[Analysis of the factors influencing the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms based on an online questionnaire].

Objective: To explore the variables associated with the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant during the epidemic in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). Methods: A cross-sectional study. During the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant pandemic from December 15, 2022, to March 15, 2023, COVID-19 related data for patients with MPN who were treated at Peking University People's Hospital were collected through an online questionnaire-based survey. All questionnaires and clinical data were checked by medical assistants. Logistic multivariate analysis was used to explore the prevalence and variables associated with the severity of COVID-19 in patients with MPN. Results: A total of 239 patients with MPN, including 90 (37.7%) presenting with essential thrombocythemia (ET), 50 (20.9%) with polycythemia vera (PV), and 99 (41.4%) with myelofibrosis (MF), were enrolled in the study. The 99 patients with MF included 87 (87.9%) with primary MF, 5 (5.1%) with post-PV MF, and 7 (7.1%) with post-ET MF. Overall, 239 (100%) patients reported that they experienced COVID-19 during the pandemic. Of these, 226 (94.6%) had mild disease, 4 (1.7%) had moderate disease, 7 (2.9%) had severe disease, and 2 (0.8%) had critical disease. Two (0.8%) patients with severe COVID-19 died, one of which suffered from MT and the other from PV. Multivariate analysis showed that older age (OR=2.36, 95%CI 1.24-4.49), MF (OR=10.22, 95%CI 1.13-92.80), or comorbidity (OR=5.25, 95%CI 1.25-22.03) were associated with a significantly higher risk of developing moderate, severe, or critical COVID-19. Among patients with MF, higher risk stratification reflected an increased risk of developing moderate, severe, or critical COVID-19 (P=0.034). Conclusion: During the omicron pandemic, older age, MF (especially higher-risk categories), and comorbidity were associated with a higher risk of developing moderate, severe, or critical COVID-19.

Assessing the construction of a Healthy City in China: a conceptual framework and evaluation index system.

OBJECTIVES: COVID-19 has brought challenges to the health of all mankind. It is particularly important to promote the construction of a 'Healthy China' and build a 'healthy community'. The aims of this study were to construct a reasonable conceptual framework for the Healthy City concept and to assess Healthy City construction in China. STUDY DESIGN: This study combined qualitative and quantitative research. METHODS: This study proposes the concept model of 'nature-human body-Healthy City' and accordingly constructs an evaluation index system for the construction of a Healthy City that integrates five dimensions, namely, the medical level, economic basis, cultural development, social services, and ecological environment to explore the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of Healthy City construction in China. Finally, the influencing factors of Healthy City construction patterns are explored using GeoDetector. RESULTS: (1) The pace of Healthy City construction is generally on the rise; (2) the construction of Healthy Cities exhibits significant global spatial autocorrelation and gradually increasing agglomeration. The spatial distribution of cold hotspot areas was relatively stable; (3) medical and health progress is an important factor; the level of economic development is the leading support; the endowment of resources and environment is the basic condition; public service support provides important support; and scientific and technological innovation capabilities provide technical support for the construction of a Healthy City. CONCLUSIONS: The spatial heterogeneity of Healthy City construction in China is evident, and the state of spatial distribution is relatively stable. The spatial pattern of Healthy City construction is shaped by a combination of factors. Our research will provide a scientific basis for promoting the construction of Healthy Cities and helping to implement the Health China Strategy.

[Proteomic study on the damage of learning and memory ability of rat offspring caused by chronic stress during pregnancy].

