Socioeconomic inequalities in dental caries among 5-year-olds in four Chinese provinces

OBJECTIVE

To explore socioeconomic inequalities in dental caries among 5-year-olds in four Chinese provinces.

METHODS

This study used data from 1,732 children living in Guangxi, Hubei, Jilin and Shanxi who participated in the Third National Oral Health Survey in 2005. Questionnaires were completed by parents to collect information on family socioeconomic position (parental education and household income) and children's dental behaviours (toothbrushing frequency, sugar intake frequency and last dental visit). Children were clinically examined for dental caries, which was reported using the dmft index. Socioeconomic inequalities in children's caries experience were assessed in negative binomial regression models.

RESULTS

There were significant gradients in children's dmft by household income. Children's dmft increased from 2.63 in the highest income group to 4.70 in the lowest income group. However, parental education was not significantly related to childhood dental caries.

CONCLUSION

Clear social gradients in caries experience of deciduous teeth were found by household income but not parental education.

Pharmacovigilance in China: issues of concern identified through an analysis of the Chinese Adverse Drug Reaction Information Bulletin 2001 to 2014

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE

The Adverse Drug Reaction Information Bulletin (ADRIB), issued by China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA), is a major source of information on drugs causing safety concerns in China. As the publication is only published in Chinese, we undertook an analysis of the reports in the ADRIB since its first publication in 2001 to give international readers a better appreciation of the pharmacovigilance issues addressed.

METHODS

Every issue of the ADRIB was scrutinized, and the issues addressed as well as the drugs involved are summarized and discussed.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

From 2001 to 2014, 109 items of ADR information have been reported. The antimicrobial agents were most often the subject of discussion. There were 28 traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) discussed. Among the ADRs addressed, the adverse reactions of the skin and its appendages were most frequent. About two-fifths of the ADRs arose from the inherent properties of the active substance, and a majority of the ADRs were caused by off-label use, irrational drug combinations and misuse in special populations.

WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION

Many of the pharmacovigilance issues addressed were similar to those considered by Western Drug Regulatory Agencies. The pharmacovigilance issues relating to Chinese traditional medicines are less well addressed internationally, and these would be of particular value as the use of such medicines increases in the West.

Higher serum triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio was associated with increased cardiovascular mortality in female patients on peritoneal dialysis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

High serum triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) ratio has been found to be an independent predictor for cardiovascular events in the general population. We aimed to evaluate whether a high TG/HDL-C ratio was associated with an increased risk of mortality in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD).

METHODS AND RESULTS

In this single-center retrospective cohort study, 1170 incident patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD) from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2011 were recruited and followed up until 31 December 31 2013. The mean age was 47.4 ± 15.2 years, and 24.7% were diabetic. During a median of the 34.5-month follow-up period, 213 (18.2%) deaths occurred, 121 of which (56.8%) were caused by cardiovascular disease (CVD). The serum median TG/HDL-C ratio at baseline was 2.57 (range: 0.06-39.39). On multivariate Cox regression analysis, the highest quartile of the TG/HDL-C ratio (≥4.19) was associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio (HR) 1.98, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.17-3.36; P = 0.011) and CVD mortality (HR 2.28, 95% CI, 1.16-4.47; P = 0.017). For female patients, each one-unit higher baseline TG/HDL-C was associated with 13% (95% CI 1.06-1.22; P = 0.001) increased risk of CVD mortality, whereas such an association was not observed for male patients, (HR 1.00, 95% CI 0.92-1.08; P = 0.977).

CONCLUSIONS

A higher serum TG/HDL-C ratio was associated with an increased risk of all-cause and CVD mortality in PD patients. Moreover, the increased risk of CVD mortality was significantly higher in female than male PD patients.

