Stem Cell Therapy for Diabetic Foot Ulcers: Theory and Practice.

Diabetic foot ulcers are associated with increases in limb amputation, morbidity, and mortality. Recently, a stem cell application is emerging as promising adjuvant therapy. We presented available remedies by conducting a literature review on the application, safety, and efficacy of stem cell therapy. Relevant literature, including randomized control trials and article journals, was obtained from reputable search engines (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science). We analyzed five credible cohorts, with variable sources of stem cells, in a total of 216 participants, 151 males and 65 females, age (mean ± SD) of 64.5 ± 9.6 years. With an average success of 86.41% in all Wagner-II lesions, mesenchymal SCA (stem cell application) is safe and effective, hence can significantly prevent limb amputation.

Case Report: Clinical characteristics and genetic analysis of two patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.

Objective: To analyze the clinical features and genetic characteristics of two patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) and to review the relevant literature. Methods: The clinical data of two HHT patients admitted to the author's hospital between April 2019 and February 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Meanwhile, the genetic analysis was performed with their consent. Results: The first patient was a 62-year-old woman who had been complaining of shortness of breath and fever for 20 days. Her previous medical history included brain abscess drainage and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for a pulmonary hemangioma. A right heart catheterization revealed no pulmonary arterial hypertension, and an abdominal enhanced magnetic resonance imaging revealed multiple arteriovenous malformations in the liver. Her ACVRL1 heterozygous variants were discovered through whole-exon gene testing. The second case involved a 47-year-old woman who had been experiencing chest tightness for the past 2 years. Several years ago, she underwent brain abscess drainage and embolization of a pulmonary arteriovenous fistula. Ultrasound revealed generalized hepatic vascular dilation, and enhanced computed tomography revealed numerous pulmonary venous fistulas scattered in both lungs as well as multiple arteriovenous malformations in the liver. Her whole-exon gene testing revealed that she, like her son, had heterozygous ENG variants. Conclusion: HHT patients may experience infection, bleeding, dyspnea, and other symptoms. Imaging is important in disease diagnosis and management because early detection and treatment can prevent major complications and disability or even death.

Protective Effects of Bariatric Surgery on Kidney Functions by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress Responses Through Activating PPARα in Rats With Diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the protective effects and the regulatory mechanisms of bariatric surgery on kidney injury in diabetic rats. METHODS: We established a useful type 2 diabetic rat model using high-fat and high-sugar diet feeding following low-dose streptozotocin (STZ) treatment. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into the following groups: control (Con) group, diabetic nephropathy (DN) group, and duodenal-jejunal bypass (DJB) surgery group. The food intake and body weight of rats were monitored and the glucose tolerance test (OGTT) test was performed every 2 weeks. The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and urinary albumin excretion rate (UAFR) were measured to assess renal function. Hematoxylin-eosin (H&E), periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), and Masson staining were used to evaluate renal histopathological changes. TUNEL assay was performed to detect cell apoptosis. The expressions of oxidative stress factors and inflammatory factors in the renal tissues of rats were detected by ELISA. The expressions of PPARα, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and NF-κB were detected by immunofluorescence. For in vitro experiment, HK2 cells cultured with high glucose were treated with PPARα agonist, PPARα antagonist, and adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) agonist. The expressions of AMPK/PPARα/NF-κB signaling pathway-related proteins were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: Bariatric surgery improved the glucose tolerance of DN rats. The GFR was decreased, the promotion of urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER) was inhibited, and the renal injury was alleviated. The extracellular matrix fraction was decreased and the renal function was improved. Meanwhile, bariatric surgery activates PPARα, inhibits ROS release, reduces oxidative stress injury, and reduces renal cell apoptosis. In vitro experiment results showed that the AMPK activator could activate PPARα, downregulate NF-κB, and inhibit inflammatory response. The phosphorylation of AMPK was inhibited by PPARα antagonism. CONCLUSION: Bariatric surgery can activate PPARα, inhibit oxidative stress injury, and improve glucose metabolism and renal function in DN rats.

Analysis of miRNAs Targeted Storage Regulatory Genes during Soybean Seed Development Based on Transcriptome Sequencing.

