Background Perfluorinated and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a large group of emerging pollutants, are ubiquitous in the ecological environment. Their multiple organ toxic effects on human body are reported. Understanding the exposure level of PFAS in cord serum and associated influencing factors can provide scientific evidence for studying maternal and newborn health effects and risk regulation. Objective To explore the exposure levels of PFAS in cord serum and potential impact factors. Methods This study was based on the maternal and infant database and the cord serum sample bank of the Sheyang Mini Birth Cohort Study (SMBCS) established in 2009. A self-designed questionnaire was used to collect information on sociodemographic characteristics, living environment, and lifestyle of mothers during pregnancy. A total of 1097 cord serum samples were measured utilizing ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-Q-Exactive Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry. Multiple linear regression models were used to identify influencing factors related to PFAS exposure level in cord serum. Results A total of 38 types of PFAS were detected in the cord serum samples, including 20 perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCA), 14 perfluorosulfonic acids (PFSA), and 4 other types of PFAS. The detection rates of 14 PFAS compounds were above 50%. The detection rates of perfluoro-1-hexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluoro-1-octanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), and perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUdA) were in the range of 99.18%-100.00%. The median concentrations of PFOA and 6∶2 chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonic acid (6∶2CI-PFESA) were higher than those of the other compounds, which were 3.76 µg·L⁻¹ and 2.61 µg·L⁻¹, respectively. The correlation coefficients among cord serum PFAS were in the wide range of 0.0911-0.8429 (P < 0.05). The associations between PFHxS and perfluoro-1-heptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS) (r=0.8429, P < 0.05), PFOS and PFHpS (r=0.7012, P < 0.05), and PFUdA and perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA) (r=0.7875, P < 0.05) were positive. The proportions of PFCA and PFSA in the cord serum samples were 60.1% and 38.4%, respectively. PFOA and 6∶2 Cl-PFESA were the predominant compounds in the cord serum samples, whose proportions were 37.8% and 19.3%, respectively. The concentrations of specific types of cord serum PFAS had varied associations with the following demographic variables of pregnant women: age, parity, education level, gestational age, and occupation. The multiple linear regression analysis found that the concentrations of 8 PFAS (PFHxS, PFHpS, PFNA, PFOS, PFDA, PFUdA, PFDoA, and 6∶2 CI-PFESA) in umbilical cord serum were lower in pregnant women aged 25 years and older than in those under the age of 25 years; compared to pregnant women with education levels at or below junior middle school, those with education levels at or above high school had lower concentrations of perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA); the concentration of PFHpA in cord serum was negatively correlated with household annual income; multiparous women had higher concentrations of PFNA, PFUdA, and PFDoA than primiparous women; compared to mothers engaged in manual labor, the concentration of perfluoro-1-butanesulfonic acid (PFBS) in umbilical cord serum was lower in mothers engaged in mental labor, while the concentrations of PFBS and PFOA were lower and the concentrations of perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA) and 8∶2 chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonic acid (8∶2CI-PFESA) were higher in mothers of other occupational types; the concentrations of umbilical cord serum PFOA, PFOS, PFUdA, and PFDoA were positively correlated with the gestational age of pregnant women, while N-methylperfluoro-1-octanesulfonamido acetic acid (N-MeFOSAA) was negatively correlated with the gestational age of pregnant women; PFTrDA was negatively correlated with the birth weight of newborns; compared with those with insufficient gestational weight gain, those with adequate gestational weight gain had lower PFDoA, while those with excess gestational weight gain had higher N-MeFOSAA. Conclusion PFAS compounds exposure is common in the mothers and infants in the study area. PFOA and 6∶2 CI-PFESA are the two main compounds in cord serum. Cord serum PFAS are associated with several demographic characteristics of the pregnant women. Future research needs to pay more attention to PFAS alternatives and other emerging contaminants.

Four unreported monoterpene indole alkaloids, tabernaecorymines B-E (1-4), together with twenty-one known indole alkaloids (5-25) were obtained from the stem bark of Tabernaemontana corymbosa. Their structures and absolute configurations were elucidated by extensive spectroscopy, quantum chemical calculations, DP4+ probability analyses and Mo₂(OAc)₄-induced electronic circular dichroism experiment. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of these compounds were evaluated and some of them showed significant activity against Staphylococcus aureus,Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus dysgalactiae and Candida albicans.
Tabernaemontana ; Anti-Infective Agents ; Antifungal Agents ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Indole Alkaloids

Drug transportation is impeded by various barriers in the hypoxic solid tumor, resulting in compromised anticancer efficacy. Herein, a solid lipid monostearin (MS)-coated CaO2/MnO2 nanocarrier was designed to optimize doxorubicin (DOX) transportation comprehensively for chemotherapy enhancement. The MS shell of nanoparticles could be destroyed selectively by highly-expressed lipase within cancer cells, exposing water-sensitive cores to release DOX and produce O2. After the cancer cell death, the core-exposed nanoparticles could be further liberated and continue to react with water in the tumor extracellular matrix (ECM) and thoroughly release O2 and DOX, which exhibited cytotoxicity to neighboring cells. Small DOX molecules could readily diffuse through ECM, in which the collagen deposition was decreased by O2-mediated hypoxia-inducible factor-1 inhibition, leading to synergistically improved drug penetration. Concurrently, DOX-efflux-associated P-glycoprotein was also inhibited by O2, prolonging drug retention in cancer cells. Overall, the DOX transporting processes from nanoparticles to deep tumor cells including drug release, penetration, and retention were optimized comprehensively, which significantly boosted antitumor benefits.

