The present study demonstrated that bone marrow cells from diabetic rats were able to form cell clusters expressing insulin,C-peptide,glucagon,somatostatin and islet amyloid .polypeptide,and other genes associated with development and function of islets such as glucose transporter-2,glucokinase,glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor,PDX-1,Ngn3,NeuroDl,Pax-6 and NKX2.2 genes.These islet-like cells might be derived from adult stem cells in bone marrow.

OBJECTIVEThis is an investigation on the polymorphism distribution of genes related with metabolism, such as cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1), CYP2E1, glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1), GSTT1 and GSTP1 among the Korean public.

METHODSThe techniques of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism were adopted. The authors analyzed the polymorphisms for 3-flanking region of CYP1A1 gene by the restriction endonuclease MspI, for 5-flanking region of the gene of CYP2E1 by PstI, for GSTP1 by BsmAI, and for the presence of GSTM1 and GSTT1 genotype to evaluate the gene types and calculate their frequencies in 300 healthy university students.

RESULTSThe CYP1A1 genotype frequencies for types of m1/m1, m1/m2, and m2/m2 are 39.7%, 49.7%, and 10.7% respectively, with the allele frequencies 0.645 for m1 and 0.355 for m2. The CYP2E1 genotype frequencies are 66.7% for type of c1/c1, 30% for type of c1/c2, 3.3% for type of c2/c2 with the allele frequencies 0.818 for C1 and 0.182 for C2. The null type frequency is 53.3% for gene GSTM1 and 54.7% for gene GSTT1. The genotype frequencies of GSTP1 is 62% for the type of Ile/Ile, 34.3% for the type of Ile/Val, 3.7% for the type of Val/Val, and the allele frequencies are 0.792 for IIe and 0.208 for Val. All of the gene distribution matched the equilibrium law of Hardy-Weinberg.

CONCLUSIONThe genetic distribution of the genes in Korean is similar to the distribution of those in Chinese; more than half of the Korean in the study sample lack GSTM1 and GSTT1; the frequency for GSTM1 and GSTT1 null type of Korean is 3 times that of Indian.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1 ; genetics ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2E1 ; genetics ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Glutathione S-Transferase pi ; genetics ; Glutathione Transferase ; genetics ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; genetics ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo identify the FTIR spectroscopic characterization of breast cancer and explore the possibility of application of FTIR in differentiation of malignant and benign breast lesions.

METHODSFTIR spectra of surgically removed fresh breast tissues were measured by spectrometer equipped with mid-infrared fiber optics and an ATR probe. Peaks in the spectra were measured and relative intensity ratios were calculated and analyzed if there are significant differences between the spectra of malignant and benign breast lesions.

RESULTSThere were significant differences (P < 0.05) between the spectra of malignant breast cancers and benign breast tissues in the relative intensity ratios of different peaks (I1640/ I1550 and I1160/I1120 for protein structures; I1640/I1460 and I1550/I1460 for relative content of protein and lipid; I1460/I1400 for lipid structures; I1310/I1240 for nucleic acid).

CONCLUSIONFTIR spectroscopy could be a useful tool in clinical diagnosis of breast cancer.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Breast ; chemistry ; pathology ; Breast Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; Female ; Fibroadenoma ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; Humans ; Lipids ; analysis ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Proteins ; analysis ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared ; methods

Heishui county, located in northwest Sichuan province, southwestern China, is an endemic area of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and is the most intractable area. VL is never destroyed in it. Asymptomatic dogs (Leishmania parasites have been diagnosed but clinically healthy) are considered to be a potential reservoir host in zoonotic VL area, and most can lead to infection of individuals, that is a new challenge for controlling VL in humans. The present study aimed to assess the Leishmania infection rate of asymptomatic dogs in Heishui county. Total 105 asymptomatic domestic dogs were gathered from 4 districts in Heishui county to investigate the infection rate with serological and molecular methods based on ELISA and kinetoplast minicircle DNA(kDNA) PCR, respectively. Out of 105 dogs, 44 (41.9%) were positive by more than 1 method; 21 (20.0%) were positive by ELISA, and 30 (28.6%) were positive by kDNA-PCR. Our study showed that Leishmania infection of domestic dogs which is clinically healthy is prevalent in the studied district, and the asymptomatic dogs infected by Leishmania may be the primary reason for the prevalence of visceral leishmaniasis in the area.
Animals ; China* ; Dogs* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Epidemiology ; Humans ; Leishmania* ; Leishmaniasis, Visceral* ; Methods ; Parasites ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence

BACKGROUNDIn county-level tuberculosis (TB) dispensaries in China, the accurate diagnosis of sputum smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis (SNPT) needs to be improved by developing and validating clinical and radiographic predictors.