Soybeans are an important cash crop and are widely used as a source of vegetable protein and edible oil. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are endogenous small RNA that play an important regulatory role in the evolutionarily conserved system of gene expression. In this study, we selected four lines with extreme phenotypes, as well as high or low protein and oil content, from the chromosome segment substitution line (CSSL) constructed from suinong (SN14) and ZYD00006, and planted and sampled at three stages of grain development for small RNA sequencing and expression analysis. The sequencing results revealed the expression pattern of miRNA in the materials, and predicted miRNA-targeted regulatory genes, including 1967 pairs of corresponding relationships between known-miRNA and their target genes, as well as 597 pairs of corresponding relationships between novel-miRNA and their target genes. After screening and annotating genes that were targeted for regulation, five specific genes were identified to be differentially expressed during seed development and subsequently analyzed for their regulatory relationship with miRNAs. The expression pattern of the targeted gene was verified by Real-time Quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Our research provides more information about the miRNA regulatory network in soybeans and further identifies useful genes that regulate storage during soy grain development, providing a theoretical basis for the regulation of soybean quality traits.

Prognostic value of adjuvant therapy in T4 non-small cell lung cancer: An inverse probability of treatment weighting analysis.

BACKGROUND: According to the current clinical guidelines, chemoradiotherapy is considered the standard treatment for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We analyzed the prognostic effect of adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) in resected patients using the new eighth tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging systems based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database. METHODS: We identified 3008 patients with stage IIIA NSCLC (T4N0M0) who underwent sublobar resection, lobectomy, or pneumonectomy. Covariates affecting treatment selection or survival were included as part of propensity score models for matching and weighting. The effect of ACT on survival was assessed, stratified by postoperative radiation therapy (PORT) use, tumor size, and age. RESULTS: Analyses of 2016 patients were conducted with standardized differences in covariates < 10% after matching. ACT was associated with significantly improved five-year overall survival (51.1% vs. 39.7%; P = 0.0260) in patients aged 21-65 with > 7 cm tumors, even after adjusting for the presence or absence of the superior sulcus (P = 0.0003). No significant outcomes were observed using other stratifications in the matched analysis. Moreover, ACT with PORT conferred a potential survival benefit in 21-65-year-old patients with 0-7 cm tumors (for all causes of death: hazard ratio 0.414, 95% confidence interval 0.251-0.684). CONCLUSION: In this population-based cohort, ACT prolonged the survival of patients aged 21-65 with a tumor > 7 cm, with or without PORT. Inverse probability of treatment weighting can estimate the treatment effect and is suitable for use with survival data.

Elevated Arsenic Exposure Is Associated with an Increased Risk of Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection: NHANES (2003-2014) in U.S. Adults.

Studies concerning the association between arsenic exposure and hepatitis B virus (HB V) infection have been lacking. The present study aimed to examine the association between total urinary arsenic (TUA) and infection of HBV. A total of 5186 participants from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2014 were included in the analysis. We used logistic regression to evaluate the association. We defined two measures of TUA. TUAI was the sum of arsenous acid, arsenicacid, monomethylarsonic acid and dimethylarsenic acid. TUA2 was defined as TUA minus arsenobetaine and arsenocholine. The results showed that the weighted overall prevalence of HBV infection was 6.08%. For NHANES 2003-2014, the medians (interquartile range) of TUAI and TUA2 were 5.60 µg/L (3.97-8.09 µg/L) and 4.91 µg/L (2.36-9.11 µg/L), respectively. Comparing the highest quartile to the lowest quartile after multivariable adjustment showed that the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for TUAI and TUA2 were 2.44 (1.40-4.27) and 2.84 (1.60-5.05), respectively. In conclusion, elevated urinary arsenic was associated with the risk of HBV infection. Further studies, especially prospective studies, are needed to confirm the causal relationship between arsenic exposure and HBV infection.

Ηypoxia-inducible factor 1-α promotes colon cell proliferation and migration by upregulating AMPK-related protein kinase 5 under hypoxic conditions.

