| 1. |
- Zhang, Shunming, et al.
(författare)
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Added sugar intake and its forms and sources in relation to risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease : results from the Tianjin Chronic Low-grade Systemic Inflammation and Health cohort study
- 2023
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Ingår i: British Journal of Nutrition. - 1475-2662. ; 129:12, s. 2094-2101
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It has been suggested that added sugar intake is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, previous studies only focused on sugar-sweetened beverages; the evidence for associations with total added sugars and their sources is scarce. This study aimed to examine the associations of total added sugars, their physical forms (liquid vs. solid), and food sources with risk of NAFLD among adults in Tianjin, China. We used data from 15,538 participants, free of NAFLD, other liver diseases, cardiovascular disease, cancer, or diabetes at baseline (2013-2018 years). Added sugar intake was estimated from a validated 100-item food frequency questionnaire. NAFLD was diagnosed by ultrasonography after exclusion of other causes of liver diseases. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were fitted to calculate hazards ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for NAFLD risk with added sugar intake. During a median follow-up of 4.2 years, 3,476 incident NAFLD cases were documented. After adjusting for age, sex, body mass index and its change from baseline to follow-up, lifestyle factors, personal and family medical history, and overall diet quality, the multivariable HRs (95% CIs) of NAFLD risk were 1.18 (1.06, 1.32) for total added sugars, 1.20 (1.08, 1.33) for liquid added sugars, and 0.96 (0.86, 1.07) for solid added sugars when comparing the highest quartiles of intake with the lowest quartiles of intake. In this prospective cohort of Chinese adults, higher intakes of total added sugars and liquid added sugars, but not solid added sugars, were associated with a higher risk of NAFLD.
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| 2. |
- Gu, Yeqing, et al.
(författare)
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Consumption of ultraprocessed food and development of chronic kidney disease : the Tianjin Chronic Low-Grade Systemic Inflammation and Health and UK Biobank Cohort Studies
- 2023
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Ingår i: The American journal of clinical nutrition. - : Elsevier BV. - 1938-3207 .- 0002-9165. ; 117:2, s. 373-382
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundMany ultraprocessed food (UPF)-derived by-products may play a role in the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Although several studies have assessed the association of UPFs with kidney function decline or CKD in various countries, no evidence has been shown in China and the United Kingdom.ObjectivesThis study aims to evaluate the association between UPF consumption and risk of CKD in 2 large cohort studies from China and the United Kingdom.MethodsIn total, 23,775 and 102,332 participants without baseline CKD were enrolled in the Tianjin Chronic Low-Grade Systemic Inflammation and Health (TCLSIH) and UK Biobank cohort studies, respectively. Information on UPF consumption was obtained from a validated food frequency questionnaire in the TCLSIH and 24-h dietary recalls in the UK Biobank cohort. CKD was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate of ResultsAfter a median follow-up of 4.0 and 10.1 y, the incidence rates of CKD were around 1.1% and 1.7% in the TCLSIH and UK Biobank cohorts, respectively. The multivariable hazard ratio [95% confidence interval] of CKD across increasing quartiles (quartiles 1–4) of UPF consumption were 1 (reference), 1.24 (0.89, 1.72), 1.30 (0.91, 1.87), and 1.58 (1.07, 2.34) (P for trend = 0.02) in the TCLSIH cohort and 1 (reference), 1.14 (1.00, 1.31), 1.16 (1.01, 1.33), and 1.25 (1.09, 1.43) (P for trend < 0.01) in the UK Biobank cohort, respectively.ConclusionsOur finding indicated that higher UPF consumption is associated with a higher risk of CKD. Moreover, restricting UPF consumption may potentially benefit the prevention of CKD. Further clinical trials are required to clarify the causality.
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| 3. |
- Qu, Yanhua, 1974-, et al.
(författare)
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Ground tit genome reveals avian adaptation to living at high altitudes in the Tibetan plateau.
