Plasma Adiponectin Levels and Metabolic Factors in Nondiabetic Adolescents

Objectives: The relationship of plasma adiponectin levels with various anthropometric and metabolic factors has been surveyed extensively in adults. However, how plasma adiponectin levels are related to various anthropometric indices and cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents is not as vigorously studied. In this study, we investigated this among healthy nondiabetic adolescents. Research Methods and Procedures: Two hundred thirty nondiabetic subjects (125 boys and 105 girls, ～10 to 19 years old) were included. The plasma adiponectin, fasting plasma glucose, insulin, lipids and anthropometric indices including body height, weight, waist circumference, and hip circumference were examined. Body fat mass (FM) and percentage were obtained from DXA scan. The homeostasis model assessment was applied to estimate the degree of insulin resistance. Results: The plasma adiponectin levels were significantly higher in girls (30.79 ± 14.48 μg/mL) than boys (22.87 ± 11.41 μg/mL). The plasma adiponectin levels were negatively related to BMI, FM, FM percentage, waist circumference, waist‐to‐hip ratio, insulin resistance, plasma insulin, triglycerides, and uric acid levels, but positively with high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C) with the adjustment for age and gender. Using different multivariate linear regression models, only age and HDL‐C were consistently related to the plasma adiponectin levels after adjustment for the other variables. Discussion: The relationship between plasma adiponectin and various anthropometric indices and metabolic factors, especially HDL‐C, previously reported in adults was present in the healthy nondiabetic adolescents. Whether variation of plasma adiponectin levels in healthy nondiabetic adolescents may influence their future coronary artery disease risk warrants further investigation.     

Uric Acid Levels Can Predict Metabolic Syndrome and Hypertension in Adolescents: A 10-Year Longitudinal Study

The relationships between uric acid and chronic disease risk factors such as metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and hypertension have been studied in adults. However, whether these relationships exist in adolescents is unknown. We randomly selected 8,005 subjects who were between 10 to 15 years old at baseline. Measurements of uric acid were used to predict the future occurrence of metabolic syndrome, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. In total, 5,748 adolescents were enrolled and followed for a median of 7.2 years. Using cutoff points of uric acid for males and females (7.3 and 6.2 mg/dl, respectively), a high level of uric acid was either the second or third best predictor for hypertension in both genders (hazard ratio: 2.920 for males, 5.222 for females; p<0.05). However, uric acid levels failed to predict type 2 diabetes mellitus, and only predicted metabolic syndrome in males (hazard ratio: 1.658; p<0.05). The same results were found in multivariate adjusted analysis. In conclusion, a high level of uric acid indicated a higher likelihood of developing hypertension in both genders and metabolic syndrome in males after 10 years of follow-up. However, uric acid levels did not affect the occurrence of type 2 diabetes in both genders.     

Negative regulation of yeast telomerase activity through an interaction with an upstream region of the DNA primer.

A number of published studies indicate that telomerase may interact with oligonucleotide primers in a bipartite manner, with the 3'-end of the primer positioned at the catalytic site of the enzyme and a more 5' region of the primer binding to a second or 'anchor' site of the enzyme. We systematically investigated the effects of mutations in the DNA primer on overall binding and polymerization by yeast telomerase. Our studies indicate that there is sequence-specific interaction between telomerase and a substantial region of the DNA primer. Mutations in the 3'-most positions of the primer reduced polymerization, yet had little effect on overall binding affinity. In contrast, mutations around the -20 position reduced binding affinity but had no effect on polymerization. Most strikingly, mutations centered around the -12 position of the DNA primer reduced overall binding affinity but dramatically enhanced primer extension, as well as primer cleavage. This finding suggests that reduced interaction with the -12 region of the DNA primer can facilitate a step in the catalytic region of yeast telomerase that leads to greater polymerization. A tripartite model of interaction between primer and telomerase is proposed to account for the distinct effects of mutations in different regions of the DNA primer.     

