Objective To investigate the value of human epididymis secretory protein 4 ( HE4 ) combined with CA125 assay in differential diagnosis of endometriosis cyst and ovarian malignant tumor.Methods The level of HE4 and CA125 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in the serum specimens of 46 cases in endometriosis cyst group,36 cases in malignant ovarian tumor group,60 cases in benign ovarian diseases and 50 women in healthy women group.Those results were shown with median level.The normal range were 0-150 pmol/L in HE4 and 0-35 kU/L,which either one was more than the threshold value defined as positive index.The sensitivity of assay was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve,the relation and value of HE4 or CA125 alone and combination assay in diagnosis of endometriosis was analyzed by Mann-Whitney U test and correlation analysis.Results (1) HE4:the median levels of HE4 were 52.4,51.0,50.0 pmol/L in group of endometriosis,normal control and benign ovarian tumor,which didn't show statistical difference.However,HE4 was 507.5 pmol/L inovarian cancer group,which was significantly higher than those of 3 groups (P < 0.05 ).(2 ) CA125:there were significant different in median level of CA125 was observed as 743.0 kU/L in ovarian cancer,84.9 kU/L in endoemtriosis,15.4 kU/L in benign ovarian disease,and 11.5 kU/L in healthy women (P < 0.05).( 3 ) The single assay:when compared with that in endometriosis group,receiver operating characteristic area under the curve( ROC-AUC) were 0.933 in HE4 alone and 0.821 in CA125 alone assay in ovarian cancer group.The specificity was 95% and the sensitivity was 79.6% and 49.0%.(4) The combination assay:when compared with those in endometriosis group,the ROC-AUC was 0.936,the specificity was 95% and the sensitivity was 81.0% in ovarian cancer.Conclusions Measurement of HE4 could be used in differential diagnosis of endometriosis cyst.And the combination of HE4 and CA125 assay could discriminate ovarian endometriosis cysts from ovarian malignant tumors effectively.

OBJECTIVETo examine the effect of particulate matter (PM) less than 10 microns in diameter (PM10) and ozone (O3) on daily mortality in Shanghai, China.

METHODSA generalized additive model with penalized spline function was used to observe the acute effect of PM10 and O3 on daily mortality.

RESULTSHigher PM10 significantly increased the effect of O3 on total mortality, and O3 also increased the effect of PM10 although the estimated increment was statistically insignificant.

CONCLUSIONOur findings provide further evidence for the effect of PM10 and O3 on daily mortality.

Air Pollutants ; toxicity ; China ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Mortality ; Ozone ; toxicity ; Urban Population

OBJECTIVE：To observe the antisepsis and anti-inflammatory action of Xiaoyan tablet.METHODS:Using physiological saline as control,the antiinflammatory effiects on the oncotic extent of the ear auricle of the mouse caused by xylene and swollen toes of rat caused by rat mucllago. and the antibiotic effects on staphylococcus aureus,beta hemolytic streptococcus,pneumococcus,bacillus influenzae were studied.RESULTS:The inflammatory effects of taking medicine group was dramatic compared with physiological saline group(P＜0.01).Its antisepsis action is equivalent to oral liquor of double coptis chinensis.CONCLUSION:The antisepsis and anti-inflammatory action of Xiaoyan tablet is better.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of ambient air pollution on human health and the subsequent disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost in Shanghai.

METHODSWe used epidemiology-based exposure-response functions to calculate the attributable number of cases due to air pollution in Shanghai in 2000, and then we estimated the corresponding DALYs lost in Shanghai based on unit DALYs values of the health consequences.

RESULTSAmbient air pollution caused 103,064 DALYs lost in Shanghai in 2000. Among all the health endpoints, premature deaths and chronic bronchitis predominated in the value of total DALYs lost.

CONCLUSIONThe air pollution levels have an adverse effect on the general population health and strengthen the rationale for limiting the levels of air pollution in outdoor air in Shanghai.

Air Pollution ; China ; epidemiology ; Environmental Exposure ; Health Status Indicators ; Humans ; Morbidity ; Urban Health

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relation between air pollution exposure and preterm birth in Shanghai, China.