Hypoxia is a common characteristic of solid tumors. Previous studies have reported that the tumor invasion-associated factor, AMPK-related protein kinase 5 (ARK5), is associated with a poor prognosis in colon cancer. However, whether or not ARK5 is involved in hypoxia is unclear. The aim of present study was to investigate the association between the expression of ARK5 and that of hypoxia-inducible factor 1-α (HIF1-α). Samples from 60 patients with colon cancer were collected and immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of ARK5 and HIF1-α within them. Western blot analysis and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction were used to detect the expression of ARK5 in an SW480 cell line under hypoxic conditions. Cell Counting kit-8 and Transwell assays were used to study the function of ARK5 under hypoxic conditions. According to the immunohistochemistry results, ARK5 and HIF1-α staining was significantly associated with Tumor-Node-Metastasis stage, tumor grade, lymph node metastasis and liver metastasis. Spearman's correlation analysis revealed a correlation between the expression of ARK5 and that of HIF1-α. This finding was also verified under hypoxic conditions in the SW480 cell line, in which the expression of ARK5 increased over time. Further cellular function experiments revealed that suppression of ARK5 inhibited cell viability and migration under hypoxic conditions. The present study has suggested that ARK5 expression in colon cancer cells is upregulated by HIF1-α under hypoxic conditions and that ARK5 serves an important role in cell proliferation and migration under hypoxic stress.

Impact of organizational and individual factors on patient-provider relationships: A national survey of doctors, nurses and patients in China.

OBJECTIVES: To provide an empirical examination of patient-provider relationships (PPR) and its association with organizational and individual factors. METHODS: A national cross-sectional survey was conducted by stratified cluster sampling in 77 hospitals across seven provinces in China between July 2014 and April 2015, involving 3621 doctors, 5561 nurses, and 8022 patients with response rates of 62.93%, 61.16%, and 33.08%, respectively. Self-perceived PPR was the outcome variable. Organizational factors included hospital type (western medicine [WM] and traditional Chinese medicine [TCM] hospital); hospital level (tertiary and secondary hospital); area of specialization (internal medicine and surgery); ratio of doctors (nurses) to ward beds; doctors/nurses' concerns about performance assessment; and patients' perceptions of healthcare cost. Individual factors included consultation, listening to patients and socio-demographic factors. RESULTS: 54.6% of doctors, 36.6% of nurses, and 10.2% of patients perceived PPR as poor. Organizational factors independently associated with providers' perception of poor PPR included hospital type (WM vs TCM: OR = 1.25 [95% CI: 1.06-1.47]) and concerns about performance assessment (high vs low levels: OR = 1.40 [95% CI: 1.14-1.72]) for doctors, and concerns about performance assessment (average vs low levels: OR = 0.79 [95% CI: 0.67-0.93]) for nurses. Those associated with patients' perception of poor PPR included hospital type (WM vs TCM: OR = 0.63 [95% CI: 0.53-0.74]) and hospital level (tertiary vs secondary: OR = 0.65 [95% CI: 0.51-0.82]). Doctors and nurses reporting listening to patients "frequently" had better perceptions of PPR (OR = 0.46 [95%CI: 0.38-0.56] and 0.49 [95% CI: 0.41-0.59] for doctors and nurses, respectively), as did their patients (OR = 0.24 [95% CI: 0.18-0.31] and 0.54 [95% CI: 0.35-0.84] for doctors and nurses, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Although our findings require validation in different organizational settings given the likely variability of these associations across systems, our results suggest that implementing moderate levels promoting the level of medical treatment, and broadening doctors/nurses training regarding listening to patients, may benefit to enhance PPR.

