The impact of esterified nanofibrillated cellulose content on the properties of thermoplastic starch/PBAT biocomposite films through ball-milling.

To enhance the mechanical properties and interfacial compatibility of thermoplastic starch (TPS) highly filled poly(butylene adipate co-terephthalate) (PBAT) composite films, esterified NFC was innovatively fabricated and introduced into the composite system. The influences of NFC content and ball-milling treatment were thoroughly investigated. Interestingly, the amphiphilic esterified NFC provided a "bridge-like" effect between TPS and PBAT interfaces, which significantly improved the interfacial compatibility and mechanical properties. Notably, the tensile properties of the composite films reached their maximums at a 7 wt% NFC content, displaying a tensile strength of 6.2 MPa and an elastic modulus of 263 MPa. These values corresponded to a 59 % and 180 % increase, respectively, compared to the composition without NFC. More importantly, ball-milling contributed to uniform dispersion and surface activation of NFC, preventing starch retrogradation, and enhancing the tensile strength and elastic modulus by 30.3 % and 56.6 %, respectively. Additionally, the film exhibited excellent UV-blocking, foldable, writable, and transparent performance. These findings provide valuable data supporting the expanded applications of starch-based composite films.

Effect of Microcrystalline Cellulose on the Properties of PBAT/Thermoplastic Starch Biodegradable Film with Chain Extender.

Poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) is a fully biodegradable polymer with toughness and ductility. It is usually compounded with thermoplastic starch (TPS) to balance the cost for manufacturing biodegradable films such as disposable plastic bags. However, blending with TPS reduces valuable tensile strength, which limits the bearing capacity of PBAT film. In this study, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was employed as a reinforcement to strengthen the PBAT/TPS biodegradable film. The effect of MCC content on the mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of the composite film were investigated. The optimal tensile strength and elongation at break reached 5.08 MPa and 230% when 4% MCC was added. The thermal stability and thermal resistance were improved with the addition of MCC; for example, Tmax increased by 1 °C and Tonset increased by 2-8 °C. Moreover, good compatibility among PBAT, TPS, and MCC can be achieved when the MCC content was below 6%. Consequently, the optimal MCC content was found to be 4%. These results could provide experimental data and method support for preparing high-performance PBAT hybrid films.

Effect of 5-HT 1b/1d agonist on ethanol withdrawal syndrome and ethanol withdrawal induced anxiety.

INTRODUCTION: Ethanol dependence and abuse is an important problem of public health worldwide and its withdrawal shows some severe behavioural complication. Management of ethanol withdrawal syndrome (EWS) is still a challenge, thus the presented report postulates the possible mechanism involved in the development of EWS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: EWS was induced by administration of ethanol for 21 days and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) 1b/1d agonist treated group receives Zolmitriptan (ZMT) at 30 mg/kg i.p. 30 min prior to ethanol withdrawal. The effect of 5-HT 1b/1d receptor agonist on EWS was determined by estimating the change in the behaviour of withdrawal signs that included locomotor hyperactivity, agitation, tremor, tail stiffness, stereotyped behaviour, and wet dog shakes at 1, 2, 4, 6 and 12 h of ethanol withdrawal. Ethanol withdrawal induced anxiety was determined by using the elevated plus maze and levels of neurochemicals such as g-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate and dopamine were determined in the brain of each group of rats. RESULTS: Data of the given report reveal that Zolmitriptan reverses ( p < 0.01) the behavioural changes induced due to EWS and also reduces the anxiety level in EWS rats. Moreover, Zolmitriptan was found to stimulate ( p < 0.01) the level of GABA and ameliorate the level of other neurochemicals in the brain of EWS rats. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, data of investigation reveal that 5-HT 1b/1d receptor involved in the EWS and treatment with its agonist prevents the behavioural changes in EWS by regulating the level of different neurochemicals.

