Effect of excitation voltage in a magnetically induced electric field on the physicochemical, structural and functional properties of citrus pectin.

Treatment with a magnetic induced electric field (MIEF) under acidic conditions has proven to be an effective method for modifying pectin, enhancing its functional attributes. In this study, the effects of varying excitation voltages of MIEF under acidic conditions on the physicochemical, structural, and functional properties of citrus pectin (CP) were explored. The results demonstrated that compared to CP without MIEF treatment, MIEF-treated CP exhibited enhanced thermal stability, rheological behavior, emulsifying and gel-forming abilities, and antioxidant capacity. These improvements were attributed to higher degrees of esterification, reduced molecular weights, and increased levels of galacturonic acid and homogalacturonan in the structural backbone of the treated CP. Additionally, MIEF treatment under acidic conditions altered the surface morphology and crystalline structure of CP. Therefore, our findings suggest that applying moderate excitation voltages (150-200 V) during MIEF treatment can enhance the functional properties of CP, leading to the production of high-quality modified pectin.

Antihypertensive agent losartan promotes tongue squamous cell carcinoma cell proliferation via EGFR/ERK1/2/cyclin D1 signaling axis.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of losartan, an angiotensin II receptor blocker, in the SCC4 and SCC25 human tongue squamous cell carcinoma cell lines. METHODS: Cell proliferation was measured by MTS/PMS activity and trypan blue exclusion assays. The levels of the cell proliferation marker, cyclin D1, were analyzed by western blotting. Apoptosis was assessed by caspase-3 activation and Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide double staining. Activation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and ERK1/2 was validated by western blotting. RESULTS: Moderate concentrations of losartan enhanced the proliferation of SCC4 and SCC25 cells. However, high losartan concentrations induced apoptosis in SCC4 cells. Losartan activated the EGFR/ERK1/2/cyclin D1 signaling axis, which in turn promoted cell proliferation. Afatinib (EGFR inhibitor) and U0126 (ERK1/2 inhibitor) abolished losartan-induced cell proliferation. In contrast, UC2288 (p21 inhibitor) enhanced it. CONCLUSIONS: Losartan exhibited dual effects on tongue squamous cell carcinoma cells. Moderate losartan concentrations facilitated cell proliferation, whereas high concentrations induced cytotoxicity in tongue carcinoma cells.

In vitro simulated digestion and fermentation characteristics of pectic polysaccharides from fresh passion fruit (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa L.) peel.

In this study, two pectic polysaccharides (PFP-T and PFP-UM) were extracted from fresh passion fruit peels using three-phase partitioning (TPP) and sequential ultrasound-microwave-assisted TPP methods, respectively, and their effects on the in vitro gastrointestinal digestion and fecal fermentation characteristics were examined. The results indicate that gastrointestinal digestion has a minimal effect on the physicochemical and structural characteristics of PFP-T and PFP-UM. However, during in vitro fecal fermentation, both undigested PFP-T and PFP-UM are significantly degraded and utilized by intestinal microorganisms, showing increased the total relative abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidota in the intestinal flora. Notably, compared with PFP-UM, PFP-T better promoted the reproduction of beneficial bacteria such as Prevotella, Megasphaera and Dialister, while suppressed the growth of harmful genera including Escherichia-Shigella, producing higher content of short-chain fatty acids. Therefore, our findings suggest that PFP-T derived from passion fruit peel has potential as a dietary supplement for promoting intestinal health.

Corrigendum: Potential of cellular therapy for ALS: current strategies and future prospects.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.851613.].

