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The Glutathione Peroxidase Gene Family in Nitraria sibirica: Genome-Wide Identification, Classification, and Gene Expression Analysis under Stress Conditions.
Lian, Z, Zhang, J, Hao, Z, Zhu, L, Liu, Y, Fang, H, Lu, Y, Li, X, Shi, J, Chen, J, et al
Genes. 2023;(4)
Abstract
Plant glutathione peroxidases (GPXs) are the main enzymes in the antioxidant defense system that sustain H2O2 homeostasis and normalize plant reaction to abiotic stress conditions. However, the genome-wide identification of the GPX gene family and its responses to environmental stresses, especially salt stress, in Nitraria sibirica, which is a shrub that can survive in saline environments, has not yet been reported. Here, we first report the genome-wide analysis of the GPX gene family in N. sibirica, leading to a total of seven NsGPX genes that are distributed on six of the twelve chromosomes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that NsGPX genes were grouped into four major groups (Group I-IV). Three types of cis-acting elements were identified in the NsGPX promoters, mainly related to hormones and stress response. The quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis indicated that NsGPX1 and NsGPX3 were significantly up-regulated in stem and leaf, while NsGPX7 transcriptionally in root in response to salt stress. The current study identified a total seven NsGPX genes in N. sibirica via genome-wide analysis, and discovered that NsGPXs may play an important role in response to salt stress. Taken together, our findings provide a basis for further functional studies of NsGPX genes, especially in regarding to the resistance to salt stress of this halophyte plant N. sibirica, eventually aid in the discovery of new methods to restore overtly saline soil.
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Genome-Wide Investigation and Expression Analysis of the Nitraria sibirica Pall. CIPK Gene Family.
Zhu, L, Fang, H, Lian, Z, Zhang, J, Li, X, Shi, J, Lu, L, Lu, Y, Chen, J, Cheng, T
International journal of molecular sciences. 2022;(19)
Abstract
The calcineurin B-like-interacting protein kinase (CIPK) protein family plays a key role in the plant calcium ion-mediated signal transduction pathway, which regulates a plant's response to abiotic stress. Nitraria sibirica pall. (N. sibirica) is a halophyte with a strong tolerance for high salt environments, yet how it is able to deal with salt stress on a molecular level is still unknown. Due to their function as described in other plant species, CIPK genes are prime candidates for a role in salt stress signaling in N. sibirica. In this study, we identified and analyzed the phylogenetic makeup and gene expression of the N. sibirica CIPK gene family. A total of 14 CIPKs were identified from the N. sibirica genome and were clustered into seven groups based on their phylogeny. The promoters of NsCIPK genes contained multiple elements involved in hormonal and stress response. Synteny analysis identified a total of three pairs of synteny relationships between NsCIPK genes. Each gene showed its own specific expression pattern across different tissues, with the overall expression of CIPK6 being the lowest, and that of CIPK20 being the highest. Almost all CIPK genes tended to respond to salt, drought, and cold stress, but with different sensitivity levels. In this study, we have provided a general description of the NsCIPK gene family and its expression, which will be of great significance for further understanding of the NsCIPK gene family function.
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Evaluation of the association between maternal folic acid supplementation and the risk of congenital heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Cheng, Z, Gu, R, Lian, Z, Gu, HF
Nutrition journal. 2022;(1):20
Abstract
BACKGROUND Folic acid (FA), as a synthetic form of folate, has been widely used for dietary supplementation in pregnant women. The preventive effect of FA supplementation on the occurrence and recurrence of fetal neural tube defects (NTD) has been confirmed. Incidence of congenital heart diseases (CHD), however, has been parallelly increasing worldwide. The present study aimed to evaluate whether FA supplementation is associated with a decreased risk of CHD. METHODS We searched the literature using PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar, for the peer-reviewed studies which reported CHD and FA and followed with a meta-analysis. The study-specific relative risks were used as summary statistics for the association between maternal FA supplementation and CHD risk. Cochran's Q and I2 statistics were used to test for the heterogeneity. RESULTS Maternal FA supplementation was found to be associated with a decreased risk of CHD (OR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.72-0.94). However, the heterogeneity of the association was high (P < 0.001, I2 = 92.7%). FA supplementation within 1 month before and after pregnancy correlated positively with CHD (OR 1.10, 95%CI 0.99-1.23), and high-dose FA intake is positively associated with atrial septal defect (OR 1.23, 95%CI 0.64-2.34). Pregnant women with irrational FA use may be at increased risk for CHD. CONCLUSIONS Data from the present study indicate that the heterogeneity of the association between maternal FA supplementation and CHD is high and suggest that the real relationship between maternal FA supplementation and CHD may need to be further investigated with well-designed clinical studies and biological experiments.
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Both short and long sleep durations are associated with cognitive impairment among community-dwelling Chinese older adults.
