[Effects of cinepazide maleate injection on blood pressure in patients with acute ischemic stroke and hypertension].

Objective: To investigate the blood pressure change in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and hypertension treated with cinepazide maleate injection. Methods: This was a subgroup analysis of post-marketing clinical confirmation study of cinepazide maleate injection for acute ischemic stroke: a randomized, double-blinded, multicenter, placebo-parallel controlled trial, which conducted in China from August 2016 to February 2019. Eligible patients fulfilled the inclusive criteria of acute anterior circulation ischemic stroke with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores of 7-25. The primary endpoints were mean blood pressure of AIS patients treated with cinepazide maleate or control, which were assessed during the treatment period (14 days), and the proportion of the patients with normal blood pressure was analyzed after the treatment period. Furthermore, a subgroup analysis was performed to investigate a possible effect of the history of hypertension on outcomes. Results: This analysis included 809 patients with hypertension. There was no significant difference in patients blood pressure and the proportion of patients with normal blood pressure (60.5% vs. 59.0%,P>0.05) between cinepazide maleate group and control group. Conclusion: Administration of cinepazide maleate injection does not affect the management of clinical blood pressure in patients with AIS.

Polymorphism and Forensic Application Value of 71 Y-SNP Loci in Han Population of Northwest China.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the polymorphism of 71 SNP loci on Y chromosome in Han population of Northwest China, to assess its forensic application value, and to screen out Y-SNP loci for forensic examination of Han population in East, South, and Northwest China based on the integration of previous research results. METHODS: Multiplex polymerase chain reaction （PCR） and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry （MALDI-TOF-MS） were performed on 71 Y-SNP loci of 202 unrelated Han male individuals in Northwest China. Gene diversity （GD） and haplotype diversity （HD） values were calculated, and then Y-SNP loci of Han population in East, South, and Northwest China were screened with the combination of data from previous research. RESULTS: Among the detected 71 loci, 67 loci were polymorphic in the Northwest Han male population, with GD values 0.010 0-0.502 2. There were 22 and 25 loci with a moderate （0.2≤GD<0.3） and high （GD≥0.3） amount of genetic information, respectively. There were 26 loci for the Han communities in Northwest, South, and East China. CONCLUSIONS: Y-SNP loci are potential in paternity testing and individual identification, as well as the judgement of population distribution and migration.

MiR-202-3p functions as a tumor suppressor and reduces cell migration and invasion in papillary thyroid carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are recently identified as key regulators of tumor development and progression. MiR-202-3p functions as tumor suppressor in some cancer types. The aim of the study is to determine its expression pattern and explore the functions underlying the mechanism of miR-202-3p in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: By using quantitative RT-PCR (QRT-PCR) analyses, we detected miR-202-3p expression in PTC tissues and cell lines. Transwell migration and invasion assays were performed to measure the migration and invasion ability of tumor cells transfected with miR-202-3p mimic. Western blot analysis was used to detect the protein expression. RESULTS: Our results showed that miR-202-3p expression was frequently downregulated in 96 cases PTC tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues. Lower expression of miR-202-3p associated with lymph node metastasis of patients with PTC. Overexpression of miR-202-3p inhibited cell migration and invasion in TPC-1 and BCPAP cells. Furthermore, enforced expression of miR-202-3p inhibited WNT signaling by downregulating ß-catenin expression in TPC-1 and BCPAP cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicated that miR-202-3p may represent a novel therapeutic target of in PTC.

[Assessment on Application of 24 Y-STR Loci in Forensic Science].

OBJECTIVES: To select a Y-STR marker system with strong haplotype identification ability, appropriate mutation rate and high compatibility and to assess its forensic application. METHODS: The 24 Y-STR loci were tested by self-built fluorescent multiplex system, and the forensic assessment was conducted by 139 pairs of father-son samples collected in Jinan, Shandong province. RESULTS: Totally 176 alleles were identified among the 24 Y-STR loci in the sample of 139 unrelated individuals labeled with father, and the gene diversity （GD） distributed between 0.083 7 （DYS645）-0.966 9 （DYS385a/b）. According to the 24 Y-STR loci, 139 different haplotypes were detected from 139 unrelated male individuals labeled with father in Han population of Shandong province and with no shared haplotype observed. The overall haplotype diversity （HD） was 1 and the discrimination capacity （DC） was 1. A total of 5 one-step mutations events were observed among the 24 Y-STR loci in 139 pairs of father-son. The average mutation rate was 0.001 5 [95% CI （0.000 5, 0.003 5）]. CONCLUSIONS: The system of 24 Y-STR loci shows a strong individual recognition ability and low mutation rate in the population in Jinan, Shandong province, and it has good application value in forensic science.

