基于内蒙古地区的非传统脂质参数与脑卒中的关联性研究

  目的  非传统脂质参数已被证实与心血管疾病有关,而内蒙古地区作为脑卒中高发和特定的血脂特征地区,非传统脂质参数与脑卒中风险的关联性研究较少。本研究利用内蒙古地区“心血管病高危人群早期筛查与综合干预项目”探索内蒙古地区非传统脂质参数与脑卒中的关联。  方法  2015―2017年,收集中国北部内蒙古地区35~75岁常住人群的人口学基本信息及各项血脂指标,最终纳入32 518人参与本项研究。将各脂质参数分为四分位,以第1四分位为参照,采用多因素Logistic回归分析模型探索非传统脂质参数与脑卒中的OR值及95% CI值。  结果  本研究含脑卒中患者1 949人,以脑卒中为因变量,调整相关因素后的Logistic回归分析模型结果表明,以各非传统脂质参数第1四分位为参照,第4四分位的TC/HDL-C、LDL-C/HDL-C、TG/HDL-C与脑卒中有关,其对应OR值分别为1.390(95% CI: 1.206~1.601)、1.380(95% CI: 1.201~1.585)及1.473(95% CI: 1.276~1.699);且随着各脂质参数水平的升高,脑卒中风险增加(均有P < 0.001)。在不同性别、年龄中除非高密度脂蛋白胆固醇(Non-high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, Non-HDL-C)外,TC/HDL-C、LDL-C/HDL-C及TG/HDL-C与脑卒中风险相关。  结论  TC/HDL-C、LDL-C/HDL-C及TG/HDL-C为脑卒中的危险因素,相比于传统脂质参数,非传统脂质参数与脑卒中的关联更强,其可作为脑卒中风险分层及一级预防的新指标。     

三脂清中7种成分的含量测定及醇提工艺优化

目的 采用HPLC-MS/MS同时测定蒙药三脂清中胡椒碱、荜茇宁、柯里拉京、没食子酸、鞣花酸、槲皮素、芦丁的含量，并优化三脂清的醇提工艺。方法 采用Shim-pack GIST-HP C₁₈色谱柱（2.1 mm×100 mm，3 mm），以0.1%甲酸水溶液-甲醇为流动相，梯度洗脱，流速为0.25 mL·min^-1，进样量2 μL；质谱采用电喷雾离子源，正、负离子扫描切换，多重反应监测模式进行定量分析。采用L₉（3⁴）正交试验设计，以上述7种成分含量的综合评分为考察指标，以料液比、乙醇浓度、提取时间、提取次数为考察因素进行三脂清醇提工艺优化。结果 三脂清中7种成分的峰面积和质量浓度在一定范围内均呈现良好的线性关系（r ≥ 0.999 1），仪器精密度、重复性、稳定性试验的RSD均<5%；加样回收率为99.54%~105.32%，RSD为1.39%~4.33%。最佳醇提工艺条件为料液比1：8，乙醇浓度40%，提取时间0.5 h，提取3次。3次放大试验验证结果显示，上述7种成分的平均含量分别为9.852，0.587，16.247，3.657，8.663，0.119，0.104 mg·g^-1。结论 建立的方法简便、灵敏、高效，可用于三脂清中多种主要活性成分的含量测定；优化所得的醇提取工艺稳定、可行。     

Dietary N-3 PUFA deficiency affects sleep-wake activity in basal condition and in response to an inflammatory challenge in mice

Essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) from the n-3 and n-6 series constitute the building blocks of brain cell membranes where they regulate most aspects of cell physiology. They are either biosynthesized from their dietary precursors or can be directly sourced from the diet. An overall increase in the dietary n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio, as observed in the Western diet, leads to reduced n-3 PUFAs in tissues that include the brain. Some clinical studies have shown a positive correlation between dietary n-3 PUFA intake and sleep quantity, yet evidence is still sparse. We here used a preclinical model of dietary n-3 PUFA deficiency to assess the precise relationship between dietary PUFA intake and sleep/wake activity. Using electroencephalography (EEG)/electromyography (EMG) recordings on n-3 PUFA deficient or sufficient mice, we showed that dietary PUFA deficiency affects the architecture of sleep-wake activity and the oscillatory activity of cortical neurons during sleep. In a second part of the study, and since PUFAs are a potent modulator of inflammation, we assessed the effect of dietary n-3 PUFA deficiency on the sleep response to an inflammatory stimulus known to modulate sleep/wake activity. We injected mice with the endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and quantified the sleep response across the following 12 h. Our results revealed that n-3 PUFA deficiency affects the sleep response in basal condition and after a peripheral immune challenge. More studies are now required aimed at deciphering the molecular mechanisms underlying the intimate relationship between n-3 PUFAs and sleep/wake activity.     

