[Association of urinary cadmium levels with peripheral leukocyte classification counts among middle-aged and older adults aged 40-89 in selected areas of China].

Objective: To investigate the association of urinary cadmium levels with peripheral leukocyte classification counts among middle-aged and older adults aged 40 to 89 years in selected areas of China. Methods: The research was based on the survey of the impact of soil quality of agricultural land on human health in typical areas conducted in 2019-2020. A total of 5 600 middle-aged and older adults aged 40 to 89 years were included by using a multi-stage stratified random sampling method. Baseline characteristics of the subjects were collected and physical examinations were performed. Random midstream urine was collected to measure urinary cadmium and urinary creatinine and fasting venous blood was collected to measure the leukocyte count, neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, monocyte count and eosinophil count. The linear mixed effect model was used to analyse the association of urinary cadmium levels with leukocyte classification counts, and the dose-response relationship between them was analyzed by using the restricted cubic spline (RCS) function. Results: The age of the subjects was (63.17±12.02) years; 2 851 (50.91%) were males; and the M (Q1, Q3) of urinary creatinine-corrected urinary cadmium levels was 2.69 (1.52, 4.69) µg/g·creatinine. After adjusting for confounding factors, the results of linear mixed effects model analysis showed that for each 1-unit increase in urinary creatinine-corrected urinary cadmium level, the percentage change [% (95%CI)] of leukocyte count and lymphocyte count was -1.70% (-2.61%, -0.79%) and -1.57% (-2.86%, -0.26%), respectively. RCS function showed a negative linear relationship between urinary creatinine-corrected urinary cadmium levels and leukocyte counts and lymphocyte counts, respectively (all Pnon-linear>0.05). Conclusion: Urinary cadmium levels are negatively associated with leukocyte count and lymphocyte count among middle-aged and older adults aged 40 to 89 years in selected areas of China.

Sonographic appearance of cervical lymphadenopathy due to infectious mononucleosis in children and young adults.

AIM: To depict the grey-scale and Doppler features of cervical lymphadenopathy due to infectious mononucleosis (IM) and to compare the findings with other benign conditions and lymphoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and four patients <30 years old with 138 enlarged lymph nodes (LNs) were enrolled for sonographic analysis. These LNs were grouped as: IM LNs (59 LNs in 30 patients), lymphoma (30 LNs in 30 patients), bacterial lymphadenitis (24 LNs in 20 patients), tuberculosis (TB; 14 LNs in 13 patients), and reactive hyperplasia (11 LNs in 11 patients). Sonographic assessments included shape, echotexture, hilum, border, matting, cystic necrosis, calcification, and vascular pattern. For each sonographic feature, Fisher's exact test was performed to determine whether the difference between IM LNs and any another aetiology were statistically significant. RESULTS: IM LNs tended to be round in shape (69%), heterogeneous in echotexture (61%), absent of echogenic hilum (66%), indistinct margins (80%), bilateral distribution (91%), and matting (83%) [even bilateral matting (66%)], and central hilar vascularity (89.8%). On analysis, bilateral matting had the highest specificity to IM LNs; however, its sensitivity was relatively low. In contrast to IM LNs, TB LNs were more likely to have unilateral matting, cystic necrosis, and calcification. Indistinct margins and decreased echogenicity of the hilum were more frequently seen in IM LNs than in bacterial LNs. Furthermore, central hilar vascularity was a common feature of IM LNs and other benignity, which can distinguish these from lymphoma and TB LNs. CONCLUSION: Although an individual sonographic feature had considerable overlaps between IM LNs and other aetiologies, the combination of several features may be helpful in the diagnosis of IM.

[Effect of L-TYR on the uterine cytosol estradiol and progesterone receptors in rat].

The effect of L-TYR on rat uterine cytosol estradiol and progesterone receptor contents was studied. The rats were divided into 4 groups: proestrus, estrus, metestrus and diestrus. One horn of each uterus was injected with L-TYR (2 mmol/L, 0.1 ml), while the other with 0.1 ml 0.9% NaCl serving as control. The mole concentration of receptor was calculated with RRA and cytosol receptor content was expressed as fmol/mg protein. It was shown that L-TYR decreased significantly the uterine estradiol and progesterone receptors in proestrus, estrus and diestrus phases of the estrus cycle, but without effect on metestrus. This was most probably due to competitive combination of TYR with some functional groups of the estradiol receptor because of similar chemical conformation of TYR to estradiol. Threonine could also decrease, to some extent, the uterine cytosol progesterone receptor content at estrus and dioestrus phases. Serine had no effect on the contents of uterine cytosol either estradiol or progesterone receptor in normal and ovariectomized rats. The present observation indicates that L-TYR appears to affect the synthesis of the cytosol estradiol and progesterone receptor in the rat uterus independent, however, of endogenous ovarian sex hormones, since the effect is still present in the ovariectomized animals.

