[Detection of CYP21A2 gene mutations and the differences in the levels of hormones in patients with 21-hydroxylase deficiency]

Objective: To analyze the detection of CYP21A2 gene mutations in 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD) patients, so as to determine the accuracy of clinical diagnosis. Methods: Totally, 514 patients with 21-OHD who visited Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2015 to January 2018 were enrolled and their clinical and biochemical data were collected. DNAs were extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes and CYP21A2 mutations were detected by Sanger sequencing and multiple ligation probe amplification (MLPA) technique. We divided 514 patients into three groups: two mutations of CYP21A2 alleles (group A), one mutation of CYP21A2 (group B), and no mutation of CYP21A2 (group C). Results: Mutation was detected in each allele of CYP21A2 gene in 401 (78.0%) patients, ninety (17.5%) had only one mutant allele and 23 (4.5%) had no mutation. There was no significant difference between the patients with different clinical phenotypes and the number of CYP21A2 gene mutations detected. In male, the cortisol of the patients with simple virilizing 21-OHD in group A [0.04 (0.02, 0.20) nmol/L] was lower than that of group B [0.24 (0.17, 0.28) nmol/L] and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.014). In female, 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) of patients with salt wasting 21-OHD in group A [153.7 (90.1, 204.5) nmol/L] was higher than that of group B [38.2 (31.0, 183.3) nmol/L] and C [42.6 (27.8, 48.1) nmol/L] and the differences were statistically significant (both P<0.05). The progesterone of patients with simple virilizing 21-OHD in group C [23.0 (8.6, 33.2) nmol/L] was lower than that of gourp A [57.8 (34.4, 110.2) nmol/L] and B [63.6 (31.4, 110.8) nmol/L] and the difference were statistically significant (both P<0.05). The 17-OHP of patients with non-classical 21-OHD in group C [24.5 (20.4, 54.2) nmol/L] was lower than that of group A [158.7 (59.1, 187.6) nmol/L] and B [147.8 (131.9, 179.3) nmol/L]. The difference were statistically significant (both P<0.05). Conclusions: Mutations of two alleles have not been found in all patients with clinically diagnosed 21-OHD. Other congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) types which can cause similar changes in 17-OHP and other hormones may be misdiagnosed as 21-OHD. Therefore, 21-OHD cannot be diagnosed with help of 17-OHP level only, and gene detection plays a vital role in the differential diagnosis of different CAH types.

[Analysis of copy number variation of CYP21A2 gene and the type of CYP21A1P/CYP21A2 fused gene in patients with 21-hydroxylase deficiency]

Objective: To analyze the copy number variation of CYP21A2 gene in 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD) patients, and identify the three copy repetition, single copy deletion of CYP21A2 gene and the type and proportion of CYP21A1P/CYP21A2 fused gene in 21-OHD patients. Methods: A total of 424 patients (140 males and 284 females) with 21-OHD who visited Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2015 to January 2018 were enrolled and the average age was (17.1±12.4) years. All clinical and biochemical data were collected. DNAs were extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes, and CYP21A2 gene mutation and copy number variation were detected by Sanger sequencing and multiple ligation probe amplification (MLPA). Results: Of 424 21-OHD patients, 287 (67.7%) had two copies of CYP21A2 gene, 137 (32.3%) had copy number variation, of which 1 patients (0.2%) had 3 copies of CYP21A2 gene and 136 (32.1%) were carriers of large deletion/rearrangement mutation of CYP21A2 gene. Three pathogenic mutations including a truncated Q319X protein mutation were detected in the patient with 3 copies of CYP21A2 gene. Of 136 patients with large deletion/rearrangement mutation of CYP21A2 gene, 82 (60.3%) carried fused CYP21A1P/CYP21A2 gene, and the remaining 54 harbored the one allele deletion of CYP21A2. The most common types of fused CYP21A1P/CYP21A2 gene were CH-5, CH-1 and CH-2, with the frequency being 31.7% (26 cases), 26.8% (22 cases) and 19.5% (16 cases), respectively, and followed by CH-4 and CH-7, with the incidence being 8.5% (7 cases) and 4.9% (4 cases), respectively. In addition, two cases of CH-3, CH-6 and CH-8 and one case of CH-9 were detected. Conclusions: This is the first study to detect the occurrence of CYP21A2 gene copy number variation and fused CYP21A1P/CYP21A2 gene in a large cohort of 21-OHD patients. The number of CYP21A2 gene copies in 21-OHD patients includes 2 copies, 1 copy deletion and 3 copies duplication. One copy deletion of CYP21A2 includes one allele deletion of CYP21A2 gene and fused CYP21A1P/CYP21A2 gene. In patients with 3 copies of CYP21A2 gene, pathogenic mutations should be verified in all 3 copies of CYP21A2 gene to make the precise diagnosis. Therefore, the accurate molecular diagnosis of 21-OHD patients should take both genotype and copy number variation of CYP21A2 into account.

