The application of genetic engineering technology in modern agriculture shows its outstanding role in dealing with food shortage. Traditional medicinal plant cultivation and collection have also faced with challenges, such as lack of resources, deterioration of environment, germplasm of recession and a series of problems. Genetic engineering can be used to improve the disease resistance, insect resistance, herbicides resistant ability of medicinal plant, also can improve the medicinal plant yield and increase the content of active substances in medicinal plants. Thus, the potent biotechnology can play an important role in protection and large area planting of medicinal plants. In the development of medicinal plant genetic engineering, the safety of transgenic medicinal plants should also be paid attention to. A set of scientific safety evaluation and judgment standard which is suitable for transgenic medicinal plants should be established based on the recognition of the particularity of medicinal plants.
Genetic Engineering ; Plant Diseases ; genetics ; prevention & control ; Plants, Genetically Modified ; chemistry ; genetics ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; genetics ; growth & development ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of cigarette smoking on thyroid gland volume, thyroid function and thyroid autoantibodies in the areas with different iodine intakes.

METHODSA cross-sectional epidemiological study in Panshan (mild iodine-deficient area), Zhangwu (more than adequate iodine intake area) and Huanghua (iodine-excessive area) was conducted in 3761 subjects in 1999.80.2 % of them were followed up in 2004. Questionnaires, thyroid function, thyroid autoantibodies, urinary iodine concentration,and thyroid B ultrasound were performed.

RESULTSThe prevalence of goiter was higher in smokers than in non-smokers (15.1% vs. 11.5%, P< 0.05). The average thyroid volume was higher in smokers with phenomenon more obvious in Panshan and Huanghua areas. Data from logistic analysis showed that smoking cigarette was an independent risk factor of goiter. There was no difference in serum TSH and Tg level between smokers and non-smokers. The positive rate of TPOAb (>100 IU/ml) was higher in smokers than in non-smokers(10.8% vs. 9.0 % , P <0.05) and was especially obvious in Huanghua area. Smoking was a independent risk factor of increasing positive rate of TPOAb. During the prospective observation,it was found that the incidence of positive TPOAb(>,100 IU/ml) was 7.4% in the subjects that were from non-smokers turning to smokers and 2.9% in those whose smoking behavior did not change. Logistic analysis indicated that the shifting from non-smoking to smoking was independent risk factor for the increase on high incidence of positive TPOAb.

CONCLUSIONSmoking cigarette was a independent risk factor of goiter. Smoking was also a risk factor of increasing TPOAb positive rate. Shifting from not smoking to smoking was an independent risk factor of increasing high incidence of positive TPOAb.

Autoantibodies ; blood ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Goiter ; blood ; epidemiology ; immunology ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Smoking ; adverse effects ; Thyroid Function Tests ; Thyroid Gland ; physiopathology ; Thyroid Hormones ; blood

Objective To investigate epidemiologieal characteristics of hypothyroidism and factors influencing its outcome in the areas with different iodine intakes.Methods An epidemiologic follow-up study of thyroid diseases was performed in Panshan (iodine deficient),Zhangwu [mild iodine deficiency before universal salt iodination (USI) and more than adequate iodine intakes after USI ] and Huanghua ( iodine excessive) in China.A total of 3 761 subjects were investigated in 1999,and 3 018 (80.2% ) of them were followed up in 2004.FT_4,FT_3,TSH,thyroid autoantibodies and urinary iodine concentration were determined and thyroid B ultrasound was performed in all participants.Results Five-year cumulative incidence of overt hypothyroidism was 0.23%,0.47% and 0.35% in Panshan,Zhangwu and Huanghua,respectively.Twenty patients with autoimmune- induced overt hypothyroidism did not comply with the physician's orders to take thyroxine.Thyroid function spontaneously turned to normal in 55% of them,turned to subclinical hypothyroidism in 20% and maintained overt hypothyroidism in 25%.Five-year cumulative incidence of subclinical hypothyroidism in Zhangwu (2.60%) and Huanghua (2.89%) were significantly higher than that in Panshan(0.23% ) (both P＜0.01 ).One hundred patients with subclinical hypothyroidism were followed up,and 5% of them developed overt hypothyroidism,66% turned to euthyroidism and 29% maintained subclinical hypothyroidism.Raised serum TSH (＞6 mU/L) in the original survey ( OR = 3.4),positive thyroid autoantibodies in the follow-up study ( OR = 5.3 ) and more than adequate iodine supplementation in the mild iodine-deficient population ( OR = 8.0) were risk factors influencing outcome of subclinical hypothyroidism.Conclusion More than adequate iodine supplementation among a population in the mildly iodine-deficient area may increase the incidence of overt and subolinical hypothyroidism, and also influence outcome of subclinical hypothyroidism.

