[Single hydrogen-methane breath test for the diagnosis of small intestinal bacterial growth].

Objective: To investigate the diagnostic value of a single hydrogen-methane breath test (SHMBT) for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Method: The current investigation was a cross-sectional study. Questionnaires and SHMBTs were administered to 162 patients with gastrointestinal symptoms (case group) and 69 healthy volunteers (control group). Differences in SHMBT results between the two groups were assessed,and cut-off values of CH4 (methane) and H2 (hydrogen) were analyzed via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Lastly,archived SHMBT data from 2 655 patients with gastrointestinal symptoms (validation set) were used to evaluate the diagnostic value of the SHMBT with respect to SIBO. The Chi-square test,the Mann-Whitney U test,Spearman's Rank correlation analysis,and the Z test were used for statistical analysis. Results: Based on the international recommended diagnostic criteria for SIBO,which are fasting CH4 ≥10 ppm (parts per million) or H2 ≥20 ppm,the SHMBT-positive rate in the case group was significantly higher than that of control group (35.2% vs. 21.7%, χ2=4.08, P=0.043). Levels of CH4 and H2 were higher in the case group than in the control group [CH4: 3(2,7) vs. 3(1,3) ppm, H2: 11(4,22) vs. 10(5,15) ppm],and the difference in CH4 levels was statistically significant (Z=6.22,P=0.001). ROC curves were generated based on whether the subjects had gastrointestinal symptoms. The areas under the ROC curves were 0.633 for CH4 alone,0.531 for H2 alone, and 0.620 for CH4 combined with H2. The cut-off values were fasting CH4≥4 ppm,fasting H2≥13 ppm,and fasting CH4 ≥5 ppm (or CH4≥4 ppm and H2≥24 ppm),respectively. Measuring CH4 alone and CH4 combined with H2 was effective for determining the presence of gastrointestinal symptoms (P<0.05). When CH4 alone or CH4 combined with H2 were used as diagnostic indicators of SIBO, the respective SHMBT-positive rates in the validation set were 34.2% and 30.4%. These rates did not significantly differ from the SIBO-positive rate of 32.0% obtained via the international recommended diagnostic criteria (P>0.05). The specificity of CH4 alone was 79.9%,and the accuracy of CH4 alone was 68.8%. The specificity of CH4 combined with H2 was 85.0%,and the accuracy of CH4 combined with H2 was 71.7%. Conclusion: Rapid one-time determination of CH4 and H2 in exhaled breath may a viable diagnostic method for SIBO, and using CH4 combined with H2 (i.e.,fasting CH4≥5 ppm, or CH4 ≥4 ppm and H2 ≥24 ppm) as cutoff values may be feasible.

Values of long noncoding RNA SAMMSON in the clinicopathologic features and the prognostic implications of human gastric cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the clinical significance of lncRNA-survival associated mitochondrial melanoma-specific oncogenic non-coding RNA (lncRNA-SAMMSON) in the development and clinicopathological parameters of gastric cancer (GC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Tissue specimens were collected from GC patients who received treatment in our hospital. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) was used to determine lncRNA-SAMMSON expression. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) was transfected to suppress the expression of lncRNA-SAMMSON in vitro. Pearson's χ2-test  was used to investigate the interaction of lncRNA-SAMMSON with clinicopathological parameters of GC patients. Kaplan-Meier method and Log rank analysis were used to analyze the progression-free survival time and overall time of GC patients. Furthermore, transwell assay and wound healing assay were conducted to determine the invasion and migration abilities of GC cells, respectively. RESULTS: QRT-PCR results showed that lncRNA-SAMMSON was abnormally overexpressed in GC tissues and cells (p<0.05). Pearson's χ2-test illustrated that clinical stage, distant metastasis and lymph node metastasis were closely related to lncRNA-SAMMSON expression in GC patients (p<0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis represented that GC patients with high lncRNA-SAMMSON expression had significantly shorter progression-free survival time and overall survival time (p<0.05). Transwell assay and wound healing assay proved that inhibition of lncRNA-SAMMSON in GC cells dramatically reduced the invasion and migration abilities of GC cells, respectively (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: LncRNA-SAMMSON played an important role in the development of GC, which might be regarded as a new target for the diagnosis and treatment of GC.

