OBJECTIVETo explore risk factors of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in men in order to provide a theoretical basis for developing more effective NAFLD prevention and control strategies.

METHODSOne-hundred-and-two male patients (37.3+/-11.4 years old) hospitalized with NAFLD at the Dongnan Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University between January 2009 and December 2010 were enrolled in the study, along with 23 age-matched healthy men (34.4+/-16.7 years old) to serve as the control group. The correlation(s) of body mass index (BMI; overweight defined as more than or equal to 22.717 kg/m2), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR; central obesity defined as more than or equal to 0.866), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), triglyceride (TG), and total cholesterol (TC) with NAFLD was analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to select proper thresholds for classification.

RESULTSBMI, WC, WHR, FPG, TG, and TC were significantly different between the cases and controls (P less than 0.01). BMI, WC, WHR, TG and TC were identified as risk factors of NAFLD in these male cases (P less than 0.01). Relative to WC, TG and TC, both BMI and WHR had significant predictive value for NAFLD (odds ratio (OR) = 10.819 and 10.588, respectively). In addition, BMI had the highest diagnostic value for the prediction of NAFLD (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.931) followed by WHR (AUC = 0.879).

CONCLUSIONBMI, WC, WHR, TG, and TC are risk factors of NAFLD in Chinese men. BMI and WHR are effective anthroposomatology indices of NAFLD and may be useful factors on which to base future prevention and early diagnosis strategies for NAFLD in males.

Body Mass Index ; Humans ; Male ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ; Risk Factors ; Waist Circumference ; Waist-Hip Ratio

OBJECTIVETo investigate the histopathological features of basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus, and to explore the ways of its diagnosis, differential diagnosis and treatment.

METHODSThe clinical data and pathological features of 23 cases of esophageal basaloid squamous cell carcinoma were reviewed and analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTSThe tumors were mainly located at the middle third segment of the esophagus. The 1-,2- and 3-year survival rates were 60.9%, 21.7% and 0, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus is highly malignant with poor prognosis. Radical resection combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy is required.

Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Basosquamous ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; diagnosis ; Cisplatin ; administration & dosage ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Esophagectomy ; methods ; Esophagus ; pathology ; surgery ; Female ; Fluorouracil ; administration & dosage ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; secondary ; Lung Neoplasms ; secondary ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Radiotherapy, High-Energy ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

AIMTo investigate the in vitro and in vivo stability of 9-nitrocamptothecin lactone form in rat plasma.

METHODSThe specific and accurate HPLC method was developed for quantifying 9-nitrocamptothecin lactone form and the total lactone and carboxylate forms simultaneously. By using of this method, the ratios of lactone form to the total in rat plasma at different time were determined in vitro and in vivo. The results were compared to determine which was the main factor influencing the stability of 9-nitrocamptothecin lactone form in rat plasma in vivo.

RESULTSThe stability of lactone form in rat plasma was much higher in vivo than that in vitro.

CONCLUSIONBlood cells help to increase the stability of 9-nitrocamptothecin lactone form. Clearance from blood in vivo is the primary factor which influences the plasma stability of 9-nitrocamptothecin lactone form. The kinetic process of 9-nitrocamptothecin lactone form and total drug in rats were both best fitted to a two-compartment model. However, the process of 9-nitrocamptothecin carboxylate form in vivo was best fitted to a one-compartment model.

Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Area Under Curve ; Camptothecin ; analogs & derivatives ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Carboxylic Acids ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Drug Stability ; Lactones ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in human placental trophoblasts and the role of VEGF in regulating placental villous angiogenesis.

METHODSPlacental samples were obtained from 10 pregnant women receiving induced abortion in the first trimester, 10 receiving induced labor in the second trimester and 10 having cesarean section at term delivery, with gestational duration of 6-9, 18-22 and 37-38 weeks, respectively. All the samples were fixed in formalin solution and prepared for the morphological study. The expression of VEGF and vascular distribution in the placental villi were examined and evaluated by immunohistochemistry and stereomorphometry, respectively.

