Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a reliable measurement of arterial stiffness. Our study assesses the association between body mass index (BMI) and brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV) in a healthy cohort and seeks to explain possible mechanisms associated with the obesity paradox. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 578 normal individuals. The mean age was 48.3 ± 14.6 years, and 468 (81.0%) were men. 288 subjects (49.8%) were overweight and obese. baPWV and ankle-brachial index (ABI) were performed to evaluate arterial stiffness and atherosclerosis respectively. Normal weight was defined as 18.5 < BMI <25 kg/m2, overweight as 25 ≤ BMI < 28 kg/m2 and obesity as BMI ≥28 kg/m2. The overweight/obese subjects had significantly higher baPWV than the normal-weight group (1490.0 ± 308.0/1445.2 ± 245.2 cm/s vs 1371.2 ± 306.4 cm/s, P < .001). For the whole cohort, baPWV showed a significant positive correlation with BMI (r = 0.205, P < .001). However, baPWV was significantly lower as BMI increased: 1490.0 ± 308.0 cm/s (overweight); 1445.2 ± 245.2 cm/s (obese); P < .001) when adjusted for age, gender, heart rate, mean blood pressure, and cardiovascular risk factors (glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein). For the whole cohort BMI was negatively associated with baPWV (β = −0.06, P = .042). ABI showed no relationship with BMI. In a middle-age healthy Chinese population, arterial stiffness measured as baPWV increased with BMI. Evidence of reduced arterial stiffness with increasing BMI when accounting for all other cardiovascular risk factors may contribute to underlying factors involved in the obesity paradox that becomes more prominent with increasing age.

Background Primary lung acinic cell carcinoma is very rare. Here we report a young female patient who suffered the largest primary lung acinic cell carcinoma with severe mediastinal deviation which has never been reported before. We also reviewed data and features of 20 previously reported cases of primary lung acinic cell carcinoma who underwent lobectomy. Case presentation A 27-year-old female patient presented with recurrent coughing and hemoptysis for more than 10 years came to our hospital. A chest computed tomography (CT) showed a giant space-occupying lesion in the hilum of right lung. After a thorough and detailed preoperative examination, the patient then was performed a radical right pneumonectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection. The size of the tumor was about 8.6 × 4.5 × 4.4 cm. The pathological results demonstrated a primary acinic cell carcinoma of right lung. The immunohistochemistry of the tumor showed AE1/AE3 (+), Ki-67 (2% +), CK7 (+), Vimentin (+), CK19 (+), α1-ACT (+), AB-PAS (+), S-100 (−), TTF-1 (−). The patient was discharged less than 2 weeks after the operation. So far, the patient has been followed-up for 2 years, and no evidence of tumor recurrence or metastasis was observed. Conclusions The primary acinic cell carcinoma of lung in this case is the biggest one ever reported and also the first case treated with radical right pneumonectomy. In addition, the patient had a very rare condition of severe mediastinal deviation at the same time. After surgical treatment, the patient recovered uneventfully and had stable disease without recurrence and metastasis after 2 years of follow-up. This case together with the reported case indicate that primary acinic cell carcinoma of lung is of low malignancy, the prognosis and therapy effect of surgical treatment are relatively satisfactory.

Objective Tumor cells rely heavily on glycolysis regardless of oxygen tension, a phenomenon called the Warburg effect. Hexokinase II (HKII) catalyzes the first irreversible step of glycolysis and is often overexpressed in tumor cells. Mitochondrial HKII couples glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation while maintaining mitochondrial membrane integrity. In this study, we investigated the role of HKII in promoting the Warburg effect in cancer cells. Methods HKII-mediated phosphorylation of the alpha subunit of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDHA1) was tested in HEK293T cells and clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) specimens using gene knockdown, western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence. Results It was determined that HKII could not only transform glucose into glucose-6-phosphate, but also transfer the phosphate group of ATP onto PDHA1. In addition, it was found that HKII increased the phosphorylation of Ser293 on PDHA1, decreasing pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex activity and thus rerouting the metabolic pathway and promoting the Warburg effect. The overexpression of HKII correlated with the phosphorylation of PDHA1 and disease progression in ccRCC. Conclusions The data presented here suggest that HKII is an important biomarker in the evaluation and treatment of cancer.

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