Correction: Epidemiological investigation into the prevalence of abnormal inter-arm blood pressure differences among different ethnicities in Xinjiang, China.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0188546.].

Epidemiological investigation into the prevalence of abnormal inter-arm blood pressure differences among different ethnicities in Xinjiang, China.

OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of and risk factors for IAD among different ethnicity groups was unknown. Our aim was to investigate the prevalence of and risk factors for IAD among Han, Uygur and Kazakh ethnicities in Xinjiang. China. METHODS: In total, 14,618 adult participants (7,799 males and 6,819 females) were recruited from the Cardiovascular Risk Survey. A 4-stage stratified cluster random sampling method was used. The participants' personal information and medical history were assessed by questionnaire. IAD was diagnosed by a noninvasive arteriosclerosis analyzer. RESULTS: The prevalence of abnormal IAD among the general population was 14.3%, with 12.5% in the Han, 14.9% in the Uygur, and 16.4% in the Kazakh populations. The prevalence of abnormal IAD among the hypertensive population was 19.4%, with 17.0% in the Han, 18.1% in the Uygur, and 22.7% in the Kazakh populations. The prevalence of abnormal IAD increased with age (all P < 0.01) but was not significantly different between the genders (all P> 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age more than 45 years, obesity and hypertriglyceridemia were significantly associated with a higher prevalence of IAD. There were different risk factors for abnormal IAD in different ethnicities. Middle or old age, obesity, ABI and diabetes mellitus were risk factors for the Han population, smoking was a risk factor in the Uygur population, and obesity and PAD were risk factors in the Kazakh population. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of abnormal IAD in the Kazakh participants was higher than that in the Han and Uygur populations among both the general population and the hypertensive population in Xinjiang, China. The main risk factors of IAD were age, obesity, and triglyceride levels. Different ethnicities had different kinds of risk factors for IAD.

Epirubicin inhibits growth and alters the malignant phenotype of the U­87 glioma cell line.

Epirubicin, an anthracycline derivative, is one of the main line treatments for brain tumors. The aim of the present study was to verify that epirubicin alters the growth and morphological characteristics of U­87 glioma cells. In the present study, the effects of epirubicin were tested using cellular and biochemical assays, which demonstrated its anti­proliferative and cytotoxic effects, with an IC50 of 6.3 µM for the U­87 cell line, while rat normal neuronal cells were resistant to epirubicin. Epirubicin also reduced the secretion of matrix metalloproteinase­9 by 48 and 56% at concentrations of 2.5 and 5 µM, respectively. Exposure to epirubicin also diminished levels of vascular endothelial growth factor in U­87 cells. Furthermore, a cell migration assay showed a significant decrease in cell migration from 28 to 59% following exposure to 1 µM epirubicin. The present study demonstrated the cytotoxic, anti­proliferative and anti­migrative potential of epirubicin against glioma cells in vitro.

[Salt-alkaline tolerance of sorghum germplasm at seedling stage].

A sand culture experiment with Hoagland solution plus NaCl and Na2CO3 was conducted to study the responses of sorghum seedlings to salt-alkaline stress. An assessment method for identifying the salt-alkaline tolerance of sorghum at seedling stage was established, and the salt-alkaline tolerance of 66 sorghum genotypes was evaluated. At the salt concentrations 8.0-12.5 g x L(-1), there was a great difference in the salt-alkaline tolerance between tolerant genotype 'TS-185' and susceptive 'Tx-622B', suggesting that this range of salt concentrations was an appropriate one to evaluate the salt-alkaline tolerance of sorghum at seedling stage. At the salt concentrations 10.0 and 12.5 g x L(-1), there existed significant differences in the relative livability, relative fresh mass, and relative height among the 66 genotypes, indicating a great difference in the salt-alkaline tolerance among these genotypes. The genotype 'Sanchisan' was highly tolerant, 16 genotypes such as 'MN-2735' were tolerant, 32 genotypes such as 'EARLY HONEY' were mild tolerant, 16 genotypes such as 'Tx-622B' were susceptive, and genotype 'MN-4588' was highly susceptive to salt-alkaline stress. Most of the sorghum genotypes belonging to Sudangrasses possessed a high salt-alkaline tolerance, while the sorghum genotypes belonging to maintainer lines were in adverse.

[Efficacy comparison between endovascular aneurysm repair versus open surgery for patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms: a meta-analysis].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy between endovascular aneurysm repair versus open surgery in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). METHODS: A systematic review was performed to identify clinical outcomes of randomized controlled trials for AAA patients receiving endovascular aneurysm repair or open surgery. The Cochrane Library (issue 7 of 2011), MEDLINE (1996 to 2011), EMBASE (1974 to 2011), CBM (1989 to 2011), CNKI (1997 to 2011), Wanfang data (1989 to 2011) were searched. Randomized trials that compared open or endovascular AAA repair and published clinical outcomes were selected. The outcome included all-cause mortality, aneurysm-related mortality, technical complications and re-open surgery. Data analyses were performed with the RevMan5.1 software. Publication bias was assessed by STATA software. A meta-regression model was used to describe between study variability. A total of 123 trials were excluded according to criteria. Four randomized controlled trials with 2607 patients met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: There were no publication bias (Begg's test, Z = 1.02, P > 0.05; Egger's test, t = 0.98, P > 0.05). The meta-analysis showed that the incidence of all-cause mortality of endovascular repair was significantly lower than that of open repair up to 30 days post procedures [ RR = 0.32, 95%CI (0.18 - 0.56), P < 0.01] while long-term all-cause mortality was similar: DREAM study: [RR = 1.18, 95%CI (0.88 - 1.58), P > 0.05], EVAR study: [RR = 1.04, 95%CI (0.88 - 1.22), P > 0.05]. The incidence of aneurysm-related mortality of endovascular repair was lower than that of open repair in two studies [RR = 0.53, 95%CI (0.33 - 0.85), P < 0.01]. Technical complication between open repair group and endovascular repair group was similar [RR = 1.43, 95%CI (0.68 - 2.98), P > 0.05]. Incidence of re-open surgery was higher in endovascular repair group than in open surgery group [RR = 2.03, 95%CI (1.14 - 3.62), P < 0.05]. CONCLUSION: Compared with open surgery, endovascular repair is associated with lower 30-day all-cause mortality and aneurysm-related mortality, similar technical complication and long-term all-cause mortality, but higher risk for re-open surgery.

[Study on the interaction of levofloxacin and MCM-41 by fluorescence spectrum].

The mesoporous molecular sieve MCM-41 was synthesized by hydrothermal method under microwave irradiation and the levofloxacin was encapsulated in the hexagonal ordered channels of MCM-41 using pickling process. The structure and property of MCM-41 and LVFX/MCM-41 were characterized by means of small-angle X-ray diffraction(XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), N2 physical adsorption, and thermogravimetric analysis-differential thermal analysis (TGA-DTA). The pore diameter and the specific surface area of the mesoporous molecular sieve MCM-41 synthesized under microwave irradiation were 2.382 nm and 1015 m2 x g(-1) respectively. The fluorescence spectra of MCM-41, LVFX/MCM-41, LVFX (solid) and LVFX (solution) were investigated. The results indicated that there were some visible red shifts in the fluorescence spectrum of the composite of LVFX/MCM-41 as compared with the samples before being encapsulated. It was inferred from the results that hydrogen bonds were formed between levofloxacin and the hydroxy group in the inner pores, and the electron cloud could transfer from the hydroxy group to electro-attracting group. At the same time, the electron cloud could transfer in much larger annulations, and the conjugated system of LVFX was extended because of the new annulations formed, which contributed to the red shifts of the fluorescence spectra. The strong interactions between the LVFX and MCM-41 provided the theory for developing a novel delayed release drug using MCM-41 as the carriers.

Likelihood evaluation using 15 common short tandem repeat loci: a practical and simulated approach to establishing personal identification via sibling/parental assessments.

BACKGROUND: In individual identification, often the only way to circumvent the lack of personal reference materials is to resort to a kinship analysis between the unidentified party (UP) and putative relatives. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Genotypes of 15 short tandem repeat loci in 20,000 families were simulated and the likelihood ratios (LRs) were calculated based on the frequencies of alleles in the Japanese population. These LR values illustrate the likelihood of whether an alleged kin is related to a UP. First, three sets of kinship were assessed: UP and one parent (or child); UP and two children; and UP and both parents. Next, an UP was compared with one to three alleged siblings (ASs). In the end, these calculations were applied to 21 actual cases where the identity of an individual lay in dispute. RESULTS: When comparisons were made between a UP and both parents, or two children, the LR median dramatically increased (6.68 x 10(11) and 1.10 x 10(8), respectively) in comparison to assessments involving an UP and one parent or child (48,900). Similarly, when two or three true siblings were made available for comparison, the LR was far greater (7.32 x 10(6) and 4.50 x 10(8), respectively) than in cases where only one sibling was available (9,250). Of the 21 actual cases these calculations were applied to, 1 case ended in exclusion with absolute certainty and the remaining 20 cases obtained high LRs. CONCLUSION: As demonstrated, this system is extremely effective in cases of personal identification where both parents, two or more children, or two or more ASs are available for comparison.

Minisatellite MS32 alleles show population specificity among Thai, Chinese, and Japanese.

Lineages of structurally related alleles at minisatellite MS32 in human populations show considerable differentiation at the continental level. However, the regional specificity of these lineages remains unknown. We now describe the comparison of allele structures in Thai, Han Chinese, and Japanese populations with lineages previously established for North Europeans and Africans. The great majority of alignable Asian alleles showed their closest structural relative in Asia, with few instances of preferential alignment of Asian with European alleles and only one isolated incident showing a best match with an African allele. Further, there was a strong tendency, most marked for Japanese, for Asian alleles to align preferentially with other alleles from the same population, indicating strong regional specificity of allele lineages. This rapidly evolving minisatellite can therefore serve as a lineage marker for exploring recent events in human population history and dissecting population structure at the fine-scale level, as well as being an extremely informative DNA marker for personal identification.

Diverse endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacteria isolated from wild rice Oryza rufipogon and description of Phytobacter diazotrophicus gen. nov. sp. nov.

Twenty-three nitrogen-fixing bacteria were isolated from surface-sterilized stems and roots of wild rice Oryza rufipogon. Four clusters were defined among these bacteria by SDS-PAGE protein patterns and further confirmed by IS-PCR finger-printing analysis. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the representative strains LS 8 and LS 18 of cluster II formed a monophyletic group sharing 94.0-97.3% similarities with defined enterobacterial species within the genera Salmonella, Citrobacter, Pantoea, Klebsiella, and Enterobacter. DNA-DNA hybridization, physiological, biochemical tests, and cell morphology also revealed that these strains could be differentiated from the related enterobacterial species. Based upon these results, we propose Phytobacter diazotrophicus gen. nov., sp. nov. to the bacterial group represented by strains LS 8 and LS 18. The type strain is LS 8(T) (=DSM 17806(T) = LMG 23328(T) = CGMCC 1.5339(T)). The DNA G+C content of strain LS 8(T) is 58.6 +/- 0.5 mol%.

[Analysis of effects of salt stress on absorption and accumulation of mineral elements in Elymus spp. using atomic absorption spectrophotometer].

Salinization contributes significantly to soil degradation and the growth and survival of plants. A high level of salts imposes both ionic and osmotic stresses on plants, resulting in an excessive accumulation of sodium (Na) in plant tissues. Na toxicity disrupts the uptake of soil nutrients. Plant uptake and absorption of macro-elements under salt stress have been studied in plants, but there is little literature addressing the effect of salt stress on plant accumulation and absorption of micro-elements. Species in Elymus genus are among the most important forage plants on high-salinity soils in China An experiment was conducted to study the effect of salt stress on accumulation and absorption of both macro- and micro-elements by wild plants of Elymus genus. Plant samples taken from two populations with different salt tolerance were tested and the level of 4 macro-elements, namely Na, K, Ca and Mg, and 4 micro-elements, namely Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn was determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The relationship between the selection of elements in the process of absorption and accumulation and salt tolerance was also analyzed. The results showed that the level of Na in root and leaf tissues increased with increasing salt stress. The level of Na in leaf tissue of plants with high salt tolerance (HS) was significantly higher than that in plants with low salt tolerance (P<0.05). The level of K and Ca decreased in response to increasing salt stress, while that in HS was higher than in LS. The level of Fe and Zn in the tissues of both roots and leaves increased. No significant difference was detected between HS and LS samples in the level of Cu in root tissues, while that of Cu in leaf tissue of both samples increased. The level of Mn decreased with increasing salt stress, but was higher in HS than in LS. Fe and Zn in roots and leaves of HS were lower than in those of LS.

Unexpected sudden death resulting from anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the left sinus of Valsalva: a case report involving identical twins.

An anomalous origin of the coronary arteries had been implicated as a cause of sudden cardiac death in a case involving a 16-year-old student who suddenly collapsed while running track at school. An autopsy revealed that the right coronary artery arose from the aorta in the left sinus of Valsalva. In order to determine whether the same anomaly was inherent in his brother--an identical twin--a complete cardiac medical examination was conducted. Multi-detector-row computed tomography (MDCT) coronary angiography showed no anomaly at the sinus of Valsalva, which indicates that the anomaly, in this case, was not hereditary. This case exemplifies instances where forensic medicine may intervene to prevent sudden deaths in surviving family members.