Marine Antimicrobial Peptide Epinecidin-1 Inhibits Proliferation Induced by Lipoteichoic acid and Causes cell Death in non-small cell lung cancer Cells via Mitochondria Damage.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is among the deadliest cancers worldwide. Despite the recent introduction of several new therapeutic approaches for the disease, improvements in overall survival and progression-free survival have been minimal. Conventional treatments for NSCLC include surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Except for surgery, these treatments can impair a patient's immune system, leaving them susceptible to bacterial infections. As such, Staphylococcus aureus infections are commonly seen in NSCLC patients receiving chemotherapy, and a major constituent of the S. aureus cell surface, lipoteichoic acid (LTA), is thought to stimulate NSCLC cancer cell proliferation. Thus, inhibition of LTA-mediated cell proliferation might be a useful strategy for treating NSCLC. Epinecidin-1 (EPI), a marine antimicrobial peptide, exhibits broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, and it also displays anti-cancer activity in glioblastoma and synovial sarcoma cells. Furthermore, EPI has been shown to inhibit LTA-induced inflammatory responses in murine macrophages. Nevertheless, the anti-cancer and anti-LTA activities of EPI and the underlying mechanisms of these effects have not been fully tested in the context of NSCLC. In the present study, we demonstrate that EPI suppresses LTA-enhanced proliferation of NSCLC cells by neutralizing LTA and blocking its effects on toll-like receptor 2 and interleukin-8. Moreover, we show that EPI induces necrotic cell death via mitochondrial damage, elevated reactive oxygen species levels, and disrupted redox balance. Collectively, our results reveal dual anti-cancer activities of EPI in NSCLC, as the peptide not only directly kills cancer cells but it also blocks LTA-mediated enhancement of cell proliferation.

The evolution of public participation under dynamic government intervention in nuclear NIMBY events: a network evolutionary game method.

The frequent occurrence of nuclear NIMBY events seriously affects social stability and the development of the nuclear power industry. Exploring the evolutionary development of nuclear NIMBY events and their control strategies is an important proposition. Different from recent studies on the influence of static government intervention into public participation in the collective action of NIMBY events, this paper aims to analyze how dynamic government interventions affect the decisions of the public from the perspective of complex networks. To better understand the dynamic rewards and punishments, the motivation of the public in nuclear NIMBY events is treated as a cost-benefit decision-making process. Then, a network evolutionary game model (NEGM) is built to analyze the strategy selection of all participants who are connected by an interaction network of the public. In addition, the drivers of the evolution of public participation in nuclear NIMBY events are analyzed with computational experiments. The results indicate the following: (a) Under dynamic punishment conditions, the probability of public participation in protests decreases with the increase in the upper bound of punishment. (b) Static reward measures can better control the development of nuclear NIMBY events. However, under dynamic reward conditions, there is no obvious effect with the increase in the reward ceiling. (c) The effect of the combination of government reward and punishment strategies is different in different network sizes. At the same time, with the continuous expansion of the scale of the network, the effect of government intervention worsens.

Costunolide covalently targets NACHT domain of NLRP3 to inhibit inflammasome activation and alleviate NLRP3-driven inflammatory diseases

The NLRP3 inflammasome's core and most specific protein, NLRP3, has a variety of functions in inflammation-driven diseases. Costunolide (COS) is the major active ingredient of the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Saussurea lappa and has anti-inflammatory activity, but the principal mechanism and molecular target of COS remain unclear. Here, we show that COS covalently binds to cysteine 598 in NACHT domain of NLRP3, altering the ATPase activity and assembly of NLRP3 inflammasome. We declare COS's great anti-inflammasome efficacy in macrophages and disease models of gouty arthritis and ulcerative colitis via inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation. We also reveal that the α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone motif in sesquiterpene lactone is the certain active group in inhibiting NLRP3 activation. Taken together, NLRP3 is identified as a direct target of COS for its anti-inflammasome activity. COS, especially the α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone motif in COS structure, might be used to design and produce novel NLRP3 inhibitors as a lead compound.

The gender-specific impact of starvation on mitotypes diversity in adults of Drosophila melanogaster.

In animals, starvation can increase the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in some tissues. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is more vulnerable to being attacked by ROS due to the lack of histone protection, leading to oxidative damage. However, whether starvation is associated with the genetic diversity of mtDNA remains unclear. Here, by using adult individuals of Drosophila melanogaster under three different feeding treatments (starvation, with the provision of only water, and normal feeding), based on the high-throughput sequencing results of the PCR amplicons of the partial sequences of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (mt-cox1), no significant difference in the mean number of mitochondrial haplotypes and the mean genetic distance of haplotypes within individuals were identified between the three treatment groups. Coupled with the low proportion of heterogeneous mt-cox1 sequences within each individual, it suggested that starvation had a limited impact on mitotype genetic diversity and mitochondrial function. Nevertheless, starvation could significantly increase the sequence number of haplotypes containing specific mutations, and for males with higher levels of mitochondrial heteroplasmy than females in the normal feeding group, starvation could further increase their mitochondrial heteroplasmy.

