Objective To establish a real-time fluorescence quantitative methylation assay to investigate the methylation status of GSH-sulphur-transferase P1(GSTP1) gene promoter region in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) and to investigate whether which can be used as the early diagnostic indicator of HCC .Methods Ninety-five serum samples were collected from 40 patients with HCC ,30 patients with liver cirrhosis and 25 individuals with healthy physical examination as controls .The methylation level of GSTP1 gene in these serum samples were quantitatively determined by using the real-time fluorescence quantitative methylated spe-cific PCR technique .The receiver-operation characteristic(ROC) curves were adopted to evaluate its diagnostic value for HCC .Re-sults The methylation quantitative level of GSTP1 gene in HCC serum was significantly higher than that in the healthy controls (P<0 .05) .The ROC curve analysis demonstrated that the methylation quantitative analysis of GSTP1 gene could efficiently distin-guish HCC and cirrhosis from healthy controls (AUC=0 .8641) .With the methylation rate of 2% as the critical value for diagno-sing HCC ,its diagnostic specificity was 87 .5% ,the sensitivity was 69 .6% ;the combination detection of serum GSTP1 gene methy-lation and serum AFP could increase the detection rate of HCC to 75% .Conclusion The real-time fluorescence quantitative methyl-ation assay can accurately quantify the methylation level of serum GSTP1 gene ,which has certain application value for the early di-agnosis of HCC .

Objective Obesity is one of the risk factors for gout.The aim of the present study was to evaluate clinical characteristics of gout patients with different BMI.Methods A total of 5 104 patients with gout were enrolled and divided into three groups according to the BMI.The clinical information was collected and relevant biochemical indices were detected.SPSS software was applied for the statistical analyses.Results There were significant differences in the ratios of gender,regular exercise,hypertension,tophus,renal insufficiency,hyperlipidemia,impaired glucose metabolism,liver dysfunction among the three groups (all P＜0.01).The onset age in overweight [45(36,55) years] and obese subjects [40(31,50)years] were earlier than that of the normal weight subjects [50 (38,61) years].Moreover,waist circumstances [103(99,108) cm and 94 (90,98) cm vs 87 (82,91) cm],systolic pressure [130 (120,145) mmHg (1 mmHg =0.133 kPa) and 130 (120,140) mmHg vs 128 (115,140) mmHg],diastolic pressure [90 (80,100) mmHg and 85 (80,92) mmHg vs 80 (79,90) mmHg],fasting blood glucose [5.77 (5.30,6.44) mmol/L and 5.65 (5.19,6.26) mmol/L vs 5.55 (5.10,6.15) mmol/L],TG [2.10 (1.46,3.04) mmol/L and1.88 (1.35,2.78) mmol/L vs 1.52 (1.07,2.39) mmol/L],TC [5.20 (4.55,5.93) mmol/L and 5.07 (4.46,5.75) mmol/L vs 4.95 (4.27,5.65) mmol/L],serum uric acid [483(418,552) μmol/L and461(395,524) μmol/L vs440 (368,517) μmol/L],ALT [30 (21,46) U/L and25 (18,36) U/L vs 21 (14,29) U/L],AST [21(17,28) U/L and 20 (17,26) U/L vs 20 (6,25) U/L],the number of joints involved [2 (1,3) joints and 2 (1,2) joints vs 1 (1,2) joints] in the overweight and obese groups were higher than those in the normal weight group (all P ＜ 0.01).There were no statistical differences in family history,involvement of upper limb joints,kidney stones and coronary heart disease among the three groups (all P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions Obesity is associated with an earlier age of gout onset.With the increase of BMI,the blood pressures,glucose,lipid,serum uric acid,liver transaminase levels and the number of involved joints increased gradually.Cautions should be taken in treating patients with different BMI.

