A case of Diphyllobothrium latum infection in Dalian and a brief review of diphyllobothriasis in China.

Diphyllobothrium latum infection in human is not common in China and only 15 cases have been reported since 1927. We document a case of Diphyllobothrium latum infection caused by the ingestion of raw fish in a 23-year-old woman in Dalian (Liaoning Province), and diphyllobothriasis latum in China is briefly reviewed. The patient experienced abdominal discomfort for about 6 months with a history of discharging proglottids in the feces. The morphologic characteristic of the gravid proglottids and eggs were identified as that of Diphyllobothrium latum. The patient was treated with pumpkin seed powder (100g) and betel nut(100g) on an empty stomach. The majority of reported human cases occurred due to the ingestion of raw or uncooked fish, such as pikes, burbots, trouts, perch and salmons. The patient is the first case reported in Dalian (Lianning Province).

Formation and structural anomaly of the metastable phases in an immiscible Ag-Mo system studied by ion beam mixing and molecular dynamics simulation.

For the equilibrium immiscible Ag-Mo system characterized by a large positive heat of formation, the nanosized Ag-Mo multilayered samples are designed and prepared to include sufficient interfacial free energy to elevate their initial energetic states to be higher than that of either the amorphous phase or solid solution and then subject to 200 keV xenon ion irradiation. The results show that a uniform amorphous alloy can be obtained within a composition range, at least, from 25 to 88 atom % of Mo. Interestingly, in the intermediate stage of ion irradiation, a bcc phase, an amorphous phase, and an order (bcc)-disorder coexisting state appear simultaneously in the Ag12Mo88 multilayered sample and extend over the entire bright field image with unanimously homogeneous composition. In thermodynamic modeling, a Gibbs free energy diagram of the Ag-Mo system is constructed, based on Miedema's model, and suggests that within a narrow composition regime of 85-90 atom % of Mo, the energy difference between the bcc and the amorphous phases is extremely small, which is probably the very reason for the order-disorder coexisting state to appear. In atomistic modeling, an ab initio derived Ag-Mo potential is applied to perform molecular dynamics simulations. The simulations not only determine an intrinsic glass-forming ability/range (GFA/GFR) of the Ag-Mo system to be from 10 to 88 atom % of Mo but also reveal the possibility of the formation/appearance of a crystalline and amorphous mixture in a narrow composition regime of 88-92 atom % of Mo. Apparently, the theoretical results are in excellent agreement and/or compatible with the experimental observations in ion beam mixing.

Atomistic modeling of crystal-to-amorphous transition and associated kinetics in the Ni-Nb system by molecular dynamics simulations.

With the aid of ab initio calculations, an n-body potential of the Ni-Nb system is constructed under the Finnis-Sinclair formalism and the constructed potential is capable of not only reproducing some static physical properties but also revealing the atomistic mechanism of crystal-to-amorphous transition and associated kinetics. With application of the constructed potential, molecular dynamics simulations using the solid solution models reveal that the physical origin of crystal-to-amorphous transition is the crystalline lattice collapsing while the solute atoms are exceeding the critical solid solubilities, which are determined to be 19 atom % Ni and 13 atom % Nb for the Nb- and Ni-based solid solutions, respectively. It follows that an intrinsic glass-forming ability of the Ni-Nb system is within 19-87 atom % Ni, which matches well with that observed in ion beam mixing/solid-state reaction experiments. Simulations using the Nb/Ni/Nb (Ni/Nb/Ni) sandwich models indicate that the amorphous layer at the interfaces grows in a layer-by-layer mode and that, upon dissolving solute atoms, the Ni lattice approaches and exceeds its critical solid solubility faster than the Nb lattice, revealing an asymmetric behavior in growth kinetics. Moreover, an energy diagram is obtained by computing the energetic sequence of the Ni(x)Nb(100)(-)(x) alloy in fcc, bcc, and amorphous structures, respectively, over the entire composition range, and the diagram could serve as a guide for predicting the metastable alloy formation in the Ni-Nb system.

[Studies on detecting Brugia malayi larva in mosquitoes by polymerase chain reaction].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a specific, sensitive and simple assay for the detection of Brugia malayi larva in Anopheles sinensis. METHODS: Using a new DNA purification technique (Microcon 100) and two pairs of oligonucleotide primers (p1, p2 and p3, p4) suitable for detecting B. malayi in seven areas in our country, the mosquito vectors infected by B. malayi were detected by polymerase chain reaction(PCR). RESULTS: This PCR method could amplify separately a 322-basepair(bp) and a 155 bp DNA fragment and detect as few as 1/64 of one L1 in 1 mosquito, the detectable limit was nearly 4 pg DNA of filarial larvae, and it could also detect 1 infected mosquito with one L3 of B. malayi in pools of up to 200 mosquitoes. In contrast, no such specific 322 bp or 155 bp DNA band was detected in Dilofilaria immitis and normal mosquito. CONCLUSION: This PCR technique established for supervision of mosquito vector in B. malayi endemic areas is specific, sensitive, and simple.

The etiology of lung cancer in nonsmoking females in Harbin, China.

A case-control study of female lung adenocarcinoma in Harbin, China involving interviews with 120 cases of nonsmoking females, matched 1:1 with controls, showed that high coal use, indoor air pollution, exposure to coal dust, frequent frying and deep frying food, and a history of lung cancer in the family were statistically significant risk factors for female adenocarcinoma. High personal income, spacious living quarters, and frequent consumption of carrots were protective factors for adenocarcinoma.

