pros-tate cancer patents with bone metastases. The number of bone lesions, ALP level, Gleason's score, age and distant lymph node metastases are prognostic factors.

Fluorescence ; Host-Pathogen Interactions ; Luminescent Measurements ; methods ; Luminescent Proteins ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism ; Plant Diseases ; virology ; Plant Viruses ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism ; Plants ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism ; virology

Genetic analysis from forensic microsamples is a urgent, difficult task in forensic science, because it is frequently limited by the amount of specimen available in forensic practice, much effort has been carried out to resolve this difficulty. Whole genome amplification (WGA) technology, which was developing quickly in these years, has been thought to be a powerful, reliable and efficient strategy in analysis of minute amount DNA on many fields. In this review, we discuss its application in forensic science.
DNA/isolation & purification* ; DNA Primers ; Forensic Medicine/methods* ; Genome, Human ; Humans ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods* ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

Objective The study aimed to assess the role of hypertension in the cause of nephropathy in patients with NIDDM. Methods A retrospective analysis was done on two groups of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) patients, one group without proteinuria(＜300 mg/24 h, n = 106) and the other group with proteinuria (≥500 mg/24 h, n= 106). The groups were matched by age(≤± 3)years,sex, race, and resident place. Some information of these subjects including demographic, history of disease, family history of diseases, life and behavior style variables were obtained by questionnaire, some variables were measured including systolic blood pressure(SBP), diastolic blood pressure(DBP), fasting blood glucose, and quantity of protein in 24 h urine. Finally the conditional logistic regression analysis was done. Results Some factors were independently associated with the occurrence risk of diabetic nephropathy (DN) associated history of hypertension, longer duration of hypertension, higher levels of the past highest SBP and DBP. Their corresponding odd ratios(OR) with 95% confidence intervals(CI)were 2. 00(1.17 ～ 3.43), 1.25(1.08 ～1.46), 1.38(1.15～1.66), and 1.33(1.09 ～ 1.62) respectively. But family history of hypertension was not significantly associated with the development of DN. When the above- mentioned relations were adjusted by some relevent confounding factors, the associations were still present. Conclusions History and longer duration of hypertension, history of the highest SBP and DBP are independent risk factors for DN.

OBJECTIVEThis study was undertaken to investigate the clinical features of oral motor dysfunction and feeding problems as well as the nutritional status of children with cerebral palsy (CP).

METHODSFifty-nine CP children, 39 boys and 20 girls, mean age 31 months (20 to 72 months), were recruited. Their parents were interviewed for high risk factors and feeding history. Each case was assessed for oral motor and feeding problems based on oral motor and feeding skill score; for nutritional status by measurement of weight, height; neurologically for type of cerebral palsy and for developmental age by Gesell's developmental scale. Equal number of age and sex matched controls were included for comparison of nutritional status, oral motor and feeding skill score.

RESULTSAmong 59 patients, 51 cases had oral motor dysfunction and 55 cases had feeding problems including all athtosis, spastic tetraplegia, and 16 had spastic diplegia. The scores of both the mean oral motor function and feeding skill of CP children were significantly lower than those of the controls (P < 0.001). Main food of children with cerebral palsy consisted of liquid and semisolid diet. Body weight and height below the 25th percentile were found in 13 cases and 19 cases, respectively.

CONCLUSIONSThe majority of the children with cerebral palsy had oral motor dysfunction and feeding problems which appeared in early age and disturbed the growth and nutritional status. Thorough assessment for oral motor function, feeding problems and nutritional status of CP children is indicated in order to start timely rehabilitation and nutritional interventions which can significantly improve their nutritional status and quality of life.

Cerebral Palsy ; complications ; physiopathology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Feeding and Eating Disorders of Childhood ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Mouth ; physiopathology ; Mouth Diseases ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Muscular Diseases ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Nutritional Status

OBJECTIVETo assess factors predisposing to proteinuria in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM).

METHODSA case-control study was conducted on two groups of patients with type 2 diabetes without proteinuria (urine protein < 300 mg/24 h, n = 106) and with proteinuria (urine protein >or= 500 mg/24 h, n = 106). The two groups were matched by age (+/- 3 years), sex, race and place of residence. Information on these subjects including demography, history of disease, family history of diseases, lifestyle and behavioral variables, were obtained through questionnaire. Variables including blood pressure, fasting blood glucose (FBG), quantity of protein in 24-h urine were measured. Cox's proportional hazards regression analysis was then performed.

RESULTSFactors that were independently associated with the development of proteinuria, would include occupation, diabetic duration, glycemic control, hypertension, duration of hypertension and daily intake of vegetable after diagnosis of DM. Their corresponding odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were 2.429 (1.299 - 4.542), 1.078 (1.029 - 1.131), 2.316 (1.341 - 3.998), 1.810 (1.059 - 3.092), 1.043 (1.012 - 1.074) and 0.551 (0.334 - 0.907), respectively, while the presence of proteinuria was not associated with family history of DM, family history of hypertension, certain dietary habits and smoking habit. Multivariate logistic regression model was then fitted with three variables, including diabetic duration, glycemic control and hypertension.

CONCLUSIONThe prevalence of proteinuria in labor workers was higher than that in intellectuals. Longer history of diabetic duration, poor glycemic control, hypertension and longer duration of hypertension all independently contributed to the development of proteinuria. The risk of proteinuria decreased with increasing daily intake of vegetables after the patients being diagnosed as having DM.

Adult ; Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; China ; epidemiology ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; complications ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Proteinuria ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of inward rectifier potassium channel blockers (BaCl2, CsCl) on the functions of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs).

METHODSDensity gradient centrifugation-isolated rat hone marrow mononuclear cells were cultured in vitro. EPCs were harvested and seeded on six culture dish when cells grew to 3-5 passages. Before testing the EPCs were synchronized with M199, which contain 2% fetal calf serum. In the end, EPCs were treated with different intervention. The experiment mainly included two parts: (1) BaCl2 (100 micromol/L) and free BaC2 of Tyrodes solution; (2) CsCl (1 mmol/L) and control. Cell pretreated with blockers above mentioned for 12 h, then the gene expression of stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), epoprotenol (PGI2) were assessed, beyond that the ability of adhesion, migration were assayed with different tests. In addition, the medium was collected when EPCs were treated for 3 days. The levels of SDF-1 were measured by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Going even further, EPCs were treated with the signal pathway blockers in advance, after repeat the above steps, in order to analyze the change of SDF-1 and then discuss its mechanism.

RESULTSCompared with control group, BaCl2, CsCl could increase EPC adhesion and migration to same extent. Moreover, the gene expression of SDF-1, PGI2 was significantly up-regulated and the production of SDF-1 increased evidently. Furthermore, the mechanism of SDF-1 secretion increasing mainly was associated with eNOS signaling pathways.

CONCLUSIONBa2+ and Cs+ play important roles in increasing EPCs functions, such as adhesion, migration and secretion.

Animals ; Barium Compounds ; pharmacology ; Cells, Cultured ; Cesium ; pharmacology ; Chemokine CXCL12 ; metabolism ; Chlorides ; pharmacology ; Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying ; antagonists & inhibitors ; physiology ; Rats ; Stem Cells ; cytology

AIM : To construct and analyze eukaryotic expression plasmid inserted by Cx50 with V64G mutation through bioinformatics software.METHODS: The full coding domain sequence of Cx50 with V64G mutation was acquired from the blood of patients with cataract and was cloned into pcDNA3.1 /Amp (+).The constructed plasmid was identified with PCR , enzyme digestion and sequencing. The analysis of Cx50 with V64G mutation was performed with bioinformatics software.RESULTS : Cx50 with V64G mutation was successfully amplified and its eukaryotic expression plasmid was constructed. Valine-64 is well conserved in the first extracellular loop of connexin 50 in different species and also in different human α -type gap junctional proteins.CONCLUSION : The successive reconstruction and verification of eukaryotic expression plasmid containing Cx50 with V64G mutation established the foundation for further studying the mechanism of cataract.

OBJECTIVE: One multiplex genotyping system was developed in using silver staining with allelic ladders for three Y-chromosome STR markers (DYS434, DYS443, and DYS456), with a view towards the application of rapid and simple genotyping assay methods for DNA profiling. The distributions of haplotypes for three Y-STR loci(DYS434, DYS443, and DYS456) was investigated in a Tibetan ethnic group of Chinese population. METHODS: Allele and haplotype frequencies at these Y-STRs loci(DYS434, DYS443, and DYS456) were analysed by PCR amplification using Y-STR multiplexes, followed by horizontal non-denaturing polyacrylamide gelelec-trophoresis in 101 unrelated males of Tibetan ethnic group in Lasa of China. RESULTS: A total of 31 different haplotypes were found, 16 of them being unique. The haplotype diversity value (which is the same as the discrimination index) calculated from all three loci combined was 0.9481, which is informative. CONCLUSION The Y-STR multiplexes provide useful information for forensic analysis and paternity tests and can also be of great benefit for providing information not normally available from autosomal DNA systems.
Alleles ; China/ethnology* ; Chromosomes, Human, Y/genetics* ; Female ; Forensic Medicine ; Gene Frequency ; Genetic Markers ; Genetics, Population ; Genotype ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Male ; Microsatellite Repeats/genetics* ; Paternity ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Silver Staining

Objective To establish a rapid assay with high sensitivity and specificity based on the sequences for group specific gene (GS) and pathogenicity island pag A gene.Methods The PCR primers and probes were designed after the whole sequence was systemically analyzed with bio-informafion tools and blasted with Genebank database.The amplicons were inserted into plasmids so that they could be used as the standard templates to evaluate the sensitivity of the diagnostic system.This assay was based on TaqMan probes and portable Smartcycle PCR machine.Results The detection level was approximately 100 copies per reaction.There was no cross-reaction with other species of Bacillus.This assay could be completed in one hour in laboratory.Conclusion The duplex TaqMan PCR assay could be used to detect Bacillus anthracis rapidly with high sensitivity and specificity.