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Objective: This study explored the impact of a family intervention on the relapse rate of Chinese patients with alcohol dependence., Methods: A total of 151 male patients with alcohol dependence who were discharged from the Substance Dependence Department of the Wenzhou Seventh People's Hospital from January to December 2020 were selected. They were divided into the control ( n  = 73) and experimental ( n  = 78) groups. Patients in both groups received routine alcohol cessation treatment. Moreover, patients in the experimental group were followed up by a professional psychiatrist to carry out individual family intervention. The Family Function Rating Scale (FAD), a Self-made general information questionnaire, and the Chinese version of the Family Intimacy and Adaptability Scale (FACESI-CV) were performed. Re-drinking rate and readmission rate were assessed., Results: Family intervention could reduce relapse rate (31, 39.74%) and rehospitalization (27, 34.62%) compared with the control group. After family training, FAD factor scores were improved in the experiment group in comparison with the control group. Family training improved communication (18.2 ± 3.7), role (20.8 ± 2.5), emotional response (10.8 ± 1.8), emotional involvement (13.7 ± 1.2), behavioral control (19.8 ± 1.2), and overall functionality (23.5 ± 2.1) in the experiment group in comparison with the control group. After family training, intimacy (70.5 ± 8.7) and adaptability (64.1 ± 6.9) in the experiment group was higher than in the control group. After family intervention, Michigan Alcohol Dependence Scale (MAST) (9.21 ± 0.68) and Short-Form 36 (SF-36) (80.32 ± 4.47) in the experiment group were higher than the control group., Conclusion: Family intervention for families of patients with alcohol dependence can improve their family function, increase their family intimacy and adaptability, and reduce the rate of relapse., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wang, Tang, Chen, Xia, Wang and Zhang.)

Background: Previous studies of maternal iron and birth outcomes have been limited to single indicators that do not reflect the comprehensive relationship with birth outcomes. We aimed to investigate the relationship between maternal iron metabolism and neonatal anthropometric indicators using comprehensive iron-related indicators., Methods: A total of 914 Chinese mother-child dyads were enrolled in this prospective study. Subjects' blood samples were collected at ≤ 14 weeks of gestation. Serum concentrations of iron-related indicators were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Femur length was measured by B-ultrasound nearest delivery. Neonatal anthropometric indicators were collected from medical records., Results: After adjustment for potential covariates, higher iron (per one standard deviation, SD increase) was detrimentally associated with - 0.22 mm lower femur length, whereas higher transferrin (per one SD increase) was associated with 0.20 mm higher femur length. Compared with normal subjects (10th-90th percentiles), subjects with extremely high (> 90th percentile) iron concentration were detrimentally associated with lower femur length, birth weight, and chest circumference, and a higher risk of low birth weight, LBW (HR: 3.92, 95%CI: 1.28, 12.0). Subjects with high concentration of soluble transferrin receptor, sTFR and transferrin (> 90th percentile) were associated with higher femur length. Subjects with low concentration of iron and ferritin concentrations (< 10th percentile) were associated with a higher risk of LBW (HR: 4.10, 95%CI: 1.17, 14.3) and macrosomia (HR: 2.79, 95%CI: 1.06, 7.35), respectively., Conclusions: Maternal iron overload in early pregnancy may be detrimentally associated with neonatal anthropometric indicators and adverse birth outcomes., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: To identify the main metals involved in cognitive impairment in the Chinese oldest old, and explore the association between these metal exposures and cognitive impairment. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1 568 participants aged 80 years and older from Healthy Aging and Biomarkers Cohort Study (2017 to 2018). Fasting venous blood was collected to measure the levels of nine metals (selenium, lead, cadmium, arsenic, antimony, chromium, manganese, mercury, and nickel). The cognitive function of these participants was evaluated by using the Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (CMMSE). The random forest (RF) was applied to independently identify the main metals that affected cognitive impairment. The multivariate logistic regression model and restricted cubic splines (RCS) model were used to further verify the association of the main metals with cognitive impairment. Results: The age of 1 568 study subjects was (91.8±7.6) years old, including 912 females (58.2%) and 465 individuals (29.7%) with cognitive function impairment. Based on the RF model (the out-of-bag error rate was 22.9%), the importance ranking of variables was conducted and the feature screening of five times ten-fold cross-validation was carried out. It was found that selenium was the metal that affected cognitive function impairment, and the other eight metals were not included in the model. After adjusting for covariates, the multivariate logistic regression model showed that with every increase of 10 μg/L of blood selenium levels, the risk of cognitive impairment decreased ( OR =0.921, 95% CI : 0.889-0.954). Compared with the lowest quartile( Q 1 ) of blood selenium, the OR s (95% CI ) of Q 3 and Q 4 blood selenium were 0.452 (0.304-0.669) and 0.419 (0.281-0.622) respectively. The RCS showed a linear dose-response relationship between blood selenium and cognitive impairment ( P nonlinear >0.05). Conclusion: Blood selenium is negatively associated with cognitive impairment in the Chinese oldest old.