Nucleic acid detection technique has good sensitivity and specificity and is widely used in in vitro diagnosis, animal and plant commodity quarantine, forensic identification, and other fields. However, it is susceptible to carryover contamination during the operation and leads to false-positive results, which seriously affects the detection accuracy. Therefore, finding an effective solution to prevent and eliminate nucleic acid carryover contamination has become particularly urgent. This study compared several different methods for removing nucleic acid contamination and confirmed that sodium hypochlorite solution and PCRguard reagent could effectively eliminate nucleic acid carryover in the liquid and on surfaces of different materials. Besides, the combination of sodium hypochlorite solution and PCRguard can solve the nucleic acid aerosol contamination. This study proposes solutions for the routine prevention of carryover contamination and removal of aerosol that has occurred in molecular diagnostic laboratories.
Laboratories ; Nucleic Acids ; Pathology, Molecular

Platinum-based chemotherapy is used for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, it has side effects and minimum efficacy against lung cancer metastasis. In this study, platinum-curcumin complexes were loaded into pH and redox dual-responsive nanoparticles (denoted as Pt-CUR@PSPPN) to facilitate intracellular release and synergistic anti-cancer effects. Pt-CUR@PSPPN was prepared by a nano-precipitation method and had a diameter of ∼100 nm. The nanoparticles showed increased anti-cancer effects both and . In addition, Pt-CUR@PSPPN blocked PI3K/AKT signal transduction pathway and inhibited MMP2 and VEGFR2, resulting in enhanced anti-metastatic activity. Furthermore, reduced side effects were also observed. In conclusion, Pt-CUR@PSPPN provided a novel and attractive therapeutic strategy for NSCLC.

Objective: To analyse the mental state of patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) in Chengdu. Methods: One thousand five hundred and thirty-six AR patients from Sichuan Provincial Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sichuan People′s Hospital, Sichuan Second Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine were selected from July 2013 to January 2018. Eight hundred and twenty-seven patients were screened into study group by inclusion and exclusion standards. The symptom check list 90 (SCL-90) was used to group and score the mental state of these patients according to nine classification criteria: gender, BMI, age, marital status, monthly salary, disease duration, living environment, education level and working environment. Then, the scores were compared within groups. Inter-group comparison was made between the study group and the Chinese norm, and the positive factors for psychological disorders were extracted. Four symptoms in the study group, i.e. nasal itching, sneezing, clear discharge and nasal congestion, were scored on the visual analogue scale (VAS). SPSS 19.0 software was used to carry out statistical analysis. Partial correlation analysis was performed between the positive factors and the symptom scores by multiple regression statistical method. Results: The total score of SCL-90 in the study group was 2.64±0.25, which was accorded with mild to moderate mental health impairment. There were 124 (15.0%) without mental health damage, 176 (21.3%) with mild damage, 474 (57.3%) with mild to moderate damage, 41 (5.0%) with moderate to severe damage and 12 (1.4%) with severe damage. The in-group comparison showed that the top three categories of different items were the living environment, gender and working environment. The scores of somatization, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, psychosis, other (sleep, diet) and total average score of urban residents were higher than that of country residents (3.29±0.61 vs 2.65±0.50, 2.81±0.77 vs 2.05±0.38, 3.10±0.19 vs 2.49±0.67, 3.40±0.84 vs 2.49±0.70, 3.04±0.64 vs 2.33±0.51, 3.02±0.55 vs 2.40±0.77, 3.40±0.41 vs 2.52±0.77, 2.91±0.11 vs 2.29±0.40, Z value was 4.88, 5.25, 4.57, 5.91, 5.09, 4.63, 5.55, -4.55, respectively, all P<0.05). Women scored higher than man for somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, depression and others (2.66±0.51 vs 2.00±0.45, 3.37±0.47 vs 2.63±0.51, 3.44±0.57 vs 2.85±0.52, 3.47±0.36 vs 2.76±0.45, Z value was -5.10, -5.51, -4.86, -5.28, respectively, all P<0.05). The scores of somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, psychosis and other (sleep, diet) were higher in the indoor group than those in the outdoor group (3.49±0.64 vs 2.78±0.46, 3.33±0.30 vs 2.56±0.68, 3.28±0.60 vs 2.67±0.31, 3.50±0.85 vs 2.85±0.37, Z value was 5.31, 5.79, 4.89, 5.00, respectively, all P<0.05). The outdoor group scored higher on obsessive-compulsive symptoms, anxiety and hostility (3.44±0.40 vs 2.83±0.35, 3.40±0.50 vs 2.57±0.93, 3.34±0.88 vs 2.69±0.56, Z value was 4.96, 6.22, 5.08, respectively, all P<0.05). The inter-group comparison found that depression, anxiety, psychosis and other (sleep, diet) could be partially correlated with VAS scores as 4 positive factors. The results of partial correlation analysis showed that depression was positively correlated with sneezing and nasal runny discharge, anxiety was positively correlated with nasal itching and nasal obstruction, psychosis was positively correlated with nasal itching and sneezing, and other (sleep, diet) was positively correlated with nasal runny discharge and nasal obstruction. Conclusion AR patients have mild to moderate mental health impairments, which are correlated with AR symptoms.

