[Opportunities and challenges in accurate early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer/pulmonary nodules].

Lung cancer remains the most prevalent and lethal malignancy in our country. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial for improving patient prognosis in lung cancer/pulmonary nodules. Recent advancements in non-invasive/minimally invasive liquid biopsy, multi-omics, and artificial intelligence technologies have significantly enhanced the accuracy of early lung cancer/pulmonary nodule diagnosis. However, an early diagnostic method with both high sensitivity and specificity is yet to be established. Furthermore, addressing the methods and extent of early precision surgery, local precision therapy, perioperative combined treatment, and postoperative recurrence and metastasis monitoring are urgent challenges in the early management of lung cancer/pulmonary nodules. Integrating the advantages of various treatment strategies and formulating personalized and precise treatment plans is key to further improving patient survival. In the future, while exploring new therapeutic strategies, it is necessary to continuously search for biomarkers to identify the population that will benefit from the treatment effectively. Additionally, large-sample randomized controlled clinical studies should be conducted to investigate the benefits of long-term patient survival under a diverse range of treatment strategies.

[Association between blood pressure during 12-28 weeks gestation and pre-eclampsia: predictive value of blood pressure trajectories constructed by latent class growth modeling].

Objective: To explore the associations between blood pressure trajectories during pregnancy and risk of future pre-eclampsia in a large cohort enrolling pregnant women at gestational age of ~12 weeks from community hospitals in Tianjin. Latent class growth modeling (LCGM) was used to model the blood pressure trajectories. Methods: This was a large prospective cohort study. The study enrolled pregnant women of ~12 weeks of gestation in 19 community hospitals in Tianjin from November 1, 2016 to May 30, 2018. We obtained related information during 5 antepartum examinations before gestational week 28, i.e., week 12, week 16, week 20, week 24 and week 28. LCGM was used to model longitudinal systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) trajectories. For the association study, the predictors were set as SBP and DBP trajectory membership (built separately), the outcome was defined as the occurrence of preeclampsia after 28 weeks of gestation. Results: A total of 5 809 cases with known pregnant outcomes were documented. After excluding 249 cases per exclusion criteria, 5 560 cases with singleton pregnancy were included for final analysis. There were 128 cases preeclampsia and 106 cases gestational hypertension in this cohort. Univariate logistic regression and multivariate logistic regression showed the higher baseline SBP level and DBP level were related with increased risk of preeclampsia. Four distinctive SBP trajectories and DBP trajectories from 12 weeks to 28 weeks of gestation were identified by LCGM. After controlling for potential confounders (baseline BMI, being primipara or not, white blood cell counts, hemoglobin level, platelet counts and alanine aminotransferase level), the OR for SBP latent classification trajectory_ 4 was 4.023 (95%CI: 2.368 to 6.835, P<0.001), and the OR for SBP latent classification trajectory_3 was 1.854 (95%CI: 1.223 to 2.811, P=0.004). Logistic regression showed that: using the DBP latent classification trajectory_1 as the reference group, the OR for DBP latent classification trajectory_4 was 4.100 (95%CI: 2.571 to 6.538, P<0.001), and 2.632 (95%CI: 1.570 to 4.414, P<0.001) for DBP latent classification trajectory_2. After controlling for potential confounders (baseline BMI, being primipara or not, white blood cell counts, hemoglobin level, platelet counts and alanine aminotransferase level), the OR for DBP_traj_4 was 2.527 (95%CI: 1.534 to 4.162, P<0.001), and the OR for DBP_traj_3 was 1.297 (95%CI: 0.790 to 2.128, P=0.303), and 2.238 (95%CI: 1.328 to 3.772, P=0.002) for DBP_traj_2. Therefore, BP trajectories from 12 weeks to 28 weeks identified by LCGM served as novel risk factors that independently associated with the occurrence of preeclampsia. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed incremental diagnostic performance by combing baseline blood pressure levels with blood pressure trajectories. Conclusion: By applying LCGM, we for the first time identified distinctive BP trajectories from gestational week 12 to 28, which can independently predict the development of preeclampsia after 28 weeks of gestation.

