Objective To study the current situation of human brucellosis infection in a population at high risk in Qian'an,and to provide a scientific basis for prevention and control of the disease.Methods Towns with centralized residents working in sheep breeding,transporting,slaughtering and processing in Jianchangying,Muchangkou and Xiaguanying of Qian'an were selected.In each selected town,2-3 villages with relatively centralized households working in sheep farming,transportation and slaughtering were chosen.All of the people who contacted the sheep or their excrement were chosen as monitoring objects,and serological antibody was tested with rose Bengal plate test(RBPT) and serum agglutination test(SAT).Regional,gender,age and occupational distribution of brucellosis were analyzed.Results A total of 367 blood samples were tested,46 of them were positive in both RBPT and SAT with a ratio of 12.53％ (46/367).Male positive rate [13.51％ (30/222)] was slightly higher than that of females [11.03％(16/145)].The rate in Jianchangying was higher than that of other two towns with a ratio of 13.38％(40/299).The veterinary population had the highest ratio of 33.33％(1/3).Conclusions It is necessary to carry out the surveillance on brucellosis and to further strengthen communication with the animal husbandry department,and strengthen protection on key population.At the same time,in order to control the spread of the disease,extensive health education and intervention measures should be carried out.

OBJECTIVETo observe the regulative effect of opuntia powder on blood lipids in wistar rats and to explore its mechanism.

METHODForty normal rats were divided into four groups:control group (fed with basal feed), opuntia high, middle and low dosage groups (fed with basal feed and opuntia powder of high, middle and low dosage. The influence of opuntia powder on serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), arteriosclerosis index (AI), serum malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) were observed. (2) All of the hyperlipemia wistar rats for experiments were divided into four groups: model control group and other three groups (high, middle, low dosage groups respectively). Three weeks later, samples of blood were taken for survey of levels of TC, TG HDL-C, LDL-C, AI, MDA, SOD.

RESULTAfter opuntia powder treatment,the level of TC in nomal wistar rats was decreased. However, there was no significant difference comparing with control group (P > 0.05). The serum MAD level in the low, middle and high dosage groups were all obviously decreased, which were significantly lower than that in the control group. The SOD activities were all higher than that in the control group. The level of TC, LDL-C, AI (P < 0.01), TG (P < 0.05) were lower significantly in hyperlipemia wistar rats after treated by opuntia powder of high, middle and low dosage. The down-regulation of blood lipids was related with the dosage of opuntia powder.

CONCLUSIONThe opuntia powder may regulate the level of blood lipids in normal and hyperlipemia wistar rats. The effect is more obviously in hyperlipemia rats than that in normal rats.

Animals ; Cholesterol ; blood ; Cholesterol, HDL ; blood ; Cholesterol, LDL ; blood ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Female ; Hyperlipidemias ; blood ; Lipids ; blood ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; blood ; Mice ; Opuntia ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Powders ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Superoxide Dismutase ; blood ; Triglycerides ; blood

China ; Humans ; Maximum Allowable Concentration ; Occupational Exposure ; prevention & control

BACKGROUNDWe have recently reported that RhoA may regulate the invasion and metastasis of breast cancer cells as an upstream signal of ezrin in vitro. In this study, we examined the relationship of RhoA signaling activity with ezrin expression in breast cancer and its prognostic significance in patients with breast cancer.

METHODSParaffin tumor sections of breast cancer were collected retrospectively from 487 patients diagnosed between 2001 and 2004. Immunohistochemical methods were used to detect the expression of RhoA, phosphorylated (activated) RhoA, and ezrin.

RESULTSEzrin overexpression was detectable in 15.2% of 487 invasive breast cancers. The majority (85.1%) of ezrin-overexpressing tumors coexpressed phosphorylated RhoA; 78.8% of tumors with phosphorylated RhoA cooverexpressed ezrin. Patients whose cancers showed overexpression of ezrin or expression of phosphorylated RhoA had shorter survival rates.

CONCLUSIONSRhoA activation is important in human breast cancer due to its upregulation of ezrin; thus, agents that target phosphorylated RhoA may be useful in the treatment of tumors with ezrin overexpression.

Adult ; Aged ; Breast Neoplasms ; chemistry ; mortality ; Cytoskeletal Proteins ; analysis ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Phosphorylation ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Retrospective Studies ; Signal Transduction ; physiology ; Survival Rate ; rhoA GTP-Binding Protein ; analysis ; physiology

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVEThe role of adjuvant radiotherapy to the regional nodes in women with T1 to T2 breast cancer and one to three positive nodes is controversial. This study compared and analyzed the prognosis of patients with T1-T2 breast cancer with one to three positive nodes after modified radical mastectomy with or without postoperative radiotherapy.

