Iodine nutrition status and thyroid autoimmunity during pregnancy: a cross-sectional study of 4635 pregnant women.

BACKGROUND: Pregnant women in Shanghai have long been at risk for mild iodine deficiency. Because thyroid autoimmunity in pregnant women can lead to premature birth and miscarriage as well as neurodevelopmental deficits in the fetus, the aim of this study was to explore the association of iodine nutrition status with thyroid antibodies during pregnancy. METHODS: A pregnancy-birth cohort was conducted including 4635 pregnant women in Shanghai, China. The eligible participants underwent a face-to-face interview and completed questionnaire surveys to collect baseline information and diet intake. Spot urine samples were collected to test urine iodine. Thyroid antibodies including thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb), thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb) and thyrotrophic antibodies (TRAb) were tested. Single-factor analysis and logistic regression were used to evaluate the association between iodine status and thyroid autoimmunity during pregnancy. RESULTS: The median urinary iodine excretion level in the sample was 138.14 µg/L (interquartile range [IQR] 80.90-219.00 µg/L). Among all the subjects, 25.9% consumed non-iodized salt, 54.5% had iodine deficiency, and 31.0% had thyroid autoimmunity. The proportion of patients with iodine deficiency was significantly higher among those who consumed non-iodized salt (36.9% vs. 33.1%; p = 0.04). After adjusting for age, educational status, former smoker status, former drinker status, first pregnancy, and previous thyroid disease, non-iodized salt (odds ratio [OR] = 1.394 [confidence interval, CI, 1.165-1.562]; p = 0.003), iodine-rich food (OR = 0.681 [CI 0.585-0.793]; p = 0.003), iodized nutritional supplements (OR = 0.427 [CI 0.347-0.526]; p = 0.003), were found to be individually associated with thyroid autoimmunity in all participants. The results of the multivariable restricted cubic spline regression analysis showed a non-linear relationship between the continuous change in iodine intake and thyroid autoimmunity (p = 0.019). Participants with iodine deficiency (urinary iodine concentration, UIC,< 100 µg/L) had an increased risk of testing positive for thyroid antibodies (TPOAb/TgAb/TRAb[+]; OR = 1.324 [CI 1.125-1.559]; p < 0.001). Moreover, this associated existed even after removing participants with previous thyroid disease. CONCLUSION: Inadequate iodine nutrition in pregnant women is an independent risk factor for thyroid autoimmunity in Shanghai. It's important to maintain the adequate iodine status in pregnant women.

[Comparative study on HPLC fingerprints between crude and processed Ligustri Lucidi Fructus].

To establish high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) fingerprints for crude and processed Ligustri Lucidi Fructus,and to evaluate their quality through the similarity calculation and chemical pattern recognition. The separation was performed with Syncronis C_(18) column(4.6 mm × 250 mm, 5 µm), with acetonitrile(A) and 0.1% phosphoric acid solution(B) as the mobile phase for gradient elution, and a detection wavelength of 280 nm. HPLC was used to detect 22 batches of crude and processed Ligustri Lucidi Fructus,and the Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprint of Traditional Chinese Medicine(2012 Edition) was used to evaluate the similarity among 22 batches. The research on pattern recognition was conducted with cluster analysis(CA), principal component analysis(PCA), and partial least squares discriminate analysis(PLS-DA). HPLC fingerprints of crude and processed Ligustri Lucidi Fructus were established, with similarity ranging from 0.9 to 1.0. The crude and processed Ligustri Lucidi Fructus can be obviously distinguished by using CA, PCA and PLS-DA. According to the results of PLS-DA,11 constituents including hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, specnuezhenide and oleuropein were the main marker components leading to the difference. The established fingerprint method is stable and reliable, and can provide method basis for quality control of crude and processed Ligustri Lucidi Fructus. Chemical pattern recognition is proved to be helpful in comprehensive quality control and evaluation of Ligustri Lucidi Fructus before and after the process.

