Research Progress on Hepatotoxicity Mechanism and Attenuation Methods of Psoraleae Fructus / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Psoraleae Fructus is the dried and mature fruit of the legume Psoralea corylifolia. It is warm in nature， pungent and bitter in flavor， and attributive to the kidney and spleen meridians. Its main effect include warming the kidney and assisting Yang， absorbing Qi and relieving asthma， warming the spleen and relieving diarrhea， etc.， and it also can for external use of eliminating wind and freckle. Clinically， Psoraleae Fructus is mainly used for the treatment of impotence due to kidney deficiency， soreness of waist and knees， vitiligo， etc. The existing studies have shown that Psoraleae Fructus has a variety of pharmacological effect， such as anti-tumor， anti-oxidant， anti-bacterial， anti-inflammatory， promoting bone growth and protecting cardiovascular. But at the same time， many studies at home and abroad have found that taking Psoraleae Fructus and its compounds for a long time or in large doses can cause liver toxicity， phototoxicity， nephrotoxicity， etc. The most common is liver toxicity， most of the clinical reports on the toxicity of psoralen are caused by drug-induced liver injury events， which limits the clinical use of Psoraleae Fructus and can't exert its proper therapeutic effect. Therefore， it is particularly important to fully understand the toxicological mechanism of liver injury caused by Psoraleae Fructus and its attenuation methods. In this paper， by consulting the domestic and foreign related literatures in recent years that reported the hepatotoxicity of Psoraleae Fructus， the four aspects of clinical report on liver injury， hepatotoxic components， toxicological mechanisms and attenuation methods of Psoraleae Fructus were reviewed， including bile acid stasis and oxidative stress. The hepatotoxicity of Psoraleae Fructus was discussed in terms of reaction， mitochondrial damage， liver fat deformation， etc.， and the attenuation methods of Psoraleae Fructus were summarized from the aspects of compatibility attenuation and processing attenuation， aiming to comprehensively and objectively clarify Psoraleae Fructus. The potential toxicological mechanism of lipid-induced hepatotoxicity and research progress in attenuation were expected to provide a theoretical basis for further study of Psoraleae Fructus hepatotoxicity and clinical rational use of drugs.

Effectiveness of integrated schistosomiasis control in Changzhou City from 2015 to 2020 / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of the integrated schistosomiasis control measures in Changzhou City from 2015 to 2020, so as to provide insights into the formulation of the strategy used to consolidate the schistosomiasis elimination achievements. Methods The annual schistosomiasis control working report and integrated schistosomiasis control data were collected in Changzhou City from 2015 to 2020, and the prevalence of Schistosoma japonicum infections in humans and livestock and snail status were analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of the integrated schistosomiasis control measures. Results During the period from 2015 to 2020, a total of 112 061 person-time individuals received serological tests for S. japonicum infections in Changzhou City, and the sero-prevalence was 0.15% to 1.09% during the 6-year period, with a significant difference seen among years (χ2 = 288.11, P < 0.05). From 2015 to 2020, a total of 13 435 person-time individuals received stool examinations, with no egg-positives identified; among 5 840 herd-time livestock receiving schistosomiasis examinations, no positives were detected, while a 100% coverage of fencing livestock was seen each year. During the 6-year period, a total of 38.40 hm2 snail habitats were found, including 8.97 hm2 emerging snail habitats, and among the 2 344 snails dissected, no S. japonicum infection was found. Chemical treatment covered an area of 385.71 hm2, and environmental improvements covered an area of 200.39 hm2. The mean density of living snails was less than 0.1 snails/0.1 m2 in snail habitats found in Changzhou City each year from 2015 to 2020, and the coverage of harmless toilets was 100% in 2020. During the 6-year period, a total of 3.740 6 million person-time individuals were given schistosomiasis health education in Changzhou City. Conclusions Changzhou City is now at the post-elimination surveillance stage; however, there are still factors affecting schistosomiasis transmission. The schistosomiasis surveillance system remains to be improved to consolidate the schistosomiasis elimination achievements in Changzhou City.

Deep learning applied to two-dimensional color Doppler flow imaging ultrasound images significantly improves diagnostic performance in the classification of breast masses: a multicenter study / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#The current deep learning diagnosis of breast masses is mainly reflected by the diagnosis of benign and malignant lesions. In China, breast masses are divided into four categories according to the treatment method: inflammatory masses, adenosis, benign tumors, and malignant tumors. These categorizations are important for guiding clinical treatment. In this study, we aimed to develop a convolutional neural network (CNN) for classification of these four breast mass types using ultrasound (US) images.@*METHODS@#Taking breast biopsy or pathological examinations as the reference standard, CNNs were used to establish models for the four-way classification of 3623 breast cancer patients from 13 centers. The patients were randomly divided into training and test groups (n = 1810 vs. n = 1813). Separate models were created for two-dimensional (2D) images only, 2D and color Doppler flow imaging (2D-CDFI), and 2D-CDFI and pulsed wave Doppler (2D-CDFI-PW) images. The performance of these three models was compared using sensitivity, specificity, area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), positive (PPV) and negative predictive values (NPV), positive (LR+) and negative likelihood ratios (LR-), and the performance of the 2D model was further compared between masses of different sizes with above statistical indicators, between images from different hospitals with AUC, and with the performance of 37 radiologists.@*RESULTS@#The accuracies of the 2D, 2D-CDFI, and 2D-CDFI-PW models on the test set were 87.9%, 89.2%, and 88.7%, respectively. The AUCs for classification of benign tumors, malignant tumors, inflammatory masses, and adenosis were 0.90, 0.91, 0.90, and 0.89, respectively (95% confidence intervals [CIs], 0.87-0.91, 0.89-0.92, 0.87-0.91, and 0.86-0.90). The 2D-CDFI model showed better accuracy (89.2%) on the test set than the 2D (87.9%) and 2D-CDFI-PW (88.7%) models. The 2D model showed accuracy of 81.7% on breast masses ≤1 cm and 82.3% on breast masses >1 cm; there was a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.001). The accuracy of the CNN classifications for the test set (89.2%) was significantly higher than that of all the radiologists (30%).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The CNN may have high accuracy for classification of US images of breast masses and perform significantly better than human radiologists.@*TRIAL REGISTRATION@#Chictr.org, ChiCTR1900021375; http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=33139.

Analysis of Transport Mechanism of Flavanomarein in MDCK Monolayer Cell Model / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To explore the absorption and transport properties of flavanomarein in the Madin-Darby canine kidney(MDCK) monolayer cell model. Method:Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium(MTT) assay was used to investigate the toxicity of flavanomarein in MDCK cells. The resistance value of MDCK monolayer cell model was detected by Millicell-ERS-2 cell resistometer. The effects of mass concentration of flavanomarein,administration time,sodium-glucose cotransporter(SGLTs) inhibitor and glucose transporter 2(GLUT2) inhibitor on the transmembrane transport of flavanomarein were investigated. The concentration of flavanomarein was determined by UPLC-MS/MS, and the apparent permeability coefficient(Papp) and the efflux ratio(ER) were calculated. Result:When the concentration of flavanomarein was 5.625-120 mg·L-1, there was no significant toxic effect on MDCK cells. The transport of flavanomarein in MDCK monolayer cell model was time-dependent and concentration-dependent. The Papp values of flavanomarein were basically between 1×10-6 cm·s-1 to 10×10-6 cm·s-1. Compared with the blank group, the phlorizin group significantly reduced the transport of flavanomarein on the MDCK monolayer cell model at 60 min and 90 min. Conclusion:Flavanomarein is a moderately absorbed drug in the intestine, its transmembrane transport mechanism is dominated by passive transport along with active transport. SGLTs may be involved in mediating the transport of flavanomarein on the MDCK monolayer cell model.

Expression of miR-4687-5P and STIM1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and their regulation mechanism / 临床与实验病理学杂志

Purpose To investigate the expression and the methylation status of miR-4687-5P and STIM1 gene in esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) cell lines and ESCC tissue samples,in order to explore the correlation between miR-4687-5P and STIM1 expression,as well as whether they have a common expression regulation mechanism. Methods The qRTPCR and methylation specific PCR (MSP) methods were applied respectively to examine the expression and methylation of miR-4687-5P and STIM1 genes in ESCC cell lines (TE13, KYSE150,T. Tn) and ESCC samples,and further to analyze their correlation. Results The expression of miR-4687-5P and STIM1 genes in ESCC was significantly decreased,and consistent. The weak expression of miR-4687-5P and STIM1 genes was detected in three ESCC cell lines. After treated with 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-Aza-Dc,a demethylation agent) ,the expression levels of these two genes were obviously increased. Meanwhile, the methylation bands were obviously weakened or disappeared. The promoter region of STIM1 gene was hypermethylated in ESCC tissues,and its methylation frequency was correlated with the expression of STIM1 and miR-4687-5P (P < 0. 01) . Conclusion miR-4687-5P and STIM1 genes are down-regulated in esophageal carcinoma,and the expression of miR-4687-5P may be regulated by the promoter of its host gene STIM1,and the hypermethylation may be one of the common mechanisms leading to down-regulatory expression of miR-4687-5P and STIM1 genes in ESCC.

