OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated serum levels of the neuropeptides calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and substance P (SP) in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with and without a history of diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS: Patients undergoing coronary angiography for suspected myocardial ischaemia were divided into four groups depending on their clinical status: control group (no CAD or DM; n = 44), DM group (DM without CAD; n = 46), CAD group (stable CAD without DM; n = 44) and DM + CAD group (stable CAD with DM; n = 50). Serum levels of CGRP and SP were determined using radioimmunoassays. RESULTS: CGRP and SP levels in the DM and CAD groups were significantly lower than in the control group. The lowest levels of CGRP and SP were observed in the DM + CAD group. There were no significant differences in CGRP and SP levels between the DM group and the CAD group. CONCLUSION: CGRP and SP may have a role in the pathogenesis of CAD in patients with diabetes.

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ContentsThe aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of cryopreservation of inter-subspecies cloned embryos in buffalo. In our experiment, river buffalo ear fibroblast nucleus was fused into swamp buffalo oocyte cytoplasm. The blastocyst formation rate for nuclear transfer of freshly thawed cells was not different from those of growing cells, confluent or serumstarved cells. A total of 122 cloned blastocysts derived from cryopreserved fibroblasts were cryopreserved and thawed, 37 were survived, the cryosurvival rate was 30.3%. The survived blastocysts were transferred into 15 recipient buffalos. Five of the recipients established pregnancy, but four of them aborted on day 53, 59, 145 and 179 of gestation respectively. One crossbred buffalo (Murrah · Swamp buffalo (2n = 49) received three embryos delivered a 40.5 kg female calf by natural delivery on day 320 of gestation. Up to now (13-month old), the cloned calf has been growing well with no abnormity observed. These results demonstrated that cryopreservation of inter-subspecies cloned embryos is feasible to produce buffalo offspring.

IntroductionEmerging evidence in the literature has suggested fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) and the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) are integral in bile acid synthesis, glucose and lipid metabolism. Reduced level of FGF19 and reduced feedback via the FXR are associated with idiopathic bile acid malabsorption (BAM) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), leading to the research and development of FXR agonists as potential treatment.In this retrospective case control study, we examined the correlation between BAM and NAFLD in the district general hospital population in light of recent findings in the literature.MethodPatients who had tauroselcholic [ 75selenium] acid (SeHCAT) scan (Defined as <15% bile acid retention at day 7) between December 2012 to March 2016, with additional liver imaging (Ultrasound, CT, MRI) were included in the study. Patients with normal SeHCAT and fatty liver disease on imaging were identified as the control group. Patients with incomplete SeHCAT scans, and patients who had SeHCAT scan but no additional liver imaging were excluded from the study. Clinic letters were subsequently reviewed to ascertain cause of BAM and fatty liver disease. Patients with a diagnosis of alcoholic fatty liver disease were excluded.ResultsBAM subgroup analysis- 93 type 2 (idiopathic), 39 type 1 (Terminal ileal pathology), 25 type 3 (Other GI causes). Further subgroup analysis was not possible, but the majority of the included patients had Type 2 BAM.ConclusionOur study has shown that in patients with BAM who subsequently had liver imaging, 34% were also diagnosed with NAFLD. In comparison only 11.96% in the control group were diagnosed with NAFLD (p=0.0003, OR=3.8). It is likely that patients with Type 2 BAM are over represented, but that is reflective of our clinical experience. An expanded bile acid pool in these patients may be mechanistic by increasing LDL cholesterol and reducing HDL cholesterol. A number of other factors have recognised influences on hepatic fat metabolism and the progressive impact of bile acid sequestration on the hepatic bile acid pool and subsequent hepatic fat load is uncertain.In summary, the increased prevalence of NAFLD in patients with BAM may indicate clinical value in screening these malabsorptive patients with hepatic ultrasound. Bile acid sequestration may have little impact on reducing hepatic fat, but there may be benefit from addressing lifestyle factors such as exercise and weight loss.Disclosure of InterestNone DeclaredAbstract OC-023 Figure 1