Plasma Adiponectin Levels Correlate Positively with an Increasing Number of Components of Frailty in Male Elders

Objective

Frailty is an important geriatric syndrome. Adiponectin is an important adipokine that regulates energy homeostasis. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between plasma adiponectin levels and frailty in elders.

Methods

The demographic data, body weight, metabolic and inflammatory parameters, including plasma glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), c-reactive protein (CRP) and adiponectin levels, were assessed. The frailty score was assessed using the Fried Frailty Index (FFI).

Results

The mean (SD) age of the 168 participants [83 (49.4%) men and 85 (50.6%) women] was 76.86 (6.10) years. Judged by the FFI score, 42 (25%) elders were robust, 92 (54.7%) were pre-frail, and 34 (20.3%) were frail. The mean body mass index was 25.19 (3.42) kg/m². The log-transformed mean (SD) plasma adiponectin (µg/mL) level was 1.00 (0.26). The log-transformed mean plasma adiponectin (µg/mL) levels were 0.93 (0.23) in the robust elders, 1.00 (0.27) in the pre-frail elders, and 1.10 (0.22) in the frail elders, and the differences between these values were statistically significant (p  = 0.012). Further analysis showed that plasma adiponectin levels rose progressively with an increasing number of components of frailty in all participants as a whole (p for trend  = 0.024) and males (p for trend  = 0.037), but not in females (p for trend  = 0.223).

Conclusion

Plasma adiponectin levels correlate positively with an increasing number of components of frailty in male elders. The difference between the sexes suggests that certain sex-specific mechanisms may exist to affect the association between adiponectin levels and frailty.     

Intestinal Methanobrevibacter smithii but not total bacteria is related to diet‐induced weight gain in rats

It is increasingly understood that gastrointestinal (GI) methanogens, including Methanobrevibacter smithii, influence host metabolism.

Objective:

Therefore, we compared M. smithii colonization and weight gain in a rat model under different dietary conditions.

Design and Methods:

Sprague‐Dawley rats were inoculated with M. smithii or vehicle (N = 10/group), fed normal chow until day 112 postinoculation, high‐fat chow until day 182, then normal chow until day 253. Thereafter, five rats from each group were fed high‐fat and normal chow until euthanasia.

Results:

Both groups exhibited M. smithii colonization, which increased following inoculation only for the first 9 days. Change to high‐fat chow correlated with significant increases in weight (P < 0.00001) and stool M. smithii (P < 0.01) in all rats, with stool M. smithi decreasing on return to normal chow. Rats switched back to high‐fat on day 253 further increased weight (P < 0.001) and stool M. smithii (P = 0.039). Euthanasia revealed all animals had higher M. smithii, but not total bacteria, in the small intestine than in the colon. Rats switched back to high‐fat chow had higher M. smithii levels in the duodenum, ileum, and cecum than those fed normal chow; total bacteria did not differ in any bowel segment. Rats which gained more weight had more bowel segments colonized, and the lowest weight recorded was in a rat on high‐fat chow which had minimal M. smithii colonization.

Conclusions:

We conclude that M. smithii colonization occurs in the small bowel as well as in the colon, and that the level and extent of M. smithii colonization is predictive of degree of weight gain in this animal model.     

Drug Use and Sex Work: Competing Risk Factors for Newly Acquired HIV in Yunnan,China

Objective

To investigate the HIV incidence and its related factors among female sex workers (FSWs) in a high prevalence area where injection drug use is also widely documented.

Method

A cross-sectional study of 1642 female sex workers (FSWs) was conducted in Honghe Prefecture of Yunnan Province. Interviewed-questionnaires were administrated to collect information on sexual partnerships, condom use and illicit drug using behaviors etc. Blood samples were collected to test for HIV antibodies, and all HIV seropositive specimens were tested with the BED IgG capture-based enzyme immunosorbent assay (BED-CEIA) to distinguish between new and established HIV infection (<153 days).

Results

15.9% (261/1642) of participants reported ever having used drugs, and 7.4% had injected in recent 3 months. The overall HIV prevalence was 10.2% (168/1642), among which 16.7% (28/168) were identified as recent infections using BED-CEIA. The crude HIV incidence estimated from BED-CEIA results was 4.4 (95%CI 2.8–6.0) /100 person years (PY). Multivariate logistic analysis showed that an illicit drug using history (by either self-reporting or urine opiates testing) was both significant risk factors both for HIV established and recent infection (each p<0.05). Drug using FSWs (DU-FSW) reported more male clients in the previous week, and had significantly higher prevalence of HIV, chlamydia trachomatis and HSV-2 as compared to non DU-FSW (each p<0.05).

Conclusion

Our results show that a history of drug use poses significant risks for both new and established HIV infection among FSWs, and that HIV-incidence among Honghe FSWs is relatively high compared to similar populations. Comprehensive interventions targeted at DU-FSWs'' injection drug using and high risk sexual behaviors are urgently needed to reduce the rapid spread of HIV epidemic.     

