Chiao-Ming Chen

Almond consumption improved glycemic control and lipid profiles in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Almond consumption is associated with ameliorations in obesity, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and hyperglycemia. The hypothesis of this 12-week randomized crossover clinical trial was that almond consumption would improve glycemic control and decrease the risk for cardiovascular disease in 20 Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) (9 male, 11 female; 58 years old; body mass index, 26 kg/m²) with mild hyperlipidemia. After a 2-week run-in period, patients were assigned to either a control National Cholesterol Education Program step II diet (control diet) or an almond diet for 4 weeks, with a 2-week washout period between alternative diets. Almonds were added to the control diet to replace 20% of total daily calorie intake. Addition of approximately 60 g almonds per day increased dietary intakes of fiber, magnesium, polyunsaturated fatty acid, monounsaturated fatty acid, and vitamin E. Body fat determined with bioelectrical impedance analysis was significantly lower in patients consuming almonds (almonds vs control: 29.6% vs 30.4%). The almond diet enhanced plasma α-tocopherol level by a median 26.8% (95% confidence intervals, 15.1-36.6) compared with control diet. Furthermore, almond intake decreased total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and the ratio of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol by 6.0% (1.6-9.4), 11.6% (2.8-19.1), and 9.7% (0.3-20.9), respectively. Plasma apolipoprotein (apo) B levels, apo B/apo A-1 ratio, and nonesterified fatty acid also decreased significantly by 15.6% (5.1-25.4), 17.4% (2.8-19.9), and 5.5% (3.0-14.4), respectively. Compared with subjects in the control diet, those in the almond diet had 4.1% (0.9-12.5), 0.8% (0.4-6.3), and 9.2% (4.4-13.2) lower levels of fasting insulin, fasting glucose, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index, respectively. Our results suggested that incorporation of almonds into a healthy diet has beneficial effects on adiposity, glycemic control, and the lipid profile, thereby potentially decreasing the risk for cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Chemokine receptor expression profiles in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and their association with metastasis and radiotherapy

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an epithelial cancer that metastasizes predictably to cervical lymph nodes or distant organs. To assess whether the chemokine receptors of NPC cells play important roles in metastasis and are associated with radiotherapy history, the significance of various chemokine receptors (CCR1–10, CXCR1–6, XCR1, and CX3CR1) in NPC cell lines (TW01, TW04, HONE1, BM1, and AS1) and 52 NPC tumour biopsies from 48 patients with NPC was evaluated by mRNA and cytometric analyses, chemotaxis and actin polymerization assays, and immunohistochemical staining. Quantitative real‐time reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction revealed substantial expression of CCR7, CCR9, CXCR4, and CXCR6 mRNA in all the NPC cell lines. Of these, however, only CCR7, CXCR4, and CXCR6 were functional in NPC cells. Negative immunoreactivity for CCR7, CXCR4, and CXCR6 was demonstrated in almost all nasopharyngeal (NP) specimens from patients with primary NPC (n = 12) and in those with regional metastatic NPC (n = 15). However, expression of two or three of these chemokine receptors was demonstrated in NP specimens from patients with liver metastasis. Strong positivity was demonstrated for all three of these chemokine receptors in almost all of the regional and distant metastasis specimens. Significant differences in the expression of CCR7, CXCR4, and CXCR6 were found between primary tumours and metastases (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p < 0.002, respectively). This observation was further confirmed by laser capture microdissection of freshly frozen tumours from primary (n = 5) and metastatic (n = 8) NPC sites (p = 0.04, 0.03, and 0.03 for CCR7, CXCR4, and CXCR6, respectively). Finally, significant differences in CXCR4 expression were demonstrated between de novo and post‐radiotherapy groups (1/22 vs. 5/8; p < 0.003). It appears reasonable to conclude, therefore, that CCR7, CXCR4, and CXCR6 are expressed and active in human NPC metastases, while CXCR4 expression is associated with radiotherapy history. Copyright

Effects of adlay bran and its ethanolic extract and residue on preneoplastic lesions of the colon in rats

BACKGROUND Adlay (Coix lachryma-jobi L. var. ma-yuen Stapf) is a cereal crop used in traditional Chinese medicine and as a nutritious food. Epidemiologists have suspected that the low cancer rates in southeastern China might be related to adlay. Previous studies have shown that adlay has anti-tumour and anti-inflammatory activity. This study investigated the effect of adlay bran and its fractions on chemically induced colon carcinogenesis in rats. RESULTS Adlay bran and its ethanolic extract and residue significantly reduced the number of preneoplastic aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and modified their mucin composition. The inhibitory effect of adlay bran ethanolic extract on ACF showed a dose dependence. Adlay bran and its ethanolic extract suppressed small ACF (one, two or three crypts) and ACF in the distal colon, while the residue suppressed large ACF (four or more crypts). CONCLUSION These findings suggest the possibility that adlay bran and its ethanolic extract and residue inhibit colonic preneoplastic lesions in an early stage. Adlay and its fractions may have the potential to be developed as chemopreventive cereal products.

