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Background: Newborn anogenital distance (AGD) has been associated with prenatal exposure of phthalates. The association between prenatal phthalate exposure and sex steroid hormones in newborns is unclear. Object: This study aimed to examine whether cord-blood sex hormone levels were associated with prenatal phthalate exposure and newborn anogenital distance (AGD). Methods: In the Taiwan Maternal and Infant Cohort Study, we recruited 1,676 pregnant women in their third trimester in 2012–2015 in Taiwan. We determined 11 urinary phthalate metabolites in pregnant women, three maternal and five cord-blood steroid sex-hormone concentrations. Five hundred and sixty-five mother-infant pairs with sufficient data were included. Trained neonatologists measured 263 newborns' AGD. We examined the associations of prenatal phthalate metabolite levels with AGD and hormones using linear regression models and evaluated correlations between maternal and cord-blood sex hormone levels and AGD. Results: Compared with the male newborns exposed to maternal phthalate metabolites at the first tertile, AGD was -3.75, -3.43, and -3.53 mm shorter among those exposed at the median tertile of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) metabolites, monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP), and monomethyl phthalate (MMP), respectively. Compared with those who had exposed at the first tertile, cord-blood follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) decreased among male newborns exposed at higher levels of MMP, mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP), MBzP and DEHP, and among female newborns exposed at higher levels of MMP, MBzP and mono(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate. However, we did not observe significant correlations of maternal or cord-blood sex steroid hormones with newborns' AGDs. Conclusions: Alterations in cord-blood sex steroid hormone levels were associated with prenatal phthalate exposures, particularly in male newborns. Women aspiring to be pregnant should be alerted of the need of reducing phthalate exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eighty-eight rice (Oryza sativa) cDNAs encoding rice leaf expressed protein kinases (PKs) were fused to a Tandem Affinity Purification tag (TAP-tag) and expressed in transgenic rice plants. The TAP-tagged PKs and interacting proteins were purified from the T1 progeny of the transgenic rice plants and identified by tandem mass spectrometry. Forty-five TAP-tagged PKs were recovered in this study and thirteen of these were found to interact with other rice proteins with a high probability score. In vivo phosphorylated sites were found for three of the PKs. A comparison of the TAP-tagged data from a combined analysis of 129 TAP-tagged rice protein kinases with a concurrent screen using yeast two hybrid methods identified an evolutionarily new rice protein that interacts with the well conserved cell division cycle 2 (CDC2) protein complex.

Rationale: Cilostazol, an anti-platelet phosphodiesterase-3 inhibitor used for the treatment of intermittent claudication, is known for its pleiotropic effects on platelets, endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells. However, how cilostazol impacts the endocrine system and the injury-induced inflammatory processes remains unclear. Methods: We used the zebrafish, a simple transparent model that demonstrates rapid development and a strong regenerative ability, to test whether cilostazol influences heart rate, steroidogenesis, and the temporal and dosage effects of cilostazol on innate immune cells during tissue damage and repair. Results: While dosages of cilostazol from 10 to 100 μM did not induce any noticeable morphological abnormality in the embryonic and larval zebrafish, the heart rate was increased as measured by ImageJ TSA method. Moreover, adrenal/interrenal steroidogenesis in larval zebrafish, analyzed by whole-mount 3β-Hsd enzymatic activity and cortisol ELISA assays, was significantly enhanced. During embryonic fin amputation and regeneration, cilostazol treatments led to a subtle yet significant effect on reducing the aggregation of Mpx-expressing neutrophil at the lesion site, but did not affect the immediate injury-induced recruitment and retention of Mpeg1-expressing macrophages. Conclusions: Our results indicate that cilostazol has a significant effect on the heart rate and the growth as well as endocrine function of steroidogenic tissue; with a limited effect on the migration of innate immune cells during tissue damage and repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD), including Graves disease (GD) and Hashimoto disease (HD), is an organ-specific autoimmune disease with a strong genetic component. Although the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA4) polymorphism has been reported to be associated with AITD in adults, few studies have focused on children. The aim of our study was to investigate whether the CTLA4 polymorphisms, including -318C/T (rs5742909), +49A/G (rs231775), and CT60 (rs3087243), were associated with GD and HD in Han Chinese adults and children. We studied 289 adult GD, 265 pediatric GD, 229 pediatric HD patients, and 1058 healthy controls and then compared genotype, allele, carrier, and haplotype frequencies between patients and controls. We found that CTLA4 SNPs +49A/G and CT60 were associated with GD in adults and children. Allele G of +49A/G was significantly associated with GD in adults (odds ratio [OR], 1.50; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21-1.84; corrected P value [Pc] < 0.001) and children (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.15-1.77; Pc = 0.002). Allele G of CT60 also significantly increased risk of GD in adults (OR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.27-2.09; Pc < 0.001) and GD in children (OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.22-2.04; Pc < 0.001). Significant linkage disequilibrium was found between +49A/G and CT60 in GD and control subjects (D' = 0.92). Our results showed that CTLA4 was associated with both GD and HD and played an equivalent role in both adult and pediatric GD in Han Chinese population.