- 2013
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Ingår i: Nature communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 4, s. 2071-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ground tit (Parus humilis) is endemic to the Tibetan plateau. It is a member of family Paridae but it was long thought to be related to the ground jays because of their morphological similarities. Here we present the ground tit's genome and re-sequence two tits and one ground jay, to clarify this controversially taxonomic status and uncover its genetic adaptations to the Tibetan plateau. Our results show that ground tit groups with two tits and it diverges from them between 7.7 and 9.9 Mya. Compared with other avian genomes, ground tit shows expansion in genes linked to energy metabolism and contractions in genes involved in immune and olfactory perception. We also found positively selected and rapidly evolving genes in hypoxia response and skeletal development. These results indicated that ground tit evolves basic strategies and 'tit-to-jay' change for coping with the life in an extreme environment.
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| 4. |
- Zhang, Shunming, et al.
(författare)
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Inflammatory potential of diet and risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease : a prospective cohort study
- 2022
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Ingår i: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0954-3007 .- 1476-5640. ; 76:8, s. 1125-1132
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background/objectives: Diet is an important factor that can exacerbate or ameliorate chronic inflammation, which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, no prospective study has yet investigated the relation between the inflammatory potential of diet and NAFLD. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the inflammatory potential of the diet and the risk of NAFLD. Subject/methods: The study included 12,877 participants aged over 18 years (mean [standard deviation]: 39.4 [11.5] years). Dietary intake was assessed at baseline through food frequency questionnaires. Using white blood cell count as the inflammatory marker, we newly created a dietary inflammatory potential score by reduced rank regression and stepwise linear regression. NAFLD was identified by abdominal ultrasound during yearly health checkups. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the association between the dietary inflammatory potential score and the risk of NAFLD. Results: During a median follow-up period of 4.2 years, 2744 first incident cases of NAFLD occurred. After adjustment for potential confounders, the multivariable hazards ratios (95% confidence intervals) for NAFLD across increasing quartiles of the dietary inflammatory potential score were 1.00 (reference), 1.01 (0.90, 1.13), 1.15 (1.03, 1.29), and 1.26 (1.13, 1.41), with P for trend <0.0001. This positive association appeared greater in men than in women (P for interaction = 0.02). Conclusions: Our results indicate that a dietary pattern with high inflammatory potential is associated with a higher risk of NAFLD. Such findings provide the support that inflammation may be a potential mechanism linking diet to the risk of NAFLD.
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| 5. |
- Zhang, Shunming, et al.
(författare)
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Dairy intake and risk of type 2 diabetes : results of a large prospective cohort
- 2023
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Ingår i: Food & Function. - 2042-6496. ; 14:21, s. 9695-9706
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and aims: Previous studies of primarily Western populations have consistently documented a lower risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) among people with a higher yogurt intake, but an inconsistent association with milk intake. However, little is known about the association between dairy intake and risk of T2D among Chinese adults who consume considerably less dairy (mainly milk and yogurt) compared with Western populations. The aim is to investigate the associations of dairy intake with the risk of incident T2D in the general adult population in China. Methods: This cohort study consisted of 22 843 participants without prevalent cardiovascular disease, cancer, or diabetes at the baseline. Dietary data were collected using a validated food frequency questionnaire at the baseline (2013-2018); dairy intake was categorized into tertiles after zero consumers were taken as the reference. Incident T2D was ascertained by medical examinations and self-report of physician-diagnosed diabetes during follow-up visits. Cox proportional hazards models were performed to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: In total, 735 incident T2D cases were recorded over a median follow-up of 4.0 years. Relative to zero consumers, the HRs (95% CIs) for incident T2D among participants in the highest tertiles were 0.70 (0.57, 0.87) for total dairy, 0.73 (0.60, 0.90) for milk, and 0.81 (0.66, 1.00) for yogurt. Such associations were slightly attenuated by additional adjustment for the body mass index. In addition, such inverse associations were robust in sensitivity analyses and consistent in most of the subgroups defined by baseline characteristics. Conclusion: Higher intakes of total dairy, milk, and yogurt were all associated with a lower risk of T2D among Chinese adults.