[Research progress on proactive healthy lifestyle and disease immunoprevention].

The paradox of increasing health needs and limited health resources prompted a change in the traditional concept of disease prevention and control, and the concept of proactive health has emerged. Proactive health aimed to prevent and control disease and improve the body's immunity by using controlled methods and means to activate the body's self-healing ability and to identify foreign harmful substances as well as damage factors and tumor cells that the body itself may produce while giving full play to individual initiative. With the continuous development of science, people could maintain and improve their immune system from many aspects, which could be roughly divided into nonpharmaceutical interventions and pharmaceutical interventions. Nonpharmacological interventions included changing lifestyles and habits, adjusting the nutritional structure and intake of food, regulating mindsets and emotions, and improving the living and working environment, etc. This review systematically elaborated on the functions and molecular mechanisms of nutrition, exercise, sleep, and emotion in regulating immunity, to provide some scientific evidence and theoretical support for proactive health.

[Factor analysis of effective platelet-producing ability of fetal liver-derived cells].

Objective: To study the different factors affecting platelet production post transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) isolated from different sources in order to explore novel options for treating platelet depletion following HSCs transplantation. Methods: HSCs and their downstream derivatives including myeloid and lymphoid cells (i.e., collective of mononuclear cells (MNCs)), were isolated from E14.5 fetal liver (FL) and bone marrow (BM) of 8-week-old mice by Ficoll separation technique. These cells were subsequently transplanted into the tibia bone marrow cavity of recipient mice post lethal myeloablative treatment in order to construct the FL-MNCs and BM-MNCs transplantation mouse model. Routine blood indices were examined in these recipient mice. The chimeric rate of donor cells in recipient peripheral blood cells were determined by flow cytometry. Different groups of cells involved in platelet reconstruction were analyzed. CD41+megakaryocytes were sorted from fetal liver or bone marrow using magnetic beads, which were then induced to differentiate into platelets in an in vitro assay. Quantitative RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of platelet-related genes in CD41+megakaryocytes from the two sources. Results: Both the FL-MNCs and the BM-MNCs transplantation groups resumed normal hematopoiesis at the 4th week after transplantation, and the blood cells of the recipient mice were largely replaced by the donor cells. Compared with the mice transplanted with BM-MNCs, the platelet level of mice transplanted with FL-MNCs recovered faster and were maintained at a higher level. At week 4, the PLT level of the FL-MNCs group was (1.45±0.37)×1012/L, and of the BM-MNCs group was (1.22±0.24)×1012/L, P<0.05. The FL-MNCs contain a higher proportion of hematopoietic stem cells (Lin-Sca-1+c-Kit+)(7.60%±1.40%) compared to the BM-MNCs (1.10%±0.46%), P<0.01; the proportion of the megakaryocyte progenitor cells (Lin-Sca-1-c-Kit+CD41+CD150+) and mature megakaryocyte cells (CD41+CD42b+), also differ significantly between the FL-MNCs (3.05%±0.22%, 1.60%±0.06%, respectively) and the BM-MNCs (0.15%±0.02%, 0.87%±0.11%, respectively) groups, both P<0.01. In vitro functional studies showed that FL-MNCs-CD41+megakaryocytes could produce proplatelet-like cells more quickly after induction, with proplatelet-like cells formation on day 3 and significant platelet-like particle formation on day 5, in contrast to bone marrow-derived BM-MNCs-CD41+megakaryocytes that failed to form proplatelet-like cell on day 5. In addition, FL-MNCs-CD41+cells expressed higher levels of platelet-related genes, Mpl (3.25-fold), Fog1 (3-fold), and Gata1 (1.5-fold) (P<0.05). Conclusion: Compared with the BM-MNCs group, the FL-MNCs transplantation group appears to have a more efficient platelet implantation effect in the HSCs transplantation recipient in vivo, as well as a higher platelet differentiation rate in vitro. This might be related to a higher proportion of megakaryocytes and higher expression levels of genes such as Mpl, Fog1, and Gata1 that could be important for platelet formation in FL-MNCs-CD41+cells. Further exploration of the specific functions of these genes and the characteristics of the different proportions of the donor cells will provide valuable clues for the future treatment of platelets reconstitution after HSCs transplantation clinically.

