[Air Microbial Contamination and Risk of Respiratory Exposure of Workers in Chicken Farms].

Animal farms are important sources of microbial contamination in the air environment. However, there are few reports on the time-regularity characteristics of airborne microbial contamination in farms. In the context of this situation, a study was conducted for more than 80 weeks using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to characterize the bacterial distribution and respiratory exposure in the farm air and fecal environment, respectively, taking a layer farm as an example. The results showed that 16S rRNA concentrations in air and manure samples ranged from 6.08×105-4.90×106 copies·m-3 and 4.27×108-1.15×1010 copies·g-1, respectively. The mean values of airborne bacterial concentrations were significantly higher in winter than in summer, whereas the biodiversity showed the opposite trend. The dominant bacterial phylum in both air and manure in the layer farm was Firmicutes. During the investigated time, the top three dominant genera in the air were relatively stable, in the order of Lactobacillus, Bacteroides, and Faecalibacterium, whereas the dominant genera in feces fluctuated with the increase in breeding time. The correlation between the community structure of bacteria and pathogenic bacteria in both air and manure was not significant, but the concentrations of both target microorganisms in different media were significantly correlated. The bioaerosolization index of bacteria in manure showed an increasing trend with increasing breeding time, whereas the opposite trend was observed for pathogenic bacteria. In this case, [Ruminococcus]_torques_group, Bacteroides, and Faecalibacterium were the top three pathogenic genera that were the most prone to aerosolization. There were seasonal differences in bacterial respiratory exposures of chicken farm workers, with mean intake values of 2.54×107 copies·d-1 and 2.87×105 copies·d-1 for bacteria and pathogenic bacteria, respectively. The results of this study will provide a scientific basis for systematically assessing the contamination characteristics and potential health risks of airborne microorganisms on farms and for developing corresponding industry standards for occupational exposure and prevention and control measures.

Morphologies and composition changes in nonculprit subclinical atherosclerosis in diabetic versus nondiabetic patients with acute coronary syndrome who underwent long-term statin therapy.

Although patients are undergoing similar lipid-lowering therapy (LLT) with statins, the outcomes of coronary plaque in diabetic mellitus (DM) and non-DM patients are different. Clinical data of 239 patients in this observational study with acute coronary syndrome was from our previous randomized trial were analyzed at 3 years, and 114 of them underwent OCT detection at baseline and the 1-year follow-up were re-anlayzed by a novel artificial intelligence imaging software for nonculprit subclinical atherosclerosis (nCSA). Normalized total atheroma volume changes (ΔTAVn) of nCSA were the primary endpoint. Plaque progression (PP) was defined as any increase in ΔTAVn. DM patients showed more PP in nCSA (ΔTAVn; 7.41 (- 2.82, 11.85) mm3 vs. - 1.12 (- 10.67, 9.15) mm3, p = 0.009) with similar reduction of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) from baseline to 1-year. The main reason is that the lipid component in nCSA increases in DM patients and non-significantly decreases in non-DM patients, which leads to a significantly higher lipid TAVn (24.26 (15.05, 40.12) mm3 vs. 16.03 (6.98, 26.54) mm3, p = 0.004) in the DM group than in the non-DM group at the 1-year follow-up. DM was an independent predictor of PP in multivariate logistic regression analysis (OR = 2.731, 95% CI 1.160-6.428, p = 0.021). Major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) related to nCSA at 3 years were higher in the DM group than in the non-DM group (9.5% vs. 1.7%, p = 0.027). Despite a comparable reduction in LDL-C levels after LLT, more PP with an increase in the lipid component of nCSA and a higher incidence of MACEs at the 3-year follow-up was observed in DM patients.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov. identifier: NCT02140801.

Preliminary study of the significance of reverberation by IVUS detection for patients with severe calcified lesions.