The Sun Health Research Institute Brain Donation Program: Description and Eexperience, 1987–2007

The Brain Donation Program at Sun Health Research Institute has been in continual operation since 1987, with over 1000 brains banked. The population studied primarily resides in the retirement communities of northwest metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona. The Institute is affiliated with Sun Health, a nonprofit community-owned and operated health care provider. Subjects are enrolled prospectively to allow standardized clinical assessments during life. Funding comes primarily from competitive grants. The Program has made short postmortem brain retrieval a priority, with a 2.75-h median postmortem interval for the entire collection. This maximizes the utility of the resource for molecular studies; frozen tissue from approximately 82% of all cases is suitable for RNA studies. Studies performed in-house have shown that, even with very short postmortem intervals, increasing delays in brain retrieval adversely affect RNA integrity and that cerebrospinal fluid pH increases with postmortem interval but does not predict tissue viability.     

斜纹夜蛾核型多角体病毒不同分离株基因序列的同源性分析

研究SpltMNPV不同分离株及SpltMNPV分离株与SpliNPV间基因序列的同源性,为SpltMNPV分离株的利用提供理论基础。根据已发表的斜纹夜蛾核型多角体病毒（SpltMNPV）中国株（Zh）基因组全序列（AF527603）和海灰翅夜蛾核型多角体病毒（SpliNPV）Not I-D片段序列（AF527603）设计引物,PCR方法扩增得到SpltMNPV日本福冈株（Fu）、埃及株（Eg）和小笠原株（Og）的ORF39～ORF42和ORF119～ORF124编码区全序列。SpltMNPV不同分离株及SpltMNPV分离株与SpliNPV间基因序列的相似性比较, Zh株和Og株,Eg株、Fu株和SpliNPV的相似性高,而Zh株和Eg株、Fu株或SpliNPV,Og株和Eg株、Fu株或SpliNPV的相似性都比较低。亦即SpltMNPV 3种基因型,B型和C型的同源性高,A型与B型或C型的同源性比较低,但A型与SpliNPV的同源性高;同一基因型内不同分离株（Eg株和Fu株）的同源性高。ETG分子进化分析表明Eg株、Fu株和SpliNPV处于一个分支,而Eg株、Fu株和SpliNPV与Zh株和Og株则处于不同的分支。因此推断Eg株和Fu株为SpliNPV的分离株,而Og株为SpltMNPV的分离株。     

Treatment of stress urinary incontinence with adipose tissue-derived stem cells

Background aimsEffective treatment for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is lacking. This study investigated whether transplantation of adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSC) can treat SUI in a rat model.MethodsRats were induced to develop SUI by postpartum vaginal balloon dilation and bilateral ovariectomy. ADSC were isolated from the peri-ovary fat, examined for stem cell properties, and labeled with thymidine analog BrdU or EdU. Ten rats received urethral injection of saline as a control. Twelve rats received urethral injection of EdU-labeled ADSC and six rats received intravenous injection of BrdU-labeled ADSC through the tail vein. Four weeks later, urinary voiding function was assessed by conscious cystometry. The rats were then killed and their urethras harvested for tracking of ADSC and quantification of elastin, collagen and smooth muscle contents.ResultsCystometric analysis showed that eight out 10 rats in the control group had abnormal voiding, whereas four of 12 (33.3%) and two of six (33.3%) rats in the urethra-ADSC and tail vein-ADSC groups, respectively, had abnormal voiding. Histologic analysis showed that the ADSC-treated groups had significantly higher elastin content than the control group and, within the ADSC-treated groups, rats with normal voiding pattern also had significantly higher elastin content than rats with voiding dysfunction. ADSC-treated normal-voiding rats had significantly higher smooth muscle content than control or ADSC-treated rats with voiding dysfunction.ConclusionsTransplantation of ADSC via urethral or intravenous injection is effective in the treatment and/or prevention of SUI in a pre-clinical setting.     

