[Analysis of the factors influencing the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms based on an online questionnaire].

Objective: To explore the variables associated with the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant during the epidemic in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). Methods: A cross-sectional study. During the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant pandemic from December 15, 2022, to March 15, 2023, COVID-19 related data for patients with MPN who were treated at Peking University People's Hospital were collected through an online questionnaire-based survey. All questionnaires and clinical data were checked by medical assistants. Logistic multivariate analysis was used to explore the prevalence and variables associated with the severity of COVID-19 in patients with MPN. Results: A total of 239 patients with MPN, including 90 (37.7%) presenting with essential thrombocythemia (ET), 50 (20.9%) with polycythemia vera (PV), and 99 (41.4%) with myelofibrosis (MF), were enrolled in the study. The 99 patients with MF included 87 (87.9%) with primary MF, 5 (5.1%) with post-PV MF, and 7 (7.1%) with post-ET MF. Overall, 239 (100%) patients reported that they experienced COVID-19 during the pandemic. Of these, 226 (94.6%) had mild disease, 4 (1.7%) had moderate disease, 7 (2.9%) had severe disease, and 2 (0.8%) had critical disease. Two (0.8%) patients with severe COVID-19 died, one of which suffered from MT and the other from PV. Multivariate analysis showed that older age (OR=2.36, 95%CI 1.24-4.49), MF (OR=10.22, 95%CI 1.13-92.80), or comorbidity (OR=5.25, 95%CI 1.25-22.03) were associated with a significantly higher risk of developing moderate, severe, or critical COVID-19. Among patients with MF, higher risk stratification reflected an increased risk of developing moderate, severe, or critical COVID-19 (P=0.034). Conclusion: During the omicron pandemic, older age, MF (especially higher-risk categories), and comorbidity were associated with a higher risk of developing moderate, severe, or critical COVID-19.

[Comparison of BCR::ABL (P210) mRNA levels detected by dPCR and qPCR methods in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia].

Objective: To compare digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) measurements of BCR::ABL (P210) mRNA expression in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) . Methods: In this non-interventional, cross-sectional study, BCR::ABL (P210) mRNA was simultaneously measured by dPCR and qPCR in peripheral blood samples collected from patients with CML who underwent tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy and who achieved at least a complete cytogenetic response from September 2021 to February 2023 at Peking University People's Hospital. The difference, correlation, and agreement between the two methods were evaluated using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Spearman's correlation, and Bland-Altman analysis, respectively. Results: In total, 459 data pairs for BCR::ABL mRNA expression measured by dPCR and qPCR from 356 patients with CML were analyzed. There was a significant difference in BCR::ABL mRNA expression between the two methods (P<0.001). When analyzed by the depth of the molecular response (MR), a significant difference only existed for patients with ≥MR4.5 (P<0.001). No significant difference was observed for those who did not achieve a major MR (no MMR; P=0.922) or for those who achieved a major MR (MMR; P=0.723) or MR4 (P=0.099). There was a moderate correlation between the BCR::ABL mRNA expression between the two methods (r=0.761, P<0.001). However, the correlation gradually weakened or disappeared as the depth of the MR increased (no MMR: r=0.929, P<0.001; MMR: r=0.815, P<0.001; MR4: r=0.408, P<0.001; MR4.5: r=0.176, P=0.176). In addition, the agreement in BCR::ABL mRNA expression between the two methods in those with MR4.5 was weaker than other groups (no MMR: ▉= 0.042, P=0.846; MMR:▉=0.054, P=0.229; MR4:▉=-0.020, P=0.399; MR4.5:▉=-0.219, P<0.001) . Conclusions: dPCR is more accurate than qPCR for measuring BCR::ABL (P210) mRNA expression in patients with CML who achieve a stable deep MR.

[Efficacy of conversion therapy and direct surgical resection in patients with metastatic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors].

