[Prevalence of alcohol use and related factors in HIV positive and HIV negative males].

Objective: To understand the prevalence of alcohol use and related factors in HIV positive and HIV negative males. Methods: Baseline data were from the prospective cohort study of comparative HIV and aging research in Taizhou of Zhejiang province from January to December, 2017. The information about alcohol use in the last month was collected through a face-to-face questionnaire interview. Participants were categorized into non-current drinkers, light/moderate drinkers and heavy drinkers according to the US National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA) standard. Results: A total of 1 367 HIV positive males and 2 418 HIV negative males were included. Current alcohol use rate (35.2%, 481/1 367) and heavy alcohol use rate (5.0%, 24/481) were significantly lower in HIV positive males than in HIV negative males (48.0%, 1 161/2 418; 23.5%, 273/1 161), but the proportion of drinking wine and yellow rice wine were significantly higher (21.8%, 105/481; 9.1%, 44/481) in HIV positive males than in HIV negative males (13.5%, 157/1 161; 5.8%, 67/1 161). The multivariate multinomial logistic regression analysis results showed that larger waist circumference, current smoking and regular physical exercise were associated with heavy alcohol use behavior in HIV positive males, and age ≥30 years, current smoking, regular physical exercise, higher score of depressive symptoms, heterosexual transmission route and baseline CD(4)(+)T cells counts of 200-499 cells/µl were significantly associated with mild/moderate alcohol use behavior in HIV positive males. Conclusions: The alcohol use rate was significantly lower in HIV positive males than in HIV negative males in Taizhou. It is important to strengthen intervention on alcohol drinking behavior and chronic disease risk factors, such as larger waist circumference, smoking and so on.

[Characteristics of sleep disorder in HIV positive and HIV negative individuals: a cluster analysis].

Objective: To understand the characteristics of sleep disorder in HIV positive and negative individuals, and compare the distributions and epidemiologic characteristic of different subtypes of sleep disorder between two groups. Methods: Baseline data were from the prospective cohort study of comparative HIV and aging research in Taizhou of Zhejiang province from January to December, 2017. A total of 459 HIV positive patients and 798 HIV negative controls with sleep disorders (Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index >5 or at least one question with answers of "most nights" or "every night" for Jenkins Sleep Scale) were included in the analysis. Cluster analysis was conducted to identify the different subtypes of sleep disorder based on 15 sleep-related questions. Results: A total of 1 257 participants were divided into three groups (clusters), i.e. difficulty falling asleep and sleep keeping group (cluster 1), the mild symptoms group (cluster 2), and restless night and daytime dysfunction group (cluster 3), accounting for 19.4% (89/459), 63.8% (293/459) and 16.8% (77/459) in HIV positive group and 13.8% (110/798), 60.5% (483/798) and 25.7% (205/798) in HIV negative group (χ(2)=16.62, P<0.001). In HIV positive group, the patients in cluster 1 and 3 were older and had higher frailty score, the patients in cluster 1 had highest level of depression, and the more patients in cluster 3 had low body weight or overweight (χ(2)=13.29, P=0.039; χ(2)=23.33, P<0.001; χ(2)=25.71, P<0.001; χ(2)=15.37, P=0.004). In HIV-negative group, similar findings were found for age, depressive symptoms and frailty score. In addition, the proportion of those who were illiteracy or with primary school education level was significantly high in cluster 1, and the proportion of abnormal waist-to-hip ratio was significantly higher in cluster 1 and 3 (χ(2)=30.59, P<0.001; χ(2)=11.61, P=0.003). Conclusions: The proportion of every subtype of sleep disorder in HIV positive individuals were different to those in HIV negative individuals. Mental and physical health status were the main factors affecting the prevalence of sleep disorder. It is necessary to conduct targeted interventions to improve sleep quality.

[Association between mitochondrial haplogroups and neurocognitive disorder in HIV positive individuals].

Objective: To investigate the distribution of mitochondrial haplogroups and their correlation with neurocognitive disorder (NCD) in HIV positive individuals. Methods: Baseline data were from the prospective cohort study of comparative HIV and aging research in Taizhou of Zhejiang province from January to December, 2017. A cross-sectional survey was performed in 448 HIV positive individuals. Sanger method was used for the sequencing and genotyping of whole mitochondrial genome of HIV positive individuals. NCD prevalence in the HIV positive individuals was assessed by Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) in questionnaire interviews. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the associations between mtDNA haplogroups and NCD. Results: In this sample, mitochondrial haplogroups D (19.6%, 88/448), B (19.4%, 87/448) and F(17.0%, 76/448) were the most predominant haplogroups. The overall prevalence rate of NCD was 20.3% (91/448), and was high in haplogroups A (23.1%, 9/39), D (21.6%, 19/88), F (26.3%, 20/76) and M7 groups (26.1%, 12/46), respectively. In multivariable logistic regression analysis after adjusting confounding factors, such as age and gender, compared with haplogroup A, there were no differences in the prevalence rate of NCD among HIV positive individuals with haplogroup B, D, F, M7, M8, N9, and others. Conclusion: The study explored primarily correlation between mitochondrial haplogroups and NCD among HIV positive individuals and suggested that there is no significant association between mitochondrial haplogroups and NCD, but further longitudinal investigation with large sample size of HIV positive population is needed to confirm this finding.