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| 6. |
- Zhang, Shunming, et al.
(författare)
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Protein foods from animal sources and risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in representative cohorts from North and South China
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Internal Medicine. - : Wiley. - 1365-2796 .- 0954-6820. ; 293:3, s. 340-353
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence suggests that animal protein foods may increase the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We therefore examined the NAFLD risk reduction related to substituting plant protein foods for animal protein foods.METHODS: The cohort in North China included 14,541 participants from the Tianjin Chronic Low-Grade Systemic Inflammation and Health (TCLSIH) study, and the cohort in South China included 1297 participants from the Guangzhou Nutrition and Health Study (GNHS). Dietary intake was assessed using validated food frequency questionnaires. NAFLD was ascertained by abdominal ultrasound. The Cox model was used to fit the substitution analysis.RESULTS: In the TCLSIH cohort, when replacing one type of animal protein food (eggs, processed meat, unprocessed red meat, poultry, and fish) with an equivalent serving of plant protein foods (nuts, legumes, and whole grains), the replacement of animal protein foods with whole grains showed the strongest benefit; substituting one serving per day of whole grains for an equal amount of eggs (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.89; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.79, 1.00), processed meat (HR = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.64, 0.91), unprocessed red meat (HR = 0.90; 95% CI: 0.81, 1.00), poultry (HR = 0.81; 95% CI: 0.72, 0.92), or fish (HR = 0.87; 95% CI: 0.78, 0.97) was associated with a lower risk of NAFLD. In both the TCLSIH and GNHS cohorts, replacing poultry with fish, nuts, legumes, or whole grains was associated with a lower risk of NAFLD. When different numbers of protein foods were simultaneously replaced, the risk reduction of NAFLD was stronger.CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that replacing animal protein foods with plant protein foods is related to a significant reduction in NAFLD risk.
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| 7. |
- Zhang, Tianji, et al.
(författare)
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Interacting polymer-modification enzymes in heparan sulfate biosynthesis
- 2023
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Ingår i: Carbohydrate Polymers. - : Elsevier. - 0144-8617 .- 1879-1344. ; 299
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Glucuronyl 5-epimerase (Hsepi) converts D-glucuronic acid (GlcA) into L-iduronic acid (IdoA) units, through a mechanism involving reversible abstraction of a proton at C5 of hexuronic acid residues. Incubations of a [4GlcA beta 1-4GlcNSO3 alpha 1-]n precursor substrate with recombinant enzymes in a D2O/H2O medium enabled an isotope exchange approach to the assessment of functional interactions of Hsepi with hexuronyl 2-O-sulfotrans-ferase (Hs2st) and glucosaminyl 6-O-sulfotransferase (Hs6st), both involved in the final polymer-modification steps. Enzyme complexes were supported by computational modeling and homogeneous time resolved fluores-cence. GlcA and IdoA D/H ratios related to product composition revealed kinetic isotope effects that were interpreted in terms of efficiency of the coupled epimerase and sulfotransferase reactions. Evidence for a func-tional Hsepi/Hs6st complex was provided by selective incorporation of D atoms into GlcA units adjacent to 6-O -sulfated glucosamine residues. The inability to achieve simultaneous 2-O-and 6-O-sulfation in vitro supported topologically separated reactions in the cell. These findings provide novel insight into the roles of enzyme in-teractions in heparan sulfate biosynthesis.
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| 8. |
- Chen, Yulong, et al.
(författare)
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Homocysteine regulates endothelin type B receptors in vascular smooth muscle cells
- 2016
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Ingår i: Vascular Pharmacology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1537-1891. ; 87, s. 100-109
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Vascular smooth muscle endothelin type B (ETB) receptor is involved in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Hyperhomocysteinemia is an independent risk factor for CVDs. The present study was designed to examine the hypothesis that homocysteine (Hcy) up-regulates vascular smooth muscle ETB receptors. In vitro experiments were performed in rat superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). The rat SMA or VSMCs were cultured in serum-free medium for 24 h in the presence and absence of Hcy with or without specific inhibitors for the ERK1/2 signaling pathway and NF-κB. In vivo, the rats received subcutaneous injections of Hcy in the presence or absence of specific inhibitors for the ERK1/2 signaling pathway (U0126) for 3 weeks. Levels of protein expression were determined using Western blot analysis. The contractile responses to sarafotoxin 6c (an ETB receptor agonist) were studied using a sensitive myograph. The blood pressure of the rats was measured via a noninvasive tail-cuff plethysmography method. The results from in vitro experiments showed that Hcy concentration-dependently increased the ETB receptor-mediated contractile responses, and up-regulated ETB receptor expression, in rat SMA. Blockage of the ERK1/2 signaling pathway and NF-κB using the MEK1/2 inhibitor (PD98059 and U0126) or IκB kinase inhibitor (wedelolactone) significantly abolished Hcy-induced up-regulation of ETB receptor. Finally, we used VSMCs as a cellular model to further validate our finding. In vivo study found that hyperhomocysteinemia up-regulated ETB receptor expression, and elevated the blood pressure of rats via the ERK1/2 signaling pathway. In conclusion, Hcy up-regulated vascular smooth muscle ETB receptor via activation of the ERK1/2 signaling pathway and NF-κB.
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| 9. |
- Cheng, Jie, et al.
(författare)
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Guanidimidazole-quanternized and cross-linked alkaline polymer electrolyte membrane for fuel cell application
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Membrane Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0376-7388 .- 1873-3123. ; 501, s. 100-108
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A modified imidazole, namely guanidimidazole (GIm) was designed and synthesized as a novel quaternizing- and cross-linking agent for alkaline polymer electrolyte membrane fabrication. The resulting membrane was more alkali tolerant and swelling resistant than that quaternized purely by 1-methylimidazole owing to the enhanced resonance and cross-linking ability of GIm, the former confirmed by a LUMO (lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) energy calculation. The membrane also showed good ionic conductivity, mechanical strength and thermal stability. A H2/O2 fuel cell using the synthesized membrane showed a peak power density of 39 mW cm−2 at 50 °C. This work preliminarily demonstrates the beneficial effect of imidazole modification by both experimental and computational investigation; it provides a new cation design strategy that may potentially achieve simultaneous improvement of alkali-stability and swelling resistance of alkaline electrolyte membranes.
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| 10. |
- Jiang, Lan, et al.
(författare)
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Heparin mimetics as potential intervention for COVID-19 and their bio-manufacturing
- 2023
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Ingår i: SYNTHETIC AND SYSTEMS BIOTECHNOLOGY. - : KEAI PUBLISHING LTD. - 2405-805X. ; 8:1, s. 11-19
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe health problems worldwide and unprecedented decimation of the global economy. Moreover, after more than 2 years, many populations are still under pressure of infection. Thus, a broader perspective in developing antiviral strategies is still of great importance. Inspired by the observed multiple benefits of heparin in the treatment of thrombosis, the potential of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) for the treatment of COVID-19 have been explored. Clinical applications found that LMWH decreased the level of inflammatory cytokines in COVID-19 patients, accordingly reducing lethality. Furthermore, several in vitro studies have demonstrated the important roles of heparan sulfate in SARS-CoV-2 infection and the inhibitory effects of heparin and heparin mimetics in viral infection. These clinical observations and designed studies argue for the potential to develop heparin mimetics as anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug candidates. In this review, we summarize the properties of heparin as an anticoagulant and the pharmaceutical possibilities for the treatment of virus infection, focusing on the perspectives of developing heparin mimetics via chemical synthesis, chemoenzymatic synthesis, and bioengineered production by microbial cell factories. The ultimate goal is to pave the eminent need for exploring novel compounds to treat coronavirus infection-caused diseases.
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