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Objective: To investigate the effect of embryo quality at different developmental stages on the secondary sex ratio (SSR) of single live birth neonates. Methods: Data for patients with singleton live births after embryo transferred between January 2016 and January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The effect of embryo quality at different development stages on the SSR of 11 713 singleton live births were investigated. The association of SSR and embryo quality at different development stages was examined in univariate analysis and in a multivariate logistic regression model, after adjustment for confounders, using two models (Ⅰ and Ⅱ). Results: The age of both male and female, body mass index of both male and female, basal follicle stimulating hormone and estradiol, smoking of male, methods of insemination, methods of sperm extraction, types of transfer cycle and the number of embryo transferred were not related with SSR (all P >0.05). After adjustment for confounders, the probability of a male live birth was higher after transfer of good-quality blastula than after transfer of poorer-quality blastula (model Ⅰ: a OR =0.73, 95% CI : 0.65-0.82, P <0.001; model Ⅱ: a OR =0.73, 95% CI : 0.65-0.82, P <0.001). The quality of cleavage stage embryo was not associated with SSR (model Ⅰ: a OR =0.99, 95% CI : 0.87-1.13, P= 0.937; model Ⅱ: a OR =0.99, 95% CI : 0.87-1.13, P= 0.899). Conclusions: The SSR of singleton live births after embryo transfer is not correlated with the quality of cleavage stage embryo, but is correlated with the quality of blastula. Good-quality blastula transfer is more likely to result in a male live birth.

Objective: To analyze the association between exposure patterns of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and anxiety symptom trajectories in medical college students. Methods: A survey was conducted on first-year students from Anhui Medical College and Anqing Medical College, using the Childhood Abuse Questionnaire, Family Disability Questionnaire, Childhood Adverse Social Experience Item, and Anxiety Self Rating Scale. The baseline survey was conducted from November to December 2019, and two follow-up visits were conducted once every six months until November to December 2020. The latent class analysis (LCA) was used to analyze the exposure patterns of ACEs. The latent class growth analysis (LCGA) was used to analyze the development trajectory of anxiety symptoms. The multiple logistic regression model was used to analyze the correlation between different exposure patterns of ACEs and the trajectory of anxiety symptom trajectories. Results: A total of 3 662 college students aged (19.2±1.0) were surveyed. The LCA showed that the exposure patterns of ACEs could be divided into the "high ACEs" group (13.4%), "high neglect/emotional abuse" group (25.7%), "high family dysfunction" group (6.9%), "high neglect" group (27.1%), and "low ACEs" group (26.3%). The LCGA divided anxiety trajectories into four groups: "high anxiety decline" (7.1%),"anxiety increase "(4.1%), "moderate anxiety"(52.9%), and "low anxiety"(35.9%). Using the low ACEs group as a reference group, compared with the low anxiety trajectory, the high ACEs group, high neglect/emotional abuse group, high family dysfunction group, high neglect group, and medium to high-level anxiety trajectory were all associated with an increased risk (P<0.05). Conclusion: There is heterogeneity in ACEs exposure patterns among medical college students, and ACEs exposure patterns are important influencing factors for anxiety symptom trajectories.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the expression of integrin α 6 (ITGA6), miR-4484 and the pathologic stage of gastric cancer. Methods: Gastric cancer tissues and normal gastric mucosa tissues adjacent to cancer (>5 cm from tumor margin) of 30 patients with primary gastric cancer who underwent direct surgical resection without adjuvant therapy from June to September 2017 in West China Hospital of Sichuan University were selected. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect the expression levels of miR-4484 and ITGA6, western blot was used to detect the expression level of ITGA6 protein, dual luciferase reporter gene was used to verify the relationship between ITGA6 and miR-4484. Spearman's correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between miR-4484 and ITGA6 expression levels in gastric cancer tissues. Results: The expression level of ITGΑ6 in gastric cancer (32.30±13.47) was higher than that in matched normal gastric tissues (24.55±10.25, P =0.015), the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.660 and the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 43.3% and 96.7%, respectively. The expression level of miR-4484 in gastric cancer (4.11±2.87) was lower than that of matched normal gastric tissues (5.75±2.80, P =0.029), the area under the ROC curve was 0.690 and the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 30.0% and 86.7%, respectively. The expression level of miR-4484 was negatively correlated with ITGA6 in gastric cancer tissues ( r =-0.621, P <0.001). The expression level of ITGA6 protein in gastric cancer tissues (0.65±0.19) was higher than that in normal adjacent tissues (0.26±0.12, P <0.001). Compared with ITGA6 3'UTR wild-type+ miR-NC group, ITGA6 3'UTR wild-type+ miRNA mimics group had lower luciferase activity (50.69±5.10, 34.00±1.19, P <0.001), while the luciferase activity of ITGA6 3'UTR wild-type+ ASO miR-4484 group was higher than that of ITGA6 3'UTR wild-type+ miR-NC group (82.44±6.37, 50.69±5.10, P <0.001), indicated that ITGA6 was the direct target gene of miR-4484. The expression levels of miR-4484 in T1, T2, T3 and T4 (4a and 4b) gastric cancer tissues were 9.98±2.24, 5.28±2.03, 2.92±2.04 and 4.11±2.87, respectively, with statistical significance ( P <0.001). The expression levels of ITGA6 in N0, N1, N2 and N3 gastric cancer tissues were 29.55±8.32, 21.71±3.75, 24.60±8.79 and 40.69±15.83, respectively, with statistical significance ( P =0.022). The expression levels of miR-4484 in N0, N1, N2 and N3 gastric cancer tissues were 5.01±3.52, 5.48±2.76, 5.88±1.83 and 2.30±1.56, respectively, with statistical significance ( P =0.032). The expression levels of ITGA6 in M0 and M1 gastric cancer tissues were 26.28±7.66 and 52.08±8.12, respectively, with statistical significance ( P <0.001). The expression levels of miR-4484 in M0 and M1 gastric cancer tissues were 4.95±2.74 and 1.34±0.80, respectively, with statistical significance ( P <0.001). Conclusions: ITGA6 is upregulated in gastric cancer tissues, while miR-4484 is downregulated in the gastric cancer group, and its expression level is related to the clinicopathological features of gastric cancer. ITGA6 is the direct target gene of miR-4484, implicates that miR-4484 may inhibit the invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer by regulating the expression of ITGA6. Both miR-4484 and ITGA6 may be the new prognostic markers and potential therapeutic targets of gastric cancer.