METHODSThe cases of 434 women patients with T1 to T2 breast cancer with one to three positive lymph nodes after modified radical mastectomy were reviewed, of which 196 patients received postoperative radiotherapy and 238 patients did not. The ipsilateral chest wall and supraclavicular fossa were irradiated with doses of 46-50 Gy in 23-25 fractions.

RESULTSFor all patients, the 3- and 5-year rates of overall survival (OS) were 94.7% and 85.7% respectively, local control (LC) 96.5% and 95.6%;, and disease-free survival (DFS) 89.3% and 82.3% respectively. The 3- and 5-year OS rates for patients without radiotherapy were 92.7% and 97.1% and for those with radiotherapy were 82.4% and 89.2%, both with significant differences (P = 0.039). The 3- and 5-year LC rates for patients without radiotherapy were 94.8% and 98.4% and for those with radiotherapy were 93.6% and 97.7%, again with significant differences (P = 0.041). The 3- and 5-year DFS rates for patients without radiotherapy were 87.8% and 91.3% and for patients with radiotherapy were 78.5% vs 86.1% (P = 0.047).

CONCLUSIONSPostoperative radiotherapy confers better rates of OS, LC, and DFS in patients with T1 to T2 breast cancer with one to three positive nodes after modified radical mastectomy.

Breast Neoplasms ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; surgery ; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; surgery ; Carcinoma, Lobular ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; surgery ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Mastectomy, Modified Radical ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Neoplasm Staging ; Radiotherapy, Adjuvant ; Radiotherapy, High-Energy ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

BACKGROUNDThere has been an increase in the incidence of breast cancer in China, but no definite risk and protective factors for breast cancer have been identified in Chinese females. This study was designed to identify the risk factors for female breast cancer in North and East China.

METHODSA 1:3 matched, case-control study was conducted. All of the subjects in the case and control groups were selected from a previous epidemiological survey of 122 058 females aged 25 to 70 years. Single and multiple Logistic regression analyses were used to study potential factors in the development of breast cancer.

RESULTSSignificant differences at the level of α=0.20 between case and control groups were observed for the following factors: economic status, social status, family annual income, bean product consumption, body mass index (BMI), family history of breast cancer in the first or second degree, number of miscarriages, menstrual pattern, benign breast disease history, nipple leakage, inverted nipple, history of diabetes mellitus, history of hypertension, history of ovarian cyst, physical exercise, current and global quality of life satisfaction, healthy behavior and prevention, and scores of breast cancer-related knowledge. After Cox-regression model analysis (α=0.10), six factors were found to be significantly related to breast cancer, of which the ORs and 95%CIs were: BMI, 1.696 (1.169-2.460, P=0.005); benign breast disease history, 2.672 (0.848-8.416, P=0.093); family history of breast cancer, 7.080 (1.758-28.551, P=0.006); number of miscarriages, 1.738 (1.014-2.978, P=0.044); global quality of life satisfaction, 3.044 (1.804-5.136, P=0.000); healthy behavior and prevention, 3.294 (1.692-6.412, P=0.000).

CONCLUSIONSA comprehensive range of factors related to breast cancer was identified. Women should be educated about a healthy lifestyle, especially those with a family history of breast cancer or a personal history of benign breast disease.

Adult ; Aged ; Breast Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; Case-Control Studies ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors

BACKGROUNDPeople recently realized that it is important for artificial vascular biodegradable graft to bionically mimic the functions of the native vessel. In order to overcome the high risk of thrombosis and keep the patency in the clinical small-diameter vascular graft (SDVG) transplantation, a double-layer bionic scaffold, which can offer anticoagulation and mechanical strength simultaneously, was designed and fabricated via electrospinning technique.

METHODSHeparin-conjugated polycaprolactone (hPCL) and polyurethane (PU)-collagen type I composite was used as the inner and outer layers, respectively. The porosity and the burst pressure of SDVG were evaluated. Its biocompatibility was demonstrated by the 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazol)-2,5-diphenyl-2H tetrazolium bromide (MTT) test in vitro and subcutaneous implants in vivo respectively. The grafts of diameter 2.5 mm and length 4.0 cm were implanted to replace the femoral artery in Beagle dog model. Then, angiography was performed in the Beagle dogs to investigate the patency and aneurysm of grafts at 2, 4, and 8 weeks post-transplantation. After angiography, the patent grafts were explanted for histological analysis.

RESULTSThe double-layer bionic SDVG meet the clinical mechanical demand. Its good biocompatibility was proven by cytotoxicity experiment (the cell's relative growth rates (RGR) of PU-collagen outer layer were 102.8%, 109.2% and 103.5%, while the RGR of hPCL inner layer were 99.0%, 100.0% and 98.0%, on days 1, 3, and 5, respectively) and the subdermal implants experiment in the Beagle dog. Arteriography showed that all the implanted SDVGs were patent without any aneurismal dilatation or obvious anastomotic stenosis at the 2nd, 4th, and 8th week after the operation, except one SDVG that failed at the 2nd week. Histological analysis and SEM showed that the inner layer was covered by new endothelial-like cells.

