Clinical evaluation with self-sequential longitudinal reference intervals: pregnancy outcome and neonatal thyroid stimulating hormone level associated with maternal thyroid diseases

OBJECTIVE

We attempted to evaluate maternal thyroid function in a new self-sequential longitudinal reference interval (SLRI) which we established recently. By this method, we analysed the correlation between pregnancy outcome, neonatal thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level and maternal thyroid diseases.

METHODS

A total of 1744 pregnant women participated in the study and 1747 babies were born from those women (three bore twins). The levels of TSH, free thyroxine (FT4) and thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO-Ab) of mothers were quantified by electrochemistry immunoassay (ECL). The levels of neonatal blood TSH were detected by time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay (TRFIA). All data were collected and statistically analysed by SPSS 13.0 software.

RESULTS

With our new SLRI method, we found that 0.11%-3.84% pregnant women would get thyroid diseases. Subclinical hypothyroidism was the most common maternal thyroid disorder. Being positive for thyroid peroxidase antibodies was a significant risk factor of subclinical hypothyroidism during pregnancy. The median, P2.5-P97.5, and interquartile range (IQR) of neonatal TSH (N-TSH) of 1747 babies were 2.72 mIU/L, 0.10-8.01 mIU/L and 2.62 mIU/L, respectively; 28.6% of pregnant women with thyroid diseases developed pregnancy complications. The prevalence was significantly higher than in the normal thyroid function group (p < 0.001). The levels of N-TSH were low correlated with maternal TSH levels (p < 0.05), but there were no significant correlations between N-TSH and maternal FT4 and maternal TPO-Ab (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Thyroid disorders, especially subclinical hypothyroidism, are common in pregnant women. These disorders are associated with pregnancy and fetal outcome. Routine maternal thyroid function screening is important and should be recommended.

Protective efficacy evaluation induced by recombinant protein LHD-Sj23-GST of Schistosoma japonicum emulsified with three different adjuvants

As a complement to chemotherapy and other control approaches, the development of an effective vaccine is necessary to combat Schistosomiasis japonica that remains a serious public health problem in China. In the present study, mice were vaccinated with purified recombinant protein LHD-Sj23-GST (large hydrophilic domain of 23 kDa antigen of S. japonicum fused with Sj26GST) emulsified with Freund's adjuvant (FA), Montanide ISA 206 and Montanide ISA 70 M and challenged with cercariae, the protective efficacy induced by the recombinant protein was evaluated, and the LHD-Sj23-GST-specific IgG and its subtypes were determined. The result revealed that a significant worm burden reduction (58.8%, 26.3% and 54.3%; P<0.05) was obtained in mice vaccinated with LHD-Sj23-GST emulsified with three different adjuvants compared to those mice treated with respective adjuvant only. ELISA test suggested that the high-level production of LHD-Sj23-GST-specific IgG1, IgG2a and IgG3 antibodies may participate in protecting against schistosome infection.

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin: a promising therapeutic target for allergic diseases

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), an interleukin 7-like cytokine, can trigger dendritic cell (DC)-mediated T-helper type 2 (Th2) inflammatory responses. Recent evidence demonstrates that cytokines TSLP and OX40 (CD134)/OX40 ligand seem to be important players in the maintenance of Th2 memory pool in the pathogenesis of asthma. Accumulating data reveal that the pathogenic T cells involved in asthma are likely to be inflammatory Th2 cells. TSLP is involved in the development of asthma through crosstalk with nuclear factor NF-ĸB. Progression of skin fibrosis in atopic dermatitis occurs via TSLP/TSLP receptor. TSLP-mediated dermal inflammation aggravates experimental allergic asthma. Also, TSLP polymorphisms are associated with susceptibility to asthma, atopic dermatitis, and eczema herpeticum. These findings suggest a master switch of TSLP in the initiation of allergic and adaptive inflammation through innate pathways at the epithelial cell-DC interface. The TSLP pathway is therefore a promising target for immunotherapy of allergic diseases.

