[Epidemiological investigation of iron deficiency among preschool children in 10 provinces, autonomous regions, or municipalities in China].

Objective: To understand the current status of anemia, iron deficiency, and iron-deficiency anemia among preschool children in China. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a multi-stage stratified sampling method to select 150 streets or townships from 10 Chinese provinces, autonomous regions, or municipalities (East: Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, and Hainan; Central: Henan; West: Chongqing, Shaanxi, Guizhou, and Xinjiang; Northeast: Liaoning). From May 2022 to April 2023, a total of 21 470 children, including community-based children aged 0.5 to<3.0 years receiving child health care and kindergarten-based children aged 3.0 to<7.0 years, were surveyed. They were divided into 3 age groups: infants (0.5 to<1.0 year), toddlers (1.0 to<3.0 years), and preschoolers (3.0 to<7.0 years). Basic information such as sex and date of birth of the children was collected, and peripheral blood samples were obtained for routine blood tests and serum ferritin measurement. The prevalence rates of anemia, iron deficiency, and iron-deficiency anemia were analyzed, and the prevalence rate differences were compared among different ages, sex, urban and rural areas, and regions using the chi-square test. Results: A total of 21 460 valid responses were collected, including 10 780 boys (50.2%). The number of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers were 2 645 (12.3%), 6 244 (29.1%), and 12 571 (58.6%), respectively. The hemoglobin level was (126.7±14.8) g/L, and the serum ferritin level was 32.3 (18.5, 50.1) µg/L. The overall rates of anemia, iron deficiency, and iron-deficiency anemia were 10.4% (2 230/21 460), 28.3% (6 070/21 460), and 3.9% (845/21 460), respectively. The prevalence rate of anemia was higher for boys than for girls (10.9% (1 173/10 780) vs. 9.9% (1 057/10 680), χ2=5.58, P=0.018), with statistically significant differences in the rates for infants, toddlers and preschoolers (18.0% (475/2 645), 10.6% (662/6 244), and 8.7% (1 093/12 571), respectively, χ2=201.81, P<0.01), and the rate was significantly higher for children in rural than that in urban area (11.8% (1 516/12 883) vs. 8.3% (714/8 577), χ2=65.54, P<0.01), with statistically significant differences in the rates by region (χ2=126.60, P<0.01), with the highest rate of 15.8% (343/2 173) for children in Central region, and the lowest rate of 5.3% (108/2 053) in Northeastern region. The prevalence rates of iron deficiency were 33.8% (895/2 645), 32.2% (2 011/6 244), and 25.2% (3 164/12 571) in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, respectively, and 30.0% (3 229/10 780) in boys vs. 26.6% (2 841/10 680) in girls, 21.7% (1 913/8 821), 40.0% (870/2 173), 27.1% (2 283/8 413), 48.9% (1 004/2 053) in Eastern, Central, Western, and Northeastern regions, respectively, and each between-group showed a significant statistical difference (χ2=147.71, 29.73, 773.02, all P<0.01). The prevalence rate of iron-deficiency anemia showed a significant statistical difference between urban and rural areas, 2.9% (251/8 577) vs. 4.6% (594/12 883) (χ2=38.62, P<0.01), while the difference in iron deficiency prevalence was not significant (χ2=0.51, P=0.476). Conclusions: There has been a notable improvement in iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia among preschool children in China, but the situation remains concerning. Particular attention should be paid to the prevention and control of iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia, especially among infants and children in the Central, Western, and Northeastern regions of China.

Tp47-Induced Monocyte-Derived Microvesicles Promote the Adherence of THP-1 Cells to Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells via an ERK1/2-NF-κB Signaling Cascade.

