Muscle mass loss is associated with physical dysfunction in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Muscle mass loss is common in long-standing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim was to explore the prevalence and effects of RA disease characteristics in patients with early RA. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out based on a Chinese RA cohort and control subjects. The body composition (BC) was assessed using bioelectric impedance analysis. Myopenia was defined by an appendicular skeletal muscle mass index of ≤ 7.0 kg/m2 in men and ≤ 5.7 kg/m2 in women. Physical dysfunction was defined as a health assessment questionnaire disability index > 1. Propensity score matching was performed to balance age and gender differences among patients with early RA (disease duration ≤ 12 months) and established RA, and controls (with 1:3:3 matching). Results: In total, 2017 controls and 1,008 patients with RA were recruited for this study. Among the patients with RA, there were 190 (18.8%) patients with early RA, with a median disease duration of 7 (4, 11) months. The matched patients with early RA (n = 160) showed a higher prevalence of myopenia than the matched controls (41.3 vs. 15.8%, P < 0.0167), but no difference was found in the matched patients with established RA (41.3 vs. 50.4%, P > 0.0167). Compared with the patients with established RA, the patients with early RA exhibited higher disease activity scores [disease activity score in 28 joints with four variables including C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP): median 4.76 vs. 3.93, P < 0.001] and a higher prevalence of physical dysfunction (26.3 vs. 19.4%, P = 0.035). In the patients with early RA, patients with myopenia showed a higher prevalence of physical dysfunction than those without myopenia (41.3 vs. 15.5%, P < 0.001), among which walking and common daily activities were the most involved subdimensions. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that DAS28-CRP was positively associated with myopenia [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.558, 95% CI (1.138-2.132)], and myopenia [AOR 2.983, 95% CI (1.192-7.465)] was independently associated with physical dysfunction in the patients with early RA. Conclusion: Our data indicate the importance of early detection of muscle involvement in the early stage of RA and imply the significance of early aggressive control of disease activity for the prevention of myopenia and physical dysfunction in patients with early RA. Our study provides a new perspective on RA management.

Risk-factor model for postpartum hemorrhage after cesarean delivery: a retrospective study based on 3498 patients.

This study aimed to investigate the risk factors of patients with postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) after cesarean delivery (CD) and to develop a risk-factor model for PPH after CD. Patients were selected from seven affiliated medical institutions of Chongqing Medical University from January 1st, 2015, to January 1st, 2020. Continuous and categorical variables were obtained from the hospital's electronic medical record systems. Independent risk factors were identified by univariate analysis, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and logistic regression. Furthermore, logistic, extreme gradient boosting, random forest, classification and regression trees, as well as an artificial neural network, were used to build the risk-factor model. A total of 701 PPH cases after CD and 2797 cases of CD without PPH met the inclusion criteria. Univariate analysis screened 28 differential indices. Multi-variable analysis screened 10 risk factors, including placenta previa, gestational age, prothrombin time, thrombin time, fibrinogen, anemia before delivery, placenta accreta, uterine atony, placental abruption and pregnancy with uterine fibroids. Areas under the curve by random forest for the training and test sets were 0.957 and 0.893, respectively. The F1 scores in the random forest training and test sets were 0.708. In conclusion, the risk factors for PPH after CD were identified, and a relatively stable risk-factor model was built.

The effects of gestational diabetes mellitus with maternal age between 35 and 40 years on the metabolite profiles of plasma and urine.

BACKGROUND: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is defined as impaired glucose tolerance in pregnancy and without a history of diabetes mellitus. While there are limited metabolomic studies involving advanced maternal age in China, we aim to investigate the metabolomic profiling of plasma and urine in pregnancies complicated with GDM aged at 35-40 years at early and late gestation. METHODS: Twenty normal and 20 GDM pregnant participants (≥ 35 years old) were enlisted from the Complex Lipids in Mothers and Babies (CLIMB) study. Maternal plasma and urine collected at the first and third trimester were detected using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). RESULTS: One hundred sixty-five metabolites and 192 metabolites were found in plasma and urine respectively. Urine metabolomic profiles were incapable to distinguish GDM from controls, in comparison, there were 14 and 39 significantly different plasma metabolites between the two groups in first and third trimester respectively. Especially, by integrating seven metabolites including cysteine, malonic acid, alanine, 11,14-eicosadienoic acid, stearic acid, arachidic acid, and 2-methyloctadecanoic acid using multivariant receiver operating characteristic models, we were capable of discriminating GDM from normal pregnancies with an area under curve of 0.928 at first trimester. CONCLUSION: This study explores metabolomic profiles between GDM and normal pregnancies at the age of 35-40 years longitudinally. Several compounds have the potential to be biomarkers to predict GDM with advanced maternal age. Moreover, the discordant metabolome profiles between the two groups could be useful to understand the etiology of GDM with advanced maternal age.