Co-Extrusion Layer Multiplication of Rheologically Mismatched Polymers: A Novel Processing Route

Co-extruded films with up to 65 layers of two rheologically mismatched polymer systems – polystyrene/poly(methylmethacrylate) (PS/PMMA) and hard/soft thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) – were successfully produced using a combination of a 9-layer feedblock, low-pressure drop multiplier dies, and external lubricants. Formation of viscoelastic instabilities was studied using a custom visualization and by finite element method (FEM) simulations of a standard multiplier. The results showed that the flow inside the standard multiplier die is highly non-uniform, with severe gradients in shear and normal stresses and viscous encapsulation occurring mainly in the initial multiplication stages where there is enough material available in the low-viscosity layers to proceed with the encapsulation. To mitigate layer degradation the standard 2- or 3-layer feedblock was replaced with a 9-layer one, thereby decreasing the thickness of each layer at the end of the feedblock. Also, subsequent layering was performed using a low flow resistance die. This new multiplier die yields a more uniform flow profile and imparts a more homogeneous thermo-mechanical history on the melt which results in an improved layer stability. Simulations showed that in the standard die the second normal-stress difference (N2) responsible for elastic instabilities at the edges of the die are very high. These can be reduced by inducing slip at the wall resulting in be much improved layer uniformity and stability. This was accomplished experimentally via the use of external lubricants, and the resulting layered structure was indeed much better than was possible to achieve with the conventional multiplier dies.

Production of succinic acid from sugarcane molasses supplemented with a mixture of corn steep liquor powder and peanut meal as nitrogen sources by Actinobacillus succinogenes

The potential of using corn steep liquor powder (CSLP), peanut meal (PM), soybean meal (SM), cotton meal (CM) and urea as the substitute of yeast extract (YE) as the nitrogen source was investigated for producing succinic acid (SA). Actinobacillus succinogenes GXAS137 was used as the fermenting bacterium and sugarcane molasses was used as the main substrate. None of these materials were able to produce SA as high as YE did. The CSLP could still be considered as a feasible and inexpensive alternate for YE as the yield of SA produced using CSLP was second only to the yield of SA obtained by YE. The use of CSLP-PM mixed formulation (CSLP to PM ratio = 2·6) as nitrogen source produced SA up to 59·2 g l(-1) with a productivity of 1·2 g l(-1) h(-1). A batch fermentation using a stirred bioreactor produced up to 60·7 g l(-1) of SA at the same formulation. Fed-batch fermentation that minimized the substrate inhibition produced 64·7 g l(-1) SA. These results suggest that sugarcane molasses supplemented with a mixture of CSLP and PM as the nitrogen source could be used to produce SA more economically using A. succinogenes. Significance and impact of the study: Succinic acid (SA) is commonly used as a platform chemical to produce a number of high value derivatives. Yeast extract (YE) is used as a nitrogen source to produce SA. The high cost of YE is currently the limiting factor for industrial production of SA. This study reports the use of a mixture of corn steep liquor powder (CSLP) and peanut meal (PM) as an inexpensive nitrogen source to substitute YE. The results showed that this CSLP-PM mixed formulation can be used as an effective and economic nitrogen source for the production of SA.

Correlation between Serum Level of Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 and Postoperative Recurrence of Spinal Tuberculosis in the Chinese Han Population

Objective

To correlate serum level of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) with postoperative recurrence of spinal tuberculosis in the Chinese Han population.

Methods

Patients of Han nationality with newly diagnosed spinal tuberculosis were consecutively included in this study. At different time points postoperatively, serum level of MCP-1 was determined using an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Recurrence of spinal tuberculosis after surgery and during the follow-up period was recorded. The correlation between serum MCP-1 level and recurrence of spinal tuberculosis was analyzed.

Results

A total of 169 patients with spinal tuberculosis were included in the study and followed up for an average of2.2±1.3 years (range, 1–5 years). Of these patients, 11 had postoperative recurrence of spinal tuberculosis. The patients’ serum level of MCP-1 increased significantly after postoperative recurrence of spinal tuberculosis. Once the symptoms of recurrence were cured, the serum level of MCP-1 decreased significantly and it did not differ from patients without disease recurrence.

Conclusion

Postoperative recurrence of spinal tuberculosis is likely to increase the serum level of MCP-1.

