Anesthesia, Conduction ; Nerve Block ; Ultrasonography ; Ultrasonography, Interventional

Epigenetic changes are potentially important for the ontogeny and progression of tumors but are not usually studied because of the complexity of analyzing transcript regulation resulting from epigenetic alterations. Prostate cancer (PCa) is characterized by variable clinical manifestations and frequently unpredictable outcomes. We performed an expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analysis to identify the genomic regions that regulate gene expression in PCa and identified a relationship between DNA methylation and clinical information. Using multi-level information published in The Cancer Genome Atlas, we performed eQTL-based analyses on DNA methylation and gene expression. To better interpret these data, we correlated loci and clinical indexes to identify the important loci for both PCa development and progression. Our data demonstrated that although only a small proportion of genes are regulated via DNA methylation in PCa, these genes are enriched in important cancer-related groups. In addition, single nucleotide polymorphism analysis identified the locations of CpG sites and genes within at-risk loci, including the 19q13.2-q13.43 and 16q22.2-q23.1 loci. Further, an epigenetic association study of clinical indexes detected risk loci and pyrosequencing for site validation. Although DNA methylation-regulated genes across PCa samples are a small proportion, the associated genes play important roles in PCa carcinogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Asymptomatic coronary artery stenosis (ACAS) ≥50% is common in patients with acute ischemic cerebrovascular disease (AICVD), which portends a poor cardiovascular and cerebrovascular prognosis. Identifying ACAS ≥50% early may optimize the clinical management and improve the outcomes of these high-risk AICVD patients. This study aimed to investigate whether aortic arch plaque (AAP), an early atherosclerotic manifestation of brain blood-supplying arteries, could be a predictor for ACAS ≥50% in AICVD. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, atherosclerosis of the coronary and brain blood-supplying arteries was simultaneously evaluated using one-step computed tomography angiography (CTA) in AICVD patients without coronary artery disease history. The patients were divided into ACAS ≥50% and non-ACAS ≥50% groups according to whether CTA showed stenosis ≥50% in at least one coronary arterial segment. The AAP characteristics of CTA were depicted from aspects of thickness, extent, and complexity. RESULTS: Among 118 analyzed patients with AICVD, 29/118 (24.6%) patients had ACAS ≥50%, while AAPs were observed in 86/118 (72.9%) patients. Increased AAP thickness per millimeter (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.56, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.18-2.05), severe-extent AAP (adjusted OR: 13.66, 95% CI: 2.33-80.15), and presence of complex AAP (adjusted OR: 7.27, 95% CI: 2.30-23.03) were associated with ACAS ≥50% among patients with AICVD, independently of clinical demographics and cervicocephalic atherosclerotic stenosis. The combination of AAP thickness, extent, and complexity predicted ACAS ≥50% with an area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve of 0.78 (95% CI: 0.70-0.85, P < 0.001). All three AAP characteristics provided additional predictive power beyond cervical and intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis for ACAS ≥50% in AICVD (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Thicker, severe-extent, and complex AAP were significant markers of the concomitant ACAS ≥50% in AICVD, possibly superior to the indicative value of cervical and intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis. As an integral part of atherosclerosis of brain blood-supplying arteries, AAP should not be overlooked in predicting ACAS ≥50% for patients with AICVD.
Aged ; Aorta, Thoracic ; pathology ; Cerebrovascular Disorders ; diagnosis ; Coronary Stenosis ; diagnosis ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic ; diagnosis ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVETo investigate the risk factors attributable to tuberculosis-related deaths in areas with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection epidemics.

METHODSA prospective cohort study of newly registered patients in tuberculosis (TB) dispensaries in six representative Chinese provinces was conducted from September 1, 2009 to August 31, 2011. Risk factors for TB-associated death were identified through logistic regression analysis.