Objective: To introduce a new surgical procedure for the treatment of neck benign tumors by endoscopic techniques. Methods: Seventeen patients with neck benign tumor underwent surgery by endoscope through a concealed incision in Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University from January 2018 to August 2019 were analyzed, which included 3 cases of tumor in the submental area, 2 cases in submandibular region, 9 cases in lower pole region of parotid gland, 1 case in superior region of sternocleidomastoid muscle, 1 case in central region of sternocleidomastoid muscle, 1 case in inferior region of sternocleidomastoid muscle. All patients underwent routine preoperative examination and CT examination to evaluate tumor size, boundary, morphology and nature. According to the area where the tumor located, concealed incisions in different sites were designed. Lumps in the submental area and submandibular area were treated with oral vestibular sulcus incision. Benign tumors located in the lower pole region of parotid gland and the sternocleidomastoid muscle region were treated with approach of the short hidden postauricular incision. During the operation, the self-developed "maxillofacial suspension device" was used to provide the operating space. The tumors were completely removed with endoscope and all patients were followed up every 3 months. Results: All surgical procedures were performed as expected. Visual analogue scale (VAS) was 9.3 on average at 3 months after operation, all the patients were satisfied with the incision design and the cosmetic effect. No recurrences were found in patients with a follow-up period ranged from 1-15 months. Conclusions: These studies have shown that endoscope-assisted neck benign tumor resection is a surgical procedure with covert incision and good cosmetic results.