[Changes of sex hormones and sex hormone-binding globulin levels in male adults with hyperthyroidism before and after antithyroid drug treatment]

Objective: To observe the changes of sex hormone and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels in young male patients with hyperthyroidism before and after antithyroid drug (ATD) treatment. Methods: Between January 2015 and July 2016, forty male patients with hyperthyroidism aged 19-52 years (with an median age of 33.1 years) were enrolled in the Department of Endocrinology of Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Blood samples were taken before treatment and at 1 month, 2 months, 3 months and 5 months after treatment to evaluate thyroid function, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone(T), free testosterone(FT), estradiol(E2), prolactin and SHBG. Results: A total of 40 patients were enrolled but only 35 patients completed the follow-up. The patients had high levels of thyroid function, SHBG and sex hormones before treatment. Before treatment, free thyroxine (FT(4)), free triiodothyronine (FT(3)), SHBG, LH, estradiol, testosterone and free testosterone was (0.30±0.12) pmol/L, (9.68±4.73) pmol/L, (146±111) nmol/L, (8.41±3.61) U/L, (19.9±7.7) pmol/L, (29.9±9.5) nmol/L and (0.24±0.08) nmol/L, respectively. After treatment, the level of triiodothyronine, thyroxine, FT(3) and FT(4) gradually decreased to normal (all P<0.001). Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) gradually increased to normal (P<0.001). LH and estradiol levels gradually decreased (all P<0.001). FSH decreased but the difference was not statistically significant. Prolactin did not change significantly. Testosterone and SHBG levels decreased significantly while the levels of free testosterone, free testosterone percentage (FT%), bio-available testosterone (BAT), bio-available testosterone percentage (BAT%), free androgen index (FAI) gradually increased and stabilized (all P<0.001). The difference was not statistically significant between T/LH and E2/LH before and after treatment (all P>0.05). However FT/LH gradually increased and its difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). Conclusion: The levels of LH, estradiol, testosterone and SHBG in male patients with hyperthyroidism significantly increased, while the free testosterone level decreased, but they all gradually returned to normal with the lowering of thyroid hormone levels during ATD treatment.

[Analysis of characteristics and influencing factors of fine particulate matters and submicron particulate matters in printing shop]

Objective: To analyze the physical characteristics of fine particulate matters (PM(2.5)) and submicron particulate matters (PM(1)), and investigate the factors influencing the emission peak of printer particles. Methods: A 12-hour particle concentration monitoring for PM(2.5) and PM(1) was conducted in a printing shop on January 5(th), 2018. PM(2.5) in the air was analyzed after the monitoring process to figure out morphological characteristics and element composition of printer particles. Besides, experiments were carried out in an enclosed space to detect the number concentration peaks of PM(1) during every printing process. Influencing factors investigated in this study were printer types, toner coverages and interval time between different printing processes. Results: The 12-hour particles concentration monitoring showed that the number concentration of PM(1) and the mass concentration of PM(2.5) were 7.510×10(4) pt/cm(3) and 96.85 μg/m(3). The diameter of most PM(2.5) was less than 100 nm, with a fractal dimension of 2.591. Most PM(2.5) appeared as regular spheres with typical agglomeration phenomenon, while some were in rhabditiform or irregular shapes. Element analysis showed that PM(2.5) was mainly composed of C, O, Si, Ca, with less metallic element. The PM(1) emission peak values of three printers were 3.60×10(4), 3.43×10(4), 0.31×10(4) pt/cm(3), respectively and the difference was not statistically significant (χ(2)=5.42, P>0.05). When the page coverage rate was 0%, 2.5%, 5%, 10%, 20% and 50%, the PM(1) emission peak value of printer A was 6.74×10(4), 4.62×10(4), 3.82×10(4), 2.82×10(4), 1.00×10(4) and 1.08×10(4) pt/cm(3), and the difference was also not statistically significant (χ(2)=7.01, P>0.05). The natural logarithm of PM(1) emission peak value in printing work was associated with the resting time before printing and the change value of heating roller temperature (r value was 0.83 and 0.89, respectively, all P values<0.05). Conclusion: PM(2.5) and PM(1) in the printing shop stayed at a high level. Particles appeared as various shapes and element compositions were complex. The temperature change of heating roller was one of most important factors that lead to the increased number concentration peak of PM(1).

