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Abstract Low sodium salt (LSS) is an effective way to reduce the primary source of sodium from home cooking. To investigate the availability, price and characteristics of LSS, price gap between LSS and regular salt, and the potential size of subsidy needed to equalize the price of LSS and regular salt. A market survey of salts was conducted using two major online shopping sites JD and Taobao from November to December 2022. Of 360 salts, 76 (21.1%) are LSS and 284 (78.9%) are regular salt. The average proportion of potassium chloride is low (16.8%), and half of the brands contain less than 15% and only 6.6% contains ≥25%. The mean price of LSS is slightly but not significantly higher than that of regular salts (1.82 versus 1.67 yuan/100 g, p = .07). In the lowest quartile by price, the cost of LSS is significantly higher than regular salts (difference 0.13, p = .0048). Further, when comparing the lowest price LSS to the lowest price regular since within the same brand, the mean price LSS is 2.11‐fold that of the regular salt (1.66 versus 0.79 yuan/100 g, p

BackgroundSalt substitutes are edible salts that contain less sodium chloride owing to its partial substitution with other minerals, which serve as an important and effective intervention and public health strategy targeting hypertension and its secondary diseases, despite a small degree of controversy. ObjectiveThis study aimed to identify the current salt substitute initiatives in various nations and intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) worldwide and summarize their types and characteristics. MethodsA scoping review was performed based on Arksey and O’Malley’s framework and the latest guidance from the Joanna Briggs Institute. Searches were conducted on Google; government websites on food, health, and other related topics; PubMed; Web of Science; and Google Scholar from January 2022 to May 2022. Initiatives related to salt substitutes that were included in the study focused on the involvement of governments or IGOs through the publication of standards, actions, collaborations, funding, and so on. Data were extracted into Microsoft Excel (version 2019; Microsoft Corp) based on predefined items and analyzed using narrative synthesis and frequency count methods. ResultsA total of 35 initiatives from 11 countries (of which 9 are high-income countries) and 3 IGOs were identified. We classified all salt substitute initiatives into 5 types, namely benefit-risk assessments and cautions; plans and actions; regulations and standards; labels; and food reformulation, cooperation with the food industry, and media. More than half (18/35, 51%) of the salt substitute initiatives were launched within the past 5 years. Except for regulations and standards, salt substitute initiatives are, in general, part of the salt reduction framework. No nation or IGO has yet reported on the monitoring and implications of the use of salt substitutes. ConclusionsDespite the limited number of salt substitute initiatives worldwide at present, a review on the different types and characteristics of such initiatives could be helpful in providing a reference for policy makers and stakeholders. Given the great potential of salt substitutes in improving hypertension and stroke, we call on more nations to pay attention to these substitutes and propose salt substitute initiatives in line with their national conditions.

Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is one of the most frequent genetic abnormalities and the leading genetic cause of nonobstructive azoospermia. The breeding and study of KS mouse models are essential to advancing our knowledge of the underlying pathological mechanism. Karyotyping and fluorescence in situ hybridization are reliable methods for identifying chromosomal contents. However, technical issues associated with these methods can decrease the efficiency of breeding KS mouse models and limit studies that require rapid identification of target mice. To overcome these limitations, we developed three polymerase chain reaction-based assays to measure specific genetic information, including presence or absence of the sex determining region of chromosome Y (Sry), copy number of amelogenin, X-linked (Amelx), and inactive X specific transcripts (Xist) levels. Through a combined analysis of the assay results, we can infer the karyotype of target mice. We confirmed the utility of our assays with the successful generation of KS mouse models. Our assays are rapid, inexpensive, high capacity, easy to perform, and only require small sample amounts. Therefore, they facilitate the breeding and study of KS mouse models and help advance our knowledge of the pathological mechanism underlying KS.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) exploits the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT)/multivesicular body (MVB) pathway for virion budding. In addition to enveloped virions, HBV-replicating cells nonlytically release non-enveloped (naked) capsids independent of the integral ESCRT machinery, but the exact secretory mechanism remains elusive. Here, we provide more detailed information about the existence and characteristics of naked capsid, as well as the viral and host regulations of naked capsid egress. HBV capsid/core protein has two highly conserved Lysine residues (K7/K96) that potentially undergo various types of posttranslational modifications for subsequent biological events. Mutagenesis study revealed that the K96 residue is critical for naked capsid egress, and the intracellular egress-competent capsids are associated with ubiquitinated host proteins. Consistent with a previous report, the ESCRT-III-binding protein Alix and its Bro1 domain are required for naked capsid secretion through binding to intracellular capsid, and we further found that the ubiquitinated Alix binds to wild type capsid but not K96R mutant. Moreover, screening of NEDD4 E3 ubiquitin ligase family members revealed that AIP4 stimulates the release of naked capsid, which relies on AIP4 protein integrity and E3 ligase activity. We further demonstrated that AIP4 interacts with Alix and promotes its ubiquitination, and AIP4 is essential for Alix-mediated naked capsid secretion. However, the Bro1 domain of Alix is non-ubiquitinated, indicating that Alix ubiquitination is not absolutely required for AIP4-induced naked capsid secretion. Taken together, our study sheds new light on the mechanism of HBV naked capsid egress in viral life cycle. Author summary: HBV-infected cells can produce various viral particles with different sizes and morphologies. Virions are complete particles with both nucleocapsids and surface antigen (HBsAg) envelope, which exploits the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT)/multivesicular body (MVB) pathway for budding. In addition to virion, HBV-infected cells also secrete non-enveloped (or naked) capsid particles. It remains unclear how HBV naked capsid is released from the infected cells. In this study, we further characterized the naked capsid and identified the Lysine 96 of HBV core protein as an important contact point for cellular protein Alix to mediate naked capsid secretion. We also determined NEDD4 E3 ubiquitin ligase family member AIP4 stimulates the release of naked capsid, regardless of their genome contents. AIP4 interacts with Alix and promotes its ubiquitination. However, the AIP4 protein per se rather than its E3 ubiquitin ligase activity is sufficient for Alix-induced naked capsid secretion. In summary, these findings provide new insights into a better understanding of HBV naked capsid egress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: High sodium intake and low intake of potassium can increase blood pressure (BP) and risk of developing hypertension. Few studies have examined the association between 24-h urinary sodium and potassium excretion and BP or risk of hypertension in China, and most used only a single 24-h urinary sample. Methods: We analyzed data on 2281 participants aged 18-69 years by using two 24-h urinary sodium and potassium excretions from the supplemental baseline survey of the Shandong-Ministry of Health Action on Salt Reduction and Hypertension (SMASH) project. We used measurement error models to estimate usual intakes, multivariable linear regression to assess their association with B P, and logistic regression to estimate the risk of hypertension. Results: The average usual intakes of sodium and potassium, and the mean sodium-potassium ratio, were 166.9 mmol/day, 25.3 mmol/day, and 6.8, respectively. All three measures were significantly associated with systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP), with an increase of 1.39 mmHg (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.44─2.34) in SBP and 0.94 mmHg (95% CI 0.34─1.55) in DBP for a 1-standard deviation (SD) (25.6mmol/day) increase in sodium intake, a decrease of 1.42 mmHg (95% CI -2.37─ -0.47) in SBP and 0.91 mmHg (95% CI -1.52─ -0.30) in DBP for a 1-SD (3.4 mmol/day) increase in potassium intake, and an increase of 0.97 mmHg (95% CI 0.36─1.58) in SBP and of 0.65 mmHg (95% CI 0.26─1.04) in DBP per unit increase in the sodium-to-potassium ratio. The adjusted odds ratios comparing the risk of hypertension among adults in the highest with those in the lowest quintile differ significantly for potassium (0.51; 95% CI 0.29─0.88) and sodium-to-potassium ratio (1.40; 95% CI 1.01─1.94). Conclusions: Our results suggested that higher sodium and lower potassium intakes are associated with increased BP and risk of hypertension in the Shandong and Jiangsu adults.

The association of microalbuminuria and elevated 24 h urinary microalbumin excretion (UAE) with metabolic syndrome (MetS) has not been well examined in Chinese Adults. In the present study, a population-based cross-sectional study was conducted among Chinese adults aged 18-69 years in Shandong province in 2011 to determine the relationship between them. Data on 24 h UAE and other variables were obtained and components of MetS were examined. The prevalence of MetS and mean 24 h UAE was 24.7% and 6.7 mg, respectively. Compared with participants with normoalbuminuria, the odds of MetS and its components including central obesity, elevated blood pressure and elevated fasting glucose, but not the odds of low HDL cholesterol and elevated triglycerides, significantly increased in those with microalbuminuria. Additionally, the odds of MetS and its three components significantly increased across increasing quartiles of 24 h UAE within normal range (1.00, 1.11, 1.02 and 1.58, respectively, for MetS; 1.00, 1.14, 1.21, and 1.68, respectively, for central obesity; 1.00, 1.35, 1.26 and 1.68, respectively, for elevated blood pressure; and 1.00, 1.32, 1.06 and 1.47, respectively, for elevated triglycerides; p for linear trend ≤0.05 for all). Furthermore, for each increment of 10 mg 24 h UAE within normal range, the odds of MetS and its components including central obesity, elevated blood pressure, and elevated triglycerides significantly increased by 53%, 65%, 55%, and 41%, respectively. These findings suggest that both microalbuminuria and elevated 24 h UAE within normal range might be important risk factors for MetS in Chinese adults.