Assessment of schistosomiasis elimination in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To assess the state of schistosomiasis elimination in 6 districts of Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, so as to provide the evidence for the formulation of consolidation measures. Methods Three towns (streets) were selected according to the schistosomiasis epidemic degree in each district, and one village was sampled from each town. The on-site assessment was carried out between 2016 and 2017, including Oncomelania hupensis snail survey, population investigation and domestic animal investigation. In addition, the related data and materials were evaluated and the monitoring ability was assessed. Results In the history, there were 54 endemic towns, 368 endemic villages in Changzhou City, with a total area of 3 934.79 hm2 of historic snail spots, and 114 990 schistosomiasis cases so far. In the field assessment in 6 districts, a total of 26 environments were surveyed, with the surveyed area of 36.23 hm2, and there were no living snails captured in each village. A total of 18 199 people were examined for schistosome infection, 255 were blood test positive, and the sero-positive rate was 1.40%. The stool examination was done in 255 sero-positive cases, and no cases were stool-positive. A total of 779 domestic animals were investigated, including 200 cattle, 179 sheep and 400 pigs, and no infections were detected. The files regarding the snail status and schistosomiasis epidemic situation, and the monitoring data were complete and accurate in 6 districts. The annual investment funds for schistosomiasis prevention were 3 120 000 Yuan in Changzhou City, and the number of staff working for schistosomiasis prevention was 86 totally, which could meet the requirements of high quality monitoring. Conclusions All 6 districts of Changzhou City have met the requirements of schistosomiasis elimination.

Assessment of schistosomiasis elimination in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To assess the state of schistosomiasis elimination in 6 districts of Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, so as to provide the evidence for the formulation of consolidation measures. Methods Three towns (streets) were selected according to the schistosomiasis epidemic degree in each district, and one village was sampled from each town. The on-site assessment was carried out between 2016 and 2017, including Oncomelania hupensis snail survey, population investigation and domestic animal investigation. In addition, the related data and materials were evaluated and the monitoring ability was assessed. Results In the history, there were 54 endemic towns, 368 endemic villages in Changzhou City, with a total area of 3 934.79 hm2 of historic snail spots, and 114 990 schistosomiasis cases so far. In the field assessment in 6 districts, a total of 26 environments were surveyed, with the surveyed area of 36.23 hm2, and there were no living snails captured in each village. A total of 18 199 people were examined for schistosome infection, 255 were blood test positive, and the sero-positive rate was 1.40%. The stool examination was done in 255 sero-positive cases, and no cases were stool-positive. A total of 779 domestic animals were investigated, including 200 cattle, 179 sheep and 400 pigs, and no infections were detected. The files regarding the snail status and schistosomiasis epidemic situation, and the monitoring data were complete and accurate in 6 districts. The annual investment funds for schistosomiasis prevention were 3 120 000 Yuan in Changzhou City, and the number of staff working for schistosomiasis prevention was 86 totally, which could meet the requirements of high quality monitoring. Conclusions All 6 districts of Changzhou City have met the requirements of schistosomiasis elimination.