Heat stress is important in the pathogenesis of intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction. Ferulic acid (FA), a phenolic acid widely found in fruits and vegetables, can scavenge free radicals and activate cell stress responses. This study is aimed at investigating protective effects of FA on heat stress-induced dysfunction of the intestinal epithelial barrier in vitro and in vivo. Intestinal epithelial (IEC-6) cells were pretreated with FA for 4 h and then exposed to heat stress. Heat stress caused decreased transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) and increased permeability to 4-kDa fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran (FD4). Both effects were inhibited by FA in a dose-dependent manner. FA significantly attenuated the decrease in occludin, ZO-1 and E-cadherin expression observed with heat stress. The distortion and redistribution of occludin, ZO-1 and E-cadherin proteins were also effectively prevented by FA pretreatment. Moreover, heat stress diminished electron-dense material detected in tight junctions (TJs), an effect also alleviated by FA in a dose-dependent manner. In an in vivo heat stress model, FA (50 mg/kg) was administered to male Sprague-Dawley rats for 7 consecutive days prior to exposure to heat stress. FA pretreatment significantly attenuated the effects of heat stress on the small intestine, including the increased FD4 permeability, disrupted tight junctions and microvilli structure, and reduced occludin, ZO-1 and E-cadherin expression. Taken together, our results demonstrate that FA pretreatment is potentially protective against heat stress-induced intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction.

We investigated the mechanisms underlying damage to rat small intestine in heat- and shake-induced stress. Eighteen Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a control group and a 3-day stressed group treated 2 h daily for 3 days on a rotary platform at 35°C and 60 r/min. Hematoxylin and eosin-stained paraffin sections of the jejunum following stress revealed shedding of the villus tip epithelial cells and lamina propria exposure. Apoptosis increased at the villus tip and extended to the basement membrane. Photomicrographs revealed that the microvilli were shorter and sparser; the nuclear envelope invaginated and gaps in the karyolemma increased; and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) swelled significantly. Gene microarray analysis assessed 93 differentially expressed genes associated with apoptosis, ER stress, and autophagy. Relevant genes were compiled from the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases. Forty-one genes were involved in the regulation of apoptosis, fifteen were related to autophagy, and eleven responded to ER stress. According to KEGG, the apoptosis pathways, mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) signaling pathway, the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway, and regulation of autophagy were involved. Caspase3 (Casp3), caspase12 (Casp12), and microtubule-associate proteins 1 light chain 3(LC3) increased significantly at the villus tip while mTOR decreased; phosphorylated-AKT (P-AKT) decreased. ER stress was involved and induced autophagy and apoptosis in rat intestinal damage following heat and shake stress. Bioinformatic analysis will help determine the underlying mechanisms in stress-induced damage in the small intestine.

Background: A hybrid topographic and numeric lymph node (LN) staging system for gastric cancer, which was recently proposed by Japanese experts as a simple method with a prognostic predictive power comparable to the N staging of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Tumor-node-metastasis classification, has not yet been validated in other Asian countries. This study aimed to examine the prognostic predictability of the hybrid staging system with the current AJCC staging system in gastric cancer. Methods: Overall, 400 patients with gastric cancer who underwent surgery at Changhua Christian Hospital from January 2007 to December 2017 were included in the study. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify prognostic factors for gastric cancer-related death. Homogeneity and discrimination abilities of the two staging systems were compared using likelihood ratio chi-square test, linear trend chi-square test, Harrell’s c-index, and bootstrap analysis. Results: One-third of the LN-positive patients were reclassified into the new N and Stage system. The concordance rates of the two staging systems and the N staging between the two staging systems were 0.810 and 0.729, respectively. Harrell’s c-indices for the stage and N staging were higher in the 7th AJCC staging system than the hybrid staging system (c-index for stage, 0.771 vs 0.764; c-index for nodal stage, 0.713 vs 0.705). Stratification of the patients according to the histological grade revealed that Harrell’s c-indices for the stage and N stage of the hybrid staging system were comparable with those of the 7th AJCC staging system (c-index for AJCC stage vs hybrid stage, 0.800 vs 0.791; c-index for AJCC N stage vs hybrid N stage, 0.746 vs 0.734) among patients with histologically lower grade gastric cancer. The performance of the new nodal staging system was better than that of the 7th AJCC staging system by likelihood ratio and linear trend tests and bootstrap analysis in the low-grade group. Conclusions: The hybrid anatomical location-based classification may have better prognostic predictive ability than the 7th AJCC staging system for LN metastasis of low-grade gastric cancer. Further studies involving different ethnic populations are necessary for the validation of the new staging system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In May 2011, a major incident involving phthalates-contaminated foodstuffs occurred in Taiwan. Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) was added to foodstuffs, mainly juice, jelly, tea, sports drink, and dietary supplements. Concerns arose that normal pubertal development, especially reproductive hormone regulation in children, could be disrupted by DEHP exposure. Objective: To investigate the association between phthalate exposure and reproductive hormone levels among children following potential exposure to phthalate-tainted foodstuffs. Methods: A total of 239 children aged <12 years old were recruited from 3 hospitals in north, central, and south Taiwan after the episode. Structured questionnaires were used to collect the frequency and quantity of exposures to 5 categories of phthalate-contaminated foodstuffs to assess phthalate exposure in children. Urine samples were collected for the measurement of phthalate metabolites. The estimated daily intake of DEHP exposure at the time of the contamination incident occurred was calculated using both questionnaire data and urinary DEHP metabolite concentrations. Multiple regression analyses were applied to assess associations between phthalate exposure and reproductive hormone levels in children. Results: After excluding children with missing data regarding exposure levels and hormone concentrations and girls with menstruation, 222 children were included in the statistical analyses. After adjustment for age and birth weight, girls with above median levels of urinary mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate, mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate, and sum of mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate concentrations had higher odds of above median follicle-stimulating hormone concentrations. Girls with above median estimated average daily DEHP exposures following the contamination episode also had higher odds of sex hormone-binding globulin above median levels. Conclusions: Phthalate exposure was associated with alterations of reproductive hormone levels in girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Whether the characteristics and prognosis of gastric cancer (GC) are different in patients with and without Helicobacter pylori (HP) remains controversial. The definitions of HP status in patients with atrophic gastritis but negative tests for HP are heterogeneous. We aimed to assess the impact of HP on the prognosis of GC using different definitions. Methods: From 1998 Nov to 2011 Jul, five hundred and sixty-seven consecutive patients with GC were included. HP status was determined by serology and histology. Patients with any positive test were defined as HP infection. Patients without HP infection whose serum pepsinogen (PG) I <70 ng/dl and PG I/II ratio < 3.0 were defined as atrophic gastritis and they were categorized into model 1: HP positive; model 2: HP negative; and model 3: exclusion of these patients. Results: We found four characteristics of HP negative GC in comparison to HP positive GC: (1) higher proportion of the proximal tumor location (24.0%, P = 0.004), (2) more diffuse histologic type (56.1%, p = 0.008), (3) younger disease onset (58.02 years, p = 0.008) and (4) more stage IV disease (40.6%, p = 0.03). Patients with negative HP had worse overall survival (24.0% vs. 35.8%, p = 0.035). In Cox regression models, the negative HP status is an independent poor prognostic factor (HR: 1.34, CI:1.04–1.71, p = 0.019) in model 1, especially in stage I, II and III patients (HR: 1.62; CI:1.05–2.51,p = 0.026). Conclusion: We found the distinct characteristics of HP negative GC. The prognosis of HP negative GC was poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mechanical ventilation is a life-saving procedure for patients with acute respiratory failure, although it may cause pulmonary vascular inflammation and leakage, leading to ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). Ly6C+high monocytes are involved in the pathogenesis of VILI. In this study, we investigated whether pulmonary infiltrated Ly6C+high monocytes produce vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and contribute to VILI. Methods: A clinically relevant two-hit mouse model of VILI, with intravenous lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 20 ng/mouse) immediately before high tidal volume (HTV, 20 mL/kg) ventilation (LPS+HTV), was established. Blood gas and respiratory mechanics were measured to ensure the development of VILI. Flow cytometry and histopathological analyses revealed pulmonary infiltration of leukocytes subsets. Clodronate liposomes were intravenously injected to deplete pulmonary monocytes. In vitro endothelial cell permeability assay with sorted Ly6C+high monocytes condition media assessed the role of Ly6C+high monocytes in vascular permeability. Results: LPS+HTV significantly increased total proteins, TNF-α, IL-6, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and mononuclear cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Pulmonary Ly6C+high monocytes (SSClowCD11b+F4/80+Ly6C+high), but not Ly6C+low monocytes (SSClowCD11b+F4/80+Ly6C+low), were significantly elevated starting at 4 hr. Clodronate liposomes were able to significantly reduce pulmonary Ly6C+high monocytes, and VEGF and total protein in BALF, and restore PaO2/FiO2. There was a strong correlation between pulmonary Ly6C+high monocytes and BALF VEGF (R2 = 0.8791, p<0.001). Moreover, sorted Ly6C+high monocytes were able to produce VEGF, resulting in an increased permeability of endothelial cell monolayer in an in vitro endothelial cell permeability assay. Conclusion: VEGF produced by pulmonary infiltrated Ly6C+high monocytes regulates vasculature permeability in a two-hit model of HTV-induced lung injury. Ly6C+high monocytes play an important role in the pathogenesis of VILI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]