The Treponema pallidum membrane protein Tp47 induces immunocyte adherence to vascular cells and contributes to vascular inflammation. However, it is unclear whether microvesicles are functional inflammatory mediators between vascular cells and immunocytes. Microvesicles that were isolated from Tp47-treated THP-1 cells using differential centrifugation were subjected to adherence assays to determine the adhesion-promoting effect on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) levels in Tp47-induced microvesicle (Tp47-microvesicle)-treated HUVECs were measured, and the related intracellular signaling pathways of Tp47-microvesicle-induced monocyte adhesion were investigated. Tp47-microvesicles promoted THP-1 cell adhesion to HUVECs (P < 0.01) and upregulated ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression in HUVECs (P < 0.001). The adhesion of THP-1 cells to HUVECs was inhibited by anti-ICAM-1 and anti-VCAM-1 neutralizing antibodies. Tp47-microvesicle treatment of HUVECs activated the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and NF-κB signaling pathways, whereas ERK1/2 and NF-κB inhibition suppressed the expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 and significantly decreased the adhesion of THP-1 cells to HUVECs. IMPORTANCE Tp47-microvesicles promote the adhesion of THP-1 cells to HUVECs through the upregulation of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression, which is mediated by the activation of the ERK1/2 and NF-κB pathways. These findings provide insight into the pathophysiology of syphilitic vascular inflammation.

[Phonological processes in initial consonants of Putonghua in children in Jiangsu urban areas].

Objective: To explore the phonological processes in initial consonants of Putonghua-speaking children in Jiangsu urban areas. Methods: A status survey was applied. From December 2014 to September 2015, a stratified random sampling method was used to select 958 children aged 1 to 6 years with Putonghua as their mother tongue in the urban area of Nanjing, Changzhou, Yangzhou and Xuzhou to examine their phonological performance. Speech samples were collected by the method of picture naming. The children were divided into 9 age groups (1.5-<2.0, 2.0-<2.5, 2.5-<3.0, 2.5-<3.0, 3.0-<3.5, 3.5-<4.0, 4.0-<4.5, 5.0-<6.0, 6.0-<7.0 years). Descriptive analysis method was used to analyze the phonological processes in initial consonants at different age groups. Results: Among the 958 children, there were 482 boys and 476 girls. The age of the children was (3.8±1.4) years. The number of children in the 9 age groups (1.5-<2.0, 2.0-<2.5, 2.5-<3.0, 2.5-<3.0, 3.0-<3.5, 3.5-<4.0, 4.0-<4.5, 5.0-<6.0, 6.0-<7.0 years) is 100, 110, 110, 114, 114, 114, 111, 119, and 66, separately. The process of substitution was found in the speech of 701 children (73.2%), syllable structure simplification was found in 194 children (20.3%), distortion was found in 41 children (4.3%), and assimilation was found in 17 children (1.8%). Among these 4 types of processes, the occurrence of substitution was highest in all the age groups, ranging from 30.3% (20/66) to 94.5% (104/110). The occurrence of syllable structure simplification ranged from 27.3% (30/110) to 91.0% (91/100) in the age groups of 1.5-<3.0 years and 0.9% (1/114) to 7.9% (9/114) in the age groups of 3.0-<7.0 years. The occurrence of distortion ranged from 7.3% (8/110) to 19.1% (21/110) in the age groups of 1.5-<3.0 years and 0 (0/114) to 2.7% (3/111) in the age groups of 3.0-<7.0 years. The occurrence of assimilation was very low in all age groups, ranging from 0 (0/114) to 3.0% (3/100) among all age groups. For substitution, the occurrence order of mainly individual processes from high to low was listed as follows: retroflexion 35.4% (339/958), deretroflexion 31.6% (303/958), lateralization 27.9% (267/958), stopping 17.8% (171/958), backing 14.2% (136/958), palatalization 10.9% (104/958), fronting 10.6% (102/958), and nasalization 5.8% (56/958). From the 4.0-<4.5 years of age group onwards, the phonological processes in initial consonants all met suppression criteria (the occurrence of processes was reduced to<10%) except retroflexion, deretroflexion, and lateralization. Conclusions: The processes of syllable structure simplification and distortion mainly appears in the early stage of speech sound development, while substitution is the major form of phonological pattern in initial consonants found in developmental speech errors. By 4 years of age, phonological processes in initial consonants almost disappear. The remaining processes that persisted for a longer period of time are retroflexion, deretroflexion, and lateralization.

Autophagy promotes phagocytosis and clearance of Treponema pallidum via the NLRP3 inflammasome in macrophages.