Biomarkers for Early Diagnostic of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Type-2 Diabetes Patients: A Multicentre, Retrospective, Nested Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Both type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) are common age-associated disorders and T2DM patients show an increased risk to suffer from AD, however, there is currently no marker to identify who in T2DM populations will develop AD. Since glycogen synthase kinase-3ß (GSK-3ß) activity, ApoE genotypes and olfactory function are involved in both T2DM and AD pathogenesis, we investigate whether alterations of these factors can identify cognitive impairment in T2DM patients. METHODS: The cognitive ability was evaluated using Minimum Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), and the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was diagnosed by Petersen's criteria. GSK-3ß activity in platelet, ApoE genotypes in leucocytes and the olfactory function were detected by Western/dot blotting, the amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS) PCR and the Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center (CCCRC) test, respectively. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) of the biomarkers for MCI diagnosis were calculated by logistic regression. The diagnostic capability of the biomarkers was evaluated by receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analyses. FINDINGS: We recruited 694 T2DM patients from Jan. 2012 to May. 2015 in 5 hospitals (Wuhan), and 646 of them met the inclusion criteria and were included in this study. 345 patients in 2 hospitals were assigned to the training set, and 301 patients in another 3 hospitals assigned to the validation set. Patients in each set were randomly divided into two groups: T2DM without MCI (termed T2DM-nMCI) or with MCI (termed T2DM-MCI). There were no significant differences for sex, T2DM years, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, coronary disease, complications, insulin treatment, HbA1c, ApoE ε2, ApoE ε3, tGSK3ß and pS9GSK3ß between the two groups. Compared with the T2DM-nMCI group, T2DM-MCI group showed lower MMSE score with older age, ApoE ε4 allele, higher olfactory score and higher rGSK-3ß (ratio of total GSK-3ß to Ser9-phosphorylated GSK-3ß) in the training set and the validation set. The OR values of age, ApoE ε4 gene, olfactory score and rGSK-3ß were 1.09, 2.09, 1.51, 10.08 in the training set, and 1.06, 2.67, 1.47, 7.19 in the validation set, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of age, ApoE ε4 gene, olfactory score and rGSK-3ß were 0.76, 0.72, 0.66, 0.79 in the training set, and 0.70, 0.68, 0.73, 0.79 in the validation set, respectively. These four combined biomarkers had the area under the curve (AUC) of 82% and 86%, diagnostic accuracy of 83% and 81% in the training set and the validation set, respectively. INTERPRETATION: Aging, activation of peripheral circulating GSK-3ß, expression of ApoE ε4 and increase of olfactory score are diagnostic for the mild cognitive impairment in T2DM patients, and combination of these biomarkers can improve the diagnostic accuracy.

Double Burden of Malnutrition in Rural West Java: Household-Level Analysis for Father-Child and Mother-Child Pairs and the Association with Dietary Intake.

Indonesia is facing household-level double burden malnutrition. This study aimed at examining (1) household-level double burden for the mother-child and father-child pairs; (2) risk of adiposity of double burden households; and (3) associated dietary factors. Subjects were 5th and 6th grade elementary school children (n = 242), their mothers (n = 242), and their fathers (n = 225) in five communities (1 = urban, 4 = rural) in the Bandung District. Questionnaires on socioeconomic factors, blood hemoglobin measurements, and anthropometric measurements were administered. For adults, body fat percentage (BF%) was estimated by bioelectrical impedance (BF%-BI) and by converting skinfold thickness (ST) data using Durnin and Womersley's (1974) formula (BF%-ST). Food frequency questionnaires were also completed. Double burden was defined as coexistence of maternal or paternal overweight (Body mass index (BMI) ≥ 23) and child stunting (height-for-age z-score <-2) within households. Maternal-child double burden occurred in 30.6% of total households, whereas paternal-child double burden was only in 8.4%. Mothers from double burden households showed high adiposity; 87.3% with BF%-BI and 66.2% with BF%-ST had BF% >35%, and 60.6% had waists >80 cm. The major dietary patterns identified were "Modern" and "High-animal products". After controlling for confounding factors, children in the highest quartile of the "High-animal products" dietary pattern had a lower risk of maternal-child double burden (Adjusted OR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.21-1.04) than those in the lowest quartile. Given that the "High-animal products" dietary pattern was associated with the decreased risk of maternal-child double burden through a strong negative correlation with child stunting, improving child stunting through adequate intake of animal products is critical to solve the problem of maternal-child double burden in Indonesia.

Serum sLOX-1 Levels Are Correlated with the Presence and Severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

CONTEXT: Inflammation plays a critical role in the development and progression of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) activation is involved in the pathophysiology of inflammatory process-related disorders. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate whether serum soluble LOX-1 (sLOX-1) levels are associated with the presence and severity of OSA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 137 OSA patients and 78 controls were recruited in this study. Serum sLOX-1 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The severity of OSA was assessed by the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). RESULTS: OSA patients had significantly higher serum sLOX-1 levels compared with controls. Serum sLOX-1 levels elevated with the increment of OSA severity. sLOX-1 was the independent predictor of OSA. Serum sLOX-1 levels were significantly correlated with AHI and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels. CONCLUSIONS: Serum sLOX-1 levels were independently correlated with the presence and severity of OSA. These findings revealed that sLOX-1 might function as a potential biomarker for monitoring the development and progression of OSA.