Background: Thyroid function is known to be closely linked with type 2 diabetes, but data on the association between thyroid function and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are inconsistent., Methods: A total of 2849 pregnant women were included in this retrospective study. Serum concentrations of thyroid indicators (free tetraiodothyronine, FT4; thyroid-stimulating hormone, TSH; and thyroid peroxidase antibody, TPO Ab) were obtained from a clinical laboratory. The presence of GDM were drawn from medical records. The clinical subtypes of thyroid function (euthyroidism, subclinical hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and isolated hypothyroxinemia) were categorized according to the thresholds of the 2.5 th /97.5 th and 10 th /90 th percentiles of TSH and FT4 concentrations. A concentration of > 34 IU/L was defined as indicating TPO Ab-positivity., Results: Two hundred and thirty-five (8.25%) of the 2849 women were TPO Ab-positive. Higher serum concentrations of FT4 (top vs. bottom tertiles) was found to be negatively associated with the risk of GDM. The corresponding odds (OR) values (top tertile vs. bottom tertile) were 0.71 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.54, 0.93]. No significant associations were observed between the extremely 2.5 th /97.5 th or 10 th /90 th percentiles of FT4 concentration, TSH concentration, thyroid function subtypes (vs. euthyroidism), TPO Ab-positivity (vs. -negativity), and the GDM risk. The corresponding results remained similar when TPO Ab-positive subjects were excluded., Conclusions: A negative association with the risk of GDM was observed for the highest FT4 concentrations tertile. No significant associations were found between the TSH concentration, thyroid function subtypes, TPO Ab positivity, and the GDM risk., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Context: Several small studies have suggested that the gut microbiome might influence osteoporosis, but there is little evidence from human metabolomics studies to explain this association., Objective: This study examined the association of gut microbiome dysbiosis with osteoporosis and explored the potential pathways through which this association occurs using fecal and serum metabolomics., Methods: We analyzed the composition of the gut microbiota by 16S rRNA profiling and bone mineral density using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in 1776 community-based adults. Targeted metabolomics in feces (15 categories) and serum (12 categories) were further analyzed in 971 participants using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry., Results: This study showed that osteoporosis was related to the beta diversity, taxonomy, and functional composition of the gut microbiota. The relative abundance of Actinobacillus, Blautia, Oscillospira, Bacteroides, and Phascolarctobacterium was positively associated with osteoporosis. However, Veillonellaceae other, Collinsella, and Ruminococcaceae other were inversely associated with the presence of osteoporosis. The association between microbiota biomarkers and osteoporosis was related to levels of peptidases and transcription machinery in microbial function. Fecal and serum metabolomics analyses suggested that tyrosine and tryptophan metabolism and valine, leucine, and isoleucine degradation were significantly linked to the identified microbiota biomarkers and to osteoporosis, respectively., Conclusion: This large population-based study provided robust evidence connecting gut dysbiosis, fecal metabolomics, and serum metabolomics with osteoporosis. Our results suggest that gut dysbiosis and amino acid metabolism could be targets for intervention in osteoporosis., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Endocrine Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objective: Although research suggests a close association between maternal thyroid function and birth outcomes, no clear conclusion has been reached. We aimed to explore this potential association in a retrospective cohort study., Methods: This study included 8985 mother-child dyads. The maternal serum free tetraiodothyronine (FT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO Ab) concentrations and birth outcome data were reviewed from medical records. Subjects with TPO Ab concentrations of >34 and ≤34 IU/ml were classified into the TPO Ab positivity (+) and TPO Ab negativity (-) groups, respectively., Results: Compared with subjects in the normal group (0.1 ≤ TSH < 2.5 mIU/L and TPO Ab-), those with TSH concentrations of 2.5-4.0 mIU/L and TPO Ab- had a 0.65-fold lower risk of low birth weight (LBW). In contrast, those with TSH concentrations of >4.0 mIU/L, regardless of the TPO Ab status, had a 2.01-fold increased risk of LBW. Subclinical hypothyroidism, regardless of the TPO Ab status, was associated with a 1.94-fold higher risk of LBW when compared with that in subjects with euthyroidism and TPO Ab-. No other significant associations were observed., Conclusion: A maternal TSH concentration of 2.5-4.0 mIU/L was associated with a lower risk of LBW when combined with TPO Ab-, whereas subjects with a TSH concentration of >4.0 mIU/L had an increased risk of LBW. Subclinical hypothyroidism appears to be associated with a higher risk of LBW., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Chen, Pang, Lu, Li, Zhou, Ye, Yang, Shen, Lin, Fan, Lu and Liu.)

