[Clinical Diagnosis and Prenatal Screening of Hb Lepore-BW Associated with IVS-II-654 Heterozygous Mutation].

OBJECTIVE: To identify one case of rare Hb Lepore-BW associated with IVS-II-654 heterozygous mutation in Sichuan area. METHODS: The blood routine examination and hemoglobin electrophoresis methods were used to analyze the blood routine parameters, HbA2 and HbF in the samples of peripheral blood in proband and his parents, as well as the cord blood of pregnant woman. The detection of thalassemia gene and Sanger sequencing methods were used to detect the hemoglobin mutations. RESULTS: The result showed that the Hb Lepore-BW heterozygous mutation was detected in the father of the proband, while a rare Hb Lepore-BW with IVS-II-654 heterozygous mutation was detected in the proband, as well as his mother and cord blood were both detected as IVS-II-654 heterozygous mutation. CONCLUSION: The study identified a rare Hb Lepore-BW with IVS-II-654 heterozygous mutation, which was characterized by intermediate ß-thalassemia. It is necessary to hemoglobin electrophoresis combined with routine blood testing in prenatal screening.

Human papillomavirus infection correlates with inflammatory Stat3 signaling activity and IL-17 expression in patients with breast cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Microbiota has been suggested in promoting chronic inflammation in human tissues which, in turn, promotes tumor development. This study tests a hypothesis that high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection may correlate with proinflammatory Stat3 signaling activities and IL-17 levels in breast cancer (BC) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study examined HPV infection by GenChip technology, constitutively active Stat3 (p-Stat3) and IL-17 levels by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using specific antibodies in 379 BC patients, together with 245 paired adjacent breast adenosis (ABA) tissues and 100 unrelated breast adenosis (BA) tissues. RESULTS: We obtained four major findings: (1) HR-HPV16/18 infections existed in 10.5% (34/325) of BC issues, higher than control BA tissues (4%, 4/100, P = 0.047). (2) Using IHC methodology, BC tissues showed more overactive p-Stat3 (2+/3+, 38.5%, 146/379) than ABA tissues (27.3%, 67/245, P < 0.001); similarly, BC also had more tissues overexpressing IL-17 (2+/3+, 61.5%, 233/379) than ABA tissues (51.8%, 127/245, P < 0.001). (3) High levels (2+/3+) of both active p-Stat3 and IL-17 correlated with poor differentiation and lymph nodal metastasis in BC (both with P < 0.05), but not with patients' prognosis. (4) HR-HPV infections correlated with both active p-Stat3 (P = 0.018) and its downstream IL-17 levels (P = 0.021) in BC tissues. CONCLUSION: There may be a possible tri-lateral relationship among HPV infection, constitutive Stat3 activity and IL-17 level, whose collaborations could orchestrate a proinflammatory microenvironment in breast tissues by which promote carcinogenesis and/or facilitate progression of breast cancer.

Implementing a cervical cancer awareness program in low- income settings in Western China: a community-based locally affordable intervention for risk reduction.

BACKGROUND: Some 60 years after introduction of the Papanicolaou smear worldwide, cervical cancer remains a burden in developing countries where >85% of world new cases and deaths occur, suggesting a failure to establish comprehensive cervical-cancer control programs. Effective interventions are available to control cervical cancer but are not all affordable in low-income settings. Disease awareness saves lives by risk-reduction as witnessed in reducing mortality of HIV/AIDS and smoking-related cancers. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We initiated a community-based awareness program on cervical cancer in two low-income Muslim Uyghur townships in Kashi (Kashgar) Prefecture, Xinjiang, China in 2008. The education involved more than 5,000 women from two rural townships and awareness was then evaluated in 2010 and 2011, respectively, using a questionnaire with 10 basic knowledge questions on cervical cancer. Demographic information was also collected and included in an EpiData database. A 10-point scoring system was used to score the awareness. RESULTS: The effectiveness and feasibility of the program were evaluated among 4,475 women aged 19-70 years, of whom >92% lived on/ below US$1.00/day. Women without prior education showed a poor average awareness rate of 6.4% (164/2,559). A onetime education intervention, however, sharply raised the awareness rate by 4-fold to 25.5% (493/1,916). Importantly, low income and illiteracy were two reliable factors affecting awareness before or after education intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Education intervention can significantly raise the awareness of cervical cancer in low-income women. Economic development and compulsory education are two important solutions in raising general disease awareness. We propose that implementing community-based awareness programs against cervical cancer is realistic, locally affordable and sustainable in low-income countries, which may save many lives over time and, importantly, will facilitate the integration of comprehensive programs when feasible. In this context, adopting this strategy may provide one good example of how to achieve "good health at low cost".

