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.

Molecular cloning and functional characterization of a glutathione S-transferase involved in both anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin accumulation in Camelina sativa (Brassicaceae)

Recently, we found that the Arabidopsis TT19 protein, a glutathione S-transferase, has two functional domains that influence both anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin accumulation. To further understand the function of this protein in the other species, we cloned a cDNA encoding a glutathione S-transferase (namely CMGSTF12) from Camelina sativa, an oil crop that has received renewed interest due to its biofuel value and high omega-3 levels. Southern blot analysis demonstrated one copy of CMGSTF12 in C. sativa. Transformation of the Arabidopsis loss-of-function tt19-1 mutant with CMGSTF12 cDNA complemented accumulation of anthocyanin in vegetative tissues and resulted in the wild-type level of proanthocyanidin (both extractable and unextractable) in seeds. No obvious flavonoid accumulation changes were detected in the transgenic seeds, indicating that CMGSTF12 may only involve the lower flavonoid pathway, further proving that the TT19 protein controls accumulation of unextractable proanthocyanidin.

Carcass and meat quality traits of four commercial pig crossbreeds in China

We evaluated carcass and meat quality traits of two Chinese native crossbreeds Landrace x Meishan (LM) and Duroc x (Landrace x Meishan) (DLM) and two foreign crossbreeds Duroc x (Landrace x Yorkshire) (DLY) and PIC (an imported five-way crossbreed). One hundred and twenty weaned pigs (half castrated males and half females) were reared and slaughtered at a predestinated slaughter age. The general carcass and meat quality traits were measured and analyzed. The DLY and PIC crosses had significantly heavier live weights (93.39 and 96.33 kg, P < 0.01), significantly higher dressing percentages (80.65 and 79.39%, P < 0.05), significantly bigger loin areas (42.69 and 43.91 cm(2), P < 0.001), and significantly more lean carcasses (65.78 and 66.40%, P < 0.001) than LM and DLM. On the other hand, LM had a significantly lower live weight (70.29 kg, P < 0.01), significantly thicker back fat (3.54 cm, P < 0.001), significantly less lean carcasses (46.82%, P < 0.001), and significantly less ham and breech (26.53%, P < 0.05) than the other crossbreeds. Among meat quality parameters, LM had the highest intramuscular fat content (5.02%, P < 0.001) and the smallest fiber area (3126.45 μm(2), P < 0.01). However, PIC showed the lowest pH(1) (5.82, P < 0.01) and pH(2) (5.63, P < 0.01), the highest drip loss (2.89%, P < 0.01), and the lowest intramuscular fat (1.35%, P < 0.001). We concluded that LM and DLM had good meat quality traits but poorer carcass traits than DLY and PIC; DLY had good carcass and meat quality traits; PIC had good carcass traits, but it had less intramuscular fat, lower pH and higher drip loss.

A comparison of the clinical characteristics of women with recurrent major depression with and without suicidal symptomatology

BACKGROUND

The relationship between recurrent major depression (MD) in women and suicidality is complex. We investigated the extent to which patients who suffered with various forms of suicidal symptomatology can be distinguished from those subjects without such symptoms.

METHOD

We examined the clinical features of the worst episode in 1970 Han Chinese women with recurrent DSM-IV MD between the ages of 30 and 60 years from across China. Student's t tests, and logistic and multiple logistic regression models were used to determine the association between suicidality and other clinical features of MD.

RESULTS

Suicidal symptomatology is significantly associated with a more severe form of MD, as indexed by both the number of episodes and number of MD symptoms. Patients reporting suicidal thoughts, plans or attempts experienced a significantly greater number of stressful life events. The depressive symptom most strongly associated with lifetime suicide attempt was feelings of worthlessness (odds ratio 4.25, 95% confidence interval 2.9-6.3). Excessive guilt, diminished concentration and impaired decision-making were also significantly associated with a suicide attempt.

CONCLUSIONS

This study contributes to the existing literature on risk factors for suicidal symptomatology in depressed women. Identifying specific depressive symptoms and co-morbid psychiatric disorders may help improve the clinical assessment of suicide risk in depressed patients. These findings could be helpful in identifying those who need more intense treatment strategies in order to prevent suicide.

Significance of CD4 T-cell adenosine triphosphate levels monitoring in elderly renal transplant recipients

OBJECTIVES

To find the significance of CD4 T-cell adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels in elderly renal recipients in correlation with drug doses, levels, and clinical parameters.

METHODS

Drug doses and levels, CD4 T-cell ATP level (162 sequential samples), and other clinical data were collected and assessed among 31 elderly renal recipients who underwent transplantations from November 2007 to March 2011.

RESULTS

Among subjects with stable clinical status, the main ATP levels pretransplantation were not significantly different from those posttransplantation: 302.4 ± 97.5 ng/mL versus 288.8 ± 102.6 ng/mL (P > .05). There was no relationship between ATP levels and tacrolimus concentrations or doses. In 12 patients experiencing infection, the ATP levels were significantly lower then those of subjects showing a stable clinical status: 127.3 ± 92.8 versus 288.8 ± 102.6 ng/mL (P < .01). Six patients with biopsy-proven acute rejection episodes did not show significantly higher ATP levels compared with those who were clinically stable: 26.2 ± 224.8 versus 288.8 ± 102.6 (P > .05).

