Acute Disease ; Anemia, Refractory ; etiology ; therapy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation ; methods ; Female ; Histocompatibility Testing ; Humans ; Leukemia ; complications ; pathology ; therapy ; Male ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To understand the prevalence and influential factors of allergic diseases among infants aged 6-24 months in Enshi prefecture to provide the basis for the prevention of the allergic disease in infants and young children .Methods 1 724 in-fants were extracted by using multi-stage stratified cluster sampling and the data including the demographic characteristics ,family condition ,caregiver condition and behavior ,and allergic disease information were collected by the questionnaire survey .The multiva-riate Logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the influential factors of allergic diseases .Results Among the investiga-ted infants and young children ,the prevalence of allergic diseases was 11 .83% ,which was dominated by eczema with the prevalence of 7 .54% ,followed by allergic asthma (1 .97% ) .The univariate Logistic regression analysis showed that allergic diseases were as-sociated with the nationality (χ2 =17 .865 ,P=0 .000) ,month age(χ2 =9 .420 ,P=0 .009) ,feeding patterns(χ2 =6 .304 ,P=0 .043) and ,time for adding solid food(χ2 =12 .695 ,P=0 .002) and family income(χ2 =9 .259 ,P =0 .010) .The multivariate Logistic re-gression analysis showed that the ethnic minority [OR95% CI:1 .86(1 .27~2 .73) ,P=0 .001]and artificial feeding [OR95% CI:1 .17 (1 .01~2 .82) ,P=0 .045]had the higher risk for suffering from allergic diseases ,the month age between 18 to 24 months[OR95%CI:0 .57(0 .39~0 .84) ,P=0 .005]and the family income>30 000 yuan each year [OR95% CI:0 .64(0 .43~0 .96) ,P=0 .030]were negatively correlated with the allergic diseases in infants and young children .Conclusion The prevalence of allergic diseases among infants and young children aged 6-24 months in Enshi prefecture is relatively higher and the infants of ethnic minority ,low month age ,artificial feeding and lower family income have the higher risk of allergic diseases .

Objective To establish the models with human rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovial fibroblasts (RASFs)-cartilage-severe combined immune deficient (SCID) mice for the study of the RASFs in the pathogenesis of RA.Methods The 4th passage RASFs were marked with 5-bromodexyuridine (5-Brdu)and injected into a cavity of inert sterile gel sponge,then with the normal human cartilage co-implanted in the back subcutaneously of SCID mice to set up a novel model of RA.Osteoarthritis synovial fibroblasts (OASFs)were injected as control group.Thirty days after the surgery,the mice were killed,the grafts and the knee joints were proceed with histological study and immunohistochemistry to detect the expression of 5-Brdu and Vimentin in synoviocytes.The serum level of interleukin (IL)-6 and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-3 were detected with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results Twenty-three mice survived except for one mouse in the RASFs group died of anesthesia.① Only in one case in the RASFs group,the IL-6 was detected,the others were unable to be detected.The MMP-3 in the OASFs group was (40±17) pg/ml,but in RASFs group only one case was detected.② There were 4 and 3 implanted cartilages loss in the RASFs group and OASFs group respectively.The histological scores of cartilage invasion by synoviocytes and cartilage degradation in grafts were higher in RASFs groups than in OASFs groups (0.6±0.7 vs 0.3±0.5,2.3±0.8 vs 1.7±1.0 respectively).③ The histological scores of synovial hyperplasia and cartilage invasion in the knee joints was significantly higher in the RASFs group than in the OASFs group (3.1±0.8 vs 1.7±1.0,P＜0.01,1.6±1.7 vs 0.6±1.4,P＜0.05 respectively).④ During the grafts,a lot of 5-Brdu and Vimentin markers positive synovio-cytes were found in the mice subcutaneous tissue,but manipulus positive synoviocytes were found on the area of cartilage invasion in both groups.In knee joints,single positive synoviocytes could be detected in bone marrow and hyperplasic area of the synovial tissue in both groups.Conclusion The isolated RASFs can survival and have the ability to invade and degrade the cartilage in vivo without the limitation of immunity induced inflammations,and can also migrate to the synovial joints in distance and induce arthritis.

