[Incidence and related factors of antiviral drug resistance in HIV-infected pregnant and postpartum women in some areas of three western provinces of China from 2017 to 2019].

Objective: To analyze the incidence and related factors of drug resistance in HIV-infected pregnant and postpartum women in some areas of three western provinces of China from 2017 to 2019. Methods: From April 2017 to April 2019, face-to-face questionnaires and blood sample testing were conducted in all health care institutions providing maternal and perinatal care and midwifery-assisted services in 7 prevention of mother-to-child transmissi project areas in Xinjiang, Yunnan and Guangxi provinces/autonomous regions. Information was collected during the perinatal period and viral load, CD4+T lymphocytes and drug resistance genes were detected at the same time. The multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship between different factors and drug resistance in HIV-infected pregnant and postpartum women. Results: A total of 655 HIV-infected pregnant and postpartum women were included in this study. The incidence of drug resistance was 3.4% (22/655), all of whom were cross-drug resistant. The rate of low, moderate and high drug resistance was 2.1% (14/655), 1.2% (8/655) and 0.8% (5/655), respectively. The drug resistance rate in the people who had previously used antiviral drugs was 1.9% (8/418), and the drug resistance rate in the people who had not used drugs was 5.9% (14/237). The NNRTI drug resistance accounted for 2.8% (18/655) and the NRTI drug resistance rate was 2.5% (16/655). The multivariate logistic regression model showed that the risk of HIV resistance was lower in pregnant women who had previously used antiviral drugs (OR=0.32, 95%CI: 0.11-0.76). Conclusion: Strengthening the management of antiviral drug use and focusing on pregnant and postpartum women who have not previously used antiviral drugs can help reduce the occurrence of drug-resistant mutations. Personalized antiviral therapy should be considered to achieve viral inhibition effects in clinical practice.

[Esculin inhibits proliferation of triple negative breast cancer cells by down-regulating FBI-1].

Objective: To investigate the effect of esculin on the proliferation of triple negative breast cancer cells and its molecular mechanism. Methods: MDA-MB-231 cells were treated with 28, 56, 112, 225, 450 and 900 µmol/L of esculin for 24, 48 and 72 h, respectively, and the cell viability was detected by cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8) assay. In addition, MDA-MB-231 cells were treated with 0, 225, 450 and 900 µmol/L of esculin for 48 h. And then the changes in cell morphology were observed by inverted microscope. The clone-forming ability was detected by colony formation assay. The mRNA expression levels of FBI-1, p53 and p21 were detected using real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The protein expression levels of FBI-1, p53, p21 and Ki67 were detected by western blot. Results: Compared with the blank control group, the cell viability of MDA-MB-231 cells that treated with esculin significantly decreased in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manners. After treatment with esculin, MDA-MB-231 cells shrunk, flattened, adhered poorly to the culture dish and the cell spacing became larger. Meanwhile, shedding and incomplete cells appeared, of which 900 µmol/L of esculin treatment group showed the most dramatic changes. In addition, the colony formation ratios were decreased to (77.18±5.13)%, (65.94±4.98)% and (45.92±3.70)% in the 225, 450 and 900 µmol/L of esculin treatment groups compared with blank control, respectively (P<0.01). Furthermore, the mRNA and protein expressions of FBI-1 increased, while the levels of p53 and p21 mRNA and protein, as well as the protein expression of Ki67 decreased in a concentration-dependent manner (P<0.01). Conclusion: Esculin may regulate cell cycle-related p53-p21 pathway via FBI-1 mediated DNA replication, thus inhibit the proliferation of triple negative breast cancer cells.

[Occurrence and related factors of preterm birth in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region during 2017-2019].

Objective: To investigate the incidence of preterm birth in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and explore the related factors and their combined effects. Methods: The study subjects were women giving birth to live babies at the monitoring points of critical maternal hospital monitoring system in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2019. The data of general characteristics (age and marital status), pregnancies (parity, number of previous cesarean delivery, the number of prenatal check and number of fetuses in this pregnancy) and disease conditions (placenta previa, placental abruption, hypertension, diabetes, anemia, and heart disease) were collected, and the incidence of preterm birth were calculated according to the definition of preterm birth set by WHO and China, respectively. Logistic regression model was used to explore the factors associated with premature birth and their combined effects. Results: According to definitions of WHO and China, the cumulative incidence of preterm birth in Guangxi from 2017 to 2019 was 7.45% (16 819/225 727) and 7.34% (16 559/225 727), respectively. Advanced age [≤34 years old as reference, OR (95%CI) of 35-39 and ≥40 years old were 1.36 (1.30-1.42) and 1.61 (1.50-1.74), respectively], unmarried (including divorced or widowed) [OR (95%CI): 1.28 (1.17-1.40)], primiparae [OR (95%CI): 1.34 (1.29-1.40)], previous cesarean section [no previous cesarean section as reference, OR (95%CI) of 1 and ≥2 times of previous cesarean section were 1.30 (1.24-1.36) and 1.85 (1.65-2.08), respectively], antenatal examination<8 [OR (95%CI): 2.72 (2.62-2.81)], multiple pregnancies [OR (95%CI): 15.00 (14.01-16.06)], placenta previa [OR (95%CI): 6.90 (6.35-7.50)], placental abruption [OR (95%CI): 8.18 (7.36-9.10)], gestational hypertension [OR (95%CI): 2.29 (2.17-2.42)], gestational diabetes mellitus [OR (95%CI): 1.43 (1.37-1.49)], anemia [OR (95%CI): 1.10 (1.07-1.14)], and heart diseases [OR (95%CI): 2.98(2.43-3.65)] were all positively correlated with preterm birth. The risk of preterm birth in pregnant women exposed to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and ≥7 preterm birth related factors was 1.51, 2.29, 4.49, 9.69, 20.87, 46.88 and 192.11 times that of non-exposed women, respectively (all P values<0.001). Conclusion: Preterm birth is associated with maternal general characteristics, pregnancy and disease status, and the combined effect of preterm birth related factors significantly increases the risk of preterm birth.

[Comparison of modeling effects of two different 7, 12-dimethylbenz[a] anthracene induced breast cancer models in tree shrew].

Objective: To explore the feasibility of 7, 12-dimethylbenz[a] anthracene (DMBA) induced tree shrew breast cancer model, and compare the effects of two administration modes by gavage and mammary gland injection. Methods: A total of 40 tree shrews were randomly divided into two groups (20 animals per group): DMBA gavage group and mammary gland injection group. DMBA was dissolved in edible vegetable oil. For gavage group, tree shrews were administered with DMBA solutions (15 mg/kg) by gavage once a day. For mammary gland injection group, DMBA solution (10 mg/kg) was injected into the mammary fat pad of tree shrews, and the injection was performed for a total of 3 times. From the first administration of DMBA, medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA, 100 mg/kg) was intramuscularly injected into the muscles of the lateral thighs of tree shrews at the same time, for a total of 5 times. The tumorigenesis and survival of tree shrews were monitored. The tumor histological morphology was observed by HE staining. The expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), cytokeratin5/6 (CK5/6) and human epidermal factor receptor-2 (HER-2) was detected by immunohistochemical staining. Results: In the gavage group, there were 10 deaths, and 4 tree shrews developed mammary tumors with 20.0% (4/20) tumor formation rate. The success rate of mammary cancer modeling was 10.0% (2/20), and the tumor formation time was 197.3±15.1 days. In the mammary gland injection group, there were 8 tree shrews died, and 9 tree shrews formed tumors with 45.0% (9/20) tumor formation rate. The success rate of mammary cancer modeling was 40.0% (8/20), and the tumor formation time was 71.8±19.0 days. There was no significant difference in mortality and tumor formation rate (P>0.05) between the two groups (all P>0.05). However, in the mammary gland injection group, the success rate of mammary cancer modeling was significantly higher than that in the gavage group (P<0.05), whereas the tumor formation time was markedly shorter than that in the gavage group (P<0.01). The pathological types in the gavage group included ductal hyperplasia, intraductal papilloma and ductal carcinoma in situ, while those in the breast injection group included intraductal papilloma and ductal carcinoma in situ. In both groups, immunohistochemical staining showed the negative expression of HER-2 but positive expression of ER, PR and CK5/6 with varying degrees. Conclusion: Both the DMBA gavage and mammary gland injection can successfully establish the tree shrew breast cancer model, and the modeling effect of mammary gland injection is better than gavage.

[Analysis of adverse pregnancy outcomes and related factors in pregnant women with syphilis infection in Guangxi of China, 2014-2018].

