OBJECTIVETo explore the changes in the mRNA expression of adiponectin (Adp), adiponectin receptors(AdpR), and leptin in different adipose tissues of Wannanhua pigs at different stages of development, and their sexual dimorphism.

METHODSFive Wannanhua boars and five Wannanhua gilts were sampled at birth, 30, 45, 90, and 180 days of age respectively. The delta delta Ct relative quantification real-time PCR was used to detect the transcription levels of Adp, AdpR1, AdpR2, and leptin mRNAs in subcutaneous (SC) and perirenal (PR) adipose tissues, and beta-actin were used as internal standards.

RESULTSThe expression level of Adp, AdpR1, AdpR2, and leptin mRNA in SC and PR adipose tissue were changed with age significantly (P < 0.01). In general, Adp mRNA expression in SC adipose tissue was significantly lower than that in PR adipose tissue (P < 0.05), while AdpR1, AdpR2, and leptin mRNA expression in SC adipose tissue were significantly higher than those in PR adipose tissue (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Although the sexual dimorphism were found in apart genes or apart days of age, Adp, AdpR1, AdpR2, and leptin mRNA expression both in SC adipose tissue and PR adipose tissue had no significant differences between Wannanhua gilts and boars in general. Significant positive correlation was found between Adp and AdpR1, AdpR2 (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), and significant negative correlation was found between Adp and leptin (P < 0.05) in SC adipose tissue and PR adipose tissue respectively (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe expression of Adp, AdpR1, AdpR2, and leptin mRNA in adipose tissue of Wannanhua pigs followed specific developmental patterns and tissue specificity. Adp correlated with its receptors.

Actins ; metabolism ; Adiponectin ; metabolism ; Adipose Tissue ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Animals ; Female ; Leptin ; metabolism ; Male ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; Receptors, Adiponectin ; metabolism ; Swine

OBJECTIVETo study the combined toxic effects of fumonisin B(1) (FB(1)) and aflatoxin B(1) (AFB(1)) on Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats.

METHODAll 60 SD male rats were divided into five groups randomly according to the body weight (12 every group). They were given FB(1) (100 microg/kg bw), AFB(1) (100 microg/kg bw), FB(1) plus AFB(1) (100 microg/kg bw respectively), FB(1) plus AFB(1) (50 microg/kg bw respectively) and distilled water respectively by gavage. The experiment persisted 30 days to observe the changes of growth and development, the food used rate, the haematological indexes, the blood biochemical indexes and the viscera histopathology.

RESULTSAt the end of the experiment, the mean body weight increased in the FB(1) plus AFB(1) (100 microg/kg bw respectively) group was (164.9 +/- 19.8) g and the mean body weight increased in the control group was (203.7 +/- 17.1) g. And the food used rate in the FB(1) plus AFB(1) (100 microg/kg bw respectively) group was (25.3 +/- 1.6)% and the food used rate in the control group was (28.1 +/- 1.2)%. There were significant differences in the mean body weight increased and the food used rate between the FB(1) plus AFB(1) (100 microg/kg bw respectively) group and the control group (P < 0.05). While there were no significant differences of body weights and food used rates between controls and AFB(1), FB(1), and low dose AFB(1) + FB(1) groups (P > 0.05). The levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutaminetransferase (gamma-GT) in serum of all of the treatment groups were increased, but the increasing extent was severe in the AFB(1) + FB(1) high dose group. At the same time the liver weight and kidney weight were decreased and the liver occurred with the remarkable histopathological lesions in the AFB(1) + FB(1) high dose group. The activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in serum was decreased and the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) in serum was elevated in treatment groups.

CONCLUSIONSThe combined toxic effects of AFB(1) and FB(1) existed in male SD rats. Our results provided the basic data for studying the combined effects on human exposed to these two mycotoxin at the same time.

Aflatoxin B1 ; toxicity ; Animals ; Fumonisins ; toxicity ; Male ; Mycotoxins ; toxicity ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Toxicity Tests

Objective To explore the dosage and injection method of concanavalin A(Con A) for inducing Wistar rats into the acute hepatic injury model. Methods (1)According to the dosage of Con A, 42 Wistar rats were randomly divided into groups A, B, C, D, E, N, 7 rats in each group. Group N was given tail intravenous injection of normal saline as normal control group. Groups A, B, C, D, E were given intravenous injection of 4, 8, 16, 30, 40 mg/kg of Con A respectively. At the 8th hour after modeling, the levels of alanine transaminase(ALT), aspartate aminotransferase(AST), albumin(ALB), interleukin(IL)-2 , IL-10, interferon (IFN)-γ, and tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-αwere detected. And HE staining was used to observe the pathological feature of hepatic tissue. (2)According to the injection method of Con A, 21 Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal control group, intraperitoneal injection group and tail intravenous injection group, 7 rats in each group. The dosage of Con A for the rats in intraperitoneal injection group and tail intravenous injection group was 16 mg/kg. At the 8th hour after modeling, the levels of serum ALT, AST, and ALB were determined. Results The number of abnormal deaths in various dose Con A groups at the end of each experiment was 0 in groups A, B, C, and 2 in group D, and 7 in group E. A small amount of spotty necrosis, inflammatory cell infiltration, and hepatic lobule with almost integrity of structure were found in groups A, B, while obvious bridging-like necrosis was seen in groups C, D. Serum ALT, AST, and ALB levels in intraperitoneal injection group had no statistically significant difference as compared with the normal control group. Conclusion Tail intravenous injection of 16 mg/kg of Con A can be used to induce an acute immunological liver injury rat model successfully.

