[Correction model of the sampling time error on the blood trough concentration of tacrolimus in non-sustained-release dosage form for renal transplant recipients].

Objective: To establish correction model of the sampling time error on the blood trough concentration of tacrolimus in non-sustained-release dosage form for renal transplant recipient and improve the accuracy of drug dose assessment and clinical adjustment in renal transplant recipients. Methods: Visit records of 206 outpatients in the Department of Transplantation, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University were retrospectively collected from October 15, 2022 to October 30, 2022. The distribution of sampling time of tacrolimus blood drug concentration was described and the time range of correction was determined. Twenty inpatients after renal transplantation in the Department of Transplantation, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University from October 1, 2022 to November 30, 2022 were prospectively included, and their demography data, laboratory test results during follow-ups, and CYP3A5 genotype were collected. The patients took tacrolimus in non-sustained-release dosage form every 12 h starting from 19∶30 on the day of admission. Peripheral blood samples were collected from the patients on the second day of admission at 7∶30 and on the third day at 6∶00-10∶00 every 30 minutes to test the blood concentration of tacrolimus. Using the collection time as the independent variable and the blood tacrolimus concentration as the dependent variable, a simple linear regression was performed to fitting a linear model of tacrolimus blood concentration-sampling time. Multiple linear regression was performed to analyze the influencing factors of the tacrolimus metabolic rate within a specific period and generate the regression equation. Results: The 206 outpatients aged (46±13) years, including 131 males (63.6%). The time gap [M (Q1, Q3)] between the sampling time of the follow-up outpatients and standard C12 was 24 (13.0, 46.5) min, and the maximum time gap was 135 min. The 20 enrolled inpatients aged (45±12) years, including 15 males (75.0%). There was no significant difference in the blood concentration of tacrolimus collected at 7∶30 on the second (7.87±2.21)ng/ml and third days (7.84±2.33)ng/ml after admission of the enrolled inpatients (P=0.917), and the blood tacrolimus concentration rhythm was stable in the trial. The plasma concentration of C10.5-C14.5 was linearly related to the time, with R2 [M (Q1, Q3)] 0.88 (0.85, 0.92) and all P<0.05. The metabolic rate of tacrolimus during C10.5-C14.5=0.984+0.090×basic concentration of tacrolimus (ng/ml)-0.036×body mass index+0.489×CYP3A5 genotype-0.007×hemolobin(g/L)-0.035×alanine aminotransferase (U/L)+0.143×total cholesterol (mmol/L)+0.027×total bilirubin (µmol/L), with R2=0.85. Conclusion: This study propose a correction model for tacrolimus (non-sustained-release dosage form) trough concentration around C12, which is helpful for clinicians to easily and accurately assess renal transplant recipients' tacrolimus exposure.

Citronellal prevents endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis in rats.

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis is a chronical inflammatory disease in arterial walls, which is involved in oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction. Aromatherapy is one of the complementary therapies that use essential oils as the major therapeutic agents to treat several diseases. Citronellal (CT) is a monoterpene predominantly formed by the secondary metabolism of plants, producing antithrombotic, antiplatelet, and antihypertensive activities. AIM: The aim of the present study is to explore whether aromatherapy with CT improves endothelial function to prevent the formation of atherosclerotic plaque in vivo. METHODS: An AS model in carotid artery was induced by balloon injury and vitamin D3 injection in rats fed with a high-fat diet. The size of the carotid atherosclerotic plaque was determined by ultrasound, oil red, and hematoxylin-eosin staining. Endothelial function was assessed by measuring acetylcholine-induced vessel relaxation in an organ chamber. RESULTS: Administrations of CT (50, 100, and 150 mg/kg) as well as lovastatin dramatically reduced the size of carotid atherosclerotic plaque in rats in a dose-dependent manner, compared with atherosclerotic rats fed with a high-fat diet plus balloon injury and vitamin D3. Mechanically, CT improved endothelial dysfunction, increased cell migration, and suppressed oxidative stress and inflammation in vascular endothelium in rats feeding on the high-fat diet plus balloon injury. Further, CT downregulated the protein levels of sodium-hydrogen exchanger 1 in rats with atherosclerosis. CONCLUSION: CT improves endothelial dysfunction and prevents the growth of atherosclerosis in rats by reducing oxidative stress. Clinically, CT is potentially considered as a medicine to treat patients with atherosclerosis.

