Genetic characterization of varicella-zoster virus in people aged 20 years and under in Yichang City of Hubei Province, 2019-2020 / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To analyze the genetic characteristics of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in people aged 20 years and under in Yichang City of Hubei Province from 2019 to 2020. Methods: Based on the Yichang Health Big Data Platform, we investigated cases 20 and under clinically diagnosed as herpes zoster in three hospitals from March 2019 to September 2020. Collecting vesicle fluid and throat swab samples of the cases and completing questionnaires to obtain basic information. Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR was used for positive identification of the virus. PCR amplification of VZV's open reading frame (ORF) and sequencing of the products to determine the VZV genotype. Analyze mutations at some specific single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites. Results: Among 46 cases of herpes zoster, the male to female ratio was 1.3∶1 (26∶20) and the age ranged from 7 to 20 years old. Fifteen cases had been vaccinated against varicella, including 13 and 2 cases of 1 and 2 doses, respectively. VZV strains were detected in 34 samples (73.91%), all belonging to Clade 2. Phylogenetic tree analysis of the nucleotide of ORF22 showed, compared with Clade 2 referenced strains, the sequence matching degree of nucleotide for all 34 samples was 99.0% to 100.0%. Conclusion: The main VZV strain causing herpes zoster in people aged 20 years and under in Yichang from 2019 to 2020 was Clade 2.

Effect of the varicella vaccination on the clinical characteristics of herpes zoster cases aged 20 years and under / 中华预防医学杂志

To discuss the effect of varicella vaccination on the clinical characteristics of herpes zoster (shingles) cases aged 20 years and under, and analyze its clinical features. Based on the Yichang Health Big Data Platform, a descriptive study was conducted to collect the information of cases aged 20 years and under in three medical institutions of Yichang Central People's Hospital, Yichang First People's Hospital and Yichang Second People's Hospital from March 2019 to September 2020. According to the history of varicella vaccine, cases were divided into vaccination group and non-vaccination group, and their clinical features and outcomes were compared. The results showed that 46 shingles cases, aged from 7 to 20 years old, were included in this study. 26 males (56.5%), 20 females (43.5%), 15 cases in vaccination group (32.6%) and 31 cases in non-vaccination group (67.4%). 28 cases had thoracic involvement, followed by lumbar (n=8), cranial (n=7) involvements and extremities (n=7). The spread of herpes skin area: 2 cases involved too large area, 21 cases of 10 cm×10 cm, 14 cases of 5 cm×5 cm, 9 cases of 1 cm×1 cm. Herpes number: 26 cases had 10-49 herpes, followed by <10 herpes (n=9), uncountable herpes (n=7) and 50-99 herpes (n=4). The clinical course[M(Q1,Q3)] lasted 20.5 (13.5,24.8) d averagely, 5 cases had postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) and 1 case had respiratory complications. Shingles decrustation time was significantly shorter in vaccination group (Z=-2.01, P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in other characteristics by vaccination. In conclusion, the number and spread of shingles in most children and adolescents are less, and the complications such as PHN are less. Varicella vaccination can reduce the decrustation time and relieve shingles cases with some clinical symptoms.

Effects of Toluene on the Development of the Inner Ear and Lateral Line Sensory System of Zebrafish / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

Objective@#The aim of this study was to explore the ototoxicity of toluene in the early development of zebrafish embryos/larvae.@*Methods@#Zebrafish were utilized to explore the ototoxicity of toluene. Locomotion analysis, immunofluorescence, and qPCR were used to understand the phenotypes and molecular mechanisms of toluene ototoxicity.@*Results@#The results demonstrated that at 2 mmol/L, toluene induced zebrafish larvae death at 120 hours post fertilization (hpf) at a rate of 25.79% and inhibited the rate of hatching at 72 hpf. Furthermore, toluene exposure inhibited the distance travelled and average swimming velocity of zebrafish larvae while increasing the frequency of movements. As shown by fluorescence staining of hair cells, toluene inhibited the formation of lateral line neuromasts and middle line 1 (Ml @*Conclusion@#This study indicated that toluene may affect the development of both the inner ear and lateral line systems in zebrafish, while the lateral line system may be more sensitive to toluene than the inner ear.

