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Purpose: This study aimed to assess the effects of transitional health management on adherence and prognosis in elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. Methods: We conducted the trial from June 2016 to December 2016. A total of one hundred and fifty patients with acute myocardial infarction after PCI who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into an experimental (n = 75) group and a control (n = 75) group. The participants in the experimental group received transitional health management for three months. The two groups of patients were evaluated for treatment adherence, quality of life, clinical indicators, adverse cardiovascular events and statistics regarding readmission rates at baseline and 6 months after discharge. Results: Compared with the controls, patients in the intervention group demonstrated better medication adherence, reexamination adherence, healthy lifestyle and clinical indicators (all P<0.05) and lower rates of adverse cardiovascular events and readmission (all P<0.05). Conclusion: Transitional health management effectively improved adherence in elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction after PCI, ameliorated clinical indicators, and effectively reduced the incidence of adverse cardiovascular events and readmission rates. Transitional health management was an effective intervention for PCI patients after discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) elevation likely contributes to cardiovascular (CV) mortality, however it has remained unknown whether a dose-response relationship exists between serum GGT and CV mortality. Methods: We searched the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane library databases for prospective cohort studies published up to October 2, 2016. Summary hazard ratios (HRs) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a fixed effects model. Findings: Nine prospective studies, including 527,589 participants and more than 7,011 cases, were included in this meta-analysis. For the moderate, high, and highest levels of GGT, the pooled HRs of CV mortality were 1.11 (95% CI = 1.04–1.19), 1.29 (95% CI = 1.21–1.38) and 1.59 (95% CI = 1.47–1.72), respectively (all p < 0.05 as compared to the lowest levels of GGT). Additionally, the HR per incremental increase of GGT by 10 U/L was 1.10 (95% CI = 1.08–1.11). Evidence of a positive relationship with nonlinear trend for GGT elevation with CV mortality in females was found (P = 0.04 for nonlinearity). However, a linear model was better fit to illustrate the GGT-CV mortality among males (P = 0.304 for nonlinearity). Conclusions: These findings indicate that serum GGT activity within the reference interval is positively associated with increased risk of CV mortality in a dose-response manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) persistent infection is associated with ineffective immune response for the clearance of virus. Immunomodulators represent an important class of therapeutics, which potentially could be beneficial for the treatment of HBV infection. The particulate yeast-derived glucan (PYDG) has been shown to enhance the innate and adaptive immune responses. We therefore, assessed the efficacy of PYDG in enhancing HBV specific immune responses by employing the hydrodynamic injection-based (HDI) HBV transfection mouse model. Mice were intragatric administered PYDG daily for 9 weeks post pAAV/HBV1.2 hydrodynamic injection. PYDG treatment significantly promoted HBV DNA clearance and production of HBsAb compared to control mice. PYDG treatment resulted in recruitment of macrophages, dendritic cells (DCs) and effector T cells to the liver microenvironment, accompanied by a significantly augmented DCs maturation and HBV-specific IFN-γ and TNF-α production by T cell. In addition, enhanced production of Th1 cytokines in liver tissue interstitial fluid (TIF) was associated with PYDG administration. Live imaging showed the accumulation of PYDG in the mouse liver. Our results demonstrate that PYDG treatment significantly enhances HBV-specific Th1 immune responses, accompanied by clearance of HBV DNA, and therefore holds promise for further development of therapeutics against chronic hepatitis B. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective processing of threat-related stimuli is of significant evolutionary advantage. Given the intricate relationship between attention and the neural processing of threat-related emotions, this study manipulated attention allocation and emotional categories of threat-related stimuli as independent factors and investigated the time course of spatial-attention-modulated processing of disgusting and fearful stimuli. The participants were instructed to direct their attention either to the two vertical or to the two horizontal locations, where two faces and two houses would be presented. The task was to respond regarding the physical identity of the two stimuli at cued locations. Event-related potentials (ERP) evidences were found to support a two-stage model of attention-modulated processing of threat-related emotions. In the early processing stage, disgusted faces evoked larger P1 component at right occipital region despite the attention allocation while larger N170 component was elicited by fearful faces at right occipito-temporal region only when participants attended to houses. In the late processing stage, the amplitudes of the parietal P3 component enhanced for both disgusted and fearful facial expressions only when the attention was focused on faces. According to the results, we propose that the temporal dynamics of the emotion-by-attention interaction consist of two stages. The early stage is characterized by quick and specialized neural encoding of disgusting and fearful stimuli irrespective of voluntary attention allocation, indicating an automatic detection and perception of threat-related emotions. The late stage is represented by attention-gated separation between threat-related stimuli and neutral stimuli; the similar ERP pattern evoked by disgusted and fearful faces suggests a more generalized processing of threat-related emotions via top-down attentional modulation, based on which the defensive behavior in response to threat events is largely facilitated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neonatal seizures pose a high risk for adverse outcome in survived infants. While the prognostic value of amplitude-integrated electroencephalogram (aEEG) is well established in neonates with encephalopathy and asphyxia, neonatal seizure studies focusing on the direct correlation between early aEEG measurement and subsequent neurologic outcome are scarce. In this study, the prognostic value of aEEG features was systematically analyzed in 143 full-term neonates to identify prognostic indicators of neurodevelopmental outcome. Neonatal aEEG features of background pattern, cyclicity, and seizure activity, as well as the etiology of neonatal seizures, were significantly associated with neurodevelopmental outcome at one year of age. aEEG background pattern was highly associated with neurologic outcomes (χ2 = 116.9), followed by aEEG cyclicity (χ2 = 87.2) and seizure etiology (χ2 = 79.3). Multiple linear regression showed that the four predictors explained 71.2% of the variation in neurological outcome, with standardized β coefficients of 0.44, 0.24, 0.22, and 0.14 for the predictors of aEEG background pattern, cyclicity, etiology, and aEEG seizure activity, respectively. This clinically applicable scoring system based on etiology and three aEEG indices would allow pediatricians to assess the risk for neurodevelopmental impairment and facilitate an early intervention in newborns developing seizures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the prevalence of HIV infection and characteristically risk of factors which associated with HIV infection among MSM in Harbin, China. Methods: A face-to-face questionnaire interview was conducted among 463 Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) who were recruited by the snowball sampling in Harbin from April, 2011 to July, 2011. The questionnaire mainly included demographics, AIDS knowledge, homosexual behavior and the status of intervention in MSM. Blood specimens were obtained and tested for the diagnoses of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Associations between above exposed factors and HIV infection were analyzed using a univariate analysis and forward stepwise logistic regression. Results: The prevalence of HIV and syphilis was 9.5 and 14.3%. The awareness rate of AIDS was 86.8%. The rate of unprotected sexual behavior was 57.6% of MSM during the past 6 months. The univariate analysis identified that the age (age≥35 years old), cohabitation, more than 10 years of homosexual behavior and more than 10 homosexual partners were risk factors which associated with the HIV infection, and that protected sex during the past 6 months was a protective factor for the HIV infection. The multivariate analysis identified that the duration of homosexual behavior and commercial sexual behavior were independent risk factors which associated with the HIV infection, and the protected sex during the past 6 months was a protective factor for the HIV infection. Conclusion: The prevalence of HIV among MSM in Harbin has been rapidly increasing in the past few years. Targeted, tailored, and comprehensive interventions are urgently needed to prevent the HIV infection from MSM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autophagy is a conserved cellular process playing a role in maintenance of cellular homeostasis and response to changing nutrient conditions via degradation and recirculation of cellular redundant components. Autophagy-related proteins (Atg) play important function in autophagy pathway. Aedes albopictus mosquito is an effective vector transmitting multiple viruses which cause serious human diseases. Moreover, Aedes albopictus mosquito is becoming a serious threat to human health due to its widening distribution in recent years and thus worth of more research attention. It was reported that autophagy might play a role in viral infection in Aedes mosquito. To better understand the interaction between autophagy and arbovirus infection in mosquito system, it is necessary to identify autophagy pathway in the system. However, autophagy in Aedes albopictus mosquito is still poorly understood so far. We recently identified AaAtg8, the first Atg protein reported in Aedes albopictus mosquito. This work further identified twelve atg genes in Aedes albopictus mosquito. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis of the twelve atg genes were performed. Expression profiles of all the twelve Aaatg genes in different developmental stages and genders of Aedes albopictus mosquito were conducted. Effects of chemicals inhibiting or inducing autophagy on the levels of eight identified AaAtg proteins were examined. The function of two identified AaAtg proteins AaAtg6 and AaAtg16 and their response to arbovirus SINV infection were studied preliminarily. Taken together, this work systematically identified Aedes albopictus atg genes and provided basic information which might help to elucidate the autophagy pathway and the role of autophagy in arbovirus infection in Aedes mosquito system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the neural mechanisms of attention modulation on timing using ERP and sLORETA measurements in a dual-task paradigm. We parametrically varied the attention to the durations of a 1000-Hz pure tone and further localized the cortical regions that were sensitive to the attention modulation on timing. Results demonstrated that the attention modulation might happen at early stage, approximately 200 ms after stimulus presentation. The P2 component at frontal area served as an early neural correlate of attention effects on timing. More importantly, the contingent negative variation (CNV) appeared at fronto-central area was sensitive to the attention effect. In addition, the supplementary motor area (SMA) was assumed to be one of the key regions for selectively attending to and estimating time. These findings provide temporal and spatial correlates of attention-modulated time processing and potentially help to investigate the neural mechanisms of patients with time perception deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human facial expressions can be recognized rapidly and effortlessly. However, for intense emotions from real life, positive and negative facial expressions are difficult to discriminate and the judgment of facial expressions is biased towards simultaneously perceived body expressions. This study employed event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate the neural dynamics involved in the integration of emotional signals from facial and body expressions of victory and defeat. Emotional expressions of professional players were used to create pictures of face-body compounds, with either matched or mismatched emotional expressions in faces and bodies. Behavioral results showed that congruent emotional information of face and body facilitated the recognition of facial expressions. ERP data revealed larger P1 amplitudes for incongruent compared to congruent stimuli. Also, a main effect of body valence on the P1 was observed, with enhanced amplitudes for the stimuli with losing compared to winning bodies. The main effect of body expression was also observed in N170 and N2, with winning bodies producing larger N170/N2 amplitudes. In the later stage, a significant interaction of congruence by body valence was found on the P3 component. Winning bodies elicited lager P3 amplitudes than losing bodies did when face and body conveyed congruent emotional signals. Beyond the knowledge based on prototypical facial and body expressions, the results of this study facilitate us to understand the complexity of emotion evaluation and categorization out of laboratory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil salinity seriously limits plant growth and yield. Strategies have been developed for plants to cope with various environmental stresses during evolution. To screen for the broad-spectrum genes and the molecular mechanism about a hydroxyproline-tolerant mutant of peanut with enhanced salinity resistance under salinity stress, digital gene expression (DGE) sequencing was performed in the leaves of salinity-resistant mutant (S2) and Huayu20 as control (S4) under salt stress. The results indicate that major transcription factor families linked to salinity stress responses (NAC, bHLH, WRKY, AP2/ERF) are differentially expressed in the leaves of peanut under salinity stress. In addition, genes related to cell wall loosening and stiffening (xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolases, peroxidases, lipid transfer protein, expansin, extension), late embryogenesis abundant protein family, fatty acid biosynthesis and metabolism (13-lipoxygenase omega-6 fatty acid desaturase, omega-3 fatty acid desaturase) and some previously reported stress-related genes encoding proteins such as defensin, universal stress protein, metallothionein, peroxidase etc, and some other known or unknown function stress related genes, have been identified. The information from this study will be useful for further research on the mechanism of salinity resistance and will provide a useful genomic resource for the breeding of salinity resistance variety in peanut. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between noise and human performance is a crucial topic in ergonomic research. However, the brain dynamics of the emotional arousal effects of background noises are still unclear. The current study employed meaningless speech noises in the n-back working memory task to explore the changes of event-related potentials (ERPs) elicited by the noises with low arousal level vs. high arousal level. We found that the memory performance in low arousal condition were improved compared with the silent and the high arousal conditions; participants responded more quickly and had larger P2 and P3 amplitudes in low arousal condition while the performance and ERP components showed no significant difference between high arousal and silent conditions. These findings suggested that the emotional arousal dimension of background noises had a significant influence on human working memory performance, and that this effect was independent of the acoustic characteristics of noises (e.g., intensity) and the meaning of speech materials. The current findings improve our understanding of background noise effects on human performance and lay the ground for the investigation of patients with attention deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glioma remains a diagnostic challenge because of its variable clinical presentation and a lack of reliable screening tools. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate gene function in a wide range of pathophysiological processes and are therefore emerging biomarkers for prostate cancer, hepatic cancer, and other tumor diseases. However, the effective use of lncRNAs as biomarkers for the diagnosis of glioma remains unproven. Methods: This study included 42 glioma patients and 10 healthy controls. lncRNA and mRNA microarray chips were used to identify dysregulated lncRNAs in tumor tissue and tumor-adjacent normal tissue, and SYBR Green–based miRNA quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions were used to validate upregulated lncRNAs. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was conducted to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the lncRNA identified as the candidate biomarker. Results: miR210HG levels were significantly higher in tumor tissue than in tumor-adjacent normal tissue in participating glioma patients. Serum miR210HG levels were also significantly higher in glioma patients than in healthy controls. The receiver operating characteristic curve showed that serum miR210HG was a specific diagnostic predictor of acute pulmonary embolism with an area under the curve of 0.8323 (95% confidence interval, 0.7347 to 0.9299, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that miR210HG could be an important biomarker for the diagnosis of glioma, and, as such, large-scale investigations are urgently needed to pave the way from basic research to clinical use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evolution of resistance by insects threatens the continued success of pest control using insecticidal crystal (Cry) proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) in sprays and transgenic plants. In this study, laboratory selection with Cry1Ac yielded five strains of cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera, with resistance ratios at the median lethal concentration (LC50) of activated Cry1Ac ranging from 22 to 1700. Reduced activity and reduced transcription of an alkaline phosphatase protein that binds Cry1Ac was associated with resistance to Cry1Ac in the four most resistant strains. A Cry1Ac-binding fragment of alkaline phosphatase from H. armigera (HaALP1f) was not toxic by itself, but it increased mortality caused by Cry1Ac in a susceptible strain and in all five resistant strains. Although synergism of Bt toxins against susceptible insects by toxin-binding fragments of cadherin and aminopeptidase N has been reported previously, the results here provide the first evidence of synergism of a Bt toxin by a toxin-binding fragment of alkaline phosphatase. The results here also provide the first evidence of synergism of a Bt toxin by any toxin-binding peptide against resistant insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association of the rs9939609 single nucleotide polymorphism in FTO gene with obesity has been extensively investigated in studies of populations of European, African, and Asian ancestry. However, inconsistent results have been reported in Asian populations, and the relationship of FTO variation and dietary behaviors has only rarely been examined in Chinese children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to assess the association of rs9939609 with obesity and dietary preferences in childhood in a Chinese population. Epidemiological data including dietary preferences were collected in interviews using survey questionnaires, and rs9939609 genotype was determined by real-time PCR. The associations of rs9939609 genotypes with obesity and dietary preferences were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression using both additive and dominant models. The results showed that subjects with a TA or AA genotype had an increased risk of obesity compared with the TT participants; the odds ratios (ORs) were 1.47 (95% CI: 1.25–1.71, P = 1.73×10−6), and 3.32 (95% CI: 2.01–5.47, P = 2.68×10−6), respectively. After adjusting for age and gender, body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were higher, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was lower in TA and AA participants than in those with the TT genotype. After additionally controlling for body mass index, the association remained significant only for systolic blood pressure (P = 0.005). Compared with TT participants, those with the AA genotype were more likely to prefer a meat-based diet (OR = 2.81, 95% CI: 1.52–5.21). The combined OR for obesity in participants with TA/AA genotypes and preference for a meat-based diet was 4.04 (95% CI: 2.8–5.81) compared with the TT participants who preferred a plant-based diet. These findings indicate the genetic variation of rs9939609 is associated with obesity and dietary preferences in Chinese children and adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastric cancer is the one of the major causes of cancer-related death, especially in Asia. Gastric adenocarcinoma, the most common type of gastric cancer, is heterogeneous and its incidence and cause varies widely with geographical regions, gender, ethnicity, and diet. Since unique mutations have been observed in individual human cancer samples, identification and characterization of the molecular alterations underlying individual gastric adenocarcinomas is a critical step for developing more effective, personalized therapies. Until recently, identifying genetic mutations on an individual basis by DNA sequencing remained a daunting task. Recent advances in new next-generation DNA sequencing technologies, such as the semiconductor-based Ion Torrent sequencing platform, makes DNA sequencing cheaper, faster, and more reliable. In this study, we aim to identify genetic mutations in the genes which are targeted by drugs in clinical use or are under development in individual human gastric adenocarcinoma samples using Ion Torrent sequencing. We sequenced 737 loci from 45 cancer-related genes in 238 human gastric adenocarcinoma samples using the Ion Torrent Ampliseq Cancer Panel. The sequencing analysis revealed a high occurrence of mutations along the TP53 locus (9.7%) in our sample set. Thus, this study indicates the utility of a cost and time efficient tool such as Ion Torrent sequencing to screen cancer mutations for the development of personalized cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy and the leading cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide. While specific genetic mutations have been linked to 5–10% of breast cancer cases, other environmental and epigenetic factors influence the development and progression of the cancer. Since unique mutations patterns have been observed in individual cancer samples, identification and characterization of the distinctive breast cancer molecular profile is needed to develop more effective target therapies. Until recently, identifying genetic cancer mutations via personalized DNA sequencing was impractical and expensive. The recent technological advancements in next-generation DNA sequencing, such as the semiconductor-based Ion Torrent sequencing platform, has made DNA sequencing cost and time effective with more reliable results. Using the Ion Torrent Ampliseq Cancer Panel, we sequenced 737 loci from 45 cancer-related genes to identify genetic mutations in 105 human breast cancer samples. The sequencing analysis revealed missense mutations in PIK3CA, and TP53 genes in the breast cancer samples of various histologic types. Thus, this study demonstrates the necessity of sequencing individual human cancers in order to develop personalized drugs or combination therapies to effectively target individual, breast cancer-specific mutations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lung cancer is the most common malignancy and the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. While smoking is by far the leading cause of lung cancer, other environmental and genetic factors influence the development and progression of the cancer. Since unique mutations patterns have been observed in individual cancer samples, identification and characterization of the distinctive lung cancer molecular profile is essential for developing more effective, tailored therapies. Until recently, personalized DNA sequencing to identify genetic mutations in cancer was impractical and expensive. The recent technological advancements in next-generation DNA sequencing, such as the semiconductor-based Ion Torrent sequencing platform, has made DNA sequencing cost and time effective with more reliable results. Using the Ion Torrent Ampliseq Cancer Panel, we sequenced 737 loci from 45 cancer-related genes to identify genetic mutations in 76 human lung cancer samples. The sequencing analysis revealed missense mutations in KRAS, EGFR, and TP53 genes in the breast cancer samples of various histologic types. Thus, this study demonstrates the necessity of sequencing individual human cancers in order to develop personalized drugs or combination therapies to effectively target individual, breast cancer-specific mutations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) gene −1131T>C (rs662799) has been suggested to be involved in the pathway of lipid homeostasis and the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, the findings are not consistent. To systematically evaluate the associations between −1131T>C polymorphism and fasting lipid parameters and the risk of MetS, we conducted a case-control study in a Chinese population and a meta-analysis. The findings from 1840 Chinese participants indicated that the C allele carriers had significantly higher fasting total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG) and lower HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) than the TT homozygotes carriers. The −1131C allele was also found to be significantly associated with increased risk of MetS (OR  =  1.40, 95% confidence interval (CI)  =  1.15, 1.69) compared to the TT homozygotes. In the meta-analysis of 51,868 participants from 46 East Asian studies, 26 European studies and 19 studies of other ethnic groups, the −1131C allele was associated with higher fasting TC (weighted mean difference (WMD)  =  0.08 mmol/L, 95% CI  =  0.05, 0.10, P = 1.74×10−9), TG (WMD  =  0.30 mmol/L, 95% CI  =  0.26, 0.33, P =  1.87×10−55), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) (WMD  =  0.04 mmol/L, 95% CI  =  0.02, 0.07, P = 0.002), and lower HDL-C (WMD  =  −0.05 mmol/L, 95% CI  =  −0.06,−0.04, P = 1.88×10−21), respectively. Based on 12 studies with 5,573 MetS cases and 8,290 controls from 5 East Asian studies, 5 European studies and 2 studies of other ethnic groups, the −1131C allele was associated with increased risk of MetS with an OR (95% CI)  =  1.33 (1.16, 1.53) in the overall population, 1.43 (1.29, 1.58) in East Asian and 1.30 (0.94, 1.78) in European populations. In conclusion, the −1131C allele may be associated with elevated levels of fasting TG, TC, LDL-C and decreased HDL-C, and increased risk of MetS, especially in East Asians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]