[Influence of cow's milk protein allergy on the diagnosis of functional gastrointestinal diseases based on the Rome IV standard in infants and young children].

OBJECTIVE: To study the influence of cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA) on the diagnosis of functional gastrointestinal diseases (FGID) based on the Rome IV standard in infants and young children. METHODS: A total of 84 children aged 1 month to 3 years who were diagnosed with CMPA were enrolled as the case group, and 84 infants and young children who underwent physical examination and had no CMPA were enrolled as the control group. The pediatricians specializing in gastroenterology asked parents using a questionnaire for the diagnosis of FGID based on the Rome IV standard to assess clinical symptoms and to diagnose FGID. RESULTS: The case group had a significantly higher incidence rate of a family history of allergies than the control group (P<0.05). In the case group, 38 (45%) met the Rome IV standard for the diagnosis of FGID, while in the control group, 13 (15%) met this standard (P<0.05). According to the Rome IV standard for FGID, the case group had significantly higher diagnostic rates of reflex, functional diarrhea, difficult defecation, and functional constipation than the control group (P<0.05). The children who were diagnosed with FIGD in the control group were given conventional treatment, and those in the case group were asked to avoid the intake of cow's milk protein in addition to the conventional treatment. After 3 months of treatment, the case group had a significantly higher response rate to the treatment than the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In infants and young children, CMPA has great influence on the diagnosis of FGID based on the Rome IV standard. The possibility of CMPA should be considered during the diagnosis of FGID.

Functional characterization of the gene FoOCH1 encoding a putative α-1,6-mannosyltransferase in Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense.

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (FOC) is the causal agent of banana Fusarium wilt and has become one of the most destructive pathogens threatening the banana production worldwide. However, few genes related to morphogenesis and pathogenicity of this fungal pathogen have been functionally characterized. In this study, we identified and characterized the disrupted gene in a T-DNA insertional mutant (L953) of FOC with significantly reduced virulence on banana plants. The gene disrupted by T-DNA insertion in L953 harbors an open reading frame, which encodes a protein with homology to α-1,6-mannosyltransferase (OCH1) in fungi. The deletion mutants (ΔFoOCH1) of the OCH1 orthologue (FoOCH1) in FOC were impaired in fungal growth, exhibited brighter staining with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-Concanavalin A, had less cell wall proteins and secreted more proteins into liquid media than the wild type. Furthermore, the mutation or deletion of FoOCH1 led to loss of ability to penetrate cellophane membrane and decline in hyphal attachment and colonization as well as virulence to the banana host. The mutant phenotypes were fully restored by complementation with the wild type FoOCH1 gene. Our data provide a first evidence for the critical role of FoOCH1 in maintenance of cell wall integrity and virulence of F. oxysporum f. sp. cubense.

[Study on chemical constituents of Toddalia asiatica].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the chemical constituents of Toddalia asiatica. METHODS: The compounds were isolated and pu- rified by column chromatography and their structures were identified on the basis of physicochemical properties and spectral data analysis. RESULTS: Sixteen compounds were isolated and identified as zanthocadinanine A(1), pimpinellin(2), isopimpinellin(3), phellopterin (4), armottianamide(5), chelerythrine(6), nitidine(7), chlorogenic acid (8), toddalolactone (9), protopine(10), skimmianine(11), dictamine(12), toddalenone(13), beta-sitosterol(14), bergapten(15) and 8-hydroxy-6-methoxycoumarin(16). CONCLUSION: Compound 1 and 16 are isolated from Toddalia genus for the first time.

Overexpression miR-520a-3p inhibits acute myeloid leukemia progression via targeting MUC1.

BACKGROUND: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is one of the familiar malignant tumors in the hematological system. miR-520a-3p is reported to be involved in several cancers' progression. However, miR-520a-3p role in AML remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to clarify the role and potential mechanism of miR-520a-3p in AML. METHODS: Cell viability, proliferation, cycle and apoptosis were detected by MTT assay, colony formation assay, flow cytometry, respectively. The levels of PNCA, Bcl-2, Cleaved caspase 3, Cleaved caspase 9 and ß-catenin protein were detected by Western blot. Dual-luciferase reported assay was performed to detect the regulation between miR-520a-3p and MUC1. To verify the effect of miR-520a-3p on tumor proliferation in vivo, a non-homogenous transplant model of tumors was established. RESULTS: miR-520a-3p expression was down-regulated, and MUC1 expression was up-regulated in AML patients. miR-520a-3p overexpression suppressed THP-1 cell proliferation, induced cell cycle G0/G1 inhibition and promoted apoptosis. miR-520a-3p targeted MUC1 and negatively regulated its expression. MUC1 knockdown inhibited THP-1 cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis. miR-520a-3p overexpression inhibited AML tumors growth. CONCLUSION: Overexpression miR-520a-3p inhibited AML cell proliferation, and promoted apoptosis via inhibiting MUC1 expression and repressing Wnt/ß-catenin pathway activation.

