Homoharringtonine inhibits the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma by suppressing the PI3K/AKT/GSK3ß/Slug signaling pathway.

Homoharringtonine (HHT), was first isolated from the bark of Cephalotaxus harringtonia (Knight ex J. Forbes) K. Koch and Cephalotaxus fortunei Hook trees. The bark extract is used to treat leukemia and in recent years has also been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to treat solid tumors. However, the inhibitory mechanism of HHT in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is rarely studied. We aimed to evaluate the antitumor efficacy of HHT on HCC in vitro and in vivo and elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism(s). HCC cell lines, including HCCLM3, HepG2, and Huh7, were used to evaluate the antitumor efficacy of HHT in vitro. Cytotoxicity and proliferative ability were evaluated by MTT and colony formation assays. Cell cycle progression and apoptosis in HHT-treated HCC cells were evaluated by flow cytometry. To determine the migration and invasion abilities of HCC cells, wound-healing and Transwell assays were used. Finally, western blot analysis was used to reveal the proteins involved. We also established a xenograft nude mouse model for in vivo assessments of the preclinical efficacy of HHT, mainly using hematoxylin and eosin staining, immunohistochemistry, ultrasound imaging (USI), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). HHT suppressed the proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of HCC cells, and induced cell cycle arrest at the G2 phase and apoptosis. In the HCC xenograft model, HHT showed an obvious tumor-suppressive effect. Surprisingly, Slug expression was also decreased by HHT via the PI3K/AKT/GSK3ß signaling pathway at least partially suppressed the growth of HCC via the PI3K/AKT/GSK3ß/Slug signaling pathway.

Effect of oral nutritional supplementation on the post-discharge nutritional status and quality of life of gastrointestinal cancer patients after surgery: a multi-center study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of oral nutritional supplementation (ONS) on the postdischarge nutritional status and quality of life (QoL) of gastrointestinal cancer patients after surgery. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: A multi-center study was conducted on gastrointestinal cancer patients who received surgical treatment from 2013-2015. All patients were screened using the Nutrition Risk Screening 2002 (NRS 2002) to assess nutritional risk. Patients with nutritional risk were randomized into two groups: patients in the study group (n=55) were given dietary guidance and ONS, control group (n=59) received only dietary guidance. Anthropometric measurements, nutrition-related laboratory tests, and gastrointestinal function scores were also collected and analyzed using Student's t test and analysis of variance (ANOVA). In addition, the EQ-5D was used to evaluate patients' QoL. RESULTS: Compared with baseline measurements, the body weight of patients in the study group increased by 1.35±0.53 kg and 1.35±0.73 kg at 60 and 90 days, which were significantly higher than those in the control group (-1.01±0.54 kg, and -1.60±0.81 kg at 60 and 90 days). The results from ANOVA showed that only weight and BMI differed significantly between the study and control groups and also between different measurement times (p<0.01). No differences were found for the other indicators or QoL between the study groups. CONCLUSIONS: ONS may improve the weight and BMI of surgically treated gastrointestinal cancer patients postdischarge. However, these effects had little impact on patients' QoL.

Pathological Changes of von Economo Neuron and Fork Neuron in Neuropsychiatric Diseases.

von Economo neuron (VEN) is a bipolar neuron characterized by a large spindle-shaped soma. VEN is generally distributed in the layer V of anterior insular lobe and anterior cingulate cortex. Fork neuron is another featured bipolar neuron. In recent years,many studies have illustrated that VEN and fork neurons are correlated with complicated cognition such as self-consciousness and social emotion. Studies in the development and morpholigies of these two neurons as well as their pathological changes in various neurological and psychiatric disorders have found that the abnormal number and functions of VEN can cause corresponding dysfunctions in social recognition and emotions both during the neuro-developmental stages of childhood and during the nerve degeneration in old age stage. Therefore, more attentions should be paid on the research of VEN and fork neurons in neuropsychiatric diseases.

The incidence of cerebral amyloid angiopathy in surgically treated intracranial hemorrhage in the Chinese population.

