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OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the associations of lipid indicators and mortality in Beijing Elderly Comprehensive Health Cohort Study. METHODS: A prospective cohort was conducted based on Beijing Elderly Comprehensive Health Cohort Study with 4499 community older adults. After the baseline survey, the last follow-up was March 31, 2021 with an average 8.13 years of follow-up. Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate the hazard ratios (HR) with 95% CI for cardiovascular disease (CVD) death and all-cause death in associations with baseline lipid indicators. RESULTS: A total of 4499 participants were recruited, and the mean levels of uric acid, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) showed an upward trend with the increasing remnant cholesterol (RC) quarters (Ptrend < 0.05), while the downward trend was found in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). During the total 36,596 person-years follow-up, the CVD mortality and all-cause mortality during an average 8.13 years of follow-up was 3.87% (95% CI: 3.30%-4.43%) and 14.83% (95% CI: 13.79%-15.86%) with 174 CVD death participants and 667 all-cause death participants. After adjusting for confounders, the higher level of TC (HR = 0.854, 95% CI: 0.730-0.997), LDL-C (HR = 0.817, 95% CI: 0.680-0.982) and HDL-C (HR = 0.443, 95% CI: 0.271-0.724) were associated with lower risk of CVD death, and the higher level of HDL-C (HR = 0.637, 95% CI: 0.501-0.810) were associated with lower risk of all-cause death. The higher level of RC (HR = 1.276, 95% CI: 1.010-1.613) increase the risk of CVD death. Compared with the normal lipid group, TC ≥ 6.20 mmol/L group and LDL-C ≥ 4.10 mmol/L group were no longer associated with lower risk of CVD death, while RC ≥ 0.80 mmol/L group was still associated with higher risk of CVD death. In normal lipid group, the higher levels of TC, LDL-C and HDL-C were related with lower CVD death. CONCLUSIONS: In community older adults, higher levels of TC and HDL-C were associated with lower CVD mortality in normal lipid reference range. Higher RC was associated with higher CVD mortality, which may be a better lipid indicator for estimating the CVD death risk in older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum) is one of the well-known mushrooms in China, which has G. lucidum polysaccharides (GLP) that have been widely studied for various biological activities, such as antioxidant, antitumor, antiinflammatory, antiviral, antidiabetes, and immunomodulatory activities. A signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling pathway is related to cell proliferation and apoptosis. The relationship between STAT and intestinal protection of GLP is still unknown. We studied the inhibitors AG490 in the STAT pathway and its downstream molecules to analyze the unique effects in the protection of GLP against palmitic acid (PA)-induced porcine intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2) injury. Compared to PA treatment, GLP + PA obviously decreased Ca2+ concentration, H2O2 production, NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) nuclear translocation, STAT1 and STAT2 protein levels, and increased nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) nuclear translocation and p-STAT3/STAT3 ratio in IPEC-J2 cells. After inhibition of STAT3 signaling, p-STAT3/STAT3 ratio, NF-κB nuclear translocation obviously decreased and Nrf2 nuclear translocation significantly increased in the GLP + PA group. The protection of GLP on proliferation and apoptosis of PA-induced IPEC-J2 cells was suppressed by inhibiting STAT3. The STAT3 pathway regulated the enterocyte-protective effects of GLP by modulating the nuclear translocation of Nrf2 and NF-κB. We provide new insights into the mechanism of STAT signaling for the protection of GLP on PA-induced intestinal epithelial cell injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biochemical properties and thermal inactivation of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) from three main planted lily cultivars in China, namely, Lilium lancifolium Thunb, Lilium brownie var. viridulum, and Lilium davidii var. unicolor cotton were evaluated. Data indicate that the PPO from three cultivars showed two optimum pH levels of 4.0 and 6.5–7.0 and temperature of 15°C and exhibited the highest affinity toward 4‐methylcatechol. However, this enzyme did not exhibit monophenolase activity. Thiourea and L‐cysteine were more effective than other inhibitors. The enzymatic activity of L. lancifolium Thunb PPO crude extract was higher than that of L. brownie var. viridulum and L. davidii var. unicolor cotton. For thermal inactivation, L. davidii var. unicolor cotton PPO showed the best thermal resistance at 65–75°C, and L. lancifolium Thunb showed stability at 45°C. The deactivation of the three types of PPO followed the first‐order reaction kinetics, and the activation energy (Ea) was 144.28, 138.00, and 107.12 kJ/mol for L. lancifolium Thunb PPO, L. brownie var. viridulum PPO, and L. davidii var. unicolor cotton PPO, respectively. Practical applications: Lilium is an ornamental and edible plant typically used for food and traditional Chinese medicine. Its flowers are used for decoration, and its underground bulbs are rich in various bioactive substances. Fresh lily bulbs easily turn brown and lose economic value during storage and processing. Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) is a crucial molecule involved in the enzymatic browning of fruit and vegetables. In this study, PPO was extracted from three main planted lily cultivars in China. Namely, Lilium lancifolium Thunb, Lilium brownie var. viridulum, Lilium davidii var. unicolor cotton and was partially characterized. The results are of considerable importance to further understand the PPO of lily bulbs and provide guidance for the inactivation of enzymes and the processing of lily bulb juice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starches were isolated from bulbs of seven lily cultivars grown in China and their morphological, structural, and physicochemical properties were investigated. All the isolated starch samples showed triangular, elliptical, less scalloped, round, and irregular shaped granules. The starch of different lily cultivars exhibited B-type crystalline pattern. The median diameters (D50) were found to be in range from 17.79 μm to 45.06 μm and the amylose content in range from 23.63 to 30.38 g/100 g starch. The weight average molar mass (Mw) of amylopectin ranged from 4.03 × 107 g/mol to 11.00 × 107 g/mol and root-mean-square rotation radius (Rz) ranged from 203.90 nm to 264.20 nm. HPAEC-PAD chain distribution analysis revealed that the average chain length of amylopectin ranged from DP 23.19–25.29. Starch samples of different lily cultivars showed peak viscosity ranging from 1699.7 cP to 2963.0 cP, and pasting temperature varying from 63.83°C to 71.00°C. Furthermore, the transition temperatures of the starch samples isolated from different lily cultivars were found to be in range from 50.76°C to 57.59°C for onset temperature (To), 54.57°C to 64.30°C for peak temperature (Tp), and 68.07°C to 77.16°C for conclusion temperature (Tc). The gelatinization temperature range (ΔTr) was found to be from 16.66°C to 21.65°C and enthalpy (ΔH) was in range from 11.46 J/g to 16.29 J/g. These results indicated that lily starch properties were significantly different depending on lily variety, which could help in understanding the convenience of these starches for the application in different food and non-food industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is one of the most common oral mucosa diseases; however, familial OLP is uncommon. The present study reported and analyzed patients with familial OLP (n=18) in eight different Chinese families between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2013. Parameters analyzed include gender, age at diagnosis, lesion distribution and lesion type. The follow-up period for each patient was a minimum of 1 year. In this survey, 18/88 individuals in the eight families were affected. Females were more frequently affected, and the female to male ratio for familial OLP (2.2:1) was higher compared with that previously reported for nonfamilial OLP (1.4:1). The age at diagnosis, lesion distribution and lesion type showed consistency with reports concerning nonfamilial OLP, with the exception of family VI, in which 4/5 children had OLP/LP lesions and were of an early age at diagnosis. There were two families in which three generations had been affected by OLP. In addition, it appeared that patients of the same generation in the same family were of a similar age at diagnosis. No malignant or premalignant lesion was identified in the 18 individuals diagnosed with OLP from the eight families. The present study supports the hypothesis that genetic predisposition may serve a role in the etiology of OLP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Elevated carboxypeptidase E (CPE) levels play crucial roles in tumorigenesis and metastasis. This study investigated the expression and clinicopathological significance of CPE in early-stage cervical cancer.Methods: Elevated carboxypeptidase E expression was analyzed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting in normal cervical tissue, cervical cancer cell lines, and in cervical cancer tissues and adjacent noncancerous tissues (ANTs) from the same patient. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to examine CPE expression in tissue samples from 112 patients with early-stage cervical cancer (FIGO stages Ia2-IIa2), 60 patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, and 19 patients with normal cervical tissues (NCTs). Associations between CPE expression and prognostic and diagnostic factors were evaluated statistically.Results: CPE expression was significantly higher in cervical cancer cell lines and tissues than in normal tissues and ANTs. Semi-quantitative analysis of IHC indicated that CPE gradually increased from CIN I to cervical cancer, but was absent in NCTs. CPE expression was seen in 40.2 % (45/112) of the cervical cancer samples. CPE expression was significantly associated with FIGO stage (P = 0.003), tumor size (P = 0.012), stromal invasion (P < 0.001), lymphovascular space invasion (P = 0.016), parametrial infiltration (P = 0.027), vaginal involvement (P = 0.007), postoperative adjuvant therapy (P = 0.024), recurrence (P < 0.001), survival (P < 0.001), and pelvic lymph node metastasis (PLNM) (P < 0.001), and it was significantly higher in tissues from patients with PLNM than without PLNM. Logistic regression analysis identified high-level CPE expression as an independent risk factor for PLNM (P = 0.001). Patients with higher CPE expression had shorter overall survival duration than patients with lower CPE expression. Univariate and multivariate Cox-regression analyses suggested that high-level