Objective To determine the expressions of miR-200a, miR-141, miR-205 and miR-34a in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) samples and to explore their clinical significance. Methods According to FIGO staging, 44 EOC pa?tients were divided into two groups:early FIGO stage (stageⅠ-Ⅱ, n=15) and late FIGO stage (stageⅢ-Ⅳ, n=29). Expres?sions of 4 miRNAs were detected by real time quantitative PCR, and were compared between two groups. The correlation of 4 miRNAs was calculated. EOC patients were divided into high miRNA expression group and low expression group according to the median value of miRNAs expression. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox multivariate analysis were used to com?pare the age, FIGO state, tumor residual after operation and post-operative chemotherapy of ovarian cancer between two groups. Results The expression of miR-141 was elevated in stagesⅢandⅣcompared with that of stagesⅠand Ⅱ(P=0.036). There was a positive correlation between expression of miR-141, miR-200a and miR-205, but a negative correlation with miR-34a (P<0.05). There was a positive correlation between miR-200a and miR-205 (P<0.05). Lower miR-200a ex?pression was associated with shorter progress free survival in ovarian cancer analyzed by log-rank test ( P=0.035). The sur?vival rate was significantly higher in FIGO stages ⅠandⅡthan that of FIGO stagesⅢandⅣ(P<0.05). Cox regression analysis revealed that miR-200a, FIGO stage and age were influential factors of overall survival time and progress-free sur?vival time of ovarian cancer, while miR-141, miR-205, miR-34a and tumor residual after operation and post-operative che?motherapy were not influential factors. Conclusion The expression of miR-200a is closely correlated with the progress and prognosis of ovarian cancer and may be used as an independent indicator for ovarian cancer prognosis.

Objectives To detect the cord blood vitamin D level in neonates and to determine the association between the cord blood vitamin D level and neonatal outcomes. Methods A total of 223 eligible mother-and-singleton-offspring pairs were recruited. The information of mothers' pregnancy was collected by questionnaires. The weight, length, and head circumference of neonates were measured. The levels of 25(OH)D in cord blood of neonates and in blood of late pregnancy mothers were determined by chemiluminescence immunoassay. Results The median concentration of 25(OH)D in cord blood was 20.7 nmol/L, and 82.1% of neonate had vitamin D deficiency, and 12.1% had severe vitamin D deficiency (<10 nmol/L). The concentration of 25(OH)D in cord blood was consistent with that in blood of late pregnancy mother. The distribution of concentration of 25(OH)D in cord blood was significantly different in neonates in different seasons of birth (P<0.05). There were more cases <10 nmol/L in winter and spring. The concentration of 25(OH)D in cord blood had no significant associations with the incidences of low birth weight (LBW) and small for gestational age (SGA) (P>0.05). After the variables of sex, gestational age and birth season are controlled, the birth weight and head circumference were significantly different in neonates with different concentrations of 25(OH)D in cord blood (P<0.05). Conclusions The concentration of 25(OH)D in cord blood in term neonates was generally lower. The vitamin D status in neonates was consistet with that in their late pregnancy mothers. Cord blood 25(OH) D levels were associated with neonates' birth weight and head circumference, but it should be confirmed by larger sample size in the future.

For the purpose of revealing the mechanism of the reduction of yeasts ethanol production rate after entrance of post-log phase, we used microarray to study expression profiles of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae during the transition from mid-log growth phase to post-log growth. The results demonstrate that the global pattern of gene expression is very stable during the mid-log phase. However, a dramatic metabolic remodeling was found when the yeast entries post-log phase, during which many of amino acid synthesis and metabolism related genes are up-regulated, moreover, ion transport, energy generation and storage related genes are also up regulated during this phase, while a large number of genes involved in transposition and DNA recombination are repressed. Central metabolic pathways also engage in metabolic remodeling, within which the genes involved in succinate and a-ketoglutarate synthesis pathways are up regulated, accordance with those of amino acid synthesis and metabolism. These results demonstrate that the increasing demand for amino acids in post-log phase lead to a metabolic transition into TCA cycle and glyoxylate cycle, which subsequently reduce the ethanol production rate. This suggests a global insight into the process of yeast ethanol fermentation.
Amino Acids ; biosynthesis ; Ethanol ; metabolism ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal ; Ketoglutaric Acids ; metabolism ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae ; genetics ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Succinic Acid ; metabolism