Hyperpolarized [1,4‐13C]‐diethylsuccinate: a potential DNP substrate for in vivo metabolic imaging

The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle performs an essential role in the regulation of energy and metabolism, and deficiencies in this pathway are commonly correlated with various diseases. However, the development of non‐invasive techniques for the assessment of the cycle in vivo has remained challenging. In this work, the applicability of a novel imaging agent, [1,4‐¹³C]‐diethylsuccinate, for hyperpolarized ¹³C metabolic imaging of the TCA cycle was explored. In vivo spectroscopic studies were conducted in conjunction with in vitro analyses to determine the metabolic fate of the imaging agent. Contrary to previous reports (Zacharias NM et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012; 134: 934–943), [¹³C]‐labeled diethylsuccinate was primarily metabolized to succinate‐derived products not originating from TCA cycle metabolism. These results illustrate potential issues of utilizing dialkyl ester analogs of TCA cycle intermediates as molecular probes for hyperpolarized ¹³C metabolic imaging. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Determination of plasma antiglycan autoantibodies in patients with IgA nephropathy and the correlation with clinical characteristics

Objective To establish the measurement of IgA1 O-glycan-specific antiglycan autoantibodies in patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN), and evaluate their role in the development and progression of IgAN. Methods In the IgAN regular follow-up cohort of Peking University Institute of Nephrology from January 2006 to December 2015, 170 patients drawn by stratified randomization were enrolled in this study. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the levels of plasma galactose-deficient IgA1 (Gd-IgA1) and antiglycan autoantibody (IgG and IgA1). The correlation between antiglycan autoantibodies and clinicopathological parameters was analyzed by linear correlation and multiple linear regression analysis. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to evaluate the value of plasma anti glycide antibodies in the diagnosis of IgAN. Results IgG and IgA1 antiglycan autoantibodies that specifically recognized Fab-hinge region (Fab-HR) antigens could be detected in both IgAN and healthy control group. Agglutinin inhibition test showed that the specific antigen epitope was N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) residue exposed to galactose deficiency in IgA1 hinged region. There was no significant difference in the absolute levels of plasma IgG antiglycan autoantibodies between IgAN and healthy controls (P=0.963). After adjustment of the plasma level of IgG, the normalized antiglycan autoantibody (ln[IgG antiglycan antibody/IgG]) in patients with IgAN was significantly higher than that in healthy controls (0.58±0.31 vs 0.37±0.11, P﹤0.01). The normalized level of IgG antiglycan autoantibody in IgAN patients was positively correlated with 24 h urine protein level during renal biopsy (Spearman r=0.183, P﹤0.05), and was also significantly correlated with 24 h urinary protein level after adjusting for baseline clinical and pathological factors (β=0.713, 95%CI 0.323-1.102, P﹤0.01). The area under ROC curve (AUC) of normalized IgG antiglycan autoantibody in the diagnosis of IgAN was 0.764 (95% CI 0.682-0.845, P﹤0.05). Using the cut-off value of 0.396, the sensitivity and specificity of normalized IgG antiglycan autoantibody for IgAN were 0.729 and 0.700 respectively. There was no significant difference in the absolute or normalized levels of IgA1 antiglycan autoantibodies between IgAN patients and healthy controls. Conclusions Gd-IgA1-specific antiglycan autoantibodies can be detected both in IgAN patients and healthy controls. They are elevated in some patients with IgAN and possibly involved in the development of IgAN.     

Associations between physical activity and sedentary time on components of metabolic syndrome among adults with HIV

Recent data show that people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) are at a greater risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), which could possibly be explained by an increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) due to the known toxicities associated with antiretroviral therapy (ART). The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between physical activity (PA) and components of MetSyn in a sample of PLWHA taking ART. A total of 31 males and 32 females living with HIV and currently taking ART were enrolled in a home-based PA intervention aimed to reduce risk factors for CVD. Clinical assessments included measures of resting blood pressure (BP), waist circumference, height, weight, PA levels via accelerometer, and a fasted blood draw. Components of MetSyn were divided into three clusters (1 = 0–1; 2 = 2; 3 = 3 or more). A one-way analysis of variance was used to determine differences between clusters. Multiple linear regressions were used to identify significant associations between moderate intensity PA (MPA) and sedentary time among components of MetSyn. MPA was significantly lower across MetSyn clusters (p < 0.001), whereas sedentary time was significantly higher (p = 0.01). A multiple linear regression showed MPA to be a significant predictor of waist circumference after controlling for age, race, gender, and sedentary time. Routine PA can be beneficial in helping PLWHA reduce waist circumference ultimately leading to metabolic improvements. This in turn would help PLWHA self-manage known components of MetSyn, thus reducing their risk of CVD and mortality.