Background:To investigate the associations of lens power with age,axial length(AL),and Type 2 diabetes mellitus(DM)in Chinese adults aged 50 and above.Methods:Random clustering sampling was used to identify adults aged 50 years and above in urban regions of Shanghai.The participants underwent a comprehensive ophthalmic examination including subjective refraction,autorefraction,and IOL-Master.The crystalline lens power was calculated using Bennett’s formula.Results:A total of 4177 adults were included.A linear decrease in lens power was observed both with age and with AL,followed by a stop of lens power loss after the age of 70 or when AL≥25 mm,respectively.Participants with Type 2 DM presented higher lens power(0.43 diopter(D),p<0.001)and thicker lens thickness(0.06 mm,p<0.001).In multivariate regression models,there was a positive correlation between lens power and Type 2 DM when age<75 years(p<0.001)or AL<25 mm(p<0.001)after adjusting for other factors,while no significant association was found in participants aged≥75 years(p=0.122)or with AL≥25 mm(p=0.172).Conclusions:The lens power in adults aged 50 and above exhibited two stages with age and with AL.Type 2 DM caused an increase in lens power,which was not seen in participants aged≥75 years or with AL≥25 mm.
The blend system composed of PET and thermotropic liquid crystal copolyester based on hydroxy benzoic acid, terephthalic acid, diacetylnaphthalene and PET was studied. The results indicated that LCP could play the role of crystal nuclei. The introduction of LCP decreased the melt viscosity of the system and fibrillous structure could be formed in favor conditions.
Peripartal cows often experience negative energy balance,and are therefore prone to suffering from metabolic diseases such as hyperketonemia,which causes financial losses in dairy farms.This study aimed to investigate the effect of green tea polyphenol(GTP)supplementation during the periparturient period on production performance,oxidative stress and immunometabolism in dairy cows with hyperketonemia.One hundred Holstein cows were assigned to GTP(0.2 g/kg DM;n=50)or control(without GTP;n=50)group based on body weight,previous milk yield,and parity on d 15 before expected parturition.Subsequently,10 cows with hyperketonemia were selected from each group,according to bloodβ-hydroxybutyric acid(BHBA)concentration between 1.2 and 2.9 mmol/L from 2 to 3 d postpartum.All cows were fed a close-up diet and a lactation diet with or without GTP supply from 15 d prepartum until 30 d postpartum.Milk and blood samples were obtained from 20 cows selected with hyperketonemia on 10,20,and 30 d postpartum.Compared with control cows,greater milk yield and lower somatic cell count were observed in GTP cows.The GTP group had lower concentrations of BHBA,free fatty acids,cholesterol,triglyceride,reactive oxygen species,malondialdehyde,and hydrogen peroxide,greater concentrations of glucose,lower activities of aspartate aminotransferase,alanine aminotransferase,and glutamyl transpeptidase,alongside greater ac-tivities of superoxide dismutase,glutathione peroxidase,and total antioxidant capacity.Additionally,GTP supplementation up-regulated concentrations of interleukin-6 and interleukin-10,but down-regulated concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α,interleukin-1β,interleukin-2,interleukin-8,and interferon-γin plasma.Greater concentrations of plasma immunoglobulin G were also detected in the GTP group.Overall,the data suggested that GTP supplementation from 15 d prepartum to 30 d postpartum improved the milk yield and health status in cows with hvoerketonemia during early lactation.
Considering the adverse effects of nonimpacted third molars(N-M3s)on the periodontal health of adjacent second molars(M2s),the removal of N-M3s may be beneficial to the periodontal health of their neighbors.This study aimed to investigate the clinical,immunological,and microbiological changes of the periodontal condition around M2s following removal of neighboring N-M3s across a 6-month period.Subjects with at least one quadrant containing an intact first molar(M1),M2,and N-M3 were screened and those who met the inclusion criteria and decided to receive N-M3 extraction were recruited in the following investigation.M2 periodontal condition was interrogated before M3 extraction(baseline)and at 3 and 6 months postoperatively.Improvements in clinical periodontal indexes of M2s in response to their adjacent N-M3 removal,along with changes in inflammatory biomarkers among gingival crevicular fluid(GCF)and the composition of subgingival plaque collected from the distal sites of the M2s of the targeted quadrant were parallelly analyzed.Complete data of 26 tooth extraction patients across the follow-up period were successfully obtained and subsequently applied for statistical analysis.Compared to the baseline,the periodontal condition of M2s was significantly changed 6 months after N-M3 removal;specifically,the probing depth of M2s significantly reduced(P<0.001),the matrix metalloproteinase(MMP)-8 concentration involved in GCF significantly decreased(P=0.025),and the abundance of the pathogenic genera unidentified Prevotellaceae and Streptococcus significantly decreased(P<0.001 and P=0.009,respectively).We concluded that N-M3 removal was associated with superior clinical indexes,decreased GCF inflammatory biomarkers,and reduced pathogenic microbiome distribution within the subgingival plaque.Although the retention or removal of N-M3s continues to be controversial,our findings provide additional evidence that medical decisions should be made as early as possible or at least before the neighboring teeth are irretrievably da
Zinc(Zn)has been shown to attenuate the adverse effects of heat stress on broilers,but the mechanisms involving this process remain unclear.We aimed to investigate possible protective mechanisms of Zn on primary cultured hepatocytes of broiler embryos subjected to heat stress.Three experiments were conducted.In Exp.1,hepatocytes were treated with 0,50,100,200,or 400μmol/L added Zn as inorganic Zn sulfate(iZn)for 12,24 or 48 h.In Exp.2,cells were exposed to 40℃(a normal temperature[NT])and 44℃(a high temperature[HT])for 1,2,4,6,or 8 h.In Exp.3,cells were preincubated with 0 or 50μmol/L Zn as iZn or organic Zn lysine chelate(oZn)for 8 h under NT,and then incubated with the same Zn treatments under NT or HT for 4 or 6 h.The biomarkers of antioxidative status and heat stress in cells were measured.The results in Exp.1 indicated that 50μmol/L Zn and 12 h incubation were the optimal conditions for increasing antioxidant ability of hepatocytes.In Exp.2,the 4 or 6 h incubation under HT was effective in inducing heat shock responses of hepatocytes.In Exp.3,HT elevated(P<0.01)malondialdehyde content and expressions of heat shock protein 70(HSP70)mRNA and protein,as well as HSP90 mRNA.However,Zn supplementation increased(P<0.05)copper zinc superoxide dismutase(CuZnSOD)activity and metallothionein mRNA expression,and effectively decreased(P<0.05)the ex-pressions of HSP70 mRNA and protein,as well as HSP90 mRNA.Furthermore,oZn was more effective(P<0.05)than iZn in enhancing CuZnSOD activity of hepatocytes under HT.It was concluded that Zn(especially oZn)could alleviate heat stress of broiler hepatocytes via enhancing their antioxidant ability and attenuating heat shock responses.
