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1.
A State-Dependent Elasto-Plastic Model for Hydrate-Bearing Cemented Sand Considering Damage and Cementation Effects.
Tong, H, Chen, Y, Du, X, Chen, S, Pan, Y, Wang, S, Peng, B, Azzam, R, Fernandez-Steeger, TM
Materials (Basel, Switzerland). 2024;(5)
Abstract
In order to optimize the efficiency and safety of gas hydrate extraction, it is essential to develop a credible constitutive model for sands containing hydrates. A model incorporating both cementation and damage was constructed to describe the behavior of hydrate-bearing cemented sand. This model is based on the critical state theory and builds upon previous studies. The damage factor Ds is incorporated to consider soil degradation and the reduction in hydrate cementation, as described by plastic shear strain. A computer program was developed to simulate the mechanisms of cementation and damage evolution, as well as the stress-strain curves of hydrate-bearing cemented sand. The results indicate that the model replicates the mechanical behavior of soil cementation and soil deterioration caused by impairment well. By comparing the theoretical curves with the experimental data, the compliance of the model was calculated to be more than 90 percent. The new state-dependent elasto-plastic constitutive model based on cementation and damage of hydrate-bearing cemented sand could provide vital guidance for the construction of deep-buried tunnels, extraction of hydrocarbon compounds, and development of resources.
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2.
Clinical metabolomics characteristics of diabetic kidney disease: A meta-analysis of 1875 cases with diabetic kidney disease and 4503 controls.
Yuan, Y, Huang, L, Yu, L, Yan, X, Chen, S, Bi, C, He, J, Zhao, Y, Yang, L, Ning, L, et al
Diabetes/metabolism research and reviews. 2024;(3):e3789
Abstract
AIMS: Diabetic Kidney Disease (DKD), one of the major complications of diabetes, is also a major cause of end-stage renal disease. Metabolomics can provide a unique metabolic profile of the disease and thus predict or diagnose the development of the disease. Therefore, this study summarises a more comprehensive set of clinical biomarkers related to DKD to identify functional metabolites significantly associated with the development of DKD and reveal their driving mechanisms for DKD. MATERIALS AND METHODS We searched PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library and Web of Science databases through October 2022. A meta-analysis was conducted on untargeted or targeted metabolomics research data based on the strategy of standardized mean differences and the process of ratio of means as the effect size, respectively. We compared the changes in metabolite levels between the DKD patients and the controls and explored the source of heterogeneity through subgroup analyses, sensitivity analysis and meta-regression analysis. RESULTS The 34 clinical-based metabolomics studies clarified the differential metabolites between DKD and controls, containing 4503 control subjects and 1875 patients with DKD. The results showed that a total of 60 common differential metabolites were found in both meta-analyses, of which 5 metabolites (p < 0.05) were identified as essential metabolites. Compared with the control group, metabolites glycine, aconitic acid, glycolic acid and uracil decreased significantly in DKD patients; cysteine was significantly higher. This indicates that amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism and pyrimidine metabolism in DKD patients are disordered. CONCLUSIONS We have identified 5 metabolites and metabolic pathways related to DKD which can serve as biomarkers or targets for disease prevention and drug therapy.
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[Clinical and genetic characteristics of a child with Developmental and epileptic encephalopathy 104 due to variant of ATP6V0A1 gene].
Li, C, Wang, Y, Chen, S, Rong, S, Huang, B, Liu, L, Lou, H
Zhonghua yi xue yi chuan xue za zhi = Zhonghua yixue yichuanxue zazhi = Chinese journal of medical genetics. 2024;(3):345-350
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To explore the clinical phenotype and genetic etiology of a child with Developmental epileptic encephalopathy type 104 (DEE 104). METHODS A child who had presented at the Children's Medical Center of the Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University in February 2021 for recurrent seizures over 1 month was selected as the study subject. Clinical data of the child was collected. Peripheral blood samples of the child and his parents were collected and subjected to whole exome sequencing (WES). Candidate variant was verified by Sanger sequencing. RESULTS The child, a five-month-old male, had presented with frequent focal seizures with severe developmental retardation from infancy. Physical examination showed emaciation, microcephaly, oblique palpebral fissures, Stahl's ears, and hypotonia in the limbs. Electroencephalogram revealed multi-focal sharp waves, slow waves and slow spinal waves. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging revealed enlargement of bilateral lateral ventricles and the third ventricle, along with widening of brain sulci, fissure and cisterna. WES revealed that he had harbored a heterozygous c.2401C>T (p.His801Tyr) missense variant of the ATP6V0A1 gene. Sanger sequencing showed that both of his parents were of the wild type. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), the variant was predicted to be likely pathogenic (PS2+PM2_Supporting+PP3). The proband was diagnosed with DEE 104. Early treatment with sodium valproate has failed, but the child had become seizure free after the addition of levetiracetam and topiramate. He still had abnormal EEG discharges and severe psychomotor retardation. Combining our case and a review of literature, DEE104 is mainly caused by de novo heterozygous variants of the ATP6V0A1 gene with an autosomal dominant inheritance. The patients may show refractory epilepsy and severe global developmental delay from infancy. CONCLUSION The c.2401C>T (p.His801Tyr) variant probably underlay the DEE104 in this child.
