OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to describe the nutritional status of elderly people living in a rural area of North China. DESIGN: Community-based, cross-sectional prevalence survey. SETTING: 3 rural ...towns of Lvliang City, Shanxi Province, China. PARTICIPANTS: A sample of 1845 community residents (29.1% of those eligible) 55 years or older (birth before 1958-01-01). MEASUREMENTS: The participants were assessed regarding demographic characteristics, height, weight, as well as having a physical examination and blood sampling for serum cholesterol, total homocysteine (tHcy), folate, and vitamin B12 levels. RESULTS: 991 (53.7%) were female and 139 (7.5%) did not complete the anthropometric measurement. Prevalence of underweight and obesity was 3.5% and 24.9% in men and 6.7% and 31.0% in women (P = 0.003, P = 0.005, respectively). Prevalence of hypercholesterolemia and hypocholesterolemia was 13.5% and 52.6% in men and 25.0% and 34.3% in women (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, respectively). Prevalence of high LDL-c concentrations was 8.8% in men and 16.8% in women (P < 0.001). The mean serum tHcy in men (28.8 ± 20.1 μmmol/l) was significantly higher than in women (21.0 ± 15.1 μmmol/L, P < 0.001). Prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia (defined as > 15μmmol/L) was 79.7% in men and 65.5% in women (P < 0.001). Prevalence of low folate (defined as < 11 nmol/L) and vitamin B12 levels (defiend as < 185 pmol/L) was 70.8 % and 76.8% in men and 56.5% and 72.6% in women (P < 0.001, P = 0.036, respectively). Correlation coefficients between tHcy, folate, and vitamin B12 indicated an inverse linear correlation (r = −0.21, P < 0.001, r = −0.35, P < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: As China’s economic climate has developed, the nutritional status of elderly people in the rural parts of the country has improved in some aspects. However, the trend toward obesity will lead to a shift in the burden of obesity-related chronic diseases. In addition, rurally-located elderly people are at high risk of death that may be associated with abnormal serum cholesterol. The data also suggest that severe deficiencies in folate and vitamin B12 levels exist, as well as there being a high prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia. Folate and vitamin B12 supplementation are necessary to prevent related diseases.
Inflammation induces the expression of angiogenic growth factors in tissues, which leads to microvascular growth. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) provokes a transient inflammatory response in the ...heart and induces delayed cardiac resistance to post-ischemic contractile dysfunction. In this study, we examined: 1) the effects of LPS on myocardial expression of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), 2) whether an increase in the density of myocardial microvessels follows the expression of angiogenic growth factors, and 3) the effect of LPS on myocardial resistance to infarction and its relationship with microvascular growth. Rats were treated with LPS (from Salmonella typhimurium, 0.5 mg/kg i.p.). The expression of bFGF and VEGF in the myocardium was examined at 6 and 12 h after LPS treatment by immunofluorescent staining. Myocardial capillary and arteriole densities were determined 3 days after LPS treatment by morphometry, using immunofluorescent staining of von Willebrand factor (a marker protein of endothelial cells) and alpha-smooth muscle actin (a marker protein of smooth muscle cells). To examine cardiac resistance to infarction, hearts were subjected to 40 min of regional ischemia and 2 h of reperfusion by reversible occlusion of left coronary artery at 3 days after LPS treatment. LPS induced cardiac bFGF and VEGF at 6 and 12 h after treatment. The expression of these growth factors was followed by an increase in myocardial capillary density (2032 +/- 78/mm2 vs. 1617 +/- 47/mm2 in saline control, P < 0.05), but not arteriole density, at 3 days. Meanwhile, infarct size was significantly reduced by LPS preconditioning (infarct/left ventricle 12.3 +/- 1.04% vs. 21.7 +/- 1.65% in saline control, 43% reduction, P < 0.05). These results suggest that LPS preconditioning induces cardiac bFGF and VEGF, and an increase in myocardial capillary density. This increased myocardial capillary density is associated with a reduced infarct size after in vivo regional ischemia-reperfusion.