Introduction：Neonatal tetanus is a major cause of neonatal mortality in many developing countries and remains a major public health problem. This study aimed to determine risk factors associated with neonatal tetanus in Wenzhou, China.Methodology：Medical records of neonatal tetanus cases from 17 hospitals over a 13-year period (2000–2012) were reviewed for potential risk factors. Controls were selected from neonates with diseases other than tetanus who were admitted to the same facility during the same period. The potential risk factors of the neonatal tetanus group were compared with the control group using univariate analysis and an unconditional logistic regression model.Results：A total of 246 neonates with tetanus and 257 controls were included in this study. Univariate analysis showed that having untrained birth attendants, home delivery, an unsterile method of delivery and being a migrant to Wenzhou were significantly different between the two groups (P < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds of having an untrained birth attendant, home delivery and an unsterile method of delivery were significantly higher in the tetanus group than the control group (odds ratio: 1371.0; 95% confidence interval: 206.0, 9123.5).Conclusion：This study identified that the main risks of neonatal tetanus in cases from Wenzhou were having an untrained birth attendant, home delivery and an unsterile method of delivery. Preventive measures directed to these risk factors may reduce the occurrence of neonatal tetanus in the studied area.

Blood Cell Count ; Bone Marrow Cells ; metabolism ; Child ; Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation ; Cytokines ; therapeutic use ; Histocompatibility Testing ; Humans ; Male ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes ; blood ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo analyze the polymerase gamma(Polg) gene polymorphisms in Chinese idiopathic infertile males and evaluate the correlation of the polymorphisms with male infertility.

METHODSWe conducted a study of Polg CAG repeats in the sperm or blood DNA of 55 asthenospermia patients, 57 oligospermia patients, 34 azoospermia patients, and 104 controls with PCR and GeneScan. Phenotypic data were available in all the subjects, including semen parameters, and clinical profiles.

RESULTSThe frequency of 10/not 10 CAG genotype in asthenospermia patients was higher than in the other groups, but with no significance.

CONCLUSIONOur findings have shown for the first time that there exits an ethnic difference between Chinese and European males in the number of CAG repeats of Polg gene, and that 10/not 10 CAG genotype may affect sperm motility.

Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; China ; epidemiology ; DNA Polymerase gamma ; DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase ; genetics ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; epidemiology ; ethnology ; genetics ; Male ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Trinucleotide Repeats

Cardiomyocyte apoptosis leads to the functional incapacitation of myocardial plasmodium and plays an important role in the pathogenesis of heart failure transformed from compensable cardiac hypertrophy. Mitochondria are the main source of apoptosis-inducing molecule of various cells, and the role of caspartate-specific cysteinyl proteinase (caspase)-dependent mechanism has generally been accepted in the cardiomyocyte apoptosis. However, the significance of caspase-independent apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) mechanism is not yet understood. The purpose of this study was to evaluate hypoxia-reperfusion-induced alterations of AIF mRNA and protein expressions in hypertrophic cardiomyocytes. Cardiomyocyte hypertrophy was produced by angiotensin II (0.1 mumol/L). The cells were cultured under the condition of hypoxia (95% N2 and 5% CO2; the O2 partial pressure was lower than 5 mmHg) for 8 h or 12 h (named as H8h and H12h groups, respectively), and then exposed to normal culture environment (named as H8h/R and H12h/R groups, respectively). Apoptosis was detected with Hoechst 33258 staining. The AIF mRNA and protein expressions were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot and quantified by gel scanning. The results were as follows: (1) The level of AIF mRNA expression was 0.29+/-0.08 (optical density, relative value) in the control group (hypertrophic cardiomyocytes cultured in normal environment). Compared with that in the control group, the levels of AIF mRNA expression were significantly higher in the groups of H8h and H12h (0.52+/-0.04 and 0.85+/-0.10), indicating that this effect was time-dependent. A further increase of AIF mRNA expression was observed in the groups of H8h/R (1.09+/-0.12) and H12h/R (1.41+/-0.23). (2) The level of AIF protein expression was 0.29+/-0.04 in the control group. Compared with that in the control group, the levels of AIF protein expression were significantly higher in the groups of H8h and H12h (2.07+/-0.15 and 3.12+/-0.19). The AIF protein expression was increased further in the groups of H8h/R (4.57+/-0.25) and H12h/R (5.71+/-0.27). The nuclear translocation of AIF protein was obvious only in the groups of H8h/R and H12h/R. (3) The expressions of AIF mRNA and protein were almost completely inhibited by AIF siRNA transfection. The siRNA transfection also reduced the apoptosis of hypertrophic cardiomyocytes in the groups of H8h/R and H12h/R but not in the groups of H8h and H12h. The apoptosis rate was significantly reduced by both AIF siRNA transfection and Ac-DEVD-cmk, an inhibitor of caspase-3. This reduction induced by two factors was more evident than that by one factor. (4) AIF nuclear translocation induced by hypoxia-reperfusion was not affected by inhibition of the activity of caspase-3. These data suggest that AIF plays a pivotal role in the apoptosis of hypertrophic cardiomyocytes induced by hypoxia-reperfusion.
Apoptosis ; Apoptosis Inducing Factor ; metabolism ; Cardiomegaly ; Cell Hypoxia ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; cytology ; Reperfusion Injury

