Depression is one of the diseases with the highest disability rate in the world. A large number of studies have shown that the intake of unsaturated fatty acids can deal with depression while chronic overconsumption of saturated fatty acids is a risk factor for depression. It was suggested that the mechanism of saturated fatty acids inducing depression is related to the following four aspects: regulating the function which links to depression in whole brain and specific brain regions, including the hippocampus, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, the striatum, and the prefrontal cortex; stimulating the secretion of inflammatory factors; affecting the balance and function of metabolic regulatory hormones, including leptin, adiponectin, glucocorticoid, and insulin; inducing the disturbance of intestinal flora. This article reviews the relationship between dietary fatty acids and depression, and the possible mechanisms by which saturated fatty acids induce depression from the four aspects mentioned above.

Objective To explore the prevalence of anemia,iron deficiency and iron deficient anemia (IDA),and to identify their risk factors in 3 to 6 months infants in Dongcheng District of Beijing.Methods All the 845 infants aged 3 to 6 months who received bacille calmette guerin (BCG) vaccine during December 2010 and October 2011 in Hepingli Hospital of Beijing were invited to complete the investigation.Data (months,gender,birth weight,birth height,etc) were collected through a questionnaire survey.Infants were tested for hemoglobin (Hb),mean corpuscular volume (MCV),mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH),mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC),serum ferritin (SF) and zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) and mothers underwent measurement for Hb,SF and serum iron (SI).Descriptive epidemiology and non-conditional logistic regression model were used to analyze the prevalence of nutritional anemia.Results The prevalence of anemia,iron deficiency and IDA was 12.06％,7.38％ and 2.11％,respectively.Non-conditional logistic regression analysis showed that the associated factor of anemia in infants was month age (vs.3-4 months age group,4-5 months age group:odds ratio (OR) =0.496,95％ confidence interval (CI) 0.272-0.905 ; 5-6 months age group:OR =0.494,95％ CI 0.234-1.043).The factors associated with iron deficiency were month age (vs.3-4 months age group,4-5 months age group:OR =0.539,95％ CI 0.266-1.088 ; 5-6 months age group:OR =0.334,95％ CI 0.125-0.891) and time of first breast-feeding (vs.the first day,the second day:OR =2.359,95％ CI 1.191-4.675; the third day:OR =1.154,95％ CI 0.450-2.963).Conclusions Our data show that iron nutrition in 3 to 6 months-old infants in Dongcheng District of Beijing was in good situation.The influencing factors of iron nutrition in infants may be month age and the time of first breast feeding.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a serious threat to public health worldwide with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and all-cause morbidity and mortality. In this study, a urinary metabolomic approach was performed on high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry to discriminate 36 male MetS patients and 36 sex and age matched healthy controls. Pattern recognition analyses (principal component analysis and orthogonal projections to latent structures discriminate analysis) commonly demonstrated the difference between MetS patients and no-MetS subjects. This study found 8 metabolites that showed significant changes in patients with MetS, including branch-chain and aromatic amino acids (leucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine and tryptophan), short-chain acylcanitine (tiglylcarnitine), tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediate (cis-aconitic acid) and glucuronidated products (cortolone-3-glucuronide and tetrahydroaldosterone-3-glucuronide). The candidate biomarkers revealed in this study could be useful in providing clues for further research focusing on the in-depth investigation of the cause of and cure for MetS.

Adult ; Aged ; Breast Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; prevention & control ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Radiography

Objective To establish the reference databases for bone mineral density(BMD)in multiple skeletal regions,which would be useful for diagnosis of osteoporosis(OP)and prediction of fracture risk in adult women in Qingdao.Methods BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at skeletal regions of lumbar spine,left hip(femoral neck,Ward's triangle and greater trochanter)in 868 healthy adult women aged 25- 83 years and 191 women with fractures.BMD of skeletal regions with age-related change was found to fit in 8 kinds of regression models.Best model equations of fitting were found and the reference database was established.BMD of women with fractures was compared with the reference databases to predict the risk of fracture.Results BMD in 6 skeletal regions changed with aging and a cubic regression model was better fitted with aged-related change as compared with other regression models.The coefficients of determination(R~2)of fitting curve were 0.21?0.09 (P＜0.01).The BMD reference databases of women in Qingdao were established by cubic regression equation, the peak BMD of lumbar spine and hip appeared at 25-29,and 40-44 years old groups respectively.Finally,the BMD in fracture group was significantly decreased by 1.6-2.5 s as compared with the peak BMD of health women. Conclusion The bone quantity is lost rapidly after 45 years old in women.If the BMD in women after 50 years old is decreased by 1.6-2.5 s compared with the peak BMD in the same area,the risk of fracture is increased.

Objective To determine the incidence and risk factors of iatrogenic retinal breaks in eyes undergoing pars plana vit- rectomy for idiopathic macular pucker.Design Retrospective case series.Participant 88 consecutive vitrectomies performed on eyes with idiopathic macular pucker.Method Consecutive vitrectomies performed on eyes with idiopathic macular pucker at Beijing Tongren Eye Center between 2002 and 2006 were retrospectively reviewed.Cases with iatrogenic retinal breaks were recorded and analyzed. Main Outcome Measure Number and location of retinal breaks,and anatomic outcome after surgical managements.Result A total of 88 consecutive vitrectomies were included in the study.Of the 88 eyes,8 eyes had 14 iatrogenic retinal breaks detected,with an aver- age incidence of 9.1%.Peripheral retinal breaks(8.0%)were more common than posterior retinal breaks(1.1%).All peripheral retinal breaks occurred around the selerotomy sites(100%)and the quadrant of predominant hand was involved most commonly(62%).Most of the breaks(88%)were detected during the surgery.All eyes with iatrogenic retinal breaks obtained anatomic retinal reattachment (100%).Conclusion Despite improvements in instrumentation and surgical techniques,iatrogenic retinal break continues to be an im- portant complication of pars plana vitrectomy in eyes with idiopathic macular pucker.This complication tends to occur more commonly at peripheral retina and is mainly selerotomy-related.

This paper reviewed the advances on effective constituents and biological activities of coumarins in recent ten years. Coumarins are a group of important natural compounds, and have been found to have multi-biological activities such as anti-HIV, anti-tumor, anti-hypertension, anti-arrhythmia, anti-osteoporosis, assuaging pain, preventing asthma and antisepsis. Therefore, further investigation should emphasize on improving techniques for extraction and separation, searching the effective precursory compound, and synthesizing and screening out courmarin derivatives with high activity and low toxicity.
Animals ; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents ; pharmacology ; Anti-HIV Agents ; pharmacology ; Antihypertensive Agents ; pharmacology ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; pharmacology ; Coumarins ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a serious threat to public health worldwide with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and all-cause morbidity and mortality. In this study, a urinary metabolomic approach was performed on high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry to discriminate 36 male MetS patients and 36 sex and age matched healthy controls. Pattern recognition analyses (principal component analysis and orthogonal projections to latent structures discriminate analysis) commonly demonstrated the difference between MetS patients and no-MetS subjects. This study found 8 metabolites that showed significant changes in patients with MetS, including branch-chain and aromatic amino acids (leucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine and tryptophan), short-chain acylcanitine (tiglylcarnitine), tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediate (cis-aconitic acid) and glucuronidated products (cortolone-3-glucuronide and tetrahydroaldosterone-3-glucuronide). The candidate biomarkers revealed in this study could be useful in providing clues for further research focusing on the in-depth investigation of the cause of and cure for MetS.
Adult ; Biomarkers ; urine ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mass Spectrometry ; Metabolic Syndrome ; diagnosis ; urine ; Metabolomics ; Middle Aged ; Principal Component Analysis

BACKGROUNDInterleukin-23 (IL-23) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that is thought to be central to the development of autoimmune diseases. This study was conducted to determine whether or not the serum concentration of IL-23 is elevated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to determine the relationship between the IL-23 level and disease activity in RA patients.

METHODSSerum samples were obtained from 59 patients with RA and 30 healthy controls. The clinical parameters of disease activity were determined, including the 28-joint disease activity score (DAS28), C-reactive protein (CRP), rheumatoid factor (RF) levels, and the degree of bony erosions based on X-rays. The levels of IL-23 and IL-17 were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The correlations between the serum levels of IL-23 and disease activity parameters of patients with RA were determined.

RESULTSThe serum IL-23 level was significantly elevated in patients with RA compared to healthy controls. The serum IL-23 levels in the RA patients correlated with IL-17 and CRP levels, and the DAS28. The levels of IL-23 based on X-ray classification phase I, II, III, and IV were gradually elevated in RA patients.

CONCLUSIONSThe levels of serum IL-23 in RA patients were higher than in healthy controls. Thus, elevated serum IL-23 levels may be useful markers to detect active RA. In addition, IL-23 is involved in disease progression and bony erosions in patients with RA.

Adult ; Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; blood ; pathology ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Humans ; Interleukin-23 ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged

BACKGROUNDPulmonary-vein isolation (PVI) is currently used for the treatment of chronic and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and a major risk of PVI is thromboembolism. The purpose of this study was to observe embolic event rate in patients with persistent or paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) undergone PVI.

METHODSCircumferential PVI (CPVI) was performed in 64 consecutive patients with persistent AF (42 men, aged (60.0 +/- 9.1) years) and in 84 consecutive patients with paroxysmal AF (53 men, aged (61.4 +/- 9.3) years). Warfarin was administrated in all patients before ablation for at least 3 weeks ((5.2 +/- 2.6) weeks) and continued for at least 3 months post ablation with international normalized ratio (INR) of 2.0 - 3.0. During CPVI, intravenous heparin was given at a dose of 5000 - 8000 U or 75 - 100 U/kg, followed by 1000 U or 12 U/kg per hour.

RESULTSIn patients with persistent AF, 1 patient developed embolic event during ablation and 3 patients developed embolic events after ablation. In contrast, no thromboembolic event was observed in patients with paroxysmal AF (4/64 vs 0/84, P = 0. 033).

CONCLUSIONThromboembolic event rate related to CPVI is significantly higher in patients with persistent AF than that in patients with paroxysmal AF.

Adult ; Aged ; Atrial Fibrillation ; surgery ; Catheter Ablation ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications ; etiology ; Pulmonary Veins ; surgery ; Thromboembolism ; etiology