Interleukin-27 is positively correlated with obesity and a decrease in insulin resistance after weight loss.

OBJECTIVE: Interleukin-27 (IL-27), a potential mediator linking obesity to inflammatory diseases, is considered an important candidate for regulating obesity. The present study evaluated the relationship of IL-27 with obesity and insulin resistance (IR) and further investigated the changes in IL-27 levels after weight loss. METHODS: The study analyzed 405 participants, of whom 62 with overweight or obesity completed one year of lifestyle intervention. The body compositions, including percent of body fat (PBF), visceral fat area (VFA), skeletal muscle mass (SMM), and visceral fat area to skeletal muscle mass ratio (VSR), were assessed using the bioelectrical impedance analysis method. Serum IL-27 levels were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: IL-27 levels increased significantly with the increase in body mass index (BMI) (P < 0.001). Moreover, IL-27 levels were positively correlated with PBF, VFA, and VSR. Homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), the inverse of hepatic insulin sensitivity (1/HISI), adipose tissue insulin resistance (Adipo-IR), and homeostasis model assessment-adiponectin (HOMA-AD) increased significantly with each quartile of IL-27 levels (all P < 0.001). IL-27 levels significantly decreased after weight loss (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: IL-27 was positively correlated with obesity, HOMA-IR, 1/HISI, Adipo-IR, and HOMA-AD. IL-27 levels significantly decreased after weight loss.

Co-culture fermentation by Saccharomycopsis fibuligera and lactic acid bacteria improves bioactivity and aroma profile of wheat bran and the bran-containing Chinese steamed bread.

Co-culture fermentation with yeast and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) exhibits advantages in improving the bioactivity and flavor of wheat bran compared to single-culture fermentation, showing application potentials in bran-containing Chinese steamed bread (CSB). To explore the effects of combination of yeast and different LAB on the bioactivity and flavor of fermented wheat bran, this study analyzed the physicochemical properties, phytate degradation capacity, antioxidant activities, and aroma profile of wheat bran treated with co-culture fermentation by Saccharomycopsis fibuligera and eight different species of LAB. Further, the phenolic acid composition, antioxidant activities, texture properties, aroma profile, and sensory quality of CSB containing fermented wheat bran were evaluated. The results revealed that co-culture fermentation brought about three types of volatile characteristics for wheat bran, including ester-feature, alcohol and acid-feature, and phenol-feature, and the representative strain combinations for these characteristics were S. fibuligera with Limosilactobacillus fermentum, Pediococcus pentosaceus, and Latilactobacillus curvatus, respectively. Co-culture fermentation by S. fibuligera and L. fermentum for 36 h promoted acidification with a phytate degradation rate reaching 51.70 %, and improved the production of volatile ethyl esters with a relative content of 58.47 % in wheat bran. Wheat bran treated with co-culture fermentation by S. fibuligera and L. curvatus for 36 h had high relative content of 4-ethylguaiacol at 52.81 %, and exhibited strong antioxidant activities, with ABTS•+ and DPPH• scavenging rates at 65.87 % and 69.41 %, respectively, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) at 37.91 µmol/g. In addition, CSB containing wheat bran treated with co-culture fermentation by S. fibuligera and L. fermentum showed a large specific volume, soft texture, and pleasant aroma, and received high sensory scores. CSB containing wheat bran treated with co-culture fermentation by S. fibuligera and L. curvatus, with high contents of 4-ethylguaiacol, 4-vinylguaiacol, ferulic acid, vanillin, syringaldehyde, and protocatechualdehyde, demonstrated strong antioxidant activities. This study is beneficial to the comprehensive utilization of wheat bran resources and provides novel insights into the enhancement of functions and quality for CSB.

