[The research advances of graphene and its derivatives in regulating the fate of neural stem cells].

As a new class of nanomaterials, graphene and its derivatives have excellent mechanical, electrical and optical properties, which are widely used in various fields. In recent years, more and more scholars have linked it to stem cell research. Their effects on stem cell proliferation, differentiation can not be underestimated. Here we review the regulation of graphene and its derivatives on the fate of neural stem cells, hoping that more ophthalmologists will invest in this research and provide a new way for neurodegenerative diseases in ophthalmology.

Genotype and genetic variation of HCV infections with low-risk factors in Putian coastal regions, China.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the leading causes of death and morbidity associated with liver disease. Risk factors identified for the transmission of HCV include contaminated blood products, intravenous drug use, body piercing, an infected mother at birth, sexual activity, and dental therapy, among others. However, the exact diversity of the HCV genotype and genetic variation among patients with low-risk factors is still unknown. In this study, we briefly described and analysed the genotype distribution and genetic variation of HCV infections with low-risk factors using molecular biology techniques. The results suggested that genotype 1b was predominant, followed by genotypes 2a and 1a. Genetic variations in the 5' UTR sequences of HCV were identified, including point mutations, deletions, and insertions. The frequency of genetic variations in 1b was higher than in 2a. This study provides considerable value for the prevention and treatment of liver disease caused by HCV among patients with low-risk factors and for the development of HCV diagnostic reagents and vaccines.

Screening of differentially expressed genes of middle cerebral artery occlusion with DNA microarray.

OBJECTIVES: To screen differentially expressed genes of different days after cerebral artery occlusion and drug treatment, and identify related small drug molecules. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The gene expression profile GSE35338 of cerebral artery occlusion was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus database, including a total of 14 samples. 5 samples are 1 day after cerebral artery occlusion (control), 3 samples are 7 days after cerebral artery occlusion and 3 samples are under lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between different days after cerebral artery occlusion were screened (p < 0.05, FDR < 0.05, |logFC| > 1). The DEGs were then entered into the CMAP database and related small drug molecules were retrieved, followed by calculation of co-expression score of the genes and construction of co-expression-drug network. FuncAssociate software and DAVID were used to obtain the functional clusters of genes with p-value < 0.05 and FDR < 0.05. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, 825, 1445, 218 DEGs and 4, 3, 2 most-related small drug molecules were respectively identified from 3, 7 days after cerebral artery occlusion and LPS treated group. Co-expression network was constructed and functional clusters were found to be 161, 146, and 6 in each group. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides some underlying biomarkers for cerebral artery occlusion under varied conditions and potential small drug molecules for treatment of cerebral artery occlusion.

Diabetes care for older patients in America.

BACKGROUND: Underuse of diabetes care was common for older patients. This study examined whether patient or physician practice characteristics predict the likelihood of diabetes care. METHODS: We studied the 2006 and 2007 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data for a nationally-representative sample of 2912 visits by older patients with diabetes. We examined the patterns of diabetes care, including diagnostic testing (glucose, haemoglobinA1c, blood pressure and cholesterol) and patient counselling services (diet/nutrition, exercise). Multivariate analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of diabetes care, controlling for patient and physician practice characteristics. All analyses were adjusted for the complex survey design. RESULTS: Having a designated primary care physician and the availability of electronic medical record or on-site laboratory testing were associated with more effective diabetes care (p < 0.05). If physician compensation relied on the productivity, physicians were less likely to provide diabetes care services (odds ratio = 0.5). The patterns of patient counselling and diagnostic testing services were similar (odds ratio = 2.5 and 18.2 for men; odds ratio = 1.8 and 9.6 for women). Older patients with diabetes were substantially more likely to receive diagnostic testing services than patient counselling. CONCLUSION: A designated primary care physician is crucial for providing recommended diabetes care services for older patients. Strengthening structural capabilities of primary care practices and implementing patient-centred primary care initiatives in concert with health system reforms are necessary to deliver the co-ordinated diabetes care with maximised health outcomes.

Lung cancer and indoor air pollution in Xuan Wei, China.

In Xuan Wei County, Yunnan Province, lung cancer mortality is among China's highest and, especially in females, is more closely associated with indoor burning of "smoky" coal, as opposed to wood or "smokeless" coal, than with tobacco smoking. Indoor air samples were collected during the burning of all three fuels. In contrast to wood and smokeless coal emissions, smoky coal emission has high concentrations of submicron particles containing mutagenic organics, especially in aromatic and polar fractions. These studies suggested an etiologic link between domestic smoky coal burning and lung cancer in Xuan Wei.

Physiological and biochemical analysis of L. tredecimguttatus venom collected by electrical stimulation.

The L. tredecimguttatus venom was collected by electrical stimulation and systematically analyzed. Gel electrophoresis and RP-HPLC showed that the venom consisted primarily of proteins with molecular weights above 10 kDa, most of which were high-molecular-mass acidic proteins, with fewer proteins and peptides below 10 kDa. The most abundant proteins in the venom were concentrated at around 100 kDa, which included latrotoxins- the principal toxic components of the venom. Injection of the venom in mice and cockroaches P. americana gave rise to obvious poisoned symptoms, with LD50 values of 0.16 mg/kg and 1.87 microg/g, respectively. Electrophysiological experiments showed that the venom could block the neuromuscular transmission in isolated mouse phrenic nerve-hemidiaphragm and rat vas deferens preparations. The low-molecular-weight fraction (<10 kDa) of the venom had no effect on the transmission. Enzymatic analysis indicated that the venom possess activities of several kinds of hydrolases including hyaluronidase and proteases. These results demonstrated that L. tredecimguttatus venom was basically a large-protein-constituted venom and is one of the most poisonous spider venoms known in the world. The mammalian toxicity of the venom was based on its larger proteins rather than on smaller proteins and peptides, and its hydrolase activities might be involved in the latrodectism. The use of electrical stimulation method to collect the venom has the advantages of avoiding contamination and repeated use of the valuable L. tredecimguttatus venom resources.

Analysis of the safety and efficacy of combined extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy and percutaneous nephrolithotomy for the treatment of complex renal calculus.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the safety and efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) combined with percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) for treatment of complex renal calculus. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seventy-eight patients diagnosed with complex renal calculus and who accepted treatment in our hospital were consecutively selected. Patients were divided randomly into the observation group (n=40) treated by combined ESWL and PCNL and the control group (n=38) treated by PCNL. The effect of treatment between the two groups was compared. RESULTS: The stone-free rate at 3 months after surgery was higher in the observation group than in the control group. There were no differences in the rates of complications (including infection, hemorrhage, collection system perforation and laceration, peripheral organ impairment, and urination extravasation). There were gradual decreases of serum creatinine in the observation group at 4 weeks after extubation of the double J catheter and at 3 months after surgery, while there were no apparent decreases in the control group. The levels of cysteine protease inhibitor and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin in both groups increased at 4 weeks after extubation of the double J catheter, and decreased at 3 months after surgery. The decreases were more apparent in the observation group compared with the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Combined use of ESWL and PCNL to treat complex renal calculus can improve the stone-free rate and renal function, and does not increase the complication rate. It is, therefore, safe and effective.

Overexpression of ß-arrestin2 induces G1-phase cell cycle arrest and suppresses tumorigenicity in renal cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the role of ß-arrestin2 in the proliferation, migration, apoptosis, cell cycle and clone formation of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cell lines and to explore the possible mechanism of ß-arrestin2 in RCC invasion and metastasis to find a new therapeutic target. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cell proliferation, migration, apoptosis, cell cycle and clone formation were analyzed after RCC cell lines (786-0 and CaKi) and transfected with ß-arrestin2 overexpression plasmid. Using small interfering RNA (siRNA) interference technology abrogates ß-arrestin2 overexpression, and changes in cell proliferation, migration, apoptosis, cell cycle and clone formation were analyzed. The expression levels of total IkBa, IkBa phosphorylation (P-IkBa) and NFkB P65 in 786-0 cells were examined after transfection with ß-arrestin2 overexpression plasmid to explore the mechanism of ß-arrestin2. RESULTS: After transfection with ß-arrestin2 overexpression plasmid, the abilities of proliferation, migration, and cloning formation in 786-0 and CaKi cells decreased significantly, the apoptosis rate increased significantly, and the cell cycles were blocked in the G1 phase. After siRNA reduced the expression of ß-arrestin2, the abilities to proceed through cell proliferation, migration, apoptosis, the cell cycle and clone formation were enhanced. The P-IkBa level in 786-0 cells decreased significantly after transfection, while the expression of P-IkBa in the control group remained high. The expression of NFkB P65 was high in the control group and low in the transfection group. CONCLUSIONS: The overexpression of ß-arrestin2 can inhibit the growth of RCC cells in vitro, and ß-arrestin2 acts as a tumor suppressor gene in RCC. The main mechanism may directly suppress the phosphorylation of IkBa and indirectly suppress NFkB activation. Thus, ß-arrestin2 is expected to be an important marker of RCC prognosis and a new therapeutic target.

Extraction and protein component analysis of venom from the dissected venom glands of Latrodectus tredecimguttatus.

Black widow spiders (genus Latrodectus) have attracted increasing attention due to frequently reported human injuries caused by them and the potential applications of biologically active components in their venoms. Although a number of studies have described the biological properties and structures of several venomous proteins such as latrotoxins, a comprehensive analysis of protein component of the venom from the spider is not available. We used combinative proteomic strategies to assess the protein components of the crude venom collected from Latrodectus tredecimguttatus by extracting the dissected venom glands. The experiments demonstrated that the crude venom of L. tredecimguttatus has a high abundance of acidic proteins with molecular masses greater than 15 kDa, and the content of proteins and peptides of below 15 kDa is low. 86 unique proteins were identified, part of which were contaminations of cellular components during the extraction, determined in comparison with venom obtained by electrostimulation. Except for members of latrotoxin family that were commonly considered as the primary toxic components of the venom, several other special enzymes and proteins were detected such as protease, phosphatase, lysozyme, inhibitory protein, and so on. These protein components, particularly the proteases, were speculated to play important roles in the action of L. tredecimguttatus venom.

An epidemiological study of lung cancer in Xuan Wei County, China: current progress. Case-control study on lung cancer and cooking fuel.

In Xuan Wei County, Yunnan Province, lung cancer mortality rates are among China's highest in males and females. Previous studies have shown a strong association of lung cancer mortality with air pollution from "smoky" coal combustion. In the present quantitative risk assessment of indoor air pollution study, the result strongly shows an obvious on-site exposure-response relationship between benzo[a]pyrene concentration in indoor air and lung cancer mortality and strongly supports the hypothesis that indoor air pollution is the main risk factor in inducing lung cancer in Xuan Wei County. In the present case-control study, the result shows that in females, the presence of lung cancer is statistically significantly associated with chronic bronchitis and family history of lung cancer. The results also suggest an association of lung cancer with duration of cooking food, but not with passive smoking. In males, the presence of lung cancer is associated with smoking, bronchitis, family history of lung cancer, and personal history of cooking food.

Smoking and other risk factors for lung cancer in Xuanwei, China.

In Xuanwei County, Yunnan Province, lung cancer mortality rates are among the highest in China in both males and females. Previous studies have shown a strong association of lung cancer mortality with indoor air pollution from 'smoky' coal combustion. In the present case-control study, 110 newly-diagnosed lung cancer patients and 426 controls were matched with respect to age, sex, occupation (all subjects were farmers), and village of residence (which provided matching with respect to fuel use). This design allowed assessment of known and suspected lung cancer risk factors other than those mentioned above. Data from males and females were analysed by conditional logistic regression. In females who do not smoke, the presence of lung cancer was statistically significantly associated with chronic bronchitis (odds ratio [OR] = 7.37, 95% confidence interval [Cl]: 2.40-22.66) and family history of lung cancer (OR 4.18, 95% Cl: 1.61-10.85). Females' results also suggested an association of lung cancer with duration of cooking food (OR 1.00, 9.18 and 14.70), but not with passive smoking (OR 0.77, 95% Cl: 0.30-1.96). In males, lung cancer was significantly associated with chronic bronchitis (OR 7.32, 95% Cl: 2.66-20.18), family history of lung cancer (OR 3.79, 95% Cl: 1.70-8.42), and personal history of cooking food (OR 3.36, 95% Cl: 1.27-8.88). In males a dose-response relationship of lung cancer with smoking index (years of smoking*amount of smoking) was shown by risks of 1.00, 2.61, 2.17 and 4.70.