Objective: To explore the prognosis of Chinese patients with metastatic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (PanNET) treated with conversion therapy and surgical resection. Methods: The pathological data and prognostic information was retrospectively collected of patients with metastatic PanNET treated in Fudan University Shanghai cancer center from January 2010 to May 2021, and propensity score matching was used to analyze the prognosis difference between conversion treatment followed surgery and direct surgery. Results: There were 58 males and 43 females in 101 patients with metastatic PanNET. The age raged from 18 to 74 years, with a median age of 51 years. A total of 88 patients received primary tumor with liver metastases resection, 1 receied of primary tumor resection and 12 received primary tumor resection and combined organs or extrahepatic metastases. Multivariate analysis showed that R2(HR=1.943,95%CI:1.262-2.990,P=0.003)resection and G3(HR=1.876,95%CI:1.001-3.516,P=0.05) were independent risk factors for postoperative progression of metastatic patients. There were 63 patients (62.4%) who had received direct surgery, and 38 patients (37.6%) who had received preoperative conversion therapy. The conversion therapy had a higher proportion of T3/T4 stage (68.1% vs 39.7%, P=0.007), resection with combined organs/extrahepatic metastasis (26.3% vs 9.5%, P=0.005) and R2 resection (71.1% vs 42.9%, P=0.005). The median progression-free survival (mPFS) between conversion therapy and direct surgery had no statistically significant, but after the propensity score matching the mPFS of the conversion therapy group was significantly longer than direct surgery group (HR=0.442,95%CI:0.207-0.943,P=0.027). Conclusions: Conversion therapy for partially metastatic PanNET is better than that of direct surgery. Radical resection and grade are independent prognostic factors for metastatic PanNET after resection.

[Serum metabolomics in latent pneumoconiosis tuberculosis patients based on ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry].

Objective: To explore the non-target metabonomics of serum in worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP) patients with latent tuberculosis and the biomarkers of latent tuberculosis infection of pneumoconiosis. Methods: In December 2018, 39 CWP inpatients from a hospital in Beijing were taken as subjects. The subjects were screened for latent tuberculosis using the in vitro release test of mycobacterium tuberculosis-interferon (IGRAs) test. According to the screening results, 21 positive patients with latent tuberculosis infection were selected as the latent tuberculosis group of pneumoconiosis. While 18 negative patients with CWP alone were selected as the pneumoconiosis group. Polarity components of metabolites were analyzed by UPLC-QTOF/MS. The data was processed with Progenesis QI software for multidimensional statistical analysis. Identification of structure of differential metabolites were matched through accurate mass and secondary mass spectrum. Searching the Human Metabolome Database (HMDB) , differential metabolites were imported into MetaboAnalyst 4.0 to analyze the metabolic pathways. Results: All 42 differential metabolites were screened out. Excepted for exogenous metabolites, 14 endogenous differential metabolites were identified. Compared with the pneumoconiosis group, 6 metabolites including PC [18∶4 (6Z, 9Z, 12Z, 15Z) /P-18∶1 (11Z) ], 3-Oxododecanoyl-CoA in the latent tuberculosis group were up-regulated, while 8 metabolites including the Stearoyl-CoA, (2S) -Pristanoyl-CoA were down-regulated. These results might be related to lipid, fatty acid and arachidonic acid metabolism pathways. Conclusion: There are significant differences in serum metabonomics between the patients with latent tuberculosis of pneumoconiosis and the patients with ordinary pneumoconiosis, which provide a reference for the study of biomarkers for the diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection of pneumoconiosis.

Vertical fast electron bremsstrahlung diagnostic on J-TEXT tokamak.

Fast electron bremsstrahlung (FEB) emission during Ohmic discharge experiments on the Joint Texas Experimental Tokamak (J-TEXT) has been measured by a recently developed vertical multi-channel FEB diagnostic based on CdZnTe detectors. There are 5 sight lines to observe the vertical emission of fast electrons at the high-field side with a spatial resolution of 5 cm. The FEB emission in the energy range of 30-300 keV can be measured. The generation of fast electrons accelerated by loop voltage has been confirmed during the early phase of discharge by analyzing the signals of FEB emission. The runaway electron beam instabilities have been observed with the FEB diagnostic on J-TEXT.

[2017 ENETS consensus guidelines: update for the standard of care of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors].

Neuroendocrine tumors(NET) is a rare tumor with high heterogeneity.Pancreatic NET is the most common type in China. European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society(ENETS) has launched the ENETS guidelines since 2006 and published the ENETS standard of care in 2009. With the newly targeted therapies and further research on NET, 2017 new edition of the ENETS standard of care has changed a lot in the diagnosis and treatment of NET. This article explains the update of pancreatic NET in the 2017 edition of the ENETS standard of care, and introduces pancreatic NET from pathology, imaging examination, surgery, systemic therapy, etc., and deepens the understanding of the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic NET.

[Expression and significance of IKKε in the specimens and cells of epithelial ovarian cancer].

Objective: To examine the expressions of IKKε protein in the specimens and cells of epithelial ovarian cancer and investigate the effect of IKKε inhibitor on cell proliferation and apoptosis. Methods: (1) A total of 118 cases of patients with the median age of 59 who have accepted surgical treatment due to ovarian cancer in the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University from January 2006 to April 2013 were selected. Twenty cases of patients with the median age of 55 who have accepted hysterectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy due to uterine leiomyoma during the same period were selected as the control. The expressions of IKKε protein were detected by immunohistochemistry in normal ovarian tissues and epithelial ovarian cancer specimens, and the relationship between the expressions of IKKε and the clinical features of patients was analyzed. IKKε protein was determined by western blot in various ovarian cancer cells, including SKOV3, OV2008, C13, A2780S, A2780CP, OV4, OV5, OV8, and CAOV3 treated with or without IKKε inhibitor. The cellular proliferation and apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells after 48 hours treatment of IKKε inhibitor were analyzed by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Results: (1) The immunohistochemical results showed that IKKε was highly expressed in epithelial ovarian cancer specimens with the expression rate 66.1% (78/118), compared with normal ovarian tissue with the expression rate 35.0% (7/20), which exhibited statistically significant difference (χ(2)=6.993, P=0.008). The expression of IKKε protein was correlated with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage, histological grade, the level of CA(125) in preoperative serum and distribution of the tumor (P<0.05), but no correlation with age, histological type, the incidence pattern, and tumor size (all P>0.05). (2) IKKε was widely overexpressed in different levels in SKOV3, OV2008, C13, A2780S, A2780CP, OV4, OV5, OV8, and CAOV3 cells, and the expression of IKKε decreased as the increase of the concentration of IKKε inhibitor (0.1 and 0.5 µmol/L) in OV2008, C13, A2780S, and A2780CP cells after 48 hours treatment. Different concentrations of IKKε inhibitor (0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, 10, and 25 µmol/L) significantly inhibited the proliferation of OV2008, C13, A2780S, A2780CP, and SKOV3 cells in a concentration-dependent manner (P<0.05), and the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) was 0.43, 0.86, 0.10, 0.19, and 0.24 µmol/L, respectively. The cell apoptotic rate of OV2008, C13, A2780S, A2780CP, and SKOV3 cells was significantly increased after 48 hours treatment of IKKε inhibitor with the concentration of 0.1 and 0.5 µmol/L (P<0.05). Conclusions: The IKKε protein in epithelial ovarian cancer specimens and cells is overexpressed. IKKε inhibitor could inhibit cellular proliferation and induce apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner. Together, the result indicated that IKKε may be a candidate target for the treatment of ovarian cancer in future.

MicroRNA-124 inhibits cell invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition by directly repressing Snail2 in gastric cancer.

OBJECTIVE: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) act as critical regulators of genes expression involved in tumor biological processes. The study aimed to investigate the clinical significance and biological role of miR-124 in gastric cancer (GC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: MiR-124 expression was analyzed from 88 GC tissues and adjacent normal tissues by quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank test was used to evaluate the association between miR-124 and the over survival (OS) time of GC patients. MTT assays and transwell invasion assays were performed to assess cell proliferation and invasion. The relationship between miR-124 and Snail2 expression was analyzed by dual luciferase reporter assay. Western blot analyses were performed to detect the relative protein expression. RESULTS: We found that miR-124 expression was significantly reduced in GC tissue samples when compared to the adjacent normal tissues (p<0.05). Lower miR-124 was found to be associated with tumor size (p=0.001), lymphatic metastasis (p=0.008) and TNM stage (p=0.015). Furthermore, patients who have lower miR-124 predicted poor OS time (p<0.05). Function studies suggested that cell proliferation and invasion ability of GC cells were inhibited by up-regulation of miR-124 expression. Moreover, we demonstrated that Snail2 was a direct target of miR-124. Meanwhile, miR-124 inhibited Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) process by repressing the Snail2 expression in GC cells. CONCLUSIONS: MiR-124 acted as a tumor suppressor in GC and may be a useful target for GC treatment.

The Kirkendall effect towards oxynitride nanotubes with improved visible light driven conversion of CO2 into CH4.

Functional hollow nanomaterials are of great interest due to their unique physical-chemical properties. Oxynitride photocatalysts are a kind of promising material for solar energy conversion. However, nanoscale design of hollow oxynitrides was difficult to achieve due to the thermal instability of oxide precursors at high temperature. Here, single crystal zinc gallium oxynitride nanotubes were successfully synthesized via the Kirkendall effect with ZnO nanorods and Ga2O3 nanosheets as precursors, which can be attributed to the high diffusion rate of ZnO and the high melting point of oxynitride. Enhanced photocatalytic performance in CO2 reduction was achieved over the as-prepared ZnGaNO nanotubes, due to their higher specific surface area and less recombination of the photogenerated carriers. These results are expected to provide new guidance in the design and preparation of highly efficient nano-scaled oxynitride photocatalysts.

Effect of nimodipine on rat spinal cord injury.

We evaluated the potentially protective effect of nimodipine on rat spinal cord injury. Sprague-Dawley rats received spinal cord injury, and were separated into nimodipine (N = 12) and saline groups (N = 12). Within 1 h of the injury, rats were treated intraperitoneally with nimodipine (1.0 mg/kg) or an equal amount of saline. Treatment was performed 3 times a day for 1 week. Operation BBB score and track experiment were used to measure the physical function of the hind legs 1 and 2 weeks after injury. Two weeks after the injury, malondialdehyde (MDA) content and spinal cord myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity of the injured part were determined, and the glial scar and dead room were studied using the immune tissue chemical test. ED1 was used to observe active gitter cell and macrophages. The physical function of the nimodipine group improved significantly (P < 0.01). Two weeks after injury, spinal cord MDA content in the spinal cord in the nimodipine group (nmol/g, 25.6 ± 9.7 vs 68.5 ± 16.7) and MPO activity (U/g, 252.2 ± 63.9 vs 382.8 ± 108.2) decreased significantly (P < 0.01); nimodipine whole dead space (mm2, 4.45 ± 1.28 vs 6.16 ± 2.65) and ED1 antibody immunity colored positive room (mm2, 1.87 ± 0.42 vs 2.86 ± 1.01) reduced significantly (P < 0.01). Nimodipine treatment could reduce oxidative injury after spinal cord injury, reduce the whole dead space and inflammation, and repair spinal cord injury.

Ultrasonic dissection versus conventional electrocautery during gastrectomy for gastric cancer: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE: Use of ultrasonic surgical instrument is gaining popularity for dissection and coagulation in open surgery. However, there is still no consensus on the efficacy and safety of its use compared with conventional surgical technique in open gastrectomy for gastric cancer. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the role and surgical outcomes of ultrasonic dissection (UD) compared with conventional electrocautery (EC). METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed to identify all studies comparing UD and EC in gastric cancer surgery. Intraoperative and postoperative outcomes were compared using weighted mean differences (WMDs) and odds ratios (ORs). RESULTS: Five studies were included in this meta-analysis, comprising 489 patients. Meta-analysis results showed that compared with EC, UD was associated with significantly shorter operation time (P = 0.03), less intraoperative blood loss (P = 0.002), lower morbidity (P = 0.02), and reduced postoperative hospital stay (P = 0.03). However, there was no significant difference between the two surgical techniques with regards to postoperative abdominal drainage (P = 0.17), and total cost in hospital (P = 0.59). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to EC, the use of UD during open gastrectomy can provide several improved outcomes for operation time, intraoperative blood loss, overall morbidity, and postoperative hospital stay. It appears that UD can be used instead of conventional EC in open gastric cancer surgery, although more larger trials with long follow-up should be performed.

Celastrol induces apoptosis and autophagy via the ROS/JNK signaling pathway in human osteosarcoma cells: an in vitro and in vivo study.

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant tumor of bone, the long-term survival of which has stagnated in the past several decades. Celastrol, a triterpene from traditional Chinese medicine, has been proved to possess potent anti-tumor effect on various cancers. However, the effect of celastrol on human osteosarcoma and the underlying mechanisms remains to be elucidated. We reported here that celastrol could inhibit cell proliferation by causing G2/M phase arrest. Exposure to celastrol resulted in the activation of caspase-3, -8, and -9, indicating that celastrol induced apoptosis through both extrinsic and intrinsic pathways. Autophagy occurred in celastrol-treated cells as evidenced by formation of autophagosome and accumulation of LC3B-II. The celastrol-induced cell death was remarkably restored by the combination of autophagy and apoptosis inhibitors. Furthermore, inhibition of apoptosis enhanced autophagy while suppression of autophagy diminished apoptosis. Celastrol also induced JNK activation and ROS generation. The JNK inhibitor significantly attenuated celastrol-triggered apoptosis and autophagy while ROS scavenger could completely reverse them. The ROS scavenger also prevented G2/M phase arrest and phosphorylation of JNK. Importantly, we found that celastrol had the similar effects on primary osteosarcoma cells. Finally, in vivo, celastrol suppressed tumor growth in the mouse xenograft model. Taken together, our results revealed that celastrol caused G2/M phase arrest, induced apoptosis and autophagy via the ROS/JNK signaling pathway in human osteosarcoma cells. Celastrol is therefore a promising candidate for development of antitumor drugs targeting osteosarcoma.

Analysis of drug-resistant gene detection of blaOXA-like genes from Acinetobacter baumannii.

Our study determines the resistance gene profile of a set of Acinetobacter baumannii hospital isolates. A. baumannii is responsible for nosocomial outbreaks and sporadic infections. We extracted and PCR amplified bacterial DNA isolated from patients with ages below 60 years (23.36%) and above 60 years (76.64%). Most of the patients were admitted in the ICU (36.13%) and pneumology departments (28.47%). Of 164 isolated strains, 16 (9.75%) contained OXA-51, 8 (4.88%) contained OXA-58, and 140 (85.37%) contained both OXA-51 and OXA-23. Additionally, 8 (7.41%) strains containing OXA-58 and 100 (92.59%) strains containing both OXA-51 and OXA-23 showed multidrug-resistance. Drug resistance rates of A. baumannii to amikacin, tobramycin-levofloxacin, and cotrimoxazole were above 90%, while drug resistance rates to ampicillin, cefotetan, cefazolin, cefoperazone, and nitrofurantoin were 100%. In conclusion, we found that isolated strains containing OXA-51 and OXA-23 were more likely to be resistant or have decreased sensitivity to carbapenems.

One-step synthesis of graphene-Au nanoparticle hybrid materials from metal salt-loaded micelles.

In this study, we present a facile one-step method to synthesize graphene-Au nanoparticle (NP) hybrid materials by using HAuCl4-loaded poly(styrene)-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-P2VP) micelles as solid carbon sources. N-doped graphene with controllable thickness can be grown from PS-P2VP micelles covered by a Ni capping layer by an annealing process; simultaneously, the HAuCl4 in the micelles were reduced into Au NPs under a reductive atmosphere to form Au NPs on graphene. The decoration of Au NPs leads to an obviously enhanced electrical conductivity and a slightly increased work function of graphene due to the electron transfer effect. The graphene-Au NP hybrid materials also exhibit a localized surface plasmon resonance feature of Au NPs. This work provides a novel and accessible route for the one-step synthesis of graphene-Au NP hybrid materials with high quality, which might be useful for future applications in optoelectronic devices.

Early clinical characteristics and pregnancy outcomes of patients with influenza A (H1N1) infection requiring mechanical ventilation during pregnancy.

The early clinical characteristics and pregnancy outcomes of H1N1-infected pregnant women with or without mechanical ventilation were compared. In H1N1-infected pregnant women with mechanical ventilation, the gestational age was greater, the early oxygenation index was lower and early-stage pneumonic lesions were wider than patients without mechanical ventilation. Moreover, compared with the non-mechanical ventilation group, the incidence of the adverse pregnancy outcomes was higher in the mechanical ventilation group.

Attenuation of MPTP/MPP(+) toxicity in vivo and in vitro by an 18-mer peptide derived from prosaposin.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic progressive neurological disorder with an increasing incidence in the aging population. Neuroprotective and/or neuroregenerative strategies remain critical in the treatment of this increasingly prevalent disease. Prosaposin is a neurotrophic factor whose neurotrophic activity is attributed to a stretch of 12 amino acids located at the N-terminal region of saposin C. The present study was performed to investigate the protective effect and mechanism of action of a prosaposin-derived 18-mer peptide (PS18: LSELIINNATEELLIKGL) in Parkinson's disease models. We used 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) or 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP(+))-induced dopaminergic neurotoxicity in C57BL/6J mice or SH-SY5Y cells and explored the protective effect and mechanisms of action of PS18 on dopaminergic neurons. Treatment with 2.0mg/kg PS18 significantly improved behavioral deficits, enhanced the survival of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neurons, and decreased the activity of astrocytes in the substantia nigra and striatum in MPTP-induced PD model mice. In vitro, a Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and Hoechst 33258 staining revealed that co-treatment with 300ng/mL PS18 and 5mM MPP(+) protected against MPP(+)-induced nuclear morphological changes and attenuated cell death induced by MPP(+). We also found that PS18-FAM entered the cells, and the retention time of PS18-FAM in the cytoplasm of MPP(+)-treated cells was shorter than that of untreated cells. In addition, PS18 showed protection from MPP(+)/MPTP-induced apoptosis in the SH-SY5Y cells and dopaminergic neurons in the PD model mice via suppression of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase/c-Jun pathway; upregulation of Bcl-2; downregulation of BAX, attenuating mitochondrial damage; and inhibition of caspase-3. These findings suggest that PS18 may provide a valuable therapeutic strategy for the treatment of progressive neurodegenerative diseases such as PD.

