OBJECTIVES: To investigate the incidence of extrauterine growth retardation (EUGR) and its risk factors in very preterm infants (VPIs) during hospitalization in China. METHODS: A prospective multicenter study was performed on the medical data of 2 514 VPIs who were hospitalized in the department of neonatology in 28 hospitals from 7 areas of China between September 2019 and December 2020. According to the presence or absence of EUGR based on the evaluation of body weight at the corrected gestational age of 36 weeks or at discharge, the VPIs were classified to two groups: EUGR group (n=1 189) and non-EUGR (n=1 325). The clinical features were compared between the two groups, and the incidence of EUGR and risk factors for EUGR were examined. RESULTS: The incidence of EUGR was 47.30% (1 189/2 514) evaluated by weight. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher weight growth velocity after regaining birth weight and higher cumulative calorie intake during the first week of hospitalization were protective factors against EUGR (P<0.05), while small-for-gestational-age birth, prolonged time to the initiation of total enteral feeding, prolonged cumulative fasting time, lower breast milk intake before starting human milk fortifiers, prolonged time to the initiation of full fortified feeding, and moderate-to-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia were risk factors for EUGR (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS It is crucial to reduce the incidence of EUGR by achieving total enteral feeding as early as possible, strengthening breastfeeding, increasing calorie intake in the first week after birth, improving the velocity of weight gain, and preventing moderate-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia in VPIs.
Female ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Gestational Age ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors

Objective To investigate the morphological variation of Oncomelania hupensis shells in Yunnan Province, so as to provide insights into the understanding of O. hupensis genetic evolution and control. Methods According to the O. hupensis density, geographical location, altitude, water system and environmental type, 12 administrative villages were sampled from 10 schistosomiasis-endemic counties (districts) in 3 prefectures (cities) of Yunnan Province as snail collection sites. From December 2021 to January 2022, about 200 snails were collected from each collection site, among which thirty adult snails (6 to 7 spirals) were randomly selected from each site, and the 11 morphological indexes of snail shells were measured and subjected to cluster analysis and principal component analysis. Results Of O. hupensis snails from 12 localities of Yunnan Province, the longest shell (7.33 mm) was detected in snails from Yongle Village, Eryuan County, with the shortest (4.68 mm) in Dongyuan Village, Gucheng District, and the largest angle of apex (59.47°) was measured in snails from Caizhuang Village, Midu County, with the smallest (41.40°) in Qiandian Village, Eryuan County. The mean coefficient of variation was 9.075% among O. hupensis snails from 12 localities of Yunnan Province, with the largest coefficient of variation seen in the thickness of the labra brim (29.809%). Among O. hupensis snails from 12 localities of Yunnan Province, the mean Euclidean distance was 2.26, with the shortest Euclidean distance seen between O. hupensis snails from Qiandian Village of Eryuan County and Wuxing Village of Dali City (0.26), and the largest found between O. hupensis snails from Caizhuang Village of Midu County and Cangling Village of Chuxiong County (8.17). Cluster analysis and principal component analysis classified O. hupensis snails from 12 localities of Yunnan Province into three categories, including the O. hupensis snail samples from Caizhuang Village of Midu County, O. hupensis snail samples from Cangling Village of Chuxiong County, and O. hupensis snail samples from Qiandian Village of Eryuan County, Wuxing Village of Dali City, Yangwu Village of Yongsheng County, Xiaoqiao Village of Xiangyun County, Yongle Village of Eryuan County, Xiaocen Village of Dali City, Anding Village of Nanjian County, Dongyuan Village of Gucheng District, Lianyi Village of Heqing County, and Dianzhong Village of Weishan County. The variations in these three categories of snail samples were mainly measured in the principal component 2 related to the angle of apex and the thickness of the labra brim. Conclusions The variations in the Euclidean distance and morphological features of shells of O. hupensis from 12 localities of Yunnan Province gradually rise with the decrease in the latitude of the collection sites. The angle of apex is an indicator for the growth of O. hupensis whorl.

Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is a popular target for cancer therapy. In this research, 3 nanobodies with high specificity and endocytosis activity against EpCAM were developed, which provides a basis for the study of immunotoxin based on EpCAM. In our preliminary experiments, we have immunized a camel with EpCAM-Fc antigen and constructed a high-quality phage display library. Seventeen nanobodies with different complementarity determining region (CDR) 3 sequences have been screened after 3 rounds of biopanning by phage display technology. The animal procedures were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) of Fudan University School of Pharmacy. After purification, 7 nanobodies showed high cell binding activity by fluorescent activated cell sorting (FACS) identification. Furthermore, 3 nanobodies presented high endocytosis activity based on FACS and laser confocal microscopy, which also showed high affinity to EpCAM measured by ForteBio. According to this study, we aimed to provide a novel alternative approach to the EpCAM-targeted therapy and to provide guidance for the study of nanobody based immunotoxins for other targets.

The combination of ginkgo ketoester tablet - donepezil (GD) is a popular combination commonly used in clinic for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. To evaluate the learning and memory improving ability of different proportions of the two drugs. We optimized the ratio of GD for treatment of dementia using a mouse model. Dementia was induced by multiple neuronal damages in mice. The experimental protocols were approved by the Animal Experimental Ethical Committee of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine and all the procedures were strictly conducted in accordance with ethical principle of animal use and care. Morris water maze, brain hematosylin-eosin staining and the changes of the neurotransmitters and related enzymes in the plasma or brain tissues were tested to determine the effect of GD on dementia mice. The results showed that the dementia mice were significantly different from the normal group in terms of behavior, pathological sections and related indicators. Compared to the dementia mice, partial administration groups could improve learning and memory ability as well as indexes in the blood and brain tissues. Both the principal component analysis and multi-attribute comprehensive index methods were used to comprehensively evaluate the total effect of GD on anti-dementia. The results showed that the combination of two drugs at the dose of 0.5 to 1 times was in a dose-effect relationship, and the dose of 1 (the clinical equivalent) had the best treatment effect. Then based on the optimal dose, GD 1∶1 had best effect, which was consistent with the clinical use of two drugs. This provides scientific basis for more effective application of the compatibility between ketoester tablet and donepezil for modern clinic medicine.

ABSTRACT:OBJECTIVE To study the effects of Qingluo Tongbi Compound(QLT)on pain behavior and COX-2 mRNA ex-pression in dorsal root ganglion(DRG)and blood PGE2 concentration,and to explore the mechanisms of pain in rheumatoid ar-thritis.METHODS The mice were randomly divided into control group,celecoxib 30 mg∕kg,QLT 4.35 g∕kg,QLT 8.70 g∕kg and QLT 1 7.4 g∕kg groups.The mice pain threshold change were measured by hot plate method,and body torsion times were tested by acetic acid twisting method.The collagen-induced arthritis(CIA) was induced by collagenⅡ in DBA∕1 mice. The mice were randomly divided into control group,CIA group,celecoxib 30 mg∕kg group,QLT 8.70 g∕kg.The paws swell-ing,mechanical withdrawal threshold(MWT)and thermal withdrawal latency(TWL)were recorded.After treated with corre-sponding drugs by intragastric administration for four weeks,COX-2 mRNA in DRG and PGE2 in mice were quantified.RE-SULTS QLT reduced pain threshold and body torsion times in pain model mice(P <0.01);compared with the CIA group,the QLT group decreased the paws swelling(P <0.05),up-regulated MWT(P <0.01) and PWL(P <0.05),down-regulated the expression level of COX-2 mRNA in DRG and PGE2 concentrations in blood.CONCLUSION QLT shows certain analgesic ac-tion,which might be related to the inhibitory effect of COX-2 mRNA expression in DRG and PGE2 in blood.

OBJECTIVETo assess the association between 2 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in exonic regions of matrix metalloproteinase-10 (MMP-10) gene and instability of carotid plaques in a Han Chinese population.

METHODSFive hundred and eighty-five patients were divided into carotid vulnerable plaque group (n=206) and stable plaque group (n=379) based on results of carotid B-mode ultrasonography. The SNPs were genotyped by real-time polymerase chain reaction using an ABI 7300 TaqMan platform.