Although various organic tissue adhesives designed to facilitate would healing are gaining popularity in diverse clinical applications, they present significant inherent limitations, such as ...rejection, infections, toxicity and/or excessive swelling. It is highly desirable to develop efficient, biocompatible and anti-bacterial tissue adhesives for skin wound healing.
Inspired by the fact that inorganic nanoparticles can directly glue tissues through the "nanobridging effect", herein disulfide bond-bridged nanosilver-decorated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (Ag-MSNs) was constructed as an effective and safe tissue adhesive with antibacterial and degradable properties for wound closure and healing.
Ag-MSNs was fabricated by controlled reduce of ultrasmall nanosilvers onto the both surface and large pore of biodegradable MSNs. The obtained MSNs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and measurement of size distribution, zeta potential, and mesopore properties. Furthermore, adhesion strength test, anti-bacterial assessment, mouse skin wound model, and MTT assays were used to investigate the tissue adhesive property, antibacterial effect, biodegradability and biocompatibility of the Ag-MSNs.
Ag-MSNs exhibited not only strong adhesive properties but also excellent antibacterial activities than that of MSNs. Importantly, this antibacterial nano-adhesive achieved rapid and efficient closure and healing of wounds in comparison to sutures or MSNs in a mouse skin wound model. Furthermore, Ag-MSNs with fast degradable behavior caused little cellular toxicity and even less systemic toxicity during wound healing.
Our findings suggest that biodegradable Ag-MSNs can be employed as the next generation of nano-adhesives for rapid wound closure and aesthetic wound healing.
The microstructure evolution of bicrystal samples during directional solidification was studied, both by simulation and experiment, to explore the mechanism of competitive growth. A new orientation ...relationship of bicrystal samples, the non-uniplanar case, is proposed, which expands the orientation relationship of bicrystal samples from two dimensions to three dimensions. The results show that, in the non-uniplanar case, the favorably oriented grain overgrows the unfavorably oriented grain by developing new dendrites in the lateral gap where the primary dendrites of the unfavorably oriented grain diverge from the mold wall. During this process, the grain boundary is found to move in two directions, one perpendicular to the grain boundary and the other parallel to the grain boundary. To characterize the state of dendrite growth, a three-dimensional reference frame is constructed. In this reference frame, the mechanism of competitive growth can be categorized as a converging case, a non-uniplanar case and a diverging case. Furthermore, the simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental findings.
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha independently induce cardioprotection against ischemia in the rat at 24 h after administration, suggesting that endogenously synthesized ...TNF-alpha may play a role in LPS-induced protection. The purposes of this study were 1) to delineate the time course of LPS-induced cardiac functional protection against ischemia and its relation with myocardial and circulating TNF-alpha profile, 2) to examine whether prior protein synthesis inhibition abrogates the protection, and 3) to assess the effects of TNF-alpha inhibition and neutralization on the protection. Rats were treated with LPS (0.5 mg/kg i.p.). Cardiac functional resistance to normothermic global ischemia-reperfusion was examined at sequential time points after LPS treatment in isolated hearts by the Langendorff technique. Myocardial and circulating TNF-alpha was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at 1-24 h after LPS treatment. Protection was apparent at 24 h, 3 days, and 7 days but not at 2 or 12 h. Maximal protection at 3 days was abolished by cycloheximide pretreatment (0.5 mg/kg i.p. 3 h before LPS treatment). Increases in myocardial and circulating TNF-alpha preceded the acquisition of protection. Dexamethasone pretreatment (4.0 or 8.0 mg/kg i.p. 30 min before LPS treatment) abolished peak increase in myocardial TNF-alpha and substantially suppressed circulating TNF-alpha (54.3 and 85.9% inhibition, respectively) without an influence on the maximal protection. Similarly, maximal protection was not affected by TNF binding protein (40 or 80 microg/kg i.v. immediately after LPS treatment). The results suggest that LPS-induced cardiac functional protection against ischemia is a delayed and long-lasting protective response that may involve de novo protein synthesis. Although LPS-induced increase in myocardial and circulating TNF-alpha precedes the delayed protection, it may not be required for the delayed protection.