Potential of Cellular Therapy for ALS: Current Strategies and Future Prospects.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive upper and lower motor neuron (MN) degeneration with unclear pathology. The worldwide prevalence of ALS is approximately 4.42 per 100,000 populations, and death occurs within 3-5 years after diagnosis. However, no effective therapeutic modality for ALS is currently available. In recent years, cellular therapy has shown considerable therapeutic potential because it exerts immunomodulatory effects and protects the MN circuit. However, the safety and efficacy of cellular therapy in ALS are still under debate. In this review, we summarize the current progress in cellular therapy for ALS. The underlying mechanism, current clinical trials, and the pros and cons of cellular therapy using different types of cell are discussed. In addition, clinical studies of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in ALS are highlighted. The summarized findings of this review can facilitate the future clinical application of precision medicine using cellular therapy in ALS.

Validamycin A Enhances the Interaction Between Neutral Trehalase and 14-3-3 Protein Bmh1 in Fusarium graminearum.

In agriculture, Trehalase is considered the main target of the biological fungicide validamycin A, and the toxicology mechanism of validamycin A is unknown. 14-3-3 proteins, highly conserved proteins, participate in diverse cellular processes, including enzyme activation, protein localization, and acting as a molecular chaperone. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the 14-3-3 protein Bmh1could interact with Nth1 to respond to specific external stimuli. Here, we characterized FgNth, FgBmh1, and FgBmh2 in Fusarium graminearum. ΔFgNth, ΔFgBmh1, and ΔFgBmh2 displayed great growth defects and their peripheral tips hyphae generated more branches when compared with wild-type (WT) PH-1. When exposed to validamycin A as well as high osmotic and high temperature stresses, ΔFgNth, ΔFgBmh1, and ΔFgBmh2 showed more tolerance than WT. Both ΔFgNth and ΔFgBmh1 displayed reduced deoxynivalenol production but opposite for ΔFgBmh2, and all three deletion mutants showed reduced virulence on wheat coleoptiles. In addition, coimmunoprecipitation (Co-IP) experiments suggested that FgBmh1 and FgBmh2 both interact with FgNth, but no interaction was detected between FgBmh1 and FgBmh2 in our experiments. Further, validamycin A enhances the interaction between FgBmh1 and FgNth in a positive correlation under concentrations of 1 to 100 µg/ml. In addition, both high osmotic and high temperature stresses promote the interaction between FgBmh1 and FgNth. Co-IP assay also showed that neither FgBmh1 nor FgBmh2 could interact with FgPbs2, a MAPKK kinase in the high-osmolarity glycerol pathway. However, FgBmh2 but not FgBmh1 binds to the heat shock protein FgHsp70 in F. graminearum. Taken together, our results demonstrate that FgNth and FgBmh proteins are involved in growth and responses to external stresses and virulence; and validamycin enhanced the interaction between FgNth and FgBmh1in F. graminearum.

Non-invasive High-Frequency Oscillatory Ventilation as Initial Respiratory Support for Preterm Infants With Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and feasibility of nHFOV as initial respiratory support in preterm infants with RDS. Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 244 premature infants with RDS who were treated in our hospital from January 2016 to January 2019 and divided into the nHFOV group (n = 115) and the BiPAP group (n = 129) based on the initial respiratory support method. Results: Respiratory outcomes showed that the rate of NIV failure during the first 72 hours of life in the nHFOV group was significantly lower than that in the BiPAP group. The time of NIV in the nHFOV group was significantly shorter than that in the BiPAP group. The time of supplemental oxygen in the nHFOV group was significantly shorter than that in the BiPAP group. The incidence of air leakage syndrome in the nHFOV group was significantly lower than that in the BiPAP group, and the length of hospital stay of the nHFOV group was also significantly shorter than that in the BiPAP group. Although the rate of infants diagnosed with BPD was similar between the two groups, the rate of severe BPD in the nHFOV group was significantly lower than that in the BiPAP group. Conclusion: This study showed that nHFOV as initial respiratory support for preterm infants with RDS was feasible and safe compared to BiPAP. Furthermore, nHFOV can reduce the need for IMV and reduce the incidence of severe BPD and air leak syndrome.

PCR-RFLP for Detection of Fusarium graminearum Genotypes with Resistance to Phenamacril.

Phenamacril is a cyanoacrylate fungicide that provides excellent control of Fusarium head blight (FHB) or wheat scab, which is caused predominantly by Fusarium graminearum and F. asiaticum. Previous studies revealed that codon mutations of the myosin-5 gene of Fusarium spp. conferred resistance to phenamacril in in vitro lab experiments. In this study, PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was developed to detect three common mutations (A135T, GCC to ACC at codon 135; S217L, TCA to TTA at codon 217; and E420K, GAA to AAA at codon 420) in F. graminearum induced by fungicide domestication in vitro. PCR products of 841 bp (for mutation of A135T), 802 bp (for mutation of S217L), or 1,649 bp (for mutation of E420K) in the myosin-5 gene were amplified by appropriate primer pairs. Restriction enzyme KpnI, TasI, or DraI was used to distinguish phenamacril-sensitive and -resistant strains with mutation genotypes of A135T, S217L, and E420K, respectively. KpnI digested the 841-bp PCR products of phenamacril-resistant strains with codon mutation A135T into two fragments of 256 and 585 bp. In contrast, KpnI did not digest the PCR products of sensitive strains. TasI digested the 802-bp PCR products of phenamacril-resistant strains with codon mutation S217L into three fragments of 461, 287, and 54 bp. In contrast, TasI digestion of the 802-bp PCR products of phenamacril-sensitive strains resulted in only two fragments of 515 and 287 bp. DraI digested the 1,649-bp PCR products of phenamacril-resistant strains with codon mutation E420K into two fragments of 932 and 717 bp, while the PCR products of phenamacril-sensitive strains was not digested. The three genotypes of resistance mutations were determined by analyzing electrophoresis patterns of the digestion fragments of PCR products. The PCR-RFLP method was evaluated on 48 phenamacril-resistant strains induced by fungicide domestication in vitro and compared with the conventional method (mycelial growth on fungicide-amended agar). The accuracy of the PCR-RFLP method for detecting the three mutation genotypes of F. graminearum resistant to phenamacril was 95.12% compared with conventional method. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that the PCR-RFLP method could also be used to detect the codon mutations of A135T and E420K in F. asiaticum.

Non-invasive and Time-dependent Blood-sugar Monitoring via Breath-derived CO2 Correlation Using Gas Chromatograph with a Milli-whistle Gas Analyzer.

A clear and positive correlation between the CO2 concentration and the blood-sugar level has been observed via a non-invasive and time-dependent monitoring of CO2 concentration from human breath, which is carried out by using a home-made gas chromatography (GC)/milli-whistle compact analyzer. The time-dependent sampling of the CO2 concentration correlated between 5.0 to 5.6% (1% = 104 ppm) in accordance with blood-sugar level variations of 80 to 110 mg/dL. The analytical method results in a rapid, continuous and non-invasive determination of blood-sugar level via measurement of the CO2 concentration exhaled from the lungs.

Impact of fluazinam on morphological and physiological characteristics of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum.

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a necrotrophic and filamentous fungus with a broad host range. Fluazinam is a pyridinamine fungicide with a broad spectrum of antifungal activity and had a strong inhibition effect on mycelial growth of S. sclerotiorum populations. But the impact of fluazinam on morphological and physiological characteristics of S. sclerotiorum is little known. In this study, the EC50 values of fluazinam to three strains of S. sclerotiorum (CZ17S, YZ55S and SA42S) were 0.0084, 0.007, 0.0065 µg/ml respectively. After fluazinam treatment, hyphae of S. sclerotiorum became thinner, hyphal offshoot of top increased, the distance between one septum and another became shorter, cell membrane permeability increased markedly, exopolysaccharide (EPS) content and oxalic acid content decreased significantly, peroxidase (POD) activity increased significantly and mycelial respiration was inhibited. While the number and dry weight of sclerotia, glycerol content in the mycelia did not significantly change. In protective activity assay on detached rapeseed leaves, application of fluazinam at 40 µg/ml and 80 µg/ml, the control efficacy reached to 41.4% and 100%, respectively. In curative activity assay, application of fluazinam at 100 µg/ml, the control efficacy reached to 61.09%. In the same concentration, protective activity of fluazinam against S. sclerotiorum was higher than curative activity. These results will contribute to us on evaluating the potential of the fungicide fluazinam for management of Sclerotinia stem rot and understanding the mode of action of fluazinam against S. sclerotiorum.