Genetic association of the antiviral restriction factor TRIM5alpha with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection

The innate antiviral factor TRIM5alpha restricts the replication of some retroviruses through its interaction with the viral capsid protein, leading to abortive infection. While overexpression of human TRIM5alpha results in modest restriction of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), this inhibition is insufficient to block productive infection of human cells. We hypothesized that polymorphisms within TRIM5 may result in increased restriction of HIV-1 infection. We sequenced the TRIM5 gene (excluding exon 5) and the 4.8-kb 5' putative regulatory region in genomic DNA from 110 HIV-1-infected subjects and 96 exposed seronegative persons, along with targeted gene sequencing in a further 30 HIV-1-infected individuals. Forty-eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including 20 with allele frequencies of >1.0%, were identified. Among these were two synonymous and eight nonsynonymous coding polymorphisms. We observed no association between TRIM5 polymorphism in HIV-1-infected subjects and their set-point viral load after acute infection, although one TRIM5 haplotype was weakly associated with more rapid CD4(+) T-cell loss. Importantly, a TRIM5 haplotype containing the nonsynonymous SNP R136Q showed increased frequency among HIV-1-infected subjects relative to exposed seronegative persons, with an odds ratio of 5.49 (95% confidence interval = 1.83 to 16.45; P = 0.002). Nonetheless, we observed no effect of individual TRIM5alpha nonsynonymous mutations on the in vitro HIV-1 susceptibility of CD4(+) T cells. Therefore, any effect of TRIM5alpha polymorphism on HIV-1 infection in primary lymphocytes may depend on combinations of SNPs or on DNA sequences in linkage disequilibrium with the TRIM5alpha coding sequence.     

RNAa Is Conserved in Mammalian Cells

Background

RNA activation (RNAa) is a newly discovered mechanism of gene activation triggered by small double-stranded RNAs termed ‘small activating RNAs’ (saRNAs). Thus far, RNAa has only been demonstrated in human cells and is unclear whether it is conserved in other mammals.

Methodology/Principal Findings

In the present study, we evaluated RNAa in cells derived from four mammalian species including nonhuman primates (African green monkey and chimpanzee), mouse, and rat. Previously, we identified saRNAs leading to the activation of E-cadherin, p21, and VEGF in human cells. As the targeted sequences are highly conserved in primates, transfection of each human saRNA into African green monkey (COS1) and chimpanzee (WES) cells also resulted in induction of the intended gene. Additional saRNAs targeting clinically relevant genes including p53, PAR4, WT1, RB1, p27, NKX3-1, VDR, IL2, and pS2 were also designed and transfected into COS1 and WES cells. Of the nine genes, p53, PAR4, WT1, and NKX3-1 were induced by their corresponding saRNAs. We further extended our analysis of RNAa into rodent cell types. We identified two saRNAs that induced the expression of mouse Cyclin B1 in NIH/3T3 and TRAMP C1 cells, which led to increased phosphorylation of histone H3, a downstream marker for chromosome condensation and entry into mitosis. We also identified two saRNAs that activated the expression of CXCR4 in primary rat adipose–derived stem cells.

Conclusions/Significance

This study demonstrates that RNAa exists in mammalian species other than human. Our findings also suggest that nonhuman primate disease models may have clinical applicability for validating RNAa-based drugs.     

Molecular mechanisms and targets of cancer chemoprevention by garlic-derived bioactive compound diallyl trisulfide

Health benefits of garlic and other Allium vegetables (e.g., onions), such as lipid lowering and anticancer effects, are credited to metabolic byproducts, including diallyl trisulfide (DATS). Evidence for anticancer effects of garlic derives from both population-based case-control studies, and clinical and laboratory investigations using purified garlic constituents such as DATS. Studies have shown that DATS can offer protection against chemically-induced neoplasia as well as oncogene-driven spontaneous cancer development in experimental rodents. Mechanisms underlying cancer chemopreventive effects of DATS are not completely understood, but known pharmacological responses to this natural product include alteration in carcinogen-metabolizing enzymes, cell cycle arrest, induction of apoptotic cell death, suppression of oncogenic signal transduction pathways, and inhibition of neoangiogenesis. This article reviews mechanisms and targets of cancer chemoprevention by DATS.