[Effect of various ambient temperatures on activities of mitochondrial complex II in patients of deficiency-cold syndrome and deficiency-heat syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To explore activity laws of mitochondrial complex II in patients of deficiency-cold syndrome (DCS) and deficiency-heat syndrome (DHS) under various ambient temperatures. METHODS: Subjects were recruited by questionnaire and expert diagnosis from grade 1 - 3 undergraduates at Henan College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in November 2012, and assigned to a normal control group, the DCS group, and the DHS group, 20 in each group. Their venous blood samples were collected at two different temperature conditions. Activities of mitochondrial complex II were measured by spectrophotometry. RESULTS: (1) Comparison of mitochondrial complex It under various ambient temperatures: Compared with room temperature in the same group, activity values were all increased in the normal control group at cold temperature with significant difference (P <0.05), but there was no significant difference in the DCS group and the DHS group (P >0. 05). Compared with the normal control group, activity values of complex H were reduced in the DCS group at cold and room temperatures with significant difference (P <0.05). Compared with the DCS group, activity values of complex It were increased in the DHS group with significant difference (P <0. 05). (2) Changes of adjustment rates: Compared with room temperature, the adjustment rate all rose at cold temperature in the normal control group and the DHS group with significant difference (P <0.05), but with no significant difference found in the DCS group (P >0. 05). Compared with the normal control group at the same temperature, the adjustment rate in the DHS group and the DCS group was all reduced at cold and room temperatures with significant difference (P <0. 05). There were no significant difference in the adjustment rate between the DHS group and the DCS group (P > 0. 05). CONCLUSIONS: Environment temperature can affect the activity of mitochondrial complex II with different influence degrees on different syndrome types of people, but its change trend are basically identical.

Sodium Houttuyniae attenuates ferroptosis by regulating TRAF6-c-Myc signaling pathways in lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury (ALI).

The impact of Sodium Houttuyniae (SH) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI has been investigated extensively. However, it remains ambiguous whether ferroptosis participates in this process. This study aimed to find out the impacts and probable mechanisms of SH on LPS-induced ferroptosis. A rat ALI model and type II alveolar epithelial (ATII) cell injury model were treated with LPS. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, and Giemsa staining were executed to ascertain the effects of SH on LPS-induced ALI. Moreover, Transmission electron microscopy, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8), ferrous iron colorimetric assay kit, Immunohistochemistry, Immunofluorescence, Reactive oxygen species assay kit, western blotting (Wb), and qRT-PCR examined the impacts of SH on LPS-induced ferroptosis and ferroptosis-related pathways. Theresults found that by using SH treatment, there was a remarkable attenuation of ALI by suppressing LPS-induced ferroptosis. Ferroptosis was demonstrated by a decline in the levels of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), FTH1, and glutathione (GSH) and a surge in the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA), reactive oxygen species (ROS), NOX1, NCOA4, and Fe2+, and disruption of mitochondrial structure, which were reversed by SH treatment. SH suppressed ferroptosis by regulating TRAF6-c-Myc in ALI rats and rat ATII cells. The results suggested that SH treatment attenuated LPS-induced ALI by repressing ferroptosis, and the mode of action can be linked to regulating the TRAF6-c-Myc signaling pathway in vivo and in vitro.

Metabolomic profiling combined with network analysis of serum pharmacochemistry to reveal the therapeutic mechanism of Ardisiae Japonicae Herba against acute lung injury.

Introduction: Acute lung injury (ALI) is a common and devastating respiratory disease associated with uncontrolled inflammatory response and transepithelial neutrophil migration. In recent years, a growing number of studies have found that Ardisiae Japonicae Herba (AJH) has a favorable anti-inflammatory effect. However, its serum material basis and molecular mechanism are still unknown in ALI treatment. In this study, metabolomics and network analysis of serum pharmacochemistry were used to explore the therapeutic effect and molecular mechanism of AJH against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI. Methods: A total of 12 rats for serum pharmacochemistry analysis were randomly divided into the LPS group and LPS + AJH-treated group (treated with AJH extract 20 g/kg/d), which were administered LPS (2 mg/kg) by intratracheal instillation and then continuously administered for 7 days. Moreover, 36 rats for metabolomic research were divided into control, LPS, LPS + AJH-treated (5, 10, and 20 g/kg/d), and LPS + dexamethasone (Dex) (2.3 × 10-4 g/kg/d) groups. After 1 h of the seventh administration, the LPS, LPS + AJH-treated, and LPS + Dex groups were administered LPS by intratracheal instillation to induce ALI. The serum pharmacochemistry profiling was performed by UPLC-Orbitrap Fusion MS to identify serum components, which further explore the molecular mechanism of AJH against ALI by network analysis. Meanwhile, metabolomics was used to select the potential biomarkers and related metabolic pathways and to analyze the therapeutic mechanism of AJH against ALI. Results: The results showed that 71 serum components and 18 related metabolites were identified in ALI rat serum. We found that 81 overlapping targets were frequently involved in AGE-RAGE, PI3K-AKT, and JAK-STAT signaling pathways in network analysis. The LPS + AJH-treated groups exerted protective effects against ALI by reducing the infiltration of inflammatory cells and achieved anti-inflammatory efficacy by significantly regulating the interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10 levels. Metabolomics analysis shows that the therapeutic effect of AJH on ALI involves 43 potential biomarkers and 14 metabolic pathways, especially phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis and linoleic acid metabolism pathways, to be influenced, which implied the potential mechanism of AJH in ALI treatment. Discussion: Our study initially elucidated the material basis and effective mechanism of AJH against ALI, which provided a solid basis for AJH application.

Complications and Peri-operative Characteristics of Flaps for Reconstruction of Defects after Ablation of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Floor of the Mouth.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the appropriate method to use to repair defects after ablation of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the floor of the mouth (FOM). METHODS: A retrospective review of 119 patients who underwent surgical resections of SCC of the FOM and flap reconstructions was conducted. A Student t test was used to examine the statistical differences in operative time, length of hospital stay and complications among groups with different reconstructions. RESULTS: Advanced-stage patients were repaired with more free flaps than local pedicled flaps that provided more reconstructions for small-to-medium defects. The most common recipient complication was wound dehiscence, and patients in the anterolateral thigh flap group developed a greater number of overall recipient site complications compared with those in other groups. Patients undergoing local flap reconstructions had shorter operative times compared with those with free flap reconstructions. CONCLUSION: In contrast to a radial forearm free flap as a more appropriate reconstruction for defects involving the tongue, an anterolateral thigh flap was better suited for defects with dead spaces. A fibular flap was appropriate for massive complex defects involving the mandible, FOM and tongue. A pectoralis major musculocutaneous flap provided the last line of reconstruction for patients with relapsed SCC or high-risk factors for microsurgical reconstructions.

Real-world evidence of osimertinib in Chinese patients with EGFR T790M-positive non-small cell lung cancer: a subgroup analysis from ASTRIS study.

PURPOSE: ASTRIS study aimed the largest to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of second- or higher-line osimertinib in patients with advanced/metastatic epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) T790M mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the real-world setting. Here we report the results of Chinese patients in ASTRIS study. METHODS: Adults with EGFR T790M-positive advanced NSCLC pretreated with EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI), having a WHO performance status score of 0-2 and asymptomatic, stable central nervous system (CNS) metastases were included. All patients received once-daily osimertinib 80 mg orally. The outcomes included investigator-assessed clinical response, progression-free survival (PFS), time-to-treatment discontinuation (TTD), and safety. RESULTS: A total of 1350 patients were included. Response rate was 55.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.53-0.58). The median PFS and the median TTD were 11.7 months (95% CI 11.1-12.5) and 13.9 months (95% CI 13.1-15.2), respectively. Overall, 389 patients (28.8%) had at least one protocol-specified adverse event (AE); AEs of interstitial lung diseases/pneumonitis-like events and QT prolongation were reported in 3 (0.2%) and 59 (4.4%) patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: Osimertinib was effective in Chinese patients with T790M-positive NSCLC who had progressed after first- or second-generation EGFR-TKI in real-word setting and the results were consistent with ASTRIS study overall population and AURA studies. No new safety signals or events were identified. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: NCT02474355.

Variation of Major Chemical Composition in Seed-Propagated Population of Wild Cocoa Tea Plant Camellia ptilophylla Chang.

Excessive intake of high-caffeine tea will induce health-related risk. Therefore, breeding and cultivating tea cultivars with less caffeine is a feasible way to control daily caffeine intake. Cocoa tea (Camellia ptilophylla Chang) is a wild tea plant which grows leaves with little or no caffeine. However, the vegetative propagation of cocoa tea plants is difficult due to challenges with rooting. Whether natural seeds collected from wild cocoa tea plants can be used to produce less-caffeinated tea remains unknown, because research on the separation of traits among the seed progeny population is lacking. The present study was set to investigate the variation of caffeine and other chemical compositions in seed-propagated plant individuals using colorimetric and HPLC methods. It shows that there were great differences in chemical composition among the seed-propagated population of wild cocoa tea plants, among which some individuals possessed caffeine contents as high as those of normal cultivated tea cultivars (C. sinensis), suggesting that the naturally seed-propagated cocoa tea seedlings are not suitable for directly cultivating leaf materials to produce low-caffeine tea. Therefore, the cocoa tea plants used for harvesting seeds for growing low-caffeine tea plants should be isolated in order to prevent their hybridization with normal cultivated C. sinensis plants. Interestingly, the leaves of cocoa tea seedlings contained high levels of gallocatechin gallate (GCG) and would be a good source of leaf materials for extracting more stable antioxidant, because GCG is a more stable antioxidant than epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the dominant component of catechins in normal cultivated tea cultivars. Some plant individuals which contained low levels of caffeine along with high levels of amino acids and medium levels of catechins, are considered to be promising for further screening of less-caffeinated green tea cultivars.

Pharmacological Perturbation of Mechanical Contractility Enables Robust Transdifferentiation of Human Fibroblasts into Neurons.

Direct cell reprogramming, also called transdifferentiation, is valuable for cell fate studies and regenerative medicine. Current approaches to transdifferentiation are usually achieved by directly targeting the nuclear functions, such as manipulating the lineage-specific transcriptional factors, microRNAs, and epigenetic modifications. Here, a robust method to convert fibroblasts to neurons through targeting the cytoskeleton followed by exposure to lineage-specification surroundings is reported. Treatment of human foreskin fibroblasts with a single molecule inhibitor of the actomyosin contraction, can disrupt the cytoskeleton, promote cell softening and nuclear export of YAP/TAZ, and induce a neuron-like state. These neuron-like cells can be further converted into mature neurons, while single-cell RNA-seq shows the homogeneity of these cells during the induction process. Finally, transcriptomic analysis shows that cytoskeletal disruption collapses the original lineage expression profile and evokes an intermediate state. These findings shed a light on the underestimated role of the cytoskeleton in maintaining cell identity and provide a paradigm for lineage conversion through the regulation of mechanical properties.

[Traditional Chinese medicine syndrome factors of patients with HIV infection or AIDS in China].

OBJECTIVE: To study the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome factors of patients from different areas of China with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). METHODS: A cross-sectional investigation study was conducted in Henan, Guangdong and Yunnan Provinces and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China from October 2008 to August 2010. Based on literature review and expert opinion, a clinical questionnaire of TCM syndromes was drawn up. This survey was carried out after the investigators were professionally trained. Wenfeng III Auxiliary Diagnosis and Treat System of TCM was used to analyze the frequencies of AIDS patients' signs and symptoms with scores above 70 of syndrome factors respectively. Based on this work, syndrome factors of AIDS were analyzed in different areas. RESULTS: There were 608 HIV/AIDS cases investigated from October 2008 to August 2010 in total; among them, 276 cases were from Henan, 126 cases from Guangdong, 120 cases from Xinjiang and 86 cases from Yunnan. The results of syndrome factor analysis indicated that the syndromes of four provinces were similar. HIV/AIDS patients in the four areas exhibited qi deficiency, blood deficiency, yin deficiency, yang deficiency, dampness, phlegm, qi stagnation and essence deficiency syndromes. Patients in each area also had their own characteristics, such as that the scores of dampness of Guangdong and yin deficiency of Xinjiang were higher than the other syndromes, whereas the scores of Henan Province were higher than the other areas. AIDS patients had higher scores of syndromes than HIV-infected patients. CONCLUSION: HIV/AIDS patients from different areas had similar syndrome elements. The theory of "AIDS toxin injuring primordial qi" can sum up the TCM etiology and pathogenesis of HIV/AIDS.

Biochemical remission by chemoradiotherapy in male mediastinal choriocarcinoma with diffuse lung metastasis: A case report.

Primary mediastinal choriocarcinoma is a rare malignancy that is characterized by multiple metastases at the time of diagnosis, poor response to therapy and short survival times. There is no standard treatment for this disease. The present study described the case of a 25-year-old man with metastatic mediastinal choriocarcinoma. The patient completed 8 cycles of standard combination chemotherapy consisting of etoposide [100 mg/m2; intravenous (IV) drip on days 1-3], cisplatin (20 mg/m2; IV drip on days 1-5) and bleomycin (20 mg/m2; intramuscular injection on days 1, 8 and 15 every 21 days). The α-fetoprotein level decreased to 2.36 ng/ml, the serum ß-human chorionic gonadotropin (ß-HCG) level markedly decreased to 8.69 IU/l, which was slightly higher than the normal upper limit, and the lactate dehydrogenase level decreased to a normal range. The computed tomography (CT) scan revealed that the number and size of the lung lesions was significantly reduced subsequent to 8 cycles of chemotherapy and the size of the mediastinal tumor was evidently reduced, with a less solid component and a more cystic component. The response assessment indicated partial remission. Following chemotherapy, a radiation dose of 50 Gy (2.0 Gy/fraction) was administered to the involved field of the mediastinum. Following radiotherapy, the ß-HCG level had also decreased to normal levels, and CT evaluation revealed that the size of the residual lung lesions demonstrated no evident change, and the mediastinal tumor was slightly reduced in size, with a less solid component. The patient refused to undergo surgery and did not receive additional treatment following radiotherapy. At present, the patient has survived >16 months of follow-up without any symptoms.

