The effects of neutralizing anti-murine interleukin-17A monoclonal antibody on ozone-induced inflammation and glucocorticoids insensitivity in a murine model of asthma

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Exposure to ozone contributed to the worsening of inflammation and glucocorticoids insensitivity in OVA-challenged asthma. Interleukin-17A participates centrally in stages of the inflammatory response and glucocorticoids insensitivity. In this study, the effect of neutralizing anti-murine interleukin-17A monoclonal antibody (IL-17A mAb) on inflammation and glucocorticoids insensitivity in ozone-exposed and ovalbumin (OVA)-challenged mice was investigated.

METHODS

Mice were sensitized and challenged with OVA and then exposed to ozone. Dexamethasone (Dex) and IL-17A mAb were administrated in corresponding periods.

RESULTS

Compared with OVA-challenged mice, combination administration of ozone exposure and OVA challenge increased the recruitment of inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, enhanced the inflammation scores and levels of inflammatory cytokines and IL-17A mRNA, and caused the activation of p38 MAPK together with down regulation of glucocorticoids recepters (GR) in lung tissue. Monotherapy of IL-17A mAb partially attenuated lung inflammation in OVA-challenged and ozone-exposed mice, while the combination treatment of Dex and IL-17A mAb effectively reduced lung inflammation, inactivated p38 MAPK and up regulated GR in lung tissue.

CONCLUSIONS

Ozone exposure worsened OVA-challenged airway inflammation, activation of p38 MAPK and down regulation of GR in OVA-sensitized and -challenged mice, which was effectively counteracted by IL-17A mAb, and combination treatment of IL-17A mAb and Dex shows profound efficacy in inhibiting airway inflammation and improving glucocorticoids insensitivity synergistically.

Abstract P4-13-10: The outcome of lung metastasis treated with fulvestrant is superior to that of liver metastasis for metastatic breast cancer

Background: Endocrine therapy is the preferred option in patients presenting with hormone receptor (HR)-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC). While visceral metastasis is a negative prognostic factor, few studies have distinguished between the prognosis of different visceral sites.

Patients and methods: 505 HR-positive MBC patients administered with fulvestrant at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center during a 6-year period were enrolled, 398 patients receiving fulvestrant 500mg were included in final analysis. Logistic regression models were used to identify prognostic factors associated with progression-free survival (PFS). Kaplan-Meier analysis was utilized to compare PFS of lung and liver metastases.

Results: Median follow-up time was 26 months. 233 patients presented with baseline visceral metastases, including 138 lungw/o liver metastases (lung metastasis without liver involvement), 51 liverw/o lung metastases (liver metastasis without lung involvement), and 41 with both lung and liver metastases. Median PFS was 6.8 months (5.6 months for visceral metastases, 9.2 months for non-visceral metastases, P = 0.028). Lungw/o liver metastases had longer median PFS compared to liverw/o lung metastases or both lung and liver metastases (9.6 months, 3.7 months and 3.2 months, respectively, P < 0.001). In addition, patients with liver metastases experienced a significantly worse PFS when compared with those without liver involvement (3.7 versus 9.2 months, P < 0.001). In multivariate analyses, PFS benefits of fulvestrant were observed in patients with longer disease-free interval, absence of liver metastases, and no previous chemotherapy for MBC.

Table 1.Univariate and multivariate analysis of progression-free-survival by prespecified stratification factors.VariablesN Univariate  Multivariate   Mediana95% CIPHR95% CIPMenopausal status       Premenopausal8411.06.4-15.7 ---Postmenopausal3145.94.7-7.10.052---Disease-free interval       > 5 y1818.65.8-11.5 1  ≤ 5 y1714.83.6-6.00.0031.421.01-1.990.043PgR status       Positive2856.95.3-8.6 ---Negative + UK1135.54.6-6.30.107---Bone-only metastasis       Yes6110.92.7-19.0 1  No3375.84.8-6.80.0021.690.91-2.800.06Metastatic sites       Non-visceral1659.26.7-11.7 1  Lungw/o liver1389.65.3-13.90.860---Liver923.72.9-4.5<0.0011.511.05-2.180.027ET naïve       Yes3226.8NE-59.3 1  No3666.04.9-7.20.012.120.99-4.540.052Prior ET for metastatic disease       014511.05.5-16.6 1  ≥12535.64.9-6.30.0020.910.62-1.340.645Sensitivity to prior ET       Primary resistance714.02.9-5.0 ---Secondary resistance2957.05.6-8.30.05---Prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease       02039.96.5-13.2 1  ≥11954.73.9-5.5<0.0011.931.32-2.820.001Abbreviations: PgR, progesterone receptor; UK, unknown; HR, hazard ratio; 95% CI, 95% confidence interval; ET, endocrine therapy; NE, not estimable. Lungw/o liver, lung metastasis without liver involvement. aMedian PFS in months. P < 0.05 was considered significant, significant values was presented in bold.

Conclusion: Patients with lungw/o liver metastases benefit as well as those with non-visceral metastases from fulvestrant. Visceral metastases should distinguish between liver or lung when treating HR-positive/HER2-negative MBC with endocrine therapy.

Citation Format: He M, Li J-J, Zuo W-J, Ji L, Hu X-C, Wang Z-H, Shao Z-M. The outcome of lung metastasis treated with fulvestrant is superior to that of liver metastasis for metastatic breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-13-10.

Electronic structure of multiferroic BiFeO3: Electron energy-loss spectroscopy and first-principles study

The electronic structure of BiFeO₃ has been investigated by using electron energy loss spectrum and first-principle calculations. Assignments of the individual interband transitions have been accomplished by comparing the interband transition energy with the calculated PDOS. The DOS is mainly divided into two regions, the hybridized region of O 2p with Fe 3p in the valence band and that of O 2p hybridized with Bi 6p in the conduction band. From the simulation of high energy-loss near-edge structure, the core-hole effect is believed to be more significant. The feature groups for the experimental spectra of O K-edge and Fe L_2,3-edge are consistent with simulation results.

