Chemical composition and anti-inflammatory activities of Castanopsis honey.

Castanopsis is diffusely spread in tropical and subtropical regions and is an important nectar source plant in China. The Castanopsis honey (CH) is characterized by its bitter taste. However, its composition and functions remain unclear. In this study, the physicochemical parameters, chemical composition, and antioxidant capacity of CH were comprehensively investigated, with the anti-inflammatory effects of the Castanopsis honey extract (CHE) evaluated based on the RAW 264.7 cell inflammatory model. The results revealed a high level of quality in CH based on the quality standards. Among a total of 84 compounds identified in CH, 5 high response compounds and 29 phenols were further quantified by UPLC-Q/TOF-MS. The high content of phenylethylamine (117.58 ± 64.81 mg kg-1) was identified as a potential marker of CH. Furthermore, the CH showed evident antioxidant activities, and the anti-inflammatory activities of CHE were observed to inhibit the release of nitric oxide (NO) and reduce the content of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and improve the content of interleukin-10 (IL-10) by regulating the NF-κB pathway. Our study indicates that CH has sound physicochemical properties and biological activities with a high level of quality, providing strong experimental evidence to support the further economic and agricultural development and application of CH.

Prevalence and risk factors analysis for low back pain among occupational groups in key industries of China.

BACKGROUND: With the acceleration of industrialization and population aging, low back pain (LBP) has become the leading cause of life loss years caused by disability. Thus, it places a huge economic burden on society and is a global public health problem that needs urgent solution. This study aimed to conduct an epidemiological investigation and research on a large sample of workers in key industries in different regions of China, determine the incidence and distribution characteristics of LBP, explore the epidemic law, and provide a reference basis for alleviating global public health problems caused by LBP. METHODS: We adopted a modified epidemiological cross-sectional survey method and a stratified cluster sampling method. All on-duty workers who fulfill the inclusion criteria are taken as the research participants from the representative enterprises in key industries across seven regions: north, east, central, south, southwest, northwest, and northeast China. The Chinese version of the musculoskeletal disease questionnaire, modified by a standardized Nordic questionnaire, was used to collect information, and 57,501 valid questionnaires were received. Descriptive statistics were used, and multivariate logistic regression analysis (p < 0.05) was performed to explore the association between musculoskeletal disorders and potential risk factors. RESULTS: LBP annual incidence among workers in China's key industries is 16.4%. There was a significant difference in LBP incidence among occupational groups across different industries (p < 0.05). The multivariate regression model showed the following as risk factors for LBP: frequent repetitive movements with the trunk, working in the same positions at a high pace, trunk position, frequently turning around with your trunk, often working overtime, lifting heavy loads (i.e., more than 20 kg), education level, staff shortage, working age (years), cigarette smoking, use of vibration tools at work, body mass index, lifting heavy loads (i.e., more than 5 kg), and age (years). Physical exercise, often standing at work, and absolute resting time were protective factors. CONCLUSION: LBP incidence among key industries and workers in China is high. Thus, it is urgent to take relevant measures according to the individual, occupational, and psychosocial factors of LBP to reduce the adverse impact of LBP on workers' health.

A deep learning-based model for screening and staging pneumoconiosis.

This study aims to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-based model to assist radiologists in pneumoconiosis screening and staging using chest radiographs. The model, based on chest radiographs, was developed using a training cohort and validated using an independent test cohort. Every image in the training and test datasets were labeled by experienced radiologists in a double-blinded fashion. The computational model started by segmenting the lung field into six subregions. Then, convolutional neural network classification model was used to predict the opacity level for each subregion respectively. Finally, the diagnosis for each subject (normal, stage I, II, or III pneumoconiosis) was determined by summarizing the subregion-based prediction results. For the independent test cohort, pneumoconiosis screening accuracy was 0.973, with both sensitivity and specificity greater than 0.97. The accuracy for pneumoconiosis staging was 0.927, better than that achieved by two groups of radiologists (0.87 and 0.84, respectively). This study develops a deep learning-based model for screening and staging of pneumoconiosis using man-annotated chest radiographs. The model outperformed two groups of radiologists in the accuracy of pneumoconiosis staging. This pioneer work demonstrates the feasibility and efficiency of AI-assisted radiography screening and diagnosis in occupational lung diseases.

