Objective To investigate and evaluate the polymorphism distribution of arsenic(+3 oxidation state)methyhransferase(AS3MT)5'-UTR VNTR in Chinese populations.Methods Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood anti-coagulated with ACD of 1440 individuals in a standard phenol-chloroform protocol.The phenotypes of AS3MT 5'-UTR VNTR were determined by polymerase chain reaction(PCR)associated with agarose gel electrophoresis.Results Of the 1440 individuals,771(53.5%),426(29.6%),211(14.7%),16(1.1%)and 16(1.1%)were carriers of the V2/V3(AB/A2B),V3/V3(A2B/A2B),V2/V2(AB/AB),V2/V4(AB/A3B)and V3/V4(A2B/A3B)genotype,respectively.The AB(V2),A2B(V3)and A3B(V4)allele frequency was 41.9%,57.0%,1.1%respectively.The differences of AB(V2)and A2B(V3)allele frequency were all significant between the northern and southern populations respectively(χ2=23.39,χ2=33.28,P＜0.007).Conclusions In different regions the AB(V2)and A2B(V3)allele frequency is different,the AS3MT 5'-UTR VNTR polymorphism can be used to evaluate the susceptivity of arsenieosis.

Objective To understand the running status and distribution of water-improving pmjects in Anda city.Methods The running and management of the water-improving projects were investigated and located the position by Global Positioning Systerm(GPS)in Anda city.Results Among 317 water-improving projects,16.09%were either long-term projects or in poor management or had already stopped usage,77 projeets were broken,accounting for 24.29%;all inadequate supply of equipment and pipeline,83 projects had never been started,accounting for 26.18%;now,106 projects were running,accounting for 33.44%.In only 46 projects,the water fluoride concentration was lower than 1.00 mg/L,accounting for 14.51%,as a result 36 thousand people benefited.Conclusions The running status of water-improving projects was unacceptable,most of them stopped running and endemic fluorosis control was still severe in Anda city.

Objectives To screen the differentially expressed proteins in serum of population chronically exposed to arsenic in drinking water,thus to provide candidate protein biomarkers for arsenic exposure and arsenicosis.Methods Subjects were selected from the drinking water type of endemic arsenicosis areas in Shanxi province,China.Demographic characteristics,history of arsenic exposure,cigarette smoking,alcohol drinking,health and other information were collected using questionnaire.The subjects were divided into low-arsenic group (with arsenic in drinking water ＜ 10 μg/L),medium-arsenic group( 10 - 50 μg/L),high-arsenic group( ＞ 50 μg/L),and arsenicosis group(the drinking water with arsenic ＞ 50 μg/L was replaced by low arsenic water ＜ 10 μg/L).The number of cases in each group was 30.The arsenicosis patients were diagnosed according to “Standard of Diagnosis for Endemic Arsenism” (WS/T 211-2001 ).With the principle of informed consent,blood samples were collected.Differentially expressed serum proteins of different arsenic exposure groups and arsenicosis group were screened by two-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis(2-D DIGE),and further identified by mass spectrometry (MS).Results An average of (1299 ± 167) protein spots were identified in 6 gel images and 688 protein spots were discovered repeatedly in at least 5 gels.There were 33 protein spots differentially expressed among low-,medium- and high-arsenic groups P ＜ 0.01).Fifty four protein spots were significantly different among low-,medium-,high-arsenic exposure groups and arsenicosis group(P ＜ 0.01 ).Twenty five protein spots were selected for MS analysis,and13 protein spots were identified.Compared with low-arsenic group,the expressions of apolipoprotein A-Ⅳ,retinol binding protein,and estrogen receptor hypothalamic isoform in medium- and higharsenic exposure groups were down regulated,and the expressions of component 4A and 4B were up regulated.Compared with low-,medium- and high-arsenic groups,the expressions of beta-2-glycoprotein Ⅰ,Keratin 1,hemopexin,complement C1r subcomponent,and ficolin-3 in arsenicosis group were down regulated,and the expressions of pigment epithelial-differentiating factor,alpha-1-microglobulin and carboxypeptidase N catalytic chain were up regulated.Conclusions Chronic arsenic exposure can significantly change population's serum protein expression.Differentially expressed proteins in arsenicosis patients will not decline with the decline of arsenic in a short term.Whether or not the differentially expressed proteins identified in this study can be used as biomarkers for arsenic exposure and arsenicosis needs to be further verified.

OBJECTIVETo study the risk factors and abusers' characteristics on childhood sexual abuses among female students to provide reference data for preventive measures on child sexual abuse.

METHODSAnnonymous questionnaire survey of 701 adult female students in a college about their personal experience on childhood sexual abuses, their home conditions and abusers' characteristics.

