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Background There is limited available evidence of a relationship between uric acid (UA) level and stroke in hypertensive populations worldwide. We aimed to estimate the relationship between UA level and stroke in Chinese hypertensive populations. Methods A total of 4 710 essentially hypertensive Chinese patients, including 307 with stroke, were recruited consecutively by cluster sampling from 60 communities in Shenzhen from April 2010 to September 2011. Demographic characteristics, UA level and stroke diagnosis were collected from every participant. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the association between UA level and stroke. Results The study population comprised 2 361 females and 2 349 males, with a mean age of 58 ± 11.75 years. There were significant associations between UA level and stroke and ischaemic stroke (IS) risk for females in the crude model (M0), model 1 (M1) and model 2 (M2), with increasing odds ratios (OR) as the quartiles (Q) increased. The odds of stroke risk was highest in Q4 in M2 (UA > 396 µmol/l, OR: 3.05, 95% CI: 1.74-5.36 and OR: 3.19, 95% CI: 1.74-5.85), but not for males in M0, M1 and M2. A significant dose-response relationship existed between UA level and stroke, and between UA level and IS for females but not for males. Hyperuricaemia (HU) was also significantly associated with stroke and IS for females but not for males. Taking negative uric acid, homocysteine, triglycerides, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (UA-Hcy-TG-TC-LDL-C-) as the reference, the combinations of UA+Hcy+TG-TC-LDL-, UA+Hcy+TG+TC+LDL-C- and UA+Hcy+TG+TC+LDL-C+ were significantly associated with the risk of stroke for females (OR = 2.48, 7.85 and 3.04). Conclusions High UA level could significantly increase stroke risk in female hypertensive patients. Female hypertensive patients may benefit from managing UA at normal levels for stroke prevention.

Non-O1/non-O139 Vibrio cholerae (NOVC) are increasingly being recognized as causes of sporadic cases of gastroenteritis and extra-intestinal invasive infections, such as bacteremia as well as skin and wound infections in immunosuppressed hosts. However, oral infections caused by these microorganisms have rarely been reported. We present a case of oral infection caused by NOVC in a patient undergoing chemoradiotherapy after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. The patient recovered well after antibiotic treatment. The isolate from the patient was screened for phenotypic and genetic characteristics with reference to their major virulence genes. Our report provides supporting evidence for oral infection due to NOVC in a patient with esophageal cancer and suggests that some putative accessory virulence factors may be crucial in the pathogenicity of this strain. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first documented case of oral infection due to NOVC.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the effect of optimized ultrafiltration on perioperative electrolytes, acid–base balance, and pulmonary function during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in infants with low body weight (under 10 kg), using traditional balanced ultrafiltration and modified ultrafiltration.Methods: A total of 30 children who underwent surgical correction for congenital heart disease in Changzhou Children's Hospital between January 2018 and December 2019 were randomly divided into two groups. In the treatment group, ultrafiltration pre-treatment was carried out with blood-containing priming fluid prior to CPB. Balanced ultrafiltration was performed during the operation, and optimized and modified ultrafiltration were conducted before closing and extubation. In the control group, traditional balanced ultrafiltration was used during the operation, and a modified ultrafiltration combination was used before closing and extubation. Indexes such as blood gas analysis and electrolytes were measured perioperatively, and pulmonary function was observed.Results: No deaths were reported in either group. The ventilator-assisted breathing time was shorter in the treatment group than in the control group (P < 0.05). The indexes of the treatment group were closer than those of the control group to the optimal physiological values. The concentrations of potassium ion (K+), lactate (Lac), and blood glucose (Glu) decreased, and there was significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.05) at the end of CPB. Hemoglobin (Hb) and hematocrit (HCT) in the treatment group increased (P < 0.01). Alveolar-arterial differences for oxygen (A-aDO2) and respiratory index (RI) increased significantly in both groups after operation. Children in the treatment group began to recover lung function earlier than children in the control group. Both A-aDO2 and RI were lower in the treatment group than in the control group at each time point after operation (P < 0.05).Conclusion: Optimizing and modifying the traditional ultrafiltration combination method can effectively shorten the ultrafiltration time, reduce the adverse impacts of the ultrafiltration technique, and improve the lung function of infants after operation.

