Objective:To assess the clinical utility of a fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH) assay as a non-invasive method for diagnosing and monitoring urothelial carcinoma(UC) in the upper urinary tract(UUT).Methods:Urine specimens from 63 consecutive patients with UUT-UC and 69 controls with benign disease were analyzed by means of cytology and FISH.For FISH analysis,labeled probes specific for chromosomes 3,7,and 17 and for the p16(9p21) gene were used to assess chromosomal abnormalities indicative of malignancy.Sensitivity and specificity of both techniques were determined and compared.The frequency of chromosomal aberrations of malignant cells from UUT-UC was also determined.Results:Of 63 patients with UUT-UC,FISH affords an overall sensitivity of 84.1%(53/63),the figure being 71.4%(20/28)for PTa and PT1 tumors,94.3%(33/35) for PT2-4 tumors.The sensitivities of urine cytology were 35.7%(10/28)for PTa and PT1 tumor,45.7%(16/35)for PT2-4 tumors,with an overall sensitivity of 41.3%(26/63).The sensitivities of the two methods for the low grade tumors were 80%(20/25)and 44%(11/25),and for high grade tumors were 86.8%(33/38)and 39.5%(15/38),respectively.Specificities for FISH and urine cytology were 91.3%(63/69)and 94.2%(65/69)respectively.Conclusion:According to the results,the sensitivity of FISH for the detection of UUT-UC is superior to that of urine cytology and the specificities of FISH and urine cytology are not significantly different.FISH can promote the diagnosis of UUT-UC,especially for the low stage and low grade cases,it may be a new promising non-invasive method for the diagnosis of UUT-UC.

OBJECTIVE To observe the regulation effect of chidamide on energy metabolism in HCT-8 and HT-29 cells. METHODS HCT-8 and HT-29 cells were treated with chidamide 5,10 and 20 μmol · L-1. Morphological changes of these cells were observed under an ordinary optical microscope. Cell proliferation was detected by MTT. ATP production was determined by CellTiter-Glo? assay kit. Metabolic changes were tested by glycolytic stress kit. The mRNA level of lactate dehydrogenase A (LDH-A)was analyzed by real-time quantitative PCR,whereas the protein level of LDH-A was analyzed by Western blotting. RESULTS Compared with control group,cell morphology of HCT-8 and HT-29 cells in chidamide treated group was irregular,accompanied by deformation,shrinkage and cell debris, and the inhibitory rate of proliferation increased(P<0.05). There was no significant difference in ATP total content between chidamide 5 and 10 μmol · L-1 16 h treatment groups,but in chidamide 20 μmol · L-1 treatment group it was decreased(P<0.05). Chidamide 20μmol · L-1 had no effect on oxygen consumption rate, but glycolysis ATP generation rate was reduced by 30.7% and 37.9%(P<0.05),respectively. Chidamide 20μmol · L-1 had no effect on LDH-A mRNA level,but it decreased the protein level of LDH-A(P<0.01). CONCLUSION Chidamide can abate the respiratory metabolic ability of HCT-8 and HT-29 cells. The mechanism may be related to the down-regulation of LDH-A.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; genetics ; metabolism ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Kidney Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; Male ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Middle Aged ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Tumor Cells, Cultured ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: To construct two types of Wnt-inducible secreted protein 3(WISP3) gene's mutants(1000T/C,840delT) found in spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda with progressive anthopathy (SEDT-PA) patients, and to observe their expression in COS-7 cells. METHODS: Full-length cDNA of wild type WISP3 gene(WT-WISP3) was amplified from human chondrocytes by RT-PCR, and site-directed mutagenesis was used to obtain full-length cDNAs of the mutated WISP3 genes(MUT1000T/C and MUT840delT). The recombined plasmids WT-WISP3/pcDNA3.1(+), MUT1000T/C/pcDNA3.1(+) and MUT840delT/pcDNA3.1(+) were transfected transiently into COS-7 cells by liposome-mediated method, and pcDNA3.1(+) vector was used as a control. The total RNA and protein of the transfected COS-7 cells were extracted after 48 hours of transfection. The expression of WISP3 gene in the transfected COS-7 cells was detected by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot. RESULTS: By restriction endonuclease analysis and sequencing, the sequence of MUT1000T/C and MUT840delT were consistent with that mutated in SEDT-PA, and the open reading frames matched with the vector sequence. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot showed that the recombined plasmids were highly expressed in COS-7 cells. CONCLUSION WISP3 gene's mutants of SEDT-PA are successfully constructed by genetic recombination, and expressed in COS-7 cells, which lays the foundation for the further study on its molecular functions in SEDT-PA.
Animals ; Base Sequence ; CCN Intercellular Signaling Proteins ; COS Cells ; metabolism ; Chlorocebus aethiops ; Humans ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Mutagenesis, Site-Directed ; Mutation ; Osteochondrodysplasias ; genetics ; metabolism ; Transfection

