Objective To explore the relationship between body composition and β-cell function in obese females with normal glucose metabolism. Methods Seventy-five obese women with normal blood glucose and without family history of diabetes were investigated. They were assigned to 4 groups based on body mass index (BMI). Body fat content was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), and intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) was performed. The acute insulin response (AIR), the area under the curve (AUC) of insulin (AUCins) and homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) for β-cell function (HOMA2-% B) were calculated. Insulin resistance index(HOMA2-IR) and the ratio of AUCins to AUC of glucose (AUCins/AUCglu) were calculated to assess insulin resistance. Results Women with higher BMI appeared to have more total body fat content and trunk fat content. The similar distribution was also found in other parameters, including the plasma glucose levels at 0 and 10 min, AUCins, AIR, AUCins/AUCglu and the difference of insulin level between 0 and 10 min [INS (10-0)] during IVGTF. AUCins, AIR, AUCins/AUCglu and [INS (10-0)] were positively correlated with the age, BMI,total body fat content and trunk fat content. After adjustment of age, the trunk fat content was independently associated with the AIR in a good linear manner. Conclusion The obese females show change in body composition with more trunk fat content. They show significant insulin resistance with compensated elevation of insulin secretion. Body composition assessment is a valid and more accurate method than BMI and waist circumference in predicting early damaged β-cell function in obese patients.

Objective To investigate the roles of TrkA and TrkB in radiation-induced hippocampal neurogenesis impairment.Methods Fifty-six rats were randomized into radiation group and sham control group.Radiation group received whole brain irradiation at a single dose of 10 Gy.The hippocampus were separated from rats in day 1,day 3,day 14 and 1 month after irradiation.Western blot and RT-PCR were applied to detect the protein levels and mRNA levels.Golgi staining was used to observe the dendritic spine of hippocampus.Immunofluorescence was performed to detect neural precursor's proliferation.Results Compared with control group,the numbers of dendritic spine significantly decreased after irradiation and its shape change obviously.Immunofluorescence showed a significant decrease in neural precursor's proliferation comparing with control group (t =6.49,P ＜ 0.05).Protein level of TrkA expression increased (t =2.64,3.06,4.80,2.64,P ＜ 0.05),while the levels of TrkB protein expression decreased significantly (t =4.59,3.06,2.81,2.57,P ＜ 0.05).The mRNA level of TrkA expressions increased (t =4.57,3.06,5.39,5.86,P ＜ 0.05),while the mRNA level of TrkB decreased (t =14.87,11.69,4.98,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions As a signaling pathways downstream of NGF and BDNF,TrkA and TrkB may play an important role in radiation-induced neurogenesis impairment.

The cholinesterase(ChE)and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)activities in blood smears of 37 patients were observed before and 20 minutes after electroacupuncture.Hegu and Zusanli were mainly chosen as the acupuncture points.Karnovsky method was used to demonstrate ChE,activity,and tetrazolium-formazan reaction for LDH activity. Before acupuncture,all formed elements of blood showed both ChE and LDH acti- vities.In red blood cells ChE and LDH activities were localized at the cell membrane, while in white blood cells they were found throughout the cytoplasm as colored granu- les.The granulocytes showed greater ChE and lesser LDH activities than the lymph- ocytes.The platelets also showed greater LDH and ChE activities,especially the former. On the whole,platelets and leucocytes,as compared with erythrocytes,showed greater activities for ChE and LDH. Under microscopic observation,according to the amount and color of granules,the degrees of GhE and LDH activities for each kind of blood formed elements before and after acupuncture were recorded as different markes,such as +、++、+++ and so on.The degrees of GhE or LDH activity in various formed elements of blood were compared by means of statistical tests.After acupuncture,both GhE and LDH activities of all blood formed elements were increased(p

70 patients including 60 cases under acupuncture anesthesia and 10 cases under drug anesthesia were observed. Before and 20 minutes after acupuncture the blood samples were taken from the patient ear lobes respectively, and in some patients taken once again 24 hrs after acupuncture. The electroacupuncture point Hegu or Zusanli was mainly adopted. As the method for detection of cell-mediated immunity(CMI) in vitro the improved microtechnique of whole blood for E-rosette (active and nonactive) and lymphocyte transformation tests was used. In performance of active rosetting the total leucocyte count and the differential lymphocyte count were done for calculation of absolute number of active rosette forming cells (RFC). The mean value of increase of active RFC was 12.7?1.43, the decrease was 6.8?1.77 after acupuncture. The increment of the absolute number of active RFC was 175?63.59. However no marked effect on the drug anesthesia group was found. In the lymphocyte transformation assay the increase was 12.7?1.49, the decrease was 7.0?2.19, and the enhancement effect still exhibited 24 hrs after acupuncture. In these tests an increase was mostly found in those with a lower or a usual CMI level; a decrease often found in those with a higher CMI level prior to acupuncture. The increase or decrease level in the results of three kinds of test (active, nonactive RFC and lymphocyte transformation) was similar, the increase range was 12～13%, the decrease range 6～7%. As the former compared with the latter, the promotion was prominent by all means.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate Amifostin's effect on protecting kidney from cisplatinum (DDP) injury and its adverse reactions and safety.