[Diagnostic value of multiplex ligation dependent probe amplification combined with Sanger sequencing in 21-hydroxylase deficiency]

Objective: To study the procedure of CYP21A2 gene mutation detection in 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD) patients. Methods: The detail clinical and biochemical data of 51 patients with 21-OHD [18 males and 33 females, with an average age of (16.4±9.9) years] were collected between December 2016 and December 2017 at Department of Endocrinology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Multiplex ligation dependent probe amplification (MLPA) and Sanger sequencing of the CYP21A2 gene were used to clarify the cause of 21-OHD. The genotype-phenotype correlation was also analyzed. Results: The incidences of large deletion, 8 bp deletion, I2G, I172N and F306+T were 19.6% (20/102), 1.0% (1/102), 30.4% (31/102), 25.5% (26/102) and 1.0%(1/102), respectively, and the detection rate of gene mutation in 51 21-OHD patients was 77.5% (79/102) by MLPA test. Except large and 8 bp deletion, all above mutations contained in MLPA and other 8 mutations, including P31L, Q319X, R361L, R357W, V282L, R484Q, G425S and R342W were detected, and the detection rate was 79.4% (81/102) by Sanger sequencing of CYP21A2. MLPA combined with direct sequencing identified mutations in all patients. Genotype correlated well with clinical phenotype in 21-OHD patients. Conclusions: When MLPA or CYP21A2 gene sequencing were used alone to diagnose the cause of 21-OHD, gene mutations in all patients could not be detected. The combination of the two methods can complement each other and fully clarify the underlying causes of 21-OHD.

Susceptible Surface Sulfide Regulates Catalytic Activity of CdSe Quantum Dots for Hydrogen Photogeneration

Semiconducting quantum dots (QDs) have recently triggered a huge interest in constructing efficient hydrogen production systems. It is well established that a large fraction of surface atoms of QDs need ligands to stabilize and avoid them from aggregating. However, the influence of the surface property of QDs on photocatalysis is rather elusive. Here, the surface regulation of CdSe QDs is investigated by surface sulfide ions (S^2- ) for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. Structural and spectroscopic study shows that with gradual addition of S^2- , S^2- first grows into the lattice and later works as ligands on the surface of CdSe QDs. In-depth transient spectroscopy reveals that the initial lattice S^2- accelerates electron transfer from QDs to cocatalyst, and the following ligand S^2- mainly facilitates hole transfer from QDs to the sacrificial agent. As a result, a turnover frequency (TOF) of 7950 h^-1 can be achieved by the S^2- modified CdSe QDs, fourfold higher than that of original mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) capped CdSe QDs. Clearly, the simple surface S^2- modification of QDs greatly increases the photocatalytic efficiency, which provides subtle methods to design new QD material for advanced photocatalysis.

[Long-term results of multicenter study based on childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia 2005 protocol]