The effect of age and menopausal status on musculoskeletal symptoms in Chinese women aged 35-64 years.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms at four different anatomical sites and the impact of menopause, age, and other factors on musculoskeletal symptoms. METHODS: Generally healthy women aged 35-64 years were recruited from a general community in Beijing, People's Republic of China. Data were collected with a questionnaire including the basic conditions, menopausal status, and frequency of musculoskeletal symptoms (rarely, occasionally or frequently) during the previous 2 weeks at the neck, lower back, knee and other sites. The prevalences of frequent symptoms were calculated for each site. RESULTS: A total of 743 women were enrolled in the study; 33.4% complained of frequent lower back pain, 31.0% of frequent knee pain, 29.7% of frequent neck pain, 25.6% of joint pain at other sites, 23.6% of joint stiffness and 21.1% of hand joint swelling. Postmenopausal women experienced a significantly higher prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms compared with premenopausal women. There was a peak in prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms at early postmenopause. The prevalences of neck pain and lower back pain were not associated with age, but did increase during the perimenopausal stage. The prevalences of knee pain, joint stiffness and hand joint swelling increased significantly with age. Higher body mass index (BMI) was related to increased prevalences of knee pain, joint stiffness and hand joint swelling. Logistic regression analysis showed odds ratios for knee pain, joint stiffness and hand joint swelling of 2.256, 1.865 and 1.955, respectively, in the obese women (BMI ≥ 28 kg/m(2)), compared with women with normal BMI (< 24 kg/m(2)). CONCLUSION: Menopause is known to be a time of increased musculoskeletal symptoms, but the association of musculoskeletal symptoms with age and BMI also should be considered.

Apoptosis is related to imbalance of Th1/Th2-type cytokine in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with chronic hepatitis B.

KEYWORDS: peripheral blood mononuclear cells; apoptosis; cytokine; hepatitis B virus.

Analysis of antigen epitopes and molecular pathogenic characteristics of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic influenza A virus in China.

In order to further predict the epidemic trend and develop vaccines for 2009 H1N1 virus, we monitored its epitopes and molecular pathogenic characteristics during the epidemic process. We also analyzed the similarity of antigenic and genetic characteristics among the novel 2009 H1N1, representative seasonal H1N1 strains, and vaccine strains. 2009 H1N1 isolates had high similarity of hemagglutinin (HA) antigenic sites with H1N1 viruses isolated before 1940 and up to 80.0% similarity with 1918 H1N1. The elderly people born before 1940 have relatively low 2009 H1N1 infection rate, which might be responsible for their previous infection with either 1918 H1N1 virus or an early progeny. Compared to seasonal H1N1 vaccine strains from 1999 to 2010, the HA, neuraminidase (NA), and nucleoprotein (NP) proteins of the isolates had highly conserved CTL epitopes (60.5-65.8%, 69.6-82.6%, and 76.7%, respectively). The seriousness and mortality rate of 2009 H1N1 infections were similar to seasonal influenza, which may be related to the molecular characteristics of low toxicity of 2009 H1N1 and cross-T-cell immunity, due to vaccination or exposure to seasonal H1N1 virus. Some strains of 2009 H1N1 acquired mutations at antigenic and glycosylation sites. It is of particular interest that Haishu/SWL110/10 and Beijing/SE2649/09, isolated after November 2009, gained a new glycosylation site at the position 179 of HA protein, near the RBD. Thus, in the future, vaccination with glycosylated 2009 H1N1 virus may prevent the seasonal epidemic caused by strains with glycosylation site mutation near the receptor binding domain (RBD).