[Clinical significance of oxidized low-density lipoprotein antibody in antiphospholipid syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the significance and distribution of oxidized low-density lipoprotein antibodies (ox-LDL-Ab) in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). METHODS: In this study, 334 patients who were hospitalized in the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Peking University People's Hospital were included. There were 162 APS patients, 122 patients with other autoimmune diseases without thrombosis or obstetric disease as disease control and 50 healthy controls. The clinical data and laboratory indicators were retrospectively collected. The ox-LDL-Ab, anticardiolipin (aCL) IgG/IgA/IgM, and anti-ß2-glycoprotein Ⅰ (aß2GPI) IgG/IgA/IgM were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The relationship between ox-LDL-Ab and clinical and laboratory parameters were analyzed by SPSS 27.0. RESULTS: In APS group, 60.5% of patients had thrombosis, 48.1% had pregnancy morbidity, 34.0% had thrombocytopenia. The positive rates of aCL, aß2GPI and lupus anticoagulant (LAC) were 17.9%, 34.6%, and 46.9%, respectively. The ox-LDL-Ab titers and positive rate in APS group were higher than that in healthy controls [titers: 40.8 (25.4-66.0) U/mL vs. 24.1 (12.3-36.5) U/mL, P=0.001; positive rate: 67.3% vs. 36.0%, P=0.001]. The diffe-rences in titers and positive rate of ox-LDL-Ab between APS patients and disease controls were not statistically significant [titers: 40.8 (25.4-66.0) U/mL vs. 35.9 (24.2-53.1) U/mL, P=0.118; positive rate: 67.3% vs. 61.5%, P=0.318]. The area under curve (AUC) for aß2GPI, aCL, and ox-LDL-Ab were 0.745 (95%CI: 0.692-0.797), 0.666 (95%CI: 0.608-0.724), 0.609 (95%CI: 0.549-0.669), respectively. The Youden's index was 0.388, 0.269, and 0.132, respectively. The AUC for ox-LDL-Ab in seronegative APS patients was 0.562 (95%CI: 0.480-0.645). The sensitivity and specificity of ox-LDL-Ab in seronegative APS patients were 63.9% and 47.0%, respectively, and the Youden's index was 0.109. The ox-LDL-Ab positive group had higher positive rate of aß2GPI (42.2% vs. 18.9%, P=0.003) and aCL (22.9% vs. 7.5%, P=0.017) than the ox-LDL-Ab negative group. There was no correlation between ox-LDL-Ab and thrombosis, coronary artery disease, pregnancy morbidity, hyperlipidemia, hypocomplementemia, and LAC positivity. CONCLUSION: Ox-LDL-Ab was correlated with aCL and aß2GPI, and no association were observed between ox-LDL-Ab and thrombosis, coronary artery disease, and pregnancy morbidity.

The Circadian Clock in the Retinal Pigment Epithelium Controls the Diurnal Rhythm of Phagocytic Activity.

The diurnal peak of phagocytosis by the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) of photoreceptor outer segments (POS) is under circadian control and believed that this process involves interactions from the retina and RPE. Previous studies have demonstrated that a functional circadian clock exists within multiple retinal cell types and RPE. Thereby, the aim of this study was to determine whether the clock in the retina or RPE controls the diurnal phagocytic peak and whether disruption of the circadian clock in the RPE would affect cellular function and the viability during aging. To that, we generated and validated an RPE tissue-specific KO of the essential clock gene, Bmal1, and then determined the daily rhythm in phagocytic activity by the RPE in mice lacking a functional circadian clock in the retina or RPE. Then, using electroretinography, spectral domain-optical coherence tomography, and optomotor response of visual function we determined the effect of Bmal1 removal in young (6 months) and old (18 months) mice. RPE morphology and lipofuscin accumulation was determined in young and old mice. Our data shows that the clock in the RPE, rather than the retina clock, controls the diurnal phagocytic peak. Surprisingly, absence of a functional RPE clock and phagocytic peak does not result in any detectable age-related degenerative phenotype in the retina or RPE. Thus, our results demonstrate that the circadian clock in the RPE controls the daily peak of phagocytic activity. However, the absence of the clock in the RPE does not result in deterioration of photoreceptors or the RPE during aging.