Ionothermal Synthesis of Five Keggin-Type Polyoxometalate-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Five unique Keggin-type polyoxometalate (POM)-based metal-organic frameworks (POMFs), namely [CH2L1]2[(CuL12)(PMoVI9MoV3O40)] (1), [Zn0.5(H2O)(L1)][Zn(L1)1.5Cl][H2L1]0.5[PMo12O40]·1.25H2O (2), (TBA)[Cu(H2O)2L12][PMo12O40] (3), [Cu2(H2O)2(L1)3][PMVI11MoVO40] (4), (H2L2)0.5[(CuIL2)2(PMo12O40)]·H2O (5), L1 = 4,4'-bis((1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)methyl)-biphenyl, L2 = 1,4-bis((1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)methyl)-benzene, have been synthesized under ionothermal conditions. According to single-crystal data, 1 exhibits a novel mechanically interlocked molecular architecture (MIMA) constructed by two-dimensional (2D) interpenetrating polyrotaxane layers with unique cyclophanes (tetra-cationic viologen macrocycle cyclobis(paraquat- p-phenylene) (CBPQT4+ system)), resulting in an H-bonded 3D supermolecule, and is the first synthesis of self-assembled cyclophane-PMOFs under ionothermal conditions. 2 shows a novel 2D three-fold interpenetrating polyrotaxane host and guest network. 1 and 2 are presented as the first MIMA polyrotaxane structures to have been synthesized under ionothermal conditions. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) reveals that 2, 4, and 5 show high proton conductivity owing to their unique structural properties. Solid-state diffuse reflection UV-vis-NIR measurements show the title compounds are potentially semiconductor materials. Photocatalytic investigations indicate that 1-5 possess high and stable photocatalytic H2 evolution and rhodamine B (RhB) degradation under visible-light irradiation.

Effects of the dinitroaniline fungicide fluazinam on Fusarium fujikuroi and rice.

Fusarium fujikuroi is the primary causal agent of rice bakanae disease. Fluazinam is a protective dinitroaniline fungicide which could interrupt the fungal cell's energy production. Little is known about the effects of fluazinam on F. fujikuroi. In this study, baseline sensitivity of F. fujikuroi to fluazinam was determined using 103 isolates collected from diseased young rice of different fields in Shaoxing of Zhejiang Province and Huaian of Jiangsu Province of China in 2016. The EC50 values of fluazinam on inhibiting mycelial growth against 103 isolates of F. fujikuroi ranged from 0.0621 to 0.5446 µg/mL with the average value of 0.2038 ±â€¯0.0099 µg/mL (mean ±â€¯standard error). The EC50 values of fluazinam on suppressing conidium germination against 103 isolates of F. fujikuroi ranged from 0.1006 to 0.9763 µg/mL with the mean value of 0.3552 ±â€¯0.0181 µg/mL. Treated with fluazinam, hyphae of F. fujikuroi were contorted, offshoot of top mycelia increased, conidial production descreased significantly and exopolysaccharide (EPS) content did not change significantly while peroxidase (POD) activity significantly decreased. Meanwhile, cell membrane permeability increased after treated with fluazinam. The analysis of cell ultrastructure indicated that fluazinam could damage the membrane structure of F. fujikuroi and cause a large number of vacuoles formed. In addition, fluazinam did not affect germination rate, plant height and fresh weight of rice, which indicated that fluazinam was safe to rice. All the results indicated that fluazinam had strong antifungal activity against F. fujikuroi and a potential application in controlling rice bakanae disease. These results will provide useful information for management of rice bakanae disease caused by F. fujikuroi and further increase our understanding about the mode of action of fluazinam against F. fujikuroi and other phytopathogens.

Baseline sensitivity of Bipolaris maydis to the novel succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor benzovindiflupyr and its efficacy.

