OBJECTIVETo investigate the impact of energy metabolism at the cellular level on the expression of the water channel protein aquaporin 1 (AQP1).

METHODSBalb/c mouse fibroblasts were incubated with iodoacetamide (IA) in vitro, and the changes in AQP1 expression were detected by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry at 0, 4, and 6 h.

RESULTSIA induced the expression of AQP1 at 4 and 6 h accompanied with cell death. Reverse transcription PCR showed an increased expression of AQP1 mRNA in the cells. AQP1 expression was also upregulated by the inhibitor of microtubule and cytochrome C oxidase.

CONCLUSIONA pretranslational regulation occurs in IA-induced AQP1 expression in mouse fibroblasts, and the up-regulated AQP1 accumulation is characterized by mitochondria-related energy dependence.

Animals ; Aquaporin 1 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Cells, Cultured ; Energy Metabolism ; Fibroblasts ; cytology ; metabolism ; Iodoacetamide ; pharmacology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mitochondria ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Up-Regulation ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo determine the correlation of the CYP1A1 (rs4646422) gene polymorphisms with male infertility in the Chinese Han population.

METHODSUsing the Mass ARRAY iPLEX GOLD technique, we conducted a case-control study on theCYPlA1 (rs4646422) gene polymorphisms in 636 infertile males aged 21-49 years (case group) and 442 normal healthy men aged 23-47 years (control group) of the Chinese Han population. We analyzed the genotypes and allele frequencies in the two groups ofsubjects with the SPSS 20.0 software.

RESULTSCompared with the wild homozygous genotype GG, the heterozygous genotype AG (OR = 1.06, 95% CI 0.81-1.38) and homozygous genotype AA (OR = 1.11, 95% CI 0.56-2.21) showed no correlation with male infertility, nor did the mutant allele A (OR = 1.06, 95% CI 0.85-1.32) in comparison with the wild allele G.

CONCLUSIONThe CYP1A1 (rs4646422) gene polymorphisms might not be correlated with male infertility in the Chinese Han population.

Adult ; Alleles ; Case-Control Studies ; China ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1 ; genetics ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Homozygote ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and its risk factors in population over 40 years old in northern part of Guangdong province.

METHODSUsing uniform scheme, procedures and questionnaire, a cluster-randomized-sampling survey for the population aged over 40 years in a rural area of Shaoguan in the northern part of Guangdong province was performed. Spirometry was performed for every participant, followed by a bronchodilatation test when bronchial obstruction was present.

RESULTSThere were 1468 cases with complete data from 1498 people aged >or= 40 years including 640 males, 828 females with an average age of 54.3 years old. The total prevalence of COPD was 12.0%. The prevalence of COPD in males was significantly higher than that in females (18.3% vs. 7.1%, P < 0.01). Only 80.7% of the patients with COPD presented one or more symptoms as cough, phlegm, or dyspnoea. Underdiagnosis of COPD would be quite serious. Only 26.1% of the cases was previously diagnosed to have chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or COPD. Smoking was an important risk factor to COPD and 78.4% of the patients with COPD were smokers. However, relation of biomass and COPD called for further investigation.

CONCLUSIONPrevalence of COPD was much higher than expected in the northern part of Guangdong while smoking was an most important risk factor of COPD. Lung function test seemed to be of great importance to COPD diagnosis, especially in the earlier period of COPD.

Adult ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Sex Factors ; Smoking ; adverse effects ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVETo investigate pulmonary function impairment and the spinal factors that may determine pulmonary function in patients with scoliosis.

METHODSSeventy-eight patients with idiopathic scoliosis or congenital scoliosis and 78 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects were enrolled in this study. The radiographic parameters of spinal deformity were obtained from patients with scoliosis. Both two groups received pulmonary function tests.

RESULTSPatients with scoliosis demonstrated a restrictive pattern of pulmonary function impairment with a proportional decrease in both forced expiratory volume in one second and forced vital capacity. Total lung capacity and functional residual capacity were reduced. Carbon monoxide diffusion capacity was decreased, while diffusion coefficient remained normal or slightly higher. Airway resistance and conductance were not affected. In addition, airway resistance and residual volume were found abnormal in patients with congenital scoliosis. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that three spinal factors including involved thoracic vertebrae, vertical height from C7 to S1, and Cobb angle were independently responsible for 40%-51% of total variances of forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in one second, total lung capacity, and functional residual capacity.

