The Effect of Age and NT-proBNP on the Association of Central Obesity with 6-Years Cardiovascular Mortality of Middle-Aged and Elderly Diabetic People: The Population-Based Casale Monferrato Study

Background

Among people with type 2 diabetes the relationship between central obesity and cardiovascular mortality has not been definitely assessed. Moreover, NT-proBNP is negatively associated with central obesity, but no study has examined their combined effect on survival. We have examined these issues in a well-characterized population-based cohort.

Methods and Findings

Survival data of 2272 diabetic people recruited in 2000 who had no other chronic disease have been updated to 31 December 2006. NT-proBNP was measured in a subgroup of 1690 patients. Cox proportional hazards modeling was employed to estimate the independent associations between cardiovascular and all-cause mortality and waist circumference. Mean age was 67.9 years, 49.3% were men. Both age and NT-proBNP were negatively correlated with waist circumference (r = −0.11, p<0.001 and r = −0.07, p = 0.002). Out of 2272 subjects, 520 deaths (221 for CV mortality) occurred during a median follow-up of 5.4 years. Central obesity was not associated with CV mortality (hazard ratio, HR, adjusted for age, sex, diabetes duration, 1.14, 95% CI 0.86–1.52). NTproBNP was a negative confounder and age a strong modifier of this relationship (p for interaction<0.001): age<70 years, fully adjusted model HR = 3.52 (1.17–10.57) and age ≥70 years, HR = 0.80 (0.46–1.40). Respective HRs for all-cause mortality were 1.86 (1.03–3.32) and 0.73 (0.51–1.04).

Conclusions

In diabetic people aged 70 years and lower, central obesity was independently associated with increased cardiovascular mortality, independently of the negative effect of NT-proBNP. In contrast, no effect on 6-years survival was evident in diabetic people who have yet survived up to 70 years.     

Trichocytes in Lithophyllum kotschyanum and Lithophyllum spp. (Corallinales,Rhodophyta) from the NW Indian Ocean

The current diagnosis of the genus Lithophyllum includes absent or rare trichocyte occurrence. After examining holotype material, single trichocytes have been revealed to occur abundantly in Lithophyllum kotschyanum Unger, and in freshly collected specimens of Lithophyllum spp. from the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Socotra Island (Yemen). Trichocyte occurrence is not considered a diagnostic character at specific or supraspecific levels in the Lithophylloideae, and the ecological significance of trichocyte formation is discussed. The generitype species, L. incrustans Philippi, does not show trichocytes nor do many other Lithophyllum species from diverse geographic localities, but the presence of abundant trichocytes in other congeneric taxa requires emendation of the genus diagnosis. Therefore, the diagnosis of Lithophyllum is here emended by eliminating the adjective “rare” in the sentence concerning trichocyte occurrence, as follows: “Trichocytes present or absent, if present occurring singly.”     

Bacterial effects on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and mycorrhiza development as influenced by the bacteria, fungi, and host plant

Bacterial strains from mycorrhizal roots (three belonging to Comamonadaceae and one to Oxalobacteraceae) and from non-mycorrhizal roots (two belonging to Comamonadaceae) of Medicago truncatula and two reference strains (Collimonas fungivorans Ter331 and Pseudomonas fluorescens C7R12) were tested for their effect on the in vitro saprophytic growth of Glomus mosseae BEG12 and on its colonization of M. truncatula roots. Only the Oxalobacteraceae strain, isolated from barrel medic mycorrhizal roots, and the reference strain P. fluorescens C7R12 promoted both the saprophytic growth and root colonization of G. mosseae BEG12, indicating that they acted as mycorrhiza helper bacteria. Greatest effects were achieved by P. fluorescens C7R12 and its influence on the saprophytic growth of G. mosseae was compared to that on Gigaspora rosea BEG9 to determine if the bacterial stimulation was fungal specific. This fungal specificity, together with plant specificity, was finally evaluated by comparing bacterial effects on arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis when each of the fungal species was inoculated to two different plant species (M. truncatula and Lycopersicon esculentum). The results obtained showed that promotion of saprophytic growth by P. fluorescens C7R12 was expressed in vitro towards G. mosseae but not towards G. rosea. Bacterial promotion of mycorhization was also expressed towards G. mosseae, but not G. rosea, in roots of M. truncatula and L. esculentum. Taken together, results indicated that enhancement of arbuscular mycorrhiza development was only induced by a limited number of bacteria, promotion by the most efficient bacterial strain being fungal and not plant specific.     