Objective: To summarize the preliminary experience of endoscope -assisted resection of superficial parotid gland benign tumors, and to discuss the indications, advantages and disadvantages of the operation. Methods: The clinical data of 18 patients who underwent extracapsular resection of superficial parotid gland benign tumor in Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University from March 2018 to March 2019 were retrospectively analyzed, and the surgical methods were introduced. The indications, long axis length of tumor, incision design, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage and drainage time, aesthetic satisfaction, postoperative complications and follow-up time were counted. Results: All procedures were completed as expected. The length of the long axis of the tumor was (2.3±0.6) cm, the incision in the tragus around the earlobe was short and concealed, the incision length was (5.1±1.3) cm, the operation duration was (2.0±0.4) h, intraoperative blood loss was (168.9±18.8) ml, postoperative drainage was (29.5±11.7) ml, drainage time was (3.6±0.5) d, 2 cases of temporary facial paralysis or earlobe numbness, three months after the operation, the results of the visual analogue scale of the incision design and the aesthetic effect were (9.6±0.1). Conclusions: Endoscope-assisted resection of superficial parotid gland benign tumor by inner tragus around earlobe approach is applicable and reliable, can reduce complications, shorten surgical incision to obtain satisfactory aesthetic effect, which is worth further expansion and improvement.

The ZnFe2O4 samples with the triblock copolymer P123 (P123) additive quantity of 0 wt.%, 2 wt.%, 5 wt.%, 8 wt.% and 10 wt.% were prepared by a very facile homogeneous precipitation method followed by high temperature sintering. The microstructures of the prepared samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The results revealed that the five prepared samples are all normal spinel zinc ferrite (ZnFe2O4); the sample with the P123 additive quantity of 8 wt.% has the smallest particle size among the five samples. The lithium storage performances of the prepared samples are characterized by cyclic voltammograms (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and charge-discharge tests. The results demonstrated that adding proper amount of P123 can obviously improve the lithium storage performances of zinc ferrite spinel powder. But excessive P123 can induce the particle agglomerates so that the lithium storage performance of sample decays significantly. The ZnFe2O4 sample with the P123 additive quantity of 8 wt.% exhibited the highest electrochemical activity, the best rate performance, and superior cycling stability. For example, after 50 charge/discharge cycles under a current density of 120 mA g-1, the ZnFe2O4 sample with the P123 additive quantity of 8 wt.% can retain a specific discharge capacity of 468 mAh g-1, much higher than that of for the ZnFe2O4 sample with the P123 additive quantity of 0 wt.% (224 mAh g-1).

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the prevention effect and cost-effectiveness of a prophylactic bivalent human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine. Methods: A multiple health status dynamic model was developed, including natural history of diseases and prevention strategies. We built 19 prevention strategies including visual inspection with acetic acid/lugol's iodine (VIA/VILI) and/or 3 does prophylactic bivalent HPV vaccine administered to adolescent girls at the age of 15 years old every year under the assumption that vaccine coverage and screening coverage were 70%. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), optimal price of 3 does vaccine and cost-effectiveness frontier of these strategies were analyzed compared with no-intervention. The ICER threshold is 152 087 CNY. Results: Compared with no-intervention, Routine vaccination reduced the incidence of cervical cancer by 69.5%, superior to 5 strategies including VIA/VILI screening only. The range of effect was between 9.0% and 69.2%, and the effect of strategy increased significantly with the increase of screening frequency. Combination vaccination with screening at ages of 35 reduced the incidence of cervical cancer by 72.0%, and the effect increased with the increase of screening frequency. Combination vaccination with screening every 3 years between (35-64) years old reduced the incidence by 89.4%. Compared with no-intervention, the ICER of combination vaccination with screening twice between 35 years and 64 years was 121 292 CNY/life-year, which was cost-effective. The price of vaccine had a significant impact on the ICER of the strategy; when the vaccine price was less than 600 CNY, only routine vaccination or supplementary vaccination between 16-39 years old after routine vaccination was cost-effective; when the vaccine price was less than 1 200 CNY, supplementary vaccination between 16-19 years old plus VIA/VILI was cost-effective. Conclusion: Ther prevention strategy was cost-effective, which could effectively reduce the incidence of cervical cancer by implementation of HPV vaccination combined with VIA/VILI in suitable aging females.