Multimorbidity, healthy lifestyle, and the risk of cognitive impairment in Chinese older adults: a longitudinal cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Evidence on the association between multimorbidity and cognitive impairment in Chinese older population is limited. In addition, whether a healthy lifestyle can protect cognitive function in multimorbid older population remains unknown. METHODS: A total of 6116 participants aged ≥ 65 years from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey were followed up repeatedly. The number of coexisting chronic diseases was used for assessing multimorbidity and cardiometabolic multimorbidity. Three lifestyle statuses (unhealthy, intermediate, and healthy) were defined based on a lifestyle score covering smoking, alcohol drinking, body mass index, outdoor activities, and dietary pattern. Cognitive impairment was defined as the Mini-Mental State Examination score < 24. A modified Poisson regression model with robust error variance was used to assess the associations between multimorbidity, healthy lifestyle, and cognitive impairment. RESULTS: During a median follow-up period of 5.8 years, 1621 incident cases of cognitive impairment were identified. The relative risk (RR) of cognitive impairment associated with heavy multimorbidity burden (≥ 3 conditions) was 1.39 (95% confidence interval: 1.22-1.59). This association declined with age, with RRs being 3.08 (1.78-5.31), 1.40 (1.04-1.87), and 1.19 (1.01-1.40) in subjects aged < 70 years, ≥ 70 and < 80 years, and ≥ 80 years, respectively (P for interaction = 0.001). Compared to unhealthy lifestyle, a healthy lifestyle was related to an approximately 40% reduced risk of cognitive impairment regardless of multimorbidity burden. Among the 5 lifestyle factors assessed, daily outdoor activities and a healthy dietary pattern showed convincing protective effects on cognitive function. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between multimorbidity and cognitive impairment is age-dependent but remains significant in the population aged 80 years or older. A healthy lifestyle may protect cognitive function regardless of the multimorbidity burden. These findings highlight the importance of targeting individuals with heavy multimorbidity burden and promoting a heathy lifestyle to prevent cognitive impairment in Chinese older population.

Long-term exposure to ambient ozone at workplace is positively and non-linearly associated with incident hypertension and blood pressure: longitudinal evidence from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei medical examination cohort.

BACKGROUND: There is limited longitudinal evidence on the hypertensive effects of long-term exposure to ambient O3. We investigated the association between long-term O3 exposure at workplace and incident hypertension, diastolic blood pressure (DBP), systolic blood pressure (SBP), pulse pressure (PP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) in general working adults. METHODS: We conducted a cohort study by recruiting over 30,000 medical examination attendees through multistage stratified cluster sampling. Participants completed a standard questionnaire and comprehensive medical examination. Three-year ambient O3 concentrations at each employed participant's workplace were estimated using a two-stage machine learning model. Mixed-effects Cox proportional hazards models and linear mixed-effects models were used to examine the effect of O3 concentrations on incident hypertension and blood pressure parameters, respectively. Generalized additive mixed models were used to explore non-linear concentration-response relationships. RESULTS: A total of 16,630 hypertension-free working participants at baseline finished the follow-up. The mean (SD) O3 exposure was 45.26 (2.70) ppb. The cumulative incidence of hypertension was 7.11 (95% CI: 6.76, 7.47) per 100 person-years. Long-term O3 exposure was independently, positively and non-linearly associated with incident hypertension (Hazard ratios (95% CI) for Q2, Q3, and Q4 were 1.77 (1.34, 2.36), 2.06 (1.42, 3.00) and 3.43 (2.46, 4.79), respectively, as compared with the first quartile (Q1)), DBP (ß (95% CI) was 0.65 (0.01, 1.30) for Q2, as compared to Q1), SBP (ß (95% CI) was 2.88 (2.00, 3.77), 2.49 (1.36, 3.61) and 2.61 (1.64, 3.58) for Q2, Q3, and Q4, respectively), PP (ß (95% CI) was 2.12 (1.36, 2.87), 2.03 (1.18, 2.87) and 2.14 (1.38, 2.90) for Q2, Q3, and Q4, respectively), and MAP (ß (95% CI) was 1.39 (0.76, 2.02), 1.04 (0.24, 1.84) and 1.12 (0.43, 1.82) for Q2, Q3, and Q4, respectively). The associations were robust across sex, age, BMI, and when considering PM2.5 and NO2. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first cohort study in the general population that demonstrates the non-linear hypertensive effects of long-term O3 exposure. The findings are particularly relevant for policymakers and researchers involved in ambient pollution and public health, supporting the integration of reduction of ambient O3 into public health interventions.

Multi-omics analyses reveal relationships among polyphenol-rich oolong tea consumption, gut microbiota, and metabolic profile: A pilot study.