Despite being widely accepted as an important cause of spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) has seldom been studied in the Chinese population. The current study aims to investigate the incidence and features of CAA in surgically treated ICH patients in China. From May 2006 to April 2011, 974 patients admitted to 71 hospitals throughout China for acute spontaneous ICH were studied. Craniotomy for hematoma evacuation was performed. Brain tissue from the superficial side of the suspected residual hematoma cavity, as well as from the cortex and subcortex, was obtained. Congo Red stain and ß-amyloid immunohistochemistry were used for the diagnosis. Each case was assigned a pathological severity score. Of the 974 involved patients, 37.7% were identified with CAA of different degrees. CAA had positive correlation with age and was independent of sex. Most patients had mild CAA with only the superficial vessels involved in lobes instead of the basal ganglia; the patients ≥65 years had more severe pathological score of CAA than those <65 years and had more lobes and cerebellum involved than the latter. More than one third of the surgically treated Chinese ICH patients may have CAA of different degrees.

[Effects of testosterone on insulin sensitivity in liver cells and related molecular mechanisms].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the regulation of insulin sensitivity in liver cells by androgen signaling. METHODS: Eleven adult female C57BL/6 mice were injected daily with testosterone (group T) for 24 weeks. And 10 control mice received sesame oil only (group Con). HepG2 liver cells were initially pretreated with different doses of testosterone (10(-9)-10(-5) mol/L ) for 0-36 h or with 10(-7) mol/L testosterone for 0-96 h followed by a stimulation of 100 nmol/L insulin for 15 min. Later HepG2 cells were pretreated with 10(-7) mol/L testosterone for 36 h followed by a stimulation of 100 nmol/L insulin for 15 min and then a restimulation of 100 nmol/L insulin for 15 min at 4 h and 6 h interval respectively. Phosphorylation and protein expression of Akt and GSK3ß in C57BL/6 mice liver tissues and HepG2 cells were analyzed by Western blot. RESULTS: The 24-week treatment of testosterone decreased the phosphorylation of Akt and GSK3ß in C57BL/6 adipose and liver tissues (43.1% ± 3.2% vs 77.1% ± 6.7%, 14.7% ± 6.7% vs 82.3% ± 2.0% respectively, P < 0.05). Pretreatment with 10(-8)-10(-6) mol/L testosterone within 36 h obviously increased the phosphorylation of Akt and GSK3ß (P < 0.05). However pretreatment with 10(-5) mol/L within 36 h or with 10(-7) mol/L for 96 h had no effect on the phosphorylation of Akt and GSK3ß compared with control group (P > 0.05). Pretreatment with 10(-7) mol/L testosterone for 36 h followed by insulin stimulation and restimulation after 6 h interval obviously decreased the phosphorylation of Akt and GSK3ß (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Androgen signaling may contribute to insulin resistance in liver cells.

Machine Learning-Based Prediction of Complications and Prolonged Hospitalization with the GLIM Criteria Combinations Containing Calf Circumference in Elderly Asian Patients.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Malnutrition is widely present and influences the prognosis of elderly inpatients, so it is helpful to be able to identify it with a convenient method. However, in the widely accepted criteria for malnutrition, the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM), a lot of metrics can be used to define the phenotypic and etiological criteria. To identify muscle mass reduction, anthropometric parameters such as calf circumference (CC) and hand grip strength (HGS) are preferable to other expensive methods in many situations because they are easy and inexpensive to measure, but their applicability needs to be verified in specific clinical scenarios. This study aims to verify the value of CC- and HGS-identified muscle loss in diagnosing malnutrition and predicting in-hospital complications (IHC) and prolonged length of hospital stay (PLOS) in elderly inpatients using machine learning methods. METHODS: A sample of 7122 elderly inpatients who were enrolled in a previous multicenter cohort study in China were screened for eligibility for the current study and were then retrospectively diagnosed for malnutrition using 33 GLIM criteria that differ in their combinations of phenotypic and etiological criteria, in which CC or CC+HGS were used to identify muscle mass reduction. The diagnostic consistency with the subjective global assessment (SGA) criteria at admission was evaluated according to Kappa coefficients. The association and the predictive value of the GLIM-defined malnutrition with 30-day IHC and PLOS were evaluated with logistic regression and randomized forest models. RESULTS: In total, 2526 inpatients (average age 74.63 ± 7.12 years) were enrolled in the current study. The prevalence of malnutrition identified by the 33 criteria combinations ranged from 3.3% to 27.2%. The main IHCs was infectious complications (2.5%). The Kappa coefficients ranged from 0.130 to 0.866. Logistic regression revealed that malnutrition was identified by 31 GLIM criteria combinations that were significantly associated with 30-day IHC, and 22 were significantly associated with PLOS. Random forest prediction revealed that GLIM 15 (unconscious weight loss + muscle mass reduction, combined with disease burden/inflammation) performs best in predicting IHC; GLIM 30 (unconscious weight loss + muscle mass reduction + BMI reduction, combined with disease burden/inflammation) performs best in predicting PLOS. Importantly, CC alone performs better than CC+HGS in the criteria combinations for predicting adverse clinical outcomes. CONCLUSION: Muscle mass reduction defined by a reduced CC performs well in the GLIM criteria combinations for diagnosing malnutrition and predicting IHC and PLOS in elderly Asian inpatients. The applicability of other anthropometric parameters in these applications needs to be further explored.