[Role of NF-κB p65 and related cytokines in rats with liver function injury induced by dibutyl phthalate and benzo (a) pyrene].

Objective: To explore the role of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 and related cytokines in rats with liver function injury induced by dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and benzo (a) pyrene (BaP) , in order to provide support for enriching the mechanism of liver injury induced by DBP and BaP. Methods: In September to December of 2019, a total number of 160 specific pathogen free Sprague Dawley rats were numbered in order of sex and body weight, then using the statistical table of random numbers, they were randomly divided into eight groups and each group consists of twenty animals (10 male and 10 female rats) , including blank control group, vehicle control group (given corn oil) , DBP 50 mg/kg (DBP(50)) group, DBP 250 mg/kg (DBP(250)) group, BaP 1 mg/kg (BaP(1)) group, BaP 5 mg/kg (BaP(5)) group, DBP 50 mg/kg plus BaP 1 mg/kg (DBP(50)+BaP(1)) group and DBP 250 mg/kg plus BaP 5 mg/kg (DBP(250)+BaP(5)) group, then DBP and BaP were administered to rats as a homogenous mixture in corn oil by gavage. After exposure for 90 days, liver was separated to test the mRNA and protein expression levels of NF-κB p65 by Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. Then serum of rats was collected to detect the levels of CXCL-13, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, and the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) , aspartate aminotransferase (AST) , albumin (ALB) and total protein (TP) were detected by Reitman-Frankel assay. Results: The protein expression of NF-κB p65 in BaP(1) group was not statistically significant, but the mRNA and protein expression levels of NF-κB p65 in the liver tissues of rats in other exposure group were higher than those in the blank control group (P<0.05) , and the expression levels of NF-κB p65 increased more obvious in the DBP and BaP co-exposed groups than those in the low and high dose groups that single-exposed to DBP and BaP (P<0.05) . The serum levels of CXCL-13 and IL-6 of rats in other group were obviously higher than those of the blank control group except for the BaP(1) group, and the increase was more obvious in the high-dose group that co-exposed to DBP and BaP (P<0.05) . While the level of TNF-α in each exposure group was higher than those in the blank control group and the levels of TNF-α in the DBP and BaP co-exposed groups were strongly augmented compared to those in the low and high dose groups that single-exposed to DBP and BaP (P<0.05) . What's more, compared with the blank control group, the level of ALT in each exposure group was increased significantly. Except for the BaP(1) group, the levels of AST in other exposed groups were increased (P<0.05) , and the levels of ALT and AST in the DBP and BaP co-exposed groups were significantly elevated in comparison to the low and high dose groups that single-exposed to DBP and BaP (P<0.05) . On the contrary, the level of ALB in each exposure group was significantly lower than that in the blank control group, especially decreased significantly in the DBP and BaP co-exposed group (P<0.05) . The level of TP decreased only in the high-dose group that single and co-exposed to DBP and BaP, and the decrease was more significant in the DBP and BaP co-exposed group (P<0.05) . When DBP exposed alone, Pearson correlation analysis showed that NF-κB p65 protein expression level was positively correlated with IL-6, TNF-α and ALT (r=0.762, 0.951, and 0.924, P<0.05) . After BaP exposed alone, the NF-κB p65 protein expression level was positively correlated with TNF-α and ALT (r=0.911 and 0.910, P<0.05) . When DBP and BaP exposed together, NF-κB p65 protein expression level was positively correlated with CXCL-13, IL-6, TNF-α, ALT and AST (r=0.711, 0.764, 0.955, 0.903 and 0.827, P<0.05) . In addition, Pearson correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between TNF-α and ALT (r=0.833 and 0.894, P<0.05) when DBP or BaP exposed alone. Furthermore, when DBP and BaP exposed together, CXCL-13, IL-6 and TNF-α were positively correlated with ALT (r= 0.871, 0.925 and 0.942, P<0.05) , and also positively correlated with AST (r=0.910, 0.892 and 0.890, P<0.05) . Conclusion: Single and co-exposed to DBP and BaP may regulate the abnormal secretion of related cytokines by upregulating the expression level of NF-κB p65 in rat liver tissue, thus leading to hepatocyte injury in rats, and the damage effect may be enhanced when DBP and BaP are exposed together.

[Quantitative assessment of hepatic and splenic blood flow status in patients with hypersplenism of different degrees based on multi-slice spiral CT whole-liver perfusion imaging].

Objective: To investigate the differences and changes of blood flow status of splenic volume, common hepatic artery, splenic arteriovenous, inner diameter of portal vein and hepatic in patients with hypersplenism of different degrees using multi-slice spiral CT whole-liver perfusion model. Methods: 42 cases with hypersplenism of chronic hepatitis B with cirrhosis and 15 cases without hepatosplenic disease were collected as controls. All patients underwent multi-slice spiral CT whole-liver perfusion imaging. (1) The differences of spleen volume, common hepatic artery, splenic arteriovenous, and portal vein diameter between different degrees of hypersplenism and the control group were measured and compared. (2) The correlation between spleen volume and the inner diameter of each related vessels were analyzed and compared. (3) The values of perfusion parameters related to the five lobes of the liver in Couinaud segments based on hepatic artery perfusion (HAP), portal venous perfusion (PVP), total hepatic perfusion (TLP) and hepatic artery perfusion index (HPI) were measured and compared. One-way ANOVA was used to analyze the measurement data. The correlation between the spleen volume and the inner diameter of each blood vessel was analyzed by Pearson's correlation analysis. Results: (1) spleen volume and the inner diameter of splenic artery, splenic vein and portal vein in the cirrhotic hypersplenism group were significantly larger than control group, and the difference was statistically significant (F = 37.108, 17.484, 23.124, 13.636, P < 0.05). (2) spleen volume and the inner diameter of splenic artery, vein and portal vein in the moderate and severe hypersplenism groups were significantly larger than the mild hypersplenism group, and the difference was statistically significant (F = 25.418, 13.293, 15.136, 7.093, P < 0.05), but there was no statistically significant difference between the moderate and severe hypersplenism groups (P > 0.05). (3) The inner diameter of splenic vein, portal vein, and splenic artery was positively correlated with spleen volume (r = 0.680, 0.548, and 0.726). (4) PVP and TLP of the whole liver in hypersplenism group were lower than control group (P < 0.05), and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). HPI in the right posterior lobe of the liver in the moderate and severe hypersplenism group was higher than mild hypersplenism group (F = 3.555, 4.570, P < 0.05), and there was no significant difference in the HAP in the whole liver among the groups (P > 0.05), but the HAP in the whole liver in the severe hypersplenism group was lower than control, mild and moderate hypersplenism group. Conclusion: The inner diameter of the splenic arteriovenous in patients with hypersplenism of different degrees has widened to varying degrees, and is consistent with the increase in spleen volume, particularly in moderate and severe cases. Portal venous perfusion and total liver perfusion in patients with hypersplenism of different degrees have declined and the hepatic arterial perfusion in patients with severe hypersplenism is significantly reduced.

[The effect of the nasal packing material on nasal epithelial cells].

Objective:The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of polyethylene glycol acrylate hybrid hydrogel degradation substance on nasal mucociliary transport system. Method:In our experiment, the complex hydrogel were formed by the combination of different ratios of polyethyleneglycol diacrylate, chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol. The experiment was divided into four groups according to the international standard of medical devices. DMEM/F12∶BEGM culture medium was used for each packing material extraction, DMEM/F12∶BEGM culture medium was used as control. Human nasal uncinate tissue, gas liquid interface culture of human nasal mucociliary epithelium cells. The high frequency digital microscope video imaging system was used to detect the ciliary wiggle frequency. The baseline state (0 min) and 1 h,1 d, 2 d, 3 d of CBF were measured after dosing. Result:①In the experimental group and the control group, with the increase of the number of days, the ciliary beat frequency increased first and then slowed down. ②Compared with the other groups, Polyethylene glycol acrylate hybrid hydrogel group increase on CBF (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the maximum increase and the maximum decrease in B, C and D groups (P>0.05). Therefore, it can be concluded that absorbable gelatin sponge material and absorbable chitosan material had no effect on nasal mucociliary activity. Conclusion:Polyethylene glycol diacrylate composite hydrogel material can increase the frequency of ciliary wounded nasal mucosa epithelial cells cultured in air-liquid interface in vitro, and enhanced the activity of nasal mucosa cilia. Therefore, it can meet the safety requirements of clinical application of the new material.

The clinical observation of verapamil in combination with interventional chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer.

OBJECTIVE: We analyzed the clinical observations of target arterial infusion of verapamil combined with chemotherapy as therapy for advanced gastric cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From March 2012 to December 2015, a total of 63 patients with advanced gastric cancer were admitted to our department. The target artery in the control group was perfused with chemotherapy drugs only, and the target artery in the therapy group was injected with verapamil combined with chemotherapy drugs. RESULTS: The therapeutic effect of the therapy group was significantly better than that of the control group in the primary foci of gastric cancer. Liver metastatic lesions: 11 patients in the control group had liver metastases and 25 patients in the therapy group had liver metastases. The effective rate (CR+PR) of the therapy group was significantly better than the control group. Clinical benefit evaluation: in the therapy group of 43 cases, 40 cases presented positive clinical benefit and 38 cases positive clinical weight in KFS scoring system; the clinical benefit of the therapy group was significantly better than control group. Survival analysis: the disease progression-free rate and survival rate of the therapy group were 12 months and 24 months, which were higher than those in the control group. The median PFS and median OS were also significantly longer than those in the control group (p<0.01). In the therapy group, adverse effects of chemotherapy in 43 patients were relieved in a short time. CONCLUSIONS: Target arterial infusion of verapamil combined with chemotherapy drugs for advanced gastric cancer can significantly improve the efficacy of chemotherapy drugs and prolong the survival of patients.

[Efficacy of medium dose dexamethasone androgen suppression test in the diagnosis of female hyperandrogenism].

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic value of medium dose dexamethasone androgen suppression tests (DAST) in female hyperandrogenism. Methods: DAST results were retrospectively analyzed in 85 cases of women with hyperandrogenism including 55 cases of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), 10 cases of testosterone-producing tumors and 20 cases of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) between January 1984 and December 2017 in Peking Union Medical College Hospital. The suppression rate of testosterone and 17 hydroxyprogesterone (17OHP) were evaluated. The cut-off point of suppression rates were calculated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve in the differential diagnosis of CAH and non-CAH causes. Results: The 1-day medium dose DAST was performed simultaneously in 41 cases of CAH patients and the 5-days medium dose DAST was performed simultaneously in 19 cases of CAH patients. The results indicated that the average suppression rate of testosterone were 77.9% and 91.3% (P<0.001) and the average suppression rate of 17OHP was 95.2% and 97.0%, respectively (P=0.220). In patients (41 cases of CAH, 10 cases of testosterone producing tumor and 20 cases of PCOS) with 1-day DAST, the optimal testosterone suppression rate was 61.2% (the sensitivity and specificity was 87.8% and 96.7%, respectively) and the optimal 17OHP suppression rate was 87.1% (the sensitivity and specificity was 95.1% and 93.3%, respectively) in the identification of CAH and non-CAH cases. There is no clinical significance between the testosterone and 17OHP suppression rate in the differential diagnosis of CAH and non-CAH cases. Conclusions: There was no difference in the suppression rate of 17OHP between the 1-day and 5-days DAST in CAH cases. The sensitivity of suppression rate of 17OHP is equal in the differential diagnosis of hyperandrogenism. One-day approach DAST could be used as functional test for the diagnosis of the etilology of hyperandrogenism (CAH or non-CAH).

[Influence of gender, age and season on thyroid hormone reference interval].