[Sixty-six Biallelic Genetic Markers on Y chromosome by MALDI-TOF-MS].

OBJECTIVES: To analyse the genetic polymorphisms of 66 biallelic genetic markers on Y chromosome in Eastern Chinese Han population, and evaluate their values in forensic application. METHODS: Genotyping of 66 biallelic genetic markers on Y chromosome was studied in 205 unrelated males of Eastern Chinese Han population by multiplex PCR combined matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry （MALDI-TOF-MS）. The allele frequencies on the loci to be tested were calculated by direct counting method, and the gene diversity （GD） and haplotype diversity （HD） were calculated by corresponding formulas. The haplotypes of this system were tested by software Arlequin v3.5.2.2 and the comparison of population genetics were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 60 biallelic genetic markers on Y chromosome were polymorphic in males of Eastern Chinese Han population, and the ranges of GD were from 0.038 5 to 0.501 9. Eighty-five different haplotypes were observed and the HD was 0.970 3. The differences of partial SNP loci between the Han population of Eastern China and that of Xinjiang and Guangdong were statistically significance. CONCLUSIONS: Sixty biallelic genetic markers and the detection system can complementally provide genetic information in kinship testing and individual identification. The MALDI-TOF-MS technology is able to type biallelic genetic markers.

[Forensic Investigation in Han Population by SiFa™ 23 Plex Kit （Beta Version）].

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the performance of SiFa™ 23 Plex Kit （beta version） and its population genetics of STR loci in Han population. METHODS: Genotyping was performed for 1 000 unrelated healthy Han individuals by the kit. The efficiency of the kit was tested, and the frequency data and population genetics parameter information of STR loci were analysed statistically. RESULTS: The minimum amplification system could be 6.25 µL. In 25 µL standard reaction system, a satisfied genotyping profiles could be obtained with the DNA content as low as 125 pg. Among the 1 000 individuals, 267 alleles were detected by 21 autosomal STR loci of the kit, which conformed to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Fifteen and eleven alleles were observed at the newly added STR loci D1S1656 and D10S1248, respectively, which showed a high polymorphism information content. CONCLUSIONS: SiFa™ 23 Plex Kit （beta version） is excellent in testing blood samples. Its accuracy, repeatability and sensitivity can satisfy the need of forensic practice, which makes it be applied to forensic-related case work and DNA database establishment.

Population Difference Analysis of Allele Frequencies of 24 Y-STR Loci.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the population genetic polymorphisms of 24 Y-STR loci in unrelated individuals in Eastern Chinese Han population, and to compare the difference of Han group between Eastern China and Guangdong. METHODS: The population genetics of 24 Y-STR loci in 268 unrelated Han individuals from Eastern China were analyzed by GFS 24 Y-STR amplification kit. The allele frequencies in Eastern Chinese Han population were compared with the data in Guangdong Han population, and the difference analysis between two groups was performed. RESULTS: Among the 24 Y-STR loci of 268 unrelated Han individuals from Eastern China, 235 alleles and 267 haplotypes were observed. GD value ranged from 0.564 9 to 0.966 8. The difference between 12 loci （DYS622, DYS552, DYS443, et al.） of Han population in Eastern China and in Guangdong was statistically significance. CONCLUSIONS: GFS 24Y STR amplification system shows favorable polymorphisms, which can be used in patrilineal genetic relationship identification.

Early evidence of the genus Homo in East Asia.

