Liver Disease Diagnosis and Treatment (13)Liver physiology and pathology (13)Bioinformatics and Genomic Networks (9)Cancer, Stress, Anesthesia, and Immune Response (9)Ophthalmology and Visual Impairment Studies (7)
Zhong nan da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Central South University. Medical sciences •
Hepatic fibrosis is a common pathological basis for many chronic liver diseases and can progress to cirrhosis, a leading cause of mortality in liver diseases. Early identification and reversal of hepatic fibrosis are key in the treatment of chronic liver disease. This study aims to compare the expression levels of serum core fucosylated low molecular weight kininogen (LMWK-Fc) and alpha-galactosylated (α-Gal) antibodies in patients with hepatic fibrosis at different stages, and to evaluate their diagnostic efficacy for hepatic fibrosis. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 275 patients with chronic liver disease who visited the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University between June 2022 and March 2023. Among these, 115 patients underwent liver biopsy. Based on the extent of collagen deposition and its impact on liver structure and microcirculation, patients were staged from 0 to 4: S0 (no significant collagen deposition in liver tissues; liver structure and microcirculation are normal), S1 (mild collagen deposition in liver tissues, with partial disruption of lobule structure, but microcirculation remains largely normal), S2 (moderate collagen deposition in liver tissues, with partial disruption of lobule structure and microcirculation), S3 (extensive collagen deposition in liver tissues, with substantial disruption of lobule structure and microcirculation), and S4 (development of cirrhosis, with heavy collagen deposition, complete disruption of lobule structure, and severe impairment of microcirculation). Patients were grouped as no fibrosis (S0), fibrosis (S1-S2), and significant fibrosis (S3-S4). For the 160 patients without liver biopsy, they were categorized based on liver stiffness measurement (LSM) value: no fibrosis (F0: LSM<7.3 kPa), fibrosis (F1-F2: LSM 7.3-12.4 kPa), and significant fibrosis (F3-F4: LSM>12.4 kPa). Demographic data (age, gender) and laboratory indicators (alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, alkaline phosphatase, alpha-fetoprotein, platelet count) were collected to calculate the fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4) and aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI). Serum LMWK-Fc and α-Gal antibodies were measured and compared across the groups, and their correlation with fibrosis severity was analyzed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to assess the predictive value of serum LMWK-Fc and α-Gal antibody levels for hepatic fibrosis. Among the 160 patients without complete liver biopsy, serum α-Gal antibody and LMWK-Fc levels increased progressively from the no fibrosis group to the significant fibrosis group, with statistically significant differences (<0.05). Among the 115 patients with liver biopsy, serum LMWK-Fc levels were significantly higher in the fibrosis group and the significant fibrosis groups compared with the no fibrosis group, and α-Gal antibody levels were significantly higher in the significant fibrosis group compared with the no fibrosis group and the fibrosis group (<0.001, =0.032, respectively). Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses showed that hepatic fibrosis was correlated with gender and LMWK-Fc levels (both <0.05), but not with age, α-Gal antibody levels, FIB-4, or APRI (all >0.05). The expression levels of serum LMWK-Fc and α-Gal antibodies vary across different stages of hepatic fibrosis, suggesting a potential association with fibrosis progression. LMWK-Fc levels have a certain predictive value for the diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis.
Zhonghua yu fang yi xue za zhi [Chinese journal of preventive medicine] •
To investigate the role of inflammatory biomarkers in the relationship between blood lead levels and blood pressure changes. A total of 9 910 people aged 18-79 years who participated in the China National Human Biomonitoring in 2017-2018 were included in this study. A self-made questionnaire was used to collect demographic characteristics, lifestyle and other information, and the data including height, weight and blood pressure were determined through physical examination. Blood and urinary samples were collected for the detection of blood lead and cadmium levels, urinary arsenic levels, white blood cells, neutrophils, lymphocytes, and hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). Weighted linear regression models were used to evaluate the associations between blood lead, inflammatory biomarkers and blood pressure. Mediation analysis was performed to investigate the role of inflammation in the relationship between blood lead levels and blood pressure changes. The median (, ) age of all participants was 45.4 (33.8, 58.4)years, including 4 984 males accounting for 50.3%. Multivariate logistic regression model analysis showed that after adjusting for age, gender, residence area, BMI, education level, smoking and drinking status, family history of hypertension, consumption frequency of rice, vegetables, and red meat, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, blood cadmium and urinary arsenic levels, there was a positive association between blood lead levels, inflammatory biomarkers and blood pressure (<0.05). Each 2.71 μg/L (log-transformed) increase of the lead was associated with a 2.05 (95%: 0.58, 3.53) mmHg elevation in systolic blood pressure (SBP), 2.24 (95%: 1.34, 3.14) mmHg elevation in diastolic blood pressure (DBP), 0.25 (95%: 0.05, 0.46) mg/L elevation in hs-CRP, 0.16 (95%: 0.03, 0.29)×10/L elevation in white blood cells, and 0.11 (95%: 0.02, 0.21)×10/L elevation in lymphocytes, respectively. Mediation analysis showed that the levels of hs-CRP significantly mediated the association of blood lead with SBP, with a proportion about 3.88% (95%: 0.45%, 7.32%). The analysis also found that the levels of hs-CRP and neutrophils significantly mediated the association of blood lead with SBP, with a proportion about 4.10% (95%: 1.11%, 7.10%) and 2.42% (95%: 0.07%, 4.76%), respectively. This study suggests that inflammatory biomarkers could significantly mediate the association of blood lead levels and blood pressure changes.
A Raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) is one of the major translocated sugars in the vascular bundle of cucumber, but little RFOs can be detected in fruits. Alpha-galactosidases (α-Gals) catalyze the first catabolism step of RFOs. Six α-Gal genes exist in a cucumber genome, but their spatial functions in fruits remain unclear. Here, we found that RFOs were highly accumulated in vascular tissues. In phloem sap, the stachyose and raffinose content was gradually decreased, whereas the content of sucrose, glucose and fructose was increased from pedicel to fruit top. Three alkaline forms instead of acid forms of were preferentially expressed in fruit vascular tissues and alkaline forms have stronger RFO-hydrolysing activity than acid forms. By inducible gene silencing of three alkaline forms of , stachyose was highly accumulated in RNAi- plants, while raffinose and stachyose were highly accumulated in RNAi- plants. The content of sucrose, glucose and fructose was decreased in both RNAi- and RNAi- plants after β-estradiol treatment. In addition, the fresh- and dry-weight of fruits were significantly decreased in RNAi- and RNAi- plants. In cucurbitaceous plants, the non-sweet motif within the promoter of is widely distributed in the promoter of its homologous genes. Taken together, we found RFOs hydrolysis occurred in the vascular tissues of fruits. and played key but partly distinct roles in the hydrolysis of RFOs.