Benzovindiflupyr is a novel member of succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDHI) fungicides. The filamentous fungus Bipolaris maydis Nisik. et Miyake was the causal agent of southern corn leaf blight (SCLB). Here, baseline sensitivity of B. maydis to benzovindiflupyr was established by mycelial growth and conidium germination methods using 96 B. maydis isolates collected from various places of Jiangsu Province of China, and EC50 values ranged from 0.0321 to 0.9149 µg/ml with the mean value of 0.3446 (±0.2248) µg/ml for mycelial growth, and 0.1864 to 0.964 µg/ml with the mean value of 0.5060 (±0.2094) µg/ml for conidium germination respectively. Treated with benzovindiflupyr, the distribution of nuclei and septum of hyphae did not change, but hyphae of offshoot and conidial production of B. maydis decreased significantly, the cell membrane permeability increased. The result of transmission electron microscope showed that the cross section of hypha was out of shape, the cell wall became thin and sparse, the cell membrane were distinctly damaged, organelles dissolved and vacuolated, and the cell nearly broke up. The results suggested that benzovindiflupyr had strong activity against mycelial growth and conidial production of B. maydis by damaging cell wall, membrane and organelles. The protective and curative activity assays for benzovindiflupyr indicated that benzovindiflupyr exhibited excellent suppression of B. maydis development on detached corn leaves. In protective activity assay with application of benzovindiflupyr at 10 µg/ml, the control efficacy reached to 100%. In curative activity assay with application of benzovindiflupyr at 50 µg/ml, the control efficacy reached to 90.72%. This is the first report of baseline sensitivity of B. maydis to benzovindiflupyr and its biological activity against B. maydis. It is recommended that benzovindiflupyr is a excellent candidate for controlling SCLB.

Activity of the dinitroaniline fungicide fluazinam against Bipolaris maydis.

Fluazinam is a dinitroaniline fungicide with broad-spectrum activities. However, the activity of fluazinam against Bipolaris maydis which is the causal agent of southern corn leaf blight is unknown yet. In this study, baseline sensitivity of B. maydis to fluazinam was determined using 92 isolates collected during 2015 and 2016 from different geographical regions in Jiangsu Province of China, and the EC50 values ranged from 0.0396 to 0.9808 µg/ml with average value of 0.3853 ±â€¯0.2297 µg/ml, and 0.079 to 0.7832 µg/ml with average value of 0.3065 ±â€¯0.1384 µg/ml for mycelial growth and conidium germination respectively. Fluazinam did not affect the distribution of cell nucleus and the formation of septum of B. maydis. However, fluazinam could make mycelium of B. maydis contorted and the mycelial branches increased and inhibit the development of conidia. The result of transmission electron microscope showed that fluazinam damaged cell wall and cell membrane of mycelium, and make organelles in mycelial cell dissolved and vacuolated, and the cell almost broke up, which caused the intracellular plasma leakage increase. The protective activity test of fluazinam suggested that fluazinam had great control efficiency against B. maydis on detached corn leaves. Application of fluazinam at 10 µg/ml and 20 µg/ml, the control efficacy reached to 87.70% and 98.25% respectively. However, fluazinam had no curative activity against B. maydis on detached corn leaves. These results will contribute to us on evaluating the potential of the dinitroaniline fungicide fluazinam for management of diseases caused by B. maydis and understanding the mode of action of fluazinam against B. maydis.

Value of red blood cell distribution width in assessing the severity of acute pancreatitis / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the value of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) in assessment of the severity of acute pancreatitis (AP).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This retrospective analysis was conducted among 527 patients with AP treated in our department from May, 2013 to May, 2016. According to the severity of the condition, the patients were classified into mild acute pancreatitis (MAP) group, moderately severe acute pancreatitis (MSAP) group and severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) group, with 105 subjects without AP as the control group. The demographic data and data of RDW were collected from all cases to evaluate the value of RDW in assessing the severity of AP in comparison with classic evaluation indicators glucose (Glu) and calcium (Ca).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The patients with AP and the control subjects showed significant differences in RDW, Glu and Ca (P<0.05). RDW and Glu was significantly higher but Ca was significantly lower in SAP patients than in MAP and MSAP patients (P<0.05). Binary classification logistic regression analysis showed that Glu (P<0.05, OR=2.343), Ca (P<0.05, OR=2.182) and RDW (P<0.05, OR=3.374) were all independent risk factors for AP. The area under the ROC curve for predicting SAP decreased in the order of RDW (0.801), Glu (0.658), and Ca (0.227).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>RDW is a useful indicator for evaluation of the severity of AP.</p>