Prevalence and trends of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in female sex workers and men who have sex with men in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Chlamydia trachomatis infection can cause a significant disease burden in high-risk populations. This study aimed to assess the overall prevalence of C. trachomatis infection, and determine the long-term trends and geographic distribution of this infection among female sex workers (FSWs) and men who have sex with men (MSM) in China. METHODS: The PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang Data and VIP databases were searched from 1 January 1990 through 30 April 2023. Publications in which C. trachomatis infection was detected using nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) were included. The Q test and I2 statistics were used to assess the heterogeneity between studies. A random-effect model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence of C. trachomatis infection. Subgroup, meta-regression, and sensitivity analyses were performed to explore the sources of heterogeneity. Publication bias was evaluated using Egger's test. Trend analysis of the prevalence was performed using the Jonckheere-Terpstra trend test method. RESULTS: Sixty-one studies were eligible for inclusion (including 38 for FSWs and 23 for MSM). The pooled prevalence of C. trachomatis infection was 19.5% (95% CI: 16.4, 23.0) among FSWs and 12.7% (95% CI: 9.2, 17.7) in the rectum, 6.4% (95% CI: 5.3, 7.8) in the urethra and 1.3% (95% CI: 0.8, 2.1) in the oropharynx from MSM in China. The subgroup analyses showed that the sample size, study period, study region, specimen collection type, molecular diagnosis method, and recruitment site could explain some heterogeneity among studies of FSWs, and the publication language, study period, study region, molecular diagnosis method, and specimen collection anatomical site could explain some heterogeneity among studies of MSM. From 1998 to 2004, 2005 to 2009, 2010 to 2015, and 2016 to 2021, the pooled prevalence of C. trachomatis infection among FSWs were 30.3%, 19.9%, 21.4%, and 11.3%, respectively. For MSM, the pooled prevalence from 2003 to 2009, 2010 to 2015, and 2016 to 2022 were 7.8%, 4.7%, and 6.5%, respectively. However, no overall decline in the prevalence of C. trachomatis infection was observed among FSWs (z = -1.51, P = 0.13) or MSM (z = -0.71, P = 0.48) in China. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of C. trachomatis infection was high in these two high-risk populations in China. The findings of this study provide evidence for the formulation of effective surveillance and screening strategies for the prevention and control of C. trachomatis infection among these two specific populations.

Identifying the spatial heterogeneity in the effects of the construction land scale on carbon emissions: Case study of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China.

Low-carbon emissions are a major research focus to solve the problem of global warming and an important area that China needs to focus on to achieve high-quality development. Construction land scale is a non-negligible factor affecting carbon emissions. However, carbon emission impacts of county-scale spatial heterogeneity in construction land scale are under addressed in contemporary research. To address this gap, this paper took 1042 counties in China's Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) and developed datasets of the influencing factors including the construction land scale, GDP, secondary industry output proportion in GDP, residential population, and fixed asset investment. After comparing the ordinary least squares and geographically weighted regression (GWR) models, we applied GWR for more in-depth analyses. The global regression model results showed that the effect of the scale of construction land on carbon emissions was exceedingly significant and that the directions of the impacts coincided with the predictions. Further, local regression model results showed that construction land scale had significant spatial heterogeneity in the impact on carbon emissions and most counties (69.58%) showed significant positive correlations. The counties with significant construction land scale impacts on carbon emissions were concentrated and contiguous in spatial distribution and spatially clustered areas varied, with the clearest impact in the downstream region. The findings help to further identify the spatial heterogeneity of construction land scale impacts on carbon emissions, which provides evidence-based and theoretical support for policymakers to develop spatially differentiated emission reduction measures.

First Responses to the Symptoms of Sexually Transmitted Infections and Treatment-Seeking Behavior Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in 13 Cities in China.

