[Institutional delivery rate in minority inhabited areas of China from 1996 to 2017].

Objective: To describe the secular trends of institutional delivery (ID) rate in minority inhabited areas of China from 1996 to 2017 according to national health policies. Methods: The number of live births and IDs for each county/district in 31 provinces of China were derived from the datasets collected by the Office for National Maternal & Child Health Statistics of China. Information on health policies and ethnical areas was derived from official governmental websites. The calendar years were divided into three periods: pre-program period (1996 to 1999), program implementation period (2000 to 2008) and post-program period (2009 to 2017). Minority autonomous regions, autonomous prefectures, and autonomous counties were defined as minority inhabited areas. The ethnic that a county was classified into was determined by a principle of close proximity to the name of the county or its next higher level administrative division. A total of 700 counties in minority inhabited areas were included in the analysis. Results: A total of 45 684 265 live births including 35 098 855 delivered in institutions were analyzed. The ID rate in minority inhabited areas was 37.5% (696 221/1 856 164) in 1996 and 99.2% (2 371 209/2 390 131) in 2017, with an annual growth rate of 4.7%. During the 22-years period, the ID rates in the eastern, central and western regions increased simultaneously, with the annual growth rates of 3.1%, 4.2% and 4.9% respectively. The difference between the eastern and western regions decreased steadily from 16% in 1996 to <1% in 2017 and the difference between the urban and rural areas decreased from 32.1% in 1996 to <1% in 2017. Besides, the ID rates in Tibetan and Yi inhabited areas with lower baseline levels increased 73 and 63 percentage points respectively. The number of counties with the ID rate of <96% were substantially reduced from 589 in 1996 to 72 in 2017; the 71 counties were all located in national deep poverty-stricken areas named Three Districts and Three States, predominantly involving Tibetan (58), Yi (6), Uygur (2) and Lisu (2) ethnics. Conclusion: During the past 22 years, the ID rate in minority inhabited areas in China has dramatically increased, achieving the goal of 2 020 ahead of schedule, but there remains a few western counties where ID rates are still<96%, indicating that minority inhabited western areas should be focused in developing national policies concerning institutional delivery.

[Research progress of single-nucleotide polymorphism in theTM6SF2 rs58542926].

Transmembrane 6 superfamily member 2 (TM6SF2) is a recently discovered gene, which is located on the chromosome 19 (19p12) and encodes a protein consisting of 351 amino acids. Presently, many studies have reported that the single-nucleotide polymorphism of TM6SF2 rs58542926 and plasma lipids are closely related to the incidence and development of diseases, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), cardiovascular disease (CVD), liver cancer, and hepatitis C. This review will summarize the research progress conducted in these areas.

[HIV epidemic among pregnant women in China, 2016: trend and spatial analysis].

Objective: To describe the spatial distribution characteristics of the HIV prevalence among pregnant women in mainland China in 2016, providing scientific evidence for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Methods: Data on pregnant women and those living with HIV in 2016 for all counties in mainland China is from the National Maternal & Child Health Statistics dataset. To obtain robust estimates, 2 964 counties were merged into 344 cities. Spatial autocorrelation analysis and trend analysis were performed based on the city-level dataset to detailedly describe the characteristics of the spatial distribution. Results: A total of 14 879 082 pregnant women were included in the analysis, among whom 5 051 were diagnosed to be infected with HIV, giving an overall prevalence of 34.0 per 100 000 pregnant women. The prevalence was higher in the south than in the north, and decreased from the west (93.5/100 000) to the east(8.6/100 000 ), more specifically, the prevalence in the West region was 11 times as high as that in the East region(χ(trend)(2)=68.61, P<0.01). Stratified analysis by provinces showed that there were 6 provinces whose prevalence was >50.0 per 100 000, and they (Yunnan, Xinjiang, Sichuan, Guangxi, Guizhou and Chongqing) were all located in the West Region; pregnant women in these provinces accounted for 21% of all pregnant women, but the HIV cases accounted for 76% of all cases diagnosed in mainland China. Stratified analysis by cities showed that there were 30 cities whose prevalence was >100.0 per 100 000, and 28 of these cities were also located in the western provinces above. Furthermore, the global Moran's I (0.5, P<0.01) indeed indicated a strong clustered distribution across mainland China; 2 hot spots were observed in the Midwest of Xinjiang, and Yunnan and its bordering areas (Sichuan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Chongqing), while 1 cold spot in the central and east China. The HIV prevalence in the hot spots (183.6/100 000) was 23 times as much as that in the cold spot (8.1/100 000). Conclusion: The overall HIV prevalence for pregnant women who lived in mainland China in 2016 (34.0/100 000) ranked at low-level worldwide, but varied markedly across the whole country with 2 high-prevalence-clustered areas: the Midwest of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and Yunnan province along with its bordering areas, indicating comprehensive intervention strategies especially targeted to the areas with high HIV prevalence should be developed.

[Current status and prospects of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine for treatment of portal hypertension].

Portal hypertension refers to a series of clinical manifestations caused by elevated pressure of the portal vein system, which can cause portal hypertension by causing portal venous obstruction and / or increased blood flow. A typical clinical manifestation in patients with decompensated cirrhosis is portal hypertension. A severe complication of portal hypertension is esophagogastric varices bleeding, refractory ascites, and hepatic encephalopathy. The effective reduction of portal pressure can reduce the incidence of complications, improve the prognosis and reduce the mortality. At present, the commonly used clinical methods for reducing portal hypertension include drug therapy, minimally invasive interventions, surgical treatment, and liver transplantation. This article reviews the current status of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine for portal hypertension.

[Secular trends of institutional delivery rate in China from 1996 to 2015].

Objective: To describe the secular trends of institutional delivery (ID) rate in China from 1996 to 2015, and to assess the impacts of national health policies on the ID rate. Methods: Data on the number of live births and IDs for districts/counties in 31 provinces of China was annually collected by the Office for National Maternal & Child Health Statistics of China. Information concerning the relevant policies was from official governmental websites, including the programme to reduce maternal mortality and eliminate neonatal tetanus (2000 to 2008), and ID subsidy programme in rural China (2009 to present). According to the programme to reduce maternal mortality and eliminate neonatal tetanus, the calendar years were categorized into three periods: pre-programme period (1996 to 1999), programme implementation period (2000 to 2008) and post-programme period (2009 to 2015). Results: A total of 244 398 010 live births were included in the analysis, in which 211 605 727 were delivered in institutions. During the 20 years, the ID rate steadily increased from 58.7% (6 309 255/10 739 816) in 1996 to 99.7% (13 583 658/13 626 948) in 2015, with a compound annual growth rate of 2.8%. Analyses stratified by economic regions or urban-rural areas showed notably consistent increases in ID rates, and the regional and urban-rural differences became nearly disappeared by 2015. The largest regional difference between East (71.6%, 2 540 896/3 547 423) and West (44.6%, 1 675 305/3 752 873) was 27% in 1996 and <1% in 2015 (East 99.9%[5 177 865/5 180 636]and West 99.0%[3 925 766/3 964 622]). The urban-rural difference was 22.7% in 1996 (urban 73.5%[2 756 531/3 748 703], rural 50.8%[3 552 724/6 991 113]) and 0.4% in 2015(urban 99.9%[6 257 853/6 262 763], rural 99.5%[7 325 805/7 364 185]). During the programme implementation period and the post-programme period, the ID rates in rural area increased faster than those in urban area, and the corresponding compound annual growth rates in rural area were 2.4 and 2.8 times of those in urban area; the ID rates in Middle and West regions increased faster than those in East region, and the corresponding compound annual growth rates in West region were 3.6 and 6.3 times of those in East region. By 2015, the ID rates in all provinces other than Tibet (90.5%[48 445/53 505]) and Qinghai (97.2%[60 836/62 600]) reached or were close to 100%. However, there were still 112 districts/counties with ID rates <96%, of which 39 with ID rates <80%; the 39 districts/counties were all located in four western provinces (Tibet 19, Sichuan 15, Qinghai 3, and Xinjiang 2). Conclusions: During the past 20 years, the ID rate in China has steadily increased and achieved the goal of the year 2020 ahead of schedule; the regional and urban-rural inequality in ID has nearly disappeared. Given universal two-child policy, it is of significance to strengthen existing achievements, focus on complicated pregnancies and comprehensively improve the capability and quality of ID services; meanwhile, it is also of significance to develop particular policies and explore the medical-aid model for the minority-inhabited western regions with lower ID rates.

Expression profiles of SMAD1 protein in lung cancer tissues and normal tissues and its effect on lung cancer incidence.

The aim of this study is to detect the expression profiles of SMAD1 protein in lung cancer tissues and normal tissues to investigate its effect on the incidence of lung cancer. The expression profiles of SMAD1 protein in 60 cases of lung cancer tissues (lung cancer group), 25 cases of normal alveolus tissues (alveolus control group) and 29 cases of normal bronchial tissues (bronchial control group) were detected by adopting immunohistochemical analyses, and their relationships with clinicopathologic data were analyzed. The expression of SMAD1 protein in the lung cancer group and the lung squamous cell carcinoma group was significantly lower than that in the alveolus control group and the bronchial control group (P < 0.01). The expression of SMAD1 protein in the lung adenocarcinoma group was significantly lower than that in the alveolus control group and the bronchial control group (P < 0.01); The expression SMAD1 protein showed a significant correlation with lung cancer differentiation and lymphatic metastasis (P < 0.05), but not with genders, ages, tumor sizes and histological types of lung cancer patients (P>0.05).

Psychological and cognitive impairment of long-term migrators to high altitudes and the relationship to physiological and biochemical changes.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The present study aimed to examine how long-term migration to high-altitude regions affects mentality and cognition, and the correlation with various physiological and biochemical changes. METHODS: The WHO Neurobehavioral Core Test Battery, Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire were used to assess 141 young male subjects who lived in plain regions and 217 young male subjects who had migrated to a 4500 m high-altitude region and lived there for 1-5 years. Arterial oxyhemoglobin saturation, cerebral tissue oxygenation indices (TOIs), serum S100B and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were also measured. RESULTS: Long-term migrators to a high-altitude region exhibited exacerbated mood disorders, retarded color discrimination ability, decreased visual memory capacity, and impaired perceptual motor skill and motion stability. In addition, the migrators exhibited lower RSPM scores and lower sleep quality. Further analyses revealed significant correlations between sleep quality and cerebral TOIs, mood and sleep quality, mood and certain cognitive functions, mood and serum BDNF levels, and RSPM scores and serum S100B levels. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term living at high altitudes causes significant impairment of psychological and cognitive function. Cerebral hypoxic extent, sleep quality and biochemical dysfunction are major influencing factors.

Purification of the insecticidal Cry2Ad protein from a Bt-isolated BRC-HZP10 strain and toxin assay to the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.).

The present study aims to characterize the Cry2Ad toxin protein isolated from a Bacillus thuringiensis strain, BRC-HZP10, which have a potential insecticidal activity against larvae of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.). The crude Bt toxin proteins were isolated and purified by cation exchange chromatography, then equilibrated with 0.2 M NaOH buffer, pH 4.0, followed by ultraviolet detection at 280 nm and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A refined Cry2Ad toxin protein with 88.34% purity was eventually obtained and used for a bioassay by feeding it to P. xylostella. The results showed conspicuous insecticidal activity towards P. xylostella with 50% lethal concentration of 6.84 µg/mL and 95% confidence interval of 5.77-7.91 mg/mL. At a concentration of 16.38 µg/mL, the intake of Cry2Ad protein significantly shortened the oviposition period and larval developmental duration, but significantly reduced the fecundity and egg hatchability of the population compared to those of control (without treatment with Cry2Ad protein) (P < 0.05). These results indicate that the Cry2Ad protein plays an effective role in controlling the population of P. xylostella.

Relationship between HLA-DP gene polymorphisms and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma: a meta-analysis.

The association between the HLA-DP single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs3077 and rs9277535 and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been reported, but results have been inconclusive and controversial. Therefore, to investigate the relationship between these HLA-DP SNPs and HCC susceptibility, a meta-analysis of studies published before January 2014 was carried out using the PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for HLA-DP alleles, and for co-dominant, dominant, and recessive genotype models of each SNP, based on fixed- or random-effects models. A total of nine studies from six published articles were included. The association study between rs3077 and HCC susceptibility was performed in four independent comparisons that contained 1871 cases with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related HCC and 3207 carriers with persistent HBV. Association between rs9277535 and HCC susceptibility was examined in five separate comparisons that contained 2017 cases and 3930 carriers. Our analysis indicated a significant association of rs3077 and rs9277535 with HCC susceptibility, suggesting that rs3077 might act beneficially against HCC susceptibility (A vs G: OR = 0.884, 95%CI = 0.803-0.973, P = 0.012; GA vs GG: OR = 0.842, 95%CI = 0.733-0.967, P = 0.015; AA+GA vs GG: OR = 0.848, 95%CI = 0.744-0.968, P = 0.014), and that rs9277535 might promote HCC susceptibility (AA vs GA: OR = 1.202, 95%CI = 1.011-1.428, P = 0.037). This study suggested that HLA-DP rs3077 and rs9277535 polymorphisms are associated with HCC susceptibility in the Asian population.

Prevention of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension by hypoxia-inducible expression of p27 in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells.

Hypoxia-induced proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (SMCs) is important in the development of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH). We constructed a lentivirial vector containing a smooth muscle-specific promoter and six copies of hypoxia response element to co-drive the expression of p27, the key cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor that blocks the G1 to S phase transition in cell cycle progression, in pulmonary artery SMCs in hypoxia. Then in vivo we examined the prevention effects of the vector on HPH in mice and in vitro the specificity on the hypoxia-inducible expression of p27 in pulmonary artery SMCs. Hypobaric hypoxia for 4 weeks resulted in significant increases in the right ventricular systolic pressure, the ratio of right ventricle to left ventricle plus septal weight and the muscularization of pulmonary vessels in mice. Administration of the vector before hypoxia significantly prevented the effects of hypoxia. In vitro, the vector exhibited hypoxic inducibility and relatively specific expression in pulmonary artery SMCs, inhibited the hypoxia-induced proliferation of pulmonary artery SMCs and arrested more cells at G0/G1 phase. These results demonstrate that the hypoxia-inducible p27 expression prevents the development of HPH in mice.

A promoter polymorphism (rs3806798) of interleukin-15 gene is associated with chronic hepatitis B virus infection in the Chinese Han population.

This study aimed to investigate the association between the polymorphisms of IL-15 gene and susceptibility to chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the Chinese Han population. A total of 234 patients with chronic HBV infection and 150 age- and sex-matched healthy controls in the Chinese population were enrolled in this case-control study. Genotyping of ten single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the IL-15 gene was carried out via Sequenom MassARRAY system. The association analysis demonstrated that SNP rs3806798 (A/T) had a significant difference in the distribution between patients and healthy controls (P = 0.033). Moreover, a significantly increased risk of HBV infection was found to be associated with IL-15 rs3806798 A allele among male patients and HBeAg-negative patients, compared with IL-15 rs3806798 T allele (P = 0.003; P = 0.046, respectively). Furthermore, haplotype analysis revealed that haplotype ATAGG (rs3806798, rs12508866, rs1519551, rs6819823 and rs2857261, respectively) in block 1 was significantly associated with HBV infection (P = 0.022). In conclusion, we found an association between IL-15 rs3806798 and the risk of chronic HBV infection in a sample of Chinese Han population.

Mitochondrial haplogroup D4 confers resistance and haplogroup B is a genetic risk factor for high-altitude pulmonary edema among Han Chinese.

High-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) is a life-threatening condition caused by acute exposure to high altitude. Accumulating evidence suggests that genetic factors play an important role in the etiology of HAPE. However, conclusions from association studies have been hindered by limited sample size due to the rareness of this disease. It is known that mitochondria are critical for hypoxic adaptation, and mitochondrial malfunction can be an important factor in HAPE development. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that mitochondrial DNA haplotypes and polymorphisms affect HAPE susceptibility. We recruited 204 HAPE patients and 174 healthy controls in Tibet (3658 m above sea level), all Han Chinese, constituting the largest sample size of all HAPE vulnerability studies. Among mtDNA haplogroups, we found that haplogroup D4 is associated with resistance to HAPE, while haplogroup B is a genetic risk factor for this condition. Haplogroup D4 (tagged by 3010A) may enhance the stability of 16S rRNA, resulting in reduced oxidative stress and protection against HAPE. Within haplogroup B, subhaplogroup B4c (tagged by 15436A and 1119C) was associated with increased risk for HAPE, while subhaplogroup B4b may protect against HAPE. We indicate that there are differences in HAPE susceptibility among mtDNA haplogroups. We conclude that mitochondria are involved in adverse reactions to acute hypoxic exposure; our finding of differences in susceptibility as a function of mitochondrial DNA haplotype may shed light on the pathogenesis of other disorders associated with hypoxia, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

[The clinical phenotype and gene analysis of syndromic deafness with PTPN11 gene mutation].

Objective: To analyze the clinical phenotype and screen the genetic mutations of hereditary deafness in three deaf families to clarify their molecular biology etiology. Methods: From January 2019 to January 2020, three deaf children and family members were collected for medical history, physical examination, audiology evaluation, electrocardiogram and cardiac color Doppler ultrasound, temporal bone CT examination, and peripheral blood DNA was obtained for high-throughput sequencing of deafness genes. Sanger sequencing was performed to verify the variant sites among family members. The pathogenicity of the variants was evaluated according to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics. Results: The probands in the three families had deafness phenotypes. In family 1, proband had multiple lentigines, special facial features, growth retardation, pectus carinatum, abnormal skin elasticity, cryptorchidism and other manifestations. In family 2, proband had special facial features, growth retardation and abnormal heart, and the proband in family 3 had growth retardation and abnormal electrocardiogram. Genetic testing of three families detected three heterozygous mutations in the PTPN11 gene: c.1391G>C (p.Gly464Ala), c.1510A>G (p.Met504Val), c.1502G>A (p.Arg501Lys). All three sites were missense mutations, and the mutation sites were highly conserved among multiple homologous species. Based on clinical manifestations and genetic test results, proband 1 was diagnosed with multiple lentigines Noonan syndrome, and probands 2 and 3 were diagnosed with Noonan syndrome. Conclusion: Missense mutations in the PTPN11 gene may be the cause of the disease in the three deaf families. This study enriches the clinical phenotype and mutation spectrum of the PTPN11 gene in the Chinese population.

Exploring the nursing effect of application Albizia bark on autism in children based on network pharmacology and molecular docking.

OBJECTIVE: Autism is a disorder that manifests itself in early childhood. Early diagnosis of autism may not only help the affected children themselves, but also affect family well-being and social stability. The natural drug Albizia bark has been reported to have some effect in the prevention and treatment of autism in children. Therefore, we used network pharmacology and molecular docking to explore the possible mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: TCMID and BATMAN-TCM was used to retrieve the chemical constituents of Albizia bark, and then obtained the relevant targets about autism by TTD, Gene Cards and OMIM. The resulting ingredients and targets were predicted, then a protein interaction network was constructed, and finally bioinformatics analysis was performed. Finally, molecular docking was used to verify the effective ingredients and targets obtained from the screening. RESULTS: Leucaena saponin B, luteolin, 3', 4', 7-trihydroxyflavone, which may be the key compounds for the treatment of autism. BP mainly involving signal transduction, G protein coupled receptor signal pathway, protein phosphorylation. CC, mainly involving plasma membrane, integral component of plasma membrane, MF, including protein binding, adenosine triphosphate binding, protein kinase activity. Molecular docking showed that AKT1, HRAS, PIK3CA, PIK3R1 and SRC, five potential targets, had good binding ability to Leucaena saponin B. CONCLUSIONS: The natural drug Albizia bark exerts pharmacological effects in a multi-component, multi-target and multi-channel manner, including neural regulation, inflammatory response and immune regulation.

Prevalence of hepatitis C virus and hepatitis B virus infections in HIV-positive Chinese patients.

To evaluate the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and/or hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections in HIV-infected patients in China, an epidemiological serosurvey was conducted from May 2007 to September 2008 using a random cluster sampling design of infectious disease hospitals in seven high HIV-prevalent provinces (municipalities). Univariate analysis and logistic regression were used to study the determinants of HIV and HBV and/or HCV co-infection. The overall prevalence was 41·83% (95% CI 40·36-43·30) for anti-HCV and 12·49% (95% CI 11·50-13·48) for HBsAg, respectively. The prevalence of anti-HCV and HBsAg varied according to the route of HIV transmission. Compared to those with sexually acquired HIV infection, intravenous drug users and blood donors/recipients had the greatest risk of carrying anti-HCV. Needle sharing and unprotected sexual exposures are important modes of transmission for HBV. Further interventions including health education and harm reduction strategies should be implemented in high-risk populations.

Long non-coding RNA DANCR upregulates IGF2 expression and promotes ovarian cancer progression.

Since this article has been suspected of research misconduct and the corresponding authors did not respond to our request to prove originality of data and figures, "Long non-coding RNA DANCR upregulates IGF2 expression and promotes ovarian cancer progression, by Y.-Q. Gao, H.-Y. Cheng, K.-F. Liu, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2019; 23 (9): 3621-3626-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_201905_17785-PMID: 31114986" has been withdrawn. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/17785.

Strange and unconventional isotope effects in ozone formation.

The puzzling mass-independent isotopic enrichment in ozone formation contrasts markedly with the more recently observed large unconventional mass-dependent ratios of the individual ozone formation rate constants in certain systems. An RRKM (Rice, Ramsperger, Kassel, Marcus)-based theory is used to treat both effects. Restrictions of symmetry on how energy is shared among the rotational/vibrational states of the ozone isotopomer, together with an analysis of the competition between the transition states of its two exit channels, permit the calculation of isotope effects consistent with a wide array of experimental results.

On the structure elucidation using ion mobility spectrometry and molecular dynamics.

A new approach is described for the elucidation of gas-phase peptide ion structures combining ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) data and molecular dynamics (MD)-cluster analysis (CA) prediction. The new approach is based on the determination of the gas-phase ion structure identity vectors (e.g., structure and population vectors) that generate the total conformational space of the gas-phase ion as a function of the IMS experimental conditions (e.g., field strength, pressure, bath gas temperature, and IM cell geometry). Two methods to efficiently sample the gas-phase conformational space of molecular ions as a function of the effective ion temperature characteristic of the IMS experiments are described: (i) a simulated annealing MD-CA-constant temperature MD-CA, and (ii) a generalized non-Boltzmann sampling MD-free energy analysis-CA. The new theoretical method has been successfully applied to two model peptide ions (Bradykinin fragments 1-5 and 1-8, RPPGF and RPPGFSPF, respectively) for which multiple conformations sensitive to the effective ion temperature have been suggested in previous studies.

Long non-coding RNA DANCR upregulates IGF2 expression and promotes ovarian cancer progression.

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have revealed the important role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNAs) in the development of malignant tumors. In this work, we explored the exact role of lncRNA DANCR in ovarian cancer progression and the underlying mechanism. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect DANCR expression in both ovarian cancer cells and tissue samples. Subsequently, cell proliferation assay and transwell assay were conducted. Furthermore, the underlying mechanism was explored via qRT-PCR and Western blot assay. RESULTS: The expression of DANCR in ovarian cancer samples was significantly higher than that of the corresponding normal tissues. After DANCR overexpression in vitro, the proliferation, invasion and migration of ovarian cancer cells were markedly promoted. In addition, both the mRNA and protein expression levels of insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) were remarkably upregulated after DANCR overexpression. Furthermore, the results found that the expression level of IGF2 was positively correlated with DANCR expression in ovarian cancer tissues. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we revealed that DANCR could enhance the proliferation, migration and invasion capacities of ovarian cancer cells by upregulating IGF2. Our findings might offer a potential therapeutic choice for patients with ovarian cancer.

[Introduction of joint model and its applications in medical research].

In medical follow-up studies, longitudinal data and survival data are often accompanied and associated with each other, thus respective analysis of longitudinal and survival data might lead to biased results. Joint model can correct deviations, improve the efficiency of parameter estimation and provide effective inferences by simultaneously processing longitudinal and survival data. It is a popular method in medical research. Joint model has made much progress, whereas the literature about the joint model and its application is limited in China. This paper summarizes the main idea, basic framework, parameter estimation methods of random effect joint model and introduces the analysis on AIDS data set based on the R software package 'JM' to clarify the advantages of the joint model in processing medical follow-up data and promote the use of the joint model in clinical research.