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.

Objective To explore the proliferation characteristics of primary small intestinal epithelial cells of tree shrews and the characteristics of human rotavirus(RV) G1P[8] infection to these cells,and establish a model of tree shrew primary small intestinal epithelial cells infected with human rotavirus G1P[8].Methods The primary small intestinal epithelial cells were obtained by collagenase Ⅺ and dispase I digestion from tree shrew.After purification and identification,the obtained primary small intestinal epithelial cells were infected with RV.Then,culture supernatants of infected cells were collected every 12 hours after infection.Viral titer and viral load were subsequently determined.Western blot and indirect immunofluorescence observation were used to detect the expression of RV protein VP6 in the primary cells.The infectivity of RV to the tree shrew primary cells was finally evaluated.Results After purification and identification of primary epithelial cells from the tree shrew,high purity above 90% primary tree shrew small intestinal epithelial cells was obtained.These primary small intestinal epithelial cells could be infected with RV virus by comparing the virus infectivity to primary renal cells,HCT116 cells and MA104 cells.The virus titer reached to 2.0×105TCID 50/mL at 72 h after infection.Using Western blot and indirect immunofluorescence observation,the specific viral protein of VP6 was determined to be expressed in the tree shrew primary small intestinal epithelial cells,and were located in the cytoplasm from days 1 to 5.Conclusions The separation,purification and cultivation methods of tree shrew primary small intestinal epithelial cells are successful,and the tree shrew model of RV-infected the tree shrew primary small intestinal epithelial cells is successfully established.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the predicators of survival and recurrence after curative resection for gastric cancer patients with serosal invasion.

METHODSClinical and follow-up data of 280 patients with T4a gastric cancer(according to the 7th UICC TNM Classification for gastric cancer) who underwent curative resection for gastric cancer between January 1997 and December 2003 were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTSFive-year survival rate of these 280 patients was 50.0% and 158 patients (56.4%) presented with recurrence after surgery. The 3-year disease-free survival rate was 57.5%. The number of lymph node metastasis and metastatic lymph node ratio(MLR) were identified as the independent predicators for overall survival(P<0.05). The extent of lymph node metastasis was identified as the independent predicators for disease free survival (P<0.05). The extent of lymph node metastasis, the number of lymph node metastasis, and MLR were identified as the independent predicators for recurrence after surgery(P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe number of lymph node metastases, extent of lymph node metastasis and MLR are independent predictors of overall survival and recurrence in T4a gastric cancer patients after curative resection.

Disease-Free Survival ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Survival Rate

Receptors play a crucial role in determining the host specificity and tissue tropism of virus. Foot-and-mouth disease virus(FMDV)has been showed to use four integrins, ?v?1, ?v?3, ?v?6 and ?v?8 as receptors to initiate infection and ?v?6 functions as the major receptor.The cDNA encoding bactrian camel integrin ?6 from the lung tissue was cloned and sequenced. The 2367bp cDNA of bactrian camel integrin ?6 encodes a polypeptide of 788 amino acids consisting of a 26-residue putative signal peptide, a 681-residue ectodomain with 8 potential N-linked glycosylation sites and 58 cysteine residues, a 29-residue transmembrane domain, and a 52-residue cytoplasmic domain with a NPLY motif and 1 potential N-linked glycosylation site. The nucleotide sequence similarity of integrin ?6 between bactrian camel and cattle, pig, sheep, human, mouse, Norway rat is 91.1%、91.8%、90.6%、90.5%、83.7%、84.1%, and the amino acid sequence similarity is 94.3%、93.4%、93.4%、93.7%、88.7%、88.6%, respectively. The bactrian camel ?6 gene exhibited the higher sequence homology with the ?6 gene of cattle, pig and sheep, indicating their close genetic relationships. It is possible that host tropism of FMDV may related to divergence in ?6 receptors among different species.

OBJECTIVETo compare the prognostic value of AJCC/UICC pN stage with metastatic lymph node ratio (MLR) and the prognostic difference between the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage and tumor-ratio-metastasis (TRM) stage in patients with adenocarcinoma of the gastroesophageal junction.

METHODSClinical data of 414 patients with adenocarcinoma of the gastroesophageal junction undergoing curative resection at the Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital from January 2000 to June 2007 were retrospectively reviewed. Spearman correlation analysis was performed to examine the correlations between pN, MLR and retrieved nodes. Univariate Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and multivariate Cox proportional hazard model analysis were performed to analyze the effects of pN, MLR, TNM and TRM stage on the prognosis of these patients. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was plotted to compare the value of these stages and to predict the 5-year survival rate.

RESULTSThe median number of retrieved nodes was 17 (4-71) per patient, and the median number of positive nodes was 4 (0-67) per patient. The number of metastatic lymph node was positively correlated with that of retrieved nodes (P<0.01), but MLR was not correlated with the number of retrieved nodes (P>0.05). Univariate and multivariate survival analysis showed that either pN or MLR could be used as an independent risk factor for survival (P<0.01) and the hazard ratio of MLR stage was larger than that of pN stage (1.573 vs 1.382). While pN and MLR were entered into the Cox hazard ratio model as covariates at the same time, MLR remained as the independent prognostic factor (P<0.01), but pN lost significance (P>0.05). The AUC of MLR and pN staging was 0.726 and 0.714, and of TRM and TNM staging was 0.747 and 0.736, respectively, however the differences were not statistically significant (all P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSMLR is an independent prognostic factor for patients with adenocarcinoma of the gastroesophageal junction. The value of MLR and TRM staging systems may be superior to pN and TNM staging systems in evaluating the prognosis of these patients.