BACKGROUND: Data are scarce on sexually transmitted infection (STI) treatment-seeking behavior among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China. The purpose of the study was to characterize the first response to STI symptoms, treatment-seeking behavior, and its associated factors among MSM in China. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with convenience sampling design was conducted in 13 cities from April to July 2017. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect information on demographics, STI symptoms, and treatment-seeking behavior. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to evaluate variables associated with not seeking treatment. RESULTS: Among 3925 recruited participants, 628 (16.0%) reported STI symptoms in the past 12 months and were included in the analysis. Upon or after being notified of the symptoms, MSM sought help from various sources or self-tested using rapid testing kits. Only 322(51.3%) went to see a doctor in clinic. In multiple logistic regression analyses, younger age, lower income, less STI knowledge (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2-2.5), not knowing own STI risk (AOR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.2-2.7), no symptoms of anogenital ulcers (AOR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.3-3.8) or anogenital warts (AOR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.6-3.7), no syphilis testing in the past 12 months (AOR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.5-3.0) were associated with higher probability of not seeking treatment in clinics. CONCLUSIONS: We found a high prevalence of STI symptoms among MSM and only half sought treatment. Prevention efforts should promote STI education, testing, and adequate treatment-seeking behavior.

The difference between blood-associated and water-associated herbs of Danggui-Shaoyao San in theory of TCM, based on serum pharmacochemistry.

Danggui-Shaoyao San (DSS) is a famous Chinese formula for activating blood circulation and promoting urination. This study was to investigate the difference of material basis between a blood-associated herbs group and a water-associated herbs group. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, the formula can be divided into a blood-associated herbs group (Angelica sinensis, Paeonia lactiflora and Ligusticum chuanxiong) and a water-associated herbs group (Atractylodes macrocephala, Alisma orientale and Poria cocos). The HPLC fingerprint of the formula was established for quality control. Serum samples from rats, orally administrated DSS, and the decomposed recipes of DSS, were analyzed by HPLC-DAD and the transitional blood components of DSS were identified. Twenty-one common peaks were identified in the fingerprint of DSS. Contents of paeoniflorin, albiflorin, ferulic acid and alisol B 23-acetate in co-decoction were significantly higher than those in individual decoction. Eleven peaks belonged to the blood-associated herbs group (four metabolites and seven prototype components; paeoniflorin and ferulic acid appeared in prototype components), whereas six peaks belonged to the water-associated herbs group (three metabolites and three prototype components). It was concluded that the serum pharmacochemistry is a meaningful approach for clarifying the difference between blood-associated and water-associated herbs in chemical composition.

[Estimation of syphilis epidemic through application of workbook method among populations aged from 15 to 49 years old in China in 2011].

OBJECTIVE: To apply workbook method for the estimation on syphilis epidemic in China. METHODS: The data on population size and syphilis infection were collected by national STD and HIV/AIDS surveillance system among six populations aged from 15 to 49 years old in 31 provinces in 2011. Six groups included female sex workers (FSW), men who have sex with men (MSM), STD clinic attendee, drug users, pregnant women and general population. Meta analysis was applied to pool the different prevalence of the same population in the different sentinels of each province, and then workbook method was applied to estimate the syphilis epidemic in China. RESULTS: The estimation of syphilis epidemic(95%CI) was 2 979 422(1 504 000-6 063 309) among the populations aged 15 to 49 years old in 2011. The estimation among FSW was 54 624 (38 422-78 875) , that of MSM was 265 453 (162 586-506 520) , that of STD clinic attendee was 53 555 (31 256-98 057) , that of drug users was 94 244 (66 475-139 349) , that of pregnant women was 70 062 (39 942-136 584) and that of general population was 2 441 484 (1 165 319-5 103 924) . The proportion of general population in the whole estimation of syphilis infection was 81.94%, and that of MSM was 8.91%. The estimation of syphilis incidence was 1 489 711 among 15 to 49 years old, and the estimation of syphilis prevalence was 0.40% in the whole country. The estimation of incidence in this research was 5.2 times as the number of reported cases from China information system for diseases control and prevention. CONCLUSION: Workbook method was a scientific and feasible toolkit for the estimation of syphilis epidemic in China, and the estimation outcomes were greatly significant for syphilis control.

Identifying the spatial heterogeneity of housing financialization in China: Insights from a multiscale geographically weighted regression.

With the deepening linkage between housing and finance, the financial attributes of housing have been increasing. Thus, housing financialization has become a worldwide phenomenon that is gradually emerging in China's real estate market and thus cannot be ignored. The amount of urban capital is an important manifestation of financialization, but only a few studies have considered the spatial heterogeneity of impact of urban capital amount-represented by loan balances (LOAN) on housing prices. To fill this gap, this study builds a dataset of housing prices and influencing factors for county-level units using 2109 counties in China and analyzes the spatial scope and heterogeneity of housing financialization. Results show that globally, LOAN has a significant positive effect on housing prices, and the impact direction is in line with theoretical expectations. Locally, spatial heterogeneity exists for the impact of LOAN on housing prices, and the phenomenon of housing financialization is mainly observed in China's eastern coastal area. This study can help enhance the understanding of the spatial constraints on the impact of LOAN on housing prices and the spatial heterogeneity of housing financialization in China. Moreover, it provides a theoretical basis for policymakers to formulate spatially differentiated housing policies.

Influence of the atmospheric environment on spatial variation of lung cancer incidence in China.

Conducting this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the correlation between atmospheric environmental quality and lung cancer incidence, and provides the scientific basis for formulating effective environmental protection and lung cancer prevention and control strategies. Lung cancer incidence in China has strong spatial variation. However, few studies have systematically revealed the characteristics of the spatial variation in lung cancer incidence, and have explained the causes of this spatial variation in lung cancer incidence from the perspectives of multiple components of the atmospheric environment to explain this spatial variation in lung cancer incidence. To address research limitations, we first analyze the spatial variation and spatial correlation characteristics of lung cancer incidence in China. Then, we build a spatial regression model using GeoDa software with lung cancer incidence as the dependent variable, five atmospheric environment factors-particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) concentration, temperature, atmospheric pressure, and elevation as explanatory variables, and four socio-economic characteristics as control variables to systematically analyze the influence and intensity of these factors on lung cancer incidence. The results show that lung cancer incidence in China has apparent changes in geographical and spatial unevenness, and spatial autocorrelation characteristics. In China, the lung cancer incidence is relatively high in Northeast China, while some areas of high lung cancer incidence still exist in Central China, Southwest China and South China, although the overall lung cancer incidence is relatively low. The atmospheric environment significantly affects lung cancer incidence. Different elements of the atmospheric environment vary in the direction and extent of their influence on the development of lung cancer. A 1% increase in PM2.5 concentration is associated with a level of 0.002975 increase in lung cancer incidence. Atmospheric pressure positively affects lung cancer incidence, and an increase in atmospheric pressure by 1% increases lung cancer incidence by a level of 0.026061. Conversely, a 1% increase in temperature is linked to a level of 0.006443 decreases in lung cancer incidence, and a negative correlation exists between elevation and lung cancer incidence, where an increase in elevation by 1% correlates with a decrease in lung cancer incidence by a level of 0.000934. The core influencing factors of lung cancer incidence in the seven geographical divisions of China exhibit variations. This study facilitates our understanding of the spatial variation characteristics of lung cancer incidence in China on a finer scale, while also offering a more diverse perspective on the impact of the atmospheric environment on lung cancer incidence.

Attenuated Salmonella typhimurium L forms suppress tumor growth and promote apoptosis in murine ovarian tumors.

To study the effects of attenuated Salmonella typhimurium L forms on the in vivo tumorigenicity and apoptosis of murine epithelial ovarian cancer cells, as well as the related mechanisms. Attenuated Salmonella typhimurium VNP20009 was induced into bacterial L forms by using antibiotic ceftriaxone. CCK-8 cell proliferation assay showed that attenuated S. typhimurium L forms can inhibit the proliferation of murine ovarian epithelial cancer ID8 cells. Attenuated ST L forms can induce apoptosis and inhibit invasion ability of epithelial ovarian cancer cells in vitro. TUNEL assay showed that attenuated ST L forms can induce apoptosis of ID8 cells in murine ovarian tumors. Meanwhile, attenuated ST L forms inhibit tumor growth in murine ovarian tumors. The tumorigenicity-related proteins of xenograft tumors detected by immunohistochemistry and fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR assays showed that attenuated ST L forms can reduce the expression of proteins that promote tumor growth and metastasis, such as Lgals9 and MMP9. This study confirmed that attenuated ST L forms can suppress tumor growth and promote apoptosis in murine ovarian tumors. Attenuated ST L forms may serve as a novel biological agent for bacterial-mediated tumor therapy in epithelial ovarian cancer.