Drinking Frequency but not Years may be Associated with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms: Result from a Large Cross-Sectional Survey in Chinese Men.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of the drinking frequency and years on lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in a large Chinese male population. METHODS: The current data were obtained from a consecutive series of 3,229 men aged 18-79 who participated in a routine physical examination in Fangchenggang First People's Hospital, Guangxi, China. During a face-to-face interview, the detailed demographic variables about alcohol consumption, potential confounding factors were collected. LUTS were assessed by International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and defined as total LUTS, irritative (IRR) and obstructive (OBS) symptoms, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the risk of total LUTS, IRR and OBS symptoms affected by alcohol consumption. RESULTS: The prevalence of moderate to severe LUTS was 8.3% and apparently increased with age (P<0.001). A significant distribution presented in age, alcohol consumption, BMI, cigarette smoking, education attainment and hypertension among different strata of LUTS severity (P<0.05). Men who drank 1-2 times per week were less likely to have OBS symptoms (OR=0.45, 95%CI=0.29-0.70) regardless of age (OR=0.52, 95%CI=0.33-0.82) or multivariate adjusted (OR=0.52, 95%CI=0.33-0.83). Nevertheless, we did not observe a significant negative or positive association presented between drinking years and the risk of total LUTS, OBS and IRR symptoms. CONCLUSION: The current results imply that moderate drinking frequency may be protective against LUTS, and drinking years did not relate to worsening or improving LUTS.

Elevated C-reactive protein and complement C3 levels are associated with preterm birth: a nested case-control study in Chinese women.

BACKGROUND: Currently, there are many studies researched the associations between maternal serum inflammatory indicators (i.e. ferritin, C-reactive protein [CRP], C3 and C4) and preterm birth (PTB). The results, however, are inconsistent. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate the relationship between maternal serum inflammatory indicators and PTB in a nested case-control (NCC)study. METHODS: A NCC study was conducted by Guangxi Birth Cohort Study which enrolled a total of 6203 pregnant women between 50/7 and 346/7 weeks of gestational age (wGA) from six cities in China between 2015 and 2016. There were 206women who delivered preterm (< 370/7 wGA), and 412 women who delivered term birth, those women were matched by maternal age, birth place, gender of infants, and wGA at blood collection. The inflammatory indicators were quantified by immunoturbidimetric methods. RESULTS: Highest quartile concentrations of all inflammatory indicators were determined versus median. After adjusting for maternal age, high levels of CRP (CRP > 16.60 mg/L) are related to the risk of PTB (OR = 2.16, 95% CI: 1.02-4.56, p = 0.044) in the first trimester. The association of C3 was extremely related to those who delivered PTB (OR = 2.53, 95% CI: 1.14-5.64, p = 0.023) in the first trimester. Moreover, no significant associations were found in C4 (p = 0.079) and ferritin (p = 0.067) between PTB. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated concentrations of CRP and C3 in the first trimester were associated with increased risk of PTB. Inflammatory indicators may act a pivotal part in early diagnosis and prognosis of PTB.

Serum multiple cytokines for the prediction of spontaneous preterm birth in asymptomatic women: A nested case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Current biomarkers such as fetal fibronectin and cervical length are accurate predictors of spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) in women with clinically suspected preterm risk; however, these are not effective for predicting the risk of sPTB in asymptomatic women. Therefore, we performed this study with the objective of determining whether the combinations of specific serum cytokines could accurately predict the sPTB risk in asymptomatic women. METHODS: We conducted a nested case-control study with 129 incident sPTB cases and 258 individually matched controls who participated in an ongoing birth cohort study. The maternal serum levels of the selected 35 cytokines were measured. We evaluated the relationship between the multiple cytokines and sPTB risk using conditional logistic regression and elastic net model. RESULTS: A panel of cytokines was significantly associated with an increased risk of sPTB. The odds ratio (OR) of sPTB per standard deviation (SD) increase of the predictive model score was 1.57 (95% CI 1.25-1.97) for the cytokines model. The combination of the selected serum cytokines was substantially more effective in predicting the risk for sPTB, as the receiver-operator characteristic curve (AUC) values were 0.546 and 0.559 in the single cytokine model and it improved to 0.642 in the multiple cytokines model (PAUC difference = 0.02 for TNF-α vs. multiple cytokines; PAUC difference = 0.05 for TRAIL vs. multiple cytokines). Moreover, the prediction was more accurate in overweight pregnant women, with an AUC = 0.879. CONCLUSIONS: The current study suggested that the combination of selected serum cytokines can more effectively predict the risk of sPTB in asymptomatic women compared with the use of single cytokine.