Machine Learning-Based Prediction of In-Hospital Complications in Elderly Patients Using GLIM-, SGA-, and ESPEN 2015-Diagnosed Malnutrition as a Factor.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is prevalent in elderly inpatients and is associated with various adverse outcomes during their hospital stay, but the diagnosis of malnutrition still lacks widely applicable criteria. This study aimed to investigate the association of malnutrition diagnosed with the SGA, ESPEN 2015, and GLIM criteria, respectively, with in-hospital complications in elderly patients. METHOD: Hospitalized patients over 65 years old who had been assessed with the SGA guideline for malnutrition at admission were retrospectively recruited from a large observational cohort study conducted in 34 level-A tertiary hospitals in 18 cities in China from June to September 2014. Malnutrition was then retrospectively diagnosed using the GLIM and ESPEN 2015 criteria, respectively, for comparison with the results of the SGA scale. The risk factors for malnutrition were analyzed using logistic regression, and the value of the three diagnostic criteria in predicting the in-hospital complications was subsequently explored using multivariate regression and the random forest machine learning algorithm. RESULTS: A total of 2526 subjects who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study were selected from the 7122 patients in the dataset, with an average age of 74.63 ± 7.12 years, 59.2% male, and 94.2% married. According to the GLIM, SGA, and ESPEN 2015 criteria, the detection rates of malnutrition were 37.8% (956 subjects), 32.8% (829 subjects), and 17.0% (429 subjects), respectively. The diagnostic consistency between the GLIM and the SGA criteria is better than that between the ESPEN 2015 and the SGA criteria (Kappa statistics, 0.890 vs. 0.590). Logistic regression showed that the risk of developing complications in the GLIM-defined malnutrition patients is 2.414 times higher than that of normal patients, higher than those of the ESPEN 2015 and SGA criteria (1.786 and 1.745 times, respectively). The random forest classifications show that the GLIM criteria have a higher ability to predict complications in these elderly patients than the SGA and ESPEN 2015 criteria with a mean decrease in accuracy of 12.929, 10.251, and 5.819, respectively, and a mean decrease in Gini of 2.055, 1.817, and 1.614, respectively. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of malnutrition diagnosed with the GLIM criteria is higher than that of the SGA and the ESPEN 2015 criteria. The GLIM criteria are better than the SGA and the ESPEN 2015 criteria for predicting in-hospital complications in elderly patients.

Establishing a new body mass index cutoff value for malnutrition diagnosis using the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) tool in Chinese older adults.

BACKGROUND: The body weight of the Chinese population rose rapidly over the past two decades. The old 2001 body mass index (BMI) cutoff value for malnutrition may underestimate malnutrition diagnosis. We explored the BMI cutoff value for malnutrition diagnosis based on national BMI data from the past 30 years and applied it to the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria when investigating malnutrition in hospitalized older patients. METHODS: To explore the BMI cutoff value for malnutrition, we established a linear stepwise model to predict the annual increasing BMI trend based on data from the national BMI data set. The new cutoff value was applied to a large-scale data set from a cross-sectional study pertaining to older hospitalized patients recruited from 30 large hospitals in China. RESULTS: The BMI increased from 21.8 to 23 kg/m2 in two decades. We calculated that the net BMI increase will be 1.49 kg/m2 from 1999 to 2019. We subsequently proposed that the BMI cutoff value for malnutrition should rise to 20 kg/m2 . This cutoff value was applied to the validation data set, containing 8725 patients, and the GLIM-determined malnutrition rate was 24.58% (using the Nutrition Risk Screening 2002 [NRS-2002]) and 23.32% (using the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form [MNA-SF]). The results significantly differed from those obtained using the 2001 Chinese BMI criteria. CONCLUSION: The GLIM tool has good applicability in Asian populations, especially in Chinese older patients. The BMI cutoff value for malnutrition should be adjusted to 20 kg/m2 for Chinese adults.

