Environmental Exposure ; adverse effects ; Humans ; Incineration ; Industrial Waste ; Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; Population Surveillance ; Refuse Disposal ; methods ; Risk Factors

Background: In China, most patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) are diagnosed at a late stage and con-sequently have a poor prognosis. This study aimed to investigate potential factors associated with the clinical stage of NPC at diagnosis. Methods: Data were obtained from 118 patients with early-stage NPC and 274 with late-stage NPC who were treated at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between August 2014 and July 2015. Patients were individually matched by age, sex, and residence, and a conditional logistic regression model was applied to assess the associa-tions of clinical stage at diagnosis with socioeconomic status indicators, knowledge of NPC, physical examinations, patient interval, and risk factors for NPC. Results: Although knowledge of early NPC symptoms, smoking cessation, and patient interval were important fac-tors, the number of cigarettes smoked per day, motorbike ownership, and physical examination exhibited the strong-est associations with the clinical stage of NPC at diagnosis. Compared with smoking fewer than ten cigarettes a day, smoking 10–30 cigarettes [odds ratio (OR) 4.03; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11–14.68] or more than 30 cigarettes (OR 11.46; 95% CI 1.26–103.91) was associated with an increased risk of late diagnosis. Compared with not owning a motorbike, owning a motorbike (OR 0.38; 95% CI 0.23–0.64) was associated with early diagnosis. Subjects who under-went physical examinations were less likely to receive a late diagnosis than those who did not undergo examinations (OR 0.50; 95% CI 0.28–0.89). However, indicators of wealth were not significant factors. Conclusions: Initiatives to improve NPC patient prognosis should aim to promote knowledge about early symptoms and detection, health awareness, and accessibility to health facilities among all patients, regardless of socioeconomic status.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the constitution and health status of the Beijing residents, and the primary influencing factors on nutrition and health, as to finding out the epidemiological characters and the changing trend of chronic diseases and to establish scientific basis for the establishment of public health and disease prevention policies of Beijing.

METHODSA stratified multi-stage cluster randomly sampling method was used. In total, 18 districts were surveyed, and among them, 9 were conducted dietary survey. The investigation was based on household, and all family members were surveyed at their home. After having got the compliance from the family members, question asking, medical examination, laboratory test and dietary investigation were carried out in these people.

RESULTSThe incidence rate of hypertension was 25.0% for the resident > or = 15 year-old, and over 50% for middle-aged and elderly people (> or = 45 years old). The incidence of diabetes for those not younger than 15 years old was 7.7%. The over-weight rate and the obesity rate for adults were 35.1% and 20.6%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe following risk factors of chronic disease, such as unreasonable diet pattern, deficient intake of some micronutrients, over-weight and obesity, lack of physical examination, smoking and over-drinking, should be the important factors influencing the health of Beijing residents severely.

China ; epidemiology ; Diabetes Mellitus ; epidemiology ; Female ; Health Status ; Humans ; Hypertension ; epidemiology ; Incidence ; Life Style ; Male ; Nutritional Status ; Obesity ; epidemiology ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Apoptosis ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Humans ; Melphalan ; Multiple Myeloma

OBJECTIVETo find a simple, fast, accurate, and quantitative PCR-based method for mutation detection, so as to identify mitochondrial DNA 11778 G-->A point mutation in patients with Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON).

METHODOn the basis of sequencing of mtDNA from LHON proband, M primer for mutation and N primer for normal were designed to be coupled with reverse primer respectively. Specific PCRs were done on an amplifying condition with high stringency such as a well controlled annealing temperature, low Mg2+ concentration and less thermal cycles. The objective pedigree includes 10 individuals, were against 40 normal control persons.

RESULTSDifferent ratios of indicative mtDNA 11778A-->G mutation were checked out from the proband, affected maternal members and a 10 year-old boy (up to now no appearance yet), whereas not appeared on normal spouses, paternal offsprings in the family, neither did on 40 controls.

CONCLUSIONThis site-specific PCR method is a kind of general mutation analysis way, without the restriction of existence of endonuclease site. It can be applied for the gene diagnosis of known-mutation hereditary diseases such as LHON.