Association of PON1 gene polymorphisms with polycystic ovarian syndrome risk: a meta-analysis of case-control studies.

PURPOSE: Evidences showed that paraoxonase 1 (PON1) gene polymorphism has an impact on women's susceptibility to polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) by influencing the expression and activity of PON1. However, the effects of three PON1 polymorphisms (- 108 C>T, L55M and Q192R) on the incidence of PCOS have generated inconsistent results. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the association between PON1 polymorphisms and PCOS risk. METHODS: All eligible trials were identified via systematic searches of multiple literature databases. Outcome data were synthesized by using crude odds ratio with 95% confidence interval. Heterogeneity was assessed with the I2 test. Publication bias and subgroup analyses were also performed. RESULTS: A total of 2449 cases and 1977 controls from nine studies were selected for analysis. The pooled results showed a significant association between PCOS risk and PON1 - 108 C/T polymorphism in the following genetic models [allelic, 0.72 (0.56-0.92); homozygote, 0.51 (0.32-0.82); heterozygote, 0.44 (0.25-0.78); and dominant 0.47 (0.29-0.77)]. For the PON1 192 Q/R polymorphism, a significant relationship was found in the allelic model [0.62 (0.41-0.93)] and recessive model [0.61 (0.37-0.98)]. PCOS risk was also linked to PON1 L55M polymorphism in the heterozygote model [0.62 (0.39-0.98)] and dominant model [0.63 (0.41-0.96)]. CONCLUSIONS: Our study has shown that PON1 - 108 C/T polymorphism might be associated with increased risk of PCOS under the allelic, homozygote, heterozygote, and dominant models. Additionally, PON1 192 Q/R and L55M polymorphisms were significantly related only in the allelic and recessive model, and in the heterozygote and dominant model, respectively.

Antioxidant status of serum bilirubin, uric acid and albumin in pemphigus vulgaris.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress and low antioxidant status are implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an extremely severe autoimmune bullous dermatosis characterized by intraepithelial bullae on the skin and mucosa, and its antioxidant status is not fully understood. AIM: To assess correlations between PV and serum antioxidant levels of bilirubin, uric acid (UA) and albumin. METHODS: We enrolled 116 patients newly diagnosed with PV who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University (Guangxi, China), and 108 healthy controls (HCs). Clinical characteristics and laboratory parameters of patients were retrospectively analysed. RESULTS: Our survey shows that compared with the HC groups, serum levels of bilirubin [total bilirubin (Tbil), direct bilirubin (Dbil) and indirect bilirubin (Ibil)], UA and albumin were significantly lower in patients with PV, regardless of sex. In all groups, serum Tbil, Dbil, Ibil, UA and albumin levels were lower for women than for men. Severity of pemphigus was slightly negatively associated with Tbil, Dbil and Ibil, but was not associated with UA or albumin. Moreover, when the data were adjusted for the covariances of age and sex separately, Tbil, Dbil, Ibil, UA and albumin were all relevant to PV. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that serum levels of bilirubin (Tbil, Dbil and Ibil), UA and albumin are reduced in patients with PV supporting the hypothesis that oxidative stress and antioxidant status are important in the pathogenic mechanism of PV.

Low expression of Cyfip1 may be a potential biomarker in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Cytoplasmic FMR1 interacting protein 1 (Cyfip1) is a new candidate tumor suppressor gene, which may play an impor- tant role in the occurrence and development of cancers. However, the role of Cyfip1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains poorly known. The aim of this study was to investigate the Cyfip1 mRNA expression in NPC and its association with clinicopathological features. The study population comprised 114 Chinese individuals, including 69 NPC tissues and 45 non-cancerous nasopharyngeal tissues. We used real-time fluorescent relatively quantitative PCR to evaluate the Cyfip1 mRNA expression in NPC tissues and non-cancerous nasopharyngeal tissues. The expression level of Cyfip1 mRNA was significantly lower in patients with NPC than in the control samples (p=0.001). Furthermore, low expression level of Cyfip1 mRNA was significantly associated with invasive range (T3-T4 vs T1-T2, p=0.001), lymph node metastasis (N1-N3 vs   N0, p=0.010), distant metastases (M1 vs M0, p=0.040) and clinical stage (III-IV vs I-II, p<0.001). Our results suggest the association between Cyfip1 mRNA expression and NPC. Detecting the expression of Cyfip1 may provide clinically useful information for diagnosis, progression and treatment methods in NPC.

Dust mite allergen, glutathione S-transferase, induces T cell immunoglobulin mucin domain-4 in dendritic cells to facilitate initiation of airway allergy.

BACKGROUND: Allergens from dust mites play a critical role in the pathogenesis of airway allergy. The mechanism by which dust mite allergens induce allergic diseases is not fully understood yet. OBJECTIVE: This study tests a hypothesis that the eighth subtypes of Dermatophagoides farina allergen (Derf8) play an important role in the induction of airway allergy. METHODS: The protein of Derf8 was synthesized via molecular cloning approach. Dendritic cells (DC) were stimulated with Derf8 in the culture, and then, the expression of T cell immunoglobulin mucin domain 4 (TIM4) in dendritic cells (DC) was analysed. The role of Derf8 in the induction of airway allergy was evaluated with a mouse model. RESULTS: Exposure to Derf8 markedly induced the TIM4 expression in DCs by modulating the chromatin at the TIM4 promoter locus. Derf8 played a critical role in the expansion of the T helper 2 response in the mouse airway via inducing DCs to produce TIM4. Administration with Derf8-depleted dust mite extracts (DME) inhibited the allergic inflammation and induced regulatory T cells in mice with airway allergy. CONCLUSION: Derf8 plays an important role in the initiation of dust mite allergy. Vaccination with Derf8-deficient DME is more efficient to inhibit the dust mite allergic inflammation than using wild DME.

[Value of base excess in predicting the prognosis of patients with paraquat poisoning].

Objective: To explore prognostic factors of acute paraquat poisoning (APP) , analyze the correlation between base excess (BE) and plasma concentration of paraquat (C-PQ) and discuss BE level in evalua-tion of prognosis of acute paraquat poisoning patients. Methods: We retrospectively selected 84 APP patients who admitted to Emergency Intensive Care Unit (EICU) of our hospital from 2009.9.1 to 2015.8.31.Clinical data from 84 APP patients were analyzed. BE、C-PQ、time of gastric lavagesince ingestion、time of hemoperfusion since ingestion、severity index of paraquat poisoning (SIPP) 、white blood cell (WBC) 、percentage of neutrophils (N%) 、hemoglobin (HB) 、creatinine (Cr) 、alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 、aspartate aminotransferase (AST) 、partial pressure of oxygen (PaO(2)) 、partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO(2)) and other laboratory parameters were measured. A total of 41 patients in non-survivors died during the 30 days after admission and 43 patients in survivors survived during the 30 days. The factors of prognosis in paraquat poisoining and the role of BE in evalu-ating prognosis was analyzed, as well as the correlation between BE and C-PQ. Results: 1.Logistic regression analyses showed BE、C-PQ、ALT、AST、Cr was of prognostic significance[odds ratio (OR) of BE: 0.511, 95%CI 0.267, 0.978; C-PQ:-=0.999, 95%CI 0.999, 1.000; both P<0.05] ; 2.The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) of BE、C-PQ and prognosis were 0.775、0.927 respectively, BE≤-1.7 mmol/L was the best cut-off value, the sensitivity、specificity for predicting were 82.9%、62.8%, the evaluation value was lower to C-PQ>3 273.935 ng/ml (AUC 0.927, 78.0%、95.3%) ; 3.BE negative correlated with C-PQ[-1.100 (-4.100, -0.200) , -5.900(-8.650, -2.500) , both P<0.05]. (r=-0.4, P<0.01). Conclusion: These results suggest that BE may be useful for the prediction of prognosis in PQ poisoning and BE negative correlated with C-PQ.

Increased dosage of cyclosporine induces myopathy with increased seru creatine kinase in an elderly patient on chronic statin therapy.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: The concomitant administration of atorvastatin and cyclosporine has been shown to increase the serum concentration of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A, which may be associated with the elevation of creatine kinase and an increased risk of myopathy. Our objective is to report on a case of statin-induced myopathy associated with concomitant use of cyclosporine and other contributing factors. CASE SUMMARY: An 88-year-old Chinese male patient with comorbidities received polypharmacy treatment, including atorvastatin and cyclosporine. After the dosage of cyclosporine was increased to 300 mg every day for 8 months, the patient developed body pain and leg weakness, with a serum creatine kinase increase and evidence on magnetic resonance imaging of muscle oedema. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: Cyclosporine is a moderate inhibitor of the cytochrome P450 CYP3A4 isoenzyme, which is known to increase the serum level of atorvastatin. We hypothesized that the pharmacological and pharmacokinetic properties of atorvastatin-induced myopathy are the result of its interaction with high dosage of cyclosporine.

Oncogenic driver mutations in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer at various clinical stages.

BACKGROUND: Oncogenic driver mutations are responsible for the initiation and maintenance of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Elucidation of driver mutation occurrence in NSCLC has important clinical implications. PATIENTS AND METHODS: NSCLC at various clinical stages were studied for their oncogenic mutations and their association with patients' disease-free survival (DFS). RESULTS: Of 488 patients with NSCLC, 28 had EML4-ALK fusions. Female, young age (<60 years old), and nonsmoker patients had significant greater mutation frequencies than male, old age (≥60 years old), and smoker patients, respectively (P<0.05). Of 392 patients with NSCLC, 13 had PIK3CA mutations and 3 had MEK1 mutations. EML4-ALK, PIK3CA, and MEK1 mutations were mutually exclusive. EML4-ALK fusion was found to be of coexistence with EGFR and KRAS mutations in two cases. In stage IA NSCLC, EML4-ALK-positive patients had longer DFS than EML4-ALK-negative patients (P = 0.04). However, in stage IIIA NSCLC, EML4-ALK-positive patients had poorer DFS than EML4-ALK-negative patients (P < 0.01). Moreover, multivariate analysis indicated that in stage IIIA NSCLC EML4-ALK fusion was the only significant indicator for poor DFS (P < 0.001). Furthermore, tumors with EML4-ALK fusions had significantly higher levels of ERCC1, a molecule with a key role in platinum drug efficacy, than tumors without EML4-ALK fusions. CONCLUSION: EML4-ALK, PIK3CA, and MEK1 mutations occurred in NSCLC with various distinct clinicopathological characteristics. EML4-ALK fusions could serve as a significant prognostic indicator for locally advanced NSCLC.

Relationship between diffusion-weighted imaging and Bcl-2 expression in rabbit models of hepatic VX2 tumors after radiotherapy.

The paper aims to study diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and Bcl-2 gene expression in hepatic VX2 tumors after three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT), we successfully developed 40 rabbit models with hepatic VX2 tumors. 3D-CRT was performed on 28 rabbit hepatic VX2 tumors, which were then randomly and evenly divided into four groups. The remaining 12 controls did not receive radiotherapy. Conventional and DWI was performed at 1, 5, 10, and 15 days following radiation therapy. We measured apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) in both a region of interest (ROI) of the VX2 tumor tissue and normal liver tissue and then calculated the ratio between them. RT-PCR was performed to detect the expression of the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-2. On days 5 and 10, the ADC ratios of the radiotherapy groups were 1.322+-0.270 and 0.964+-0.341, respectively. On days 5, 10, and 15, Bcl-2 gene expression in the radiotherapy group was 0.563+-0.284, 0.421+-0.242, and 0.314+-0.152, respectively. For all three days, the gene expression values from the radiotherapy group were significantly lower than that in the control group (P less than 0.01). Statistical analysis revealed that ADC ratio and Bcl-2 gene expression were significantly negatively correlated (r=-0.493, P less than 0.01). Our results demonstrated that DWI sequence can reflect molecular changes at different time points for hepatic VX2 tumors following radiotherapy.

Investigations of clinical characteristics and inflammatory markers of febrile seizures induced by coronavirus infection.

The study of children who experienced with febrile seizures(FS) as a result of COVID-19 infection to gain insight into the clinical characteristics and prognosis of neurological damage, with the aim of improving prevention, diagnosis, and the treatment of neurological complications. This study investigated the clinical features of 53 children with FS who were admitted to Sanya Women and Children's Hospital from December 1, 2022, to January 31, 2023. The results indicated that the duration of convulsion in the case and control group was 7.90±8.91 and 2.67±1.23 (minutes) respectively. The analysis reveals that convulsions occurred within 24 hours in 39 cases (95.12%) of the case group, and in 8 cases (66.7%) of the control group. The difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Additionally, the case group presented lower counts of WBC and NEU compared to the control group (p<0.05). The findings indicate that convulsions manifest at earlier stages of COVID-19 in children and the last longer than in the control group. It is therefore crucial for healthcare workers to remain attentive to patients with COVID-19 who report fever within 24 hours, and act promptly to implement preventive measures, particularly in cases of prolonged fever. It is essential to integrate the clinical manifestation, particularly convulsions, and the continuous numerical changes of inflammatory factors to assess COVID-19 linked with febrile seizures. In addition, larger-scale multi-center and systematic research are necessary to aid clinicians in monitoring neuropathological signals and biological targets, enabling more equitable diagnosis and treatment plans.

Sex differences in hippocampal structural plasticity and glycosaminoglycan disaccharide levels after neonatal handling.

In this study we investigated the effects of a neonatal handling protocol that mimics the handling of sham control pups in protocols of neonatal exposure to brain insults on dendritic arborization and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) levels in the developing brain. GAGs are long, unbranched polysaccharides, consisting of repeating disaccharide units that can be modified by sulfation at specific sites and are involved in modulating neuronal plasticity during brain development. In this study, male and female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent neonatal handling daily between post-natal day (PD)4 and PD9, with brains analyzed on PD9. Neuronal morphology and morphometric analysis of the apical and basal dendritic trees of CA1 hippocampal pyramidal neurons were carried out by Golgi-Cox staining followed by neuron tracing and analysis with the software Neurolucida. Chondroitin sulfate (CS)-, Hyaluronic Acid (HA)-, and Heparan Sulfate (HS)-GAG disaccharide levels were quantified in the hippocampus by Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry analyses. We found sex by neonatal handling interactions on several parameters of CA1 pyramidal neuron morphology and in the levels of HS-GAGs, with females, but not males, showing an increase in both dendritic arborization and HS-GAG levels. We also observed increased expression of glucocorticoid receptor gene Nr3c1 in the hippocampus of both males and females following neonatal handling suggesting that both sexes experienced a similar stress during the handling procedure. This is the first study to show sex differences in two parameters of brain plasticity, CA1 neuron morphology and HS-GAG levels, following handling stress in neonatal rats.

Genome-wide association study identifies common variants at TNFRSF13B associated with IgG level in a healthy Chinese male population.