Investigation of major parasitic diseases and related knowledge,attitude and practice among rural residents in Liyang City / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To investigate the prevalence of major parasitic diseases and related knowledge,attitude and practice among rural residents in Liyang City,so as to provide the evidence for formulating appropriate preventive strategies and mea-sures.Methods Three villages were selected from three towns as survey sites,and the residents who were above three years old and had been in the village for over six months were investigated.The Kato-Katz technique was applied to detect intestinal para-site eggs in residents'feces,and the cellophane anal swab was used to detect Enterobius vermicularis eggs among children aged 3-6 years. The iodine liquid smear and saline smear methods were used to examine intestinal protozoa cysts or trophozoites. Hookworm species were identified by the tube filter paper culture method.A structured questionnaire was used to collect the in-formation on residents'knowledge,attitude and practice of the prevention and control of major parasitic diseases.Results To-tally 759 residents were investigated and tested at the three rural survey sites,and only 2 cases were detected of parasitic infec-tion and the total infection rate was 0.26%.Both cases were mild infections without mixed infection.The total awareness rate of knowledge on ascariasis,trichuriasis and ancylostomiasis was 37.9%,while the awareness rate of knowledge on clonorchiasis was 13.8%.The age and educational level were important factors of the knowledge on prevention and control of parasitic diseases among the residents.The formation rates of washing hands before meal and after using the toilet,and never drinking unboiled wa-ter were 83.8% and 92.1%,respectively. Totally 11.6% of the residents usually ate raw or half-cooked freshwater fishes and shrimps,and 53.0% had not the behavior to prepare raw and cooked food using the different chopping boards.The proportions of residents using fresh feces as manure and working in the field with bare feet were 13.8% and 22.8% respectively.The proportions of residents who thought they could,could not,or were not sure to change the risk behaviors and habits of parasitic infections were 40.2%,28.5% and 31.4%,respectively.Conclusions The infection rate of major parasitic diseases among the rural resi-dents in Liyang City is low,and the awareness rate of knowledge on preventing parasitic diseases is also low. Therefore,the health education on the prevention and control of parasitic diseases should be strengthened to guide them to develop good hy-giene,diet and farming habits.The environmental sanitation should be continuously improved to block the endemic of parasitic infection.

Methylation status of Caveolin-1 gene and its relationship with ectopic expression of β-catenin in gastric cardia adenocarcinoma / 肿瘤

Objective: To detect the methylation status of Wnt pathway-related factor Caveolin-1 gene in gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (GCA) and adjacent non-cancerous tissues, and to explore the impact of Caveolin-1 gene methylation on the expressions of its mRNA and protein and β-catenin, a central factor of Wnt pathway. Methods: The methylation status of Caveolin-1 gene in GCA and the corresponding adjacent non-cancerous tissues from 138 patients was detected by methylation-specific PCR (MSP), and the relationship of methylation status of this gene with the clinicopathological features of GCA patients was analyzed. The expressions of Caveolin-1 mRNA in GCA and the corresponding adjacent non-cancerous tissues were detected by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR). The expressions of Caveolin-1 protein and β-catenin were detected by immunohistochemistry. The correlations of methylation status of Caveolin-1 gene with the expressions of Caveolin-1 mRNA and protein and the ectopic expression of β-catenin protein were further analyzed by Spearman rank correlation test. Results: In the GCA tissues, the frequency of Caveolin-1 gene methylation was 26.1% (36/138), which was significantly higher than that in the corresponding adjacent non-cancerous tissues (P 0.05). The positive-expression rates of Caveolin-1 mRNA and protein were 48.6% and 32.6%, respectively, which were both lower than those in the corresponding adjacent non-cancerous tissues (P < 0.01). The ectopic expression frequencies of β-catenin protein were 87.7% and 39.9% in GCA and the corresponding adjacent non-cancerous tissues, respectively; there was a significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.01). The expressions of Caveolin-1 mRNA and protein and the ectopic expression of β-catenin protein were significantly correlated with the methylation status of Caveolin-1 gene in GCA tissues (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The CpG methylation is one of the mechanisms causing Caveolin-1 gene silencing in GCA. Caveolin-1 gene methylation may play an important role in occurrence of GCA through aberrantly activated Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Value of a virtual hepatic segment model in assisting in the ultrasonic localization of intrahepatic lesions / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>During scanning of the right hypochondrium and right intercostal regions with an ultrasonic transducer, several ultrasonic images of oblique sections are obtained. It is still a challenge for ultrasonography to divide these non-conventional sections into an accurate hepatic segmentation pattern. The aim of this research was to investigate the value of the virtual hepatic segment model (VHSM) in assisting the ultrasonic localization of space-occupying hepatic lesions.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>VHSM was constructed via 3D reconstruction according to the first Chinese visible human dataset. Preoperative ultrasonography, contrast-enhanced CT scan and VHSM techniques were performed in 100 patients with space-occupying focal lesions in the liver parenchyma for segmental localization. The results of these three techniques were compared with the operative findings.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>VHSM was successfully detected on 2D sectional images by 3D reconstruction through surface rendering and volume rendering. The model could simulate ultrasonic directions to conduct a virtual dissection on any section plane, and fine liver segmentation could be displayed in any virtual plane. In 100 patients, there were 112 liver space-occupying focal lesions distributed in 148 liver segmentations. Regarding the positioning accuracies for lesions of different sizes and the lesion segmental distribution accuracies estimated using the three methods mentioned above, ultrasonography exhibited a significantly lower accuracy than VHSM for the segmental localization of lesions (P < 0.05), and contrast-enhanced CT was not significantly different from ultrasonography plus VHSM (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>VHSM increased the accuracy of ultrasonic localization of space-occupying hepatic lesions, particularly in hepatic hypovascular regions.</p>

Comparative analysis on both high risk behaviours, infection of HIV and syphilis between married and unmarried men who have sex with men / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To understand the distribution of marriage status among men who have sex with men (MSM) in the city of Changzhou, and to explore the impact of marriage on AIDS related high risk behaviors and HIV infection in this population.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Target sampling (snowball sampling) was adopted to carry out a cross-sectional study, and structured questionnaire-based interviews were conducted to collect information on social demography, HIV related high risk behaviors. Blood and urine samples were collected to detect HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and Chlamydia trachomatis infections.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the 655 participants, 37.4% were married. Married MSM mostly sought their sexual partners at the public bathing house (61.6%), while unmarried MSM were mainly through bars (33.6%) or internet (31.1%). The proportion of having anal sex with men during the last 6 months was lower in the married group (50.8%) than in the unmarried group (73.3%), (P < 0.001) The percentage of having sex with women in the last 6 months was significantly higher in the married group (68.9%) than that in the unmarried group (33.2%) (P < 0.001), (OR = 4.454, 95%CI: 3.168 - 6.261). The rates of condom use in the last anal sex with men in married and unmarried groups were 71.0% and 77.6%, respectively (P = 0.152). The rate of condom use in the last intercourse with women was significantly lower in the married group (44.0%) than that in the unmarried group (70.4%) (P < 0.001), (OR = 0.331, 95%CI: 0.205 - 0.535). In the sex trade, most of the married MSM would "buy" sex (66.7%), while unmarried MSM would "sell" sex (63.2%) (P < 0.05), (OR = 3.429, 95%CI: 1.255 - 9.366). The percentage of having drugs in the previous year was higher in married group (3.3%) than that in the unmarried group (0.8%) (P < 0.05). In married and unmarried groups, the infection rates of HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and Chlamydia trachomatis appeared to be (8.6%, 8.6%), (17.1%, 12.3%), (1.6%, 2.4%), and (3.3%, 9.0%), respectively (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Marriage seemed to have had limited effects on reducing the high risk behaviors of MSM. Different and multiform interventions should be developed according to the different characteristics of married or unmarried MSM population.</p>

Does human papillomavirus infection do harm to in-vitro fertilization outcomes and subsequent pregnancy outcomes? / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Some studies suggested that human papillomavirus (HPV) infection could reduce the clinical pregnancy rate and double the spontaneous abortion rate compared with non-infected women after in-vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET). But some other studies showed there was no difference between HPV infected and non-infected groups of ART outcomes. The role of HPV infection in infertile women undergoing IVF treatments has been a controversial issue which this article attempts to investigate.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This is a retrospective analysis of 3880 infertile women undergoing IVF treatment at Peking University Third hospital reproductive medical center in 2008. Patients with abnormal thin-layer preparation cytologic test (TCT) results who underwent fresh cycle embryo transfer were divided into an HPV positive group (n = 56) and an HPV negative group (n = 56). The clinical parameters were compared (using Student's t-test and chi-squared test). Univariate and multivariate analyses were taken to see if HPV infection affects the clinical pregnancy rate.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the 3880 cases 157 had TCT abnormality (4.0%). Of the 149 patients who had HPV test results, 112 women (81.2%) received a fresh cycle embryo transfer. Each group had 56 cases. The patients were of similar age and BMI, basic hormone levels, and infertile factors were similar. The gonadotropin use, oocyte retrieval number, clinical pregnancy rate, abortion rate and newborn condition were all similar between groups. Analyses showed neither HPV infection nor HPV hybrid capture (HC) II results affected clinical pregnancy rate after IVF treatments, but the FSH level did.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>HPV positivity did not appear to impact assisted reproductive technology (ART) success. "Extensive treatment" for HPV before IVF was not recommended because treatment time will increase age and reduce ovarian function, which will lead to inferior IVF outcomes.</p>