Objective: To analyze the clinical manifestations and results of etiological examinations of 17 elderly patients with influenza A (H1N1) viral pneumonia, and to understand the clinical features of pneumonia and molecular characteristics of influenza A (H1N1) virus infection in the elderly. Methods: The elderly patients with pneumonia who were hospitalized in the Department of Respiratory Diseases of Nanjing First Hospital from January 2018 to March were enrolled. The cases were confirmed by nucleic acid examination for influenza virus and the clinical data were collected. After the amplification of the whole genome of influenza virus, the high throughput sequencing and bioinformatics analysis were performed. Results: The mean age of the 17 enrolled patients was 73.8±10.8. All of them had at least 1 underlying disease, and 7 cases had co-infection. Respiratory symptoms and fever were the most prominent clinical manifestations. Lesions in both lungs were found in 76.5% of the patients. The result of high throughput sequencing showed that all the viruses were highly homologous to the vaccine strain, and the HA gene belonged to the 6B.1 subgroup. Furthermore, three variations of antigenic locus (H138Y, S74R and S164T in HA) and a drug-resistant variation (H275Y in NA) were detected in the circulating strains. Conclusions Elderly patients with influenza A (H1N1) virus pneumonia often have underlying diseases and are prone to have co-infection. The molecular characteristics of the virus and the variation of key amino acid loci should be closely monitored in order to provide evidence for epidemic prevention and clinical antiviral treatment.

Objective To explore the effect of diabetic liaison nurses on controlling blood sugar levels in patients with hyperglycemia in department other than endocrinology. Methods Four hundred diabetic patients with high blood sugar were selected from January to December, 2014 in department other than endocrinology. They were divided randomly into 2 groups equally:the control group and the observation group. The control group received traditional nursing care, while blood sugar management was carried out by diabetic liaison nurse in the observation group. Result Pre-discharge sugar metabolism in the observation group was significantly better than that in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion The diabetic liaison nurses in other departments than the endocrinology department can help control blood sugar levels in patients with hyperglycemiain.

OBJECTIVETo identify the MPL L391-V392ins12 spliceosome and analyze its frequencies in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN).

METHODSMPL aberrant spliceosome was identified through reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)combined with cloning sequencing. The mutation of this spliceosome in 248 MPN patients and 200 normal people was determined by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (AS-PCR).

RESULTSA novel aberrant spliceosome of MPL gene (MPL L391-V392ins12)was identified, i.e. 36 bp intron was retained between exon7 and exon8, and there were 12 amino acids (EGLKLLPADIPV)inserted. MPL L391-V392ins12 mutation was detected in 19 (7.66%)of the 248 patients with MPN, including 1 (1.92%) of 52 patients with PV, 14 (9.66%) of 145 with ET, and 4 (7.84%) of 51 with PMF. And the mutation was not detected in the group of 200 normal people.

CONCLUSIONMPL L391-V392ins12 spliceosome is an aberrant spliceosome present in the MPN. It can be detected in PV, ET and PMF, and more frequently in ET and PMF. This mutation may play an important role in the process of MPN.

Humans ; Mutation ; Myeloproliferative Disorders ; genetics ; Neoplasms ; genetics ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Receptors, Thrombopoietin ; genetics ; Spliceosomes

Objective To investigate the risk factors and incidence of gas-related complications in peroral endoscopic myotomy for easophageal achalasia.Methods Clinical data of 216 patients with achalasia treated by peroral endoscopic myotomy from August 2011 to November 2013 were collected.Potential risk factors for gas-related complications were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analysis.Results The incidence of gas-related complications was 10.2％ (22/216).Univariate analysis showed risk factors for complications were Sigmoid type esophagus,simple longitudinal incision for tunnel entry,tunnel width ≤3 cm,degree of myotomy,and operation time (P ＜ 0.05),while multivariate analysis showed the risk factors were Sigmoid type esophagus,simple longitudinal incision for tunnel entry,and tunnel width ≤3 cm(P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Simple longitudinal incision for tunnel entry,tunnel width≤3 cm and sigmoid type esophagus are risk factors of gas-related complications in POEM,while myotomy depth is not.