Nicotine promotes Streptococcus mutans extracellular polysaccharide synthesis, cell aggregation and overall lactate dehydrogenase activity

Several epidemiology studies have reported a positive relationship between smoking and dental caries. Nicotine, an alkaloid component of tobacco, has been demonstrated to stimulate biofilm formation and metabolic activity of Streptococcus mutans, one of the most important pathogens of dental caries. The first aim of the present study was to explore the possible mechanisms leading to increased biofilm by nicotine treatment from three aspects, extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) synthesis, glucosyltransferase (Gtf) synthesis and glucan-binding protein (Gbp) synthesis at the mRNA and protein levels. The second aim was to investigate how nicotine affects S. mutans virulence, particular in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity. Confocal laser scanning microscopy results demonstrated that both biofilm bacterial cell numbers and EPS were increased by nicotine. Gtf and GbpA protein expression of S. mutans planktonic cells were upregulated while GbpB protein expression of biofilm cells were downregulated by nicotine. The mRNA expression trends of those genes were mostly consistent with results on protein level but not statistically significant, and gtfD and gbpD of biofilm cells were inhibited. Nicotine was not directly involved in S. mutans LDH activity. However, since it increases the total number of bacterial cells in biofilm, the overall LDH activity of S. mutans biofilm is increased. In conclusion, nicotine stimulates S. mutans planktonic cell Gtf and Gbp expression. This leads to more planktonic cells attaching to the dental biofilm. Increased cell numbers within biofilm results in higher overall LDH activity. This contributes to caries development in smokers.

Fractionation of oil sands-process affected water using pH-dependent extractions: a study of dissociation constants for naphthenic acids species

The fractionation of oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) via pH-dependent extractions was performed to quantitatively investigate naphthenic acids (NAs, CnH2n+ZO2) and oxidized NAs (Ox-NAs) species (CnH2n+ZO3 and CnH2n+ZO4) using ultra-performance liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-TOFMS). A mathematical model was also developed to estimate the dissociation constant pKa for NAs species, considering the liquid-liquid extraction process and the aqueous layer acid-base equilibrium. This model provides estimated dissociation constants for compounds in water samples based on fractionation extraction and relative quantification. Overall, the sum of O2-, O3-, and O4-NAs species accounted for 33.6% of total extracted organic matter. Accumulative extracted masses at different pHs revealed that every oxygen atom added to NAs increases the pKa (i.e., O2-NAs<O3-NAs<O4-NAs), indicating that the additional O atoms exist as -OH in O3- and O4-NAs. Molecule electron-withdrawing groups such as double bonds and aromatic groups, as indicated by higher carbon and -Z number, may be responsible for the lower pKa of O2-, O3-, and O4-NAs. The model obtained estimated pKa values of 3.5 for O2-NAs, 4.8 for O3-NAs, and 6.8 for O4-NAs via nonlinear regression curve fittings. These pKa values are valuable physicochemical parameters for environmental engineering applications targeting OSPW NAs treatment.

A multi-centre randomised trial comparing ultrasound vs mammography for screening breast cancer in high-risk Chinese women

Background:

Chinese women tend to have small and dense breasts and ultrasound is a common method for breast cancer screening in China. However, its efficacy and cost comparing with mammography has not been evaluated in randomised trials.

Methods:

At 14 breast centres across China during 2008–2010, 13 339 high-risk women aged 30–65 years were randomised to be screened by mammography alone, ultrasound alone, or by both methods at enrolment and 1-year follow-up.

Results:

A total of 12 519 and 8692 women underwent the initial and second screenings, respectively. Among the 30 cancers (of which 15 were stage 0/I) detected, 5 (0.72/1000) were in the mammography group, 11 (1.51/1000) in the ultrasound group, and 14 (2.02/1000) in the combined group (P=0.12). In the combined group, ultrasound detected all the 14 cancers, whereas mammography detected 8, making ultrasound more sensitive (100 vs 57.1%, P=0.04) with a better diagnostic accuracy (0.999 vs 0.766, P=0.01). There was no difference between mammography and ultrasound in specificity (100 vs 99.9%, P=0.51) and positive predictive value (72.7 vs 70.0% P=0.87). To detect one cancer, the costs of ultrasound, mammography, and combined modality were $7876, $45 253, and $21 599, respectively.

Conclusions:

Ultrasound is superior to mammography for breast cancer screening in high-risk Chinese women.