METHODSThe study was conducted simultaneously in three counties per province in Chongqing Municipality and Liaoning Province in China between May 2005 and May 2006. A total of 432 new SNPT patients who are HIV-negative and more than 15 years old diagnosed by expert panels in county-level TB dispensaries were recruited. Their sputum samples were collected for culture before anti-TB treatment, and the treatment outcomes (changes of X-rays) were followed up at the end of the 6th month.

RESULTSOf the 432 SNPT patients, sputum culture positive (9.7%) or culture negative with good changes of X-rays at the end of the 6th month (73.6%) was validated as SNPT. Four predictive variables were associated with validated SNPT in the multivariate logistic regression model: age ≤55 years old (odds ratio (OR) 5.66; 95% CI 2.69-11.91), >60 days of cough (OR 3.73; 95% CI 1.10-12.65), ≥10% of pulmonary consolidation in the lungs (OR 5.40; 95% CI 2.90-10.06), and pulmonary consolidation in the upper lobe anterior segment (OR 3.00; 95% CI 1.57-5.72). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the model was 0.77 (95% CI 0.71-0.83).

CONCLUSIONFour predictors of clinical and radiological characteristics that had a good diagnostic performance of SNPT deserve to be recommended as index indicators of SNPT diagnosis in county-level TB dispensaries in China.

Adult ; China ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; HIV Seronegativity ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sputum ; microbiology ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary ; diagnosis

OBJECTIVETo understand the characteristics of embB gene mutation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) isolates from tuberculosis patients in Chongqing, and the value of embB306 as a molecular marker used to diagnose ethambutol (EMB)-resistant MTB strains.

METHODSDirect sequencing was used to analyze the polymorphism of embB mutation in 51 EMB-resistant MTB strains and 50 EMB-sensitive MTB strains. And diagnostic testing was used to evaluate the value of embB306 as a molecular marker of EMB -resistant MTB strains as compared with the traditional sensitivity test.

RESULTSAll 34 of 51 EMB-resistant strains (66.7%) and 3 of 51 EMB-sensitive strains (6%) had had embB306 mutation. The embB306 mutation rate in EMB-resistant strains coming from previously treated case was 87.5%, showing significantly higher than that from new cases (48.1%, P < 0.01); embB306 mutation rate was increased with the number of the resistant drugs; embB306 mutation serving as a marker to diagnose EMB-resistant MTB strains comparing with the traditional sensitivity test, had the rate of sensitivity = 66.7%, specificity = 94.0%, accuracy = 80.2% and Youden index = 60.7%.

CONCLUSIONembB306 mutation should be the main mechanism of MTB resistance to EMB in Chongqing, showing an association with the history of the treated and numbers of the resistant drugs. embB306 mutation should be a good marker to diagnose EMB-resistant MTB strains.

China ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; DNA, Bacterial ; genetics ; Genes, Bacterial ; Humans ; Mutation ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; drug effects ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Pentosyltransferases ; genetics ; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant ; microbiology

OBJECTIVETo determine the optimal position of hypoglossal nerve in hypoglossal-facial nerve anastomosis and the eligibility of hypoglossal-facial nerve anastomosis with the cervical loop.

METHODSThe cervical course and adjacent structures of the hypoglossal nerve were observed on 21 adult cadavers. The hypoglossal nerve and facial nerve were taken from 3 fresh specimens, and the number of the fasciculus and the cross-sectional area of the nerve were measured.

RESULTSThe facial nerve trunk were monofascicular with a cross-sectional area of 5.1-/+0.2 (range 4.6-5.7) mm(2). The number of the fasciculus and the cross-sectional areas of the nerve trunk and the fasciculus were 1.6-/+0.8 (range 1-4) mm(2) , 7.5-/+0.7 mm(2) (range 6.8-8.0) mm(2), and 4.7-/+0.6 (4.1-5.5) mm(2), respectively, at the proximal segment of the hypoglossal nerve, 3.6-/+0.5 (1-5) mm(2) , 5.6-/+0.5 (4.9-6.1) mm(2) , and 1.6-/+0.4 (0.9-2.2) mm(2) at the distal segment, and 2.4-/+0.8 (1-3) mm(2), 1.1-/+0.7 (0.6-2.2) mm(2), and 0.5-/+0.3 (0.3-1.2) mm(2) at the cervical loop.

CONCLUSIONThe cervical loop is inadequate for facial nerve anastomosis and the proximal segment is large enough to allow partial harvesting of the hypoglossal nerve for neurotisation of the facial nerve.

Anastomosis, Surgical ; methods ; Cadaver ; Facial Nerve ; anatomy & histology ; surgery ; Humans ; Hypoglossal Nerve ; anatomy & histology ; surgery ; Nerve Transfer ; methods

OBJECTIVETo ascertain whether connexin 26 (Cx26) gene was a nuclear modifier gene in an extensive family with matrilineal nonsyndromic deafness associated with A1555G mutation in Huaiyin, China.

METHODSFollowing PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) with ApaI restriction enzyme, Cx26 genes from 26 cases, with A1555G mitochondrial mutations in this family, and 62 controls (including 2 patrilineal relatives, 10 spouse controls and 50 unrelated controls), were sequenced.