Associations of early pregnancy BMI with adverse pregnancy outcomes and infant neurocognitive development.

The prevalence of overweight and obesity amongst reproductive women has been increasing worldwide. Our aim was to compare pregnancy outcomes and infant neurocognitive development by different BMI classifications and investigate whether early pregnancy BMI was associated with risks of adverse outcomes in a Southwest Chinese population. We analysed data from 1273 women enrolled in the Complex Lipids in Mothers and Babies (CLIMB) randomized controlled trial in Chongqing, China. Maternal BMI was classified as underweight, normal weight and overweight/obese according to the Chinese, WHO Asian, and WHO European standards. For the adverse pregnancy outcomes, after adjustment for potential confounders, an underweight BMI was associated with increased risk of small for gestational age (SGA) babies, and an overweight/obese BMI was associated with increased risk of maternal gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), caesarean section (C-section), macrosomia and large for gestational age (LGA) babies. For infant neurocognitive development, 1017 mothers and their children participated; no significant differences were seen in the Mental Development Index (MDI) or the Psychomotor Development Index (PDI) between the three BMI groups. Our findings demonstrate that abnormal early pregnancy BMI were associated with increased risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes in Chinese women, while early pregnancy BMI had no significant influence on the infant neurocognitive development at 12 months of age.

Neglected extra-articular manifestations in rheumatoid arthritis patients with normal body mass index: reduced skeletal muscle overlapping overfat.

BACKGROUND: Chronic inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can induce reduced muscle mass (myopenia) and ectopic fat deposition probably showing normal body mass index (BMI). We aimed to investigate their body composition (BC) characteristics and clinical significance. METHODS: BMI and BC were collected in consecutive RA patients and control subjects. Myopenia was defined by appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI) ⩽7.0 kg/m2 in men and ⩽5.7 kg/m2 in women. Overfat was defined by body fat percentage (BF%) as ⩾25% for men and ⩾35% for women. RESULTS: There were 620 RA patients (57.6% with normal BMI) and 2537 control subjects (62.5% with normal BMI) recruited. After 1:1 age and sex matching with control subjects, RA patients with normal BMI (n = 240) showed significantly higher prevalence of myopenia (43.3% versus 22.1%) and overfat (19.2% versus 7.1%) as well as myopenia overlapping overfat (17.1% versus 3.3%). In all RA patients with normal BMI (n = 357), there were 18.2% patients with myopenia overlapping overfat who had the worst radiographic scores and highest rates of previous glucocorticoid treatment and hypertension. Compared with those without, normal BMI RA patients with previous glucocorticoid treatment (24.4% versus 10.3%) or hypertension (27.8% versus 13.6%) had a higher rate of myopenia overlapping overfat. Previous glucocorticoid treatment [odds ratio (OR) = 2.844, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.441-5.614] and hypertension (OR = 2.452, 95% CI 1.283-4.685) were potential associated factors of myopenia overlapping overfat in RA patients with normal BMI. CONCLUSION: Myopenia overlapping overfat is an important extra-articular manifestation which should not be ignored in RA patients with normal BMI, especially with glucocorticoid treatment and hypertension.

[Investigation on the prevalence of dental caries and family oral health behaviors in young children aged 1 to 3 years in Chengdu city].