CPE expression is an independent prognostic factor for overall survival in early-stage cervical cancer.Conclusions: High-level CPE expression was associated with a poor prognosis in early-stage cervical cancer. CPE may serve as a biomarker for predicting PLNM and survival in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gambogic acid (GA) inhibits the proliferation of various human cancer cells. However, because of its water insolubility, the antitumor efficacy of GA is limited. Objectives. To investigate the antitumor activity of gambogic acid lysinate (GAL) and its mechanism. Methods. Inhibition of cell proliferation was determined by MTT assay; intracellular ROS level was detected by staining cells with DCFH-DA; cell apoptosis was determined by flow cytometer and the mechanism of GAL was investigated by Western blot. Results. GAL inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 cells with IC50 values 1.46 µmol/L comparable with GA (IC50, 1.16 µ mol/L). GAL promoted the production of ROS; however NAC could remove ROS and block the effect of GAL. GAL inhibited the expression of SIRT1 but increased the phosphorylation of FOXO3a and the expression of p27Kip1. At knockdown of FOXO3a, cell apoptosis induced by GAL can be partly blocked. In addition it also enhanced the cleavage of caspase-3. Conclusions. GAL inhibited MCF-7 cell proliferation and induced MCF-7 cell apoptosis by increasing ROS level which could induce cell apoptosis by both SIRT1/FOXO3a/p27Kip1 and caspase-3 signal pathway. These results suggested that GAL might be useful as a modulation agent in cancer chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE It is unclear whether changes in BMI during rapid economic development influence subsequent mortality. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We analyzed whether BMI in 1976 and 1994 and changes in BMI during 1976-1994 predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality in a 35-year follow-up cohort of 1,696 Chinese (1,124 men and 572 women, aged 35-65 years) in Xi'an, China. Participants were categorized as underweight (<18.5 kg/m²), normal weight (18.5-24.9 kg/m²), and overweight (≥25.0 kg/m²). RESULTS During 51,611 person-years of follow-up, we identified 655 deaths from all causes and 234 from CVD. From 1976 to 1994, the prevalence of overweight rose from 9.2 to 27.8%. With each unit increment in 1976 BMI, multivariate hazard ratios (HRs) (95% CI) were 0.78 (0.72-0.84) for CVD and 0.91 (0.87-0.95) for all-cause mortality. In contrast, corresponding HRs were 1.14 (1.08-1.19) and 1.05 (1.01-1.08) in 1994 BMI. The HRs for each unit increment in BMI change from 1976 to 1994 were 1.35 (1.25-1.41) for CVD and 1.09 (1.05-1.13) for all-cause mortality. Compared with participants with stable normal weight in 1976 and 1994, HRs of all-cause mortality for those who had normal weight in 1976 but became overweight in 1994 and for those who were persistently overweight during 1976-1994 were 1.42 (1.12-1.80) and 1.80 (1.04-3.14), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Gaining weight with increased BMI at middle age in Chinese during economic development was associated with elevated risks of all-cause and CVD mortality. Higher BMI measured before economic development was associated with lower mortality risk, whereas BMI measured afterward was associated with increased mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aconitum, widely used to treat rheumatoid arthritis for thousands of years, is a toxic herb that can frequently cause fatal cardiac poisoning. Aconitum toxicity could be decreased by properly hydrolyzing diester-diterpene alkaloids into monoester-diterpene alkaloids. Monoester-diterpene alkaloids, including benzoylaconine (BAC), benzoylmesaconine (BMA), and benzoylhypaconine (BHA), are the primary active and toxic constituents of processed Aconitum. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes protect the human body by functioning as the defense line that limits the invasion of toxicants. Our purposes were to identify the CYP metabolites of BAC, BMA, and BHA in human liver microsomes and to distinguish which isozymes are responsible for their metabolism through the use of chemical inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, and cDNA-expressed CYP enzyme. High-resolution mass spectrometry was used to characterize the metabolites. A total of 7,8, and 9 metab olites were detected for BAC, BMA, and BHA, respectively. The main metabolic pathways were demethylation, dehydrogenation, demethylation-dehydrogenation, hydroxylation and didemethylation, which produced less toxic metabolites by decomposing the group responsible for the toxicity of the parent compound. Taken together, the results of the chemical inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, and cDNA-expressed CYP enzymes experiments demonstrated that CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 have essential functions in the metabolism of BAC, BMA, and BHA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A simple and accurate method has been developed to simultaneously separate and determine 10 bioactive compounds in citrus fruits by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection and electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD–ESI/MS). This HPLC assay was performed on a reversed-phase C18 column with acetonitrile and 0.1% (v/v) aqueous formic acid as mobile phase. DAD has been performed at 273, 283 and 324nm for quantification of