Urban population density and energy conservation: Empirical evidence from 276 cities in China.

Reducing urban energy consumption is a crucial step towards achieving sustainable urban development. Urban energy plays a fundamental role in urban development, and while previous studies have examined the relationship between population size and energy conservation, the impact of increasing population density on per capita energy consumption (PCEC) remains unclear. To achieve urban energy conservation in China, it is vital to comprehend this significant relationship. This study constructs a spatial regression model to examine the relationship between population density and PCEC using 9 years of balanced panel data from 276 cities to fill a gap in the literature. The results of spatial autocorrelation indicate a significant negative relationship and heterogeneity between population density and PCEC. The results of spatial regression show that for every 1% increase in population density, there is a subsequent increase in PCEC of 0.074%. Our findings suggest that lower PCEC correlation is associated with higher urban population density. This study can be a reference for policymakers seeking new energy conservation strategies for urban development.

Clinical Characteristics and Prognosis of Pediatric Phthirus pubis Coinfestation of the Eyelashes and Scalp Hairs.

Phthirus pubis infestation is a highly infectious parasitic disease, affecting 1.3-4.6% of people globally. However, the coinfestation of P. pubis on the eyelashes and scalp hairs in children is uncommon, and the clinical characteristics and prognosis have not been fully studied. In this retrospective study, we report five pediatric patients diagnosed with eyelash and scalp coinfestation of P. pubis. The samples were obtained after treatment and sent for pathological examination. The demographic and clinical characteristics of the study participants were analyzed in detail. Numerous lice and nits were detectable on the eyelashes and scalp hairs in all enrolled patients. The ages ranged from 2 to 5 years. The duration of onset ranged from 3 to 10 days. The common clinical presentations were itching (100%) and conjunctivitis (60%). Treatment included eyelash and scalp hair trimming to the root (100%) and mechanical removal of the parasites (100%), in addition to topical tobramycin eye ointment (100%) and phenothrin shampoo (80%). Symptoms resolved by a 1-week follow-up. Pediatric P. pubis coinfestation mainly occurs on the eyelashes and temporal scalp in females, and sometimes contact tracing fails to identify the source. Phthirus pubis infestation of eyelashes can be misdiagnosed as blepharoconjunctivitis. Sexually transmitted diseases should be ruled out for patients with P. pubis infestation. Untreated or persistent cases may lead to several serious infections.

LncRNA HOTAIR down-expression inhibits the invasion and tumorigenicity of epithelial ovarian cancer cells by suppressing TGF-ß1 and ZEB1.

BACKGROUND: Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is a pathological type with a higher mortality rate among gynecological cancers today. Long-chain noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) can regulate the transcription and expression of cellular genes. However, the downstream molecules regulated by lncRNA HOTAIR have not been well studied. The effects of downregulated lncRNA HOTAIR on EOC invasiveness and tumorigenicity in nude mice, along with TGF- ß1 and ZEB1 in epithelial ovarian cancer cells, need to be investigated in further research. RESULTS: RT-qPCR was used to detect lncRNA HOTAIR and TGF-ß1 and ZEB1 mRNA expression in EOC SKOV3 cells. The expression of lncRNA HOTAIR in SKOV3 cells transfected with the recombinant shHOTAIR interference plasmid was significantly lower than that of the negative control. Compared with the negative control, the matrix gel invasion ability of shHOTAIR SKOV3 cells in vitro and their tumorigenicity in nude mice were significantly reduced. Moreover, compared with the control, the expression of ZEB1 protein in shHOTAIR-SKOV3 xenograft tumors was significantly reduced. Downregulation of lncRNA HOTAIR expression significantly reduced TGF-ß1 and ZEB1 mRNA expression, but increased the expression of E-cadherin mRNA. In summary, downregulated lncRNA HOTAIR in EOC SKOV3 cells transfected with shHOTAIR can inhibit TGF-ß1, reduce ZEB1, increase E-cadherin, and significantly reduce the invasiveness and tumorigenicity of ovarian epithelial cancer SKOV3 cells. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the lncRNA HOTAIR may be an effective target for the treatment of human EOC.