[Impact factor of postoperative prognosis of esophageal cancer patients with stage pT2N0~1M0]

Objective: To investigate the postoperative prognosis and the related factors of patients with stage pT2N0-1M0 of thoracic esophageal carcinoma(EC). Methods: From 2008 to 2011, clinical data of 275 cases with stage pT2N0-1M0 of thoracic EC treated by esophagectomy were enrolled. These cases includ 180 male and 95 female. Among them, 32 cases were upper thoracic EC, 186 cases were middle thoracic EC and 57 cases were lower thoracic EC. Alternatively, 205 cases were stage pN0, 70 cases were stage pN1. 155 cases received esophagectomy alone and 120 cases received esophagectomy and postoperative adjuvant therapy. Results: The end of follow-up time was on September 30th, 2014. The 1-, 3-, 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 91.6%, 70.2% and 63.7%, respectively. The 1- 3-, 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 83.9%, 64.0% and 60.0%, respectively. The result of univariate analysis showed that the depth of tumor invasion, pathological type, pN stage and number of metastatic lymph nodes were significantly associated with OS (all of P<0.05). Moreover, the gender, the depth of tumor invasion, pathological type, pN stage and number of metastatic lymph nodes were significantly associated with PFS (all of P<0.05). Cox multivariate analysis showed that the location of primary tumor and pN stage were the independent factors of OS (both P<0.05). The gender, pN stage and postoperative adjuvant therapy were the independent factors of PFS (all of P<0.05). Conclusion: Among the patients with pT2N0~1M0 stage of thoracic EC, patients with upper thoracic EC or pN1 stage have poorer postoperative prognosis compared with others, and postoperative adjuvant treatment is recommended for these patients.

Bio-orthogonal chemistry-based method for fluorescent labelling of ribosomal RNA in live mammalian cells

A bio-orthogonal chemistry-based approach for fluorescent labelling of ribosomal RNA is described.

Measurement of the Electron Antineutrino Oscillation with 1958 Days of Operation at Daya Bay

We report a measurement of electron antineutrino oscillation from the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment with nearly 4 million reactor ν[over ¯]_{e} inverse β decay candidates observed over 1958 days of data collection. The installation of a flash analog-to-digital converter readout system and a special calibration campaign using different source enclosures reduce uncertainties in the absolute energy calibration to less than 0.5% for visible energies larger than 2 MeV. The uncertainty in the cosmogenic ^{9}Li and ^{8}He background is reduced from 45% to 30% in the near detectors. A detailed investigation of the spent nuclear fuel history improves its uncertainty from 100% to 30%. Analysis of the relative ν[over ¯]_{e} rates and energy spectra among detectors yields sin^{2}2θ_{13}=0.0856±0.0029 and Δm_{32}^{2}=(2.471_{-0.070}^{+0.068})×10^{-3}  eV^{2} assuming the normal hierarchy, and Δm_{32}^{2}=-(2.575_{-0.070}^{+0.068})×10^{-3}  eV^{2} assuming the inverted hierarchy.

[Correlation between fetal borderline ventriculomegaly and chromosomal abnormalities]

Objective: To assess the association between fetal borderline ventriculomegaly (VM) diagnosed by prenatal ultrasound and chromosomal abnormality. Methods: Sonographic manifestation and chromosome of 129 cases with borderline VM diagnosed by prenatal sonography were analyzed retrospectively. All subjects were divided into 3 groups, 80 cases (62.0%, 80/129) in isolated VM (IVM) group, 27 cases (20.9%, 27/129) of VM with no additional structural abnormality group (including ultrasonic soft marker, abnormal volume of amniotic fluid and fetal growth restriction) and 22 cases (17.1%, 22/129) of VM with structural abnormality. Furthermore, the IVM group was sub-grouped according to fetal sex, lesion position and degree of expansion. The results of chromosome detection in different sub-group were analyzed statistically. Results: (1) Overall situation: in 129 enrolled cases of borderline VM, 8 cases of chromosomal abnormality were detected by CMA and the positive detection rate was 6.2% (8/129) , of which 2 cases were abnormal karyotype and 6 cases were pathologic copy number variation (p-CNV) . (2) The results of fetal chromosomal abnormalities detected in 3 groups: there were no case of abnormal karyotype and 4 cases of p-CNV in IVM group, the detection rate of chromosome abnormalities was 5.0% (4/80) . One case of abnormal karyotype and 2 cases of p-CNV in VM with no additional structural abnormality group, the detection rate was 11.1% (3/27) . One case of abnormal karyotype and no case of p-CNV in VM with structural abnormality group, the detection rate was 4.5% (1/22) . There were no significant difference among 3 groups (all P>0.05) . Conclusions: The risk of chromosomal abnormaliy increases in fetus with borderline VM. When the fetal VM is found by ultrasound, it is necessary to perform comprehensive scanning and regular follow-up. Fetal chromosomes examination is recommended.