CONCLUSIONSPatients with scoliosis have restrictive ventilation defects. More thoracic vertebrae involvement, lower vertical height, and larger Cobb angle are associated with severer impairment of lung volume.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Lung ; physiopathology ; Male ; Radiography ; Scoliosis ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Thoracic Vertebrae ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Young Adult

Objective To analyse the relationship between Fourier transform infrared （FTIR） spectrum ofrat's spleen tissue and postmortem interval （PMI） for PMI estimation using FTIR spectroscopy combinedwith data mining method. Methods Rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation, and the cadavers were placed at 20 ℃. The FTIR spectrum data of rats' spleen tissues were taken and measured at different time points. After pretreatment, the data was analysed by data mining method. Results The absorption peak intensity of rat's spleen tissue spectrum changed with the PMI, while the absorption peak position was unchanged. The results of principal component analysis （PCA） showed that the cumulative contribution rate of the first three principal components was 96%. There was an obvious clustering tendency for the spectrum sample at each time point. The methods of partial least squares discriminant analysis （PLS- DA） and support vector machine classification （SVMC） effectively divided the spectrum samples with different PMI into four categories （0-24 h, 48-72 h, 96-120 h and 144-168 h）. The determination coefficient （R2） of the PMI estimation model established by PLS regression analysis was 0.96, and the root mean square error of calibration （RMSEC） and root mean square error of cross validation （RMSECV） were 9.90 h and 11.39 h respectively. In prediction set, the R2 was 0.97, and the root mean square error of prediction （RMSEP） was 10.49 h. Conclusion The FTIR spectrum of the rat's spleen tissue can be effectively analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively by the combination of FTIR spectroscopy and data mining method, and the classification and PLS regression models can be established for PMI estimation.

OBJECTIVETo express the recombinant D protein in prokaryotic expression system solubly and make preparation for producing D-carrier conjugate vaccine next step.

METHODSThe hpd gene fragment removed of signal peptide from genomic DNA of Hib CMCC was inserted into pET43. 1a. The recombinant plasmid was transformed to competent E. coli BL21 (DE3) for expression under induction of IPTG. The expressed recombination protein was precipitated with ammonium sulfate, purified by DEAE anion exchange column chromatography and identified for reactogenicity by Western Blot.

RESULTSThe expressed recombination protein, in a soluble form, constained about 50% of total somatic protein and showed specific reaction with the HIB antisera after preliminary purification.

CONCLUSIONThe D protein recombined expression plasmid was constructed successfully and expressed D protein in prokaryotic cells in a solube form.

Bacterial Proteins ; genetics ; Blotting, Western ; Carrier Proteins ; genetics ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; Haemophilus influenzae type b ; genetics ; Immunoglobulin D ; genetics ; Lipoproteins ; genetics ; Plasmids ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; Solubility

OBJECTIVE: To find out the prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and analyze the characteristics of the urodynamics diagnosis in female outpatients. To study the natural history of detrusor underactive (DU) by the followed up. METHODS: A retrospective study of the female LUTS outpatients in Peking University People's Hospital from Jan. 2005 to Dec. 2015 was performed. The basic information and the urodynamic results of a total of 656 female outpatients were collected. The distribution of storage symptoms, voiding symptoms, complications and urodynamic diagnosis were analyzed. The symptoms and urodynamic results were compared among the groups, which were divided according to age, urodynamic diagnosis and diabetes mellitus. A follow-up of 163 female DU outpatients was performed, including the treatments and the American Urological Association symptoms scores (AUAss). RESULTS: Frequency (25.03%) is the most common symptom in female outpatients, followed by stress urinary incontinence (20.04%), urgency (19.97%), and difficulty of voiding (17.32%). Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) accounted for the first (36.04%) of the whole outpatients, followed by the DU (24.08%), and bladder outlet obstruction (17.58%). The patients aged 51-60 years occupied the peak of almost all the diagnosis. There was a higher proportion of the young female patients than that of the middle and old patients diagnosed with no abnormal after the urodynamic study. The first, strong, urge and maximum bladder capacity were significantly larger in DU patients with diabetes than without diabetes. Follow-up results of the DU patients showed there was no significantly difference of the AUAss scores in both the two groups before and after the follow-up, but the quality of life decreased significantly. CONCLUSION Female LUTS outpatients showed a main complaint of storage symptoms. SUI ranked the first in female patients with LUTS. With the increase of age, bladder sensation and detrusor function decrease. In elderly patients, DU became the first ranked disease instead of SUI. Diabetes can affect the sensory function of bladder in patients with DU, and then increase the difficulty of voiding. The patients with DU, absent from treatment, experienced a lower quality of life.
Aged ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms ; Middle Aged ; Outpatients ; Quality of Life ; Retrospective Studies ; Urodynamics

