Search

Background: PPARγ and PPARα belong to a receptor family of ligand-activated transcription factors involved in the regulation of inflammation, cellular glucose uptake, protection against atherosclerosis and endothelial cell function. Through these effects, they might be involved with the ischemic stroke (IS). Methods: One thousand two hundred ninety-six subjects from the Chinese Han Population were chosen to assess the nature of the functional polymorphisms of PPARs and any links with IS. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between PPARγ and PPARα genotypes and a diagnosis of IS. Results: Pro/Ala carriage may be associated with the decreased risk of IS in Hans (OR 0.542, 95% CI 0.346-0.850). The 162Val allele frequency at the DNA-binding region of PPARα was extremely rare in Chinese Han population. Conclusions: PPARγ 12Pro/Ala resulting in an amino acid exchange in N-terminal sequence may be an independent protective factor for IS in the Chinese Han population. However, more populations are warranted to validate our findings.

Cdc42 is a Ras-related small GTP-binding protein. A previous study has shown that Cdc42 binding to the γ subunit of the coatomer protein complex (γCOP) is essential for Cdc42-regulated cellular transformation, but the molecular mechanism involved is not well understood. Here, we demonstrate that constitutively-active Cdc42 binding to γCOP induced the accumulation of epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) in the cells, sustained EGF-stimulated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), JUN amino-terminal kinase (JNK) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling and promoted cell division. Moreover, constitutive Cdc42 activity facilitated the nuclear translocation of EGFR, and this indicates a novel mechanism through which Cdc42 might promote cellular transformation.

This paper presents a data fusion technique to model more certain probabilistic full-field strain/displacement measurements for stochastic energy-based characterization proposed by the authors. The proposed technique measures the full-field measurements by using multiple cameras, constructing a Gaussian probability density function (PDF) for each camera, fusing the PDFs and developing the total PDF of the full-field measurements. Since the certainty of measurements is magnified by the use of multiple cameras, the use of multiple well-calibrated cameras could achieve the accuracy which no single camera could attain. The validity of the proposed energy-based characterization and its superiority to the original formulation were investigated using numerical analysis of an anisotropic material, and the proposed technique was found to improve the accuracy significantly with the addition of cameras.

RACK1 is a 7-WD motif-containing protein with numerous downstream effectors regulating various cellular functions. Using a yeast two-hybrid screen, we identified dynein light chain 1 as a novel interacting partner of RACK1. Additionally, we demonstrated that RACK1 formed a complex with DLC1 and Bim, specifically BimEL, in the presence of apoptotic agents. Upon paclitaxel treatment, RACK1, DLC1, and CIS mediated the degradation of BimEL through the ElonginB/C-Cullin2-CIS ubiquitin-protein isopeptide ligase complex. We further showed that RACK1 conferred paclitaxel resistance to breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Finally, we observed an inverse correlation between CIS and BimEL levels in both ovarian and breast cancer cell lines and specimens. Our study suggests a role of RACK1 in protecting cancer cells from apoptosis by regulating the degradation of BimEL, which together with CIS could play an important role of drug resistance in chemotherapy.

PPARx03B3; and PPARα belong to a receptor family of ligand-activated transcription factors involved in the regulation of inflammation, cellular glucose uptake, protection against atherosclerosis and endothelial cell function. Through these effects, they might be involved with the ischemic stroke (IS).One thousand two hundred ninety-six subjects from the Chinese Han Population were chosen to assess the nature of the functional polymorphisms of PPARs and any links with IS. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between PPARx03B3; and PPARα genotypes and a diagnosis of IS.Pro/Ala carriage may be associated with the decreased risk of IS in Hans (OR 0.542, 95% CI 0.346-0.850). The 162Val allele frequency at the DNA-binding region of PPARα was extremely rare in Chinese Han population.PPARx03B3; 12Pro/Ala resulting in an amino acid exchange in N-terminal sequence may be an independent protective factor for IS in the Chinese Han population. However, more populations are warranted to validate our findings.

This study aimed to describe the trends of motorization and mortality rates from road traffic accidents and examine their associations in a rapidly urbanizing city in China, Shenzhen.Using data from the Shenzhen Deaths Registry between 1994 and 2013, we calculated the annual mortality rates of road traffic accidents, in addition to the age- and sex-specific mortality rates and their annual percentage changes (APCs) for the period of 2000-2013. We also examined the associations between mortality rate of road traffic accidents and traffic growth with Spearman's rank correlation analysis and a log-linear model derived from Smeed's law.A total of 20,196 deaths due to road traffic accidents, including 14,391 (71.3%) male deaths and 5,805 (28.7%) female deaths, were recorded in Shenzhen from 1994 to 2013. The annual mortality rates in terms of deaths per population and deaths per vehicle changed in similar patterns, demonstrating an increase since 1994 and peaking in 1997, followed by a steady decrease thereafter. The decrease in mortality was faster in individuals aged 20 year or older compared to those younger than 20 years. The mortality rates in term of deaths per population were positively correlated with the total number of vehicles per kilometer of road but negatively correlated with the motorization rate in term of vehicles per population. The estimated model for deaths due to road traffic accidents in relation to the total population and the number of registered vehicles was ln (deaths/10,000 vehicles) = -1.902 × ln (vehicles/population) - 1.961. The coefficient was statistically significant (P.001) and the coefficient of determination was 0.966, indicating a good model fit.We described a generally decreasing trend in the mortality rates of road traffic accidents in a rapidly urbanizing Chinese city based observations in the 20-year period from 1994 to 2013. The decreased mortality rate may be explained by the expansion of road network construction, improved road safety regulations and management, as well as more accessible ambulance services in recent years. Nevertheless, road traffic accidents remain a universal problem of great public health concern in the whole population.