OBJECTIVETo investigate the association between polymorphism of CYP17 gene and serum hormone concentrations in aged men.

METHODSEighty-three healthy men at the average age of 66.7 were divided into a < 66.7 group (n = 36) and a > 66.7 group (n = 47), and the polymorphism of CYP17 gene in the 5' promoter region was investigated by PCR using DNA from the men's peripheral blood lymphocytes. A new recognition site was created for the restriction enzyme MspA1 I by transition (T --> C) in the risk allele (A2). Three genotypes A1/A1, A1/A2, A2/A2 were established, serum sex-hormone levels measured, and mean hormone concentration evaluated in each genotype and age group.

RESULTSNo evidence was found that the testosterone (T) level, estrogen (E2) level and T/E2 ratio were associated with the genotype of CYP17 gene. There was no significant difference in T and E2 levels between the two groups, but there was a significant increase in the T/E2 ratio (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONA2 allele does not increase sex hormone levels in aged men, but the T/E, ratio was higher in the > 66.7 group than in the < 66.7 group. This may be closely associated with the mechanism of benign prostate hyperplasia and prostate cancer in aged men.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Estradiol ; blood ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; genetics ; Steroid 17-alpha-Hydroxylase ; genetics ; Testosterone ; blood

·AIM:To investigate and compare the application of two screening models in the detection of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). ·METHODS: The clinical data of 600 premature infants (1200 eyes) who underwent screening of eye diseases in the Department of Ophthalmology during the period from January 2016 to January 2017 were analyzed retrospectively. The fundus lesions were examined with binocular indirect ophthalmoscope (BIO) and the third generation of wide-angle digital retinal imaging system (RetCam Ⅲ). The examination results and adverse events during operation were statistically analyzed. ·RESULTS:In 1200 eyes of 600 patients,the probabilities of ROP detected by BIO and RetCam Ⅲ were 10.92% and 10.75%, respectively (P>0.05). With BIO as the golden standard, the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of RetCam Ⅲ in examining ROP were 98.67%, 93.13%, 99.35%, 94.57% and 99.16%, respectively. There was no significant difference in the stage of ROP detected by BIO or RetCam Ⅲ (P>0.05). The probabilities of non-ROP lesions examined by BIO and RetCam Ⅲ were 4.83% and 4.58%, respectively (P>0.05). With BIO as the golden standard, the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of RetCam Ⅲ in examining fundus non-ROP diseases were 99.67%, 94.83%, 99.91%, 98.21% and 99.74%, respectively. During the screening of BIO and RetCam Ⅲ,there were 17 cases (2.83%) and 7 cases(1.17%) with adverse events, respectively (P<0.05).·CONCLUSION: The examination results of RetCam Ⅲ are basically the same as those of BIO for ROP and non-ROP diseases. However,RetCam Ⅲ has more advantages in reducing adverse events during operation.

BACKGROUNDAngiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels to supply nutrients to tumors. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and cluster of differentiation 34 (CD34) are important signaling proteins involved in angiogenesis. Many studies have demonstrated that VEGF and CD34 are related to tumor progression. This study focused on the relationship between VEGF, CD34, and perioperative hemorrhage in patients with gastric cancer.

