Overexpression of GhABF3 increases cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.) tolerance to salt and drought.

BACKGROUND: Plants suffer from various abiotic stresses during their lifetime, of which drought and salt stresses are two main factors limiting crop yield and quality. Previous studies have shown that abscisic acid (ABA) responsive element binding protein (AREB)/ ABRE binding factors (ABFs) in bZIP transcription factors are involved in plant stress response in an ABA-dependent manner. However, little is known about the properties and functions of AREB/ABFs, especially ABF3, in cotton. RESULTS: Here, we reported the cloning and characterization of GhABF3. Expression of GhABF3 was induced by drought,salt and ABA treatments. Silencing of GhABF3 sensitized cotton to drought and salt stress, which was manifested in decreased cellular antioxidant capacity and chlorophyll content. Overexpression of GhABF3 significantly improved the drought and salinity tolerance of Arabidopsis and cotton. Exogenous expression of GhABF3 resulted in longer root length and less leaf wilting under stress conditions in Arabidopsis thaliana. Overexpressing GhABF3 significantly improved salt tolerance of upland cotton by reducing the degree of cellular oxidation, and enhanced drought tolerance by decreasing leaf water loss rate. The increased expression of GhABF3 up-regulated the transcriptional abundance of downstream ABA-inducible genes under salt stress in Arabidopsis. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, our results demonstrated that GhABF3 plays an important role in plant drought and salt tolerance. Manipulation of GhABF3 by biotechnology might be an important strategy to alter the stress resistance of cotton.

Depth random-access two-photon Bessel light-sheet imaging in brain tissue.

Two-photon light-sheet fluorescence microscopy enables high-resolution imaging of neural activity in brain tissue at a high frame rate. Traditionally, light-sheet microscopy builds up a 3D stack by multiple depth scans with uniform spatial intervals, which substantially limits the volumetric imaging speed. Here, we introduce the depth random-access light-sheet microscopy, allowing rapid switching scanning depth for light-sheet imaging. With a low-cost electrically tunable lens and minimum modification of an existing two-photon light-sheet imaging instrument, we demonstrated fast random depth hopping light-sheet imaging at 100 frames per second in the live brain slice. Through depth random-access, calcium activities for an astrocyte were recorded on four user-selected detection planes at a refreshing rate of 25 Hz.

Unprecedented observation and characterization of sulfur-centred bifurcated hydrogen bonds.

Owing to the small electronegativity of the sulfur atom, it is commonly supposed that at most one weak H-bond can be formed between a sulfur atom and an H-bond donor. In this paper, an unprecedented 2 : 1 binding species generated from two molecules of phenol and a molecule of thioether was observed and characterized by various nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques, Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) techniques and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, revealing the formation of sulfur-centred O-H⋯S⋯H-O bifurcated H-bonds. This work may provide a simple and efficient method for the quantitative analysis of weak H-bonds between small organic molecules.

Environmental tobacco smoke and cancer risk, a prospective cohort study in a Chinese population.

Few prospective cohort studies have investigated associations between environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and other cancer sites, in addition to lung cancer. We assessed these associations in a population-based prospective cohort study started from 2008 to 2011 with average of 9.1 years of follow-up, in Minhang district, Shanghai, China. The study included a total of 23,415 participants (8388 men, 15,027 women) and 205,515 person-years. Epidemiological data were collected by a standardized questionnaire including ETS exposure. Newly diagnosed patients with primary cancers and deaths were identified by record linkage system with the Shanghai Cancer Registry and Shanghai Vital Statistics. Hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression models, adjusting for potential confounders. During the study period, a total of 1462 patients with diagnoses of primary cancers were identified. Among all participants and non-smokers, ETS was associated with an increased risk of all smoking-related cancers (all: adjusted HR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.05-1.43 and non-smokers: 1.24, 1.02-1.49), lung cancer (1.29, 0.98-1.71 and 1.27, 0.91-1.77), and stomach cancer (1.86, 1.21-2.85 and 1.75, 1.05-2.91), respectively. Furthermore, associations for lung and stomach cancers were the strongest among non-smoking females. The joint effects of both ETS and active smoking were strongest for all cancers, all smoking-related cancers, lung cancer, and stomach cancer. No clear interactions were observed. These results suggest that ETS exposure may increase the risk of smoking-related cancers in a Chinese population. Further studies on the relationship between ETS exposure and specific cancer sites are warranted to replicate our findings.