[Association rule regarding chronic disease-relevant risk factors for the adults in Haidian District].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association patterns of chronic disease-relevant risk factors for the adults in Haidian District.
 Methods: Data for chronic disease-relevant risk factors for 3 219 adults in Haidian District in 2014 were collected and analyzed. SPSS 18.0 was used for statistical description and logistic regression. SPSS Modeler 14.1 was used to explore the association among the chronic disease-relevant risk factors.
 Results: Among men, 5 patterns of chronic disease-relevant risk factors were identified, which suggested that heavy drinking, inadequate intake of fruit and vegetables, and physical inactivity were associated with smoking while inadequate intake of fruit and vegetables and smoking were associated with physical inactivity. Among women, one pattern of chronic disease-relevant risk factor was identified, which suggested that inadequate intake of fruit and vegetables was associated with physical inactivity.
 Conclusion: Chronic disease-relevant risk factors are intercorrelated among the adults in Haidian District. Information on patterns of chronic disease-relevant risk factors could assist interventions targeting multiple behaviors simultaneously.

The role of lncRNA MALAT1 in bone metastasis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

lncRNA metastasis-associated lung adencarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) plays an important role in the metastasis of lung cancer. Yet, its role in bone metastasis and the related mechanism remain unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the role of lncRNA MALAT1 in the bone metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), including the expression pattern in tumor tissues, and the effect on the apoptosis, proliferation, migration and invasion of NSCLC cells. The expression level of MALAT1 in NSCLC tissues with/without bone metastasis and in NSCLC cell lines with (ACC-LC-319/bone2)/without (SPC­A1) bone metastatic ability was determined with qRT-PCR and compared with t-test. si-MALAT1 was used to downregulate the expression of MALAT1 in ACC-LC-319/bone2 cells. The proliferation ability was assessed by MTT assay, and the apoptosis, migration, invasion and tumorigenesis in vivo were also assessed to detect the effect of MALAT1 expression on NSCLC cells. In conclusion, the present study found that MALAT1 was significantly highly expressed in NSCLC tissues with bone metastasis and in NSCLC cell lines with high bone metastatic ability (P<0.0001). Downregulation of MALAT1 expression significantly inhibited proliferation and induced cell apoptosis in comparing with the negative controls. Our results also revealed that MALAT1 significantly increased the migration, invasion and tumorigenesis in vivo, which suggests its important role in the bone metastasis of NSCLC.

