Observational studies have suggested that the intake of flavonoids is associated with a decreased risk of CVD. However, the results of these studies remain controversial. The aim of the present study ...was to evaluate the association between dietary flavonoid intake and CVD risk by conducting a systematic review of prospective cohort studies. Electronic reference databases were searched to identify studies that met the pre-stated inclusion criteria. The studies were assessed for eligibility and data were extracted by two authors independently. For each study, relative risks (RR) and 95 % CI were extracted and pooled using either a fixed-effects or a random-effects model. Generalised least-squares trend estimation analysis was used to evaluate dose-response relationships. The inclusion criteria were met by fourteen prospective cohort studies. The intakes of anthocyanidins (RR 0·89, 95 % CI 0·83, 0·96), proanthocyanidins (RR 0·90, 95 % CI 0·82, 0·98), flavones (RR 0·88, 95 % CI 0·82, 0·96), flavanones (RR 0·88, 95 % CI 0·82, 0·96) and flavan-3-ols (RR 0·87, 95 % CI 0·80, 0·95) were inversely associated with the risk of CVD when comparing the highest and lowest categories of intake. A similar association was observed for flavonol intake and CVD risk. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses further supported this association. The summary RR for CVD for every 10 mg/d increment in flavonol intake was 0·95 (95 % CI 0·91, 0·99). The present systematic review suggests that the dietary intakes of six classes of flavonoids, namely flavonols, anthocyanidins, proanthocyanidins, flavones, flavanones and flavan-3-ols, significantly decrease the risk of CVD.
To examine and quantify the potential dose-response relationship between red and processed meat consumption and risk of all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality.
We searched MEDLINE, Embase, ...ISI Web of Knowledge, CINHAL, Scopus, the Cochrane library and reference lists of retrieved articles up to 30 November 2014 without language restrictions. We retrieved prospective cohort studies that reported risk estimates for all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality by red and/or processed meat intake levels. The dose-response relationships were estimated using data from red and processed meat intake categories in each study. Random-effects models were used to calculate pooled relative risks and 95 % confidence intervals and to incorporate between-study variations.
Nine articles with seventeen prospective cohorts were eligible in this meta-analysis, including a total of 150 328 deaths. There was evidence of a non-linear association between processed meat consumption and risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, but not for cancer mortality. For processed meat, the pooled relative risk with an increase of one serving per day was 1·15 (95 % CI 1·11, 1·19) for all-cause mortality (five studies; P<0·001 for linear trend), 1·15 (95 % CI 1·07, 1·24) for cardiovascular mortality (six studies; P<0·001) and 1·08 (95 % CI 1·06, 1·11) for cancer mortality (five studies; P<0·001). Similar associations were found with total meat intake. The association between unprocessed red meat consumption and mortality risk was found in the US populations, but not in European or Asian populations.
The present meta-analysis indicates that higher consumption of total red meat and processed meat is associated with an increased risk of total, cardiovascular and cancer mortality.
The potential of the ultraviolet and visible (UV/VIS 200–800
nm) transmittance method to inspect the internal quality (freshness) of intact chicken egg was investigated. The nondestructive ...measurement optical models for egg quality were also studied. Three hundred and fifty chicken egg samples were used for measuring its freshness and spectral collection during egg storage time. Two correlation models between Haugh unit and the storage time, the yolk coefficient and the storage time were developed with the correlation coefficients of 0.994, 0.987, respectively. A relationship between the intact egg transmittance and the storage time was also developed with the correlation coefficients of 0.935 at the sensitive spectral wavelength of 465
nm. It was concluded that: the nondestructive inspection of egg freshness by transmittance properties is feasible in the range of 400–600
nm, while it is impossible to inspect egg freshness in the range of 200–400
nm due to the low transmittance.
The Cedar and Ortega rivers subbasin is a complex environment where both natural and anthropogenic processes influence the characteristics and distributions of sediments and contaminants, which in ...turn is of importance for maintenance, dredging and pollution control. This study investigated the characteristics and spatial distribution of heavy metals, including lead (Pb), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd), from sediments in the subbasin using field measurements and three-dimensional kriging estimates. Sediment samples collected from three sampling depth intervals (i.e., 0–0.10, 0.11–0.56 and 0.57–1.88 m) in 58 locations showed that concentrations of Pb ranged from 4.47 to 420.00 mg/kg dry weight, Cu from 2.30 to 107.00 mg/kg dry weight, Zn from 9.75 to 2,050.00 mg/kg dry weight and Cd from 0.07 to 3.83 mg/kg dry weight. Kriging estimates showed that Pb, Cu and Cd concentrations decreased significantly from the sediment depth of 0.10 to 1.5 m, whereas Zn concentrations were still enriched at 1.5 m. It further revealed that the Cedar River area was a potential source area since it was more contaminated than the rest of the subbasin. Comparison of aluminum (Al)-normalized metal concentrations indicated that most of the metals within the top two intervals (0–0.56 m) had concentrations exceeding the background levels by factors of 2–10. A three-dimensional view of the metal contamination plumes showed that all of the heavy metals, with concentrations exceeding the threshold effect level (TEL) that could pose a threat to the health of aquatic organisms, were primarily located above the sediment depth of 1.5 m.
