Objective To compare the prevalence of overweight and obesity in urban children in Chongqing city with 3 different refe-rences and find the appropriate reference for obesity-related study in children.Methods A cross-sectional study including 12 534 urban children aged 2-18 years old was performed.The data were selected from 3 districts in Chongqing city by multistage random cluster sampling.Children′s body height and weight were measured with unique method by trained doctors.Body mass index (BMI,kg/m2) was calculated for each child.Overweight and obese children were defined according to WHO weight-for-height reference values of urban children (1995,standard 1), International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) age-and gender-specific BMI cut-offs (2000,standard 2),and National Center for Health Statistics / Center for Disease Control and Prevention(NCHS/CDC)age-and gender-specific BMI cut-offs(2000,standard 3),respectively.Results The prevalence of overweight in all children was 13.0%,9.8%,and 9.8%,and the prevalence of obesity in all children was 9.8%,2.9%,and 6.0% by using the standard 1,standard 2 and standard 3,respectively,which showed significant differences between the references (Pa

In order to confirm the hypothesis that during acute hypoxia, the antiarrhythmic peptide (AAP10) could improve conductance by changing the phosphorylation state of connexin43 (Cx43), isolated perfused rat hearts were randomly divided into three groups: control, hypoxia and AAP10 (n=9 in each group). The change in Cx43 phosphorylation was tested by Western-blot; the distribution of Cx43 was observed by confocal immunofluorescence microscopy. Western-blot analysis revealed that the expression of total Cx43 protein was significantly decreased during acute hypoxia, while nonphosphorylated Cx43 (NP-Cx43) was unchanged. AAP10 could increase the expression of total Cx43 protein, but had no effects on the NP-Cx43 protein. Immunofluorescence study showed that during acute hypoxia, both total Cx43 and NP-Cx43 proteins were greatly decreased, while AAP10 only increased the expression of total Cx43 protein, but had no effect of the NP-Cx43 protein expression. These findings suggested that the decrease of intercellular communication may be associated with the reduction of phosphorylated Cx43 (p-Cx43) and translocation of NP-Cx43 from the surface of gap junction into intracellular pools during acute hypoxia. AAP10 can improve intercellular communication by enhancing phosphorylation of Cx43.

DNA ; analysis ; Female ; Humans ; Neonatology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; methods ; alpha-Thalassemia ; diagnosis ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo observe the therapeutic effect of moxibustion on AIDS patients of spleen-kidney yang-deficiency.

METHODSSixty-six cases of AIDS were divided into a treatment group and a control group, 33 cases in each group. All of the patients were treated with HAART, with moxibustion at Tianshu (ST 25), Shenque (CV 8), Zhongwan (CV 12), Guanyuan (CV 4) added in the treatment group for 3 months. Clinical symptoms and cell immunity were recorded before and after treatment.

RESULTSAfter treatment, the effective rate was 90.9% in the treatment group, which was better than 66.7% in the control group (P < 0.05). The improvement of the score for clinical symptoms in the treatment group was superior to that in the control group (P < 0.01). After treatment, the CD4 lymphocyte counts increased in the two groups, with no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). Additionally, increase of total lymphocyte count in the treatment group was superior to that in the control group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONMoxibustion can increase the therapeutic effect of HAART on AIDS patients and increase the total lymphocyte count.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; immunology ; therapy ; Adult ; Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney ; physiopathology ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Moxibustion ; methods ; Spleen ; physiopathology ; Yang Deficiency ; immunology ; therapy

Objective To analyze the CT features of renal cell carcinoma,so as to improve the diagnostic accuracy of renal cell carcinoma.Methods Three hundred cases of renal cell carcinoma proved by pathology were examined by means of CT.There were 214 male and 86 female in this group.Their age ranged from 9 to 81 years,with a mean of 53.7 years.Their CT features were retrospectively reviewed. Results The masses were 1.5—16.0 cm(mean,4.8 cm)in greatest dimension,125 masses on left kidney and 175 masses on right kidney.According to WHO histological classification of tumours of the kidney in 2004,there were 238 cases of clear cell renal cell carcinoma,6 cases of multilocular clear cell renal cell carcinomas,23 cases of papillary renal cell carcinoma,14 cases of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma and 19 cases of renal cell carcinoma,unclassified.The above subtype of renal cell carcinoma demonstrated characteristic features.Clear cell renal cell carcinoma exhibited inhomogenous(due to hemorrhage,necrosis or cystic degeneration)and hypervaseular.Multilocular clear cell renal cell carcinoma presented as a multilocular cystic mass lacking an,expansile nodule,and with regular thin cyst wall and septa.Papillary renal cell carcinoma exhibited inhomogenous and hypovascular.Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma was relatively homogenous and hypovascular.Renal cell carcinoma,unclassified showed inhomogenous and hypervascular,and was more invading growth compared to clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Conclusion Common subtype of renal cell carcinoma demonstrated characteristic features in CT and it is helpful for differentiation.