LDVoxelMorph: A precise loss function and cascaded architecture for unsupervised diffeomorphic large displacement registration.

PURPOSE: The traditional learning-based non-rigid registration methods for medical images are trained by an invariant smoothness regularization parameter, which cannot satisfy the registration accuracy and diffeomorphic property simultaneously. The diffeomorphic property reflects the credibility of the registration results. METHOD: To improve the diffeomorphic property in 3D medical image registration, we propose a diffeomorphic cascaded network based on the compressed loss (CL), named LDVoxelMorph. The proposed network has several constituent U-Nets and is trained with deep supervision, which uses a different spatial smoothness regularization parameter in each constituent U-Nets for training. This cascade-variant smoothness regularization parameter can maintain the diffeomorphic property in top cascades with large displacement and achieve precise registration in bottom cascades. Besides, we develop the CL as a penalty for the velocity field, which can accurately limit the velocity field that causes the deformation field overlap after the velocity field integration. RESULTS: In our registration experiments, the dice scores of our method were 0.892 ± 0.040 on liver CT datasets SLIVER37 , 0.848 ± 0.044 on liver CT datasets LiTS38 , 0.689 ± 0.014 on brain MRI datasets LPBA38 , and the number of overlapping voxels of deformation field were 325, 159, and 0, respectively. Ablation study shows that the CL improves the diffeomorphic property more effectively than increases. CONCLUSION: Experiment results show that our method can achieve higher registration accuracy assessed by dice scores and overlapping voxels while maintaining the diffeomorphic property for large deformation.

Prevalence of syphilis among people living with HIV and its implication for enhanced coinfection monitoring and management in China: A meta-analysis.

Background: People living with HIV (PLWH) are at an increased risk of syphilis infection. The objectives of this study were to assess the overall prevalence of syphilis among PLWH in China and identify factors associated with syphilis infection among PLWH. Methods: We searched Medline, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Scientific Journals Database (VIP), Wan-fang Data, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) to identify studies that reported the prevalence of syphilis among PLWH in China and were published in English or Chinese from January 1, 1990, to May 31, 2022. The reference lists of retrieved articles and relevant reviews were also checked to identify additional studies. A random-effect model was fitted to calculate the pooled syphilis prevalence among PLWH. Subgroup analyses, meta-regression analyses and sensitivity analyses were conducted to determine the potential source of heterogeneity. Results: Of the 1,599 articles screened, 29 studies involving 34,740 participants were eligible for inclusion in this meta-analysis. The overall prevalence of syphilis among PLWH in China was 19.9% [95% confidence interval (CI): 15.4-24.8%, I 2 = 98.9%]. Subgroup analysis showed that the pooled prevalence of syphilis among men who have sex with men (MSM) with HIV (21.9%, 95% CI: 17.2-26.9%) was much higher than that among heterosexuals (10.3%, 95% CI: 5.2-16.8%); there was regional diversity in the prevalence of syphilis, the highest in northern China (31.7%, 95% CI: 17.9-47.4%), followed by central-southern China (26.7%, 95% CI: 11.4-45.7%), and the lowest in northwestern China (15.0%, 95% CI: 6.9-25.4%); the syphilis prevalence among PLWH decreased as CD4 + T cell count increased (19.6% in CD4 + T cell < 200 vs. 8.7% in ≥ 500) and was higher among non-antiretroviral therapy (non-ART) HIV-infected patients (21.0%, 95% CI: 9.9-35.0%) than that among ART ones (16.1%, 95% CI: 3.9-34.3%). Conclusions: Our study showed a significantly high prevalence of syphilis among PLWH in China, particularly among MSM with HIV. Developing national guidelines for the integrated screening, monitoring, and management of HIV and syphilis as well as syphilis diagnosis and treatment training programs for physicians at designated HIV treatment hospitals is urgent and crucial to combat HIV and syphilis coinfection in China.