The study of 1000-grain weight (TGW) and percentage of grains with chalkiness (PGWC) is very important in rice. In this study, a set of introgression lines (ILs), derived from Sasanishiki/Habataki ...with Sasanishiki as the recurrent parent, were used to detect correlations and quantitative trait loci (QTL) on TGW and PGWC in two different environments. Phenotypic correlation analysis showed that there was no significant correlation between TGW and PGWC in both environments, which indicated that the linkage of TGW and PGWC traits could be broken via suitable population. A total of 20 QTL were detected in both environments, nine QTL for 1000-paddy-grain weight (PTGW), five QTL for 1000-brown-grain weight (BTGW) and six QTL for percentage of grains with chalkiness (PGWC). Moreover, five QTL, qPTGW3, qPTGW8.2, qPTGW11.1 for PTGW and qPGWC1.1, qPGWC1.2 for PGWC, were stably expressed in both environments. Phenotypic values were significantly different (P < 0.01) between the introgression lines carrying these five QTL alleles and the genetic background parent, Sasanishiki. The introgression lines carrying these QTL also represent a useful genetic resource in the context of rice yield and quality improvement via a design-breeding approach.
Background Endogenous hydrogen sulfide is a new neuromodulator which takes part in the regulation of central nervous system physiology and diseases. Whether endogenous hydrogen sulfide in the central ...nervous system regulates cardiovascular activity is not known. In the present study, we observed the hemodynamic changes of hydrogen sulfide or its precursor by intracerebroventricular injection, and investigate the possible roles of endogenous digitalis like factors and sympathetic activity in the regulation. Methods Ninety-four Sprague-Dawley rats underwent a right cerebroventricular puncture, then the hydrogen sulfide saturation buffer or its precursor injected by intrcerebroventricular catheter. A heperin-filled catheter was inserted into the right femoral artery or into the left ventricle, and changes of blood pressure or cardiac function recorded by a Powerlab/4S instrument. Phentolamine or metoprolol were pre-injected to observe the possible role in autonomic nerve activity. After rats were sacrificed, plasma was collected and endogenous digitalis-like factors were measured with a commercial radioimmunoassay kit. The aortic, cardiac sarcolemmal vesicles were isolated and the activity of Na＋-K＋-ATPase was measured as ouabain-sensitive ATP hydrolysis under maximal velocity conditions by measuring the release of inorganic phosphate from ATP. Unpaired Student＇s ttest for two groups or analysis of variances （ANOVA） for multiple groups were used to compare the differences of the changes. Results Intracerebroventricular injection of hydrogen sulfide induced a transient hypotension, then dramatic hypertenive effects in a dose-dependent manner. Bolus injection of L-cysteine or beta-mercaptopyruvate also increased mean arterial pressure （P 〈0.01）, whereas hydroxylamine-a cystathionine beta synthase inhibitor decreased the arterial pressure （P 〈0.01）. Hydrogen sulfide and L-cysteine increased mean arterial pressure, left ventricular develop pressure and left-ventricle maximal rate of systolic and diastolic pressure; these functions were decreased by hydroxylamine （P 〈0.01）. Glibenclamide （a KATP channel blocker） blocked the transient hypotensive effect, phentolamine （an alpha-adrenergic receptor blocker） blocked the hypertensive effect, and metoprolol （a selective beta 1 receptor blocker） blocked the positive inoptropic effect of central nervous system hydrogen sulfide. The endogenous digitalis-like factors in plasma were elevated （P 〈0.01） after treatment with L-cysteine, association with decreasing Na＋-K＋-ATPase activity in cardiac or aortic sarcolemmal vesicles （P 〈0.01）. Hydroxylamine injection reduced the endogenous digitalis-like factors level in plasma association with increasing Na＋-K＋-ATPase activity in cardiac and aortic sarcolemmal vesicles. Conclusion Central nervous system endogenous hydrogen sulfide upregulated mean arterial pressure and cardiac systolic function by activation of sympathetic nerves or release of endogenous digitalis-like factors.
Lithium has been a first-line choice for maintenance treatment of bipolar disorders to prevent relapse of mania and depression, but many patients do not have a response to lithium treatment.
We ...selected subgroups from a sample of 1761 patients of Han Chinese descent with bipolar I disorder who were recruited by the Taiwan Bipolar Consortium. We assessed their response to lithium treatment using the Alda scale and performed a genomewide association study on samples from one subgroup of 294 patients with bipolar I disorder who were receiving lithium treatment. We then tested the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that showed the strongest association with a response to lithium for association in a replication sample of 100 patients and tested them further in a follow-up sample of 24 patients. We sequenced the exons, exon-intron boundaries, and part of the promoter of the gene encoding glutamate decarboxylase-like protein 1 (GADL1) in 94 patients who had a response to lithium and in 94 patients who did not have a response in the genomewide association sample.
Two SNPs in high linkage disequilibrium, rs17026688 and rs17026651, that are located in the introns of GADL1 showed the strongest associations in the genomewide association study (P=5.50×10(-37) and P=2.52×10(-37), respectively) and in the replication sample of 100 patients (P=9.19×10(-15) for each SNP). These two SNPs had a sensitivity of 93% for predicting a response to lithium and differentiated between patients with a good response and those with a poor response in the follow-up cohort. Resequencing of GADL1 revealed a novel variant, IVS8+48delG, which lies in intron 8 of the gene, is in complete linkage disequilibrium with rs17026688 and is predicted to affect splicing.
Genetic variations in GADL1 are associated with the response to lithium maintenance treatment for bipolar I disorder in patients of Han Chinese descent. (Funded by Academia Sinica and others.).
The interactions between proteins, DNA, and RNA in living cells constitute molecular networks that govern various cellular functions. To investigate the global dynamical properties and stabilities of ...such networks, we studied the cell-cycle regulatory network of the budding yeast. With the use of a simple dynamical model, it was demonstrated that the cell-cycle network is extremely stable and robust for its function. The biological stationary state, the G1 state, is a global attractor of the dynamics. The biological pathway, the cell-cycle sequence of protein states, is a globally attracting trajectory of the dynamics. These properties are largely preserved with respect to small perturbations to the network. These results suggest that cellular regulatory networks are robustly designed for their functions.
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