Association of N-Terminal Pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide with Cognitive Function and Depression in Elderly People with Type 2 Diabetes

Background

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is associated with risk of congestive heart failure (CHF), cognitive dysfunction and depression. CHF itself is linked both to poor cognition and depression. The ventricular N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a marker of CHF, suggesting potential as a marker for cognitive impairment and/or depression. This was tested in the Edinburgh Type 2 Diabetes Study (ET2DS).

Methodology and Principal Findings

Cross-sectional analysis of 1066 men and women aged 60–75 with type 2 diabetes. Results from seven neuropsychological tests were combined in a standardised general cognitive ability factor, ‘g’. A vocabulary-based test estimated pre-morbid cognitive ability. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) assessed possible depression. After adjustment for age and sex, raised plasma NT-proBNP was weakly associated with lower ‘g’ and higher depression scores (ß −0.09, 95% CI −0.13 to −0.03, p = 0.004 and ß 0.08, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.12, p<0.001, respectively). Comparing extreme quintiles of NT-proBNP, subjects in the highest quintile were more likely to have reduced cognitive ability (within the lowest tertile of ‘g’) and ‘possible’ depression (HADS depression ≥8) (OR 1.80; 95% CI: 1.20, 2.70; p = 0.005 and OR 2.18; 95% CI: 1.28, 3.71; p = 0.004, respectively). Associations persisted when pre-morbid ability was adjusted for, but as expected were no longer statistically significant following the adjustment for diabetes-related and vascular co-variates (β −0.02, 95% CI −0.07 to 0.03, p>0.05 for ‘g’; β 0.03, 95% CI −0.02 to 0.07, p>0.05 for depression scores).

Conclusion

Raised plasma NT-proBNP was weakly but statistically significantly associated with poorer cognitive function and depression. The prospective phases of the ET2DS will help determine whether or not NT-proBNP can be considered a risk marker for subsequent cognitive impairment and incident depression and whether it provides additional information over and above traditional risk factors for these conditions.     

棉花在广西南宁的越冬耐冷性鉴定和遗传分析

在广西南宁对不同种质来源的棉花材料及其杂交后代进行越冬耐冷性鉴定,为多年生棉花耐冷育种提供基础材料。在开展最佳处理时间和处理温度筛选的基础上,采用5个耐冷生理生化指标(相对电导率、可溶性糖、可溶性蛋白、丙二醛和脯氨酸)和露地越冬指标综合鉴定63份材料的越冬耐冷性,并运用系统聚类的方法将其聚为4大类,即耐冷型23份、中度耐冷型19份、中度冷敏型9份和冷敏型12份,分别占供试材料的36.51%、30.16%、14.29%和19.05%。所有耐冷型材料均和多年生海岛棉种质有关,说明多年生海岛棉在越冬耐冷性育种上具有很高的利用价值。供试棉花材料越冬性的细胞质效应不显著,杂交后代的越冬性有向亲本的平均类型回归的趋势。     

金沙江干热河谷锥连栎群落物种组成与多样性特征

金沙江干热河谷元谋段残存的锥连栎群落中植物种类组成较为简单,共发现68种植物,隶属于35科60属,其中,禾本科、蝶形花科、菊科、唇形科等科植物占有较大优势;从植物生活型和功能型来看,群落内以草本植物和多年生植物数量居多,分别占所有植物种类的58.8%和63.2%。不同类型群落中,除了扭黄茅始终为各群落中最为重要的优势种之外,同一草本植物在不同群落中的作用和地位存在较大差异;群落物种多样性及相似性程度较为低下,其Shannon-Weiner指数在1.7～2.6之间,且与群落受干扰程度存在较大关联。     

元宝山冷杉化学成分的研究

采用色谱技术对元宝山冷杉的化学成分进行分离,根据波谱学方法确定化合物的结构。结果从元宝山冷杉中分离得到5个单体化合物,分别鉴定为:3α-甲氧基-9β-羊毛甾-7,24-二烯-26,23R-内酯(1)、β-谷甾醇(2)、6-甲基-3,7-二甲氧基山奈酚(3)、3-氧代-羊毛甾(9,11)-烯-24S,25-二醇(4)、豆甾-4-烯-6β-羟基-3-酮(5)。所有这些化合物均为首次从该植物中分离得到。     

罗汉松遗传多样性的SCoT分析

采用SCoT分子标记技术对8份罗汉松种质材料进行遗传多样性研究。结果表明,从80条引物中筛选出10条重复性好、条带清晰的引物进行PCR扩增,共产生136条带,其中多态性带122条(占88.97%),8个罗汉松种质间的遗传相似系数范围在0.39～0.80说明罗汉松的遗传多样性丰富。利用UPGMA进行系统的聚类分析显示,将8份罗汉松材料分为2大类;主成分分析结果与聚类分析结果相一致。可见,利用SCoT分子标记可有效的分析罗汉松种质资源的遗传多样性,为罗汉松种质亲缘关系的鉴别和分类提供理论依据。     

