Comparative digestibility of energy and ileal amino acids in yeast extract and spray-dried porcine plasma fed to pigs

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the digestible (DE) and metabolisable energy (ME), apparent (AID) and standardised ileal digestibility (SID) of amino acids (AA) in yeast extract (YE) and spray-dried porcine plasma (SDPP). In Experiment 1, 18 barrows (25.1 ± 1.2 kg body weight [BW]) were randomly allotted to three treatments with six replicates per treatment. The DE and ME of YE was 20.64 and 19.31 MJ/kg, respectively, which were not significantly different with the DE and ME of SDPP (18.74 and 18.05 MJ/kg, respectively). In Experiment 2, six barrows (20.6 ± 2.6 kg BW) fitted with ileal T-cannulas were fed three diets in a repeated 3-period Latin square design. For Met and Glu, the AID tended to be, while the SID was significantly higher (p < 0.05), in YE than in SDPP. The AID of Cys tended to be lower in YE (p = 0.07), while the SID of Phe tended to be higher in YE than in SDPP (p = 0.06). Accordingly, YE could be a potential substitute for SDPP as a superior protein ingredient in diets for pigs in terms of the available energy and AA digestibility.     

MicroRNAs as possible biomarkers for screening of aortic aneurysms: a systematic review and validation study

Context: There is an urgent need to identify non-invasive biomarkers for the early detection of aortic aneurysms, preceding a fatal event. The potential role for MicroRNAs (miRNAs) as diagnostic markers for aortic aneurysms was investigated through the present systematic review.

Objective: To perform a comprehensive review on published studies examining the association of miRNAs with aortic aneurysms and further validate these results with plasma samples collected from thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) patients.

Methods: The literature search was performed via numerous databases and articles were only included if they fulfilled the predefined eligibility criteria. The miRNAs reported three times or more with expression consistency were validated using plasma samples from TAA patients collected before and following surgery.

Results: Twenty-four articles were selected from the literature search and 11 miRNAs were chosen for validation using our samples. The miRNAs which were further validated were found to follow the trend in the regulation pattern as with the majority of the published data. MiRNA hsa-miR-193a-5p was found to be significantly down-regulated in the plasma samples collected before the aneurysmal removal when compared with postsurgical serum samples.

Conclusions: Numerous miRNAs have been associated with aortic aneurysms, and specifically hsa-miR-193a-5p and hsa-miR-30b-5p; therefore they warrant further investigation as potential biomarkers.

Registration: The protocol of the review was registered in Prospero Databases (ID: CRD42016039953)     

Biomarker potential of C-peptide for screening of insulin resistance in diabetic and non-diabetic individuals

Insulin resistance is a hallmark feature of type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We determined the homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and evaluated its association with C-peptide, insulin, fasting blood glucose (FBG) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in T2DM patients and non-diabetic subjects. This study comprised a total of 47 T2DM patients and 38 non-diabetic controls. Venous blood samples from all the subjects were collected and sera were analyzed for FBG, HbA1c, insulin and C-peptide using an autoanalyzer. HOMA-IR was calculated using the following equation: HOMA-IR?=?fasting insulin (µU/ml)?×?fasting glucose (mmol/L)/22.5. There was a significant increase in the levels of FBG and HbA1c in diabetic patients. Although the levels of C-peptide and insulin did not differ significantly between the two groups, a significant increase in HOMA-IR was observed in T2DM patients. Both insulin and C-peptide were significantly correlated with HOMA-IR. In conclusion, C-peptide may serve as a simple and convenient predictor of HOMA-IR.     

A comparison of native and non-urate Total Antioxidant Capacity of fasting plasma and saliva among middle-aged and older subjects

Objectives: As plasma and salivary total antioxidant capacity (TAC) is mainly contributed by uric acid (UA), the present study measures non-urate TAC (Nu-TAC). The aim of the study was to correlate plasma native TAC, Nu-TAC and UA with their salivary analogues, and compare the UA contribution in both body fluids using two different methods.

Methods: The study involved 55 middle-aged and older subjects (66.7?±?4.5 years). TAC was determined simultaneously with two methods (ferric reducing ability of plasma – FRAP, 2.2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl – DPPH and countertypes for saliva – FRAS and DPPHS test), with and without UA (native TAC and Nu-TAC, respectively). Plasma UA and salivary UA (SUA) were assessed.

Results: Subjects with increased FRAP, DPPH and UA had higher FRAS, DPPHS and SUA, respectively (P?P?Discussion: Our findings suggest that saliva is a good predictor for native plasma TAC but not for Nu-TAC. UA level is comparably dominant in saliva and in plasma according to DPPH, but lower in plasma according to FRAP.     