For a long time, the diagnosis and treatment protocol for esophageal cancer has been made either entirely based on the experience of Western countries or on our own experience alone. A suitable standardized guideline for diagnosis and treatment of esophageal cancer in our country has not been established until 2010. Due to lack of opportunities for mutual exchange and learning, the overall level of standardized diagnosis and treatment was relatively low in China. In addition, less advanced technologies were applied and varying treatment protocols were implemented in different districts, the treatment results has been unsatisfactory, and the overall 5-year survival rate after surgical treatment has been maintained from 30% to 40%. Therefore, it is imperative that China needs to conduct its own clinical studies and establish its own suitable standardized treatment and diagnosis guideline for esophageal cancer. This article reviews and also made comments on the process of academic speaking tour and development of standardized diagnosis and treatment guidelines as well as the problems resolved by these activities for esophageal cancer since the beginning of this century.
China ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; surgery ; therapy ; Humans ; Practice Guidelines as Topic

Objective To observed the clinical effect of long-term sacral nerve stimulation on anal rectal pain after lumbar surgery.Methods A total of 18 cases with functional anorectal pain (FARP) after lumbar surgery in our hospital from April 2015 to March 2018were selected, of whom 3 cases refuse to accept the treatment, the other 15 cases received sacral nerve electrical stimulation.The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and simplified MPQ pain questionnaire were used to evaluate the clinical effect in preoperative and postoperative1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 1 year respectively.Results Fifteen cases of permanent sacral nerve stimulation before and after , The MPQ scale and PSQI of 15 patients with implantation of permanent sacral nerve stimulation in postoperative 1 week were better than those before implantation , the differences were significant( P＜ 0. 05) . In the MPQ scale , the PPI and PRI at 6 months after operation was better than those before implantation , the difference was statistically significant ( P ＜ O. 01 ) ; PSQI and V AS score after 2 months were better than those before implantation , the difference were statistically significant( P ＜ 0.01) , meanwhile in 1-year of follow-up , the PSQI and VAS score continued to decline , but the change was not obvious. Conclusion Long-term sacral nerve electrical stimulation in the treatment of lumbar anorectal pain has a good clinical effect , which can improve patients ' quality of life.

BACKGROUNDChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has a variable natural history and not all individuals follow the same course. This study aimed to identify the prevalence and characteristics of asymptomatic COPD patients from a population-based survey in China.

METHODSA multistage cluster sampling strategy was used in a population from seven different provinces/cities. All residents (over 40 years old) were interviewed with a standardized questionnaire and spirometry. Post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1))/forced vital capacity (FVC) of less than 70% was defined as the diagnostic criterion of COPD. All COPD patients screened were divided into symptomatic group and asymptomatic group according to the presence or absence of chronic respiratory symptoms. Socio-demographic, personal and exposure variables were collected and analyzed.

RESULTSAmong the 1668 patients who were diagnosed with COPD from the 25 627 sampling subjects, 589 (35.3%) were asymptomatic. The age, sex, body mass index (BMI), rural and urban distributions, smoking habit and education levels were similar in the two groups. A total of 64.7% of the asymptomatic patients had no comorbidities. Cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer were more common among symptomatic COPD patients than asymptomatic group. Asymptomatic COPD group were less likely to present with poor ventilation in the kitchen, a family history of respiratory disease and recurrent childhood cough. Asymptomatic COPD patients had significantly higher FEV(1) (73.1% vs. 61.0%), FVC (91.9% vs. 82.0%), and a higher ratio of FEV(1)/FVC (62.9% vs. 58.7%) (all P < 0.001) than symptomatic group. More asymptomatic patients were underdiagnosed (91.9% vs. 54.3%, P < 0.001) than symptomatic patients.

CONCLUSIONSThis large population-based survey confirmed a high prevalence of asymptomatic COPD patients in China. More use of spirometry screening test may be important to the early detection of COPD.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; China ; epidemiology ; Educational Status ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Smoking ; Spirometry ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUNDPeople with metabolic syndrome are at higher risk for developing coronary artery disease (CAD). The effect of the metabolic syndrome on outcomes in patients with preexisting CAD has not been well studied. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence, characteristics, in hospital and long term prognosis of CAD with metabolic syndrome and to determine the factors influencing the prognosis of the disease.