To explore the potential significance of the reverberation of calcification by comparing both intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) measurement post manual coregistration. The reverberation phenomenon is often detected by IVUS for severe calcified lesions post rotational atherectomy (RA), which is thought to be due to the glassy and smooth inner surfaces of calcifications. Because of the poor penetration of IVUS, it is impossible to measure the thickness of calcifications, and the relationship between multiple reverberations and the thickness of calcification lesions has not been reported before. A total of forty-nine patients with severe calcified coronary lesions that were detected by IVUS and OCT simultaneously were enrolled in our retrospective study. If reverberation phenomena were detected by IVUS, intravascular imaging (IVI) data (including distance between the IVUS catheter center and the inner surface of the reverberation signal, the intervals between all adjacent reverberation signals, the number of layers of reverberation in IVUS, and the thickness of the calcification in OCT) were measured at the same position and same direction (each cross-section had 4 mutually perpendicular directions) at 1-mm intervals. The correlation between each reverberation observational value and OCT data was the primary target in this retrospective study, and the correlation between reverberation and calcium crack post predilatation was analyzed in other 15 patients. Four hundred twenty-eight valid observational points were analyzed simultaneously by IVUS and OCT; among them, 300 points had a single layer of reverberation, 83 had double layers of reverberation and 42 had multiple layers (≥ 3 layers) of reverberation by IVUS detection post-RA. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the number of layers of reverberation by IVUS was significantly related to the thickness of calcifications by OCT at the same point and in the same direction (p < 0.001). Single, double, and multiple layers of reverberation in IVUS correspond to median calcification thicknesses (interquartile ranges (IQRs)) of 0.620 mm (0.520-0.720), 0.950 mm (0.840-1.040) and 1.185 mm (1.068-1.373), respectively, by OCT detection. Another 100 points in other 15 patients with integrated IVUS data pre- and post-predilatation showed that only single layer of reverberation was related to calcium crack (p < 0.001). The number of layers of reverberation signal detected by IVUS is positively correlated with the thickness of calcifications measured by OCT post-RA and single layer of reverberation is correlated to calcium crack post-predilatation.

Dynamic natural morphologies and component changes in nonculprit subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with acute coronary syndrome at 1-year follow-up and clinical significance at 3-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: We aimed to explore the dynamic natural morphologies and main components of nonculprit subclinical atherosclerotic changes underlying lesion regression (LR) or lesion progression (LP) in patients with acute coronary syndrome. METHODS: The primary endpoints were changes in percent atheroma volume (ΔPAV), normalized total atheroma volume (ΔTAVn) and each component in nonculprit subclinical atherosclerosis from baseline to 1 year measured by optical flow ratio (OFR) software. LR or LP was defined by an increase or decrease in PAV. Secondary endpoints included the correlation between changes in the lipid profile and ΔPAV/ΔTAVn and major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) related to nonculprit subclinical atherosclerosis at 3 years. RESULTS: This was a subgroup analysis of our previous randomized trial with a total of 161 nonculprit lesions analysed. In the LR (approximately 55.3% of the lesions) group, ΔTAVn was positively correlated only with lipid ΔTAVn (r = 0.482, p < 0.001) but not fibrous and calcium ΔTAVn, and ΔPAV was positively correlated with lipid ΔPAV (r = 0.315, p = 0.003) but not fibrous and calcium ΔPAV. The percent reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was an independent predictor of LR in multivariate logistic regression analysis (OR = 3.574, 95% CI: 1.125-11.347, p = 0.031). The incidence of MACEs related to nonculprit lesions at 3 years was higher in the LP group than the LR group (9.9% vs. 2.2%, p = 0.040). CONCLUSIONS: LR of nonculprit subclinical atherosclerosis at 1-year follow-up was mainly caused by regression of the lipid component, which was correlated with the degree of LDL-C reduction and fewer MACEs at 3-year follow-up.

Theoretical Study on Storage and Release of Firefly Luciferin.

Among numerous bioluminescent organisms, firefly is the most studied one. Recent experiment proposed that sulfoluciferin (SLH2 ) may serve as a storage form of luciferin (LH2 ). In the present article, we employed density functional theory calculation to uncover the mechanism and detailed process of the storage and release reactions. Due to lack of available crystallographic structure of the related enzyme, the calculation was performed on a model system. For the storage reaction, possible amino acid residues were used for imitating the protein environment. For the release reaction, the dielectric constant of 3.0 was employed to simulate the polarity of the protein cavity. The computational results indicated that the reactions from LH2 to SLH2 and from SLH2 to LH2 are both exergonic, which favor the storage and release processes and coincide with the experimental observation. Basing on experimental and current theoretical study, we supplemented the stages of LH2 storage and release in the entire bioluminescent cycle of firefly. The current theoretical calculation could inspire the study on LH2 storage and release of other bioluminescent organisms.

Label-Free Cross-Priming Amplification Coupled With Endonuclease Restriction and Nanoparticles-Based Biosensor for Simultaneous Detection of Nucleic Acids and Prevention of Carryover Contamination.

Here, we reported on a label-free cross-priming amplification (CPA) scheme that utilized endonuclease restriction for simultaneous detection of nucleic acids and elimination of carryover contamination. Reaction mixtures were detected in a nanoparticle-based lateral flow biosensor (LFB). The assay exhibited attractive traits in that it did not require the use of labeled primers or labeled probes, and thus, the technique could prevent undesired results arising from unwanted hybridization between labeled primers or between a probe and labeled primer. Isothermal amplification and endonuclease restriction digestion were conducted in a single pot, and the use of a closed-tube amplification removed false-positive results due to contaminants. To validate the assay's applicability, we employed the novel technique to detect the pathogen Staphylococcus aureus in pure cultures and artificial blood samples. The assay could detect target bacterium in pure culture with a 100 fg.µL-1 detection limit, and in spiked blood samples with a 700 cfu.mL-1 detection limit. The whole process, including sample procedure (20-min), isothermal amplification (60-min), endonuclease digestion (10-min) and result reporting (within 2-min), could be finished within 95-min. As a poof-of-concept assay, the technique devised in the current report could be employed for detecting various other sequences if the specific CPA primers were available.

Detection of Nucleic Acids and Prevention of Carryover Contamination Using Cross-Priming Amplification Combined with Nanoparticles-Based Biosensor and Antarctic Thermal Sensitive Uracil-DNA-Glycosylase.

The current study reports on a cross-priming amplification (CPA) scheme that utilizes antarctic thermal sensitive uracilDNA-glycosylase (AUDG) for simultaneous detection of nucleic acids and prevention of carryover contamination. Amplification products were applied in a nanoparticle-based lateral flow biosensor (LFB). The method shows attractive features in that it only requires the use of a labeled primer, eliminating the use of labeled probes. Thus, it is able to remove false-positive results yielded by undesired hybridization between two labeled primers or between a probe and labeled primer. CPA amplification and AUDG cleavage are carried out in a single pot, and the use of a closed-vessel reaction eliminates unwanted results due to carryover contamination. Then, the assay devised in this report was applied to the detection of the hospital-acquired pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae in pure cultures and artificial sputum samples. This biosensor can detect K. pneumoniae in pure cultures with a 100 fg · µL-1 detection limit, and in artificial sputum samples with a 520 cfu · mL-1 detection limit. The whole procedure, including specimen processing (20-min), CPA amplification (60-min), AUDG digestion (5-min) and result indicating (within 2-min), can be completed within 1.5 h. As a proof-of-concept technique, this method can be used for detecting a wide variety of other targets if the specific CPA primer set is available.

The endogenous retrovirus-derived long noncoding RNA TROJAN promotes triple-negative breast cancer progression via ZMYND8 degradation.

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) play pivotal roles in the development of breast cancer. However, the detailed mechanisms of noncoding HERVs remain elusive. Here, our genome-wide transcriptome analysis of HERVs revealed that a primate long noncoding RNA, which we dubbed TROJAN, was highly expressed in human triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). TROJAN promoted TNBC proliferation and invasion and indicated poor patient outcomes. We further confirmed that TROJAN could bind to ZMYND8, a metastasis-repressing factor, and increase its degradation through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway by repelling ZNF592. TROJAN also epigenetically up-regulated metastasis-related genes in multiple cell lines. Correlations between TROJAN and ZMYND8 were subsequently confirmed in clinical samples. Furthermore, our study verified that antisense oligonucleotide therapy targeting TROJAN substantially suppressed TNBC progression in vivo. In conclusion, the long noncoding RNA TROJAN promotes TNBC progression and serves as a potential therapeutic target.

Population pharmacokinetics and dosing optimization of latamoxef in neonates and young infants.

OBJECTIVES: There has been recent renewed interest in historical antibiotics because of the increased antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. Latamoxef, a semi-synthetic oxacephem antibiotic developed in 1980s, has recently been brought back into use for treatment of infections in newborns; however, it is still used off-label in neonatal clinical practice due to the lack of an evidence-based dosing regimen. This study was performed to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of latamoxef in neonates and young infants, and to provide an evidence-based dosing regimen for newborns based on developmental pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics (PK-PD). METHODS: Opportunistic blood samples from newborns treated with latamoxef were collected to determine the latamoxef concentration by high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection. Population PK-PD analysis was conducted using NONMEM and R software. A total of 165 plasma samples from 128 newborns (postmenstrual age range 28.4-46.1 weeks) were available for analysis. RESULTS: A two-compartment model with first-order elimination showed the best fit with the data. Current body weight, birth weight, and postnatal age were identified as significant covariates influencing latamoxef clearance. Simulation indicated that the current dosing regimen (30 mg/kg q12h) is adequate with an MIC of 1 mg/L. For an MIC of 4 mg/L, 30 mg/kg q8h was required to achieve a target rate of 70% of patients having a free antimicrobial drug concentration exceeding the MIC during 70% of the dosing interval. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the developmental PK-PD analysis of latamoxef, a rational dosing regimen of 30 mg/kg q12h or q8h was required in newborns, depending on the pathogen.

Simultaneous Nucleic Acids Detection and Elimination of Carryover Contamination With Nanoparticles-Based Biosensor- and Antarctic Thermal Sensitive Uracil-DNA-Glycosylase-Supplemented Polymerase Spiral Reaction.

The current report devised a novel isothermal diagnostic assay, termed as nanoparticle-based biosensor (NB)- and antarctic thermal sensitive uracil-DNA-glycosylase (ATSU)-supplemented polymerase spiral reaction (PSR; NB-ATSU-PSR). The technique merges enzymatic digestion of carryover contaminants and isothermal nucleic acid amplification technique (PSR) for simultaneous detection of nucleic acid sequences and elimination of carryover contamination. In particular, nucleic acid amplification and elimination of carryover contamination are conducted in a single pot and, thus, the use of a closed-tube reaction can remove undesired results due to carryover contamination. For demonstration purpose, Klebsiella pneumoniae is employed as the model to demonstrate the usability of NB-ATSU-PSR assay. The assay's sensitivity, specificity, and practical feasibility were successfully evaluated using the pure cultures and sputum samples. The amplification products were detectable from as little as 100 fg of genomic DNAs and from ~550 colony-forming unit (CFU) in 1 ml of spiked sputum samples. All K. pneumoniae strains examined were positive for NB-ATSU-PSR detection, and all non-K. pneumoniae strains tested were negative for the NB-ATSU-PSR technique. The whole process, including rapid template preparation (20 min), PSR amplification (60 min), ATSU treatment (5 min), and result reporting (within 2 min), can be finished within 90 min. As a proof-of-concept methodology, NB-ATSU-PSR technique can be reconfigured to detect various target nucleic acid sequences by redesigning the PSR primer set.

DSCAM-AS1 regulates the G1 /S cell cycle transition and is an independent prognostic factor of poor survival in luminal breast cancer patients treated with endocrine therapy.

DSCAM-AS1 is one of the few intensively studied lncRNAs with high specific expression in luminal breast cancer. It is directly regulated by estrogen receptor α (ERα) and plays vital roles in tumor proliferation, invasion, and tamoxifen resistance. However, the detailed function of DSCAM-AS1 in tumor progression and its clinical significance remain unclear. We reveal that DSCAM-AS1 regulates cell proliferation and colony formation by inducing the G1/S transition. RNA-seq analysis demonstrated that DSCAM-AS1 participates in crucial biological processes, including DNA replication, the G1/S phase transition, sister chromatid cohesion, chromosome segregation, protein localization to the chromosome and DNA recombination. Most importantly, in the retrospectively registered clinical analysis, high expression of DSCAM-AS1 is a poor prognostic factor in patients with luminal breast cancer treated with endocrine therapy. In conclusion, DSCAM-AS1 is a promising clinical therapeutic target that may prolong survival of luminal breast cancer patients treated with endocrine therapy.

Anti-Cervical Cancer Role of Matrine, Oxymatrine and Sophora Flavescens Alkaloid Gels and its Mechanism.

