Animals ; Antidiuretic Hormone Receptor Antagonists ; Body Temperature ; drug effects ; Chlorpyrifos ; toxicity ; Female ; Hypothermia ; chemically induced ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

The section of Annulata under genus Hypoxylon is a member of the Xylariaceae which has ascomata with ostioles papillate ill a flattened disc. The isolates of Hypoxylon collected from the Tropic to the Temperate are compared with similar taxa and described. These isolations under Annulata section are illustrated with a light microscopy and a scanning electron microscopy. Hypoxylon archeri is newly recorded from Korea. A key to the species is also included.
Fungi* ; Korea ; Microscopy ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Wood*

The genus Hypoxylon is a member of the Xylariaceae which has brown to dark brown and pha- seoliform single cell ascospores with a conspicuous full germ slit. The isolates of Hypoxylon collected from England, Hong Kong and Korea are compared with similar taxa and described. These isolations under Hypoxylon section are detailed and illustrated, using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Hypoxylon howeianum and H. rubiginosum are described and compared with former collection from Korea. A key to the species is also included.
England ; Fungi* ; Hong Kong ; Korea ; Microscopy ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Wood*

Objective: To standardize the reporting system on hepatitis B in order to improve the quality of monitoring program in Henan province. Methods: A total of 6 sites of Hepatitis B pilot surveillance were selected in Xinzheng of Zhengzhou city, Linzhou of Anyang city, Shanyang district of Jiaozuo city, Shaoling district of Luohe city, Yongcheng of Shangqiu city, Pingqiao district of Xinyang city in Henan province. Subjects under study were those reported hepatitis B cases, from 2012 to 2016. Cases diagnosed in 2011 were chosen as controls. Data on classification of hepatitis B, time that HBsAg became positive and ALT value of the cases were analyzed annually. 5 ml venous blood was collected and anti-HBc IgM confirmed test was made for those suspected acute cases on hepatitis B. Based on the 2016 data from the monitoring system, the incidence of acute hepatitis B in Henan province was estimated. Results: The number of reported hepatitis B cases had declined in 6 sites of Hepatitis B pilot surveillance substantially. A total of 17 436 hepatitis B reported in 2011 but only 2 632 cases were reported in 2016, with a reduction of 84.90%(14 804/17 436) in these six monitoring sites. The number of unclassified hepatitis B cases also dropped sharply. In 2011, 36.87% of the cases were unclassified, but the figure reduced to 0.08% in 2016, from the six sites. The rate on ALT detection also gradually improved. The rate of misdiagnosis on HBV carrier from hepatitis B almost disappeared. From 2013 to 2016, 777 blood samples were collected from six pilot sites. 29.34% (228/777) of the blood samples were tested positive for anti-HBc IgM after confirmed by the hepatitis laboratory of the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Conclusions: Since the development of the pilot surveillance program, the quality of reporting system on hepatitis B had been improved, as well as the accuracy of diagnosis. Rate on the accuracy of reporting on hepatitis B and the methods of testing should be improved at the monitoring sites.
China/epidemiology* ; Cities ; Disease Notification/statistics & numerical data* ; Hepatitis A/epidemiology* ; Hepatitis B/epidemiology* ; Hepatitis B Antibodies/blood* ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens/blood* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Pilot Projects ; Population Surveillance ; Sentinel Surveillance

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Options for the endoscopic management of symptomatic pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs) include transmural drainage (TM) alone, transpapillary drainage (TP) alone, or a combination of both drainage method (CD). There have been conflicting reports about the best method. This study performed a meta-analysis to determine whether CD presents an added clinical benefit over TM. METHODS: The included studies compared TM with CD and reported clinical success for both methods. A random-effects model was used to determine the pooled odds ratios (ORs) and the 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the following outcomes: technical success, clinical success, complications, and recurrence. RESULTS: Nine studies involving a combined total of 604 drainage procedures—373 TMs (62%) and 231 CDs (38%)—were included. CD showed no additional benefit over TM in terms of technical success (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.37–3.37; p=0.85), clinical success (OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.65–1.89; p=0.70), recurrence (OR, 1.49; 95% CI, 0.53–4.21; p=0.45), or complications (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.61–2.18; p=0.67). CONCLUSIONS: Pancreatic duct (PD) stenting provides no additional clinical benefit for the TM of PFCs (particularly pseudocysts). Patients undergoing the TM of symptomatic pseudocysts may not require endoscopic retrograde pancreatography (ERP).
Drainage* ; Endoscopy ; Humans ; Methods ; Odds Ratio ; Pancreatic Ducts* ; Pancreatic Pseudocyst ; Recurrence ; Stents*

