A U-shaped relationship between ankle-brachial index and carotid intima-media thickness in a Chinese population of Inner Mongolia

AIM

The study was designed to investigate the relationship between ankle-brachial index (ABI) and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), and provide scientific basis for primary and secondary prevention of atherosclerotic diseases.

METHODS

Participants were recruited for this investigation from Inner Mongolia in China through cluster multistage and random sampling. ABI and carotid-IMT were measured for each subject. Periphery arterial disease (PAD) was defined as an ABI≤0.9 in either leg. ABI values were divided into eight groups at every 0.05, and three carotid-IMT measures were compared among groups separately using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multivariate linear regression analyses.

RESULTS

The results indicated that the prevalence of PAD among 1236 participants was 1.9%. The average common carotid IMT was 0.70±0.21 mm, internal carotid IMT 0.77±0.24 mm, and carotid artery bifurcation IMT 0.78±0.25 mm. A U-shaped relationship was observed that the values of common carotid, carotid artery bifurcation, and internal carotid arteries IMT were decreased at first then increased as ABI values increased. The U-shaped relationship between ABI and three carotid-IMT measures were remained after adjusting for covariates.

CONCLUSION

The data suggests that carotid IMT values are correlated with ABI values in a U-shaped curve. Increased carotid IMT is correlated with the high prevalence of PAD in population of Inner Mongolia in China.

Involvement of the NF-κB pathway in multidrug resistance induced by HBx in a hepatoma cell line

It is widely believed that hepatocellular cancer (HCC), especially HBV associated HCC, is highly resistant to chemotherapy. To investigate the molecular influence of HBx protein on multidrug resistance (MDR) in HCC and the potential role of the NF-κB pathway in this process. We established HBx-expressing cells by liposome-mediated transfection of the HBx into the HepG2 cell line. We found that HBx expression in HCC cells induces drug resistance against multiple drugs, a significantly lower apoptosis ratio in HepG2-HBx and HepG2.2.15 cells, compared with HepG2 and HepG2-3.1 cells (P < 0.05) after treating with 5-FU or adriamycin. And compared with the control group, the HBx-transfected cells showed a higher expression of MDR-associated and anti-apoptotic genes. Furthermore, we found that the NF-κB activity was remarkably high in the HBx-expressing cells as measured by p65 nuclear localization. In addition, the upregulated anti-apoptotic genes, Gadd45b and Survivin, in HBx-expressing HCC cells were downregulated by IMD-0354 treatment, which is the NF-κB pathway inhibitor. Taken together, these results suggest that HBx protein might be one of the causes for the occurrence of MDR in HCC, and the NF-κB pathway might be involved in this change.

Elevated circulating CD4+ ICOS+ Foxp3+ T cells contribute to overproduction of IL-10 and are correlated with disease severity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

In this work, we aimed to investigate the frequency, possible categories and clinical significance of circulating CD4+ ICOS+ FoxP3+ T cells in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The frequency of circulating CD4+ ICOS+ FoxP3+ T cells was analysed by flow-cytometric analysis in 32 SLE patients, 10 rheumatoid arthritis patients and 32 healthy controls. Production of IL-10 and mTGF-β by different CD4+ T-cell populations was determined by intracellular cytokine staining. Plasma levels of IL-10 and TGF-β were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The frequency of circulating CD4+ ICOS+ FoxP3+ T cells was significantly increased in SLE patients as compared with control groups. The elevated frequency of CD4+ ICOS+ FoxP3+ T cells had a positive correlation with SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) scores and serum anti-dsDNA but a negative correlation with serum C3. Additionally, the CD4+ ICOS+ Foxp3+ T cells contained significantly higher percentages of IL-10-producing cells than CD4+ ICOS- Foxp3+ T cells. A significant positive correlation was also observed between the frequency of CD4+ ICOS+ Foxp3+ T cells and the plasma level of IL-10 in SLE patients. In conclusion, an increased frequency of circulating CD4+ ICOS+ Foxp3+ T cells was observed in patients with SLE, suggesting its potential importance in the immunopathogenesis of SLE. Analysis of the CD4+ ICOS+ FoxP3+ T-cell population may be useful for the evaluation of lupus disease severity.