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Cut-off values of haemoglobin and clinical outcomes in incident peritoneal dialysis: the PDTAP study.
Xu, X, Yang, Z, Li, S, Pei, H, Zhao, J, Zhang, Y, Xiong, Z, Liao, Y, Li, Y, Lin, Q, et al
Nephrology, dialysis, transplantation : official publication of the European Dialysis and Transplant Association - European Renal Association. 2024;(2):251-263
Abstract
BACKGROUND To explore the cut-off values of haemoglobin (Hb) on adverse clinical outcomes in incident peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients based on a national-level database. METHODS The observational cohort study was from the Peritoneal Dialysis Telemedicine-assisted Platform (PDTAP) dataset. The primary outcomes were all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and modified MACE (MACE+). The secondary outcomes were the occurrences of hospitalization, first-episode peritonitis and permanent transfer to haemodialysis (HD). RESULTS A total of 2591 PD patients were enrolled between June 2016 and April 2019 and followed up until December 2020. Baseline and time-averaged Hb <100 g/l were associated with all-cause mortality, MACE, MACE+ and hospitalizations. After multivariable adjustments, only time-averaged Hb <100 g/l significantly predicted a higher risk for all-cause mortality {hazard ratio [HR] 1.83 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.19-281], P = .006}, MACE [HR 1.99 (95% CI 1.16-3.40), P = .012] and MACE+ [HR 1.77 (95% CI 1.15-2.73), P = .010] in the total cohort. No associations between Hb and hospitalizations, transfer to HD and first-episode peritonitis were observed. Among patients with Hb ≥100 g/l at baseline, younger age, female, use of iron supplementation, lower values of serum albumin and renal Kt/V independently predicted the incidence of Hb <100 g/l during the follow-up. CONCLUSION This study provided real-world evidence on the cut-off value of Hb for predicting poorer outcomes through a nation-level prospective PD cohort.
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5.
Effects of the Chinese heart-healthy diet (Sichuan cuisine) on lowering blood pressure in adults with hypertension: a randomized controlled feeding trial.
Chen, H, Su, D, Guo, Y, Chen, C, Chen, S, Zhang, S, Ding, Y, Li, M, Tong, G, Zeng, G
Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition. 2024;(1):11-22
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Sichuan cuisine is characterized by high salt and oil content. We aimed to evaluate the effects of the Sichuan cuisine version of Chinese heart-healthy diet (CHH diet-SC) on blood pressure reduction among hypertensive adults. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN The Chinese heart-healthy diet (CHH) trial was a multicenter randomized controlled feeding trial among Chinese hypertensive people. We conducted a secondary analysis of the CHH trial using data from the Sichuan center in Southwest China. Fifty-three people aged 25 to 75 years with a mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) between 130 and 159 mmHg were enrolled. Eligible participants underwent a 1-week run-in period with the typical local diet and were randomized 1:1 to consume the CHH diet-SC (n=27) or typical local diet (n=26) for the next 4-week. The primary outcome was the net change in SBP, the secondary outcomes included diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and the rate of BP control. RESULTS Compared with the control group, the CHH diet-SC decreased cooking salt, oil, and red meat content and increased inclusion of whole grains, fruits, seafood, low-fat dairy, soybean, and nuts; the SBP experienced reductions of 7.54, 8.60, 9.14, and 10.1 mmHg at the end of weeks 1 through 4; the DBP was reduced 4.01 mmHg at week 4; the MAP was significantly reduced 6.02 mmHg finally; and rate of BP control significantly increased (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Adoption of the CHH diet-SC for 4 weeks can significantly reduce BP and increase the rate of BP control in hypertensive adults.
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Blood glucose and lipids are associated with sarcoidosis: findings from observational and mendelian randomization studies.