药用植物蓝刺头的研究进展

摘 要 蓝刺头（Echinops latifolius Tausch）为菊科蓝刺头属植物,其干燥根作为中药禹州漏芦用,其干燥花絮作为蒙药蓝刺头用。本文对近几年来中药禹州漏芦和蒙药蓝刺头的研究成果进行了整理,并从化学成分、工艺研究、质量控制和药理作用四个方面对两种药材进行了比较和综述,以期为药用植物蓝刺头的进一步开发和利用提供科学依据。     

Ion Torrent ™ Genexus ™ Integrated Sequencer and ForeNGS Analysis Software—An automatic NGS-STR workflow from DNA to profile for forensic science

The Ion Torrent ™ Genexus ™ Sequencer (Genexus) is a highly integrated instrument that can automate library construction, templating, and sequencing in a single-instrument run. By programing the ForeNGS Analysis Software (FNAS), we bridged the gap between sequencing and genotyping without manual intervention. FNAS can automatically transfer sequencing output files from Genexus, analyze the repeat and flanking regions aligned to the GRCh38 assembly, name the alleles according to the ISFG guidelines, and generate user-friendly interactive profiles. Genexus and FNAS can accomplish the fully automatic DNA-to-Profile workflow in forensics. Based on our experiences, the optimal assay parameters on Genexus were validated as follows: 24 cycles of target amplification for library construction; 40 μL of library and 400 bp of template size for templating; 852 flows of dNTPs by order of Ion samba HID2 for sequencing; and 750,000 reads per sample at minimum for 16 samples multiplexed on a lane. By developmental validations of the Precision ID Globalfiler ™ NGS STR Panel v2, Genexus presented competitive performance at the optimal assay parameters qualified to detect commonly used forensic STR markers. It could produce repeatable and reproducible results, and human profiles could be easily separated from nonhuman profiles. Additionally, Genexus was sensitive enough to detect samples with 100 pg of input DNA, and it was suitable for various types of case samples, especially for low copy number samples and degraded samples. Moreover, minor contributors could be detected between the 4:1 and 1:4 mixtures with an analysis threshold of 50 × . The Genexus workflow is a robust and labor-effective solution enabling forensic scientists to obtain NGS-STR profiles within a single day and with only the need to prepare DNA extracts, then set up Genexus, and finally interpret profiles on FNAS.     

Optimized variant calling for estimating kinship

One of the fundamental goals of forensic genetics is sample attribution, i.e., whether an item of evidence can be associated with some person or persons. The most common scenario involves a direct comparison, e.g., between DNA profiles from an evidentiary item and a sample collected from a person of interest. Less common is an indirect comparison in which kinship is used to potentially identify the source of the evidence. Because of the sheer amount of information lost in the hereditary process for comparison purposes, sampling a limited set of loci may not provide enough resolution to accurately resolve a relationship. Instead, whole genome techniques can sample the entirety of the genome or a sufficiently large portion of the genome and as such they may effect better relationship determinations. While relatively common in other areas of study, whole genome techniques have only begun to be explored in the forensic sciences. As such, bioinformatic pipelines are introduced for estimating kinship by massively parallel sequencing of whole genomes using approaches adapted from the medical and population genomic literature. The pipelines are designed to characterize a person’s entire genome, not just some set of targeted markers. Two different variant callers are considered, contrasting a classical variant calling algorithm (BCFtools) to a more modern deep convolution neural network (DeepVariant). Two different bioinformatic pipelines specific to each variant caller are introduced and evaluated in a titration series. Filters and thresholds are then optimized specifically for the purposes of estimating kinship as determined by the KING-robust algorithm. With the appropriate filtering and thresholds in place both tools perform similarly, with DeepVariant tending to produce more accurate genotypes, though the resultant types of inaccuracies tended to produce slightly less accurate overall estimates of relatedness     

Development and validation of a custom panel including 256 Y-SNPs for Chinese Y-chromosomal haplogroups dissection

Y-chromosomal haplogroups determined by Y-chromosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms (Y-SNPs) allow paternal lineage identification and paternal biogeographic ancestry inference, which has attracted a lot of interest in the forensic community. Recently, a comprehensive Y-SNP tool with dominant markers targeting haplogroups in R, E and I branches has been reported, which allows the inference of 640 Y haplogroups. It had a very good performance and could provide a high level of Y haplogroup resolution in most populations. However, the predominant haplogroups in the Chinese populations are O, C and N, suggesting that more Y-SNPs under these clades are needed to achieve the population-specific high resolution. Herein, aiming at the Chinese population, we presented a largely improved custom Y-SNP MPS panel that contains 256 carefully ascertained Y-SNPs based on our previous studies, and evaluated this panel via a series of tests, including the tests for concordance, repeatability, sensitivity, specificity, and stability, as well as the mixture, degraded and case-type sample analysis. The preliminary developmental validation demonstrated that this panel was highly reliable, sensitive, specific, and robust. In the sensitivity test, even when the DNA input was reduced to as low as 0.5 ng, the sample could still be assigned to the correct Y haplogroup. For mixture analysis, even the 1:99 (Male: Female) mixtures had no effects on the assignation of the Y haplogroup of the male contributor. In summary, this assay has provided a high-resolution Y-chromosomal haplogrouping workflow to determine a male’s paternal lineage and/or paternal biogeographic ancestry and could be widely used for Chinese Y-chromosomal haplogroups dissection.     

Paternal genetic structure of the Qiang ethnic group in China revealed by high-resolution Y-chromosome STRs and SNPs

The Qiang population mainly lived in Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County of Sichuan Province. It is one of the nomads in China, distributed along the Minjiang River. The Qiang population was assumed to have great affinity with the Han, the largest ethnic group in China, when it refers to the genetic origin. Whereas, it is deeply understudied, especially from the Y chromosome. Here in this study, we used validated high-resolution Y-chromosome single nucleotide polymorphisms (Y-SNPs) and short tandem repeats (Y-STRs) panels to study the Qiang ethnic group to unravel their paternal genetic, forensic and phylogenetic characteristics. A total of 422 male samples of the Qiang ethnic group were genotyped by 233 Y-SNPs and 29 Y-STRs. Haplogroup O-M175 (N = 312) was the most predominant haplogroup in the Qiang ethnic group, followed by D-M174 (N = 32) and C-M130 (N = 32), N-M231 (N = 27), and Q-M242 (N = 15). After further subdivision, O2a-M324 (N = 213) accounted for the majority of haplogroup O. Haplogroup C2b-Z1338 (N = 29), D1a-CTS11577 (N = 30). O2a2b1a1a1-F42 (N = 48), O2a1b1a1a1a-F11 (N = 35), and O2a2b1a1-M117 (N = 21) represented other large terminal haplogroups. The results unveiled that Qiang ethnic group was a population with a high percentage of haplogroup O2a2b1a1a1-F42 (48/422) and O2a1b1a1a1a-F11 (35/422), and O2a2b1a1-M117 (21/422), which has never been reported. Its haplogroup distribution pattern was different from any of the Han populations, implying that the Qiang ethnic group had its unique genetic pattern. Mismatch analysis indicated that the biggest mismatch number in haplogroup O2a2b1a1a1-F42 was 21, while that of haplogroup O2a1b1a1a1a-F11 was 20. The haplotype diversity of the Qiang ethnic group equaled 0.999788, with 392 haplotypes observed, of which 367 haplotypes were unique. The haplogroup diversity of the Qiang ethnic group reached 0.9767, and 53 terminal haplogroups were observed (The haplogroup diversity of the Qiang ethnic group was the highest among Qiang and all Han subgroups, indicating the larger genetic diversity of the Qiang ethnic group.). Haplogroup O2a2b1a1a1-F42 was the most predominant haplogroup, including 11.37 % of the Qiang individuals. Median-joining trees showed gene flow between the Qiang and Han individuals. Our results indicated that 1) the highest genetic diversity was observed in the Qiang ethnic group compared to any of the former studied Chinese population, suggesting that the Qiang might be an older paternal branch; 2) the haplogroup D-M174 individuals of Qiang, Tibetans and Japanese distributed in three different subclades, which was unable to identify through low-resolution Y-SNP panel; and 3) the Qiang had lower proportion of haplogroup D compared to Yi and Tibetan ethnic groups, showing that the Qiang had less genetic communication with them than with Han Chinese.