Temporal and spatial distribution of atmospheric antimony emission inventories from coal combustion in China

A multiple-year inventory of atmospheric antimony (Sb) emissions from coal combustion in China for the period of 1980-2007 has been calculated for the first time. Specifically, the emission inventories of Sb from 30 provinces and 4 economic sectors (thermal power, industry, residential use, and others) are evaluated and analyzed in detail. It shows that the total Sb emissions released from coal combustion in China have increased from 133.19 t in 1980 to 546.67 t in 2007, at an annually average growth rate of 5.4%. The antimony emissions are largely emitted by industrial sector and thermal power generation sector, contributing 53.6% and 26.9% of the totals, respectively. At provincial level, the distribution of Sb emissions shows significant variation. Between 2005 and 2007, provinces always rank at the top five largest Sb emissions are: Guizhou, Hunan, Hebei, Shandong, and Anhui.

Molecular cloning of HSP70 in Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae and comparison with that of other mycoplasmas

Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, a bacterial species that specifically affects ovine and goat, is the cause of ovine infectious pleuropneumonia. We cloned, sequenced and analyzed heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) (dnaK) gene of M. ovipneumoniae. The full length open reading frame of the M. ovipneumoniae HSP70 gene consists of 1812 nucleotides, with a G+C content of 34.16%, encoding 604 amino acids. Comparative analysis with the HSP70 sequences of 15 Mycoplasma species revealed 59 to 87% DNA sequence identity, with an amino acid sequence identity range of 58 to 94%. M. ovipneumoniae and M. hyopneumoniae shared the highest DNA and amino acid sequence identity (87 and 94%, respectively). Based on phylogenetic analysis, both the DNA and amino acid identities of M. ovipneumoniae with other mycoplasmal HSP70 were correlated with the degree of relationship between the species. The C-terminus of the HSP70 was cloned into a bacterial expression vector and expressed in Escherichia coli cells. The recombinant C-terminal portion of HSP70 protein strongly reacted with convalescent sera from M. ovipneumoniae-infected sheep, based on an immunoblotting assay. This indicates that HSP70 is immunogenic in a natural M. ovipneumoniae infection and may be a relevant antigen for vaccine development.

Site-specific multi-stage CVD of large-scale arrays of ultrafine ZnO nanorods

Multi-stage growth of ZnO nanorod arrays has been carried out by Au-assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD) in order to better understand and more precisely control the growth behaviors. It is evidenced that Au-catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth only dominates the initial site-specific nucleation of the nanorods, while the subsequent growth is governed by a vapor-solid (VS) epitaxy mechanism. The sequential VLS and VS behaviors permit the fabrication of large-scale highly ordered arrays of ZnO nanorods with precisely tunable diameters and embedded junctions by controlling reactant concentration and nanorod top morphology. Based on the above results, two routes to fabricate ultrafine ZnO nanorod arrays are proposed and stepwise nanorod arrays with ultrafine top segment (~10 nm in diameter) have been achieved. Temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) and spatial resolved PL were carried out on the nanorod arrays and on individual nanorods, indicating high quality optical properties and tunable light emission along the length of the stepwise nanorods.

Siliceous Mesostructured Cellular Foams with Uniformly Sized and Shaped Pores

Mesostructured siliceous cellular foams (mesocellular foams, MCFs) with homogeneous ultra-large mesopores are described. MCFs consist of uniform spherical cells 21–36 nm in diameter and possess surface areas up to 900 m2/g. Uniform windows, 7–18 nm in diameter, interconnect the cells to form a continuous 3-D pore system, which makes the MCFs attractive candidates for supports for catalysis and in separation and immobilization involving large molecules. They may be of interest in low-dielectric applications. The size of the cells can be controlled by the concentration of the added organic cosolvent. Adding small amounts of NH4F selectively enlarges the windows. We propose that the MCFs are templated by oil-inwater microemulsion droplets. The large-pore MCF materials resemble aerogels, with the benefit of a facilitated synthesis procedure in combination with well-defined pores and wall structure.