Objective: To evaluate the long-term efficacy and prognostic factors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) enrolled in Shanghai Children's Medical Center-Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia-2005(SCMC-ALL-2005) multicenter study. Methods: Between May 2005 and December 2014, 1 497 newly diagnosed ALL patients were enrolled and treated in 5 hospitals of SCMC-ALL-2005 study group, using risk-stratified SCMC-ALL-2005 protocol. Risk group classification and treatment intensity were based on clinical features, genetic abnormalities, early response to treatment and levels of minimal residual disease (MRD). Kaplan-Meier method was used to generate overall survival (OS) and event-free survival(EFS) curves. Cox proportional hazards models were used for multivariate analyses. Results: The patients were followed up to December 31, 2016, the median follow-up time was 69 months (24-141 months). The 5-year and 10-year OS rates were (80.0±1.0)% and (76.0±2.0)%. The 5-year and 10-year EFS rates were (69.0±1.0)% and (66.0±2.0)%. The 5-year and 10-year relapse rates were (23.0±1.0)% and (25.0±2.0)%. The 5-year OS and EFS for low risk (LR), intermediate risk (IR) and high risk (HR) were (91.1±1.4)% and (83.3±1.8)%, (79.2±1.5)% and (68.9±1.7)%, (52.9±4.4)% and (30.0±3.8)%, respectively. MRD negative status (<0.01%) on day 55 was seen in 792 patients (82.8%) and positive MRD on day 55 was associated with poor prognosis (OR=1.9, 95%CI: 1.3-2.7, P=0.001). Twenty-four HR patients received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and 17(70.8%) of them were alive and in remission. A total of 164 severe adverse events occurred, 46 of them died, treatment-related mortality was 3.1%. Conclusions: In this large sample research, the overall outcome for multi-center SCMC-ALL-2005 study was favorable. This helps to promote the standardized treatment of childhood ALL to the whole country. MRD results on day 55 of induction therapy have important prognostic and therapeutic implications.

Anticancer effect of YWHAZ silencing via inducing apoptosis and autophagy in gastric cancer cells

YWHAZ (14-3-3ζ) has been reported to be a prognostic marker for various tumors and play a crucial role in many oncogenic processes, including proliferation, migration and invasion. However, the functional role and mechanism of YWHAZ in gastric cancer (GC) are not in detail and still remain to be studied. In the present study, the endogenous expression of YWHAZ in gastric cancer cell line BGC-823 was silenced by YWHAZ-specific short hairpin RNA (shRNA). Our data showed that YWHAZ silencing resulted in cell cycle arrest in BGC-823 cells. Further, YWHAZ-silenced BGC-823 cells acquired increased apoptosis rate, which was confirmed by increased levels of cleaved caspase-3, cleaved PARP, and Bax, and decreased level of Bcl-2. Suppression of YWHAZ also promoted autophagy, confirming by the upregulation of LC3II /LC3I ratio, and downregulation of p62 level. Moreover, YWHAZ suppression inhibited the activation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in BGC-823 cells. LY294002 (PI3K/AKT inhibitor, 200 nM) further promoted YWHAZ silencing-induced apoptosis and autophagy in BGC-823 cells, while insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1; PI3K/AKT agonist, 10 ng/ml) had the opposite role. Finally, suppression of YWHAZ inhibited the growth of the xenograft tumor in vivo. This study provides extended evidence that YWHAZ can be a potential therapeutic target for GC.

[Diagnosis and management of adult-onset idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism]

Objective: To investigate the clinical features and management of male patients with adult-onset idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (AIHH). Methods: Clinical features and treatment of six patients with AIHH between January 2010 and June 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Results: The patients were all male, with an age of 26 (20-35) years old and they experienced complete pubertal development. The main complaints were decreased libido, erectile dysfunction and gynecomastia. Physical examination found that the testicular size was 15 (12-20) ml and they were fully virilized. The serum luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and total testosterone was 0.1 (0.1-0.8) U/L, 0.4 (0.1-0.9) U/L and 0.62 (0.10-0.90) nmol/L, respectively. Pituitary MRI and other pituitary hormones were all normal. Testosterone was administrated to three patients and the libido and erectile function returned to normal. Sperm was successfully induced in two patients after combined gonadotropin therapy for 4-6 months. One patient had a reversed hypothalamus-pituitary-testis axis function. Conclusions: The mechanism of male AIHH is unknown. Compared to those with congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, patients with AIHH may achieve better spermatogenesis after gonadotropin therapy. Small portion of patients may have a reversal of hypothalamus-pituitary-testis axis function.

[Expression and potential clinical significance of cytidine triphosphate: phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase-α in oral squamous cell carcinoma]

Objective: To examine the expression and potential clinical significance of CCT (cytidine triphosphate: phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase)-α in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methods: Fifty-eight OSCC and paired adjacent non-malignant epithelia samples (between May 2016 and July 2016) were obtained from dental center, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University. CCT-α expression was examined by immunohistochemistry. The relationship between CCT-α and clinicopathological features of OSCC patients was analyzed. Quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot were performed to measure the expression of CCT-α mRNA and protein level in several OSCC cell line and two normal oral epithelial cell line. Results: Immunohistochemistry showed that CCT-α positive staining was found in cell nuclear of OSCC cells and adjacent epithelial cells. CCT-α was positively expressed in OSCC, which was significantly higher than that adjacent to carcinoma tissues (P=0.000). The expression of CCT-α in oral squamous cell carcinoma was correlated with smoking, alcohol consumption, tumor size, differentiation degree and lymph node metastasis. The expression level of CCT-α protein was significantly increased in patients with a history of smoking and alcohol consumption (P=0.001, P=0.004). With the increase of tumor diameter, the expression of CCT-α protein was significantly increased (P=0.005). According to histopathological grade, the lower the degree of tumor differentiation, the higher the expression level of CCT-α protein (P=0.000). The expression of CCT-α protein was significantly higher in patients with lymph node metastasis compared with no lymph node metastasis (P=0.000). Quantitative real-time PCR results showed the CCT-α mRNA expression level was significantly higher in OSCC cells than that in normal oral epithelial cells (P=0.016). The protein expression level of CCT-α was significantly higher in OSCC cells than that in normal oral epithelial cells. Conclusions: CCT-α may play a critical role in the carcinogenesis and development of OSCC.

Assembling metallic 1T-MoS2 nanosheets with inorganic-ligand stabilized quantum dots for exceptional solar hydrogen evolution

Due to their enhanced light harvesting, favored interfacial charge transfer and excellent proton reduction activity, hybrid photocatalysts of metallic 1T-MoS₂ nanosheets and inorganic-ligand stabilized CdSe/ZnS QDs obtained via a self-assembly approach can produce H₂ gas with a rate of ∼155 ± 3.5 μmol h^-1 mg^-1 under visible-light irradiation (λ = 410 nm), the most exceptional performance of solar H₂ evolution using MoS₂ as a cocatalyst known to date.

[A long-term follow-up report of pediatric relapsed Wilms tumor after retreatment]

Objective: To investigate the long-term efficacy and prognostic factors of pediatric relapsed Wilms tumor (WT) after retreatment. Method: Sixteen children in Shanghai Children's Medical Center with relapsed Wilms tumor were enrolled consecutively in this study between April 2006 and June 2016. All patients were diagnosed according to pathology, imaging and medical and surgical oncologist's assistance. Relapse treatment included surgical excision, chemotherapy and selective radiation therapy. The clinical features, long-term outcomes and prognostic factors of patients were analyzed retrospectively.Survival data were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier.Log-Rank analysis was used for univariate analysis. Result: One case was excluded because of giving up the therapy even though no disease progress was identified. A total of 15 cases (5 males and 10 females) were included in this study. The median age at diagnosis was 3.8 years (range 0.5-9.1 years). The tumor staging at diagnosis included one case of stageⅠ, 7 cases of stageⅡand 7 cases of stage Ⅲ. Among cases of stage Ⅲ, 6 cases had radiation therapy history. The pathology of all patients' recurrent tumor was favorable histology (FH). The median follow-up time was 34.6 months (range 12.5-132.7 months) until March 21, 2017. The time from initial diagnosis to relapse was 7.9 months (range 3.1-17.9 months). Four cases experienced local recurrence, 9 cases relapsed with metastases (6 cases in lungs, 2 in livers, 1 in mediastinum) and 2 cases relapsed in both local site and with metastases. Except to 2 cases received irregular retreatment, 13 cases received regimen I (doxorubicin, vincristine, epoposide and cyclophosphamide for 25 weeks) as relapsed chemotherapy. Five cases received autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT). Until the last follow-up, 8 cases achieved continuous complete remission (range 6.7-104.3 months), 3 cases had relapse again or progressing and 4 cases died. The estimated 5-year overall survival (OS) rate and event free survival (EFS) rate were (70±15)% and (52±15)%. According to whether received ABMT or not, the 5-year EFS rate were 51% and 53%. According to whether relapsed within 6 months after diagnosis or not, the 5-year EFS rate were 38% and 56% respectively. Conclusion: The 5-year EFS rate of pediatric relapsed FH WT have reached above 50% by multi-disciplinary treatment in our experience and we encourage patients and doctors to receive retreatment.

Self-assembled inorganic clusters of semiconducting quantum dots for effective solar hydrogen evolution

The catalytic activity of CdSe QDs could be enhanced more than 150-fold by forming self-assembled clusters with ZnSe QDs madeex situ.

Nonstoichiometric Cux Iny S Quantum Dots for Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Unlike their bulk counterpart, Cu_x In_y S quantum dots (QDs) prepared by an aqueous synthetic approach, show promising activity for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, which is competitive with the state-of-the-art Cd chalcogen QDs. Moreover, the as-prepared Cu_x In_y S QDs with In-rich composition show much better efficiency than the stoichiometric ones (Cu/In=1:1).

[A follow-up report of childhood hepatoblastoma from 74 cases in a single center]

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and the prognostic factors in pediatric hepatoblastoma according to the standard diagnostic and therapeutic regimen. Method: Eighty-four consecutive patients were enrolled in this study between June 2000 and June 2015. Diagnosis and staging was decided by the multi-disciplinary team including oncologists, surgeons, pathologists and sub-specialized radiologists refering to protocol of Children's Oncology Group(COG) and International Society of Pediatric Oncology Liver Tumor Study Group (SIOPEL) in a case observational study. Univariate analysis was tested by the log-rank and multivariate analysis by COX regression. All consecutive cases were divided into low risk group and high risk group according to grouping criteria. Complete remission was defined as both imaging negative and α fetoprotein (AFP) normalization. Retrospective analysis was performed in clinical features, long-term outcomes and prognostic factors. Result: Ten patients were excluded because of giving up after less than or equal to three cycles of treatment. A total of 74 cases were included in this study; 45 males and 29 females. The median age at diagnosis was 1.7 years(range 0.2-14.8 years). Untill August 30, 2016, the median follow-up time was 24.2 months (range 4.1-135.3 months); 59 cases achieved complete remission.The estimated five years overall survival (OS) and event free survival(EFS) were 90%(68/74)and 72%(58/74). AFP could be normalized after 5 circles of treatment or 2 circles of postoperation.In univariate analysis , the five years OS and EFS in low risk group were both 100%(18/18), and those in high risk group were 88%(50/56)and 68%(40/56), respectively. The five years OS rates were 75%(15/19) and 95%(53/55) in patients with or without distant metastasis (P=0.016). After 3 cycles of chemotherapy post tumor resection, we divided these patients into 2 groups according to AFP recover or not, the five years OS were 100%(43/43)and 81%(22/26), respectively (P=0.011). Conclusion: The result of this protocol is reasonable when comparing with other worldwide research. Except for staging, metastasis, pathological subtypes, postoperative AFP recover or not is a prognostic factor after 3 cycles of chemotherapy.

[Molecular epidemiology and transmission of HIV in Tianjin, 2015]

OBJECTIVE

To understand the characteristics on the diversity of HIV subtypes and related transmission in Tianjin.

METHODS

A total of 77 newly diagnosed ART-naïve HIV infectors in 2015 were screened by CD4(+) T cell counts ≥200 cells/μl. Viral RNAs were extracted from plasma samples. Reverse transcription PCR and nested PCR were used to analyze the amplification of pol and env gene fragments, sequencing, and related bioinformatics information.

RESULTS

46.03% (29/63), 30.16% (19/63), 11.11% (7/63), 4.76% (3/63) and 7.94% (5/63) of the individuals were infected under HIV subtypes CRF01_AE, CRF07_BC, B, CRF55_01B and URFs, with sexual transmission as the major mode of infection. CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC strains were predominant in both MSM and HST populations. The patterns of subtype distribution did not show statistical differences other than subtype B and CRF55_01B strain among HSTs. The proportion of CRFs increased significantly to 88.89%. 8 new second-generation recombinant forms were identified the first time, including 3 CRF55_01B, 2 AE/BC, 1 AE/B and 1AE/B/C among MSMs and 1 AE/BC among HSTs. 5.3% of the NNRTI L100I HIV infectors transmitted the drug-resistant-mutation strain. 3 linkages related to HIV transmission were confirmed through phylogenetic analysis with Bootstrap ≥98% of pol and ≥80% of env.

CONCLUSION

The increasing complexity of HIV had been noticed in Tianjin, including the prevalence and transmission of second-generation recombinant and drug-resistant strains through different routes of transmission and in different regions.

