[Synthesis and identification of artificial antigen of spinosin].

Immunogenic antigen (spinosin-BSA) and coating antigen (spinosin-OVA) of spinosin were synthesized by sodium periodate oxidation method. UV scanning analysis method showed that these two spinosins were successfully conjugated with carrier protein and the coupling ratio was 17 and 13.7, respectively. Meanwhile, when immunized by spinosin-BSA，the mice can produce anti-spinosin antibodies with the high titer (1:32 000),specificity (IC50 211.6 µg·L⁻¹) and low cross-reaction rate measured by ELISA tests. The artificial antigen of spinosin was successfully synthesized, which can be applied for preparation of monoclonal antibodies and establishment of appropriate immune method.

Dietary Sulfur-Containing Amino Acids Are Associated with Higher Prevalence of Overweight/Obesity in Northern Chinese Adults, an Internet-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Elevation of plasma sulfur-containing amino acids (SAAs) is generally associated with higher body mass index (BMI) and unfavorable lipid profiles. It is not known how dietary SAAs relate to these associations in humans. METHODS: A convenient tool named internet-based dietary questionnaire for Chinese (IDQC) was used to estimate dietary SAAs intake. A total of 936 participants were randomly recruited and asked to complete the IDQC. Furthermore, 90 subjects were randomly selected to perform a subgroup study. The associations between dietary SAAs and prevalence of obesity, lipid profiles, and status of insulin resistance (IR), inflammation and oxidative stress were assessed. RESULTS: Dietary total SAAs and cysteine of overweight/obese participants were significantly higher. Dietary total SAAs and cysteine were positively associated with BMI and waist circumference. Higher dietary total SAAs were associated with higher prevalence of overweight/obesity. Higher dietary total SAAs and cysteine also associated with higher serum triglyceride (total cholesterol), low density lipoprotein, fasting blood glucose, 2 h-postprandial glucose, and homeostasis model assessment of IR. In the subgroup study, positive associations between dietary SAAs and inflammation biomarkers were also observed. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary SAAs are associated with higher prevalence of overweight/obesity, unfavorable lipid profiles and status of IR, and inflammation.

Associations of dietary phytosterols with blood lipid profiles and prevalence of obesity in Chinese adults, a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: It has been established in RCTs that high dose of phytosterols can significantly reduce blood cholesterol. However, it was uncertain whether low dose of phytosterols from daily diets was effective. In this study, we evaluated the associations between dietary phytosterols and body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), blood glucose, serum lipid profiles and prevalence of overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity in healthy subjects. METHODS: Four hundred nine men and 503 women aged 18-60 years were included in this study. Dietary intakes of phytosterols were estimated using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Height, body weight, WC and blood pressure were measured, an oral glucose tolerance test was performed. Moreover, fasting serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc) were further determined. RESULTS: When comparing extreme quartiles of dietary phytosterols, significant differences of BMI, WC, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), serum TC and LDLc were found. Dietary phytosterols presented a negative association with BMI, WC, SBP, DBP, serum TC and LDLc (with and without adjustment for energy). After adjustment for confounders, we found higher dietary phytosterols were linked with lower prevalence of overweight/obesity (OR highest vs. lowest quartile = 0.487; 95% CI 0.234, 0.918 for men; OR highest vs. lowest quartile = 0.277; 95% CI 0.124, 0.619 for women) and abdominal obesity (OR highest vs. lowest quartile = 0.344; 95% CI 0.144, 0.819 for men; OR highest vs. lowest quartile = 0.321; 95% CI 0.140, 0.571 for women). CONCLUSIONS: Higher dietary phytosterols were associated with lower BMI, WC, blood pressure, serum TC and LDLc and lower prevalence of overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity in Chinese adults.

Relationships of Dietary Histidine and Obesity in Northern Chinese Adults, an Internet-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

Our previous studies have demonstrated that histidine supplementation significantly ameliorates inflammation and oxidative stress in obese women and high-fat diet-induced obese rats. However, the effects of dietary histidine on general population are not known. The objective of this Internet-based cross-sectional study was to evaluate the associations between dietary histidine and prevalence of overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity in northern Chinese population. A total of 2376 participants were randomly recruited and asked to finish our Internet-based dietary questionnaire for the Chinese (IDQC). Afterwards, 88 overweight/obese participants were randomly selected to explore the possible mechanism. Compared with healthy controls, dietary histidine was significantly lower in overweight (p < 0.05) and obese (p < 0.01) participants of both sexes. Dietary histidine was inversely associated with body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and blood pressure in overall population and stronger associations were observed in women and overweight/obese participants. Higher dietary histidine was associated with lower prevalence of overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity, especially in women. Further studies indicated that higher dietary histidine was associated with lower fasting blood glucose (FBG), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), 2-h postprandial glucose (2 h-PG), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), malonaldehyde (MDA) and vaspin and higher glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and adiponectin of overweight/obese individuals of both sexes. In conclusion, higher dietary histidine is inversely associated with energy intake, status of insulin resistance, inflammation and oxidative stress in overweight/obese participants and lower prevalence of overweight/obesity in northern Chinese adults.

The Ratio of Dietary Branched-Chain Amino Acids is Associated with a Lower Prevalence of Obesity in Young Northern Chinese Adults: An Internet-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

This study aims to examine the association between the ratio of dietary branched chain amino acids (BCAA) and risk of obesity among young northern Chinese adults. A total of 948 randomly recruited participants were asked to finish our internet-based dietary questionnaire for the Chinese (IDQC). Associations between dietary BCAA ratio and prevalence of overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity were analyzed. Furthermore, 90 subjects were randomly selected to explore the possible mechanism. Dietary BCAA ratio in obese participants was significantly lower than non-obese participants. We found negative correlations between the ratio of dietary BCAA and body mass index (BMI) (r = -0.197, p < 0.001) or waist circumference (r = -0.187, p < 0.001). Compared with those in the first quartile, the multivariable-adjusted OR (95% CI) of the 3rd and 4th quartiles of dietary BCAA ratio for overweight/obesity were 0.508 (0.265-0.972) and 0.389 (0.193-0.783), respectively (all p < 0.05). After stratification by gender, the significance still existed in the 3rd and 4th quartile in males and the 4th quartile in females. For abdominal obesity, the multivariable-adjusted OR (95% CI) of the 3rd and 4th quartile of dietary BCAA ratio were 0.351 (0.145-0.845) and 0.376 (0.161-0.876), respectively (all p < 0.05). This significance was stronger in males. Further studies indicated that dietary BCAA ratio was inversely associated with 2-h postprandial glucose (2 h-PG) and status of inflammation. In conclusion, a higher ratio of dietary BCAA is inversely associated with prevalence of obesity, postprandial glucose and status of inflammation in young northern Chinese adults.

Lean-non-alcoholic fatty liver disease increases risk for metabolic disorders in a normal weight Chinese population.

AIM: To study the prevalence and clinical biochemical, blood cell and metabolic features of lean-non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (lean-NAFLD) and its association with other diseases. METHODS: Demographic, biochemical and blood examinations were conducted in all the subjects in this study. We classified the subjects into four groups according to their weight and NAFLD status: lean-control, lean-NAFLD [body mass index (BMI) < 24 kg/m(2)], overweight-obese control and overweight-obese NAFLD. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the means of continuous variables (age, BMI, blood pressure, glucose, lipid, insulin, liver enzymes and blood cell counts) and the χ (2) test was used to compare the differences in frequency of categorical variables (sex, education, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption and prevalence of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, metabolic syndrome central obesity and obesity). Both univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were adopted to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and predict hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes and metabolic syndrome when we respectively set all controls, lean-control and overweight-obese-control as references. In multivariate logistic regression models, we adjusted potential confounding factors, including age, sex, smoking, alcohol consumption and physical activity. RESULTS: The prevalence of NAFLD was very high in China. NAFLD patients were older, had a higher BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, insulin, blood lipid, liver enzymes and uric acid than the controls. Although lean-NAFLD patients had lower BMI and waist circumstance, they had significantly higher visceral adiposity index than overweight-obese controls. Lean-NAFLD patients had comparable triglyceride, cholesterin and low-density lipoprotein cholesterin to overweight-obese NAFLD patients. In blood cell examination, both lean and overweight-obese NAFLD was companied by higher white blood cell count, red blood cell count, hemoglobin and hematocrit value. All NAFLD patients were at risk of hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes and metabolic syndrome (MetS). Lean-NAFLD was more strongly associated with diabetes (OR = 2.47, 95%CI: 1.14-5.35), hypertension (OR = 1.72, 95%CI: 1.00-2.96) and MetS (OR = 3.19, 95%CI: 1.17-4.05) than overweight-obese-NAFLD (only OR for MetS was meaningful: OR = 1.89, 95%CI: 1.29-2.77). NAFLD patients were more likely to have central obesity (OR = 1.97, 95%CI: 1.38-2.80), especially in lean groups (OR = 2.17, 95%CI: 1.17-4.05). CONCLUSION: Lean-NAFLD has unique results in demographic, biochemical and blood examinations, and adds significant risk for diabetes, hypertension and MetS in lean individuals.

[Establishment and functional identification of a stable cell line overexpression heme oxygenase-1].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a stable cell line overexpression heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) mediated by a modified lentivirus system and identify its function. METHODS: The HO-1 gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and cloned into the modified pLentiLox3.7 expression vectors. The recombinant plasmids were transfected into HEK293T cells and the HO-1 was detected by Western blot. The recombinant plasmids were transfected into HEK293T cells to produce the viruses, with the helping plasmids including plp1, plp2, and VSVG. HEK293T cells were infected by the viruses and the cells that can express HO-1 were identified by Western blot. The reactive oxygen species were detected in the HO-1-overexpression HEK293T cells and the normal cells after the adding of hydrogen peroxide. The same experiment was performed with human umbilical vein endothelial cells. RESULTS: The stable cell line that can overexpress HO-1 was established, which was verified by Western blot. The reactive oxygen species in the HO-1-overexpression HEK293T cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells decreased obviously after exposure to hydrogen peroxide. CONCLUSIONS: The lentivirus-carrying HO-1 was successfully packaged and the stable cell line overexpression HO-1 was established. HO-1 can play a protective role in the course of oxidative damage.

Protective effect of melatonin on cigarette smoke-induced restenosis in rat carotid arteries after balloon injury.

Vascular restenosis after the interventional angioplasty remains the main obstacle to a favorable long-term patency. Many researches suggest cigarette smoking is one of the most important causes of restenosis. This study was designed to investigate whether melatonin could protect against the cigarette smoke-induced restenosis in rat carotid arteries after balloon injury. Three groups of male rats (normal condition, cigarette smoke exposed, cigarette smoke exposed, and melatonin injected) were used in this study. An established balloon-induced carotid artery injury was performed, and the carotid arteries were harvested from these three groups 14 days later. The ratio of intima to media, the infiltration of inflammatory cells, the expression of inflammatory cytokines (NF-κB, IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α, MCP-1), adhesion molecules (ICAM-1, VCAM-1), and eNOS were measured. The results showed that cigarette smoke exposure aggravated the stenosis of the lumen, promoted the infiltration of inflammatory cells and induced the expression of the inflammatory cytokines and adhesion molecules after the balloon-induced carotid artery injury. Moreover, cigarette smoke exposure can inhibit the expression of eNOS. Particularly, we surprised that melatonin could minimize this effect caused by cigarette smoke. These results suggested that melatonin could prevent the cigarette smoke-induced restenosis in rat carotid arteries after balloon injury and the mechanism of its protective effect may be the inhibition of the inflammatory reaction. This also implies melatonin has the potential therapeutic applicability in prevention of restenosis after the vascular angioplasty in smokers.

Effects of body mass index and body fat percentage on gestational complications and outcomes.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage (BFP) and gestational outcomes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Maternal- and infant-related data of gestation and gestational outcomes of 411 pregnant women were retrospectively analyzed. BMI was used to classify the women as obese, overweight, or normal. BFP was measured by the segmental multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance method. The mothers' blood lipid profiles were assessed by automated chemical analysis. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the correlation of BMI and BFP with gestational complications. RESULTS: The rates of gestational diabetes and hypertension were significantly different between mothers who were obese (33.3%, 52.6%), overweight (10.3%, 32.2%) and normal (8.7%, 14.9%) (P < 0.001). The Apgar score at 1 min and intensive care unit admissions rate at birth were significantly different between infants born to obese (6.14 ± 0.80, 14.0%), overweight (6.64 ± 1.10, 8.9%) and normal (7.20 ± 0.78, 1.9%) mothers (P < 0.01). The Apgar score at 5 min and the birthweights were not significantly different between these three groups (P > 0.05). Additionally, the levels of serum total cholesterol (mmol/L), total triglycerides (mmol/L), and leptin (ng/mL) were significantly higher in obese (5.87 ± 2.26, 2.04 ± 1.65, 24.79 ± 18.38) and overweight (5.29 ± 1.85, 1.74 ± 1.05, 20.79 ± 15.19) women, compared to normal women (4.89 ± 1.05, 1.45 ± 0.77, 13.35 ± 6.51) (P < 0.05). Furthermore, BFP was more strongly correlated to gestational diabetes (rs = 0.57 vs 0.68) and hypertension (rs = 0.31 vs 0.43) than BMI. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity and overweight are associated with increased adverse maternal and neonatal complications. BFP is a more accurate predictor of gestational outcomes than BMI.

Attenuating effect of post-treatment with QiShen YiQi Pills on myocardial fibrosis in rat cardiac hypertrophy.

QiShen YiQi Pills(®) (QSYQ) is a compound Chinese medicine used for treatment of cardiovascular diseases. However, the potential of QSYQ to inhibit cardiac fibrosis in left ventricle hypertrophy is not explored to date. We investigated the effects of post-treatment with QSYQ on rat myocardial fibrosis in left ventricle hypertrophy induced by pressure over-load through ascending aortic stenosis. QSYQ was administrated 4 weeks after the surgery, at a dose of 0.8 g/kg/day over the next 4 weeks, while echocardiography was performed 4 and 8 weeks, respectively, after the surgery. Eight weeks after the surgery, myocardial blood flow was determined by Laser-Doppler Perfusion Imager and the ratio of heart weight to body weight (HW/BW) was estimated, in concurrent evaluation of myocardial histology and ultrastructure, as well as collagen content by sirius red staining, and immunohistochemistry staining for CD68 and transforming growth factor beta 1. Post-treatment with QSYQ significantly alleviated left ventricular posterior wall end diastolic thickness and the HW/BW, increased left ventricle ejection fraction and left ventricle fractional shortening. QSYQ also decreased myocardial fibrosis size. The expression of CD68 and transforming growth factor beta 1 were obviously suppressed after QSYQ treatment. The results suggest that post-treatment with QSYQ attenuates pressure over-load-induced cardiac hypertrophy and myocardial fibrosis through interfering in inflammatory process.