RESULTSThe distribution of rs17435959 between the two groups was significantly different at both genotypic (GC+CC vs. GG, P=0.006, OR=2.012) and allelic levels (C vs. G, P=0.001,OR=2.160). Above differences have remained significant with binary logistic regression analysis (P=0.007, OR=2.022; P=0.002, OR=2.104). The minor allele frequency of rs17293607 was 0.56%.

CONCLUSIONAbove findings suggested that rs17435959 of the MMP-10 gene is associated with carotid vulnerable plaque in ethnic Chinese Hans. The C allele may be a susceptible predictor for carotid vulnerable plaque.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 10 ; genetics ; Middle Aged ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic ; enzymology ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

BACKGROUNDCerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is one of the main causes of spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). No established link is available between pathological scores of CAA and its outcome. This study aimed to identify the correlations between pathological severity and poor postoperative outcome in the Chinese population.

METHODSBetween May 2006 and April 2011, 367 consecutive patients who underwent surgery for CAA-related ICH in 71 hospitals throughout the mainland of China were enrolled in this study. Twelve months after surgery, we evaluated these patients' outcomes according to the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and statistically correlated risk factors (demographics, medical history, pathological results, and surgical details) that are associated with a favorable (mRS < 3) and poor (mRS ≥ 3) outcome groups.

RESULTSRisk factors for poor postoperative outcome in 367 patients with CAA-related ICH included advanced age (OR 1.034, 95%CI 1.001 - 1.067, P = 0.042), CAA pathology severity (OR 2.074, 95%CI 7.140 - 16.25, P < 0.001), lobar hematoma (OR 0.225, 95%CI 0.104 - 0.486, P < 0.001), presence of intraventricular hemorrhage (OR 0.478, 95%CI 0.229 - 1.001, P = 0.050), and/or subarachnoid hemorrhage (OR 2.629, 95%CI, 1.051 - 6.577, P = 0.039).

CONCLUSIONSPoor postoperative outcome of patients with CAA-related ICH was more related to the severe pathological manifestation instead of other factors. Prior ischemia may present an early stage of CAA.

Aged ; Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy ; pathology ; physiopathology ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Intracranial Hemorrhages ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors

Objective To observe treadmill exercise test (TET) characteristics in patients with myocardial bridging(MB).Methods TET results from January 2003 to December 2010 were retrospectively analyzed in 156 patients with confirmed MB diagnosis.MB patients were divided into smoking group (68 cases) and non-smoking group(88 cases).Coronary angiography results were used to analyze the relations between MB length,myocardial ischemia and exercising duration.Results ( 1 ) MB was documented on two coronary arteries in 2 patients ( 1％ ),MB was detected in single artery in 154 patients (99％),of whom 146 cases were located at left anterior descending artery,8 cases were located at right coronary artery.The degree of narrowing of MB was graded 1 ( less than 50％ ) in 16 patients ( 10％ ),grade 2 (50％ to 75％ ) in 108 patients (69％) and grade 3 (greater than 75％ ) in 32 patients (21％).The length of MB ranged between 4 to 40 mm,MB length was less than 10 mm in 40 patients( 26％ ),between 11 to 20 mm in 48 patients(31％ ),between 21 to 30 mm in 44 patients(28％ ),greater than 31 mm in 24 patients( 15％ ).(2) TET positive rate was 41％ (64/156) and the TET positive rate was significantly higher in smoking group than in non-smoking group [ 57％ (39/68) vs.28％ (25/88,P ＜ 0.01 ) ].(3) The length of MB was positively related to the ST-segment depression (r =0.723,P ＜ 0.01 )and negatively related to exercising duration ( r =- 0.828,P ＜ 0.01 ).Heart rate was positively related to the ST-segment depression ( r =0.368,P ＜ 0.01 ).Conclusions TET may serve as a good test to assess myocardial ischemia in patients with MB.The length of MB is positively related with myocardial ischemia and negatively related with exercising duration.Smoking might increase myocardial ischemic incidence in MB patients,MB patients should be advised to stop smoking.

