OBJECTIVETo investigate single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) and haplotypes of interleukin-18(IL-18) gene associated with the susceptibility to colorectal cancer(CRC).

METHODSTwo SNPs of IL-18 gene promoter -137G/C and -607C/A in 170 patients with CRC and 160 healthy controls matched by age and sex in a Chinese population were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism(PCR-RFLP) strategy. Frequency of haplotypes and linkage disequilibrium of IL-18 gene in different groups were analyzed by SHEsis programs.

RESULTSThe distributions of IL-18 gene -607C/A polymorphism did not differ between CRC patients and healthy controls, but IL-18 gene -137G/C polymorphism was significantly different(P<0.05). The relative risk of C allele for CRC was 1.814 times of the G allele (OR=1.814,95% CI:1.246-2.642). Consistent with the results of the genotyping analyses, IL-18 -137G/C and -607C/A polymorphisms showed strong linkage disequilibrium(|D'|=0.945), frequency of the -137C/-607A haplotype in patients with CRC was significantly higher than that in healthy controls(P<0.05). The -137C/-607A haplotype was associated with a significantly increased risk of CRC(OR=1.637, 95% CI:1.100-2.437).

CONCLUSIONSIL-18 gene -137G/C polymorphism and -137C/-607A haplotype are associated with CRC. -137C allele may be an important genetic susceptibility gene for CRC.

Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; genetics ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Interleukin-18 ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Ebstein Anomaly ; complications ; pathology ; Humans ; Infant ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult

Objective To collect the laboratory parameters and clinical parameters of blood culture positive samples,and analyze the composition and laboratory characteristics of real pathogens by combining with clinical follow-up and anti-infectious treatment outcomes.Methods We conducted a prospective study to isolate the 483 strains of pathogens from 4313 cases of blood samples for clinical examination between March 2013 and March 2015.The results of laboratory and clinical infections were collected for each positive culture and were followed up for clinical follow-up to understand the responsible doctors' experience-based judgment and targeted clinical treatment of antibiotics.After comprehensive analysis we determined the real pathogens and contaminants.Results Of the 483 positive cultures,331 were finally determined as pathogenic ones,accounting for 68.5% of the number of positive isolates; 97 were contaminated bacteria (20.1%); and 55 strains with uncertain pathogenic nature (11.4%).Escherichia coli accounted for the highest proportion (41.2%)of pathogenic bacteria.Coagulase-negative staphylococci took up the highest proportion (75.3%)of the contaminated bacteria.As many as 253 strains (52.4%)were detected from the aerobic or anaerobic bottles.The detection rate of Escherichia coli in anaerobic bottles (23.9%)was higher than that in aerobic bottles (13.8%)(P <0.05).Of 97 strains of positive isolates,only one bottle was reported positive for 90 strains,accounting for (92.8%),and more than two bottles of 7 positive strains,accounting for (7.2%)(P <0.05).34 positive in 24 h (35.1%),77 positive in 48 h (79.4%),the positivebacteria ratio within 48 h (79.4%)was higher than that of bacteria contamination ratio within 24 h (χ2 =38.935, P =0.000),with a significant difference.Conclusion Establishment of contaminated bacteria in blood culture cannot rely solely on laboratory or clinical parameters.It should be combined with the experience of clinicians to determine the clinical response to comprehensive judgments.For the laboratory to determine the presence of contamination,the number of positive bottles and the amount of sun are still two factors of important value.Paying attention to inspection of anaerobic bottles is more conducive to the detection of Escherichia coli.