METHODS193 Patients were divided into two groups randomly: 102 in group A (treatment group) and 91 in group B (control group). Indexes such as blood routine, blood calcium, liver function, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), cretinine (C), and urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG)/C and micro-albumin (MAB/C) were monitored at different intervals before or after treatment.

RESULTSIn the two courses of treatment in both groups, the deviation (D) values of MAB/C before treatment and on D2 in group A were lower than those in grop B (P < 0.05), so were those before treatment and on D4, D6, D10 and D14 (P < 0.01). The D-values of NAG/C before treatment and on D4, D6, D10 and D14 in the first course of group A were obviously lower than those on the corresponding days in group B (P < 0.01), so were those before treatment and on D2, D4, D6, D10 and D14 in the second course (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe reduction of MAB/C and NAG/C by Amifostin in group A demonstrates that: Amifostin is able to effectively protect the renal function, regardless of the type of tumor. In contrast with group B, Amifostin in group A shows no protection for tumor in lung cancer and ovarian cancer. The main side effects of Amifostin are mild hypotension, nausea, vomiting and hypocalcemia in some patients.

Adult ; Aged ; Amifostine ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Agents ; adverse effects ; Cisplatin ; adverse effects ; Humans ; Kidney Diseases ; chemically induced ; prevention & control ; Middle Aged ; Protective Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use

Recently the studies on mosquito genomics, transcriptomics and small RNAomics developed rapidly with the novel biotechnologies of the next generation sequencing techniques. The genome sequences of several important vector mosquitoes including Anopheles gambiae, Culex quinquefasciatus, and Aedes aegypti have been published. The genome sizes vary among the different species of mosquitoes and are consistent with the number of the repeat regions. The released genome sequences facilitate gene cloning and identification as for OBP, OR and dsx genes. Transcriptomics provides a useful tool for functional analyses of the mosquito genes, and using this technique, the molecular basis of mosquito blooding, gland proteins and diapauses have been explored. Studies on small RNAomics suggest important roles of miRNAs and piRNAs in ovary development, blood digestion, and immunity against virus infection. The studies on mosquito omics have generated a big data platform for investigation of vector biology and vector-transmitted disease prevention.
Aedes ; genetics ; Animals ; Anopheles ; genetics ; Culex ; genetics ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Genome, Insect ; Genomics ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; MicroRNAs

With in-depth research and development of dermoscopy, the dermoscopic features including perifollicular pigments, perilesional pigments, pigment network structure, satellite phenomenon and "tapioca sago" appearance, micro-Koebner phenomenon and comet tail-like phenomenon have provided a basis for the evaluation of vitiligo activity. This review summarizes progress in the evaluation of vitiligo activity with dermoscopy in recent years, aiming to promote the application of dermoscopy in the assessment of vitiligo activity.

Objective:To study the prognostic impact of prognostic nutritional index (PNI) before radiotherapy in clinical stage Ⅲ esophageal cancer patients.Methods:We retrospectively reviewed 125 esophageal cancer patients with clinical stage Ⅲ undergoing definitive radiotherapy in Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University from 2013 to 2017. The PNI and nutritional risk index (NRI) were calculated before radiotherapy. The optimal cutoff value of PNI was determined by time-dependent receiver operating characteristics (ROC) at 49.925.The patients were divided into low PNI group(PNI<49.925) and high PNI group (PNI≥49.925). Based on NRI, the patients were divided into normal NRI group (NRI≥100) and abnormal NRI group (NRI<100). Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) and to perform univariate analysis. The mutlivariate analysis was performed by Cox regression model.Results:PNI was positively correlated with hemoglobin ( r=0.505, P<0.001) and NRI ( r=0.594, P<0.001). The 1-, 3- and 5-year OS rates in the low PNI group were significantly lower than those of the high PNI group (67.5%, 27.3%, 11.4% vs. 85.4%, 45.8%, 27.4%, respectively, χ2=8.569, P<0.05). Moreover, the 1-, 3- and 5-year PFS rates in the low PNI group were obviously higher than those in the high PNI group (59.7%, 23.2%, 4.9% vs. 79.2%, 35.4%, 24.9%, respectively, χ2=6.715, P<0.05). Univariate analysis showed that GTV, radiotherapy dose, chemotherapy, albumin, NRI and PNI were significantly correlated with OS and PFS (OS: χ2=6.822, 4.326, 4.474, 13.123, 8.846, 8.569, P<0.05: PFS: χ2=7.869, 4.636, 5.874, 10.911, 8.544, 6.715, P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that GTV, radiotherapy dose and PNI were independent prognostic factors for OS ( P<0.05). And GTV, radiotherapy dose, chemotherapy and PNI were independent prognostic factors for PFS ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The PNI before radiotherapy is a significant and independent predictor for survival of clinical stage Ⅲ esophageal cancer patients. Based on simple and inexpensive standard laboratory measurements, PNI could be a promising prognostic biomarker for esophageal cancer patients.