RESULTSA total number of 701 female students were surveyed. 115 (22.11%) experienced non-physical contact sexual abuses before the age of 18, including 26 (3.71%) who suffered from attempted and 8 (1.14%) were forced with genital or anal sexual intercourse. 117 (16.69%) said they had suffered from sexual abuse before the age of 16. Most abusers were males (99.4%) and only a small percentage of them (3.2%) used violence. Most non-physical contact sexual abuses were from strangers (78.7%), while 71.3% of physical contact abuses were from acquaintances including 12.5% of them were teachers, 17.5% were neighbors and 21.3% were relatives. The risk factors of child sexual abuses were: frequent use of violence, bad hobbies and poor health conditions of parents, tight family relationships, and living in remarried families. Having well-educated fathers was a preventive factor.

CONCLUSIONStudies on childhood sexual abuses among females revealed that the incidents were not rare, and family environment played an important role.

Adult ; Child ; Child Abuse, Sexual ; statistics & numerical data ; China ; Family Relations ; Female ; Humans ; Risk Factors ; Students ; statistics & numerical data ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Universities

Objective To investigate the imaging findings of the lacerating injury of the lung. Methods Ten patients of lung lacerating injury were examined by X-ray and CT within 1—5 h after injury. X-ray(2—5 times)and CT(3—5 times)examinations were repeated for 7 patients.Results The lung lacerating injury involved 10 sides and 14 lung lobes(21 lesions in total)in the 10 cases,among which 1 case involved the right upper lobe with 1 lesion,2 cases in the right lower lobe with 2 lesions,1 case in the right upper and lower lobes with 2 lesions for each lobe,3 cases in the left lower lobe with 9 lesions,and 3 cases in both the left upper and the lower lobes with 7 lesions.The X-ray findings were cavity-like shadows with smooth margin in 9 lesions(9/21),and patchy shadows of fogging margin in 12 lesions(12/21).The CT imaging findings included 6 pulmonary hematomas(6/21),and 15 cavitary lesions with air-fluid levels (15/21).In the 15 cavitary lesions,CT revealed 14 single cavities and 2 small cavities within a big cavity. On dynamic follow-up observation,the cavity was the biggest in 1—5 h after injury,but the hematoma was the biggest in 2—3 days after injury.Hematomas tended to absorb slower than the cavities.After 16— 32 days,all lesions revolved into small patchy or stripe-like shadows with slightly increased density. Conclusion Cavitary lesion with air-fluid level is the characteristic imaging finding of lung lacerating injury.CT surpasses X-ray plain film in revealing the details of lung lacerating injury.

OBJECTIVETo survey the occurrence of childhood sexual abuses (CSA) among adult students and analyze the correlation between the sexual abuses and the results of Symptom Check-List-90 (SCL-90) test.

METHODSQuestionnaire survey of 1307 adult students (701 female students, 606 male students) in a college about their personal experience on childhood sexual abuses. The surveys were conducted anonymously. And SCL-90 test was carried out at the same time.

RESULTSA total of 1307 students were surveyed. 18.67% of them (female students, 155, 22.11%; male students, 89, 14.69%) experienced non-physical contact sexual abuses and/or physical contact sexual abuses before the age of 18 years, among whom 124 students (female students, 81, 11.55%; male students, 44, 7.26%) experienced physical contact sexual abuses, including 35 (26 female; 9 male) who suffered attempted genital or anal sexual intercourse and 11 (8 female and 3 male) were forced for genital or anal sexual intercourse; 13.70% (female 15.66%; male 11.44%) said they experienced sexual abuses before the age of 16 years. Of the boys, experienced sexual abuse 54.7% from age 12 to age 16 years. And among the girls sexual abuses tended to increase with their growth (results of tendency test: chi(2) = 33.5, P < 0.001). The abusers were mostly males; only a small percentage of them used violence; for most female students who experienced non-physical contact sexual abuses, the abusers were strangers (78.7%), while 71.3% of physical contact abuses were from acquaintances, 12.5% of them were teachers, 17.5% were neighbors and 21.3% were relatives. Of the male victims, 89.9% said they knew the abusers before the abuses happened, 14.6% (13 out of 89) of them were teachers, and neighbors constituted another 21.3% (19 out of 89). Students who experienced childhood sexual abuses got higher scores than the students who didn't have such experience in the nine basic symptom factors of SCL-90 and higher than normal model of national young group notably.

CONCLUSIONChildhood sexual abuse among students is not rare. The female students' incidence was obviously higher than that among the male students (chi(2) = 11.8, P = 0.001). About half of the abusers were the victims' close relatives, neighbors and teachers who live or study together with them. Personal experience of childhood sexual abuses may be one of the important factors influencing the victims' results of SCL-90 test.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Chi-Square Distribution ; Child ; Child Abuse, Sexual ; statistics & numerical data ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Sex Factors ; Students ; statistics & numerical data ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Universities

OBJECTIVETo investigate whether the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at -1082, -819 and -592 of interleukin-10 gene and its haplotype are associated with cachexia in patients with gastric cancer.