[Significance of 2-hour blood glucose after standardized steamed bread meal in diabetic screening].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the significance of 2-hour blood glucose after standardized steamed bread meal (SB-2 hBG) in diabetic screening. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted for diabetic screening data of annual check-up at PLA General Hospital from May 1996 to June 2002. And 100 g standardized steamed bread meal test was performed for non-diabetic subjects. Those subjects with SB-2 h BG ≥ 7.2 mmol/L underwent a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) within 2 weeks to determine whether the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (DM) could be established (WHO, 1985, 1999, Diagnostic Criteria for Diabetes). By extracting the data for 7 consecutive years, we analyzed the significance and the cut-off point of SB-2 hBG in the diagnosis of DM and investigated the changes of blood glucose curves in different glucose tolerance status after different glucose loading tests. RESULTS: A total of 3 343 subjects with complete information were recruited. There were 3 101 males and 242 females with an age range of 40-94 years. According to the results of OGTT, 429 (12.8%) subjects were diagnosed as DM, 1 405 (42.1%) were diagnosed as impaired glucose regulation (IGR) and 1 509(45.1%) had normal glucose tolerance (NGT).With a deterioration of glucose tolerance status, the difference between SB-2 hBG and OGTT-2 hBG increased gradually in 3 group (P < 0.01), namely the NGT group 1.7 (0.8-2.8) mmol/L, IGR group -0.4 (-1.2-0.6) mmol/L, DM group -2.7(-3.8-1.1) mmol/L. The cut-off points of FBG for the diagnosis of IGR and DM were 5.3 (sensitivity of 46.2%, specificity of 68.5%) and 5.6 (sensitivity of 57.4%, specificity of 76.4%) mmol/L respectively. The cut-off points of SB-2 h BG were 8.2 mmol/L for the diagnosis of IGR (sensitivity of 63.8%, specificity of 59.9%) and 9.2 mmol/L for the diagnosis of DM (sensitivity of 66.4%, specificity of 76.4%).If the cut-off point of SB-2 h BG was set at 7.2 mmol/L, the diagnostic specificity became quite low.However, at 11.1 mmol/L, the sensitivity was 31.5% and the specificity 95.7% for the diagnosis of DM. The coincidences of cut-off points of FBG and SB-2 hBG for the diagnosis of IGR and DM were equal (P > 0.05).When the cut-off point of SB-2 h BG was set at 7.8 mmol/L, the sensitivity was 77.4% and the specificity 41.8% for the diagnosis of IGR. And it was much better than FBG at 5.6 mmol/L (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: With a deterioration of glucose tolerance, the difference between SB-2 hBG and OGTT-2 hBG increases gradually. Compared to the diagnostic criteria of OGTT, the optimal cut-off points for the diagnosis of IGR and DM were 5.3 vs 5.6 mmol/L for FBG and 8.2 vs 9.2 mmol/L for SB-2 hBG respectively.For diabetic screening in middle-aged and elders, the cut-off points of FBG at 5.3 mmol/L and SB-2 hBG at 7.8 mmol/L are indicators for further OGTT.

Effects of chronic exposure to Aspergillus fumigatus on epidermal growth factor receptor expression in the airway epithelial cells of asthmatic rats.

Epidemiologic studies suggest that increased concentrations of airborne spores of Aspergillus fumigatus closely relate to asthma aggravation. Chronic exposure to A. fumigatus aggravates airway inflammation, remodeling, and airway hyperresponsiveness in asthmatic rats. The effects of chronic exposure to A. fumigatus on epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression in the airway epithelial cells of asthmatic rats remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effects of chronic exposure to A. fumigatus on injury and shedding of airway epithelium, goblet cell metaplasia, and EGFR expression in the airway epithelial cells of asthmatic rats. A rat model of chronic asthma was established using ovalbumin (OVA) sensitization and challenge. Rats with chronic asthma were then exposed to long-term inhalation of spores of A. fumigatus, and the dynamic changes in injury and shedding of airway epithelium, goblet cell metaplasia, and EGFR expression were observed and analyzed. Chronic exposure to A. fumigatus could aggravate airway epithelial cell damage, upregulate the expression of EGFR and its ligands EGF and TGF-α, promote goblet cell metaplasia, and increase airway responsiveness in rats with asthma. Chronic exposure to A. fumigatus upregulates the expression of EGFR and its ligands in asthmatic rats. The EGFR pathway may play a role in asthma aggravation induced by exposure to A. fumigatus.