[Immunophenotypic Analysis of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the immunophenotype of leukemia promyelocytes (LP) in bone marrow of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) and to explore their characteristics and significance. METHODS: The immunophenotypes of leukemia cells in 43 patients with APL were analyzed by means of 4 color immunophenotypes; the cell population in which CD45 strength localized at 10(2) and the SSC strength locatized at 10(2) was defined as R3, the cell population in which CD45 strength localized at 10(3) and the SSC strength localized at 10(2) was defined as R5, moreover the ratio of positive cells >80% was defined as strong positive expression, the ratio of positive cells between 20%-80% was difined as weak positive expression, the ratio of positive cells <20% was difined as negative by gating method of CD45/SSC. RESULTS: There was a abnormal cell population (R3) in 79.07% cases; the immunophenotypes of R3 was cheracteried by high SSC, weaker expression of CD45, the rate of CD38, CD9 and CD13 all was 100%, moreover their bright expression (>80%) was 86.05%, 90.70% and 86.05%, respectively; the positive expression rate of CD33, CD117 and CD64 was 97.67%, 95.35% and 83.80% respectively, moreover thier bright expression was 84.04%, 69.77% and 30.23% respectively; the CD15 was weakly expressed in 39.53% cases, the CD34 and HLA-DR were weakly expression in 16.28% and 6.98% cases respectively. All the cases did not express CD116. There were 2 cell populations (R3 and R5) in 20.93% cases, the immunophenotypic features of R3 were cosistant with above mentioning, while the immunophenotypes of R5 were lower than those of R3 SSC; the fluorescence intensity of CD45 was higher, but lower than that in normal lymphycytes, the positive rate of CD9, CD13, MPO was 100%, moreover thier fluorescence intensity was high; they did not expressed CD123, CD25, CD22, CD4, CD64 and CD14. Thereby it can be concluded that the typical immunophenotypes is characterized by CD13(+) CD9(+) CD38(+) CD33(+) CD117(+) CD64(+) CD11b(-) CD34(-) HLA-DR(-) in APL. There was a special immunophenotype in the APL with basophilic granules. Conclusoin: APL has a characteristic immunophenotypic profile, whose typical immunophenotype is characterized by CD13(+) CD9(+) CD38(+) CD33(+) CD117(+) CD64(+) CD11b(-) CD34(-) HLA-DR(-). The special immunophenotype exists in the APL with basophilic granules. Flow cytometric immunophenotyping may be a useful for rapid recognition of APL and has significant for prognosis.

A new species of the genus Triplophysa (Nemacheilinae), Triplophysa qilianensis sp. nov, from Qinghai, China.

A new nemacheilid loach species, Triplophysa qilianensis, is described from Heihe River in Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai, China. It can be distinguished from all other species of Triplophysa by the following combination of characters: body long and compressed; skin smooth, scaleless; head short (20.1-23.1% of stand length); head convex from the position of posterior nostrils; posterior chamber of air bladder completely degenerated; intestine short, bending in zig-zag patter posterior to stomach; unbranched rays of pelvic fin ii; caudal fin forked, upper lobe and lower lobe equal in length; and pointed fin tips. A key to the known species of Triplophysa from the Heihe River is provided. 

Ki-67 Can Predict the Response to the Gemcitabine, Oxaliplatin And L-asparaginase Regimen (GELOX) and Prognosis in Patients with Nasal Natural Killer/T-cell Lymphoma.

GELOX (gemcitabine, oxaliplatin and L-asparaginase) regimen showed an impressive result in our previous study, but the effect of this new regimen is still dissatisfying for some patients, so it is necessary to identify which patients will benefit from this regimen. A total of fifty-one cases with nasal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma receiving initial GELOX chemotherapy were enrolled in this study. The ki-67 expression detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in the specimens ranged from 10% to 90%, with a median value of 70%, so cases higher than the median value (≥70%) were defined as high ki-67 expression, and the others were designated as low ki-67 expression. The response rate had no statistical difference between low ki-67 expression group and high ki-67 expression group (P=0.291) though the value in the former group was relatively high. After a median follow-up of 18.03 months, the 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) for patients with low ki-67 expression was significantly higher than those with high ki-67 expression (83.8% vs. 47.9%, P=0.038). In the stage I/II subgroup, 3-year PFS and overall survival (OS) were statistically higher in the patients with low ki-67 expression than those with high ki- 67 expression. Multivariate analysis revealed high ki-67 expression was an independent prognostic factor for PFS. These results suggest that low ki-67 expression can predict a good response of GELOX in these patients, and the combination of ki-67 expression and early stage is helpful to identify an excellent prognosis subgroup from patients receiving GELOX in this disease.

Multidrug resistance correlates with overexpression of Muc4 but inversely with P-glycoprotein and multidrug resistance related protein in transfected human melanoma cells.

Due to the size, glycosylation, and location in the plasma membrane of the sialomucin complex Muc4, which has been implicated in ErbB2 signaling, in the repression of apoptosis and cell adhesion, and in tumor metastasis, studies were initiated to determine whether its presence could influence cell sensitivity to anticancer drugs. Growth inhibition assays using melanoma cell lines that either express the glycoprotein (Muc4(+)) or do not (Muc4(-)) showed that Muc4 renders cells resistant to taxol, doxorubicin, vinblastine, rhodamine 123, and 2-deoxyglucose. When treated with various concentrations of doxorubicin, Muc4(+) cells were blocked less frequently in G(2) and underwent less DNA fragmentation (apoptosis and/or necrosis) than Muc4(-) cells. All of the drugs tested (except for 2-deoxyglucose) are well recognized by P-glycoprotein-mediated multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1) and to a lesser degree by multidrug resistance related protein 1 (MRP1) transporters. Therefore, transporter gene expression in these cells was assayed. Surprisingly, Muc4(+) cells expressed lower levels of both transporter genes than Muc4(-) cells. Moreover, rhodamine 123 was retained more highly in the Muc4(+) than in the Muc4(-) cells, demonstrating that these transporters are functional. Overall, these results indicate that although Muc4(+) cells express less MDR1 and MRP1, they are more resistant to drugs recognized by these transporters.

[DNA content and its correlation with biological behavior of non-small cell lung cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship between DNA content and biological behavior and its prognostic significance in non-small cell lung cancer. METHODS: Tumor DNA content was determined by flow cytometry in the specimens from 58 patients with resected non-small cell lung cancer. The DNA content of each cell subpopulation was expressed as the DNA index (DI), and an internal standard was provided by the normal pulmonary parenchymal cells in the same specimen. The prognostic value of DNA content in non-small cell lung cancer was assessed by Cox's model analysis. RESULTS: In qualitative analysis, there was no relationship between DNA ploidy (diploidy or aneuploidy) and the following factors: tumor size, metastasis of lymph node, clinical stage, pathologic type, pathologic grade or survival. In quantitative analysis, high DNA index was observed in tumor size > 3 cm, metastasis of lymph node, stage III/IV, adenocarcinoma and shorter survival, which was statistically significant. Cox's model analysis showed that DNA index was a prognostic factor in non-small cell lung cancer and DNA index > 2.0 was an independent prognostic factor. CONCLUSION: DNA index analysis is useful for the evaluation of the biological behavior and the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer.

[Immunophenotype in multiple myeloma cells detected by multiparameter flow cytometry].

This study was purposed to investigate the immunophenotypic characteristics in multiple myeloma (MM) cells and their significance. Thirty three cases of MM and 12 cases of reactive plasmacytosis (as control group) were enrolled in the study. The expressions of surface antigens in MM cells were detected with flow cytometry by using direct immunofluorescent technique and gating method of CD38/SSC and were confirmed with morphologic observation of myeloma cells. The results indicated that the proportion of myeloma cells detected by morphologic examination was 6.0% - 76.0%. With CD38/SSC gating method, a cluster of CD38 bright positive cells could be detected in their scatter plot, the proportion ranged from 0.99% to 57.54%. Most phenotype of MM was 38(st+)CD138(+)CD19(-)CD56(+) (78.8%). While the expressions of CD20, CD33, CD117, HLA-DR were seen in some MM patients, the positive rates were 12.1%, 15.2%, 30.3%, 9.1%, respectively; the expression of other antigens was negative. cκ or cλ monoclonal restriction was detected in 27 cases (81.8%) of MM, both cκ and cλ in the remaining cases of MM was negative. It is concluded that detecting the immunophenotype of MM patients by flow cytometry with CD38/SSC gating method and basing on the heterogeneity of cell antigens can discriminate myeloma cells from normal plasma cells, which provides evidence for targeted therapy and prognosis evaluation.