Quantitative assessment of occupational health risks in workers exposed to low-level dichloromethane / 中国职业医学

OBJECTIVE: To quantitatively evaluate the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks of low-level dichloromethane(DCM) exposure. METHODS: A typical sampling method was used to select workers from an engine factory and an automobile parts factory as the research subjects. After hazard identification and hazard characteristic assessment, the occupational health risks of DCM in the workplace were quantitatively assessed by non-carcinogenic risk assessment and carcinogenic risk assessment. RESULTS: The highest exposure concentration of short-term of DCM was 43.6 mg/m~3 in the air of eight DCM job posts in these two enterprises, which was lower than the operational level of 300.0 mg/m~3(half of the occupational exposure limit in China). Under this premise, the non-carcinogenic risk assessment results showed that the non-carcinogenic risk caused by inhalation of DCM was unacceptable in workers of these eight job posts. The results of carcinogenic risk assessment showed that the carcinogenic risk caused by inhalation of DCM was acceptable for all the workers in these eight job posts. CONCLUSION: Low-level DCM exposure can cause unacceptable occupational health risks to workers. Quantitative risk assessment can be applied to assess exposure to low-level chemicals.

Evaluating the effect of intervention on the use of respiratory protective equipment among migrant workers / 中国职业医学

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of intervention adherence on the use of respiratory protective equipment(RPE) among migrant workers who occupationally exposed to organic solvents. METHODS: A total of 901 migrant workers from 60 small and medium-sized enterprises exposed to organic solvents in a district of Guangzhou City were selected as study subjects using three-arm cluster randomized controlled trial. The enterprises were divided into control group, intervention group, and combined intervention group. Migrant workers in the control group did not receive any intervention, while migrant workers in the intervention group received traditional health education and mobile health(mHealth) intervention, and migrant workers in the combined intervention group received interventions of the intervention group plus peer education. The use of RPE by the migrant workers was evaluated in these three groups in the last week, and at the sixth month. RESULTS: The adherence rates of the three mHealth intervention measures(following the WeChat official account of the project, joining the WeChat/QQ group of the project, and reading the provided messages from project team) in the combined intervention group were higher than that in the intervention group(74.8% vs 53.6%, 70.7% vs 41.8%, 78.5% vs 65.0%, all P<0.01). In the two intervention groups, the adherence rates of traditional health education(attending occupational health training, and browsing public welfare posters) were higher than that of mHealth intervention and/or peer education(all P<0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that regardless of mHealth intervention, traditional health education or peer education, the high compliance subgroups of the two intervention groups were more likely to wear RPE all the time(all P<0.05) compared with the control group. The intervention effectiveness of the combined intervention group was better than that of the intervention group. CONCLUSION: Improving compliance with occupational health education interventions can promote the use of RPE among migrant workers. The implementation of peer education is beneficial to improve intervention compliance and intervention effect of migrant workers.

Environmental tobacco smoke and cancer risk, a prospective cohort study in a Chinese population.

Few prospective cohort studies have investigated associations between environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and other cancer sites, in addition to lung cancer. We assessed these associations in a population-based prospective cohort study started from 2008 to 2011 with average of 9.1 years of follow-up, in Minhang district, Shanghai, China. The study included a total of 23,415 participants (8388 men, 15,027 women) and 205,515 person-years. Epidemiological data were collected by a standardized questionnaire including ETS exposure. Newly diagnosed patients with primary cancers and deaths were identified by record linkage system with the Shanghai Cancer Registry and Shanghai Vital Statistics. Hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression models, adjusting for potential confounders. During the study period, a total of 1462 patients with diagnoses of primary cancers were identified. Among all participants and non-smokers, ETS was associated with an increased risk of all smoking-related cancers (all: adjusted HR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.05-1.43 and non-smokers: 1.24, 1.02-1.49), lung cancer (1.29, 0.98-1.71 and 1.27, 0.91-1.77), and stomach cancer (1.86, 1.21-2.85 and 1.75, 1.05-2.91), respectively. Furthermore, associations for lung and stomach cancers were the strongest among non-smoking females. The joint effects of both ETS and active smoking were strongest for all cancers, all smoking-related cancers, lung cancer, and stomach cancer. No clear interactions were observed. These results suggest that ETS exposure may increase the risk of smoking-related cancers in a Chinese population. Further studies on the relationship between ETS exposure and specific cancer sites are warranted to replicate our findings.

