[Study the involvement of Langerin in mediating epicutaneous sensitization of atopic dermatitis-like mouse model].

Objective: To explore the role of Langerin in mediating epicutaneous sensitization of atopic dermatitis (AD) in mouse model. Methods: Mice were topically treated with calcipotriol (MC903) plus ovalbumin (OVA) on the ears to establish AD mouse models, and mice were divided into wild-type control group, wild-type AD group, Langerin knockout control group, and Langerin knockout AD group. Changes of lesion were daily observed. Infiltration of inflammatory cells, mRNA expression of Tslp, Il4, Il13, Il17a, and Il22, levels of serum total IgE, OVA-specific IgE (sIgE), OVA sIgG1 and OVA sIgG2a, proportion of regulatory T (Treg) cells in cervical draining lymph nodes were evaluated at the end of model preparation. Results: Skin tumidness and thickness, dermal inflammatory cells infiltration, the mRNA expression levels of Tslp, Il4, Il13, Il17a and Il22 in wild-type AD groups were higher than those in wild-type control groups, with (1.80±0.66, 1.64±0.25, 1.71±0.54, 2.41±0.23, 2.49±0.32) and (0.53±0.45, 0.85±0.29, 0.73±0.50, 0.72±0.25, 0.56±0.29), respectively (all P<0.05). In addition, the levels of serum total IgE, OVA sIgE and OVA sIgG1 in wild-type AD groups were higher than those in wild-type control groups, with [(1 216.00±572.70) ng/ml, (597.00±538.30) ng/ml, 1.59±0.09] and [(24.22±35.04) ng/ml, (20.01±41.71) ng/ml, 1.16±0.03], respectively (all P<0.05). In Langerin knockout mice, compared to wild-type mice, skin erythema, skin tumidness, epidermal thickening, inflammatory cell infiltration were more obvious; the mRNA expression levels of Tslp, Il4, Il13, Il17a and Il22 were upregulated with (8.19±6.44, 2.53±0.69, 2.82±0.73, 3.94±1.32, 3.80±1.43) (all P<0.05); the levels of serum total IgE, OVA sIgE and OVA sIgG1 were significantly increased with (2 508.00±657.10) ng/ml, (1 808.00±470.70) ng/ml, (1.73±0.09) (all P<0.05); the number of CD4+CD25+CD127-Treg cells were decreased significantly with (13.25±0.96)% and (15.31±1.47)%, respectively (P<0.05). Conclusion: Langerin is involved in mediating epicutaneous sensitization of the AD mouse model and plays a negative immunoregulatory role.

[Comparison of the methods for detecting NTRK gene fusion variations in papillary thyroid carcinoma].

Objective: To investigate the frequency of neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase (NTRK) gene variations in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and to analyze the feasibility of detecting tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) proteins using immunohistochemistry (IHC) to predict the fusion variation of NTRK. Methods: A cohort of 848 PTC cases was collected at the Department of Pathology, Shenzhen People's Hospital from June 2017 to June 2020. The expression levels of TRK proteins were detected using IHC in 848 PTC samples, and the DNA-based next generation sequencing (NGS) was performed to detect NTRK rearrangements in 150 PTCs. Results: There were 242 males and 606 females, with an age range of 9-83 years. In 120 cases with TRK expression detected by IHC, 13 cases were confirmed to harbor a NTRK gene fusion by NGS. The frequency of NTRK fusion in PTC was 1.5% (13/848). The sensitivity and specificity of TRK-IHC positivity for screening NTRK fusion in PTC were 100% and 21.9%, respectively. The specificity of weak-, moderate- and strong-positive stains of TRK IHC were 23.8%, 76.9% and 93.8%, respectively. The specificity of NTRK gene fusion was predicted to increase with the enhanced intensity of IHC staining. In BRAF V600E negative PTC samples, the specificity of weak-and moderate-positive stains of TRK IHC increased to 62.5% and 96.8%, respectively. Seven NTRK fusion partners were found in the PTC, including EML4, ETV6, CDH1, GJD2, TPR, TFG and SQSTM1. Conclusions: There is a low variation frequency of NTRK gene fusion in PTC. TRK IHC can be used as a screening method for NTRK fusion variation in PTC. The specificity of TRK IHC predicting NTRK fusion can be further enhanced by increasing the cutoff value of the positive cell number and staining intensity of TRK-IHC staining, or being combined with BRAF V600E negativity.