Hepatic angiomyolipoma：correlation of contrast-enhanced ultrasound, contrast-enhanced CT and pathologic ifndings / 中华医学超声杂志（电子版）

Objective To compare the features of contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) of hepatic angiomyolipoma (HAML), and to explore their relationship with pathologic findings. Methods Thirty patients with 31 resected or punctured and pathologically proved hepatic angiomyolipomas in Southwest Hospital of Third Military Medical University from January 2006 to December 2012 were selected in this retrospective study. CEUS and CECT features were evaluated and analyzed with pathology findings in 30 patients with HAML preoperatively. The proportion of typical performance by CEUS compared with CECT in this group was analyzed with Fisher exact propability. Results Seventeen lesions were inhomogeneous hyperechoic under conventional ultrasound observation. Twenty lesions demonstrated typical imaging characteristics by CEUS, eleven lesions showed atypia CEUS imaging characteristics. There were seventeen lesions on CT indicates the presence of fat. Seven lesions demonstrated typical imaging characteristics by CECT, twenty-four lesions presented atypical CECT imaging characteristics. The proportion of showing typical imaging characteristics by CEUS was higher than by CECT (64.5%vs 22.6%, P=0.002). Among the eleven mixed type HAML lesions, seven lesions showed typical CEUS imaging characteristics and two lesions demonstrated typical CECT imaging characteristics. In the ten myomatous type HAML lesions, six lesions displayed typical CEUS imaging characteristics and two lesions revealed typical CECT imaging characteristics. Among the eight lipomatous type HAML lesions, six lesions showed typical CEUS imaging characteristics and three lesions displayed typical CECT imaging characteristics. Conclusions Conventional ultrasound combining with CEUS can demonstrate the echoic and blood perfusion characteristics of HAML in most cases. The features of CEUS and CECT were varied in different histological types.

Risk factors for the development of vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VAIN), as a precursor of vaginal cancer, is a rare disease. Its prevalence has not been well analyzed. This research is to ascertain the risk factors for VAIN in a Chinese population.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A case-control study was conducted, including 63 VAIN cases and 64 healthy controls. In all subjects Pap smear and HPV tests were performed. A questionnaire survey was distributed, covering information on socio-demographic characteristics, smoking, past history, reproductive and sexual histories. The clinical pathological data were collected from medical records including symptoms, Pap smear results, grade of lesions, and human papillomavirus (HPV) status.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Postmenopausal women had a 2.09 times higher risk for VAIN than pre-menopausal women (95%CI: 1.10 - 3.85; P = 0.024). The patients with previous hysterectomy had an increased risk of VAIN (OR = 4.69; P = 0.003). Patients with a history of cervical cancer or CIN were predisposed to VAIN (OR = 78.75; P < 0.0001). The rate of HPV infection in VAIN was significantly higher than in controls, and an increased risk of VAIN was observed in patients with higher viral load (OR = 126.00; P = 0.000). Multivariate analysis showed that HPV infection and a history of CIN or cervical cancer were still found to be significant in patients.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>HPV infection and a history of CIN or cervical cancer are the main risk factors for the development of VAIN.</p>

Profiling of microRNA-mRNA reveals roles of microRNAs in cervical cancer / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Cervical cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in women. This study was designed to explore the expression profiles of microRNAs (miRNAs) and mRNAs and the gene regulation network in cervical tumorigenesis and to find candidate molecular markers and key tumorigenic genes in cervical cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>miRNAs and mRNAs expression microarrays were used to detect the expression of miRNAs and mRNAs in normal and cancer cervical tissues. TargetScan 5.0 database (UK) was used to predict the target genes of the miRNAs, analyze their intersection with differentially expressed mRNAs and negatively correlate the intersection with miRNAs. Bioinformatic approaches were used to analyze functions and pathways of the target genes and establish miRNA-gene network.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Twenty-nine miRNAs and 2036 mRNAs were differentially expressed in normal and cervical tumor tissues. Among them, 13 miRNAs and 754 mRNAs were up-regulated in cervical tumor tissues and 16 miRNAs and 1282 RNA were down-regulated. The 327 target genes negatively related to miRNAs in the intersection were involved in functions and signal pathways. Down-regulated miRNAs targeted genes and up-regulated miRNAs targeted genes were involved in 415 and 163 functions, respectively, and in 37 and 17 significant pathways, respectively (P < 0.05, false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05). We constructed the miRNAs-gene network and found that hsa-miR-15a, hsa-miR-106b and hsa-miR-20b were key nodes in the network.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The differentially expressed miRNAs and mRNAs in cervical cancer and related miRNA-gene network have been identified. They play important roles in cervical tumorigenesis and are involved in many important biological functions and signal transduction pathways. These findings lay a foundation for research on the molecular mechanism of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of cervical cancer.</p>