METHODSTo observe the relationship between VEGF and CD34, we tracked 112 patients with advanced gastric cancer for 5 years to assess factors related to hemorrhage, using immunohistochemistry. The results were subjected to statistical analysis using a 2 × 2 contingency table, logistic regression, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) test.

RESULTSThe concentrations of VEGF and CD34 were critically correlated with perioperative hemorrhage and neural invasion in patients with gastric cancer (P < 0.05). Expression of VEGF and CD34 was related (P < 0.05, χ2 = 6.834). VEGF and CD34 co-expression strongly increased the risk of preoperative bleeding (area under the ROC curve >0.7, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSExpression of VEGF and CD34 was critically correlated with perioperative hemorrhage in gastric cancer patients. Co-expression of VEGF and CD34 could be an effective indicator for evaluating the risk of perioperative bleeding in gastric cancer patients.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antigens, CD34 ; metabolism ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; etiology ; metabolism ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neovascularization, Pathologic ; complications ; metabolism ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Stomach Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; metabolism ; Young Adult

【Objective】 To explore the potential biomarkers and related enrichment pathways of dilated cardiomyopathy （DCM） by bioinformatics methods. 【Methods】 The data sets related to DCM in GEO database were searched， and microarray data sets GSE42955 and GSE1869 of human cardiomyocytes were extracted. Then， the differentially expressed genes （DEGS） were analyzed using R language， and the protein-protein interaction network was analyzed to identify the core genes and core modules of differential expression. The gene ontology database （GO） enrichment and Kyoto Gene and Genome Encyclopedia （KEGG） pathway analyses were performed. The data sets related to DCM in ArrayExpress database were searched， and the human cardiomyocytes microarray data set E-TABM-480 was extracted to verify the expressions of core genes and modules. 【Results】 We identified 10 DEGS， namely， DZIP3， FBXO32， BTBD6， FBXL5， ASB8， COMMD1， LTN1， FBXO21， RCHY1 and ARIH2， and the core DEG was DZIP3. After GO and KEGG analyses， the GO and KEGG of the above DEGS were mainly related to the ubiquitin-proteasome system. 【Conclusion】 Bioinformatics analysis shows that the ubiquitin-proteasome system plays an important role in the pathogenesis of DCM， and the mechanism remains to be further studied.

OBJECTIVE: This study explored whether thyroglobulin and thyroid disease prevalence rates were higher in pregnant Chinese women with a median urinary iodine concentration of 100-149 µg/L, compared with those with a median urinary iodine concentration of 150-249 μg/L maintained through sustainable universal salt iodization. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study in which 812 healthy pregnant women were enrolled to collect samples of their household edible salt, urine, and blood during their routine antenatal care in the 18 counties in Fujian Province, China. The levels of salt iodine concentration, urinary iodine concentration (UIC), free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroid hormone (FT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroglobulin (Tg), thyroid peroxidase antibody and thyroglobulin antibody were assessed during the routine antenatal care visits. RESULTS: The median UIC (mUIC) in pregnant women was 130.8 μg/L (interquartile range = 91.5-198.1 μg/L) in the counties with an mUIC of 100-149 μg/L (Group I), and 172.0 μg/L (interquartile range = 123.5-244.4 μg/L) in the counties with an mUIC of 150-249 μg/L (Group II). Goiter prevalence and thyroid nodule detection rates showed no difference between Group I and Group II ( P > 0.05). Except for FT4 values, the TSH, FT4, FT3, Tg and Tg values > 40 (μg/L) and the thyroid diseases prevalence rate (TDR) showed no significant differences between Group I and Group II ( P > 0.05), whether or not iodine supplementation measures were taken. CONCLUSION Compared with an mUIC of 150-249 μg/L, not only there was no difference in thyroid morphology, but also the Tg value, rate of Tg values > 40 µg/L, and TDR were not higher in pregnant women in the counties with an mUIC of 100-149 μg/L achieved through sustainable universal salt iodization in Fujian Province, China.
Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Iodine/urine* ; Pregnant Women ; Sodium Chloride, Dietary ; Thyroglobulin ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyrotropin ; East Asian People