Plague,a highly virulent zoonotic disease,is caused by Yersinia pestis.Eco-geographic landscape plays an important role in the formation and evolution of plague natural foci.We explored the relationship between geographic landscape and plague as well as related techniques,which will be helpful for clarifying the suitable habitats,identifying the vulnerability of geographic environment,and preventing and controlling the occurrence of plague effectively.

Background and purpose:E-cadherin is a calcium-dependent cell adhesion molecule that mediates cell-cell adhesion and also modulates cell migration and tumor invasion.Many studies supported the role of E-cadherin as an invasion suppressor gene.It has been suggested that unlike E-cadherin,?-catenin might promote the invasion and metastasis of carcinoma.This study explored clinical pathological significance of E-cadherin and ?-catenin expressions in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC).Methods:The PV immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of E-cadherin and ?-catenin in 62 cases of normal esophageal epithelium,31 cases of adjacent atypical hyperplasia epithelium and 62 cases of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.Results:The positive rates of E-cadherin decreased by turns in the normal esophageal epithelium,adjacent atypical hyperplasia epithelium and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC) specimens were 95.2%,71.0% and 40.3%,respectively.In normal esophageal epithelium,?-catenin showed higher intense expression at the membrane and lower intense expression in the cytoplasm.In contrast to the normal tissue,?-catenin was expressed in the cytoplasm of carcinoma in varied degrees,accompanied by less,or even negative expressions at the membrane.In some cases,?-catenin could be detected in the nucleus.Positive expression of ?-catenin(in cytoplasm) and negative expression of E-cadherin were related to the invasion,differentiation,and lymph node metastasis of ESCC(P

Objective To evaluate the effect of cardiovascular disease (CVD) on the healthcare costs associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD).Methods A total of 96 patients with stage 3-4 CKD treated at CKD clinic of Beijing Friendship Hospital,Capital Medical University were enrolled in the study.Their mean age was (61.6±9.5) years including 65 male and 31 female patients.A retrospective analysis of clinical material and health claims between January 2010 and October 2010 was conducted.Firstly,patients were grouped according to median CKD-associated healthcare cost and clinical characteristics were compared between two groups.Secondly,patients were stratified into three categories based on CVD prevalence (with acute cardiovascular events,with CVD but no acute events,and without CVD),and CKD-associated healthcare costs were assessed among the groups.Finally,the potential factors influencing CKD-associated healthcare costs were evaluated by optimal scaling regression analysis.Results During January to October in 2010,median CKD-associated healthcare costs was 13960.5 yuan (interquartile range 10226.5,19667.2 yuan).In the group with higher healthcare costs,more females,greater urine albumin-creatinine ratio,more emergency observations and/or hospitalizations caused by acute cardiovascular events,higher diabetes mellitus prevalence and calcium-phosphorus products,and lower eGFR and hemoglobin levels were found (P＜0.05,respectively).In contrast,the total prevalence of CVD was not significantly different between the groups (P=0.386).When grouping by CVD prevalence,significant differences of CKD-associated healthcare costs were observed only between patients with acute cardiovascular events and the other two groups (P＜0.01,respectively).The median healthcare cost of the former was approximately twice as higher as that of the other two groups,and the maximal cost was also found in the acute-cardiovascular-event group.For the optimal scaling regression analysis,both emergency observations and/or hospitalizations caused by acute cardiovascular events and diabetes mellitus entered the equation,and standardized coefficients were -0.538 and -0.217 respectively (P＜0.01 and P＜0.05).Conclusions Emergency observations and/or hospitalizations caused by acute cardiovascular events are important factors inducing high CKD-associated healthcare costs in patients with stage 3-4 CKD.Therefore,the prevention of acute cardiovascular events may be favorable to reduce CKD-associated healthcare costs.Larger and longer-time perspective studies are required to confirm it.In addition,diabetes mellitus also influences CKD-associated healthcare costs.

Theaflavins are a class of natural products extracted from black tea or green tea, with significant anti-tumor effects on gastric cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer and other tumors. Theaflavins were once considered as the new products for anticancer therapy. However, the anti-tumor mechanism of theaflavins involves a variety of biological processes, and the regulation is complex. Therefore, this article summarizes the role of theaflavins in promoting tumor cell apoptosis, inducing tumor cell mitotic arrest and regulating tumor immunity, and reviews the inhibition of tumorigenesis and growth through MAPK, PI3K/AKT, Hedgehog, NF-κB, JAK/STAT and Wnt/β-Catenin signal pathways, in order to provide new ideas for cancer treatment and anti-cancer drug development.

Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by Coxiella burnetii infection,which is widespread in nature.Animal models are important to study the etiology and pathogenesis of infectious diseases and evaluate the effectiveness of vaccines.In recent years,various animal models,such as invertebrates,rodents,and non-human primates,have been used to study Q fever.This article summarizes the research status of Q fever animal models,discusses the advantages and disadvantages of these models,and summarizes the requirements and standards of future modeling studies.

Objective:To investigate the infection of spotted fever group Rickettsiae (SFGR) and Rickettsia mooseri ( R.mooseri) of wild rodents in the field of plague foci in Western Yunnan. Methods:The DNA of liver samples of 2 512 wild rodents captured from the plague foci in Lianghe County, Jianchuan County and Yulong County in Western Yunnan from 2015 to 2016 was extracted by magnetic bead method, and the heat shock protein groEL gene primers were used for nested PCR amplification. Gene sequence splicing and Blast homology comparison were performed using DNAStar 7.1 software and GenBank of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) of the United States, respectively, and DNAStar 7.1 and MEGA 6.0 softwares were used to construct phylogenetic trees.Results:The wild rodents infected with SFGR were Mus pahari, Rattus steini, Crocidura attenuata and Suncus murinus (one for each), with a total infection rate of 0.16% (4/2 512); no R.mooseri infection was detected. The SFGR infection rates of wild rodents in the plague foci of Lianghe County and Jianchuan County were 0.49% (3/611) and 0.10% (1/1 029), respectively; no SFGR infection was detected in the wild rodents in the plague foci of Yulong County. The homology analysis showed that the homology between SFGR positive samples and reference sequences was 95.45%-100.00%; some of the groEL gene sequences were highly similar among the four positive samples, and the homology was 89.60%-97.40%. Sequence evolution analysis showed that the sequences of three SFGR positive samples from the plague focus in Lianghe County were clustered in the same branch, and the homology reached 94.40%-97.40%; one positive sample sequence from the plague focus in Jianchuan County was clustered in one branch. Conclusion:SFGR infection rate of wild rodents in the field of plague foci in Western Yunnan is low, and no R.mooseri infection is found.

Objective:To investigate the seroepidemiological status of Toxoplasma gondii among humans, dogs and cats and its influencing factors in three counties of Yunnan Province, and to assess the risk of dogs and cats transmitting Toxoplasma gondii to humans and causing disease and epidemics. Methods:Three pestis foci of demestic rodent in Mile City, Mang City and Lianghe County in Yunnan Province were selected as the investigation areas, and blood samples of humans, dogs and cats from 16 natural villages were collected. Serum IgG antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii were detected by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the influencing factors were analyzed by logistic regression. Results:A total of 368 human serum samples, 307 dog serum samples, and 12 cat serum samples were tested. The positive rates of serum IgG antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii in humans, dogs and cats were 54.62% (201/368), 90.88% (279/307), and 91.67% (11/12), respectively. Logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of Toxoplasma gondii infection (serum IgG antibodies positive) in humans of Mang City and Lianghe County were 8.20 times ( AOR = 8.20, 95% CI: 4.38 - 15.36) and 2.22 times ( AOR = 2.22, 95% CI: 1.24 - 3.97) higher than those in Mile City, respectively, and the risk of Toxoplasma gondii infection (serum IgG antibodies positive) in humans in the age group of 30 - < 40 years old decreased by 57% compared to the age group of 30 years old ( AOR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.19 - 0.98, P < 0.10). The risk of Toxoplasma gondii infection (serum IgG antibodies positive) in dogs of Lianghe County was 89% lower than that in Mile City ( AOR = 0.11, 95% CI: 0.02 - 0.47). The risk of Toxoplasma gondii infection(serum IgG antibodies positive) in dogs aged 2 years old and older was 2.05 times higher than that in dogs aged younger than 2 years old ( AOR = 2.05, 95% CI: 0.91 - 4.64, P < 0.10). Conclusions:The positive rates of serum IgG antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii in humans, dogs and cats in the three counties where the three pestis foci of demestic rodent are located in Yunnan Province is relatively high. The risk of Toxoplasma gondii infection (serum IgG antibodies positive) in humans, dogs is related to the region and age. The risk of dogs and cats transmitting Toxoplasma gondii to humans and other animals is relatively high. It is necessary to strengthen monitoring in key regions, carry out health education, and take corresponding health measures.

Objective:To learn about the infection and gene polymorphisms of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in murine-shaped animals of plague foci in Yunnan Province.Methods:From July to August 2019, around 16 natural villages (4 in Mile City, 6 in Mangshi and 6 in Lianghe County), which were the foci of domestic plague in Yunnan Province, the murine-shaped animals were captured by the night-time method. The liver RNA was extracted, and the target gene of rat HEV was detected by one-step real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, and the positive rate of rat HEV was calculated. The rat HEV positive samples were amplified by PCR for further clone sequencing, and the resulting sequences were compared with the HEV sequences registered in the GenBank and a phylogenetic tree was constructed by using MegAlign and MEGA 7.0.Results:A total of 491 murine-shaped animals were captured from 3 orders, 5 families, 8 genera, 15 species, and the positive rate of rat HEV was 4.89% (24/491). Among them, the positive rate of Rattus tanezumi and Niviventer fulvescens was 9.39% (23/245) and 1/3, respectively; and other species were negative. There was a statistically significant difference in the positive rate of rat HEV between different habitats ( P = 0.014), and the positive rate of rat HEV in the habitats near the dwellings was higher than that in other habitats ( P < 0.05). The sequence comparison analysis showed that the gene sequence of P018 from Lianghe County was 100.0% homologous to the MG813927.1 sequence of the first patient with rat HEV in Hongkong, and it was clustered into the same branch with the sequences of MG813927.1 and LC549185.1 from rat, was the type HEV C. G024 from Mangshi shared a low homology (20.7% - 31.5%) with other virus strains, and it was clustered into the same branch with a HEV sequence from an avian (AY535004.1). Conclusions:Rat HEV is prevalent in murine-shaped animals of plague foci of Yunnan Province, and there may be gene polymorphisms of rat HEV. In addition, the difference infection rate may be related to the habitats.

Objective To analyze the factors related to the household abundance of rodents in rodent-borne disease foci in the western part of Yunnan province.Methods From July 2011 to October 2012,800 households (20 households in 1 village) were randomly selected in 40 natural villages of 10 counties in western Yunnan where rodent borne disease was endemic to conduct a study on relationship between rodent abundance and environmental factors.Five cages were placed in each household for 3 consecutive nights to capture rodents.The rodent species were identified based on their morphological characteristics.The data on potential factors related to rodent abundance were collected through questionnaires and field observation.A dataset was established by using EpiData software and the analysis was performed with hurdle regression model under R software.Results A total of 421 rodents were captured in 800 households,belonging to 9 species,6 genera,2 families,2 orders.Rattus tanezumi was the predominant species (66.03％).The final hurdle regression model showed that the probability of capturing rodents in the households where family member had high education level and the garbage was placed outside declined by 50％-68％ ; The probability of capturing rodents in the households of Dai and Yi ethnic groups increased by 2.16-2.87 times; The probability of capturing rodents in the households where rodents were observed or vegetables grown near houses increased by 1.54-1.59 times; In the households where many rodents were believed to exist,the probability of capturing rodents and the number of rodents captured increased by 1.59 and 1.84 times respectively.The number of rodents captured in the houses with cement or tile floor increased by 3.62 times.Conclusion The household abundance of rodents in the area in western Yunnan,where the rodent-borne disease survey was conducted,seemed to be closely related to the social economy status,human intervention and ecological environment.To control the abundance of rodents effectively,it is necessary to take these factors into consideration.

Objective To investigate the community structure and spatial distribution of wild myomorpha in the plague foci of Lianghe County,Yunnan Province.Methods From December 2015 to October 2016,in Mangdong,Hexi,Nangsong and other places in Lianghe County,forest landscape samples were randomly selected in different altitude gradients (1 000 ～,1 200 ～,1 400 ～,≥ 1 600 m).Peanut was used as a bait for trapping myomorpha,and the community structure of myomorpha was analyzed.Results A total of 663 myomorpha were collected and the density was 7.97％ (663/8 320),which were divided into 16 species,11 genus,5 families,and 3 orders.Rattus tanezumi (30.62％,203/663) was the dominant species.In the 1 000-＜ 1 200 m altitude gradient,the richness of myomorpha was the highest (13 kinds).In the 1 400-＜ 1 600 m altitude gradient,the index of diversity (2.094 2) was the highest.With the increase of altitude,the ecological dominance were increased,and the values were 0.672 2,0.774 2,0.842 8,and 0.882 4,respectively,whereas the evenness presented a decreasing trend,and the values were 0.269 2,0.197 1,0.142 8,and 0.162 0.Conclusions The Rattus tanezumi has presented a single dominant distribution at different elevation and the number and the species of the wild rodent with superior position have increased with the altitude increased in Lianghe focus.With the increase of altitude,the diversity and the evenness have increased,whereas the richness and the dominance have decreased.