Adult ; DNA, Mitochondrial ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Optic Atrophy, Hereditary, Leber ; genetics ; Pedigree ; Point Mutation ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods

BACKGROUNDMany patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) develop recurrent angina (RA) during hospitalization. The aim of this non-randomized, prospective study was to investigate the predictive factors of RA in unselected patients with ACS enrolled in the global registry acute coronary events (GRACE) during hospitalization in China.

METHODSBetween March 2001 and October 2004, enrolled were 1433 patients with ACS, including ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (662, 46.2%), non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (239, 16.7%) and unstable angina (532, 37.1%). The demographic distribution, medical history and clinical data were collected to investigate the predictive factors of RA by Logistic regression.

RESULTSDuring hospitalization 275 (19.2%) patients were documented with RA including unstable angina (53.2%), non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (27.5%), ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (19.3%). A comorbidity of dyslipidemia, prior angina, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) within 6 months was more common in patients with RA, P < 0.05. In the patients with RA, a significantly higher proportion of patients with acute pulmonary edema was observed, 23 (8.4%) versus 43 (3.7%), P = 0.001. Acute renal failure was present in 8 (2.9%) of patients with RA versus 19 (1.6%) of patients without RA, P = 0.165. Hemorrhagic events were present in 6 (2.2%) of patients with RA versus 8 (0.7%) of patients without RA, ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation events in 12 patients (4.3%) versus 22 patients (1.9%), congestive heart failure in 69 patients (25.0%) versus 94 patients (8.1%), myocardial re-infarction in 28 patients (10.1%) versus 15 patients (1.3%), P < 0.05, respectively. A lower proportion of patients with RA underwent in-hospital PCI, 687 (59.3%) versus 114 (41.5%), P = 0.000. A higher proportion of patients with RA received heparin, 260 (94.5%) versus 1035 (89.4%), P = 0.006; and beta-blockers 176 (64.0%) versus 864 (74.5%), P = 0.000. Multivarible regression analysis showed that RA was associated with prior angina (OR 2.086, 95% CI 1.466 - 2.967), in-hospital PCI (OR 0.579, 95% CI 0.431 - 0.778), in-hospital congestive heart failure (OR 2.410, 95% CI 1.634 - 3.555), myocardial re-infarction (OR 7.695, 95% CI 3.701 - 15.999), beta-blocker (OR 0.626, 95% CI 0.458 - 0.855), and heparin (OR 3.411, 95% CI 1.604 - 7.382).

CONCLUSIONSIn-hospital congestive heart failure, myocardial re-infarction, prior angina history and use of heparin are stronger independent predictors of RA; beta-blockers and PCI are also important predictive factors for RA.

Acute Coronary Syndrome ; epidemiology ; Adult ; Aged ; Angina Pectoris ; etiology ; therapy ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Recurrence ; Registries

OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study was to investigate the association between urinary cadmium and clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancer.

METHODSThe clinicopathological characteristics of 240 patients with breast cancer were obtained and urine specimens were collected from October 2009 to July 2010. The concentration of urinary cadmium was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). χ(2) test and Wilcoxon rank sum test were used to analyze whether urinary cadmium is associated with clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancer.

RESULTSThe median concentration of urine cadmium of 240 patients was 1.99 µg/g (25th percentile, 1.32 µg/g; 75th percentile, 2.88 µg/g). HER-2 positive rate, regional/distant metastasis rate, and advanced stage rate in patients with the highest tertile of cadmium concentration were significantly higher than those in the patients with second and lowest Cd tertiles (P = 0.042, P = 0.028 and P = 0.017, respectively), and 28.2% vs. 16.5% for HER-2 and 47.2% vs. 32.0% for regional/distant metastasis, respectively. There were still significant associations between urinary cadmium levels and these clinicopathological parameters after being adjusted in age by unconditional logistic regression model, respectively (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe results of this study suggest that urinary cadmium levels are associated with the HER-2 status, regional/distant metastasis status and stages of breast cancer, respectively. Cadmium may induce highly aggressive breast cancer in humans.

Adult ; Age Factors ; Breast Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; urine ; Cadmium ; urine ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Staging ; Receptor, ErbB-2 ; metabolism

BACKGROUNDTo find out the timing of serologic responses after illness onset and distribution of IgG antibody to SARS-CoV in SARS cases of transmission chain or non-transmission chain.

METHODSThe IgG and IgM antibodies to SARS-CoV were tested by indirect ELISA in serum samples from 301 clinically diagnosed SARS cases.

