individuals (p &lt; 0.001). Significant positive correlations between serum Gal-3 level and FP score, SARC-F score, C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6, etc., were observed. In addition, the KEGG pathway and GO enrichment analyses showed that 265 DEGs in PBMCs of frail participants were mainly related to inflammatory response, translation, RNA binding, protein binding, ribosome, and primary immunodeficiency. LGALS3 was identified as the overlapping gene between frailty-related DEGs and aging-related DEGs. The elevated serum Gal-3 concentration in the in vivo model of frailty was consistent with the results in participants.ConclusionIn both community-dwelling older adults and aged mice, serum Gal-3 concentration was positively correlated with frailty. This circulating mediator may be a promising indicator of frailty.Clinical trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry identifier, ChiCTR2000036399

Endovascular Repair of Ascending Aortic Dissection A Novel Treatment Option for Patients Judged Unfit for Direct Surgical Repair

ObjectivesThis paper sought to report the outcomes of patients who are considered unfit for urgent surgical repair of ascending aortic dissections (AADs) who were treated using a novel endovascular repair strategy.BackgroundAAD is best treated by direct surgical repair. Patients who are unable to undergo this form of treatment have poor prognoses. Previously, clinical case reports related to endovascular repair of AAD have been controversial.MethodsBetween May 2009 and January 2011, 41 consecutive patients with AAD were treated in our institution. Fifteen patients were considered poor candidates for direct surgical repair and subsequently underwent the endovascular repair.ResultsThe nature of the referral process to our tertiary care facility made the median time from aortic dissection onset to treatment 25.5 days (range: 6 to 353 days). Dissections in 5 patients (33.3%) were considered acute, and those in 10 patients (66.7%) were considered chronic. The rate of successful stent-graft deployment was 100%, and there were no major morbidities or deaths in the perioperative period. Median follow-up was 26 months (range: 16 to 35 months). One new dissection occurred in the aortic arch at 3 months and was treated with a branched endograft. Significant enlargements of true lumens and decreases of false lumens and overall thoracic aorta were noted after the procedures.ConclusionsEndovascular repair of AAD was an appropriate treatment option in patients who were considered poor candidates for traditional direct surgical repair by the clinical criteria used in our institution. A larger series of cases with longer follow-up is needed to substantiate these results