Objective To investigate the clinicopathological features,treatment and prognosis of leiomyomatosis peritonealis disseminata (LPD).Methods A total of 10 patients suffered from LPD after laparoscopic uterine myomectomy were collected in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from September 2012 to September 2016,and all clinical database were retrospectively analyzed.Results (1)Clinical features:the age of 10 cases was 25-50 years old,and 8 cases of them were in child-bearing age,while 2 cases were in perimenopausal period.Of 10 cases,2 cases manifested as discontinuous lower abdominal pain,and the other cases were seen the doctor for the examinations found tumors of pelvis or abdomen.All 10 cases had a history of laparoscopic uterine myomectomy under went power morcellation with an average of (4.0±2.2) years (range 1.3 to 8.1 years),2 cases of them had a history of oral hormone treatment after the first myoma morcellation.(2) Treatment methods and postoperative pathologic diagnosis:during intraoperative exploration,LPD nodules were most distributed in Douglas pouch (10 cases),and next in mesentery (7 cases),abdominal peritoneum (6 cases) and omentum majus (4 cases),etc.Seven of the 8 cases of child-bearing age were performed laparoscopic LPD nodules removal,1 case gone combined with laparotomy and resecting LPD nodules;2 cases in perimenopausal period done laparotomy oophorotomy and resected all LPD nodules and omentum.(3) Postoperative relapse and reproductive outcomes:the follow-up time of all cases was 2.8 years,and no recurrence was found during the follow-up period;2 cases had natural conception and term vaginal birth during the follow-up period.Conclusions LPD is mainly related to iatrogenic planting and spreading,which is a benign disease and characterized by multiple smooth muscle nodules throughout abdominopelvic cavity,and the nodules of LPD is commonly located in Douglas pouch,mesenteric and omentaum majus,etc.The preferred method of LPD should be individual operative treatment according to different situations,and in which patients may be have better prognosis.

Iodine and fluoride are indispensable elements of human life activities,excessive or insufficient intakes can cause diseases,especially thyroid diseases,the relationship between iodine,fluoride and thyroid diseases has been paid more and more attention.The water iodine and fluoride are an important source of human intakes,so researching the influence of water iodine and fluoride on thyroid diseases is of great significance for guiding the population to maintain normal thyroid morphology and function.

Background and Objectives: Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HUC-MSCs) are promising candidates for cell-based therapy in regenerative medicine or other diseases due to their superior characteristics, including higher proliferation, faster self-renewal ability, lower immunogenicity, a noninvasive harvest procedure, easy expansion in vitro, and ethical access, compared with stem cells from other sources. Methods: and Results: In the present study, we knocked down the expression of SOX9 in HUC-MSCs by lentivirus interference and found that knockdown of SOX9 inhibited the proliferation and migration of HUC-MSCs and influenced the expression of cytokines (IL-6 and IL-8), growth factors (GM-CSF and VEGF) and stemness-related genes (OCT4 and SALL4). In addition, the repair effect of skin with burn injury in rats treated with HUC-MSCs transfected with sh-control was better than that rats treated with HUC-MSCs transfected with shSOX9 or PBS, and the accessory structures of the skin, including hair follicles and glands, were greater than those in the other groups. We found that knockdown of the expression of SOX9 obviously inhibited the expression of Ki67, CK14 and CK18. Conclusions In conclusion, this study will provide a guide for modifying HUC-MSCs by bioengineering technology in the future.