Risk of second primary cancer after treatment for esophageal cancer: a pooled analysis of nine cancer registries

The introduction of new treatments for esophageal cancer including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or a combination of these modalities has not only improved patient survival, but may also increase the risk of the second primary cancers. The available evidence is conflicting with most risk estimates based on sparse numbers. Here we estimated standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of second cancer among 24,557 esophageal cancer survivors (at least 2 months) in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program between 1973 and 2007, who had been followed up for median 6.5 years (range 2 months-29.3 years). Second cancer risk was statistically significantly elevated (SIR = 1.34, 95% confidence interval [CI]= 1.25-1.42) among the survivors compared with the general population; the SIRs for cancers of oral and pharynx, stomach, small intestine, larynx, lung and bronchus, thyroid and prostate cancer were 8.64 (95% CI = 7.36-10.07), 2.87 (95% CI = 2.10-3.82), 3.80 (95% CI = 1.82-7.00), 3.19 (95% CI = 2.12-4.61), 1.68 (95% CI = 1.46-1.93), 2.50 (95% CI = 1.25-4.47), and 0.77 (95% CI = 0.65-0.90), respectively. Radiotherapy raised cancer risk of larynx (SIR = 3.98, 95% CI = 2.43-6.14) and thyroid (SIR = 3.57, 95% CI = 1.54-7.03) among all esophageal cancer survivors. For patients who had 5-9 years of follow up after radiotherapy, the SIR for lung cancer was 3.46 (95% CI = 2.41-4.82). Patients with esophageal cancer are at increased risks of second cancers of oral and pharynx, larynx, lung, and thyroid, while at a decreased risk for prostate cancer. These findings indicate that radiotherapy for esophageal cancer patients may increase risk of developing second cancers of larynx, lung, and thyroid. Thus, randomized clinical trials to address the association of radiotherapy and the risk of secondary cancer are warranted.

Development and validation of a parenting assessment tool for Chinese parents

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to develop a parenting assessment tool (PAT) for parents of children aged 3 to 6 years to assess parenting attitudes and skills within the Chinese socio-cultural context.

METHODS AND PARTICIPANTS

Focus group discussions were used to gather information for composing the PAT test items. Factor analysis was performed to build and refine the factor structure of PAT. Ten cities included in a larger programme, the Early Childhood Development Promotion Project carried out by the Capital Institute of Pediatrics in China, were chosen as the study area. Six hundred and twelve parents and their single children were chosen from those 10 cities by convenience sampling for the large-scale investigation of PAT, and the results were used to test and validate the psychometric properties of PAT.

RESULTS

The internal consistency of total PAT scores was 0.87, and those of the eight subscales ranged from 0.53 to 0.79. Test-retest reliability over 2 weeks was also significant for the total scores and all subscales (range: 0.68-0.89). For the factor structure, an eight-factor solution accounting for 65.54% of the variance was most consistently fit. Concurrent validity was supported by significant positive correlations between total PAT scores and children's language ability, sociability and adaptive ability as assessed by the Developmental Diagnostic Scale of Children Aged 0-6 Years.

CONCLUSIONS

The newly devised PAT test is a reliable instrument to assess the parenting skills and attitudes of parents of young children in urban China.

Potential regulatory role of calsequestrin in platelet Ca(2+) homeostasis and its association with platelet hyperactivity in diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND

Altered Ca(2+) homeostasis contributes significantly to platelet hyperactivity in diabetes mellitus. Calsequestrin (CSQ), as a Ca(2+) buffer protein in the sarcoplasmic reticulum, also regulates the Ca(2+) release process in muscles. We hypothesized that CSQ may be expressed in platelets, but is altered and involved in diabetic platelet Ca(2+) abnormalities and hyperaggregability.