[Analysis of copy number variation by CMA in fetus with increased nuchal translucency]

Objective: To investigated the clinical value of chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) in fetuses with increased nuchal translucency (NT) . Methods: Totally 101 cases out of 19 261 singleton fetuses who underwent the first trimester (11-13⁺⁶ weeks) ultrasound examination from January 2015 to June 2017 at First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University were diagnosed with NT ≥2.5 mm and underwent invasive prenatal test for fetal karyotype and CMA. According to the combination of other ultrasound abnormalities, the cases were divided into isolated group (67.3%, 68/101) and complicated group (32.7%, 33/101) . In addition, the cases were divided into 5 groups according to the thickness of NT, 2.5-2.9 mm (borderline thickening; 16.8%, 17/101) , 3.0-3.4 mm (33.7%, 34/101) , 3.5-4.4 mm (16.8%, 17/101) , 4.5-5.4 mm (15.8%, 16/101) , and ≥5.5 mm (16.8%, 17/101) . Chi square test was used to detect the different rates of other combined ultrasound abnormalities and abnormal chromosome between 5 groups. Results: The median thickness of NT was 3.4 mm (2.5-8.5 mm) . And 32 cases (31.7%, 32/101) had abnormal karyotype. There was a significant difference in the frequency of abnormal karyotype between the isolated and the complicated group (20.6% vs 54.5%, P<0.01) . Among 69 cases (68.3%, 69/101) of normal karyotype, 3 cases (4.3%, 3/69) were detected with pathogenic copy number variation (CNV) by CMA. Thirty-five cases with chromosomal abnormalities (include abnormal karyotype and pathogenic CNV) , there was a significant difference in the frequency of chromosomal abnormalities between the isolated and the complicated group (23.5% vs 57.6%, P=0.001) . The median age of pregnant women in 5 groups was 35 years (24-39 years) , 33 years (23-46 years) , 31 years (21-46 years) , 33 years (21-41 years) and 35 years (21-43 years) . The rates of chromosomal abnormalities increased with the increase of NT thickness. There was significant difference in the incidence of associated chromosomal abnormalities among 5 groups (P<0.05) . Comparative analysis within the 5 groups, the incidence of associated chromosomal abnormalities between NT 2.5-2.9 mm and ≥5.5 mm was significantly different (P=0.005) , while the differences between the other groups were not significant (P>0.05) . Conclusions: There is a high risk of fetal chromosomal abnormalities in borderline NT thickening (2.5-2.9 mm) at advanced maternal age, but the pathogenic CNV is not detected. Chromosomal microdeletion or microduplication could be further detected in the NT thickening (≥3.0 mm) fetuses with normal karyotype by chromosome microarray analysis, while the positive rate is relatively low, and the variants of unknown significance might be detected.

Increased CD4+CD25-Foxp3+ T cells in Chinese systemic lupus erythematosus: correlate with disease activity and organ involvement

Objective

The increment of CD4+CD25−Foxp3+T cells has been reported in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. However, the exact identity of this T cell subset is still unclear. Thus, we analyzed CD4+CD25−Foxp3+T cells and Treg cells (CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cells) in a large sample of Chinese SLE patients in different disease states.

Methods

A total of 280 SLE patients and 38 healthy volunteers were enrolled, which included 21 patients with untreated new-onset lupus (UNOL), 13 patients with drug withdrawal more than 6 months and 246 patients with treatments. Phenotypic and functional analysis of peripheral blood CD4+CD25−Foxp3+ T cells and Treg cells were performed by flow cytometry. The correlation of CD4+CD25−Foxp3+T cells and Treg cells with disease activity, clinical indicators and organ involvement were analyzed.

Results

CD4+CD25−Foxp3+ T cells and Treg cells were significantly increased in SLE patients and showed significantly positive correlations with disease activity. CD4+CD25−Foxp3+ T cells were significantly increased in patients with skin and hematologic involvement as well as arthritis. Diverse changes between CD4+CD25−Foxp3+ T cells and Treg cells when faced with different medications, especially HCQ and MMF. CD4+CD25−Foxp3+ T cells expressed more IFN-γ and less CTLA-4 than CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cells, which were similar to CD4+CD25+Foxp3− T cells, and expressed similar IL-17, ICOS and Helios to CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cells. The synthesis capacity of IL-10 of CD4+CD25−Foxp3+ T cells and the expression of GITR on CD4+CD25−Foxp3+ T cells were between CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ and CD4+CD25+Foxp3− T cells.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that increased CD4+CD25−Foxp3+ T cells in lupus patients, which combined the features of suppression and pro-inflammatory, may serve as a biomarker for disease activity and organ involvement in SLE.

Cohort Profile: The Chongqing Cancer Cohort Study (CCCS) of the Urban Population in Southwest China

Purpose: Urbanization is causing an increasingly negative effect on public health in China. This study was established to examine the associations between socio-economic and environmental exposures and the potential impact of gene-environment interactions and cancer risk of urban population in Chongqing, China. Participants: The cohort was established in Beibei District of Chongqing in southwest China. Between March 2016 and December 2016, we enrolled 57,332 adults who were 40-69 years of age, and collected baseline data on demographic information, socio-economic status, lifestyle, family and personal disease histories through face-to-face interviews using a standardized questionnaire. Regular follow-up including face-to-face interviews will take place every 5 years. Findings to date: Ninety-nine percent (56658/57332) of the participants completed the baseline assessment. The eligible participants had a mean age of 54.8 years, and 51.42% were females. Nearly three-fifths of participants having a normal BMI (18.5 to 23.9 kg/m2) and one-third being overweight (24.0 to 27.9 kg/m2). Among males, 29.58% were smokers and 21.08% were alcohol users. Among females, 1.49% were smokers and 1.66% were alcohol users. Among all participants, 7.03% of males and 9.08% of females reported their family history of cancer. Future plans: The relationships of modifiable risk factors with the cancer risk will be analyzed. Meanwhile, participants will be closely tracked to minimize loss to follow-up. We plan to construct a risk prediction model on cancer and verify the prediction model by genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The successful completion of this cohort study will allow for better targeting of cancer screening to those at highest risk in urban population of China and provide clinicians and policymakers with a practical predication rule.