Objective: Using clinical "big data" , to investigate the factors that affect the levels of thyroid hormones, and to explore the partitioning criteria for reference intervals (RI) of these hormones. Methods: An observation study was conducted. Information of 107 107 individuals undergoing routine physical examination in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from September 1(st,) 2013 to August 31(st,) 2016 was collected, thyroid hormone of these subjects were detected. To explore the test results distribution and differences of TSH, FT4 and FT3 by gender and age; according to the seasonal division standard of China Meteorological Administration, the study period was divided into four seasons, and the seasonal fluctuation on TSH was analyzed.To define the appropriate partition by gender, age and season according to significant difference analysis. Results: In male and female, the distributions of TSH were 1.779(0.578-4.758), 2.023(0.420-5.343)mU/L, respectively, and the level of TSH in female was higher than in male (Z=-37.600, P<0.001). The distributions of FT4 were 0.127(0.098-0.162), 0.117(0.091-0.151) µg/L, the distributions of FT3 were 3.33(2.47-3.74), 3.01(2.35-3.57)ng/L. And the level of FT4, FT3 in female were significantly lower than in male (Z=-94.000, -154.600, all P<0.001). Furthermore, males were divided into two groups by 65 years old and female were divided by 50 years old, respectively, and the distributions of TSH in male and female of older group were 1.818(0.528-5.240), 2.111(0.348-5.735)mU/L, in younger group were 1.778(0.582-4.696), 1.991(0.427-5.316)mU/L. The level of TSH in older group was significantly higher than in younger group (Z=-2.269, -10.400, all P<0.05), and the distribution of TSH in older group was much wider than in younger. The distribution of whole in spring, summer and autumn was 1.869( 0.510-5.042)mU/L, in winter was 1.978(0.527-5.250) mU/L, and the difference between them had statistical significance (Z=-15.000, P<0.001). Conclusions: Gender and age significantly affect the serum levels of TSH, FT4, and FT3, the distribution of TSH in female and elder group are wider than in male, and that of FT4, FT3 are lower.Seasons significantly affect the serum TSH level, the peak value is observed in winter. There are obviously differences between "rough" RIs and manufacture recommended RIs. Each laboratory should establish reference intervals for thyroid hormones on the premise of appropriate grouping.

[Review on the evaluation research of the effects of smoke-free legislations on cardiovascular diseases].

A substantial amount of data suggested that exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) could cause cardiovascular diseases and acute coronary events in nonsmoking adults. In order to protect the public from SHS, more and more countries and regions across the world have enacted and implemented smoke-free legislations. Developed countries, such as USA, Canada, the Great Britain, Ireland, Italy and Spain, have carried out many studies to analyze the effects of smoke-free legislations on the hospital admission, incidence and mortality of cardiovascular diseases with the purpose of confirming the health benefits of the smoking ban and promoting the conduct of the ban. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library,China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),WANFANG databaseto summarize the study designs, evaluating indicators, statistical methods and results of these studies to provide reference for evaluating smoke-free legislations in inland cities in China.

Bifidobacteria Expressing Tumstatin Protein for Antitumor Therapy in Tumor-Bearing Mice.

Tumstatin (Tum) is a powerful angiostatin that inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of tumorous vascular endothelial cells. A nonpathogenic and anaerobic bacterium, Bifidobacterium longum (BL), selectively localizes to and proliferates in the hypoxia location within solid tumor. The aims of this study were to develop a novel delivery system for Tum using engineered Bifidobacterium and to investigate the inhibitory effect of Tum on tumor in mice. A vector that enabled the expression of Tum under the control of the pBBADs promoter of BL was constructed and transformed into BL NCC2705 by electroporation. The mouse colon carcinoma cells CT26 (1 × 10(7)/mL) were subcutaneously inserted in the left armpit of BALB/c mice. The tumor-bearing mice were treated with Tum-transformed BL, and green fluorescent protein (GFP)-transformed BL was used as a negative control. The microvessel density (MVD) in the transplanted tumor was determined, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated 2'-deoxyuridine 5'-triphosphate nick end labeling was used to detect apoptosis of vascular endothelial cells in transplanted tumor. The in vitro expression of Tum was examined in BL after l-arabinose induction. Bifidobacterium longum with pBBAD-Tum (BL-Tum) showed significant antitumor effect in tumor-bearing mice. The weight, volume, growth, and MVD, as well as the percentage of apoptotic vascular endothelial cells of transplanted tumors in the tumor-bearing mice treated with Tum-transformed BL were all significantly lower than those in the GFP negative control group. Intragastric administration, injection in tumor and vena caudalis injection of Tum-transformed BL exerted marked antitumor effects in tumor-bearing mice. This is the first demonstration of the utilization of Tum-transformed BL as a specific gene delivery system for treating tumor.