METHODS

CSQ expression in platelets from streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetes rats, type 2 diabetes volunteers and Goto-Kakizaki rats were analyzed by western blotting and RT-qPCR. Platelet Ca(2+) and aggregation were evaluated with Fura2 and an aggregometer, respectively.

RESULTS

Platelets from diabetic patients and rats exhibited increased resting Ca(2+) levels, and hyperactive Ca(2+) and aggregation responses to agonists. This enhanced basal Ca(2+) was largely dependent on intracellular Ca(2+) and insensitive to inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP(3)R) antagonism. Additionally, the expression of the skeletal CSQ isotype (CSQ-1) was detected in both rat and human platelets, but its levels were significantly lowered in diabetic platelets as compared with normal platelets. Impairment of CSQ by trifluoperazine caused concentration-dependent Ca(2+) release in normal platelets and HEK293 cells. Knocking down CSQ-1 in HEK293 cells resulted in increased leakage of Ca(2+), which was also insensitive to IP(3)R inhibition, and exaggerated Ca(2+) release following carbachol treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Downregulation of CSQ-1 in diabetic platelets and impairment of CSQ-1 in normal cells leads to disturbed Ca(2+) release, demonstrating a potential role for CSQ-1 in the regulation of the platelet Ca(2+) release process and a possible causal contribution to diabetic platelet hyperactivity.

A vacuum pressure sensor based on ZnO nanobelt film

A vacuum pressure sensor was fabricated by assembling ZnO nanobelt film on the interdigital electrodes, and the current–voltage characteristics were measured with an Agilent semiconductor parameter tester. Under different pressures of 1.0 × 10(3), 6.7 × 10(−3), 8.2 × 10(−4) and 9.5 × 10(−5) mbar, the currents are 8.71, 28.1, 46.1 and 89.6 nA, and the pressure sensitive resistances are 1150, 356, 217 and 112 MΩ, respectively. In the range of 10(−5)–10(3) mbar the smaller the pressure is, the higher the current is. The pressure sensitive resistance of the vacuum pressure sensor increases linearly with the logarithmic pressure, and the measurement range is at least one order of magnitude wider than that of the previous sensors. Under the final pressure, the vacuum pressure sensor has maximum sensitivity (9.29) and power consumption of 0.9 μW. The sensitivity is larger than that of the previous sensor based on a ZnO single nanowire at that pressure, and the power consumption is much lower than that for the sensor based on a ZnO nanowire array. The pressure sensitive mechanism is reasonably explained by using oxygen chemisorption and energy band theory.

Early diagnostic value of plasma PCT and BG assay for CRBSI after OLT

AIM

The aim was to evaluate the role of procalcitonin (PCT) and (1-3)-β-D-glucan (BG) tests for early detection or exclusion of central venous catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI) in patients after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT).

METHODS

Fifty-five patients with clinically suspected CRBSI were assessed after OLT in this prospective study. On the day of clinical suspicion of CRBSI, blood samples were obtained from central venous catheters and a peripheral vein for blood cultures and from a peripheral vein for PCT and BG tests. Plasma PCT and BG values were measured by using an immunoluminometric assay and Fungitell BG assay, respectively. No prisoners or organs from prisoners were used in this study.

RESULTS

Twenty-five patients (45%) were diagnosed with CRBIS. Among them, 13 (52%) displayed gram-positive bacteriemia, 11 (44%) gram-negative bacteriemia, and 1 (4%) fungemia. The PCT values were higher in CRBSI than in non-CRBSI patients (P = .003). CRBSI patients did not show significant increases in plasma BG values compared with non-CRBSI subjects (P = .051). PCT and BG area under receiver operating characteristic curves were 0.840 and 0.486, respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of a PCT of ≥ 3.1 ng/mL for the diagnosis of CRBSI were 0.72, 0.87, 0.82, and 0.79, respectively. The figures for a BG of ≥ 83 pg/mL were 0.32, 0.90, 0.73, and 0.61, respectively. Among the 24 patients with bacteria infections, PCT was higher in patients with gram-negative than those with gram-positive bacterial infections (P = .022).