梯度水分对鱼腥草生长及生理特征的影响

以不同的施水量,模拟自然生境中林下鱼腥草不同水分条件,设置了8个水分梯度,研究梯度水分对鱼腥草生长和生理特征的影响,以建立鱼腥草生态栽培模式。结果表明:水分的减少或增加均显著减少生物量,中度、重度干旱和水淹明显降低株高和叶面积指数。重度干旱显著提高根冠比。除轻度湿润组外,水分的减少或增加,均显著提高MDA含量;与对照组相比,各干旱处理组SOD和CAT活性和MDA含量明显增强;除脯氨酸含量以外,湿润各处理组CAT、POD、SOD活性和MDA含量均明显低于干旱各处理组;水淹时,CAT、POD、SOD活性、MDA和脯氨酸含量均较低。说明中度干旱或中度湿润已对鱼腥草形成逆境胁迫。栽培鱼腥草的水分条件可以控制在轻度干旱和轻度湿润之间。     

中国壳斗科柯属一新记录及二新异名

通过对中国主要标本馆壳斗科柯属标本的整理,发现一中国分布新记录种防城柯。基于标本形态学特征将光果柯和川柯分别作为硬壳柯和圆锥柯的异名进行归并。     

广西外来种子植物新记录

报道了广西外来种子植物新记录5种,即银花苋、圭亚那笔花豆、墨苜蓿、盖裂果和红毛草,其中笔花豆属、墨苜蓿属、盖裂果属和糖蜜草属为广西新记录属。这些新记录植物均采自广西北部湾沿海地区,为广西滨海植物多样性研究提供了新资料,而随着外来物种在滨海地区逐渐增多,外来物种对当地生物多样性的影响值得关注。     

Laboratory and Clinical Predictors of Disease Progression following Initiation of Combination Therapy in HIV-Infected Adults in Thailand

BACKGROUND: Data on determinants of long-term disease progression in HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) are limited in low and middle-income settings. METHODS: Effects of current CD4 count, viral load and haemoglobin and diagnosis of AIDS-defining events (ADEs) after start of combination ART (cART) on death and new ADEs were assessed using Poisson regression, in patient aged ≥18 years within a multi-centre cohort in Thailand. RESULTS: Among 1,572 patients, median follow-up from cART initiation was 4.4 (IQR 3.6-6.3) years. The analysis of death was based on 60 events during 6,573 person-years; 30/50 (60%) deaths with underlying cause ascertained were attributable to infections. Analysis of new ADE included 192 events during 5,865 person-years; TB and Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia were the most commonly presented first new ADE (35% and 20% of cases, respectively). In multivariable analyses, low current CD4 count after starting cART was the strongest predictor of death and of new ADE. Even at CD4 above 200 cells/mm(3), survival improved steadily with CD4, with mortality rare at ≥500 cells/mm(3) (rate 1.1 per 1,000 person-years). Haemoglobin had a strong independent effect, while viral load was weakly predictive with poorer prognosis only observed at ≥100,000 copies/ml. Mortality risk increased following diagnosis of ADEs during cART. The decline in mortality rate with duration on cART (from 21.3 per 1,000 person-years within first 6 months to 4.7 per 1,000 person-years at ≥36 months) was accounted for by current CD4 count. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with low CD4 count or haemoglobin require more intensive diagnostic and treatment of underlying causes. Maintaining CD4≥500 cells/mm(3) minimizes mortality. However, patient monitoring could potentially be relaxed at high CD4 count if resources are limited. Optimal ART monitoring strategies in low-income settings remain a research priority. Better understanding of the aetiology of anaemia in patients on ART could guide prevention and treatment.     

系统遗传学与合成生物学——21世纪的生物工程产业化

基因型-表现型复杂生物系统由多基因群调控,细胞发生的信号传导路径、多基因相互作用与细胞系谱定位形成生物系统的结构-图式发生遗传学,但分子、细胞和器官的结构、图式形成机理还不很清楚。复杂生物系统的图式演化是细胞的物种进化、细胞形态发育的细胞发生非线性动力学过程,包括：1）物种基因组结构内等位基因替代构成物种内基因多样性调控;2）物种间进化的基因组结构层次级别的自组织化。系统理论应用于系统生态学（Van Dyne GM．1966）、系统生理学（Sagawa K．1973）、系统心理学（Titchener EB．1992）、系统生物医学（Kamada T．1992）、系统生物学（zieglgansherger W,Tolle TR．1993）、系统生物工程与系统遗传学（Zengg：BJ.1994）的建立,以及遗传学机理的生物系统分析。细胞的基因组结构自组织化形成生物的系统发生,基因组的结构变化形成物种的适应变异,生物体结构的基因组复制与表达的细胞自组织化构成生物个体发生。基于系统遗传学的工程应用,合成生物学探索生物系统泛进化,包括人工生物体的遗传工程、基因调控和仿生智能的纳米生物机器,构成生物系统的人工引导进化。