Objective: To explore the gender-specific risk factors of new-onset cerebral hemorrhage. Methods: In this prospective cohort study,a total of 98 961 participants((51.1±12.6)years old), who underwent the 2006 to 2007 physical examination and met the inclusion criteria, were enrolled from the Kailuanstudy cohort. There were 78 908 (79.7%) male,and 20 053 (20.3%) female.The incidence of cerebral hemorrhage was observed once per year until December 31, 2016.The difference on the incidence of cerebral hemorrhage between male and female was compared. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was applied to analyze therisk factors of cerebral hemorrhage events among different genders. Results: The participants were followed up for(10.00±0.73) years,and 860 cerebral hemorrhage events were recorded during follow up. The incidence of cerebral hemorrhage in the population was 86.90/10 million person years (standardized incidence rate of 47.85/10 million person years). The incidence of cerebral hemorrhage was significantly higher in male (49.61/10 million person years) than in female (34.07/10 million person years, P<0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that 45-59 years old, ≥ 60 years old, diabetes,and waist-hip ratio were more strongly related to new-onset of cerebral hemorrhage events in female than in male, and the hazard ratios(95%CI) were 2.33 (1.23-4.43) ,2.71 (1.30-5.66) ,2.16 (1.24-3.74) and 8.79 (1.42-54.32) in female versus 1.55 (1.21-1.97) ,2.16 (1.68-2.78) ,1.19 (0.93-1.53) and 3.21 (1.09-9.41) in male, respectively. The risk of male cerebral hemorrhage increased by 29% (HR=1.29, 95%CI 1.19-1.40) in male and 24% (HR=1.24, 95%CI 1.20-1.28) in female,when the systolic blood pressure increased 10 mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa). Conclusions: The incidence of cerebral hemorrhage is higher in male than in female in this cohort.The association between systolic blood pressure and cerebral hemorrhage is stronger in male than that in female.The associations between age, waist-hip ratio, diabetes and cerebral hemorrhage are stronger in female than in male. Trial Registration Chinese Clinical Trail Registry, ChiCTR-TNC-11001489.

BACKGROUND:Premature birth is a major global health problem associated with high mortality and morbidity.White matter injury is the most common brain injury in preterm infants.Salvia miltiorrhiza is a traditional herbal plant that is commonly used to treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in Asian countries. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the therapeutic effect of Salvia miltiorrhiza on white matter injury in preterm infants. METHODS:Eighteen neonatal male Sprague-Dawley rats at 3-day gestational age were selected and randomized into normal group,white matter injury group,and Salvia miltiorrhiza group.Animal models of preterm white matter injury were established by permanent ligation of the right common carotid artery in the latter two groups.Rats in the Salvia miltiorrhiza group were given intraperitoneal injection of Salvia miltiorrhiza(5 mg/kg·d)for 7 consecutive days.Normal group and white matter injury group were given the same volume of PBS for intervention.On the 14th day after modeling,the rats were sacrificed.Brains were pathologically observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining under microscope,and the expression levels of myelin basic protein and CC1 in brain tissue were visualized using immunofluorescence.Furthermore,liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to analyze possible pathways for the action of Salvia miltiorrhiza. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:In the white matter injury group,the structure of the corpus callosum was irregular and the cells appeared swollen and necrotic.In addition,induction of white matter injury resulted in significantly reduced myelin formation,with irregular and loosely arranged nerve fibers and significantly decreased myelin sheaths.Interestingly,white matter injury rats treated with Salvia miltiorrhiza had reduced cellular swelling,reduced lesions,and increased myelin sheaths.The expression of myelin basic protein was closely related to myelin formation,and CC1 was a marker of myelin oligodendrocytes.Salvia miltiorrhiza significantly up-regulated the expressions of myelin basic protein and CC1 in white matter injury rats(P＜0.000 1),indicating that Salvia miltiorrhiza alleviated white matter injury.Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis showed that the therapeutic effect of Salvia miltiorrhiza in the rat model of white matter injury was closely related to the regulation of complement and coagulation cascades.To conclude,Salvia miltiorrhiza may be a potential therapeutic agent for treating preterm white matter injury.