Objective: To study the differential protein and signal pathway related to the impairment of learning and memory ability of offspring caused by chronic stress during pregnancy and explore the possible mechanism. Methods: From July to October 2019, sixteen SPF free female SD rats aged 80-90 days, weighing (200±20) g. Twelve SPF grade male SD rats aged 90-100 days, weighing (220±20) g. After a week of adaptive feeding, the female rats were randomly divided into control group and model group (8 rats in each group) , male rats were divided into control mating group (n=8) and model mating group (n=4) . Chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) model was established and stimulated continuously for 21 days. One day before stress, the first, seventh, fourteenth and 21th day after stress, the blood was collected from the inner canthus vein of the female rats, and the content of corticosterone was determined. Morris water maze test was used to detect the spatial learning and memory ability of offspring rats. The morphological changes of hippocampus were observed by HE and Nissl staining. The proteomic correlation analysis of offspring rats' hippocampus was performed by isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) technique. Results: Compared with the control group, the content of plasma corticosterone in the model group was significantly higher (F=7.717, P<0.05) , and the model was successfully established. In Morris water maze test, compared with the control offspring group, the escape latency was longer, the average swimming speed was lower, the number of crossing platform was less, and the target quadrant run was shorter in the model offspring group (P<0.05) . The pathological results showed that the morphology of cells in the hippocampal tissue of the model offspring group was irregular, the number of neurons was small, Nissl body was unevenly distributed, the volume was small and the number was small. Mass spectrometry analysis showed that a total of 5065 proteins were screened out in the two offspring groups, and 26 proteins were differentially expressed (P<0.05) , of which 19 proteins were up-regulated and 7 proteins were down regulated. The differential proteins were mainly involved in 23 biological processes, 14 cellular components and 9 molecular functions. Kyoto Encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis showed that 57 pathways were enriched, of which 8 signaling pathways were significantly enriched (P<0.05) . There were 5 signaling pathways that might be involved in the impairment of learning and memory ability of offspring, including neuroactive ligand receptor interaction, cGMP-PKG signaling pathway, adhesion and connection, adhesion and connection FoxO signaling pathway and Notch signaling pathway, mainly including tyrosine protein kinase receptor, tyrosine kinase receptor and Notch signaling pathway, and α2A adrenergic receptor, cGMP dependent protein kinase and other differential proteins may be involved in the injury process. Conclusion: The damage of learning and memory ability of offspring may be caused by chronic stress during pregnancy rats. The enriched signal pathway and key differential proteins of proteomics may play an important role in the process of damage.

[Effects of chronic stress during pregnancy on composition and diversity of intestinal microbiota in female rats and offspring].

Objective: To investigate the effect of chronic stress of pregnant rats on the gut microbiota of female rats and offspring, and explore the role of intestinal microbiota in chronic stress during pregnancy. Methods: In November 2019, SPF-grade healthy adult SD rats were selected. 16 female rats were randomly divided into control group and model group, with 8 in each group; 12 male rats were randomly divided into model mating group (8) and control mating group (4) . A model of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) during pregnancy was established. Blood samples were collected from the iliac vein of the female rats 1 day before and 1, 7, and 14 days after the CUMS protocol, and measured for plasma corticosterone content by radioimmunoassay. After the stress was completed, fresh feces of the female rats were collected for testing. The offspring's fresh stool samples were collected on postnatal day 20 (PND20) , and they were divided into control offspring group and model offspring group samples. The sequence of 16S rRNAV3-V4 regions of microorganisms in the feces of offspring was determined by Illumina MiSeq technique; and the interaction between microbial community structure and diversity were analyzed. Results: The content of plasma corticosterone in the model group was higher than that in the control group on the 7th and 14th day of stress (P<0.05) . Compared with the control group, the Sobs index, Chao index, ACE index and Shannon index of the model group were decreased (P<0.05) . The number of unique species abundance (OTU) in the control group was 130, and 91 in the model group. The relative abundance of female Firmicutes in the control group (64.87%) was higher than that in the model group, and the relative abundance of Bacteroides (31.72%) was lower than that of the model group (46.35%) . The Sobs index, Chao index, ACE index, Simpson index and Shannon index of the control offspring group were higher than those of the model offspring group (P<0.05) . The number of unique OTUs in the model offspring group was 75, and 93 in the control offspring group. The relative abundance of Firmicutes (60.24%) in the control offspring group was higher than that of the model offspring group (52.95%) . Conclusion: Chronic stress during pregnancy can not only lead to the disorder of intestinal flora in female rats, but also lead to the change of intrauterine environment, thus affecting the diversity of intestinal flora in offspring.

CRISPR-dCas9-mediated knockdown of prtR, an essential gene in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a widely distributed non-fermentative Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen that is often responsible for nosocomial infections. Gene interference is a potentially valuable tool for investigating essential genes in P. aeruginosa. To establish a gene interference platform in P. aeruginosa, CRISPR system was used with an inactive Cas9 protein. The CRISPR-dCas9 system was cloned into pHERD20T, a shuttle vector with arabinose inducible promoter, and was further modified to target a regulatory gene prtR that is essential for the viability of P. aeruginosa. Cells expressing the prtR-targeting CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) showed growth defect in an arabinose dose-dependent manner. A high-throughput RNA sequencing analysis of bacterial cells with or without the CRISPRi-mediated prtR inhibition indicated that prtRis a global regulator affecting multiple biological processes. In conclusion, the CRISPR-dCas9-based gene knockdown system has been successfully implemented in P. aeruginosa and demonstrated to be an effective tool in the investigation of essential or difficult-to-inactivate genes in this species.

[Clinical analysis of kidney injury in patients with COVID-19].

Objective: To investigate the relationship between novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) and kidney injury. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on confirmed COVID-19 patients in the Central Theater Command General Hospital of Chinese PLA on March 12, 2020. A total of 87 hospitalized confirmed COVID-19 patients were enrolled in the study, and they were hospitalized for at least one week. The recorded information included clinical data and indicators of kidney-related laboratory tests. Results: The average age of patients was (65.2±17.1) years, and 34.5% (30/87) patients were ≥ 75 years old and 31.0% (27/87) patients were 60-74 years old. Male and female patients accounted for 59.8% (52/87) and 40.2% (35/87), respectively. There were 29.9% (26/87) and 12.6% (11/87) patients who had already showed mild elevation of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (SCr) at admission. Moreover, 25.3% (22/87) and 4.6% (4/87) patients still exhibited mild elevation of BUN and SCr one week after admission. However, 28.7% (25/87) patients showed an elevation of BUN one week later after admission, though their BUN levels were normal at admission. Likewise, 16.1% (14/87) patients showed an elevation of SCr one week later after admission, while their SCr levels were normal at admission. Only two patients had an increase of SCr ≥26.5 µmol/L, and both of them were over 75 years old. Conclusions: COVID-19 patients with severe acute kidney injury are uncommon. However, attention should be paid to acute kidney injury of the elderly patients in the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19.

[Analysis on the situation of being supported by the national natural science foundation of China in the field of occupational diseases from 2010 to 2019].

Objective: To understand the situation supported by the National Natural Science Foundation in the field of occupational diseases (H2402) in China, so as to provide a reference basis for the application and research of scientific researchers in the field of occupational diseases in China. Methods: The information system of scientific and technological achievements was used to search the financial support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) in the field of occupational diseases from 2010 to 2019. Results: From 2010 to 2019, a total of 55 projects were funded under the Occupational Disease code (H2402) , with a total funding of 22.33 million yuan, of which 30 were supported by the Youth Science Foundation, 20 by the Youth Science Foundation and 5 by the Regional Science Foundation. Thirty five items of the research projects focused on pneumoconiosis and other respiratory diseases which accounted for 63.64 per cent. Forty one items of scientific research projects are supported by domestic institutions of higher learning which accounted for 74.55 per cent. Conclusion: The research support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China to the field of occupational diseases (H2402) has increased steadily, but the support of different research directions and supporting units is not balanced. It is suggested that departments concerned strengthen guidance and support for the applicants in less developed areas and weak research directions of the projects in the National Natural Science Foundation.

[The basic characteristics and medical status of pneumoconiosis patients under different investigation methods].

