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Objective: Haptoglobin is an acute-phase reactant with pleiotropic functions. We aimed to study whether urine haptoglobin may predict risk of mortality in people with type 2 diabetes.Research Design and Methods: We employed a transethnic approach with a cohort of Asian origin (Singapore) (N = 2,061) and a cohort of European origin (France) (N = 1,438) included in the study. We used survival analyses to study the association of urine haptoglobin with risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality.Results: A total of 365 and 525 deaths were registered in the Singapore cohort (median follow-up 7.5 years [interquartile range 3.5-12.8]) and French SURDIAGENE cohort (median follow-up 6.8 years [interquartile range 4.3-10.5], respectively. Singapore participants with urine haptoglobin in quartiles 2 to 4 had higher risk for all-cause mortality compared with quartile 1 (unadjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.47 [95% CI 1.02-2.11], 2.28 [1.62-3.21], and 4.64 [3.39-6.35], respectively). The association remained significant in quartile 4 after multiple adjustments (1.68 [1.15-2.45]). Similarly, participants in the French cohort with haptoglobin in quartile 4 had significantly higher hazards for all-cause mortality compared with quartile 1 (unadjusted HR 2.67 [2.09-3.42] and adjusted HR 1.49 [1.14-1.96]). In both cohorts, participants in quartile 4 had a higher risk of mortality attributable to cardiovascular disease and infection but not malignant tumor.Conclusions: Urine haptoglobin predicts risk of mortality independent of traditional risk factors, suggesting that it may potentially be a novel biomarker for risk of mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new series of di-α-substituted zinc(II) phthalocyanine derivatives have been prepared by mixed cyclisation of the corresponding 1,4-disubstituted phthalonitriles or naphthalonitriles with an excess of unsubstituted phthalonitrile in the presence of Zn(OAc)2.2H2O and 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene. Having a large hydrophobic macrocyclic core substituted with two hydrophilic triethylene glycol chains or glycerol moieties, these compounds are amphiphilic in nature. They are highly soluble and remain non-aggregated in DMF as shown by the intense and sharp Q-band absorption. Compared with the unsubstituted zinc(II) phthalocyanine, these di-α-substituted analogues exhibit a red-shifted Q band (at 689-701 nm), a relatively weaker fluorescence emission, and a higher efficiency to generate singlet oxygen. Upon illumination, these compounds are highly cytotoxic towards HT29 human colorectal carcinoma and HepG2 human hepatocarcinoma cells with IC50 values as low as 0.06 mM. The high photocytotoxicity of these compounds can be attributed to their high cellular uptake and low aggregation tendency in the biological media, leading to a high efficiency to generate reactive oxygen species inside the cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) may have special advantages in facilitating smoking cessation, but consensus on effectiveness is lacking. We aim to comprehensively review, update, and refine current evidence on TCM effectiveness and safety. METHODS Nine databases were searched from their inception up to 28 February 2023. Systematic reviews (SRs) and meta-analysis of TCM for smoking cessation were identified and retrieved. Additional databases and hand searches of RCTs from included SRs were performed for data pooling. Cochrane ROB tools and AMSTAR-2 were used to evaluate the methodological quality of RCTs and SRs, respectively. RCT data are presented as relative risks (RR) or mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) using RevMan 5.4. RESULTS Thirteen SRs involving 265 studies with 33081 participants were included. Among these 265 studies, 157 were duplicates (58.36%) and 52 were non-RCTs (19.62%). Combined with the remaining 56 RCTs identified through hand searches, 88 RCTs involving 12434 participants were finally included for data synthesis. All the SRs focused on acupoint stimulation, and the majority were of low or very low quality. The methodological quality of RCTs was either unclear or high risk. For continuous abstinence rate, TCM external interventions were better than placebo in 6 months to 1 year (RR=1.60; 95% CI: 1.14-2.25; I²=27%; n=5533 participants). Compared with placebo, TCM external application was effective in reducing nicotine withdrawal symptoms, and the effect was gradually stable and obvious in the fourth week (MD= -4.46; 95% CI: -5.43 -- -3.49; n=165 participants). Twelve RCTs reported adverse events as outcome indicators for safety evaluation, and no serious adverse events occurred. CONCLUSIONS Despite the methodological limitations of the original studies, our review suggests that TCM intervention shows potential effectiveness on the continuous abstinence rate. Extending the intervention time can enhance the effect of TCM on nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Referred to adverse events, more data for safety evaluation are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed the effects of a traditional Chinese medicine, Qizhi Jiangtang Jiaonang (QJJ), on insulin resistance (IR) in vitro. After an in vitro model of IR was established by treating human liver cancer cells (HepG2 cells) with palmitic acid, the cells were then treated with various concentrations of QJJ. Treatment with 400 µM palmitic acid for 24 h induced IR in HepG2 cells. The survival rate for HepG2 cells in the IR group was significantly lower than that of the untreated control group (P < 0.001); however, QJJ restored HepG2 cell survival (P < 0.001). As compared with HepG2 cells in the IR group, QJJ at all doses analyzed significantly increased glucose consumption (all P < 0.05). Moreover, treatment with all the QJJ doses significantly reduced the mean intracellular reactive oxygen species levels as compared