To understand the infection status and epidemiological features of HBV in permanent residents of Shenzhen city.A multi-stage stratified random sampling method was performed for questionnaire survey to permanently-registered residents of 1-59 years old in Luohu and Baoan district of Shenzhen in 2010, and blood samples of the subjects were collected. Hepatitis B virus-related surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B virus surface antibody (anti-HBs) were detected with ELISA.The total 3771 studied population showed 252 HBsAg positive and 2712 anti-HBs positive residents with the standardization prevalence as 9.73% and 72.83% , respectively. The difference of the prevalence of HBsAg and anti-HBs between males and females were not statistically significant (P0.05). The prevalence of HBsAg was reduced with increasing age. The differences of the prevalence of HBsAg between Shenzhen permanent registered and non-permanent registered population were not significant, but the prevalence of anti-HBs in Permanent registered residents (78.32%) was higher than in non-permanent (66.03%, χ(2) = 41.613, P0.001). The prevalence of HBsAg was significantly different in various occupational and educational levels. Peasants had the highest prevalence (24.13%) and medical workers had the highest prevalence of anti-HBs (89.10% ). People with junior high school education had the highest prevalence of HBsAg (12.76%) and the lowest of anti-HBs (62.45%). Population with high-level education had the highest prevalence of anti-HBs(81.00% average). The prevalence of HBsAg was over 10% in people who were born in Shenzhen and Guangdong province, and the anti-HBs was the highest in Shenzhen population with the prevalence as 74.48% and 76.47% , respectively.In the Shenzhen resident population, the overall prevalence of HBV was lower than the average level of Guangdong province, but higher than the national wide.

We previously reported NF2 mutations in malignant mesothelioma (MM) cell lines and corresponding primary tumors. We have now generated polyclonal antibodies that specifically recognize the C-terminus of the NF2 protein. Western blot analysis was performed on 25 MM cell lines, 14 of which showed no NF2 expression. Single-strand conformation polymorphism and DNA sequence analyses revealed NF2 mutations in each of these 14 cell lines. To explore the mechanism of inactivation of NF2, loss of heterozygosity analysis was performed with two microsatellite markers located in the vicinity of the NF2 locus in chromosome band 22q12. Eighteen of the 25 cell lines (72%) showed losses at one or both loci tested. All cases exhibiting mutation and/or aberrant expression of NF2 showed allelic losses, suggesting that inactivation of NF2 in MM occurs via a two-hit mechanism.

AKT2, an oncogene encoding a protein serine-threonine kinase implicated in phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase signaling, is amplified in some human ovarian and pancreatic carcinomas. We previously demonstrated that the tumorigenicity and invasiveness of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cell lines with amplified AKT2 could be markedly reduced by transfection with antisense AKT2 constructs. To evaluate further the extent of AKT2 alterations in PDAC, DNA and immunohistochemical analyses were performed to assess amplification or overexpression of AKT2, respectively, in 72 PDACs. Thirty-five PDACs were subjected to Southern analyses, and AKT2 amplification was detected in seven tumors (20%). Forty-one formalin-fixed PDAC specimens were examined immunohistochemically with an anti-AKT2 monoclonal antibody, and moderate to intense staining was observed in eight tumors (20%). AKT2 immunostaining paralleled AKT2 genomic status in each of four cases in which both Southern and immunohistochemical analyses were performed. No obvious relationship was observed between AKT2 status and tumor TNM stage or grade. These observations suggest the utility of immunohistochemical analysis in assessing alterations of AKT2 in human cancers. Furthermore, the role played by the AKT2 kinase in the signaling pathways of various mitogenic growth factors implicated in the development of pancreatic cancer suggests that alteration of AKT2 may be an important component in the pathogenesis of a substantial subset of PDACs.

To develop a novel sensitive duplex real-time PCR assay for accurately identifying B/Yamagata and B/Victoria lineages of influenza virus type B.50 HA (hemagglutinin) gene sequences coding for B/Yamagata and B/Victoria lineage, respectively, were randomly downloaded for GenBank and analyzed by software MEGA. Primers and probes specific for HA gene of B/Yamagata and B/Victoria lineages were designed by Primer Primer and then applied in the duplex real-time RT-PCR method that was followed developed. Influenza virus B type and A type isolated in our laboratory and typing-confirmed by HAI method were used as reference strains to determine the specificity of this assay and the sensitivity of the duplex amplification was evaluated by viral load testing in terms of in vitro transcribed RNA copy number.In 2006-2010, 793 influenza virus type B strains were isolated from 17 765 throat swab samples, among which 152 strains were differentiated as By lineage and 641 as Bv lineage by this assay. These results was agreement with that determined by HAI assay. This developed assay allows to accurately identify approximately 10(2) copies/microl for Bv and By lineage virus with intra- and inter-coefficient of variation (CV)3.5% and nearly 100% specificity.This method provides sensitive and robust tool for routine diagnosis and on-time epidemiological examination of influenza virus, which could be applied in influenza surveillance laboratories for rapid molecular diagnosis.

This study aimed to explore and evaluate the effects of combination intervention model conducted by Center for Disease Control and Prevention and activity place to men who have sex with men (MSM).To implement one-year combination intervention in 4 MSM venues during May, 2009 and April, 2010. Meanwhile, 3 similar MSM venues were chosen as control. MSM places introduced CDC to consumption crowds. Experts and volunteers sent by CDC undertook health education programme on site and condom, lubricant, pamphlet, consultation, test were provided at the same time. The intervention measures applied to control only included providing pamphlet, condom, lubricant by volunteers. Investigations were conducted among subjects of combination intervention group and control group before (111, 120 subjects) and after (105, 98 subjects) the intervention with questions related to knowledge and behavior of AIDS prevention.After one-year intervention, among MSM with combination intervention, the awareness rate of knowledge level about acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) increased from 73.0% (81/111) to 91.7% (110/120), proportion of condom-use with male at last anal intercourse increased from 73.0% (81/111) to 85.0% (102/120), ratio of never-use condom with male decreased from 10.8% (11/102) to 1.7% (2/112), percentage of acquiring AIDS-related service and intervention improved significantly, acquiring condom (lubricant) increased from 70.3% (78/111) to 85.0% (102/120), acquiring peer education increased from 10.8% (12/111) to 24.2% (29/120), the proportion of acquiring counseling and testing of HIV increased from 69.4% (77/111) to 90.8% (109/120) (all P values0.05). The above index show no statistic difference before and after the intervention (all P values0.05) in control MSM venues.Combination intervention model was an effective intervention model contributing to an increase in knowledge of AIDS prevention and decreasing high risk behavior in MSM population.

To evaluate the overall diet quality and diet model of labor workers in Shenzhen using Chinese Diet Balance Index (DBI).In May 2009, 14 canteens from Baoan, Longgang and Nanshan districts were selected by stratified random sampling and 60 workers were randomly selected from each canteen by using random number method. Diet measurements were carried out among the 840 labor workers. Diet quality was evaluated by using DBI scoring and evaluating system.The median values of labor workers' food intakes of cereal and meatpoultry were 483.8 and 121.7 g/d, which were more than the recommended amounts of their intakes of Chinese residents (cereal: 250 - 400 g/d, meatpoultry: 50 -70 g/d). The median values of the labor workers' intakes of fruit, dairy and eggs were 37.3, 20.6 and 23.5 g/d,which were less than recommended amounts in fruits (200 - 400 g/d), dairy (300 g/d) and eggs (25 - 50 g/d). The DBI-HBS scores of males and females in Shenzhen migrant workers were 24.4 +/- 6.1 and 22.6 +/- 6.3, respectively with a statistically significant difference (t = 4.21, P0.01). DBI-HBS scores of20 age group, 20 - 29 age group, 30 - 39 age group andor = 40 age group in labor workers were 12.7 +/- 5.9, 11.3 +/- 6.3, 12.8 +/- 6.4 and 11.2 +/- 5.6 respectively (F = 3.67, P = 0.01). There were 7 dietary patterns among labor workers in this survey. Nearly 8.2% (68/830) of them belonged to Pattern A. Pattern B and E were the main dietary patterns, which accounted for 37.3% (310/830) and 31.0% (257/830) of the total population.DBI can describe and evaluate the overall dietary quality and the major problem of the dietary patterns in labor workers. It is necessary to strength nutritional education to increase the intake of fruits, milk and eggs to improve nutritional status in labor workers in Shenzhen.

SUMMARY Aims MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) expression is increased in many types of human malignancy, including glioma. Recent studies report that miR-21 regulates cell invasion by targeting RECK, however, the underlying transcriptional regulation of miR-21 in glioma cells remains elusive. Results Here, we identify a positive correlation between miR-21 expression and pathological grade in glioma tissues. We demonstrate that β-catenin pathway regulates miR-21 expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cell and glioma cells, and that this regulation is signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3)-dependent. Further, chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter analysis demonstrate that miR-21 is controlled by an upstream promoter containing a conserved STAT3 binding site. Notably, knockdown of miR-21-inhibited cell invasion by increasing RECK expression and decreased tumor growth in a xenograft model. Conclusion These data provide compelling evidence that β-catenin regulation of miR-21 via STAT3 plays a role in glioma cell invasion and proliferation and indicate that STAT3 is a potential therapeutic target for glioma intervention.

Real-time RT-PCR, cell culture and embryonated eggs culture for influenza detection were compared by analyzing the data of influenza surveillance in Shenzhen in second half of 2009.1092 clinical samples (throat swabs) collected during second half of 2009 were tested by real-time RT-PCR, cell culture and embryonated eggs culture, and the results were analyzed by statistical methods.The positive rate were 54.21%, 27.11% and 16.21% using real-time RT-PCR, cell culture and embryonated eggs culture, and the sensitive were 100%, 50% and 29.9%. The lowest dilutions of virus detected by real-time RT-PCR were 10(-2) TCID50/ml.The sensitive of real-time RT-PCR was higher than culture and the specificity was also very high. It was more suitable for emergency detect. The sensitive of cell culture for H3N2 subtype was higher, and sensitive of embryonated eggs culture for type B was higher.

To establish a cell-based detection method of ciguatoxin using fluorescence assay.Mouse neuroblastoma N-2A cells were exposed to ouabain and veratridine and different concentrations of standard ciguatoxin samples (P-CTX-1) to establish the curvilinear relationship between the toxin dosage and fluorescence intensity using the sodium fluorescence probe CoroNaTM Green. The toxicity curvilinear relationship was also generated between the toxin dosage and cell survival using CCK-8 method. Based on these standard curves, the presence of ciguatoxin was detected in 33 samples of deep-sea coral fish.A correlation was found between the detection results of cell-based fluorescence assay and cytotoxicity assay, whose detection limit reached 103 g/ml and 1012 g/ml, respectively. The cell-based fluorescent assay sensitivity showed a higher sensitivity than cytotoxicity assay with a 2-4 h reduction of the detection time.The cell-based fluorescent assay can quickly and sensitively detect ciguatoxin and may serve as a good option for preliminary screening of the toxin.

Analysis of serological and genetic characteristics on 2009 swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus (S-OIV) isolated from four patients with severe disease in Shenzhen were performed. Microneutralization assay showed that the neutralizing antibody titers of the infected patients did not exceed 1 : 20 in a short term post infection, which could not neutralize the viruses efficiently. Hemagglutination inhibition (HI) tests confirmed that the antigenicity of S-OIV from the patients was distinct from the seasonal influenza A virus, but similar to the reference strains of S-OIV. Phylogenetic and molecular analysis showed that S-OIV from the patients still belonged to the classical swine lineages and did not have the genetic characteristics of highly pathogenic influenza virus. Several amino acid residue mutations on HA protein were detected, which seemed not to affect the virulence and pathogenicity of the viruses. Further, A His 275 Tyr mutation on NA protein of a virus strain was detected, which induced the oseltamivir resistance of the virus.