Objective: To analyze the characteristics of pneumoconiosis patients and the basic status of medical treatment. Methods: Research objects were chosen by stratified sampling method and typical survey method from existing pneumoconiosis patients in China. The survey was carried out from March 2017 to January 2018 in nine provinces including provinces from east, medium and western region in China. Source of pneumoconiosis cases were inpatient cases, outpatient or physical-examined cases and household-investigation cases. The survey mainly included demographic and sociological characteristics, economic status, occupational history and dust exposure history, disease status, work-related injury insurance and social security status and related indicators of pneumoconiosis treatment. Results: Investigated 1037 pneumoconiosis cases which included 186 (19.9%) household-investigation cases, 212 (20.4%) outpatient or physical-examined cases and 639 (61.7%) inpatient cases. Demographic and sociological characteristics, individual monthly income, economic source, occupational history and work-related injury insurance were statistically significant among different source of pneumoconiosis patients (P<0.05) . Among all of the household-investigation cases, there were 74 cases (40.2%) had no income, 117 cases (62.9%) used to work in private enterprises, 36 cases (19.4%) had work-related injuries insurance, 95 cases (51.1%) were at three phase of pneumoconiosis, 108 cases (59.0%) haven't had any drugs for pneumoconiosis. 65 cases (39.4%) haven't went to the clinic, 53 cases (28.5%) hadn't seek medical advice although they needed medical treatment very much. Among all of the outpatient or physical-examined cases, there were 95 cases (46.1%) had no income, 36 cases (17.0%) had work-related injuries Insurance, 139 cases (65.6%) went to the clinic for treatment of pneumoconiosis, 81 cases (38.2%) went to the clinic for more than ten times. Among all the inpatient cases, 310 cases' (49.3%) personal monthly income was above 2000 yuan, 352 cases (55.1%) had work-related injuries Insurance, 588 cases (92.2%) were taking drugs for treatment of pneumoconiosis, 153 canses (24.2%) had hospitalization for than ten times. Conclusion: Household-investigation cases have lower economic conditions, lower rates of Insurance coverage for work-related injuries, severer pneumoconiosis and higher clinical service utilization. Clinical or physical-examined cases have lower economic conditions, lower rates of Insurance coverage for work-related injuries and higher clinical service utilization. Hospitalized cases have better economic conditions, higher rates of insurance coverage for work-related injuries and higher hospitalization service utilization.

[The significance of 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine acid in the diagnosis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis].

Objective: To evaluate the significance of serum 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine acid(8-OHdG) in the diagnosis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Methods: Patients or healthy subjects were enrolled at the Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University and the Second People's Hospital of Tianjin from May 2013 to December 2015. A total of 41 patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease were enrolled in the study, including 20 nonalcoholic simple fatty liver (NAFL) patients and 21 NASH patients whose diagnosis were proven by liver biopsy. The other 32 healthy subjects were studied as controls. Serum 8-OHdG, ALT, AST and GGT were tested. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease activity score (NAS) and expression of 8-OHdG in liver was investigated between NAFL patients and NASH patients. The correlations between serum 8-OHdG and serum ALT, AST, GGT, and 8-OHdG in liver tissue in NASH group were investigated. In addition, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses for ALT and 8-OHdG levels were performed in NAFL patients and NASH patients, and the cut-off value was determined. Results: Serum 8-OHdG values in healthy controls, NAFL and NASH patients were (0.19±0.16) µg/L, (0.22±0.16) µg/L, (0.42±0.21) µg/L respectively. The serum 8-OHdG and serum ALT, GGT and 8-OHdG in liver tissue were all positively correlated in NASH group with respective correlation coefficient r values as 0.454 7, 0.382 9, and 0.497 6. AUC of 8-OHdG was 0.901 with cut-off value 0.39 µg/L. Its sensitivity was 88.3% and specificity was 81.5%, which were higher than those of ALT. Conclusion: The value of serum 8-OHdG would be used as a marker for the diagnosis of NASH.

Expression of TRPM8 in diabetic rats and its relationship with visceral pain stimulation.

Transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily M, member 8 (TRPM8) is a nonselective cation channel and a candidate for cold sensation signaling, but the relationship between TRPM8 and diabetes remains unclear. In the present study, we determined the expression levels of TRPM8 messenger RNA (mRNA) and the levels of the TRPM8 protein in the bladder tissue of diabetic rats. We also investigated the correlation between TRPM8 expression and the visceral pain stimulation-related factor, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in diabetic rats. The rats were sacrificed 3, 5, 7, and 15 days after streptozotocin injection, and blood was collected from their tail veins to determine the blood glucose levels. Bladder tissue was removed to assess the expression of TRPM8 mRNA by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and the expression of the TRPM8 protein by western blotting. After administering electrical stimulation (5 V/1 Hz), the expression levels of TRPM8 and CGRP proteins were determined. Our results revealed that the blood glucose level, and TRPM8 mRNA and TRPM8 protein expression levels increased significantly in the diabetic rats. Spinal tissue protein expression levels of both TRPM8 and CGRP also increased significantly following electrical stimulation. This possibly indicates that TRPM8 is closely associated with visceral pain stimulation, and could be an independent prognostic biomarker for diabetes.

IL-33 Receptor (ST2) Signalling is Important for Regulation of Th2-Mediated Airway Inflammation in a Murine Model of Acute Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection.