[Effects of chronic Aspergillus fumigatus exposure on the expression of mucin 5AC in the airways of asthmatic rats].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of chronic Aspergillus fumigatus (Af) exposure on the expression of mucin 5AC (MUC5AC) in the airways of asthmatic rats. METHODS: Fifty-six male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 8 groups: chronic asthma (group A), chronic asthma plus Af spores inhalation for 1 week (group B), 3 weeks (group C) and 5 weeks (group D), chronic asthma plus saline inhalation for 5 weeks (group E), OVA-sensitized and-saline-challenged group (group F) and OVA-sensitized and-saline-challenged plus Af spores inhalation for 5 weeks (group G) (each n = 8). The airway resistance (Raw) and the change rate of Raw after acetylcholine provocation were detected using a computerized system. The level of MUC5AC mRNA in the lung tissue was measured by RT-PCR, and the expression of MUC5AC in airway epithelial cells were demonstrated by immunohistochemistry. The concentration of IL-13 in BALF was measured by ELISA. The extent of goblet cell hyperplasia was evaluated on periodic acid-Schiff stain (PAS) lung sections. RESULTS: In group B, C, and D, the level of MUC5AC mRNA (MUC5AC mRNA/ß-actin mRNA) (1.9 ± 0.4, 2.3 ± 0.6, 2.9 ± 0.8, respectively), the integrated optical density (value A) of MUC5AC positive stain in airway epithelial cells (278 ± 58, 566 ± 64, 891 ± 80, respectively), the concentration of IL-13 in BALF (µg/L) (96 ± 16, 136 ± 22, 197 ± 34, respectively), and the ratio of goblet cell area to epithelial cell area(%) (16 ± 5, 23 ± 7, 36 ± 9, respectively), were higher than those in group A, E, F and G (all P < 0.05). The change rate of Raw(%) in group C and D (61.91 ± 5.26 and 84.69 ± 6.38) were higher than that in group A, E, F and G (all P < 0.05). The level of MUC5AC mRNA and the value A of MUC5AC were positively correlated with the ratio of goblet cell area to epithelial cell area (r = 0.578, P < 0.05;r = 0.614, P < 0.05, respectively) and the change rate of Raw (r = 0.638, P < 0.05;r = 0.564, P < 0.05, respectively) in group B, C and D. CONCLUSION: Chronic Aspergillus fumigatus exposure upregulated the expression of MUC5AC in the airway epithelial cells and induced goblet cell hyperplasia, resulting in increased airway hypersensitivity in rats with chronic asthma.

Association between polymorphisms of DNA repair gene XRCC1 and DNA damage in asbestos-exposed workers.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the asbestos-induced DNA damage and repair capacities of DNA damage between 104 asbestos-exposed workers and 101 control workers in Qingdao City of China and to investigate the possible association between polymorphisms in codon 399 of XRCC1 and susceptibility to asbestosis. METHODS: DNA damage levels in peripheral blood lymphocytes were determined by comet assay, and XRCC1 genetic polymorphisms of DNA samples from 51 asbestosis cases and 53 non-asbestosis workers with a similar asbestos exposure history were analyzed by PCR/RFLP. RESULTS: The basal comet scores (3.95 +/- 2.95) were significantly higher in asbestos-exposed workers than in control workers (0.10 +/- 0.28). After 1 h H2O2 stimulation, DNA damage of lymphocytes exhibited different increases. After a 4 h repair period, the comet scores were 50.98 +/- 19.53 in asbestos-exposed workers and 18.32 +/- 12.04 in controls. The residual DNA damage (RD) was significantly greater (P<0.01) in asbestos-exposed workers (35.62%) than in controls (27.75%). XRCC1 genetic polymorphism in 104 asbestos-exposed workers was not associated with increased risk of asbestosis. But compared with polymorphisms in the DNA repair gene XRCC1 (polymorphisms in codon 399) and the DNA damage induced by asbestos, the comet scores in asbestosis cases with Gln/Gln, Gln/Arg, and Arg/Arg were 40.26 +/- 18.94, 38.03 +/- 28.22, and 32.01 +/- 11.65, respectively, which were higher than those in non-asbestosis workers with the same genotypes (25.58 +/- 11.08, 37.08 +/- 14.74, and 29.38 +/- 10.15). There were significant differences in the comet scores between asbestosis cases and non-asbestosis workers with Gln/Gln by Student's t-test (P<0.05 or 0.01). The comet scores were higher in asbestosis workers with Gln/Gln than in those with Arg/Arg and in non-asbestosis workers exposed to asbestos, but without statistically significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to asbestos may be related to DNA damage or the capacity of cells to repair H2O2-induced DNA damage. DNA repair gene XRCC1 codon 399 may be responsible for the inter-individual susceptibility in DNA damage and repair capacities.