Body mass index and cancer risk among Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Obesity and diabetes are two risk factors for cancer. To evaluate the association of body mass index (BMI) with cancer risk in diabetic patients may improve current understanding of potential mechanisms. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in 51,004 newly diagnosed T2DM patients derived from an electronic health record (EHR) database of Minhang district in Shanghai, China. Incident cancer cases and all-cause deaths occurred before September 30, 2015 were identified by linking with the Shanghai Cancer Registry and the Shanghai Vital Statistics. To examine the potential non-linear and linear relationships of BMI and cancer risk, Cox proportional hazard models with and without restricted cubic spline functions were used, respectively. RESULTS: A non-linear association was observed between BMI and overall cancer incidence in men younger than 60 years old (p for non-linearity = 0.009). Compared with those having BMI of 25.0 kg/m2, the cancer risk increased in those with either lower or higher BMI. In women older than 60 years old, linear dose-response relationships were observed between BMI and the risk of both overall cancer and breast cancer. As each unit increase in BMI, the overall cancer risks elevated by 3% (95%CI: 1-5%) and the breast cancer risks increased by 7% (95%CI: 1-13%). No significant association was observed between BMI and other common cancer sites. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that the effect of BMI on cancer risk in Chinese patients with T2DM may vary by gender, age and cancer subtypes, suggesting different underlying biological mechanisms.

Strategic Design of Vacancy-Enriched Fe1- xS Nanoparticles Anchored on Fe3C-Encapsulated and N-Doped Carbon Nanotube Hybrids for High-Efficiency Triiodide Reduction in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

A new class of hybrids with the unique electrocatalytic nanoarchitecture of Fe1- xS anchored on Fe3C-encapsulated and N-doped carbon nanotubes (Fe1- xS/Fe3C-NCNTs) is innovatively synthesized through a facile one-step carbonization-sulfurization strategy. The efficient synthetic protocols on phase structure evolution and dynamic decomposition behavior enable the production of the Fe1- xS/Fe3C-NCNT hybrid with advanced structural and electronic properties, in which the Fe vacancy-contained Fe1- xS showed the 3d metallic state electrons and an electroactive Fe in +2/+3 valence, and the electronic structure of the CNT was effectively modulated by the incorporated Fe3C and N, with the work function decreased from 4.85 to 4.63 eV. The meticulous structural, electronic, and compositional control unveils the unusual synergetic catalytic properties for the Fe1- xS/Fe3C-NCNT hybrid when developed as counter electrodes (CEs) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), in which the Fe3C- and N-incorporated CNTs with reduced work function and increased charge density provide a highway for electron transport and facilitate the electron migration from Fe3C-NCNTs to ultrahigh active Fe1- xS with the electron-donating effect, and the Fe vacancy-enriched Fe1- xS nanoparticles exhibit ultrahigh I3- adsorption and charge-transfer ability. As a consequence, the DSSC based on the Fe1- xS/Fe3C-NCNT CE delivers a high power conversion efficiency of 8.67% and good long-term stability with a remnant efficiency of 8.00% after 168 h of illumination, superior to those of traditional Pt. Furthermore, the possible catalytic mechanism toward I3- reduction is creatively proposed based on the structure-activity correlation. In this work, the structure engineering, electronic modulation, and composition control opens up new possibilities in constructing the novel electrocatalytic nanoarchitecture for highly efficient CEs in DSSCs.

A Study on the Effects of Occlusal Function on CTGF Expression in Orthodontics / 昆明医科大学学报

Objective To investigate CTGF changes in the expression of the gum tissue before and after orthodontic treatment, and to preliminarily explore the modification mechanism of gingival tissue and the effectiveness of the intervention measures. Methods 72 male Sprague-Dawley rats of 12-week-old, weight about 250 g-300 g, randomly divided into 6 groups: blank control group (A), healthy teeth orthodontic group (B), low functional group (C), low occlusal function teeth orthodontic group (D), combined intervention group (E), bite orthodontic intervention group (F). The results of the study were compared at 1 w, 2 w, 4 w, 6 w.Results (1) HE staining results showed the atrophy of the gingival tissue, which suggested that occlusal hypofunction SD rats model were successfully established. (2) Fluorescence quantitative results of CTGF in gingival tissue: 6 w: group B was higher than group D and group F (P＜0.05). Conclusion (1) the expression of CTGF in the low occlusion group was lower than that of the normal control group with time, and the gum tissue was vulnerable to atrophy. (2) It remains to be further studied whether the bite force recovery is effective.

Construction of Highly Catalytic Porous TiOPC Nanocomposite Counter Electrodes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

Developing low-cost, durable, and highly catalytic counter electrode (CE) materials based on earth-abundant elements is essential for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In this study, we report a highly active nanostructured compositional material, TiOPC, which contains titanium, oxygen, phosphorus, and carbon, for efficient CE in I3-/I- electrolyte. The TiOPC nanocomposites are prepared from carbon thermal transformation of TiP2O7 in an atmosphere of nitrogen at high temperature, and their catalytic performance is regulated by changing the carbon content in the nanocomposites. The TiOPC with appropriate 24.6 wt % carbon and porous structure exhibits an enhanced electrocatalytic activity in the reduction of I3-, providing a short-circuit current density of 16.64 mA cm-2, an open-circuit potential of 0.78 V, and an energy conversion efficiency of 8.65%. The photovoltaic performance of TiOPC CE-based DSSC is even superior to that of a Pt CE-based cell (13.80 mA cm-2, 0.79 V, and 6.66%). The enhanced catalytic activity of TiOPC is attributed to the presence of predominant Ti-O-P-C structure along with the continuous conductive carbon network and the porous structure.

Identification and evaluation of reference genes in the Chinese white wax scale insect Ericerus pela.

BACKGROUND: The Chinese white wax scale insect, Ericerus pela, is a well-known resource insect. The females and males are dramatically distinct at each developmental stage. We sought to identify suitable reference genes to use as internal controls in molecular research on E. plea. RESULTS: geNorm, RefFinder and Normfinder analyses showed that ßTub-2 was the best reference gene throughout different developmental stages; SdhA-1 was the most stable reference gene in different tissues, and ßTub-1 was the most reliable reference gene under treatment with different temperatures. The results also showed that the optimal number of reference genes for analyzing target gene expression levels in the three experimental conditions was two. CONCLUSIONS: The identified reference genes are suitable reference genes for normalization in RT-qPCR of E. pela samples.

Minimally invasive conjunctivorhinostomy for the treatment of complete bicanalicular obstruction / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM: To investigate the effectiveness of minimally invasive conjunctivorhinostomy for complete bicanalicular obstruction, and to evaluate the advantages, complications, and degree of satisfaction after this technique. ●METHODS: Twenty - two patients ( 22 eyes ) with complete bicanalicular obstruction were selected as the research subjects, all patients were treated by minimally invasive conjunctivorhinostomy. The post - operation follow- up lasted for 3 - 27mo. Medical records were reviewed for demographic data, surgical time, length of the tubes, duration of follow-up, patency of the tube, postoperative complications, whether satisfied or dissatisfied with this procedure. Meanwhile, the data was analyzed for evaluating the clinical efficacy of minimally invasive conjunctivorhinostomy. ●RESULTS: The overall operative success rate was 95%(21/22), and the overall patient satisfaction was 68% (15/22 ) . The post - operation complications included:granulation tissue proliferation of the lower end of the tube 2 cases (9%), middle turbinate blocked the opening of tube 3 cases ( 14%) , nasal mucosa covering the opening of tube 1 case ( 5%) , the tube was blocked by secreta 5 cases ( 23%) , foreign body sensation 10 cases (45%), dry eye 2 cases ( 9%), regurgitation of nasal secreta discharge 8 cases (36%). ●CONCLUSION: Minimally invasive conjunctivorhinostomy can treat the complete bicanalicular obstruction. This operation method is characterized by simplicity, high success rate, short operative time, less tissue trauma, less complications, without facial scarring, and it is worth clinical promotion.

