Cross-Sectional Associations between Body Size,Circulating Sex-Steroid Hormones and IGF Components among Healthy Chinese Women

The incidence of breast cancer has increased in Asian countries and rates of hormone receptor (HR) negative breast cancer exceed those of Western countries. Epidemiologic data suggest that the association between body size and BC risk may vary by HR status, and could differ geographically. While body size may influence BC risk by moderating the synthesis and metabolism of circulating sex-steroid hormones, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 and related binding proteins, there is a dearth of literature among Asian women. We aimed to examine these specific associations in a sample of Chinese women. In Sichuan Province 143 women aged ≥40 years were recruited through outpatient services (2011–2012). Questionnaires, anthropometric measurements, and blood samples were utilized for data collection and linear regression was applied in data analyses. Among women <50 years we observed a non-monotonic positive association between body mass index (BMI) and 17β-estradiol, and a reversed J-shaped association between BMI and IGF-1 (p ≤0.05). We observed similar associations between waist-to-hip ratio and these markers. Our finding of augmented IGF-1 among women with low body mass may have implications for understanding breast tumor heterogeneity in diverse populations and should be evaluated in larger prospective studies with cancer outcomes.     

SUMMARY OF GREEN PLANT PHYLOGENY AND CLASSIFICATION

Abstract— A cladogram of green plants involving all major extant groups of green algae, bryophytes, pteridophytes, and seed plants is presented. It is partly based on contributions by B. Mishler and S. Churchill, H. Wagner, and P. Crane. The relationships of green plants to other green organisms ( Prochloron , euglenophytes) are discussed. The characters and subclades of the cladogram are briefly discussed, with an attempt to indicate weak points. The possibility of including some major extinct groups is considered. A cladistic classification consistent with the cladogram is presented. Grades are abandoned as taxa and major clades like the division Chlorophyta (green algae excluding micro-monadophytes and charophytes sensu Mattox and Stewart), the division Streptophyta (charophytes + embryophytes), the subdivision Embryophytina (land plants or embryophytes), the superclass Tracheidatae (tracheophytes), and the class Spermatopsida (seed plants) are recognized.     

Primary Care Detection of Chronic Kidney Disease in Adults with Type-2 Diabetes: The ADD-CKD Study (Awareness,Detection and Drug Therapy in Type 2 Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease)

This US, multicenter, observational study assessed the CKD prevalence in adult patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and characterized the proportion of detected and undiagnosed CKD in the primary care setting using the following: a clinician survey; a patient physical exam and medical history; a single blood draw for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and glycosolated hemoglobin (HbA1c); urine dipstick for protein; urine albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR); two patient quality of life questionnaires; and a 15-month medical record review. The study consisted of 9339 adults with T2DM and 466 investigator sites. Of the 9339 enrolled, 9307 had complete data collection for analysis. The 15-month retrospective review showed urine protein, urine ACR, and eGFR testing were not performed in 51.4%, 52.9% and 15.2% of individuals, respectively. Of the 9307 patients, 5036 (54.1%) had Stage 1–5 CKD based on eGFR and albuminuria; however, only 607 (12.1%) of those patients were identified as having CKD by their clinicians. Clinicians were more successful in diagnosing patients with Stage 3–5 CKD than Stages 1 and 2. There were no differences in clinicians’ likelihood of identification of CKD based on practice setting, number of years in practice, or self-reported patients seen per week. Awareness or patient self-reported CKD was 81.1% with practitioner detection versus 2.6% in the absence of diagnosis. Primary care of T2DM demonstrates recommended urine CKD testing is underutilized, and CKD is significantly under-diagnosed. This is the first study to show CKD detection is associated with awareness.     

Reproducibility of non-fasting plasma metabolomics measurements across processing delays

Introduction

Processing delays after blood collection is a common pre-analytical condition in large epidemiologic studies. It is critical to evaluate the suitability of blood samples with processing delays for metabolomics analysis as it is a potential source of variation that could attenuate associations between metabolites and disease outcomes.

Objectives

We aimed to evaluate the reproducibility of metabolites over extended processing delays up to 48 h. We also aimed to test the reproducibility of the metabolomics platform.

Methods

Blood samples were collected from 18 healthy volunteers. Blood was stored in the refrigerator and processed for plasma at 0, 15, 30, and 48 h after collection. Plasma samples were metabolically profiled using an untargeted, ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS/MS) platform. Reproducibility of 1012 metabolites over processing delays and reproducibility of the platform were determined by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) with variance components estimated from mixed-effects models.

Results

The majority of metabolites (approximately 70% of 1012) were highly reproducible (ICCs?≥?0.75) over 15-, 30- or 48-h processing delays. Nucleotides, energy-related metabolites, peptides, and carbohydrates were most affected by processing delays. The platform was highly reproducible with a median technical ICC of 0.84 (interquartile range 0.68–0.93).

Conclusion

Most metabolites measured by the UPLC–MS/MS platform show acceptable reproducibility up to 48-h processing delays. Metabolites of certain pathways need to be interpreted cautiously in relation to outcomes in epidemiologic studies with prolonged processing delays.

     

Fish community changes after minimum flow increase: testing quantitative predictions in the Rhône River at Pierre-Bénite, France

1. Many aspects of the flow regime influence the structure of stream communities, among which the minimum discharge left in rivers has received particular attention. However, instream habitat models predicting the ecological impacts of discharge management often lack biological validation and spatial generality, particularly for large rivers with many fish species. 2. The minimum flow at Pierre‐Bénite, a reach of the Rhône river bypassed by artificial channels, was increased from 10 to 100 m³ s^?1 in August 2000 (natural mean discharge 1030 m³ s^?1), resulting in a fivefold increase in average velocity at minimum flow. Fish were electrofished in several habitat units on 12 surveys between 1995 and 2004. 3. Principal components analysis revealed a significant change in the relative abundance of fish species. The relative abundance of species preferring fast‐flowing and/or deep microhabitats increased from two‐ to fourfold after minimum flow increase. A change in community structure confirmed independent quantitative predictions of an instream habitat model. This change was significantly linked to minimum flow increase, but not to any other environmental variables describing high flows or temperature at key periods of fish life cycle. The rapidity of the fish response compared with the lifespan of individual species can be explained by a differential response of specific size classes. 4. The fish community at Pierre‐Bénite is in a transitional stage and only continued monitoring will indicate if the observed shift in community structure is perennial. We expect that our case study will be compared with other predictive tests of the impacts of flow restoration in large rivers, in the Rhône catchment and elsewhere.