Objective:To investigate the possible mechanism of learning and memory damage induced by arsenic exposure through studying the effects of arsenic exposure on levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and tyrosine kinases B (TrkB) in hippocampus of offspring mice at different developmental stages.Methods:Twenty-four pregnant Kunming mice were divided into control (distilled water) group and 15, 30 and 60 mg/L sodium arsenite (NaAsO 2) groups according to random number table method, six mice in each group. The pregnant mice were exposed to NaAsO 2 until weaning. After weaning, the offspring mice were still exposed to NaAsO 2 through drinking water till postnatal day (PND) 40. Morris water maze was used to determine the effects of arsenic exposure on learning and memory ability in PND 40 mice. The body weight of the mice was measured at PND 10, 20 or 40, and brain tissues were taken after the mice were sacrificed and the hippocampus was isolated. The levels of BDNF and TrkB mRNA in the hippocampus of offspring mice were measured by Real-time PCR. Results:There was significant difference in body weight of PND 20 offspring mice among the control, 15, 30 and 60 mg/L NaAsO 2 groups [(14.42 ± 1.88), (13.50 ± 1.38), (13.00 ± 1.14), (11.75 ± 0.82) g, F = 4.000, P < 0.05], the body weight of offspring mice in 60 mg/L NaAsO 2 group decreased significantly than that in control group( P < 0.05); there was significant difference in body weight of PND 40 offspring mice among groups [(38.58 ± 2.35), (37.17 ± 1.78), (35.67 ± 1.69), (33.83 ± 1.47) g, F = 7.248, P < 0.05], the body weights of offspring mice in 30 and 60 mg/L NaAsO 2 groups were significantly lower than that in control group, and the body weight of PND 40 offspring mice in 60 mg/L NaAsO 2 group was significantly lower than that in 15 mg/L NaAsO 2 group ( P < 0.05); the results of Morris water maze showed that there were significant differences in the escape latency of offspring mice among groups since 3 - 5 days of training ( F = 3.380, 6.788, 7.240, P < 0.05), the escape latency of offspring mice in NaAsO 2 groups [(67.76 ± 6.45), (71.47 ± 12.19), (73.96 ± 10.42), (58.63 ± 9.24), (60.20 ± 3.74), (67.96 ± 15.41) s] was significantly longer than that in control group [(52.83 ± 8.33), (43.39 ± 8.98) s] since 4 - 5 days of training ( P < 0.05); on the other hand, in the probe trail, there was significant difference in time spent in the target quadrant of offspring mice among groups ( F = 5.709, P < 0.05), time spent in the target quadrant of offspring mice in 30 and 60 mg/L NaAsO 2 groups [(18.85 ± 3.97), (16.90 ± 1.62) s] was significantly less than that in control group [(24.48 ± 3.18) s, P < 0.05]; there was significant difference in BDNF mRNA levels (1.00 ± 0.05, 0.98 ± 0.06, 0.85 ± 0.06, 0.68 ± 0.03) of PND 20 mice among groups ( F = 9.368, P < 0.05), BDNF mRNA level of mice exposed to 60 mg/L NaAsO 2 was significantly lower than that in control, 15 and 30 mg/L NaAsO 2 groups ( P < 0.05); there was significant difference in BDNF mRNA levels (1.00 ± 0.03, 0.75 ± 0.02, 0.76 ± 0.03, 0.73 ± 0.06) of PND 40 mice among groups ( F = 3.998, P < 0.05), and that of PND 40 mice exposed to NaAsO 2 decreased significantly than that in control group ( P < 0.05); there was significant difference in TrkB mRNA levels (1.00 ± 0.08, 0.71 ± 0.02, 0.73 ± 0.02, 0.68 ± 0.09) of PND 20 mice among groups ( F = 16.158, P < 0.05), and that of PND 20 mice exposed to NaAsO 2 were significantly lower than that in control group ( P < 0.05). Conclusion:Arsenic exposure could decrease the mRNA levels of BDNF and TrkB in the hippocampus of offspring mice, which may affect the ability of learning and memory.

Recently the studies on mosquito genomics, transcriptomics and small RNAomics developed rapidly with the novel biotechnologies of the next generation sequencing techniques. The genome sequences of several important vector mosquitoes including Anopheles gambiae, Culex quinquefasciatus, and Aedes aegypti have been published. The genome sizes vary among the different species of mosquitoes and are consistent with the number of the repeat regions. The released genome sequences facilitate gene cloning and identification as for OBP, OR and dsx genes. Transcriptomics provides a useful tool for functional analyses of the mosquito genes, and using this technique, the molecular basis of mosquito blooding, gland proteins and diapauses have been explored. Studies on small RNAomics suggest important roles of miRNAs and piRNAs in ovary development, blood digestion, and immunity against virus infection. The studies on mosquito omics have generated a big data platform for investigation of vector biology and vector-transmitted disease prevention.