CONCLUSIONS

CD4 T-cell ATP levels were valuable to monitor immunosuppression among elderly renal transplant recipients.

Evidence for the direct two-photon transition from ψ(3686) to J/ψ

The two-photon transition ψ(3686)→γγJ/ψ is studied in a sample of 1.06×10(8) ψ(3686) decays collected by the BESIII detector. The branching fraction is measured to be (3.1±0.6(stat)(-1.0)(+0.8)(syst))×10(-4) using J/ψ→e(+)e(-) and J/ψ→μ(+)μ(-) decays, and its upper limit is estimated to be 4.5×10(-4) at the 90% confidence level. This work represents the first measurement of a two-photon transition among charmonium states. The orientation of the ψ(3686) decay plane and the J/ψ polarization in this decay are also studied. In addition, the product branching fractions of sequential E1 transitions ψ(3686)→γχ(cJ) and χ(cJ)→γJ/ψ(J=0,1,2) are reported.

Observation of phonon sideband emission in intrinsic InN nanowires: a photoluminescence and micro-Raman scattering study

In this work, photoluminescence and micro-Raman scattering experiments were performed on undoped InN nanowires. It was found that, besides the main photoluminescence peak, a clear phonon sideband emission peak, with an extremely narrow linewidth ~9 meV, was measured. The phonon spectrum revealed by micro-Raman scattering indicates only uncoupled LO phonons are involved in such phonon sideband emission. The clearly resolved phonon sideband emission peak with a narrow linewidth, together with the uncoupled LO phonon modes, suggests the superior quality of the presented InN nanowires, i.e., extremely low residual electron density and the absence of surface electron accumulation, which is consistent with the physical properties of intrinsic InN nanowires as in the previous studies. The detailed phonon sideband properties are also discussed in the text.

Is premature ovarian ageing a cause of unexplained recurrent miscarriage?

Recurrent miscarriage is often unexplained. In our study, we test the hypothesis that unexplained recurrent miscarriage is associated with premature ovarian ageing by comparing the basal follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) level between women with recurrent miscarriage and a control group of subjects in two different ethnic centres: one in Guangzhou, China and the other in Sheffield, UK. The subjects were stratified into three different age groups, and all of them were under the age of 40 years. We found no significant difference in basal FSH level between the subjects and the control groups, and the proportion of women with high FSH (>10 IU/l) was higher in the Guangzhou cohort but not in the Sheffield cohort. Our observation suggests that premature ovarian ageing is not a significant contributory factor of recurrent miscarriage, but a study on the ethnic variation in the aetiology of recurrent miscarriage is needed.

Dysregulation of transforming growth factor-beta 1 expression in N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine-induced rat esophageal tumorigenesis

Alterations in the expression of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) have been implicated for malignancies of both human and experimental animal models. To further investigate the role of TGF-beta 1 in chemically-induced esophageal tumorigenesis, the expression of TGF-beta 1 was analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (T-PCR) and immunohistochemical studies in N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine (NMBA)-induced rat esophageal tumorigenesis. We observed no significant difference in TGF-beta 1 mRNA levels between 25-week papillomas and normal rat esophageal epithelium. However, TGF-beta 1 mRNA levels were increased 2.9-fold (p<0.05) in 45-week papillomas induced by NMBA, when compared to normal rat esophageal epithelium. Immunohistochemical studies revealed a decreased intracellular TGF-beta 1 immunoreactivity in the papillomas when compared to the normal rat esophageal epithelium, indicating the existence of a discordance between TGF-beta 1 mRNA and protein expression. Furthermore, by immunohistochemical staining of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), a predominantely mutually exclusive staining pattern was observed for TGF-beta 1 and PCNA. These findings suggest that overexpression of TGF-beta 1 mRNA occurs late in NMBA-induced rat esophageal tumorigenesis, and the discordant mRNA and protein expression may result in tumor evasion from TGF-beta 1 controlled negative growth regulation, thus promoting tumor progression in this model.

[Growth inhibition of transfection of p16 gene to lung adenocarcinoma cell lines Anip973 and AGZY83-a]

BACKGROUND

To investigate the suppression effect of tumor suppressor gene p16 on lung adenocarcinoma cell lines.

METHODS

p16 expression vector was transfected into high metastasis lung carcinoma cell line, Anip973, and low metastasis lung cancer cell line, AGZY83-a. The suppression effects of p16 gene on cell growth was detected by cell growth curve, cloning efficiency assay, flow cytometry analysis and TUNEL technique.

RESULTS

Overexpression of p16 gene in Anip973 and AGZY83-a could only lead the cells to arrest at G1 phase, but had no effects on cell growth curves, colony for mation rate and apoptosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Overexpression of p16 in Anip973 and AGZY83-a can not suppress the growth of the tumor cells.

Accelerated cellular senescence in solid tumor therapy

Accelerated cellular senescence (ACS) is an emerging concept that implicates sustained, telomere-independent cell cycle arrest of neoplastic cells in response to chemotherapeutic agents, ionizing radiation, oxidative stress, or the presence of selective oncogenic stimuli. Recent evidence suggests that a subset of tumor cells induced in a state of reversible ACS can escape cell cycle arrest and resume proliferation accounting for cancer progression. The purpose of this review is to describe our current understanding of ACS including signaling pathways of senescence escape, role of senescence biomarkers, and rationale for senescence-based therapy. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Apoptosis: Four Decades Later".