[Expression of tau-related protein in spinal cord of patients with Alzheimer's disease].

OBJECTIVE: To study the expression of tau-related protein in spinal cord of Chinese patients with Alzheimer's disease. METHODS: Gallays-Braak stain and immunohistochemical study for tau protein (AT8) were carried out in the spinal cord tissue (T2, T8, T10, L2 and S2 segments) of 3 Chinese patients with Alzheimer's disease. Seven age-matched cases without evidence of dementia or neurologic disease were used as controls. RESULTS: Neurofibrillary tangles were identified in the neurons of anterior horn in 2 Alzheimer's disease cases but none was observed in the controls. Tau-positive axons and astroglia were detected in all Alzheimer's disease cases. Tau immunoreactivity in spinal cord of the patients correlated with that in brain tissue. CONCLUSION: The expression of tau-related protein is demonstrated in the spinal cord of Alzheimer's disease patients suggesting that axonal transport defect may play a role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.

Effect of hyperbaric oxygen and ulinastatin on plasma endotoxin, soluble CD14, endotoxin-neutralizing capacity and cytokines in acute necrotizing pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: We sought to study the effect of a combination therapy comprised of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) and ulinastatin on the plasma levels of endotoxin, soluble CD14 (sCD14), endotoxin neutralizing capacity (ENC) and cytokines in acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP) in rats. METHODS: We randomly allocated 90 Sprague-Dawley rats into 6 groups: group 1 (ordinary control), group 2 (sham operation), group 3 (ANP), group 4 (ANP with HBO), group 5 (ANP with ulinastatin) and group 6 (ANP with HBO and ulinastatin). We induced ANP by retrograde injection of 3.5% sodium taurocholate (2.5 mL/kg) via the pancreatic duct. Five minutes after induction, animals in groups 5 and 6 were infused with ulinastatin (20 000 U/kg) via the portal vein. Thirty minutes after induction, animals in groups 4 and 6 received HBO therapy. We collected samples 3, 6 and 10 hours after induction of ANP. RESULTS: We found that the plasma level of endotoxin in group 3 was significantly higher than in group 4 (3, 6 h, both p < 0.001), group 5 (3 h, p < 0.001; 6 h, p = 0.014) and group 6 (both p < 0.001). The level of plasma sCD14 in group 3 was significantly higher than in group 4 (3, 6 h, both p < 0.001), group 5 (3, 6 h, both p = 0.001) and group 6 (3 h, p < 0.001; 6 h, p = 0.001). The plasma endotoxin and sCD14 levels in group 6 were significantly lower than in groups 4 and 5. The plasma ENC level in group 6 was significantly higher than in groups 3, 4 and 5 (p < 0.001). The ENC level in groups 4 and 5 were higher than in group 3, but there was no significant difference. The plasma level of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and IL-6 in group 6 were significantly lower than in groups 3, 4 and 5 (p < 0.001). The TNF-alpha and IL-6 levels in groups 4 and 5 were lower than in group 3, but there was no significant difference. CONCLUSION: The use of an early combination therapy of HBO and ulinastatin was more effective than either therapy alone in the treatment of ANP.

[A cross-sectional study of neurological disease in the veterans of military communities in Beijing].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of cognitive and motor disorders as well as emotional and sleep abnormality in the veterans from military communities in Beijing. METHODS: The participants underwent a comprehensive in-person evaluation including detailed neuropsychological testing, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and special questionnaires for movement and sleep disorders. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of cognitive impairment, extrapyramidal diseases was 32.7%, 8.8%. The prevalence of mild cognitive impairment, dementia, Parkinson disease, essential tremor, anxiety and depression was 26.2%, 6.5%, 2.0%, 6.1%, 1.4% and 4.1% respectively. Prevalence of all kinds of sleep disorders ranged from 10.3% to 53.9%. The prevalence of cognitive impairment had no significant difference of sex, but were correlated to age and education, the correlation coefficient was 0.326 and -0.221 (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Veterans from military communities had higher prevalence of cognitive impairment, extrapyramidal diseases and sleep disorders and lower that of anxiety and depression relatively.