Expression of Gli1 in Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Its Clinical Significance / 中国实验血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the expression and clinical significance of Hedgehog signaling transcription factor Gli1 in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical specimens were obtained from 32 newly diagnosed and 6 relapsed ALL patients. Normal bone marrow cells from 15 healthy donors were used as controls. Real-time qPCR and Western blot were applied to detect Gli1 mRNA and protein expression in bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNC) of these samples respectively. The relation of Gli1 mRNA levels with clinical parameter was also evaluated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The expression level of Gli1 mRNA in de novo and relapsed ALL patients was significantly higher than that in the normal controls (P < 0.05). There was no stalistically significant difference of the Gli1 mRNA expression between de novo and relapsed ALL cases (P > 0.05). In 24 de novo ALL patients with complete remission (CR) after induction chemotherapy, the levels of Gli1 mRNA were significantly reduced as compared with levels before treatment (P < 0.05). However, in 4 ALL patients without remission, no obvious difference of Gli1 mRNA levels were observed as compared with levels of Gli1 before treatment (P > 0.05). A positive correlation between the Gli1 mRNA expression level and white blood cell count (WBC) was found in the BMMNC of ALL patients (R = 0.725, P < 0.05). Similarly, Gli1 protein expression was significantly higher in the de novo and relapsed ALL cases compared with normal controls. The Gli1 protein level was down-regulated when the ALL patients was in CR.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The expression of Gli1 mRNA and protein has been found to be high in de novo and relapsed ALL patients, and the change of Gli1 expression maybe relate to therapeutic efficacy and prognosis of ALL patients.</p>

Complete mitochondrial genome sequences of two parasitic/commensal nemerteans, Gononemertes parasita and Nemertopsis tetraclitophila (Nemertea: Hoplonemertea).

BACKGROUND: Most nemerteans (phylum Nemertea) are free-living, but about 50 species are known to be firmly associated with other marine invertebrates. For example, Gononemertes parasita is associated with ascidians, and Nemertopsis tetraclitophila with barnacles. There are 12 complete or near-complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequences of nemerteans available in GenBank, but no mitogenomes of none free-living nemerteans have been determined so far. In the present paper complete mitogenomes of the above two parasitic/commensal nemerteans are reported. METHODS: The complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenome) of G. parasita and N. tetraclitophila were amplified by conventional and long PCR. Phylogenetic analyses of maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) were performed with both concatenated nucleotide and amino acid sequences. RESULTS: Complete mitogenomes of G. parasita and N. tetraclitophila are 14742 bp and 14597 bp in size, respectively, which are within the range of published Hoplonemertea mitogenomes. Their gene orders are identical to that of published Hoplonemertea mitogenomes, but different from those of Palaeo- and Heteronemertea species. All the coding genes, as well as major non-coding regions (mNCRs), are AT rich, which is especially pronounced at the third codon position. The AT/GC skew pattern of the coding strand is the same among nemertean mitogenomes, but is variable in the mNCRs. Some slight differences are found between mitogenomes of the present species and other hoplonemerteans: in G. parasita the mNCR is biased toward T and C (contrary to other hoplonemerteans) and the rrnS gene has a unique 58-bp insertion at the 5' end; in N. tetraclitophila the nad3 gene starts with the ATT codon (ATG in other hoplonemerteans). Phylogenetic analyses of the nucleotide and amino acid datasets show early divergent positions of G. parasita and N. tetraclitophila within the analyzed Distromatonemertea species, and provide strong support for the close relationship between Hoplonemertea and Heteronemertea. CONCLUSION: Gene order is highly conserved within the order Monostilifera, particularly within the Distromatonemertea, and the special lifestyle of G. parasita and N. tetraclitophila does not bring significant variations to the overall structures of their mitogenomes in comparison with free-living hoplonemerteans.

Cloning and expression analysis of four heat shock protein genes in Ericerus pela (Homoptera: Coccidae).

To explore the function of small heat shock protein genes (shsps) and hsp70 in Ericerus pela, we cloned the full-length cDNA sequences of hsp21.5, hsp21.7, hsp70, and hsc70 and the genomic sequence of hsc70. Open reading frames of the four hsps were 570, 564, 1,908, and 1,962 base pairs (bp), respectively, which encode proteins with calculated molecular mass of 21.5, 21.7, 69.8, and 71.6 kDa. Amino acid sequence analysis revealed the presence of the conserved Hsp motifs in all four proteins. The genomic DNA of hsc70 had four introns. ep-hsp21.5 was orthologous and ep-hsp21.7 was species specific. Expression of all four transcripts during heat or cold stress and development was examined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. All four hsps were upregulated during heat or cold stress in female adults, indicating a correlation between the four hsps and heat or cold-stress tolerance in female adults. ep-hsp21.7 and ep-hsp70 were upregulated during heat stress in male larvae, implying a correlation between the two hsps and heat-stress tolerance in male larvae. The four ep-hsps were also upregulated during the developmental process in males, and ep-hsp21.5, ep-hsp70, and ep-hsc70 were upregulated in females, which indicates their possible role in the developmental regulation of E. pela.

Application of electric detachable stent in the embolization therapy of intracranial aneurysms / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Solitaire(TM) AB neurovascular stenting-assisted coil embolization for patients with wide-necked or dissecting aneurysms.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical results and prognosis from a consecutive series of 38 patients with 40 wide-necked or dissecting aneurysms aneurysms who treated by Solitaire(TM) AB neurovascular stenting-assisted coil embolization from August 2010 to January 2012 was retrospectively analyzed. There were 12 male and 26 female patients, the age was 21 - 78 years (mean 55 years). Thirty-one cases were confirmed wide-neck aneurysms and 9 cases were dissection aneurysms by DSA. Acute subarachnoed hemorrhage due to the rupture of aneurysms was seen in 28 cases (according Hunt-Hess scale, 1 case of Class I, 20 cases of Class II, 4 cases of Class III, 3 cases of Class IV), 1 case was traumatic intracranial aneurysm, 1 case was misdiagnosed during the operation of pituitary adenoma by the approach of transsphenoid, and unruptured aneurysms were seen in 8 cases. The aneurysms were located at the posterior communicating segment of internal carotid artery (21 cases), the supraclinoid segment of internal carotid artery (6 cases), the cavernous segment of internal carotid artery (3 cases), the anterior communicating artery (1 case), and the vertebral artery (9 cases). The patients were performed DSA and Glasgow outcome score (GOS) to evaluate the prognosis 6 months after surgery.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Forty stents were used and all remodeling device were achieved successful position. Owing to acute thrombosis in 3 patients, the stents were retrieved successfully. The proportion of patients in whom Raymond class 1 occlusion was obtained in 31 cases (77.5%), Raymond class 2 occlusion in 5 cases (12.5%) and Raymond class 3 occlusion in 4 cases (10.0%). The follow-up was 3 to 12 months (median 6 months). The results of DSA indicated none of the patients' anuerysm was recurred; and GOS was applied to evaluate the prognosis of patients after 3 months. Of 38 patients, 34 recovered well, 3 moderately disabled, 1 patient died.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>It is safe to embolize aneurysms with Solitaire(TM) AB neurovascular stenting-assisted coil; meanwhile, the stents can be retrieved when acute thrombosis to reduce the complications.</p>

Transcriptome analysis of the Chinese white wax scale Ericerus pela with focus on genes involved in wax biosynthesis.

BACKGROUND: The Chinese white wax scale, Ericerus pela Chavannes is economically significant for its role in wax production. This insect has been bred in China for over a thousand years. The wax secreted by the male scale insect during the second-instar larval stage has been widespread used in wax candle production, wax printing, engraving, Chinese medicine, and more recently in the chemical, pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetics industries. However, little is known about the mechanisms responsible for white wax biosynthesis. The characterization of its larval transcriptome may promote better understanding of wax biosynthesis. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, characterization of the transcriptome of E. pela during peak wax secretion was performed using Illumina sequencing technology. Illumina sequencing produced 41,839 unigenes. These unigenes were annotated by blastx alignment against the NCBI Non-Redundant (NR), Swiss-Prot, KEGG, and COG databases. A total of 104 unigenes related to white wax biosynthesis were identified, and 15 of them were selected for quantitative real-time PCR analysis. We evaluated the variations in gene expression across different development stages, including egg, first/second instar larvae, male pupae, and male and female adults. Then we identified five genes involved in white wax biosynthesis. These genes were expressed most strongly during the second-instar larval stage of male E. pela. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The transcriptome analysis of E. pela during peak wax secretion provided an overview of gene expression information at the transcriptional level and a resource for gene mining. Five genes related to white wax biosynthesis were identified.