Investigation of Cu(II) adsorption from aqueous solutions by NKF-6 zeolite

Adsorption of Cu(II) from aqueous solutions using NKF-6 zeolite was investigated by batch technique under ambient conditions. The adsorption was investigated as a function of pH, ionic strength, fulvic acid (FA), foreign ions and temperature. The results indicated that the adsorption of Cu(II) on NKF-6 zeolite gradually increases from 0 to 90% with increasing pH at pH<6.5, and maintains high level at pH>6.5. Outer-sphere complexation or ion exchange may be the main adsorption mechanism of Cu(II) to NKF-6 zeolite at low pH values, whereas the adsorption of Cu(II) at pH>6.5 is mainly dominated by inner-sphere complexation or precipitation. A positive effect of FA on Cu(II) adsorption onto NKF-6 zeolite is observed at low pH values, while a negative effect of FA is observed at high pH values. The thermodynamic parameters (i.e., ΔH0, ΔS0 and ΔG0) for the adsorption of Cu(II) were determined from the temperature dependent isotherms at 20, 40 and 60°C, respectively, and the results indicated that the adsorption reaction is favoured at low temperature. The results suggested that the adsorption process of Cu(II) on NKF-6 zeolite is spontaneous and exothermic.

Characteristics of prevalence in peripheral arterial disease and correlative risk factors and comorbidities among female natural population in China

BACKGROUND

To investigate the prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and correlating risk factors and comorbidities in a natural female population in China, and to study the characteristics of atherosclerotic disease in females.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Natural population from communities in several cities and districts including Beijing, Shanghai, Changsha, Guangdong, Inner Mongolia, and Xinjiang in China were investigated as study subjects through cluster multistage and random sampling. Ankle-brachial index (ABI) was measured among participants in the communities by trained investigators and correlative information and clinical data were collected. PAD was defined as an ABI≤0.9 in either leg.

RESULTS

21,152 eligible participants were included in the survey. The prevalence in males and females was 2.52 % and 3.66 %, the standardized prevalence was 1.84% and 4.31% respectively, and the prevalence in females was higher than that in males (p<0.01). The prevalence in females obviously increased (p<0.01) with increasing age. More female participants with PAD were over 69 years old compared with those without PAD (18.8% vs. 10.0%, p=0.000) and more frequently have a smoking habit (11.1% vs. 2.5%, p=0.000), lipid disorders (34.8% vs. 29.2%, p=0.047), diabetes mellitus (14.8% vs. 8.6%, p=0.000), coronary heart disease (16.9% vs. 10.0%, p=0.000) and a history of stroke (6.8% vs. 2.3%, p=0.000). Using multiple logistic regression analysis, older age (>69 years old, OR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.11-2.29), a smoking habit (OR: 5.98, 95% CI: 3.88-9.21), comorbidities of lipid disorders (OR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.10-1.91), diabetes mellitus (OR: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.02-2.11), coronary heart disease (OR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.02-2.19)and a history of stroke (OR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.01-2.91) were correlated with the prevalence of PAD in females in China. Only 0.8% of female patients with PAD had been diagnosed previously.

CONCLUSIONS

The data suggest that the prevalence of PAD in a female natural population in China is higher than that in males. Many conventional risk factors and comorbidities were correlated with the high prevalence of PAD in females. But only very few female patients with PAD were diagnosed. Thus, more measures should be taken to diagnose, prevent and control PAD in females in China.

Analysis of thermochemotherapy-induced apoptosis and the protein expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax in maxillofacial squamous cell carcinomas

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between thermochemotherapy-induced apoptosis and the expressions of the Bcl-2 and Bax proteins in maxillofacial squamous cell carcinomas. Fifteen patients with maxillofacial squamous cell carcinomas were treated with microwave hyperthermia (43 °C for 40 min) following the intravenous injection of pingyangmycin (Bleomycin A5 Hydrochloride for Injection) (8 mg). Subsequently, the tumors were surgically resected. The terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-biotin nick-end labeling method was used to assess the apoptosis in the carcinoma cells, and immunohistochemistry was performed using the streptavidin-peroxidase method to determine the expression levels of the Bcl-2 and Bax proteins, and quantitative analysis was employed. The number of apoptotic cells increased markedly (P < 0.001). The protein expression of Bcl-2 was downregulated (P < 0.001), while that of Bax was markedly upregulated (P < 0.001). Thermochemotherapy induces apoptosis in maxillofacial squamous cell carcinoma cells by downregulating the protein expression of Bcl-2 and upregulating that of Bax.