RESULTSTotally 158 SARS cases were involved in 15 chains of transmission. The positive rates of SARS-CoV IgG in those chains were 85.70%-100.00% and the overall rate was 94.30% (149/158). The chain of transmission could spread to four generations, but the SARS cases were reduced with increase of generations. There was no significant difference among positive rates of SARS-CoV IgG for generations, Chi square=5.11, P greater than 0.05. The positive rate of SARS-CoV IgG in cases who were not in chain of transmission was 12.59%(18/143) which was statistically significantly different from that of cases in chain of transmission, Chi square=199.64, P less than 0.001. During days 0-7,8-14,15-21,22-30 after onset, the cumulated positive rate of SARS-CoV IgG was 16.67%, 40.00%, 70.00% and 93.10%, respectively, then was kept at the level above 90% and lasted for 217 days. The cumulated positive rate of SARS-CoV IgM during days 0-7 after onset was the same to that of IgG. During days 8-14, 55.17% of cases had seroconversion for IgM which reached a peak (86.96%) during days 21-30. Then the rate rapidly declined.

CONCLUSIONMore than 94% of cases with SARS could produce IgG antibody when they were infected by SARS-CoV. Detecting SARS-CoV IgG could provide a diagnostic evidence for case confirmation. SARS-CoV IgG appeared as early as 7 days after onset and reached the peak at about weeks 4. Then the high rate of antibody was maintained for more than 6 months.

Antibodies, Viral ; blood ; Disease Transmission, Infectious ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; blood ; Immunoglobulin M ; blood ; SARS Virus ; immunology ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; immunology ; transmission

OBJECTIVETo explore the characteristics of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) transmission in the population base on analyzing the first imported case and the chains of transmission.

METHODSFor the first imported SARS case and cases who were transmitted by the index case, epidemiological investigations were conducted using the guidelines for surveillance and case investigation issued by the Ministry of Health. Data as the date of onset of symptoms, date of hospitalization, contact history etc. for each of the cases and their close contacts were collected and analyzed.

RESULTSThe first imported SARS case introduced to Beijing had infected 9 people within the family and at the hospital, with two of whom died of the same disease. The incubation period for that index case was 4 days, and that for the cases considered to be the secondary and tertiary generations were 7 and 8 days, respectively. The shorter the incubation period, the longer the fever would last and clinically more severe.

CONCLUSIONOne of the epidemiological characteristics of SARS in Beijing was noticed that the disease clustered in families and hospitals. Infection through droplets and close contact has been viewed as the primary mode of transmission.

Adult ; China ; epidemiology ; Contact Tracing ; Cross Infection ; transmission ; Family Health ; Female ; Humans ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; epidemiology ; transmission

Objective To investigate the interaction of body mass index (BMI) and a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP,rs17883901) in catalytic subunit of glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCLC) on breast cancer risk.Methods A total of 839 women with incident breast cancer and 863 age-matched controls without cancer were recruited at the same period in three affiliated hospitals of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou from October 2008 to June 2010.GCLC rs17883901 was genotyped by MALDI-TOF-MS.Binary unconditional logistic regression was applied to calculate odds ratios and 95％ confidence intervals.Results The difference of present BMI and BMI at age 20 was not statistically significant between cases and controls,either as the genotypes of GCLC.No association was found between BMI at present and premenopausal or postmenopausal breast cancer risk.But we found that women who had a BMI at age 20 of 18.5 to 22.9 had a marginally decreased risk of premenopausal breast cancer [OR and 95％CI:0.69 (0.48,1.00)].Among women with CT/TT genotypes,whose present BMI was greater than 25 had a increased risk [OR and 95％CI:1.91 (1.09,3.36)] of breast cancer and a decreased risk [OR and 95％CI:0.56(0.31,0.99)] with a BMI at age 20 of 18.5 to 22.9.There was a interaction between GCLC gene (rs17883901)and BMI at present in breast cancer risk (P=0.043),which was not found between rs17883901 and BMI at age 20.Conclusion Our findings indicate BMI at age 20 may be a protective factor of premenopausal breast cancer,while no association appears between GCLC (rs17883901) and breast cancer.Obesity at present may significantly increase the risk of breast cancer among women with CT/TT genotypes of GCLC (rs17883901).