Significant sex difference in the association between C-reactive protein concentration and anthropometry among 13- to 19-year olds, but not 6- to 12-year olds in Nepal.

Life history theory predicts a trade-off between immunostimulation and growth. Using a cross-sectional study design, this study aims to test the hypothesis that C-reactive protein (CRP) is negatively associated with height-for-age z-scores (HAZ scores) and BMI-for-age z-scores (BAZ scores) among 6- to 19-year olds (N = 426) residing in five Nepalese communities. Dried blood spot (DBS) samples were collected and assayed for CRP using an in-house enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Sex- and age-group-specific CRP quartiles were used to examine its association with growth in linear mixed-effects (LME) models. A significant difference was found in the proportion of elevated CRP (>2 mg/L, equivalent to ∼3.2 mg/L serum CRP) between 13- and 19-year-old boys (12%) and girls (4%). Concentrations of CRP were positively associated with HAZ score among adolescent (13-19 years) boys, which may indicate that individuals with greater energy resources have better growth and a better response to infections, thus eliminating the expected trade-off between body maintenance (immunostimulation) and growth. Adolescent boys with low BAZ and HAZ scores had low CRP values, suggesting that those who do not have enough energy for growth cannot increase their CRP level even when infected with pathogens. Among adolescent girls a positive association was observed between CRP and BAZ scores suggesting the possible effects of chronic low-grade inflammation due to body fat rather than infection. The association between CRP and growth was less evident among children (6-12 years) compared with adolescents, indicating that the elevated energy requirement needed for the adolescent growth spurt and puberty may play some role.

Effects of TOLL-like receptor 4 on passively sensitized human airway smooth muscle cells proliferation and synthesis and secretion function of TGF-beta1 / 中国应用生理学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the activation of Toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) on passively sensitized human airway smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) proliferation and the synthesis and secretion function.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Through the cultivation of primary HASMCs, we studied TLR4 expression on cell surface, cell proliferation and transformation of parturient factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) in asthma under the condition of synthesis and secretion level by passively sensitized HASMCs with asthma serum.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the control group, in passive sensitized group and TNF-alpha group TLR4 expression were significantly increased (P < 0.01), significantly enhanced proliferation (P < 0.01), total protein concentration, IgE secretion and TGF-beta1 were significantly higher (P < 0.01); and all the above parameters were increased more significantly in TNF group compared with those in the target effect of passively group; and those parameters were significantly reduced in anti-TLR4 antibody group compared with those in the target effect both of passively sensitized group and TNF-alpha group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>TLR4 on passively sensitized HASMCs activated can induce the excessive proliferation of HASMCs and a large number of synthesis and secretion of TGF-beta1, resulting in changing airway micro-environment, which involved in airway remodeling in asthma.</p>

The effect of LPS on airway inflammation, airway remodeling and TLR4 expression in asthmatic rat / 中国应用生理学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on airway inflammation, airway remodeling and the expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) mRNA in asthmatic rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty-four SPF level SD rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 6): control group, low dose of LPS group, high dose of LPS group and asthma group. Using ovalbumin (OVA) to sensitize and challenge to establish asthmatic rat model. Observed pathological changes of lung tissue by HE staining, inflammatory cell infiltration was observed by airway wall eosinophils (EOS) counts; airway resistance was determined; image analysis software was used to determine the thickness of airway wall, detected airway smooth muscle TLR4 expression levels by RT-PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The rat airway resistance and the EOS number of airway wall and the thickness of airway wall in asthma group, low dose of LPS group and high dose of LPS group were significantly higher than those in control group (P < 0.01). The above-mentioned parameters of high dose of LPS group showed significantly lower than those in asthma group and low dose of LPS group (P < 0.05). The expression of rat airway smooth muscle TLR4 mRNA in low dose of LPS group and high dose of LPS group were significantly higher than those in asthma group (P < 0.01). And the expression of rat airway smooth muscle TLR4 mRNA in high dose of LPS group was significantly higher than that in low dose of LPS group (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>TLR4 plays an important role in asthmatic airway inflammation and airway remodeling, LPS may play double-sided regulation in asthmatic airway inflammation and airway remodeling by activated TLR4.</p>

Multi-environment mapping and meta-analysis of 100-seed weight in soybean.

100-Seed weight (100-SW) of soybean is an important but complicated quantitative trait to yield. This study was focus on the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) of soybean 100-SW from 2006 to 2010, using recombination inbred lines population that was derived from a cross between Charleston and Dongnong 594. A total of 23 QTLs for 100-SW were detected in the linkage group C2, D1a, F, G and O. Nine QTLs were identified by composite interval mapping including one QTL with the minimum confidence interval (CI) of 1.3 cM, while 14 QTLs by multiple interval mapping. Furthermore, 94 reported QTLs of 100-SW were integrated with our QTL mapping results using BioMercator. As a result, 15 consensus QTLs and their corresponding markers were identified. The minimum CI was reduced to 1.52 cM by the combination of meta-analysis. These findings may merit fine-mapping of these QTL in soybean.

Analysis of the effectiveness of visual inspection with acetic acid/Lugol's iodine in one-time and annual follow-up screening in rural China.

PURPOSE: Via a large population-based survey conducted in rural, southwestern China, we aim to evaluate the effect of visual inspection with acetic acid/Lugol's iodine (VIA/VILI) on diagnosing cases of cervical cancer and of pre-cancerous lesions while exploring the mode of cervical prevention and control in low-resource settings in China. METHODS: Women aged 30-59 years from Chongqing, China were recruited from 2006 to 2009. Participants underwent VIA/VILI, and, if positive, received colposcopy-directed or random biopsies. Women with negative VIA/VILI or biopsy-confirmed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 1 lesions diagnosed in the first round of screening were re-screened in the following year with the same procedure. RESULTS: In total, 10,269 women received VIA/VILI. The average age of participants was 40.9 ± 7.6 years. Overall, 0.85% (87/10,269) of women were diagnosed via pathology-confirmed biopsy with CIN1, 0.25% (26/10,269) with CIN2, 0.27% (28/10,269) with CIN3, and 0.02% (2/10,269) with cervical cancer. Over half (57.7%) of CIN2 lesions, the majority of CIN3 lesions (89.3%), and all cancer cases (100%) were detected in the first round of screening. CONCLUSION: In a rural, low-resource setting in China, one-time VIA/VILI screening detected more than a half of CIN2 cases, most CIN3 cases and all the cervical cancer cases. Detection rates of CIN2 lesions significantly increased with a 1-year follow-up VIA/VILI screen. Therefore, if multiple cervical cancer screenings are not feasible logistically or financially, a one-time VIA/VILI may be the most efficient strategy to detect cervical cancer and most CIN3 lesions in women in low-resource settings.

Dissection of genetic overlap of drought and low-temperature tolerance QTLs at the germination stage using backcross introgression lines in soybean.

Northeast of China is the main soybean production area, drought and low-temperature tolerance are both main factors involved in reducing soybean yield and limiting planting regions, the most effective way to solve this problem is to breed cultivars with drought and low-temperature tolerance. A set of the BC(2)F(3) lines was constructed with Hongfeng 11 as recurrent parent and Harosoy as donor parent, and screened in drought and low-temperature condition at the germination stage. Related QTLs were obtained by Chi-test and ANOVA analysis with genotypic and phenotypic data. Eighteen QTLs of drought tolerance and 23 QTLs of low-temperature tolerance were detected. Among them, 12 QTLs were correlated with both drought and low-temperature tolerance, which showed a partial genetic overlap between drought and low-temperature tolerance at the germination stage in soybean. Among the 12 genetic overlap QTLs, Satt253, Satt513, Satt693, Satt240, Satt323, and Satt255 were detected by at least one method for both drought and low-temperature tolerance. Satt557, Satt452, Sat_331, Satt338, Satt271, and Satt588 were detected by only one analysis method. The QTLs detected above were significant loci for drought or low-temperature tolerance in soybean. This will play an important role in MAS for development of both drought and low-temperature tolerance variety.