CONCLUSION

We concluded that the PCT assay may be a useful rapid diagnostic adjunct for the diagnosis of suspected CRBSI in OLT patients.

Evaluations of cellulose accessibilities of lignocelluloses by solute exclusion and protein adsorption techniques

Cellulose accessibilities of a set of hornified lignocellulosic substrates derived by drying the never dried pretreated sample and a set of differently pretreated lodgepople pine substrates, were evaluated using solute exclusion and protein adsorption methods. Direct measurements of cellulase adsorption onto cellulose surface of the set of pretreated substrates were also carried out using an in situ UV-Vis spectrophotometric technique. The cellulose accessibilities measured by the solute exclusion and a cellulose-binding module (CBM)-containing green fluorescent protein (TGC) adsorption methods correlate well for both sets of samples. The substrate enzymatic digestibilities (SEDs) of the hornified substrates are proportional to the measured cellulose accessibilities. Approximately over 90% of the SED was contributed by the accessible pore surfaces of the hornified substrates, suggesting that the substrate external surface plays a minor role contributing to cellulose accessibility and SED. The cellulose accessibilities of the pretreated substrates correlated well with the amounts of cellulase adsorbed. The SEDs of these substrates directly correlated with the amounts of adsorbed cellulase.

First Report of Stem Blight of Eleocharis dulcis Caused by Phoma bellidis in China

Eleocharis dulcis is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Cyperaceae, which is native to China and India where it grows well in moist-to-wet soils. It is commonly used as a fruit or a vegetable. From August 2009 to December 2010, symptoms were observed on E. dulcis stems in Tuanfeng County, Hubei, China, with the crop area affected estimated to be more than 1,300 ha per year. Corm yield was reduced by 20% on average with as much as 60% yield losses in some fields. Lesions were initially small, red-brown, and oval or circular that enlarged to produce apical necrosis and extending until the stems withered, usually within 2 months. To obtain isolates, diseased tissue was disinfested for 1 min in 0.1% mercuric chloride solution, rinsed with sterilized water, and plated on potato dextrose agar. Isolates with similar morphological characteristics were consistently recovered. Three isolates, CTF-3, CTF-10, and CTF-11, were used to further evaluate characteristics of the pathogen. After 7 days, white colonies were 76 to 80 mm across on oatmeal agar (OA) with sparse aerial hyphae and a slight salmon color in the conidial masses. Pycnidia produced on OA were globose to subglobose, usually with one slightly ostiolar papilla, olivaceous to olivaceous black, and 93 to 245 μm in diameter. Conidia were hyaline, unicellular, ellipsoidal, mostly with two polar guttules, and 3.6 to 6.2 × 2.0 to 3.3 μm. Chlamydospores were absent. Growth of the isolates on malt extract agar (MEA) was slower than on OA, and the colony diameters at 7 days were 60 to 65 mm. The reactions with 1M NaOH were both positive on OA and MEA where the cultures initially changed to yellow green and gradually turned to red. The pathogen was identified as Phoma bellidis Neerg. based on descriptions in Boerema et al. (2). Pathogenicity tests were performed with the three isolates in the laboratory by spraying conidial suspensions (1 × 10⁶ conidia/ml) containing 0.1% Tween 20 until runoff (30 ml per plant) onto stem surfaces of 50-day-old, 60 cm tall plants. For each isolate, there were 50 stems from five replicate plants that had multiple stems per plant. Control plants were treated with sterilized water containing 0.1% Tween 20 only. Plants were incubated with a 16-h photoperiod at 28°C and 90% relative humidity in an artificial climate chamber. Five days after inoculation, typical red-brown spots were observed on all inoculated stems but no symptoms were seen on water-treated control plants. Koch's postulates were fulfilled by reisolation of P. bellidis from diseased stems. The pathogenicity tests were repeated twice more with the same results. P. bellidis has only been reported previously on Bellis spp. from England, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, and Switzerland (1,2). Furthermore, there are only a few fungal diseases known to be associated with E. dulcis, and none so far that involve species of Phoma (3,4). To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. bellidis infecting E. dulcis worldwide. References: (1) M. M. Aveskamp et al. Stud. Mycol. 65:27, 2010. (2) G. H. Boerema et al. Phoma Identification Manual: Differentiation of Specific and Infra-Specific Taxa in Culture. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, UK, 2004. (3) P. L. Lentz. Am. Midl. Nat. 67:184, 1962. (4) L. Pan et al. J. Changjiang Vegetables (in Chinese) 14:10, 2010.