[Immunocytochemical localization of human chorionic gonadotropin and placental lactogen in gestational trophoblastic neoplasms].

Preliminary observation on immunocytochemical localization of anti-HCG and anti-HPL in 49 patients with gestational trophoblastic neoplasms was studied. The findings were; (1) staining patterns to the two antibodies were different in cytotrophoblasts (CT), intermediate trophoblasts (IT), and syncytiotrophoblasts (ST) of the different types of trophoblastic tumor, (2)STs in tumors of all patients except one, showed positive staining of anti-HCG, and ITs in 17 cases of HM, 10 cases of IM and 1 case of GC were stained positively for anti-HCG; (3)STs in all of the 29 cases of HM, 14 cases of IM and 1 case of GC were positive for anti-HPL, ITs in 22 cases of HM, 11 cases of IM and 2 cases of GC were stained positively for anti-HPL. CTs in all tumors of the 49 patients were devoid of HCG and HPL. The results indicated that the production of HPL was found in well-differentiated cells and HCG in undifferentiated cells. The prognostic value of immunocytochemical localization of the two antibodies in trophoblastic tumors needs to be further clarified.

[Flow cytometric analysis of trophoblastic tumors].

19 cases of malignant trophoblastic tumors were studied by flow cytometry in comparison with 9 cases of benign hydatidiform mole that had been followed up for 1.5 years with no history of malignancy. The results showed that there were significant differences in DNA index (DI), S phase of cells and the pattern of ploidies between the malignant trophoblastic tumor and benign hydatidiform mole. It is considered that flow cytometry is a useful parameter in reference to the diagnosis, chemotherapy and assessing prognosis of malignant trophoblastic tumor.

[Immunocytochemical localization of human chorionic gonadotropin and placental lactogen in normal placentae].

Preliminary observations on immunocytochemical localization of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and human placental lactogen (hPL) were made in 35 placentae of normal pregnancy at various stages of development. By analysing the processing regularities of the two hormones and comparing the characteristics of immunocytochemical localization and hematoxylin-eosin stain on various trophoblasts in the normal placentae, the findings showed: (1) presence of the three types of trophoblasts, namely, cytotrophoblast (CT), intermediate trophoblast (IT), and syncytiotrophoblast (ST) was confirmed in normal placentae of first-trimester pregnancy. (2) IT has distinctive immunocytochemical features that distinguishes itself from CT and ST. In the first-trimester, ST contains a large amount of hCG which sharply diminishes thereafter, but hPL in ST increases with the fetal age. IT contains hPL all through the pregnancy period and the peak-value occurs in the second trimester. CT is devoid of hCG and hPL. The results indicated: (1) IT is more like ST but different from CT. (2) IT contains chiefly hPL and hCG only locally in early pregnancy which demonstrates that the processing of hPL is in the more well differentiated cells whereas hCG is in the less differentiated cells.

[Free tyrosine and progesterone receptor contents in the rat uterine endometrial cytosol during oestrous cycle].

Free tyrosine in the rat uterine endometrial cytosol at different phases of the oestrous cycle was measured by HPLC. It was found that the content of tyrosine varied at different phases of the oestrous cycle in the normal rat, i.e. being lowest in proestrus and highest in metestrus, while the progesterone receptor content in the same cytosol sample determined by radio-receptor technique showed an opposite relationship. Experiments showed that the tyrosine content and progesterone receptor content displayed periodic but opposite changes at the two phases of the oestrous cycle. Furthermore, administration of tyrosine to the uterine lumen decreased significantly the contents of progesterone receptor in proestrus, oestrus and diestrus, but not in metestrus. It is suggested that tyrosine might exert a certain regulatory influence on the progesterone receptor content in rat uterine endometrium.