OBJECTIVEFood allergy as one of social health problems has gained more attention of people. However, few reports on prognosis of food allergy, the relation between infant food allergy and other allergic diseases, and factors affecting prognoses of infant food allergy in China. The present study was designed to investigate the evolution of infancy food allergy and to explore predicting factors of the tolerance to these foods and factors of other allergic diseases to provide a clue for managing children with food allergy reasonably and to improve their prognoses.

METHODSTotally 119 children with food allergy during infancy, who were diagnosed in the Department of Primary Child Care, Children's Hospital, Chongqing University of Medical Sciences from January 2000 to June 2003, were studied retrospectively by analyzing the follow-up data before March 2004. The occurrence of food tolerance and other allergic diseases were counted. Kaplan-Meier methods were used to calculate the cumulative tolerance probability. And the predicting factors of persistent food allergy and influential factors of other allergic diseases were analyzed by unconditional Logistic regression models.

RESULTSThe cumulative tolerance probabilities of cow's milk and egg were 42% and 31% one year after diagnosis respectively, 63% and 62% 2 years later, 77% and 80% 3 years later, and 100% after 4 years. And the severity of skin prick test reactions to cow's milk and egg was the predicting factor for persisting hypersensitivity to cow's milk and egg (OR = 2.535, 95% CI: 1.159-5.543; OR = 2.654, 95% CI: 1.302-5.410, P < 0.05). Thirteen cases presented with hypersensitivity to other foods (15.6 +/- 6.1) months after the diagnosis was confirmed, and the risk factor was the long-lasting hypersensitivity to egg (OR = 6.109, 95% CI: 1.818-20.527, P < 0.05). After 4 cases and 15 cases were diagnosed as allergic rhinitis and asthma, respectively, (16.8 +/- 8.3) months after diagnoses and the risk factors were the long-lasting hypersensitivity to egg and the respiratory symptoms (OR = 3.596, 95% CI: 1.429-9.045; OR = 4.235, 95% CI: 1.152-15.563, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAt least 75% of children with egg or cow's milk allergy could develop tolerance to egg or cow's milk within 3 years after diagnoses; 10.9%, 12.6% and 3.4% of children with food allergy suffered from other food allergy, asthma and allergic rhinitis. Strengthening the screening and management of children at high risk for persistent food allergy will contribute to improvement of the prognoses of food allergy.

Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Food Hypersensitivity ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; immunology ; Humans ; Immune Tolerance ; Infant ; Male ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

Objective To evaluate the diffuse myocardial fibrosis of the left ventricle (LV) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) by cardiac MR (CMR) T1 mapping methods.Methods Totally 60 subjects (30 paroxysmal AF patients and 30 persistent AF patients) and 59 normal control underwent MR cardiac cine,late gadolinium enhancement,and LV T1 mapping.For T1 mapping,modified Look-Locker inversion recovery sequence was used.Compared with control,pre-contrast ventricular T1 times were quantified and extracellular volume (ECV) was calculated.Results All subjects completed the CMR exam,no myocardial delay enhanced lesion was found.Pre-contrast ventricular T1 time in healthy controls was lower than that in patients with persistent and paroxysmal AF,and the pre-comrast ventricular T1 time in persistent AF patients was higher than that of paroxysmal AF patients (all P＜0.05).The mean LV myocardial ECV had no statistical difference between healthy controls and paroxysmal AF patients (P＞ 0.05),while lower than persistent AF patients (P ＜ 0.05).The mean LV myocardial ECV in patients with persistent AF was larger than that in patients with paroxysmal AF (P＜0.05).LV functional indexes were positive correlated with pre-contrast ventricular T1 time and ECV in patients with AF (all P＜0.05).Conclusion There is LV myocardial fibrosis in patients with AF,and the degree in patients with persistent AF is more severe than that in patients with paroxysmal AF.