Objective To explore the relationship between iodine and fluoride content in drinking water and the incidence of adult thyroid nodules in Cangzhou,Hebei.Methods According to the previous reports on iodine and fluoride levels in drinking water in Cangzhou,from November 2016 to January 2017,Cangzhou was divided into high iodine,low iodine,normal iodine and fluorine,low iodine and high fluorine,high iodine and high fluorine areas,and according to the different contents of iodine and fluorine in drinking water,high iodine and high fluorine area was further divided into high iodine and high fluorine 1 (iodine:743.30 μg/L,fluorine:4.27 mg/L),2 (iodine:119.31μg/L,fluorine:4.67 mg/L) and 3 (iodine:105.30 μg/L,fluorine:1.64 mg/L) subareas.Subjects who lived for 20 or more years and aged 30 or older,without serious disease and not taken iodized salt were selected.Palpation was used to examine the size,texture,mass,tenderness and mobility of the thyroid gland.The boundary,internal echo,blood flow and quantity of nodules were observed and recorded by color Doppler.Results The prevalence difference of thyroid nodules [36.8％ (629/1 710),32.8％ (636/1 938),25.1％ (427/1 700)] in high iodine,low iodine and normal iodine and fluorine areas was statistically significant (x2 =55.597,P ＜ 0.05).The prevalences of thyroid nodules in both high iodine and low iodine areas were higher than that of normal iodine and fluorine area (P＜ 0.016 7).The prevalence difference of thyroid nodules [43.3％ (749/1 730),39.8％ (712/1 790),34.9％ (623/1 785)] in high iodine and high fluorine 1,2 and 3 subareas was statistically significant(x2 =26.220,P ＜ 0.05).Compared with low iodine area,the prevalence of thyroid nodules [41.2％ (735/1 785)] in low iodine and high fluorine area was increased (x2 =6.288,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Both high iodine and low iodine can induce thyroid nodules.In water source areas with high iodine content,both high iodine and high fluorine are the factors inducing thyroid nodules.The prevalence of thyroid nodules in low iodine and high fluorine area is significantly higher than that of low iodine area.

BACKGROUNDA variety of inflammatory mediators and effector cells participate together in acute lung injury, and lead to secondary injury that is due to an inflammatory cascade and secondary diffuse lung parenchyma injury. Inflammation is associated with an oxidative stress reaction, which is produced in the development of airway inflammation, and which has positive feedback on inflammation itself. Resolvin D1 can reduce the infiltration of neutrophils, regulate cytokine levels and reduce the inflammation reaction, and thereby promote the resolution of inflammation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of resolvin D1 on an inflammatory response and oxidative stress during lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury.

METHODSLPS (3 mg/kg) was used to induce the acute lung injury model. Pretreatment resolvin D1 (100 ng/mouse) was given to mice 30 minutes before inducing acute lung injury. Mice were observed at 6 hours, 12 hours, 1 day, 2 days, 3 days, 4 days and 7 days after LPS was administrated, then they were humanely sacrificed. We collected bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and the lung tissues for further analysis. Paraffin section and HE staining of the lung tissues were made for histopathology observations. Parts of the lung tissues were evaluated for wet-to-dry (W/D) weight ratio. tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, inter leukin (IL)-1β, IL-10 and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A lipid peroxidation malondialdehyde (MDA) assay kit was used to detect MDA. A total superoxide dismutase assay kit with WST-1 was used to analyze superoxide dismutase (SOD). We determined the apoptosis of neutrophils by Flow Cytometry. A real-time quantitative PCR Detecting System detected the expression of mRNA for heme oxygenase (HO)-1.

RESULTSPretreatment with resolvin D1 reduced the pathological damage in the lung, decreased the recruitment of neutrophils and stimulated their apoptosis. It markedly decreased the expressions of TNF-α, IL-1β and increased the expressions of IL-10, and decreased the production of MDA and increased the expressions of SOD. The mRNA expression of HO-1 was also significantly increased.

CONCLUSIONSResolvin D1 displays potent anti-inflammatory actions by regulating cytokines, inhibiting aberrant neutrophil recruitment and stimulating apoptosis of neutrophils. Resolvin D1 can also relieve the injury due to oxidative stress. The mechanisms might be related to increase HO-1 expression.

Acute Lung Injury ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; immunology ; Animals ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; immunology ; Docosahexaenoic Acids ; therapeutic use ; Interleukin-10 ; metabolism ; Interleukin-1beta ; metabolism ; Lipopolysaccharides ; toxicity ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Peroxidase ; metabolism ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism