[Methylated SDC2 testing in stool DNA for early screening of colorectal cancer in Shipai Town, Dongguan City].

Objective: To explore the utility of stool-based DNA test of methylated SDC2 (mSDC2) for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening in residents of Shipai Town, Dongguan City. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Using a cluster sampling method, residents of 18 villages in Shipai Town, Dongguan City were screened for CRC from May 2021 to February 2022. In this study, mSDC2 testing was employed as a preliminary screening method. Colonoscopy examination was recommended for individuals identified as high-risk based on the positive mSDC2 tests. The final screening results, including the rate of positive mSDC2 tests, the rate of colonoscopy compliance, the rate of lesions detection, and the cost-effectiveness of screening, were analyzed to explore the benefits of this screening strategy. Results: A total of 10 708 residents were enrolled and completed mSDC2 testing, giving a participation rate of 54.99% (10 708/19 474) and a pass rate of 97.87% (10 708/10 941). These individuals included 4 713 men (44.01%) and 5 995 women (55.99%) with a mean age of (54.52±9.64) years. The participants were allocated to four age groups (40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70-74 years), comprising 35.21%(3770/10 708), 36.25% (3882/10 708), 18.84% (2017/10 708), and 9.70% (1039/10 708) of all participants, respectively. mSDC2 testing was positive in 821/10 708 (7.67%) participants, 521 of whom underwent colonoscopy, resulting in a compliance rate of 63.46% (521/821). After eliminating of 8 individuals without pathology results, data from 513 individuals were finally analyzed. Colonoscopy detection rate differed significantly between age groups (χ2=23.155, P<0.001),ranging from a low of 60.74% in the 40-49 year age group to a high of 86.11% in the 70-74 year age group. Colonoscopies resulted in the diagnosis of 25 (4.87%) CRCs, 192 (37.43%) advanced adenomas, 67 (13.06%) early adenomas, 15 (2.92%) serrated polyps, and 86 (16.76%) non- adenomatous polyps. The 25 CRCs were Stage 0 in 14 (56.0%) individuals, stage I in 4 (16.0%), and Stage II in 7(28.0%). Thus, 18 of the detected CRCs were at an early stage. The early detection rate of CRCs and advanced adenomas was 96.77% (210/217). The rate of mSDC2 testing for all intestinal lesions was 75.05% (385/513). In particular, the financial benefit of this screening was 32.64 million yuan, and the benefit-cost ratio was 6.0. Conclusion: Screening for CRCs using stool-based mSDC2 testing combined with colonoscopy has a high lesion detection rate and a high cost-effectiveness ratio. This is a CRC screening strategy that deserves to be promoted in China.

Short- and long-term prognosis of glycemic control in COVID-19 patients with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: To systematically evaluate the associations between glycemic control and short- to long-term outcomes in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). DESIGN AND METHODS: A multi-center prospective cohort study including 574 COVID-19 patients with T2D was conducted in Wuhan, China. All patients were followed-up 1 year after hospital discharge using a uniformed questionnaire including self-reported symptoms, and the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease assessment test items. RESULTS: Of the 574 patients, 443 (77.2%) had well-controlled blood glucose. Glycemic control was significantly associated with decreased risk of death [odds ratio (OR) 0.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.10-0.57], intensive care unit admission (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.10-0.49), invasive mechanical ventilation (OR 0.25, 95% CI 0.08-0.72), disease progression (OR 0.25, 95% CI 0.11-0.55), and composite outcome (OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.14-0.49). The top five long-term sequelae include fatigue (31.5%), sweating (21.2%), chest tightness (15.1%), anxiety (12.2%), myalgia (10.6%) and short breath (6.4%). Glycemic control was associated with decreased risk of respiratory sequelae (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.18-0.99; P = 0.048). CONCLUSIONS: Glycemic control was significantly associated with short-term outcomes in COVID-19 patients with T2D and showed a significant association with long-term respiratory sequelae. The management and control of blood glucose has a positive impact on prognosis of COVID-19.