BACKGROUND: Elucidating the mechanism of the macrophage phagocytic response will improve our knowledge of host defence against Treponema pallidum. OBJECTIVE: To explore whether autophagy promotes T. pallidum phagocytosis and clearance via the NLRP3 inflammasome in macrophages. METHODS: The interactions between autophagy and phagocytosis and the role of NLRP3 in these processes in T. pallidum-treated macrophages were investigated through experiments using human monocytic cell line (THP-1)-derived macrophages. Treponema pallidum clearance after phagocytosis was evaluated by inoculating rabbits with macrophage-treponeme mixtures. RESULTS: Activation of autophagy and phagocytosis in T. pallidum-treated macrophages occurred in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The percentage of spirochete-positive macrophages (22.34% vs. 70.93%, P < 0.001) and spirochete internalization (MFI: 9.62 vs. 20.33, P < 0.001) were notably reduced by silencing Beclin1. Inoculation of macrophage-treponeme mixtures into rabbits showed a 3.00-day delay in lesion development (17.55 ± 3.73 vs. 14.55 ± 1.99 days) and decreased lesion numbers [11 (36.7%) vs. 20 (66.7%) of 30; χ2  = 5.406, P = 0.020] in the control compared with the si-Beclin1 group. Furthermore, silencing NLRP3 decreased the mRNA and protein levels of Beclin-1 and LC3B [mRNA: 49.86% and 43.02%; protein: 22.31% and 24.24%, respectively, differing significantly from the control group (P < 0.001)] and reduced the percentage of spirochete-positive macrophages (30.29% vs. 70.53%, P < 0.001) and spirochete internalization (MFI: 9.82 vs. 19.33, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Treponema pallidum induces autophagy in macrophages to promote phagocytosis and clearance. The NLRP3 inflammasome modulates autophagy and phagocytosis in vitro. These data may be useful for understanding the host-pathogen relationship and establish the groundwork for strategies to combat syphilis.

[Survey on the stunting of children under seven years of age in nine cities of China].

Objective: To survey the children under 7 years of age in nine cities of China for a better understanding of the current situation of childhood stunting. Methods: According to a stratified cluster sampling design, a cross-sectional survey on children under 7 years of age was carried out in 9 cities (Beijing, Harbin and Xi'an in northern China; Shanghai, Nanjing and Wuhan in central China; and Guangzhou, Fuzhou and Kunming in southern China) from June to November in 2016. A total of 110 499 children were recruited. Height of children was evaluated using the growth standards for Chinese children (2009 edition) .Children with height less than the 3rd percentile of the growth standards were considered as stunting, and children with height between the 3rd and 10th percentiles of the growth standards were considered as relatively short stature. Chi-square test was used for comparison between data of boys and girls, urban and suburban, as well as among different ages and regions. Results: Totally 113 084 children under 7 years of age should be investigated and actually 110 499 children were investigated, with a rate of 97.7%. The prevalence of stunting was 1.9% (2 141/110 499) among all the children. The prevalence of stunting in urban children (1.6%, 904/55 524) was lower than that in suburban children (2.3%, 1 237/54 975, χ(2)=56.246, P<0.01). The gender difference in stunting prevalence was not statistically significant (1.9% (1 121/57 921) in boys and 1.9% (1 020/52 578) in girls, χ(2)=0.003, P=0.965). The prevalence of stunting decreased with age for children younger than 3 years, from 1.8% (312/17 080) in 0-<1 year of age group to 1.2% (168/13 740) in 2-<3 years of age group, but increased to 2.2% (240/11 073) at 6-<7 years group. Comparison among different regions showed that the stunting prevalence in southern region was higher than those in the central and northern regions (0.9% (193/20 374) in northern urban, 0.8% (154/18 486) in central urban, and 3.3% (557/16 664) in southern urban children), showing a statistical significance (χ(2)=437.736, P<0.01); 1.1% (241/21 924) in northern suburban, 1.4% (227/16 775) in central suburban and 4.7% (769/16 276) in southern suburban children, showing a statistical significance (χ(2)=646.533, P<0.01). In urban areas, the difference between the central and northern regions showed no statistical significance (χ(2)=1.429, P=0.232) and the stunting prevalence of central Chinese children was slightly higher than that of northern Chinese children in suburban areas (χ(2)=5.130, P=0.024). Among the nine cities, the stunting prevalence of Guangzhou (6.1%, 613/10 019) was higher than those of other cities (χ(2)=1 559.64, P<0.01). Among the stunting children, 78.4% (1 679/2 141) were classified as borderline or mild and only 7.2% (154/2 141) were classified as severe. The prevalence of relatively short stature was 5.2% (5 721/110 499). Conclusions: The prevalence of stunting among children under 7 years of age in nine cities of China is low and most of the stunting children were classified as mild; the prevalence of stunting in suburban children is higher than that in urban children; the gender difference show no statistical significance; and the prevalence of stunting in southern Chinese children is higher than those in central and northern Chinese children.