Childhood and adolescent passive smoking and the risk of female lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have reported the relationship between passive smoking (PS) in early life and the risk of lung cancer. This study was done to evaluate the risk of female lung cancer from PS, especially that during childhood and adolescence. METHODS: Using household exposure to tobacco smoke as an estimate of PS, a 1:1 paired case-control study was conducted in Harbin, China. We interviewed 114 female primary lung cancer cases, aged 30-69 years, and their hospital-based controls. The controls were non-cancer patients, selected from the same hospital as the cases, and matched on age (+/- 5 years), residential area and smoking status over their lifetime. There were 59 pairs who ever smoked and 55 pairs who never smoked. Information on PS was collected by residence for each of the following periods: 0-6, 7-14, 15-22, 23-30 and 31-69 years. RESULTS: Household PS significantly increases the risk of female lung cancer for those exposed at ages 22 or younger, who have ever smoked. The risk was also increased for those non-smoking pairs when exposed under the age of 15 years. Exposure to maternal smoking at ages 14 or younger increased the risk by about 170% (odds ratio, OR 2.7, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.49-4.88), but not to paternal smoking (OR 1.40, 95%CI: 0.92-2.50). The risk was highest for those exposed under the age of seven (OR 3.46, 95%CI: 1.80-6.65) and was also significant at ages 7-14 (OR 3.08, 95% CI: 1.62-5.57) and 15-22 (OR 3.10, 95%CI: 1.52-6.31) years. Under the age of 23 years, the OR increased with amount of PS (P < 0.001). Of note, the OR in all five exposure periods for non-smoking pairs were similar to those for all 114 pairs studied. CONCLUSIONS: Household PS, particularly that during childhood, increases the risk of female lung cancer. The assessment of PS should be done by different periods of exposure.

Occupation and lung cancer risk among women in northern China.

Lifetime occupational histories were obtained in a case-control study of 965 female lung cancer patients and 959 controls selected from the general population in Shenyang and Harbin, People's Republic of China, where most women have worked outside the home. After adjusting for smoking, we found a significantly increased risk of lung cancer associated with employment involving the manufacture of transportation equipment (OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.0, 2.6), in particular the manufacturing of automobiles (OR = 3.0, 95% CI = 1.4, 6.4). Metal smelting and treatment workers were at an increased risk of lung cancer (OR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.0, 2.1); the highest risks were observed among metal surfacers (OR = 3.1, 95% CI = 1.1, 9.0) and currently employed foundry workers (OR = 13.0, 95% CI = 1.7, 99.4). On the other hand, about a 50% decreased risk of lung cancer was observed among those employed in textile industries or as leaders of state and party organizations. Based on self-reports, exposures to coal dust and smoke from burning fuel at the workplace were also significant risk factors. The findings were similar when the analyses were confined to nonsmokers and were comparable across the major cell types of lung cancer.

Lung cancer among women in north-east China.

A case-control study of lung cancer involving interviews with 965 female patients and 959 controls in Shenyang and Harbin, two industrial cities which have among the highest rates of lung cancer in China, revealed that cigarette smoking is the main causal factor and accounted for about 35% of the tumours among women. Although the amount smoked was low (the cases averaged eight cigarettes per day), the percentage of smokers among women over age 50 in these cities was nearly double the national average. Air pollution from coal burning stoves was implicated, as risks of lung cancer increased in proportion to years of exposure to 'Kang' and other heating devices indigenous to the region. In addition, the number of meals cooked by deep frying and the frequency of smokiness during cooking were associated with risk of lung cancer. More cases than controls reported workplace exposures to coal dust and to smoke from burning fuel. Elevated risks were observed for smelter workers and decreased risks for textile workers. Prior chronic bronchitis/emphysema, pneumonia, and recent tuberculosis contributed significantly to lung cancer risk, as did a history of tuberculosis and lung cancer in family members. Higher intake of carotene-rich vegetables was not protective against lung cancer in this population. The findings were qualitatively similar across the major cell types of lung cancer, except that the associations with smoking and previous lung diseases were stronger for squamous/oat cell cancers than for adenocarcinoma of the lung.

Folic acid and chromosome breakage. IV. Variance estimates from longitudinal studies of normal individuals and their implications for sample size and power to detect differences between populations.

The frequency of chromosome aberrations was studied in minimal essential medium (MEM) with and without folic acid (FA) in lymphocytes of 4 normal individuals, each sampled 12 times over a 1-year period. The cells cultured without FA had significantly more breaks and gaps. In both media about 75% of aberrations were classified as gaps. Calculations based on variance estimates suggest that the use of medium without FA could enhance the statistical power to distinguish differences in proportions of chromosome breakage between groups in the same study.

[A statistical analysis of the life expectancy of the residents of our country, 1973-75].

PIP: Statistical analysis of life expectancy is important in assessing population health and its characteristics and in studying human diseases and natural population changes. Life tables are constructed and statistical analysis is performed retrospectively on data accumulated over a 3-year (1973-1975) period. The data were supplied by the Office of Cancer Prevention and Treatment of the Ministry of Health, which originated from 24 provinces, representing an accumulated population of 2.04 billion, with a total mortality of 15.29 million. Results show that life expectancy in China has greatly improved since Liberation. Thus, in 1935, the average life expectancy for Nanjing residents was under 35 years. In 1951, the average life expectancy for male and female residents of Shanghai were 42.74 and 46.76 years respectively. But for the 1973-1975 period, the average Chinese life expectancy was 63.62 years for males and 66.31 years for females, with higher life expectancy for coastal provinces than for inland provinces. Cardiovascular diseases (excluding arteriosclerotic heart diseases), malignant tumors, and cerebrovascular diseases were the major causes of death in regions with higher life expectancy, while respiratory diseases, infectious diseases, and diseases of the newborn were the major causes of death in regions with lower life expectancy.^ieng