RESULTSOf 19,103 newly registered pulmonary TB patients, 925 (4.8%) were found to be HIV-positive. Miliary TB and acid-fast bacillus smear-negative TB were more common among these patients. Out of a total of 322 (1.7%) deaths that occurred during TB treatment, 85 (26%) of the patients were co-infected with HIV. Multivariate analysis revealed that HIV infection was the strongest predictor of death [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 7.86]. Other significant mortality risk factors included presentation with miliary TB (aOR 4.10; 95% confidence interval: 2.14-7.88), ⋝35 years of age (aOR 3.04), non-Han ethnicity (aOR 1.67), and farming as an occupation (aOR 1.59). For patients with TB/HIV co-infection, miliary TB was the strongest risk factor for death (aOR 5.48). A low CD4 count (⋜200 cells/µL) (aOR 3.27) at the time of TB treatment initiation and a lack of antiretroviral therapy (ART) administration (aOR 3.78) were also correlated with an increased risk of death.

CONCLUSIONInfection with HIV was independently associated with increased mortality during TB treatment. Offering HIV testing at the time of diagnosis with TB, early TB diagnosis among HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome patients, and the timely provision of ART were identified as the key approaches that could reduce the number of HIV-associated TB deaths.

Adult ; China ; epidemiology ; Cohort Studies ; Coinfection ; mortality ; therapy ; Female ; HIV Infections ; complications ; mortality ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary ; complications ; mortality ; therapy

Dyslipidemia is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in patients with diabetes, and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) is a better predictor of CVDs than low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in patients with diabetes. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the distribution of non-HDL-C and the prevalence of high non-HDL-C level in Chinese patients with diabetes mellitus and identify the associated risk factors. Non-HDL-C concentration positively correlated with total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL-C concentrations. Although both non-HDL-C and LDL-C concentration both related positively with TC concentration, the magnitude of correlation was relatively higher for non-HDL-C. The prevalence of high non-HDL-C (⋝4.14 mmol/L) was higher in two age groups (55-64 years: 46.7%; 65-79 years: 47.3%) than other age groups (18-24 years: 4.2%; 25-34 years: 43.6%; 35-44 years: 38.1%; 45-54 years: 41.0%). It was also higher among overweight (45.1%), generally obese (50.9%), or abdominally obese (47.3%) subjects, compared with normal weight subjects (34.5%). The risk of high non-HDL-C increased with advancing age. Both general obesity [odds ratio (OR)=1.488, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.003-2.209] and abdominal obesity (OR=1.561, 95% CI: 1.101-2.214) were significantly associated with high non-HDL-C levels.
Adolescent ; Adult ; China ; epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Young Adult

Objectives: It is unclear whether G protein-coupled receptor 61 (GPR61) affecting body weight, plays a role in the association between birth weight and weather. This study aimed to assess the effects of prenatal weather and GPR61 on birth weight. Methods: A total of 567 mother-newborn pairs were recruited in Houzhai Center Hospital during 2011-2012. We detected the maternal and neonatal GPR61 promoter methylation levels, and obtained meteorological and air pollution data. Results: A positive association was observed between maternal and neonatal GPR61 methylation levels, and both of them were affected by precipitation, relative humidity (RH) and daily temperature range (DTR). Birth weight was associated negatively with RH and positively with DTR ( P < 0.05). A significant association was observed between birth weight and neonatal GPR61 methylation. We observed that maternal GPR61 methylation seemed to modify associations between weather and birth weight ( P _interaction < 0.10), while neonatal GPR61 methylation mediated the effects of RH and DTR on birth weight ( P < 0.05). Conclusions Our findings revealed the significant associations among prenatal weather, GPR61 methylation and birth weight. Maternal GPR61 methylation may modify the susceptibility of birth weight to prenatal weather conditions, while neonatal GPR61 methylation may be a bridge of the effects of prenatal RH and DTR on birth weight.
Air Pollution/analysis* ; Birth Weight ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Nerve Tissue Proteins ; Pregnancy ; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/metabolism* ; Temperature ; Weather