Zhan, Y, Zhang, J, Yang, R, Deng, Z, Chen, S, Feng, J, Wu, J, Huang, Q, Gu, Y, Xie, J
Respiratory research. 2024;(1):50
Abstract
BACKGROUND Several researches have demonstrated that patients with sarcoidosis accompanied with the abnormality in blood glucose and/or lipids, however, the causal relationship between them remains uncertain. To elucidate the potential association and causality of blood glucose and lipids with sarcoidosis, we conducted a propensity score matching (PSM)-based observational study combined with mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. METHODS All subjects in this study were retrospectively collected from Tongji Hospital during 2010 and 2023. 1:1 PSM was employed to control the potential confounders as appropriate. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate the associations of sarcoidosis with fasting glucose, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC), total cholesterol (TC), and total triglyceride (TG). The further subtype analysis was also conducted. Afterwards, a bidirectional MR analysis based on public data deeply explored the causality among the 5 candidate traits and sarcoidosis, for which the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was utilized as the main inferring approach. RESULTS In the observational study, a total number of 756 subjects were enrolled, with 162 sarcoidosis patients and 594 non-sarcoidosis participants, while 160 pairs of subjects were matched after PSM. Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that HDLC (OR: 0.151; 95% CI: 0.056-0.408; P < 0.001) and TC (OR: 3.942; 95% CI: 2.644-5.877; P < 0.001) were strongly associated with sarcoidosis. Subtype analysis showed that low HDLC was independently correlated to risk of lesions in bronchus and lungs, and mediastinal lymph nodes, while high TC was to cervical lymph nodes. In MR analysis, high fasting glucose, low HDLC, and high TC were identified as the causal factors of sarcoidosis. CONCLUSION HDLC and TC had the potential to influence the risk of sarcoidosis, which could be regarded as predictors and may provide new diagnostic and therapeutic targets for sarcoidosis.
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7.
Butyrate as a promising therapeutic target in cancer: From pathogenesis to clinic (Review).
Sun, J, Chen, S, Zang, D, Sun, H, Sun, Y, Chen, J
International journal of oncology. 2024;(4)
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Abstract
Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. The etiology of cancer has not been fully elucidated yet, and further enhancements are necessary to optimize therapeutic efficacy. Butyrate, a short‑chain fatty acid, is generated through gut microbial fermentation of dietary fiber. Studies have unveiled the relevance of butyrate in malignant neoplasms, and a comprehensive understanding of its role in cancer is imperative for realizing its full potential in oncological treatment. Its full antineoplastic effects via the activation of G protein‑coupled receptors and the inhibition of histone deacetylases have been also confirmed. However, the underlying mechanistic details remain unclear. The present study aimed to review the involvement of butyrate in carcinogenesis and its molecular mechanisms, with a particular emphasis on its association with the efficacy of tumor immunotherapy, as well as discussing relevant clinical studies on butyrate as a therapeutic target for neoplastic diseases to provide new insights into cancer treatment.
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Associations between Life's Essential 8 and abdominal aortic calcification among US Adults: a cross-sectional study.
Liu, Q, Xiang, H, Chen, S, Ouyang, J, Liu, H, Zhang, J, Chai, Y, Gao, P, Zhang, X, Fan, J, et al
BMC public health. 2024;(1):1090
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cardiovascular health (CVH) and abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) are closely linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and related mortality. However, the relationship between CVH metrics via Life's Essential 8 (LE8) and AAC remains unexplored. METHODS The study analyzed data from the 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cohort, which included adults aged 40 or above. The research used the LE8 algorithm to evaluate CVH. Semi-quantitative AAC-24 scoring techniques were employed to assess AAC, categorized into no calcification, mild to moderate calcification, and severe calcification. RESULTS The primary analysis involved 2,478 participants. Following adjustments for multiple factors, the LE8 score exhibited a significant association with ACC risk (Mild-moderate ACC: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.81,0.93; Severe ACC: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.69,0.87, all P < 0.001), indicating an almost linear dose-response relationship. Compared to the low CVH group, the moderate CVH group showed lower odds ratios (OR) for mild-moderate and severe calcification (OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.61-0.99, P = 0.041; OR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.46-0.99, P = 0.047, respectively). Moreover, the high CVH group demonstrated even lower ORs for mild-moderate and severe calcification (OR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.31, 0.69, P < 0.001; OR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.14, 0.59, P = 0.001, respectively). Interactions were found between chronic kidney disease (CKD) condition, history of CVD, marital status and CVH metrics to ACC. Participants without CKD exhibited a more pronounced negative association between the CVH metric and both mild-moderate and severe ACC. Those lacking a history of CVD, and never married/widowed/divorced/separated showed a stronger negative association between the CVH metric and severe ACC. CONCLUSIONS The novel CVH metrics demonstrated an inverse correlation with the risk of AAC. These findings suggest that embracing improved CVH levels may assist in alleviating the burden of ACC.