Physical activities and dietary intervention on metabolic syndrome in children / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To study the effect of physical activities and dietary intervention on metabolic syndrome (MS) in primary school students.Methods Either one-year physical activities (PA) or dietary intervention was conducted in Grade 1-5 children from eight primary schools in Haidian district,Beijing.A ‘happy 10 minutes' program was held in the PA group,while the dietary group receiving nutrition lectures.Baseline and post-intervention data on height,weight,waist circumference,serum lipids,glucose,and blood pressure were collected.Results The prevalence of MS at baseline was 9.0％.After intervention programs were carried out,improvements on triglyceride,high density lipoprotein,fasting blood glucose,diastolic blood pressure and waist circumference in the dietary group or PA group were seen,with the dietary group showed better effects than the PA group.The prevalence of MS decreased from 10.4％ to 4.6％ in the dietary group with statistically significant difference,while it increased in both the PA group and the control group.Girls showed better effects in the dietary group.Older students showed better effects than the younger students in the PA group.In non-overweight and overweight students of the dietary intervention group,the MS related components were significantly improved.Conclusion The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was relatively high in the primary school students in Beijing.Education on nutrition could reduce the prevalence and improve the related components,which seemed to be more effective than in the PA intervention.Sex,age and nutritional status were the confounding factors for intervention programs.

Status of physical activities among 379 pupils in Beijing / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective Using the objective detection devices to explore the physical activity status in order to provide evidence reated to the physical activity intervention program on child obesity in elementary students.Methods Subjects were elementary students from grades 1-5 of 4 schools in Haidian and Dongcheng districts,Beijing.After measuring their height and weight,an motion sensor was applied to measure physical activities in these 379 pupils.Results Time on moderate to vigorous physical activities (MVPA) among pupils was 74.09 min and the ratio of meeting the recommended time of physical activity was 68.9％.The MVPA time in males (79.46 min) was more than that in females (66.07 min) (P＜0.05),with the ratio of meeting the recommended physical activity time in males (78.0％) also larger than that in females (55.3％) (P＜0.05).There was no significant difference between low age group and high age group (P＞0.05),however,there showed significant difference in light physical activity time among the normal group,overweight group and the obese group (P＜0.05).However,there was no significant difference found in MVPA time among the three groups (P＞ 0.05).Conclusion The ratio of meeting the recommend physical activity time was low.MVPA time should be increased to guarantee the athletic effects and to improve the health stutas in the pupils.

Association between socioeconomic status and physical activities in Chinese children / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To study the daily physical activity patterns of pupils in Beijing, and to identify the association between the socioeconomic status (SES) and physical activities. Methods 1502 pupils were recruited from 2-5 grades of eight primary schools in Beijing. Information on physical activity, sedentary activity, and transportation styles inside and outside schools were collected using a "7-day physical activity questionnaire". Results Gymnastics, running, playing games, walking in queues etc. Were the most common activities at school, with the proportion as 94.13%, 85.55%, 77.26%, and 71.32% respectively. Physical labor, playing games, running and walking were the common activities outside schools, with the proportion as 72.14%, 69.70%,65.05%, and 64.64% respectively. However, pupils seldom participated in the ball games. Significant differences between SES groups were observed on the patterns of both physical and sedentary activities. Compared to low-SES pupils, high-SES pupils more frequently participated in dancing, walking upstairs or downstairs, swimming, skating, but less frequently (P＜0.05) in walking, rope skipping, kicking shuttlecock or rubber band skipping. Conclusion Data from our study showed that both the quantity and the distribution of different activities did not meet the need of the Chinese children. Physical activity in association with SES was also demonstrated.

Prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in Chinese minority students in 2005 / 中华流行病学杂志

ghest. Conclusion In general, both the prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in Chinese minority students were comparatively low. However, in some minority groups the prevalence had already become higher, which demands early prevention.

Study on the trend of minority students' health status from 1995 to 2005 in China / 中华流行病学杂志

myopia rates in 2005 were 29.5%, 39.1%, 10.1%, 42.6%, 41.1%, for boys and 45.4%, 50.0%, 15.4%, 49.7%, 46.7% for girls. Conclusion In order to improve the health of students in minority regions, we need to promote health education at schools.