[Summary] The aim of this study was to examine the association between obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome ( OSAHS ) and microalbuminuria in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. We found that severe OSAHS significantly increases the risk of early renal damage in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with HbA1C<7% ( lowest oxygen saturation:OR=2. 41, 95% CI 1. 19-8. 08; apnea hyponea index: OR=2. 91, 95% CI 1. 50-9. 11), suggesting that OSAHS may increase the risk for early renal damage in type 2 diabetes mellitus, especially in those with successful control of glucose.

Objective To explore the prevalence and risk factors of stroke in a population over 40 years in a community in Shenzhen, China. Methods The subjects investigated were a population ≥40 years old in this cross-sectional study. Cluster sampling method was used to conduct the unified questionnaires, physical examination, and laboratory examination in the community residents, and then the survey data were used for online entry analysis. Results A total of 5 308 community residents were screened, and 160 experienced stroke. The crude prevalence of stroke was 3 014. 32/100 000. The prevalence of stroke increased with age, and that in males was significantly higher than that in females (3 721. 37/100 000 vs. 2 552. 93/100 000; χ2 = 5. 923, P = 0. 015). There were significant differences in the proportions of males, obvious overweight, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, atrial fibrillation, lack of physical activity, and family history of stroke, as well as age, systolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and fasting glucose level between the stroke population and the non-stroke population (all P < 0. 05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that hypertension (odds ratio [OR] 1. 737, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1. 161-2. 600; P = 0. 007), diabetes (OR 1. 917, 95% CI 1. 209-3. 040; P = 0. 006), atrial fibrillation (OR 1. 699, 95% CI 1. 113-2. 592; P = 0. 014), family history of stroke (OR 1. 585, 95% CI 1. 126-2. 231; P = 0. 008), advanced age (OR 4. 645, 95% CI 1. 868-11. 551; P = 0. 001), and physical inactivity (OR 4. 921, 95% CI 3. 552-6. 187; P < 0. 001) were the independent risk factors for stroke, and lack of physical activity was an independent protective factor for stroke. The proportion of smoking in males was more than that in females in all ages(all P < 0. 05). The proportions of hypertension (P < 0. 001) and hyperlipidemia (P < 0. 001) were gradually increased with age, and physical exercise was gradually reduced with age (P = 0. 001, except for subjects > 80 years) in both males and females. The proportions of diabetes (P < 0. 001) and atrial fibrillation (P < 0. 001) in males, and obvious overweight (P = 0. 001) in females were gradually increased with age, and the proportion of smoking in males weas gradually reduced with age. The proportions of hypertension (P < 0. 001) and obvious overweight (P < 0. 001) in males were significantly higher than those in females at the age of 40 to 49 years. The proportions of hypertension (P < 0. 001), diabetes (P < 0. 001) and obvious overweight (P < 0. 001) in males were significantly higher than those in females at the age of 50 to 59 years. The proportion of hypertension in males was significantly higher than that in females at the age of 60 to 69 years (P = 0. 039). The proportions of hypertension (P = 0. 016), atrial fibrillation (P = 0. 028) and hyperlipidemia (P = 0. 023) in females were significantly higher than those in males at the age of 70 to 79 years. The proportion of obvious overweight in females was significantly higher than that in males at the age of ≥80 years (P =0. 001). Conclusions The crude prevalence of stroke is higher among the community residents. The the levels of exposure to stroke risk factors including hypertension, diabetes and atrial fibrillation are higher. It may be important to intervene on these risk factors in community residents, especially in elders and those with family history of stroke.

As the work of sequencing the genome of the human and many model organisms has been partially or fully finished, the "postgenomic era" has begun. Scientists are turning their focus toward identifying gene function from sequencing. Clustering technology, as one of the important tools of analyzing gene expression data and identifying gene function, has been used widely. In this paper we discuss main clustering technology about gene expression data at present, analyze their advantages and disadvantages, present the methods to solve the problems and give new approaches to study gene expression data.
Algorithms ; Cluster Analysis ; Gene Expression Profiling ; methods ; Humans ; Neural Networks (Computer) ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; methods

