Changes in aortic endothelium ultrastructure in male rats following castration, replacement with testosterone and administration of 50α-reductase inhibitor

Aim： To investigate the relationship between low androgen level and ultrastructure of vascular endothelium. Methods： Forty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups： group A, normal rats with sham castration; group B, castrated rats; group C, castrated rats given testosterone （T） undecanoate; and group D, intact rats treated with 5α-reductase inhibitor. After 10 weeks of treatment or castration, rats in different groups were killed and serum T, free T （FT） and dihydrotestosterone （DHT） were measured. The aortic endothelia were scanned under electron microcopy and the Vascular Endothelium Structure Score （VESS） was computed. Results： Serum T and FT concentrations of rats in group B were significantly lower than those of the other three groups （P 〈 0.01）; DHT concentrations of group D rats were significantly decreased （P 〈 0.01 ） when compared with those of groups A and C. Rats in groups B and D rats （with low androgen levels） had obvious damage to their endothelial surfaces, which appeared crimpled, rough, adhesive and ruptured, and had high destruction of VESS. Conclusion： These results suggest that low concentrations of T and DHT are associated with ultrastructural damage of the aortic endothelia in male rats.

Investigation of iodine concentration in salt,water and soil along the coast of Zhejiang,China

Objective: We aim to describe the environment iodine concentration in salt, water and soil along Zhejiang Province coast in the China foreland. It will be helpful for us to judge whether this area is insufficient in iodine and universal iodized salt is necessary or not. Methods: We collected iodized salt samples, drinking water samples (tap water in the towns, and well water or spring water in the villages), water samples from different sources (ditches, lakes, rivers) and soil samples through random sampling in June, 2005. Salt, water and soil iodine was detected by arsenic-cerium redox method. Statistical analysis was expressed as mean±SEMby Windows SPSS 13.0. Results: (1) The iodine concentration in salt was 27.9±4.33 mg/kg (n=108). (2) Seventy-five water samples were collected. The water iodine value was 0.6～84.8 μg/L (mean of 11.66 μg/L). The watershed along the Qiantang River has significantly higher iodine content than the water in Lin'an in mountain area (P＜0.01). The iodine content and mean iodine content of tap water, well or spring water and natural water sources were 4.30±2.43 μg/L (n=34), 23.59±27.74 μg/L (n=19)and 12.72±10.72 μg/L (n=22) respectively. This indicated that among environmental water sources, the ditch iodine content was the highest with river water iodine being the lowest (P＜0.01). (3) Soil iodine value was 0.11～2.93 mg/kg (mean of 1.32 mg/kg).Though there was no statistical difference of soil iodine in different districts (P=0.131), soil iodine content correlated positively with water iodine content. Conclusion: Iodine concentration in salt accords with national policy of adding iodine in salt. Foreland has more iodine in water than mountain area. The data reflected that water and soil iodine in foreland area was not high, which suggests universal iodized salt should be necessary. Environment iodine has relatively close association with pollution.

Central Obesity and Metabolic Risk Factors in Middle-aged Chinese

Objective Central obesity is considered to be a central component of metabolic syndrome. Waist circumference （WC） has been widely used as a simple indicator of central obesity. This study is aimed to evaluate the sensitivity of WC cut-off values for predicting metabolic risk factors in middle-aged Chinese. Methods The study involved 923 subjects aged according to the Chinese Joint Committee for 40-65 years. The metabolic risk factors were defined Developing Chinese Guidelines on Prevention and Treatment of Dyslipidemia in Adults. WC cut-off 85-90 cm and 〉90 cm were used as cut-off values of central pre-obesity and central obesity in males, respectively, while WC 80-85 cm and 〉85 cm were used as cut-off values of central pre-obesity and central obesity in females. Results First, WC values corresponding to body mass index （BMI） 24 kg/m2 and visceral fat area （VFA） 80 cm2 were 88.55 cm and 88.51 cm in males, and 82.46 cm and 82.52 cm in females respectively. Second, receiver operating characteristic curves showed that the optimal WC cut-off of value was 88.75 cm in males, higher than that in females （81.75 cm）. Third, the subjects with higher WC values were more likely to have accumulating metabolic risk factors. The prevalence of metabolic risk factors increased linearly and significantly in relation to WC levels. Conclusion WC cut-off values of central pre-/central obesity are optimal to predict multiple metabolic risk factors.