[A preliminary exploration into medical genetics teaching to international students].

Medical education to international students has become an important part of higher education in China. Medical genetics is an essential and required course for international medical students. However, the internationalization of higher education in China has challenged the traditional teaching style of medical genetics. In this article, we discussed current situation and challenges in medical genetics teaching to international students, summarized special features and problems we encountered in teaching Indian students, and proposed some practical strategies to address these challenges and to improve the teaching.

Early diagnosis of acute kidney injury in aged patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

In aged patients, acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common clinical complication after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), highlighting the need for timely and certain diagnosis of this disease. A single centre, nested case-control study was conducted, which assessed the usefulness of urinary liver-type fatty acid-binding protein (uL-FABP), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL), and kidney injury molecule-1 (uKIM-1) for early detection of AKI. One hundred and thirty-two patients at or over 60 years old undergoing PCI were included. Serum creatinine (SCr) was measured before PCI, 24 and 48 h after PCI; uL-FABP, uNGAL, and uKIM-1 were measured before PCI, 6, 24, and 48 h after PCI. We identified 16 AKI patients and selected 32 control patients matched by admission time (<1 week), age (±5 years), and gender. In the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, the areas under the curve (AUCs) for the relative measurements of uL-FABP, uNGAL, and uKIM-1 were 0.809, 0.867, and 0.512 at 6 h after PCI, and 0.888, 0.840, and 0.676 at 24 h after PCI, respectively. AUC for the combination of uL-FABP and uNGAL was 0.899 at 6 h after PCI, and 0.917 at 24 h after PCI. Thus, measurement of uL-FABP and uNGAL levels at 6 and 24 h after PCI may be useful in detecting AKI in aged patients. Measurement of uKIM-1 levels provides inferior predictive power for early diagnosis of AKI.

[Effects of ultra thin porcelain veneers in repair of anterior teeth gaps].

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical effect of ultra thin porcelain veneers in the repair of the anterior teeth gaps. METHODS: The anterior teeth gaps in 42 patients were repaired from 2013 to 2014 with ultra thin porcelain veneers ,the clinical results of 145 porcelain veneers were evaluated at 6,12,24 and 36 months after repair. RESULTS: Thirty six months after repair, 145 ultra thin porcelain veneers were successful retained, 99.3% veneers were found to be intact.Small wane existed in one veneer at the incisal areas. 98.6% teeth had acceptable marginal adaptation .Few teeth had little hyperesthesia of dentin early after repair, but disappeared after 12 months. Patients were satisfied with the colour and shape of veneers. CONCLUSIONS: Ultra thin porcelain veneer is an satisfactory method to quickly repair anterior teeth gap.

[Prediction and Identification of HLA-A*0201 Restricted CTL Epitopes from Eps8].

OBJECTIVE: To find and identify HLA-A*0201 restricted cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes from epidermal growth factor pathway substrate number 8 (Eps8) for specific immunotherapy based on Eps8-derived epitopes in clinic. METHODS: Online biological softwares involved C-proteasomal cleavage, MHC class I binding affinity and TAP transport efficiency were used for prediction of HLA-A*0201 restricted epitopes from Eps8. Then, T2-binding assays and peptide/MHC complex stability tests were used to further verify the predicted epitopes. Specific secretion of IFN-γ from human CTL was assayed using the IFN-γ ELISPOT kit, and cytolytic activity was measured by a 4-h lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay. Finally, the functional effects in vivo were measured in HLA-A*0201/Kb transgenic (Tg) mice. RESULTS: Four natural epitopes were designed through online biological softwares. Of the four epitopes selected, p360-368 was found to have the high binding affinity to HLA-A*0201, while p101-109 and p276-284 showed moderate affinities. DC50 of peptide/MHC complexes of the natural epitopes mentioned were all longer than 8 h. In functional assays with human PBMNC in vitro and in HLA-A*0201/Kb transgenic mice in vivo, CTLs primed by each epitope (p101-109, p276-284 and p360-368) secreted IFN-γ and were toxic to cancer cells from a variety of tissue types in an HLA-A*0201-restricted and Eps8-specific manner. CONCLUSION: Natural epitopes (p101-109, p276-284 and p360-368) may be the HLA-A*0201 restricted epitope derived from Eps8.