To examine the association between blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and risk of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) among Chinese adults, we performed an ongoing cohort study of 38578 Chinese adults (56.3% males; average age, 41.6 y) who underwent repeated health check-up examinations between 2009 and 2016 and without T2DM at baseline. During follow-up, incident T2DM cases were identified based on self-report, medication use, measurements of fasting plasma glucose, 2 h post oral glucose, or haemoglobinA1c. 2009 (5.2%) cases confirmed with incident T2DM were identified during median follow-up of 3.1 years. With increasing quartiles of BUN levels, the incidences of T2DM gradually increased with 0.69%, 1.11%, 1.53%, and 1.87% for quartile 1 to quartile 4 (p trend

Liping Yang,1,2 Zhaomin Liu,2 Wenhua Ling,2 Li Wang,1 Changyi Wang,1 Jianping Ma,1 Xiaolin Peng,1 Jianying Chen3 1Center for Chronic Disease Control, Nanshan, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China; 2Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Food, Nutrition and Health, Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Internal Medicine Department, BaiYun Hospital, GuangZhou, GuangDong Province, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Liping YangCenter for Chronic Disease Control, NanShan, ShenZhen 518000, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-755-26403300Email yanglp6@mail2.sysu.edu.cnBackground: Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-4 (IGFBP-4) fragments have been shown to be associated with cardiometabolic diseases. Anthocyanins as a subgroup of natural polyphenols could have benefits on treating cardiometabolic diseases. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of purified anthocyanins on serum IGFBP-4 fragments and glycemic control in patients with fasting hyperglycemia.Methods: A set of 121 participants with elevated fasting glucose (≥ 5.6 mmol/L), who were originally randomly assigned to anthocyanins (320 mg/day) or placebo groups, were included in this study. Serum IGFBP-4 fragments, fasting and postload glucose, insulin, and C-peptide after a three-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were measured at baseline and at the end of 12 weeks.Results: Compared with placebo, anthocyanins increased serum IGFBP-4 fragments (net change 8.33 ng/mL, 95% CI [1.2, 15.47], p=0.023) and decreased fasting glucose (− 0.4 mmol/L [− 0.71, -0.1], p=0.01), 2-hour C-peptide (− 1.02 ng/mL [− 1.99, − 0.04], p=0.041) and the 3-hour area under the curve (AUC) of C-peptide (− 2.19 [− 4.11, − 0.27], p=0.026). No other significant difference in parameters for glycemic control and insulin resistance was observed.Conclusion: Anthocyanins supplementation for 12 weeks improved serum IGFBP-4 fragments and decreased fasting glucose and postload C-peptide in patients with fasting hyperglycemia. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings and clarify the potential mechanism.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02689765. Registered on 6 February 2016, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02689765.Keywords: IGFBP-4 fragments, anthocyanin, oral glucose tolerance test, insulin resistance, C-peptide

Aim The aim of this study is to investigate the sex-specific association between the ZJU index and risk of fatty liver disease in a large Chinese cohort. Methods A total of 28 729 adults without fatty liver disease at baseline and who completed at least one follow-up of annual examinations between 2009 and 2016 were included in this study. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for fatty liver disease risk associated with the ZJU index. Results During a median follow-up of 3.01 years, 7373 developed fatty liver disease. There were significant associations between the ZJU index and fatty liver disease for women and men with increasing HRs as the quartiles increase across Q2-Q4, corresponding HRs (95% CIs) in M3 were 2.28 (1.98-2.64), 3.52 (3.07-4.04), and 4.87 (4.24-5.59) for women and 2.44 (2.17-2.75), 4.18 (3.73-4.68), and 6.23 (5.56-6.98) for men. The association between the ZJU index and fatty liver disease risk remained significant in all the subgroups except that of T2DM and abdominal obesity subgroups for men. However, the association became nonsignificant when comparing Q3 and Q2 of the ZJU index with reference in the subgroups of T2DM for men, and nonsignificant when comparing Q3 of the ZJU index with reference in the subgroups of participants with T2DM and abdominal obesity for women. Conclusion The ZJU index was significantly associated with the risk of fatty liver disease in Chinese population. It will be better to keep body mass index, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, triglyceride, and fasting plasma glucose at a normal level for preventing fatty liver disease.

Background Epidemiological studies have suggested that adiponectin is associated with the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. This study first examined the effect of purified anthocyanins, a group of dietary flavonoids, on serum adiponectin in patients with prediabetes and newly diagnosed diabetes. Methods A total of 160 patients with prediabetes (n = 90) or newly diagnosed diabetes (n = 70) were randomly assigned to either the anthocyanins group or the placebo group for 12 weeks of intervention. Serum adiponectin, a set of biomarkers related to glucolipid metabolism, anthropometric parameters, dietary intake and physical activity were measured before and after intervention. Results Anthocyanins increased serum adiponectin compared with placebo (net change 0.46 µg/mL, 95% CI [0.03, 0.90], p = 0.038) in the subjects with newly diagnosed diabetes. No significant difference in the change in adiponectin was observed between the two groups either in the overall subjects (0.02 µg/mL [− 0.32, 0.36], p = 0.906) or in prediabetes (− 0.35 µg/mL [− 0.85, 0.16], p = 0.174). Anthocyanins also decreased fasting glucose (− 0.5 mmol/L [− 1, − 0.04], p = 0.035) in the subjects with newly diagnosed diabetes, but no such change was observed in those with prediabetes. Conclusions Anthocyanins supplementation for 12 weeks improved serum adiponectin and fasting glucose in patients with newly diagnosed diabetes, but not in patients with prediabetes. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02689765. Registered on 6 February 2016, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02689765.

BACKGROUND The association of ratio of triglycerides to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C ratio) change trajectory with risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between risk of T2DM and TG/HDL-C ratio change trajectory. METHODS A total of 18 444 participants aged 18-80 years old were included in this cohort study. Linear regression and quadratic regression models were used to determine the TG/HDL-C ratio change trajectory. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between TG/HDL-C ratio change trajectory and probability of T2DM. RESULTS T2DM developed in 714 participants during a median follow-up of 5.74 years (92 076.23 person-years of follow-up). After adjusting for baseline potential confounders, odds of T2DM were greater for participants with the increasing, U-shape, bell-shape, and other shape change vs decreasing change (adjusted OR [aOR] 2.01, 95% CI 1.42-2.81; 1.56, 1.15-2.13; 1.60, 1.17-2.20; and 1.49, 1.13-2.00, respectively). The results were robust in the sensitivity analyses on excluding baseline participants with T2DM. Moreover, the associations remained significant with male sex, age

Background Treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) requires at least six months and is compromised by poor adherence. In the directly observed therapy (DOT) scheme recommended by the World Health Organization, the patient is directly observed taking their medications at a health post. An alternative to DOT is video-observed therapy (VOT), in which the patients take videos of themselves taking the medication and the video is uploaded into the app and reviewed by a health care worker. We developed a comprehensive TB management system by using VOT that is installed as an app on the smartphones of both patients and health care workers. It was implemented into the routine TB control program of the Nanshan District of Shenzhen, China. Objective The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of VOT with that of DOT in managing the treatment of patients with pulmonary TB and to evaluate the acceptance of VOT for TB management by patients and health care workers. Methods Patients beginning treatment between September 2017 and August 2018 were enrolled into the VOT group and their data were compared with the retrospective data of patients who began TB treatment and were managed with routine DOT between January 2016 and August 2017. Sociodemographic characteristics, clinical features, treatment adherence, positive findings of sputum smears, reporting of side effects, time and costs of transportation, and satisfaction were compared between the 2 treatment groups. The attitudes of the health care workers toward the VOT-based system were also analyzed. Results This study included 158 patients in the retrospective DOT group and 235 patients in the VOT group. The VOT group showed a significantly higher fraction of doses observed (P85% of their doses observed, while only 16.4% (26/158) of the DOT patients had >85% of their doses observed. All patients were cured without recurrences. The VOT management required significantly (P Conclusions Implementation of the VOT-based system into the routine program of TB management was simple and it significantly increased patient adherence to their drug regimens. Our study shows that a comprehensive VOT-based TB management represents a viable and improved evolution of DOT.