RESULTSIn the course of pregnancy, there was a significant decrease in the level of VEGF expression in chorionic villi (28.19+/-3.01, 18.65+/-2.43, 4.95+/-0.86, respectively, P<0.01). The radial parameters of the blood vessels showed no significant changes (26.67+/-7.74, 25.08+/-4.67, 23.36+/-5.30, respectively, P>0.05), but the length density of the blood vessels increased significantly (1.46+/-0.64, 5.58+/-1.31, 19.56+/-1.40, respectively, P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONDuring gestation, VEGF expression in chorionic villi gradually weakens but the length density of the blood vessels increases, indicating that VEGF is not the only regulatory factor of angiogenesis in the chorionic villi.

Adult ; Chorionic Villi ; blood supply ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Neovascularization, Physiologic ; physiology ; Placenta ; metabolism ; Pregnancy ; Trophoblasts ; metabolism ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; biosynthesis

OBJECTIVESTo study the differential expression of genes in signal transduction pathway (STP) during the hepatocarcinogenesis in tree shrews induced by AFB1 and/or HBV and to elucidate the molecular mechanism of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development.

METHODSAdult tree shrews were divided into three groups: Group A was fed AFB1 only, Group B was infected firstly with HBV then fed AFB1 as in Group A, Group C served as the normal control. Liver biopsies were obtained at the 30th, 60th and 90th week of the experiment or until HCC occurred and the animals were sacrificed. Tree shrew-specific cDNA microarray was applied for detecting the differential expression of corresponding genes in each group at different time points during the experiment, and real time RT PCR was applied to verify the results of the cDNA microarray.

RESULTSGenes of IGF-II, C-rel, and NF-kappaB2 were differentially expressed between para-cancerous tissues and HCC tissues in both group A and group B, and the differential expression of bcl-2, cyclin A and CNTF was only seen in group B. Between the experimental groups A and B and the control group C, there were differential expressions of CNTF and cyclin A in the early 30th week and middle 60th week stage of hepatocarcinogenesis in tree shrews. Real time RT PCR results showed that the expression level of IGF-II and C-Rel in group A and of IGF-II in group B in HCC tissues were significantly lower than that in the adjacent non-cancerous tissues and in the biopsies taken at the 30th and 60th week of the experiment. Nevertheless, there were no significant differences between the para-cancerous tissues and the cancer tissues at the 30th and 60th week. These results were consistent with the cDNA microarray assay. The expression levels of C-Rel and CNTF in group B were not obviously altered in the para-cancerous tissues, HCC and at the 60th week, but they were significantly lower in these tissues than that in the tissues at the 30th week. In group A, the expression levels of CNTF in adjacent liver and HCC tissues were higher than that in para-cancerous lesions, but the difference did not reach a statistically significant level. In group C, the expression level of IGF-II, C-Rel and CNTF at different stages showed no significant differences, which was consistent with the cDNA microarray results.

CONCLUSIONSTo apply the tree shrew-specific cDNA microarray to detect the differential expression of genes related to signal transduction pathway during tree shrew hepatocarcinogenesis could be a valuable utility for further comprehending the mechanism of HCC. IGF-II, NF-kappaB2, C-rel, Bcl-2, and cyclin A. CNTF may be involved in the occurrence and progress of HCC in tree shrews.

Animals ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; genetics ; Female ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Liver Neoplasms, Experimental ; genetics ; Male ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Signal Transduction ; Tupaiidae

Objective To determine the influences of Mannose binding protein (MBP) gene polymorphisms on HBV DNA loads and on the progression of liver disease in patients with chronic HBV infeclion.Method The Codons on 54 MBP gene polymorphisms and HBV DNA loads in a cohort of 395 patients with chronic HBV infection,including 244 with chronic hepatitis B (CHB),151 with liver cirrhosis(LC) and 88 normal controls were examined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and fluorescent quantitative PCR (FQ-PCR).Result The MBP genotype frequencies of GGC/GAC and alleles genetic frequencies of GAC in CHB group showed no significant differences comparing to the normal control group ( P ＞ 0.05 ).The MBP genotype frequencies of GGC/GAC and alleles genetic frequencies of GAC on CHB group (severe),compensation phase of LC group and decompensation phase of LC group were higher than those in the normal control group (P ＜ 0.05 ),the genetic polymorphism of decompensation of LC was 36.5 ％,highest of all.The MBP genotype frequencies of GGC/GAC and alleles genetic frequencies of GAC of patients with chronic HBV infection were not changed with the differences of HBV-DNA loads.Conclusion The codes on 54 MBP gene polymorphisms is not closely related to HBV DNA loads,but was associated with the progression of hepatitis B infection.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Adult ; Bone Marrow Examination ; CD4 Lymphocyte Count ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mycoses ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Penicillium ; isolation & purification ; Prognosis ; Radiography

Amniotic Fluid ; metabolism ; Biomarkers ; metabolism ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Embolism, Amniotic Fluid ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Keratin-13 ; metabolism ; Pregnancy ; Respiratory Aspiration ; metabolism ; pathology

BACKGROUNDSeveral studies have evaluated the association between polymorphisms of thymidylate synthase (TS) and cancer risk in diverse populations but with conflicting results. By pooling the relatively small samples in each study, it is possible to evaluate the association using a meta-analysis.

