Objective To make an epidemiological survey on Angiostrongylus cantonensis in Jiangmen City of Guangdong Province. Methods From October 2006 to November 2007, the characteristics of A. cantonensis infection were investigated in Jiangmen district in various hosts, including the third stage larva infection in the snails Achatina fulica and Pomocea canaliculata by digestion method, and the adult A. cantonensis in rats by the dissection of heart and lungs. Relevant symptoms and dietary habits in Jiangmen residents who were randomly recruited were also investigated by questionnaire, and the specific IgG and IgM antibodies against A. cantonensis in their sera were detected by ELISA. Results 695 A. fulica and 720 P. canaliculata were examined. The infection rate of third stage larva of A. cantonensis were 45.0% and 1.8% respectively, with an infectiosity of 53.74?147.30 and 5.23?8.51 respectively. Natural infection rate of A. cantonensis in all 229 rats was 4.4%. Among the 300 people surveyed, 11.3% had a history of eating raw or undercooked fish and shrimp, 5.3% directly or indirectly exposed to A. fulica or P. canaliculata. The positive rate of specific IgG antibody against A.cantonensis for serum samples among residents was 14.0% (42/300), and 5 serum samples in the 42 positive samples showed specific IgM antibody, with a positive rate of 1.7%. Conclusion Jiangmen district is an endemic area of A. cantonensis, and the local residents are under the risk of infection.

Objective To explore the association between serum levels of homocysteine (Hcy) and relation factors in the patients with manic episodes of bipolar Ⅰ disorder(BD).Methods The case-control study was used for this study.A total of 73 inpatients with manic episodes of BD(patient group) and 39 healthy individuals (control group) were enrolled.Diagnosis was made according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition(DSM-Ⅳ) criteria.Serum levels of Hcy was measured by enzymatic cycling assay.Young Mania Rating Scale(YMRS) were used to assess the severity of clinical symptoms of patients.Results There was a statistical difference in serum Hcy levels between patient group ((16.89± 14.67)μmol/L) and control group ((10.61±6.46) μmol/L) (P＜0.01),and serum Hcy levels was higher in men((20.42± 16.52) μmol/L) than that in women((10.87±8.02) μmol/L) in patients group(P＜0.05).The prevalence rate of high Hcy was 35.6％ in the patient group and 13.5％ in the control group(P＜0.05).Correlation analysis showed body mass index(BMI) had positive correlation with serum levels of Hcy (r=0.317,P＜0.05).Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed male,BMI were associated with serum levels of Hcy among the patients (all P＜ 0.05).Conclusion Serum Hcy levels in the patients with manic episodes of bipolar Ⅰ disorder increase,and it is associated with gender and BMI.

Objective To establish the HPLC fingerprints of petroleum ether parts from five traditional medicine (Alpinia officinarum Hance, Alpinia galangal ( L.) Wild, Alpinia galanga Will., Alpinia katsumadai Hayata, and Alpinia oxyphylla Miq), and to explore the similarities and differences of chemical composition,as well as the correlation between the genetic relationship and the chemical composition. Methods HPLC method was used to analysis the five traditional medicines. The data were evaluated by using the"similarity evaluation system for chromatographic fingerprint of TCM" software. Results The similarity chemical composition from Alpinia officinarum Hance,Alpinia galangal(L.) Wild,Alpinia galanga Will.,Alpinia katsumadai Hayata,and Alpinia oxyphylla Miq in ethyl acetate were 0.741,0.855,0.610,0.510, 0.680,respectively. Conclusion Though there were differences of fingerprint peak of petroleum ether parts between five the traditional Chinese medicines, similarities were also observed among them.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of microRNA-146a (miR-146a) with clinical features of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: In 126 patients with RA and 102 matched healthy controls, SNPs of miR-146a rs2910164 locus were determined with a high-resolution melting method. The association of such polymorphisms with disease activity score in 28 joints (DAS28) and clinical features of RA was assessed. RESULTS: The distribution of SNPs of miR-146a rs2910164 among RA patients did not differ from that of the control group. No significant association was found between miR-146a rs2910164 polymorphism with DAS28. However, RA patients with a GG genotype had a greater chance to develop extra-articular manifestations (P<0.01). CONCLUSION Polymorphisms of miR-146a rs2910164 locus is not an independent risk factor for RA, though its GG genotype may be associated with extra-articular manifestations of RA.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; genetics ; Case-Control Studies ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genotype ; Humans ; MicroRNAs ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

Objective·To investigate the expression of miR-146a in peripheral blood CD4+T lymphocytes of patients with rheumatoid arthritis(RA)and its correlation with inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and interleukin-6(IL-6).Methods·A total of 30 active RA patients who received medical treatment and 30 healthy controls who underwent physical examinations at the People's Hospital of Longhua,Shenzhen from August 2019 to July 2021 were selected.Peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs)and CD4+T lymphocytes were isolated from venous blood extracted from RA patients and healthy controls,respectively.Quantitative real-time PCR(qPCR)was used to detect the expression of miR-146a in peripheral blood CD4+T lymphocytes,and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to detect the levels of TNF-α and IL-6.After transfection of the peripheral blood CD4+T lymphocytes of RA patients with miR-146a mimic,the expression of miR-146a,TNF-α and IL-6 was detected again.The correlations between miR-146a expression and TNF-α and IL-6 expression in RA patients,both before and after transfection,were analyzed by using Pearson correlation coefficient.Results·Before transfection with miR-146a mimic,the expression levels of miR-146a,TNF-α and IL-6 in peripheral blood CD4+T lymphocytes of RA patients were significantly higher than those of healthy controls(all P＜0.001).After transfection,the expression of miR-146a in peripheral blood CD4+T lymphocytes of RA patients was significantly higher,and the expression of TNF-α and IL-6 was significantly lower(all P＜0.001).The results of Pearson correlation analysis showed that the expression of miR-146a in peripheral blood CD4+T lymphocytes of RA patients,both before and after transfection,was positively correlated with the expression of TNF-α and IL-6,respectively(r=0.959,P＜0.001;r=0.916,P＜0.001;r=0.971,P＜0.001;r=0.861,P＜0.001).Conclusion·miR-146a can regulate the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in peripheral blood CD4+T lymphocytes of RA patients,indicating that miR-146a may play a role in the pathogenesis of RA.