Li-N2 Batteries: A Reversible Energy Storage System?

Tremendous energy consumption is required for traditional artificial N2 fixation, leading to additional environmental pollution. Recently, new Li-N2 batteries have inextricably integrated energy storage with N2 fixation. In this work, graphene is introduced into Li-N2 batteries and enhances the cycling stability. However, the instability and hygroscopicity of the discharge product Li3 N lead to a rechargeable but irreversible system. Moreover, strong nonpolar N≡N covalent triple bonds with high ionization energies also cause low efficiency and irreversibility of Li-N2 batteries. In contrast, the modification with in situ generated Li3 N and LiOH restrained the loss and volume change of Li metal anodes during stripping and plating, thereby promoting the rechargeability of the Li-N2 batteries. The mechanistic study here will assist in the design of more stable Li-N2 batteries and create more versatile methods for N2 fixation.

Body mass index and cancer risk among Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Obesity and diabetes are two risk factors for cancer. To evaluate the association of body mass index (BMI) with cancer risk in diabetic patients may improve current understanding of potential mechanisms. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in 51,004 newly diagnosed T2DM patients derived from an electronic health record (EHR) database of Minhang district in Shanghai, China. Incident cancer cases and all-cause deaths occurred before September 30, 2015 were identified by linking with the Shanghai Cancer Registry and the Shanghai Vital Statistics. To examine the potential non-linear and linear relationships of BMI and cancer risk, Cox proportional hazard models with and without restricted cubic spline functions were used, respectively. RESULTS: A non-linear association was observed between BMI and overall cancer incidence in men younger than 60 years old (p for non-linearity = 0.009). Compared with those having BMI of 25.0 kg/m2, the cancer risk increased in those with either lower or higher BMI. In women older than 60 years old, linear dose-response relationships were observed between BMI and the risk of both overall cancer and breast cancer. As each unit increase in BMI, the overall cancer risks elevated by 3% (95%CI: 1-5%) and the breast cancer risks increased by 7% (95%CI: 1-13%). No significant association was observed between BMI and other common cancer sites. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that the effect of BMI on cancer risk in Chinese patients with T2DM may vary by gender, age and cancer subtypes, suggesting different underlying biological mechanisms.

Three-dimensional live multi-label light-sheet imaging with synchronous excitation-multiplexed structured illumination.

Multiplexed imaging is a powerful tool for studying complex interactions inside biological systems. Spectral imaging methods that capture multiple fluorescent markers synchronously without sacrificing the imaging speed or resolution are most suitable for live imaging. We describe spectral-encoded structured illumination (spectral-SIM) light-sheet microscopy, which enables parallel multi-excitation-channel imaging in 3D. Spectral-SIM encodes the excitation wavelength as the phase of the illumination pattern, and allows synchronous image capture over multiple excitation channels at the same speed and spatial resolution as mono-channel structured light-sheet imaging. The technique retains structured light-sheet microscopy's ability in removing out-of-focus and scattered emission background, and generates clear 3D multiplexed images in thick tissue. The capability of this technique was demonstrated by the imaging of live triple-labeled transgenic zebrafish to over 300 µm deep with 0.5µm-by-2µm (lateral-by-axial) resolution.

Incidence of breast cancer in Chinese women exposed to the 1959-1961 great Chinese famine.

BACKGROUND: The association of malnutrition in early life with breast cancer risk has been studied in Europe by investigating survivors of the Dutch Hunger Winter Famine, but not in China. We evaluated the effect of exposure to the 1959-1961 Great Leap Forward famine on subsequent breast cancer risk in Chinese women. METHODS: A total of 59,060 women born in 1955~1966 were recruited from Minhang district, Shanghai, China, during the period 2008 to 2012. A baseline survey was conducted to collect demographic characteristics and known risk factors for breast cancer. Incident breast cancers were identified by conducting record linkage with the Shanghai Cancer Registry up to June 30, 2015, and confirmed through medical records. Cumulative probabilities of cancer incidence were evaluated after adjusting for age, educational level and other confounders. Cox regression models were applied to estimate the hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of breast cancer. RESULTS: The overall crude incidence of in situ and invasive breast cancer were 19.2 and 115.0 per 100,000, respectively, in women conceived or born during the famine (1959-1962), slightly higher than those in women born before (1955-1958) (13.2 and 109.8/100,000) and after (1963-1966) (10.4 and 101.5/100,000). Particularly, at age group of 50-52 years when all participants contributed person-year of observations, the age-specific incidence of invasive breast cancer was higher in pre-natal exposed women (123.7/100,000, 95%CI: 94.5-161.9/100,000) than in post-natal exposed (109.6/100,000, 95%CI: 69.1-174.0/100,000) and unexposed women (82.7/100,000, 95%CI: 46.9-145.7/100,000). However, the incidence of cancer in situ was slightly lower in pre-natal exposed women at the age group. Adjusted cumulative probabilities of breast cancer incidence, both in-situ and invasive, were also observed to be higher in women exposed to the famine, however, the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest a possible adverse, but limited, impact of exposure to the Great famine on the risk of breast cancer in Chinese women.