Quercetin and Isoquercitrin Inhibiting Hepatic Gluconeogenesis Through LKB1-AMPKα Pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the impact of quercetin and isoquercitrin on gluconeogenesis in hepatocytes. METHODS: Mouse primary hepatocytes were cultured with lactic acid and pyruvic acid. After treatment with quercetin and isoquercitrin for 24 hours, the glucose concentration in the culture supernatant was determined. RT-PCR was used to detect the mRNAs of PEPCK, G6Pase, LKB1, and AMPKα. Protein levels of LKB1, AMPKα, and Thr172 phosphorylation were evaluated by Western blot. RESULTS: The glucose concentration in the gluconeogenesis group (GN) was significantly higher than in the control group (C), but the glucose concentrations in the high level quercetin(group 80Q) and high level isoquercitrin (group 80I) were significantly lower than in the group GN, P<0.01. In the group 80Q, and group 80I, the mRNA levels of PEPCK and LKB1were significantly lower than in the group GN (P<0.01), and the G6Pase mRNA were significantly lower than in the group GN (P<0.05). The protein levels of LKB1 and the phosphorylation of AMPKα Thr172 in the group 80Q, group 40I, and group 80I were higher than in the group GN. The effects of quercetin and isoquercitrin on LKB1 and AMPKα were similar to those of metformin. CONCLUSIONS: Quercetin and isoquercitrin inhibit gluconeogenesis in hepatocytes, which may be related to the LKB1 upregulation and phosphorylation of AMPKα.

[Correlation between single nucleotide polymorphisms of rs4778137 located in OCA2 gene and clinical response of breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy].

Objective: To evaluate the correlation between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of rs4778137 located in OCA2 gene and clinical response of breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Methods: A total of 140 breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy were enrolled to detect DNA in blood sample by DNA extraction kit and the rs4778137 polymorphism by sequenom. The relationship between SNPs of rs4778137 and pathologic complete response (pCR) were analyzed. Results: The frequency of CC, GC and GG genetype of rs4778137 was 48.6%, 31.4% and 20.0%,respectively. Thirty cases (21.4%) achieved pCR with CC allele in 9 cases(13.2%),GC allele in 10 cases (22.7%) and GG allele in 11 cases (39.3%),respectively,with a statistically significant difference(P<0.05). When conducting stratified analysis in accordance with the estrogen receptor (ER) status,only in ER negative group pCR was significantly associated with SNPs of rs4778137 (P<0.05). SNPs of Rs4778137, targeted therapy,subtypes,tumor stage were independent predictors of pCR in multivariate logistic regression analysis (P<0.05),and SNPs of rs4778137 was an independent predictors of pCR in ER negative group (P<0.05), but not in ER positive group group (P>0.05). Conclusion: SNPs of rs4778137 was associated with pCR only in ER negative patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy, and breast cancer patients with the GG allele were more likely to achieve pCR.

[Analysis on the epidemiology and etiology characteristics of first imported Chikungunya fever case in Henan Province in 2017].

To study the epidemiology and etiology characteristics of first imported Chikungunya fever case in Henan province, China, 2017. The patient was confirmed by Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infected as CHIKV ribonucleotide was continuously detected in his serum specimens. BHK-21 cell line was used for virus isolation, the strain was named CHIKV/Henan001/2017. CHIKV/Henan001/2017 belonged to genotype ECSA. The highest ribonucleotide homology sequence of highly conserved region E1 with CHIKV/Henan001/2017 was hk02 strain (99.8%), who was an imported strain to Hong Kong, China, 2016. Epidemiological information and laboratory testing confirmed it was an imported Chikungunya fever case in Henan province, 2017. No secondary case has been reported.

[Prognostic value of total cholesterol content of erythrocyte membranes in patients with acute coronary syndrome].

Objective: Previous cross-sectional studies suggested that elevated levels of total cholesterol content of erythrocyte membrane (CEM) could significantly increase the risk of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The purpose of the present study was to assess the predictive value of baseline CEM levels for the risk of clinical endpoint events in patients with ACS through prospective follow-up studies. Methods: This study is a prospective follow-up study, which consisted of 859 patients with first ACS (698 patients with unstable angina pectoris and 161 patients with acute myocardial infarction), diagnosed and hospitalized in the First and Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University. The routine blood lipid levels and CEM were measured. Patients were divided into two groups according to the median of baseline CEM: CEM≤131.56 µg/mg group (n=430) and CEM>131.56 µg/mg group (n=429). Patients were followed up at 6 months interval. The clinical endpoints were nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, all-cause mortality, all-cause mortality, heart failure requiring hospitalization, and coronary artery revascularization. Kaplan-Meier curve analysis and Cox proportional hazard model were used to analyze the impact of elevated CEM on the occurrence of clinical end-point events. HR values and 95%CI of each variable were obtained. Cox regression analysis of all-cause mortality was performed according to whether patients had risk factors for coronary heart disease (hypertension, diabetes, smoking and elevated LDL-C) and whether they were treated with PCI. Results: The follow-up time was 1 640 (1 380, 2 189) days. Cox analysis after adjustment showed that an elevated baseline of CEM (>131.56 µg/mg) was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR=1.690, 95%CI 1.041-2.742, P=0.034), but had no significant predictive effect on the other clinical endpoints. Subgroup analysis showed that elevated baseline CEM levels in ACS patients with LDL-C>1.8 mmol/L (HR=1.687, 95%CI 1.026-2.774, P=0.039), receiving in-hospital PCI (HR=2.365, 95%CI 1.054-5.307, P=0.037), or male (HR=1.794, 95%CI 1.010-3.186, P=0.046) were associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality. Conclusion: The results showed that elevated CEM levels can increase the risk of all-cause mortality in ACS patients.

[Laboratory diagnosis and molecular tracing of dengue bordline cases in Henan Province, 2017].

Objective: To confirm the laboratory diagnosis of dengue bordline cases reported in Henan Province and trace its origin from molecular level in 2017. Methods: The study samples were blood samples (3-5 ml), which came from 8 suspected cases of dengue fever reported in the 2017 direct reporting system of Henan provincial infectious disease monitoring network. Meanwhile, case investigation was conducted according to National dengue fever surveillance programme. Serum were separated from blood samples and tested for Dengue NS1 antigen, IgM & IgG antibodies, and dengue RNA. According to dengue diagnosis criteria, confirmed cases were identified by testing results. Samples carried dengue RNA performed for real-time PCR genotyping and amplification of E gene. Then, the amplicons were sequenced and homological and phylogenetic analyses were constructed. Results: 8 serum samples of suspected dengue cases were collected in Henan Province, 2017. Six of them were diagnosed as dengue confirmed cases. All the dengue confirmed cases belonged to outside imported cases, 5 of them were positive by dengue RNA testing. Genotyping results showed there were 1 DENV1 case, 2 DENV2 cases and 2 DENV3 cases. A DENV2 case and a DENV3 case of this study were traced its origin successfully. The sequence of Pakistan imported DENV2 case belongs to cosmopolitan genotype, which was the most consistent with Pakistan's DENV2 KJ010186 in 2013 (identity 99.0%). The sequence of Malaysia imported DENV3 case belongs to genotype I, which was the most consistent with Singapore's DENV3 KX224276 in 2014(identity 99.0%). Conclusion: The laboratory diagnosis and molecular traceability of dengue cases in Henan Province in 2017 confirmed that all cases were imported and did not cause local epidemics.

[Etiological study of diarrhea in children under 5 years old in Dongcheng district of Beijing].

Objective: To analyze the etiological characteristics of infectious diarrhea among people under 5 years old in Dongcheng District, Beijing. Methods: The age, time of infection, clinical symptoms and laboratory test results of the cases who didn't used antibiotics within 3 days in the second maternal and child health care hospital were collected from 2012 to 2015, through the information management system of infectious disease monitoring technology platform. To compare the detection rate of virus and bacteria in children with different sex, time and age,and the difference of clinical characteristics between virus detection group and bacteria detection group by chi square test. Results: 1 977 cases of infectious diarrhea were collected, the median of the month age (P(25), P(75)) was 14.19 (8.31, 23.15) months. The virus detection rate was 34.3% (679 cases); the bacterial detection rate was 14.6% (288 cases). The difference of virus detection rate in children with different months was statistically significant (χ(2)=72.38, P<0.001), the virus detection rate of 24-60 months (40.9% (188/460)) was the hightest, and the detection rate of 0-5 months (15.3% (48/314)) was the lowest. The difference of bacteria detection rate was also statistically significant (χ(2)=32.67, P<0.001), and the detection rate of 12-17 months (19.0% (81/426)) was the highest, the detection rate of 0-5 months (6.7% (21/314)) was the lowest. The proportion of vomit and water sample in the virus detection group was 22.2% (136 cases) and 73.3% (449 cases), respectively, which were higher than those in bacteria detection group (8.1% (18 cases) and 57.2% (127 cases)), the difference was statistically significant (χ(2) values were 125.92 and 19.60; P values were both<0.001); the proportion of mucus stool and fever was 0.8% (5 cases) and 14.0% (86 cases), respectively, which were lower than those in bacterial detection group (4.1% (9 cases) and 18.5% (41 cases)), and the difference was statistically significant (χ(2) values were 8.50 and 23.01; P values were 0.004 and <0.001). Conclusion: The virus detection rate of infantile infective diarrhea is higher than that of bacteria in Dongcheng district of Beijing, and the clinical characteristics are significantly different.

[Human enterovirus infection status and clinical characteristics of 274 patients with viral encephalitis in Henan Province, 2011-2012].

Objective: To investigate human enterovirus (HEV) infection and clinical characteristics of viral encephalitis patients in Pingdingshan, Henan Province. Methods: Cerebrospinal fluid specimens and epidemiological information were collected from 274 viral encephalitis patients in the departments of pediatrics and neurology in hospitals in Pingdingshan, Henan Province, from April 2011 to August 2012. Patients with bacterial infections were excluded from the study. Demographic information was collected by questionnaires and clinical information was mainly obtained from hospital examinations. Viral RNA was extracted using magnetic bead extraction. Real-time RT-PCR was then performed for HEV, CV-A16, and EV-A71 testing. SPSS statistical software was statistical analyses. Significant differences were determined using the chi-squared test (P<0.05). Results: Among 274 cases of viral encephalitis, 180 cases (65.7%) were male and 94 cases were female (34.3%). The median age was 2.17 years. Approximately 61.3% (168) of patients were younger than 3 years of age. A total of 107 (39.1%), 2 (0.7%), and 42 (15.3%) cases were positive for HEV, CV-A16, and EV-A71, respectively. Eleven patients were younger than 6 months of age and one patient was co-infected with HEV and EV-A71. In the<3, 3-5, 6-15, and>15 years old age groups, HEV infections comprised 31.5% (53/168), 52.9% (18/34), 53.0% (35/66), and 16.7% (1/6) (χ(2)=13.10, P=0.003), respectively. The EV-A71 infection rates were 17.9% (30/168), 23.5% (8/34), 6.1% (4/66), and 0 (χ(2)=8.04, P=0.045), respectively. The other enterovirus (OEV) infection rates were 12.5% (21/168), 29.4% (10/34), 48.5% (32/66), and 16.7% (1/6) (χ(2)=35.19, P<0.001), respectively. The rate of vomiting in OEV and EV-A71 infected patients was 73% (44/60) and 26% (11/42), respectively, while the frequency of skin rash in OEV and EV-A71 infected patients was 32% (19/60) and 79% (33/42), respectively. Approximately 95% (99/104) of patients infected with HEV had a fever, and the breathing rhythm change rate was 19% (20/104), which was lower than that of patients without HEV infection (36.8% (60/163)) (χ(2)=9.35, P=0.002). Conclusion: In Pingdingshan, HEV was a major causative agent of viral encephalitis and the rate of OEV infection was high, especially in children aged 3-15 years old. Fever was a common clinical symptom of patients infected with HEV. Patients infected with OEV primarily exhibited vomiting symptoms and EV-A71 infected patients showed skin rash.

[Infection status, clinical symptoms and gene type transition of group A rotavirus in children, less than five years-of-age, with diarrhea in sentinel hospitals of Henan Province, China].

Objective: To investigate the infectious status, gene type transition and epidemiological features of rotavirus A isolated from infants and children (<59 months-of-age) in sentinel hospitals from 2008 to 2015 in Henan province, China. Methods: In total, 2 541 stool samples (each 3- 5 ml) were collected from infants and children aged less than five years in two sentinel hospitals and group A rotavirus was detected by a double antibody sandwich ELISA. Viral RNA was extracted from positive samples and G/P gene typing was performed using a two-step nested multiplex RT-PCR. Epidemiological information (including demographic information such as age, sex and clinical symptoms) was also collected from the patients and analyzed. Results: Group A rotavirus was detected in 30.9% (785/2 541) of diarrhea samples from children. The detection rate was higher in October (54.8%, 345/629) and lower in July (5%, 5/101) each year from 2008 to 2015. The group A rotavirus infection rate was higher in boys (30.6%, 451/1 476) than in girls (31.4%, 334/1 065) (χ2=0.18, P=0.664). Infection mainly occurred in 4-12 months old patients (61.3%, 481/785) (χ2=196.69, P<0.001), and the infection rate was lower in cities (26%, 258/992) compared with rural areas (34.0%, 527/1 549) (χ2=18.19, P<0.001). G typing of 785 strains of group A rotavirus revealed the following types: G1 (13.5%, 106 strains), G2 (11.1%, 87 strains), G3 (29.7%, 233 strains), and G9 (57.5%, 451 strains); P typing revealed the predominance of P[4] (11.3%, 89 strains) and P[8] (84.7%, 665 strains); gene type combinations comprised mainly G9P[8], G2P[4], G3P[8], G1P[8], respectively accounted for 52.9% (415), 9.7% (76), 17.3% (136), 11.3% (89). Gene type combinations G1 [8] and G3P[8] have been decreasing in prevalence since 2008 and G9P[8] has become the dominant gene type of group A rotavirus in Henan province. Among the group A rotavirus infection samples, the male:female infection ratio was 1.4∶1 (451/334), with no significant difference in the infection rate (χ2=0.18, P=0.664); the infection rate was higher in 4- 12 months old patients (61.3%, 481/785), with a significant difference detected between age groups (χ2=196.69, P<0.001). The rate of detection was lower in cities (26.0%, 258/992) than in rural areas (34.0%, 527/1 549) (χ2=18.19, P<0.001). Clinical analysis revealed a body temperature of below 37 degrees in 75.7% of positive cases (594 patients), 37.0- 37.5 degrees in 17.2% of cases (135 patients), 37.6-38.0 degrees in 2.0% of cases (16 patients), and above 38 degrees in 5.1% of cases (40 patients), with most cases showing no fever or a mild fever. The frequency of episodes of diarrhea among the patients was 0- 3 times (21.1%, 166 cases), 4- 6 times (65.6%, 515 cases), 7- 9 times (8.0%, 63 cases), or 10- 15 times (5.2%, 41 cases), mainly showing mild and moderate diarrhea. Vomiting also varied in frequency among the patients from no vomiting (86.9%, 682 cases), 1-2 times (11.8%, 92 cases), 3 times (6.0%, 47 cases), and more than 3 times (0.4%, 3 cases). The occurrence of dehydration varied from no dehydration (86.9%, 682 cases), mild dehydration of 1%- 5% (12.1%, 95 cases), to severe dehydration of ≥5% (1.0%, 8 cases). Conclusion: A higher infection rate of group A rotavirus was detected in children younger than five years of age with acute diarrhea in sentinel hospitals in Henan province, including part-mixed infection cases. A predominance of cases was detected in the autumn, and secondly the spring of each year. Gene type G9P[8] was most frequently isolated. The majority of patients displayed no fever, vomiting or dehydration. The cases with clinical symptoms of fever, diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration often showed mild disease.

[Characteristics of molecular typing and drug resistance of 67 Salmonella paratyphi A isolated in Zhengzhou from 2013 to 2015].

Objective: To investigate the antimicrobial resistance and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns of S.paratyphi A strains in Zhengzhou city isolated from sentinel hospitals in 2013-2015. Methods: According to Salmonella molecular typing and K-B drug susceptibility testing method published by international PulseNet bacterial infectious disease monitoring network and USA Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI2015), we analyzed drug sensitivity and PFGE molecular characteristics of 67 S.paratyphi A strains(11 strains in 2013, 7 strains in 2014, 49 strains in 2015) isolated from blood and stool samples in two sentinel hospitals of fever with rash syndrome surveillance system established in Zhengzhou city in 2013-2015. Results: The results showed 67 strains of S.paratyphi A had different levels of resistance to 13 kinds of antibiotics, 65 strains were multi-drug resistant strains (97.0%), 5 isolates were resistant to 2-3 kinds of antibiotics (7.5%), 41 isolates were resistant to 5-8 kinds of antibiotics (61.2%),11 isolates were resistant to 9-10 kinds of antibiotics(16.4%),8 isolates were resistant to 11-12 kinds of antibiotics(11.9%). 67 strains of S.paratyphi A were divided into 10 molecular patterns(PTYA1-PTYA10) by digestion with XbaⅠ restriction endonuclease and pulsed field gel electrophoresis, each pattern contains 1-48 strains with similarity ranged from 94.31%-100%. PTYA3 contained 48 strains, which was predominant band type; PTYA1, 9 contained 6 strains; PTYA 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 contained 1 strains among them. Conclusion: The status of drug resistance of clinical isolates of S.paratyphi A in Zhengzhou city was rather serious, PFGE patterns showed diversity and dominant characteristics. The PFGE patterns of partial strains and its corresponding anti-drug spectrum have certain relevance and cluster relationship.