Convincing evidence has suggested the health potentials of oolong tea (OT) on gut microbiota homeostasis; however, limited population-based studies exist regarding the effect of OT consumption on human gut microbial and metabolic profile. This pilot study explored gut microbial and metabolic changes in healthy adults with a 3-week oolong tea intake. Our findings showed that OT treatment significantly altered gut microbial diversity (Shannon index, 5.4±0.1 vs. 5.7±0.1 pre- and post-OT treatment), reorganized gut microbiota composition, enriched Bacteroides and Prevotella, decreased Megamonas, and improved gastrointestinal function. Also, gut microbes from overweight subjects with BMI >23.9 exhibited greater responses to OT treatment compared with normal-weight counterparts. Metabolomic analysis identified OT intake-induced 23 differential metabolites and 10 enriched metabolic pathways. This study may provide new insights into the association among OT intervention, host gut microbiome and metabolic profile, and improve the knowledge of clinical strategies and personalized nutrition.

Effect of Alkali on the Microbial Community and Aroma Profile of Chinese Steamed Bread Prepared with Chinese Traditional Starter.

Alkali is an indispensable additive in Chinese steamed bread (CSB) production. This work aimed to evaluate the key roles of alkali in the microbial community of dough fermented using Chinese traditional starter (CTS) and the aroma profiles of CSB. The dominant fungi in CTS and fermented dough were members of the phylum Ascomycota and the genus Saccharomyces. Pediococcus, Companilactobacillus, and Weissella were the dominant bacterial genera in CTS and fermented dough. Adding alkali could retain the types of dominant yeasts and LAB derived from CTS, decrease the relative abundance of Companilactobacillus crustorum and Weissella cibaria, and increase that of Pediococcus pentosaceus, in fermented dough. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that adding alkali decreased the content of sourness-related volatiles in CSB fermented by CTS. Correlation analysis showed that Pediococcus and Weissella in fermented dough were positively correlated with the lipid oxidation flavor-related compounds in CSB, and Lactobacillus was positively correlated with sourness-related aroma compounds. Synthetic microbial community experiments indicated that CSB fermented by the starter containing P. pentosaceus possessed a strong aroma, and adding alkali weakened the flavor intensity. Alkali addition could promote the formation of ethyl acetate and methyl acetate with a pleasant fruity aroma in W. cibaria-associated CSB.

Differential Protective Effect of Resveratrol and Its Microbial Metabolites on Intestinal Barrier Dysfunction is Mediated by the AMPK Pathway.

The effectiveness of resveratrol (RES) on intestinal barrier dysfunction and colitis has been extensively studied. However, the specific effects of its microbial metabolites on gut barrier function remain unclear. Hence, we compared the protective effects of RES and its microbial metabolites dihydroresveratrol (DHR) and 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-propionic acid (4HPP) against intestinal barrier injury and colitis. Only 4HPP and RES significantly reduced paracellular permeability and the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines in lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-treated intestinal Caco-2 cells, which was consistent with the upregulation in tight junction (TJ) proteins. Furthermore, RES and 4HPP ameliorated intestinal barrier dysfunction and colonic inflammation in colitis mice, while DHR did not. In particular, the expressions of intestinal TJ proteins and Muc2 were restored by RES and 4HPP. The molecular mechanism involved the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-mediated activation of CDX2 and the regulation of the SIRT1/NF-κB pathway. These findings provide new insights into understanding the protective effects of RES against intestinal barrier damage and colitis.

Polyphenol-rich oolong tea alleviates obesity and modulates gut microbiota in high-fat diet-fed mice.

Obesity is a major public health issue worldwide. Oolong tea (OT), which is partially fermented from Camellia sinensis leaves, has proven health benefits and potential preventive applications in multiple studies. However, research on the role of OT in obesity prevention and potential mechanisms is still limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the modulatory effects of OT intervention on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity and gut microbiota dysbiosis using an obese mouse model. Our results showed that 8-week OT supplementation with 93.94% polyphenols significantly decreased body weight gain, adipose tissue mass, and serum levels of triglyceride (2.60 mmol/L), cholesterol (5.49 mmol/L), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (0.61 mmol/L) in HFD-fed mice. Meanwhile, OT intervention was observed to improve fat accumulation, hepatic damage, glucose intolerance, and endotoxemia and alleviate inflammation by decreasing the levels of pro-inflammatory factors. OT also upregulated the expression of genes including Srebf1, Ppara, Lxra, Pgc1a, and Hsl and downregulated the expression of genes including Leptin, Il-6, and Il-1b. In addition, the gut dysbiosis characterized by decreased flora diversity and increased Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio in obese mice was recovered by OT intervention. Certain differentially abundant microbes caused by HFD feeding, including Enterococcus, Intestinimonas, Blautia, and Bilophila, were also improved by OT treatment. This study demonstrated that OT, as a novel resource of dietary polyphenols, exhibited a protective effect on HFD-induced obesity and gut microbiota disorder.