Objective To investigate the effect of 8 Hz infrasound on the expression of brain derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF)in the rat hippocampus.Methods Forty-eight Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into groups to be exposed to 90,100 and 130 dB infrasound,and a control group(n=12).All the animals in the infrasound exposure groups were exposed to 8 Hz infrasound at the planned intensity for 2 hours daily for 4 weeks.The rats of the control group were treated identically except that the infrasound amplitude was 0 dB.The animals were sacrificed and their brains were examined at the end of the 4-week infrasound exposure.Western blotting was used to detect the expression of BDNF protein,and in situ hybridization(ISH)was used to observe the distribution of BDNF mBNA in the hippocampus.Results Eight Hz infrasound induced down-regulation of BDNF protein in the hippocampus,with volume-dependent characteristics.ISH showed that BDNF mRNA was distributed widely in the hippocampus.After exposed to infrasound,BDNF mRNA in the hippocampus decreased,especially in the dental gyrus.Conclusion Eight Hz infrasound can down-regulate the expression of BDNF in the hippocampus,especially in the dental gyrus.

Objective TALE-TFs were adopted to provide a new way in detection of the expression result ofβ-ca-sein gene promoter-interesting gene expression cassettes in mouse fibroblasts.Methods TALE-TFs of eukaryotic expres-sion plasmid and expression cassette withβ-casein gene promoter and red fluorescent protein reporter gene were co-nucleo-fected into mouse fibroblasts by Amaxa nucleofector.Results and Conclusion β-casein gene promoter was activated by artificial TALE-TFs in the mouse fibroblasts.The way is a new expression verification system instead of mammary epithelial cells with fibroblasts.

Background Researches showed that the incidence rate of cataract is high in the nickel mining area. Nickel sulphate can apparently inhibit the metabolism and proliferation of human lens epithelium cells. But the study on the injury mechanism of nickel on lens is still seldom. Objective Present study was to investigate the effect of nickel sulphate on the lens of SD rats. Methods Forty-five SPF SD rats aged from 7 to 14 days were grouped randomly into subcutaneous injection group, intraperitoneal injection group and blank group. Nickel sulphate of 2 g/L ( 10 mg/kg) was subcutaneously or intraperitonealy injected for 45 days. The opacity of rat lens was examined under the slit lamp at two-week interval and scored based on the criteria of LOCS II and LOCS III. The rats were sacrificed in 45 days after experiment and the lens were obtained for the pathological examination. Result The mean score of the anterior subcapsule opacity of rat lens was obviously higher in subcutaneous injection group compared with blank control group with a significant difference between them (t= 14. 311, P < 0. 05 ) , but no significant difference in the anterior subcapsule opacity between intraperitoneal injection group and blank control group (t = 4. 355 , P>0. 05 ). The score of posterior subcapsule opacity of lens were evidently higher in both subcutaneous injection group and intraperitoneal injection group than the blank control group (t = 9. 316,P = 0. 004;t = 7. 464, P = 0. 009) ,so was the mean score of the anterior +posterior subcapsule opacities(t = 23. 387,P=0. 000;t= 10. 533,P = 0. 002) and the total score of rat lens opacity ( t = 12. 358 , P = 0. 001; t = 10. 188 , P = 0. 003 ) . No significant differences were found in cortex opacity score and nuclear opacity score among three groups ( P > 0.05 ). Histopathology examination revealed that the degeneration of lens collagen protein was more serious in subcutaneous injection group and intraperitoneal injection group than the blank control group,and the injury degree of lens collagen protein was more dominant in subcutaneous injection group. Conclusion System administration of nickel sulphate induced the injury of anterior and posterior subcapsule of lens in SD rat.

Adult ; Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; DNA, Viral ; blood ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; blood ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; blood ; Hepatitis B virus ; drug effects ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; blood ; drug therapy ; virology ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha ; therapeutic use ; Liver Function Tests ; Male ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Recombinant Proteins ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome

Ultrafine powder and cell wall-broken powder of herbal medicine lack of the morphological characters and microscopic identification features. This makes it hard to identify herb's authenticity with traditional methods. We tested ITS2 sequence as DNA barcode in identification of herbal medicine in ultrafine powder and cell wall-broken powder in this study. We extracted genomic DNAs of 93 samples of 31 representative herbal medicines (28 species), which include whole plant, roots and bulbs, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds. The ITS2 sequences were amplified and sequenced bidirectionally. The ITS2 sequences were identified using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) method in the GenBank database and DNA barcoding system to identify the herbal medicine. The genetic distance was analyzed using the Kimura 2-parameter (K2P) model and the Neighbor-joining (NJ) phylogenetic tree was constructed using MEGA 6.0. The results showed that DNA can be extracted successfully from 93 samples and high quality ITS2 sequences can be amplified. All 31 herbal medicines can get correct identification via BLAST method. The ITS2 sequences of raw material medicines, ultrafine powder and cell wall-broken powder have same sequence in 26 herbal medicines, while the ITS2 sequences in other 5 herbal medicines exhibited variation. The maximum intraspecific genetic-distances of each species were all less than the minimum interspecific genetic distances. ITS2 sequences of each species are all converged to their standard DNA barcodes using NJ method. Therefore, using ITS2 barcode can accurately and effectively distinguish ultrafine powder and cell wall-broken powder of herbal medicine. It provides a new molecular method to identify ultrafine powder and cell wall-broken powder of herbal medicine in the quality control and market supervision.
Cell Wall ; DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic ; DNA, Plant ; genetics ; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer ; genetics ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; Phylogeny ; Plants, Medicinal ; classification ; genetics ; Powders ; Quality Control