Spectral Evidence for Emergent Order in Ba_{1-x}Na_{x}Fe_{2}As_{2}

We report an angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy study of the iron-based superconductor family, Ba_{1-x}Na_{x}Fe_{2}As_{2}. This system harbors the recently discovered double-Q magnetic order appearing in a reentrant C_{4} phase deep within the underdoped regime of the phase diagram that is otherwise dominated by the coupled nematic phase and collinear antiferromagnetic order. From a detailed temperature-dependence study, we identify the electronic response to the nematic phase in an orbital-dependent band shift that strictly follows the rotational symmetry of the lattice and disappears when the system restores C_{4} symmetry in the low temperature phase. In addition, we report the observation of a distinct electronic reconstruction that cannot be explained by the known electronic orders in the system.

Impact of UVA pre-radiation on UVC disinfection performance: Inactivation, repair and mechanism study

Ultraviolet (UV) light emission diode (LED), which is mercury free and theoretically more energy efficient, has now become an alternative to conventional UV lamps in water disinfection industry. In this research, the disinfection performance of a novel sequential process, UVA_365nm LED followed by UVC_265nm LED (UVA-UVC), was evaluated. The results revealed that the responses of different bacterial strains to UVA-UVC varied. Coupled with appropriate dosages of UVC, a 20 min UVA pre-radiation provided higher inactivations (log inactivation) of E. coli ATCC 11229, 15597 and 700891 by 1.2, 1.4 and 1.2 times, respectively than the sum of inactivations by UVA alone and UVC alone. On the contrary, the inactivation of E. coli ATCC 25922, the most UVC sensitive strain, decreased from 3 log to 1.8 log after UVA pre-radiation. A 30 min UVA pre-radiation did not affect the photo repair capacity of the four strains (n = 23, p > 0.1), but their dark repair ability was significantly inhibited (n = 14, p < 0.05). Mechanism study was conducted for two representative strains, E. coli ATCC 15597 and 25922 to understand the observed effect. The hypothesis that UVA pre-radiation promoted the yield of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was rejected. ELISA results indicated that 18% more cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) were formed in E. coli ATCC 15597 with UVA pre-radiation (n = 3, p < 0.01), however, the CPD levels of E. coli ATCC 25922 was the same with or without UVA pre-radiation (n = 3, p > 0.01). Considering the results of both dark repair and CPD formation, it was concluded that the increased UV sensitivity of E. coli 15597 was originated from the increased CPD. For E. coli ATCC 25922, the enhanced UV resistance was attributed to the strain's adoption of a survival strategy, translesion DNA synthesis (TLS), when triggered by UVA pre-radiation. The study on UmuD protein, which is a key protein during TLS, confirmed this hypothesis.

Hemoglobin A1c predicts hemorrhagic transformation and poor outcomes after acute anterior stroke

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) is a major complication of acute ischaemic stroke that is potentially related to clinical deterioration. The objective of this study was to assess whether chronic hyperglycemia is a predictive factor of HT in patients with acute anterior stroke.

METHODS

Patients with acute anterior stroke were included in this study. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was measured in the morning after hospitalization. HT was detected by computed tomography scans or gradient echo magnetic resonance imaging performed 4 (±2) days after onset. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess the risks for HT and short-term outcomes.

RESULTS

Of the 426 patients included, 93 (21.8%) had HT: 61 (14.3%) presented with hemorrhagic infarction and 32 (7.5%) presented with parenchymal hematoma. A total of 54 patients received thrombolytic treatment and 18 (33.3%) were found to have HT. In the multivariate analysis, HbA1c [odds ratio (OR), 1.294; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.097-1.528], infarction size (OR, 3.358; 95% CI, 1.748-6.449) and thrombolytic therapy (OR, 3.469; 95% CI, 1.757-6.847) were predictors of HT. The predictive effect of HbA1c on HT was still observed in both groups when patients were stratified according to the levels of fasting blood glucose. HbA1c was found to be a predictor of poor outcomes in the multilogistic regression analysis (OR, 1.482; 95% CI, 1.228-1.788).

CONCLUSIONS

Higher HbA1c was independently related to HT and poor neurological outcomes in patients with ischaemic stroke. These findings have significant implications for the treatment of diabetes and glucose management in patients with diabetes mellitus and/or acute ischaemic stroke.

Multiscale prediction of acoustic properties for glass wools: Computational study and experimental validation

This work is concerned with the multiscale prediction of the transport and sound absorption properties associated with industrial glass wool samples. In the first step, an experimental characterization is performed on various products using optical granulometry and porosity measurements. A morphological analysis, based on scanning electron imaging, is further conducted to identify the probability density functions associated with the fiber angular orientation. The key morphological characterization parameters of the microstructure, which serve as input parameters of the model, include the porosity, the weighted volume diameter accounting for both lengths and diameters of the analyzed fibers (and therefore the specific surface area of the random fibrous material), and the preferred out-of-plane fiber orientation generated by the manufacturing process. A computational framework is subsequently proposed and allows for the reconstruction of an equivalent fibrous network. A fully stochastic microstructural model, parameterized by the probability laws inferred from the database, is also proposed herein. Multiscale simulations are carried out to estimate transport properties and sound absorption. With no adjustable parameter, the results accounting for ten different samples obtained with various processing parameters are finally compared with the experimental data and used to assess the relevance of the reconstruction procedures and the multiscale computations.