Tingting LiWengang HeXiudong LiaoXi LinLiyang ZhangLin LuYanli GuoZongping LiuXugang Luo
Objective:The present study aims to investigate whether the anticonvulsant effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation is associated with balancing the autonomic dysfunction in rats.Methods:Healthy adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized with an intraperitoneal injection of 10% urethane.Seizures were evoked by intraperitoneal injection of pentylenetetrazol(PTZ,60 mg/kg).Femoral vein catheterization was performed for injection of sympathetic agonist and antagonists.Bipolar globe silver electrodes were utilized for epidural EEG recording.Three needles were inserted separately in subcutaneous muscles of left anterior limb,right anterior limb,and left hind limb to record ECG signals.ta-VNS was performed at auricular concha.Results:In comparison with preictal state,the mean heart rate(HR) increased slightly during epileptic seizures(P<0.05).In comparison with ictal state,the mean HR decreased a little at postictal state(P<0.05).When continuous epileptic seizures in EEG traces occurred(in ictal state),vein injection of propranolol hydrochloride(sympathetic antagonist) suppressed the epileptic seizures.When epileptic seizures occurred rarely(in postictal state),vein injection of adrenaline hydrochloride(sympathetic agonist) exacerbated the epileptic seizures.In comparison with prestimulation,the integral of EEG traces after ta-VNS decreased(P<0.05),the mean HR decreased(P<0.05),and the high power(HF) of HRV increased(P<0.05) after ta-VNS.Conclusion:The results showed that autonomic dysfunction occurred in epileptic rats characterized by enhanced sympathetic nerve activity.Epileptic seizures in EEG traces decreased,HR decreased and HF increased after ta-VNS,which indicated that ta-VNS may suppress epileptic seizures via balancing the autonomic dysfunction.
Applying time-independent non-perturbative formalism to the photo-ionization of hydrogen atom immersed in a strong circularly polarized standing electromagnetic wave, we calculate the shift of energy levels and the distortion of wave functions for the hydrogen atom, the ionization cross section induced by the standing wave, and the angular distribution of photoelectrons and obtain some interesting results.
A thermotropic liquid crystal copolyester resin based on p-hydroxybenzoic acid, 2, 6-naphthoic acid, hydroxyquinone and PET was synthesized by melt condensation and studied. The results based on DSC and X-ray diffraction indicated that there were a rapid and a slow crystallization processes for the copolyester at certain conditions. A critical temperature was suggested, below which the slow crystallization could hardly happen. Above the critical temperature the extent of the slow crystallization process depended not only on annealing temperature but also on the annealing time. A fine crystal structure with high melting point and narrow diffraction peak was formed under favorable conditions.
Background Heart failure is the end stage of various heart diseases,which has different underlying mechanisms but somehow has similar features among different etiologies. Dilated cardiomyopathy(DCM) and ischemic cardiomyopathy(ICM)are two major subtypes. Unlike widely explored mechanisms on these heart diseases,their shared gene expression alterations in heart failure have been rarely investigated. Methods We first obtained genetic profiles of DCM and ICM as well as their non-failing(NF)control from two datasets in GEO database,GSE3585 and GSE1869. Comparing to NF,the differentially expressed genes(DEGs)of DCM and ICM were screened out and used for Gene Ontology(GO)analysis by DAVID. The two sets of DEGs were compared and the overlap was selected out. Protein-protein interaction(PPI)network of the encoded proteins of shared DEGs was constructed and visualized via STRING and Cytoscape respectively. Gene annotation interactions were analyzed using Bi NGO. The closely linked genes were sorted out as hub genes and accounted for common processes of DCM and ICM. Results There were 99 DEGs in DCM vs. NF,while 1317 DEGs in ICM vs. NF.29 DEGs were shared in two comparisons,which were mainly enriched in regulation of protein catabolic process,Golgi to endosome transport,protein targeting to Golgi,inactivation of MAPK activity,Golgi to plasma membrane protein transport,cytosol,and protein binding. There were 13 genes linked in the PPI network and thus they were selected as hub genes. Functions of these hub genes were mainly focused on energetic metabolism disorder,apoptosis and cardiac fibrosis. Conclusion Energetic metabolism disorder,apoptosis and cardiac fibrosis are likely the shared pathophysiological processes for dilated cardiomyopathy and ischemic cardiomyopathy.[S Chin J Cardiol 2019;20(3):190-197]
HE Yong-liLU Jian-junFENG ZheWANG RuiHUANG ChengZHOU Ying-ling