BACKGROUND The study aimed to investigate the associations of baseline serum albumin level and its dynamic change with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) risk in a large Chinese cohort study. METHODS This cohort study included 30 442 adults without T2DM at first entry, who completed at least one follow-up of annual examinations between 2009 and 2016. Serum albumin level was measured at baseline and at every annual check-up. The dynamic change in serum albumin level (∆ALB) was calculated by subtracting serum albumin level at baseline from that at the last follow-up. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated with Cox regression models. RESULTS During 7 years of follow-up, we identified 1634 T2DM events. From the lowest to the highest quartile of serum albumin level, adjusted HRs (95% CI) were 1.00 (reference), 0.96 (0.94, 1.01), 0.98 (0.95, 1.02) and 0.88 (0.85, 0.98), respectively. As compared with stable change in serum albumin (-0.2 ≤ ∆ALB

Background. Conflicting findings have been reported regarding the sex-specific association between serum uric acid (SUA) level and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) risk, and no study has explored the association between the change in hyperuricemia status and T2DM risk. The study was aimed at exploring the sex-specific association of baseline SUA and changes in hyperuricemia status with T2DM risk. Methods. We included 37,296 eligible adults without T2DM at the first examination who attended the baseline examination and at least one follow-up annual examination. Cox and logistic regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and odds ratios (ORs) with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for T2DM risk associated with baseline SUA and the change in hyperuricemia status, respectively. Results. During a median follow-up of 3.09 years, of 37,296 eligible adults, 2,263 developed T2DM. Compared with the first SUA quartile, higher quartiles were associated with an increased risk of T2DM in women (HR 1.78, 95% CI 1.17-2.71 for Q3 and 1.93, 1.27-2.93 for Q4; Ptrend<0.001) but not in men. Compared with women with a persistent normal SUA level at baseline and the last follow-up, T2DM risk increased significantly among those whose SUA status changed from normal at baseline to hyperuricemia at the last follow-up (OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.12-2.55) and those with persistent hyperuricemia at baseline and the last follow-up (OR 2.37, 95% CI 1.60-3.46). However, for men, a nonsignificant association was found between the change in hyperuricemia status and T2DM risk. Conclusions. Baseline SUA and the change in hyperuricemia status were associated with T2DM risk only among women. The findings suggest the importance of monitoring SUA levels and maintaining them within a normal range for preventing or reducing incident T2DM in Chinese women.

Aims: Cytosine-phosphate-guanine single nucleotide polymorphisms (CpG SNPs) have been identified as new markers in human diseases. We aimed to evaluate the contribution of 29 CpG SNPs in the insulin signaling pathways to the risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Han Chinese. Materials and methods: We recruited 708 T2D subjects, 253 prediabetes subjects and 575 healthy controls from 16 community health service centers (CHSC) in Shenzhen Nanshan district. Detailed clinical information and DNA samples were collected. A total of 29 CpG SNPs of the insulin signaling pathways were sequenced using the MassARRAY platform. Binary logistic regression was applied to evaluate the association between these 29 CpG SNPs with prediabetes and T2D after adjusted the relevant confounding factors. The potential interactions among the 29 CpG SNPs were conducted by the generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR). Results: Significant associations are found between KRAS rs7311692 [Padjusted = 0.009, OR = 0.562(0.363-0.868) by allele] and CBLC rs2965143 [Padjusted = 0.008, OR = 1.591(1.128-2.242) under the dominant model] with prediabetes. A further breakdown analysis by gender identify a significant association between MAPK9 rs1363513 and T2D risk in males [Padjusted = 0.004, OR = 0.57(0.399-0.836) by allele], while FLOT2 rs4795473 is associated with prediabetes in females (P = 0.007 by genotype). However, no significant effect of potential interaction is observed among the 29 CpG SNPs. Conclusion: These results indicated that KRAS rs7311692, CBLC rs2965143 and FLOT2 rs4795473 are related with prediabetes, while MAPK9 rs1363513 was associated with male T2D.

