Physico-chemical and electrical properties of bismuth chromate solid solutions

Bismuth chromium solid solutions, with a general formula Bi6-xCr2Oδ, where -1 ≤ x ≤ 2, were successfully synthesized via the conventional solid state method. The phases of the synthesized samples were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The properties of single-phase compounds were characterized by using differential thermal analysis (DTA), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), AC impedance spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The occurrence of phase transitions was confirmed by DTA and TGA, where a thermal event was observed by DTA at around 800°C. In addition, TGA studies also showed that there was a weight loss at around 800°C. Elemental analysis of Bi6Cr2O15and its solid solutions by ICP-AES showed a good agreement between the expected value and the experimental value on the compositions, with no evidence of any systematic deviation from stoichiometric. Electrical properties of Bi6Cr2O15and its solid solutions were investigated by using AC impedance spectroscopy from 300°C to 650°C. Ionic conductivity increased with the increasing temperature and bismuth content, and the best ionic conductivity was observed for Bi7Cr2O16.5. The activation energy (Ea) of Bi6Cr2O15and its solid solutions were in the range of 1.22-1.32 eV

Genetic and bioinformatic analyses of the expression and function of PI3K regulatory subunit PIK3R3 in an Asian patient gastric cancer library

10.1186/1755-8794-5-34BMC Medical Genomics5

Effects of a portion design plate on food group guideline adherence among hospital staff

Food group guideline adherence is vital to prevent obesity and diabetes. Various studies have demonstrated that environmental variables influence food intake behaviour. In the present study we examined the effect of a portion design plate with food group portion guidelines demarcated by coloured lines (ETE Plate™). A two-group quasi-experimental design was used to measure proportions of carbohydrate, vegetable and protein portions and user experience in a hospital staff lounge setting in Singapore. Lunch was served on the portion design plate before 12.15 hours. For comparison, a normal plate (without markings) was used after 12.15 hours. Changes in proportions of food groups from 2 months before the introduction of the design plate were analysed in a stratified sample at baseline (859 subjects, all on normal plates) to 1, 3 and 6 months after (in all 1016 subjects on the design plate, 968 subjects on the control plate). A total of 151 participants were asked about their experiences and opinions. Between-group comparisons were performed using ___t___ tests. Among those served on the portion design plate at 6 months after its introduction, the proportion of vegetables was 4·71 % (P < 0·001) higher and that of carbohydrates 2·83 % (P < 0·001) lower relative to the baseline. No significant change was found for proteins (−1·85 %). Over 6 months, we observed different change patterns between the different food group proportions. While participants were positive about the portion design plate, they did not think it would influence their personal behaviour. A portion design plate might stimulate food group guideline adherence among hospital staff and beyond

Evaluating the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Guideline—Recommended and Contemporary Pretest Probability Models in a Mixed Asian Cohort: The Contribution of Coronary Artery Calcium

BACKGROUND: Most pretest probability (PTP) tools for obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) were Western -developed. The most appropriate PTP models and the contribution of coronary artery calcium score (CACS) in Asian populations remain unknown. In a mixed Asian cohort, we compare 5 PTP models: local assessment of the heart (LAH), CAD Consortium (CAD2), risk factor-weighted clinical likelihood, the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology and the European Society of Cardiology PTP and 3 extended versions of these models that incorporated CACS: LAH (CACS), CAD2 (CACS), and the CACS-clinical likelihood. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study cohort included 771 patients referred for stable chest pain. Obstructive CAD prevalence was 27.5%. Calibration, area under the receiver-operating characteristic curves (AUC) and net reclassification index were evaluated. LAH clinical had the best calibration (χ 2 5.8; P=0.12). For CACS models, LAH (CACS) showed least deviation between observed and expected cases (χ 2 37.5; P&lt;0.001). There was no difference in AUCs between the LAH clinical (AUC, 0.73 [95% CI, 0.69-0.77]), CAD2 clinical (AUC, 0.72 [95% CI, 0.68-0.76]), risk factor-weighted clinical likelihood (AUC, 0.73 [95% CI: 0.69-0.76) and European Society of Cardiology PTP (AUC, 0.71 [95% CI, 0.67-0.75]). CACS improved discrimination and reclassification of the LAH (CACS) (AUC, 0.88; net reclassification index, 0.46), CAD2 (CACS) (AUC, 0.87; net reclassification index, 0.29) and CACS-CL (AUC, 0.87; net reclassification index, 0.25). CONCLUSIONS: In a mixed Asian cohort, Asian-derived LAH models had similar discriminatory performance but better calibration and risk categorization for clinically relevant PTP cutoffs. Incorporating CACS improved discrimination and reclassification. These results support the use of population-matched, CACS-inclusive PTP tools for the prediction of obstructive CAD.</p