LC-MS/MS测定小鼠血浆中多靶点抗AD bis-MEP-乙二酰胺杂合物ZLA浓度及药动学研究

目的:建立检测小鼠血浆内新型多靶点抗阿尔茨海默病(Alzheimer's disease,AD)药物双美普他酚-乙二酰胺杂合物(ZLA)浓度的高效液相色谱-质谱联用法(LC-MS/MS),并研究其在小鼠体内的药代动力学。方法:样品经甲醇沉淀去蛋白,应用Waters Xbridge C18色谱柱(2.1×100 mm,3.5μm),以甲醇-水(含5 m M甲酸铵,p H 9.8)(85:15,v/v)为流动相,流速0.25 m L/min;采用电喷雾(ESI)离子源,选择正离子模式多反应监测,待测物分别为m/z 304.3→107.0(ZLA)和m/z 621.7→232.1(内标)。分别给予KM小鼠腹腔和尾静脉注射ZLA 5mg/kg,不同时间点采集血浆用于ZLA定量分析。结果:ZLA和内标保留时间分别为3.2 min和2.5 min。血浆中ZLA线性范围为1-1000 ng/m L。血浆中提取回收率超过91%,日内和日间精密度RSD均小于6%。药动学研究结果显示,腹腔注射时ZLA可快速分布到血浆中,在10.2 min达到峰值,且能达到良好的生物利用度(47.6%)。结论:本研究建立的ZLA血药浓度测定方法快速、灵敏,特异性好,并成功应用于小鼠血浆中ZLA的药代动力学研究。本研究资料将为ZLA在AD治疗中的进一步临床前评估提供依据。     

颈围用于筛选糖调节受损人群的临床价值研究

目的:探讨颈围用于筛选糖调节受损人群的临床价值。方法:选取哈尔滨市第一医院2017年3月至11月收治的糖调节受损患者共100例,男性颈围以38 cm为临界值,女性以35 cm为临界值,分为颈围正常组和颈围异常组,比较两组患者空腹及餐后血糖、空腹胰岛素、糖化血红蛋白、总胆固醇、甘油三酯、低密度脂蛋白等相关指标水平,并分析颈围与以上指标的相关性。结果:颈围异常组患者的餐后2 h血糖、空腹胰岛素、糖化血红蛋白、总胆固醇、甘油三酯、低密度脂蛋白数值高于颈围正常组,尤以甘油三酯明显,高密度脂蛋白数值低于颈围正常组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。颈围与餐后2 h血糖、总胆固醇、甘油三酯、低密度脂蛋白水平呈正相关,差异均有统计学意义(P0.05),颈围与高密度脂蛋白水平呈负相关,差异均有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:颈围可以作为临床预测、评估糖调节受损患者的早期指标,为早期社区筛查及诊断提供相关的参考依据。     

血清Fractalkine、Apelin水平与糖尿病视网膜病变患者血糖、血脂以及病程的关系研究

目的:研究血清Fractalkine(FKN)、爱帕琳肽(Apelin)水平与糖尿病视网膜病变(DR)患者血糖、血脂以及病程的关系。方法:选取我院于2015年1月至2016年12月收治的160例糖尿病患者为研究对象,行眼底荧光造影、裂隙灯显微镜检查,按照检查结果将其区分为非增生型DR组(稳定组,43例)、背景期DR组(背景组,62例)和增殖期DR组(增殖组,55例),另外于同期选取我院40例健康体检者为健康对照组(健康组),测量4组血清FKN、Apelin、空腹血糖(FPG)、餐后2h血糖(2hPG)、糖化血红蛋白(HbA1c)、高密度脂蛋白胆固醇(HDL-C)、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇(LDL-C)、甘油三酯(TG)和总胆固醇(TC)水平,使用Pearson相关性分析分析血清FKN、Apelin与FPG、2hPG、HbA1c、HDL-C、LDL-C、TG、TC、糖尿病病程的相关性。结果:血清FKN、Apelin水平比较:增殖组背景组稳定组健康组,各组间比较差异具有统计学意义(P0.05);血清FPG、2hPG、HbA1c、LDL-C、TG、TC水平比较:增殖组背景组稳定组健康组,各组间比较差异具有统计学意义(P0.05);血清HDL-C水平比较:健康组稳定组背景组增殖组,各组间比较差异具有统计学意义(P0.05);采用Pearson相关性分析显示,血清FKN水平与FPG、2hPG、HbA1c、LDL-C、TG、TC、糖尿病病程呈正相关性(r=0.321、0.215、0.645、0.154、0.215、0.325、0.578,P0.05),与HDL-C呈负相关性(r=-0.547,P0.05);血清Apelin水平与FPG、2hPG、HbA1c、LDL-C、TG、TC、糖尿病病程呈正相关性(r=0.245、0.574、0.951、0.357、0.357、0.159、0.546,P0.05),与HDL-C呈负相关性(r=-0.459,P0.05);糖尿病病程、HbA1c、LDL-C、HDL-C、FKN和Apelin为DR病程的相关影响因素。结论:糖尿病伴发DR患者血清FKN、Apelin水平随着病程的加重逐渐增加,且这两种因子的水平与患者血糖、血脂代谢关系密切。     