the alkaloids, flavanones and hydroxycinnamic acids. MS was also employed to identify the each analyte. Ten analytes (naringin, hesperidin, neohesperidin, ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, octopamine, synephrine and tyramine) demonstrated good linearity (r ⩾0.9990) in a relatively wide concentration range. The method revealed high average recovery (range, 92.1–97.9%) and good precision with interday and intraday variations with less than 4.71%. The limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 0.02 to 0.11μg/ml, while the limits of quantification (LOQs) were defined in the range of 0.08–0.39μg/ml. The proposed method has been successfully applied to analyse three types of bioactive constituents in eight citrus hybrids pulps and eight citrus hybrids peels, which has been successfully cultivated in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Three Gorges Project has been subject to intense debates regarding its benefits and costs. The environmental impacts of this huge project have been an important focus of these debates since the project planning stage. After the operation of the Three Gorges Dam at full capacity at the end of 2008, new environmental and ecological issues are emerging. This paper gives a brief description of the Three Gorges Project and its environmental impact assessment process, as well as major efforts to control environmental problems brought about by the project. From the long and complicated evaluation process, it is clear that there are large uncertainties and competing opinions regarding the benefits and costs, especially the ecological and environmental ones, of the project even after great research effort. Emphasis here is given to the environmental challenges including: (1) water quality control; (2) water and sediment regulation; (3) biodiversity conservation in the riparian and aquatic ecosystems; (4) environmentally friendly dam operation and regional sustainable development. Opportunities often grow out of the challenges. The Three Gorges Project provides opportunities for grand-scale experiments on the environmental, ecological, and socio-economic impacts of large dams. Local, national, and international concerted efforts and concrete actions should be directed to the mitigation and control of the negative impacts as well as securing the positive contributions of the project across scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to investigate the land use intensity and land use change type at the basin scale in the middle and lower reaches of the Hanjiang River Basin (in Hubei Province, China) by combining the Landsat TM images in 1995 and 2000 with the land use database (in scale 1:10,000) and relative data. In this study, the basic data is acquired from the interpretation of remote sensing (RS) images. The intensity of land use and the rate of change in double-directions of land use dynamics are calculated with the support of software ARC/INFO. The intensity of land use is indicated by the intensity coefficient of land use, and the transition of land use types is quantified as the rate of change in double-direction of land use types and also expressed as the transition matrix of land use types. The results are expressed in space by Geographic Information System (GIS) software. Results of this study show that (1) the intensity of land use is high in the study region, the intensity coefficients of land use in 1995 and 2000 are 260.025 and 290.526, respectively, and the intensity of development and utilization of land is trend to increscent; and (2) the rate of land use change in double directions in the whole study region is 0.52 with great spatial variation and the differentiation of land use types. In the differentiation of land use types, the unutilized land (with the rate to 4.391) is developed fast, the grassland (with 2.836) and water area (with 1.664) are disturbed severely, and these changes will influence the eco-environment in the Hanjiang River Basin and all the Yangtze Basin. The rates of the farmland and the woodland are 0.424 and 0.344, respectively, meaning that the fundamentals of regional human-environmental system are relative stable. With this study, we can conclude that (1) the patterns of land use are increasingly changing in the study region, the environmental impacts are escalated on this stage, and the further outcomes are destined to change the stability of the regional human–environmental system; and (2) the most useful method to study the present land use and its change is through the use of the RS/GIS with the land use database (in scale 1:10,000). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To search for new and bioactive constituents from traditional Chinese medicines, a new steroidal saponin, named vernonioside G ( 1), was isolated from the roots of Vernonia cumingiana Benth. (Compositae). The structure of vernonioside G was elucidated using spectral methods, particularly two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance analysis. Together with the new compound, eight known compounds were also isolated and identified from the roots of V. cumingiana, among which, VE-1 ( 2) and 24-methylenelanost-9(11)-en-3β-ol acetate ( 3) were assigned NMR data for the first time and compound 3 was obtained as a natural product from a plant for the first time. (Managing editor: Wei WANG) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (CRP), has been used in China for hundreds of years as a functional food and