Temporal Changes in Extracellular Vesicle Hemostatic Protein Composition Predict Favourable Left Ventricular Remodeling after Acute Myocardial Infarction

The subset of plasma extracellular vesicles (EVs) that coprecipitate with low-density lipoprotein (LDL-EVs) carry coagulation and fibrinolysis pathway proteins as cargo. We investigated the association between LDL-EV hemostatic/fibrinolysis protein ratios and post-acute myocardial infarction (post-AMI) left ventricular (LV) remodeling which precedes heart failure. Protein concentrations of von Willebrand factor (VWF), SerpinC1 and plasminogen were determined in LDL-EVs extracted from plasma samples obtained at baseline (within 72 h post-AMI), 1 month and 6 months post-AMI from 198 patients. Patients were categorized as exhibiting adverse (n = 98) or reverse (n = 100) LV remodeling based on changes in LV end-systolic volume (increased or decreased ≥15) over a 6-month period. Multiple level longitudinal data analysis with structural equation (ML-SEM) model was used to assess predictive value for LV remodeling independent of baseline differences. At baseline, protein levels of VWF, SerpinC1 and plasminogen in LDL-EVs did not differ between patients with adverse versus reverse LV remodeling. At 1 month post-AMI, protein levels of VWF and SerpinC1 decreased whilst plasminogen increased in patients with adverse LV remodeling. In contrast, VWF and plasminogen decreased whilst SerpinC1 remained unchanged in patients with reverse LV remodeling. Overall, compared with patients with adverse LV remodeling, higher levels of SerpinC1 and VWF but lower levels of plasminogen resulted in higher ratios of VWF:Plasminogen and SerpinC1:Plasminogen at both 1 month and 6 months post-AMI in patients with reverse LV remodeling. More importantly, ratios VWF:Plasminogen (AUC = 0.674) and SerpinC1:Plasminogen (AUC = 0.712) displayed markedly better prognostic power than NT-proBNP (AUC = 0.384), troponin-I (AUC = 0.467) or troponin-T (AUC = 0.389) (p \u3c 0.001) to predict reverse LV remodeling post-AMI. Temporal changes in the ratios of coagulation to fibrinolysis pathway proteins in LDL-EVs outperform current standard plasma biomarkers in predicting post-AMI reverse LV remodeling. Our findings may provide clinical cues to uncover the cellular mechanisms underpinning post-AMI reverse LV remodeling

Pan-viral serology implicates enteroviruses in acute flaccid myelitis.

Since 2012, the United States of America has experienced a biennial spike in pediatric acute flaccid myelitis (AFM)1-6. Epidemiologic evidence suggests non-polio enteroviruses (EVs) are a potential etiology, yet EV RNA is rarely detected in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)2. CSF from children with AFM (n = 42) and other pediatric neurologic disease controls (n = 58) were investigated for intrathecal antiviral antibodies, using a phage display library expressing 481,966 overlapping peptides derived from all known vertebrate and arboviruses (VirScan). Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) of AFM CSF RNA (n = 20 cases) was also performed, both unbiased sequencing and with targeted enrichment for EVs. Using VirScan, the viral family significantly enriched by the CSF of AFM cases relative to controls was Picornaviridae, with the most enriched Picornaviridae peptides belonging to the genus Enterovirus (n = 29/42 cases versus 4/58 controls). EV VP1 ELISA confirmed this finding (n = 22/26 cases versus 7/50 controls). mNGS did not detect additional EV RNA. Despite rare detection of EV RNA, pan-viral serology frequently identified high levels of CSF EV-specific antibodies in AFM compared with controls, providing further evidence for a causal role of non-polio EVs in AFM

Gender-Associated Cardiometabolic Risk Profiles and Health Behaviors in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation (JADE) Program