Background: Cervical cancer is one of the leading severe malignancies throughout the world. Sophra flavescens alkaloid (SFA) gels, a compound Traditional Chinese Medicine, has been clinically used in China for many years. Its individual active ingredients are matrine and oxymatrine, which has been showed that they can restrain primary tumorigenesis, while the underlying molecular mechanisms of SFA gels in cervical cancer cells remain unclear. Methods: To detect the effect of SFA gels and its active ingredients, CCK-8 assay and colony assay were used on cervical cancer cells proliferation. Transwell assay was used to detect cancer cell migration. Apoptosis and cell cycle arrest were used to detect whether SFA gels effect the cervical cancer cells proliferation. Western blot was used to detect whether SFA gels regulate the cervical cancer cells via the suppression of AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Results: SFA gels can restrain cervical cancer cell proliferation, inhibit metastasis, induce cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase, induce cellular apoptosis through stimulation of Bax and E-cadherin, and suppression of Bcl-2, cyclin A, MMP2. Further study shows that SFA gels may regulate the cervical cancer cells via the suppression of AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Conclusions: SFA gels, like its active ingredients, can restrain cervical cancer cells proliferation, suppress cervical cancer cell migration, induce the apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in cervical cancer cells. SFA gels may be a potential anti-tumor therapeutic agent for treating cervical cancer.

Discovery of susceptibility loci associated with tuberculosis in Han Chinese.

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have revealed the worldwide heterogeneity of genetic factors in tuberculosis (TB) susceptibility. Despite having the third highest global TB burden, no TB-related GWAS has been performed in China. Here, we performed the first three-stage GWAS on TB in the Han Chinese population. In the stage 1 (discovery stage), after quality control, 691 388 SNPs present in 972 TB patients and 1537 controls were retained. After replication on an additional 3460 TB patients and 4862 controls (stages 2 and 3), we identified three significant loci associated with TB, the most significant of which was rs4240897 (logistic regression P = 1.41 × 10-11, odds ratio = 0.79). The aforementioned three SNPs were harbored by MFN2, RGS12 and human leukocyte antigen class II beta chain paralogue encoding genes, all of which are candidate immune genes associated with TB. Our findings provide new insight into the genetic background of TB in the Han Chinese population.

The role and clinical significance of the CXCL17-CXCR8 (GPR35) axis in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 17 (CXCL17) is the latest member of the chemokine family. However, its function in various cancer types is unknown. The G protein-coupled receptor 35 (GPR35) was identified as the receptor of CXCL17 and named recently as CXCR8. The function of the CXCL17-CXCR8 (GPR35) biological axis in cancer has not been reported. METHODS: The expression of CXCL17 and CXCR8 (GPR35) in breast cancer cell lines and a tissue microarray (TMA) was detected through western blot and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Expression data in IHC were analyzed using clinicopatholigical and survival information. RESULTS: CXCL17 and CXCR8 (GPR35) were found to be variably expressed in breast cancer cell lines. Both expressed higher in breast cancer tissue than normal adjacent tissue. Although CXCL17 can interact with CXCR8 (GPR35) in breast cancer cells in vitro, the expression correlation between these two markers in breast cancer tissue was not found to be significant. As to clinical significance, CXCR8 (GPR35) expression was found to be significantly associated with advanced histological grade and higher proliferation rate indicated by Ki-67 expression. Although CXCL17 was not found to statistically correlate with any clinicopathological characteristics, it was found to be associated with shorter overall survival and is an independent marker of poor prognosis in breast cancer. In addition, CXCL17 was found to promote proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: We investigated the role of the CXCL17-CXCR8 (GPR35) axis in breast cancer for the first time. CXCL17 is a potential oncogene and promising therapeutic target, is an independent biomarker of poor prognosis in patients with breast cancer, and can promote proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.

Performance of the Interferon Gamma Release Assays in Tuberculosis Disease in Children Five Years Old or Less.

Interferon Gamma Release Assays (IGRAs) were developed for the indirect or immunologic diagnosis of tuberculosis infection; however, they have also been used to assist in difficult to diagnose cases of tuberculosis disease in adults, and to a lesser extent, in children, especially in those under 5 years old. We evaluated the utility of using an IGRA in pediatric tuberculosis in younger children in a hospital setting. The diagnostic accuracy of T-SPOT.TB and TST was assessed in 117 children with active tuberculosis and 413 children with respiratory tract infection. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated for the tests used individually and together. Concordance was also calculated. Sensitivity of T-SPOT.TB (82.9%) was higher than TST (78.6% using a 5mm cut-off), especially in children confirmed to have TB. T-SPOT.TB was more specific than TST using a 5mm cut-off (96.1% vs. 70.9%). Combining T-SPOT.TB and TST results improved the sensitivity to 96.6%. In conclusion, the results of the current study indicate that T-SPOT.TB has good sensitivity and specificity, supporting its use among patients of this age. A combination of IGRA and TST would be useful additions to assist in the diagnosis of childhood TB.

