Association Between Long-Term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution and the Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment in a Chinese Urban Area: A Case-Control Study.

Background: As a prodromal stage of dementia, significant emphasis has been placed on the identification of modifiable risks of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Research has indicated a correlation between exposure to air pollution and cognitive function in older adults. However, few studies have examined such an association among the MCI population inChina. Objective: We aimed to explore the association between air pollution exposure and MCI risk from the Hubei Memory and Aging Cohort Study. Methods: We measured four pollutants from 2015 to 2018, 3 years before the cognitive assessment of the participants. Logistic regression models were employed to calculate odds ratios (ORs) to assess the relationship between air pollutants and MCI risk. Results: Among 4,205 older participants, the adjusted ORs of MCI risk for the highest quartile of PM2.5, PM10, O3, and SO2 were 1.90 (1.39, 2.62), 1.77 (1.28, 2.47), 0.56 (0.42, 0.75), and 1.18 (0.87, 1.61) respectively, compared with the lowest quartile. Stratified analyses indicated that such associations were found in both males and females, but were more significant in older participants. Conclusions: Our findings are consistent with the growing evidence suggesting that air pollution increases the risk of mild cognitive decline, which has considerable guiding significance for early intervention of dementia in the older population. Further studies in other populations and broader geographical areas are warranted to validate these findings.

Prevalence and risk factors for subjective cognitive decline and the correlation with objective cognition among community-dwelling older adults in China: Results from the Hubei memory and aging cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence and risk factors for subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and its correlation with objective cognition decline (OCD) among community-dwelling older adults is inconsistent. METHODS: Older adults underwent neuropsychological and clinical evaluations to reach a consensus on diagnoses. RESULTS: This study included 7486 adults without mild cognitive impairment and dementia (mean age: 71.35 years [standard deviation = 5.40]). The sex-, age-, and residence-adjusted SCD prevalence was 58.33% overall (95% confidence interval: 58.29% to 58.37%), with higher rates of 61.25% and 59.87% in rural and female subgroups, respectively. SCD global and OCD language, SCD memory and OCD global, SCD and OCD memory, and SCD and OCD language were negatively correlated in fully adjusted models. Seven health and lifestyle factors were associated with an increased risk for SCD. DISCUSSION: SCD affected 58.33% of older adults and may indicate concurrent OCD, which should prompt the initiation of preventative intervention for dementia. HIGHLIGHTS: SCD affects 58.33% of older adults in China. SCD may indicate concurrent objective cognitive decline. Difficulty finding words and memory impairments may indicate a risk for AD. The presence of SCD may prompt preventative treatment initiation of MCI or dementia. Social network factors may be initial targets for the early prevention of SCD.

Prevalence and multilocus genotyping of Giardia duodenalis in Holstein cattle in Yunnan, China.

Giardia duodenalis is an important zoonotic protozoon, which can infect a variety of animals, causing diarrhea and even death of animals or humans. Dairy cattle have been implicated as important sources of human G. duodenalis. However, the information about the prevalence and genetic diversity of G. duodenalis in dairy cattle in China's Yunnan Province remains limited. This study investigated the occurrence and multilocus genotyping of G. duodenalis of Holstein cattle in Yunnan Province, China. A total of 524 fresh fecal samples of Holstein cattle were randomly collected from 8 farms in Yunnan. In this study, 27.5% (144/524) of tested samples were positive for G. duodenalis infection. The highest infection ratio was found in preweaned calves (33.7%), and the infection rates of postweaned calves, growing cattle, and adult cattle were 24.5%, 23.0%, and 17.3%, respectively. The sequence analysis of SSU rRNA gene showed that the predominant assemblage of G. duodenalis in this study was assemblage E (97.9%, 141/144), whereas assemblage A was identified only in three samples (2.1%, 3/144). All G. duodenalis-positive samples were further assayed with nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting ß-giardin (bg), triosephosphate isomerase (tpi), and glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh) genes, and 87, 41, and 81 sequences were obtained, respectively. Mixed infection of assemblages A and E of G. duodenalis was detected in three samples. Multilocus genotyping yielded 23 multilocus genotypes (MLGs). This is the first study that reveals the prevalence data of G. duodenalis in Holstein cattle in Yunnan Province, and the results of this study provided baseline data for the prevention and control of G. duodenalis infection in Holstein cattle in Yunnan Province, China.

[Expression and Significance of HOXA9 in Patients with Myelodysplastic Syndromes].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression pattern of HOXA9 in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients and its relation with clinical characteristics and treatment response. METHODS: The mRNA and protein expression levels of HOXA9 in bone marrow cells from 33 cases of MDS, 12 cases of AML, 20 cases of ITP and 18 normal controls were detected by real-time guautitative PCR(RT-PCR) and flow cytometry, respectively. RESULTS: The percentage of HOXA9(+)/CD34(+) and HOXA9(+)/CD34(+)CD38(-) in MDS patients were significantly higher than that in control group (P<0.05), and the mRNA and protein expression of HOXA9 in MDS patients had a similar trend. The percentages of HOXA9(+)/CD34(+) and HOXA9(+)/CD34(+)CD38(-) before decitabine treatment were (50.64±27.59)% and (55.67±28.57)% respectively, which were both higher than those in control group (P<0.05). After decitabine treatment, expression of HOXA9 significantly decreased (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: HOXA9 is overexpressed in MDS patients and associated with several clinical characteristics. The detection of HOXA9 expression may have guide roles for diagnosis and treatment of MDS patients.

[Recent advances of studies on abnormal HOX gene in myelodysplastic syndromes and its molecular mechanisms].

HOX gene encodes a group of homeodomain transcription factors which are highly conserved. The caudal-type homeobox (CDX) , ten-eleven translocation (TET) genes and polycomb group (PcG) , trithorax group (TrxG) proteins act as upstream regulators of HOX genes that manipulate the targeted gene expression through genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. The abnormal expression of HOX genes and their fusions contribute to myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) pathogenesis. Aberrant DNA methylation and NUP98-HOX translocation serve as molecular mediators of dysfunction in MDS which can be used for the evaluation of biology and therapy. This article provides an overview of recent advances of studies on HOX gene and its abnormal molecular mechanisms, as well as potential correlation with MDS.