Characterizations of four toll-like receptor 4s in grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idellus and their response to grass carp reovirus infection and lipopolysaccharide stimulation

In this study, the subcellular localization, tissue distribution and response to grass carp reovirus (GCRV) infection and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation of four grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idellus toll-like receptor 4 (tlr4) genes were investigated. All four genes were constitutively expressed in all tissues studied, but the subcellular localization and tissue exhibiting the highest expression differed for each protein. Following GCRV infection, all the four tlr4s were upregulated in all tissues examined, and stimulation of C. idellus kidney (CIK) cells with LPS resulted in downregulation of all four tlr4s. These results provide a foundation for further investigation of tlr4 genes in bony fishes.

The value of adding transcutaneous neuromuscular electrical stimulation (VitalStim) to traditional therapy for post-stroke dysphagia: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Dysphagia is not uncommon after stroke. Dysphagia may delay the functional recovery and substantially affects the quality of life after stroke, mainly if lest untreated. To detect and treat dysphagia as early as possible is critical for patients' recovery after stroke. Electrical stimulation has been reported as a treatment for pharyngeal dysphagia in recent studies, but the therapeutic effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (VitalStim®) therapy lacks convincing supporting evidence, needs further clinical investigation.

AIM

To investigate the effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (VitalStim®) and traditional swallowing therapy on recovery of swallowing difficulties after stroke.

DESIGN

Randomized controlled trial.

SETTING

University hospital.

POPULATION

135 stroke patients who had a diagnosis of dysphagia at the age between 50-80.

METHODS

135 subjects were randomly divided into three groups: traditional swallowing therapy (N. = 45), VitalStim® therapy (N. = 45), and VitalStim® therapy plus traditional swallowing therapy (N. = 45). The traditional swallowing therapy included basic training and direct food intake training. Electrical stimulation was applied by an occupational therapist, using a modified hand-held battery-powered electrical stimulator (VitalStim® Dual Channel Unit and electrodes, Chattanooga Group, Hixson, TN, USA). Surface electromyography (sEMG), the Standardized Swallowing Assessment (SSA), Videofluoroscopic Swallowing Study (VFSS) and visual analog scale (VAS) were used to assess swallowing function before and 4 weeks after the treatment.

RESULTS

The study included 118 subjects with dysphagia, 40 in the traditional swallowing therapy group and VitalStim® therapy group, 38 in the VitalStim and traditional swallowing therapy group. There were significant differences in sEMG value, SSA and VFSS scores in each group after the treatment (P < 0.001). After 4-week treatment, sEMG value (917.1 ± 91.2), SSA value (21.8 ± 3.5), oral transit time (0.4 ± 0.1) and pharyngeal transit time (0.8 ± 0.1) were significantly improved in the VitalStim® and traditional swallowing therapy group than the other two groups (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Data suggest that VitalStim® therapy coupled with traditional swallowing therapy may be beneficial for post-stroke dysphagia.

CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT

VitalStim® therapy coupled with traditional swallowing therapy can improve functional recovery for post-stroke dysphagia.

Realization of controllable graphene p–n junctions through gate dielectric engineering

A novel step-dielectric design to modulate the doping profile in monolayer graphene is proposed, and junction formation with appreciable abruptness and excellent controllability are verified.

Direct growth of NiCo2Sx nanostructures on stainless steel with enhanced electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation

NiCo₂S_x nanostructures were directly synthesized on stainless steel and used for binder free high activity non-platinum methanol oxidation electrocatalyst.

Effects of Nicotine on Streptococcus gordonii Growth, Biofilm Formation, and Cell Aggregation

Streptococcus gordonii is a commensal species of human oral flora. It initiates dental biofilm formation and provides binding sites for later colonizers to attach to and generate mature biofilm. Smoking is the second highest risk factor for periodontal disease, and cigarette smoke extract has been reported to facilitate Porphyromonas gingivalis-S. gordonii dual-species biofilm formation. Our hypothesis is that nicotine, one of the most important and active components of tobacco, stimulates S. gordonii multiplication and aggregation. In the present study, S. gordonii planktonic cell growth (kinetic absorbance and CFU), biofilm formation (crystal violet stain and confocal laser scanning microscopy [CLSM]), aggregation with/without sucrose, and 11 genes that encode binding proteins or regulators of gene expression were investigated. Results demonstrated planktonic cell growth was stimulated by 1 to 4 mg/ml nicotine treatment. Biofilm formation was increased at 0.5 to 4 mg/ml nicotine. CLSM indicated bacterial cell mass was increased by 2 and 4 mg/ml nicotine, but biofilm extracellular polysaccharide was not significantly affected by nicotine. Cell aggregation was upregulated by 4, 8, and 16 mg/ml nicotine with sucrose and by 16 mg/ml nicotine without sucrose. Quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR indicated S. gordonii abpA, scaA, ccpA, and srtA were upregulated in planktonic cells by 2 mg/ml nicotine. In conclusion, nicotine stimulates S. gordonii planktonic cell growth, biofilm formation, aggregation, and gene expression of binding proteins. Those effects may promote later pathogen attachment to tooth surfaces, the accumulation of tooth calculus, and the development of periodontal disease in cigarette smokers.

The spatial clustering of obesity: does the built environment matter?

BACKGROUND

Obesity rates in the USA show distinct geographical patterns. The present study used spatial cluster detection methods and individual-level data to locate obesity clusters and to analyse them in relation to the neighbourhood built environment.

METHODS

The 2008-2009 Seattle Obesity Study provided data on the self-reported height, weight, and sociodemographic characteristics of 1602 King County adults. Home addresses were geocoded. Clusters of high or low body mass index were identified using Anselin's Local Moran's I and a spatial scan statistic with regression models that searched for unmeasured neighbourhood-level factors from residuals, adjusting for measured individual-level covariates. Spatially continuous values of objectively measured features of the local neighbourhood built environment (SmartMaps) were constructed for seven variables obtained from tax rolls and commercial databases.

RESULTS

Both the Local Moran's I and a spatial scan statistic identified similar spatial concentrations of obesity. High and low obesity clusters were attenuated after adjusting for age, gender, race, education and income, and they disappeared once neighbourhood residential property values and residential density were included in the model.

CONCLUSIONS

Using individual-level data to detect obesity clusters with two cluster detection methods, the present study showed that the spatial concentration of obesity was wholly explained by neighbourhood composition and socioeconomic characteristics. These characteristics may serve to more precisely locate obesity prevention and intervention programmes.

Conduction control at ferroic domain walls via external stimuli

Intriguing functionalities at nano-sized domain walls have recently spawned a new paradigm for developing novel nanoelectronics due to versatile characteristics. In this study, we explore a new scenario to modulate the local conduction of ferroic domain walls. Three controlling parameters, i.e., external electrical field, magnetic field and light, are introduced to the 90° domain walls (90° DWs) of BiFeO₃. Electrical modulation is realized by electrical transport, where the mobility of 90° DWs can be altered by gating voltage. We further use the ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic coupling to reveal the inherent magnetism at the DWs. With an established magnetic nature, magnetotransport has been conducted to introduce magnetic controlling parameter, where a giant positive magnetoresistance change can be observed up to 200%. In addition, light modulated conduction, a core factor for multifunctional applications, is successfully demonstrated (current enhancement by a factor of 2 with 11 W white lamp). These results offer new insights to discover the tunability of domain wall nanoelectronics.

Disrupted topological properties of brain white matter networks in left temporal lobe epilepsy: a diffusion tensor imaging study

Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) is the most common drug-refractory focal epilepsy in adults. Although previous functional and morphological studies have revealed abnormalities in the brain networks of mTLE, the topological organization of the brain white matter (WM) networks in mTLE patients is still ambiguous. In this study, we constructed brain WM networks for 14 left mTLE patients and 22 age- and gender-matched normal controls using diffusion tensor tractography and estimated the alterations of network properties in the mTLE brain networks using graph theoretical analysis. We found that networks for both the mTLE patients and the controls exhibited prominent small-world properties, suggesting a balanced topology of integration and segregation. However, the brain WM networks of mTLE patients showed a significant increased characteristic path length but significant decreased global efficiency, which indicate a disruption in the organization of the brain WM networks in mTLE patients. Moreover, we found significant between-group differences in the nodal properties in several brain regions, such as the left superior temporal gyrus, left hippocampus, the right occipital and right temporal cortices. The robustness analysis showed that the results were likely to be consistent for the networks constructed with different definitions of node and edge weight. Taken together, our findings may suggest an adverse effect of epileptic seizures on the organization of large-scale brain WM networks in mTLE patients.