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Cholesterol metabolism: physiological regulation and diseases.
Guo, J, Chen, S, Zhang, Y, Liu, J, Jiang, L, Hu, L, Yao, K, Yu, Y, Chen, X
MedComm. 2024;(2):e476
Abstract
Cholesterol homeostasis is crucial for cellular and systemic function. The disorder of cholesterol metabolism not only accelerates the onset of cardiovascular disease (CVD) but is also the fundamental cause of other ailments. The regulation of cholesterol metabolism in the human is an extremely complex process. Due to the dynamic balance between cholesterol synthesis, intake, efflux and storage, cholesterol metabolism generally remains secure. Disruption of any of these links is likely to have adverse effects on the body. At present, increasing evidence suggests that abnormal cholesterol metabolism is closely related to various systemic diseases. However, the exact mechanism by which cholesterol metabolism contributes to disease pathogenesis remains unclear, and there are still unknown factors. In this review, we outline the metabolic process of cholesterol in the human body, especially reverse cholesterol transport (RCT). Then, we discuss separately the impact of abnormal cholesterol metabolism on common diseases and potential therapeutic targets for each disease, including CVD, tumors, neurological diseases, and immune system diseases. At the end of this review, we focus on the effect of cholesterol metabolism on eye diseases. In short, we hope to provide more new ideas for the pathogenesis and treatment of diseases from the perspective of cholesterol.
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Probiotics for adults with major depressive disorder compared with antidepressants: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.
Zhao, S, Liang, S, Tao, J, Peng, Y, Chen, S, Wai, HKF, Chung, FY, Sin, ZY, Wong, MKL, Haqq, AM, et al
Nutrition reviews. 2024
Abstract
CONTEXT Despite recent advances in antidepressants in treating major depression (MDD), their usage is marred by adverse effects and social stigmas. Probiotics may be an efficacious adjunct or standalone treatment, potentially circumventing the aforementioned issues with antidepressants. However, there is a lack of head-to-head clinical trials between these 2 interventions. OBJECTIVE A systematic review and network meta-analysis was conducted to compare the efficacy and acceptability of these 2 interventions in treating MDD. DATA SOURCES Six databases and registry platforms for the clinical trial were systematically searched to identify the eligible double-blinded, randomized controlled trials published between 2015 and 2022. DATA EXACTION Two authors selected independently the placebo-controlled trials of antidepressants and microbiota-targeted interventions (prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics) used for the treatment of MDD in adults (≥18 years old). Standardized mean differences (SMDs) of depressive symptom scores from individual trials were pooled for network meta-analysis (PROSPERO no. CRD42020222305). RESULTS Forty-two eligible trials covering 22 interventions were identified, of which 16 were found to be effective in MDD treatment and the certainty of evidence was moderate to very low. When all trials were considered, compared with placebo, SMDs of interventions ranged from -0.16 (95% credible interval: -0.30, -0.04) for venlafaxine to -0.81 (-1.06, -0.52) for escitalopram. Probiotics were superior to brexpiprazole (SMD [95% credible interval]: -0.42 [-0.68, -0.17]), cariprazine (-0.44 [-0.69, -0.24]), citalopram (-0.37 [-0.66, -0.07]), duloxetine (-0.26, [-0.51, -0.04]), desvenlafaxine (-0.38 [-0.63, -0.14]), ketamine (-0.32 [-0.66, -0.01]), venlafaxine (-0.47 [-0.73, -0.23]), vilazodone (-0.37 [-0.61, -0.12]), vortioxetine (-0.39 [-0.63, -0.15]), and placebo (-0.62 [-0.86, -0.42]), and were noninferior to other antidepressants. In addition, probiotics ranked the second highest in the treatment hierarchy after escitalopram. Long-term treatment (≥8 weeks) using probiotics showed the same tolerability as antidepressants. CONCLUSION Probiotics, compared with antidepressants and placebo, may be efficacious as an adjunct or standalone therapy for treating MDD. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION PROSPERO registration no. CRD42020222305.