The city of Shenzhen has recently experienced extraordinary economic growth accompanied by a huge internal migrant influx. We investigated the local dynamics of tuberculosis (TB) epidemiology in the Nanshan District of Shenzhen to provide insights for TB control strategies for this district and other rapidly developing regions in China. We analyzed the age-specific incidence and number of TB cases in the Nanshan District from 2011 to 2016. Over all, the age-standardized incidence of TB decreased at an annual rate of 3.4%. The incidence was lowest amongst the age group 0–14 and showed no increase in this group over the six-year period (P = 0.587). The fastest decreasing incidence was among the 15–24 age group, with a yearly decrease of 13.3% (β = 0.867, P β = 1.131, P

Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte disorder in hospitals. Many medical illnesses, including congestive heart failure, liver failure, renal failure and pneumonia, may be associated with hyponatremia. In addition, hyponatremia in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related complex (ARC) was first reported in 1993. The evidence suggests that severe hyponatremia is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS patients; however, the incidence of hyponatremic syndrome in HIV/AIDS patients remains very high in clinical practice, as almost 40% of HIV/AIDS inpatients in Xinjiang, a developing region of China, are hyponatremic. A method for identifying the pathogenesis and therapeutic treatments for hyponatremia in HIV/AIDS patients is needed. This review focuses on the clinical and pathophysiological aspects of hyponatremia and highlights the causes, presentation and treatment recommendations for hyponatremic patients with HIV/AIDS.

Background The treatment failure and reinfection rates among syphilis patients are high, and relevant studies in China are limited. The aim of this study was to detect the rates of treatment failure and reinfection after syphilis treatment and to explore the potential associated factors. Methods We conducted a longitudinal cohort study in a sexually transmitted disease clinic, the Department of Dermatology and Venereology in Nanshan Center for Chronic Disease Control. Serological testing was performed at baseline and throughout the 2-year follow-up for syphilis patients. To identify potential predictors of treatment outcomes, multivariate logistics analyses were utilized to compare the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with serological failure/reinfection to those with serological cure/serofast. Results From June 2011 to June 2016, a total of 1133 patients were screened for syphilis. Among the 770 patients who completed the 2-year follow-up, 510 first-diagnosed patients were included in the final analysis. Multivariate logistics analysis revealed the stage of syphilis (secondary syphilis VS. primary syphilis: adjusted odds ratio, 3.50; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-15.47; p = 0.04), HIV status (positive VS. negative: adjusted odds ratio, 3.06; 95% confidence interval, 1.15-8.04; p = 0.02) and frequency of condom use (always use VS. never use: adjusted odds ratio, 0.28; 95% confidence interval 0.08-0.75; p = 0.02) were significantly associated with the serological outcome. Conclusions The clinical implications of our findings suggest that it is very important to perform regular clinical and serologic evaluations after treatment. Health counseling and safety education on sex activity should be intensified among HIV-infected patients and secondary syphilis patients after treatment.

Objective: To investigate the incidence and trends in colorectal cancer (CRC) among Asian American populations in the United States. Methods: CRC incidence data from 1994 through 2013 were obtained from 13 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries. SEER*Stat and IBM SPSS Statistics were used. Results: The age-adjusted incidence of CRC among Asian Americans decreased from 45.6 per 100,000 in 1994 to 33.0 per 100,000 in 2013, with the annual percent change being −1.8% (P

IntroductionBrachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (ba-PWV), as a simple and easily measured marker of arterial stiffness, has not been prospectively explored for its role in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) risk among the general population. This study aimed to explore the association between baseline ba-PWV value and new-onset T2DM among Chinese adults.Research design and methodsUsing data from Xiaotangshan Hospital, we conducted a prospective cohort study among those who underwent annual or biennial health check-up examinations and who had their ba-PWV measured from 2009 to 2016. We explored the risk of new-onset T2DM across ba-PWV tertiles using Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis.ResultsOf 6122 adults (68.9% male; mean age: 51.0 (SD 13.0) years) without T2DM and with ba-PWV measured at baseline, 599 participants developed T2DM during an average of 3.8 (SD 2.3) years of follow-up. After multivariable adjustment, ba-PWV was positively related to T2DM risk (p for trend=0.008). Compared with the lowest ba-PWV tertile, the HRs and their 95% CIs were 1.57 (1.18 to 2.10) for the second and 1.66 (1.24 to 2.22) for the third tertile. The risk across ba-PWV tertiles increased steadily from 1000 cm/s to 1400 cm/s and then reached a plateau. Subgroup analyses indicated a significantly higher risk among those aged ConclusionsOur findings suggest that ba-PWV might be a useful and independent predictor of new-onset T2DM with ba-PWV ranging between 1000 cm/s and 1400 cm/s, especially among younger individuals and current smokers.

ObjectiveMetabolic syndrome (MetS) is a notable risk factor of coronary heart disease (CHD). However, there are differences in the methods used to define MetS. The purpose of this study was to determine which MetS definition most fully reflects the 10-year probability of CHD based on the Framingham risk algorithm.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingData were obtained from the China Health and Nutrition Survey and the Influencing Factors of Chronic Diseases Survey conducted among residents of Nanshan District in Shenzhen, China.ParticipantsIn total, 1721 participants aged 20–80 years were included in this study.MethodsMetS was diagnosed according to the criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program’s Adult Treatment Panel (revised NCEP-ATP III), the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the Chinese Diabetes Society (CDS). The NCEP-ATP III algorithm was used to calculate the Framingham risk score, and the Framingham risk score was used to define the probability of developing CHD within 10 years either as low (20%). Chi-square tests with or without the Bonferroni correction were used to compare the differences in the distribution of the 10-year estimated risk of developing CHD among the three definitions.ResultsCompared with the other definitions, the revised NCEP-ATP III criteria identified more participants (30.96%, 95% CI 28.8% to 33.2%) as having MetS, while the CDS criteria showed the highest 10-year probability of developing CHD. The 10-year probability of developing CHD in the participants with MetS was significantly higher than that in the participants without MetS (CDS: χ2=157.65, revised ATP III: χ2=45.17, IDF: χ2=306.15, all p2=72.83; IDF: χ2=63.60; CDS: χ2=23.84; all pConclusionsThis study demonstrates the differences in the prevalence and distribution of the 10-year estimated risk of developing CHD based on the definition of MetS. A significant finding of this study is that the MetS definitions have better performance for men than for women. Further studies in China, especially longitudinal studies, are needed to determine which definition of MetS is best suited for predicting CHD risk.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the expression levels of serum miRNAs in diabetic retinopathy and type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: Serum miRNA expression profiles from diabetic retinopathy cases (type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with diabetic retinopathy) and type 2 diabetes mellitus controls (type 2 diabetes mellitus patients without diabetic retinopathy) were examined by miRNA-specific microarray analysis. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to validate the significantly differentially expressed serum miRNAs from the microarray analysis of 45 diabetic retinopathy cases and 45 age-, sex-, body mass index- and duration-of-diabetes-matched type 2 diabetes mellitus controls. The relative changes in serum miRNA expression levels were analyzed using the 2-ΔΔCt method. RESULTS: A total of 5 diabetic retinopathy cases and 5 type 2 diabetes mellitus controls were included in the miRNA-specific microarray analysis. The serum levels of miR-3939 and miR-1910-3p differed significantly between the two groups in the screening stage; however, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction did not reveal significant differences in miRNA expression for 45 diabetic retinopathy cases and their matched type 2 diabetes mellitus controls. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that miR-3939 and miR-1910-3p may not play important roles in the development of diabetic retinopathy; however, studies with a larger sample size are needed to confirm our findings.