Regulation mechanism and pathogenic role of lncRNA plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) in human diseases

Plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) is a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) gene identified as a recurrent breakpoint of Burkitt’s lymphomas. Human PVT1 gene is located on region 8q24.21, a well-known cancer risk region, and encodes at least 26 linear ncRNA isoforms and 26 circular RNA isoforms, as well as 6 microRNAs. Several PVT1 functioning models have been reported recently such as competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) activity and regulating protein stability of oncogenes, especially MYC oncogene. The promoter of PVT1 gene is a boundary element of tumor-suppressor DNA. CircPVT1 derived from PVT1 gene is also a critical non-coding oncogenic RNA. Although substantial advancements have been made in understanding the roles of PVT1 in cancer recently, the detailed mechanisms underlying its functions remain unclear. Herein, we summarize the recent progressions on the mechanisms underlying PVT1 regulated gene expression at different levels. We also discuss the interaction between lncRNA and protein, RNA and DNA, as well as the potential cancer therapy strategy by targeting these networks.

A nationwide survey of diabetes education, self-management and glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes in China

Background Diabetes management could be improved by diabetes education, through influencing attitudes towards diabetes, knowledge and behaviors of patients. The purpose of this study was to characterize the impact of diabetes education on glycemic control, and to assess the attitude, knowledge and self-care behavior in patients with type 2 diabetes in China. Methods This questionnaire-based survey was conducted in 50 medical centers across China from April to July of 2010. The patients with type 2 diabetes were eligible for the study. The information of glycemic control and diabetes education was collected. The diabetes attitude scale-3 formulae, a questionnaire of diabetes knowledge and Summary of Diabetes Self-care Activities scale were used to assess attitude, knowledge and the self-care of patients, respectively. Results Among the 5961 eligible respondents （3233 males; mean age （59.50＋12.48） years; mean hemoglobin Alc （HbAlc） （8.27＋2.23）%）, most patients （79.8%） considered themselves educated on diabetes. Compared with patients without diabetes education, their educated counterparts showed significant lower value of HbAlc, after controlling for age, gender, body mass index and duration of diabetes （P 〈0.01）. The patients who received diabetes education also performed significant higher scores on attitude, knowledge and self-care than their uneducated counterparts. Patients with lower income or education level tended to have higher glucose levels, and showed lower percentage of patients received diabetic education. Conclusions Chinese patients with diabetes education achieved better glycemic control than un-educated patients. Our study indicates effort is required to provide professional education to patients, with emphasis on lower income and lower education level populations.

Changes of macrovascular endothelial ultrastructure and gene expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase in diabetic rats

