Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human ; blood ; Down Syndrome ; blood ; diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Twin ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; alpha-Fetoproteins ; metabolism

Cofactor engineering, a vital part of metabolism engineering, changes the redox cofactor regeneration approach. Its main goal is to rebuild the components of metabolic products. The bioconversion of xylose for the production of ethanol is being studied intensively because ethanol is an alternative energy source and a potential liquid fuel. Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been traditionally used in producing ethanol from fermentable sugars but it cannot utilize xylose, only its isomer xylulose. Introduction of the xylose fermentation pathway from Pichia stipitis into S. cerevisiae enables xylose utilization in recombinant S. cerevisiae, but the ethanol yields of xylose fermentation with recombinant S. cerevisiae has been low and large amounts of the byproduct xylitol are produced. The major reason is that the catabolism of xylose with the fungal pathway leads an imbalance of redox cofactor. The process of the catabolism of xylose requires NADPH and NAD~+, both of which have to be regenerated in separated processes. More and more attention has therefore focused on the redox cofactor balance in S. cerevisia. The research progress of cofactor engineering to solve the imbalance of redox cofactor in xylose metabolism recombinant S. cerevisiae was introduced. This included expression of transhydrogenase, increasing the utilization of NADPH, and achieving the anaerobic reoxidation of NADH. Reversing the cofactor specificity of enzymes is another effective way.

Objective To investigate the trend of developmental expression of GluR2,subtype of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid(AMPA) receptor and synaptophysin(SYP) in the rat cochlear nucleus(CN) in different developmental stages,and explore the association of GluR2 expression with the development of synapse. Methods SD rats of 2,3,4,6,8 and 10 weeks old were selected,the expression of GluR2 and SYP in CN was detected with immunofluorescence histochemical method,and the association of them was explored. Results GluR2 expression was observed in all the neurons of CN in each postnatal groups.The expression was relatively weaker in the second and third week,became denser in the fourth week,reached the peak in the sixth week and then sharply decreased to the weakest in the tenth week.The expression of GluR2 was denser at granular cell layer,while weaker at molecular layer and multipolar cell layer in the dorsal CN.SYP expression was detected in all the neurons of CN in each postnatal groups.The expression was weakest in the second week,significantly denser in the fourth week,reached the peak in the sixth week,was then sharply decreased and stably maintained. Conclusion The expressions of GluR2 and SYP in the postnatal rat CN exhit an equally age-dependent tendency.The expression of GluR2 in the CN may be associated with the the maturation and function development of the CN.The different expression and distribution of GluR2 and SYP in the rat CN of different developmental stages may be involved in the development and plasticity of auditory center.

To observe the inhibitory effects of puerarin on angiopoiesis of endometriotic tissue, and to explore the regulatory effects of puerarin on tumor-related gene expression of endometriosis.

AIM:It has been recently proved that either decreased number or impaired function of CD4+CD25+regulatory T cells(Treg)can lead to immune dysfunction.Deeper knowledge of CD4+CD25+Treg cells is crucial for a better understanding of the pathogenesis of many diseases,such as autoimmune diseases,graft-versus-host disease,and allergic disease.This study is aimed to investigate the correlation of CD4+CD25+Treg cells in patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura(ITP)and to analyze the possible immunopathogenesis. METHODS:The experiment was conducted in the laboratory of Institute of Hematology,Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College from June to September in 2007.After the patients and their relative signed informed consents, peripheral blood was obtained from ITP patients(n=27)and health people(n=15)admitted in the Hematology Hospital,Peking Union Medical College.All patients accorded with the standards of ITP diagnosis and curative effect.The amount of CD4+CD25+ Treg cells in peripheral blood of normal controls and ITP patients before and after therapy was detected by flow cytometry.For those 23 patients who received effective therapy,blood before and after therapy were both obtained,the mononuclear cells(MNCs)were isolated from peripheral blood by density gradient centrifugation,then reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) was used to analyze the expression of Foxp3 mRNA. RESULTS:The amount of CD4+CD25+Treg cells and the ratio of CD4+CD25+Treg to total CD4+T cells in peripheral blood of ITP patients were obviously decreased than those of the controls(P0.05),but the expression of Foxp3 mRNA in CD4+CD25+ Treg cells was significantly increased(P

Accidents, Occupational ; Humans ; Hydrogen Sulfide ; poisoning

Objective:To evaluate the association of glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1 )polymorphism,smoking and alcohol drinking with oral cancer susceptibility in Asians by meta-analysis.Methods:A literature search of PubMed,Chinese BioMedical, Wanfang,VIP and CNKI databases from inception to July 30th,2013 was conducted.Crude odd ration (OR)with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI)was calculated.Results:27 case-control studies were assessed,and the results showed that the association be-tween GSTM1 null genotype and oral cancer susceptibility was significant in Asians (OR=1.31,95%CI:1.18-1.45,P<0.001), especially in South Asians (OR=1.35,95%CI:1.20 -1.52,P<0.001).Significant associations between oral cancer risk and smoking and alcohol drinking were found in East Asians (Smoking:OR=1.70,95%CI:1.36 -2.13,P<0.001;Alcohol drink-ing:OR=1.54,95%CI:1.24 -1.90,P<0.001).Conclusion:GSTM1 null genotype may be associated with increased oral cancer risk in Asians.Smoking and alcohol drinking confer significant susceptibility to oral cancer in East Asians.

Objective To observe the protection effects of sodium ?-aescinate(SA) on the nervous function in the rats with early spinal cord injury(SCI). Methods One hundred and twenty SD rats were randomly divided into four groups(n=30).Rats in the blank control group were performed laminectomy only,while those in the other three groups were injured at the level of Tl1 spinal segment by Allen's weight drop method(10 g ?10 cm) and immediately intraperitoneally given normal saline(5.0 mg/kg)(control group), SA(5.0 mg/kg)(SA group) and methylprednisolone(100 mg/kg)(MP group) once daily,respectively.After 8 h,24 h,96 h,7 d and 14 d,spinal cord function change of posterior limb were determined with Rivlin method.The rats were sacrificed and the injured segments were resected for pathological analysis. Results As time prolonged,the rehabilitation of spinal cord function with various degree could be observed in each group.Function rehabilitation was found among the rats in the control group,SA group and MP group 96 h after injury,and more rehabilitation was gained later in the latter two groups,while that was not the case in the control group.Rats in the SA and MP group gained more significant rehabilitation than those in the control group(P0.05).It was revealed by pathological analysis that no necrotic neurons was found in the blank control group,and the necrotic neurons in the SA group and MP group were significantly less than the control group at the same time points(P

Objective To introduce transfusion monitoring system to optimize nursing flow under field conditions.Methods The organization and arrangement of nursing staffs were optimized with high-precision droplet sensor and transfusion monitoring system.A post of caring nurse was added to execute mental healthcare of the patient.Results Humanistic care was carried out by the caring nurse with daily nursing completed,and there's no need for additional nursing staff.Conclusion The transfusion monitoring system is rapid in deployment and withdrawal,optimizes nursing flow and enhances nursing quality,and thus is worthy promoting widely.

Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to be involved in multiple biological pathways that can influence tumor progression and metastasis and they can serve as prognostic biomarkers in many cancers. The present study examined the prognostic significance of miR-215 in cervical cancer. The paraffin-embedded paired cervical scrape samples and tumor tissue samples from 302 patients with stage II cervical cancer were detected for the expression of miR-215 by using qRT-PCR. A miR-215-based classifier was established by using the Cox regression model. The prognostic and predictive accuracy of this classifier was determined in both the internal testing group of 138 patients, and the external independent group of 280 patients. Moreover, cervical cancer HeLa cells overexpressing miR-215 (HeLa-miR-215) were constructed and subcutaneously injected into the nude mice to examine the effect of miR-215 on tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. The results showed that the expression level of miR-215 was significantly higher in cervical cancer tissues than in paired normal tissues (P<0.0001). When patients were classified into high- and low-risk cancer progression groups according to miR-215 level, the 5-year disease-free survival in high- and low-risk groups were 43% (95% CI: 32.1-51.6) and 67% (95% CI: 48.6-77.3) (hazard ratio [HR] 2.02, 95% CI: 1.16-3.52; P=0.013) respectively. Moreover, the expression level of miR-215 was negatively associated with survival rate in patients at TNM stage T3 (HR: 3.317; 95% CI: 1.18-5.14, P=0.017) and TNM stage T4 (HR: 3.48; 95% CI: 1.49-4.45, P=0.008). Tumor volume in nude mice injected with HeLa-miR-215 cells was significantly larger than that in mice injected with control HeLa cells. It was concluded that the expression level of miR-215 is associated with cervical tumor progression and worse survival rate, suggesting that it may serve as a potential prognostic marker to identify patients at higher risk of recurrence.