Are nontreponemal tests suitable for monitoring syphilis treatment efficacy? Evidence from rabbit infection models.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to characterize kinetics of non-treponamal antibody titres during the natural course of syphilis and explore their roles in monitoring syphilis treatment efficacy. METHODS: Sixty New Zealand white male rabbits were challenged with Nichols or Amoy Treponema pallidum strains, and the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test was performed to quantify non-treponemal antibody titres during the infection course. Viable T. pallidum in the challenged rabbits was assessed with rabbit infectivity tests. RESULTS: The RPR titres of the Nichols or Amoy strain between no benzathine penicillin G (BPG) and BPG treatment subgroups displayed a similar trend: first ascending and then descending. Compared with baseline, the proportions of fourfold decline in RPR titres in the Nichols or Amoy group presented a similar result on days 30, 60 and 180 between the no BPG and BPG treatment subgroups (0%, 0/5; 80%, 4/5; 100%, 5/5; vs. 0%, 0/5; 80%, 4/5; 100%, 5/5; p 0.999; 0%, 0/5; 80%, 4/5; 80%, 4/5; vs. 40%, 2/5; 100%, 5/5; 100%, 5/5; p 0.098, respectively). Compared with the maximum baseline titre, the proportion of fourfold decline in PRR titre also showed a similar result in the two groups on days 30, 60 and 180 between the no BPG and the BPG treatment subgroups (0%, 0/5; 100%, 5/5; 100%, 5/5, vs. 40%, 2/5; 100%, 5/5; 100%, 5/5; p 0.129; 0%, 0/5; 100%, 5/5; 100%, 5/5, vs. 80%, 4/5; 100%, 5/5; 100%, 5/5; p 0.091, respectively. Moreover, regardless of whether the RPR titres presented a fourfold decline, viable T. pallidum could be detected in untreated rabbits' lymph nodes at 30, 60 and 180 days post infection, while viable T. pallidum was not detected in any of the treated rabbits' lymph nodes. CONCLUSIONS: The RPR titre increased and then decreased (even became negative) during the natural course of syphilis, similar to that seen after BPG treatment. The RPR tetre is thus a questionable indicator of syphilis treatment efficacy.

Recombinant Treponema pallidum protein Tp0136 promotes fibroblast migration by modulating MCP-1/CCR2 through TLR4.

BACKGROUND: Chancre self-healing is an important clinical feature in the early stages of syphilis infection. Wound healing may involve an important mechanism by the migration of fibroblasts filling the injured lesion. However, the specific mechanism underlying this process is still unknown. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to analyse the role of Tp0136 in the migration of fibroblasts and the related mechanism. METHODS: The migration ability of fibroblasts was detected by a wound-healing assay. RT-PCR and ELISA detected the expression of MCP-1, IL-6 and MMP-9. TLR4 expression was detected by RT-PCR. The protein levels of CCR2 and relevant signalling pathway molecules were measured by Western blotting. RESULTS: Tp0136 significantly promoted fibroblast migration. Subsequently, the levels of MCP-1 and its receptor CCR2 were increased in this process. The migration of fibroblasts was significantly inhibited by an anti-MCP-1 neutralizing antibody or CCR2 inhibitors. Furthermore, studies demonstrated that Tp0136 could activate the ERK/JNK/PI3K/NF-κB signalling pathways through TLR4 activity and that signalling pathways inhibitors could weaken MCP-1 secretion and fibroblast migration. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that Tp0136 promotes the migration of fibroblasts by inducing MCP-1/CCR2 expression through signalling involving the TLR4, ERK, JNK, PI3K and NF-κB signalling pathways, which could contribute to the mechanism of chancre self-healing in syphilis.

Recombinant Treponema pallidum protein Tp47 induces angiogenesis by modulating the matrix metalloproteinase/tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase balance in endothelial cells.

BACKGROUND: Although angiogenesis is an obvious pathological manifestation in the pathogenesis of syphilis, little is known about the underlying mechanisms of angiogenesis induced by reactions to Treponema pallidum antigens. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we sought to determine the role of recombinant T. pallidum Tp47 in promoting angiogenesis in endothelial cells and the related mechanism. METHODS: Evaluation of the pro-angiogenic activity of recombinant T. pallidum Tp47 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was assessed, and the balance of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)/tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP) and the mechanisms underlying the involvement of Akt/mTOR/S6 pathways in this process were explored. RESULTS: Under stimulation by Tp47, HUVECs exhibited obvious proliferation, migration and tube formation. In addition, the apparent promotion of angiogenesis by Tp47 was observed using a zebrafish embryo model. During angiogenesis, the levels of MMP-1 and MMP-10 were significantly elevated, whereas those of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 did not change. In addition, after transfection with siRNAMMP-1 and siRNAMMP-10, migration and tube formation were significantly inhibited. Akt/mTOR/S6 signalling was found to be involved in upregulating MMP-1 and MMP-10 expression, and the sequential blockade of steps in the pathways effectively prevented Tp47-induced angiogenesis. CONCLUSION: The results reveal the underlying mechanism of angiogenesis promoted by Tp47, namely, upregulating MMP-1 and MMP-10 expression to disrupt the MMP/TIMP balance through the Akt/mTOR/S6 pathway. These findings contribute to our understanding of the pathophysiology of syphilis.

Factors associated with syphilis infection: a comprehensive analysis based on a case-control study.

This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate factors that influence the likelihood of syphilis infection from risk-taking behaviours and medical conditions. A retrospective case-control study was conducted by enrolling 664 syphilis inpatients (excluding 11 congenital syphilis patients) and 800 sex- and age-matched controls. Medical histories, clinical data and patient interview data were collected and subjected to logistic regression analyses. The prevalence of syphilis in the study population was 3·9% (675/17,304). By univariate analysis, syphilis infection was associated with migration between cities, marital status, smoking, reproductive history, hypertension, elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) (P < 0·05). A high rate of syphilis-HBV co-infection was observed in HIV-negative patients and further research revealed an association between syphilis and specific HBV serological reactivity. Syphilis was also associated with the frequency, duration and status of tobacco use. Multivariate analysis indicated that syphilis infection was independently associated with migration between cities [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1·368, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·048-1·785], current smoking (aOR 1·607, 95% CI 1·177-2·195), elevated BUN (aOR 1·782, 95% CI 1·188-2·673) and some serological patterns of HBV infection. To prevent the spread of infectious diseases, inpatients and blood donors should be tested for HIV, syphilis, HBV and HCV simultaneously.

Laboratorial characteristics of patients with diarrhoea suffering from egg white allergy.

BACKGROUND: Egg allergy is associated with diarrhoeal symptoms. However, the mechanism underlying allergic diarrhoea remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether egg white-specific IgE antibodies coexist with egg white-specific IgG antibodies in patients with egg allergy featuring diarrhoeal symptoms, and whether there is any relationship between these two antibody types. METHODS: A total of 89 patients with egg allergy featuring diarrhoeal symptoms (average age, 23.2 years; range, 1-78 years), all of whom tested positive for egg white-specific IgG, were enrolled in this study. The concentration of total IgE, egg white-specific IgE and number of eosinophils in the serum were determined. RESULTS: Among the 89 egg white allergic patients tested, 49 (55.1%) patients showed high reactivity to egg white-specific IgG, 48 (53.9%) patients had elevated serum total IgE levels, and 25 (28.1%) patients had elevated absolute eosinophil numbers. Out of the 89 egg white allergic patients, 25 showed elevated egg white-specific IgE antibody levels. Of the 25 patients who were positive for egg white-specific IgE antibody, 21 presented high sensitive reaction to egg white-specific IgG, three presented moderate sensitive reaction to egg white-specific IgG, and one presented mild sensitive reaction to egg white-specific IgG. A moderate correlation between egg white-specific IgG and egg white-specific IgE, egg white-specific IgG and absolute eosinophil number was found in the egg white allergic patients (r=0.438, P=0.000; r=0.322, P=0.002). Egg white-specific IgE levels varied in different age groups; the egg white-specific IgE concentration of younger patients (age≤18 years, mean rank 54.29) was significantly higher than that of the adult patients (age>18 years, mean rank 34.61) (Z=-3.629, P=0.000). CONCLUSION: Egg white-specific IgE antibody could coexist with egg white-specific IgG antibody in patients suffering from egg white allergy. Aberrant changes in the concentration of egg white-specific IgE antibody were associated with the presence of egg white-specific IgG antibody.

