Zn deficiency (ZnD) is comorbid with chronic kidney disease and worsens kidney complications. Oxidative stress is implicated in the detrimental effects of ZnD. However, the sources of oxidative stress continue to be identified. Since NADPH oxidases (Nox) are the primary enzymes that contribute to renal reactive oxygen species generation, this study's objective was to determine the role of these enzymes in ZnD-induced oxidative stress. We hypothesized that ZnD promotes NADPH oxidase upregulation, resulting in oxidative stress and kidney damage. To test this hypothesis, wild-type mice were pair-fed a ZnD or Zn-adequate diet. To further investigate the effects of Zn bioavailability on NADPH oxidase regulation, mouse tubular epithelial cells were exposed to the Zn chelator N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine (TPEN) or vehicle followed by Zn supplementation. We found that ZnD diet-fed mice develop microalbuminuria, electrolyte imbalance, and whole kidney hypertrophy. These markers of kidney damage are accompanied by elevated Nox2 expression and HO levels. In mouse tubular epithelial cells, TPEN-induced ZnD stimulates HO generation. In this in vitro model of ZnD, enhanced HO generation is prevented by NADPH oxidase inhibition with diphenyleneiodonium. Specifically, TPEN promotes Nox2 expression and activation, which are reversed when intracellular Zn levels are restored following Zn supplementation. Finally, Nox2 knockdown by siRNA prevents TPEN-induced HO generation and cellular hypertrophy in vitro. Together, these findings reveal that Nox2 is a Zn-regulated enzyme that mediates ZnD-induced oxidative stress and kidney hypertrophy. Understanding the specific mechanisms by which ZnD contributes to kidney damage may have an important impact on the treatment of chronic kidney disease.
Introduction: Although smoking prevalence has recently declined, the smoking prevalence in China remains high. Extensive research has demonstrated ways that social media can assist in quitting smoking. WeChat is the most commonly used social media platform in China but has not been used for smoking cessation. A process evaluation of a novel WeChat-based smoking cessation intervention was conducted to measure its efficacy of content delivery, participant satisfaction, engagement, and likelihood of recommendation to others. Methods: A three-week, three-arm, single-blind randomized control trial was established. WeChat was used to recruit 403 participants and to deliver intervention messages and process evaluation surveys to them. Recruitment advertisements were posted on an official WeChat account and were forwarded to WeChat Moments. Intervention messages were delivered once a day during weekdays, using the WeChat broadcasting messages function, with two messages being sent each time. Process evaluation surveys were organized using Wenjuanwang and were delivered via WeChat. Process assessments were conducted every Friday to assess intervention message receipt, satisfaction level, engagement level, and recommendation to others. The receipt of intervention messages was measured by a self-reported question indicating which messages were read each week. Satisfaction was measured by a five-item Likert scale survey. Engagement was measured by a one-item Likert scale survey. Recommendation to others was measured by one self-reported question. Results: Participants read an average of 4.76 (out of 10), 5.80 (out of 10), and 4.25 (out of 6) messages at week 1, week 2, and week 3, respectively. The second messages were less likely to be read compared to the first messages (52.3% vs. 61.6%, respectively). Moreover, within each single week, the number of participants who read the intervention messages gradually decreases over time. Picture-based intervention messages tended to be less likely to be read than video-based intervention messages. Total program satisfaction scores ranged between 5 and 25, and the overall scores for satisfaction for each week were 21.55, 22.27, and 22.76, respectively. No significant differences were found in all the satisfaction indicators between groups. More than 60% of participants reported being either highly engaged or somewhat engaged each week. In addition, most participants (93.0% at week 1, 95.8% at week 2, and 96.2% at week 3) reported that they were willing to recommend our program to others. Discussion: A WeChat-based smoking cessation intervention for Chinese smokers was implemented and evaluated. For future studies, one should consider sending messages of a higher importance as the first message of a given day. Smokers had a higher rate of reading intervention messages at the beginning part of each week, during which, relatively important messages should be prioritized. One might also consider alternating the topics and formats of the messages for a better engagement of the users in future studies.
Excessive sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) consumption and abdominal obesity have been independently linked to numerous disorders, including diabetes and elevated C-reactive protein (CRP). This study aimed to explore the association between SSB intake, abdominal obesity, and inflammation in normal and prediabetic adults. Sugar intake from SSBs was calculated from 24-h dietary recalls and further classified into non-, medium-, and high-intake. The status of non- and prediabetes was identified based on hemoglobin A1c level. All analyses were performed under a survey module with appropriate sampling weights to control for the complex survey design. A total of 5250 eligible adults without diabetes were selected from the 2007–2010 NHANES. A 1.31-fold increased risk of developing prediabetes was observed in people who consumed high sugar from SSBs when compared to non-SSB consumers. Among individuals with prediabetes, adults who consumed a high amount of sugar from SSB had a 1.57-fold higher risk to increase CRP when compared to non-SSB consumers, even after adjusting for abdominal obesity. Furthermore, the association between the high amount of sugar intake from SSBs and elevated CRP was strengthened by abdominal obesity in prediabetes (p for interaction term = 0.030). Our findings highlight that a positive association between sugar intake from SSBs and CRP levels was only observed in US adults with prediabetes. Abdominal obesity may strengthen this effect in prediabetic adults with a high amount of sugar intake from SSBs.
Objective: To evaluate age-related differences in the independent/combined association of added sugar intake from soda and body adiposity with hyperuricemia in gender stratified US adults. Design: Consumption of added sugar from soda was calculated from 24-h dietary interviews and categorized into none, regular, and excessive consumption. Hyperuricemia was defined as serum uric acid levels >7 mg/dL in men and >6 mg/dL in women. Multiple regression models with interaction terms and logistic models adjusted for covariates were conducted under survey-data modules. Setting: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey during 2007-2016. Participants: 15,338 adults without gout, failing kidneys, an eGFR<30 or diabetes were selected. Results: The age stratified prevalence rate of hyperuricemia was 18.8-20.4% in males and 6.8-17.3% in females. Hyperuricemia prevalence of approximately 50% was observed in young and middle age males who consumed excessive added sugar from soda. Excessive added sugar intake was observed to be associated with a 1.5- to 2.0- fold and 2.0- to 2.3- fold increased risk of the probability of hyperuricemia in young and middle age males and middle age females, respectively. Study participants, regardless of age or gender, who were obese and consumed excessive added sugar from soda had the highest risk of having hyperuricemia. Conclusion: Our study revealed that the association between hyperuricemia and consumption of excessive added sugar from soda may vary by age and gender. Obese adults who consumed excessive added sugar from soda had the highest risk of hyperuricemia, a finding that was found across all age-specific groups for both genders.
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