[A survey on the current status and related factors of influenza vaccination among health care workers in tertiary hospitals of Xining city during the influenza epidemic season from 2017 to 2018].

Objective: To evaluate the current status and related factors of influenza vaccination among health care workers (HCWs) in tertiary hospitals of Xining city after the implementation of the free influenza vaccination policy. Methods: In August 2018, the cluster sampling method was used to select four medical institutions in Xining that had previously conducted investigations and interventions. All HCWs(excluding logistic staff) in each medical institution were included in the study. A total of 3 260 valid respondents were included. Questionnaires were used to collect the demographic characteristics, influenza and influenza vaccination awareness, implementation of free policy in the influenza epidemic season from 2017 to 2018, influenza vaccination status, awareness of influenza vaccination schedule and free policy. The multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze related factors of influenza vaccination. Results: The age of respondents was (31.41±5.00) years. The influenza vaccination rate was 6.80% (226/3 260) in 2017-2018 influenza epidemic season. After controlling for related factors, the awareness of the influenza vaccination schedule (OR=17.05, 95%CI: 5.86-49.59), vaccination frequency (OR=8.22, 95%CI: 2.98-22.61) and the free policy (OR=3.15, 95%CI: 1.49-6.67) had higher vaccination rate. Conclusion: The influenza vaccination rate of HCWs in tertiary hospitals of Xining city was low. Increasing the awareness of the vaccination schedule, frequency and free policy may promote the influenza vaccination rate of HCWs.

[Analysis of project results of preventive medicine from the National Natural Science Foundation of China in 2017].

We analyzed the project results of preventive medicine from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) finished in 2017 based on the project-ending reports and data on science fund sharing service network. A total of 406 projects in this field were completed in 2017. A total of 3 122 published articles supported by these projects, including 1 789 articles in science citation index (SCI) journals and 525 articles in Chinese core journals. In addition, there were 224 patent application/software copyright and 589 trained postgraduates. The top three sub-disciplines of project were non-communicable disease epidemiology, human nutrition and hygienic toxicology, accounting for 45.32% of the total number of completed projects. There were 12 institutions which had more than 10 finished projects, accounting for 41.87%. During the recent 5 years, the number of SCI articles and patents/software copyrights per project showed a general uptrend. It should be noted that the number of articles in Chinese core journals and postgraduates decreased in recent two years. Our analyses demonstrated that the project results should be guided by the new era policy of science fund to promote sustainable development of scientific research.

lncRNA-RMRP promotes proliferation, migration and invasion of bladder cancer via miR-206.

OBJECTIVE: The incidence of bladder cancer (BC) is common in the world, but its detail mechanisms for occurrence and development remain unclear. Recently, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been observed to play an important role in many different diseases. In this research, we mainly explored the role of the RNA component of mitochondrial RNA processing endoribonuclease (lncRNA-RMRP) in bladder cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used qRT-PCR to detect the expression of lncRNA-RMRP in bladder cancer patients and tumor cells, and the clinical significance was also analyzed. The methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay was used to detect the cell proliferation, and we used transwell to detect the migration and invasion, after the lncRNA RMRP was inhibited. Western-blot was used to measure the relative protein expression level in bladder cancer cells after transfection with siRNA-NC or siRNA-RMRP. RESULTS: We found that the lncRNA RMRP was highly expressed in bladder cancer tissue, compared with adjacent tissue. We also found that the expression of RMRP was closely related with the size, lymph node metastasis and survival time of patients. What's more, RMRP could promote the proliferation, migration and invasion of BC cell lines via regulating miR-206 as a sponge. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results, we found that lncRNA RMRP was closely related to the progression of bladder cancer, which could be a potential target for treating BC patients.

Osteoinductive effects of tantalum and titanium on bone mesenchymal stromal cells and bone formation in ovariectomized rats.

OBJECTIVE: Although Tantalum (Ta) exhibits better osteoinductivity in healthy subjects when compared with titanium (Ti), the relative effects in osteoporosis remain unknown. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, bone mesenchymal stromal cells of ovariectomized rats (OVX-rBMSCs) were seeded on Ta and Ti substrates for in vitro evaluation of cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, extracellular mineralization osteogenic gene and protein expression involved in bone morphogenetic protein (BMP2)/small mothers against decapentaplegic homologs 1 (Smad1) pathway. For in vivo assessment, Ta and Ti implants were embedded in femur defects of ovariectomized rats, followed by sequential fluorochrome labeling and histological staining. RESULTS: Compared to Ti, the Ta substrates demonstrated higher viable cell percentages (96.5 ± 0.26 vs. 88.17 ± 2.23%), lower ROS levels (65% vs. Ti), and enhanced ALP activity and extracellular matrix calcification. Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction and Western blot assays validated the better osteoinductive effect of Ta regarding small mothers against decapentaplegic homologs 1 (Smad1), runt-related transcription factor 2, bone morphogenetic protein (BMP2), and ALP expression at both the mRNA (1.5-2-fold) and protein (1.2-1.8-fold) levels. BMP2/Smad1 signaling over-expression or knockdown yielded significantly enhanced or deteriorated OVX-rBMSC osteogenesis on the two surfaces. In addition, the Ta group revealed more new bone formation (1.3-1.5-fold vs. Ti) and slightly better bone-implant contact (31.82 ± 4.07 vs. 25.2-3.84% at 8 weeks post-implantation, p = 0.052) without the contribution of specific surface structures. CONCLUSIONS: In comparison to Ti, Ta reveals better biocompatibility and osteoinductivity to OVX-rBMSCs, and the preferential Ta osteoinductivity may reflect its greater potential to trigger the BMP2/Smad1 cascade. Thus," in front of "Ta". Ta appears preferable to Ti as a bone-implant surface material under osteoporosis conditions.

A set of novel microsatellite markers developed for an economically important tree, Dracontomelon duperreanum, in China.

Dracontomelon duperreanum, the most representative species of the family Anacardiaceae, is an important multipurpose tree in China and Vietnam. However, no genetic diversity studies have been reported on this species. In this study, we identified 11 microsatellite markers for D. duperreanum by using the restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) method and examined their polymorphisms in 22 samples obtained from the South China Botanical Garden, South China. We could detect only two or three alleles for each microsatellite marker. The mean observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.41 and 0.39, respectively, which were lower than those reported for the species with similar life history forms. These relatively low genetic diversities in this common plant species are unexpected and might have resulted from its extensive cultivation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of microsatellite markers in the genus Dracontomelon. These microsatellite markers will be valuable for studying the genetic diversities and structures in D. duperreanum and other Dracontomelon species.

[Clinical analysis of different root treatment methods in acute Stanford type A aortic dissection].

Objective: To discuss the perioperative and follow-up results of different surgical methods for acute Stanford type A aortic dissection patients and analyzed the results. Methods: The clinic data of 351 acute Stanford type A aortic dissection patients received surgical therapy at Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Nanjing University Medical School Affiliated Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from January 2008 to December 2015 were analyzed retrospectively. There were 272 male and 79 female patients, aging from 22 to 83 years with a mean age of (52±13) years. According to root size, aortic valve structure and the status of dissection involvement, these patients were devided into three major groups: 218 cases with root reconstruction using Dacron felts, 34 cases with root reconstruction concomitant with aortic valve resuspension repair and 99 cases in with Bentall procedure. Proper shape based on the status of dissection involvement of Dacron patch was cut and put between the middle and outerlayer of aorta, then inside the inner layerone band Dacron felt was sutured with the aorta and the new middle layer with Dacron patch as mentioned above. In some cases the prolapsed aortic valve was re-suspended to the aortic cusp. Clinical outcomes among the 3 procedures were compared by χ(2) test, Fisher's exact test, t test and analysis of variance. Results: Cardiopulmonary bypass, cross-clamp, and circulatory arrest times of all the patients were (250±78), (171±70) and (31±10) minutes, respectively. The 30-day mortality was 9.2%(33/351), while no difference among the 3 procedures (9.6%, 8.8% and 9.1%). In the average follow-up time of (26.0±23.0) months (range from 0.5 to 90.0 months), survival rates were similar among the 3 procedures (77.7%, 77.4% and 77.8%). Only one patient received redo Bentall procedure because of severe aortic regurgitation and dilated aortic root (diameter of 50 mm). Conclusions: The indication of root management of acute Stanford type A aortic dissection is based on the diameter of aortic root, structure of aortic leaflets, and the dissection involvement. For most acute Stanford type A aortic dissection patients, aortic root reconstruction is a feasible and safe method.