Expression of VEGF and its effect on cell proliferation in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the serum of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and the effect of VEGF on cell proliferation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Serum VEGF levels in 12 CML patients (7 chronic phase, 5 blast crisis phase) were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). VEGF expression was interfered by transfection of K562 cells. VEGF mRNA levels in transfected K562 cells were determined using RT-PCR and the effect of VEGF on the proliferation of transfected K562 cells was investigated. RESULTS: VEGF expression levels were significantly higher in CML patients than normal controls and significantly increased during blast crisis phase than during chronic phase. Compared to controls, the proliferation of the K562 cells was suppressed when VEGF expression was inhibited. However, the inhibited proliferation of K562 cells after gene silencing of VEGF was partially abolished after introducing exogenous VEGF into the cells. CONCLUSIONS: VEGF plays an important role in the initiation and development of CML and monitoring serum VEGF assists guiding the treatment and predicting the prognosis of CML.

Isolation of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase gene from Oncidium Gower Ramsey.

A full-length cDNA of a 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase (ACS) family member from Oncidium, named OnACS1 (GenBank accession No. JQ822087) was cloned and characterized by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and rapid amplification of cDNA ends technology. The full-length cDNA was 1586 bp, including a 1308-bp open reading frame, a 105-bp 5' untranslated region (UTR), and 173-bp 3' UTR, encoding 436 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence of OnACS1 shares 85, 84, and 83% homology with ACS proteins of Cattleya bicolor, Dendrobium crumenatum, and Phalaenopsis hybrid, respectively. Prokaryotic expression and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that a specific band was produced and was consistent with the predicted protein size. A tissue-specific manner of OnACS1 expression was observed, and it was predominantly expressed in the gynostemium. The OnACS1 expression in the sepals and gynandria was upregulated by 1% ethephon treatment.

QTL verification of grain protein content and its correlation with oil content by using connected RIL populations of high-oil maize.

Maize with high grain protein and oil contents offers great advantages for human food and animal feed. In this study, grain protein contents of 282 and 263 F7:8 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) of 2 crosses were evaluated in 4 environments within and between populations. The RILs were developed from crosses between an inbred high-oil maize line and 2 normal dent inbred maize lines. A total of 16 single-population QTLs and 19 joint-population QTLs were identified for protein content, and 21 QTLs were detected for protein-oil in each of the 4 environments tested and in combination. Most of the QTLs for protein content were greatly influenced by variation among populations and environments. Seven QTLs showed generational consistency compared with QTLs detected in the 2 F2:3 populations. However, 7 and 6 QTLs were detected in only the RIL and F2:3 populations, respectively. Protein and protein-oil QTLs with the same parental effects were detected at bins 3.03-3.05, 5.04-5.06, 6.03-6.05, 8.03-8.04, and 8.04-8.06, demonstrating that tightly linked and/or pleiotropic QTLs are controlling both traits at these bins. Four single-population QTLs and 11 joint-population QTLs identified at bins 3.02-3.03, 3.05, 7.01, 8.02, 8.03, 8.04-8.05, 8.05, 9.03, and 9.05 with intervals <5 cM could be used in marker-assisted selection. Along with the previously detected QTLs qPRO1-8-1 and qPRO1-5-1 at bins 8.03-8.04 and 5.02-5.04, the QTLs detected herein could be used to develop near isogenic lines and chromosome segment substitution lines in future studies.

The prevalence of household second-hand smoke exposure and its correlated factors in six counties of China.

OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence of, and discuss factors contributing to, household second-hand smoke exposure in six counties in China, providing scientific support for the need to establish tobacco control measures in these areas. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was performed. Investigators conducted face-to-face interviews using a standardised questionnaire to collect information on demographics, passive smoking behaviours and knowledge, and attitudes towards tobacco control. The setting was six counties from the three provinces: Mianzhu and Xichong counties in Sichuan Province; Anyi and Hukou counties in Jiangxi Province; and Xinan and Yanshi counties in Henan Province. A total of 8142 non-smokers (aged 18-69) in 2004 were included in the data analysis. Household second-hand smoke exposure rate as defined as the proportion of household passive smokers in the non-smoker population was used as the measure of household second-hand smoke exposure. RESULTS: The analysis of 8142 non-smokers revealed that, in these selected counties, the household second-hand smoke exposure rate was 48.3%. Respondents had positive attitudes towards tobacco control. Of 6972 respondents, 84.4% supported all the three tobacco control policies (banning smoking in public places, banning the selling of cigarettes to minors, banning all cigarette advertisements). In 3165 families with smokers, 87.2% of respondents reported that smokers would smoke in front of them. In 2124 families with smokers and children, 76.5% of respondents reported that smokers would smoke in front of children. As many as 42.1% of non-smokers would offer cigarettes to their guests, and only 46.8% of respondents would ask smokers to smoke outdoors. Only 6.3% of families completely forbade smoking at home. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed high second-hand smoke exposure for the following demographic groups: Jiangxi Province inhabitants, females, those with low education level, farmers and married respondents. CONCLUSIONS: Household second-hand smoke exposure rates in the selected counties were high. A high percentage of respondents reported that smokers would smoke in front of them and children. The pressure from non-smokers against smoking was relatively low, although offering cigarette was prevalent. Households that were completely smoking-free were rare, Further studies on these correlated factors could help us establish effective measures to reduce household second-hand smoke exposure.

First Report of Rhizome Blight of Ginger Caused by Binucleate Rhizoctonia AG-R in China.

In 2004, rhizome blight of ginger (Zingiber officinale (Willd.) Roscoe) (cv. Yunnanxiaojiang) occurred in the Kunming District of China. The surface of ginger rhizome after harvest was crimpled and covered with white hyphae. Initial symptoms on ginger were wilting on the stem and the color of the rhizome turned from white to light brown with no lesion formation. After 2 weeks, the surface of ginger rhizome was covered with white hyphae and a dry rot set in under humid conditions. The yield loss in ginger almost reached 50% because of the disease. An AG-R tester isolate paired with the unknown 37 isolates of Rhizoctonia spp. from the diseased ginger rhizomes caused a C2 reaction that confirmed their identity. Isolates of AG-R (GenBank Accession Nos. DQ885780 and DQ885781) had 100% sequence similarity with 5.8S rDNA-ITS with the AG-R tester isolate (GenBank Accession No. AF354082). To produce infected soil inoculum, 10 isolates were cultured on potato dextrose agar in a 9-cm petri dish for 3 to 4 days and then covered with approximately 20 g of autoclaved soil and kept at 25°C for 3 to 4 days. Seedlings of ginger (cv, Yunanxiaojiang) were planted in natural potting soil at a density of one plant per vinyl pot (8 cm in diameter, 9 cm high) and grown in the greenhouse for 7 days. Each seedling was inoculated with 7 g of infested soil by placing it around the rhizome. Control plants were inoculated with autoclaved soil. The experiments were carried out three times, each time with three replicates in a growth chamber kept at 25 and 16°C with a 16-h light and 8-h dark photoperiod. After 14 days, the disease severity was recorded based on a scale in which - = no symptoms; + = small lesions on seedlings, no blight; ++ = seedling blight; and +++ = plant dead. All of the 10 tested AG-R isolates caused ginger seedling blight. Rhizoctonia spp. was reisolated from these plants, confirming its pathogenicity. To our knowledge, this is the first report of rhizome blight of ginger caused by Rhizoctonia spp. and binucleate Rhizoctonia AG-R in China. References: (1) B. Sneh et al. Page 135 in: Identification of Rhizoctonia Species. The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN, 1998.