Objective: To analyze the status and related factors of adverse pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with syphilis infection in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Methods: A total of 9378 pregnant women with syphilis infection who were diagnosed by Guangxi medical and health care institutions at all levels and were registered in the national "Management information system for mother-to-child transmission of AIDS, syphilis and hepatitis B" . The delivery date of these pregnant women were from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2018, and their demographic characteristics, treatment, non-treponema pallidum titer, and pregnancy outcomes were collected. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the related factors of adverse pregnancy outcome. Results: The age of the pregnant women with syphilitic infection was (30.05±6.07) years old. There were 1 184 cases with an adverse pregnancy outcome. The incidence of adverse pregnancy outcome was 12.63%, and 83.30% (7 812 cases) of patients received syphilis treatment, of which 50.32% (3 931 cases) were treated with standard treatment. The results of multivariate analysis showed that, the probability of an adverse pregnancy outcome for a 35-year-old was higher than those of the <25 year old [OR (95%CI)=1.37(1.13-1.67)]. The possibility of the occurrence of an adverse pregnancy outcome in 1-2 times of delivery was lower than that of 0 times of delivery in the past, with the OR (95%CI) value was 0.81 (0.70-0.94). Compared with those who tested for syphilis in the early stages of pregnancy, patients with gestational weeks ≥ 28 weeks of initial examination were more likely to have adverse pregnancy outcomes, with the OR (95%CI) value was 1.54 (1.26-1.88). Compared with the first test titer level was <1:8, the probability of an adverse pregnancy outcome was higher in the titer of ≥1:8, with the OR (95%CI) value was 1.33 (1.12-1.57). There was a higher probability of an adverse pregnancy outcome in the untreated patients compared to the treatment of the syphilitic, with the OR (95%CI) value was 1.41(1.19-1.68). Patients with unregulated treatment were more likely to have adverse pregnancy outcomes than those with standardized treatment, with the OR (95%CI) value was 1.27 (1.09-1.47). Conclusion: Gestational weeks of first examination in pregnant women with syphilis infection, the first test titer, and the treatment condition were closely related to the occurrence of the adverse pregnancy outcome. Pregnant women with syphilis infection without treatment and unstandardized treatment were more likely to have adverse pregnancy outcomes than those of treatment and standardized treatment.

[Analyses of the Expression of FBI-1 in Breast Cancer Pre- and Pro-neoadjuvant Chemotherapy].

Objective: To investigate the expression of factor that binds to inducer of short transcripts-1 of HIV (FBI-1)in breast cancer pre- and pro-neoadjuvant chemotherapy and explore the relationship between FBI-1 expression and treatment efficacy. Methods: We collected 50 patients with breast cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy before operation in the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from January, 2010 to December, 2014. The expression of FBI-1 in breast cancer tissues pre- and pro-neoadjuvant chemotherapy was detected by immunohistochemical staining. We compared the level of FBI-1 expression pre- and pro-neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and tried to explore its relationship with patient and tumor characteristics and treatment efficacy. Results: (1) The rate of upregulated expression of FBI-1 in breast cancer tissues was 70% (35/50). The upregulated expression of FBI-1 was related to the higher clinical stage and trend of lymph node metastasis (P<0.05), whereas not related to the age and expression of ER, PR, Ki-67, and Her-2(P>0.05); (2) the setting of FBI-1 lower expression pre-neoadjuvant chemotherapy had superior treatment outcome than the high expression setting based on either clinical assessment (86.7% vs 51.4%, P=0.027) or pathological assessment(80.0% vs 28.6%, P=0.001); (3) the rate of upregulated FBI-1 expression was significantly decreased post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy(70.0% vs 38.0%, P=0.004), with FBI-1 expression of 22 patients downregulated (62.9%); (4) the expression of FBI-1 in responded setting was significantly decreased than that in the non-responded setting based on either clinical (77.4% vs 26.3%, P=0.001) or pathological (72.7% vs 39.3%, P=0.024) assessment. The downregulation of FBI-1 was correlated to either clinical efficacy (r=0.440, P<0.01) or pathological efficacy (r=0.491, P<0.05) of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Conclusion: In breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the upregulated expression of FBI-1 in breast cancer lesion is associated with clinical stage and lymph node metastasis. The neoadjuvant chemotherapy can significantly reduce the expression of FBI-1. The upregulated expression of FBI-1 may be predictive of resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs, and has predictive value for the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients.

Axillary fine needle aspiration cytology is a sensitive and highly specific technique for the detection of axillary lymph node metastasis: a meta-analysis and systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of axillary lymphadenopathy is a helpful tool in the pre-operative diagnosis of breast cancer patients with axillary lymphadenopathy. To date, no published meta-analysis or systematic review has been performed to assess its overall value. We therefore conducted a meta-analysis to establish the overall diagnostic value of FNAC for axillary lymph node metastasis. METHODS: After a review and quality assessment of 31 studies, published either in Chinese or English, the sensitivity, specificity and other measurements of accuracy of FNAC of axillary lymphadenopathy were pooled using random-effects models. A summary of the receiver-operating characteristic curves was used to summarize overall accuracy. RESULTS: We provided the following estimated values for FNAC in the diagnosis of axillary lymph node metastasis: sensitivity, 0.63 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.61-0.65]; specificity, 0.99 (95% CI, 0.99-0.99); positive likelihood ratio, 26.52 (95% CI, 18.42-38.18); negative likelihood ratio, 0.34 (95% CI, 0.29-0.40); diagnostic odds ratio, 76.73 (95% CI, 51.98-113.28). CONCLUSIONS: FNAC has adequate sensitivity and high specificity in the diagnosis of axillary lymph node metastasis. A positive axillary FNA result could potentially alter disease management.