Background The most intimidatory pathological changes in patients with DM are cardiovascular illnesses, which are the major causes of death in diabetic patients and are far more prevalent than in nondiabetics because of accelerated atherosclerosis In this study, we tried to clarify the changes in macrovascular endothelial ultrastructure and in the gene expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)mRNA in diabetic rats KH*2/5DMethods The study was conducted on 52 of 10-week old Sprague Dawley (SD) rats with body weight of (320±42) g SD rats were divided into: experimental group treated with a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 60 mg/kg), (male, n=20, diabetes mellitus (DMM)); female, n=12, diabetes mellitus female (DMF)) and control group (male, n=10, diabetes mellitus male control (DMMC); female, n=10, diabetes mellitus female control (DMFC)) Four weeks after treatment, half of the rats were sacrificed; the remainders were sacrificed ten weeks after treatment One part of the abdominal aortic sample was stored under glutaraldehyde (volume fraction ψ B = 2 5 %) After the process of chemical fixation, chemical dehydration, drying and conductivity enhancement, all samples were observed and photographed using scanning electron microscopy (Leica-Stereoscan 260, England) The other part of the abdominal aortic sample was treated with liquid nitrogen and the expression of eNOSmRNA was assessed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR Results The aortic lumen of both experimental groups adsorbed much more debris than that of either control group The endothelial surfaces of diabetic rats were coarse, wrinkled and protuberant like fingers or villi The vascular endothelial lesions of diabetic male rats were very distinct after 4 weeks, and as obvious as those at 10 weeks The vascular endothelial lesions of diabetic female rats were not severe at 4 weeks and only became marked after 10 weeks In both males and females, the abdominal aortic eNOSmRNA content of 4 weeks and 10 weeks diabetic rats was very significantly lower ( P <0 01) than that of controls Conclusions Aortic endothelial ultrastructure in DM rats is injured compared with controls Abnormal changes of aortic endothelia in male DM rats are more obvious than those in females Expression of abdominal aortic eNOSmRNA content of DM rats is significantly lower than that of controls

Xuezhikang(血脂康) Reduced Renal Cell Apoptosis in Streptozocin-Induced Diabetic Rats through Regulation of Bcl-2 Family

Objective： To investigate the effect of Xuezhikang（血脂康, XZK） on renal cell apoptosis in diabetic rats and the possible mechanism. Methods： Sixty-six rats were randomly divided into 3 groups： the normal, model and XZK groups. In each group, the rats were further randomly divided into 3-month and 6-month subgroups, respectively. Diabetes of rats was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of 1% streptozocin at 60 mg/kg body weight. Rats in the XZK group received gastric perfusion of XZK（1200 mg/kg body weight） everyday for 3 or 6 months, while rats in the normal and model groups received equal volume of saline. Twenty-four hours＇ urine was collected for urinary albumin excretion（UAE） measurement. Periodic acid-Schiff（PAS） and Masson＇s trichrome staining were used for saccharides and collagen detection. Cell apoptosis of renal cortex was investigated by Td T-mediated d UTP nick end labeling（TUNEL） staining. Bax and Bcl-2 expressions were detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot, respectively. Cytochrome C（Cyt C） and caspase-9 concentration were detected by Western blot. Results： Compared with the model group, XZK treatment could significantly decrease the kidney hypertrophy index, 24 h UAE, renal cell apoptosis, cytoplasmic Cyt C level and active caspase-9 level, as well as suppress the increment of Bax and up-regulate the expression of Bcl-2, leading to the suppression of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio at 3 and 6 months（P〈0.05 or P〈0.01）. Moreover, XZK treatment could alleviate the deposition of PAS-stained saccharides and Masson＇s trichromestained collagen to different extent. Conclusions： Renal cell apoptosis was observed in diabetic kidney, in which mitochondrial apoptotic pathway might be involved. XZK treatment could attenuate pathological changes in diabetic kidney and reduce renal cell apoptosis, probably via the suppression of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, which lead to inhibition of Cyt C release and following caspase-9 activation.

A positive feedback regulatory loop involving the lncRNA PVT1 and HIF-1αin pancreatic cancer

Extreme hypoxia is among the most prominent pathogenic features of pancreatic cancer(PC).Both the long non-coding RNA(lncRNA)plasmacytoma variant translocation 1(PVT1)and hypoxic inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α)are highly expressed in PC patients and play a crucial role in disease progression.Reciprocal regulation involving PVT1 and HIF-1αin PC,however,is poorly understood.Here,we report that PVT1 binds to the HIF-1αpromoter and activates its transcription.In addition,we found that PVT1 could bind to HIF-1αand increases HIF-1αpost-translationally.Our findings suggest that the PVTl-HIF-1αpositive feedback loop is a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of PC.