IL-17 rs2275913 genetic variation contributes to the development of gastric cancer in a Chinese population.

The purpose of this hospital-based case-control study was to assess whether the interleukin (IL)-17 rs2275913 genetic variation can influence susceptibility to gastric cancer. Samples from a total of 202 gastric cancer patients and 237 controls were collected from the Linyi People's Hospital between March 2013 and March 2015. The IL-17 rs2275913 gene polymorphism was identified by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism. When compared with control subjects, gastric cancer patients were older in age (OR = 3.89, 95%CI = 2.55-5.95), male (OR = 2.08, 95%CI = 1.39-3.10), had a habit of alcohol consumption (OR = 1.71, 95%CI = 1.15-2.55), and were more likely to be infected with Helicobacter pylori (OR = 2.76, 95%CI = 1.83-4.16). We observed that the AA genotype of the IL-17 rs2275913 polymorphism resulted in a 2.32-fold risk of gastric cancer compared to the GG genotype (OR = 2.32, 95%CI = 1.20-4.54; P = 0.01). The AG combined with AA genotype of the IL-17 rs2275913 polymorphism had more risk of developing gastric cancer than the GG genotype (OR = 1.50, 95%CI = 1.01-2.23; P = 0.04). Moreover, the AA genotype of the IL-17 rs2275913 polymorphism was correlated with a higher risk of developing gastric cancer than the GG and AG genotypes combined (OR = 2.01, 95%CI = 1.08-3.79; P = 0.02). In conclusion, the results of our study suggest that the IL-17 rs2275913 polymorphism could contribute to the risk of gastric cancer.

Impact of caffeine on ß cell proliferation and apoptosis under the influence of palmitic acid.

We examined the influence of caffeine on the proliferation and apoptosis of ß cells cultured in vitro in the presence of the free fatty acid palmitic acid (PA). Different concentrations of caffeine (1-100 mM) and free fatty PA were added to cultured ß cells. The MTT assay was used to analyze cell proliferative activity; flow cytometry was used to measure apoptosis and calculate the apoptosis rate. Compared with the blank control group, cells cultured with 500 mM PA for 24, 48, 72, and 96 h showed inhibition of pancreatic ß cell proliferative activity. In the 10 and 25 mM caffeine groups cultured for 48, 72, and 96 h, ß cell proliferative activity was much higher than that in the 500 mM PA group. The apoptosis rate in the 500 mM PA group was 40.55 ± 20.33%, which was higher than that in the blank control group. The apoptosis rates in the 10 and 25 mM caffeine group and the PA group were 19.12 ± 10.56 and 20.97 ± 9.75%, respectively, which was lower than that in the 500 mM PA group. At some concentrations, caffeine can improve free fatty PA levels and guide pancreatic ß cell proliferation inhibition and cell apoptosis.

Predictive potential role of glutathione S-transferases polymorphisms in response to chemotherapy and breast cancer prognosis.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of GSTM1 null/present, GSTT1 null/present, and GSTP1 polymorphisms in the clinical response to chemotherapy and treatment outcome of breast cancer. The GSTM1, GSTT1, and GSTP1 IIe105Val polymorphism genotypes were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction coupled with restriction fragment length polymorphism. Conditional logistic regression analysis revealed that breast cancer patients carrying the GG genotype of GSTP1 IIe105Val showed a significantly better response to chemotherapy compared to those expressing the AA genotype [odds ratio = 2.66, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.24-5.91, P = 0.007]. The Cox proportional hazards model indicated that the GG genotype of GSTP1 IIe105Val in breast cancer patients was correlated with a lower risk of death from all causes than those with AA genotype. The adjusted hazard ratio (95%CI) for the GG genotype of GSTP1 IIe105Val was 0.44 (0.18-0.99; P = 0.03). In conclusion, the results of our study indicated that the GG genotype of GSTP1 IIe105Val was significantly associated with better response to chemotherapy and longer overall survival, compared to the wide-type genotype.

[Application and advances of nanozyme-loaded tissue engineering scaffolds in wound repair].

At present, effective reconstruction of the integrity and functionality of damaged skin tissue remains an important medical problem in the field of wound repair. In recent years, the rapid development of nanozymes and tissue engineering scaffolds in the field of regenerative medicine has made it possible to develop new skin wound repair materials. Based on the process of skin wound repair and regeneration, this review briefly describes the nanozymes and its catalytic mechanism. At the same time, the common tissue engineering scaffolds loaded with nanozymes and their manufacturing strategies are introduced, the application of tissue engineering scaffolds loaded with nanozymes during the stages of anti-bacteria and anti-inflammation in the process of wound repair is summarized, and their future development direction is discussed.

[Surveillance for sever fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome in Henan province, 2017-2020].

Objective: To analyze the epidemiological and etiological characteristics of sever fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) cases in Henan province during 2017-2020. Methods: Descriptive epidemiology method was used to analyze the characteristics of SFTS cases in Henan during 2017-2020. Patients' sera in acute phase were collected and tested using real-time fluorescence RT-PCR. The S segment complete sequences of the isolated sever fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) strains were amplified and homology analysis was performed to construct the phylogenetic tree. Results: A total of 1 767 SFTS cases, including 1 000 suspected cases and 767 confirmed cases, were reported in Henan during this period, and 11 cases, including 3 suspected cases and 8 confirmed cases died, the case fatality rate was 0.62% (11/1 767). The incidence decreased year by year. The cases were distributed in 28 counties of 6 cities, and 1 681 cases were reported in Xinyang, accounting for 95.13% (1 681/1 767) of the total. The cases mainly occurred from April to October, accounting for 96.10% (1 698/1 767) of the total. The incidence in males (0.38/100 000) was significantly lower than that in females (0.54/100 000) (χ2=54.855, P<0.001). Up to 93.44% (1 651/1 767) of the cases were aged between 40 and 84 years. Farmers accounted for 96.10% (1 698/1 767) of the total cases. One family cluster outbreak occurred in 4 years. A total of 1 110 samples were detected by Henan CDC, in which 435 were SFTS virus positive with an average positive rate of 39.19% (435/1 110). The differences in positive rates of SFTS virus among different years were significant (χ2=25.405, P<0.001). The sequence homology of complete S segment of the 39 SFTS virus strains ranged from 94.76% to 99.82%. The genetic evolution analysis on the complete S segment of the 39 SFTS virus strains showed that 34 strains belonged to genotype A, 2 strains belonged to genotype B, and 3 strains belonged to genotype D. Conclusions: The incidence of SFTS in Henan was sporadic, and decreased year by year. SFTS had obvious regional and seasonal characteristics, and the area affected by SFTS expanded. The incidence of SFTS was high in elderly female farmers, and the positive rate of SFTS virus varied greatly in different years. The main type of SFTS virus in Henan was genotype A, but the etiological surveillance is still needed.

Extracellular matrix degradation pathways and fatty acid metabolism regulate distinct pulmonary vascular cell types in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension describes a group of diseases characterised by raised pulmonary vascular resistance, resulting from vascular remodelling in the pre-capillary resistance arterioles. Left untreated, patients die from right heart failure. Pulmonary vascular remodelling involves all cell types but to date the precise roles of the different cells is unknown. This study investigated differences in basal gene expression between pulmonary arterial hypertension and controls using both human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells and human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. Human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells and human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells from pulmonary arterial hypertension patients and controls were cultured to confluence, harvested and RNA extracted. Whole genome sequencing was performed and after transcript quantification and normalisation, we examined differentially expressed genes and applied gene set enrichment analysis to the differentially expressed genes to identify putative activated pathways. Human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells displayed 1008 significant (p ≤ 0.0001) differentially expressed genes in pulmonary arterial hypertension samples compared to controls. In human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells, there were 229 significant (p ≤ 0.0001) differentially expressed genes between pulmonary arterial hypertension and controls. Pathway analysis revealed distinctive differences: human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells display down-regulation of extracellular matrix organisation, collagen formation and biosynthesis, focal- and cell-adhesion molecules suggesting severe endothelial barrier dysfunction and vascular permeability in pulmonary arterial hypertension pathogenesis. In contrast, pathways in human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells were mainly up-regulated, including those for fatty acid metabolism, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, cell-cell and adherens junction interactions suggesting a more energy-driven proliferative phenotype. This suggests that the two cell types play different mechanistic roles in pulmonary arterial hypertension pathogenesis and further studies are required to fully elucidate the role each plays and the interactions between these cell types in vascular remodelling in disease progression.

[Prevalence of intestinal protozoan infections among rural children in Henan Province from 2014 to 2015].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of intestinal protozoan infections among rural children in Henan Province. METHODS: A total of 104 survey sites were sampled from 35 counties (cities) in Henan Province using the stratified cluster sampling method to investigate the prevalence of intestinal protozoan infections among rural children from 2014 to 2015. The trophozoites and cysts of intestinal protozoa were identified using the iodine staining method and the physiological saline direct smear method (one detection for one stool sample). The prevalence of intestinal protozoan infections was compared among rural children with different characteristics, and the factors affecting intestinal protozoan infections among rural children were identified. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of intestinal protozoan infections was 0.60% (40/6 771) among rural children in Henan Province from 2014 to 2015. There were 7 species of intestinal protozoa identified, and there was no species-specific prevalence (χ2 = 37.732, P = 0.000). No significant differences were found in prevalence of intestinal protozoan infections among rural children in terms of gender (χ2 = 1.793, P = 0.181), age (χ2 = 1.443, P = 0.486), occupation (χ2 = 0.219, P = 0.896) or ecological region (χ2 = 1.700, P = 0.637). In addition, terrain (χ2 = 2.311, P = 0.510), economic level (χ2 = 4.322, P = 0.229), source of drinking water (χ2 = 0.731, P = 0.393), eating raw vegetables (χ2 = 1.134, P = 0.287) and deworming (χ2 = 1.089, P = 0.297) had no remarkable effects on the prevalence of intestinal protozoan infections among rural children in Henan Province; however, the prevalence of intestinal protozoan infections varied significantly among rural children living in regions with different coverage of non-harmless toilets (χ2 = 10.050, P = 0.018). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of intestinal protozoan infections is low among rural children in Henan Province.

LncRNA HOXA-AS2 accelerates the proliferation and migration and inhibits the apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells by absorbing miRNA-877-3p.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to clarify the role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) HOXA-AS2 in influencing the proliferative, migratory and apoptotic abilities of human aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (HA-VSMCs) by absorbing microRNA-877-3p (miRNA-877-3p). MATERIALS AND METHODS: HOXA-AS2 level in HA-VSMCs treated with different doses of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) and for different time points was determined by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). After transfection of si-HOXA-AS2 in HA-VSMCs undergoing ox-LDL treatment, the viability, apoptotic rate and migration of cells were detected, respectively. Meanwhile, the subcellular distribution of HOXA-AS2 was analyzed. The Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay was applied to verify the binding relationship between HOXA-AS2 and miRNA-877-3p. MiRNA-877-3p level in HA-VSMCs treated with different doses of ox-LDL was determined as well. Furthermore, the regulatory effects of HOXA-AS2/miRNA-877-3p axis on cellular behaviors of HA-VSMCs were determined. RESULTS: HOXA-AS2 expression was upregulated by ox-LDL treatment in a time- and dose-dependent manner. After being treated with 100 mg/L ox-LDL for 48 h, the proliferative and migratory abilities of HA-VSMCs were significantly enhanced, while apoptosis was inhibited. Conversely, these changes were reversed by transfection of si-HOXA-AS2. HOXA-AS2 was mainly distributed in the nuclear fraction. Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay confirmed the direct binding relationship between HOXA-AS2 and miRNA-877-3p. Moreover, miRNA-877-3p was markedly downregulated after transfection of si-HOXA-AS2. MiRNA-877-3p expression decreased gradually with an increased dose of ox-LDL. In addition, knockdown of miRNA-877-3p could reverse the regulatory effects of HOXA-AS2 on proliferative, migratory and apoptotic abilities of HA-VSMCs. CONCLUSIONS: HOXA-AS2 is upregulated after HA-VSMCs injury, which accelerates the proliferative and migratory abilities, and inhibits the apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells by absorbing miRNA-877-3p.