The research on medical image classification algorithm based on PLSA-BOW model.

BACKGROUND: With the rapid development of modern medical imaging technology, medical image classification has become more important for medical diagnosis and treatment. OBJECTIVE: To solve the existence of polysemous words and synonyms problem, this study combines the word bag model with PLSA (Probabilistic Latent Semantic Analysis) and proposes the PLSA-BOW (Probabilistic Latent Semantic Analysis-Bag of Words) model. METHODS: In this paper we introduce the bag of words model in text field to image field, and build the model of visual bag of words model. RESULTS: The method enables the word bag model-based classification method to be further improved in accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: The experimental results show that the PLSA-BOW model for medical image classification can lead to a more accurate classification.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG supernatant upregulates serotonin transporter expression in intestinal epithelial cells and mice intestinal tissues.

BACKGROUND: The role that probiotics play in relieving irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been demonstrated; however, the mechanism by which IBS is affected remains unclear. In this study, serotonin transporter (SERT) mRNA and serotonin transporter protein (SERT-P) levels in HT-29, Caco-2 cells, and mice intestinal tissues were examined after treatment with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG supernatant (LGG-s). METHODS: HT-29 and Caco-2 cells were treated with different concentrations of LGG-s for 12 and 24 h and C57BL/6 mice received supplements of different concentrations for 4 weeks. SERT mRNA and SERT-P levels were detected by real-time PCR and Western blotting. KEY RESULTS: SERT mRNA and SERT-P levels in HT-29 and Caco-2 cells were higher than those in the control 24 h after treatment. Undiluted LGG-s upregulated SERT mRNA levels by 9.4-fold in the first week, which dropped in the second week. The double-diluted LGG-s upregulated SERT mRNA by 2.07-fold in the first week; levels dropped to 1.75-fold within the second week and under base expression levels by the third week, while they again climbed to 1.56-fold in the fourth week. The triple-diluted LGG-s could not upregulate SERT mRNA expression until the end of the fourth week. The SERT-P levels in the double-diluted LGG-s group were higher than that in the control but fluctuated with time. SERT-P levels in the triple-diluted LGG-s were higher than that in the control in the last 2 weeks and increased with time. CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES: LGG-s can upregulate SERT mRNA and SERT-P levels in intestinal epithelial cells and mice intestinal tissues.

Role of endothelin-1 in the skin fibrosis of systemic sclerosis.

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) acts as a key regulator of vasoconstriction and fibrosis. Many previous studies have focused on the role of ET-1 in scleroderma (systemic sclerosis, SSc). We investigated the effects of ET-1 on the production of extracellular matrix in SSc and normal skin fibroblasts. Primary cultured dermal fibroblasts from SSc patients and healthy controls were treated with ET-1 (25 ng/mL) for 0 min, 15 min, 1 h, 24 h, 48 h and 72 h, respectively. Our results showed that, in SSc fibroblasts, ET-1 upregulated collagen type I, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), type I plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) and pAkt in a time-dependent manner within 72 h; in normal fibroblasts, 25 ng/mL ET-1 stimulation correlated with high levels of CTGF, PAI-1 and pAkt. The secretion of fibronectin (FN), collagen type I, and PAI-1 is markedly increased in the supernatant of both SSc fibroblasts and normal fibroblasts. Furthermore, ET-1 phosphorylates Smad2 and Smad3 in normal fibroblasts, but not in SSc fibroblasts. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that ET-1 may induce fibrosis in dermal fibroblasts through Akt signals.