Effect of a Topical Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (0.1% Pranoprofen) on VEGF and COX-2 Expression in Primary Pterygium.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of a topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (0.1% pranoprofen) on the expression of VEGF and Cox-2 in primary pterygium. Methods: This was a prospective, randomized study. Between January 2019 and April 2020, 120 patients diagnosed with primary pterygium were enrolled and randomly divided into three groups before operation: 1) 40 patients in group 1 received topical pranoprofen 0.1% four times daily for 4 weeks, 2) 40 patients in group 2 received topical fluorometholone 0.1% four times daily for 4 weeks, and 3) patients in group 3 did not receive treatment. For each group, the age, sex, eye type, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), duration of onset, combined systemic diseases, and the results regarding vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and cyclo-oxygen-ase-2 (COX-2) in postoperative pterygial tissues were evaluated in detail. Results: There were no significant differences regarding age, sex, eye type, combined systemic diseases, duration of onset, IOP, and BCVA within the three groups (p > 0.05). The reduction of VEGF and CoX-2 expression of pterygial vascular endothelial cells in group 1 were statistically significant compared to group 2 and group 3 (p < 0.05). There were significant correlations between COX-2 and VEGF expression of pterygial tissues within the three groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The present findings suggested that the topical pranoprofen 0.1% could reduce the expression of VEGF and COX-2 in primary pterygium. We confirmed that treatment with pranoprofen offers advantages in early intervention and has therapeutic potential in reducing the postoperative recurrence of primary pterygium patients. Clinical Trial registration: The study was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry. (http://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx, Registration Number: ChiCTR2100047726).

The prevalence of asymptomatic neurosyphilis among HIV-negative serofast patients in China: A meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Neurosyphilis can occur at any stage of syphilis. After treatment, 30%-40% of syphilis patients remained serofast. But the prevalence of asymptomatic neurosyphilis (ANS) among serofast syphilis patients remains unclear. Untimely treatment or improper management for ANS may result in neurological complications. So we perform the meta-analysis to evaluate the prevalence of ANS cases among HIV-negative serofast syphilis patients for exploring their relationship and addressing their clinical management. METHODS: We searched CNKI, Wan Fang, VIP, CBMdisc, PubMed, Embase and Medline from January 1st 1990 to September 22nd 2020 for both English and Chinese records. We strictly restrict the eligibility criteria. STROBE was used for reporting quality assessment. We examined forest plots and conducted both fix-effects and random-effects to estimate prevalence by R version 3.6.2/R studio 1.2.1335 statistical software packages META version 4.9-9. If appropriate, between-study heterogeneity was examined using the I2 statistic and subgroup analysis. RESULTS: Of 77 screened records, 5 were included. The pooled prevalence of ANS among HIV-negative serofast syphilis patients was 13% (95% CI 3%-23%; I2 = 93% P<0.01, 417 people). The prevalence of ANS for the verified ANS classification definition was 3% (95% CI 0%-7%; I2 = 67% P = 0.08, two studies, 189 people), and 21% (95% CI 6%-36%; I2 = 86% P<0.01, three studies, 228 people) for the likely ANS classification. The prevalence of ANS among the serofast syphilis patients who were followed up for one year was 29% (95% CI 22%-36%; I2 = 0% P = 0.5, two studies, 167 people) and 5% (95% CI 0%-13%; I2 = 79% P = 0.03, two studies, 144 people) for two years. The prevalence in the studies from different geographical subgroups was as follows: 9% (95% CI 0%-19%; I2 = 82% P<0.01, three studies, 169 people) in South-central China, 6% (95% CI 1%-10%; one study, 106 people) in East China, and 30% (95% CI 23%-38%; one study, 142 people) in North China. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis showed a high estimated prevalence of ANS in HIV-negative serofast syphilis patients, the prevalence of ANS among patients diagnosed with the verified ANS case definition is much lower than that for the likely ANS classification. It may be necessary to carry out nontreponemal test, protein test and leukocyte count for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in treated serofast patients for better clinical management to avoid neurological complications. The case classification definition of ANS is a key factor to evaluate the prevalence. Geographical heterogeneity needs more studies to detect. In future we need better-design studies to explore relationship between ANS and serofast status.

Identification of pathogenic genes of pterygium based on the Gene Expression Omnibus database.