[Clinical features, reproductive endocrine and metabolic abnormalities of adolescent girls with polycystic ovary syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical features, reproductive endocrine and metabolic abnormalities in adolescent girls with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHODS: A total of 325 adolescent girls with normal menstruation, 18 obese (OB-CON) and 307 non-obese (NOB-CON), were enrolled as controls from multiple middle schools in Shanghai, China. A total of 167 adolescent girls with PCOS, 90 obese (OB-PCOS) and 77 non-obese (NOB-PCOS), were also recruited. All cases were evaluated for their clinical manifestations, reproductive endocrine and metabolic parameters. Hyperandrogenism was determined by serum testosterone (T), free androgen index (FAI) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S). Insulin sensitivity was measured by fasting insulin (FINS) and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). RESULTS: (1) Menarche was significantly earlier in adolescent PCOS than in controls. The incidence of obesity was significantly higher in adolescent PCOS than that in control group. (2) T, FAI and DHEA-S were significantly higher in adolescent PCOS group than those in control group. FAI was higher in OB-PCOS group than in NOB-PCOS group. LH and LH/FSH were higher in PCOS groups than those in controls. LH and LH/FSH were also much higher in NOB-PCOS group than those in OB-PCOS group. (3) HOMA-IR and FINS were significantly higher in PCOS group than those in control group. Incidence of acanthosis nigricans, FINS, HOMA-IR and triglyceride were significantly higher in OB-PCOS group than those in NOB-PCOS group. (4) 95.21% PCOS girls presented with an ultrasonic morphological evidence of polycystic ovarian. CONCLUSION: The essential features of adolescent PCOS are an earlier onset of menarche, a persistent menstrual disorder over 2 years after menarche, a higher incidence of obesity, marked hyperandrogenism and insulin resistance and disorderly gonadotropin secretion in comparison with control subjects. Hyperandrogenism and insulin resistance are much more severe in obese adolescent PCOS.

Nutritional support therapy after GLIM criteria may neglect the benefit of reducing infection complications compared with NRS2002: Reanalysis of a cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to validate the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria and determine the number of Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS2002)-positive patients who do not meet the GLIM, as well as examine whether these patients would benefit from nutritional support therapy. METHODS: A reanalysis of a published prospective observational study was performed. The subjects were rediagnosed per the NRS2002 and GLIM criteria. The prevalence of malnutrition was reported, and the difference in rate of infection complications and total complications between the nutritional support therapy and glucose-electrolyte cohorts was calculated. RESULTS: Among 1831 cases in the original database, 827 cases (45.2%) were NRS2002-positive. A total of 391 cases were identified by the GLIM criteria as malnourished (21.4%) and of these, subjects in the nutritional support therapy cohort had fewer infection complications than those in the glucose-electrolyte cohort (13.0% vs. 23.0%; P = 0.010). The remaining 436 patients were NRS2002 positive but GLIM negative (23.8%). The rate of infection was also significantly lower in the support cohort than in the nonsupport cohort (8.0% vs. 15.7%; P = 0.011). Nutritional support was proven o be a protective factor for infection complications in both GLIM-positive (odds ratio: 0.407; 95% confidence interval, 0.232-0.714; P = 0.002) and NRS2002-positive/GLIM-negative patients [odds ratio: 0.314; 95% confidence interval, 0.161-0.612; P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The GLIM criteria have been validated, and are useful in identifying malnourished patients who may have fewer infection complications due to nutritional support therapy. However, the criteria neglected half of the patients identified by NRS2002, among whom nutritional support therapy also decreased the rate of infection complications.

[Correlations between adipocytokines and insulin resistance in women with polycystic ovary syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlations between adipocytokines and insulin resistance in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. METHODS: Sixty women with polycystic ovary syndrome aged 19-34 years old were divided into 2 groups: group A [n = 36, BMI > or = 25 kg/m(-2) or WHR (waist height ratio) > 0.85] and group B (n = 24, BMI < 25 kg/m(-2) and WHR < or = 0.85). Twenty-six healthy infertile women with a mean age of 26 + or - 8 years old served as controls and they were named as group C (n = 26, BMI < 25 kg/m(-2) and WHR < or = 0.85). Anthropometric measurements, hormonal profiles and metabolic profiles were compared between three groups. Plasma leptin, CRP and free fatty acid were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Adiponectin, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were measured by radioimmunoassay. Insulin resistance was estimated by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA). RESULTS: (1) Adiponectin and TNF-alpha levels were significantly higher in group B (17 + or - 9) mg/L and (1.0 + or - 0.3) mg/L respectively than in group A (10 + or - 7) mg/L and (0.8 + or - 0.2) mg/L respectively. Leptin was lower in group B (24 + or - 13) microg/L and group C than in group A (42 + or - 21) microg/L (all P < 0.01). IL-6 was higher in group A (173 + or - 184) ng/L and group B (184 + or - 44) ng/L than in group C (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01 respectively). No significant difference of circulating level of CRP was found between these 3 groups. (2) Leptin was positively correlated with BMI, WHR and HOMA-IR (all P < 0.01) whereas adiponectin was negatively correlated with BMI, WHR and HOMA-IR (P < 0.01; P < 0.01, P < 0.05 respectively). Multivariate regression showed that adiponectin was the most significant predictor of HOMA-IR and it explained 16.5% of variance. CONCLUSION: The higher levels of leptin and TNF-alpha, the lower level of adiponectin in obese PCOS and the higher level of TNF-alpha and IL-6 in non-obese PCOS suggested different adipocytokines play different roles of insulin resistance in PCOS.

[Characteristics of quantitative change relation between insulin and testosterone in polycystic ovary syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship of dynamic quantitative changes between insulin and testosterone in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHODS: Peripheral blood samples were collected in the third to fifth day menstrual cycle from 97 PCOS patients, aged (24 +/- 6), 47 being obese (with BMI > 25 kg/m(2)) and 50 being non-obese (with BMI

The construction of fluorescent heteropore covalent organic frameworks and their applications in spectroscopic and visual detection of trinitrophenol with high selectivity and sensitivity.

Two fluorescent covalent organic frameworks (COFs) which bear two kinds of pores with different sizes and shapes have been synthesized. The heteropore COFs exhibit spectroscopic and color changes to 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (TNP) with extremely high selectivity and sensitivity, which makes them excellent macroscopic chemosensors for the selective detection of TNP.

[Fetal growth retardation and postnatal high fat diet on the development of insulin resistance and fertility: experiment with rats].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influences of fetal growth retardation (FGR) and postnatal high fat diet (HF) on the development of insulin resistance (IR), puberty development and fertility problems in female rat offspring. METHODS: FGR model was induced by maternal low protein diet. 32 newborn FGR rats and 32 control rats were randomly divided into two equal groups: FGR/HF group (with the mother rats given with high fat diet for 3 weeks after delivery), FGR/N (with the mother rats given with normal diet), C/HF group (control newborn rat group with the mother rats given with high fat diet), and C/N group (control newborn rat group with the mother rats given with normal diet). The pups were fed by mother milk. All pups were weaned at the 4th week of age and then fed with the diet the same diet as that during the lactation period until the end of experiment. From day 30 onwards, vaginal opening and oestrous cycle were inspected daily on 10 pups in each group. At the 13th week, body weight, length and perirenal fat weight/body weight (Fw/Bw) were recorded for 10 pups in each group. At the same time, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting insulin (FINS), and testosterone level were measured. From the 13th week onwards, mating test was performed for 6 pups in each group. RESULT: At the 13th week, there was an obesity tendency in the FGR/N, FGR/HF and C/HF groups. The FINS levels were all higher, and insulin sensitivity index (ISI) levels were all significantly lower in these three groups than in the C/N group (all P < 0.05). The homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) levels of the FGR/N and FGR/HF groups were significantly higher than that of the C/N group (both P < 0.05), the FINS and HOMA-IR of the FGR/HF group were significantly higher than that of the FGR/N group (both P < 0.05). There was oligoovulation in the FGR and high fat diet rats, the pregnancy rate of the FGR/HF group was significantly lower than that of the C/N group (P < 0.05). FGR/HF group had the most serious obesity, IR and fertility problems. CONCLUSION: There are puberty disturbance, oligoovulation and IR in FGR and high fat diet rats. IR, puberty development and fertility problems are linked and occur independently of the postnatal nutrition, but can be exacerbated by postnatal high fat diet.