OBJECTIVES: Cystathionine β-synthase is a major enzyme in the metabolism of plasma homocysteine. Hyperhomocysteinemia is positively associated with hypertension and stroke. The present study was performed to examine the possible effects of Cystathionine β-synthase promoter methylation on the development of hypertension and stroke. METHODS: Using quantitative methylation-specific PCR, we determined the Cystathionine β-synthase methylation levels in 218 healthy individuals and 132 and 243 age- and gender-matched stroke and hypertensive patients, respectively. The relative changes in Cystathionine β-synthase promoter methylation were analyzed using the 2- ΔΔCt method. The percent of the methylated reference of Cystathionine β-synthase was used to represent the Cystathionine β-synthase promoter methylation levels. RESULTS: In this study, the Cystathionine β-synthase promoter methylation levels of hypertensive and stroke participants were both higher than that of the healthy individuals (median percentages of the methylated reference were 50.61%, 38.05% and 30.53%, respectively, all p

Summary Aims Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) is known to increase the risk of many diseases. Factors influencing HHcy in healthy and hypertensive subjects remain under-researched. Methods A large population-based study was conducted in 60 communities from Shenzhen, China. Responses to standardized questions on lifestyle factors and blood samples were collected from all participants after a 12-h overnight fast. Multiple linear and multivariate logistic regressions were used to explore risk factors for HHcy. Results were then compared to those from a systematic review of English-language articles listed in Pubmed, EBSCOhost, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane libraries that investigated HHcy risk factors in healthy and hypertensive subjects. Results A total of 1586 healthy (Male/Female = 642/944) and 5935 hypertensive subjects (Male/Female = 2928/3007) participated in our population-based study. In logistic regression analyses, age, BMI and creatinine (Cr) were risk factors, while being female, fruit intake and physical activity were protective factors for HHcy in healthy subjects. In hypertensive subjects, seven [age, smoking, salt intake, systolic blood pressure (SBP), uric acid, triglycerides (TG), and Cr] and four [female, fruit intake, total cholesterol (TC), and glucose] factors were associated with higher and lower HHcy respectively. The review of 71 studies revealed that potential risk factors for Hcy included nutritional, physiologic, lifestyle habits, ethnicity, genetics, interactions between gene–environment, gene–gene, gene–nutritional, environment–environment, nutritional–nutritional. Conclusion Our study indicates the potential importance of increasing folic acid and vitamin B supplementation, daily fruit and vegetable intake, regular exercise and refraining from tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption as preventive strategies for Hcy.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) play important roles in initiating and regulating immune responses. pDC infiltration has been documented in multiple pathological lesions including infections, tumors, and autoimmune diseases, and the severity of pDC infiltration correlates with disease progression. However, a specific antibody for identifying pDCs by immunohistochemical staining on paraffin-embedded tissue sections is still lacking. Here, we developed a novel antibody targeted E2-2, a transcription factor preferentially expressed in pDCs. The antibody stains the nuclei of pDCs specifically in immunohistochemical analysis of various tissues from both human and rhesus monkey. This novel antibody will serve as a beneficial tool for pDC-related basic research and clinical investigation.

1. Rhein (RH), a primary active component isolated from rhubarb, is effective in protecting against the progression of diabetic nephropathy (DN) progression. Glycyrrhizic acid (GA), an active constituent of liquorice, is also considered to be a protective agent against DN. Here, we evaluated the effect of GA on the renal penetration of RH in rats.2. Plasma and renal pharmacokinetics were profiled to estimate kidney penetration. After rats were anesthetized, the carotid artery was used for blood collection and a microdialysis probe was inserted into the kidney cortex to collect dialysate samples.3. When co-administered with GA, the Vss and CL values of RH in plasma increased by 25% and 34%, respectively. The Cmax in kidney dialysates significantly increased 1.3-fold (p 0–∞ in kidney dialysates, but a significant decrease (2 × fold) in the plasma was observed. The AUC0–∞kidney/AUC0–∞plasma ratio of RH, representing kidney penetration, increased by 1.4-fold in the group pre-treated with GA compared to the RH alone group.4. These results demonstrate that GA increases the renal penetration of RH efficiently and may exert a synergistic effect, although the molecular mechanism of interaction requires further investigation.