OBJECTIVETo analyze the physical growth changes in Chinese children aged from 0 to 7 years old during the past 30 years.

METHODSFour national physical growth surveys of the children under 7 years old were undertaken in the same urban and suburban areas of nine main cities in China from 1975 to 2005. The nine cities were Beijing, Harbin and Xi'an in the northern part; Shanghai, Nanjing and Wuhan in the central part; Guangzhou, Fuzhou and Kunming in the southern part of China. Random cluster sampling method was used. The children aged from 0 to 7 years old were classified into 22 groups by age. The sample size was ranged from 150 to 200 persons for each sex-age group in each area (urban/rural) of each city. Totally, 158 400, 152 874, 157 362 and 138 775 healthy children were examined in 1975, 1985, 1995 and 2005 respectively. The data of weight, height, chest and head circumference obtained from these surveys were analyzed.

RESULTSAverage weight and height in most of the age groups for both boys and girls from urban and suburban rural areas has been significantly improved during the past 30 years, the average increments of weight were 0.76 kg to 1.14 kg in 12 - 15 months group and 2.58 kg to 3.26 kg in 6 - 7 years group; and the average increments of height were 2.7 cm to 3.8 cm in 12 - 15 months group and 5.0 cm to 7.6 cm in 6 - 7 years group. Chest circumference did not show an increase in infants younger than 4 months and increased slightly after 4 months. The average increments of head circumference were 0.1 cm to 1.0 cm. From 1975 to 2005, the increments of weight and height per 10 years was in an increasing trend, e.g. weight increments of 5 - 6 years old were 0.58 kg, 1.02 kg and 1.67 kg and the height increments were 1.5 cm, 2.0 cm and 2.6 cm for every 10 years. The urban-rural difference in height has become smaller, the height difference in 6 - 7 years group for boys was decreased from 4.9 cm in 1975 to 2.6 cm in 2005. The weight has become smaller in children under 3 years old but becoming greater after 3 years, such as the difference increased from 1.14 kg in 1975 to 1.72 kg in 2005 for boys aged 6 - 7 years old. The regional difference also showed a decreasing trend.

CONCLUSIONThe physical growth of Chinese children had been much improved during the past 30 years and the secular trend should be still continuing at an accelerated growth stage. The urban-rural difference and regional difference in weight and height had become smaller.

Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Body Height ; Body Weight ; Child ; Child Development ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Rural Population ; Sampling Studies ; Urban Population

OBJECTIVETo investigate DNA aneuploid and P16 expression in biopsy specimens from lung cancer, and to study genetic instability and the application of flow cytometry in lung cancer pernicious degree diagnosis.

METHODSBlood cells and cancer cells in biopsy specimens were marked simultaneously with anti-CD45 and anti-P16 fluorescent antibody, and the ratio of CD45+ P16+ cells and CD4- P16+ cells was compared. DNA content in biopsy specimens from lung cancer was detected by flow cytometry.

RESULTSAmong the 74 cases of lung cancer, there are 46 cases of DNA aneuploid (62.2%). Thirty-seven cases of lung cancer expressed P16 lowly (50%). Twelve cases of lung cancer only expressed P16 lowly (16.22%), 21 cases of lung cancer only expressed DNA aneuploid (28.38%), and 25 cases not only expressed P16 lowly but also expressed DNA aneuploid (33.78%). Indexes of malign degree, such as P16 low expression or DNA aneuploid could be detected in 58 cases among the 74 cases (78.38%) by flow cytometry.

CONCLUSIONP16 low expression and DNA aneuploid are the indexes of lung cancer malign degree, and flow cytometry can be used to study genetic instability and evaluate biopsy specimens from lung cancer.

Aneuploidy ; Animals ; Biopsy ; Chromosomal Instability ; genetics ; DNA ; genetics ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; Gene Dosage ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Genes, p16 ; Humans ; Leukocyte Common Antigens ; genetics ; Lung Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; genetics ; pathology ; Male ; Mice ; Middle Aged