Objective To investigate the changes of body composition in the children with acute leukemia during different treatment stages.Methods From January 2009 to April 2010,56 children with acute leukemia hospitalized in Shanghai Children's Medical Center for chemotherapy were enrolled.Meanwhile,56 healthy children with matched age and sex were enrolled as the control group.The body compositions of children in the control group and the children with acute leukemia at the end of the first course of each treatment stages ware detected by segmental multiple-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis.The distribution of body compositions was recorded asthe percentage of each body composition to the body weighL Results Among 56 children with acute leukemia,41were with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and 15 with acute nonlymphoblasdc leukemia.Twenty-three cases were in remission-induction chemotherapy stage,15 in consolidation chemotherapy stage,and 18 in maintenance chemotherapy stage.Compared with children in the control group,children with acute leukemia showed a reduction in the percentage of intracellular fluid (P = 0.000), extracellular fluid (P - 0.005), protein (P = 0.000), mineral (P = 0.001), skeletal muscle mass (P = 0.000), body cell mass (P = 0.000), and active cell mass (P = 0.000), while an increase in body fat mass [(26.2 ± 8.3)% vs.(20.3±3.8)%, P=0.000].The body weight (P = 0.001), the percentage of intracellular fluid (P = 0.005), protein (P = 0.004), body cell mass (P = 0.001), and active cell mass ( P = 0.020 ) in the children during remission-induction chemotherapy stage were significantly lower than those of the healthy children.However, the parameters of the consolidation chemotherapy stage were significantly lower than those of the control group, including the percentage of intracellular fluid (P = 0.000), extracellular fluid (P =0.000), protein (P = 0.000), mineral (P =0.001), body fat mass (P =0.000), non-fat mass (P = 0.000), skeletal muscle mass (P = 0.000), body cell mass (P = 0.000), and active cell mass (P = 0.000).Most body compositions in the maintenance chemotherapy stage were lower than those of the healthy children ( P < 0.05) except for body mass index (P = 0.127) and the percentage of extracellular fluid (P = 0.097).Conclusions Body compositions remarkably change in children with acute leukemia after chemotherapy.Therefore, the nutritional status of children with acute leukemia should be closely monitored, and proper nutritional support should be provided when necessary to improve the prognosis.

The development of efficient molecular imaging probes with high specificity, high sensitivity, and low toxicity is the core in promoting the development of cancer molecular imaging technology. Natural expressed purified protein-based nanocage with self-assembling ability to form intrinsically cavity structure has been widely used to prepare various molecular imaging probes of cancer for its ideal physical properties, excellent biological compatibility, exceptional biodegradability as well as diverse engineering strategies. This paper focuses on the research progress of natural protein-based nanocage from the following aspects: various types of protein-based nanocages of different origins and compositions, cargos loading mechanisms, functionalization strategies, and their recent advances in cancer molecular imaging.

Objective To explore the relationship between the soil components along the areas of the east route of the South?to?North Water Diversion Project and the survival situation of Oncomelania hupensis snails. Methods Four study sites were se?lected along the project,and soil samples were collected to analyze the components. The amounts of components among the dif?ferent study sites were compared statistically. Results Except zinc,sodium,and phosphorus,the contents of the soil compo?nents where the snails survived were different from those where snails were dead(t=-19.150 to 12.810,all P<0.01). Howev?er,the logistic regression analysis did not obtain a model with statistical significance. Conclusions O. hupensis snails live in the soil with adequate organic matter and neutral pH value. Along with the global warming and the operation of the South?to?North Water Diversion Project,O. hupensis snails may survive in the northern area,and therefore,the surveillance work should be strengthened.

OBJECTIVETo study the relationship of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3) in glioma apoptosis and possible mechanisms of its interaction.

METHODSTwo glioblastomamultiforme (GBM) cell lines: U87 (wild-type p53) and U251 (mutant p53) were used in this study and divided into normal control group, mock group and experiment group.Small interfering RNA-carried recombinant lentivirus, LV-bFGFsiRNA and LV-STAT3siRNA, targeting bFGF and STAT3 were constructed respectively. After 48 hours of lentivirus transfection, small molecular inhibitors were used to block specific signaling pathways, AG490 20 µmol/L blocking JAK, LY294002 20 µmol/L blocking PI3K/Akt pathways for 24 hours, 48 hours and 72 hours, respectively. Then, apoptosis, changes in apoptosis-related proteins and mitochondrial membrane potential were detected through the methods of flow cytometry, protein chip and confocal microscopy, respectively.Groups were compared using single factor analysis of variance (One-way ANOVA).

RESULTSWestern blot results revealed the levels of Tyr705 and Ser727 phosphorylationin reduced in a time dependent manner by blocking JAK and PI3K/Akt pathway respectively. The results of flow cytometry showed that the apoptosis rate in normal control group, mock group, experiment group were 17.97% ± 0.24%, 18.26% ± 0.88%, 46.57% ± 1.63% in U87 cells and 15.94% ± 1.18%, 16.88% ± 0.17%, 39.34% ± 0.87% in U251 cells, respectively. There was no statistically significant change between the normal control group and the mock group (P > 0.05) , while when compared with the experiment group, both group showed statistically significant difference (F = 697.41, 729.58, both P < 0.05). The results of protein chip demonstrated that protein expression of Bad, Caspase3, Cytochrome C, p27 were higher and XIAP was lower in the experiment group compared with the normal control group and mock group. Also, confocal microscopy could detect apoptosis and mitochondrial membrane potential reduced significantly in the experimental group compared with the normal control group and the mock group.

CONCLUSIONSbFGF mainly interacts with STAT3 tyrosine site-pSTAT3(Tyr705) to influence the level of STAT3 phosphorylation;blocking bFGF/STAT3 signaling pathway can induce glioma cell apoptosis through mitochondrial pathway.

Apoptosis ; Brain Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cytochromes c ; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 ; metabolism ; Glioma ; metabolism ; Humans ; Mitochondria ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases ; Phosphorylation ; RNA, Small Interfering ; STAT3 Transcription Factor ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; Transfection ; Tyrphostins