PURPOSE: To investigate the prevalence of dental caries in young children aging 1 to 3 years in Chengdu city and the relationship with family oral hygiene habits. METHODS: One thousand children aging 1 to 3 years in 5 kindergartens in Chengdu city were selected as the study subjects, and examined for oral hygiene. They were divided into case group and control group according to the presence of dental caries. Questionnaires were sent out to two groups of children to find out their oral hygiene habits, and the results were compared and analyzed with SPSS 20.0 software package. RESULTS: Three hundred and thirty-one children suffered from dental caries, and the incidence of dental caries was 33.10%. There was no significant differences in sex, low birth weight, gestational age, medical history, parents' highest educational background and main caregivers between the case group and the control group (P>0.05); there were significant differences in age distribution, feeding methods and annual family income between two groups (P<0.05). In addition to the frequency of flossing and brushing, there were significant differences in other family oral hygiene behaviors between two groups (regular dental examination, frequency of sweets eaten by children, frequency of sweets eaten before sleep and frequency of sweets eaten by parents) (P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that age, annual family income, sleeping with bottles, regular examination of children's teeth, frequency of children eating sweets and frequency of children eating before sleep were all influencial factors of caries in young children (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of dental caries in young children in Chengdu city is high, and there is significant correlation between dental caries in young children and family oral health behavior, which is one of the influencing factors for dental caries in young children.

Myopenia is associated with joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The link between body mass index (BMI) and disease characteristics in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains controversial. Body composition (BC) has been more frequently recommended to be used instead of BMI for more accurate assessment. Our study aimed to investigate the characteristics of BC in RA patients and their associations with disease characteristics. METHODS: Body composition was assessed in consecutive Chinese RA patients and control subjects by bioelectric impedance analysis. Overfat was defined by body fat percentage (BF%) as ≥25% for men and ≥35% for women. Myopenia was defined by appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI) ≤7.0 kg/m2 in men and ≤5.7 kg/m2 in women. BMI and clinical data including disease activity, function, and radiographic assessment were collected. Active disease was defined by disease activity score in 28 joints with four variables including C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP) ≥2.6. Functional limitation was defined as Stanford health assessment questionnaire disability index (HAQ-DI) >1. Radiographic joint damage (RJD) was defined as the Sharp/van der Heijde modified sharp score (mTSS) >10. RESULTS: There were 457 RA patients (mean age 49.5 ± 13.1 years old with 82.7% women) and 1860 control subjects (mean age 34.3 ± 9.9 years old with 51.2% women) recruited. Comparisons of BMI and BC between RA patients and control subjects in age and gender stratification showed that lower BMI with 17.7% underweight and lower ASMI with 45.1% myopenia are the main characteristics in RA patients. Compared with those without myopenia, RA patients with myopenia had significantly higher DAS28-CRP (median 3.5 vs. 3.0), higher HAQ-DI (median 0.38 vs. 0.13) with higher rate of functional limitation (24.8% vs. 7.6%), and higher mTSS (median 22.3 vs. 9.0) with more RJD (71.8% vs. 45.8%) (all P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed myopenia were positively associated with functional limitation (OR = 2.546, 95% CI: 1.043-6.217) and RJD (OR = 2.660, 95% CI: 1.443-4.904). All RA patients were divided into four BC subgroups according to overfat and myopenia. Those with both overfat and myopenia had the worst disease characteristics. After adjustment for confounding factors, significant additive interactions were observed between overfat and myopenia in active disease (AP = 0.528, 95% CI: 0.086-0.971), functional limitation (AP = 0.647, 95% CI: 0.356-0.937), and RJD (AP = 0.514, 95% CI: 0.139-0.890). CONCLUSIONS: Myopenia is very common in RA patients that is associated with functional limitation and joint damage in RA. Further research on the underlying mechanism and the effect of skeletal muscle mass improvement in RA management are worth exploring in the future.

Efficient degradation of Azo dyes by a newly isolated fungus Trichoderma tomentosum under non-sterile conditions.

A fast-growing fungus with remarkable ability to degrade several azo dyes under non-sterile conditions was isolated and identified. This fungus was identified as Trichoderma tomentosum. Textile effluent of ten-fold dilution could be decolorized by 94.9% within 72h before optimization. Acid Red 3R model wastewater with a concentration of 85.5mgL-1 could be decolorized by 99.2% within the same time after optimization. High-level of manganese peroxidase and low-level of lignin peroxidase activities were detected during the process of decolorization from the culture supernatant, indicating the possible involvement of two enzymes in azo dye decolorization. No aromatic amine products were detected from the degradation products of Acid Red 3R by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis, indicating the possible involvement of a special symmetrical oxidative degradation pathway. Phytotoxicity assay confirmed the lower toxicity toward the test plant seeds of the degradation products when compared to the original dye.