Background: The purposes of this study were to (1) determine whether functional heat-shock protein 72 (HSP-72) may be delivered into the heart, (2) determine whether HSP-72 itself is protective ...against endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide LPS)-induced cardiodepression, and (3) compare relative protection and time courses required for protection for thermally induced HSP-72 versus liposomally introduced HSP-72.
Methods: HSP-72 was introduced (liposomal HSP-72) or induced (heat shock, 42°C× 15 minutes, 24 hours before) in rat heart before LPS administration (0.5 mg/kg intraperitoneal or ex vivo coronary infusion). Western blot analysis for HSP-72 was used to confirm its expression. Left ventricular developed pressure (Langendorff) was used as an index of cardiac function.
Results: Direct intracoronary perfusion of liposomal HSP-72 delivered functioning HSP-72 into the myocardium. LPS induced cardiodepression; however, heat shock pretreatment abolished LPS-induced contractile dysfunction. A direct connection was found between HSP-72 and protection derived from liposomal transfer experiments that similarly reduced LPS-induced cardiodepression.
Conclusions: (1) HSP-72 prevents LPS-induced myocardial contractile dysfunction, (2) liposomal transfer of HSP-72 into the myocardium provides the first direct mechanistic connection between myocardial HSP-72 and protection against LPS, (3) HSP-72 induction requires 24 hours and liposomal transfer of HSP-72 requires 90 minutes, and (4) HSP-72 may offer a clinically acceptable means of protecting the heart. (Surgery 1999;126:135-41.)
The shape evolution and shape coexistence phenomena in neutron-rich nuclei at \(N\approx60\), including Kr, Sr, Zr, and Mo isotopes, are studied in the covariant density functional theory (DFT) with ...the new parameter set PC-PK1. Pairing correlations are treated using the BCS approximation with a separable pairing force. Sharp rising in the charge radii of Sr and Zr isotopes at N=60 is observed and shown to be related to the rapid changing in nuclear shapes. The shape evolution is moderate in neighboring Kr and Mo isotopes. Similar as the results of previous Hartree-Fock-Bogogliubov (HFB) calculations with the Gogny force, triaxiality is observed in Mo isotopes and shown to be essential to reproduce quantitatively the corresponding charge radii. In addition, the coexistence of prolate and oblate shapes is found in both \(^{98}\)Sr and \(^{100}\)Zr. The observed oblate and prolate minima are related to the low single-particle energy level density around the Fermi surfaces of neutron and proton respectively. Furthermore, the 5-dimensional (5D) collective Hamiltonian determined by the calculations of the PC-PK1 energy functional is solved for \(^{98}\)Sr and \(^{100}\)Zr. The resultant excitation energy of \(0^+_2\) state and E0 transition strength \(\rho^2(E0;0^+_2\rightarrow0^+_1)\) are in rather good agreement with the data. It is found that the lower barrier height separating the two competing minima along the \(\gamma\) deformation in \(^{100}\)Zr gives rise to the larger \(\rho^2(E0;0^+_2\rightarrow0^+_1)\) than that in \(^{98}\)Sr.
The Chinese tortrix, Cydia trasias (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is a major pest of the Chinese scholar‐tree (Japanese pagoda tree), Sophora japonica L.. Cydia trasias has two or three ...generations in Beijing, China and overwinters as larvae in seed pods, bark crevices, and twigs of the Chinese scholar‐tree (Chen, 1992; Chen & Qi, 1992). The larvae attack both petioles and seed pods. During outbreaks, the larvae can cause extensive leaf drop, bare twigs, and seed pod damage, reducing the ornamental and economic value of the tree (Enda & Yamazaki, 1987; Chen, 1992). Since the Chinese scholar‐tree is one of the most popular ornamental trees in urban and suburban areas, trees are sprayed with insecticide to control C. trasias outbreaks. Earlier field trials showed that C. trasias can be controlled by mating disruption (Zhang et al., 2001). In our early paper and patent (Fu & Meng, 1997; Meng et al., 1998), we reported E8,E10‐dodecadienyl acetate (E8,E10‐12:Ac) as a pheromone component of C. trasias, but the identification of C. trasias sex pheromone was not complete. We report here the identification and field testing of the female‐produced sex pheromone in C. trasias.