Pollen morphology of alpine butterworts (Pinguicula L., Lentibulariaceae)

The pollen morphology of Pinguicula alpina, P. arvetii, P. grandiflora subsp. grandiflora, P. grandiflora subsp. rosea, P. hirtiflora, P. leptoceras, P. poldinii, P. reichenbachiana, and P. vulgaris, belonging to the Alpine flora, was studied.The pollen grains, coming from different populations, were investigated using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The pollen size, the shape (P/E ratio), the number of colpori and the exine ornamentation are, for Pinguicula, important diagnostic characters.Pinguicula pollen grains are medium sized (∼ 30 μm), trinucleate, isopolar, radially symmetric. The shape of the grains is variable from oblate spheroidal to prolate spheroidal and they are (4)-5-9-(10)-zonocolporate. The prevalent ornamentation is rugulate-microreticulate, P. alpina has a rugulate-reticulate ornamentation and only P. hirtiflora has a perforate ornamentation.A pollen key, based on micromorphological data, is presented.     

Cyst Distribution and Hatching Pattern of Chirocephalus ruffoi (Crustacea,Anostraca) in an Experimental Undisturbed Pool

The pattern of cyst distribution in the absence of turbation and their hatching behaviour were studied in an outdoor artificial pool, where just differentiated adults of the anostracan Chirocephalus ruffoi (sex ratio 1:3) lived until it dried up. The horizontal and vertical distributions of cysts in the pool bed were determined. The comparison between cyst bank estimate (Mura , 2004) and the actual number of cysts counted in the pool bed revealed an estimate error of 20.9%. Resting eggs occurred only in the upper 2.5 cm thick soil sections and decreased within this section as depth increased. Peripheral areas of the pool contained significantly larger numbers of cysts than the central area. Multiway analysis on the results recorded in hatching success (nested ANOVA) revealed that the differences were significantly affected by initial soil conditions, treatment and vertical distribution of cysts. Among these factors, vertical distribution (sections nested in cores) was the most influential. Hatching success was significantly inversely related to depth. Differences in the timing of hatching depending on the above considered factors were also noted. A nearly synchronous hatching pattern was observed only for cysts from initially dry sediment of the uppermost layers. In all successively deeper layers, hatching showed multiple peaks and was increasingly delayed and erratic (already mentioned). ANCOVA within each of the experimental conditions revealed significant differences in hatching frequencies (time as covariate) depending on sediment depth. Within any given layer, ANCOVA revealed a significant influence of initial sediment conditions and treatment on the timing of hatching. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper regulates liver fibrosis by suppressing CCL2-mediated leukocyte recruitment

Liver fibrosis (LF) is a dangerous clinical condition with no available treatment. Inflammation plays a critical role in LF progression. Glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper (GILZ, encoded in mice by the Tsc22d3 gene) mimics many of the anti-inflammatory effects of glucocorticoids, but its role in LF has not been directly addressed. Here, we found that GILZ deficiency in mice was associated with elevated CCL2 production and pro-inflammatory leukocyte infiltration at the early LF stage, resulting in enhanced LF development. RNA interference-mediated in vivo silencing of the CCL2 receptor CCR2 abolished the increased leukocyte recruitment and the associated hepatic stellate cell activation in the livers of GILZ knockout mice. To highlight the clinical relevance of these findings, we found that TSC22D3 mRNA expression was significantly downregulated and was inversely correlated with that of CCL2 in the liver samples of patients with LF. Altogether, these data demonstrate a protective role of GILZ in LF and uncover the mechanism, which can be targeted therapeutically. Therefore, modulating GILZ expression and its downstream targets represents a novel avenue for pharmacological intervention for treating LF and possibly other liver inflammatory disorders.Subject terms: Chronic inflammation, Experimental models of disease     

Involvement of tubulin in MPP+ neurotoxicity on NGF-differentiated PC12 cells.

In vivo, the neurotoxin MPTP is oxidated to MPP⁺, which is toxic to dopaminergic neurons. In this paper, we have used MPP⁺ as a tool to evoke neurotoxicity in the PC12 cell line and investigate the intracellular events that are involved. A cytotoxicity test, performed on undifferentiated and NGF-differentiated PC12 cells, showed that MPP⁺ is much more toxic on differentiated cells and indicated the suitable range of concentrations for studying the starting events evoked by the neurotoxin. By indirect immunofluorescence we have shown that the localisation of α - and β -tubulin in NGF-differentiated cells was modified by a 24 h treatment with 15 μmol/l MPP⁺. A biochemical analysis was performed on cell extracts and the results showed that MPP⁺ treatment induced an increase in α -tubulin levels and a decrease in β -tubulin levels. These results suggest the involvement of the two microtubule proteins in MPP⁺ neurotoxicity on NGF-differentiated PC12 cells.     

Plethodontid salamanders show variable disease dynamics in response to Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans chytridiomycosis

Biological Invasions - Emerging infectious diseases are among the leading drivers of the sixth mass extinction. The recent invasion of a highly pathogenic chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium...