Objectives To analyze the changes of serum complement C1q level in patients with metabolic syndrome (MS) and investigate whether it is associated with lipid metabolism and glycometabolism. Methods In a cross-sectional study, the subjects were selected as the patients and healthy people who went to the second xiangya hospital of central south university from July 2017 to June 2018. A total of 152 MS patients were enrolled and another 90 healthy subjects were enrolled as control group. Anthropometry parameters such as body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured. Serum concentrations of C1q and other biochemical indexes including blood glucose (GLU), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were measured in all groups. The correlations between C1q and these parameters were analyzed by spearman's rho test and the clinical value of C1q in predicting MS was further evaluated by stepwise multiple linear regression analysis. Results MS group had higher serum C1q levels (244.34±62.66) mg/L compared with the control group (202.37±35.92) mg/L (t=-6.250, P=0.000). C1q levels (244.34±62.66) mg/L were positively associated with TG levels [2.34(1.89, 3.62)] mmol/L (r=0.245, P=0.001), TC levels (4.91±1.26) mmol/L (r=0.398, P=0.000), LDL-C levels (3.23±1.03) mmol/L (r=0.325, P=0.000) in MS group, While C1q levels (258.92±69.59)mg/L were positively associated with SBP (144.76 ± 22.94) mmHg (r=0.388, P=0.018), TG levels [2.65(1.87, 3.82)] mmol / L (r=0.482, P=0.003), TC levels (5.18±1.31) mmol/L (r=0.529,P=0.001) in MS patients with obesity. The stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that TG levels were independently correlated with serum C1q levels both in MS patients (β=0.302, P=0.000) and in MS patients with obesity (β=0.653, P=0.000) after adjusting for age, gender and other biochemical markers. Conclusions MS patients had higher C1q levels than healthy subjects and serum C1q levels were closely positive related to harmful lipid profiles. Serum TG level was an independent influencing factor of serum C1q in MS patients.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a local and systemic inflammation process which is characterized by extensive infiltration of inflammatory cells and outbreak of inflammatory factors.Recent researches have shown that macrophage play a critical role in the process of AP,in particular,peritoneal macro phage as a main innate immune cell in the peritoneal cavity which has been reported not only serve as the first line in host defense,but also help maintaining the immune homeostasis and coordinate the repair and regenerate response by regulating the polarization of their phenotype.Recently,peritoneal macrophages could interact with ascetic fluid of AP patient,and further affect the development and resolution of inflammation.In this review,authors focused on the role and regulatory mechanism of peritoneal macrophage in the progress of AP.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the change of serum homocysteine (Hcy) and anti-citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibody concentration in depression rat model induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), and to explore the immunologic mechanism of depression and the relation between depression and its autoimmunity. METHODS: Sixty adult male SD rats were randomly divided into 2 groups, 30 rats in each group, which were divided into 3 subgroups: a normal control group, a model group and a fluoxetinetreated group. The depression rat model was established under CUMS and seperated feeding, after which, open field, sugar consumption and forced swimming test were applied in the first group. After the blood was taken in the second group of rats through heart puncture, the level of serum Hcy was detected by enzymatic cycling assay and serum anti-CCP antibody by ELISA. RESULTS: Compared with the control group and the fluoxetine treatment group, spontaneous activity and sucrose consumption and preference percentage of the rats in the model group significantly reduced, while the immobility time in forced swimming test and the level of Hcy and anti-CCP antibody in the rat serum significantly increased. CONCLUSION Immunity inflammation and autoimmune reaction exist in CUMS depression model rats, and fluoxetine treatment can improve these immune response.
Animals ; Autoantibodies ; blood ; Depression ; drug therapy ; etiology ; immunology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Fluoxetine ; therapeutic use ; Homocysteine ; blood ; Male ; Peptides, Cyclic ; immunology ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Stress, Physiological ; immunology

Objective:To apply cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) to quantitatively evaluate the morphology and tissue characteristics of thoracic skeletal muscle (TSM) in patients with Danon disease and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), in order to provide auxiliary differential diagnostic information.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on 15 Danon disease patients (Danon disease group) who completed CMR examination, and 15 HCM patients (HCM group) and 15 healthy volunteers (control group) who were matched by gender and age were compared. TSM (pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, erector spinae, and subscapularis) area index (TSMAi), T1 relaxation time of four groups, and extracellular volume (ECV) of skeletal muscles of two groups (pectoralis major and subscapularis) were measured for all subjects. Single factor analysis of variance and KruskalWallis test were used to compare three sets of values.Results:The total TSMAi of the Danon disease group was lower than that of the HCM group and the control group [(15.37±3.28)cm 2/m 2 vs (23.02±3.88)cm 2/m 2 vs (22.33±4.67)cm 2/m 2, P<0.001], and the TSMAi of each TSM was also lower than that of the HCM group and the control group (all P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in TSMAi between the HCM group and the control group (all P>0.05). The native T1 values of the pectoralis major muscle in the Danon disease group and HCM group were higher than those in the control group (all P<0.05). The ECV of the pectoralis major muscle and subscapularis muscle in the Danon disease group were higher than those in the HCM group and control group, and the enhanced T1 values were lower than those in the HCM group and control group (all P<0.05); There was no statistically significant difference in ECV and the enhanced T1 values between the HCM group and the control group ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The application of CMR can effectively evaluate the changes in TSM morphology and tissue characteristics in Danon disease patients. Compared with HCM patients, Danon disease patients showed significant atrophy of TSM with increased extracellular volume. CMR provides a quantitative reference for TSM in the differential diagnosis of the two.

Objective:Bone morphogenetic protein-4(BMP4)has been proved to be an important regulatory factor for the pathological process of atherosclerosis(AS).However,there are few related clinical studies.This study aims to investigate the levels of plasma BMP4 in patients suffering from the arterial occlusive diseases(ACD)characterized by AS,and further to test the relationship between BMP4 and inflammation and vascular injury. Methods:A total of 38 ACD patients(the ACD group)and 38 healthy people for the physical examination(the control group)were enrolled.The plasma in each subject from both groups was obtained to test the levels of BMP4,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interleukin-1β(IL-1β),IL-10,and vascular endothelial cadherin(VE-cadherin),and the relationship between BMP4 and the detected indicators above were further analyzed. Results:Compared with the control group,the patients in the ACD group displayed significant elevations in the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio[NLR,1.63(1.26,1.91)vs 3.43(2.16,6.61)]and platelet to lymphocyte ratio[PLR,6.37(5.26,7.74)vs 15.79(7.97,20.53)],while decrease in the lymphocyte to monocyte ratio[LMR,5.67(4.41,7.14)vs 3.43(2.07,3.74)](all P<0.05).Besides,the ACD patients displayed significant elevations in plasma BMP4[581.26(389.85,735.64)pg/mL vs 653.97(510.95,890.43)pg/mL],TNF-α[254.16(182.96,340.70)pg/mL vs 293.29(238.90,383.44)pg/mL],and VE-cadherin[1.54(1.08,2.13)ng/mL vs 1.85(1.30,2.54)ng/mL],and decrease in IL-10[175.89(118.39,219.25)pg/mL vs 135.92(95.80,178.04)pg/mL](all P<0.05).While the levels of IL-1β remained statistically comparable between the 2 groups(P=0.09).Furthermore,the plasma BMP4 levels were further revealed to be positively correlated with the levels of IL-1β(r=0.35),TNF-α(r=0.31)and VE-cadherin(r=0.47),while they were negatively correlated with the levels of IL-10(r=-0.37;all P<0.01). Conclusion:After ACD occurrence,the patients'plasma concentrations of BMP4 would be upregulated,which may serve as a candidate to indicate the levels of inflammation and vascular injury.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among Chinese residents, and non-invasive imaging technology has important value in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) can characterize cardiac pathophysiological information from multiple dimensions, including cardiac structure, function, tissue characteristics, and microstructure, through multi parameter and multi sequence " one-stop" imaging. This article will focus on new technologies such as CMRT1 mapping, feature tracking, and diffusion tensor imaging, and explain their applications and progress in the diagnosis, efficacy monitoring, and prognosis prediction of various myocardial lesions such as non ischemic heart disease and ischemic heart disease.

BACKGROUNDNumerous studies have investigated the association between adiponectin concentrations and diabetic retinopathy (DR) caused by type 2 diabetic mellitus. However, the results remain conflicting. We performed a meta-analysis to explore the relationship between adiponectin concentrations and risk of DR caused by type 2 diabetic mellitus from published articles.

METHODSA published literature search was performed through the PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Science Citation Index Expanded database, Chinese CNKI, and Chinese Wan Fang databases for articles published in English and Chinese. Pooled standardized mean differences (SMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated using random or fixed effects model. Heterogeneity between studies was assessed using the Cochrane Q test and I(2) statistics.

RESULTSNineteen studies with a total of 1 545 cases and 1 502 controls were retrieved. The original meta-analysis found a significant difference in the adiponectin concentrations between the DR and non-DR (NDR) groups. After excluding the high heterogeneity studies, the second meta-analysis also demonstrated the significant association (SMD (95% CI) = -0.62 (-0.80 to -0.44), P = 0.0001). According to the available data, there was statistical significance in the adiponectin concentrations considering non-proliferative DR (NPDR) versus NDR, PDR versus NPDR in Chinese populations with high heterogeneity.

CONCLUSIONAdiponectin concentrations are correlated with DR; however, the relationship between adiponectin concentrations and DR needs more in-depth investigations with larger sample sizes.

Adiponectin ; blood ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; complications ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; blood ; etiology

BACKGROUNDVascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a major mediator of angiogenesis, and plays a key role in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy (DR). This study was designed to identify the possible role of VEGF gene polymorphisms in the development of DR in type 2 diabetic patients in Chinese and clarify the relationship between VEGF serum levels and the risk of DR.

METHODSThis cross-sectional study included 1 040 Chinese subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus. There were 372 patients diagnosed with DR in the case group and 668 patients without DR in the control group. DNA from each patient was analyzed for VEGF polymorphisms of -2578A/C (rs699947), -1154G/A (rs1570360), -460C/T (rs833061), +405C/G (rs2010963), and +936C/T (rs3025039) using MassARRAY compact analyzer. The VEGF serum levels were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTSNo evidence of association was observed between -2578 A/C (rs699947), +405C/G (rs2010963), +936C/T (rs3025039), and DR risk under stringent Bonferroni's correction. However, VEGF serum levels were significantly higher in DR patients than those of control group. The genetic variation of VEGF polymorphisms influenced VEGF serum levels; subjects carrying the VEGF -2578 C/C (rs699947) genotype had greater VEGF serum levels than those carrying the C/A genotype and VEGF serum levels were significantly higher in CC genotype of the +405C/G (rs2010963) compared with those of the other genotypes.

CONCLUSIONSThe data did not suggest significant association between the VEGF polymorphisms and DR risk under stringent Bonferroni's correction. However, our study indicated that DR patients have higher VEGF levels than diabetic patients without retinopathy, and -2578A/C (rs699947) and +405C/G (rs2010963) may be important factors in determining serum VEGF levels.

Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; complications ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; blood ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; blood ; genetics