Effect of TLR4 on the migration of asthmatic airway smooth muscle cells induced by airway epithelial cells / 中国应用生理学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effect of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) activation on the migration of asthmatic airway smooth muscle cell (ASMCs) induced by airway epithelial cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Primary ASMCs were cultured by the method of cell digestion. Cell culture supernatant of RTE cells were collected by TNF-alpha stimulation of epithelial cells. Detected the IL-8 and RANTES levels in the supernatant. The transmembrane migration of asthmatic ASMCs were detected by Modified Boyden chemotaxis chamber. The effect of TLR4 on the migration of asthmatic ASMCs induced by epithelial cells with TLR4 antibody drugs as a tool.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The levels of IL-8 and RANTES in the supernatant of TNF-alpha groups were significantly increased, and that in the 20 ng/ml group was significantly higher than other groups (P < 0.01). The transmembrane migration of asthmatic ASMCs groups was increased than that of control group. The transmembrane migration of asthmatic ASMCs from asthma group and TNF-alpha + TLR4 antibody group was significantly decreased compared with that in TNF-alpha group (P < 0.01). The migration of asthma ASMCs from TNF-alpha + TLR4 antibody group was increased than that of asthma group (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>TLR4 in the surface of asthmatic ASMCs may be activated by cytokines secreted by the airway epithelial cells and enhance the transmembrane migration of asthmatic ASMCs induced by airway epithelial cells so that it plays a role in airway remodeling of asthma.</p>

[Crop-soil nitrogen cycling and soil organic carbon balance in black soil zone of Jilin Province based on DSSAT model].

By using the CERES-Maize crop model and Century soil model in Decision Support System of Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) model, this paper studied the effects of crop management parameters, fertilizer N application rate, soil initial N supply, and crop residue application on the maize growth, crop-soil N cycling, and soil organic C and N ecological balance in black soil (Mollisol) zone of Jilin Province, Northeast China. Taking 12,000-15,000 kg x hm(-2) as the target yield of maize, the optimum N application rate was 200-240 kg N x hm(-2). Under this fertilization, the aboveground part N uptake was 250-290 kg N x hm(-2), among which, 120-140 kg N x hm(-2) came from soil, and 130-150 kg N x hm(-2) came from fertilizer. Increasing the N application rate (250-420 kg N x hm(-2)) induced an obvious increase of soil residual N (63-183 kg x hm(-2)); delaying the N topdressing date also induced the increase of the residual N. When the crop residue application exceeded 6000 kg x hm(-2), the soil active organic C and N could maintain the supply/demand balance during maize growth season. To achieve the target maize yield and maintain the ecological balance of soil organic C and N in black soil zone of Jilin Province, the chemical N application rate would be controlled in the range of 200-240 kg N x hm(-2), topdressing N should be at proper date, and the application amount of crop residue would be up to 6000 kg x hm(-2).

Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 counteracts glucolipotoxicity in the pancreatic ß-cell line INS-1.

BACKGROUND: Glucolipotoxicity might play an important role in the ß cell decompensation stage during the development of obesity-associated type 2 diabetes. Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) inhibits matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity and regulates proliferation and apoptosis of a variety of cell types, including pancreatic ß-cells. In the present study, we investigated whether TIMP-1 counteracts glucolipotoxicity in the pancreatic ß-cell line INS-1. METHODS: INS-1 cells were incubated in normal or high glucose, with or without palmitate (0.4 mmol/L), in the presence of TIMP-1 or MMP inhibitor GM60001. In some experiments, cells were pretreated with phosphatidylinositol-3 (PI-3) kinase inhibitor, LY294002 or wortmannin. The amount of dead INS-1 cells was determined by HO342 and propidium iodide staining. Akt phosphorylation was evaluated by Western blotting analysis to investigate a possible mechanism of TIMP-1's action. RESULTS: TIMP-1 protected INS-1 cells from glucolipotoxicity independent of MMP inhibition. TIMP-1 stimulated Akt phosphorylation. Inhibition of the PI-3 kinase pathway abolished the survival effect of TIMP-1. CONCLUSION: TIMP-1 may counteract glucolipotoxicity induced ß-cell death via a PI-3 kinase pathway.