Dexamethasone-induced apoptosis of osteocytic and osteoblastic cells is mediated by TAK1 activation.

Increased apoptosis of osteoblasts and osteocytes is the main mechanism of glucocorticoid (GC)-induced osteonecrosis. In the current study, we investigated whether dexamethasone (Dex)-induced osteoblastic and osteocytic cell apoptosis is mediated through activation of transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß)-activated kinase 1 (TAK1), and whether TAK1 inhibition could promote survival opposing the deleterious effects of Dex. We found that TAK1 was activated by Dex in both osteocytic MLO-Y4 and osteoblastic OB-6 cells, which was prevented by two known anti-oxidants N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and ebselen. TAK1 inhibitors, including LYTAK1 and 5Z-7-oxozeaenol (57-OZ), inhibited Dex-induced apoptosis of MLO-Y4 and OB-6 cells. Meanwhile shRNA-mediated knockdown of TAK1 also suppressed Dex-induced damages to MLO-Y4 and OB-6 cells. On the other hand, exogenously over-expressing TAK1 enhanced Dex-induced MLO-Y4 and OB-6 cell apoptosis. At the molecular level, we found that TAK1 mediated Dex-induced pro-apoptotic Pyk2-JNK activation. Inhibition or silencing of TAK1 almost abolished Pyk2-JNK phosphorylations by Dex in MLO-Y4 and OB-6 cells. TAK1 over-expression, on the other hand, increased Dex's activity on Pyk2-JNK phosphorylations in above cells. We conclude that part of the pro-apoptotic actions of Dex on osteoblastic and osteocytic cells are mediated through TAK1 activation, and that inhibition of TAK1 might protect from GC-induced damages to osteoblasts and osteocytes.

Clinical curative effect of oxaliplatin combined with flurouracil in the treatment of gastrointestinal tumor.

Aiming at exploring clinical curative effect of oxaliplatin combined with flurouracil in the treatment of gastrointestinal tumor, this study divided 60 patients with gastrointestinal tumor into control and observation groups, each containing 30 patients. The observation group was treated with oxaliplatin combined with flurouracil, while the control was treated with FOLFOX4, i.e., intravenously dropping 85mg/m(2)Oxaliplatin (L-OHP), 200mg/m(2) calcium folinate (CF) and intravenously injecting 400mg/m(2) 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu), and 600mg/m(2) 5-Fu; then continuously performing intravenous drop infusion for 22h, every two weeks for a cycle. Hypodermic injection of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) was conducted immediately when leukocytes occurred the III, IV degree of inhibition. The observation results of curative effect and negative reaction indicated higher effective rate with 83.33% in the observation and 50.00% in the control. Besides, in the observation, negative reactions possessed 10.00% that was much lower than 33.33% in the control. Thereby, the conclusion reached that the treatment of gastrointestinal tumor with oxaliplatin combined with flurouracil was worth promoting.

Cloning and expression analysis of four heat shock protein genes in Ericerus pela (Homoptera: Coccidae).