Effects of Cone Connexin-36 Disruption on Light Adaptation and Circadian Regulation of the Photopic ERG.

Purpose: The present study tested the hypothesis that connexin-36 (Cx36) and gap junctions between photoreceptor cells contribute to the circadian rhythm of the photopic electroretinogram (ERG) b-wave amplitude. Methods: Cone-specific disruption of Cx36 was obtained in mice with a floxed Gjd2 gene and human red/green pigment promoter (HRGP)-driven Cre recombinase. Standard ERG, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and histochemical methods were used. Results: HRGPcreGjd2fl/fl mice had a selective reduction in Cx36 protein in the outer plexiform layer; no reduction in Cx36 was observed in the inner plexiform layer. Cx36 disruption had no effect on the number of cones, the thickness of the photoreceptor layer, or the scotopic ERG responses. However, there was a reduction of the photopic ERG circadian rhythm, with b-wave amplitudes in the day and the night locked in the daytime, light-adapted state. In HRGPcreGjd2+/+and Gjd2fl/fl controls, the circadian rhythm of light-adapted ERG persisted, similar to that in wild type mice. Conclusions: Cx36 regulation contributes to the circadian rhythm of light-adapted ERG; in the absence of photoreceptor gap junctions, mice appear to be in a fully light-adapted state regardless of the time of day. The higher amplitudes and reduced circadian regulation of the b-wave of HRGPcreGjd2fl/fl mice may be due to increased synaptic strength at the cone to ON bipolar cell synapse due to electrotonic isolation of the terminals lacking gap junctions.

Corneal Epithelial Cells Exhibit Myeloid Characteristics and Present Antigen via MHC Class II.

Purpose: To explore the impact of ocular surface insults on the immunomodulatory capacity and phenotype of corneal epithelial cells (CECs) with a focus on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Methods: Corneas were harvested from mice 6 days following scratch injury, ragweed pollen-induced allergy, or herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection and compared to healthy tissue controls. Corneas were enzymatically digested and CECs phenotypically characterized using flow cytometry. CECs were defined as epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM)-positive CD45-negative cells. CECs were assessed by PCR to evaluate EMT-associated transcripts. Recombinant HSV-1 and transgenic mice were utilized to investigate the role of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) on the phenotype observed. The immunomodulatory potential of CECs was assessed in coculture assays with ovalbumin-specific CD4 T cells. Results: Ectopic expression of classic "myeloid" antigens Ly6G, CCR2, and CX3CR1 was identified in CEC subsets from all groups with evidence supporting an underlying partial EMT event resulting from loss of cell-cell contacts. Corneal HSV-1 infection induced Ly6C expression and major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-II upregulation in CECs through a VEGFA-linked mechanism. These Ly6C+ MHC-II+ CECs were found to function as amateur antigen-presenting cells and induced CD4 T cell proliferation in vitro. Conclusions: This study characterizes a novel immunomodulatory CEC phenotype with possible implications for immune privilege, chronic inflammation, and tissue fibrosis. Moreover, the identification of CECs masquerading with multiple "myeloid" antigens warrants careful evaluation of flow cytometry data involving corneal digests.

Loss of Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase 1/2 in the Retinal Pigment Epithelium Leads to RPE65 Decrease and Retinal Degeneration.