OBJECTIVESTo transfer 1.3-fold-overlength genome of HBV expression plasmid into HepG2 cells, and observe the dynamic changes of viral replication as well as expression in the transfected cells.

METHODS4.1 kb fragment of HBV genome, derived from pGEM-HBV, was cloned into Hind III site of the eukaryotic expression vector pCDNA3.1 to construct the recombinant plasmid pHBV. Then HepG2 hepatoma, cells were transfected with pHBV, using Lipofectamine2000 transfection reagent. After 24, 48, 72 hours, the levels of HBsAg and HBeAg in the supernatant of HepG2 cells were determined with Abbott MEIA Kit. Intracellular viral DNA and RNA were analyzed by Southern and northern blot hybridization. In addition, viral-specific proteins (HBsAg and HBcAg) were assayed by immunofluorescence staining.

RESULTSThe expression vector pCDNA3.1 was constructed successfully. The levels of HBsAg were 5.36+-0.25, 13.42+-1.24, 7.52+-0.43, and the values of HBeAg were 9.16+-0.32, 22.75+-1.49, 15.96+-1.03 after 24, 48, 72 hours, respectively. All expected HBV replicative intermediates and specific transcripts were verified by Southern and northern blot analysis. The HBsAg-positive cells peaked after 24 hours, and then dropped slowly. HBsAg positive staining scattered in the cytoplasm, whereas HBcAg lied maily in the cytoplasm apart from nuclears.

CONCLUSIONSThis recombinant plasmid, which initiates viral replication efficiently in infected cells, is expected as a novel tool for investigating HBV replication in vitro.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; pathology ; virology ; DNA, Viral ; genetics ; Eukaryotic Cells ; virology ; Gene Expression Regulation, Viral ; Genome, Viral ; Hepatitis B virus ; genetics ; physiology ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; pathology ; virology ; Plasmids ; genetics ; Transfection ; Tumor Cells, Cultured ; Virus Replication

PURPOSE: CO₂ leakage along the trocar (chimney effect) has been proposed to be an important factor underlying port-site metastasis after laparoscopic surgery. This study aimed to test this hypothesis by comparing the incidence of port-site metastasis between B-ultrasound-guided and laparoscopically-assisted hyperthermic intraperitoneal perfusion chemotherapy (HIPPC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-two patients with malignant ascites induced by gastrointestinal or ovarian cancer were divided into two groups to receive either B-ultrasound-guided or laparoscopically-assisted HIPPC. Clinical efficacy was assessed from the objective remission rate (ORR), the Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) score, and overall survival. The incidence of port-site metastasis was compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Patients in the B-ultrasound (n=32) and laparoscopy (n=30) groups were comparable in terms of age, sex, primary disease type, volume of ascites, and free cancer cell (FCC)-positive ascites. After HIPPC, there were no significant differences between the B-ultrasound and laparoscopy groups in the KPS score change, ORR, and median survival time. The incidence of port-site metastasis after HIPPC was not significantly different between the B-ultrasound (3 of 32, 9.36%) and laparoscopy (3 of 30, 10%) groups, but significantly different among pancreatic, gastric, ovarian, and colorectal cancer (33.33, 15.79, 10.00, and 0.00%, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The chimney effect may not be the key reason for port-site metastasis after laparoscopy. Other factors may play a role, including the local microenvironment at the trocar site and the delivery of viable FCCs (from the tumor or malignant ascites) to the trauma site during laparoscopic surgery.
Ascites ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Drug Therapy* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Karnofsky Performance Status ; Laparoscopy ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Perfusion* ; Surgical Instruments ; Treatment Outcome