Objective: To examine the association of erythrocyte n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) biomarkers with incident type 2 diabetes and explore the potential role of gut microbiota in the association., Research Design and Methods: We evaluated 2,731 participants without type 2 diabetes recruited between 2008 and 2013 in the Guangzhou Nutrition and Health Study (Guangzhou, China). Case subjects with type 2 diabetes were identified with clinical and biochemical information collected at follow-up visits. Using stool samples collected during the follow-up in the subset ( n = 1,591), 16S rRNA profiling was conducted. Using multivariable-adjusted Poisson or linear regression, we examined associations of erythrocyte n-6 PUFA biomarkers with incident type 2 diabetes and diversity and composition of gut microbiota., Results: Over 6.2 years of follow-up, 276 case subjects with type 2 diabetes were identified (risk 0.10). Higher levels of erythrocyte γ-linolenic acid (GLA), but not linoleic or arachidonic acid, were associated with higher type 2 diabetes incidence. Comparing the top to the bottom quartile groups of GLA levels, relative risk was 1.72 (95% CI 1.21, 2.44) adjusted for potential confounders. Baseline GLA was inversely associated with gut microbial richness and diversity (α-diversity, both P < 0.05) during follow-up and significantly associated with microbiota β-diversity ( P = 0.002). α-Diversity acted as a potential mediator in the association between GLA and type 2 diabetes ( P < 0.05). Seven genera ( Butyrivibrio , Blautia , Oscillospira , Odoribacter , S24-7 other , Rikenellaceae other , and Clostridiales other ) were enriched in quartile 1 of GLA and in participants without type 2 diabetes., Conclusions: Relative concentrations of erythrocyte GLA were positively associated with incident type 2 diabetes in a Chinese population and also with gut microbial profiles. These results highlight that gut microbiota may play an important role linking n-6 PUFA metabolism and type 2 diabetes etiology., (© 2020 by the American Diabetes Association.)

Background: The total and specific types of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) related to metabolic syndrome (MetS) remain inconsistent., Objective: We assessed the association of erythrocyte n-3 and n-6 PUFAs with MetS and the components of MetS in a cohort population., Methods: This prospective analysis included 2754 participants (aged 40-75 y) from the Guangzhou Nutrition and Health Study (2008-2019) in China. Erythrocyte PUFAs at baseline were measured using gas chromatography. MetS was assessed every 3 y according to the updated National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate HRs and 95% CIs., Results: We identified 716 incident cases of MetS. The primary analyses showed that the HRs (95% CIs) of MetS (tertile 3 versus 1) were 0.67 (0.56, 0.80) for n-3 PUFAs and 0.70 (0.58, 0.85) for n-6 PUFAs (all Ps trend <0.001). The secondary outcomes showed that, higher erythrocyte very-long-chain (VLC) PUFAs [20:3n-3, docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), arachidonic acid (ARA), and 22:4n-6], but lower α-linolenic acid (ALA) and γ-linolenic acid (GLA), tended to be associated with lower incidences of MetS and its components; among individual MetS components, the associations of PUFAs were more pronounced for hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) and hypertension, followed by low high-density lipoproten (HDL) cholesterol. Significantly higher concentrations of n-3 PUFAs (total, DPA, and DHA) and n-6 PUFAs (total, ARA, and 22:4) were observed in participants with improved (versus progressed) status of MetS (all Ps trend ≤0.003)., Conclusion: This study reveals that higher erythrocyte VLC n-3 and n-6 PUFAs, but lower 18-carbon PUFAs (ALA and GLA), are associated with lower risks of MetS components (HTG, hypertension, and low HDL cholesterol) and thereby lower MetS incidence in Chinese adults., (Copyright © The Author(s) 2020.)

Purpose: Previous studies have shown that high-dose supplementation with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) may benefit patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but the association of n-3 PUFAs with NAFLD among individuals with normal diets is only speculative. We investigated the cross-sectional and prospective associations between n-3 PUFAs and NAFLD in Chinese adults., Methods: This community-based prospective study included 3049 men and women (40-75 years) in Guangzhou, China, whose participants completed an NAFLD ultrasound evaluation and erythrocyte PUFA tests. A total of 2660 participants underwent the second NAFLD evaluation approximately 3 years later. α-Linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in erythrocytes were measured by gas chromatography., Results: After adjusting for potential confounders, we observed inverse associations between DHA, DHA + EPA, total n-3 PUFAs and the presence of NAFLD in the cross-sectional analysis. The adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of NAFLD for the highest (vs. lowest) tertile were 0.74 (0.61, 0.90) for DHA, 0.82 (0.67, 1.00) for EPA, 0.73 (0.60, 0.88) for DHA + EPA and 0.74 (0.61, 0.91) for total n-3 PUFAs  (all P values≤0.05). Over the average 3.12 years of follow-up, higher levels of DHA was associated with an improvement of NAFLD. The hazard ratio of improved NAFLD for the highest tertile was 1.18 (95% CI 1.09, 1.33) for DHA. Pathway analyses showed that favorable associations may be mediated by improvements in inflammatory markers (e.g., interleukin 1 beta and tumor necrosis factor alpha-like)., Conclusions: Erythrocyte membrane n-3 PUFAs are inversely associated with the presence and progression of NAFLD in Chinese adults., Trial Registrations: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03179657.

A pair of new tirucallane triterpenoid epimers, picraquassins M and N (1> and 2), were isolated from the stems of Picrasma quassioides (D. Don) Benn. Their structures were determined based on comprehensive spectroscopic and X-ray crystallographic analyses. In addition, their AChE inhibitory activity, cytotoxicity against five human tumour cell lines (SW480, MCF-7, HepG2, Hela, and PANC-1), and antimicrobial activity against two bacteria (Staphylococcus. aureus 209P and Escherichia coli ATCC0111) and two fungi (Candida albicans FIM709 and Aspergillus niger R330) were evaluated., (Copyright © 2019 China Pharmaceutical University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Picrasamide A (1), a new cinnamamide derivative, together with two new β-carboline alkaloids (2 and 3) and five known β-carboline alkaloids (4-8) were isolated from the stems of Picrasma quassioides (D. Don) Benn. Their structures were elucidated by detailed analyses of UV, IR, HRESIMS, and NMR data. Compound 1 was the first case of cinnamamide derivative from genus Picrasma. The AChE inhibitory activity and the antimicrobial activity of 1-8 were assessed. In addition, preliminary structure-activity relationships of these β-carboline alkaloids on the AChE inhibitory activity and antimicrobial activity were proposed., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Five new phthalide derivatives, biscogniphthalides A-D (1, 2, 3a/3b, and 4), were isolated from Biscogniauxia sp. (No. 69-8-7-1), along with one related known phthalide (5). Their structures were determined by comprehensive spectroscopic analyses, chemical derivatization, and quantum chemical ECD calculations. In addition, the anti-acetyl cholinesterase, antimicrobial, and anti-α-glucosidase activities of 1-5 were evaluated., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Previous studies have suggested that serum carotenoids might be inversely associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but little data came from longitudinal studies. We prospectively examined the associations between serum-carotenoid levels and NAFLD severity and the intermediary effects of retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4), HOMA insulin-resistance index (HOMA-IR), body mass index (BMI), and serum triglycerides in middle-aged and elderly Chinese adults., Methods: This prospective study included 3336 Chinese adults (40-75 years). We assessed serum concentrations of carotenoids at baseline and determined serum RBP4, triglycerides, and HOMA-IR levels at year 3. Abdominal ultrasonography was conducted to assess the presence and degree of NAFLD at years 3 and 6., Results: The 2687 subjects who completed both NAFLD tests were classified into stable, improved and progressed groups according to changes in the degree of NAFLD between two visits. Analyses of covariance showed that ln-transformed serum concentrations of α-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, β-carotene, lycopene, lutein/zeaxanthin, and total carotenoids were positively associated with NAFLD improvement (all p-trend < 0.05). After multivariable adjustment, mean differences in serum carotenoids were higher by 29.6% (β-carotene), 18.2% (α-carotene), 15.6% (β-cryptoxanthin), 11.5% (lycopene), 8.9% (lutein/zeaxanthin), and 16.6% (total carotenoids) in the improved vs. progressed subjects. Path analyses indicated the carotenoid-NAFLD association was mediated by lowering serum RBP4, triglycerides, HOMA-IR, and BMI, which were positively associated with the prevalence and progression of NAFLD., Conclusions: In middle-aged and elderly adults, higher serum-carotenoid concentrations were favorably associated with NAFLD improvement, mediated by reducing serum RBP4, triglycerides, HOMA-IR, and BMI., Trial Registrations: This study has been registered at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03179657.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between health insurance status and outcomes of septic acute kidney injury (AKI) related hospitalizations in an intensive care unit (ICU) in Ningbo, China., Methods: For this retrospective study, information was extracted from patients notes and billing records for patients >18 years of age with a diagnosis of AKI admitted to the ICU department, Ningbo First Hospital from April 2013 to March 2018., Results: Of the 368 patients with sepsis admitted to ICU, 167 (45%) developed AKI; 95 patients were insured and 72 were uninsured. Compared with insured patients, uninsured patients were younger, had higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores, but had less catheter interventions and received less renal replacement therapy (RRT). Results from a multivariate analysis showed that independent predictors of ICU mortality were age, APACHE II scores, MODS scores, use of RRT and lack of insurance., Conclusions: Uninsured patients with septic AKI were younger, stayed a shorter time in ICU, had higher illness severity scores and a higher ICU mortality than insured patients. Importantly a major risk factor for ICU mortality in this group was lack of insurance.

