This review focuses on the fetal origins of adult disease hypothesis put forward by David Barker and his colleagues,recent advances in epidemiological studies and experimental research in this field.Barker Hypothesis states that environmental factors,particularly intrauterine nutrition,as indicated by birth weight,operate in early life to program the risks for adverse health outcomes in adult life.A large growing body of reports described the association between the early development and adult diseases,such as diabetes,hypertension,coronary heart disease,abnormal lipids metabolism,obesity and cancer,etc.Experimental studies show that the changes of some key genes' expression,caused by epigenetic modifications,lead to a permanent alteration of cellular proliferation and differentiation and finally the genesis in key tissues and organs.These results bring about the impairment in structures and functions and the increased susceptibility to chronic diseases in adult life.The hypothesis provides a new perspective for the prevention and therapy of chronic diseases.

Objective To compare the outcomes of percutaneous pedicle instrumentation combined with vertebral augmentation or vertebra pedicle instrumentation for treatment of osteoporotic thoracolumbar fractures (OVCF) in elderly patients.Methods A retrospective case cohort study was conducted on 62 patients with OVCF manifesting non-neurological symptoms treated from January 2009 to January 2012.There were 22 males and 30 females,with a mean age of 61.3 years (range,55 to 70 years).Fracture level was T11 in 8 patients,T12in 20,L1 in 22 and L2 in 12.Treatments included percutaneous pedicle instrumentation combined with vertebral fracture fixation in 36 patients (Group A) and percutaneous pedicle instrumentation combined with vertebral augmentation in 26 patients (Group B).Operation time,intraoperative blood loss,anterior vertebral body height,sagittal Cobb angle and visual analogue score (VAS) were compared between the two groups.Results All patients were followed up for average 46.5 months (range,36 to 58 months).Operation time in Group A [(82.6 ±16.2) min] was shorter than that in Group B [(96.8 ± 20.6) min] (P ＜ 0.05).Blood loss in Group B [(40.5 ± 10.2) ml] was less than that in Group A [(52.2 ± 15.5) ml] (P ＜ 0.05).Before operation and 3 days and 1 year after operation,the anterior vertebral body height and sagittal Cobb angle in Group A showed no significant differences compared to Group B (all P ＞ 0.05).At the final follow-up,the ratio of anterior vertebral height and Cobb angle in Group B [(87.8 ± 2.5) ％,(7.8 ± 3.5) °] were better than these in Group A [(82.6 ±3.2)％,(9.1 ± 1.8)°] (P＜0.05).VAS showed no statistical significance between the two groups before and after operation (P ＞ 0.05).Bone cement leakage was seen in four patients in Group B.During the perioperative period,there were 3 patients with lung infection in Group A and 1 patient with lower limb deep vein thrombosis in Group B.No implant failure occurred in both groups.Conclusion Both procedures are effective in treating elderly patients with OVCF,but percutaneous pedicle instrumentation combined with vertebral augmentation is associated with better results in maintaining vertebral height and preventing kyphosis.

Objective To explore the relationship between G-protein β3 subunit (GNB3) gene C825T polymorphism and antipsychotic agent-induced obesity.Methods 126 schizophrenic inpatients with long-term antipsychotics treatment were collected.According to body mass index ( BMI),patients were divided into obesity group ( n =62) and non-obesity group ( n =64).The GNB3 gene C825T polymorphism was detected by polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing technique.Levels of fasting blood glucose,2-hour postprandial blood glucose,blood lipids and blood uric acid of all patients were routinely measured.Results (1)The GNB3 gene C825T polymorphism were found in obesity group and non-obesity group respectively,and the distribution of genotypes in two groups were both consistent with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.(2)There was no significant difference in genotype frequencies between obesity group ( CC 17.75％,CT 58.06％,TT 24.19％ ) and non-obesity group( CC 18.75％,CT 62.50％,T T 18.75％ )( x2 =0.59,P ＞ 0.05 ).There was also no significant difference in allele frequencies between obesity group ( C 46.77％,T 53.23 ％ ) and non-obesity group ( C 50％,T 50％ ) ( x2 =0.26,P ＞ 0.05 ).(3)No significant differences were observed in BMI,fasting blood glucose,2-hour postprandial blood glucose,blood lipids and blood uric acid among different genotype groups (all P ＞ 0.05 ).Also no significant differences were observed in BMI,fasting blood glucose,2-hour postprandial blood glucose,blood lipids and blood uric acid between Tallele carrier (TT and CT genotypes) and T-allele non-carrier( CC genotype) ( all P ＞ 0.05 ).Conclusion The GNB3 gene C825T polymorphism may not be a genetic risk factor for antipsychotic agent-induced obesity.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of microRNA-140 (miR-140) on the migration and invasion of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells and the possible mechanism.

METHODSmiR-140 mimics, miR-140 specific inhibitor or small interfering RNA (siRNA) against Smad3 were transfected into human CRC cell line RKO cells respectively, using Oligofectamine or Lipofectamine2000. Quantitative real-time PCR (real-time PCR) was used to measure the expression levels of miR-140 and Smad3 mRNA. Smad3 protein was analyzed by Western blot. The in vitro cell migrating and invasive abilities were determined by wound-healing and Transwell chamber assay after up-regulating or down-regulating miR-140 or knocking down Smad3.

RESULTSThe Western blot assays showed that the Smad3 protein level was significantly reduced after up-regulating miR-140 (0.04 ± 0.01), compared with that of (0.47 ± 0.02, P < 0.05) in the control group and that of (0.52 ± 0.06) in the negative control group (P < 0.05 for both). The results of real-time PCR indicated that no significant difference was found in the levels of Smad3 mRNA between miR-140 transfection and NC groups (1.11 ± 0.13 vs. 1.00 ± 0.06, P > 0.05). The wound-healing assay showed that the migrating ability was dramatically attenuated by miR-140 compared with that in the control and NC groups, whereas no significance was found when compared with that of the Smad3 siRNA transfected cells. The number of cells migrating through Transwell chamber without matrigel in the miR-140 group was (76.2 ± 4.4), remarkably lowered than that in the control (267.1 ± 4.9) and NC (336.1 ± 5.7) groups (P < 0.05 for both), but no significant difference between the miR-140 (76.2 ± 4.4) and Smad3 siRNA (83.5 ± 7.3) groups. Transwell chamber with matrigel assay showed that number of cells penetrating through the membrane was (109.5 ± 7.4) in the miR-140 group, significantly lower than that in the control (403.1 ± 5.1) and NC (392.6 ± 8.4) groups (P < 0.05 for both), while Smad3 siRNA transfection had a similar effect (138.8 ± 3.6)(P > 0.05). Down-regulation of miR-140 increased the level of smad3 protein expression, and partially reversed the inhibition of the cell migration and invasion mediated by miR-140. Co-transfection of miR-140 inhibitor and Smad3 siRNA had no significant effect on the Smad3 protein expression and the abilities of cell migration and invasion.

CONCLUSIONSmiR-140 regulates the Smad3 expression at the post-transcriptional level. miR-140 suppresses the migrating and invasive abilities of CRC cells, possibly through down-regulation of Smad3. The findings of this study suggest that miR-140 may have a unique potential as a possible biomarker candidate for diagnosis and therapy of tumor metastasis.

Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement ; Cell Proliferation ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Down-Regulation ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; genetics ; Humans ; MicroRNAs ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; RNA, Messenger ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Smad3 Protein ; genetics ; metabolism ; Transfection ; Up-Regulation