Myocardial tolerance to ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury can be achieved by either acute or delayed cardioprotective mechanisms. Ischemic preconditioning has been demonstrated to be a powerful ...acute cardioprotective stimulus. We have reported that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) pretreatment induces delayed myocardial adaptation to I/R injury. To optimize myocardial protection, we examined the ability of delayed myocardial adaptation to enhance acute ischemic preconditioning in the isolated working rat heart. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control, acute transient ischemia (TI); 5-min global ischemia, 37 degrees C, delayed (LPS; 500 micrograms/kg i.p.), or combined (LPS + TI) cardioprotective groups. Delayed cardioprotection involved LPS injection 72 h before heart isolation. All hearts were subjected to 20-min global ischemia (37 degrees C) and 30-min reperfusion. Coronary effluent collected during reperfusion was assayed for creatine kinase (CK) activity. Both TI and LPS treatment improved postischemic aortic flow recovery (29 +/- 4.5 and 44 +/- 4.0%, respectively; P < 0.05, LPS vs. TI) compared with control hearts (11 +/- 2.2%; P < 0.05, TI or LPS vs. control). When TI was applied to LPS-treated hearts (LPS + TI), aortic flow recovery was further enhanced (57 +/- 3.8%; P < 0.05 vs. TI or LPS alone). CK release during 20 and 30 min of reperfusion was decreased in all treated hearts compared with control hearts (P < 0.05). These results indicate that delayed myocardial adaptation and acute ischemic preconditioning independently activate protective mechanisms against ischemia. Enhanced protection occurs when induced delayed mechanisms are combined with acute cardioprotective stimuli, which optimize postischemic myocardial function and reduce myocellular necrosis.
In order to explore the spatial, temporal, and chemical characteristics of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution in Handan city, China, a comprehensive dataset including continuous online ...observations at four air quality monitoring stations in 2013 and 2014, and the concentrations of water-soluble inorganic ions (WSII) (NO3−, SO42−, NH4+, Cl−, Na+, Mg2+, K+, Ca2+) in PM2.5 samples collected in four representative seasons in 2013 and 2014 are analyzed in this study. And the principal component analysis (PCA) method is applied to identify the source of WSII in Handan. Our results indicate that PM2.5 concentration decreased from 139.4μg/m3 in 2013 to 116.0μg/m3 in 2014 on annual average. Spatial variations of PM2.5 mass are not pronounced, indicating that PM2.5 is nearly evenly spread over the study area. The seasonal variations of PM2.5 concentration are significant, normally with 1.7 to 2.4 times higher in winter than in summer. The concentrations of TWSII (total water-soluble inorganic ions) remain relatively stable in two years, with annual averages of 63.1μg/m3 in 2013 and 57.2μg/m3 in 2014. SNA (SO42−, NO3−, NH4+) dominates in the TWSII, accounting for ~87% of the TWSII. Similar to PM2.5, WSII exhibits obvious seasonal variations with higher concentrations in autumn and winter, lower in spring and summer. PM2.5 samples are acidic in spring, summer and autumn of 2013, while in winter of 2013 and all seasons of 2014, they are alkaline. SO42−, NO3− are formed mainly through homogeneous reactions, heterogeneous reactions also exist in winter. Finally, the major sources of WSII in Handan are identified as the mixture of secondary origin, coal combustion, biomass burning (46.1%), dust sources (25.8%), and motor vehicle (12.3%).
•The annual average concentrations of PM2.5 were 139.4 and 116.0μg/m3 in 2013 and 2014, respectively.•SO42-, NO3- and NH4+ accounted for 85.5%-87.2% of TWSII in 2013 and 2014.•SO42- and NO3- are formed mainly through homogenous reactions, the heterogeneous reactions also occur in winter.•Secondary origin aerosol, coal combustion, and biomass burning are the major sources of WSII.
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