Fabrication of superparamagnetic nanofibrous poly(l-lactic acid)/γ-Fe2 O3 microspheres for cell carriers.

Nanofibrous poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) microspheres are extensively studied to be used as cell carriers in the field of tissue engineering because the unique structure can promote cell proliferation and migration. But as injectable scaffold materials, PLLA microspheres easily run off to the soft tissue space because of the lack of cohesive force. It will affect the treatment efficiency and even cause additional inflammatory response. In order to overcome this disadvantage, superparamagnetic γ-Fe2 O3 nanoparticles assisted with oxidative polymerization of dopamine were used for surface modification of PLLA microspheres in this study. The results showed that this surface modification had no obvious cytotoxicity, and the modified microspheres possessed the ability to carry seed cells to controllably move to the defect sites with the guidance of magnetic field, which may be able to increase the repair efficiency. Moreover, the characteristic nanofibrous structure was not destroyed after modification, which was able to promote biological activity of cells. This work provides a novel way to produce superparamagnetic nanofibrous microspheres designed for cell microcarriers. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 107B: 511-520, 2019.

Breast cancer in postmenopausal women is associated with an altered gut metagenome.

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence suggests that gut microbiota play a role in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. The composition and functional capacity of gut microbiota associated with breast cancer have not been studied systematically. METHODS: We performed a comprehensive shotgun metagenomic analysis of 18 premenopausal breast cancer patients, 25 premenopausal healthy controls, 44 postmenopausal breast cancer patients, and 46 postmenopausal healthy controls. RESULTS: Microbial diversity was higher in breast cancer patients than in controls. Relative species abundance in gut microbiota did not differ significantly between premenopausal breast cancer patients and premenopausal controls. In contrast, relative abundance of 45 species differed significantly between postmenopausal patients and postmenopausal controls: 38 species were enriched in postmenopausal patients, including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella sp_1_1_55, Prevotella amnii, Enterococcus gallinarum, Actinomyces sp. HPA0247, Shewanella putrefaciens, and Erwinia amylovora, and 7 species were less abundant in postmenopausal patients, including Eubacterium eligens and Lactobacillus vaginalis. Acinetobacter radioresistens and Enterococcus gallinarum were positively but weakly associated with expression of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; Shewanella putrefaciens and Erwinia amylovora were positively but weakly associated with estradiol levels. Actinomyces sp. HPA0247 negatively but weakly correlated with CD3+CD8+ T cell numbers. Further characterization of metagenome functional capacity indicated that the gut metagenomes of postmenopausal breast cancer patients were enriched in genes encoding lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis, iron complex transport system, PTS system, secretion system, and beta-oxidation. CONCLUSION: The composition and functions of the gut microbial community differ between postmenopausal breast cancer patients and healthy controls. The gut microbiota may regulate or respond to host immunity and metabolic balance. Thus, while cause and effect cannot be determined, there is a reproducible change in the microbiota of treatment-naive patients relative to matched controls.

High maternal osteocalcin levels during pregnancy is associated with low birth weight infants: A nested case-control study in China.

