[Analysis of incidence and associated factors of preterm birth based on pre-pregnancy body mass index stratification].

Objective: To analyze the incidence of preterm birth based on pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) stratification and explore the associated factors of preterm birth among pregnant women at different BMI stratifications. Methods: From February 2018 to December 2020, pregnant women who participated in China Birth Cohort Study (CBCS) and gave birth at Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital were enrolled as the study subjects. Electronic Data Capture System and standard structured questionnaires were used to collect data related to pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, and delivery for pregnant women. Pregnant women were divided into the low-weight group, normal-weight group and overweight group based on their pre-pregnancy BMI. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze the associated factors of preterm birth among pregnant women with different BMI before pregnancy. Results: A total of 27 195 singleton pregnant women were included, with a preterm birth rate of 5.08% (1 381/27 195). The preterm birth rates in the low-weight group, normal-weight group and overweight group were 4.29% (138/3 219), 4.63% (852/18 390) and 7.00% (391/5 586) respectively (P<0.001). After adjusting for relevant factors, the Cox proportional hazards model showed that the risk of preterm birth in the overweight group was 1.457 times higher than that in the normal-weight group (95%CI: 1.292-1.643). Preeclampsia-eclampsia (HR=2.701, 95%CI: 1.318-5.537) was the associated factor for preterm birth in the low-weight group. Advanced maternal age (HR=1.232, 95%CI: 1.054-1.441), history of preterm birth (HR=4.647, 95%CI: 3.314-6.515), vaginal bleeding in early pregnancy (HR=1.613, 95%CI: 1.380-1.884), and preeclampsia-eclampsia (HR=3.553, 95%CI: 2.866-4.404) were associated factors for preterm birth in the normal-weight group. Advanced maternal age (HR=1.473, 95%CI: 1.193-1.818), history of preterm birth (HR=3.209, 95%CI: 1.960-5.253), vaginal bleeding in early pregnancy (HR=1.636, 95%CI: 1.301-2.058), preeclampsia-eclampsia (HR=2.873, 95%CI:2.265-3.643), and pre-gestational diabetes mellitus (HR=1.867, 95%CI: 1.283-2.717) were associated factors for preterm birth in the overweight group. Conclusion: Pre-pregnancy overweight is an associated factor for preterm birth, and there are significant differences in the associated factors of preterm birth among pregnant women with different BMI before pregnancy.

[Association between coagulation function indicators and placental abruption among preeclampsia-eclampsia pregnant women].

Objective: To explore the association between coagulation function indicators and placental abruption (PA) in different trimesters of pregnancy among preeclampsia-eclampsia pregnant women. Methods: From February 2018 to December 2020, pregnant women who participated in the China birth cohort study and were diagnosed with preeclampsia, eclampsia and chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia in Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital were enrolled in this study. The baseline and follow-up information were collected by questionnaire survey, and the coagulation function indicators in the first and third trimesters were obtained through medical records. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze the association between the coagulation function indicators and PA. A restrictive cubic spline curve was used to draw the dose-response curve between the relevant coagulation function indicators and PA. Results: A total of 1 340 participants were included in this study. The age was (32.50±4.24) and the incidence of PA was 4.4% (59/1 340). After adjusting for relevant factors, Cox proportional hazards model showed that compared with the high-level classification of fibrinogen (FIB), participants within the middle-(HR=3.28, 95%CI: 1.27-8.48) and low-level (HR=3.84, 95%CI: 1.40-10.53) classification during the first trimester and within the low-level classification (HR=4.18, 95%CI: 1.68-10.39) during the third trimester were more likely to experience PA. Compared with the middle-level classification of pro-thrombin time (PT), the risk of PA in the participants within the low-level classification (HR=2.67, 95%CI: 1.48-4.82) was significantly higher in the third trimester. The restrictive cubic spline analysis showed a linear negative association between FIB and PA in the first and third trimesters, while PT and PA showed an approximately L-shaped association. Conclusion: Among pregnant women diagnosed with preeclampsia-eclampsia, the middle-and low-level classification of FIB in the first and third trimesters and the low-level classification of PT in the third trimester could increase the risk of PA.

[Progress in researches on cardiovascular health behaviors and factors in perinatal women].

The cardiovascular health index (CVH) is a composite index consisting of 7 CVH metrics (CVHM) to evaluate the cardiovascular health status in the population. CVH has been proven to be closely related to a variety of health outcomes and widely used in the prevention of many diseases and the evaluation of intervention effectiveness. This review summarizes the recent distribution of CVH and CVHM in pregnant women and the relationship between CVH and CVHM with adverse health outcomes, which aims to explore the application of CVH and CVHM in preventing pregnancy-related diseases and improving the long-term health level of perinatal women and their offspring.

Clinical significance of fascin-1 and laminin-5 in non-small cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in men and the second leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide. Fascin-1 and laminin-5 were associated with the invasiveness and prognoses of several cancers. The expression and the serum levels of fascin-1 and laminin-5 in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were analyzed in this study. The expression of fascin-1 and laminin-5 were examined in 378 patients and their serum level was measured in 154 patients. The health of all patients was followed post-surgery. The expression of fascin-1 (P = 0.000) and lanminin-5 (P = 0.001) and the serum levels of fascin-1 (P = 0.015) and laminin-5 (P = 0.046) were related to the relapse of patients with NSCLC. Both serum levels and expression of fascin-1 and laminin-5 can be used to effectively evaluate the prognoses of patients with NSCLC.

