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Objective: To summarize data from a serological survey of high‐risk populations in Guangdong Province, China, and to perform a meta‐analysis to investigate the prevalence and seroprevalence of celiac disease (CD) in the Chinese general and high‐risk populations. Methods: We collected data from the serological survey of high‐risk population of CD in Guangdong Province, China (N = 1390) by testing their serum tissue transglutaminase immunoglobulin A (tTG‐IgA), deamidated gliadin peptides immunoglobulin A (DGP‐IgA) and deamidated gliadin peptides immunoglobulin G (DGP‐IgG). Additionally, a literature search was performed on PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and three Chinese databases for articles published up to 20 December 2020 to estimate the pooled prevalence and seroprevalence of CD in China. Results: In the serological survey, 0.94% (13/1390) of individuals were positive for CD antibodies. In a meta‐analysis of 18 studies, the seroprevalence of CD in the general Chinese population was 0.27% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.02%‐0.71%). While that in the high‐risk population was 8.34% (95% CI 4.90%‐12.54%) (odds ratio 7.27, 95% CI 4.06‐13.04). The prevalence of biopsy‐confirmed CD in high‐risk Chinese populations was 4.44% (95% CI 1.53%‐8.58%). The seroprevalence of CD varied with patients' geographical origin, being higher in northern China than in southern China. Conclusions: Early diagnosis of CD by serological screening in high‐risk population and generous serological testing in those with vague symptoms, especially in northern China, are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An intumescent flame retardant (IFR), pentaerytheritol phosphate ester melamine salt (PPEM) was synthesized and chemically modified by magnesium oxide (MgO) or/and calcium oxide (CaO), respectively. The fire retardant efficiency of MgO and CaO as synergistic agents in polypropylene (PP) was evaluated by normal fire testing methods. The results showed that MgO and CaO exhibited a synergistic effect on fire retardancy of PP. The addition of 0.2% of MgO or CaO into PP/PPEM composite could decrease the self-extinguishing time and improve the limited oxygen index (LOI) obviously. The cone calorimeter (CONE) tests and the thermal analysis revealed that the introduction of MgO and CaO neutralized the acidity of PPEM, which leads to a thermal stabilization and a delay of the intumescent process of the system, and promote the formation of a high quality charred layer which can prevent PP from decomposing. Thus, a suitable amount of MgO and CaO acts as a synergistic agent in the flame-retarded PP/PPEM system. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lack of vaccines for HCV and HIV makes the antiviral drug development urgently needed. The recently identified HCV NS5A-derived virucidal peptide (C5A) demonstrated a wide spectrum of activities against viruses. In this study, the C5A sequence SWLRDIWDWICEVLSDFK was utilized as the framework to study the effect of the modulation of peptide helicity and hydrophobicity on its anti-HCV and anti-HIV activities. Peptide helicity and hydrophobicity were altered by substitutions of varying amino acids on the non-polar face of C5A. Peptide hydrophobicity has been proved to play a crucial role in peptide anti-HCV or anti-HIV activities. Peptide helicity was relatively independent with antiviral activity. However, peptide analogs with dimerized structure in an aqueous medium while maintaining the ability to be induced into a more helical structure in a hydrophobic environment may tend to show comparable or improved antiviral activity and specificity to C5A. By modulating peptide helicity and hydrophobicity, we improved the specificity of C5A against HCV and HIV by 23- and 69-fold, respectively, in terms of the ratio of hemolytic activity to antiviral activity. We demonstrated that obtained by de novo design approach, peptide I6L/I10L/V13L may be a promising candidate as a new anti-HCV and anti-HIV therapeutic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aging is an independent risk factor for vascular diseases. Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT), an active component of the vasculature, contributes to vascular dysfunction during aging. Identification of underlying cell types and their changes during aging may provide meaningful insights regarding the clinical relevance of aging‐related vascular diseases. Here, we take advantage of single‐cell RNA sequence to characterize the resident stromal cells in the PVAT (PVASCs) and identified different clusters between young and aged PVASCs. Bioinformatics analysis revealed decreased endothelial and brown adipogenic differentiation capacities of PVASCs during aging, which contributed to neointimal hyperplasia after perivascular delivery to ligated carotid arteries. Mechanistically, in vitro and in vivo studies both suggested that aging‐induced loss of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ coactivator‐1 α (PGC1α) was a key regulator of decreased brown adipogenic differentiation in senescent PVASCs. We further demonstrated the existence of human PVASCs (hPVASCs) and overexpression of PGC1α improved hPVASC delivery‐induced vascular remodeling. Our finding emphasizes that differentiation capacities of PVASCs alter during aging and loss of PGC1α in aged PVASCs contributes to vascular remodeling via decreased brown adipogenic differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]