A pilot serosurvey of Babesia microti in Chinese blood donors

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Babesia spp. are tick-borne, intraerythrocytic protozoan parasites, several of which are transfusion-transmissible. Transfusion-transmitted babesiosis poses serious risk to a diverse patient population, including neonates, patients aged >50 years, the asplenic and the immunocompromised that are over-represented among transfusion recipients. Despite reports of B. microti and B. venatorum in People's Republic of China (PRC), no surveillance of blood donors for Babesia has previously been undertaken. We sought to determine the rates of B. microti seroreactivity in a sample of blood donors in the PRC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A pilot serosurvey was conducted of community blood donors (n = 1000) who donated July-August 2016 at Mudanjiang Blood Center (Heilongjiang Province) using indirect fluorescent antibody testing for antibodies against B. microti. The slides were prepared using B. microti-infected hamster blood. Samples that were initially positive to a titre of 64 were subjected to repeat IFA testing. Final seroreactivity was based on repeat reactivity to ≥64.

RESULTS

A total of 1000 individual donor samples were evaluated, comprising 888 whole blood and 112 platelet donations. Thirteen of 1000 (1·3%) donors were seroreactive for B. microti [8 (0·8%) and five (0·05%) at titres of 64 and 128, respectively].

CONCLUSION

Our preliminary findings support the need for expanded Babesia surveillance in Chinese blood donors, replete with molecular evaluation, to evaluate the risk to the blood supply.

Inverse association between plasma homocysteine concentrations and type 2 diabetes mellitus among a middle-aged and elderly Chinese population

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Plasma homocysteine concentrations have been reported to be associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with controversial findings. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between plasma homocysteine concentrations and T2DM.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A cross-sectional study including 19,085 eligible participants derived from the Dongfeng-Tongji cohort was conducted. Plasma homocysteine concentrations were measured by Abbott Architect i2000 Automatic analyzer and T2DM was defined according to American Diabetes Association criteria. Logistic regression model was used to explore the association between plasma homocysteine concentrations and T2DM. The prevalence of T2DM was 19.0% in the whole population (mean age 62.9 years), 21.8% in males, and 17.1% in females. In the multivariable logistic regression analyses, compared with those in the lowest quintile, the OR (95% CI) of T2DM was 1.05 (0.92-1.21), 0.99 (0.86-1.14), 0.90 (0.78-1.05), and 0.77 (0.66-0.90) for quintile 2 to quintile 5 of homocysteine concentrations after adjustment for potential confounders (P for trend < 0.0001). Homocysteine concentrations were associated with decreased T2DM prevalence risk (OR = 0.88 per SD increase of homocysteine concentration; 95% CI: 0.84-0.93). A significant interaction between homocysteine concentrations and drinking status on T2DM prevalence risk was observed (P for interaction = 0.03). The inverse association of plasma homocysteine concentrations with T2DM prevalence risk was observed in non-drinkers but not in current drinkers.

CONCLUSION

Plasma homocysteine concentrations were inversely correlated with T2DM among a middle-aged and elderly Chinese population.

Associations between daily cooking duration and the prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes in a middle-aged and elderly Chinese population: A cross-sectional study

Experimental and epidemiological studies indicated that ambient air pollution was positively associated with diabetes. Few studies investigated the associations between household air pollution, for example, daily cooking duration and diabetes or prediabetes. We conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate the associations of daily cooking duration with the prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes among a middle-aged and elderly population. A total of 26 089 individuals (11 250 males and 14 839 females) derived from the Dongfeng-Tongji cohort study were included. Daily cooking duration was assessed by questionnaire. Diabetes and prediabetes were identified according to the criterion of American Diabetes Association. No significant association was observed between daily cooking duration and the prevalence risk of diabetes (odds ratio[OR] = 0.97, 95% confidence interval[CI]: [0.81-1.16], P for trend = .74); however, longer daily cooking duration was associated with higher prevalence risk of prediabetes (OR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.07-1.47; P for trend = .003) and hyperglycemia (OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.05-1.41; P for trend = .005). Our study suggested that daily cooking duration was not associated with diabetes but with higher prevalence risk of prediabetes/hyperglycemia in a middle-aged and elderly Chinese population.

Use of olmesartan and enteropathy outcomes: a multi-database study

BACKGROUND

Multiple case reports suggest that olmesartan may be linked to sprue-like enteropathy; however, few epidemiological studies have examined this association and results have been mixed.

AIM

To assess whether olmesartan is associated with a higher rate of enteropathy vs other angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs).

METHODS

We conducted a cohort study among ARB initiators in 5 US claims databases representing different health insurance programmes. Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for enteropathy-related outcomes, including coeliac disease, malabsorption, concomitant diagnoses of diarrhoea and weight loss, and non-infectious enteropathy, comparing olmesartan initiators to initiators of other ARBs after propensity score (PS) matching.

RESULTS

We identified 1 928 469 eligible patients. The unadjusted incidence rates were 0.82, 1.41, 1.66 and 29.20 per 1000 person-years for coeliac disease, malabsorption, concomitant diagnoses of diarrhoea and weight loss, and non-infectious enteropathy respectively. HRs after PS matching comparing olmesartan to other ARBs were 1.21 (95% CI, 1.05-1.40), 1.00 (95% CI, 0.88-1.13), 1.22 (95% CI, 1.10-1.36) and 1.04 (95% CI, 1.01-1.07) for each outcome. HRs were larger for patients aged 65 years and older (eg for coeliac disease, 1.57 [95% CI, 1.20-2.05]), for patients receiving treatment for more than 1 year (1.62 [95% CI, 1.24-2.12]), and for patients receiving higher cumulative olmesartan doses (1.78 [95% CI, 1.33-2.37]).

CONCLUSIONS

This large-scale, multi-database study found a higher rate of enteropathy in olmesartan initiators as compared to initiators of other ARBs, although the absolute incidence rate was low in both groups.