[A systematic review on blood biomarkers of neurocognitive disorders in HIV infected individuals].

Biomarkers are very useful in the diagnosis and identification of neurocognitive impairments (NCIs) or disorders (NCDs) in HIV-infected individuals, and in particular, blood biomarkers have become more promising because they are cheap and easy to obtain or accept. A systematically literature retrieval was conducted by using PubMed, CNKI, Wanfang and VIP databases for studies about blood biomarkers of neurocognitive impairment of HIV-infected individuals in 2008-2017, according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Finally, a total of 43 related articles were included for this systematic review for the purpose of providing scientific evidence for further research and clinical practices.

Tissue stem cells and cancer stem cells: potential implications for gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the world today, making the search for its molecular and cellular basis an important priority. Though recognition of the tight link between inflammation and tumorigenesis is centuries old, only recently are the pieces of the etiological puzzle beginning to fall together. Recent advances in gastric stem cell biology appear to be central to this slowly resolving puzzle. At least two types of stem cells may be important. Resident adult or tissue stem cells may, in a chronically inflamed environment, slowly acquire a series of genetic and epigenetic changes that lead to their emergence as ''cancer stem cells''. This scenario has not yet been proven experimentally, although the first step, prospective recognition of a gastric stem cell has recently been conquered. Alternatively, the setting of chronic inflammatory stress and injury may lead to loss of the indigenous gastric stem cells from their niches; bone marrow derived stem cells may then be recruited to and engraft into the gastric epithelium. Such recruited cells have the potential to contribute to the tumor mass. Indeed, evidence supporting this scenario has been published. Here, we review these recent findings and discuss implications for the future.

RhoC GTPase, a novel transforming oncogene for human mammary epithelial cells that partially recapitulates the inflammatory breast cancer phenotype.

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is the most aggressive form of breast cancer and is phenotypically distinct from other forms of locally advanced breast cancer. In a previous study, we identified specific genetic alterations of IBC that could account for a highly invasive phenotype. RhoC GTPase was overexpressed in 90% of IBC archival tumor samples, but not in stage-matched, non-IBC tumors. To study the role of RhoC GTPase in contributing to an IBC-like phenotype, we generated stable transfectants of human mammary epithelial cells overexpressing the RhoC gene. The HME-RhoC transfectants formed large colonies under anchorage-independent growth conditions, were more motile, and were invasive. In conjunction with an increase in motility, overexpression of RhoC led to an increase in actin stress fiber and focal adhesion contact formation. Furthermore, orthotopic injection into immunocompromised mice led to tumor formation. Taken together, these data indicate that RhoC GTPase is a transforming oncogene in human mammary epithelial cells and can lead to a highly invasive phenotype, akin to that seen in IBC.

RhoC GTPase overexpression modulates induction of angiogenic factors in breast cells.

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a distinct and aggressive form of locally advanced breast cancer. IBC is highly angiogenic, invasive, and metastatic at its inception. Previously, we identified specific genetic alterations of IBC that contribute to this highly invasive phenotype. RhoC GTPase was overexpressed in 90% of archival IBC tumor samples, but not in stage-matched, non-IBC tumors. To study the role of RhoC GTPase in contributing to an IBC-like phenotype, we generated stable transfectants of human mammary epithelial cells overexpressing the RhoC gene, and studied the effect of RhoC GTPase overexpression on the modulation of angiogenesis in IBC. Levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-8 (IL-8) were significantly higher in the conditioned media of the HME-RhoC transfectants than in the untransfected HME and HME-beta-galactosidase control media, similar to the SUM149 IBC cell line. Inhibition of RhoC function by introduction of C3 exotransferase decreased production of angiogenic factors by the HME-RhoC transfectants and the SUM149 IBC cell line, but did not affect the control cells. These data support the conclusion that overexpression of RhoC GTPase is specifically and directly implicated in the control of the production of angiogenic factors by IBC cells.

Identification of a bovine beta-mannosidosis mutation and detection of two beta-mannosidase pseudogenes.

Beta-mannosidase deficiency results in beta-mannosidosis, a severe neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disease identified in cattle, goats, and humans. To more fully understand the molecular pathology of this disease, the mutation associated with bovine beta-mannosidosis was identified by sequence analysis of cDNA from an affected calf. A transition mutation of G to A at position 2574 of the cDNA coding sequence creates a premature stop codon near the 3' end of the protein coding region. To aid commercial breeders of Salers cattle, a PCR-based test was developed to detect the mutation for beta-mannosidosis carrier screening. Application of this test also revealed the presence of two beta-mannosidase pseudogenes. Portions of the pseudogenes were amplified with allele-specific primers and then sequenced. One pseudogene was highly homologous (>99% sequence identity) to the expressed cDNA sequence over the 1292 bp that were sequenced, while the other showed more divergence (83% sequence identity) in the 477 bp that were sequenced. Both are processed pseudogenes that are not expressed. The severity of the bovine beta-mannosidosis phenotype suggests that the 22 C-terminal amino acids of beta-mannosidase play an important role in the function of this enzyme.