Acetal-linked branched poly(dimethyl-aminoethyl methacrylate) as an acid cleavable gene vector with reduced cytotoxicity.

An acid labile branched PDMAEMA/acetal copolymer with amino group was synthesized by the DE-ATRP and followed by Michael addition. The degradation of the polymer was strongly pH-dependent. High nucleic acid transfection efficiency with low cytotoxicity was observed compared to its non-degradable copolymer counterpart.

Associations of the IL-1 and TNF gene polymorphisms in the susceptibility to duodenal ulcer disease in Chinese Han population.

Our aim was to investigate whether genetic polymorphism of IL-1Beta-511, IL-1RN, TNF-A-308 are involved in the susceptibility to duodenal ulcer (DU). 437 unrelated Chinese Han patients with DU and 148 healthy controls were genotyped by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method for the IL-1B-511, TNF-A-308 gene polymorphisms and the VNTR polymorphism in intron 2 of the IL-1RN gene polymorphisms. There was no difference in the genetic polymorphism of IL-1Beta-511, IL-1RN and TNF-A-308 in the patients with DU compared with control. After stratified by Helicobacter pylori infection, they also could not reach significant differences in this study. No statistically significant differences were observed in DU group compared with control according to combination of the IL-1Beta-511 and IL-1RN genotypes regardless of H. pylori positivity. These findings show that no evidence for the involvement of a proinflammatory polymorphism in the IL-1Beta-511, IL-1RN and TNF-A-308 in the susceptibility to DU in China.

[Prevalence of mutants in the determinant region of hepatitis B surface antigen among Chinese carriers after receiving only active postexposure immunoprophylaxis].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) mutations in the alpha determinant region among children who developed chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection after receiving only active postexposure immunoprophylaxis. METHODS: HBsAg mutations were determined by PCR-directed nucleotide sequencing and sequence-specific solid-phase PCR analysis(SS-SPPCR) for 97 Chinese carrier cases after hepatitis B vaccination, for 88 children born aged women controls, and for 95 population based children controls. RESULTS: Prevalence of amino acid substitutions as detected by direct sequencing among carrier cases, women controls, and children controls were 30.9%, 10.2%, and 5.3%, respectively. The most frequent amino acid substitutions observed were at residues 145, 126, and 133. However, there was no difference in the prevalence of 145 and 126 amino acid mutants as detected by a sensitive SS-SPPCR method between carrier cases and controls. The prevalence of 145 Arg and 145 Ala mutants that were detected by SS-SPPCR was 39.2%, 33.0% and 32.6% among carrier cases, women controls, and children controls, respectively. The total odds ratio was 5.41 for mutants detected by direct sequencing. Odds ratio were 34.55 and 33.39 among adw2 subtype and genotype B subjects for mutants detected by direct sequencing, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that hepatitis B virus mutants in the determinant are fairly consistent observed but without immune selective pressures; HBV variant strains may pre-existent as minor quasispecies. The prevalence of mutants is related to HBV subtypes and genotypes.

[Long-term efficacy of vaccination against hepatitis B in newborns: 13 years' follow-up].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate long-term efficacy of hepatitis B vaccination in newborns. METHODS: In the past 13 years we followed up the children who had been immunized with hepatitis B vaccine at birth in 1986 every other year. At each follow-up visit, every child was tested for HBsAg, anti-HBs and anti-HBc. RESULTS: HBsAg positive rate of these birth cohort was low (range between 0.46% and 0.98%) during 13 years' follow-up. Long-term efficacy of the vaccination in preventing HBsAg carriage was confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: Thirteen years later no booster was after needed.