To explore the function of small heat shock protein genes (shsps) and hsp70 in Ericerus pela, we cloned the full-length cDNA sequences of hsp21.5, hsp21.7, hsp70, and hsc70 and the genomic sequence of hsc70. Open reading frames of the four hsps were 570, 564, 1,908, and 1,962 base pairs (bp), respectively, which encode proteins with calculated molecular mass of 21.5, 21.7, 69.8, and 71.6 kDa. Amino acid sequence analysis revealed the presence of the conserved Hsp motifs in all four proteins. The genomic DNA of hsc70 had four introns. ep-hsp21.5 was orthologous and ep-hsp21.7 was species specific. Expression of all four transcripts during heat or cold stress and development was examined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. All four hsps were upregulated during heat or cold stress in female adults, indicating a correlation between the four hsps and heat or cold-stress tolerance in female adults. ep-hsp21.7 and ep-hsp70 were upregulated during heat stress in male larvae, implying a correlation between the two hsps and heat-stress tolerance in male larvae. The four ep-hsps were also upregulated during the developmental process in males, and ep-hsp21.5, ep-hsp70, and ep-hsc70 were upregulated in females, which indicates their possible role in the developmental regulation of E. pela.

CO2-Switchable Hierarchically Porous Zirconium-Based MOF-Stabilized Pickering Emulsions for Recyclable Efficient Interfacial Catalysis.

Stimuli-responsive Pickering emulsions are recently being progressively utilized as advanced catalyzed systems for green and sustainable chemical conversion. Hierarchically porous metal-organic frameworks (H-MOFs) are regarded as promising candidates for the fabrication of Pickering emulsions because of the features of tunable porosity, high specific surface area and structure diversity. However, CO2-switchable Pickering emulsions formed by hierarchically porous zirconium-based MOFs have never been seen. In this work, a novel kind of the amine-functionalized hierarchically porous UiO-66-(OH)2 (H-UiO-66-(OH)2) has been developed using a post-synthetic modification of H-UiO-66-(OH)2 by (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APTMS), 3-(2-aminoethylamino)propyltrimethoxysilane (AEAPTMS) and 3-[2-(2-aminoethylamino)ethylamino]propyl-trimethoxysilane (AEAEAPTMS), and employed as emulsifiers for the construction of Pickering emulsions. It was found that the functionalized H-UiO-66-(OH)2 could stabilize a mixture of toluene and water to give an emulsion even at 0.25 wt % content. Interestingly, the formed Pickering emulsions could be reversibly transformed between demulsification and re-emulsification with alternate addition or removal of CO2. Spectral investigation indicated that the mechanism of the switching is attributed to the reaction of CO2 with amino silane on the MOF and the generation of hydrophilic salts, leading to a reduction in MOF wettability. Based on this strategy, a highly efficient and controlled Knoevenagel condensation reaction has been gained by using the emulsion as a mini-reactor and the emulsifier as a catalyst, and the coupling of catalysis reaction, product isolation and MOF recyclability has become accessible for a sustainable chemical process.

[Molecular detection of symbiotic bacteria Arsenophonus from Ericerus pela Chavannes].

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to examine the relation between the sex ratio of Ericerus pela and its symbiotic bacterial Arsenophonus. METHODS: The symbiotic bacterial diversity in male Ericerus pela was determined through sequencing 16S rDNA gene library. PCR amplification for Arsenophonus was performed by using two 16S rDNA specific primers and 23S rDNA specific primer. The molecular detection of Arsenophonus in six geographic populations of E. pela, namely Zhaotong, Kunming, Jinkouhe, Hangzhou, Changchun, and Jianghua, were performed by semi-quantitative PCR. The absolute concentrations of Arsenophonus in E. pela of Zhaotong, Kunming, Jinkouhe geographic populations were determined using absolute quantitative real-time PCR. RESULTS: Two different 16S rDNA sequences were obtained; the sizes were 445bp and 1462bp respectively. A 23S rDNA sequence was obtained, the size was 582bp. Some E. pela individuals of Hangzhou and Jianghua were not infected with Arsenophonus. The contents of Arsenophonus in E. pela of Zhaotong were significantly higher than that of Kunming and Jinkouhe, while the contents of Arsenophonus from the latter two geographic populations were not significantly different. CONCLUSION: Arsenophonus is not responsible for the sex ratio of E. pela.

Graphene oxide leads to mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis by activating ROS-p53-mPTP pathway in intestinal cells.