METHODSThe DESIRE registry contains data of 3696 patients with CAD between 2001 and 2004. Mean long term followup was (829 +/- 373) days. Diagnosis of metabolic syndrome was based on modified International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Worldwide Definition of the Metabolic Syndrome, using body mass index (BMI) instead of waist circumference.

RESULTSOf 2596 patients with complete records of height, weight, and so on, 1280 (49.3%) were identified with metabolic syndrome. The patients with metabolic syndrome had higher level of body mass index, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting glucose and disordered blood lipid (all P < 0.0001), with higher creatinine [(10.5 +/- 4.3) mg/L vs (9.9 +/- 2.9) mg/L, P < 0.0001] and the number of white blood cells [(7.49 +/- 2.86) x 10(9)/L vs (7.19 +/- 2.62) x 10(9)/L, P = 0.008) compared with those without metabolic syndrome. The patients with metabolic syndrome showed severer coronary angiographic alterations (left main artery and/or > or = 2-vessel) (73.6% vs 69.6%, P = 0.031). There were no significant differences of major adverse cardiac and cerebral events (MACCE) or mortality in hospital between the two groups. During followup, the ratio of MACCE in CAD with metabolic syndrome patients increased significantly (11.8% vs 10.0%, P = 0.044). Fasting blood glucose (> or = 1000 mg/L) and triglyceride (TG, > or = 1500 mg/L) were responsible for most of the increased risk associated with the metabolic syndrome (adjusted OR 1.465, 95% CI 1.037 - 1.874, P = 0.032; OR 1.378, 95% CI 1.014 - 1.768, P = 0.044).

CONCLUSIONSThe prevalence of metabolic syndrome was very high in CAD patients. The metabolic syndrome confers a higher risk of long term MACCE in patients with CAD, and dysglycaemia and hypertriglycaemia appear to be responsible for most of the associated risk.

Adult ; Aged ; Blood Glucose ; analysis ; Coronary Artery Disease ; complications ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Lipids ; blood ; Male ; Metabolic Syndrome ; complications ; epidemiology ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Revascularization ; Prognosis

OBJECTIVETo explore the relationship between waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in non-diabetic subjects and compare the difference between male and female subjects.

METHODSWe performed a cross-sectional survey among 2142 community-based southern Chinese participants without diabetes from June to October 2012. We divided all the participants into 4 groups according to the gender-specific quartiles of WHR. Logistic regression models were used to explore the associations of WHR with CKD in these subjects.

RESULTSIn the unadjusted model, WHR was significantly associated with CKD in women (OR=7.29, 95% CI: 3.56-16.32, P<0.001), and the association was still significant (OR=6.13, 95% CI: 2.56-15.20, P=0.003 ) after adjustment for the potential confounders (including age, history of hypertension, coronary heart disease, current smoker, physical inactivity, education level, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, serum triglyceride, serum high density lipoprotein, blood glucose, and BMI). The odds ratio (OR) for having CKD in the highest versus lowest quartile of WHR levels was 2.44 (95% CI: 0.98-4.97, P=0.103) in men in the unadjusted model.

CONCLUSIONWHR levels are associated with CKD in non-diabetic women but not in non-diabetic male subjects.

Objective This study aimed to comprehensively analyze and compare the clinicopathological features and prognosis of Chinese patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)-low early breast cancer(BC)and HER2-IHC0 BC. Methods Patients diagnosed with HER2-negative BC(N=999)at our institution between January 2011 and December 2015 formed our study population.Clinicopathological characteristics,association between estrogen receptor(ER)expression and HER2-low,and evolution of HER2 immunohistochemical(IHC)score were assessed.Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to compare the long-term survival outcomes(5-year follow-up)between the HER2-IHC0 and HER2-low groups. Results HER2-low BC group tended to demonstrate high expression of ER and more progesterone receptor(PgR)positivity than HER2-IHC0 BC group(P<0.001).The rate of HER2-low status increased with increasing ER expression levels(Mantel-Haenszel χ2 test,P<0.001,Pearson's R=0.159,P<0.001).Survival analysis revealed a significantly longer overall survival(OS)in HER2-low BC group than in HER2-IHC0 group(P=0.007)in the whole cohort and the hormone receptor(HR)-negative group.There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of disease-free survival(DFS).The discordance rate of HER2 IHC scores between primary and metastatic sites was 36.84%. Conclusion HER2-low BC may not be regarded as a unique BC group in this population-based study due to similar clinicopathological features and prognostic roles.

Proteasome controls the degradation of proteins closely related to life activities and plays a key role in the maintenance of protein homeostasis. Proteasome activities decrease with aging, followed by the overwhelming production of damaged proteins which far exceed the protein consumption. Accumulation of these proteins leads to various diseases including neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, inducing toxic protein degradation is considered as a promising solution for the treatment of these diseases, while increasing the activity of proteasome is considered as an important strategy. However, the research in this field is still in the preliminary stage, and this review will focus on the discussion of the research progress of various small molecule proteasome activators, including research methods, pharmacological effects, structure-activity relationships and the existing problems.