To explore the association between polymorphisms of adiponectin gene and the risk of ischemic stroke in Han population from the Northern parts of China.TaqMan probe of RT-PCR was applied to detect the genotype frequency of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) (rs266729 and rs2241766) of adiponectin gene in 357 ischemic stroke cases who developed the episode at first time and with 345 healthy controls. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship of each genotype of SNPs and ischemic stroke.Mutation of rs2241766 (TG) increased the risk of ischemic stroke among all the samples (OR = 1.55, P = 0.01) and it was still the risk factor of ischemic stroke when analyzed by multi-factors logistic regression after each factor was adjusted (OR = 1.55, P = 0.00). The polymorphism of rs266729 was not related to the risk of ischemic stroke among all the samples (OR = 1.13, P = 0.57). However, the genotype GG of rs266729 increased the risk of ischemic stroke among female population (OR = 3.25, P = 0.04).The variance of rs2241766 in adiponectin gene was related to the risk of ischemic stroke in Han population from the Northern parts of China and the genotype GG of rs266729 could possibly increase the risk of ischemic stroke in women of Han population from the Northern parts of the country.

To understand the immunological status of Japanese encephalitis (JE) antibodies amongst migrant workers and to provide epidemiological basis for public health strategies on JE prevention and control in Shenzhen.A multi-stage random sampling method was used, and 1003 migrant workers aged 18 to 60 from 44 factories were investigated and their serum specimens were collected. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect JE antibodies qualitatively.The gross IgG seroprevalence rate for JE was 20.2% (203/1003). Sex-specified seroprevalence was 21.2% (103/485) for male and 19.3% (100/518) for female, respectively (χ(2) = 579, P0.05). Age-specific seropositive rates were 22.6% (12/53) for those below 20 years old, 18.7% (120/642) for those between 20-years old, 26.0% (58/223) for those between 30-years old and 15.3% (13/85) for those on or above 40 years old (χ(2) = 7.96, P0.05). Proportions for self-reported positive immunization, non-immunization and unclear immunization history were 22.1% (30/136), 22.1% (51/231) and 19.2% (122/636), respectively (χ(2) = 501, P0.05). Seroprevalence by region of origins showed that workers from Guangdong province was the highest (30.5%, 50/164), followed by workers from Guangxi (29.7%, 22/74) whilst workers from Shan(3)xi (5.4%, 2/37) had the lowest rate. Seroprevalence rate for managers (29.0%, 31/107) was higher than that of technicians (7.1%, 1/14) (χ(2) = 21.78, P0.05). Serological positive rate of workers with university or above educational background was the highest (32.7%, 16/49), followed by that for individuals with college degree (10.3%, 10/97) (χ(2) = 13.02, P0.05).No associations are detected between JE seroprevalence and age, or sex, or self-reported immunization histories amongst migrant labor workers in Shenzhen. However, correlations between JE serological positive rate and region of origins, occupation and educational attainment are found to be significant. The gross seroprevalence of JE antibodies suggests that the level of JE antibodies amongst Shenzhen migrant workers is low and the population immunity barrier has yet to be established. It is necessary to strengthen prevention and control strategies of JE among labor workers of Shenzhen.

Background MiR-221 and miR-222 (miR-221/222) are frequently up-regulated in various types of human malignancy including glioblastoma. Recent studies have reported that miR-221/222 regulate cell growth and cell cycle progression by targeting p27 and p57. However the underlying mechanism involved in cell survival modulation of miR-221/222 remains elusive. Results Here we showed that miR-221/222 inhibited cell apoptosis by targeting pro-apoptotic gene PUMA in human glioma cells. Enforced expression of miR-22/222 induced cell survival whereas knockdown of miR-221/222 rendered cells to apoptosis. Further, miR-221/222 reduced PUMA protein levels by targeting PUMA-3'UTR. Introducing PUMA cDNA without 3'UTR abrogated miR-221/222-induced cell survival. Notably, knockdown of miR-221/222 induces PUMA expression and cell apoptosis and considerably decreases tumor growth in xenograft model. Finally, there was an inverse relationship between PUMA and miR-221/222 expression in glioma tissues. Conclusion To our knowledge, these data indicate for the first time that miR-221/222 directly regulate apoptosis by targeting PUMA in glioblastoma and that miR-221/222 could be potential therapeutic targets for glioblastoma intervention.

To study the infection status and the molecular characteristics of Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated from diarrheal patients in Shenzhen, in 2007 to 2008 and to provide evidence for the prevention and control of diarrheal diseases caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus.More than 80 fecal specimens from four sentinel surveillance hospitals were collected and cultured each month. A total of 361 isolates of Vibrio parahaemolyticus were sero-typed and examined by real-time PCR for the presence of two major virulence genes, tdh and trh. Of 361 strains, 60 O3: K6 strains isolated from six suspected outbreaks in August, 2007 and in September, 2008 were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).4384 stool samples were detected in four sentinel surveillance hospitals and with 361 Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains isolated that belonged to 28 serotypes. Serotype O3:K6, O4:K8 and O1:KUT accounted for 67.90%, 7.50% and 6.10%, respectively. Of 361 strains, 337 strains belonged to tdh+trh-, 11 strains were tdh-trh- and 13 strains were tdh+trh+. The most prevalent serotype which caused diarrheal diseases was tdh+trh in Shenzhen. The 60 isolates were discriminated into twenty different PFGE patterns, which belonged to three clones. Among the 60 isolates, most of the PFGE patterns of isolates from the suspected outbreak locations were identical and some strains isolated from different year were different.Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates in Shenzhen were dominated by O3:K6 strains. Most of these isolates carried tdh gene and few carried trh gene. Meanwhile, the identical patterns of isolates from 6 suspected outbreaks locations demonstrated that Vibrio parahaemolyticus outbreaks occurred in July 2007 and in September 2008 in Shenzhen. However, the dominated strains' PFGE patterns were different each year, indicating that the sources of Vibrio parahaemolyticus had a multiplex nature and the multiplex sources such as water, sea food and pickled products should be integrated monitored. Laboratory based surveillance of diarrheal diseases could contribute in establishing early warning system for the better prevention and control of diarrheal diseases.

