Objective To examine the effect of eating behavior and dietary intake on the sleep quality of college students,and to provide basis for improving students' sleep quality.Methods College students from Hangzhou Normal University were randomly selected and they were investigated from October to November,2014.Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to measure the quality of sleep,and a self-designed questionnaire was used to measure eating behavior and dietary intake.Results A total of 588 college students were investigated.The average score of PSQI was 4.72 ±2.52,and 76 (12.9％) of the respondents have poor sleep quality.Single-factor analyses showed that sleep quality was not associated with gender,BMI,cigarette smoking and academic pressure,but was associated with peer effect,meal regularity,and frequency of fish and poultry intake (P ＜ 0.05).Multi-factor logistic regression showed that frequency of eating-out (OR =3.04,95％ CI:1.58-5.84;P =0.001,4 or more than 4 times vs.less than once per week) irregular dinner (OR =1.96,95％ CI:1.23-3.40;P =0.017,irregular vs.regular) and less fish intake (OR =2.48,95％ CI:1.27-4.85;P =0.01,less than once vs.2-3 times per week) increased the risk of poor sleep quality.Conclusion Eating behavior and dietary intake are closely related to sleep quality of college students and they should concern about meal regularity and nutrition balance.

Objective To investigate selcnium(Se) levels of environment and human body in Gaomi City and Zichuan District of Shandong. Methods Lijiaying Township in Gaomi City of Weifang City, Zhaili Township and Longquan Township in Zichuan District of Zibo City were selected. Two farming soil samples at different spot, local wheat and corn, residents nail samples from 3 to 4 families were collected in each natural village in the investigated towns. The contents of Se were detected by 2,3-diamino naphthalene fluorescence method. Results Se level of the soil, wheat, corn, and nails in Lijiaying [(0.054 ± 0.019), (0.022 ± 0.009), (0.018 ± 0.007), (0.365 ± 0.108)mg/kg] was significantly lower than that in Zhaili [(0.425 ± 0.080), (0.130 ± 0.043), (0.098 ± 0.026), (0.751 ± 0.134)mg/kg] and Longquan[(0.487 ± 0.153), (0.112 ± 0.030), (0.097 ± 0.029), (0.735 ± 0.145)mg/kg;P < 0.01]. In Lijiaying, Se was deficient in soil, wheat, corn(< 0.200, < 0.025 mg/kg), above Se deficiency diagnosis and below Se-adequate level in the nail, while in Zhaili and Longquan, the Se level in the soil (0.425, 0.487 mg/kg), wheat(0.130, 0.112 mg/kg), corn (0.098, 0.097 mg/kg), nails (0.751, 0.735 mg/kg) was adequate (≥0.400 mg/kg). Conclusions The external environment is Se-deficient in Lijiaying, Se-adequate in Longquan and Zhaili. The selenium level in human body is consistent with the external environment.

The mitochondrion is a particularly important organelle in eukaryotic cells. It contains its own genetic material and is coined as “the powerhouse of cells”. Mitochondria are involved in many cellular progresses such as cell signaling and metabolic homeostasis. Its dysfunction is linked to various human diseases, including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and diabetes. Mitochondrion has a unique DNA, a small size with 16 569 bp circular genome, encoding only 37 genes, which are key components of the electron transport chain (ETC) and translational machinery. Furthermore, the mutations of mitochondrion DNA correlate with some inherited disease such as Leber’ s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) and mitochondrial encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS). There are very few treatments to fully cure these diseases. As a result, researchers are interested in developing a wide range of methods to understand mitochondrial functions. In this review, we mainly focus on works in targeting mitochondrial DNA, including drug modification, material delivery and gene editing.

BACKGROUNDMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding regulatory RNAs whose aberrant expression may be observed in many malignancies. However, few data are yet available on human primary medulloblastomas. This work aimed to identify that whether miRNAs would be aberrantly expressed in tumor tissues compared with non-tumorous cerebellum tissues from same patients, and to explore a possible role during carcinogenesis.