with the IR group (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, high-dose QJJ reduced both TNF-α and IL-6 levels as compared to the IR group (all P < 0.05). QJJ ameliorated the altered PI3K, GLUT4, and RAGE expression observed with IR. In conclusion, QJJ can improve IR in HepG2 cells, which may be mediated through the IRS-1/PI3K/GLUT4 signaling pathway as well as regulation of NF-κB-mediated inflammation and oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Both cupping therapy and acupuncture have been used in China for a long time, and their target indications are pain-related conditions. There is no systematic review comparing the effectiveness of these two therapies. Objectives: To compare the beneficial effectiveness and safety between cupping therapy and acupuncture for pain- related conditions to provide evidence for clinical practice. Methods: Protocol of this review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42016050986). We conducted literature search from six electronic databases until 31st March 2017. We included randomized trials comparing cupping therapy with acupuncture on pain-related conditions. Methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated by risk of bias tool. Mean difference, risk ratio, risk difference and their 95% confidence interval were used to report the estimate effect of the pooled results through meta-analysis or the results from each individual study. Trial sequential analysis (TSA) was applied to adjust random errors and calculate the sample size. Results: Twenty-three randomized trials with 2845 participants were included covering 12 pain-related conditions. All included studies were of poor methodological quality. Three meta-analyses were conducted, which showed similar clinical beneficial effects of cupping therapy and acupuncture for the rate of symptom improvement in cervical spondylosis (RR 1.13, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.26; n = 646), lateral femoral cutaneous neuritis (RR 1.10, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.22; n = 102) and scapulohumeral periarthritis (RR 1.31, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.51; n = 208). Results from other outcomes (such as visual analogue and numerical rating scale) in each study also showed no statistical significant difference between these two therapies for all included pain-related conditions. The results of TSA for cervical spondylosis demonstrated that the current available data have not reached a powerful conclusion. No serious adverse events related to cupping therapy or acupuncture was found in included studies. Conclusion: Cupping therapy and acupuncture are potentially safe, and they have similar effectiveness in relieving pain. However, further rigorous studies investigating relevant pain-related conditions are warranted to establish comparative effectiveness analysis between these two therapies. Cost-effectiveness studies should be considered in the future studies to establish evidence for decision-making in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Precise measurement of lateral femoral bowing is important to achieve postoperative lower limb alignment. We aimed to investigate factors that affect the precision of the radiographic lateral femoral bowing (RLFB) angle using three-dimensional (3D) models and whether the angle affects surgery design. Methods: Forty femurs in total were divided into two groups based on their preoperative RLFB angle. The flexion contracture angle, preoperative and postoperative RLFB angles, and intersection angle between the mechanical and anatomical axes were compared. The angle between the arc and sagittal planes, varus and valgus angles, and intersection angle between the mechanical and anatomical axes were measured on a 3D model. Results: There was no significant between-group difference in 3D model measurements of the angle between the arc and sagittal planes (p = 0.327). There was no significant difference between the mechanical and anatomical axes measured by both imaging modalities (p > 0.258). When the RLFB was >5°, the flexion contracture angle and radiographic femoral bowing angle were positively correlated (r = 0.535, p < 0.05). Distal femur varus and valgus angles significantly differed between the two groups (p = 0.01). After total knee arthroplasty, the radiographic femoral bowing angle decreased significantly. When the cases' radiographic femoral bowing angle is larger and the angle between the arc and sagittal planes is smaller as measured in 3D models, the angle between the arc and coronal planes is larger. Conclusion: The radiographic femoral bowing angle does not reflect the actual size of lateral femoral bowing, does not greatly affect surgery design, and is greatly affected by flexion contracture deformity. A RLFB angle larger than 15° indicates real lateral femoral bowing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Importance: The increasing use of cesarean delivery is an emerging global health issue. Prior estimates of China's cesarean rate have been based on surveys with limited geographic coverage.Objective: To provide updated information about cesarean rates and geographic variation in cesarean use in China.Design, Setting, and Data Sources: Descriptive study, covering every county (n = 2865) in mainland China's 31 provinces, using county-level aggregated information on the number of live births, cesarean deliveries, maternal deaths, and perinatal deaths, collected by the Office for National Maternal & Child Health Statistics of China, from 2008 through 2014.Exposures: Live births.Main Outcomes and Measures: Annual rate of cesarean deliveries.Results: Over the study period, there were 100 873 051 live births, of which 32 947 229 (32.7%) were by cesarean delivery. In 2008, there were 13 160 634 live births, of which 3 788 029 (28.8%) were by cesarean delivery and in 2014 there were 15 123 276 live births, of which 5 280 124 (34.9%) were by cesarean