Effects of cage size on growth performance, blood biochemistry, and antibody response in layer breeder males during rearing stage.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of cage size on growth performance, blood biochemistry, and antibody response in layer breeder males during rearing stage. 575 one-day-old Jinghong layer breeder males were randomly allocated into 3 treatments and reared in 3 cage sizes: large (160 × 160 × 62 cm; LC), medium (120 × 120 × 62 cm; MC), and small (80 × 70 × 62 cm; SC). The stocking density of birds in 3 treatments was kept identical and adjusted every 2 wk, from 45 birds/m2 during the period of 0 to 2 wk of age to 12 birds/m2 during the period of 17 to 18 wk of age. Body weight and shank length were measured every 2 wk, and then the daily weight gain and daily feed intake were calculated. Tibia length and breaking strength were determined at 8 wk of age. Blood parameters including malodiadehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and corticosterone (CORT), and antibody titers against avian influenza viruses H5N1 (Re-5 strain) and H9N2 (Re-2 strain) and Newcastle disease virus in response to vaccination were determined at 18 wk of age, respectively. Body weight, shank length, and daily weight gain of birds in LC were similar with those in MC, and were greater than those in SC at 18 wk of age (P < 0.05), respectively. No significant difference was found in average daily feed intake among the 3 treatments from 11 to 18 wk of age. Birds in LC and MC had the similar tibia length; however, birds in SC were smaller (P < 0.05). Tibia breaking strength of birds in LC was higher than those in SC (P < 0.05), respectively. Birds in LC showed lower plasma MDA, GSH-Px, SOD, and CORT contents than those in MC and SC (P < 0.05); however, birds in LC exhibited higher levels of serum antibody titers against H5N1 and H9N2 avian influenza viruses as compared with MC and SC (P < 0.05). Consequently, LC and MC were superior to SC and were beneficial for birds' growth and development.

The protective effect of chlorogenic acid on bovine mammary epithelial cells and neutrophil function.

Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is the ester of caffeic acid and quinic acid and plays an important role in antibacterial activity and anti-inflammatory properties. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of CGA on the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and the mRNA levels of the genes encoding the inflammatory response cytokines, κ-casein, and neutrophil function in bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMEC) exposed to S. aureus. Chlorogenic acid has important antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory functions; however, the effect of CGA on BMEC and neutrophils exposed to S. aureus has not been investigated previously. Our results demonstrated that 10, 20, and 30 µg/mL CGA had no cytotoxic effects on BMEC in culture, and that 20 µg/mL CGA enhanced the viability of BMEC exposed to S. aureus, whereas 30 µg/mL CGA reduced S. aureus growth after 9 h compared with controls. The rate of S. aureus invasion into BMEC was also attenuated by 30 µg/mL CGA compared with controls, whereas this treatment led to reduced abundance of IL6, IL8, and TLR2 mRNA in S. aureus-exposed BMEC. Migration of bovine polymorphonuclear leukocytes was significantly decreased in S. aureus-exposed BMEC with 10 and 20 µg/mL CGA treatment when compared with S. aureus treatment alone. In addition, incubation with 20 or 30 µg/mL CGA enhanced the phagocytic ability of polymorphonuclear leukocytes compared with the control group. Importantly, levels of κ-casein were enhanced by treatment of S. aureus-exposed BMEC with CGA. Our results suggest that the use of CGA may be a potent therapeutic tool against bovine mastitis caused by S. aureus.

[Effect of ceramic thickness and resin cement shades on final color of heat-pressed ceramic veneers].

Objective: To analyze the effect of ceramic materials thickness and resin cement shades on the final color of ceramic veneers in the discolored teeth, and to investigate the color agreement of try-in pastes to the corresponding resin cements. Methods: Sixty artificial maxillary central incisor teeth (C2 shade) were used to simulate the natural discolored teeth and prepared according to veneer tooth preparation protocol. Veneers of different thickness in the body region (0.50 and 0.75 mm) were fabricated using ceramic materials (LT A2 shade, IPS e.max Press). The ceramic veneer specimens were bonded to the artificial teeth using the 6 shades of resin cements (Variolink Veneer: shades of LV-3, LV-2, HV+3; RelyX™ Veneer: shades of TR, A3, WO) (n=5). A clinical spectrophotometer was used to measure the color parameters of ceramic veneers at the cervical, body and incisal regions. Color changes of veneers before and after cementation were calculated and registered as ΔE1, and the changes between try-in paste and the corresponding resin cements were registered as ΔE2. Results: Three-way ANOVA indicated that ΔE1 and ΔE2 values were significantly affected by the ceramic thickness, resin cement shades and measuring regions (P<0.05). The ΔE1 values of six shades ranged from 0.59-8.27. The ΔE1 values were more than 2.72 when the ceramic veneers were cemented with resin cements in shades of HV+3 and WO. The ΔE2 values of six shades ranged from 0.60-2.56. The shades of HV+3, WO and A3 resin cements were more than 1.60. Conclusions: Different thickness of ceramic materials, resin cement shades and measuring regions could affect the final color of ceramic veneers. The color differences of some resin cements and corresponding try-in pastes might be observed in clinical practice.

Association of TNF-α gene variations with thoracic aortic dissection risk in a Chinese Han population.

BACKGROUND: Chronic inflammation may be involved in pathogenesis of thoracic aortic dissection (TAD). Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is a proinflammatory cytokine that plays an important role in pathological TAD progression. In this study, we determined wether genetic variants of TNF-α were associated with TAD. METHODS: Frequency distributions of TNF-α promoter polymorphisms (-1031C/T,-857C/T,-308G/A, and -238G/A) were determined by direct sequencing. TNF-α plasma levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Plasma levels of TNF-α mRNA in peripheral-blood mononuclear cells were analyzed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction amplification. RESULTS: We found the TNF-α promoter -857C/T polymorphism is associated with disease progression susceptibility in TAD patients. The CC homozygote of TAD patients had a significantly higher risk of TAD than did T allele carriers (P< 0.05). Plasma TNF-α concentrations were also significantly higher in TAD patients than control subjects (P<0.05), and CC genotype carriers showed increased TNF-α levels compared with T allele carriers (P<0.05). Moreover, peripheral-blood mononuclear cells carrying the CC genotype showed increased TNF-α mRNA levels compared with cells carrying the T allele. CONCLUSIONS: The -857C/T polymorphism of TNF-α promoter plays a role in the genetic variation underlying susceptibility of individuals to TAD progression. The CC genotype is associated with increased TNF-α expression in TAD patients, and may be an independent predictive factor for TAD.

Molecular cloning and expression of the duplicated thyroid hormone responsive spot 14 (THRSP) genes in ducks.

Thyroid hormone responsive Spot 14 (THRSP) is suggested as a transcription factor involved in the regulation of adipogenic enzymes by 3 thyroid response elements in the promoter region. In the chicken genome, THRSP gene was identified to duplicate into 2 paralogs, THRSPalpha and THRSPbeta. In the current study, cDNA sequences of the duplicated duck THRSP genes were cloned by real-time PCR and rapid amplification of cDNA ends. Duck THRSPalpha and THRSPbeta were predicted to encode peptides with 133 amino acids, which had 74 and 68% sequence identity at cDNA level, 78 and 74% identity at amino acid level to the chicken counterparts, respectively. A high percentage (73.1%) of G and C nucleotides were found in the 3' untranslated region of duck THRSPbeta cDNA. Although a low similarity of peptide composition was shared between ducks and mammals, and a moderate similarity was shared between ducks and chickens, many predicted properties of THRSP, including the pI, subcellular localization and functional domains seemed to be highly conserved. The present study demonstrated that the duck THRSP gene duplicates into the 2 paralogs as in chickens. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the duplication for THRSP paralogs appeared to have taken place preceding the chicken-duck split, and the diverging rate between THRSP paralogs seemed faster in the chicken genome than that in the duck genome. Expression analysis by real-time quantitative PCR showed that THRSP paralogs in ducks were more actively transcribed in fat tissues (i.e., s.c. fat and abdominal fat) than in liver, and the mRNA concentrations of THRSPbeta were higher than that of THRSPalpha in liver and s.c. fat.