Predictive Value of Serum Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A2 for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Complicated with Metabolic Syndrome in Elderly Patients.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to investigate the predictive value of serum lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) complicated with metabolic syndrome (MS) in elderly patients. METHODS: A total of 296 patients with T2DM admitted from January 2019 to January 2021 were enrolled and assigned to MS group (n = 181) and non-MS group (n = 115). Their clinical data and laboratory test results were compared. Logistic regression analysis was employed to identify independent risk factors for MS in T2DM patients. Spearman's analysis was utilized to explore the correlations between serum Lp-PLA2 level and detection indicators. The predictive value of Lp-PLA2 for MS was analyzed by plotting receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and Cox regression model was applied to explore the correlation of serum Lp-PLA2 level with MS. The results of data subjected to multivariate analysis were used to construct prediction models. RESULTS: The incidence rate of MS was 61.15% in T2DM patients. MS group had a significantly higher serum level of Lp-PLA2 than non-MS group (p < 0.05). Serum Lp-PLA2 was significantly positively correlated to FBG, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), FINS, and HOMA-IR, but significantly negatively associated with LDL-C (p < 0.05). The area under the ROC curve of Lp-PLA2 for predicting MS in T2DM patients was 0.724 (95% CI: 0.625 - 0.826, p < 0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of Lp-PLA2 with an optimal cutoff value of 82.96 ng/mL were 73.7%, 85.4%, 77.56%, and 93.24%, respectively. TC, TG, HDL-C, HbA1c, and Lp-PLA2 were independent risk factors for MS (p < 0.05). The area under the ROC curve of the risk prediction model established based on these indicators was 0.823, and the cutoff value, Youden index, sensitivity, and specificity were 0.219, 0.656, 78.87%, and 87.66%, respectively, indicating higher predictive value. CONCLUSIONS: Increased serum Lp-PLA2 level is an independent risk factor for MS in T2DM patients. Lp-PLA2 (82.87 ng/mL) has high predictive value for MS.

MicroRNA-137 Inhibits Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Downregulating DAAM1.

BACKGROUND: A growing body of evidence demonstrates that miR-137 acts against cancers; however, the biological function of miR-137 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains to be fully understood. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to explore the role of miR-137 in ESCC. METHODS: miR-137 expression was detected by reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and target protein expression was detected by western blot. Cell counting, colony formation and flow cytometry were employed to determine the effects of miR-137 on the growth of ESCC cells. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to validate the binding of miR- 137 with a dishevelled-associated activator of morphogenesis 1 (DAAM1) 3'-UTR. RESULTS: miR-137 was shown to be down-regulated in ESCC. miR-137 expression was inversely correlated with the 5-year survival rate of ESCC patients. Up-regulated miR-137 attenuated ESCC proliferation and promoted ESCC cell apoptosis. Meanwhile, to further reveal how miR-137 regulated the malignant behaviors of ESCC, the downstream mRNA binding targets of miR-137 were explored. miR-137 was demonstrated to bind DAAM1 3'-UTR and repressed the expression of DAAM1. The expression of DAAM1 and miR-137 in ESCC was inversely correlated. Additionally, the reintroduction of DAAM1 had the capacity to reverse the negative role of miR- 137 in ESCC cell growth. CONCLUSION: These findings have uncovered the new function of miR-137 in ESCC via negatively regulating DAAM1, suggesting miR-137 as a potent therapeutic candidate for ESCC treatment.

Current Advances in Structure-Function Relationships and Dose-Dependent Effects of Human Milk Oligosaccharides.