Imaging findings of craniopharyngioma in relation to its surgical management: a retrospective analysis / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the CT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of craniopharygioma and explore the correlation between the pathological findings and clinical features of the disease.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The CT and MRI findings of 123 pathologically confirmed craniopharygioma cases were reviewed retrospectively in conjunction with the pathological findings and surgical data.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>This patient cohort consisted of 70 male and 53 female patients with their age ranging from 1 to 72 years (mean 23.82 years). Of the 123 craniopharyngioma patients, 59 were found to have adamantinous craniopharyngiomas, 41 had papillary squamous craniopharyngiomas, and 23 had mixed tumors. Solid tumor was found in 18 cases, cystic tumor in 38 cases, and calcification in 78 cases; in 23 cases, the posterior of the tumor did not exhibit clear boundary from the wall of the three cerebral ventricles, and in 11 cases CT and MRI displayed hypophysial stalk, which was found intraoperatively in 53 cases.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>MRI allows clear vision of the range of craniopharyngioma involvement and the anatomical structures surrounding the tumor. CT, on the other hand, shows better performance in displaying the calcification foci. Accurate identification of the site, dimension, calcification patterns and relation between the hypophysial stalk and hypothalamus by the imaging modalities significantly benefits the optimization of the surgical plan for the tumor.</p>

High-field MRI and pathological diagnosis of supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumors / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumors (sPNET) and improve the diagnosis of this disease.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>MRI manifestations of 14 cases of PNET were retrospectively analyzed and compared with their pathological features.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The supratentorial lesions involved the occipital lobe in 4, frontal lobe in 3, fronto-occipital lobe in 2, temporo-occipital lobe in 3, lateral ventricle in 1 case and the saddle region in 1. All the lesions were large in volume and most of them presented heterogeneous signals in MRI. Of the 14 cases, 12 showed cystic degeneration and necrosis, 2 had hemorrhage and 6 showed signs of emptied small blood vessels. Twelve cases had heterogeneous enhancement and 2 had moderate enhancement. Pathologically, 10 cases of neuroblastomas were identified, along with 3 ganglioneuroblastomas and 1 atypical rhabdoid tumor.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>MRI findings of PNET are rather characteristic to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease, but a final definite diagnosis still relies on pathological examination.</p>

A novel mutation causes congenital factor V deficiency / 中华血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the gene defect in a hereditary coagulation factor V (FV) deficiency family.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The plasma FV actigen was measured by one-stage clotting assay. The FV antigen was assayed by Biotin-Avidin enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (BA-ELISA). The full length of exon 1 to exon 25 and the 5' untranslated sequence of FV genomic DNA were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct sequencing of the amplified fragments, meanwhile the defect was identified by T/A cloning sequencing.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The plasma coagulant activity and amount of FV of the proband were marked deficient (1% and 1.54%, respectively). DNA sequence analysis for the proband revealed a causative mutation in a heterozygous status. It was one base pair deletion in exon 4 at nucleotide 675 inherited from her mother.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>A novel mutation in the FV gene was identified in the proband with congenital FV deficiency. The mutation was 675delA in exon 4 resulting in a frameshift and a premature termination codon.</p>

Isolation,Identification and Degradation Characteristics of a Slight Halophilic Denitrifying Bacteria / 微生物学通报

A slight halophilic denitrifying bacteria(designated GYL)was screened from the activated sludge which was used to treat high-salinity wastewater.According to the results of morphological observation,physiological and biochemical test,sequence analysis of the 16S rDNA,strain GYL was identified as Halo-monas sp..This strain could survive at 10% salinity and the optimal salinity range for growth was 2%~7%.The suitable pH value for growth was 7.5~8.5 and sucrose was the most effective carbon source.The nitro-gen removal efficiency exceeded 80% when the temperature ranged from 25?C to 30?C.Meanwhile hetero-trophic nitrification characteristics of this strain were measured.Results showed that this strain was able to realize SND and ammonia removal rate was 98.3%.It showed that this strain could perform the whole proc-ess of bacteria denitrification independently.