In order to confirm the hypothesis that during acute hypoxia, the antiarrhythmic peptide (AAP10) could improve conductance by changing the phosphorylation state of connexin43 (Cx43),isolated perfused rat hearts were randomly divided into three groups: control, hypoxia and AAP10 (n=9 in each group). The change in Cx43 phosphorylation was tested by Western-blot; the distribution of Cx43 was observed by confocal immunofluorescence microscopy. Western-blot analysis revealed that the expression of total Cx43 protein was significantly decreased during acute hypoxia,while nonphosphorylated Cx43 (NP-Cx43) was unchanged. AAP10 could increase the expression of total Cx43 protein, but had no effects on the NP-Cx43 protein. Immunofluorescence study showed that during acute hypoxia, both total Cx43 and NP-Cx43 proteins were greatly decreased, while AAP10 only increased the expression of total Cx43 protein, but had no effect of the NP-Cx43 protein expression. These findings suggested that the decrease of intercellular communication may be associated with the reduction of phosphorylated Cx43 (p-Cx43) and translocation of NP-Cx43 from the surface of gap junction into intracellular pools during acute hypoxia. AAP10 can improve intercelluar communication by enhancing phosphorylation of Cx43.

OBJECTIVEThis study was aimed at establishing an efficient mutation analysis technique system to screen the germline mutations in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene that predisposes the disease susceptibility in familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and to investigate the relationship between genotype and phenotype of APC gene.

METHODSGenomic DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood lymphocytes of 22 patients with clinically diagnosed FAP and was forwarded to screening for germline mutations by using denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography(DHPLC), protein truncation test (PTT) and DNA sequencing in APC gene. Analysis of genotype-phenotype was also performed on the clinical data of the FAP patients.

RESULTSThirteen APC germline mutations were identified in 22 FAP patients. All of the mutations were nonsense or framshift mutations. Analysis of genotype-phenotype demonstrated that the FAP patients with mutations in the 5'or 3'extreme parts of the APC gene showed mild clinical symptoms. However, the FAP patients with mutations in the middle of the APC gene displayed typical or severe clinical symptoms.

CONCLUSIONThe technique system established in this study can efficiently and sensitively detect the mutations in APC gene. It is useful in the molecular diagnosis of pre-symptomatic FAP cases in FAP family. The clinical features of FAP patients may be related to their genotypes of APC gene.

Adenomatous Polyposis Coli ; genetics ; Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Protein ; genetics ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Frameshift Mutation ; genetics ; Genotype ; Germ-Line Mutation ; Humans ; Phenotype ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

OBJECTIVETo investigate the development of nocturnal sleep pattern in infants.

METHODSFifty healthy full-term newborns born in Chongqing Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital were chosen for a prospective longitudinal study. A non-invasive sleep monitor, Actiwatch, was used to monitor infants' 12 sleep parameters on the 10th day, 28th day, the first Tuesday at the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 9th and 12th month after birth, each monitoring time lasting 60 hours. All sleep parameters were analyzed by two-level mixed effect model.

RESULTSTwenty-two boys and 25 girls completed the whole follow-up study. From birth to the 12th month after birth, the nocturnal sleep onset latency (NSOL) decreased by about 48% at 3 months of age and by 83% at 6 months of age. The nocturnal sleep efficiency (NSE%) increased from 66% to 87%, the nocturnal total sleep time (NTST) increased from 416 minutes to 517 minutes, and the longest nocturnal continuous sleeping time (L-NCST) increased from 197 minutes to 327 minutes. NSE%, NTST and L-NCST increased with age (P<0.01). The 3rd to 12th month ratios of NSE%, NTST and L-NCST were 86%, 84% and 72%, respectively, and the 6th to 12th month ratios of those were 97%, 91% and 94%, respectively. The nocturnal total wake time (NTWT) and longest nocturnal continuous waking times (L-NCWT) decreased with age (P<0.01). The decline speeds in the first half year were 5-6 times of those in the second half year after birth (P<0.05). NTST, nocturnal continuous sleeping ability and NSE% in boys were lower than those in girls (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSInfantile nocturnal sleep patterns develop rapidly during the first 6 months, especially within the first 3 months after birth. Partial infantile sleep parameters are related to gender.

Age Factors ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Prospective Studies ; Sex Characteristics ; Sleep ; physiology