PTEN degradation after ischemic stroke: a double-edged sword

Tumor suppressor phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is highly expressed in neurons and PTEN inhibition has been reported to be neuroprotective against ischemic stroke in experimental models. On the other hand, PTEN deletion has been shown to lead to cognitive impairment. In the current study, we examined the expression and functions of PTEN in an ischemic stroke rodent model. We found rapid S-nitrosylation and degradation of PTEN after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. PTEN degradation leads to activation of Akt. PTEN partial deletion or PTEN inhibition increased the expression of GABAA receptor (GABAAR) γ2 subunit and enhanced GABAA receptor current. After cerebral ischemia, increased expression of GABAAR γ2 subunit was observed in the ischemia region and the penumbra area. We also observed PTEN loss in astrocytes after cerebral ischemia. Astrocytic PTEN partial knockout increased astrocyte activation and exacerbated ischemic damage. We speculated that ischemic stroke induced neuronal PTEN degradation, hence enhanced GABAA receptor-medicated neuronal activity inhibition which could attenuate excitotoxicity and provide neuroprotection during the acute phase after stroke, while inhibiting long-term functional recovery and contributing to vascular cognitive impairment after stroke. On the other hand, ischemic stroke induced astrocytic PTEN loss and enhanced ischemic damage and astrogliosis. Taken together, our study indicates that ischemic stroke induces rapid PTEN degradation in both neurons and astrocytes which play both protective and detrimental action in a spatiotemporal- and cell-type-dependent manner. Our study provides critical insight for targeting PTEN signaling pathway for stroke treatment.

Analytical and toxicity characterization of halo-hydroxyl-benzoquinones as stable halobenzoquinone disinfection byproducts in treated water

Exposure to chlorination disinfection byproducts (DBPs) is potentially associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer. Four halobenzoquinones (HBQs) have been detected in treated drinking water and have shown potency in producing reactive oxygen species and inducing damage to cellular DNA and proteins. These HBQs are unstable in drinking water. The fate and behavior of these HBQs in drinking water distribution systems is unclear. Here we report the high-resolution mass spectrometry identification of the transformation products of HBQs as halo-hydroxyl-benzoquinones (OH-HBQs) in water under realistic conditions. To further examine the kinetics of transformation, we developed a solid-phase extraction with ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (SPE-UHPLC-MS/MS) method to determine both the HBQs and OH-HBQs. The method provides reproducible retention times (SD < 0.05 min), limits of detection (LODs) at subnanogram per liter levels, and recoveries of 68%-96%. Using this method, we confirmed that decrease of HBQs correlated with increase of OH-HBQs in both the laboratory experiments and several distribution systems, supporting that OH-HBQs were more stable forms of HBQ DBPs. To understand the toxicological relevance of the OH-HBQs, we studied the in vitro toxicity with CHO-K1 cells and determined the IC50 of HBQs and OH-HBQs ranging from 15.9 to 72.9 μM. While HBQs are 2-fold more toxic than OH-HBQs, both HBQs and OH-HBQs are substantially more toxic than the regulated DBPs.

Proteomics reveal energy metabolism and mitogen-activated protein kinase signal transduction perturbation in human Borna disease virus Hu-H1-infected oligodendroglial cells

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A human strain of BDV (BDV Hu-H1) was used to infect human oligodendroglial cells (OL cells).

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Energy metabolism was the most significantly altered pathway in BDV Hu-H1-infected OL cells.

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The Raf/MEK/ERK signaling cascade was significantly perturbed in BDV Hu-H1-infected OL cells.

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BDV Hu-H1caused constitutive activation of the ERK1/2 pathway, but cell proliferation was down-regulated at the same time.

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BDV Hu-H1 manages to down-regulate cell proliferation, in the presence of activated but not translocated ERK–RSK complex.