To assess the association between total plasma homocysteine (tHcy) and ischemic stroke (IS) in hypertensive subjects in a matched case-control study.This is a 1:2 matched and population-based case-control study, all of the participants were recruited from the 60 communities in Shenzhen, China. Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, medical records, lifestyle risk factors and other clinical characteristics were obtained from all of the subjects. The association between tHcy and incidence of IS was analyzed by using conditional logistic regression models.The median values of plasma tHcy were significantly higher in IS subjects than in non-IS subjects, especially in women. After adjusted for the confounding factors in Model 2, compared with the lowest quartile of tHcy, the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs of the highest quartile of tHcy for IS were 0.83 (0.36-1.90) in men, 4.51 (1.29-15.7) in women and 1.31 (0.70-2.47) in the total subjects; the ORs and 95% CIs for IS per 5 μmol/L increase in homocysteine were 1.11 (0.99-1.22), 1.25 (1.03-1.58) and 1.15 (1.01-1.28) in men, women and total subjects, respectively. We observed significant associations in crude model, Model 1 and Model 2 in women for the comparison of tHcy ≥ 15 μmol/L versus 15 μmol/L. Interaction analysis showed that the association of tHcy with IS was significant in women (p-interaction = 0.04).This matched case-control study indicates that tHcy may increase the susceptibility to IS in essential hypertension subjects, especially in women. Further large prospective cohort studies are needed to confirm our findings.

Background and Purpose— Total homocysteine level (tHcy) is a risk factor of ischemic stroke (IS) and coronary heart disease. However, the results are conflicting and mainly focused on healthy individuals in developed countries. Methods— A prospective, population-based cohort study was conducted among 5935 participants from 60 communities in the city of Shenzhen, China. A Cox regression analysis was applied to evaluate the contribution of tHcy to the risk of IS and coronary heart disease. The effect of folic acid supplementation on tHcy levels was also evaluated among 501 patients with essential hypertension, who received an average of 2.5 years of folic acid supplementation. Results— After adjustment for confounding factors, the hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) of IS caused by hyperhomocysteinemia were 2.18 (1.65–2.89), 2.40 (1.56–3.67), and 2.73 (1.83–4.08) in the total, male, and female participants, respectively. Compared with normal levels of tHcy ( Conclusions— Hyperhomocysteinemia in Chinese hypertensive patients is significantly associated with IS risk but not coronary heart disease susceptibility, and folic acid supplementation can efficiently reduce tHcy levels.

Background. Controversy remains for the association between hepatocyte nuclear factor4α(HNF-4α) P2 promoter polymorphism rs1884613 and type 2 diabetes (T2D). There was no association test of this polymorphism with prediabetes and T2D in the Chinese population. Moreover, an updated meta-analysis in various ethnic groups is needed to establish the contribution of rs1884613 to T2D risk.Methods. Using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform approach, we genotyped rs1884613 ofHNF-4αin the P2 promoter region among 490 T2D patients, 471 individuals with prediabetes, and 575 healthy controls. All the individuals were recruited from 16 community health service centers in Nanshan district in Shenzhen province. Using STATA 11.0 software, meta-analysis was performed to summarize the overall contribution of rs1884613 to T2D risk.Results. Polymorphism rs1884613 was associated with genetic susceptibility to prediabetes in the whole samples (OR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.16–1.68,P=0.0001) and the female subgrouped samples (OR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.14–1.92,P=0.003) after adjusting for age and body mass index (BMI). In contrast, there was no association of rs1884613 with T2D in the whole samples and male in our case-control study and meta-analysis.Conclusions. Our results suggest that rs1884613 contributes to susceptibility to prediabetes, whereas this polymorphism may not play an important role in the development of T2D.

It is currently widely accepted that immune activation in HIV-infected individuals leads to a severe loss of CD4+ T cells and the progression to AIDS. However, the underlying mechanism of this immune activation remains unclear. Experimental data suggest that the activation of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) by plasma viremia may play a critical role in HIV-induced immune activation. In this study, we found that the level of immune activation was higher in the late phase of SIVmac239 infection compared with chronic infection, which suggests that immune activation might be related to disease progression in SIVmac239-infected non-human primate models. Our work also showed that chloroquine could effectively inhibit the activation of pDCs in vitro and in vivo. However, chloroquine treatment of SIVmac239-infected macaques had no significant influence on the Cellular composition of peripheral blood in these animals.