Background In Asia, diabetes-associated death due to cardiorenal diseases were 2–3 times higher in women than men which might be due to gender disparity in quality of care and health habits. Methods Adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) from 11 Asian countries/areas were assessed using the same protocol (2007–2015). We compared treatment target attainment (HbA1c \u3c 7%, blood pressure [BP] \u3c 130/80 mmHg, risk-based LDL-cholesterol, lack of central obesity [waist circumference \u3c90 cm in men or \u3c80 cm in women), use of cardiorenal-protective drugs (renin-angiotensin system [RAS] inhibitors, statins), and self-reported health habits including self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) by gender. Analyses were stratified by countries/areas, age of natural menopause (\u3c50 vs. ≥50 years), and comorbidities (atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease [ASCVD], heart failure, kidney impairment [eGFR \u3c 60 mL/min/1.73 m2]). Findings Among 106,376 patients (53.2% men; median (interquartile range) diabetes duration: 6.0 (2.0–12.0) years; mean ± SD HbA1c 8.0 ± 1.9%; 27% insulin-treated), women were older and less likely to receive college education than men (28.9% vs. 48.8%). Women were less likely to smoke/drink alcohol and were physically less active than men. Women had lower BP (\u3c130/80 mmHg: 29.4% vs. 25.7%), less general obesity (54.8% vs. 57.8%) but more central obesity than men (77.5% vs. 57.3%). Women were less likely to have ASCVD (12.8% vs. 17.0%) or heart failure (1.3% vs. 2.3%), but more likely to have kidney impairment (22.3% vs. 17.6%) and any-site cancer than men (2.5% vs. 1.6%). In most countries/areas, more men attained HbA1c \u3c7% and risk-based LDL-cholesterol level than women. After adjusting for potential confounders including countries and centres, men had 1.63 odds ratio (95% CI 1.51, 1.74) of attaining ≥3 treatment targets than women. Interpretation Asian women with T2D had worse quality of care than men especially in middle-income countries/areas, calling for targeted implementation programs to close these care gaps

Recurrent Fusion Genes in Gastric Cancer: CLDN18-ARHGAP26 Induces Loss of Epithelial Integrity.

Genome rearrangements, a hallmark of cancer, can result in gene fusions with oncogenic properties. Using DNA paired-end-tag (DNA-PET) whole-genome sequencing, we analyzed 15 gastric cancers (GCs) from Southeast Asians. Rearrangements were enriched in open chromatin and shaped by chromatin structure. We identified seven rearrangement hot spots and 136 gene fusions. In three out of 100 GC cases, we found recurrent fusions between CLDN18, a tight junction gene, and ARHGAP26, a gene encoding a RHOA inhibitor. Epithelial cell lines expressing CLDN18-ARHGAP26 displayed a dramatic loss of epithelial phenotype and long protrusions indicative of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Fusion-positive cell lines showed impaired barrier properties, reduced cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix adhesion, retarded wound healing, and inhibition of RHOA. Gain of invasion was seen in cancer cell lines expressing the fusion. Thus, CLDN18-ARHGAP26 mediates epithelial disintegration, possibly leading to stomach H(+) leakage, and the fusion might contribute to invasiveness once a cell is transformed. Cell Rep 2015 Jul 14; 12(2):272-285

Epigenetic Dysregulation in Mesenchymal Stem Cell Aging and Spontaneous Differentiation

BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) hold great promise for the treatment of difficult diseases. As MSCs represent a rare cell population, ex vivo expansion of MSCs is indispensable to obtain sufficient amounts of cells for therapies and tissue engineering. However, spontaneous differentiation and aging of MSCs occur during expansion and the molecular mechanisms involved have been poorly understood. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Human MSCs in early and late passages were examined for their expression of genes involved in osteogenesis to determine their spontaneous differentiation towards osteoblasts in vitro, and of genes involved in self-renewal and proliferation for multipotent differentiation potential. In parallel, promoter DNA methylation and hostone H3 acetylation levels were determined. We found that MSCs underwent aging and spontaneous osteogenic differentiation upon regular culture expansion, with progressive downregulation of TERT and upregulation of osteogenic genes such as Runx2 and ALP. Meanwhile, the expression of genes associated with stem cell self-renewal such as Oct4 and Sox2 declined markedly. Notably, the altered expression of these genes were closely associated with epigenetic dysregulation of histone H3 acetylation in K9 and K14, but not with methylation of CpG islands in the promoter regions of most of these genes. bFGF promoted MSC proliferation and suppressed its spontaneous osteogenic differentiation, with corresponding changes in histone H3 acetylation in TERT, Oct4, Sox2, Runx2 and ALP genes. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results indicate that histone H3 acetylation, which can be modulated by extrinsic signals, plays a key role in regulating MSC aging and differentiation