Borna disease virus (BDV) is a neurotropic, non-cytolytic RNA virus which replicates in the cell nucleus targeting mainly hippocampal neurons, but also astroglial and oligodendroglial cells in the brain. BDV is associated with a large spectrum of neuropsychiatric pathologies in animals. Its relationship to human neuropsychiatric illness still remains controversial. We could recently demonstrate that human BDV strain Hu-H1 promoted apoptosis and inhibited cell proliferation in a human oligodendroglial cell line (OL cells) whereas laboratory BDV strain V acted contrariwise. Here, differential protein expression between BDV Hu-H1-infected OL cells and non-infected OL cells was assessed through a proteomics approach, using two-dimensional electrophoresis followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight tandem mass spectrometry. A total of 63 differential host proteins were identified in BDV Hu-H1-infected OL cells compared to non-infected OL cells. We found that most changes referred to alterations related to the pentose phosphate pathway, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, and glycolysis /gluconeogenesis. By manual querying, two differential proteins were found to be associated with mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signal transduction. Five key signaling proteins of this pathway (i.e., p-Raf, p-MEK, p-ERK1/2, p-RSK, and p-MSK) were selected for Western blotting validation. p-ERK1/2 and p-RSK were found to be significantly up-regulated, and p-MSK was found to be significantly down-regulated in BDV Hu-H1-infected OL cells compared to non-infected OL cell. Although BDV Hu-H1 constitutively activated the ERK–RSK pathway, host cell proliferation and nuclear translocation of activated pERK in BDV Hu-H1-infected OL cells were impaired. These findings indicate that BDV Hu-H1 infection of human oligodendroglial cells significantly perturbs host energy metabolism, activates the downstream ERK–RSK complex of the Raf/MEK/ERK signaling cascade, and disturbs host cell proliferation possibly through impaired nuclear translocation of pERK, a finding which warrants further research.

GOLPH3 is a novel marker of poor prognosis and a potential therapeutic target in human renal cell carcinoma

Background:

Golgi phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3) has been reported to be involved in the development of several human cancers. The present study was conducted to investigate the expression of GOLPH3 and its prognostic significance in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Meanwhile, the function of GOLPH3 in human RCC was further investigated in cell culture models.

Methods:

Expression of GOLPH3 was examined in 43 fresh RCC tissues and paired adjacent normal renal tissues by real-time quantitative PCR and western blotting. Immunohistochemistry for GOLPH3 was performed on additional 218 RCC tissues. The clinical significance of GOLPH3 expression was analysed. Downregulation of GOLPH3 was performed using small-interfering RNA (siRNA) in Caki-1 and 786-O cells with high abundance of GOLPH3, and the effects of GOLPH3 silencing on cell proliferation, migration, invasion in vitro, and tumour growth in vivo were evaluated.

Results:

Expression of GOLPH3 was upregulated in the majority of the RCC clinical tissue specimens at both mRNA and protein levels. Clinicopathological analysis showed that GOLPH3 expression was significantly correlated with T stage (P<0.001), lymph-node status (P=0.003), distant metastasis (P<0.001), tumour-node-metastasis (TNM) stage (P<0.001), and Fuhman grade (P=0.001). Expression of GOLPH3 was inversely correlated with both overall and recurrence-free survival of RCC patients. Multivariate analysis showed that GOLPH3 expression was an independent prognostic indicator for patient's survival. Knockdown of the GOLPH3 expression reduced cell proliferation, anchorage-independent growth, migration, invasion, and tumour growth in xenograft model mice.

Conclusions:

These results suggest that GOLPH3 expression is likely to have important roles in RCC development and progression, and that GOLPH3 is a prognostic biomarker and a promising therapeutic target for RCC.