Recent work suggested that the activity of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) is increased in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) patients and therefore could be an attractive therapeutic target. Notably, ERK1/2 pathway inhibitors are used in cancer therapy, with severe and noncharacterized ocular side effects. To decipher the role of ERK1/2 in RPE cells, we conditionally disrupted the Erk1 and Erk2 genes in mouse RPE. The loss of ERK1/2 activity resulted in a significant decrease in the level of RPE65 expression, a decrease in ocular retinoid levels concomitant with low visual function, and a rapid disorganization of RPE cells, ultimately leading to retinal degeneration. Our results identify the ERK1/2 pathway as a direct regulator of the visual cycle and a critical component of the viability of RPE and photoreceptor cells. Moreover, our results caution about the need for a very fine adjustment of kinase inhibition in cancer or ARMD treatment in order to avoid ocular side effects.

Diabetic retinopathy, an overview.

This overview introduces contributions to a special issue on causes of vision loss from diabetes mellitus, focusing on the retina and also the cornea. Diabetic retinopathy is the most common and leading cause of vision loss among people with diabetes. Research to detect early symptoms, understand mechanisms leading to diabetic eye disease, and the development of treatments is a highly active research area, with currently about 2000 scientific publication per year. We provide a series of 27 comprehensive reviews and research articles from leading experts in the field.

Preoperative mean platelet volume and platelet distribution associated with thyroid cancer.

Thyroid cancer is the most frequent cancer of the endocrine glands and the fifth most frequent cancer in women. Activated platelets play a crucial role in thrombosis, inflammation, and cancer. Mean platelet volume (MPV) and platelet distribution width (PDW) are early index of platelet activation. The purpose of this study is to investigate platelet indices levels in thyroid cancer. The study enrolled 280 patients with thyroid cancer and 280 control subjects. Patients' characteristics and hematologic tests data were collected at the time of diagnosis. Correlations between platelet indices and clinical characteristics were analyzed. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for thyroid cancer were calculated using multivariate logistic regression analyses across MPV and PDW quartiles. The patients with thyroid cancer had lower MPV and higher PDW compared with control subjects. MPV was correlated with tumor-nodus-metastases (TNM) stage and lymph node metastasis. Moreover, after adjusting for other risk factors, the prevalence risk of thyroid cancer for the lowest quartile of MPV was 7.242 (4.069-12.887) (P < 0.001) and for the highest quartile of PDW was 6.065 (3.321-11.076) (P < 0.001), respectively. The study showed that the patients with thyroid cancer have lower MPV and higher PDW compared to control subjects. Moreover, MPV and PDW were independently associated with the presence of thyroid cancer. Further studies are needed to evaluate the utility of MPV and PDW as novel diagnostic screening tools for thyroid cancer.

[Epidemiological analysis of malaria prevalence in Jiangsu Province in 2015].

Objective To understand the malaria epidemic situation and characteristics in Jiangsu Province in 2015, so as to provide the evidence for malaria elimination. Methods The data of malaria cases in Jiangsu Province in 2015 were collected from China's routine diseases surveillance information system. Results Totally 405 imported cases were reported in Jiangsu Province in 2015, and the cases increased by 14.08% compared with those in 2014. All the malaria cases were imported, and 5 cases (1.23%) were from Southeast Asia and 400 (98.77%) were from 25 African countries or regions. The imported malaria cases were reported in 13 cities across Jiangsu Province, where Taizhou, Lianyungang, Nantong, Huaian and Yangzhou cities accounted for 68.64% of all the cases in the province. Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases (JIPD) reference lab checked all the cases and classified 299 falciparum malaria cases, 13 vivax malaria cases, 18 quartan malaria cases, 71 ovale malaria cases, and 4 mixed Plasmodium infection cases. Conclusions In Jiangsu Province, there are no local malaria cases for 4 consecutive years, but the imported cases are on the rise. Compared to 2014, the imported vivax cases increased significantly in 2015. It should be the key points to strengthen the surveillance of imported malaria cases, improve malaria diagnosis and treatment abilities for all levels of medical institutions, and promote the abilities of Plasmodium check, and focus survey and disposal of all Center for Disease Control (CDC) staffs across Jiangsu Province.

[Diagnostic knowledge and skills of parasitic diseases based on competition of professional personnel in Jiangsu Province, China].

Objective To understand the integrated ability of parasitic disease prevention and control of professional personnel of Jiangsu Province through the contest. Methods Totally 56 players from the whole province were selected, and all the players participated in the contest. The theory knowledge and skill scores were collected and the statistical analyses were conducted. Results The average theoretical score of the participants was 88.86±15.56 and the passing rate was 91.1%. The average skill operating score was 69.16±16.01 and the passing rate was 67.9%. The average Plasmodium microscopy score was 16.54±8.09 and the passing rate was 50%. The average helminth egg microscopy score was 34.27±10.66 and the passing rate was 67.9%. There were statistical differences among the age groups and different levels of schistosomiasis endemic situation (F = 5.10, 6.39, both P < 0.01). The theoretical knowledge including schistosomiasis, malaria, hydatid disease and others and the score rates were 91.07%, 90.94%, 85.83% and 90.93%, respectively. The hydatid disease score rate was lower (χ2 = 19.17, P < 0.01). The radar chart displayed that the score rates of tabletting and microscopy test in Kato-Katz film production, malaria blood film production and microscopy test were all low. Conclusion In Jiangsu Province, the participants have higher score in the theory test. However, they have lower skill test score, especially in the parasite species identification. The operational skills still need to be strengthened for center for disease control (CDC) participants.

Clinical significance of sCIP2A levels in breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE: It has previously found that human oncoprotein cancerous inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A (CIP2A) was overexpressed in breast cancer, and was positively correlated with lymph node metastasis of the patients. This study aimed to investigate the association between serum CIP2A and prognosis of breast cancer. Then, we investigated whether CIP2A could be as a therapeutic target in breast cancer treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Preoperative CIP2A levels of 240 patients with breast cancer and 480 cases of controls were measured by ELISA method. The association of CIP2A levels with clinicopathological outcomes was investigated by univariate and multivariate analyses. The effect of CIP2A on breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells was evaluated by CIP2A siRNA-mediated depletion of the CIP2A protein followed by an analysis of cell proliferation, invasion, colony growth, and xenograft growth and metastasis. RESULTS: The serum CIP2A levels in patients with breast cancer were (79.0 ± 74.2) ng/mL, which was significantly higher than that in those controls (25.6 ± 21.4) ng/mL for male and (24.8 ± 20.6) ng/mL for female control. Higher preoperative CIP2A levels were significantly associated with the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage, histological grade and lymph node metastasis. Patients with elevated CIP2A levels showed worse survival. In multivariate analysis, elevated preoperative CIP2A levels were independent prognostic factors. Patients with high CIP2A levels had significantly shorter overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) times. Knockdown of CIP2A by stable CIP2A siRNA transfection inhibited MDA-MB-231 cell proliferation, invasion, colony growth in vitro, and xenograft growth and metastasis in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that serum CIP2A is significantly higher in patients with breast cancer, which is a potential biomarker to make a distinction between breast cancer patients and healthy controls. Higher serum CIP2A levels positively associated with the aggressive phenotype of breast cancer, and forecasts poor prognosis for patients with breast cancer. Knockdown of CIP2A may be a novel target for prevention and treatment of breast cancer.

Conditional Induction of Oxidative Stress in RPE: A Mouse Model of Progressive Retinal Degeneration.

An appropriate animal model is essential to screening drugs or designing a treatment strategy for geographic atrophy. Since oxidative stress contributes to the pathological changes of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), we are reporting a new mouse AMD model of retinal degeneration by inducing mitochondrial oxidative stress in RPE. Sod2 the gene for manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) was deleted in RPE layer using conditional knockout strategy. Fundus microscopy, SD-OCT and electroretinography were used to monitor retinal structure and function in living animals and microscopy was used to assess pathology post mortem. Tissue specific deletion of Sod2 caused elevated signs of oxidative stress, RPE dysfunction and showed some key features of AMD. Due to induction of oxidative stress, the conditional knockout mice show progressive reduction in ERG responses and thinning of outer nuclear layer (ONL) compared to non-induced littermates.