Over-expression of NYGGF4 (PID1) inhibits glucose transport in skeletal myotubes by blocking the IRS1/PI3K/AKT insulin pathway.

INTRODUCTION: Defects in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in muscle are the important early events in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance. NYGGF4 (also named PID1) is a recently discovered gene which is suggested to be associated with obesity-associated insulin resistance. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of NYGGF4 on glucose uptake and insulin signaling in rat skeletal muscle cells. METHODS: Rat L6 myoblasts were transfected with either an empty vector or an NYGGF4-expressing vector and induced to differentiate into mature L6 skeletal myotubes. Glucose uptake was determined by measuring uptake of 2-deoxy-d-[(3)H] glucose. Immunoblotting was performed to detect the translocation of insulin-sensitive glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4). Immunoblotting was also used to measure phosphorylation and total protein levels of the insulin signaling proteins including insulin receptor (IR), insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1), Akt, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2), p38, and c-Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK). RESULTS: NYGGF4 over-expression in L6 skeletal myotubes reduced insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and impaired insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation. It also diminished insulin-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS1 and serine phosphorylation of Akt without affecting the phosphorylation of IR, ERK1/2, p38, or JNK. CONCLUSIONS: Over-expression of NYGGF4 inhibits glucose transport in skeletal myotubes by blocking the IRS1/PI3K/AKT insulin pathway. These observations highlight the potential role of NYGGF4 in glucose homeostasis and the development of insulin resistance in obesity.

Toward designed assembly of microporous coordination networks constructed from silver(I)-hexamethylenetetramine layers.

Eight interesting microporous networks based on 2-D [Ag(mu(3)-hmt)] (hmt = hexamethylenetetramine) layers were obtained via rational synthetic strategies. Out of these products isolated and structurally characterized, six present a metal-to-hmt molar ratio of 1:1 and contain 2-D coordination layers assembled by 2-D Ag(I)-hmt networks with aromatic monocarboxylates, which are [Ag(mu(3)-hmt)(p-nba)].2.5H(2)O (1), [Ag(mu(3)-hmt)(m-nba)].2.5H(2)O (2), [Ag(mu(3)-hmt)(dnba)] (3), [Ag(mu(3)-hmt)(alpha-hna)](EtOH) (4), [Ag(mu(3)-hmt)(beta-hna)](EtOH) (5), and [Ag(mu(3)-hmt)(noa)](H(2)O)(EtOH) (6) (p-nba = 4-nitrobenzoate, m-nba = 3-nitrobenzoate, dnba = 3,5-dinitrobenzoate, alpha-hna = 1-hydroxy-2-naphthate, beta-hna = 3-hydroxy-2-naphthate, and noa = 2-naphthoxyacetate), and two present a metal-to-hmt molar ratio of 2:1 and contain 3-D microporous networks constructed from the 2-D Ag-hmt layers and linear dicarboxylates as molecular pillars, which are [Ag(2)(mu(3)-hmt)(2)(fa)].4H(2)O (7) and [Ag(2)(mu(3)-hmt)(2)(adp)].8H(2)O (8) (fa = fumarate and adp = adipate). The result shows that the pore sizes may be tuned with different carboxylates. Gas adsorption measurements were performed to confirm the microporosity of these coordination open frameworks.