METHODSA comprehensive search was conducted to identify all case-control studies on TS on a 28-bp tandem repeats in 5'untranslated region (5'UTR) and a 6-bp insertion (ins) and deletion (del) mutation in 3'UTR of the gene and cancer risk. Meta-analysis was conducted using a fixed and random effect model.

RESULTSOur meta-analysis on a total of 13 307 cancer cases and 18 226 control subjects from 37 published case-control studies showed no significant association between the risk of cancer and the 5'UTR 28-bp tandem repeats polymorphism (3R/3R vs. 2R/2R: OR = 1.06, 95%CI, 0.93 - 1.20) or the 3'UTR 6-bp ins/del polymorphism (del6/del6 vs. ins6/ins6: OR = 0.93, 95%CI, 0.81 - 1.08) with significant between-study heterogeneity. In the cancer type- and ethnic subgroup-stratification analyses, we did not find any association between TS polymorphisms and cancer risk either.

CONCLUSIONTS 5'UTR 28-bp tandem repeats and 3'UTR 6-bp ins/del polymorphisms may not be associated with cancer risk.

3' Untranslated Regions ; genetics ; 5' Untranslated Regions ; genetics ; Case-Control Studies ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; genetics ; Humans ; Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; genetics ; Tandem Repeat Sequences ; genetics ; Thymidylate Synthase ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the dynamic changes of the anti-HBs level among immunized newborn infants born to HBsAg-positive and HBsAg-negative mothers in hyper-endemic area of Hepatitis B.

METHODSInfants who were regularly vaccinated with Hepatitis B vaccine and tested to be anti-HBs positive were divided into two groups according to HBsAg-positive or negative mothers in Long-an, Guangxi. Each subject was followed up 3 times during age 5 to 8. SPRIA was used to test HBsAg, anti-HBs and anti-HBc. Results During the follow-up period, positive rates of anti-HBs in children born to HBsAg-positive mothers ranged between 52.00% and 78.00%, and those with HBsAg-negative mothers was between 43.84% and 54.74%. GMT in two groups was between 55.36 mIU/ml and 95.66 mIU/ml as well as between 39.90 mIU/ml and 65.47 mIU/ml, respectively. There was no statistical significance in both positive rates and GMT between age groups. The anti-HBs level in the follow-up period of children born to HBsAg-positive mothers was higher than that of those born to HBsAg-negative mothers in the same age group. In the age group of 6-8 years with HBsAg-negative mothers, the positive rates in the follow-up period of children with high anti-HBs titers in the primary vaccination were 2.29-2.84 times of those with low titers. The anti-HBs titer of children in a follow-up period was lower than that in the primary vaccination, no matter whether they were born to HBsAg-positive mothers. However, the decline rate of children born to HBsAg-negative mothers was significantly higher than those born to HBsAg-positive mothers (84.91% vs. 61.54%; chi2 = 28.7982, P = 0.000). The incidence rate (25.64%) of a 4-fold increase in antibody titers of children born to HBsAg-positive mothers was significantly higher than that of children born to HBsAg-negative mothers (7.37%) from the primary vaccination to the follow-up period (chi2 = 6.7661, P = 0.009) with was 3.5 times of the latter. Subjects with HBsAg seroconvertion were those with low anti-HBs titers in primary vaccination.

CONCLUSIONThe anti-HBs level decreased slowly in successfully immunized children from age 5 to 8. The chance of natural booster yielded by natural infection increased in immunized children born to HBsAg-positive mothers. The anti-HBs level in the primary vaccination played an important role in prevention of seroconversion of HBsAg.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Hepatitis B Antibodies ; blood ; immunology ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; blood ; immunology ; Hepatitis B Vaccines ; immunology ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Male