Detection of tobacco-related biomarkers in urine samples by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy coupled with thin-layer chromatography

The nicotine metabolites, cotinine and trans-3'-hydroxycotinine (3HC) are considered as superior biomarkers for identifying tobacco exposure. More importantly, the ratio of 3HC to cotinine is a good indicator to phenotype individuals for cytochrome P450 2A6 activity and to individualize pharmacotherapy for tobacco addiction. In this paper, a simple, robust and novel method based on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy coupled with thin-layer chromatography (TLC) was developed to directly quantify the biomarkers in human urine samples. This is the first time surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was used to detect cotinine and 3HC in urine samples. The linear dynamic range for the detection of cotinine is from 40 nM to 8 μM while that of 3HC is from 1 μM to 15 μM. The detection limits are 10 nM and 0.2 μM for cotinine and 3HC, respectively. The proposed method was further validated by quantifying the concentration of both cotinine and 3HC in smokers' urine samples. This TLC-SERS method allows the direct detection of cotinine in the urine samples of both active and passive smokers and the detection of 3HC in smokers.

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi plasmid pR ST98 -mediated inhibition of autophagy promotes bacterial survival in infected fibroblasts

pR (ST98) is a chimeric plasmid isolated from Salmonella enterica serovar typhi (S. typhi) and mediates both drug-resistance and virulence of S. typhi. Autophagy has been recently reported as an important component of the innate immune response against intracellular pathogen. In this study, we investigated the effect of pR (ST98) on cellular autophagy, apoptosis and bacterial survival in infected fibroblasts. S. typhi strain ST 8 carrying pR (ST98) , Salmonella typhimurium strain SR-11 carrying a 100 Kb virulent plasmid, and avirulent S. typhi strain ST(10) without plasmid were tested in this experiment. Results showed that embryonic fibroblasts infected with ST(8) containing pR (ST98) had decreased autophagy accompanied by increased bacterial survival and apoptosis. Further study showed that autophagy inducer rapamycin reversed pR (ST98) -mediated inhibition of autophagy and reduced apoptosis in infected fibroblasts. Our data indicate that pR (ST98) can inhibit autophagy, thus facilitating S. typhi survival and promoting apoptosis of host cells. This study contributes to understanding the underlying mechanism of pR (ST98) -mediated virulence in S. typhi.

Occipital somites guide motor axons of the accessory nerve in the avian embryo

The accessory nerve (nervus accessorius) displays a unique organization in that its axons ascend along the rostrocaudal axis after exiting the cervical spinal cord and medulla oblongata and thereafter project ventrally into the periphery at the first somite level. Little is known about how this organization is achieved. We have investigated the role of somites in the guidance of motor axons of the accessory nerve using heterotopic transplantations of somites in avian embryos. The formation of not only accessory nerve but also the vagal nerve was affected, when a more caudal occipital somite (somites 2-4) was grafted to the position of the first occipital somite. Our study reveals that only the first occipital somite permits the development of ventral projection of accessory axons, a process that is inhibited by more caudal occipital somites.

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.

A new derivative of camptothecin, irinotecan hydrochloride (cpt-11) induces programmed cell-death in leukemia-lymphoma cell-lines

Irinotecan Hydrochloride (CPT-11) and 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN-38), which are both topoisomerase I inhibitors with potent antitumor effects in vivo and in vitro, were tested for the induction of programmed cell death (PCD) in leukemia/lymphoma cell lines. When the human T-cell leukemia cell line HUT-102 and the human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60 cells were exposed to CPT-11, PCD characterized by a DNA fragmentation ladder of 180-200 bp in agarose gel electrophoresis and loss of cell viability was induced. The PCD inducing activity of SN-38, an active metabolite of CPT-11, was much more powerful than that of CPT-11. Besides inducing PCD in HUT-102 and HL-60 cells, SN-38 also induced PCD in the human erythroblast leukemia cell line K-562, which was resistant to CPT-11. Induction of PCD by SN-38 and CPT-11 was dose- and time-dependent. PCD in HUT-102 cells induced by SN-38 was prevented neither by aurintricarboxylic acid (ATA), an endonuclease inhibitor, as determine by DNA electrophoretic profiles and the number of viable cells, nor by the protein kinase C (PKC) activator phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). The present data suggest that the topoisomerase I inhibitors, SN-38 and CPT-11 exert antitumor activity through induction of PCD in involved cells, at least in part. The PCD-inducing activity of the topoisomerase II inhibitor VP-16 was also tested in the above three cell lines and compared with CPT-11 and SN-38.