Tracking Co(I) Intermediate in Operando in Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution by X-ray Transient Absorption Spectroscopy and DFT Calculation

X-ray transient absorption spectroscopy (XTA) and optical transient spectroscopy (OTA) were used to probe the Co(I) intermediate generated in situ from an aqueous photocatalytic hydrogen evolution system, with [Ru^II(bpy)₃]Cl₂·6H₂O as the photosensitizer, ascorbic acid/ascorbate as the electron donor, and the Co-polypyridyl complex ([Co^II(DPA-Bpy)Cl]Cl) as the precatalyst. Upon exposure to light, the XTA measured at Co K-edge visualizes the grow and decay of the Co(I) intermediate, and reveals its Co-N bond contraction of 0.09 ± 0.03 Å. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations support the bond contraction and illustrate that the metal-to-ligand π back-bonding greatly stabilizes the penta-coordinated Co(I) intermediate, which provides easy photon access. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of capturing the penta-coordinated Co(I) intermediate in operando with bond contraction by XTA, thereby providing new insights for fundamental understanding of structure-function relationship of cobalt-based molecular catalysts.

[Clinical analysis of 51 cases with rare childhood soft tissue sarcomas]

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics and prognosis of rare soft tissue sarcomas. Method: Clinical data of 51 patients with rare soft tissue sarcomas including fibrosarcoma, synovial sarcoma, extrarenal rhabdoid tumor, alveolar soft part sarcoma, desmoplastic small round cell tumor and undifferentiated sarcoma in children and adolescents, diagnosed at Shanghai Children's Medical Center from June 1998 to December 2013, were retrospectively analyzed. All types were treated with the same strategy and chemotherapy regimens. Their clinical features, treatment and prognosis were discussed. Result: Seventeen patients with fibrosarcoma, 10 with synovial sarcoma, 9 with extrarenal rhabdoid tumor, 6 with alveolar soft part sarcoma, 3 with desmoplastic small round cell tumor and 6 with undifferentiated sarcoma were included. The mean age at initial diagnosis was 5 years(range from 1 month to 13.5 years). The most common primary site of tumors was limbs, followed by the thoracic and abdominal cavity, accounting for 41% and 24% respectively. Twelve cases presented distant tissue or organ involvement in which bone metastases occupied the first place. Seven cases(accounting for 14%)were at stage Ⅰ, 13 cases were at stage Ⅱ(accounting for 25%), 19 cases were at stage Ⅲ(accounting for 37%) and 12 cases were at stage Ⅳ(accounting for 24%). The median follow-up period was 36 months(range from 1 month to 123 months). Forty-four patients achieved complete remission and 3 patients achieved partial remission after initial treatment, the overall response rate was 92%. Subsequent follow-up showed 29 patients remained relapse-free while 13 patients had relapsed disease. Overall survival and event-free survival at 2 years were 88% and 57%.Postoperative surgical staging was the main prognostic factors. Patients with stage Ⅲ+ Ⅳ had poorer results than those with Ⅰ+ Ⅱ (χ²=4.909, P=0.027). Conclusion: These 6 types of soft tissue sarcomas are rare in children and adolescents. The tumor can occur anywhere in the body but commonly presents in the extremities. Complete resection of tumor remains the most important modality of treatment and is directly related to prognosis. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy helps improve the resection rate of some unresectable tumors at diagnosis. Radiation therapy is primarily adopted for focal tumor control.

[The burden of disease attributed to low bone mineral density among population aged ≥40 years old in China, 1990 and 2013]

Objective: To identify cause-specific death and attributed burden of low bone mineral density in China among population aged ≥40 years old , 1990 and 2013. Methods: By using data from Global Burden of Disease(GBD)2013, this study analyzed death caused by low mineral density, and disability-adjusted life years(DALY)among population aged 40 and above in China(not including Taiwan, China). This study also analyzed DALY by composition of injury which due to low bone mineral density. It also analyzed changes in DALY by provinces in China, 1990 and 2013. An average world population age-structure for the period 2000- 2025 was adopted to calculate the age standardized rates. Results: In 2013, there were 38.1 thousands male and 30.7 thousands female who aged 40 and above dead due to low bone mineral density in China. The burden of injury caused by low bone mineral density was more sever in male than female, which accounted for 1.525 million DALY in male and 0.873 million DALY in female. In 1990, low bone mineral density attributed transportation and accidental injury caused 0.794 million and 0.567 million DALY losses, respectively. In 2013, low bone mineral density attributed transportation and accidental injury caused 1.421 million and 0.951 million DALY losses, respectively. Compared to 1990, DALY losses caused by transportation and accidental injury, increased by 79.1% and 67.6%, respectively. In 1990, DALY rate losses due to low bone mineral density attributed transportation and accidental injury were 68.1 per 100 000 and 48.7 per 100 000, respectively. In 2013, DALY rate losses due to low bone mineral density attributed transportation and accidental injury were 102.0 per 100 000 and 68.2 per 100 000, respectively. Compared to 1990, DALY rates which caused by transportation and accidental injury, increased by 49.8% and 40.2%, respectively. According to the ranking of standardized DALY rate in 2013 by provinces, the top 3 provinces, which standardized DALYs attributed to low bone mineral density lost the most, were Zhejiang Province(2.6 per 100 000), Jiangsu Province(2.4 per 100 000), and Fujian Province(2.2 per 100 000). Compared to 1990, the standardized rate of DALY decreased in 27 provinces, while the DALY rate increased in only 6 provinces which included Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province, Hebei Province, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and Henan Province and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Conclusion: This study found that the burden of health losses attributed to it was higher in men than in women. Compared to 1990, DALY rates decreased in most of the provinces, however, the rates of losses of DALY which caused by transportation and accidental injury were still increasing.

Dual-wavelength passively Q-switched Nd:GYSGG laser by tungsten disulfide saturable absorber

A dual-wavelength passively Q-switched Nd:GYSGG laser using vacuum evaporating tungsten disulfide (WS₂) as a saturable absorber was demonstrated for the first time to the best of our knowledge. The WS₂ saturable absorber was prepared simply by evaporating nanometer WS₂ powders onto a quartz substrate in a vacuum. By inserting the WS₂ saturable absorber into the laser cavity, stable Q-switched laser operation was achieved with a maximum average output power of 367 mW, a pulse repetition rate of 70.7 kHz, the shortest pulse width of 591 ns, and pulse energy of about 1.05 μJ. By vacuum evaporation method, a high-quality WS₂ saturable absorber can be produced, and it seems to be a suitable method for fabrication of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides.

[Outcome of childhood T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a report of 99 cases]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the incidence, clinical characteristics and prognosis of childhood T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) enrolled in protocol ALL-2005.

METHOD

Retrospective reviews of patients diagnosed as having T-ALL were studied in the period between May 2005 and August 2013 in Shanghai Children's Medical Center. Predictive values of early treatment responses, including prednisone response, bone marrow morphology on day 35 during induction chemotherapy, and minimal residual disease (MRD) monitored by flow cytometry on day 35 and 55, were analyzed. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to assess the survival rates.

RESULT

Ninety-nine evaluable patients aged 1-18 years with newly diagnosed T-ALL were enrolled in protocol ALL-2005. The median follow-up period for patients remaining alive in continuous remission was 60 months (24-109 months). The 5-year event free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) rates for these patients were 65% and 69%, respectively. Forty-three (43%) patients were older than 10 years at diagnosis. A total of 61 patients presented with initial white blood cell count (WBC)≥50×10(9)/L. Thirty-seven patients with mediastinal mass were found in this study. Seventy-one patients were defined as prednisone good responders (PGR) on day 8 of prednisone therapy. Ninty-four patients achieved complete remission (CR) on day 35 of induction therapy. MRD negative status (<0.01%) on day 35 were seen in 55% of the 42 assessed patients. MRD negative status on day 55 was seen in 78% of the 52 assessed patients. Patients with high MRD (>1%) on day 55 5-year EFS was 40% were associated with poor prognosis (P=0.03). Early T-cell precursor (ETP) subtype was not associated with treatment outcome in this study. Six patients abandoned therapy, 10 lost to follow-up, 22 had relapsed disease, 1 was diagnosed as having a second tumor and 20 patients died.

CONCLUSION

Overall outcome for T-ALL on protocol ALL-2005 is favorable. MRD results on day 55 of induction therapy have important prognostic and therapeutic implications.

Hole-Accepting-Ligand-Modified CdSe QDs for Dramatic Enhancement of Photocatalytic and Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Evolution by Solar Energy

Solar H2 evolution of CdSe QDs can be significantly enhanced simply by introducing a suitable hole-accepting-ligand for achieving efficient hole extraction and transfer at the nanoscale interfaces, which opens an effective pathway for dissociation of excitons to generate long-lived charge separation, thus improving the solar-to-fuel conversion efficiency.