Adenocarcinoma ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Esophagogastric Junction ; Female ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Lymph Nodes ; pathology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo compare the effects between felodipine plus irbesartan and felodipine plus metoprolol regimen on blood pressure and the sexual function in young and middle-aged hypertensive women.

METHODSIn this prospective, randomized, parallelized, controlled and fixed combined therapy trial, 99 female patients (aged 18 to 60) with grade 1 and grade 2 hypertension (BP ≥ 140/90 mm Hg and < 179/109 mm Hg, 1 mm Hg = 0.133 kPa) were assigned to felodipine 5 mg q.d + irbesartan 150 mg q.d (F + I group, n = 49) and felodipine 5 mg q.d + metoprolol 47.5 mg q.d (F + M group, n = 50) group. Target blood pressure was < 140/90 mm Hg. The female sexual function index (FSFI) questionnaire, levels of serum estradiol and testosterone were assessed. Female sexual dysfunction was defined as a FSFI score of less than 25.5. Patients were followed up for 24 weeks.

RESULTSThe rate of achieving blood pressure goal between 2 groups was similar at the 4th, 8th, 12th and 24th weeks respectively (42.9% vs. 62.0% at 4th week, 89.8% vs. 90.0% at 8th week, 93.9% vs. 94.0% at 12th week, 98.0% vs. 96.0% at 24th week, P > 0.05). Compared to baseline, scores for the items related to "desire" and "arousal" were significantly improved (P < 0.05), the level of the serum estradiol was significantly elevated [(50.3 ± 37.4) pg/L vs. (54.4 ± 10.8) pg/L before menopause, (18.4 ± 2.9) pg/L vs. (20.2 ± 3.1)pg/L after menopause, P < 0.05] and the level of the serum testosterone was significantly decreased [(722.8 ± 277.1) ng/L vs. (650.0 ± 156.0) ng/L before menopause, (841.2 ± 279.3) ng/L vs. (761.9 ± 197.8) ng/L after menopause, P < 0.05] in the F + I group, while scores for the items related to "sexual desire" and "lubrication" were statistically reduced (P < 0.01), the concentration of the serum estradiol was significantly reduced [(57.4 ± 9.7) pg/L vs. (51.1 ± 12.1) pg/L before menopause, (19.8 ± 2.3) pg/L vs. (17.8 ± 3.3) pg/L after menopause, P < 0.01] and the level of the serum testosterone was significantly increased [(775.6 ± 217.8) ng/L vs. (886.0 ± 186.4) ng/L before menopause, (812.5 ± 311.3) ng/L vs. (914.4 ± 300.2) ng/L after menopause, P < 0.01] in the F + M group. FSFI score was negatively correlated with age and systolic blood pressure levels.

CONCLUSIONfelodipine plus irbesartan or metoprolol for 24 weeks equally reduced blood pressure and the former regimen is superior to the latter on sexual function improvement in this patient cohort.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Antihypertensive Agents ; therapeutic use ; Biphenyl Compounds ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Felodipine ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; drug therapy ; Metoprolol ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological ; Tetrazoles ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the inhibiting effects and mechanism of achyranthes bidentata polysaccharide (ABP) and lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) on nonenzyme glycation in D-galactose induced mouse aging model.

METHODSSerum AGE levels were determined by AGE-ELISA, MTT method was used to determine lymphocyte proliferation, IL-2 activity was determined by a bioassay method. Spontaneous motor activity was used to detect mouse's neuromuscular movement, latency of step-through method was used to examine learning and memory abilities of mouse, colormetric assay was used to determine hydroxyproline concentration in mouse skin, pyrogallol autoxidation method was used to determine superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity of erythrocytes.

RESULTSDecreased levels of serum AGE, hydroxyproline concentration in mouse skin and spontaneous motor activity in D-galactose mouse aging model were detected after treated with ABP or LBP, while lymphocyte proliferation and IL-2 activity, learning and memory abilities, SOD activity of erythrocytes, were enhanced.

CONCLUSIONSABP and LBP could inhibit nonenzyme glycation in D-galactose induced mouse aging model in vivo and ABP has a better inhibiting effect than LBP.

Achyranthes ; chemistry ; Aging ; physiology ; Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Erythrocytes ; Female ; Galactose ; chemistry ; Learning ; Lycium ; chemistry ; Memory ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Motor Activity ; Polysaccharides ; pharmacology ; Superoxide Dismutase ; pharmacology

Aged ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prostatectomy ; methods ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; surgery

AIM To study the chemical constituents from the leaves of Castanopsis fordii Hance.METHODS The 80％ ethanol extract from C.fordii leaves was isolated and purified by Sephadex LH-20,MCI,silica and semi-preparative column,then the structures of obtained compounds were identified by spectral data.RESULTS Nine compounds were isolated and identified as quercetin (1),quercetin 3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (2),myricetin 3-rhamnoside (3),myricetin-3-O-(2"-O-galloyl)-α-rhamnopyranoside (4),quercetin 3-O-(2"-O-galloyl)-α-rhamnopyranoside (5),kaempferol-3-O-glucorhamnoside (6),3,5,7,3',5'-pentahydroxy-(2R,3R)-flavanonol 3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (7),astilbin (8),isastilbin (9).CONCLUSION Compounds 2,3 are isolated from this plant for the first time,compounds 1,4-9 are first obatined from genus Castanopsis.