Genetic Variation in the NOC Gene Is Associated with Body Mass Index in Chinese Subjects

Circadian clock genes are critical regulators of energy homeostasis and metabolism. However, whether variation in the circadian genes is associated with metabolic phenotypes in humans remains to be explored. In this study, we systemically genotyped 20 tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 8 candidate genes involved in circadian clock, including CLOCK, BMAL1(ARNTL), PER1, PER2, CRY1, CRY2, CSNK1E,, and NOC(CCRN4L) in 1,510 non-diabetic Chinese subjects in Taipei and Yunlin populations in Taiwan. Their associations with metabolic phenotypes were analyzed. We found that genetic variation in the NOC gene, rs9684900 was associated with body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.0016, Bonferroni corrected P = 0.032). Another variant, rs135764 in the CSNK1E gene was associated with fasting glucose (P = 0.0023, Bonferroni corrected P = 0.046). These associations were consistent in both Taipei and Yunlin populations. Significant epistatic and joint effects between SNPs on BMI and related phenotypes were observed. Furthermore, NOC mRNA levels in human abdominal adipose tissue were significantly increased in obese subjects compared to non-obese controls.

Conclusion

Genetic variation in the NOC gene is associated with BMI in Chinese subjects.     

Intracellular Adhesion Molecule-1 K469E Gene Polymorphism and Risk of Diabetic Microvascular Complications: A Meta-Analysis

Background

A number of studies evaluated the association of intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) K469E (rs5498, A/G) gene polymorphism with diabetic microvascular complications (DMI) including diabetic nephropathy (DN) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) in different populations. However, the results of individual studies remain conflicting.

Methods

A comprehensive search was conducted to identify all eligible studies of the above-mentioned associations. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were assessed using the fixed or random effect model.

Results

Seven studies involving 3411 subjects were included. Overall, the meta-analysis showed a significant association of the A allele with increased risk of DMI susceptibility in a recessive model (OR = 1.37, 95% CI 1.04–1.80, P = 0.02). In the subgroup analysis stratified by ethnicity, significant association was found in Asians but not in Caucasians (OR = 1.78, 95% CI 1.13–2.81, P = 0.01; OR = 1.10, 95% CI 0.79–1.54, P = 0.58, respectively). Moreover, it showed a significant association between the A allele and risk of DN in a recessive model (OR = 1.25, 95% CI 1.02–1.55, P = 0.04).

Conclusions

This meta-analysis suggested that the K469E polymorphism in ICAM-1 gene might affect individual susceptibility to DMI and showed a discrepancy in different ethnicities. Further investigations are needed to validate the association.     

Suppressed Retinal Degeneration in Aged Wild Type and APPswe/PS1ΔE9 Mice by Bone Marrow Transplantation

Alzheimer''s disease (AD) is an age-related condition characterized by accumulation of neurotoxic amyloid β peptides (Aβ) in brain and retina. Because bone marrow transplantation (BMT) results in decreased cerebral Aβ in experimental AD, we hypothesized that BMT would mitigate retinal neurotoxicity through decreased retinal Aβ. To test this, we performed BMT in APPswe/PS1ΔE9 double transgenic mice using green fluorescent protein expressing wild type (wt) mice as marrow donors. We first examined retinas from control, non-transplanted, aged AD mice and found a two-fold increase in microglia compared with wt mice, prominent inner retinal Aβ and paired helical filament-tau, and decreased retinal ganglion cell layer neurons. BMT resulted in near complete replacement of host retinal microglia with BMT-derived cells and normalized total AD retinal microglia to non-transplanted wt levels. Aβ and paired helical filament-tau were reduced (61.0% and 44.1% respectively) in BMT-recipient AD mice, which had 20.8% more retinal ganglion cell layer neurons than non-transplanted AD controls. Interestingly, aged wt BMT recipients also had significantly more neurons (25.4%) compared with non-transplanted aged wt controls. Quantitation of retinal ganglion cell layer neurons in young mice confirmed age-related retinal degeneration was mitigated by BMT. We found increased MHC class II expression in BMT-derived microglia and decreased oxidative damage in retinal ganglion cell layer neurons. Thus, BMT is neuroprotective in age-related as well as AD-related retinal degeneration, and may be a result of alterations in innate immune function and oxidative stress in BMT recipient mice.     

Knowledge Levels and Training Needs of Disaster Medicine among Health Professionals,Medical Students,and Local Residents in Shanghai,China

Background

Disaster is a serious public health issue. Health professionals and community residents are main players in disaster responses but their knowledge levels of disaster medicine are not readily available. This study aimed to evaluate knowledge levels and training needs of disaster medicine among potential disaster responders and presented a necessity to popularize disaster medicine education.

Methods

A self-reporting questionnaire survey on knowledge level and training needs of disaster medicine was conducted in Shanghai, China, in 2012. A total of randomly selected 547 health professionals, 456 medical students, and 1,526 local residents provided intact information. The total response rate was 93.7%.