CONCLUSIONThe double-layer bionic SDVG is a promising candidate as a replacement of native small-diameter vascular graft.

Animals ; Bionics ; Blood Vessel Prosthesis ; Cell Line ; Collagen ; Dogs ; Heparin ; chemistry ; Mice ; Polyesters ; chemistry ; Polyurethanes ; chemistry

Many epidemiologic and clinical studies have indicated that the frequency of breast cancer was lower in parous women than in nulliparous women. Moreover, the incidence of breast cancer has been reported to be lower in women with early childbirth than in women with late childbirth. To verify the effect of childbirth and the age at first childbirth on carcinogenesis and progression of breast cancer, we induced breast cancer by 7,12-dimethylbenanthracene (DMBA) in 120 female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, and divided them into control or experimental (DMBA-treated) nulliparous, early childbirth, and late childbirth groups to observe the incidence, latency, and size of breast cancer. Argyrophilic nucleolar organizer regions (AgNOR) count and the expression of C-erbB-2, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), Ki-67, and minichromosome maintenance protein 2 (MCM2) in breast cancer tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry. The breast cancer incidences were 95.0%, 16.7%, and 58.8% in the experimental nulliparous, early childbirth, and late childbirth groups, respectively (all P < 0.05). Between any two of these groups, the latency was significantly different, but tumor size was similar. AgNOR count and the expression of C-erbB-2, PCNA, Ki-67, and MCM2 were significantly higher in the experimental nulliparous group than in the experimental early or late childbirth groups (P < 0.05), but no significant differences were observed between the latter two groups. Taken together, the results suggest that childbirth, especially early childbirth, can reduce the incidence and postpone the onset of DMBA-induced breast cancer.
9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene ; Animals ; Antigens, Nuclear ; metabolism ; Carcinogens ; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic ; Female ; Ki-67 Antigen ; metabolism ; Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Minichromosome Maintenance Complex Component 2 ; Nuclear Proteins ; metabolism ; Parity ; Pregnancy ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen ; metabolism ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptor, ErbB-2 ; metabolism ; Tumor Burden

OBJECTIVETo identify risk factors associated with patients suffered multiple level osteoporosis vertebral compression fractures(OVCFs).

METHODSFrom March 2011 to March 2015, 199 patients suffered osteoporotic were classified into multiple level OVCFs group and single level OVCF group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to identify risks factors associated with multiple level OVCFs.

RESULTSAll the patients underwent OVCF, including 71 multiple level OVCFs and 128 single level OVCF. There were no differences in the age, gender, BMI, hypertension and diabetes between two groups. While multiple level OVCFs were associated with spinal deformity index SDI[(2<=SDI<4, OR=2.587, 95% CI(1.148, 5.828);SDI>=-4, OR=7.775, 95% CI(3.272, 18.478)], BMD[(T<-4.5SD, OR=2.608, 95% CI(1.038, 6.551)].

CONCLUSIONSSDI and BMD might be the risk factors for multiple level OVCFs.

Objective To better understand and measure the status of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, we conducted a sero-epidemiological study using the remaining blood samples and data of the nationwide survey of hepatitis B in Chinese residents which was carried out in 2006.Methods The anti-HCV reagent was screened out from the reagents by the HCV infection blood serum plate with anti-HCV positives or negatives. This plate recognized the Murex 3.0 and Ortho 3.0 reagents as gold standards. Anti-HCV in the blood samples were tested using this reagent and confirmed by Chiron HCV RIBA 3.0 reagents. Results Among the population aged 1 year to 59 year-olds, the overall prevalence rate of anti-HCV was 0.43％ (95％CI: 0.33％-0.53％ ), with the rates of anti-HCV among males and females as 0.46％ and 0.40％, respectively. The prevalence rate of anti-HCV in urban area was 0.43％,and in rural area it was 0.43％. The prevalence rate of anti-HCV in the Eastern, Middle and Western areas were 0.37％ (95％ CI: 0.21％-0.53％ ) , 0.67％ (95％ CI: 0.40％-0.94％ ) and 0.31％ (95％CI: 0.20％-0.42％ ) respectively. The prevalence rates of anti-HCV for the three areas did not show significant differences, statistically. The prevalence rate of anti-HCV in the South and North areas were 0.29％(95％CI:0.21％-0.52％) and 0.53％ (95％CI:0.38％-0.64％)respectively. Conclusion Our data revealed that China was in the low prevalence area for hepatitis C infection and the results also suggested that the comprehensive measures for HCV control and prevention had been successfully achieved in the country.