Glycogen storage disease type IV: novel mutations and molecular characterization of a heterogeneous disorder

Glycogen storage disease type IV (GSD IV; Andersen disease) is caused by a deficiency of glycogen branching enzyme (GBE), leading to excessive deposition of structurally abnormal, amylopectin-like glycogen in affected tissues. The accumulated glycogen lacks multiple branch points and thus has longer outer branches and poor solubility, causing irreversible tissue and organ damage. Although classic GSD IV presents with early onset of hepatosplenomegaly with progressive liver cirrhosis, GSD IV exhibits extensive clinical heterogeneity with respect to age at onset and variability in pattern and extent of organ and tissue involvement. With the advent of cloning and determination of the genomic structure of the human GBE gene (GBE1), molecular analysis and characterization of underlying disease-causing mutations is now possible. A variety of disease-causing mutations have been identified in the GBE1 gene in GSD IV patients, many of whom presented with diverse clinical phenotypes. Detailed biochemical and genetic analyses of three unrelated patients suspected to have GSD IV are presented here. Two novel missense mutations (p.Met495Thr and p.Pro552Leu) and a novel 1-bp deletion mutation (c.1999delA) were identified. A variety of mutations in GBE1 have been previously reported, including missense and nonsense mutations, nucleotide deletions and insertions, and donor and acceptor splice-site mutations. Mutation analysis is useful in confirming the diagnosis of GSD IV—especially when higher residual GBE enzyme activity levels are seen and enzyme analysis is not definitive—and allows for further determination of potential genotype/phenotype correlations in this disease.

The space-time CE/SE method for solving Maxwell's equations in time-domain

An innovative finite-volume-type numerical method named as the space-time conservation element and solution element (CE/SE) method is applied to solve time-dependent Maxwells equations. Test problems of electromagnetic scattering and antenna radiation are solved for validation. Numerical results are presented and compared with the analytical solutions, showing very good agreement.

Constituents in purple sweet potato leaves inhibit in vitro angiogenesis with opposite effects ex vivo

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro effect of polyphenols in purple sweet potato leaves (PSPLs) on angiogenesis in human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs). The ex vivo effect was test in human serum collected from the subjects who consumed 200 g of PSPL in a low polyphenol diet versus a low polyphenol diet. METHODS Methanolic extract from PSPLs and human sera from subjects were treated with HUVECs and the effects of cell proliferation, migration, tube formation, and matrix metalloproteinase activity were investigated. RESULTS The PSPL polyphenols at 0.2 to 0.6 mM gallic acid equivalents inhibited proliferation, migration, and tube formation of vascular endothelial growth factor-treated HUVECs. Further, the activity of secreted matrix metalloproteinase-2 was decreased by at least 13.8%. However, 5% PSPL serum increased migration and tube formation of HUVECs by 110% and 56.9%, respectively, compared with serum from subjects on the low polyphenol diet. Further, the activity of matrix metalloproteinase-9 was increased by 128% in the PSPL serum. CONCLUSION These results suggest that PSPL polyphenols inhibited in vitro angiogenesis, but PSPL constituents might shift serum biochemistries to be more proangiogenic.

Riboflavin protects mice against liposaccharide-induced shock through expression of heat shock protein 25.

Riboflavin (vitamin B2) is a water-soluble vitamin essential for normal cellular functions, growth and development. This study aimed to investigate the effects of vitamin B2 on the survival rate, and expressions of tissue heat shock protein 25 (HSP25) and heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) in mice undergoing lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced shock. Mice were assigned to four groups, saline vehicle, LPS, LPS plus low dose of vitamin B2 (LB2) and LPS plus high dose of vitamin B2 (HB2). Vitamin B2 (1 and 10mg/kg BW) was administered intraperitoneally at 2 and 0 h before the i.p. administration of LPS. At the end of the experiment, the survival rate monitored was 10, 20, 60, and 100% for LPS, LB2, HB2, and saline mice, respectively. HSP25 expressions in the heart and lung were significantly enhanced in a time-dependent manner in the HB2 mice as compared to the saline mice (p < 0.05), but not altered in the LB2 mice. In the HB2 mice, plasma riboflavin concentrations reached 300 nM at 6h post LPS and returned to the 0 h level at 72 h. The results showed that high dose of riboflavin could decrease LPS-induced mortality through an increased expression of HSP25.

Screening of Ethylnitrosourea Mice With Fatty Acid Oxidation Disorders by a Candidate Gene Approach After Proteome Analysis

Background/Purpose Ethylnitrosourea (ENU) is an alkylating agent and primarily induces point mutations such as AT to TA transversions and AT to GC transitions. Due to its high mutagenicity, ENU mouse mutagenesis enables the generation and identification of mouse mutants with aberrance in various phenotypes and to identify novel genes relevant for the expression of the phenotype. The purpose of this study was to investigate the candidate genes involved in fatty acid oxidation disorders by the proteomic approach. Methods We screened ENU mice from 39 families from previously published data and identified two mutant mice that had a striking elevation in blood C4-OH short chain fatty acids compared with ENU controls. Total mitochondrial proteins were extracted from the gastrocnemius for two-dimensional electrophoresis, and two downregulated proteins, adenylate kinase isoenzyme 1 (AK1) and adenosine-5′-triphosphate (ATP) synthase D chain (ATP5H), were identified in the mutant mice through matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Results After genomic polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing of Ak1 and Atp5h , no variation was found in both gene sequence analyses. Conclusion Proteomic profiling can be a useful approach for detecting dynamic protein expression in ENU-induced mice. It is important to further clarify mechanisms of the mutant C4-OH disorder responsible for this expression.