It is generally accepted that the inhibition of apoptosis is one of the mechanism of drug resistance to tumor. Members of the bcl-2 gene family are the most important regulators in apoptosis. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the value of expression of bcl-2 and bax gene in predicting the prognosis of acute leukemia patients, and to explore the relationship between bcl-2 and bax expression and drug resistance. Seventy patients with acute leukemia entered this study. Expressions of bcl-2, bax and mdr-1 gene were measured by RT-PCR method and FCM. The result showed that: bcl-2 had been widely detected in specimens of blood or bone marrow from acute leukemia patients, the expression levels were much higher than those in normal control (1.46 vs 0.71, P < 0.05), bax expression levels and bax/bcl-2 ratio in patients had no significant difference with the control. No relationships were found between the expression levels of bcl-2 and bax and AL patients' age, sex, platelet counts, hemoglobin levels, percentage of marrow blasts, FAB classification, and S + G(2)M%. Both Bcl-2 protein expression (34.6% vs 69.2%, P < 0.03) and bax/bcl-2 mRNA ratio (37.1% vs 82.9%, P < 0.01) were associated with response to therapy and CR rate, bax/bcl-2 ratio also influences the overall survival time. There was no relationship between bcl-2 and bax expression levels and mdr-1 expression levels.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the protective effect of lycopene against cryopreservation injury of post-thawing human sperm and its mechanism.

METHODSSemen samples were collected from 25 volunteers, each sample equally divided into four parts to be cryopreserved with cryoprotectant only (Ly0 control) or cryoprotectant + lycopene at the concentrations of 2 (Ly2), 5 (Ly5), and 10 µmol/L (Ly10), respectively. Before and after thawing, the semen samples were subjected to computer-assisted semen analysis ( CASA) for sperm kinematics, flow cytometry for sperm apoptosis, thiobarbituric acid assay for malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration, and JC-1 fluorescent staining for the sperm mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP).

RESULTSAfter cryopreservation, sperm motility was markedly decreased in all the groups (P < 0.01). The rate of sperm apoptosis was significantly lower in the Ly5 group than in the Ly0 control ([25.68 ± 4.36]% vs [33.26 ± 4.78]%, P < 0.05), while sperm MMP remarkably higher in the former than in the latter ([66.18 ± 14.23]% vs [55.24 ± 12.31]%, P < 0.05). The Ly2, Ly5 and Ly10 groups showed no statistically significance differences in the MDA level from the Ly0 control (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAddition of lycopene at a proper concentration to cryoprotectant may reduce oxidative damage to sperm mitochondria in the freezing-thawing process, attenuate oxidative stress injury induced by reactive oxygen species to sperm plasma membrane, and improve the anti-apoptosis ability of sperm.

Apoptosis ; Carotenoids ; pharmacology ; Cryopreservation ; Cryoprotective Agents ; pharmacology ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; analysis ; Oxidative Stress ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Semen Analysis ; Semen Preservation ; adverse effects ; methods ; Sperm Motility ; Spermatozoa ; drug effects ; physiology

Biomacromolecules play an important role in the treatment of many diseases, but as a result of cell membrane serving as the natural barriers, only the small molecular compounds whose molecular weights are smaller than 600 Da can get through cell membrane and enter the cell. In recent years, some short peptides (the length less than 30 amino acids) are found to have the cell-penetrating function, called cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs). They are able to effectively translocate segments of protein, polypeptides, nucleic acid into the cells of many mammal animals with many methods. They have high transduction efficiency and will not lead to cell damage. So, the discovery of CPPs has a very good applicable prospect in such research fields as cell-biology, gene-therapy, drug transduction in vivo, evaluation of clinical medicine and medical immunology. This paper reviews the types and characteristics of CPPs, internalization mechanisms, applications, and their existing problems.
Absorption ; drug effects ; Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Cell Membrane Permeability ; Cell-Penetrating Peptides ; classification ; pharmacology ; physiology ; Drug Carriers ; Endocytosis ; physiology ; Humans ; Protein Transport