RESULTSCompared with the reference sequence of Cx26 gene, totally four kinds of nucleotide changes,79G -->A, 109G-->A, 341G-->A and 235delC, were detected in a heterozygous form. However, the former three were previously reported polymorphisms, and only the 235delC was a previously described recessive mutation associated with most autosomal nonsyndromic sensorineural hearing loss in Japan and China. Further study showed that the heterozygous 235delC mutation existed in both one individual with mild hearing loss and two individuals with normal hearing. Clinical characterization showed that 235delC mutation did not seem to modify the deafness phenotype due to the A1555G mutation. Moreover, this 235delC mutation was deduced to derive from a married-in control. Finally, there were no co-segregation between the phenotypes of hearing loss and the genotypes for Cx26 genes based on the four kinds of nucleotide changes.

CONCLUSIONSThe heterozygous 235delC mutation of the Cx26 gene may not modulate the severity of hearing loss associated with A1555G mutation and Cx26 gene is unlikely to be a modifier gene for hearing loss due to A1555G mitochondrial mutation in this Chinese family.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Connexin 26 ; Connexins ; genetics ; Deafness ; epidemiology ; ethnology ; genetics ; Female ; Genotype ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; Pedigree ; Phenotype ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Sequence Analysis ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo study the impact of arsenic trioxide (As2O3) on human colorectal carcinoma LS-174T cells and their activity of telomerase.

METHODSLS-174T cells and xenograft model of nude mice were treated with As2O3. The inhibitory effect of As2O3 on survival of LS-174T cells was determined by MTT assay. Apoptosis was determined by electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy. Cell cycle was assessed by flow cytometry. Telomerase activity in LS-174T cells was determined by PCR-ELISA kit.

RESULTSWith the increasing concentration of As2O3, the ratio of living cells to dead cells decreased significantly, and the IC50 value was 5.23 micromol/L. Apoptosis curve appeared after 24 h and cells turned to apoptosis in a time-dependent manner. As2O3 inhibited the telomerase activity in cell extraction, obviously in a concentration-dependent and time-dependent manner. Inhibitiory effect of As2O3 on xenograft model of nude mice was observed by tumor volume and weight measurement, showing a significant difference between As2O3 and control groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONBoth the experiments in vitro and in vivo showed an inhibitory effect of As2O3 on colonrectal cancer S-174T cell growth, probably by induction of apoptosis and inhibition of telomerase activity.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Arsenicals ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Cell Cycle ; drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Colonic Neoplasms ; pathology ; prevention & control ; ultrastructure ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Nude ; Microscopy, Electron ; Microscopy, Fluorescence ; Oxides ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Random Allocation ; Telomerase ; antagonists & inhibitors ; genetics ; metabolism ; Time Factors ; Tumor Burden ; drug effects ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

OBJECTIVESTo investigate the possibilities of an association between the degrees of HBV suppression with nucleoside treatments at week 24 and week 52 in hepatitis B patients and to find a useful predictor for treatment efficacy.

METHODSIn this phase III, double-blind, multicenter trial, we compared the efficacy of telbivudine treatment with lamivudine treatment in 332 Chinese compensated chronic hepatitis B patients. The patients were randomly assigned to a daily 600 mg telbivudine treatment group or daily 100 mg lamivudine group for 24 weeks. They were then categorized into 4 groups according to their serum HBV DNA levels (copies/ml) at week 24: a PCR-undetectable group (< 300 copies/ml); a QL- < 10(3) copies/ml group; a 10(3)-<10(4) copies/ml group; and a > or = 10(4) copies/ml group. The treatments were continued as they previously had been for another 28 weeks and the patients serum HBV DNA levels were examined again.

RESULTSAt week 52, mean reductions of serum HBV DNA were significantly greater in the telbivudine-treated patients than in the lamivudine-treated group (6.2 log10 vs 5.4 log10, t = 3.6, P < 0.01). Viral resistance was twice as common in lamivudine-treated patients compared to those receiving telbivudine. Telbivudine was well-tolerated with an adverse event profile similar to that of lamivudine. The lower the HBV DNA level achieved at week 24, the higher HBV DNA non-detectable by PCR. ALT normalization and HBeAg seroconversion achieved at week 52, and viral resistance at week 48 decreased parallel to the degree of HBV DNA inhibition.

CONCLUSIONHBV DNA PCR-undetectable at week 24 in nucleoside-treated hepatitis B patients suggests a better efficacy at week 52 and lower viral resistance at week 48. The degree of suppression of HBV at week 24 may be used as a predictor of 1-year outcome.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; DNA, Viral ; blood ; Double-Blind Method ; Female ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Lamivudine ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nucleosides ; therapeutic use ; Pyrimidinones ; therapeutic use ; Thymidine ; analogs & derivatives ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult