Objective To study the association of maternal calcium supplementation and dietary calcium intake with the preterm birth so that to provide scientific basis for effective intervention of preterm birth. Methods Normal pregnant women who were followed up all through to childbirth in Gansu Provincial Maternity and Child Care Hospital were selected. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the associ-ation of calcium supplementation and intake with preterm birth. Results After confounding factors were adjus-ted, pregnant women who took calcium supplement for more than 3 months before and/or during pregnancy had the risk of preterm birth reduced by 14% which was dose-responding ( OR=0. 86, 95% CI=0. 77-0. 96, P<0. 05). Through stratifying by trimesters of pregnancy, it was found that calcium supplement in the third trimes-ter was a protective factor for preterm birth and especially significant in early and very early pregnancy ( OR=0. 75, 95% CI=0. 62-0. 92, P<0. 05). Through stratifying by dietary calcium intake, pregnant women who took dietary calcium more than 465. 55 mg/d had the risk of preterm birth significantly reduced which was shown by the reduction of preterm birth of different degrees, controlled preterm labor and spontaneous premature dilivery (OR=0. 66, 95% CI=0. 53-0. 82, P<0. 05). Conclusion Appropriate calcium supplementation or dietary calcium intake before and during pregnancy can reduce the risk of preterm birth, which is especially sig-nificant in late pregnancy.

Purpose: Anterior gradient 3 (AGR3) belongs to human anterior gradient (AGR) family. The function of AGR3 on cancer remains unknown. This research aimed to investigate if AGR3 had prognostic values in invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) of breast cancer and could promote tumor progression. Materials and Methods: AGR3 expression was detected in breast benign lesions, ductal carcinoma in situ and IDC by immunohistochemistry analysis. AGR3’s correlations with clinicopathological features and prognosis of IDC patients were analyzed. By cell function experiments, collagen gel droplet-embedded culture drug sensitivity test and cytotoxic analysis, AGR3’s impacts on proliferation, invasion ability, and chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity of breast cancer cells were also detected. Results: AGR3 was up-regulated in luminal subtype of histological grade I-II of IDC patients and positively correlated with high risks of recurrence and distant metastasis. AGR3 high expression could lead to bone or liver metastasis and predict poor prognosis of luminal B. In cell lines, AGR3 could promote proliferation and invasion ability of breast cancer cells which were consistent with clinical analysis. Besides, AGR3 could indicate poor prognosis of breast cancer patients treated with taxane but a favorable prognosis with 5-fluoropyrimidines. And breast cancer cells with AGR3 high expression were resistant to taxane but sensitive to 5-fluoropyrimidines. Conclusion AGR3 might be a potential prognostic indicator in luminal B subtype of IDC patients of histological grade I-II. And patients with AGR3 high expression should be treated with chemotherapy regimens consisting of 5-fluoropyrimidines but no taxane.