Four-junction superconducting circuit.

We develop a theory for the quantum circuit consisting of a superconducting loop interrupted by four Josephson junctions and pierced by a magnetic flux (either static or time-dependent). In addition to the similarity with the typical three-junction flux qubit in the double-well regime, we demonstrate the difference of the four-junction circuit from its three-junction analogue, including its advantages over the latter. Moreover, the four-junction circuit in the single-well regime is also investigated. Our theory provides a tool to explore the physical properties of this four-junction superconducting circuit.

LKB1/AMPK inhibits TGF-ß1 production and the TGF-ß signaling pathway in breast cancer cells.

Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) acts as a fuel gauge that maintains energy homeostasis in both normal and cancerous cells, and has emerged as a tumor suppressor. The present study aims to delineate the functional relationship between AMPK and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-ß). Our results showed that expression of liver kinase B1 (LKB1), an upstream kinase of AMPK, impeded TGF-ß-induced Smad phosphorylation and their transcriptional activity in breast cancer cells, whereas knockdown of LKB1 or AMPKα1 subunit by short hairpin RNA (shRNA) enhanced the effect of TGF-ß. Furthermore, AMPK activation reduced the promoter activity of TGF-ß1. In accordance, type 2 diabetic patients taking metformin displayed a trend of reduction of serum TGF-ß1, as compared with those without metformin. A significant reduction of serum TGF-ß1 was found in mice after treatment with metformin. These results suggest that AMPK inhibits the transcription of TGF-ß1, leading to reduction of its concentration in serum. Finally, metformin suppressed epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of mammary epithelial cells. Taken together, our study demonstrates that AMPK exerts multiple actions on TGF-ß signaling and supports that AMPK can serve as a therapeutic drug target for breast cancer.

Effects of aerobic exercise on cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy: a meta-analysis.

Increasing scientific evidences suggest that aerobic exercise may improve cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer patients, but many existing studies have yielded inconclusive results. This meta-analysis aimed to derive a more precise estimation of the effects of aerobic exercise on cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. The PubMed, CISCOM, CINAHL, Web of Science, Google Scholar, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, and CBM databases were searched from inception through July 1, 2013 without language restrictions. Crude standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95 % confidence interval (CI) was calculated. Twelve comparative studies were assessed with a total of 1,014 breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, including 522 patients in the aerobic exercise group (intervention group) and 492 patients in the usual care group (control group). The meta-analysis results revealed that the Revised Piper Fatigue Scale (RPFS) scores of breast cancer patients in the intervention group were significantly lower than those in the control group (SMD=-0.82, 95% CI=-1.04 ∼ -0.60, P<0.001). However, there was no significant difference in the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Treatment-Fatigue scale (FACIT-F) scores between the intervention and control groups (SMD=0.09, 95% CI=-0.07 ∼ 0.25, P=0.224). Subgroup analysis by ethnicity indicated that there were significant differences in RPFS and FACIT-F scores between the intervention and control groups among Asian populations (RPFS: SMD=-1.08, 95% CI=-1.35 ∼ -0.82, P<0.001; FACIT-F: SMD=1.20, 95 % CI=0.70 ∼1.71, P<0.001), but not among Caucasian populations (all P>0.05). The current meta-analysis indicates that aerobic exercise may improve cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, especially among Asian populations.

Validation of accumulation models for inorganic suspended solids of different particle size in an activated sludge system.

In this study the effect of different particle sizes of inorganic suspended solids (ISS) on the ISS accumulation in an activated sludge system was investigated. The volume mean particle diameters (Dv) of ISS were 26, 73, 106, 165, and 210 µm. There are four fates of ISS in an activated sludge system: (1) suspending in the activated sludge, (2) depositing at the bottom of the reactors, (3) discharged from the reactors via excess sludge, and lastly (4) discharged from the reactors via effluent. The accumulated ISS in the bioreactor was unevenly distributed. Based on the accumulation proportion of ISS in bioreactor, an ISS accumulation model was established, from which the ISS accumulation concentration and the MLVSS/MLSS could be predicted. The proportion of ISS suspending in activated sludge was 0.22, 0.21, 0.042 and 0.031. The proportion of ISS depositing at the bottom of bioreactors was 0.31, 0.47, 0.75, 0.76 and 0.92.