The association between circulating saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and incident type 2 diabetes (T2D) is reported in Western populations with inconsistent results, while evidence from Asian populations is scarce. We aimed to examine the associations between erythrocyte SFAs and incident T2D in a Chinese population. Between 2008 and 2013, a total of 2683 participants, aged 40⁻75 years, free of diabetes were included in the present analyses. Incident T2D cases were ascertained during follow-up visits. Gas chromatography was used to measure erythrocyte fatty acids at baseline. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). During 13,508 person years of follow-up, 216 T2D cases were identified. Compared with the first quartile, multivariable-adjusted HRs (95% CIs) of the fourth quartile were 1.20 (0.82⁻1.76; p = 0.242) for myristic acid (14-carbon tail, zero double bonds; 14:0), 0.69 (0.48⁻0.99; p = 0.080) for palmitic acid (16:0), 1.49 (1.02⁻2.19; p = 0.047) for stearic acid (18:0), 1.46 (1.00⁻2.12; p = 0.035) for arachidic acid (20:0), 1.48 (0.99⁻2.22; p = 0.061) for behenic acid (22:0), and 1.08 (0.74⁻1.56; p = 0.913) for lignoceric acid (24:0). Our findings indicate that individual erythrocyte SFAs are associated with T2D in different directions, with 18:0 and 20:0 SFAs positively associated with the risk, whereas no convincing inverse association for 16:0 SFAs., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Objective: A few studies have suggested that the consumption of fruit and vegetables (FV) may benefit bone health, but limited data are available in Asian subjects. We examined the association between FV intake and bone mineral density (BMD) and osteoporosis in Chinese adults., Methods: This population-based cross-sectional study involved 2083 women and 1006 men aged 40-75 years in Guangzhou, China. Habitual dietary data was collected from a 79-item food frequency questionnaire by face-to-face interviews. The BMD was measured for the whole body (WB), lumbar spine (LS), total hip (TH) and femur neck (FN) with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry., Results: After adjustment for potential covariates, we observed dose-dependent associations between total FV intake and BMD and osteoporosis risk. The mean BMD was higher in tertile 3 vs. tertile 1 by 1.33% (TH) and 1.31% (FN) for FV, and 1.10% (WB), 1.57% (TH), and 2.05% (FN) for fruit (all P-trends < 0.05). Significant beneficial associations with BMD at some sites were also found in most fruit categories but not in total vegetables or their subgroups. The odds ratios (95% confidence interval) of osteoporosis (T-score ≤ -2.5) in tertile 3 (vs. 1) were 0.73 (0.58-0.92), 0.37 (0.22-0.60), and 0.71 (0.52-0.97) for FV; 0.82 (0.66-1.03), 0.48 (0.30-0.77) and 0.89 (0.61-1.12) for fruit; and 0.80 (0.64-1.01), 0.57 (0.35-0.92) and 0.76 (0.55-1.05) for vegetables at the LS, TH, and FN, respectively. The favorable association between FV intake and the occurrence of osteoporosis was evident only in subjects with lower BMI (<24.0 kg/m2, P-trends < 0.05)., Conclusions: Greater intake of FV was independently associated with a higher BMD and a lower presence of osteoporosis in middle-aged and elderly Chinese subjects with lower BMI. Fruit tended to have more contribution to the favorable association than vegetables., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Eight new viridins, nodulisporiviridins A-H (1-8), were isolated from the extract of an endolichenic fungal strain Nodulisporium sp. (No. 65-17-2-1) that was fermented with potato-dextrose broth. The structures were determined using spectroscopic and X-ray crystallographic analysis. Nodulisporiviridins A-D (1-4) are unique viridins with an opened ring A. The Aβ42 aggregation inhibitory activities of 1-8 were evaluated using a thioflavin T (ThT) assay with epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) as the positive control (EGCG IC50 of 0.5 μM). Nodulisporiviridin G (7) displayed potent inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 1.2 μM, and the preliminary trend of activity of these viridins as Aβ42 aggregation inhibitors was proposed. The short-term memory assay on an Aβ transgenic drosophila model of Alzheimer's disease showed that all eight compounds improved the short-term memory capacity, with potencies close to that of the positive control (memantine).

Talaflavuterpenoid A (1), a new nardosinane-type sesquiterpene, was isolated from the wetland soil-derived fungus Talaromyces flavus BYD07-13, and its structure was elucidated on the basis of HR-MS, NMR, and X-ray diffraction analysis. The absolute configuration of 1 was established by comparing the experimental electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectrum with the calculated ECD spectra. Its cytotoxic effects on five human tumor cell lines (HL-60, SMMC-7721, A-549, MCF-7, and SW480), and antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger were evaluated. This is the first report of the presence of nardosinane-type sesquiterpene in Talaromyces sp.

Two new naphthaline glucosides, 2-hydroxy-3-methoxy-8-methyl-1-O-β-d-glucopyranosylnaphthaline (1) and 1-hydroxy-3-methoxy-8-methyl-2-O-β-d-glucopyranosylnaphthaline (2), together with one new isocoumarin glucoside, 3-(3,3-dichloro-2-hydroxylpropyl)-6-methoxy-8-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-1H-isochromen-1-one (3), were isolated from a cold-adapted fungal strain Mucor sp. (No. XJ07027-5). Their structures were characterized by detailed analyses of IR, MS, 1D- and 2D-NMR spectra. Among them, 2 showed moderate cytotoxic activity against five tumor cells (A-549, HL-60, MCF-7, SMMC-7721, and SW480).