[Efficacy observation of (125)I seed implantation therapy for locoregional recurrent and metastatic breast cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and side effects of (125)I seed implantation for locoregional recurrent and metastatic breast cancer, and to discuss its role in the comprehensive therapy of breast cancer. METHODS: Forty-three patients with locoregional recurrent or metastatic breast cancer were included in this study. They received (125)I seed implantation and were followed up to evaluate the efficacy and adverse reactions of the treatment. RESULTS: Among 54 lesions in the 43 cases, there were complete response (CR) in 39, partial response (PR) in 13, stable disease (SD) in 2 patients, with a response rate of 96.3%. All 17 cases with local pain achieved pain relief. With a median follow up of 36 months (range 14 to 60 months), the 1-, 3-, and 5-year local control rate was 85.2%, 53.7% and 1.9%, and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rate was 95.3%, 67.4% and 37.2%, respectively. No serious radiotherapy side effect was observed. CONCLUSION: In patients with unresectable locoregional recurrent or metastatic breast cancer, (125)I seed implantation shows proved efficacy and few complications, and can be an important treatment option.

Sudden stoppage of rotor in a thermally driven rotary motor made from double-walled carbon nanotubes.

In a thermally driven rotary motor made from double-walled carbon nanotubes, the rotor (inner tube) can be actuated to rotate within the stator (outer tube) when the environmental temperature is high enough. A sudden stoppage of the rotor can occur when the inner tube has been actuated to rotate at a stable high speed. To find the mechanisms of such sudden stoppages, eight motor models with the same rotor but different stators are built and simulated in the canonical NVT ensembles. Numerical results demonstrate that the sudden stoppage of the rotor occurs when the difference between radii is near 0.34 nm at a high environmental temperature. A smaller difference between radii does not imply easier activation of the sudden rotor stoppage. During rotation, the positions and electron density distribution of atoms at the ends of the motor show that a sp(1) bonded atom on the rotor is attracted by the sp(1) atom with the biggest deviation of radial position on the stator, after which they become two sp(2) atoms. The strong bond interaction between the two atoms leads to the loss of rotational speed of the rotor within 1 ps. Hence, the sudden stoppage is attributed to two factors: the deviation of radial position of atoms at the stator's ends and the drastic thermal vibration of atoms on the rotor in rotation. For a stable motor, sudden stoppage could be avoided by reducing deviation of the radial position of atoms at the stator's ends. A nanobrake can be, thus, achieved by adjusting a sp1 atom at the ends of stator to stop the rotation of rotor quickly.

Gradientless temperature-driven rotating motor from a double-walled carbon nanotube.

Rotation of the inner tube in a double-walled carbon nanotube (DWCNT) system with a fixed outer tube is investigated and found to be inducible by a relatively high uniform temperature (say, 300 K). We also found the mechanism of a gradientless temperature-driven rotating motor lies in the inner tube losing its geometric symmetry in a high-temperature field. This mechanism can be taken as a guide for designing a motor from such a bi-tube system. Using a computational molecular dynamics (CMD) approach and the adaptive intermolecular reactive empirical bond order (AIREBO) potential, the dynamic behavior of a bi-tube system subjected to uniformly distributed temperature is studied. In particular, the effects of environmental temperature, boundary conditions of the outer tube, and intertube gap on the dynamic behavior of the bi-tube system are investigated. Numerical examples show that a bi-tube system with the inner tube having 0.335 nm of interlayer gap produces the highest rotational speed.

Study of magnetization reversal by minor loops in IrMn/CoFe exchange-biased bilayers.

We report a detailed investigation of the magnetization reversal by minor loops in Co75Fe25 (t) single layer and Ir22Mn78(10 nm)/CoFe(t) exchange-biased bilayers with different CoFe thicknesses. With increasing CoFe layer thickness in IrMn/CoFe bilayers, the magnetization reversal process shows a transition from the coherent rotation to the domain-wall motion, which is attributed to the competition among the antiferromagnetic domain wall energy, ferromagnetic domain wall energy, and the interface coupling between antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic layers.