Development of rapid immunoassays for the detection of ractopamine in swine urine

The monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against ractopamine (Rac) were prepared and their properties identified by indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunoabsorbant assay (ELISA). The IC(50) of mAbs was 2.7 ng ml(-1) towards Rac or 9.3 ng ml(-1) towards Rac-glucuronides and no cross-reactivity (CR) towards other competitors except dobutamine (CR: 3.76%). Based on the mAbs, the Rac-kit (kit) and Rac-strip (strip) were developed to detect Rac residues in swine urine. The strip and kit assay could be performed within 5-10 min and 2 h, respectively, allowing the analysis of urine samples without the need for sample clean-up. The detection limits were 1 ng ml(-1) for kit and 3 ng ml(-1) with the unaided eye, and 0.2 ng ml(-1) with the Strip Reader for strip. The correlation coefficients (R(2)) were 0.988 for kit in the range 0-128.0 ng ml(-1), and 0.987 for strip in the range 0-10.8 ng ml(-1). Comparing the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with the kit or strip in swine urine spiked with Rac standards, the differences ranged from 1.4% to 4.5% for kit and 1.0% to 4.7% for strip. However, the differences were greater than 54% for the kit and 55% for the strip test for the analysis of urine from swine treated with Rac. The results obtained from GC-MS using hydrolysed urine samples were generally in good agreement with those obtained from strip or kit using non-hydrolysed urine samples.

Serotonin and catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia: a possible therapeutic role for SSRIs?

Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is a rare malignant arrhythmia, usually diagnosed in the adolescent years. The diagnosis can typically be made by one or more of the following: a positive family history, exercise electrocardiography, ambulatory ECG monitoring and/ or an intra-cardiac, electrophysiological examination. This is a case report of a patient with CPVT that was refractory to treatment with beta-blockade and an implanted automatic cardioverter defibrillator. However, after a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI) was added to the therapeutic regimen, no further episodes of ventricular tachycardia occurred during the following two years.

Enhanced tumor suppression in vitro and in vivo by co-expression of survivin-specific siRNA and wild-type p53 protein

The development of malignant prostate cancer involves multiple genetic alterations. For example, alterations in both survivin and p53 are reported to have crucial roles in prostate cancer progression. However, little is known regarding the interrelationships between p53 and survivin in prostate cancer. Our data demonstrate that the expression of survivin is inversely correlated with that of wtp53 protein (r(s)=0.548) in prostate cancer and in normal prostate tissues. We have developed a therapeutic strategy, in which two antitumor factors, small interfering RNA-survivin and p53 protein, are co-expressed from the same plasmid, and have examined their effects on the growth of PC3, an androgen-independent prostate cancer cell line. When p53 was expressed along with a survivin-specific short hairpin RNA (shRNA), tumor cell proliferation was significantly suppressed and apoptosis occurred. In addition, this combination also abrogated the expression of downstream target molecules such as cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and c-Myc, while enhancing the expression of GRIM19. These changes in gene expression occurred distinctly in the presence of survivin-shRNA/wtp53 compared with control or single treatment groups. Intratumoral injection of the co-expressed construct inhibited the growth and survival of tumor xenografts in a nude mouse model. These studies revealed evidence of an interaction between p53 and survivin proteins plus a complex signaling network operating downstream of the wtp53-survivin pathway that actively controls tumor cell proliferation, survival and apoptosis.

Multimodality imaging of hypoxia in preclinical settings

Hypoxia has long been recognized to influence solid tumor response to therapy. Increasingly, hypoxia has also been implicated in tumor aggressiveness, including growth, development and metastatic potential. Thus, there is a fundamental, as well as a clinical interest, in assessing in situ tumor hypoxia. This review will examine diverse approaches focusing on the preclinical setting, particularly, in rodents. The strategies are inevitably a compromise in terms of sensitivity, precision, temporal and spatial resolution, as well as cost, feasibility, ease and robustness of implementation. We will review capabilities of multiple modalities and examine what makes them particularly suitable for investigating specific aspects of tumor pathophysiology. Current approaches range from nuclear imaging to magnetic resonance and optical, with varying degrees of invasiveness and ability to examine spatial heterogeneity, as well as dynamic response to interventions. Ideally, measurements would be non-invasive, exploiting endogenous reporters to reveal quantitatively local oxygen tension dynamics. A primary focus of this review is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) based techniques, such as ¹⁹F MRI oximetry, which reveals not only hypoxia in vivo, but more significantly, spatial distribution of pO₂ quantitatively, with a precision relevant to radiobiology. It should be noted that preclinical methods may have very different criteria for acceptance, as compared with potential investigations for prognostic radiology or predictive biomarkers suitable for use in patients.