HMOs (human milk oligosaccharides) are the third most important nutrient in breast milk. As complex glycans, HMOs play an important role in regulating neonatal intestinal immunity, resisting viral and bacterial infections, displaying anti-inflammatory characteristics, and promoting brain development. Although there have been some previous reports of HMOs, a detailed literature review summarizing the structure-activity relationships and dose-dependent effects of HMOs is lacking. Hence, after introducing the structures and synthetic pathways of HMOs, this review summarizes and categorizes identified structure-function relationships of HMOs. Differential mechanisms of different structural HMOs utilization by microorganisms are summarized. This review also emphasizes the recent advances in the interactions between different health benefits and the variance of dosage effect based on in vitro cell tests, animal experiments, and human intervention studies. The potential relationships between the chemical structure, the dosage selection, and the physiological properties of HMOs as functional foods are vital for further understanding of HMOs and their future applications.

A polygenic risk score improves risk stratification of coronary artery disease: a large-scale prospective Chinese cohort study.

AIMS: To construct a polygenic risk score (PRS) for coronary artery disease (CAD) and comprehensively evaluate its potential in clinical utility for primary prevention in Chinese populations. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using meta-analytic approach and large genome-wide association results for CAD and CAD-related traits in East Asians, a PRS comprising 540 genetic variants was developed in a training set of 2800 patients with CAD and 2055 controls, and was further assessed for risk stratification for CAD integrating with the guideline-recommended clinical risk score in large prospective cohorts comprising 41 271 individuals. During a mean follow-up of 13.0 years, 1303 incident CAD cases were identified. Individuals with high PRS (the highest 20%) had about three-fold higher risk of CAD than the lowest 20% (hazard ratio 2.91, 95% confidence interval 2.43-3.49), with the lifetime risk of 15.9 and 5.8%, respectively. The addition of PRS to the clinical risk score yielded a modest yet significant improvement in C-statistic (1%) and net reclassification improvement (3.5%). We observed significant gradients in both 10-year and lifetime risk of CAD according to the PRS within each clinical risk strata. Particularly, when integrating high PRS, intermediate clinical risk individuals with uncertain clinical decision for intervention would reach the risk levels (10-year of 4.6 vs. 4.8%, lifetime of 17.9 vs. 16.6%) of high clinical risk individuals with intermediate (20-80%) PRS. CONCLUSION: The PRS could stratify individuals into different trajectories of CAD risk, and further refine risk stratification for CAD within each clinical risk strata, demonstrating a great potential to identify high-risk individuals for targeted intervention in clinical utility.

Extracellular vesicles: Their functions in plant-pathogen interactions.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are rounded vesicles enclosed by a lipid bilayer membrane, released by eukaryotic cells and by bacteria. They carry various types of bioactive substances, including nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids. Depending on their cargo, EVs have a variety of well-studied functions in mammalian systems, including cell-to-cell communication, cancer progression, and pathogenesis. In contrast, EVs in plant cells (which have rigid walls) have received very little research attention for many decades. Increasing evidence during the past decade indicates that both plant cells and plant pathogens are able to produce and secrete EVs, and that such EVs play key roles in plant-pathogen interactions. Plant EVs contains small RNAs (sRNAs) and defence-related proteins, and may be taken up by pathogenic fungi, resulting in reduced virulence. On the other hand, EVs released by gram-negative bacteria contain a wide variety of effectors and small molecules capable of activating plant immune responses via pattern-recognition receptor- and BRI1-ASSOCIATED RECEPTOR KINASE- and SUPPRESSOR OF BIR1-mediated signalling pathways, and salicylic acid-dependent and -independent processes. The roles of EVs in plant-pathogen interactions are summarized in this review, with emphasis on important molecules (sRNAs, proteins) present in plant EVs.

Impacts of PM2.5 on Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring Indicators Attenuated by Blood Pressure Control Status and Treatment - Two Cities and Two Municipalities, China, 2017-2019.

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS TOPIC?: Short-term PM2.5 exposure has been associated with hourly, 24-hour, daytime, and nighttime blood pressure (BP) levels, and further studies focusing whether and how the associations with other ambulatory BP monitoring indicators are warranted. WHAT IS ADDED BY THIS REPORT?: This study observed that short-term PM2.5 exposure was associated with BP elevations and was the first to report the associations of short-term PM2.5 exposure with BP variability. Circadian rhythm of BP and BP load among hypertensive patients were found to be modified by controlled BP status or taking angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE?: This study suggested that antihypertensive therapy, especially with well-controlled BP status may be potential measurements to attenuate adverse impacts of PM2.5 for hypertensive patients with intermediate-to-high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Declines in heart rate variability associated with short-term PM2.5 exposure were modified by blood pressure control and treatment: A multi-city panel study in China.

Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) was associated with altered heart rate variability (HRV). However, whether blood pressure (BP) control and angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) treatment modifies the associations was seldom addressed. Therefore, we conducted a 3-phase panel study among 282 hypertensive subjects aged 35-74 years in four cities of China to address this issue. Real-time personal PM2.5 sampling and 24-h ambulatory electrocardiogram monitoring were performed repeatedly in 3 different seasons. Linear mixed-effects models were fitted overall and by control status of BP and ARB treatment to assess the associations between short-term PM2.5 exposure and HRV. The average hourly PM2.5 concentrations (Mean ± SD) ranged from 19.3 ± 18.2 µg/m3 to 99.4 ± 76.9 µg/m3 across study phases and cities. Generally, PM2.5 exposure was associated with decreased hourly and 24-h HRV. However, these adverse impacts were attenuated among patients with controlled BP (<140/90 mmHg). For each 10 µg/m3 increment in moving average of previous 2 days' (MA2d) PM2.5 exposure, 24-h SDNN (standard deviation of NN intervals) and rMSSD (root mean square of successive RR interval differences) decreased by 0.89% (95% CI: 0.19%-1.59%) and 2.98% (95% CI: 1.04%-4.89%) among patients with uncontrolled BP (≥140/90 mmHg), whereas no obvious declines were observed among those with controlled BP (Pdifference = 0.007 and 0.022, respectively). Furthermore, ARB treatment alleviated or eliminated PM2.5-associated declines in hourly and 24-h HRV among those with uncontrolled BP. For instance, 24-h SDNN decreased by 1.31% (95% CI: 0.54%-2.07%) with a 10 µg/m3 increment in lag 2 days' PM2.5 exposure in ARB nonusers, whereas no obvious changes were observed in ARB users (Pdifference = 0.021). In conclusion, although PM2.5 exposure would decrease HRV, better BP control and ARB treatment could attenuate these adverse impacts, which provides supporting evidence for alleviating autonomic dysfunction of hypertension patients living in areas with high-level PM2.5.

Association of short-term fine particulate matter exposure with pulmonary function in populations at intermediate to high-risk of cardiovascular disease: A panel study in three Chinese cities.

BACKGROUND: Decline in pulmonary function contributes to increasing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Although adverse effects of short-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on pulmonary function have been recognized in healthy people or patients with respiratory disease, these results were not well illustrated among people with elevated CVD risk. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A panel study was conducted in three Chinese cities with three repeated visits among populations at intermediate to high-risk of CVD, defined as treated hypertension patients or those with blood pressure ≥ 130/80 mmHg, who met any of the three conditions including abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, and diabetes mellitus. Individualized PM2.5 exposure and pulmonary function were measured during each seasonal visit. Linear mixed-effect models were applied to analyze the associations of PM2.5 concentrations with pulmonary function indicators, including forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC), maximal mid-expiratory flow (MMF), and peak expiratory flow (PEF). RESULTS: Short-term PM2.5 exposure was significantly associated with decreased pulmonary function and an increment of 10 µg/m3 in PM2.5 concentrations during lag 12-24 hour was associated with declines of 41.7 ml/s (95% confidence interval [CI]: 7.7-75.7), 0.35% (95% CI: 0.01, 0.69), and 20.9 ml/s (95% CI: 0.5-41.3) for PEF, FEV1/FVC, and MMF, respectively. Results from stratified and sensitivity analyses were generally similar with the overall findings, while the adverse effects of PM2.5 on pulmonary functions were more pronounced in those who were physically inactive. CONCLUSIONS: This study first identified short-term exposure to PM2.5 was associated with impaired pulmonary function and physical activity might attenuate the adverse effects of PM2.5 among populations at intermediate to high-risk of CVD. These findings provide new robust evidence on health effects of air pollution and call for effective prevention measures among people at CVD risk.

Impacts of Short-Term Fine Particulate Matter Exposure on Blood Pressure Were Modified by Control Status and Treatment in Hypertensive Patients.

[Figure: see text].

Long non­coding RNA SChLAP1 regulates the proliferation of triple negative breast cancer cells via the miR­524­5p/HMGA2 axis.

Long non­coding RNA (lncRNA) second chromosome locus associated with prostate­1 (SChLAP1), also named LINC00913, has been reported to accelerate the carcinogenesis of prostate cancer. The aim of this study was to explore the role and mechanism of SChLAP1 in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). The expression of SChLAP1 in TNBC tissues and cells was determined by reverse transcription quantitative PCR. The effects of SChLAP1 on the growth of TNBC cells was evaluated by detecting cell viability, colony formation and apoptosis. The present study determined that SChLAP1 was upregulated in TNBC tissues and was associated with the long­distant lymph node metastasis of patients with TNBC. Knockdown of SChLAP1 significantly inhibited cell viability and colony formation, and triggered apoptosis of TNBC cells. Bioinformatics analysis suggested that SChLAP1 acted as a sponge of microRNA (miR)­524­5p and negatively modulated the expression of miR­524­5p. An inverse correlation was also identified between the expression levels of SChLAP1 and miR­524­5p in TNBC tissues. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that SChLAP1 interacted with miR­524­5p, and subsequently regulated the expression level of High Mobility Group AT­Hook 2 (HMGA2) in TNBC cells. It was also found that the overexpression of HMGA2 rescued the suppressed viability of TNBC cells induced by SChLAP1 knockdown. In conclusion, the present findings demonstrated that SChLAP1 modulated the malignant tumor behaviors of TNBC cells by regulating HMGA2 and subsequently restraining miR­524­5p.

Diversity of bacterial communities in traditional sourdough derived from three terrain conditions (mountain, plain and basin) in Henan Province, China.

To elucidate the bacterial community composition of sourdoughs from different terrain conditions, thirty-two Chinese traditional sourdough samples were collected from three terrain conditions (mountain, plain and basin) in Henan Province. High-throughput sequencing and culture-dependent approaches were employed to identify the bacterial diversity of the sourdough samples. A total of two hundred and six isolates were characterized via 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Pediococcus pentosaceus was isolated from every sample and was the predominant species in the sourdough samples, accounting for 58% of the relative abundance. High-throughput sequencing revealed that the predominant genera (mainly Pediococcus) in the basin group were significantly different from those in the mountain and plain groups. The genus Lactobacillus was predominant in the plain and mountain sourdough samples. Pediococcus pentosaceus was the absolute dominant strain in the basin sourdough samples. Acetobacter, which was widely distributed only in mountain samples, was recognized as the representative genus of the mountain samples. Moreover, we first reported Gluconobacter oxydans in sourdough. This study provided insight into the bacterial diversity of sourdough from three terrain conditions (mountain, plain and basin) in Henan Province and could serve as a reference for the isolation of desired bacterial strains.

Predicting 10-Year and Lifetime Stroke Risk in Chinese Population.

Background and Purpose- Risk assessment is essential for the primary prevention of stroke. However, the current available tools derived from Chinese populations are insufficient for individualized 10-year and lifetime stroke risk prediction. Our study aims to develop and validate personalized 10-year and lifetime stroke risk equations incorporating 4 large Chinese cohorts. Methods- We used 2 prospective cohorts of 21 320 participants with similar survey protocols as the derivation cohort to develop sex-specific 10-year and lifetime stroke risk equations. Two other independent cohorts with 14 123 and 70 838 participants were used for external validation. In addition, the performance of the 10-year stroke risk equations among participants aged ≥55 years was compared with the new Framingham Stroke Risk Profile. Results- The sex-specific equations for predicting 10-year stroke risk had C statistics being 0.810 for men and 0.810 for women, with calibration χ2 being 15.0 (P=0.092) and 7.8 (P=0.550), respectively. The lifetime stroke risk equations also showed C statistics around 0.800 and calibration χ2 below 20 for both sexes. In the validation cohorts, we found good agreement between the observed and predicted stroke probabilities for both the 10-year and lifetime stroke risk equations. Further compared with the new Framingham Stroke Risk Profile, our 10-year stroke risk equations displayed better prediction capability. In addition, based on lifetime stroke risk assessment, 5.7% of study participants aged 35 to 49 years old were further reclassified as high risk, who were initially categorized as low 10-year risk. Conclusions- We developed a well-performed tool for predicting personalized 10-year and lifetime stroke risk among the Chinese adults, which will facilitate the further identification of high-risk individuals and community-based stroke prevention in China.