In this study, the origin and causes of cooked traditional Chinese medicine powder were reviewed, and a comprehensive analysis was made for the time background of modern traditional Chinese medicine formula granules and the future development trend, in order to provide reference for application and promotion of traditional Chinese medicine formula granules. By reference to ancient medical books of previous dynasties, a system review was conducted for infancy, formation, maturity and transition of cooked traditional Chinese medicine powder, and a comprehensive analysis was made for the six factors of cooked traditional Chinese medicine powder's maturity in the Song Dynasty. Efforts were made to collect domestic and foreign research literatures of modern formula granules, understand the detailed development, and conduct an objective analysis of the current clinical application of modern formula granules. According to the comparative analysis for the application characteristics of cooked traditional Chinese medicine powder and modern formula granules, ①the popularity of cooked traditional Chinese medicine powder in the Song Dynasty has six factors: soaring numbers of medical students and medical practitioners, high medical expenses due to huge army, rapid population growth, frequent epidemics and increasing diseases, and insufficient finances of central and local governments. ②On the basis of clinical application characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine formula granules, traditional Chinese medicine formula granules contain extracted and concentrated effective components, which guarantee the curative effect, meet modern people's demands for "quick, simple and convenience" traditional Chinese medicine decoctions, show a relatively high cost performance; however, formula granules are restricted by their varieties and lack unified quality control standards, and single-extract formula granules have not synergy and attenuation effects of combined traditional Chinese medicine decoctions, which also restricts its clinical application and promotion. ③Both have advantages in the process of clinical application, and shall be used based on syndromes. In conclusion, traditional Chinese medicine formula granules do not have disadvantages of "difficult, complicated, turbid and disorderly" cooked traditional Chinese medicine powder, and solve such problems as "inflexibility, expensiveness, restriction, disorder and inefficacy", which is the important basis for promoting traditional Chinese medicine formula granules.

Background: Nucleos(t)ide analog (NA) in combination with peginterferon (PegIFN) therapy in patients with hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) shows better effectiveness than NA monotherapy in hepatitis B surface antigen loss, termed "functional cure," based on previous published studies. However, it is not known which strategy is more cost-effective on functional cure. The aim of this study was to analyze the cost-effectiveness of first-line monotherapies and combination strategies in HBeAg-positive CHB patients in China from a social perspective. Methods: A Markov model was developed with functional cure and other five states including CHB, compensated cirrhosis, decompensated cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and death to assess the cost-effectiveness of seven representative treatment strategies. Entecavir (ETV) monotherapy and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) monotherapy served as comparators, respectively. Results: In the two base-case analysis, compared with ETV, ETV generated the highest costs with $44,210 and the highest quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) with 16.78 years. Compared with TDF, treating CHB patients with ETV and NA - PegIFN strategies increased costs by $7639 and $6129, respectively, gaining incremental QALYs by 2.20 years and 1.66 years, respectively. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were $3472/QALY and $3692/QALY, respectively, which were less than one-time gross domestic product per capita. One-way sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analyses showed the robustness of the results. Conclusion Among seven treatment strategies, first-line NA monotherapy may be more cost-effective than combination strategies in HBeAg-positive CHB patients in China.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanistic basis for the attenuation of bone degeneration by edible bird's nest (EBN) in ovariectomized rats. METHODS: Forty-two female Sprage-Dawley rats were randomized into 7 groups (6 in each group). The ovariectomized (OVX) and OVX + 6%, 3%, and 1.5% EBN and OVX +estrogen groups were given standard rat chow alone, standard rat chow +6%, 3%, and 1.5% EBN, or standard rat chow +estrogen therapy (0.2mg/kg per day), respectively. The sham-operation group was surgically opened without removing the ovaries. The control group did not have any surgical intervention. After 12 weeks of intervention, blood samples were taken for serum estrogen, osteocalcin, and osteoprotegerin, as well as the measurement of magnesium, calcium abd zinc concentrations. While femurs were removed from the surrounding muscles to measure bone mass density using the X-ray edge detection technique, then collected for histology and estrogen receptor (ER) immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Ovariectomy altered serum estrogen levels resulting in increased food intake and weight gain, while estrogen and EBN supplementation attenuated these changes. Ovariectomy also reduced bone ER expression and density, and the production of osteopcalcin and osteorotegerin, which are important pro-osteoplastic hormones that promote bone mineraliztion and density. Conversely, estrogen and EBN increased serum estrogen levels leading to increased bone ER expression, pro-osteoplastic hormone production and bone density (all P<0.05). CONCLUSION EBN could be used as a safe alternative to hormone replacement therapys for managing menopausal complications like bone degeneration.