T1/ST2, an orphan receptor with homology with the interleukin (IL)-1 receptor family, is the ligand-binding component of the receptor for the cytokine IL-33, a newly identified cytokine known to amplify the Th2 cell-dominant immune responses. The function of IL-33/ST2 signalling during respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is not fully known. In this study, following intranasal infection with RSV, BALB/c mice showed a marked increase in the production of IL-33, with an elevated expression of ST2 mRNA as well as a massive infiltration of CD45(+) ST2(+) cells in the lungs, suggesting that during the early phase of RSV infection, IL-33 target cells which express ST2 on cell surface, may play a critical role for the development of RSV-induced airway inflammation. Indeed, blocking ST2 signalling using anti-ST2 monoclonal antibody diminished not only RSV-induced eosinophil recruitment, but also the amounts of Th2-associated cytokines, particularly IL-13, and Th17-type cytokine IL-17A in the lungs of infected mice. However, anti-ST2 antibody treatment did not affect the production of Th1-type cytokine IFN-γ as well as pulmonary viral growth and clearance. These results indicate that IL-33/ST2 signalling is involved in RSV-induced, Th2-associated airway inflammation but not protective immunity.

Loss of STAG2 causes aneuploidy in normal human bladder cells.

The aim of this study was to determine how the function of human stromal antigen 2 (STAG2) plays an important role in proper chromosome separation. STAG2 mRNA in normal bladder cells and bladder tumor cells was evaluated by RT-PCR. The protein levels of STAG2 in normal bladder cells and bladder tumor cells were determined by western blot. A cell proliferation assay was used to measure the growth of tumor cells and STAG2-inhibited normal cells, and STAG2- inhibited normal cells were subjected to karyotype analysis. Both STAG-2 mRNA and protein expression levels were lower in bladder cancer cells compared to the controls. Knockdown of STAG2 caused aneuploidy in normal bladder cells, leading to a decreased expression of the cohesin complex components SMC1, SMC3 and RAD21, but there was no obvious effect of STAG2 knockdown on cell proliferation. Our study indicated that abnormal expression of STAG2 could cause aneuploidy in normal bladder cells.

Postpartum pelvic floor function performance after two different modes of delivery.

This study investigated the incidences of urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse as well as pelvic floor muscle strength after cesarean section and vaginal delivery. From June 2010 to July 2011, 149 puerpera in Shenzhen Hospital, Peking University, were divided into the cesarean section group (N = 66) and the vaginal delivery group (N = 83). Postpartum urinary incontinence analysis, pelvic examination, and pelvic muscle contraction analysis using the PHENIX neuromuscular therapy instrument were performed to compare urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, and pelvic floor muscle condition between the 2 groups. The incidences of urinary incontinence in the cesarean and vaginal delivery groups were 9.09% (6/66) and 16.87% (14/83), respectively (P > 0.05); the incidences of pelvic organ prolapse were 53.03% (35/66) and 86.75% (72/83), respectively (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in pelvic muscle pressure or electrophysiological examination results between the 2 groups (P > 0.05). Hence, cesarean section has a protective effect on early postpartum pelvic organ prolapse, but the delivery modes do not differ significantly with respect to the incidence of postpartum urinary incontinence or pelvic muscle floor muscle strength.

Assessment of genetic diversity of cucumber cultivars in China based on simple sequence repeats and fruit traits.

The cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is an important crop grown worldwide. In this study, the genetic diversity of 42 cucumber cultivars in China was analyzed using 51 pairs of simple sequence repeat (SSR) primers. These primers identified 129 polymorphic loci, 95.6% of which were polymorphic. The mean effective number of alleles, mean Nei's gene diversity, and mean Shannon's information index were 0.36, 0.16, and 0.21, respectively. A cluster analysis demonstrated that the 42 cultivars could be divided into three groups, a result that was largely consistent with those of a principal component analysis (PCA). The PCA indicated that the three groups displayed significant variation in fruit traits. The cultivars of group 1 tended to have longer fruits (>30 cm), longer fruit ends (>4 cm), larger fruit diameters (>5 cm), a sharp strigose fruit spine, and the same fruit end shape. The basal color of the fruit in group 2 was dark green. Group 3 cultivars have no wax or mottling on the fruit surface. Our study demonstrates the value of our SSR primers for assessing genetic diversity in cucumber.