To analyze the clinical outcomes of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with spermatozoa from different sources.We retrospectively studied the rates of fertilization, clinical pregnancy, implantation, abortion, ectopic pregnancy and delivery in 682 patients treated by ICSI, who were divided according to the sperm sources into an ejaculated sperm group (ES, n = 598), a percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA, n = 58) and a testicular sperm extraction (TSE, n = 26).The fertilization rate was significantly lower in the TSE than in the ES and PESA groups (81.06% vs 87.95% and 87.82%, P0.05). But no statistically significant differences were observed among the ES, PESA and TSE groups in the rates of clinical pregnancy (39.46%, 48.28% and 34.62%), implantation (19.80%, 23.80% and 18.34%), abortion (13.13%, 17.86% and 11.11%), ectopic pregnancy (5.51%, 7.14% and 11.11%) and delivery (32.11%, 36.21% and 26.92%) (P0.05).Although TSE-obtained sperm affect the rate of fertilization, those obtained by TSE and PESA do not obviously influence the outcome of clinical pregnancy.

To study the factors affecting the management and treatment of immigrant workers with tuberculosis, to determine the most effective measures and to provide an academic basis for tuberculosis control and prevention strategies targeting the immigrant population.A self-designed questionnaire was administered to 1364 immigrant workers with tuberculosis (study group) and 436 local residents (control group) with tuberculosis.Whether a patient's tuberculosis status was discovered or not was related to the medical facilities initially visited, job mobility, and the individual worker's economic condition. The percentage of cases discovered was relatively low among those who made their first visit to a private clinic (39.0%), and 58.4% (796) of immigrant workers delayed their first consultation mainly due to neglecting symptoms (55.9%, 445), subjective perception of symptoms being not severe enough (19.3%, 154) to visit a physician and the inconvenience of visiting a hospital because of its being far away from home (15.8%, 47). As comparing immigrant workers with local residents, the differences of the delay reason between the two groups were statistically significant (chi(2) = 21.49, P0.01). And 39.9% (544) of immigrant workers and 49.1% (214) of local residents had had late confirmation. The differences of the delay reasons between the two groups were insignificant (chi(2) = 7.31, P = 0.293). And 17.6% (240) patients of immigrant workers and 13.1% (57) patients of local residents did not keep to their drug regimens in a timely fashion. The differences of the reasons between the two groups were insignificant (chi(2) = 6.66, P0.05). And 77.5% (1057) of immigrant workers and 31.8% (138) of local residents were considered that taking medicine in supervision spot might have impact on their lives and work. The differences of the reasons between the two groups were significant (chi(2) = 9.71, P0.05). All 79.2% (1080) of immigrant workers and 63.3% (276) of local residents did not obtain medicine according to prescriptions. The differences of reasons between the two groups were statistically significant (chi(2) = 24.84, P0.01). And 51.2% (699) of immigrant workers and 46.1% (201) of the registered population did not follow up with doctors' directions for lab tests. The differences of the reasons between the two groups were insignificant (chi(2) = 3.26, P0.05).The influential factors in tuberculosis management and treatment were complex. Prevention strategies should focus on health education and promotion activities to improve awareness in seeking medical services. Also, developing and standardizing reference mechanisms for patients, and alleviating the economic burden of the workers will be critical to reduce the tuberculosis incidence.

To screen breast cancer resistance protein BCRP-mediated resistance agents and to investigate the relations between BCRP expression and drug resistance.MT assay was performed to screen BCRP-mediated resistant agents with established BCRP expression cell model. While, the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay was administrated to measure the related dosage of intracellular retention resistant agents. The BCRP expression was investigated by both real-time RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay in 140 clinical breast cancer tissue specimens. Chemosensitivity to resistant agents for clinical breast cancer tissue specimens was analyzed by MT assay. The Nonparametric variance statistics method was used to analyze the correlations between clinical breast cancer tissue of BCRP expression and drug resistance.MT assay showed that increasing resistance of 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu) climbed with the increases of the BCRP expressions by 10.58 times (P0.05, n = 3) in cell model. HPLC assay also proved that a significant negative correlation between the intracellular retention dose of 5-Fu with different expression of BCRP (r = -0.897, P0.05, n = 3). Forty-seven tissue specimens of BCRP-positive expression were rapidly determined by using both real-time RT-PCR and IHC in 140 clinical breast cancer tissue specimens. Subsequently, the resistance index (RI) for 47 BCRP-positive clinical breast cancer tissues to 5-Fu was shown from 7 to 12 times compared with normal cancer-side tissues through MT assay. The statistical correlation between BCRP expression and 5-Fu resistance was observed in clinical breast cancer tissue specimens (R2 = 0.8124, P0.01).This study results showed that there is a significant relationship between BCRP expression and 5-Fu resistance. Moreover, the results suggest that the chemotherapy scheme could be optimized on BCRP-positive expression breast cancer patients.

To explore the relationship of migration and oxidative DNA damage by comparative study of oxidative DNA damage effects on people with different years of migration among Xinjiang Hasake ethnicity in Shenzhen.Sixty Hasake residents in Shenzhen were selected, and were divided into three groups (n=20) according to the years of migration. Major changes of their life style were investigated. 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG) levels in urine were analyzed, and comet assay of peripheral blood lymphocytes conducted.When comparing with the group having a shorter than 1 year of stay,a significant decrease of oliveira tail moment and tail/head length in comet assay in the3 years group (P0.05) was observed 8-OH-dG level decreased significantly in 1-3 years group (P0.05) and3 years group (P0.01).Our results suggested that life style changes which related to migration might reduce DNA damage in Hasake nationalities.

To analyze the genetic relations of Shigella isolated from Shenzhen in 2001-2006 and develop primary molecular subtyping surveillance network of Shigella.Chromosomal DNAs from 55 isolated in agarose were digested with the restriction enzyme Xba I, and then were analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns were clustered using BioNumerics software.All 41 distinctive PFGE patterns were identified among 55 strains. 32 strains belonged to one cluster. Differences were observed in other strains.Both genetic-related clones and non-related clones of Shigella existed in Shenzhen. The development of PFGE molecular subtyping surveillance network would contribute to the active surveillance, outbreak investigation and source tracking for Shigellosis.

Based on analyzing the characteristics of a case with human avian influenza and the effects of field epidemiological study.An emergency-response-system was started up to follow the probable human Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza case initially detected by the "Undefined Pneumonia Surveillance System of Shenzhen". Public health professionals administered several epidemiologic investigations and giving all the contacts of the patient with a 7-day-long medical observation for temporally related influenza-like illness. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with primers for H5 and N1 was applied to test respiratory tract samples and/or throat swabs of the patient and all his contacts specific for the hemagglutinin gene of influenza A H5N1. Activities and strategies such as media response,notification in the public, communications with multiple related sectors, social participation and information exchange with Hong Kong were involved in field control and management.The patient was a male, 31 years old,with an occupation as a truck driver in a factory,and had been residing in Shenzhen for 7 years. Started with an influenza-like syndrome, the patient received treatment on the 4th day of the onset, from a clinic and on the 6th day from a regular hospital. On the 8th day of the disease course, he was confirmed by Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention as human avian flu case and was then transferred to Intensive Care Unit (ICU). On the 83rd day of commence, the patients was healed and released from the hospital. The patient had no significant exposure to sick poultry or poultry that died from the illness before the onset of the disease. The patient and five family members lived together, but no family member was affected and no contact showed positive results for H5N1. A small food market with live poultry, which was under formal supervision and before illness the patient once visited, located near his apartment. Totally, 35 swabs from live birds and bird's coops in the market for H5 nucleic acid were tested and all were negative. The influenza H5N1 virus isolated for the case was named as A/Guangdong/02/2006 (H5N1) or GD/2/06. Phylogenetic relationships and molecular characterization analysis revealed that all the segments of the H5N1 virus named GD/2/06 still belonged to avian segments. Investigation process and control measures were released to the general public through the media. Soon after the laboratory confirmation, information was released to the society, as well as Hong Kong Center for Health Protection. Local Departments of Agriculture, IndustriesBusiness, and Entry-Exit InspectionQuarantine Bureau together with the Public Health Department put up combined actions. A computer-based telephone survey was initiated to investigate attitudes and knowledge of residents in town, revealing that positive atmosphere dominated and no panic existed.Rapid laboratory diagnosis of the virus was the key for successful treatment and survival result of the case. Still, the pathogen was from birds resources. No human-to-human transmission was observed, however, source of infection was unclear. Field epidemiological study could offer special methods for the responses of emergency public health problems.

Through questionnaire and screening, epidemiology of syphilis in pregnant women and related risk factors were studied, to develop effective policy and reducing the negative impact of the disease.All pregnant women who appeared at the hospitals the first time, were included, in Shenzhen city. Tolulized Red Unheated Serum Test (TRUST) method was used for primary screening and positive results were confirmed by the Treponema Pallidum Particle Agglutination (TPPA) test at the Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention (SZCDC). Positive patients were informed and treated and the pregnancies were managed accordingly at the SZCDC.From 2003-2005, 418,871 (94.7%) pregnant were screened. Epidemiological and treatment data were collected from 2019 positive cases of infectious syphilis (0.48%). Among them, 94.2% were between 20 and 35 years old, with 93.6% of them had only junior high school education and 63.4% of them worked as commercial services or jobless which was significantly higher than other occupations (OR = 8.628). 89.5% of them were from other cities, significantly higher than from local residents (OR = 8.733). Gestational weeks at original diagnosis was longer and the infection rate higher.The infection rate of syphilis in Shenzhen was still at a high level which was related to occupation, education level, place of residency, gestational weeks at first diagnosis etc. Further screening measures and early intervention were important.

Stroke is a multiple genetic disease. Platelet-derived growth factor-D has been found to be involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, suggesting possible association between platelet-derived growth factor-D and the development of ischemic stroke. However, little information on the relationship between platelet-derived growth factor-D and stroke is currently available. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between platelet-derived growth factor-D genetic variation and the risk of ischemic stroke in a Chinese population. We conducted a case-control study with 309 ischemic stroke patients and 309 sex and age (

Background Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) was involved in the pathogenetic mechanisms responsible for ischemic stroke (IS). Population-based sample have revealed gene-gender interaction in blood pressure which is major risk for IS. We sought to evaluate whether ICAM-1 K469E polymorphism was involved in the causation of IS and whether it was different between female and male. Methods A 1:1 case-control study was conducted. The K469E polymorphism of ICAM-1 gene were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction enzyme analysis in Chinese patients with IS (n = 309) and elderly subjects without IS (n = 309). Results ICAM-1 K469E polymorphism was significantly associated with IS. Interestingly, a further analysis stratified by sex found that there was significance between 469E genotypes and IS in female, but not in male. Multiple regression analysis revealed that ICAM-1 K469E polymorphism was still significantly associated with IS, compared with ICAM-1 KK genotype in all population (OR = 1.60, P = 0.030). Stratified by sex, EE combined EK was contributory factor to IS in female (OR = 3.03, P = 0.004), but not in male. After adjustment for confounding factors, the interaction between female and ICAM-1 EK/EE genotypes was found (OR = 3.54, P = 0.001). Conclusions It is suggested that the ICAM-1 469E allele may be important in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke, especially in female but not in male.

To investigate the distribution of Nontuberculous mycobacteria in the environment of Shenzhen city and its related sensitivity to drugs.145 samples in the environment of Shenzhen city were collected and the samples were isolated, identified and its drug sensitivity were detected according to the "Procedure of Bacteriological Determination Regulation for Tuberculous Diagnosis", issued in 1995 by the Antituberculosis Association of China.All together, 53 strains of Mycobacteria were detected from the 145 sample, including 6 of them isolated from the polluted water in the hospital before disinfected, 4 from the polluted water in the hospital after disinfected, 4 from the dirt of air condition in the hospital, 34 from the polluted water in the residential area, 3 from the ocean water and 2 from the fountain. M. nonchromogenicum, M. avium, M. fortuitum, M. gordonae, M. genavense, M. chelonae and M. intracellulare were identified.Nontuberculous mycobacteria seemed to widely exist in the environment of Shenzhen city and the ratio of drug-resistant was high. Attention should be paid to the influence of Nontuberculous mycobacteria on humans in order to formulate effective control measure.