[Significance and application value of multiparameter flow cytometry for differentiation of immunophenotype in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome and acute monocytic leukemia].

This study was purposed to analyse the immunophenotypic characteristics of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute monocytic leukemia (AML-M5b) by using multiparameter flow cytometry, and to explore its significance in diagnosis and differential diagnosis. The immunophenotypic characteristics of bone marrow samples from 14 CMML patients, 48 MDS patients, 46 AML-M5b patients and 18 normal persons were analyzed and compared by multiparametric flow cytometry. The results showed that the ratio of monocytes in CMML patients was obviously higher than that in MDS, AML-M5b patients and normal persons (P < 0.05), but there was no statistically significant difference between bone marrow samples of MDS and AML-M5b patients as well as normal persons. The ratio of blast cells in MDS patients was obviously higher than that in normal persons (P < 0.05), but did not show significant difference as compared with CMML patients. The ratio of mature granulocytes in AML-M5b patients was obviously lower than that in CMML and MDS patients as well as normal person bone marrow (P < 0.05). Certain differences of CD45/SSC characteristics in MDS, AML-M5b and CMML patients were found in comparison with normal persons. The abnormal expression of CD2, CD56, and CD14 tailing phenomenon were observed in CMML patients in comparison with bone marrow samples of MDS, AML-M5b and normal persons (P < 0.05). Lack and decrease of CD15 expression in MDS and CMML patients was significant different from AML-M5b and normal persons marrow, abnormal expression rate of CD15 in CMML patients was higher than that in MDS patients (P < 0.05), the CD13/CD11b/CD16 abnormal expression of granulocytes was seen in both CMML and MDS patients, but there was no statistically significant difference between them. Other antigens showed abnormality of varying degrees, but did not have any statistical significance. It is concluded that MDS, CMML and AML-M5b displayed a certain degree of similarity, and also possess their own immunophenotype characteristics. Comprehensive analysis of immunophenotype by multiparameter flow cytometry may be important for differential diagnosis among CMML, MDS and AML-M5b. High percentage of monocytes, abnormal coexpression of CD2, CD56 and CD14 tailing phenomenon, lack or decrease of CD15 as well as abnormal expression of CD13/CD11b/CD16 in granulocytes may play important roles in diagnosis of CMML.

[Analysis of articles and citations of Chinese Journal of Pediatrics from 1950 to 2009].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the articles, authors and citations of the articles published in Chinese Journal of Pediatrics, and have a clear view of the characteristics of this journal in its different development stages. METHOD: Bibliometric methods were used to analyze the published articles, cooperation, regional distribution, core authors, corresponding authors and high-quantities of publication institutes, and also to calculate the number of citations per paper, types of citations, language-based citation number, Price index, self-cited rate and the distribution of journals based on citations. RESULT: Totally 5534 academic articles were published during the 60 years, of which the number of articles written by more than one author was 4669 (80.71%), with a degree of collaboration as 3.87, and a rate of collaboration as 84.37%. The number of articles by a single author was 865 (19.29%). As for the regions from where the papers were submitted, the top one was Beijing, which had 1495 articles published (27.01%). The top 15 institutes in number of articles had published 2254 articles (40.73%). The average citation rate was 84.15%, and the number of citations was 48 854. The number of citations per paper was 10.06, the Price index and self-cited rate were 55.57% and 6.12%, respectively. The number of citations from foreign language literature was 35 781 (69.1%). The citation number of journals was 43 266 (84.5%), which is markedly higher than the citations of books and others. CONCLUSION: Chinese Journal of Pediatrics has a wide distribution of authors and a high cooperative rate. This journal has a group of high-level core authors since founded in 1950, and it shows an adequate ability of absorbing and using scientific information. The articles published in this journal not only objectively reflected the distribution of the research powers, but also the development status of pediatrics in our country.