AIM: To identify the pathogenic genes in pterygium. METHODS: We obtained mRNA expression profiles from the Gene Expression Omnibus database (GEO) to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between pterygium tissues and normal conjunctiva tissues. The Gene Ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and transcription factors (TFs)-target gene regulatory network was performed to understand the function of DEGs. The expression of selected DEGs were validated by the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). RESULTS: A total of 557 DEGs were identified between pterygium and normal individual. In PPI network, several genes were with high degrees such as FN1, KPNB1, DDB1, NF2 and BUB3. SSH1, PRSS23, LRP5L, MEOX1, RBM14, ABCA1, JOSD1, KRT6A and UPK1B were the most downstream genes regulated by TFs. qRT-PCR results showed that FN1, PRSS23, ABCA1, KRT6A, ECT2 and SPARC were significantly up-regulated in pterygium and MEOX1 and MMP3 were also up-regulated with no significance, which was consistent with the our integrated analysis. CONCLUSION: The deregulated genes might be involved in the pathology of pterygium and could be used as treatment targets for pterygium.

RBM3 upregulates ARPC2 by binding the 3'UTR and contributes to breast cancer progression.

Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancers which results in a high mortality rate for patients worldwide. In this study, we performed systematical experiments including tissue analysis (immunohistochemistry etc.) and cell functional experiments (cell counting assay, MTT assay, cell colony formation, cell migration assay, cell invasion assay etc.). We demonstrated that the expression level of RNA binding motif protein 3 (RBM3) was higher in human breast cancer tissues compared with adjacent non­tumor tissues. A high level of RBM3 was associated with worse post­operative relapse­free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) rates in patients with breast cancer. Among the patients with breast cancer, the expression of RBM3 was associated with patient lymph node metastasis and a high tumor grade. The knockdown of RBM3 markedly decreased the proliferation and metastasis of human breast cancer cells. In downstream pathway analysis, actin related protein 2/3 complex subunit 2 (ARPC2) was determined to be positively regulated by RBM3 through a post­transcriptional 3'UTR­binding manner. ARPC2 also played an oncogenic role and mediated the promoting role of RBM3 in the proliferation and metastasis of human breast cancer cells. Thus, on the whole, the findings of this study demonstrate that RBM3 acts as an oncogene in human breast cancer cells and that the functional depletion of RBM3 may be considered as a potential method for breast cancer therapy.

Syphilis in China: results of a national surveillance programme.

BACKGROUND: After a massive syphilis epidemic in the first half of the 20th century, China was able to eliminate this infection for 20 years (1960-80). However, substantial changes in Chinese society have been followed by a resurgent epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases. Sporadic reports have provided clues to the magnitude of the spread of syphilis, but a national surveillance effort is needed to provide data for planning and intervention. METHODS: We collected and assessed case report data from China's national sexually transmitted disease surveillance system and sentinel site network. FINDINGS: In 1993, the reported total rate of cases of syphilis in China was 0.2 cases per 100,000, whereas primary and secondary syphilis alone represented 5.7 cases per 100,000 persons in 2005. The rate of congenital syphilis increased greatly with an average yearly rise of 71.9%, from 0.01 cases per 100,000 livebirths in 1991 to 19.68 cases per 100 000 livebirths in 2005. INTERPRETATION: The results suggest that a range of unique biological and social forces are driving the spread of syphilis in China. A national campaign for detection and treatment of syphilis, and a credible prevention strategy, are urgently needed.

A highly selective and sensitive fluorescent chemosensor and its application for rapid on-site detection of Al3.

In this paper, a simple naphthalene-based derivative (HL) has been designed and synthesized as a Al3+-selective fluorescent chemosensor based on the PET mechanism. HL exhibited high selectivity and sensitivity towards Al3+ over other commonly coexisting metal ions in ethanol with a detection limit of 2.72nM. The 1:1 binding stoichiometry of the complex (HL-Al3+) was determined from the Job's plot based on fluorescence titrations and the ESI-MS spectrum data. Moreover, the binding site of HL with Al3+ was assured by the 1H NMR titration experiment. The binding constant (Ka) of the complex (HL-Al3+) was calculated to be 5.06×104M-1 according to the Benesi-Hildebrand equation. In addition, the recognizing process of HL towards Al3+ was chemically reversible by adding Na2EDTA. Importantly, HL could directly and rapidly detect aluminum ion through the filter paper without resorting to additional instrumental analysis.