Objective To perform a follow-up survey about thyroid disorders in three rural communities with different iodine intakes in China,observe the incidences and natural outcomes of positive thyroid autoantibodies in euthyroid population,and also explore the influence of iodine intakes on these outcomes and autoantibodies.Methods In 1999,a cross-sectional study on thyroid disorders was performed in three rural communities of Pansan ( mild iodine deficient area),Zhangwu ( more than adequate iodine intake area) and Huanghua (excessive iodine intake area) in China.The 5-year follow-up study was performed in 2004.Both in 1999 and 2004,serum levels of TSH,thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) and thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) were measured with the same method.Iodine in urine and B ultrasound on thyroid were also examined.Results Among the euthyroid subjects with normal TSH level in 1999,an increased prevalence of positive TPOAb in Zhangwu and an increased prevalence of positive TgAb in Hnanghua were observed in 2004 (both P＜0.05 ).Most of euthyroid subjects with positive TPOAb or positive TgAb in 1999 remained positive thyroid antibodies in 2004. The percentage was even higher in those with high levels of antibodies.Thyroid dysfunction was more frequent in subjects with positive TPOAb and/or TgAh than in those without thyroid antibodies (14.44% vs 3.11%,P＜0.01).For those with positive antibodies in 1999,the incidence of hypothyroidism in 2004 was 1.32%,8.46% and 15.38% in Pansan,Zhangwu and Huanghua,respectively (P＜0.05).The 5-year cumulative incidences of positive TPOAb (≥50 U/ml) and TgAb (≥40 U/ml) were 2.81% and 3.82%,respectively.The incidence of positive TPOAb was the highest in Zhangwu ( 3.84% ).The incidence of positive TgAb was the highest in Huanghua (5.07%),significantly higher than those in other two areas (P＜0.05).Conclusion The incidence of thyroid dysfunction is higher in subjects with positive antibodies than that in those with negative antibodies.The high iodine intake is a risk factor of hypothyroidism in subjects with positive thyroid antibodies.Sustained excessive iodine intake increases the incidence of positive thyroid antibodies.

Aged ; Beijing ; China ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Temperature

Objective To learn the population and infestation rates of cockroaches from 2017 to 2019 in Jiading District of Shanghai, to evaluate the effect of cockroach termination in household, and to provide information for cockroach control. Methods Cockroaches were controlled by dinotefuran baits and clean-up in households.Sticky trap and visual method were employed for density monitoring in farmers markets, supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, and residential areas.Visual method was used in households before and after using the insecticide. Results Sticky trap result showed the room infestation rate was 3.24%, mean adhesion rate was 3.29%, the density was 0.06 per board, and the density peak appeared in May.Rate of invasion and density decreased year by year.Blattella germanica was the dominant species, counting for 71.88%.The density, and rate of infestation, as determined by sticky trap method, were the highest in the farmers markets, followed by hospitals and residential areas.Determined by visual method, room infestation rate was 1.16%, and the infestation rate was 4.44%.The peak appeared in January.Infestation rate of the farmers markets was the highest, followed by hospitals and residential areas.By visual method, the room infestation rate was 59.01%, and 48.45% for nymphs.The room infestation and ootheca rates were 54.04% and 17.39%.The rate decreased more than 80% in 30 days after use of the insecticide. Conclusion Infestation rate of cockroach remains at low level in Jiading District.The effect of bait combined with environmental cleaning is remarkable.Future work should strengthen monitoring and control in farmers markets, hospitals and residential areas.