The timing and route of the earliest dispersal from Africa to Eastern Asia are contentious topics in the study of early human evolution because Asian hominin fossil sites with precise age constraints are very limited. Here we report new high-resolution magnetostratigraphic results that place stringent age controls on excavated hominin incisors and stone tools from the Yuanmou Basin, southwest China. The hominin-bearing layer resides in a reverse polarity magnetozone just above the upper boundary of the Olduvai subchron, yielding an estimated age of 1.7Ma. The finding represents the age of the earliest documented presence of Homo, with affinities to Homo erectus, in mainland East Asia. This age estimate is roughly the same as for H. erectus in island Southeast Asia and immediately prior to the oldest archaeological evidence in northeast Asia. Mammalian fauna and pollen obtained directly from the hominin site indicate that the Yuanmou hominins lived in a varied habitat of open vegetation with patches of bushland and forest on an alluvial fan close to a lake or swamp. The age and location are consistent with a rapid southern migration route of initial hominin populations into Eastern Asia.

New evidence on the earliest human presence at high northern latitudes in northeast Asia.

The timing of early human dispersal to Asia is a central issue in the study of human evolution. Excavations in predominantly lacustrine sediments at Majuangou, Nihewan basin, north China, uncovered four layers of indisputable hominin stone tools. Here we report magnetostratigraphic results that constrain the age of the four artefact layers to an interval of nearly 340,000 yr between the Olduvai subchron and the Cobb Mountain event. The lowest layer, about 1.66 million years old (Myr), provides the oldest record of stone-tool processing of animal tissues in east Asia. The highest layer, at about 1.32 Myr, correlates with the stone tool layer at Xiaochangliang, previously considered the oldest archaeological site in this region. The findings at Majuangou indicate that the oldest known human presence in northeast Asia at 40 degrees N is only slightly younger than that in western Asia. This result implies that a long yet rapid migration from Africa, possibly initiated during a phase of warm climate, enabled early human populations to inhabit northern latitudes of east Asia over a prolonged period.

Onset of Asian desertification by 22 Myr ago inferred from loess deposits in China.

The initial desertification in the Asian interior is thought to be one of the most prominent climate changes in the Northern Hemisphere during the Cenozoic era. But the dating of this transition is uncertain, partly because desert sediments are usually scattered, discontinuous and difficult to date. Here we report nearly continuous aeolian deposits covering the interval from 22 to 6.2 million years ago, on the basis of palaeomagnetic measurements and fossil evidence. A total of 231 visually definable aeolian layers occur as brownish loesses interbedded with reddish soils. This new evidence indicates that large source areas of aeolian dust and energetic winter monsoon winds to transport the material must have existed in the interior of Asia by the early Miocene epoch, at least 14 million years earlier than previously thought. Regional tectonic changes and ongoing global cooling are probable causes of these changes in aridity and circulation in Asia.

Earliest presence of humans in northeast Asia.

The timing of the earliest habitation and oldest stone technologies in different regions of the world remains a contentious topic in the study of human evolution. Here we contribute to this debate with detailed magnetostratigraphic results on two exposed parallel sections of lacustrine sediments at Xiaochangliang in the Nihewan Basin, north China; these results place stringent controls on the age of Palaeolithic stone artifacts that were originally reported over two decades ago. Our palaeomagnetic findings indicate that the artifact layer resides in a reverse polarity magnetozone bounded by the Olduvai and Jaramillo subchrons. Coupled with an estimated rate of sedimentation, these findings constrain the layer's age to roughly 1.36 million years ago. This result represents the age of the oldest known stone assemblage comprising recognizable types of Palaeolithic tool in east Asia, and the earliest definite occupation in this region as far north as 40 degrees N.

Purification of individual tRNAs using a monoclonal anti-AMP antibody affinity column.

A murine monoclonal anti-AMP antibody affinity matrix was used for isolation of individual species of amino acid transfer nucleic acids (tRNAs). The antibodies had been prepared using 5'-AMP covalently attached to bovine serum albumin as antigen and exhibited high affinity for 5'-AMP but greatly reduced affinity for 3'-AMP. Native uncharged tRNAs that terminate in a 5'-AMP group on the amino acid acceptor arm of the molecule bind tightly to the anti-AMP affinity matrix, whereas aminoacylated tRNAs are not retained. This allows separation of a particular tRNA species as its aminoacyl derivative from a complex mixture of uncharged tRNAs under very mild conditions.