[Advances in epigenetics in ischemic stroke].

Ischemic stroke is one of the main causes of death and long-term disability worldwide, which seriously affects the quality of life of patients and brings a heavy economic burden to families and society. Epidemiological studies have shown that stroke has become the second leading cause of death and major disabling disease in the world, with the characteristics of high morbidity, high recurrence, and high mortality. Epigenetic mechanism is the molecular process where gene expression and function in each cell are dynamically regulated and interconnected and a biological mechanism that changes genetic performance without changing the DNA sequence, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNA. However, the research on epigenetics is currently focused on other diseases such as tumors. Recent studies have found that epigenetics has received extensive attention in the past few decades as a key factor involved in the pathophysiological process of ischemic stroke. The present study introduced the mediation of epigenetics in the induction of stroke, summarized the potential drug targets for these mechanisms in the treatment of stroke, and further explored the significance of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) against cerebral ischemia injury based on TCM classification of stroke.

Molecular epidemiology and phylogenetic analysis of HA gene of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 strain during 2010-2014 in Dalian, North China.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the epidemiology of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 and its hemagglutinin (HA) molecular and phylogenetic analysis during 2010-2014 in Dalian, North China. A total of 3717 influenza-like illness (ILI) cases were tested by real-time PCR and 493 were found to be positive. Out of these 493 cases, 121 were subtype influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, of which 14 cases were reported in 2010-2011, 29 in 2012-2013, and 78 in 2013-2014. HA coding regions of 45 isolates were compared to that of the vaccine strain A/California/7/09(H1N1), and a number of variations were detected. P83S, S185T, S203T, R223Q, and I321V mutations were observed in all of the Dalian isolates. Furthermore, a high proportion >71 % of the strains possessed the variation D97N and K283E. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the close match of the majority of circulating strains with the vaccine strains. However, it also reveals a trend of strains to accumulate amino acid variations and form new phylogenetic groups.

The Protective Role of TLR3 and TLR9 Ligands in Human Pharyngeal Epithelial Cells Infected with Influenza A Virus.

In this study we aim to extensively investigate the anti-influenza virus immune responses in human pharyngeal epithelial cell line (Hep-2) and evaluate the protective role of Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands in seasonal influenza A H1N1 (sH1N1) infections in vitro. We first investigated the expression of the TLRs and cytokines genes in resting and sH1N1 infected Hep-2 cells. Clear expressions of TLR3, TLR9, interleukin (IL)-6, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interferon (IFN)-ß were detected in resting Hep-2 cells. After sH1N1 infection, a ten-fold of TLR3 and TLR9 were elicited. Concomitant with the TLRs activation, transcriptional expression of IL-6, TNF-α and IFN-ß were significantly induced in sH1N1-infected cells. Pre-treatment of cells with poly I:C (an analog of viral double-stranded RNA) and CpG-ODN (a CpG-motif containing oligodeoxydinucleotide) resulted in a strong reduction of viral and cytokines mRNA expression. The results presented indicated the innate immune response activation in Hep-2 cells and affirm the antiviral role of Poly I:C and CpG-ODN in the protection against seasonal influenza A viruses.

High prevalence of vitamin D and calcium deficiency among pregnant women and their newborns in Chengdu, China.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D and calcium deficiency is common in pregnant women and newborn infants. There are few data about the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D during pregnancy and infancy in China. We assessed vitamin D status of pregnant women and their neonates in Chengdu, Sichuan province, China. METHODS: Maternal serum and cord blood levels of calcium, 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], alkaline phosphatase, and parathyroid hormone (PTH) were studied in 77 urban and rural mother-neonate pairs at term. RESULTS: The mean level of maternal serum 25(OH)D was 35.95+/-19.7 nmol/L, and that of cord blood 25(OH)D was 40.98+/-18.89 nmol/L. The intake of calcium and vitamin D was uniformly low, although it was higher in urban (1010+/-450 mg/d, 237+/-169 IU/d) than in rural (320+/-210 mg/d, 62+/-66 IU/d) women. Maternal serum 25(OH)D was correlated positively with cord blood 25(OH)D (r=0.94, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: There is a high prevalence of vitamin D and calcium insufficiency in pregnant women and neonates in Chengdu even when mothers are compliant with prenatal vitamin supplementation. Supplementation is needed to improve maternal and neonatal vitamin D and calcium nutrition.

[Selection of sentinel sites for death surveillance, using cluster or unequal probability sampling].

UNLABELLED: To compare the sampling errors from cluster or unequal probability sampling designs and to adopt the unequal probability sampling method to be used for death surveillance. Taking 107 areas from the county level in Shaanxi province as the sampling frame, a set of samples are drawn by equal probability cluster sampling and unequal probability designs methodologies. Sampling error and effect of each design are estimated according to their complex sample plans. Both the sampling errors depend on the sampling plan and the errors of equal probability in stratified cluster sampling appears to be less than simple cluster sampling. The design effects of unequal probability stratified cluster sampling, such as piPS design, are slightly lower than those of equal probability stratified cluster sampling, but the unequal probability stratified cluster sampling can cover a wider scope of monitoring population. CONCLUSIONS: Results from the analysis of sampling data can not be conducted without consideration of the sampling plan when the sampling frame is finite and a given sampling plan and parameters, such as sampling proportion and population weights, are assigned in advance. Unequal probability cluster sampling designs seems to be more appropriate in selecting the national death surveillance sites since more available monitoring data can be obtained and having more weight in estimating the mortality for the whole province or the municipality to be selected.

[Effects of different feeding types on the physical growth of infants].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of different feeding types on the physical growth of infants. METHODS: Infants who visited the children health clinics regularly were recruited for the study. They were classified into breast feeding group, bottle feeding group and mixed feeding group according to the feeding types before 4-months-old. The growth indices were measured and the WHO BMI standards were used to identify overweight and obesity. RESULTS: The body weights and lengths of the male infants with breast feeding were greater than those with other feedings in the first 3 months. The growth of the male infants with bottle feeding began to exceed the other two groups gradually from the 4 month on. The differences of weight and height are statistically significant from 10-12 month and 8-12 month respectively, compared with breast feeding group. The body weights of the female infants with bottle feeding were greater than those with other feedings except for the first month, and the differences were statistically significant from 3 to 12 month (P<0.05). The body lengths of the female infants with bottle feeding were also greater than those with other feedings except for the first two months, and the differences were statistically significant from 4 to 12 month (P<0.05). Before 3-months-old, overweight was more prevalent in the infants with breast feeding than the others. But for the infants 4-months-old and over, overweight was most prevalent in those with bottle feeding (P<0.05). The obesity rate was the highest in the infants with bottle feeding except for the 2-months-old (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The infants with bottle feeding are exposed to a higher risk of overweight and obesity. Breast feeding may have a potential benefit in preventing infant obesity.