Gemcitabine resistance in breast cancer cells regulated by PI3K/AKT-mediated cellular proliferation exerts negative feedback via the MEK/MAPK and mTOR pathways.

Chemoresistance is a major cause of cancer treatment failure and leads to a reduction in the survival rate of cancer patients. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways are aberrantly activated in many malignant tumors, including breast cancer, which may indicate an association with breast cancer chemoresistance. In this study, we generated a chemoresistant human breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-231/gemcitabine (simplified hereafter as "231/Gem"), from MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. Flow cytometry studies revealed that with the same treatment concentration of gemcitabine, 231/Gem cells displayed more robust resistance to gemcitabine, which was reflected by fewer apoptotic cells and enhanced percentage of S-phase cells. Through the use of inverted microscopy, Cell Counting Kit-8, and Transwell assays, we found that compared with parental 231 cells, 231/Gem cells displayed more morphologic projections, enhanced cell proliferative ability, and improved cell migration and invasion. Mechanistic studies revealed that the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)/MAPK signaling pathways were activated through elevated expression of phosphorylated (p)-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), p-AKT, mTOR, p-mTOR, p-P70S6K, and reduced expression of p-P38 and LC3-II (the marker of autophagy) in 231/Gem in comparison to control cells. However, there was no change in the expression of Cyclin D1 and p-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK). In culture, inhibitors of PI3K/AKT and mTOR, but not of MEK/MAPK, could reverse the enhanced proliferative ability of 231/Gem cells. Western blot analysis showed that treatment with a PI3K/AKT inhibitor decreased the expression levels of p-AKT, p-MEK, p-mTOR, and p-P70S6K; however, treatments with either MEK/MAPK or mTOR inhibitor significantly increased p-AKT expression. Thus, our data suggest that gemcitabine resistance in breast cancer cells is mainly mediated by activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. This occurs through elevated expression of p-AKT protein to promote cell proliferation and is negatively regulated by the MEK/MAPK and mTOR pathways.

[Clinical research on fire filiform needle combined with mild moxibustion for postherpetic neuralgia].

OBJECTIVE: To compare efficacy differences between fire filiform needle combined with mild moxibustion and gabapentin combined with sham acupuncture for postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). METHODS: One hundred cases of PHN were randomly divided into a needle group and a medicine group, 50 cases in each one. In the needle group, pricking method of fire filiform needle was given at the Ashi points, and then mild moxibustion was applied for 15 min. In the medicine group, the oral administration of gabapentin capsule and sham acupuncture at non-acupoints in the distal end of lesions were applied. The treatment was required for 21 days in both groups. The visual analogue score (VAS) was recorded before treatment and on the 1st day, 2nd day, 3rd day, 6th day, 9th day and 12th day of treatment. The most severity of pain within last 24 h, preset severity of pain, immediate analgesia effect and starting time of pain relief were observed, also the efficacy was assessed and improvement of symptoms was observed in the follow-up visit. RESULTS: The total effective rate was 94.0% (47/50) in the fire filiform needle group, which was superior to 86.0% (43/50) in the medicine group (P < 0.05). Compared with medicine group, the VAS of the most severity of pain within last 24 h was obviously reduced after the 2nd treatment in the fire filiform needle group while that of present severity of pain was relieved after the 1st treatment (both P < 0.05). The immediate analgesia effect in the fire filiform needle group was obviously superior to that in the medicine group in the first three times of treatment (all P < 0.05). The average time of pain relief was (3.91 +/- 0.82) days in the fire filiform needle group, which was significantly earlier to (6.53 +/- 1.13) days in the medicine group (P < 0.05). 26 cases were cured in the fire filiform needle group in the follow-up visit, which was superior to 2 cases in the medicine group (P < 0.05). The improvement of VAS, pain range and sleep quality in the needle group were also superior to those in the medicine group (all P < 0.05). The direct medical cost in the fire filiform needle group was (232.32 +/- 48.108) yuan, which was significantly lower than (466.00 +/- 41.09) yuan in the medicine group (P < 0.05). There was only one case of adverse effect in the medicine group during the treatment. CONCLUSION: The fire filiform needle combined with mild moxibustion could obviously relieve the pain in PHN patients, which has superior immediate analgesia effect and pain relieving time compared with gabapentin, which also has less adverse effects and cheap cost.

A functional promoter polymorphism of IFITM3 is associated with susceptibility to pediatric tuberculosis in Han Chinese population.