The oncogenic role of AKT2 in the development of malignant gliomas was examined by using antisense approach. AKT2 expression was significantly inhibited in rat C6 glioma cells transfected with antisense AKT2 cDNA construct (LXSN-AS-AKT2). In addition, the transfected cells proliferated at a lowered level and apoptosis was induced. For in vivo studies, parental C6 cells and C6 cells transfected with LXSN-AS-AKT2 were implanted stereotactically into the right caudate nucleus of SD rats (control C6 group and transfected group). The rats bearing well-established C6 gliomas were treated with LXSN-AS-AKT2 DNA or LXSN (empty vector)-lipofectamine complexes intratumorally (treated group and control treated group). The mean survival of the rats of control C6 group and treated control group was 17.8+/-0.92 days and 17.5+/-1.10 days, respectively. The mean survival of the rats of transfected and treated group was significantly prolonged. MR images revealed distinct cerebral tumor foci in all of the control rats, whereas four rats in transfected group did not develop tumors and the tumor foci in five rats of treated group were regressed and disappeared. The expression of AKT2, PCNA, MMP2/9, and cyclin D were inhibited in the tumors of rats in transfected and treated groups while GFAP expression was increased. These results suggest that AKT pathway may play an important role in the development and progression of gliomas. Anti-AKT approach will open a new perspective for a targeted molecular therapy of malignant gliomas.

OBJECTIVE: To screen and evaluate the active constituents of Chinese medicinal herbs as potent inhibitors of Cdc25 phosphatase. METHODS: The affinity chromatography purified glutashione-S-transferase/Cdc25A phosphatase fusion protein and Cdc2/cyclin B from the extracts of starfish M phase oocytes are used as the cell cycle-specific targets for screening the antimitotic constituents. We tested 9 extracts isolated from the Chinese medicinal herbs and vegetables including the agents currently used in cancer treatment by measuring the inhibition of Cdc25A phosphatase and Cdc2 kinase activity. The antitumor activity of the extracts was also evaluated by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay and flow cytometry. RESULTS: Cdc25A inhibitory activity and antitumor activity are detected in the extracts isolated from three Chinese medicinal herbs Agrimona pilosa; Herba solani lyrati; Galla chinesis. CONCLUSION: We found three extracts isolated from Chinese medicinal herbs have potential inhibitory activity of Cdc25 phosphatase using a highly specific mechanism-based screen assay for antimitotic drug discovery.

To examine the significance of individual risk on diabetes to subjects who underwent diabetes screening.2003 asymptomatic diabetes subjects with high-risk factors of diabetes as family history, obesity, hypertension, and/or dyslipidemia, fetal giant history were screened. 5362 subjects having no risk factors but from the same community were allocated as controls.There were 131 (6.54%) diabetes identified in the screening group and 1547 (77.23%) subjects having 1 risk factor, 387 (19.27%) having 2 risk factors, 70 (3.49%) having 3 or more risk factors. There were 96 (1.79%) diabetes identified in the control group. Compared with control group, the OR (95% CI) value was 2.68 (2.20-3.25) after adjusted on age among the high risk group. The OR value of those having 1 risk factor was 2.89, but these having 3 or more risk factors increased to 4.68.The relation between the risk of high-risk group with diabetes and the number of risk factors of diabetes presented positive correlation. Early and regular screening for diabetes was essential in these individuals with high-risk factors.

To study the epidemiological characters and risk factors of renal calculi in Shenzhen for future intervention.Risk factors of renal calculi were analyzed by factor analysis and linear structural relation model, followed by fitting and evaluating the model.The prevalence rates of renal calculi were 8.00% and 5.12% in males and females. The results of LISEREL showed that the total effect of age and sex affecting the development of renal calculi was 0.4614, with directly effect 0.3600 and indirect 0.1014. The direct effects of blood uric acid, blood calcium and body mass index, blood cholesterol, blood sugar were 0.3400 and 0.3200 respectively. The indirect effect of education, exercise and dietary habit affected the development of renal calculi through index of biochemistry and obesity, were -0.0416 and 0.1882.Sex, age, obesity and high blood cholesterol, high blood sugar, high blood uric acid, high blood calcium were the direct influencing factors to renal calculi. At the same time, education, exercise and dietary habit were also associated with the disease.

This Paper investigates the bending behavior of piezoelectric laminates under combined mechanical and electrical loading. The laminate has a PZT - 5H ceramic core sandwiched by graphite/epoxy plates. Three-point bending tests and in-situ acoustic emission measurements were conducted on the PZT-5H laminates preloaded by an applied electric field. The results show that the PZT-5H core fractures first and then delaminaton occurs along the tensile stressed interface between the PZT ceremic and the graphite/epoxy layer. Finite element analysis was performed to analyze stresses in the sandwich structure under combined mechanical and electrical loading. Consequently, the bending strength of the PZT core was evaluated from the experiment data. The electric field, either positive or negative, reduces the fracture strength of the pzt core.