METHODSWe examined the effect of ambient air pollution on preterm birth using time-series approach in Shanghai in 2004. This method can eliminate potential confounding by individual risk factors that do not change over a short period of time. Daily numbers of preterm births were obtained from the live birth database maintained by Shanghai Municipal Center of Disease Control and Prevention. We used the generalized additive model (GAM) with penalized splines to analyze the relation between preterm birth, air pollution, and covariates.

RESULTSWe observed a significant effect of outdoor air pollution only with 8-week exposure before preterm births. An increase of 10 microg/m3 of 8-week average PM10, SO2, NO2, and O3 corresponded to 4.42% (95%CI 1.60%, 7.25%), 11.89% (95%CI 6.69%, 17.09%), 5.43% (95%CI 1.78%, 9.08%), and 4.63% (95%CI 0.35%, 8.91%) increase of preterm birth. We did not find any significant acute effect of outdoor air pollution on preterm birth in the week before birth.

CONCLUSIONAmbient air pollution may contribute to the risk of preterm birth in Shanghai. Our analyses also strengthen the rationale for further limiting air pollution level in the city.

Air Pollutants ; adverse effects ; Air Pollution ; adverse effects ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Pregnancy ; Premature Birth ; epidemiology ; etiology

Objective Recent evidence points towards a close relationship between dysregulation of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) and carcinogenesis and progression of various tumors including gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of lncRNA DGCR5 in the gastric cancer tissue and plasma and its influence on the biological behavior of gastric cancer cells. Methods We collected tumorous and adjacent normal tissues from 96 gastric adenocarcinoma patients as well as plasma samples from 34 gastric cancer patients and another 34 healthy controls. We deter-mined the expression of DGCR5 by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR,analyzed its correlation with the clinicopathological features of gastric cancer,observed the apoptosis, proliferation and invasiveness of the gastric cancer cells after overexpressing DGCR5, and detected the expressions of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-associat-ed genes and proteins by Western blot. Results The expression of DGCR5 was significantly decreased in tumor tissue of the gastric canc-er patients as compared with that in the adjacent normal tissue,which was correlated with the advanced TNM stage and lymph node metastasis, and so was it in the plasma of the patients, which was also correlated with the TNM stage. The area under the ROC curve for the diagnosis of gastric cancer by the expression level of plasma DGCR5 was 0.722. Overexpressed DGCR5 induced significant apoptosis and inhibited the proliferation and invasion of gastric cancer cells,markedly promoted the expression of E-cadherin,and suppressed the expressions of N-cadherin,vimentin and Twist. Conclu-sion The expression of DGCR5 is significantly decreased in the tumor tissue and plasma of gastric cancer patients. The DGCR5 level in the plasma has a certain diagnostic value for gastric cancer. Overexpressed DGCR5 can reduce the proliferation and invasiveness of gastric cancer cells,increase their apoptosis,and inhibit EMT.

Tumor-associated macrophage promotes the progression of glioblastoma (GBM) by infiltrating into tumor tissue, yet its mechanism has not been fully elucidated.This paper aimed to investigate the mechanism of M2 macrophages in affecting the migratory capacity of GBM via secreting exosomes.Ultracentrifugation was used to extract exosomes; RNA sequencing was carried out to screen differentially expressed miRNAs; target prediction database was used to predict the possible target proteins of miRNA; Dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to verify the interaction between miRNA and target genes; and the proliferation ability of tumor cells was detected by subcutaneous xenograft model in nude mice.Results showed that tumor-related macrophages were mainly M2 macrophages, and that exosomes secreted by M2 macrophages could promote the migration of glioma cells.Meanwhile, exosomes secreted by M2 macrophages transported miR-1260b and affected the migration of glioma cells through directly targeted AJAP1, suggesting that exosomes secreted by macrophages could affect the migration ability of GBM through transporting miR-1260b.

BACKGROUNDCell transplantation has great potential for promoting endothelial repair and reducing the complications of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of transplantation of human umbilical cord blood endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) on injured arteries.