A susceptibility locus for tuberculosis, a re-emerging infectious disease throughout the world, was previously discovered to exist on chromosome 11p15. IFITM3 gene encoding for interferon inducible transmembrane protein 3, is located at 11p15. It acts as an effector molecule for interferon-gamma, which is essential for anti-tuberculosis immune response. In order to investigate the association between susceptibility to TB and genetic polymorphisms of the IFITM3 core promoter, a case-control study including 368 TB patients and 794 healthy controls was performed in Han Chinese children in northern China. The rs3888188 polymorphism showed significant association with susceptibility to TB. The rs3888188 G allele, acting recessively, was more frequent in TB patients (95% confidence interval: 1.08-1.56, Bonferroni P-value: 0.039). We further assessed the effect of rs3888188 polymorphism on IFITM3 transcription in vitro. As based on luciferase promoter assays, the promoter activity of haplotypes with rs3888188 G allele was lower than that of haplotypes with rs3888188 T allele. Moreover, peripheral-blood mononuclear cells carrying rs3888188 GG genotype showed a reduced IFITM3 mRNA level compared to cells carrying TT or GT genotype. In conclusion, rs3888188, a functional promoter polymorphism of IFITM3, was identified to influence the risk for pediatric TB in Han Chinese population.

Meta-analysis of the relation between the VDR gene TaqIpolymorphism and genetic susceptibility to prostate cancer in Asian populations.

BACKGROUND: Polymorphisms of the Taq I gene have been associated with prostate cancer risk. METHODS: We applied a fixed-effects model to combine odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). The Egger's test was carried out to evaluate potential publication bias. RESULTS: A total of 10 case-control studies enrolling 1,141 prostate cancer patients and 1,685 controls were included in this meta-analysis. Compared with the T allele, the OR for the C allele was 0.81 (0.70-0.94). The ORs for CT and CC+CT genotypes were 0.86 (0.74-1.01) and 0.84 (0.73-0.97) compared to wide type genotype (homozygote TT). CONCLUSIONS: The present meta-analysis suggests that the TF gene Taq I polymorphism may reduce the prostate cancer risk in Asian populations.

IFN-γ release assay: a diagnostic assistance tool of tuberculin skin test in pediatric tuberculosis in China.

BACKGROUND: Prompt diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection is an essential step in tuberculosis control and elimination. However, it is often difficult to accurately diagnose pediatric tuberculosis (TB). The tuberculin test (TST) may have a low specificity because of cross-reactivity with antigens present in Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and other mycobacteria, especially in China with a predominantly BCG-vaccinated population. Early-secreted antigenic target 6-kDa protein (ESAT-6) and culture filtrate protein 10 (CFP-10), stand out as suitable antigens that induce an interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) secreting, T-cell-mediated immune response to infection. While, considered the higher costs and complexity of the IFN-γ release assay (TSPOT), we aimed to evaluate the TSPOT and TST test in the clinical diagnosis of pediatric tuberculosis and to establish a diagnostic process suitable for China. METHODS: The sensitivity and specificity of the assay were evaluated in total seventy four children with active tuberculosis and fifty one nontuberculous children with other disease, and then the results were compared with TST. Logistic regression models were used to identify variables that were associated with positive results for each assay. The independent variables included sex, age, birth place, vaccination history, close contract with an active TB patient. RESULTS: The sensitivity of TSPOT was higher than TST in active TB children with or without BCG vaccination, as well as in children with culture-confirmed TB. But the difference was not significant statistically. Combining results of the TSPOT and TST improved the sensitivity to 94.6%. Agreement of the TST and TSPOT was low (77.0%, κ = 0.203) in active TB patients. The difference in specificity between TSPOT and TST test was statistically significant (94.1% vs. 70.6%, P = 0.006). Specificity of the two tests in patients without prior BCG vaccination history was similar (80.0% vs. 60.0%). The concordance between the two tests results in BCG vaccinated subjects was low (71.7%, κ = 0.063). For TSPOT, none of the included risk factors was significantly associated with positive results. For TST, BCG vaccination (OR: 1.78; 95%CI: 1.30 - 2.00) was significantly associated with positive results. CONCLUSIONS: Although IFN-γ release assay had relatively high sensitivity and specificity, we also should consider the higher costs and complexity of this test. Therefore, TSPOT could be used as the complementary tool of TST in circumstances when a suspected patient with negative TST results, or to exclude a positive TST result caused by BCG vaccination.