低温等离子髓核消融术治疗高原地区椎间盘源性下腰痛的疗效及对患者生活质量的影响

目的:研究低温等离子髓核消融术(LTPNPA)治疗高原地区椎间盘源性下腰痛(DLBP)的疗效及对患者生活质量的影响。方法:选择从2015年9月到2017年1月在我院接受治疗的高原地区DLBP患者,随机分为对照组(n=59)和观察组(n=59),对照组患者给予常规腰椎牵引治疗,观察组患者则予以LTPNPA术式治疗,对所有患者进行为期6个月的随访,并对比两组疗效、临床指标(疼痛缓解时间和住院时间)、治疗前后的椎间隙高度R值和Oswestry功能障碍指数(ODI)评分以及不同时期的日常生活能力量表(ADL)评分。结果:观察组的优良率是98.31%,高于对照组的88.14%(P0.05)。观察组的疼痛缓解时间及住院时间均少于对照组(P0.05)。治疗后两组的ODI评分均低于治疗前,且观察组较对照组偏低(P0.05)。治疗后两组的椎间隙高度R值相比差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。治疗后1个月、3个月、6个月两组的ADL评分均高于治疗前,治疗后3个月和6个月高于治疗后1个月,治疗后6个月高于治疗后3个月,且观察组均较对照组偏高(P0.05)。结论:对高原地区DLBP患者应用LTPNPA术式治疗,具有明显疗效,还可提升其生活质量,临床上可考虑在高原地区推广LTPNPA术式,从而使患者获得最佳疗效。     

Social immunity in honeybees—Density dependence,diet, and body mass trade‐offs

Group living is favorable to pathogen spread due to the increased risk of disease transmission among individuals. Similar to individual immune defenses, social immunity, that is antiparasite defenses mounted for the benefit of individuals other than the actor, is predicted to be altered in social groups. The eusocial honey bee (Apis mellifera) secretes glucose oxidase (GOX), an antiseptic enzyme, throughout its colony, thereby providing immune protection to other individuals in the hive. We conducted a laboratory experiment to investigate the effects of group density on social immunity, specifically GOX activity, body mass and feeding behavior in caged honey bees. Individual honeybees caged in a low group density displayed increased GOX activity relative to those kept at a high group density. In addition, we provided evidence for a trade‐off between GOX activity and body mass: Individuals caged in the low group density had a lower body mass, despite consuming more food overall. Our results provide the first experimental evidence that group density affects a social immune response in a eusocial insect. Moreover, we showed that the previously reported trade‐off between immunity and body mass extends to social immunity. GOX production appears to be costly for individuals, and potentially the colony, given that low body mass is correlated with small foraging ranges in bees. At high group densities, individuals can invest less in social immunity than at low densities, while presumably gaining shared protection from infection. Thus, there is evidence that trade‐offs at the individual level (GOX vs. body mass) can affect colony‐level fitness.     

On‐Line Control of Glucose Concentration in High‐Yielding Mammalian Cell Cultures Enabled Through Oxygen Transfer Rate Measurements

Glucose control is vital to ensure consistent growth and protein production in mammalian cell cultures. The typical fed‐batch glucose control strategy involving bolus glucose additions based on infrequent off‐line daily samples results in cells experiencing significant glucose concentration fluctuations that can influence product quality and growth. This study proposes an on‐line method to control and manipulate glucose utilizing readily available process measurements. The method generates a correlation between the cumulative oxygen transfer rate and the cumulative glucose consumed. This correlation generates an on‐line prediction of glucose that has been successfully incorporated into a control algorithm manipulating the glucose feed‐rate. This advanced process control (APC) strategy enables the glucose concentration to be maintained at an adjustable set‐point and has been found to significantly reduce the deviation in glucose concentration in comparison to conventional operation. This method has been validated to produce various therapeutic proteins across cell lines with different glucose consumption demands and is successfully demonstrated on micro (15 mL), laboratory (7 L), and pilot (50 L) scale systems. This novel APC strategy is simple to implement and offers the potential to significantly enhance the glucose control strategy for scales spanning micro‐scale systems through to full scale industrial bioreactors.