Broadband gradient impedance matching using an acoustic metamaterial for ultrasonic transducers.

High-quality broadband ultrasound transducers yield superior imaging performance in biomedical ultrasonography. However, proper design to perfectly bridge the energy between the active piezoelectric material and the target medium over the operating spectrum is still lacking. Here, we demonstrate a new anisotropic cone-structured acoustic metamaterial matching layer that acts as an inhomogeneous material with gradient acoustic impedance along the ultrasound propagation direction. When sandwiched between the piezoelectric material unit and the target medium, the acoustic metamaterial matching layer provides a broadband window to support extraordinary transmission of ultrasound over a wide frequency range. We fabricated the matching layer by etching the peeled silica optical fibre bundles with hydrofluoric acid solution. The experimental measurement of an ultrasound transducer equipped with this acoustic metamaterial matching layer shows that the corresponding -6 dB bandwidth is able to reach over 100%. This new material fully enables new high-end piezoelectric materials in the construction of high-performance ultrasound transducers and probes, leading to considerably improved resolutions in biomedical ultrasonography and compact harmonic imaging systems.

Second-trimester double or triple screening for Down syndrome: a comparison of Chinese and Caucasian populations.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the performance of double screening (measuring maternal serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein [AFP] and total beta-human chorionic gonadotrophin [hCG] as markers for Down syndrome) with that of triple screening (also measuring levels of unconjugated estriol [uE3]) in the second trimester of pregnancy, and to compare ethnic variance between Chinese and Caucasian populations. METHODS: The study investigated 15096 normal singleton pregnancies and 24 pregnancies affected with Down syndrome. Frequency distributions of AFP, hCG, and uE3 levels were analyzed. Likelihood ratios (LRs) were calculated using the multiple of median value (MoM) of AFP, hCG, and uE3 as variables. After multiplying maternal age risk by the LR values for the markers used in double and triple screening, the specific risks obtained with double and triple screening were estimated. The detection rate (DR) and false-positive rate (FPR) were calculated at different cut-off points. The serum markers' levels were also compared with those of Caucasian women. RESULTS: The median MoM value of hCG was higher in women with affected pregnancies (1.40) than those with unaffected pregnancies (1.00). However, the median MoMs of AFP and uE3 (0.79 and 0.68) were lower in affected than in unaffected pregnancies. At a FPR of 5%, the detection rates reached with double and triple screening were 50% and 66.7%, respectively. Ratios of the 3 serum markers' medians to those in a study with Caucasian women were 1.06 (range=1.04-1.09) for AFP, 1.14 (range=1.10-1.17) for hCG, and 1.28 (range=1.23-1.41) for uE3 for the relevant gestational weeks. CONCLUSION: Triple screening performed better than double screening in the second trimester. Ethnic variance should be taken into account in Down syndrome screening.

[The relationship between prion protein gene codon 129 polymorphism and Alzheimer's disease].

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between prion protein gene (PRNP) codon 129 polymorphism and Alzheimer's disease (AD) by means of meta-analysis. METHODS: Odds ratios (OR) of prion protein gene codon 129 genotype distribution in AD patients against healthy control was analysed. All the relevant studies were identified and poor-qualified studies were eliminated. A meta-analysis software, Review Manager 4.2 was applied for investigating heterogeneity among individual studies and summarizing effects across studies. RESULTS: A total of 4 studies including 1095 patients and 940 controls were included but with rectification 972 cases and 658 controls of 3 studies were included. No heterogeneity among the studies was found. The pooled Peto OR (with 95% CI) of (MM + VV) vs MV is 1.10 (95% CI 0.89-1.35, P = 0.38), while the pooled Peto OR of V* vs MM is 0.80 (95% CI 0.65-0.98, P = 0.03) and the pooled Peto OR of M* vs VV is 1.38 (95% CI 1.01-1.89, P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: In European population, PRNP M and V homozygosity is not statistically significantly associated with the onset of AD. M/* genotype is associated with increased risk of AD while V/* genotype is associated with a decreased risk of AD.