Spin-resolved bunching and noise characteristics in double quantum dots coupled to ferromagnetic electrodes.

We study spin-resolved noise in Coulomb blockaded double quantum dots coupled to ferromagnetic electrodes. The modulation of the interdot coupling and spin polarization in the electrodes gives rise to an intriguing dynamical spin ↑-↑ (↓-↓) blockade mechanism: bunching of up (down) spins due to dynamical blockade of an up (down) spin. In contrast to the conventional dynamical spin ↑-↓ bunching (bunching of up spins associated with a dynamical blockade of a down spin), this new bunching behavior is found to be intimately associated with the spin mutual-correlation, i.e. the noise fluctuation between opposite spin currents. We further demonstrate that the dynamical spin ↑-↑ and ↑-↓ bunching of tunneling events may be coexistent in the regime of weak interdot coupling and low spin polarization.

A novel method to fabricate thermoresponsive microstructures with improved cell attachment/detachment properties.

A novel, simple, and rapid method to fabricate thermoresponsive micropatterned substrate for cell adhesion, growth, and thermally induced detachment was developed. Thermoresponsive polymer, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm), was grafted onto the surface of polystyrene (PS) film with microstructure by plasma-induced graft polymerization technique. The thermoresponsive micropatterned films were characterized by attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance ((1) H NMR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). These results indicated that the grafting ratio of PNIPAAm increased with increasing roughness of PS film. However, the microstructures on the substrate were not affected by grafted PNIPAAm. The optimal grafting conditions, such as plasma treatment time, monomer concentration, graft polymerization time, and graft medium were investigated. The thermoresponsive micropatterned films were investigated with the fibroblast cell (L929) adhesion, proliferation, and thermally induced detachment assay. The microstructure on the thermoresponsive micropatterned substrate facilitated cell adhesion above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of PNIPAAm and cell detachment below the LCST. Moreover, it can be used to regulate cell organization and tissue growth.

[Impact of number of retrieved lymph nodes and lymph node ratio on the prognosis in patients with stage II and III colorectal cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the impact of number of retrieved lymph nodes and lymph node ratio(LNR) on the prognosis in patients with stage II and III colorectal cancer. METHODS: Clinicopathological data of 507 patients with stage II and III colorectal cancer were analyzed retrospectively. Follow-up was available in all the patients. RESULTS: The total number of retrieved lymph nodes was 5801, of which 1122 had metastasis. There was a positive correlation between metastatic lymph nodes and retrieved lymph nodes(r=0.171, P<0.01). In stage II colorectal cancer there was a significant difference in 5-year survival rate between patients with more than 12 lymph nodes retrieved and those with less than 12 lymph nodes retrieved(P<0.01). LNR also affected the 5-year survival rate of patients with stage II and III colorectal cancer(P<0.05). In patients with similar LNR, the 5-year survival rate differed significantly among different regions of lymph node metastasis(P<0.05). LNR influenced the prognosis independent of the number of lymph nodes retrieved. CONCLUSIONS: The number of retrieved lymph nodes is a prognostic factor for stage II and III colorectal cancer. More than 12 lymph nodes should be retrieved for better staging and prognosis. LNR is also a prognostic factor in stage II and III colorectal cancer. Regions of lymph nodes metastasis should be considered when evaluating the prognosis of patients using LNR.

[Risk factors for bronchial asthma in school children].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the roles of the residential environment and eating habits in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma in school children. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-nine children between 6-12 years who were diagnosed with asthma were enrolled. Two hundred and fifty-eight healthy age- and gender-matched children were used as the control group. A questionaire which included 23 factors related to respiratory tract anaphylactic diseases such as residential environment and eating habits were completed by the children's parents. RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis showed that 6 variances out of 16 agents of the residential environment, the experience of raising pets, the type of floor, the type of pillow, the type of quilts, the heating equipments and the house area, were entered into the regression equation; none of the 7 variances of eating inhabits was entered into it. CONCLUSIONS: The residential environment plays an impotent role in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma in children. The incidence of bronchial asthma in children can be reduced by the improvement of the residential environment.