medicine. However, some short-age CRPs are disguised as long-age CRPs by unscrupulous businessmen in order to obtain higher profits. In this paper, a rapid and nondestructive method for the classification of different-age CRPs was established using portable near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in diffuse reflectance mode combination with appropriate chemometric methods. The spectra of outer skin and inner capsule of CRPs at different storage ages were obtained directly without destroying the samples. Principal component analysis (PCA) with single and combined spectral pretreatment methods was used for the classification of different-age CRPs. Furthermore, the data were pretreated with the PCA method, and Fisher linear discriminant analysis (FLD) with optimized pretreatment methods was discussed for improving the accuracy of classification. Data pretreatment methods can be used to eliminate the noise and background interference. The classification accuracy of inner capsule is better than that of outer skin data. Furthermore, the best results with 100% prediction accuracy can be obtained with FLD method, even without pretreatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most important health problems in China. Objectives: This study analyzed expression of high-mobility group protein B1 (HMGB1) and inhibitor of apoptosis protein-2 (c-IAP2) proteins in HCC compared to paired para-tumor tissue samples to assess the association with HCC pathogenesis and progression. Materials and Methods: Sixty-eight HCC and para-tumor tissue samples were collected for Western blot, qRT-PCR and immunohistochemical analyses of HMGB1 and c-IAP2. Results: HMGB1 and c-IAP2 proteins were highly expressed in HCC tissue samples [85.3% (58/68) and 82.4% (56/68), respectively] compared to para-tumor tissue samples [32.3% and 27.9%, respectively]. Furthermore, expression of HMGB1 was significantly associated with enhanced c-IAP2 expression in HCC tissue samples (r = 0.878, P < 0.01). Expression of HMGB1 was associated with tumor multiplicity and size, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level and advanced TNM stage, while expression of c-IAP2 was associated with tumor size, AFP level and advanced TNM stage. Conclusions: Expression of HMGB1 and c-IAP2 proteins was associated with HCC development and progression, and the expression of HMGB1 and c-IAP2 proteins in HCC were significantly associated with each other. Additionally, these proteins may show promise as biomarkers to predict HCC progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Fingered Citron essential oil exhibited significant anti-listeria activity. • Obvious alterations of cell morphology were observed by SEM and TEM. • The responses of L. M were explored by transcriptome analysis after exposure to FCEO. • Chemotaxis and flagella assembly were significantly enhanced. • The uptake of carbohydrates and metallic cations changed significantly. Listeria monocytogenes , which could cause severe disease of listeriosis, is one of the most concerned foodborne pathogens worldwide. Citrus medica L. var. sarcodactylis Swingle (Fingered Citron) is one of the citrus species cultivated in south China. Here, we investigated the efficacy of Fingered Citron essential oil (FCEO) against L. monocytogenes and explored the response of L. monocytogenes in the presence of FCEO using genome-wide transcriptome analysis. FCEO exhibited strong anti-listeria activity and obvious alterations of cell morphology were observed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Moreover, GO analysis demonstrated many potential cell responses, including metabolic process, cellular process, single-organism process, cell part, membrane, catalytic activity, binding, and transporter activity. KEGG analysis suggests that L. monocytogenes respond and adapt by (1) increasing motility through the enhancement of flagella rotation; (2) promoting cell tumbles and re-orientating to escape from FCEO; (3) enhancing the uptake of carbohydrates from environment to gain more energy; (4) changing the uptake of several metallic cations, including iron, zinc, cobalt, and nickel. Our research contributes to the understanding of the adaptive responses of L. monocytogenes exposed to FCEO and provides novel insights for finding new targets of anti-listeria therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Total of 4 pattern recognition methods for the authentication of pure camellia oil applying near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy were evaluated in this study. Total of 115 samples were collected and their authenticities were confirmed by gas chromatography (GC) in according to China Natl. Standard (GB). A preliminary study of NIR spectral data was analyzed by unsupervised methods including principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). Total of 2 supervised classification techniques based on discriminant analysis (DA) and radical basis function neural network (RBFNN) were utilized to build calibration model and predict unknown samples. In the wavenumber range of 6000 to 5750 cm⁻¹, correct classification rate of both supervised and unsupervised solutions all can reach 98.3% when smoothing, first derivative, and autoscaling were used. The good performance showed that NIR spectroscopy with multivariate calibration models could be successfully used as a rapid, simple, and nondestructive method to discriminate pure camellia oil., (© 2012 Institute of Food Technologists®)