Expressing activity of promoter elements of large intergenic region from cotton leaf curl virus in host plant

Cotton leaf curl virus (CLCuV) is a type of single-stranded DNA virus, belonging to geminivirus of subgroup III. In order to determine the function of CLCuV large intergenic region (LIR), total DNA of CLCuV-infected cotton leaves was used as template, and fragment of LIR was obtained by PCR and inserted into clone vector. The fragment of LIR was fused withgus reporter gene andnos terminator in the orientation of transcription of virion sense and complementary sense respectively, and the plant expression vectors were constructed. GUS activity ofAgrobacterium-mediated transgenic tobacco was measured. The result indicated that LIR showed strong promoter activity in complementary sense gene orientation. Average GUS activity of the complementary sense promoter was 5-6 times that of CaMV 35S promoter, and the highest GUS activity of individual plant was ten times of that of CaMV 35S promoter. Histochemical localization confirmed its activity in both mesophyll and vascular tissues. Activity of virion sense of LIR was rather low. Thus LIR isolated from CLCuV could be used as a novel strong promoter in plant genetic manipulation.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging of active bleeding associated with hepatic and splenic trauma

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to evaluate contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging of active bleeding from hepatic and splenic trauma.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Three hundred and ninety-two patients with liver or/and spleen trauma (179 liver and 217 spleen injuries), who underwent CEUS examinations following contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT), were enrolled in this retrospective study over a period of >4 years. CEUS detected contrast medium extravasation or pooling in 16% (63/396) of liver or spleen lesions in 61 patients, which was confirmed by contrast-enhanced CT. Special attention was paid to observing the presence, location, and characteristics of the extravasated or pooled contrast medium.

RESULTS

The CEUS detection rate for active bleeding was not different from that of contrast-enhanced CT (p=0.333). Information from surgery, minimally invasive treatment and conservative treatment was used as reference standard, and the sensitivities of the two techniques were not different (p=0.122). Of 63 lesions in 61 patients, CEUS showed that 74.6% (47/63) (21 liver lesions and 26 spleen lesions) presented contrast medium extravasation or pooling, both in the organ and out the capsule, in 14.3% (9/63) and only outside the capsule in 11.1% (7/63). CEUS imaging of active bleeding from hepatic and splenic trauma presented various characteristics, and the sizes and shapes of the active bleeding due to contrast medium extravasation or pooling were variable.

CONCLUSIONS

CEUS can show the active bleeding associated with hepatic and splenic trauma with various imaging characteristics, thus making it possible to diagnose active bleeding using CEUS.

Radiation Defect-Induced Lattice Contraction of InP

We studied the lattice strain induced in the MeV ion bombarded InP crystals and the annealing behaviors of lattice strain, Raman line shift, and linewidth. The lattice spacing for the planes parallel to the surface decreases as a result of irradiation, and amounts to a strain of −0.061% for (100) face, −0.056% for (110) face, and −0.050% for (111) face for 15 MeV Cl bombarded samples to a dose of 1.25E15 ions/cm2. The negative lattice strain, Raman line shift, and line width completely recover at 450°C, and show a major recovery stage at 250°C – 350°C.