METHODSUmbilical cord blood mononuclear cells were obtained from post-partum lying-in women, and EPCs were isolated, cultured, expanded and identified by immunofluorescence. The carotid arterial endothelium of New Zealand white rabbits was injured by dilatation with a 3F balloon, and the EPCs were injected into the lumen of the injured artery in the transplanted group (n = 16), while an equal volume of phosphated buffered saline (PBS) was injected into the control group after balloon injury (n = 16). The animals were sacrificed after either 2 or 4 weeks, and the grafted cells were identified by double immunofluorescence staining with human nuclear antigen (HNA) and CD31 antibodies. Arterial cross sections were analyzed by pathology, immunohistochemistry and morphometry to evaluate the reparative effects of EPCs. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 mRNA expression were detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

RESULTSFluorescence-labeled EPCs were found in the neointima. The neointimal area and the neointimal/medial area ratio were significantly lower in the transplanted group than in the control group (P < 0.05). von Willebrand factor (vWF) immunohistostaining showed more VWF-positive cells in the transplanted animals than in the controls (8.75 ± 2.92 vs. 4.50 ± 1.77, P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the transplanted group had lower expression of PCNA mRNA (0.67 ± 0.11 vs. 1.25 ± 0.40, P < 0.01) and higher expression of TGF-β1 mRNA (1.10 ± 0.21 vs. 0.82 ± 0.07, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSEPCs derived from human umbilical cord blood were successfully transplanted into injured vessels. The transplanted EPCs inhibited neointimal hyperplasia and promoted vascular re-endothelialization.

Animals ; Carotid Artery Injuries ; immunology ; pathology ; therapy ; Cell Differentiation ; Cells, Cultured ; Cytokines ; genetics ; Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; physiology ; Fetal Blood ; cytology ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Male ; Neointima ; pathology ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen ; genetics ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Rabbits ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; genetics

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of the metformin on the formation of hepatic fibrosis in type 2 diabetic rats and discuss its mechanism of liver-protecting activity. After SD rats were fed with high-fat and high-sucrose diet for four weeks, low-dose streptozotocin (STZ) was injected intraperitoneally to make the animal mode of type 2 diabetes. Then, all diabetic rats was fed with the high-fat diet and metformin (ig, 100 mg x kg(-1)) was given orally to metformin group for four months. After the last administration, fasting blood glucose was determined. The livers were removed to calculate the hepatic coefficient and to make HE and Picro acid-Sirius red staining, immunohistochemistry (alpha-SMA and TGFbeta1) and TUNEL staining in order to evaluate the effect of metformin on the hepatic fibrosis. The animal model of type 2 diabetes with hepatic fibrosis was successfully made. Metformin can significantly alleviate the lesions of hepatic steatosis and fibrosis, markedly reduce the expressions of alpha-SMA and TGFbeta1 in liver tissue of type 2 diabetic rats. However, TUNEL staining result suggested that metformin could not reduce apoptosis of hepatocytes. The results suggest that metformin can inhibit the formation of hepatic fibrosis in type 2 diabetes.
Actins ; metabolism ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Blood Glucose ; metabolism ; Body Weight ; drug effects ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; drug therapy ; etiology ; metabolism ; pathology ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; drug therapy ; etiology ; metabolism ; pathology ; Diet, High-Fat ; Female ; Hepatocytes ; pathology ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Liver ; metabolism ; pathology ; Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Metformin ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Streptozocin ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; metabolism

Objective To investigate the status of endemic fluorosis in Boxing County in Shandong Province at present,and to provide the scientific evidence for making strategies in prevention and control.Methods Children aged 8-12 years old and adults above 30 years old were selected from 8 endemic fluorosis villages in 2 fluorosis of children aged 8-12 years old were diagnosed by Dean method and skeletal fluomsis diagnosed by clinic and X-Rays.Results Eight villages in 2 towns were chosen underwent epidemiological investigation.Eight villages had water fluoride content＞4.50 mg/L.the highest water fluoride content was 5.78 mg/L.The total rate of dental fluorosis of children aged 8-12 years old WaS 90.70%(195/215),the index of dental fluorosis was 2.15 and the rate of dental damage was 24.65%(53/215).The rate of skeletal fluorosis detected by clinic and X-rays in adults older than 30 years old were 30.71%(78/254)and 16.54%(42/254),respectively.The averaged fuoride level in urine wa8 over 1.50 mg/L in 98.95%(189/191)of children aged 8-12 years old and in 97.92%(235/240)adults older than 30 years old,with the highest respectively being 14.50 mg/L and 17.99 mg/L.Conclusions In Boxing County in Shandong Province,endemic fluorosis is not effectively controlled.So endemic fluorosis control mfist be strengthened.