Value of alpha-fetoprotein and clinical characteristics in patients with liver neoplasm.

This article aimed to investigate the value of α-fetoprotein (AFP) for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to evaluate the relationship between AFP and various clinical variables of HCC comprehensively. A retrospective study of postoperative patients diagnosed with liver neoplasm from two Chinese centers was enrolled in our study.A total of 3050 patients were included. The best cut-off point of AFP for the diagnosis of HCC was 20ng/ml with ideal sensitivity (69.74%), specificity (91.18%), LR (4.12) and YI (0.61). Non-HBV infection patients showed the highest specificity (94.44%) but lowest sensitivity (60.13%). In HBV infection. Patients, HBsAg, HBeAb, and HBcAb positive patients had the highest sensitivity (79.55%) and specificity (58.49%). AFP levels increased significantly in symptomatic patients (p=0.011). Those patients with tumor sizes ≥10cm had much higher serum AFP level compared with smaller tumors ones (p=0.014). AFP levels increased remarkably in patients with vascular invasion (p=0.015). Stepwise logistic regression showed tumor size (≥10cm) was an independent predictor of elevated AFP (OR=2.743, 95%CI: 1.167-6.447, P=0.021). The best discriminating AFP value for the diagnosis of HCC is 20ng/ml; HBsAg, HBeAb and HBcAb positive patients have the optimal sensitivity and specificity; tumor size ≥ 10cm is an independent predictor of elevated AFP.

Effect of gestational weight gain as well as rehabilitation training on postnatal pelvic muscle strength.

OBJECTIVE: The current study explored the impact of gestational weight gain on postnatal pelvic muscle strength and the effect of low-frequency electrical stimulation combined with biofeedback training on strength recovery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 126 mothers six to eight weeks after term delivery were recruited at Peking University Shenzhen Hospital from August 2010 to July 2011. According to gestational weight gain, they were divided into two groups: the < 15 kg (A) and > or = 15 kg (B) groups. Pelvic floor muscle fibre strength was determined. Target low-frequency electrical stimulation combined with biofeedback training was conducted. After training, pelvic floor muscle fiber strength was determined again for effect evaluation. RESULTS: Before training, types I and II pelvic floor muscle fiber strength of group B was noticeably lower than that of group A (p < 0.05). After rehabilitation, the pelvic floor muscle strength of both groups significantly increased (p < 0.05). However, types I and II pelvic floor muscle fiber strength of group B was still significantly lower than that of group A (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Gestational weight gain negatively influences pelvic floor muscles. Low-frequency electrical stimulation combined with biofeedback training improves postnatal pelvic floor muscle fiber strength. A less gestational weight increase indicates faster postnatal pelvic muscle strength recovery and a better rehabilitative effect.

BISEN: Biochemical Simulation Environment.

SUMMARY: The Biochemical Simulation Environment (BISEN) is a suite of tools for generating equations and associated computer programs for simulating biochemical systems in the MATLAB computing environment. This is the first package that can generate appropriate systems of differential equations for user-specified multi-compartment systems of enzymes and transporters accounting for detailed biochemical thermodynamics, rapid equilibria of multiple biochemical species and dynamic proton and metal ion buffering. AVAILABILITY: The software and a user manual (including several tutorial examples) are available at bbc.mcw.edu/BISEN.

Functional polymorphism of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 and nasopharyngeal carcinoma susceptibility in a Chinese population.

Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4; CD152) is a secondary receptor of B7 (CD80 and CD86) and shares homology with the CD28 receptor. Although the structures of CTLA-4 and CD28 are very similar, they deliver different costimulatory signals. A functional polymorphism in CTLA-4 exon 1 position +49 that can affect the T-cell response has been reported by several groups. Previous case-control studies also revealed this polymorphism contribute to the risk of autoimmune diseases and common cancers. However, the relationship between CTLA-4 functional polymorphism and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) susceptibility has not yet been explored. In this study, we performed a case-control study in a Chinese population. Our result showed that the CTLA-4 +49 A>G polymorphism is associated with NPC susceptibility. The subjects carrying the CTLA-4 +49 AA genotype have a approximately 1.8-fold increased risk of NPC (adjust OR 1.83; 95% CI, 1.16-2.93) when compared with the GG genotype.