Although many epidemiology studies have evaluated the correlation between vitamin D receptor (VDR) BsmI polymorphism and osteoporosis, the current results remain inconclusive. This meta-analysis updated and reevaluated the possible association between VDR BsmI polymorphism and osteoporosis in Chinese populations. Studies were identified using PubMed and Chinese databases through December 2016. The associations were assessed with pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A total of nine studies with 688 osteoporosis cases and 730 controls were included in this meta-analysis. Overall, no significant association was found between VDR BsmI polymorphism and osteoporosis when all studies in Chinese populations were pooled into this meta-analysis. In subgroup analyses, significantly decreased risk was found in South China (bb vs. BB: OR = 0.22, 95% CI = 0.06-0.76; bb+Bb vs.BB: OR = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.09-0.81). This meta-analysis suggests that VDR BsmI polymorphism may have a protective role against the development of osteoporosis in South China.

Ultra-thin AlN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors (HFETs) with, and without, SiN passivation were fabricated by the same growth and device processes. Based on the measured DC characteristics, including the capacitance-voltage (C-V) and output current-voltage (I-V) curves, the variation of electron mobility with gate bias was found to be quite different for devices with, and without, SiN passivation. Although the AlN barrier layer is ultra thin (c. 3 nm), it was proved that SiN passivation induces no additional tensile stress and has no significant influence on the piezoelectric polarization of the AlN layer using Hall and Raman measurements. The SiN passivation was found to affect the surface properties, thereby increasing the electron density of the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) under the access region. The higher electron density in the access region after SiN passivation enhanced the electrostatic screening for the non-uniform distributed polarization charges, meaning that the polarization Coulomb field scattering has a weaker effect on the electron drift mobility in AlN/GaN-based devices.

Citrus reticulata Blanco cv. Nian Ju, an important ornamental plant, is traditionally displayed during the Chinese Spring Festival because its golden fruits are a symbol of auspiciousness. In the spring of 2012, foliar blight was observed on 10 to 30% of the Nian Ju plants at four nurseries in Yangjiang, Guangdong Province, China. Initial symptoms appeared as brown to black foliar lesions, followed by expansion of spots into blight. Some young branches also had necrosis. During frequent rainfall and prolonged wet periods at 22°C to 30°C, white and dense mycelia and sporangia were observed on the infected seedlings. To isolate the causal organism, leaves and stems were cut into sections. Each section included some partial lesion and adjacent asymptomatic tissues. They were surface-disinfested in 1% sodium hypochlorite for 60 s, rinsed three times with sterile water, and placed on V8 juice agar (V8A) at 25°C. After 3 days, 10 isolates were obtained and purified by single-zoospore method. These isolates were identified to species level by sequencing the rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Four representative isolates had an identical ITS sequence (GenBank Accession No. KF750568), which had 99% homology with Phytophthora capsici sequences in GenBank. In addition, all recovered isolates were identical in morphological characteristics. They produced caducous, papillate, and ovoid to ellipsoid sporangia (Length × width = 46.2 ± 7.7 × 23.6 ± 11.3 μm), often with a tapered base. The average length of pedicels was 33.3 ± 4.5 μm. All isolates are A2 mating type. They produced gametangia when paired with an A1 tester of P. capsici isolated from pepper on V8A. Plerotic oospores were 25.3 ± 2.1 μm in diameter. Amphigynous antheridia were 13.6 ± 2.8 μm long and 11.2 ± 0.9 μm wide. Oogonia were 27.4 ± 3.2 μm in diameter. To determine the pathogenicity, three 3-year-old potted C. reticulata cv. Nian Ju plants were sprayed with 20 ml of zoospore suspension from one representative isolate at 10 5 per ml. Two control plants were sprayed with 20 ml distilled water. All plants were then maintained at 90% relative humidity at 25°C with a 12-h photoperiod. Symptoms similar to those observed in the nurseries developed on all inoculated plants but not on any control plants after 10 days. The pathogenicity test was repeated once and similar results were obtained. P. capsici was recovered from all inoculated plants and resultant isolates had identical morphology to that of the isolates used for inoculation. P. capsici has a relatively broad host range including pumpkins, cucumbers, peppers, beans, squashes, and spinach (1,2). To our knowledge, this is the first report of foliar blight of C. reticulata cv. Nian Ju caused by P. capsici. This study indicates that P. capsici is potentially an important pathogen of C. reticulata cv. Nian Ju plants and further investigations into its epidemiology and development of site-specific integrated management programs for this new disease are warranted. References: (1) D. C. Erwin and O. K. Ribeiro. Phytophthora Diseases Worldwide. American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN, 1996. (2) D. Tian and M. Babadoost. Plant Dis. 88:485. 2004.

In the spring of 2011, leaf and fruit spot symptoms were observed in three orchards planted with Citrus reticulata Blanco cv. Nian Ju in Longmen City, Guangdong Province. The incidence of fruit and leaf spot ranged from of 5 to 25% across all three orchards. Similar symptoms were not observed on the fruit of C. reticulata cv. Shiyue Ju planted at the same orchards. Lesions on the diseased leaves and fruit first emerged on the lower portions of the trees and were initially small, circular, and diffuse in distribution over the leaf surface. Within 2 weeks, the small circular spots on the leaves and fruit enlarged to brown sunken necrotic lesions ranging from 5 to 30 mm in diameter. To isolate the causal organism, symptomatic leaves and fruit peels (from different trees) adjacent to the lesions as well as the lesions themselves were surface-disinfested with 1% sodium hypochlorite for 1 min and rinsed three times with sterile water. The tissues were then plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) under alternating light and dark conditions at 28°C for 4 days. Sixteen fungal isolates with nearly identical fungal colonies were recovered from all samples. After 7 days of incubation, isolates with grayish white to dark gray mycelium and salmon pink conidia masses were observed. The conidia were hyaline, smooth-walled, aseptate, one-celled, and falcate, with oil droplets in the cytoplasm. The conidia were 19.7 to 22.5 (mean = 21.5) × 2.8 to 3.9 (mean = 3.4) μm. The fungal colonies also produced acervuli, setae, and sclerotia in the culture. The cultural and morphological characteristics of these isolates were consistent with the description of Colletotrichum truncatum (2). The ACT, TUB2, CHS I, GAPDH, and ITS regions of four representative isolates (GenBank Accession Nos. KF591214, KF591213, KF591211, KF591212, and KF011205) were sequenced and identical to those of the type specimen of C. truncatum CBS 151.35. To determine pathogenicity, leaves of three 3-year-old potted plants and ten 8-month-old fruit of C. reticulata Blanco cv. Nian Ju were each wound-inoculated with 20 μl of a suspension of conidia (1 × 10 5 conidia/ml). Leaves of an additional two potted plants and 10 similarly-aged fruit were wound-inoculated with 20 μl of sterile water as control. The citrus plants and fruit were then maintained at 90% relative humidity at 28°C with a 12-h photoperiod. Symptoms identical to those observed in the orchards in Longmen City developed on all of the inoculated citrus leaves and fruit after 14 days. The controls remained healthy throughout this period. The inoculation experiment was performed a second time with identical results. Isolates of C. truncatum identical to that of the isolate used for inoculation were obtained from all the inoculated symptomatic citrus leaves and fruit. C. truncatum has a broad host range and is known to be pathogenic on several crops including Medicago sativa L., Phaseolus lunatus, and Arachis hypogea (1,2,3,4). To our knowledge, this is the first report of leaf and fruit rot of C. reticulata Blanco cv. Nian Ju caused by C. truncatum in China. The golden-yellow fruit of C. reticulata Blanco cv. Nian Ju are commonly displayed during the Spring Festival of the Chinese New Year, and future epidemics of fruit spot may affect sustainability of this important cultural practice. References: (1) P. A. Backman et al. Plant Dis. 66:1032, 1982. (2) U. Damm et al. Fungal Divers. 39:45, 2009. (3) C. Eken and E. Demirci. Plant Dis. 84:100, 2000. (4) F. Huang et al. Fungal Divers. 61:61, 2013.

Citrus reticulata Blanco cv. Shiyue Ju, which produces one of China's most popular tropical fruits, is widely planted throughout southern China. In 2008, a new citrus disease was found in Zhaoqing City in Guangdong Province on about 20,000 ha. Yield losses averaged 15% on a wide range of different aged trees of C. reticulata cv. Shiyue Ju. No yield losses were observed on C. reticulata cv. Gong gan. Symptoms first appeared on young leaves as leaf lesions, which were reddish-brown, elliptical, and 2 to 5 mm in diameter. After several weeks, 20 to 70% of leaves dropped and 10 to 50% of fruits on the trees showed brown spots (5 to 40 mm in diameter). Leaves and fruit peels adjacent to and including lesions from different trees were surface disinfested with 1% sodium hypochlorite for 1 min and rinsed three times in sterile water. Then the tissues were plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) in alternating light and dark at 28°C for 3 days. Twenty-three similar isolates of a fast-growing fungus were recovered from all samples. For identification, single-spore cultures were grown on potato dextrose agar (PDA) at 28°C. Initially, the colonies were white, but after 5 days, they became pale gray with concentric zones and greenish black beneath. No setae, acervuli, or ascocarp were observed in the PDA culture. Conidia formed in pink conidial masses, were hyaline, fusiform, straight, obtuse at the ends, sometimes slightly curved, and 14 to 20 × 4.5 to 6 μm (x¯ = 16.2 ± 1.5 × 4.9 ± 0.5, n = 100). The cultural and morphological characteristics of these isolates matched the description of Colletotrichum siamense (3), but not that of C. gloeosporioides or C. acutatum, which cause anthracnose on citrus plants (1,2). The actin, β-tubulin, CHS I, CAL, GPDH, and ITS regions of four representative isolates (GenBank KC524462, KC524463, KC524464, KC524465, KC524466, and KC524467) were identical and with almost 100% identity to those of the type specimen of C. hymenocallidis isolate CSSN3 (C. hymenocallidis is synonymous with C. siamense) (4), except for two inconsistent nucleotide bases in the GPDH gene. Four potted plants of C. reticulata cv. Shiyue Ju were used for pathogenicity tests. On each plant, 10 randomly selected leaves and four 6-month-old fruits were wound-inoculated with 20 μl of sterile water or conidial suspensions (1 × 10 5 conidia per ml). Plants were then maintained at 90% relative humidity with a 12-h photoperiod at 28°C. Symptoms resembling those in the field were observed on three inoculated plants after 14 days. In another similar experiment without wounding, three of 20 inoculated plants exhibited the symptoms after 14 days. Controls remained healthy throughout this period. The tests were performed three times. C. siamense was reisolated from all diseased inoculated plants, and the culture and fungus characteristics were the same as the original isolate. Thus, C. siamense was determined to be the pathogen causing leaf drop and fruit spot on C. reticulata cv. Shiyue Ju. To our knowledge, this is the first report of leaf drop and fruit spot on C. reticulata cv. Shiyue Ju caused by C. siamense. References: (1) H. Benyahia et al. Plant Pathol. 52:798, 2003. (2) N. A. Peres et al. Plant Dis. 89:784, 2005. (3) H. Prihastuti, et al. Fungal Diversity 39:89, 2009. (4) B. Weir et al. Stud Mycol. 73:115, 2012.

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) has been implicated in a wide variety of cellular functions that affect the biological response to tumors. However, there is insufficient evidence to prove that IL-18 gene variants are associated with risk of prostate cancer. We examined a possible association between two promoter polymorphisms, -137G/C (rs187238) and -607C/A (rs1946518), in the IL-18 gene and prostate cancer occurrence and prognosis in Han Chinese. We used a high-resolution melting method to genotype these two polymorphisms in 375 Chinese Han patients with prostate cancer and in 400 age-matched healthy controls. A hundred and eighty-one prostate cancer patients who had been receiving androgen deprivation therapy, including operational and medical castration, were enrolled to follow-up in this study. Carriers of the GG genotype of the -137G/ C polymorphism had a 2.165-times higher risk of prostate cancer progression than carriers of GC [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.270-3.687]. Patients with the GG genotype at clinical stages III and IV also had significantly lower rates of progression-free survival (relative risk = 2.174, 95%CI = 1.211-3.906). However, we found no significant association of genotype or allele distributions of these two polymorphisms with occurrence of prostate cancer. We conclude that there is evidence that the IL-18 gene promoter polymorphism -137G/ C influences the prognosis of prostate cancer patients in androgen deprivation therapy, although neither of the two SNPs contributes to prostate cancer development.

This study was designed to investigate the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes in Tibetan and Han nationalities in Sichuan Province, China, and their clinical significance. Sera from 376 patients (286 Han nationals, 90 Tibetan nationals) were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction. Of the 286 Han nationals, 127 were HBV asymptomatic carriers, 90 were symptomatic patients and 69 had hepatocellular carcinoma. The distribution of HBV genotypes was related to geography as well as ethnicity. The HBV genotype frequencies were: B, 57.9%; C, 16.0%; and BC, 26.1%. Association studies between genotypes and clinical laboratory outcomes showed HBV genotype C to be more virulent. There was a higher prevalence of mixed genotype BC in Tibetan nationals compared with Han nationals. There was no synergistic effect in terms of virulence in patients coinfected with genotypes B and C.

Ghrelin is an important orexigenic hormone that reduces fat oxidation and increases adiposity. This study investigated plasma ghrelin levels in Chinese Uygur patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Plasma ghrelin and anabolic and catabolic factors were measured in 38 patients and 24 control subjects. COPD patients were divided into two groups based on body mass index (BMI): underweight (BMI < 20 kg/m(2), n = 18) or normoweight (BMI > or = 20 kg/m(2), n = 20). Plasma ghrelin levels were found to be significantly higher in underweight than in normoweight patients or healthy controls. Circulating tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 concentrations were significantly higher in underweight than in normoweight patients, whereas insulin concentrations were significantly lower. Plasma ghrelin levels correlated negatively with forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1); r = 0.35), but did not significantly correlate with FEV(1)/forced vital capacity. Plasma ghrelin levels were elevated in underweight COPD patients and were associated with cachexia and abnormal pulmonary function.

This study evaluated the plastic changes of c-jun and c-fos in the right sixth lumbar dorsal root ganglion (L6 DRG), Rexed's lamina II in representative spinal segments L3, L5, and L6 and in the nucleus dorsalis (ND) at L3 segments after electro-acupuncture (EA) in cats subjected to removal of L1-L5 and L7-S2 DRG. Following dorsal root ganglionectomy, there was a significant increase in the density of c-jun immunoreactivity in the neurons and glia in spinal lamina II and in the ND; there was also marked elevation in the expression of c-fos in ND. In both cases there was no change in the c-jun and c-fos immunoreactivity in the DRG. After EA in the operated animals, there was an up-regulation in the expression of c-jun in the L6 DRG and the associated spinal lamina II; however, increased c-fos expression was detected only in the L6 DRG. Western blot and RT-PCR were also performed to quantitatively explore the mRNA and protein expression changes in the spinal dorsal horn and associated DRG. Following partial deafferentation, there was a significant increase in the protein level of both c-jun and c-fos in the dorsal horn, while, in both cases there was no change in c-jun and c-fos protein and mRNA in the DRG. After EA in the operated animals, both c-jun protein and its mRNA in the L6 DRG as well as the associated dorsal horn of L6 spinal segment were upregulated, but increased c-fos protein and its mRNA was observed only in the L6 DRG. These findings suggested that c-jun and c-fos might be related to the acupuncture promoted spinal cord plasticity as reported previously.