Shortage of deceased donors is a severe problem in recent years in China especially in a culture in which brain death criteria is not widely accepted. Donation after cardiac death (DCD) has been reported to expand the donor pool despite higher rates of primary nonfunction (PNF) and delayed graft function (DGF) after transplantation. We collected 71 DCD kidney transplants performed at our hospital between February, 2007 and June, 2012 with aims to demonstrate the feasibility of DCD donation in China. All patients were followed up, and postoperative complications and graft loss were recorded. The PNF rate was 2.8%, and DGF rate was 28.2%. The 1- and 3-year graft survival was 95.7% and 92.4%. In conclusion, graft survival of DCD kidney transplantation in China is excellent despite of higher rates of PNF and DGF after transplantation., (© Copyright 2013 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.)

Chemical investigation on an endolichenic fungal strain Scopulariopsis sp. led to the isolation of two new naphthalene derivatives, 1-(4'-hydroxy-3',5'-dimethoxy-phenyl)-1,8-dimethoxynaphthalen-2(1H)-one (1) and 1,8-dimethoxynaphthalen-2-ol (2). Their structures were determined by spectroscopic techniques (UV, IR, MS, 1D, and 2D NMR).

Objective: To prepare the allelic ladder materials of three STR loci includes D1S1649, D4S1627, D14S1426, and construct a synchronous detection method by multiplex amplification of the three loci., Methods: Multiplex PCR method, PAGE (polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) and silver staining were applied to detect 120 unrelated Chinese Han population from Chengdu whose allele and gene frequency distributing of these three loci. The electrophoretic bands of the multiplex PCR of these three loci were clear, no overlap of each alleles were observed, and the results were the same with single-locus test results. The results of the multiplex PCR demonstrated that the genotype of these three STR loci in Chengdu Han population in the genotype distribution met with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. 6 alleles (10-15) were detected in D4S1627, 9 alleles(5, 6, 8-14, without 7) were detected in D14S1426, 6 alleles (7-12) were detected in D1S1649., Conclusion: The results suggested that the multiplex PCR system of these three loci is of practical value in genetic research and forensic identification.

Background: BK virus (BKV)-associated nephropathy (BKVAN) in renal transplant recipients is an important cause of renal transplant dysfunction. Our aim was to determine the kinetics of BKV load within one yr after kidney transplantation under the impact of intensive monitoring and reduction in maintenance immunosuppression, the incidence of BKVAN, and the outcome of BKVAN treatment., Methods: Urine and peripheral blood (PB) were taken from 90 renal transplant recipients for BKV cytological testing and real-time PCR for BKV DNA at one, three, six, nine, and 12 months after transplantation and treatment. Graft biopsies and urinary sediments of recipients with BKVAN were taken to monitor viral particles by conventional transmission electron microscopy (TEM)., Results: By one post-transplant year, urinary decoy cells (median, 8/10 HPF), BKV viruria (median, 2.60 × 10(5) copies/mL), viremia (median, 9.65 × 10(3) copies/mL), and BKVAN occurred in 42.2%, 45.6%, 22.2%, and 5.6% of patients, respectively. The incidence of BK infection was lower in patients who received cyclosporine A (CsA) (28.9%) compared to tacrolimus (FK506) (57.7%) (p = 0.007). An increased hazard of BK infection was associated with the use of FK506 (HR 2.6, p = 0.009) relative to CsA. After reduction in immunosuppression, viremia resolved in 95%, without increased acute rejection, allograft dysfunction, or graft loss. BKVAN was diagnosed in five patients (5.6%). The treatment of immunosuppression reduction was effective (i.e., decreased the viral load and number of decoy cells, and improved graft function) in our five patients with BKVAN. Quantitative count of decoy cells (e.g., >10 per 10 HPF) as a marker of viremia and BKVAN had increased positive predictive values of 85.7% and 57.1%, respectively., Conclusions: Choice of FK506 as immunosuppressive agent is an independent risk factor affecting BKV infection. Monitoring and pre-emptive of immunosuppression reduction were associated with resolution of viremia and showed effective in BKVAN recipients at the early stage without acute rejection or graft loss. Quantitative count of urine cytology is a very convenient, useful, and sensitive method for evaluating BKV infection in renal transplant recipients., (© 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S.)

