Renin-angiotensin system antagonists and mortality due to pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lower respiratory disease in patients with hypertension.

BACKGROUND: It is controversial whether angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ACEI/ARB) have a potentially beneficial role in the respiratory system. This study investigated the association between ACEI/ARB medications and respiratory-related mortality in hypertensive patients in a real-world nationally representative cohort. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis based on a prospective cohort study. A total of 10,530 patients with hypertension aged ≥ 20 years were included. The data was extracted from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey during 1988-1994 and 1999-2006. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Boards. Moreover, inform concent was taken form all the participants. RESULTS: Overall, 27.7% (n = 2920) patients took ACEI/ARB agents. During a median follow-up of 12.4 years, 278 individuals died of respiratory disease, including chronic lower respiratory disease (n = 155) and influenza or pneumonia (n = 123). Compared with the patients without ACEI/ARB use, those taking ACEI/ARB were not associated with respiratory-specific mortality in a multivariable-adjusted Cox model. After 1: 1 matching, taking ACEI/ARB was also not related to respiratory mortality (Hazard ratio (HR) = 1.07, 95% CI: 0.79-1.43), influenza- or pneumonia-related (HR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.65-1.54) and chronic pulmonary mortality (HR = 1.13, 95% CI: 0.75-1.69). After separating ACEI and ARB from anti-hypertensive medications, those associations remained unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: We discovered no significant link between ACEI or ARB medication and pulmonary-related mortality in hypertensive patients. In hypertensive patients, standard ACEI/ARB administration may have little effect on the respiratory system.

Potassium variability during hospitalization and outcomes after discharge in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: The variability of metabolic biomarkers has been determined to provide incremental prognosis information, but the implications of electrolyte variability remained unclear. METHODS: We investigate the relationships between electrolyte fluctuation and outcomes in survivors of acute myocardial infarction (n = 4386). Ion variability was calculated as the coefficient of variation, standard deviation, variability independent of the mean (VIM) and range. Hazard ratios (HR) were estimated using the multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional regression method. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 12 months, 161 (3.7%) patients died, and heart failure occurred in 550 (12.5%) participants after discharge, respectively. Compared with the bottom quartile, the highest quartile potassium VIM was associated with increased risks of all-cause mortality (HR = 2.35, 95% CI: 1.36-4.06) and heart failure (HR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.01-1.72) independent of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), N terminal pro B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), infarction site, mean potassium and other traditional factors, while those associations across sodium VIM quartiles were insignificant. Similar trend remains across the strata of variability by other three indices. These associations were consistent after excluding patients with any extreme electrolyte value and diuretic use. CONCLUSIONS: Higher potassium variability but not sodium variability was associated with adverse outcomes post-infarction. Our findings highlight that potassium variability remains a robust risk factor for mortality regardless of clinical dysnatraemia and dyskalaemia.

Effects of ultrasound on the beef structure and water distribution during curing through protein degradation and modification.

The objective of this study was to explore the mechanisms of power ultrasound (PUS, 150 and 300W) and treatment time (30 and 120min) on the water-holding capacity (WHC) and tenderness of beef during curing. Beef muscle at 48h post mortem was subjected to PUS treatment at a frequency of 20kHz. Analysis of compression loss and shear force showed that PUS-assisted curing significantly increased the WHC and the tenderness of beef compared to static brining (p<0.05). According to the analysis of LF-NMR, PUS treatment could increase the P21 values which indicated an improvement in water-binding ability of beef muscle. SDS-PAGE and LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis suggested that PUS induced moderate oxidation of myosin causing polymerization, which may contribute to increased water retention. On the other hand, an increased tenderness of beef is suggested by the increased MFI values and proteolysis of desmin and troponin-T. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) further supported the effects of PUS on WHC and tenderness changes due to the swelling and disruption of myofibrils. Thus, these results provide knowledge about the mechanism for improving WHC and tenderness of beef by PUS curing, which could be employed as an emerging technology for various meat curing processes.

Emulsion stability, thermo-rheology and quality characteristics of ground pork patties prepared with soy protein isolate and carrageenan.

BACKGROUND: Plant proteins and polysaccharides are often utilised in ground meat products as meat binders, gelling agents, texture stabilisers or fat substitutes. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the incorporation of 57 g kg(-1) soy protein isolate (SPI), 7 g kg(-1) carrageenan (CAR) and SPI/CAR mixture on the quality of ground pork patties. RESULTS: Ground pork patties with individual SPI and CAR or SPI/CAR mixture showed either retained or improved emulsion stability, physicochemical properties and dynamic rheology compared with control samples. Although there were no significant colour differences among treatments, samples with SPI/CAR mixture presented higher texture profile values for hardness and chewiness compared with other treatments (P < 0.05). Patties with additives showed significantly lower cooking loss and better thermal emulsion stability than control samples owing to a lower release rate of water and fat (P < 0.05). Compared with control samples or those with individual SPI and CAR, patties with SPI/CAR mixture formed a smoother and more continuous structure with a more compact protein matrix. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that a mixture of SPI and CAR can be effectively used as a functional ingredient to improve the quality of ground pork patties.