[A group of new experiments on molecular evolution].

This paper presents a group of new experiments on molecular evolution. It allows students to get acquaint with the basic process of the reconstruction of phylogenetic tree using DNA or protein sequences, and to acquire the correct viewpoint how to affect the result of reconstruction when different tree-building methods, materials and parameters were used. This group of experiments are also characteristic of the opening and exploring, which accords with the direction and demand of experimental teaching reform.

Isolation and simultaneous determination of two benzofurans in Radix Eupatorii Chinensis.

A silica gel column chromatography method is established for the isolation and purification of euparin and 12,13-dihydroxyeuparin from Radix Eupatorii Chinensis. For the first time, a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method is developed to determine simultaneously two benzofurans with UV absorptions at 240 nm. The analysis is performed on a Diamonsil C18 column with a gradient solvent system of acetonitrile and aqueous phosphoric acid (0.2%, v/v) at a flow-rate of 1.0 mL min⁻¹. All calibration curves reveal good linearity (r² > 0.9998) within the tested concentration ranges. The relative standard deviations for intra-day and inter-day are less than 2.0% and the recoveries range from 98.32% to 103.68% with relative SDs less than 2.0%. This method is successfully applied to quantitate two benzofurans in Radix Eupatorii Chinensis. Therefore, the new HPLC method is proven to be reliable and suitable for the quality control of Radix Eupatorii Chinensis.

Preparation and swelling properties of pH-sensitive sodium alginate/layered double hydroxides hybrid beads for controlled release of diclofenac sodium.

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are promising materials for the preparation of novel drug delivery matrices. To reveal the interaction between LDHs and polymers, a series of pH-sensitive sodium alginate/layered double hydroxides (SA/LDHs) hybrid beads were prepared using the simple surface crosslinking method. The SA/LDHs hybrid beads were characterized by FTIR, XRD, and SEM to study their structure and the role that LDHs play. Swelling behaviors in various aqueous solutions and drug loading as well as controlled release behavior of the SA/LDHs hybrid beads were also investigated by using diclofenac sodium (DS) as the model drug to reveal the effects of introduced LDHs. The results indicate that the positively charged LDHs layers are adsorbed on the negatively charged SA polymer chains through electrostatic interaction and act as inorganic crosslinkers in the three-dimensional network. In addition, a small part of DS molecules intercalate into layers of LDHs through an anion exchange process. The electrostatic interaction between LDHs and SA has restricted movability of the SA polymer chains, and then slows down swelling and dissolution rates of the SA/LDHs hybrid beads in aqueous solutions. The electrostatic interaction and the intercalation of DS into layers of LDHs have also improved the entrapment efficiency (EE) and controlled release behavior of SA/LDHs hybrid beads for DS.

[Effects of metoclopramide on intelligence and memory in patients with Tourette syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of metoclopramide on the intelligence and memory in patients with Tourette syndrome. METHODS: Before and after the 3 month treatment of metoclopramide, the intelligence of 25 children with Tourette syndrome was evaluated by the Wechsler intelligence scale fo children, and the memory by the Wechsler memory scale for children. RESULTS: The scores of intelligence in children treated by metoclopramide increased from 82.27 +/- 13.20 to 90.53 +/- 15.50, with significant difference (P < 0.05). The scores of performance intelligence quotient increased from 84.13 +/- 10.60 to 92.40 +/- 15.30 (P < 0.01). The scores of arithmetic subtle test for the support memory/attention, the block pattern subtle test for the support perception constitution factor, and the vision recognition subtle test for mean short-term memory increased from 8.20 +/- 2.70 to 10.20 +/- 3.21, 9.13 +/- 2.33 to 10.53 +/- 2.94, and 6.07 +/- 4.56 to 8.40 +/- 3.56, respectively. CONCLUSION: Metoclopramide can improve the intelligence, short-term memory and attention in children with Tourette syndrome.