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of living-related kidney transplantation (LRKT)., Methods: From January, 2004 to December, 2008, 175 LRKT were performed including 63 cases (36%) of parent-child relations and 49 cases (28%) of sibling relations between the recipients and donors. Out of 175 donors, 52 were 50 years old or above, 4 had microscopic hematuria (including 2 with also hypertension), 2 had kidney stone, and 2 had high body mass index (BMI). Zero-point graft biopsy was performed in 59 donors, and abnormalities were found in 15 of them. The recipients were at the age of 33-/+10.5 years, and the primary diseases are mainly dominant glomerular nephritis (72.6%, 127/175), and with a few cases of diabetes (4%, 7/175) and hypertensive nephropathy (4%, 7/175)., Results: Serum creatinine of the donors was 102-/+22.5 micromol/L at 7 days postoperatively, and 92-/+19.1 micromol/L at one month. One recipient died of severe pulmonary infection. Two recipients underwent graft nephrectomy due to anastomotic stenosis with concomitant acute graft rejection and renal arterial embolism. The one-year survival rates of the patients and grafts were 99.3% and 98.2%, respectively. The incident rates of accelerated rejection and acute rejection were 1.1% and 14.9%, respectively. Other complications included impaired liver function (22.3%), infection (9.7%) and leucopenia (4.6%). The renal arterial stenosis occurred in 2.3% (4/175) of the recipients., Conclusions: The recipients of living-related and cadaveric kidney transplant have different primary kidney disease spectrums. Differential diagnosis and treatment of acute rejection and renal artery or anastomotic stenosis can be of vital importance. Marginal donor kidneys with appropriate inclusion criteria can be safely used for transplantation. With good short-term patient and graft survival, LRKT needs further study to evaluate its long-term effect.

Objective: To get the preliminary genotype and allele frequency distributions of GATA30F04, GATA23B10, D18S847, GATA83B04 and GATA167A05 loci in Chinese Han population in Chengdu area, and to validate more short tandem repeat (STR) systems for forensic application., Methods: The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to this study. Five STRs (GATA30F04, GATA23B10, D18S847, GATA83B04 and GATA167A05) were amplified from DNA samples, which were extracted with Chelex-100 method from EDTA-blood of 100 unrelated individuals. The PCR products were analyzed by PAG vertical electrophoresis., Results: No deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were observed. The expected heterozygosities observed were 0.694, 0.918, 0.836, 0.889 and 0.880 for GATA30F04, GATA23B10, D18S847, GATA83B04 and GATA167A05 respectively. The discriminating powers were 0.697, 0.901, 0.875, 0.900 and 0.891., Conclusion: The last four loci in this study are useful markers for genetics purposes in individual identification and paternity test.

Objective: To obtain population genetic data of loci D11S4951, D11S4957, GATA193H05, D2S2951, and D6S2421 in Han population in Chengdu area and to validate the value of their forensic application., Methods: Blood samples were collected in EDTA tubes from unrelated individuals. DNAs were extracted with Chelex-100 and were analyzed by PCR and horizontal PAGE followed by silver staining., Results: Alleles 7, 10, 8, 6 and 8 were found in 5 STR loci, respectively. No deviations from Hardy-Weinberg balance were observed. The heterozygosities observed were 0.743, 0.772, 0.833, 0.650 and 0.800, respectively. The chances of exclusion were 0.497, 0.549, 0.662, 0.356 and 0.599, and the discrimination powers were 0.863, 0.912, 0.947, 0.829 and 0.931., Conclusion: All of the five loci studied may be useful markers for individual identification and paternity testing.

Objective: To understand the allele structure and genetic polymorphisms at five STR loci in Chengdu Han population, to obtain a preliminary database and to analyze the value in forensic medicine., Methods: EDTA-blood specimens were collected from unrelated individuals. The DNA of samples was extracted with Chelex-100 method. And then the PCR amplification, PAGE horizontal electrophoresis and gel silver staining were performed for analyzing the polymorphisms of five STR loci in Chengdu Han population., Results: In the five STR loci,10, 7, 5, 7 and 7 alleles were found respectively. The observed heterozygosity of 83%, 80%, 64%, 66% and 77% and discrimination power of 95.44%, 91.0%, 84.3%, 86.1% and 86.8% were identified for the five STR loci respectively. All loci obeyed Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium., Conclusion: The five STR loci display the high discrimination power. The obtained data are desirable for forensic analysis and benefiting to the research of the population genetics.

Objective: To obtain population genetic data of short tandem repeat (STR) locus D2S1327, D1S1390, and D11S2008 and to investigate the disparity of allelic frequency distributions among populations from different regions., Methods: Blood samples of 300 unrelated individuals from Chengdu (Han), Bangkok (Thai) and Maint (Germany) were taken and analyzed with single PCR, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining., Results: In the three loci, 9, 6, and 8 alleles and 32,14, and 22 genotypes were found respectively. The observed heterozygosity of 79%-82%, 63.0%-74.3%, and 72.0%-74.3% and discrimination power of 87.8%-92.6%, 79.6%-82.5%, and 87.6%-89.0% were identified for the three loci respectively. The genotype distributions of the three loci in the three populations fitted well with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. There was no significant difference in allelic frequency distributions among the three populations., Conclusion: The methods described in this paper are easy to perform and have high sensitivities. The discrimination power and exclusion chances of these three loci are desirable for forensic analysis and application.