[Expressions of heat shock protein (HSP) family HSP 60, 70 and 90alpha in colorectal cancer tissues and their correlations to pathohistological characteristics].

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Colorectal cancer is the third common malignant tumor in the world. Heat shock protein (HSP) family has been reported to play an important role in carcinogenesis of various cancers. However, little is known about expressions of HSP60,HSP70 and HSP90alpha in colorectal cancer. This study was to investigate expressions of HSP 60, 70 and 90alpha, and analyzed their correlations to pathohistologic characteristics in colorectal cancer. METHODS: Colorectal cancer tissues and adjacent normal tissues 2 cm away from the tumor focus were collected from 49 patients. Expressions of HSP60, HSP70 and HSP90alpha mRNA were detected by RT-PCR. The protein expressions of HSP60, HSP70 and HSP90alpha were determined by immunohistochemistry and western blot. RESULTS: The mRNA and protein levels of HSP60, HSP70 and HSP90alpha, as well as their positive rates were significantly increased in tumor tissues compared with those in para-cancerous tissues. The overexpression rates of HSP60, HSP70 and HSP90alpha were also significantly higher in the colorectal cancer tissues than those in the corresponding para-cancerous tissues. The positive and overexpression rates of HSP60, HSP70 and HSP90alpha in well, moderately and poorly differentiated colorectal cancer were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: HSP60, HSP70 and HSP90alpha may play important roles in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer, although they are not correlated with the pathological grading.

[Analysis of heterogeneity in exon 4 of Coxsackievirus and Adenovirus receptor gene in dilated cardiomyopathy].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the genetic pathogenesis of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) by examining the heterogeneity of Coxsackievirus binding domain (exon 4) of Adenovirus receptor (CAR) in DCM patients and healthy adults, and to detect possible mutation site in exon 4. METHODS: Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), we amplified exon 4 of CAR DNA extracted from blood samples obtained from 50 DCM patients and 40 healthy adults. The PCR products were screened with single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and then sequenced alternatively based on the SSCP results. RESULTS: The segment of CAR exon 4 was successfully amplified and there was no single strand conformational disparity in all samples examined by SSCP. Sequence analysis demonstrated that all amplified sequences of CAR exon 4 from samples of the two groups were identical and there was no genetic heterogeneity of CAR exon 4 between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The genetic heterogeneity of CAR exon 4 might not be responsible for the pathogenesis of DCM.

Identification of the differential expressive tumor associated genes in rectal cancers by cDNA microarray.

AIM: To identify tumor associated genes of rectal cancer and to probe the application possibility of gene expression profiles for the classification of tumors. METHODS: Rectal cancer tissues and their paired normal mucosa were obtained from patients undergoing surgical resection of rectal cancer. Total RNA was extracted using Trizol reagents. First strand cDNA synthesis was indirectly labeled with aminoallyl-dUTP and coupled with Cy3 or Cy5 dye NHS mono-functional ester. After normalization to total spots, the genes which background subtracted intensity did not exceed 2 SD above the mean blank were excluded. The data were then sorted to obtain genes differentially expressed by >or= 2 fold up or down in at least 5 of the 21 patients. RESULTS: In the 21 rectal cancer patients, 23 genes were up-regulated in at least 5 samples and 15 genes were down-regulated in at least 5 patients. Hierachical cluster analysis classified the patients into two groups according to the clinicopathological stage, with one group being all above stage II and one group all below stage II. CONCLUSION: The up-regulated genes and down-regulated genes may be molecular markers of rectal cancer. The expression profiles can be used for classification of rectal cancer.

[Expression of recombinant human cytomegalovirus fusion proteins pp150/MDBP fragments and its application].

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is an ubiquitous herpesvirus disease in human populations. It is rarely pathogenic to healthy adults, yet it may cause severe outcome to organ transplant recipients, the immunocompromised individuals and pregnant women. Using DNA from HCMV AD169 strain as template, the UL32 gene encoding pp150 protein fragment and the UL57 gene encoding MDBP protein fragment were amplified by PCR technique. After the construction of cloning vector pMD18-T-UL32, pMD18-T-UL57, pMD18-T-UL32/UL57 and expression vector pET-11a-UL32/UL57, the recombinant fusion proteins pp150/MDBP were induced with IPTG in BL21 host strain. The results showed that the relative molecular weight of recombinant fusion proteins pp150/MDBP is about 27 kD, the product of fusion proteins takes 17.45% in the total proteins in host bacteria, the analytical result was positive to the fusion proteins pp150/MDBP via Western blot technique, while the purified recombinant fusion proteins have strong antigenicity detected by ELISA and protein chip compared with whole virus antigens from HCMV. It was demonstrated that when used for the detection of serum from the clinical patients it has the same detection rate compared with the whole virus antigen. It needs further research for application.

Effect of NS398 on metastasis-associated gene expression in a human colon cancer cell line.

AIM: To investigate the effect of NS398 on the metastasis-associated gene expression in LoVo colorectal cancer cells. METHODS: LoVo cells were treated with NS398 at the concentration of 100 micromol/L for 24 and 48 h respectively. Total RNA was extracted with TRIzol reagents and reverse transcribed with Superscript II and hybridized with cDNA microarray (containing oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, signal transduction molecules, adhesive molecules, growth factors, and ESTs) fabricated in our laboratory. After normalization, the ratio of gene expression of NS398 treated to untreated LoVo cells was either 2-fold up or 0.5-fold down was defined as the differentially expressed genes. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR was used to validate the microarray results. RESULTS: Among the 447 metastasis-associated genes, 9 genes were upregulated and 8 genes were downregulated in LoVo cells treated with NS398 for 24 h compared to untreated cells. While 31 genes were upregulated and 14 genes were downregulated in LoVo cells treated with NS398 for 48 h. IGFBP-5, PAI-2, JUN, REL, BRCA1, and BRCA2 might be the new targets of NS398 in treatment of colorectal cancer. CONCLUSION: NS398 might exert its anti-metastasis effect on colorectal cancer by affecting several metastasis-associated gene expression.

Effects of aspirin on metastasis-associated gene expression detected by cDNA microarray.

AIM: To investigate the effect of aspirin on the metastasis-associated gene expression in 3AO ovarian cancer cells. METHODS: 3AO cells were treated with aspirin at the concentration of 1.2 mmol/L for 16 and 48 h, respectively. The total RNA was extracted with Trizol reagents and reverse transcribed with Superscript II and hybridized with cDNA microarray (containing oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, signal transduction pathway molecules, adhesive molecules, growth factors and ESTs) fabricated in our lab. After normalization, the ratio of gene expression of aspirin treated to untreated 3AO cells being either 2 fold up higher or 0.5 fold down (lower) were defined as differential expression. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR was used to validate the microarray results. RESULTS: Among the 447 metastasis-associated genes, 4 genes were up-regulated and 14 genes were down-regulated in 3AO cells treated with aspirin for 16 h compared with untreated cells. While 24 genes were up-regulated and 10 genes were down-regulated in cells treated with aspirin for 48 h. Several up or down-regulated gene expression changes continued from 16 h to 48 h. CONCLUSION: Aspirin might exert its anti-metastasis effects on ovarian cancer by affecting metastasis-associated gene expression.

Simultaneous detection of HBV and HCV by multiplex PCR normalization.

AIM: To design and establish a method of multiplex PCR normalization for simultaneously detecting HBV and HCV. METHODS: Two pairs of primers with a 20 bp joint sequence were used to amplify the target genes of HBV and HCV by two rounds of amplification. After the two rounds of amplification all the products had the joint sequence. Then the joint sequence was used as primers to finish the last amplification. Finally multiplex PCR was normalized to a single PCR system to eliminate multiplex factor interference. Four kinds of nucleic acid extraction methods were compared and screened. A multiplex PCR normalization method was established and optimized by orthogonal design of 6 key factors. Then twenty serum samples were detected to evaluate the validity and authenticity of this method. RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic index and efficiency were 83.3%, 70%, 153.3% and 72.2%, respectively for both HBsAg and anti-HCV positive patients, and were 78.6%, 80%, 258.6% and 79.2%, respectively for HBsAg positive patients, and were 75%, 90%, 165% and 83.3%, respectively for anti-HCV positive patients. CONCLUSION: The multiplex PCR normalization method shows a broad prospect in simultaneous amplification of multiple genes of different sources. It is practical, correct and authentic, and can be used to prevent and control HBV and HCV.

[Development and application of cDNA microarray of tumor metastasis-associated genes].

OBJECTIVE: To study the method of preparing cDNA microarray of tumor metastasis-associated genes and its application in the investigation of gene expression profile. METHODS: After amplification and purification by PCR, 400 tumor metastasis-associated gene clones were obtained and dotted onto the slides coated by poly-lysine. Total RNA from specimens of human colorectal carcinoma, lung carcinoma, and normal tissue samples were extracted and labeled by fluorescent staining. The labeled probes were then hybridized with the cDNA microarray. RESULTS: Uniform background and clear signal of the microarray were demonstrated by ScanArrayTM 4000. Specific mRNA expression profiles in association with colorectal cancer and lung cancer were subsequently obtained, showing that 30 genes were consistently up-regulated or down-regulated in the tissue samples examined, including motility factors, adhesion molecules, extracellular matrix-degrading enzymes, oncogenes, tumor-suppressor genes, apoptosis and anti-apoptosis genes, tumor angiogenesis factors and signal transduction factors, etc. CONCLUSION: The optimized method is highly sensitive and applicable in examining gene expression profile. The two cancers investigated in this study do not obviously differ in light of tumor metastasis-associated gene expression profiles, indicating similar molecular mechanism accounting for the infiltration and metastatic behavior of different types of cancers.