[An analysis of various diseases and hearing screening in NICU infants].

Objective:It is the first time to study the hearing screening results in NICU infants in Heilongjiang province,to analyze the various diseases and hearing loss distribution in NICU infants.Method:Three hundred and thirty four newborns(668 ears) in NICU received hearing screening with TEOAE and AABR test.We compared the results of different risk factors.Result:The failed ratio of different diseases in NICU are as follow: premature infants 61%,hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy(HIE) 35%,neonatal infectious pneumonia 30%,neonatal sepsis 30%,neonatal aspiration pneumonitis 36%,neonatal jaundice 29%.Conclusion:The positive ratio of preterm infants was 61%,which is higher than the other diseases in NICU infants of Heilongjiang province.Both TEOAE and AABR failure have a high incidence of abnormal hearing status.Neonatal jaundice,neonatal infectious pneumonia and premature infants diseases are the high risk factors of auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder(ANSD) in NICU infants of Heilongjiang.

Effect of p53 gene polymorphism on functions of prostate cancer cells.

Prostate cancer cells were transfected with plasmids [empty plasmids, wild-type pcDNA3.1-p53 (V/V), mutant type pcDNA3.1- p53 (G/G)] to analyze the effect of p53 gene polymorphisms on the proliferation, cycle, and apoptosis of prostatic cancer cells. Empty plasmids containing wild-type pcDNA3.1-p53 (V/V) and mutant type pcDNA3.1- p53 (G/G) were used to transfect PC3 and LNCaP cells, respectively. Cell proliferation was detected at 0, 24, 48, and 72 h using the MTT method. Cells were collected at 24 and 72 h. The distribution of cell cycles in various groups was detected using flow cytometry (propidium iodide staining method) and the apoptosis rate was detected using annexin V + propidium iodide double staining. Compared with the control group, wild-type pcDNA3.1-p53 (V/V) and mutant type pcDNA3.1-p53 (G/G) showed a significant inhibitory effect on cell proliferation (P < 0.05); the inhibitory effect of the mutant type was stronger than that of the wild-type. There was no significant difference between PC3 cells and LNCaP cells. After transfection with wild-type pcDNA3.1-p53 (V/V) and mutant type pcDNA3.1-p53 (G/G), PC3 and LNCaP cells were arrested in the G0/G1 stage. Transfection with pcDNA3.1-p53 (G/G) showed a more significant effect than transfection with pcDNA3.1-p53 (V/V). Both the wild-type pcDNA3.1-p53 (V/V) and mutant-type pcDNA3.1-p53 (G/G) led to an increased apoptosis rate of PC3 and LNCaP cells. The p53 gene polymorphism affects the proliferation, apoptosis, and cycle of prostate cancer cells and may serve as a reliable index for the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.

Loss of mTOR signaling affects cone function, cone structure and expression of cone specific proteins without affecting cone survival.