The mesenchymal stem cells in multiple sclerosis (MSCIMS) trial protocol and baseline cohort characteristics: an open-label pre-test: post-test study with blinded outcome assessments.

BACKGROUND: No treatments are currently available that slow, stop, or reverse disease progression in established multiple sclerosis (MS). The Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Multiple Sclerosis (MSCIMS) trial tests the safety and feasibility of treatment with a candidate cell-based therapy, and will inform the wider challenge of designing early phase clinical trials to evaluate putative neuroprotective therapies in progressive MS. Illustrated by the MSCIMS trial protocol, we describe a novel methodology based on detailed assessment of the anterior visual pathway as a model of wider disease processes--the "sentinel lesion approach". METHODS/DESIGN: MSCIMS is a phase IIA study of autologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in secondary progressive MS. A pre-test : post-test design is used with healthy controls providing normative data for inter-session variability. Complementary eligibility criteria and outcomes are used to select participants with disease affecting the anterior visual pathway. RESULTS: Ten participants with MS and eight healthy controls were recruited between October 2008 and March 2009. Mesenchymal stem cells were successfully isolated, expanded and characterised in vitro for all participants in the treatment arm. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to determining the safety and feasibility of the intervention and informing design of future studies to address efficacy, MSCIMS adopts a novel strategy for testing neuroprotective agents in MS--the sentinel lesion approach--serving as proof of principle for its future wider applicability. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT00395200).

Full counting statistics of level renormalization in electron transport through double quantum dots.

We examine the full counting statistics of electron transport through double quantum dots coupled in series, with particular attention being paid to the unique features originating from level renormalization. It is clearly illustrated that the energy renormalization gives rise to a dynamic charge blockade mechanism, which eventually results in super-Poissonian noise. Coupling of the double dots to an external heat bath leads to dephasing and relaxation mechanisms, which are demonstrated to suppress the noise in a unique way.

Immobilization of galactose ligands on thermoresponsive culture surface and its influence on cell adhesion/detachment.

A novel bio-functionalized thermoresponsive surface was prepared by UV-induced copolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) and acrylic acid (AAc) and grafting onto tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) dishes, followed by immobilization of galactose ligands. The results indicated that the roughness of surfaces was increased after copolymerization with NIPAAm and immobilization of galactose ligands. The amount of monomers grafted on TCPS was increased with increasing photografting time. The temperature sensitivity of surface was improved with increasing amount of NIPAAm grafted on TCPS, and surface hydrophilicity was enhanced by the introduction of carboxyl groups and galactose ligands, which accelerated cell detachment. Adhesion, proliferation, detachment and transshipment of human hepatoma cell line (HepG2) on the modified surfaces were examined. The immobilization of galactose ligands facilitated the cell adhesion and proliferation. HepG2 cells growing on the modified surfaces could be recovered spontaneously by only reducing culture temperature. The activity of cells obtained by temperature induction was higher than that obtained by enzymatic digestion.

Molecular epidemiology investigation of beta-thalassemia in Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China.

Beta-THAlassemia (beta-thal) is one of the most common genetic diseases in southern China. In order to obtain detailed epidemiology data to be used for primary prevention programs, we have analyzed 2,055 independent subjects living in Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China (P.R. China), by using hematological biochemical screening and DNA technology. The results indicate a higher prevalence (3.07%) of beta-thal and coinheritance of alpha- and beta-thal (0.49%) than previously reported for Guandong Province. Ten beta-thal mutations were found in 63 independent chromosomes. The four most common mutations [codons 41/42 (-TCTT), IVS-II-654 (C>T), -28 (A>G), codon 17 (A>T)] accounted for 90.46% of the total. The uncommon mutations profile was different from that of other cities in Guangdong Province and the rare mutation IVS-II-2 (-T), once reported in Hong Kong, was also detected. This study will contribute to the development of prevention strategies in the region, allowing better genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis of beta-thal.