Results

Overall, 1.3% of these participants have received systematic disaster medicine training. News media (87.1%) was the most common channel to acquire disaster medicine knowledge. Although health professionals were more knowledgeable than community residents, their knowledge structure of disaster medicine was not intact. Medical teachers were more knowledgeable than medical practitioners and health administrators (p = 0.002). Clinicians performed better than public health physicians (p<0.001), whereas public health students performed better than clinical medical students (p<0.001). In community residents, education background significantly affected the knowledge level on disaster medicine (p<0.001). Training needs of disaster medicine were generally high among the surveyed. ‘Lecture’ and ‘practical training’ were preferred teaching methods. The selected key and interested contents on disaster medicine training were similar between health professionals and medical students, while the priorities chosen by local residents were quite different from health professionals and medical students (p<0.001).

Conclusions

Traditional clinical-oriented medical education might lead to a huge gap between the knowledge level on disaster medicine and the current needs of disaster preparedness. Continuing medical education and public education plans on disaster medicine via media should be practice-oriented, and selectively applied to different populations and take the knowledge levels and training needs into consideration.     

Divergent Selection and Local Adaptation in Disjunct Populations of an Endangered Conifer,Keteleeria davidiana var. formosana (Pinaceae)

The present study investigated the genetic diversity, population structure, F _ST outliers, and extent and pattern of linkage disequilibrium in five populations of Keteleeria davidiana var. formosana, which is listed as a critically endangered species by the Council of Agriculture, Taiwan. Twelve amplified fragment length polymorphism primer pairs generated a total of 465 markers, of which 83.74% on average were polymorphic across populations, with a mean Nei’s genetic diversity of 0.233 and a low level of genetic differentiation (approximately 6%) based on the total dataset. Linkage disequilibrium and HICKORY analyses suggested recent population bottlenecks and inbreeding in K. davidiana var. formosana. Both STRUCTURE and BAPS observed extensive admixture of individual genotypes among populations based on the total dataset in various clustering scenarios, which probably resulted from incomplete lineage sorting of ancestral variation rather than a high rate of recent gene flow. Our results based on outlier analysis revealed generally high levels of genetic differentiation and suggest that divergent selection arising from environmental variation has been driven by differences in temperature, precipitation, and humidity. Identification of ecologically associated outliers among environmentally disparate populations further support divergent selection and potential local adaptation.     

田菁根际促生菌的筛选及其促生耐盐效果

【目的】为探究盐生植物田菁及其根际功能微生物改良盐碱地的效果,本研究从黄河三角洲盐碱区田菁根际土壤中分离促生菌,并明确其耐盐促生效果。【方法】采用选择培养方法从田菁根际土壤中分离固氮菌、解磷菌以及解钾菌,并进行16S rRNA分子生物学鉴定。之后对菌株的耐盐及促生特性进行测定,筛选性状优良菌株进行玉米促生作用研究。【结果】共分离得到105株根际促生菌,其中N102兼具多种促生特性且耐盐性达15%。田菁种子发芽试验表明,N102可显著提高田菁发芽率(47%,P0.05)、芽长(48.5%,P0.05)和根长(60%,P0.05);玉米盆栽试验结果表明,N102对盐胁迫下玉米的株高、根长、叶绿素含量、地上部干重以及根干重具有显著的促进作用。经系统发育分析,N102与Enterobacter soli ATCC BAA-2102 (NR117547)序列相似度为99.30%,鉴定属于Enterobacter属。【结论】菌株N102具有多种植物促生耐盐特性,具有开发成有效促进盐碱地作物生长的微生物肥的良好前景。     

透射电子显微镜(TEM)技术在大孢子化石 超微结构研究中的应用

透射电子显微镜(TEM)具有优异的纳米尺度显微成像性能,因此被广泛应用于材料科学、物理学和生物学等学科的超微结构研究领域。文中根据应用TEM技术研究大孢子化石壁超微结构的实践体会,系统归纳和总结了大孢子化石TEM样品制备的前处理过程,主要步骤包括:材料选取、梯度脱水、包埋剂配比、梯度渗透、包埋、聚合、超薄切片和染色。运用上述TEM实验技术,文中以云南省曲靖市沾益区龙华山剖面中泥盆统吉维特阶上双河组分散拟网龙华山大孢(Longhuashanispora reticuloides Lu and Ouyang, 1978)的壁层超微结构为研究案例,揭示了这类孢子壁主要由三层薄壁组成,包括内部基底层、中部疏松层和外部致密层,其射线唇基底层下部具有近平行排列的多细纹带结构。此类大孢子的多细纹带结构与从加拿大新不伦瑞克省下泥盆统埃姆斯阶Campbellton组同孢植物化石Leclercqia complexa Banks et al., 1972中发现的原位小孢子射线唇基底层下部的多细纹带结构特征非常相似。此外,两者都具有相似的完全弓形脊和远极表面刺瘤状二型纹饰。因此综合外壁超微结构和纹饰形态特征,文中认为Longhuashanispora reticuloides的母体植物可能属于同孢植物向异孢植物演化过程中的过渡类型植物,并与Leclercqia complexa具有较近的亲缘关系。当前研究表明TEM技术在孢粉化石壁超微结构研究领域中具有独特优势,可为深入研究大孢子形态分类和揭示其与母体植物的亲缘关系提供新的线索,也可以被推广和应用到其他微体有机壁类化石的超微结构研究。