Effects of noise exposure level on the relationship between SNPs of SOD1 and the susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effects of noise exposure level and cumulative noise exposure (CNE) on the relationship between rs2070424 and rs10432782 SNPs in SOD1 and the susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A case-control study was performed for investigating the effects of environmental risk factors on the susceptibility to NIHL in 201 sensitive workers and 202 resistant workers.A questionnaire was utilized to investigate the occupational health and to identify the occupational risk factors. The noise exposure levels were detected according to the Chinese standard Measurement of noise in the workplace (GBZ/T 189.8-2007). The peripheral blood samples (5 ml blood for each sample) were from sensitive workers and resistant workers. Genomic DNA was extracted on the basis of the standard procedures of Takara kit. SNPs were detected using standard procedures of TaqMan probe allele identification method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In group exposed to 85 - 92 dB noise (A), the risk of NIHL in the subjects with the AA genotype of rs2070424 was lower than that in the subjects with the GG genotype, OR = 0.37 (95%CI: 0.17∼ 0.80). In group exposed to > 82 dB CNE (A), the AA genotype of rs2070424 is a protective factor of NIHL, as compared with the GG genotype, OR = 0.25 (95%CI: 0.09 ∼ 0.70). In group exposed to 85 - 92 dB noise (A), the risk of NIHL in the subjects with the GG genotype of rs10432782 was compared with the risk of NIHL in the subjects with the TT genotype, OR = 3.17 (95%CI: 1.16 ∼ 6.89). The GT genotype was compared with TT genotype, OR = 2.39 (95%CI: 1.16 ∼ 4.97). In group exposed to 75 ∼ 82 dB CNE (A), the risk of NIHL in the subjects with the GG genotype was compared with the risk of NIHL in the subjects with the TT genotype, OR = 2.35 (95%CI: 0.96 ∼ 5.72), P = 0.06. The GG genotype may bea risk factor of NIHJ.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The noise exposure level and CNE may influence the relationship between rs2070424, rs10432782 SNPs in SOD1 and noise-induced hearing loss.</p>

Efficacy of compound xuanju capsule on type-III prostatitis-related sexual dysfunction / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the value of Compound Xuanju Capsule in the treatment of type-III prostatitis-related sexual dysfunction.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We randomly divided 90 type-III prostatitis patients with sexual dysfunction diagnosed by NIH clinical criteria into an experiment group and a control group to be treated with Compound Xuanju Capsule and antibiotics, respectively. We analyzed the therapeutic results based on the scores on chronic prostatitis symptom index (CPSI), prostatitis-related sexual function index (PSFI ) and self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), and compared them between the two groups and with the baseline data.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The degree of prostatitis-related sexual dysfunction was not correlated with that of prostatitis symptoms. Prostatitis symptoms and sexual function were significantly improved in the experiment group than in the control (P < 0.05), and the SAS score was markedly lower in the former than in the latter (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Compound Xuanju Capsule can not only alleviate the symptoms of type-III prostatitis, but also improve its related sexual dysfunction and anxiety.</p>

The effects of oxidative damage induced by organic oxidant t-BHP on cochlear hair cells / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To establish the oxidative damage model of cochlea hair cells using organic oxidant t-BHP in vitro.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>HEI-OC1 cells were exposed to t-BHP at 8 doses (30~4000 µmol/L) for 12 h. Trypan blue test was used to detected the cellular viability and MTT assay was utilized to measured the cellular proliferation. The intracellular ROS levels were determined by 2,7-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The survival rates of HEI-OC1 cells started decrease significantly at the dose of 100 µmol/L t-BHP, the peak of decreased survival rates appeared at the doses of 200~800 µmol/L. The results of MTT assay demonstrated that 30 µmol/L t-BHP could promote cellular proliferation ability, when t-BHP concentrations were higher than 200 µmol/L, the cellular proliferation ability was inhibited. The results of DCFH-DA assay showed that there was no fluorescence in control group, the strong fluorescence was observed in positive control group, the weak fluorescence was observed in 30~50 µmol/L t-BHP groups, the bright fluorescence was observed in 100 µmol/L t-BHP group, still the stronger fluorescence was observed in 200~1000 µmol/L groups, but the cellular number decreased with the doses because of the lower cellular viability.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The exposure to 100 µmol/L t-BHP for 12 h could simulate the oxidative damage induced by noise in cochlear hair cells.</p>