Objective To evaluate the relationship between iodine intake level and the occurrence and development of thyroid diseases.Methods During the period of 1999-2004,a cross-sectional survey in 1999 and a 5-year follow-up survey were conducted in the 3 communities with different iodine intake levels in China:Panshan (mild deficiency),Zhangwu (more than adequate) and Huanghua (iodine excess).A total of 3 761 subjects were included in 1999 and 80.24% of them participated in the 5-year follow-up survey in 2004.The levels of serum thyroid hormones and thyroid autoantibodies were measured,and thyroid B ultrasound was performed.Results (1) The prevalence of overt hypothyroidism in 1999 in Zhangwu and Huanghua was 3.5 and 7.3 times,and that of subclinical hypothyroidism was 3.2 and 6.6 times as high as in Panshan,respectively.The 5-year cumulative incidence of subclinical hypothyroidism was 11.3 and 12.6 times as high as in Panshan,but no difference of incidence of overt hypothyroidism was found.(2) The prevalence of autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) in 1999 in Zhangwu and Huanghua was 3.8 and 6.2 times,and the S-year cumulative incidence of AIT was 4.4 and 5.5 times as high as in Panshan.(3) During the 5-year follow-up period,the incidences of hypothyroidism in subjects with positive thyroid peroxidase antibody and euthyreidism in Zhangwu and Huanghua were 4.2 and 10.3 times as high as in Panshan.(4) No significant differences in both prevalence in 1999 and 5-year cumulative incidence of overt hyperthyroidism were found in the 3 communities.(5) The incidence of thyroid cancer was 19.37/100 000 per year in Huanghua,and all of the cases were papillary thyroid cancer,and no thyroid cancer was found in Zhangwu and Huanghua.Conclusion More than adequate or excessive dietary iodine intake may induce and promote the occurrence and development of hypothyroidism and AIT,therefore,median urinary iodine excretion (MUI)more than 200?g/L in the population appears not safe.The observation that a higher incidence of thyroid cancer occurred in the iodine excessive areas with MUI 600?g/L deserves further investigation.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that is caused by a shift in the Th1/Th2 balance toward Th1-dominant immunity. It has been established as an effective treatment to counteract psoriasis by subcutaneous injection of recombinant interleukin (IL)-4, and IL-4 gene therapy by topical transdermal penetration has shown its antipsoriatic effect in mice. Retinoic acid (RA) and dimethylsulfoxide can increase the efficiency of gene transfection in the topical transdermal delivery system. OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether RA could improve anti-psoriasis efficiency using IL-4 expression plasmid pORF-mIL-4 (pIL-4) via transdermal delivery system in K14-vascular endothelial growth (K14-VEGF) factor transgenic mice. METHODS: After pretreatment with RA, plasmid pIL-4 in 10% dimethylsulfoxide was applied to the ear skin by topical transdermal penetration. Hematoxylin- eosin staining and immunohistochemistry were performed with ear samples to evaluate anti-psoriasis efficiency in mice. RESULTS: The psoriasis pathological features were relieved and psoriasis-associated factors were significantly reduced. CONCLUSION: Our results reveal that topical application of pIL-4 in dimethylsulfoxide by transdermal delivery with RA pretreatment can improve psoriasis significantly.
Animals ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Dimethyl Sulfoxide ; Ear ; Eosine Yellowish-(YS) ; Genetic Therapy ; Immunohistochemistry ; Injections, Subcutaneous ; Interleukin-4* ; Interleukins ; Mice ; Mice, Transgenic ; Plasmids ; Psoriasis* ; Skin ; Transfection ; Tretinoin*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVELittle is known about the incidence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Hodgkin's lymphoma patients. This study was to evaluate the impact of HBV infection on the survival of Hodgkin's lymphoma patient.

METHODSClinical data of 120 Hodgkin's lymphoma patients treated at the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between January 2004 and October 2007 were collected. The impact of prognostic factors including HBV infection on survival was examined by univariate and multivariate analyses. A log-rank test was used for univariate analysis and the Cox proportional hazards regression model was used for multivariate analysis.

RESULTSOf the 120 patients, 18 (15.0%) were hepatitis B virus surface antigen HBsAg-positive. The HBsAg-positive patients had lower 5-year survival rate than did the HBsAg-negative ones (66.9% vs. 91.3%, P = 0.006). When the patients were divided into early-stage (I + II) and advanced-stage (III + IV) groups, the 5-year survival rate was significantly different between the HBsAg-positive and -negative patients in early-stage group (64.8% vs. 96.0%, P < 0.001), while not significantly different in advanced-stage group (75.0% vs. 84.8%, P = 0.667). Both univariate and multivariate analyses showed that radiotherapy and HBV infection were independent prognosis factors for the patients with early-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma (P = 0.006 and 0.014, respectively).

CONCLUSIONSThe incidence of HBV infection is similar between Hodgkin's lymphoma patients and normal population. HBV infection is an independent prognosis factor for survival in the patients with early-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Adult ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Hepatitis B ; blood ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; blood ; Hodgkin Disease ; drug therapy ; radiotherapy ; virology ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplasm Staging ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Survival Rate

A headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) method was developed and optimized for qualitative and semi quantitative analysis of volatile components from Schisandra propinqua, a kind of Yi Nationality herb medicine. This method was used for analysis and evaluation of volatile components from S.propinqua from four different geometrical origins (Yunnan Wuding, Yunnan Luoping, Guizhou Qingzhen and Hubei Shennongjia). 51, 53, 52， 50 compounds were identified from the above four kinds of samples respectively, in which 46 volatile components were contained in all of these four origins. The volatile components in these samples from different geographical origins were then compared by using principal component analysis, cluster analysis and other chemometrics methods. The results suggested that the analysis of volatile components can be used to distinguish the S.propinqua from four origins, and those samples from close geographical origins were more similar in volatile components. The developed method was stable, reliable, and suitable for rapid analysis of volatile components from S.propinqua, providing reference for quality control, drug development and scientific utilization of the herb.