Cones are the primary photoreceptor (PR) cells responsible for vision in humans. They are metabolically highly active requiring phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) activity for long-term survival. One of the downstream targets of PI3K is the kinase mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), which is a key regulator of cell metabolism and growth, integrating nutrient availability and growth factor signals. Both PI3K and mTOR are part of the insulin/mTOR signaling pathway, however if mTOR is required for long-term PR survival remains unknown. This is of particular interest since deregulation of this pathway in diabetes results in reduced PR function before the onset of any clinical signs of diabetic retinopathy. mTOR is found in two distinct complexes (mTORC1 & mTORC2) that are characterized by their unique accessory proteins RAPTOR and RICTOR respectively. mTORC1 regulates mainly cell metabolism in response to nutrient availability and growth factor signals, while mTORC2 regulates pro-survival mechanisms in response to growth factors. Here we analyze the effect on cones of loss of mTORC1, mTORC2 and simultaneous loss of mTORC1 & mTORC2. Interestingly, neither loss of mTORC1 nor mTORC2 affects cone function or survival at one year of age. However, outer and inner segment morphology is affected upon loss of either complex. In contrast, concurrent loss of mTORC1 and mTORC2 leads to a reduction in cone function without affecting cone viability. The data indicates that PI3K mediated pro-survival signals diverge upstream of both mTOR complexes in cones, suggesting that they are independent of mTOR activity. Furthermore, the data may help explain why PR function is reduced in diabetes, which can lead to deregulation of both mTOR complexes simultaneously. Finally, although mTOR is a key regulator of cell metabolism, and PRs are metabolically highly active, the data suggests that the role of mTOR in regulating the metabolic transcriptome in healthy cones is minimal.

Activated mTORC1 promotes long-term cone survival in retinitis pigmentosa mice.

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is an inherited photoreceptor degenerative disorder that results in blindness. The disease is often caused by mutations in genes that are specific to rod photoreceptors; however, blindness results from the secondary loss of cones by a still unknown mechanism. Here, we demonstrated that the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is required to slow the progression of cone death during disease and that constitutive activation of mTORC1 in cones is sufficient to maintain cone function and promote long-term cone survival. Activation of mTORC1 in cones enhanced glucose uptake, retention, and utilization, leading to increased levels of the key metabolite NADPH. Moreover, cone death was delayed in the absence of the NADPH-sensitive cell death protease caspase 2, supporting the contribution of reduced NADPH in promoting cone death. Constitutive activation of mTORC1 preserved cones in 2 mouse models of RP, suggesting that the secondary loss of cones is caused mainly by metabolic deficits and is independent of a specific rod-associated mutation. Together, the results of this study address a longstanding question in the field and suggest that activating mTORC1 in cones has therapeutic potential to prolong vision in RP.

The variation of volatile fatty acid compositions in sewer length, and its effect on the process design of biological nutrient removal.

The potential of enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) in biological nutrient removal (BNR) systems critically depends on the availability and types of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in sewage. Although the characteristics of VFAs in sewage are strongly related with the biochemical transformations in the sewer system, they have not been studied thoroughly in terms of BNR process design. We have investigated the characteristics of VFAs in influent of nine sewage treatment plants which represent typical small to very large sewer systems in Korea. We found that influent total VFACOD (VFA as chemical oxygen demand) concentrations ranged from 20.4 to 65.2 mg/L. Acetic acid was a predominant VFA in sewage, and the propionic acid (HPr) portion averaged 38.7% of total VFACOD. However the sewage from longer sewer systems showed more HPr content, indicating that type of VFA varied with the total sewer length. The finding is a particularly important consideration for BNR process design since availability of HPr positively behaved to suppress the unfavorable growth of glycogen-accumulating organisms. The implication of these findings for BNR process design is discussed in this paper.

Conditional knockdown of DNA methyltransferase 1 reveals a key role of retinal pigment epithelium integrity in photoreceptor outer segment morphogenesis.

Dysfunction or death of photoreceptors is the primary cause of vision loss in retinal and macular degenerative diseases. As photoreceptors have an intimate relationship with the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) for exchange of macromolecules, removal of shed membrane discs and retinoid recycling, an improved understanding of the development of the photoreceptor-RPE complex will allow better design of gene- and cell-based therapies. To explore the epigenetic contribution to retinal development we generated conditional knockout alleles of DNA methyltransferase 1 (Dnmt1) in mice. Conditional Dnmt1 knockdown in early eye development mediated by Rx-Cre did not produce lamination or cell fate defects, except in cones; however, the photoreceptors completely lacked outer segments despite near normal expression of phototransduction and cilia genes. We also identified disruption of RPE morphology and polarization as early as E15.5. Defects in outer segment biogenesis were evident with Dnmt1 exon excision only in RPE, but not when excision was directed exclusively to photoreceptors. We detected a reduction in DNA methylation of LINE1 elements (a measure of global DNA methylation) in developing mutant RPE as compared with neural retina, and of Tuba3a, which exhibited dramatically increased expression in mutant retina. These results demonstrate a unique function of DNMT1-mediated DNA methylation in controlling RPE apicobasal polarity and neural retina differentiation. We also establish a model to study the epigenetic mechanisms and signaling pathways that guide the modulation of photoreceptor outer segment morphogenesis by RPE during retinal development and disease.