Ding, G, Li, J, Lian, Z
Medicine. 2020;(13):e19667
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Abstract
This study aims to examine the association between sleep duration and cognitive impairment in community-dwelling Chinese older adults.The associations between sleep duration and cognitive function have been widely studied across various age ranges but are of particular importance among older adults. However, there are inconsistent findings regarding the relationship between sleep duration and cognitive function in the literature.This study is an observational cross-sectional study. We analyzed data from 1115 Chinese individuals aged 60 and older from 3 Chinese communities (Beijing, Hefei, and Lanzhou). Cognitive impairment was defined as a Mini-Mental State Examination total score less than 24 points. Odds ratios (ORs) of associations were calculated and adjusted for potential confounders in logistic regression models.The prevalence of cognitive impairment was 25.7% (n = 287). Controlling for all demographic, lifestyle factors, and coexisting conditions, the adjusted OR for cognitive impairment was 2.54 (95% CI = 1.70-3.80) with <6 hours sleep and 2.39 (95% CI = 1.41-4.06) with >8 hours sleep.Both short and long sleep durations were related to worse cognitive function among community-dwelling Chinese elderly adults.
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Association of early menopause with angiographically-derived SYNTAX score: Observational study.
Yan, L, Cao, X, Zeng, S, Yu, J, Li, Z, Lian, Z, Lv, F, Wang, J
Medicine. 2018;(51):e13723
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Abstract
Association of early menopause with increased risk of cardiovascular events has been confirmed in previous studies. SYNTAX score (SX-score) can comprehensively quantify severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) and predict the outcomes of patients with CAD. However, the association of early menopause with SX-score has never been reported.We prospectively included 1875 consecutive postmenopausal patients who underwent coronary angiography (CAG) and were angiographically diagnosed with CAD from January 2011 to December 2013. SX-score was calculated using the SX-score algorithm based on diagnostic angiogram. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between early menopause and SX-score.Patients with early menopause were more likely to have a history of hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and less likely to smoking. Besides, they have higher fasting glucose, hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), triglyceride (TG), and body mass index (BMI) compared with the patients without early menopause. Moreover, patients with early menopause have higher SX-score and multi-vessel diseases. Ordinal logistic regression analysis showed that age, hypertension, diabetes, and early menopause exerted independent influences on SX-score. The patients undergone oophorectomy, early menopause was highly associated with SX-score.Early menopause was an independent predictor of SX-score in postmenopausal patients with CAD.
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Dietary compounds have potential in controlling atherosclerosis by modulating macrophage cholesterol metabolism and inflammation via miRNA.
Shao, D, Lian, Z, Di, Y, Zhang, L, Rajoka, MSR, Zhang, Y, Kong, J, Jiang, C, Shi, J
NPJ science of food. 2018;:13
Abstract
Atherosclerosis (AS) is a typical example of a widespread fatal cardiovascular disease. Accumulation of cholesterol-laden macrophages in the artery wall forms the starting point of AS. Increased influx of oxidized low-density lipoprotein to macrophages and decreased efflux of free cholesterol out of macrophages constitute major factors promoting the development of AS. Inflammation further aggravates the development of AS along or via interaction with the cholesterol metabolism. Many microRNAs (miRNAs) are related to the regulation of macrophage in AS in aspects of cholesterol metabolism and inflammation signaling. Dietary compounds perform AS inhibitory effects via miRNAs in the cholesterol metabolism (miR-19b, miR-378, miR-10b, miR-33a, and miR-33b) and two miRNAs in the inflammation signaling (miR-155 and miR-146a). The targeted miRNAs in the cholesterol metabolism vary greatly among different food compounds; however, in inflammation signaling, most food compounds target miR-155. Many receptors are involved in macrophages via miRNAs, including ABCA1 and ABCG1 as major receptors in the cholesterol metabolism, while nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and Nrf2 signaling and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways are targeted during inflammation. This article reviews current literature to investigate possible AS therapy with dietary compounds via targeting miRNAs. Currently existing problems were also discussed to guide further studies.
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External application of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of bone cancer pain: a meta-analysis.
Xiangyong, Y, Zhongsheng, Y, Wenchao, L, Hui, D, Shuzhou, Q, Gang, C, XiaoHui, W, Lian, Z
Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer. 2016;(1):11-17
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Bone cancer pain presents a clinical challenge with limitations of current treatments. Many patients seek additional therapies that may relieve pain. Many external applications of traditional Chinese medicines (EAs-TCMs) have been evaluated in clinical trials, but fewer are known about them outside of China. The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy for bone cancer pain. METHODS A systematic literature search was conducted in seven databases until December 2014 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about EAs-TCMs in the treatment of bone cancer pain. The primary outcome was total pain relief rate. The secondary outcomes were adverse events at the end of treatment course. The methodological quality of RCTs was assessed independently using six-item criteria according to the Cochrane Collaboration. All data were analyzed using Review Manager 5.2.0. We included any RCTs evaluating an EA-TCM for the treatment of bone cancer pain. We conducted a meta-analysis. RESULTS We included six RCTs with 534 patients. In general, the reporting of methodological issues was poor. Compared with morphine sulfate sustained release tablets (MSSRTs) or radiotherapy or bisphosphonates, we analyzed data from five trials reporting on complete response effect score (relative risk (RR) = 5.38, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.80-10.31, P < 0.00001) and partial response (RR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.02-1.37, P = 0.02) and six trials reporting on total pain relief rate (RR = 1.49, 95% CI = 1.43-1.67, P < 0.00001). Six RCTs showed significant effects of EA-TCM for improving pain relief in patients with bone cancer pain. In addition, no severe adverse events were found. CONCLUSION This systematic review showed positive but weak evidence of EA-TCM for bone cancer pain because of the poor methodological quality and the small quantity of the included trials. Future rigorously designed RCTs are required.