The AKT2 oncogene encodes a protein-serine/threonine kinase containing a pleckstrin homology domain characteristic of many signaling proteins. Recently, it was shown that AKT2 kinase activity can be induced by platelet-derived growth factor through phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase, suggesting that AKT2 may be an important signal mediator that contributes to the control of cell proliferation. We previously reported amplification and overexpression of AKT2 in human cancers. To investigate the transforming activity of AKT2, we used a retrovirus-based construct to express AKT2 in NIH3T3 cells. Overexpression of AKT2 was found to transform NIH3T3 cells, as determined by growth in soft agar and tumor formation in nude mice. The oncogenic activity of AKT2 was diminished by truncation of a 70-amino acid proline-rich region at the carboxyl-terminus. To facilitate the characterization of AKT2, we generated monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies against this protein. AKT2 was localized to the cytoplasm by cell fractionation experiments, immunocytochemistry, and immunofluorescence. Protein levels were more abundant in mitotic cells than in interphase cells. Western blot analysis of synchronized pancreatic cancer cells demonstrated that the expression level of AKT2 protein in mitotic cells is three to fivefold higher than in their interphase counterparts. A time-course study of phytohemagglutinin-stimulated lymphocytes revealed that AKT2 mRNA and AKT2 protein levels are highest 48 – 72 h after addition of mitogen, when cells are actively dividing. These data suggest that AKT2 could play a significant role in cell cycle progression and that the oncogenic activity of overexpressed AKT2 may be mediated by aberrant regulation of cellular proliferation.

We previously demonstrated that the putative oncogene AKT2 is amplified and overexpressed in some human ovarian carcinomas. We have now identified amplification of AKT2 in approximately 10% of pancreatic carcinomas (2 of 18 cell lines and 1 of 10 primary tumor specimens). The two cell lines with altered AKT2 (PANC1 and ASPC1) exhibited 30-fold and 50-fold amplification of AKT2, respectively, and highly elevated levels of AKT2 RNA and protein. PANC1 cells were transfected with antisense AKT2, and several clones were established after G418 selection. The expression of AKT2 protein in these clones was greatly decreased by the antisense RNA. Furthermore, tumorigenicity in nude mice was markedly reduced in PANC1 cells expressing antisense AKT2 RNA. To examine further whether overexpression of AKT2 plays a significant role in pancreatic tumorigenesis, PANC1 cells and ASPC1 cells, as well as pancreatic carcinoma cells that do not overexpress AKT2 (COLO 357), were transfected with antisense AKT2, and their growth and invasiveness were characterized by a rat tracheal xenotransplant assay. ASPC1 and PANC1 cells expressing antisense AKT2 RNA remained confined to the tracheal lumen, whereas the respective parental cells invaded the tracheal wall. In contrast, no difference was seen in the growth pattern between parental and antisense-treated COLO 357 cells. These data suggest that overexpression of AKT2 contributes to the malignant phenotype of a subset of human ductal pancreatic cancers.

Malignant mesotheliomas (MMs) are aggressive tumors that develop most frequently in the pleura of patients exposed to asbestos. In contrast to many other cancers, relatively few molecular alterations have been described in MMs. The most frequent numerical cytogenetic abnormality in MMs is loss of chromosome 22. The neurofibromatosis type 2 gene (NF2) is a tumor suppressor gene assigned to chromosome 22q which plays an important role in the development of familial and spontaneous tumors of neuroectodermal origin. Although MMs have a different histogenic derivation, the frequent abnormalities of chromosome 22 warranted an investigation of the NF2 gene in these tumors. Both cDNAs from 15 MM cell lines and genomic DNAs from 7 matched primary tumors were analyzed for mutations within the NF2 coding region. NF2 mutations predicting either interstitial in-frame deletions or truncation of the NF2-encoded protein (merlin) were detected in eight cell lines (53%), six of which were confirmed in primary tumor DNAs. In two samples that showed NF2 gene transcript alterations, no genomic DNA mutations were detected, suggesting that aberrant splicing may constitute an additional mechanism for merlin inactivation. These findings implicate NF2 in the oncogenesis of primary MMs and provide evidence that this gene can be involved in the development of tumors other than nervous system neoplasms characteristic of the NF2 disorder. In addition, unlike NF2-related tumors, MM derives from the mesoderm; malignancies of this origin have not previously been associated with frequent alterations of the NF2 gene.

The AKT2 gene is one of the human homologues of v-akt, the transduced oncogene of the AKT8 virus, which induces lymphomas in mice. In previous studies, AKT2, which codes for a serine-threonine protein kinase, was shown to be amplified and overexpressed in some human ovarian carcinoma cell lines and amplified in primary tumors of the ovary. To confirm and extend these findings, we conducted a large-scale, multicenter study of AKT2 alterations in ovarian and breast cancer. Southern-blot analysis demonstrated AKT2 amplification in 16 of 132 (12.1%) ovarian carcinomas and in 3 of 106 (2.8%) breast carcinomas. No AKT2 alteration was detected in 24 benign or borderline tumors. Northern-blot analysis revealed overexpression of AKT2 in 3 of 25 fresh ovarian carcinomas which were negative for AKT2 amplification. The difference in the incidence of AKT2 alterations in ovarian and breast cancer suggests a specific role for this gene in ovarian oncogenesis. No significant association was found between AKT2 amplification and amplification of the proto-oncogenes MYC and ERBB2, suggesting that amplification of AKT2 defines an independent subset of breast and ovarian cancers. Ovarian cancer patients with AKT2 alterations appear to have a poor prognosis. Amplification of AKT2 was especially frequent in undifferentiated tumors (4 of 8, p = 0.019), suggesting that AKT2 alterations may be associated with tumor aggressiveness.

We isolated cDNA clones containing the entire coding region of the putative oncogene AKT2. Sequence analysis and in vitro translation demonstrated that AKT2 encodes a 56-kDa protein with homology to serine/threonine kinases; moreover, this protein contains a Src homology 2-like domain. AKT2 was shown to be amplified and overexpressed in 2 of 8 ovarian carcinoma cell lines and 2 of 15 primary ovarian tumors. AKT2 was mapped to chromosome region 19q13.1-q13.2 by fluorescence in situ hybridization. In the two ovarian carcinoma cell lines exhibiting amplification of AKT2, the amplified sequences were localized within homogeneously staining regions. We conclude that AKT2 belongs to a distinct subfamily of protein-serine/threonine kinases containing Src homology 2-like domains and that alterations of AKT2 may contribute to the pathogenesis of ovarian carcinomas.