Owing to its unique physical and chemical properties, graphene oxide (GO) has a wide range of applications in biomedical field. However, with the gradual improvement of biosafety investigations on nanomaterials, growing literatures have pointed out that GO could lead to oxidative stress, aggravation of inflammatory responses, and even irreversible lesions in human multi-tissues, while its damage to small intestinal remained unclear. In this study, we conducted an in-depth study on the toxicological effect of GO on intestinal tissues, and further clarified its toxic effect and molecular mechanism on inducing intestinal cell death. Firstly, we characterized the shape size, potential value, Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) characterization and pro-oxidant properties of GO nanosheets. The cytotoxicity of different concentrations of GO to Caco-2 and IEC-6 cell lines was thereafter observed, which was specifically manifested as invoking NADPH Oxidase 1 (NOX1) proteins, accompanied generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Since that, more p53 flowed into mitochondria to combine with cyclophilin D (CYPD), thus induced mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening. Through ROS-CyPD-mPTP signaling pathway, GO exerted imbalance of mitochondrial homeostasis, while released cytochrome c (CytC) would ultimate caspase-dependent cell apoptosis. In vivo experiment also confirmed that the microstructure of small intestine was damaged, and the apoptosis rate and oxidative markers were significantly increased in GO-treated Sprague- Dawley (SD) rats (40 mg/kg once every other day from day 1 to day 9 by oral gavage). Based on these findings, we conclude that the adverse effects of oral exposure of GO on the biological system mainly concentrate in the digestive tract, and clarify the key role of ROS-mitochondrial homeostasis-apoptosis axis in GO-derived intestinal toxicity. Considering all these results and the fact that GO exhibited intestinal toxicity, we believe that this research providing a safety reference for its biomedical applications.

Fluorescence ghost imaging with pseudothermal light.

We extend classical light ghost imaging to the area of fluorescence imaging and propose a new fluorescence imaging method. For the first time, we demonstrate both theoretically and experimentally that fluorescence ghost imaging can be realized with pseudothermal light. Important factors influencing the visibility and resolution of the images are discussed to improve the quality of the fluorescence ghost imaging. We hope that this work may pave the road for ghost imaging to biomedical applications.

Associations Between Thyroid Volume and Physical Growth in Pubertal Girls: Thyroid Volume Indexes Need to Be Applied to Thyroid Volume Assessments.

Background: Thyroid volume (Tvol) is associated with many factors, but the current reference values for Tvol in children with sufficient iodine intake are inappropriate and need to be updated. Moderate changes in thyroid morphology and accentuated increases in body fat percentage occur during puberty as an adaption of the body and sexual development occurs. This study aimed to evaluate the influences of physical growth on Tvol and propose an easily applicable method for conducting Tvol assessments in pubertal girls with sufficient iodine intake.Methods: A cohort study was conducted on 481 pubertal girls in East China from 2017 to 2019. B-ultrasound was used to assess Tvol. Multiple linear regression models were used to estimate the associations of Tvol enlargement (dTvol) with changes in height (dH), weight (dW), waist circumference (dW), body mass index (dBMI), and body surface area (dBSA). Thyroid volume indexes (TVIs), including height thyroid volume index (HVI), weight and height thyroid volume index (WHVI), body mass index thyroid index (BMIV), and body surface area thyroid index (BSAV), were calculated to explore an appropriate method for Tvol assessments by Spearman correlation analyses. Results: Tvol, height, weight, BMI, and BSA increased significantly from baseline to follow-up (P<0.001). The associations between dTvol and physical growth were only observed in the 13 to 14-year-old group. dH, dW,dBMI, and dBSA were positively related to dTvol, with the maximum ß of 5.74 (95%CI: 2.54 to 8.94) on dBSA, while dWC was negatively related to dTvol (ß= -0.05, 95%CI: -0.08 to -0.03). Both dHVI and dBSAV were not associated with dH, dW, dBMI, or dBSA in both age groups (P>0.05). Conclusions: Thyroid volume was associated with physical growth in pubertal girls in East China, both age and anthropometric measurements must be comprehensively considered to establish the reference values for Tvol. HVI, and BSAV may be better indicators for Tvol assessments in pubertal girls.

Structured illumination imaging with quasi-periodic patterns.

Structured illumination microscopy (SIM) is a well-established method for optical sectioning and super-resolution. The core of structured illumination is using a periodic pattern to excite image signals. This work reports a method for estimating minor pattern distortions from the raw image data and correcting these distortions during SIM image processing. The method was tested with both simulated and experimental image data from two-photon Bessel light-sheet SIM. The results proves the method is effective in challenging situations, where strong scattering background exists, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is low and the sample structure is sparse. Experimental results demonstrate restoring synaptic structures in deep brain tissue, despite the presence of strong light scattering and tissue-induced SIM pattern distortion.

Long Non-coding RNA LINC00115 Contributes to the Progression of Colorectal Cancer by Targeting miR-489-3p via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR Pathway.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are tumor-related regulators and have been found to be involved in the underlying molecular mechanisms of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the role of lncRNA LINC00115 during CRC progression is not entirely elucidated. In this study, we discovered that LINC00115 was significantly overexpressed in CRC, and its overexpression predicted poor patient outcomes. Downregulation of LINC00115 markedly inhibited CRC cell proliferation, increased cell apoptosis, and suppressed cell migration and invasion. Moreover, downregulation of LINC00115 led to the inactivation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling. Bioinformatics analysis identified miR-489-3p as a candidate target of LINC00115. Furthermore, we revealed an inverse correlation between LINC00115 and miR-489-3p in CRC tissues. Importantly, by luciferase reporter assay, we found that miR-489-3p might directly target LINC00115, and downregulation of miR-489-3p could rescue the biological effects induced by the absence of LINC0015. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated that LINC00115 serves as an oncogene in CRC metastasis. Deeper understanding of the LINC00115/miR-489-3p axis might provide potential therapeutic targets against CRC metastasis.

Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) Is Associated With General and Abdominal Obesity: A Cohort Study in School-Aged Girls During Puberty in East China.

Objectives: Although the association between thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and obesity in children has been investigated in several cross-sectional studies, no study evaluated this association among girls during puberty, which were in a key period closely related to the fluctuations of thyroid hormones and development of obesity. Therefore, we conducted a cohort study to investigate the association of general and abdominal obesity with TSH in girls during puberty. Setting and participants: A cohort study of 481 school-aged girls during puberty was conducted in four regions in east China, with a baseline survey in 2017 and a follow-up survey in 2019. Outcome measures: Anthropometric indexes including height, weight and waist circumference (WC) were measured, and body mass index (BMI) was then calculated. Blood samples were collected to determine TSH and free thyroxine (FT4). Results: Of the 474 girls at baseline survey, the prevalences of BMI-based general obesity and WC-based abdominal obesity were 19.8% (94/474) and 21.7% (103/474), respectively. Compared with normal weight girls, the median serum TSH level was significantly higher in general obese girls (P = 0.037), but not in central obese girls (P = 0.173). Multiple logistic regression models indicated that those in the highest tertile of serum TSH level had a significantly higher risk of BMI-based overweight/obesity (OR = 1.83, 95% CI 1.01 to 3.32) compared with the lowest tertile. Analyses from 435 girls prospectively followed-up for 2 years revealed that those with general or central obesity also had higher follow-up TSH level (P = 0.004 and P = 0.008, respectively). The TSH level for girls with general obesity at baseline but normal weight at follow-up was 0.45 mU/L (95% CI 0.11 to 0.79) higher than those with normal weight at baseline and follow-up. Conclusions: TSH was positively associated with both general and abdominal obesity among girls during puberty.

Electronic Health Record-Based Screening for Major Cancers: A 9-Year Experience in Minhang District of Shanghai, China.

Background: An electronic health record (e-HR) system has been developed in Minhang District of Shanghai, China, since 2005, making it convenient for local health institutions to provide integrative and comprehensive health care and management for major diseases. Methods: In 2008, an e-HR-based cancer prevention program was initiated to screen multiple cancers, including colorectal, gastric, liver, lung, cervical, and breast cancers, and provide subsequent health education and health management to cancer patients and high-risk individuals. This study was designed in prospective analysis, based on the constructive analysis of key information, observation of cancer screening and healthcare processes and organizations, and stages of cancers detected by the e-HR-based programs. Results: From 2008 to 2016, health education was conducted for over 5 million attendances, and more than 3 million screening tests were performed for eligible residents over 40 years old. A total of 2,948 cancer cases were detected, accounting for 13.3% of all newly diagnosed cancers in the district during the 9-year period. Thirty point seven percent detected cancer cases were at the early stage, significantly higher than the 22.9% in cases identified by e-HR-based follow-up and 13.8% in cases diagnosed due to signs or symptoms. More than 136,000 residents were identified as individuals at high risk of cancer and subject to sustainable clinical follow-up and health management. Conclusions: The successful application of e-HR system in cancer prevention and control in Minhang district of Shanghai, China, implies that the system may act as an extendable and sustainable infrastructure for comprehensive health care and services for a broad spectrum of diseases and health events.