Prospects for the metabolic engineering of bioactive flavonoids and related phenylpropanoid compounds.

The successful engineering of complex metabolic pathways will require, in addition to availability of cloned genes and promoters, knowledge of the regulatory mechanisms that control metabolic flux into the pathway including post-translational phenomena such as metabolite channeling. We are interested in modifying pathways for the synthesis of isoflavonoids and other bioactive phenylpropanoid compounds in transgenic plants. We describe studies on flux control utilizing transgenic tobacco plants that under- and over-express key biosynthetic enzymes, and outline experimental approaches for the molecular dissection of potential metabolic channels in the synthesis of antimicrobial flavonoid derivatives in alfalfa and other species.

Delay-independent stability in bidirectional associative memory networks.

It is shown that if the neuronal gains are small compared with the synaptic connection weights, then a bidirectional associative memory network with axonal signal transmission delays converges to the equilibria associated with exogenous inputs to the network. Both discrete and continuously distributed delays are considered; the asymptotic stability is global in the state space of neuronal activations and also is independent of the delays.

Risk factors for lung cancer in non-smokers in Xuanwei County of China.

Tobacco smoking and some types of occupational exposures have consistently been considered as important etiologic factors of lung cancer in industrial countries. At the First World Conference of Lung Cancer (Wyndwer, 1983), it was stressed that more attention should be paid to finding out the causes of lung cancer in non-smokers. In Xuanwei County, Yunnan Province, annual lung cancer death rate was 27.7 per 100,000 in males, among China's highest, and 25.3 per 100,000 in females, the China's highest. The female's lung cancer death rate in Xuanwei County was even much higher than that of the same period in USA white women (ECACM, 1979; Mulvihill, 1976). Marked district variation in cancer mortality exists within Xuanwei County. The county can be divided into high-, medium- and low-mortality areas. Over 90% of the population are farmers. The local residents traditionally burned three major kinds of fuels: "smoky" coal, "smokeless" coal and "wood", for heating and cooking. The three lung cancer high mortality areas, including "Chengguan", "Rongcheng" and "Laibin" communes, mainly burned the "smoky" coal from Laibin smoky-coal mine. The fuel was burned in a shallow, unventilated fire pit in the floor of the dwelling. Fuel burning in shallow unventilated pits has resulted in high indoor air pollution levels. The concentrations of airborne particles (pm 10) inside houses during smoky coal and wood combustion were very high. Indoor concentration of suspended particulates and dichloromethane extractable organics were 24.4mg/m3 and 17.6mg/m3 in burning of "smoky" coal; 22.3mg/m3, 12.3mg/m3 for burning wood; and 1.8mg/m3, 0.5mg/m3 for burning of smokeless coals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Natural inhalation exposure to coal smoke and wood smoke induces lung cancer in mice and rats.

In an rural area with a high mortality rate of lung cancer in humans, mice and rats were placed in an environment in which they inhaled coal smoke and wood smoke in indoor air for 15 to 19 months. The incidences of lung cancer in mice in the control group, wood group, and coal group were 17.0% (29/171), 45.8% (81/177), and 89.5% (188/210), respectively: in rats the incidences were 0.9% (1/110), 0 (0/110), and 67.2% (84/125), respectively. In addition, the pollutants in the air were analyzed. The results indicate that coal smoke is a highly significant risk factor for lung cancer in humans in Xuan Wei County of Yun Nan Province in China.

Emerging tobacco hazards in China: 2. Early mortality results from a prospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To monitor the evolving epidemic of mortality from tobacco in China following the large increase in male cigarette use in recent decades. DESIGN: Prospective study of smoking and mortality starting with 224 500 interviewees who should eventually be followed for some decades. SETTING: 45 nationally representative small urban or rural areas distributed across China. SUBJECTS: Male population aged 40 or over in 1991, of whom about 80% were interviewed about smoking, drinking, and medical history. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Cause specific mortality, initially to 1995 but later to continue, with smoker versus non-smoker risk ratios standardised for area, age, and use of alcohol. RESULTS: 74% were smokers (73% current, only 1% former), but few of this generation would have smoked substantial numbers of cigarettes since early adult life. Overall mortality is increased among smokers (risk ratio 1.19; 95% confidence interval 1.13 to 1.25, P<0.0001). Almost all the increased mortality involved neoplastic, respiratory, or vascular disease. The overall risk ratios currently associated with smoking are less extreme in rural areas (1.26, 1.12, or 1.02 respectively for smokers who started before age 20, at 20-24, or at older ages) than in urban areas (1.73, 1.40, or 1.16 respectively). CONCLUSION: This prospective study and the accompanying retrospective study show that by 1990 smoking was already causing about 12% of Chinese male mortality in middle age. This proportion is predicted to rise to about 33% by 2030. Long term continuation of the prospective study (with periodic resurveys) can monitor the evolution of this epidemic.

[Segregation ratio and heritability of lung cancer in Xuanwei County, China].

To determine the relation between genetic factor and lung cancer We selected 370 lung cancer probands in Xuanwei county, Yunan Province China. The data on 370 nuclear families were analysed. The segregation ratio of lung cancer was 0.15 and the genetic model of lung cancer belonged to polygenetics. The heritability of lung cancer was 24.6%, 14.6% for male and 37.8% for female. It is concluded that genetic factor is one of the risk factors for lung cancer is specially of importance for females, but it is not a main risk factor for lung cancer. Our results are helpful in complaining the high incidence of lung cancer in females in Xuanwei county.

[Analysis of familial aggregation of lung cancer in Xuanwei].

Lung cancer aggregation was analyzed in relatives of the proband compared with those of his/her spouse in 370 nuclear families. Results showed the relatives of the proband had a greater risk of lung cancer compared with those of his/her spouse with an OR of 1.85 (P < 0.01). Even more, female relatives of the proband had much greater risk of lung cancer than those of his/her spouse with and OR of 2.64 (P < 0.01). It suggested relatives of the proband are more vulnerable to lung cancer than those of his/her spouse and genetic factor may contribute to pathogenesis of lung cancer.

Urinary apolipoprotein M could be used as a biomarker of acute renal injury: an ischemia-reperfusion injury model of kidney in rat.

BACKGROUND: It has been well documented that apolipoprotein M (apoM) is principally expressed in hepatocytes as well as renal tubular epithelial cells. The importance of apoM in the kidney is unknown. In the present study we examined urinary any apoM after short-term ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) of kidney in a rat model. METHODS: The kidneys of 11 male Sprague-Dawley rats were rendered ischemic for 45 minutes followed by different intervals of reperfusion. Serum and urine apoM concentrations were determined using a dot-blot analysis with specific rabbit anti-human apoM antibodies that cross-react with rat apoM. Serum concentrations of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr) were determined using standard clinical automated analyses. RESULTS: BUN was significantly elevated after 45 minutes of ischemia followed by 24 hours of reperfusion; serum Cr concentrations were also significantly increased at 6 and 24 hours of reperfusion. Interestingly, similar to BUN and Cr, serum apoM concentrations were significantly increased after ischemia for 45 minutes alone and after 2 hours of reperfusion. Urinary apoM concentrations were obviously increased after 2 h as well as 6 hours of reperfusion. CONCLUSION: apoM showed characteristics of an acute-phase reactive protein; its occurrence in urine may be considered to be a biomarker of acute renal injury.