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Background: The effects of climate variations on bacillary dysentery incidence have gained more recent concern. However, the multi-collinearity among meteorological factors affects the accuracy of correlation with bacillary dysentery incidence. Methods: As a remedy, a modified method to combine ridge regression and hierarchical cluster analysis was proposed for investigating the effects of climate variations on bacillary dysentery incidence in northeast China. Results: All weather indicators, temperatures, precipitation, evaporation and relative humidity have shown positive correlation with the monthly incidence of bacillary dysentery, while air pressure had a negative correlation with the incidence. Ridge regression and hierarchical cluster analysis showed that during 1987-1996, relative humidity, temperatures and air pressure affected the transmission of the bacillary dysentery. During this period, all meteorological factors were divided into three categories. Relative humidity and precipitation belonged to one class, temperature indexes and evaporation belonged to another class, and air pressure was the third class. Conclusion: Meteorological factors have affected the transmission of bacillary dysentery in northeast China. Bacillary dysentery prevention and control would benefit from by giving more consideration to local climate variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shanghai was one of the most heavily endemic areas of schistosomiasis in the People''s Republic of China. A schistosomiasis control program was started in 1955. In 1975, schistosomiasis was under effective control and in 1985, the criteria for schistosomiasis elimination in the whole municipality area were reached. Some 99.99% of the original schistosomiasis patients had been treated and cured. The positive rate of stool examination among the human population was reduced to 0.03%. Since 1986, after the elimination of schistosomiasis, an overall surveillance and consolidation work was unfolded in Shanghai. The general goals and strategy are: actively implementing the policy ‘putting prevention first’ in health work; conscientiously carrying out the principal ‘integrated management and control in a scientific way’ in schistosomiasis control in the People''s Republic of China; and to sustain the achievements of elimination of schistosomiasis in the whole city area. The specific methods are as follows: (1) adhering to integrated control and management; and (2) carrying out control work in a scientific way and putting the main direction of attack as a key problem. By the year 2000, the whole city area had remained free from acute schistosome infection as well as infected snails for 26 consecutive years, free from new infection both in humans and in cattle for 22 consecutive years and the achievement of elimination of schistosomiasis had been consolidated for 15 consecutive years. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Current treatments for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) cannot reverse the pathological process of the disease, therefore, the development of novel agents and strategies for COPD treatment is required. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential therapeutic value of simvastatin (SmSt) in cigarette smoke-induced emphysema in rats. A total of 24 male and female Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups. The levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the lung tissues and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid of each group were measured using an enzyme-linked immunoassay. The mRNA expression of VEGF was assessed using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The protein expression levels of VEGF and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were determined using immunohistochemical assays. Histological scoring revealed that simvastatin reduced the total inflammatory scores significantly more in the simvastatin-treated smoke-exposed group, compared with the smoke exposed (Sm) group. Significant differences in the average inter-alveolar septal wall distance and mean alveolar numbers were also observed between the SmSt and Sm groups. The levels of VEGF in the BAL fluid and lung tissue homogenates of the SmSt group were similar to those in the simvostatin-only (St) and control (CtL) groups, and significantly higher compared with those in the Sm group. The expression of VEGF in the alveolar and bronchial epithelial cells of the SmSt group was similar to that in the CtL group, and significantly higher compared with that of the Sm group. The percentage of PCNA-positive alveolar epithelial cells was significantly higher in the SmSt group compared with the Sm and CtL groups. Simvastatin exerted a significant impact on the expression of VEGF and attenuated cigarette smoke-induced emphysema in rats. Therefore simvastatin may have beneficial effects in patients with COPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the prevalence of impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and total diabetes mellitus (DM) including known diabetes and newly diagnosed diabetes in working age men of North China. Across-section study was conducted at health medical center of Ansteel Group Hospital in Anshan city of China. 37,345 males between 20-60 years of age were recruited in this study. Age-standardized prevalence of IFG and total DM in these working age men were 25.3% and 8.4%, respectively. The prevalence of IFG and total DM increased, as the age progressed. After multinomial logit analysis, age, systolic blood pressure, drinking, smoking, overweight and obesity, total cholesterol, triglycerides, serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen were independent risk factors for both IFG and DM. The prevalence rate of IFG in Anshan male workers was higher compared with mainland China overall. Diabetes-related education and popularization of DM prevention programs should be actively carried out with age increasing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Altered DNA methylation of tumor suppressor gene promoters plays a role in human carcinogenesis and DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) are responsible for it. This study aimed to determine aberrant expression of DNMT1, DNMT3a, and DNMT3b in benign and malignant ovarian tumor tissues for their association with clinicopathological significance and prognostic value. A total of 142 ovarian cancers and 44 benign ovarian tumors were recruited for immunohistochemical analysis of their expression. The data showed that expression of DNMT1, DNMT3a, and DNMT3b was observed in 76 (53.5%), 92 (64.8%) and 79 (55.6%) of 142 cases of ovarian cancer tissues, respectively. Of the serious tumors, DNMT3a protein expression was significantly higher than that in benign tumor samples (P = 0.001); DNMT3b was marginally significant down regulated in ovarian cancers compared to that of the benign tumors (P = 0.054); DNMT1 expression has no statistical difference between ovarian cancers and benign tumor tissues (P = 0.837). Of the mucious tumors, the expression of DNMT3a, DNMT3b, and DNMT1 was not different between malignant and benign tumors. Moreover, DNMT1 expression was associated with DNMT3b expression (P = 0.020, r = 0.195). DNMT1 expression was associated with age of the patients, menopause status, and tumor localization, while DNMT3a expression was associated with histological types and serum CA125 levels and DNMT3b expression was associated with lymph node metastasis. In addition, patients with DNMT1 or DNMT3b expression had a trend of better survival than those with negative expression. Co-expression of DNMT1 and DNMT3b was significantly associated with better overall survival (P = 0.014). The data from this study provided the first evidence for differential expression of DNMTs proteins in ovarian cancer tissues and their associations with clinicopathological and survival data in sporadic ovarian cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]