METHODSA high throughput microRNA microarray was performed in human primary medulloblastoma specimens to investigate differentially expressed miRNAs, and some miRNAs were validated using real-time quantitative RT-PCR method. In addition, the predicted target genes for the most significantly down- or up-regulated miRNAs were analyzed by using a newly modified ensemble algorithm.

RESULTSNine miRNA species were differentially expressed in medulloblastoma specimens versus normal non-tumorous cerebellum tissues. Of these, 4 were over expressed and 5 were under expressed. The changes ranged from 0.02-fold to 6.61-fold. These findings were confirmed using real-time quantitative RT-PCR for most significant deregulated miRNAs (miR-17, miR-100, miR-106b, and miR-218) which are novel and have not been previously published. Interestingly, most of the predicted target genes for these miRNAs were involved in medulloblastoma carcinogenesis.

CONCLUSIONSMiRNAs are differentially expressed between human medulloblastoma and non-tumorous cerebellum tissue. MiRNAs may play a role in the tumorigenesis of medulloblastoma and maybe serve as potential targets for novel therapeutic strategies in future.

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Medulloblastoma ; genetics ; MicroRNAs ; genetics ; metabolism ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

The increasing incidence of obesity and diabetes has made diabetic kidney disease （DKD） the main cause of chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease. Despite current pharmacological interventions for blood glucose control and renin-angiotensin system inhibition， the risk of kidney disease progression and complications remains high. At present， the pathogenesis of DKD has been clarified to be related to chronic inflammatory response， oxidative stress， glucose and lipid metabolism disorders， and hemodynamic abnormalities. According to recent studies， the programmed cell deaths （PCD） of renal intrinsic cells such as pyroptosis and necroptosis play a key role in the occurrence and development of DKD. Pyroptosis and necroptosis， the two newly discovered routes of PCD， can protect the hosts from being invaded by microbial pathogens， but their dysregulation is associated with multiple autoimmunity and autoinflammatory responses. Pyroptosis and necroptosis are closely interlinked and cross-regulated. Different from apoptosis， these two cellular suicide mechanisms cause membrane rupture and release of cell contents through their respective gasdermin D （GSDMD） and mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein （MLKL）， with damage-associated molecular patterns （DAMPs） and inflammatory cytokines like interleukin-1β （IL-1β） involved to trigger inflammation， and chronic inflammatory responses are key factors leading to the progression of DKD. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has long been employed for the prevention and treatment of DKD and the resulting clinical outcomes are remarkable. TCM has been proved to exert a protective effect against DKD by affecting the expression of nucleotide oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3） inflammasome， receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 （RIPK3）， and MLKL. This paper reviewed the relationship of pyroptosis and necroptosis with DKD and its intervention with TCM.

Humans ; Neurons ; Olivary Nucleus ; Superior Olivary Complex

Astragalus polysaccharide(APS), one of the main active components of Astragali Radix, plays an anti-tumor effect by regulating the inflammatory microenvironment of tumors. Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles with a diameter ranging from 50 to 200 nm and carry several biological components from parental cells such as nucleic acids and proteins. When combined with recipient cells, they play an important role in intercellular communication and immune response. In this study, exosomes released from H460 cells at the inflammatory state or with APS addition activated by Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4) were extracted by ultracentrifugation and characterized by Western blot, transmission electron microscopy, and nanoparticle tracking analysis. The exosomal proteins derived from H460 cells in the three groups were further analyzed by label-free proteomics, and 897, 800, and 911 proteins were identified in the three groups(Con, LPS, and APS groups), 88% of which belonged to the ExoCarta exosome protein database. Difference statistical analysis showed that the expression of 111 proteins was changed in the LPS group and the APS group(P<0.05). The biological information analysis of the differential proteins was carried out. The molecular functions, biological processes, and signaling pathways related to the differential proteins mainly involved viral processes, protein binding, and bacterial invasion of proteasome and epithelial cells. Key differential proteins mainly included plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, laminin α5, laminin α1, and CD44, indicating that tumor cells underwent systemic changes in different states and were reflected in exosomes in the inflammatory microenvironment. The analysis results also suggested that APS might affect the inflammatory microenvironment through the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway or the regulation of the extracellular matrix. This study is conducive to a better understanding of the mechanism of tumor development in the inflammatory state and the exploration of the anti-inflammatory effect of APS at the exosome level.
Humans ; Exosomes/metabolism* ; Proteomics ; Toll-Like Receptor 4/metabolism* ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Astragalus Plant/chemistry* ; Lung Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Polysaccharides/metabolism* ; Tumor Microenvironment

Adolescent ; Androgen-Insensitivity Syndrome/genetics* ; Cytosine ; Female ; Guanine ; Humans ; Male ; Mutation ; RNA Splice Sites/genetics* ; Receptors, Androgen/genetics*

Androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS), an X-linked recessive genetic disorder of sex development, is caused by mutations in the androgen receptor (AR) gene, and is characterized by partial or complete inability of specific tissues to respond to androgens in individuals with the 46,XY karyotype. This study aimed to investigate AR gene mutations and to characterize genotype-phenotype correlations. Ten patients from unrelated families, aged 2-31 years, were recruited in the study. Based on karyotype, altered hormone profile, and clinical manifestations, nine patients were preliminarily diagnosed with complete AIS and one with partial AIS. Genetic analysis of AR gene revealed the existence of 10 different mutations, of which five were novel (c.2112 C>G[p.S704R], c.2290T>A[p.Y764N], c.2626C>T[p.Q876X], c.933dupC[p.K313Qfs*28], and c.1067delC[p.A356Efs*123]); the other five were previously reported (c.1789G>A[p.A597T], c.2566C>T[p.R856C], c.2668G>A[p.V890M], c.2679C>T[p.P893L], and c.1605C>G[p.Y535X]). Regarding the distribution of these mutations, 60.0% were clustered in the ligand-binding domain of AR gene. Exons 1 and 8 of AR gene each accounted for 30.0% (3/10) of all mutations. Most of the truncation mutations were in exon 1 and missense mutations were mainly located in exons 4-8. Our study expands the spectrum of AR gene mutations and confirms the usefulness of AR gene sequencing to support a diagnosis of AIS and to enable prenatal or antenatal screening.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Androgen-Insensitivity Syndrome/genetics* ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Genetic Association Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Mutation, Missense ; Phenotype ; Receptors, Androgen/genetics* ; Symptom Assessment ; Young Adult

This study was designed to establish a multiplex allele-specific polymerase chain reaction method for simultaneous identification of Dendrobium huoshanense, D. officinale and D. devonianum, which may resolve identification problems of caulis dendrobii. Internal transcribed spacer sequences and trnL-trnF sequences of the Dendrobium species were aligned by BioEdit software, then specific SNPs of the three species were analyzed for designing allele-specific primers and the multiplex allele-specific PCR reaction system was established. The different origin of Dendrobium huoshanense, D. officinale and D. devonianum was amplified and identified by the sizes of respective band. The results showed that 584 bp, 397 bp and 211 bp bands could be amplified by D. devonianum, Dendrobium officinale and Dendrobium huoshanense respectively, when the annealing temperature was 61 ℃ and the number of cycles was 35. The limit of detection (LOD) of D. devonianum and D. huoshanense were both 1.2 ng, while D. officinale was low than 0.24 ng. The detection limit of adulterates in D. devonianum, D. devonianum and D. huoshanense mixture sample was 1%, 1% and 5% respectively. This result suggests that the method of multiplex allele-specific PCR is useful to identify D. huoshanense, D. officinale and D. devonianum is accurate and specific.