First-time donors responding to a national disaster may be an untapped resource for the blood centre.

BACKGROUND: On 12 May 2008, a severe earthquake struck Sichuan in China. Many people donated blood for the first time, leading us to question whether these donors might become repeat donors in the future. The return pattern of post-earthquake first-time donors (PEFTD) was compared with that of first-time donors (FTD) in a comparable period. METHODS: Demographic characteristics, transfusion-transmissible infection rates and 1-year return rates were compared between 5147 PEFTD (5/13-5/19, 2008) and 3176 FTD (5/13-5/19, 2009) from five Chinese blood centres using chi-squared tests. Adjusted logistic regression was used to detect earthquake effect on donor return. RESULTS: Post-earthquake first-time donors were more frequently between 26 and 45 years, men, and better educated compared with the control group. Slightly higher but not statistically significant increased rates of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) (0·87% vs. 0·50%, P=0·054), hepatitis C virus (HCV) (0·70% vs. 0·63%, P=0·414), syphilis (0·9% vs. 0·7%, P=0·489) and lower rates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (0·31% vs. 0·60%, P=0·078) reactivity were detected for PEFTD. The 1-year return rate for PEFTD was significantly lower than that of the controls (8·0% vs. 13·0%, P<0·001). After adjusting for demographic factors, donation volume and sites, the PEFTD were less likely to return in 1 year than the controls (OR: 0·520; 95% CI: 0·442, 0·611). CONCLUSION: Post-earthquake first-time donors may be less likely to donate again without continuing motivation strategies. Further studies on PEFTD's lack of motivation to return for donation are needed to design recruitment strategies to convert PEFTD to become repeat donors to continuously replenish the blood supply.

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase signaling in retinal rod photoreceptors.

PURPOSE: Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) consists of a p110 catalytic protein and a p85α regulatory protein, required for the stabilization and localization of p110-PI3K activity. The biological significance of PI3K was investigated in vertebrate rod photoreceptors by deleting its regulatory p85α protein and examining its role in photoreceptor structure, function, and protein trafficking. METHODS: Mice that expressed Cre recombinase in rods were bred to mice with a floxed p85α (pik3r1) regulatory subunit of PI3K to generate a conditional deletion of pik3r1 in rods. Functional and structural changes were determined by ERG and morphometric analysis, respectively. PI3K activity was measured in retinal homogenates immunoprecipitated with an anti-PY antibody. Akt activation was determined by Western blot analysis with a pAkt antibody. RESULTS: Light-induced stress increased PI3K activity in retinal immunoprecipitates and phosphorylation of Akt. There was no effect of pik3r1 deletion on retinal structure. However, twin flash electroretinography revealed a slight delay in recovery kinetics in pik3r1 knockout (KO) mice compared with wild-type controls. The movement of arrestin in the pik3r1 KO mice was slower than that in the wild-type mouse retinas at 5 minutes of exposure to light. At 10 minutes of exposure, the ROS localization of arrestin was almost identical between the wild-type and pik3r1 KO mice. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide the first direct evidence that rods use PI3K-generated phosphoinositides for photoreceptor function. The lack of phenotype in pik3r1 KO rod photoreceptors suggests a redundant role in controlling PIP(3) synthesis.