BACKGROUND: Low birth weight infants (LBW) are at risk of chronic diseases in later life due to the disorder of energy metabolism during pregnancy. Osteocalcin (OC) has been identified as a hormone that regulate energy metabolism. However, few studies have researched on the associations between maternal serum OC levels and low birth weight infants. OBJECTIONS: To examine the associations between maternal serum OC concentrations and LBW. METHODS: This was a nested case-control study involving a total of 230 pregnant women delivering LBW and 382 control pregnant women (matched for infant gender, gestational age at blood draw, region of Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital and maternal age in 1: (1-2) ratio). One serum sample was collected from each pregnant woman at 5-35 weeks' gestation. Pregnant women were divided into 3 groups (1st, 2nd and 3rd trimester group). There were 60 and 142 and 28 pregnant women delivering LBW in the first, second and third trimester, respectively. Similarly, there were 101 and 233 and 48 controls in the first, second and third trimester, respectively. Maternal serum OC and 25(OH)D concentrations were categorized into low and high levels, the low level used as reference in analyses. Binary logistic regression model was used to compute odd radio (ORs) for LBW according to levels of maternal serum OC and 25(OH)D. RESULTS: Compared with the subjects in low level in first trimester, LBW was two times as likely to occur among pregnancy women with high serum OC concentrations (OR = 2.04, 95%CI:1.05-3.96). After adjusted for confounding factors, a significant positive relationship still existed (adjusted ORs = 2.29, 95%CI: 1.11-4.72). In second trimester, women in high level of serum OC had nearly 1.6 times the risk of delivering LBW infants as those in the low level (OR = 1.55, 95%CI: 1.01-2.37). After adjusted for confounding factors, the ORs increased (ORs = 1.59, 95%CI:1.03-2.45). No significant associations were found between maternal serum OC levels and LBW in third trimester. In addition, there were no associations between maternal 25(OH)D concentrations and LBW during pregnancy. CONCLUSION: High maternal serum OC levels in the first or the second trimester during pregnancy may be associated with the risk of LBW.

Low serum folate status in the second trimester increase the risk of low birthweight in Chinese women.

AIM: This study aimed to explore the influence of maternal folate and vitamin B12 (B12) status during pregnancy on the incidence of low birthweight (LBW) infants. METHODS: A total of 6203 eligible women registered in seven hospitals in southern China, and 230 cases with singleton live births and 382 controls were matched for further analyses. The concentrations of serum folate and B12 were detected with chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay on ARCHITECT i2000-1. Conditional logistic regression was used to evaluate the effects of folate and B12 levels on LBW. RESULTS: Maternal serum folate levels increased basically with increasing the period of folic acid supplementation (P trend <0.001). Moreover, maternal serum folate and B12 levels gradually decreased with the increase of gestational age (P < 0.001). Conditional logistic regressions analysis results showed increased odds ratios (OR) for LBW from the fourth to first folate quartiles (P trend <0.01) in the second trimester. Compared with the women in the highest quartile, those in the lowest quartile of serum folate in the second trimester were found with higher risk of LBW (adjusted OR = 1.67, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02-2.73). However, no significant association was observed between serum folate and LBW in the first trimester or third trimester. In addition, serum B12 exhibited no significant association with LBW. CONCLUSIONS: Low serum folate levels in the second trimester significantly increases the risk of LBW amongst Chinese women with singleton pregnancies.

Identification of three novel loci of ALDH2 Gene for Serum Folate levels in a Male Chinese Population by Genome-Wide Association Study.

BACKGROUND: Serum folate is important in clinical researches and DNA synthesis and methylation. Some loci and genes that are associated with folate levels had been detected by genome-wide association studies (GWAS), such as rs1801133 in MTHFR and rs1979277 in SHMT1. Nevertheless, only a small part of variants has been clearly identified for serum folate. Hence, we conducted a GWAS to discover new inherited susceptibility and gene-environment interactions on serum folate concentration. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a healthy Chinese population of 1999 men, genotyping was performed using Illumina HumanOmni1-Quad BeadChip. Serum folate levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), pathway enrichment analysis and statistical analysis were performed by Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) and Statistic Package for Social Science (SPSS). RESULTS: We validated that rs1801133 in MTHFR was significantly involved in serum folate (P = 4.21 × 10-19). Surprisingly, we discovered three novel loci rs3782886, rs671, and rs4646776 of ALDH2 gene were suggestively significantly associated with folate serum folate levels in the male population studied (P = 2.17 × 10-7, P = 3.60 × 10-7, P = 3.99 × 10-7, respectively) after adjusting for population stratification, BMI and age. Men with the AA genotype had significantly higher serum folate levels compared with men with the GG/AG genotype. But we found ALDH2 gene mutation no relation to part of environmental factors on serum folate levels. CONCLUSION: In a male Chinese population, genome-wide association study discovered that three novel SNPs rs3782886, rs671 and rs4646776 of ALDH2 gene were suggestively significantly associated with serum folate levels.

Significant association between RGS14 rs12654812 and nephrolithiasis risk among Guangxi population in China.

BACKGROUND: Nephrolithiasis is a worldwide health problem that affects almost all populations. This study aimed to evaluate the association between rs12654812 of regulator of G protein signaling 14 (RGS14) gene and nephrolithiasis in the Chinese population. METHODS: A total of 1541 participators including 830 cases and 711 controls were included from Guangxi area in China. Age, sex, BMI, smoking status, drinking status, creatinine, uric acid, and urea nitrogen were analyzed between the case group and control group. RESULTS: We found that the G/A+A/A genotypes of rs12654812 had a significantly increased nephrolithiasis risk after adjusting age, sex, BMI, smoking, drinking, and hypertension, compared with G/G genotype (OR = 1.361, 95% CI = 1.033-1.794, P = .029). This hazardous effect was more pronounced in subgroup of age < 50, ever smoking, ever drinking, creatinine normal, and high uric acid. The G/A genotype of rs12654812 also had a significantly increased nephrolithiasis risk compared with G/G genotype. The A allele of rs12654812 significantly increased the risk of nephrolithiasis compared with the G allele after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, smoking, drinking and hypertension (OR = 1.277, 95% CI = 1.013-1.609, P = .038). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the RGS14 polymorphism is involved in the etiology of nephrolithiasis and thus may be a genetic marker for nephrolithiasis.

HIPK2 polymorphisms rs2058265, rs6464214, and rs7456421 were associated with kidney stone disease in Chinese males not females.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Recent studies have shown that genetic factors are involved in the development of kidney stone disease (KSD). A case-control association analysis was performed to investigate the association between homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 2 (HIPK2; OMIM *606868) polymorphisms and KSD. METHODS: A total of 890 KSD patients and 920 healthy subjects were analyzed. Polymorphisms were genotyped using SNPscanTM high-throughput SNP classification technology. The genotypic and allelic frequencies in KSD patients and healthy individuals were analyzed using a Chi-square test. RESULTS: The genotype and allele distributions of the three polymorphisms (rs2058265, rs6464214, and rs7456421 in HIPK2) displayed strong associations with KSD in males (rs2058265: odds ratio [OR] 2.480,95%confidence interval [CI] 1.205-5.106, p = 0.014; rs6464214: OR 2.466, 95%CI 1.198-5.078, p = 0.014; rs7456421: OR 2.846, 95%CI 1.362-5.947, p = 0.005; perallele: r2058265T, OR 1.357, 95%CI 1.073-1.715, p = 0.011; rs6464214G, OR 1.340, 95%CI 1.060-1.693, p = 0.014; rs7456421C, OR 1.356, 95%CI 1.073-1.713, p = 0.011). Patients carrying the T allele of rs2058265, the G allele of rs6464214, or the C allele of rs7456421 showed higher systolic blood pressure, creatinine, and uric acid levels compared with wild-genotype individuals after adjusting for age, gender, and body mass index (p < 0.005). CONCLUSION: The association of HIPK2 gene polymorphisms with KSD was only observed in males but not in females. HIPK2 gene polymorphisms were also involved in the changes of KSD-related metabolic traits.