Deep sequencing reveals the molecular pathology characteristics between primary uterine leiomyoma and pulmonary benign metastasizing leiomyoma

PURPOSE

Pulmonary benign metastasizing leiomyoma (PBML), a rare condition of smooth muscle tumor, originates from women with a history of uterine leiomyoma (LM). Numerous genetic studies of uterine LM have been reported; however, there are few cytogenetic and molecular descriptions of PBML. Therefore, molecular subtyping is necessary to understand the pathogenesis of metastasizing sites.

METHODS

Driver gene exon-capture sequencing was performed on one patient's peripheral blood, paraffin samples from primary uterine LM, and lung metastasizing leiomyoma 8 years later.

RESULTS

The results showed that the same missense mutations of BLMH, LRP2, MED12, SMAD2, and UGT1A8 were concurrently mutated in the primary uterine LM and the PBML. Moreover, a splice mutation of PTEN (c.492+1G>A) was uniquely identified in the lung metastasis of the patient.

CONCLUSION

This study indicates that the metastatic lung lesions were derived from the same malignant cell clone of uterine LMs and later acquired the novel driver mutations in the evolution of the tumor. In addition, driver gene sequencing can discriminate somatic driver mutations as biological indicators of potential malignant leiomyoma and can identify pathogenic variation driver mutations, which could be used for individualized therapy.

[Relationship between Myofibril Fragmentation Index and Postmortem Interval]

OBJECTIVES

To study the relationship between myofibril fragmentation index （MFI） of human skeletal muscle and postmortem interval （PMI）.

METHODS

The protein concentrations of human right biceps brachii muscle and right quadriceps femoris muscle were obtained at different PMI, and detected at room temperature by biuret method. The MFI of skeletal muscle at 540 nm was measured by ultraviolet spectrophotometer. Regression analysis was performed with time of death as independent variable （x） and MFI as dependent variable （y）.

RESULTS

In early PMI, the MFI of human skeletal muscle increased obviously according to the prolongation of PMI, and peaking by 12 h and then tended to steady. Within 12 h after death, the regression equations of right biceps brachii muscle and right quadriceps femoris muscle were y=32.660+3.227 x（r=0.987 9） and y=32.380+3.495 x（r=0.983 9）, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

There's high correlation between MFI and PMI. Combining with forensic practice, MFI can be used for the estimation of early PMI （especially in 12 h）.

Direct observation of the topological spin configurations mediated by the substitution of rare-earth element Y in MnNiGa alloy

The evolution of topological magnetic domains microscopically correlates the dynamic behavior of memory units in spintronic application. Nanometric bubbles with variation of spin configurations have been directly observed in a centrosymmetric hexagonal magnet (Mn_0.5Ni_0.5)₆₅(Ga_1-yY_y)₃₅ (y = 0.01) using Lorentz transmission electron microscopy. Magnetic bubbles instead of biskyrmions are generated due to the enhancement of quality factor Q caused by the substitution of rare-earth element Y. Furthermore, the bubble density and diversified spin configurations are systematically manipulated via combining the electric current with perpendicular magnetic fields. The magnetic bubble lattice at zero field is achieved after the optimized manipulation.

BMI, Waist Circumference and All-Cause Mortality in a Middle-Aged and Elderly Chinese Population

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association of obesity and all-cause mortality in a sample of middle-aged and elderly population.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Information of participants was collected in the Dongfeng-Tongji study, a perspective cohort study of Chinese occupational population. The main outcome was risk of death after 8.5 years of follow-up.

PARTICIPANTS AND MEASUREMENTS

We examined the association of BMI, waist circumference (WC, and waist-height ratio (WHtR) with all-cause mortality in the Dongfeng-Tongji cohort study (n=26,143). Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for all-cause mortality. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curves and net reclassification improvement (NRI) were used to calculate the power of prediction models.

RESULTS

During a mean of 8.5 years of follow-up, 2,246 deaths were identified. There is a U-shaped association of BMI with all-cause mortality in the middle-aged and elderly Chinese population. Compared with individuals with normal BMI, underweight was positively (HR=2.16, 95% CI: 1.73, 2.69) while overweight (HR=0.75, 95% CI: 0.67, 0.84) and obesity (HR=0.67, 95% CI: 0.56, 0.79) were negatively associated with all-cause mortality after adjustment for potential confounders including WC. In contrast, WC (Q5 vs. Q1, HR=1.55, 95% CI: 1.29, 1.86) and WHtR (Q5 vs.Q1, HR=1.69, 95% CI: 1.40, 2.04) were positively associated with mortality after further adjustment for BMI (P trend < 0.001). Addition of both BMI and WC into the all-cause mortality predictive model significantly increased AUC (P =0.0002) and NRI (NRI = 2.57%, P = 0.0007).

CONCLUSIONS

BMI and WC/WHtR were independently associated with all-cause mortality after mutual adjustment. Combination of BMI and WC/WHtR improved the predictive ability of all-cause mortality risk in the middle-aged and elderly population.

[Forensic Psychiatric Assessment for Organic Personality Disorders after Craniocerebral Trauma]

OBJECTIVES

To explore the occurrence and the differences of clinical manifestations of organic personality disorder with varying degrees of craniocerebral trauma.

METHODS

According to the International Classification of Diseases-10, 396 subjects with craniocerebral trauma caused by traffic accidents were diagnosed, and the degrees of craniocerebral trauma were graded. The personality characteristics of all patients were evaluated using the simplified Neuroticism Extraversion Openness Five-Factor Inventory （NEO-FFI）.

RESULTS

The occurrence rate of organic personality disorder was 34.6% while it was 34.9% and 49.5% in the patients with moderate and severe craniocerebral trauma, respectively, which significantly higher than that in the patients （18.7%） of mild craniocerebral trauma （P<0.05）. Compared with the patients without personality disorder, the neuroticism, extraversion and agreeableness scores all showed significantly differences （P<0.05） in the patients of mild craniocerebral trauma with personality disorder; the neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness scores showed significantly differences （ P>0.05） in the patients of moderate and severe craniocerebral trauma with personality disorder. The agreeableness and conscientiousness scores in the patients of moderate and severe craniocerebral trauma with personality disorder were significantly lower than that of mild craniocerebral trauma, and the patients of severe craniocerebral trauma had a lower score in extraversion than in the patients of mild craniocerebral trauma.

CONCLUSIONS

The severity of craniocerebral trauma is closely related to the incidence of organic personality disorder, and it also affects the clinical features of the latter, which provides a certain significance and help for forensic psychiatric assessment.

Identification of odorant-binding and chemosensory protein genes and the ligand affinity of two of the encoded proteins suggest a complex olfactory perception system in Periplaneta americana

The American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) is an urban pest with a precise chemosensory system that helps it achieve complex physiological behaviours, including locating food and mating. However, its chemosensory mechanisms have not been well studied. Here, we identified 71 putative odorant carrier protein genes in P. americana, including 57 new odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) and 11 chemosensory proteins (CSPs). To identify their physiological functions, we investigated their tissue expression patterns in antennae, mouthparts, legs, and the remainder of the body of both sexes, and determined that most of these genes were expressed in chemosensory organs. A phylogenetic tree showed that the putative pheromone-binding proteins of P. americana were in different clades from those of moths. Two genes, PameOBP24 and PameCSP7, were expressed equally in antennae of both sexes and highly expressed amongst the OBPs and CSPs. These genes were expressed in Escherichia coli and the resultant proteins were purified. The binding affinities of 74 common odorant compounds were tested with recombinant PameOBP24 and PameCSP7. Both proteins bound a variety of ligands. Our findings provide a foundation for future research into the chemosensory mechanisms of P. americana and help in identifying potential target genes for managing this pest.

Impaired p65 degradation by decreased chaperone-mediated autophagy activity facilitates epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition

Aberrant activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) has been observed in a wide range of human cancers and is thought to promote tumorigenesis and metastasis. As a central component of NF-κB pathway, p65 protein level is tightly regulated and could be subjected to proteasome degradation. Here we demonstrated that p65 can bind to HSC70 with four consensus recognition motif in its RHD domain and be constitutively transported to the lysosome membrane to bind with lysosome-associated membrane protein type 2A and degraded within the lysosome in two epithelial cell lines, proposing that p65 can be degraded by chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA). Of great importance, there is a decreased CMA activity together with impaired degradation of p65 in a process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The resulted accumulation of p65 leads to higher NF-κB activity and contributes to the progression and maintenance of the EMT program. Taken together, our results define a novel regulatory mechanism for the important transcription factor p65, and these findings would shed new light on the inhibition of EMT, as well as metastasis of cancer cells.

Sirt1 mediates improvement in cognitive defects induced by focal cerebral ischemia following hyperbaric oxygen preconditioning in rats

Hyperbaric oxygen preconditioning (HBO-PC) has been proposed as a safe and practical approach for neuroprotection in ischemic stroke. However, it is not known whether HPO-PC can improve cognitive deficits induced by cerebral ischemia, and the mechanistic basis for any beneficial effects remains unclear. We addressed this in the present study using rats subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) as an ischemic stroke model following HBO-PC. Cognitive function and expression of phosphorylated neurofilament heavy polypeptide (pNF-H) and doublecortin (DCX) in the hippocampus were evaluated 14 days after reperfusion and after short interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of sirtuin1 (Sirt1). HBO-PC increased pNF-H and DCX expression and mitigated cognitive deficits in MCAO rats. However, these effects were abolished by Sirt1 knockdown. Our results suggest that HBO-PC can protect the brain from injury caused by ischemia-reperfusion and that Sirt1 is a potential molecular target for therapeutic approaches designed to minimize cognitive deficits caused by cerebral ischemia.

[The relationship between incidence of secretory otitis media and passive smoking in children]

Children with secretory otitis media are often the result of multiple factors. Recent epidemiological studies on its incidence have mentioned the effects of passive smoking on its incidence. This article explores the potential links between the two by summarizing relevant literatures.

[Effects of surgical and endovascular treatment of blood blister-like aneurysms of the internal carotid artery]

Objective: To explore the clinical characteristics, therapeutic methods and effects of blood blister-like aneurysms (BBA) of the supraclinoid segment of the internal carotid artery (ICA). Methods: A total of 40 patients with BBAs of the ICA treated at Department of Neurosurgery of West China Hospital between January 2010 and January 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. There were 14 males and 26 females with the mean age of 44.7 years (ranging from 25 to 64 years). There were 38 patients presented with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), and 2 patients were found incidentally with unruptured aneurysms in regular examination. Surgical treatment was performed in 22 patients, including direct clipping, clipping over wrapping and trapping. Endovascular treatment with single or multiple stents and coiling was performed in 18 patients. Clinical outcomes were assessed with modified Rankin Scale. The patients were followed up with CT angiography. Results: Direct clipping of BBA was performed in 18 patients, clipping over wrapping in 3 patients and trapping of ICA in 1 patient. Intraoperative rupture occurred in 5 patients. Postoperative cerebral infarction developed in 6 cases, 4 patients died. Single stent-assisted coiling was performed in 8 cases, and multiple stents with coiling in 10 patients. Procedure-related hemorrhage occurred in 2 patients, postoperative massive cerebral infarction developed in 1 patient with stent-assisted coiling. The follow-up time was 26.8 months (ranging from 6 to 72 months), among the patients with surgery, good results (modified Rankin Scale 0-2) were achieved in 16 patients; one patient was score 3, and the other was 4. In endovascular group, 15 patients had good results and one with mRS 4. Follow-up angiography revealed recurrence of BBA in 2 patients treated with stent and coiling, which was retreated with coiling. No recurrence was found in surgical group. Conclusions: BBA of the supraclinoid ICA is a specific and complicated intracranial aneurysm with high risk and complications no matter the treatment is surgical or endovascular, take proper operation methods could achieve satisfactory results.

Dengue virus infections among blood donors in Guangxi of China, 2013-2014

BACKGROUND

An unexpected, large dengue outbreak, spreading to 20 cities of Guangdong province, occurred in July 2014. Considering the overwhelming influence of this seasonal epidemic, whether this dengue virus outbreak has an significant impact on the blood donors of the ajacent areas in Guangdong requires at least a preliminary investigation. Liuzhou City of Guangxi was chosen as a good representative of the neighbouring geographical location of the dengue virus (DENV) outbreak areas in this research. We therefore investigated qualified blood donations during potential dengue epidemic seasons and thus provided critical information for public health and donation policy making.

METHOD

A total of 1685 donations from 2013 to 2014 were collected at the Guangxi blood centre. Anti-DENV testing was performed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Dengue IgG indirect ELISA and Dengue IgM capture ELISA were used to detect anti-DENV IgM and IgG. Repeat-reactive samples with ELISA test and 1685 donations with 421 pools were screened for dengue RNA by reverse transcription real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) using an in-house assay.

RESULTS

There was a total of 13 seropositive donors, including 6 IgM seropositive and 7 IgG seropositive. The total seropositive rate was 0·78%, with IgM 0·36% and IgG 0·42%. Seropositive donors were identified mostly between April and November, with a peak in November. .All samples in reactive pools and individual seropositive samples were negative in the follow-up RT-PCR test.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggested that the Guangdong dengue outbreak had limited impact on blood safety in surrounding areas under our current testing system.

[Patterns of recurrence in patients with stage Ⅲ thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after radical resection]

Objective: To evaluate the patterns of recurrence and their value on target delineation for postoperative radiotherapy (RT) in patients with stage Ⅲ thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after esophagectomy. Methods: 395 patients (302 male and 93 female) of stage Ⅲ thoracic ESCC after radical resection were enrolled in this study. Among them, 375 patients were treated with two-field and other 20 with three-field esopahgectomy. 97 patients were treated with surgery alone, 212 with adjuvant postoperative chemotherapy (CT), 56 with radiotherapy (RT) and 30 with CT plus RT. Diagnosis of recurrence was primarily based on CT images, some of which were biopsy confirmed. The location and patterns of tumor recurrence were analyzed. Results: The overall failure rates was 75.7% (299/395). Locoregional recurrence (LR) was found in 48.4% of the patients, distant metastasis (DM) in 16.2%, and LR plus DM in 4.3%. There were 208 patients occurred with LR, 26.9% (56) recurred in supraclavicular/neck (51 in supraclavicular), 69.7% (145) in mediastinum (88.7% in upper-mediastinum), and 19.7% (41) in upper abdomen (38 in para-aortic lymph node). Chi-square test and logistic multivariate regression analysis showed that TNM stage and adjuvant therapy were significantly associated with LR (P<0.05). Postoperative RT reduced LR (mainly LR in mediastinum), but postoperative CT did not decrease LR. Conclusions: The recurrence rate is very high in stage Ⅲ thoracic ESCC patients, LR is the main pattern of failure. TNM stage is one of the most important factors for LR. Postoperative radiotherapy can reduce LR but postoperative chemotherapy does not decrease LR. Upper-mediastinum is the most common site of recurrence, followed by supraclavicular and para-aortic regions; these areas should be considered as the key target of postoperative radiotherapy.

Evolution of the Reactor Antineutrino Flux and Spectrum at Daya Bay

The Daya Bay experiment has observed correlations between reactor core fuel evolution and changes in the reactor antineutrino flux and energy spectrum. Four antineutrino detectors in two experimental halls were used to identify 2.2 million inverse beta decays (IBDs) over 1230 days spanning multiple fuel cycles for each of six 2.9 GW_{th} reactor cores at the Daya Bay and Ling Ao nuclear power plants. Using detector data spanning effective ^{239}Pu fission fractions F_{239} from 0.25 to 0.35, Daya Bay measures an average IBD yield σ[over ¯]_{f} of (5.90±0.13)×10^{-43}  cm^{2}/fission and a fuel-dependent variation in the IBD yield, dσ_{f}/dF_{239}, of (-1.86±0.18)×10^{-43}  cm^{2}/fission. This observation rejects the hypothesis of a constant antineutrino flux as a function of the ^{239}Pu fission fraction at 10 standard deviations. The variation in IBD yield is found to be energy dependent, rejecting the hypothesis of a constant antineutrino energy spectrum at 5.1 standard deviations. While measurements of the evolution in the IBD spectrum show general agreement with predictions from recent reactor models, the measured evolution in total IBD yield disagrees with recent predictions at 3.1σ. This discrepancy indicates that an overall deficit in the measured flux with respect to predictions does not result from equal fractional deficits from the primary fission isotopes ^{235}U, ^{239}Pu, ^{238}U, and ^{241}Pu. Based on measured IBD yield variations, yields of (6.17±0.17) and (4.27±0.26)×10^{-43}  cm^{2}/fission have been determined for the two dominant fission parent isotopes ^{235}U and ^{239}Pu. A 7.8% discrepancy between the observed and predicted ^{235}U yields suggests that this isotope may be the primary contributor to the reactor antineutrino anomaly.