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) is a special type of breast cancer that occurs during pregnancy and within 1 year after childbirth. With the rapid social development and the adjustment of reproductive policies in China, the average age of females at first childbirth is increasing, which is expected to lead to an increase in the incidence of PABC. This study aimed to accumulate clinical experience and to investigate and summarize the prevalence, diagnosis, and treatment of PABC based on large multicenter samples in China. METHODS: According to the Chinese Society of Breast Surgery, a total of 164 patients with PABC in 27 hospitals from January 2016 to December 2018 were identified. The pregnancy status, clinicopathological features, comprehensive treatment methods, and outcomes were retrospectively analyzed. Survival curves were plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: A total of 164 patients of PABC accounted for 0.30% of the total number of cases in the same period; of which, 83 patients were diagnosed during pregnancy and 81 patients during lactation. The median age of PABC was 33 years (24-47 years). Stage I patients accounted for 9.1% (15/164), stage II 54.9% (90/164), stage III 24.4% (40/164), and stage IV 2.4% (4/164). About 9.1% (15/164) of patients were luminal A. Luminal B patients accounted the most (43.3% [71/164]). About 15.2% (25/164) of patients were human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her-2) overexpression and 18.9% (31/164) of patients were triple-negative breast cancer. For pregnancy breast cancer, 36.1% (30/83) of patients received direct surgery and 20.5% (17/83) received chemotherapy during pregnancy. About 31.3% (26/83) chose abortion or induction of labor. The median follow-up time was 36 months (3-59 months); 11.0% (18/164) patients had local recurrence or distant metastasis and 3.0% (5/164) died. CONCLUSIONS It is safe and feasible to standardize surgery and chemotherapy for PABC.
Adult ; Breast Neoplasms/epidemiology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Female ; Humans ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUNDEarly goal-directed therapy (EGDT) has become an important therapeutic management in early salvage stage of septic shock. However, splenic organs possibly remained hypoperfused and hypoxic despite fluid resuscitation. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of EGDT on hepatic perfusion in septic shock patients.

METHODSA prospective observational study was carried out in early septic shock patients who were admitted to Intensive Care Unit within 24 h after onset and who met all four elements of the EGDT criteria after treatment with the standard EGDT procedure within 6 h between December 1, 2012 and November 30, 2013. The hemodynamic data were recorded, and oxygen metabolism and hepatic functions were monitored. An indocyanine green clearance test was applied to detect the hepatic perfusion. The patients' characteristics were compared before treatment (T0), immediately after EGDT (T1), and 24 h after EGDT (T2). This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.org, NCT02060773.

RESULTSTwenty-one patients were included in the study; however, the hepatic perfusion data were not included in the analysis for two patients; therefore, 19 patients were eligible for the study. Hemodynamics data, as monitored by pulse-indicator continuous cardiac output, were obtained from 16 patients. There were no significant differences in indocyanine green plasma disappearance rate (ICG-PDR) and 15-min retention rate (R15) at T0 (11.9 ± 5.0%/min and 20.0 ± 13.2%), T1 (11.4 ± 5.1%/min and 23.6 ± 14.9%), and T2 (11.0 ± 4.5%/min and 23.7 ± 15.3%) (all P > 0.05). Both of the alterations of ICG-PDR and R15 showed no differences at T0, T1, and T2 in the patients of different subgroups that achieved different resuscitation goal numbers when elected (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThere were no hepatic perfusion improvements after EGDT in the early phase of patients with septic shock.

TRIAL REGISTRATIONClinicaltrials.gov NCT02060773 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02060773).

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cardiac Output ; physiology ; Disease Management ; Female ; Fluid Therapy ; Hemodynamics ; physiology ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; statistics & numerical data ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Shock, Septic ; therapy