Objective: To explore the relationship between abnormal expression of fragile histidine triad (FHIT) gene and methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2) as well as their interaction on cervical cancerization. Methods: A total of 73 patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), 113 patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN Ⅰ, n=45; CINⅡ/Ⅲ, n=68) and 60 women with normal cervix (NC) were included in the study. Real time PCR and Western blot were performed to detect the expression levels of mRNA and protein about FHIT and MeCP2, respectively. The methylation status of FHIT gene CpG island was tested by methylation-specifc PCR (MSP). Kruskal-Wallis H test, χ(2) test, trend χ(2) test and Spearman correlation analysis were conducted with software SPSS 20.0. The interaction was evaluated by generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) model. Results: With the deterioration of cervical lesion, the methylation rates of FHIT gene CpG island (χ(2)=18.64, P<0.001; trend χ(2)=18.08, P<0.001) increased gradually, while the expression levels of FHIT mRNA (H=27.32, P<0.001; trend χ(2)=12.65, P<0.001) and protein (H=47.10, P<0.001; trend χ(2)=29.79, P<0.001) decreased gradually. There was a negative correlation between the methylation rates of FHIT gene CpG island and the expression level of FHIT protein (r=-0.226, P<0.001). The levels of MeCP2 mRNA (H=26.19, P<0.001; trend χ(2)=11.81, P=0.001) and protein (H=69.02, P<0.001; trend χ(2)=47.44, P<0.001) increased gradually with the aggravation of cervical lesions. There was a positive correlation between the expression level of MeCP2 protein and the FHIT mRNA Ct ratio (r=0.254, P<0.001). Expression of proteins were negatively correlated between MeCP2 and FHIT (r=-0.213, P=0.001). The results analyzed by GMDR model showed that there were interactions among high MeCP2 protein expression, the CpG island methylation of FHIT and mRNA and protein expression in CINⅡ/Ⅲ group, and among high MeCP2 mRNA and protein expression, the CpG island methylation of FHIT and low mRNA and protein expression in SCC group. Conclusion: High expression of MeCP2 mRNA and protein, the CpG island methylation and low mRNA and protein expression of FHIT could increase the risk of cervical carcinogenesis, and there might be a synergistic effect on cervical carcinogenesis.
Acid Anhydride Hydrolases/metabolism* ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/pathology* ; DNA Methylation ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Methyl-CpG-Binding Protein 2/metabolism* ; Neoplasm Proteins/metabolism* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods* ; RNA, Messenger ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/pathology* ; Uterine Cervical Dysplasia/pathology*

BACKGROUND: We have previously demonstrated that phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-induced increases in melanoma cell binding to endothelial cells derived from human dermis (HDMEC) are not mediated via known cell adhesion molecules and may be affected through microvessel-specific novel proteins not previously described on endothelial cells. OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to identify new molecules which may play a role in HDMEC-melanoma cells binding. METHODS: We have generated a monoclonal antibody(Mab) against PMA-stimulated HDMEC. A Mab was evaluated functionally through melanoma cell-endothelial cell adherence assay and characterized by Western immunoblot. RESULTS: Mab EM-71 recognized a molecule with expression levels in vitro that could be upregulated by PMA(EM-71 molecule). The expression of EM-71 molecule on HDMEC was increased in a dose-dependent manner by PMA only, but not affected by interleukin 1 alpha(IL-lα) or tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNFα) PMA augmented melanoma cell adherence to HDMEC, which is coincident with an increase in EM-71 molecule expression on HDMEC by PMA. Mab EM-71 partially inhibited up to 59% of the increased melanoma cell binding to PMA-stimulated HDMEC and failed to block melanoma cell binding to IL-lα or TNFα-stimulated HDMEC. Western immunoblots of lysates of HDMEC demonstrated a 200 kDa protein on HDMEC. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that EM-71 molecule may play a partial role in melanoma binding to PMA-stimulated HDMEC.
Blotting, Western ; Cell Adhesion Molecules ; Dermis ; Endothelial Cells* ; Humans* ; In Vitro Techniques ; Interleukin-1 ; Melanoma* ; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Many factors including social rejection, family problems, loss of educational opportunity, fear, prejudice and ignorance of leprosy compound the inherent psychologicaI stress of leprosy. In light of these problems we have undertaken a study to evaluate the psychological status of several selected groups of leprasy patients. We first studied 340 leprosy patients living in resettlement villages and 304 healthy people living in similar isolated areas. We used a self report symptom inventory, SCL-90 (symptom check list-90), and compared the two-groups. (countinued..)
Humans ; Leprosy* ; Prejudice ; Self Report ; Social Distance

Breast Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; DNA Methylation ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Genes, Tumor Suppressor ; Humans ; Precancerous Conditions ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; genetics ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; rho GTP-Binding Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics

Purpose: The imaging characteristics of two popular kV cone-beam CT (CBCT) and two MVCT systems utilised in image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) were evaluated. Materials and methods: The study was performed on Varian Clinac iX, Elekta Synergy S, Siemens Oncor, and Tomotherapy. A CT phantom (Catphan-504, Phantom Laboratory, Salem, NY) was scanned for measurements of image quality including image noise, uniformity, density accuracy, spatial resolution, contrast linearity, and contrast resolution. The measurement results were analysed using in-house image analysis software. Reproducibility, position correction, and geometric accuracy were also evaluated with markers in a smaller alignment phantom. The performance evaluation compared volumetric image properties from these four systems with those from a conventional diagnostic CT (CCT). Results: It was shown that the linearity of the two kV CBCT was fairly consistent with CCT. The Elekta CBCT with half-circle 27-cm FOV had higher CT numbers than the other three systems. The image noises of the Elekta kV CBCT, Siemens MV CBCT, and Tomotherapy fan-beam CT (FBCT) are about 2-4 times higher than that of the Varian CBCT. The spatial resolutions of two kV CBCTs and two MV CBCTs were 8-11 lp/cm and 3-5 lp/cm, respectively. Conclusion: Elekta CBCT provided a faster image reconstruction and low dose per scan for half-circle scanning. Varian CBCT had relatively lower image noise. Tomotherapy FBCT had the best uniformity.