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To prevent mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of syphilis, Hunan Province launched a free syphilis screening and treatment programme in 2011. Thus far, the programme has been implemented for 6 years. This study aimed to assess progress toward the elimination of MTCT of syphilis in Hunan Province from 2011–2016. Estimates of syphilis-related adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) were based on the health service delivery model developed by the WHO, which were then translated into disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Default values in the model were replaced by a Chinese version. The progress of this programme was assessed through the reduction of estimated DALYs with and without screening and treatment services. The results showed that the estimated number of syphilis-related APOs in Hunan Province from 2011 to 2016 was 3,840, more than 70% of which occurred among women who had at least one antenatal care visit but were not screened or treated for syphilis during pregnancy. The public health burden resulting from maternal syphilis-related APOs was 192,528 DALYs over six years, and with the current screening and treatment coverage, approximately 163,794 expected DALYs (46%) were averted. Our estimates indicate that in Hunan Province, syphilis in pregnancy continues to be an important cause of APOs, which can lead to substantial perinatal morbidity and mortality. Approximately half of the expected public health burden resulting from syphilis-related APOs was averted by the current screening and treatment services, which suggests progress toward the elimination of MTCT of syphilis in Hunan Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate perinatal outcomes and congenital heart defect (CHD) prognosis in a non-selected population. Methods: The population-based surveillance data used in this assessment of CHDs were based on birth defect surveillance data collected from 2010–2012 in Liuyang City, China. Infants living with CHDs were followed up for 5 years to determine their prognosis. Prevalence, prenatal diagnosis, perinatal outcomes, and total and type-specific prognosis data were assessed using SPSS 18.0. Results: In total, 190 CHD cases were identified among the 53313 included perinatal infants (PIs), indicating a CHD prevalence of 35.64 per 10000 PIs in this non-selected population. The five most frequently identified types of CHDs were ventricular septal defects (VSDs, 38.95%), atrial septal defects (ASDs, 15.79%), cardiomegaly (7.89%), tetralogy of Fallot (TOF, 5.79%), and atrioventricular septal defects (AVSDs, 5.26%). Of the 190 CHD cases, 110 (57.89%) were diagnosed prenatally, 30 (15.79%) were diagnosed with associated malformations, and 69 (36.32%) resulted in termination of pregnancy (TOP). Moreover, 15 (7.89%) PIs died within 7 days after delivery, and 42 (22.10%) died within 1 year. In contrast, 79 (41.58%) were still alive after 5 years. When TOP cases were included, the 5-year survival rate of PIs with prenatally detected CHDs was lower than that of PIs with postnatally detected CHDs (25.45% vs. 63.75%). The CHD subtype associated with the highest rate of infant (less than 1 year old) mortality was transposition of the great arteries (100%). The subtypes associated with higher 5-year survival rates were patent ductus arteriosus (80%), ASD (63.33%), VSD (52.70%) and AVSD (50%). Conclusions: The rates of prenatal CHD detection and TOP were high in this study population, and the 5-year survival rate of PIs with CHDs was low. The government should strengthen efforts to educate pediatricians regarding this issue and provide financial assistance to improve the prognosis of infants living with CHDs, especially during the first year of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acting as a sequence-specific transcription factor, p53 tumor suppressor involves in a variety of biological processes after being activated by cellular stresses such as DNA damage. In recent years, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been confirmed to be regulated by p53 in several cancer types. However, it is still unclear how miRNAs orchestrate their regulation and function in p53 network after p53 activation in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we used small RNA sequencing and systematic bioinformatic analysis to characterize the regulatory networks of differentially expressed miRNAs after the p53 activation in HepG2. Here, 33 miRNAs significantly regulated by p53 (12 up-regulated and 21 down-regulated) were detected between the doxorubicin-treated and untreated HepG2 cells in two biological replicates for small RNA sequencing and 8 miRNAs have been reported previously to be associated with HCC. Gene ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that 87.9% (29 out of 33) and 90.9% (30 out of 33) p53-regulated miRNAs were involved in p53-related biological processes and pathways with significantly low p-value, respectively. Remarkably, 18 out of 33 p53-regulated miRNAs were identified to contain p53 binding sites around their transcription start sites (TSSs). Finally, comprehensive p53-miRNA regulatory networks were constructed and analyzed. These observations provide a new insight into p53-miRNA co-regulatory network in the context of HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]