METHODSRadioimmunoassay was used to examine the serum levels of IL-10 in 223 patients with gastric cancer. The single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of IL-10 gene -1082G/A, -819T/C and -592A/C were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP).

RESULTSThe serum levels of IL-10 were significantly higher in patients with cachexia than those without (P < 0.001). An increased frequency of -1082G allele was noted in patients with cachexia (P = 0.049). The frequencies of -1082AG and -819CC genotypes were elevated in patients with cachexia than those without (P = 0.036, 0.024). In a logistic regression analysis adjusted for actual weight, carcinoma location and stage, the -1082AG genotype was associated with an odds ratio of 1.989 (95%CI, 1.041 - 3.802, P = 0.037), and the -819CC genotype with an odds ratio of 3.393 (95%CI, 1.298 - 8.871, P = 0.013) for cachexia. Furthermore, haplotype analysis revealed that G1082C819C592 haplotype was associated with a significantly increased risk of cachexia (OR = 2.21; 95%CI, 1.14 - 4.30; P = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONOur results suggest that the gene haplotype of IL-10 contributes to the occurrence of cachexia in patients with gastric cancer in Chinese population.

Aged ; Alleles ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Cachexia ; blood ; complications ; genetics ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Interleukin-10 ; blood ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Stomach Neoplasms ; blood ; complications ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the correlation between standardized uptake valus (SUV) of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18 F-FDG) of tumor at PET/CT examination and the expression of glucose transporter-1 (Glutl) and Ki-67 in esophageal cancer.

METHODS56 patients with esophageal cancer were evaluated with 18 F-FDG PET/CT examination before operation. The expression of Glut1 and Ki-67 antigen in the tumor tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry after operation.

RESULTS(1) Positive rate of Glutl and Ki-67 expression in esophageal cancer tissues was 100% , respectively. There was a positive correlation between the expression of Glutl and Ki-67 and the clinical stages and differentiation of the tumor. The more the tumor and the clinical stages were advanced and the lower was the tumor differentiation, the more Glutl and Ki-67 were expressed. (2) There were abnormal radioactive high uptake regions on PET/CT imaging of esophagus in the 56 patients, which were confirmed by pathology as the primary carcinoma. The SUV was higher than 2. 5. There was a gradually increasing tendency in SUV along with the lowering of the tumor differentiation and the advance of clinical stages. (3)There was a correlation between the expression of Glutl, Ki-67 and the SUV, the more Glutl and Ki-67 were expressed, the higher the SUV of tumor 18F-FDG at PET/CT examination was in esophageal tumor tissues.

CONCLUSIONThere is a widespread expression of Glutl in esophageal cancer tissues, and the SUV may be used to indirectly evaluate the proliferative capacity of esophageal cancer.

Adenocarcinoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Differentiation ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; pharmacokinetics ; Glucose Transporter Type 1 ; metabolism ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Ki-67 Antigen ; metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; methods ; Tissue Distribution ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; methods

Aged ; Coal Mining ; Drug Combinations ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Peroxides ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Pneumoconiosis ; complications ; drug therapy ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Urea ; administration & dosage ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo study the different proportions of intermediate epithelial cells in human prostate cancer tissue and their clinical significance.

METHODSWe performed immunohistochemical staining for Cytokeratin 5 (CK5) and Cytokeratin 8 (CK8) on 60 samples of human prostate cancer, determined the proportions of intermediate epithelial cells in the cancer tissue, and classified the samples into 2 types, one with a majority of intermediate epithelial cells (CaP-INT, n = 32), and the other composed mostly of luminal epithelial cells (CaP-LUM, n = 28). Then we compared the 2 types of prostate cancer in the expression of the androgen receptor (AR), age of the patient, serum t-PSA, prostate volume, Gleason score, clinical stage, androgen resistance, and incidence of distant metastasis.

RESULTSCaP-INT showed a significantly lower expression of AR ([24.42 +/- 11.41] %) and a higher incidence of distant metastasis (n = 14) than CaP-LUM ([77.21 +/- 10.22] % and n = 4) (P < 0.05). In the CaP-INT group, 6 of the 26 endocrinologically treated cases developed into androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC), while in the CaP-LUM group, only 1 out of 23 (P < 0.05). The former also showed remarkably higher clinical stages than the latter (P < 0.05), but no significant differences were found in age, serum t-PSA, prostate volume and Gleason score between the two groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONA higher proportion of intermediate epithelial cells may lead to increased invasiveness and metastasis of human prostate cancer.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cell Count ; Cell Differentiation ; Epithelial Cells ; classification ; pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prostate ; pathology ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; pathology ; Receptors, Androgen ; metabolism