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How Strong Is the Evidence for Sodium Bicarbonate to Prevent Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury After Coronary Angiography and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention?
Dong, Y, Zhang, B, Liang, L, Lian, Z, Liu, J, Liang, C, Zhang, S
Medicine. 2016;(7):e2715
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Hydration with sodium bicarbonate is one of the strategies to prevent contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI). The purpose of this study was to determine how strong is the evidence for sodium bicarbonate to prevent CI-AKI after coronary angiography (CAG) and/or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).We conducted PubMed, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases to search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the efficacy of sodium bicarbonate with sodium chloride to prevent CI-AKI after CAG and/or PCI. Relative risk (RR), standardized mean difference (SMD), or weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was calculated. Heterogeneity, publication bias, and study quality were evaluated, sensitivity analyses, cumulative analyses, and subgroup analyses were performed. The risk of random errors was assessed by trial sequential analysis (TSA).Sixteen RCTs (3537 patients) met the eligibility criteria. Hydration with sodium bicarbonate showed significant beneficial effects in preventing CI-AKI (RR 0.67; 95% CI: 0.47-0.96, P = 0.029), decreasing the change in serum creatinine (SCr) (SMD -0.31 95% CI: -0.55 to -0.07, P = 0.011) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (SMD -0.17 95% CI: -0.30 to -0.04, P = 0.013). But no significant differences were observed in the requirement for dialysis (RR 1.11; 95% CI: 0.60-2.07, P = 0.729), mortality (RR 0.71; 95% CI: 0.41-1.21, P = 0.204) and reducing the length of hospital stay (LHS) (WMD -1.47; 95% CI: -4.14 to 1.20, P = 0.279). The result of TSA on incidence of CI-AKI showed the required information size (RIS = 6614) was not reached and cumulative z curve did not cross TSA boundary. The result of TSA on the requirement for dialysis and mortality demonstrated the required information sizes (RIS = 170,510 and 19,516, respectively) were not reached, and the cumulative z-curve did not cross any boundaries.The evidence that sodium bicarbonate reduces the incidence of CI-AKI is encouraging but more well-designed randomized controlled trails are required to allow definitive firm conclusion to be drawn.
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[USE OF ARTIFICIAL BONE OF TRICALCIUM PHOPHATE IN SELLAR FLOOR RECONSTRUCTION AFTER TRANSSPHENOIDAL MICROSURGERY FOR PITUITARY ADEOMA].
Cui, P, Wei, H, Lian, Z, Dong, B, Zhao, Y
Zhongguo xiu fu chong jian wai ke za zhi = Zhongguo xiufu chongjian waike zazhi = Chinese journal of reparative and reconstructive surgery. 2015;(11):1405-7
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To explore the effectiveness of the usage of artificial bone of tricalcium phophate in sellar floor reconstruction after transsphenoidal microsurgery for pituitary adeoma. METHODS Between January and December 2014, 85 patients with pituitary adema underwent transsphenoidal microsurgery, and the clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. "Sandiwich" was used for sellar floor reconstruction in 46 cases (control group), and "sandiwich" combined with the artificial bone of tricalcium phophate in 39 cases (trial group). There was no significant difference in gender, age, disease duration, size of tumor, invasiveness, and the degree of damage to the sellar floor between 2 groups (P > 0.05). RESULTS Total removal and subtotal removal of tumors were achieved in 39 cases and 7 cases of the control group, and in 33 cases and 6 cases of the trial group, showing no significant difference between 2 groups (Z = -1.303, P = 0.193). Cerebrospinal leakage occurred in 8 cases of the control group and in 10 cases of the trial group during operation, showing no significant difference (Z = -1.748, P = 0.080). The case number of cerebrospinal leakage in the control group (4 cases) was significantly more than that in the trial group (0) after operation (P = 0.020). The time of gauze removal in the trial group (3 days) was significant shorter than that in the control group [(4.3 ± 1.6) days] (t = 2.236, P = 0.033). The patients were followed up 3-14 months in the control group and 5-13 months in the trial group. No cerebrospinal leakage occurred during follow-up. CONCLUSION Sellar floor reconstruction with artificial bone of tricalcium phophate is safe, and it can reduce cerebrospinal leakage and shorten the time of gauze removal.