High levels of phosphatase and tensin homolog expression predict favorable prognosis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The prognostic role of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been controversial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this study, levels of PTEN expression were investigated in NSCLC patients and their prognostic value in NSCLC was assessed. PTEN expression in tumor tissues from 68 NSCLC patients was analyzed using immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy. Survival analysis was performed using the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. RESULTS: NSCLC patients classified as expressers of high levels of PTEN (n = 46) had better prognoses than those classified as expressers of low levels (mean survival 17.1 versus 12.9 months, log-rank p = 0.038). In patients with adenocarcinoma (AC), high PTEN expression (n = 9) was associated with significantly longer survival than low PTEN expression (mean survival 23.50 versus 15.54 months, log-rank p = 0.043). High levels of PTEN expression resulted in 43% reduction in risk for all NSCLC patients (HR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.33-0.98, p = 0.041). PTEN expression and clinical stage remained significantly associated with survival after adjustment for age, sex and tumor type (HR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.32-0.99; p = 0.048; HR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.36-0.97; p = 0.045). No significant difference in continuous PTEN expression levels was observed among groups with different clinical or pathological characteristics (p > 0.17). When levels of PTEN expression were binarized using the optimal cutpoint, higher levels of PTEN expression were observed in patients with T1/T2 than in those with T3/T4 (80% and 58% respectively, p = 0.049) and in patients with AC than in those with squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) (78% and 58% respectively, p = 0.08). No significant difference in binarized PTEN expression levels was found among groups with any other clinical/pathologic characteristic (p > 0.28). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that high levels of PTEN expression may be favorable prognostic marker in NSCLC patients.

Effects of polymorphisms in the XRCC1, XRCC3, and XPG genes on clinical outcomes of platinum-based chemotherapy for treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) XRCC1 Arg194Trp, XRCC1 Arg280His, XRCC1 Arg399Gln, XRCC3 Thr241Met, XPG His104Asp, and XPG His46His in genes involved in the DNA-repair pathway on the outcomes of platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The study period was from January 2005 to January 2006, and 378 NSCLC patients were enrolled within 1 month after being diagnosed with NSCLC. Genomic DNA was extracted using the Qiagen Blood Kit. Polymerase chain reaction combined with a restriction fragment length polymorphism assay was used for genotyping. Individuals with the XRCC1 399A/A genotype had a higher probability of responding well to platinum-based chemotherapy, indicated by an odds ratio (OR) of 2.27 [95% confidence interval (CI)=1.64-6.97]. Similarly, the XPG T/T genotype was significantly associated with improved responses to chemotherapy, indicated by an OR of 1.90 (95%CI=1.10-3.28). The XRCC1 399A/A genotype was significantly associated with longer disease-free survival and overall survival, indicated by hazard ratios (HRs) of 0.48 (95%CI=0.25-0.88) and 0.51 (95%CI=0.26- 0.98), respectively. Moreover, the XPG 46T/T genotype increased the likelihood of longer disease-free survival and overall survival of NSCLC patients treated with platinum-based chemotherapy (HR=0.47; 95%CI=0.22-0.82 and HR=0.52; 95%CI=0.31- 0.96, respectively). These results indicate that XRCC1 Arg399Gln and XPG His46His might significantly affect the clinical outcomes of platinum-based chemotherapy, highlighting the need for larger studies to confirm the role of these two SNPs in outcomes of NSCLC treatments.

Tumor cell characterization and classification based on cellular specific membrane capacitance and cytoplasm conductivity.

This paper reports a microfluidic system that enables the characterization of tumor cell electrical properties where cells were aspirated through a constriction channel (cross-section area smaller than that of biological cells) with cellular impedance profiles measured and translated to specific membrane capacitance (Cspecific membrane) and cytoplasm conductivity (σcytoplasm). Two batches of H1299 cells were quantified by the microfluidic platform with different constriction channel cross-section areas, recording no differences with statistical significance (p<0.001) in both Cspecific membrane (1.63±0.52 vs. 1.65±0.43 µF/cm(2)) and σcytoplasm (0.90±0.19 vs. 0.92±0.15S/m), and thus confirming the reliability of the microfluidic platform. For paired high- and low-metastatic carcinoma strains 95D (ncell=537) and 95C cells (ncell=486), significant differences in both Cspecific membrane (2.00±0.43 vs. 1.62±0.39 µF/cm(2)) and σcytoplasm (0.88±0.46 vs. 1.25±0.35S/m) were observed. Statistically significant difference only in Cspecific membrane (2.00±0.43 vs. 1.58±0.30 µF/cm(2)) was observed for 95D cells (ncell=537) and 95D CCNY-KD cells with single oncogene CCNY down regulation (ncell=479, CCNY is a membrane-associated protein). In addition, statistically significant difference only in σcytoplasm (0.73±0.17 vs. 1.01±0.17S/m) was observed for A549 cells (ncell=487) and A549 CypA-KD cells with single oncogene CypA down regulation (ncell=597, CypA is a cytosolic protein). These results validated the developed microfluidic platform for Cspecific membrane and σcytoplasm quantification and confirmed the feasibility of using Cspecific membrane and σcytoplasm for tumor cell classification.