IgG has a crucial role in humoral immune response. Serum IgG level is mainly determined under genetic control. To explore the genetic influence on serum IgG levels, a two-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed in a healthy Chinese population of 3495 men, including 1999 unrelated subjects in the first stage and 1496 independent individuals in the second stage. Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in TNFRSF13B on 17p11.2 or nearby were significantly associated with IgG level: rs4792800 in the intron (combined P-value=1.45 × 10(-12)), rs12603708 in the intron (combined P-value=1.82 × 10(-8)) and rs3751987 at ~65 kb downstream of the 5'-UTR region of TNFRSF13B (combined P-value=3.67 × 10(-9)). Additionally, smoking was identified to be associated with IgG level in both stages (P<0.001), but there was no significant interaction between smoking and the identified SNPs (P>0.05). The strong association between variants at TNFRSF13B and IgG level may be helpful to further explore the biological mechanism by which the serum IgG is affected by transmembrane activator, calcium modulator and cyclophilin ligand interactor encoded by TNFRSF13B.

Formononetin-induced apoptosis of human prostate cancer cells through ERK1/2 mitogen-activated protein kinase inactivation.

Formononetin is a main active component of red clover plants (Trifolium pratense L.), and is considered as a phytoestrogen. Our previous studies demonstrated that formononetin caused cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase by inactivating insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF1)/IGF1R-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) pathway in MCF-7 cells. In the present study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms involved in the effect of formononetin on prostate cancer cells. Our results suggested that higher concentrations of formononetin inhibited the proliferation of prostate cancer cells (LNCaP and PC-3), while the most striking effect was observed in LNCaP cells. We further found that formononetin inactivated extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2) mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway in a dose-dependent manner, which resulted in increased the expression levels of BCL2-associated X (Bax) mRNA and protein, and induced apoptosis in LNCaP cells. Thus, we concluded that the induced apoptosis effect of formononetin on human prostate cancer cells was related to ERK1/2 MAPK-Bax pathway. Considering that red clover plants were widely used clinically, our results provided the foundation for future development of different concentrations formononetin for treatment of prostate cancer.

Effects of curcumin on the pharmacokinetics of talinolol in human with ABCB1 polymorphism.

This study was to investigate the effect of concomitantly administered curcumin on the pharmacokinetics of talinolol and association with ABCB1 C3435T genetic polymorphism. A two-phase, randomized, single-blind, crossover study was carried out in 18 healthy male volunteers with different genotypes of ABCB1, including C3435C (CC, n = 6), C3435T (CT, n = 6) and T3435T (TT, n = 6). The pharmacokinetics of talinolol were measured after co-administration of placebo or 1000 mg curcumin capsules once daily for 14 days. The AUC(0-48 h) and AUC(0-∞) of talinolol were increased by 67.0% (95% CI: 1.09~2.25; p = 0.002) and 80.8% (95% CI: 0.92~2.69; p = 0.005) respectively with curcumin co-administration. The C(max) of talinolol was significantly higher after curcumin administration as compared with placebo (p = 0.029).The CL/F of talinolol was decreased by 25.9% (p = 0.005) during the curcumin-treated phase. No significant change in t(max) and t(1/2) of talinolol were observed between the placebo- and curcumin-treated phases. AUC(0-48), AUC(0-∞), C(max) of talinolol were extensively increased and CL(oral)/F decreased in TT subjects. Co-administration of curcumin significantly increased the plasma concentration of talinolol in healthy volunteers. The effect of curcumin on talinolol was associated with ABCB1 genotypes (C3435T).

Berberine Ameliorates Periodontal Bone Loss by Regulating Gut Microbiota.

Postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO) is a risk factor for periodontitis, and current therapeutics against PMO prevent the aggravated alveolar bone loss of periodontitis in estrogen-deficient women. Gut microbiota is recognized as a promising therapeutic target for PMO. Berberine extracted from Chinese medicinal plants has shown its effectiveness in the treatment of metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes via regulating gut microbiota. Here, we hypothesize that berberine ameliorates periodontal bone loss by improving the intestinal barriers by regulating gut microbiota under an estrogen-deficient condition. Experimental periodontitis was established in ovariectomized (OVX) rats, and the OVX-periodontitis rats were treated with berberine for 7 wk before sacrifice for analyses. Micro-computed tomography and histologic analyses showed that berberine treatment significantly reduced alveolar bone loss and improved bone metabolism of OVX-periodontitis rats as compared with the vehicle-treated OVX-periodontitis rats. In parallel, berberine-treated OVX-periodontitis rats harbored a higher abundance of butyrate-producing gut microbiota with elevated butyrate generation, as demonstrated by 16S rRNA sequencing and high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. Berberine-treated OVX-periodontitis rats consistently showed improved intestinal barrier integrity and decreased intestinal paracellular permeability with a lower level of serum endotoxin. In parallel, IL-17A-related immune responses were attenuated in berberine-treated OVX-periodontitis rats with a lower serum level of proinflammatory cytokines and reduced IL-17A+ cells in alveolar bone as compared with vehicle-treated OVX-periodontitis rats. Our data indicate that gut microbiota is a potential target for the treatment of estrogen deficiency-aggravated periodontal bone loss, and berberine represents a promising adjuvant therapeutic by modulating gut microbiota.

The global soil community and its influence on biogeochemistry.

Soil organisms represent the most biologically diverse community on land and govern the turnover of the largest organic matter pool in the terrestrial biosphere. The highly complex nature of these communities at local scales has traditionally obscured efforts to identify unifying patterns in global soil biodiversity and biogeochemistry. As a result, environmental covariates have generally been used as a proxy to represent the variation in soil community activity in global biogeochemical models. Yet over the past decade, broad-scale studies have begun to see past this local heterogeneity to identify unifying patterns in the biomass, diversity, and composition of certain soil groups across the globe. These unifying patterns provide new insights into the fundamental distribution and dynamics of organic matter on land.

Comparison of AMPLICOR and Hybrid Capture II assays for high risk HPV detection in normal and abnormal liquid-based cytology: use of INNO-LiPA Genotyping assay to screen the discordant results.

The study was aimed to evaluate the feasibility of detecting human papillomavirus (HPV) in women with normal or abnormal cervical smears using the Roche Amplicor MWP HPV Test. We compared by AMPLICOR Test and Hybrid Capture II (HCII) Test, the prevalence of HR-HPV in 470 cervical samples including 55 samples with WNL cytology, 208 ASC-US, 193 LGSIL and 14 HGSIL. Samples with discordant results were retested with INNO-LiPA Genotyping HPV Test v2. The HR-HPV positivity in WNL cytology samples was similar (21.8%) by AMPLICOR and HCII. In ASC-US, the HPV positivity was 42.3% by both tests. In LGSIL, HPV positivity was 66.3% and 66.8% by AMPLICOR and HCII, respectively. In HGSIL, 92.8% of samples were positive by AMPLICOR and 85.7% by HCII. The agreement of both tests was 96.2% with a Kappa value of 0.92. Eighteen cases were discordant: 9 HCII positive/AMPLICOR negative and 9 HCII negative/AMPLICOR positive. The INNO-LiPA test revealed HPV positivity in every case. Interestingly, all HCII+/AMPLICOR- samples were found to harbour HPV53. As for the HCII-/AMPLICOR+ samples, 8 demonstrated a multiple infection with HR 16- and/or 18- and/or 56-phylogenetically related HPV types. Moreover, two of these samples were co-infected with HPV6 and two other with HPV54. By using consensus HR-HPV as our reference HPV positivity, the sensitivity (96.6%) and specificity (100%) of AMPLICOR was similar to that of HCII Test. The AMPLICOR HPV Test is sensitive, specific, feasible and appropriate for routine HPV detection.

Construction and implementation of a TDCR system at ANSTO.

A triple-to-double coincidence ratio (TDCR) liquid scintillation counting system has been recently constructed at Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO). A description of the system and measured activities for sources such as (3)H, (14)C, and (241)Am are presented.