delivery. Rates varied markedly by province, from 4.0% to 62.5% in 2014. Despite the overall increase, by 2014 rates of cesarean delieries in 14 of the nation's 17 "super cities" had declined by 4.1 to 17.5 percentage points from their earlier peak values (median, 11.4; interquartile range, 6.3-15.4). In 4 super cities with the largest decreases, there was no increase in maternal or perinatal mortality.Conclusions and Relevance: Between 2008 and 2014, the overall annual rate of cesarean deliveries increased in China, reaching 34.9%. There was major geographic variation in rates and trends over time, with rates declining in some of the largest urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equipment for breaking and blasting large barriers (EBBLB) is new break-blast equipment, which inevitably induces ground vibration and may cause substantial damage to rock mass and nearby structures as well as human beings. The ground vibration induced by break-blast is one of the inevitable outcomes. By monitoring vibration at measuring points at different distances from blasting center, time history curve of vibrating velocity can be obtained; it can be drawn that blasting seismic waves are generated mainly from the explosion of the precharge. Furthermore, different approaches have been adopted to fit relationship between particle peak velocity (PPV) and distance from blasting center, comparative analysis of which provides the most appropriate relation expression to predict attenuation of PPV of vibration with distance from blasting center. The relation between vibration frequency and distance from blasting center is obtained by Fourier transform. And the research decomposes vibrating signals in vertical direction of different distances from blasting center with Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT), extracting information of empirical mode components of blasting vibration signals; thus vibrating signals are contracted by spectrum information and energy information, three-dimensional energy, and energy attenuation of vibration with different distances from blasting center. The study can predict ground vibration generated by EBBLB and assess its damaging effects of blasting vibration for security and protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a report on emergence of Escherichia coli co-producing New Delhi metallo-b-lactamase-1(NDM-1) and Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase 2 (KPC-2) from a retail vegetable, China. Topics discussed include use of agar dilution method for determining of minimum inhibitory concentration of antimicrobial agents; its resistance to imipenem, ceftazidime, cefotaxime; and a table depicting characteristics of E. coli TS79e and its transconjugants.

Herein is reported a convergent synthesis of isocombretastatins A, a novel class of potent antitubulin agents. These compounds having a 1,1-diarylethylene scaffold constitute the simplest isomers of natural Z-combretastatins A that are easy to synthesize without need to control the Z-olefin geometry. The discovery of isoCA-4 with biological activities comparable to that of CA-4 represents a major progress in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the requirement for M cells and the Peyer's patch (PP) in induction of oral tolerance and address the potential in vivo role of intestinal epithelial cells as nonprofessional APCs, we have attempted to induce tolerance in mice with ligated small bowel loops without M cells and Peyer's patches. A 2-centimeter section of vascularized small bowel was spliced away from the gut without disruption of the mesenteric attachments. We introduced OVA directly into the lumen of the loop prior to footpad immunization. By excising segments of bowel that contain PPs in some mice and segments without patches in others, we could study the necessity of the M cell and the underlying patch versus epithelial cells in induction of mucosal tolerance. We show that OVA-specific T cell proliferation and serum antibody responses are reduced in mice that have previously been given OVA both in PP-containing loops and in loops without patches. Furthermore, both high- and low-dose tolerance could be induced in the absence of PPs. Low-dose tolerance is associated with bystander suppression and requires IL-10, which indicates active suppression and the induction of regulatory cells. These data suggest that there is a critical role for components of the mucosal immune system other than PPs in antigen sampling and induction of oral tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gene replacement therapy is an attractive approach for treatment of genetic disease, but may be complicated by the risk of a neutralizing immune response to the therapeutic gene product. There are examples of humoral and cellular immune responses against the transgene product as well as absence of such responses, depending on vector design and the underlying mutation in the dysfunctional gene. It has been unclear, however, whether transgene expression can induce tolerance to the therapeutic antigen. Here, we demonstrate induction of immune tolerance to a secreted human coagulation factor IX (hF.IX) antigen by adeno-associated viral gene transfer to the liver. Tolerized mice showed absence of anti-hF.IX and substantially reduced in vitro T cell responses after immunization with hF.IX in adjuvant. Tolerance induction was antigen specific, affected a broad range of Th cell subsets, and was favored by higher levels of transgene expression as determined by promoter strength, vector dose, and mouse strain. Hepatocyte-derived hF.IX expression induced regulatory CD4(+) T cells that can suppress anti-hF.IX formation after adoptive transfer. With a strain-dependent rate of success, tolerance to murine F.IX was induced in mice with a large F.IX gene deletion, supporting the relevance of these data for treatment of hemophilia B and other genetic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]