[The relation of asbestosis to human 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosidase polymorphism and DNA damage in peripheral lymphocytes].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relation of asbestosis to human 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosidase (hOGG1) genotype and DNA damage, the investigation of hOGG1 polymorphism distribution and DNA strand breakages in peripheral lymphocytes was carried on in occupational population. METHODS: A total 101 asbestos-exposed workers and 141 controls were investigated. The DNA damage level was obtained by single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) and hOGG1 Ser326Cys polymorphism by PCR-RELP. RESULTS: (1) A significant increase in the exposed group was observed in comet scores at basal (34.8 +/- 16.8), H2O2-induced (136.7 +/- 36.0) and 4 hours after repair (51.0 +/- 18.7) as compared with the control group (P < 0.01). And the scores in H2O2-induced (147.0 +/- 30.8) and 4 hours after repair (56.9 +/- 21.4) were significantly higher in asbestosis workers than in non-asbestosis ones (125.7 +/- 38.2 and 44.9 +/- 15.4, P < 0.01). (2) There was no differences of the genotype distribution between the asbestos group and the control group (chi(2) = 0.22, P = 0.89). A significant difference in the distribution of this polymorphism (Ser/Ser, Ser/Cys, Cys/Cys) between asbestosis group (25.5%, 51.0%, 23.5%) and the non-asbestosis group (48.0%, 36.0%, 16.0%) was observed (chi(2) = 6.023, P < 0.05). The comet scores at H2O2-induced and 4 hours after repair were higher in asbestosis subjects than in non-asbestosis ones (P < 0.05). (3) After adjusting ages, sex, smoking and drinking status, the odds ratios of the Cys allele for asbestosis were 0.66 (95% CI = 0.38 - 1.13) in the exposed subjects. CONCLUSION: The results suggested that the asbestos occupational exposure might induce DNA damage and the augment on susceptivity of H2O2 oxidation and the fall of the capacity of repairing DNA damage might be one of the mechanisms to induce asbestosis among subjects with the Cys allele.

[Expression, purification and identification of recombinant human lymphotoxin alpha deletant (rhLT-alphaDeltaN27)].

AIM: To construct prokaryotic expression vector of recombinant human lymphotoxin alpha deletant (rhLT-alphaDeltaN27) and express the protein in E.coli. METHODS: The rhLT-alphaDeltaN27 gene was amplified by RT-PCR using total RNA extracted from Jurkat cells,cloned into prokaryotic expression vector pET-23b, and transformed into E.coli BL21(DE3). The recombinant protein was expressed after IPTG induction and purified by DEAE Sepharose FF and Phenyl-Sepharose FF. RESULTS: The recombinant protein was expressed as inclusion bodies with the yield of more than 30% of total bacterial protein. After purification, the purity of rhLT-alphaDeltaN27 was 99%, and the biological activity was more than 8x10(7) U/mg. Other characteristics of rhLT-alphaDeltaN27, such as relative molecular mass(M(r)), pI and N-terminal amino acid sequence, all corresponded to theoretical prediction. CONCLUSION: The expression vector of rhLT-alphaDeltaN27 gene was constructed, and the recombinant protein was expressed in E.coli successfully.A method of for purifying rhLT-alphaDeltaN27 was established.

[The effect of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on neovascularization and prefabricated flap survival].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on neovascularization and prefabricated flap survival. METHODS: Male New-Zealand rabbits weighting 2.0-2.5 kg were used in this study. The experimental model used a prefabricated neck flap, supplied by the transferred and implanted central vascular bundle of the ear. 9 micrograms bFGF and 0.2 ml of normal saline was instilled in the vascular pedicle of the experimental and the control group respectively. After 1, 2, 3 weeks of operation, the neovascularization was studied by confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) and flap survival was observed. RESULTS: The neovascularization and survival of the prefabricated flap was different in the experimental and the control groups. The experimental group was better than the control group. CONCLUSION: bFGF treatment improved sprouting of the implanted vessel and the prefabricated flap survival.