Objective: To illuminate the multi-amplified 5 STR loci and their allelic distribution in Hans by means of STR-DNA typing with improved efficiency and decreased cost., Methods: We have established an allelic ladder of D7S820, D13S317, D5S818, D3S1358 and Amelogenin loci via the cloning techniques. With this homemade allelic ladder, we established successfully a multiplexing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, followed by denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and silver staining. DNA samples collected from 130 unrelated Han individuals in Yunnan and Chengdu were analyzed. The non-overlapping of the allelic fragments of the five loci allowed the detection to be accomplished successfully., Results: No difference of the genotyping results of the single locus amplification and multiplexing was observed. The genotype distributions of 4 STR were in accordance with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. 7, 7, 8 and 8 alleles of D7S820, D13S317, D5S818, and D3S1358 loci were observed in Yunnan Han population, as well as 8, 7, 8 and 7 alleles in Chengdu Han population respectively. No significant difference in the allele distribution of these loci was seen between these two Han populations., Conclusion: This multiplexing system with home-made allelic ladder has a high combined discrimination power and exclusion power. It is a valuable tool in forensic science practice.

Objective: To get preliminary genotype and allele frequency distributions of D1S549, D3S1754, D12S391, D12S375 and D18S865 loci in Chinese Zang (Tibetan) population in Kangba area and to validate more short tandam repeat (STR) systems for forensic application., Methods: Fresh samples of venous blood from 100 unrelated individuals of Chinese Zang population in Kangba area were dropped on the filter paper. After they dried up, DNA were extracted by chelex-100 method and amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR products were analyzed by PAG vertical electrophoresis and silver staining., Results: Seven alleles were found at D1S549 locus, six alleles at D3S1754 locus, ten alleles at D12S391 locus, six alleles at D12S375 and six alleles at D18S865 locus. No deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were observed. The heterozygosities observed were 0.86, 0.77, 0.81, 0.69, 0.80 for D1S549, D3S1754, D12S391, D12S375 and D18S865 respectively. The calculated values of the Power of Exclusion were 0.715, 0.545, 0.618, 0.413 and 0.599, and the values of the Power of Discrimination were 0.929, 0.838, 0.934, 0.886 and 0.890, respectively., Conclusion: All of the five loci in this study were useful for individual identification and paternity test, as well as for research purposes in genetics.

Being a famous physician of the Ming dynasty, Xiong Zong-li engaged in the writing, collation, and revision of medical works by combining his medical know-how of his family after his robust age. He published over 20 kinds of medical works and became an expert specialized in publication of medical books which were circulated domestically and abroad. He made great contributions to the development of TCM.

Objective: To resolve the problem of the accuracy and standardization of STR-PCR typing in forensic practice, we have designed a new method to produce standard D1S549 allelic ladder., Methods: Eight different PCR amplified D1S549 allelic fragments were isolated from the gel, eluted into the distilled water and re-amplified by PCR. The purified allelic fragments were then blunt-end subcloned individually into the pUC plasmid vectors and transfected into competent E. coli DH5 alpha cells., Results: The sequencing results confirmed that the size and the construe of the inserts were correct. The recombinant plasmids DNA with 8 inserts were then used as templates for re-amplification to generate D1S549 standard ladder, with which the genetic polymorphisms of D1S549 locus in Chinese Han population in chengdu, Hui population in Gansu and Wei population in Xinjiang were studied., Conclusion: The results showed that the standard ladder made via this method is excellent, and D1S549 locus is robust for genetic research and forensic application.

Using PCR and PAG, followed by silver staining, the tetrameric STR D2S441 locus was studied in 260 unrelated Chinese individuals living in Chengdu. 9 alleles and 26 genotypes were observed. The range of fragment size was 131 bp to 155 bp. The genotype distribution of D2S441 locus in Han population was in accordance with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Family survey confirmed Mendelian inheritance of alleles. The discriminating power (Dp), observed heterozygosity (H), polymorphism information content (PIC) and power of exclusion (PE) were 0.9084, 0.7885, 0.7390 and 0.5778 respectively. The results demonstrated that this locus was highly polymorphic and could be used for forensic identification and paternity testing.

For the purpose of the population genetics study of the HUMARA locus, the allele, and genotype frequencies were determined in two Chinese population samples (Han-101, Bei-113) using PCR, PAGE, and silver staining. Fourteen alleles were found. The size of amplified fragments were 258 bp-315 bp. The observed heterozygosities were 0.83 in the Han population and 0.73 in the Bei population respectively. The expected heterozygosities were 0.91 in the Han population and 0.97 in the Bei population respectively. Both populations meet Hardy-Weinberg expectation, Han population x2 = 17.7206, df = 11, p > 0.05; Bei population x2 = 7.4268, df = 10, p > 0.05. The discrimination power were 0.95 in females and 0.89 in males in the Han population, 0.94 in females and 0.88 in males in the Bei population. Thus, the allelic frequency data can be used in the personal identification and parentage testing in the forensic science practice. The PCR test established in this study is robust and reproducible.