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Background: There have been no previous report of hand joint destruction prevalence in Chinese rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and potential factors of hand joint destruction among RA patients from Nantong China. In addition, we wanted to examine the differences between functional capacity, psychological status, and quality of life in patients with hand joint destruction compared to those without hand joint destruction.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from the Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University between July 2015 and June 2016. RA patients completed questionnaires for demographic or clinical variables, the 10-cm Visual Analog Scale for pain, the 28-joint Disease Activity Score-erythrocyte sedimentation rate for disease activity, the Health Assessment Questionnaire-disability index for physical function, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale for anxiety and depression, and the Short Form 36 health survey for quality of life. Laboratory examinations were taken to obtain some biochemical indicators (e.g., rheumatoid factor, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody). X-ray assessment of hand was performed and hand joint destruction was defined as Sharp score > 0. Independent sample t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test, Chi-square test, and multivariate analysis using backward stepwise logistic regression model were used to analyze these data.Results: One hundred and sixty-one RA patients were included in this study. Radiographic findings revealed that almost 47.2% (n = 76) of patients had hand joint destruction. Multivariate analysis found that education ≤ 9 years (p = 0.041), anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody positive (p = 0.021), high disease activity (p = 0.020), and long disease duration (p < 0.001) were important potential risk factors of hand joint destruction. Participants with hand joint destruction tended to have lower physical function and quality of life, and more severe depressive symptoms compared to individuals without hand joint destruction.Conclusions: 47.2% of people with RA from Nantong China experienced hand joint destruction. Education, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody, disease activity, and disease duration had great impacts on hand joint destruction. The results suggested that rheumatologists should pay attention to RA patients' hand joint destruction, especially those with low education levels, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody positive, high disease activity, and long disease duration by patient education or other ways to improve patients' prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As an important outcome measure among rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, functional disability may contribute to unemployment, loss of work productivity, and impaired quality of life. However, little is known about the risk factors of functional disability in Chinese RA patients. This study aimed (1) to examine the prevalence of functional disability in Chinese RA patients; (2) to explore factors associated with the health assessment questionnaire-disability index (HAQ-DI).Methods: A total of 101 RA patients in this cross-sectional study underwent standardized laboratory examinations and responded to the questionnaire for demographic data, the HAQ-DI for functional disability, the Compliance Questionnaire on Rheumatology (CQR) for medication adherence, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) for psychological status, and the Short Form 36 health survey (SF-36) for quality of life. Pain, grip/pinch strength, disease activity, and large joint mobility were recorded. Independent samples t-tests, chi-square analyses, and logistic regression modeling were used to analyze the data.Results: The mean ± SD age of RA patients was 54.9 ± 11.9 years. Approximately 15.8% RA patients in mainland China experience functional disability (defined as a HAQ-DI score ≥ 1). Long disease duration, pain, high disease activity, a larger number of tender and swollen joints, high C-reactive protein (CRP) level, decreased grip strength, and limitation of shoulder, elbow, wrist, knee, and ankle motion were associated with the HAQ-DI. Participants with functional disability tended to have more severe depressive symptoms and a lower quality of life compared with individuals without functional disability. Stepwise logistic regression analyses found that limitation of wrist extension (P = 0.001) and lower body pain (BP) score (P = 0.001) explained higher HAQ-DI score.Conclusions: The present study reported that functional disability was common in Chinese RA patients. A low quality of life and limitation of joint mobility had great impacts on functional disability in Chinese RA patients. Targeted and culturally sensitive interventions should be strengthened to delay the onset of disabilities of this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients are at high risk for depression and anxiety. However, the estimated prevalence of these disorders varies substantially between studies. This systematic review aimed to establish pooled prevalence levels of depression and anxiety among adult SLE patients. Methods: We systematically reviewed databases including PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane database library from their inception to August 2016. Studies presenting data on depression and/or anxiety in adult SLE patients and having a sample size of at least 60 patients were included. A random-effect meta-analysis was conducted on all eligible data. Results: A total of 59 identified studies matched the inclusion criteria, reporting on a total of 10828 adult SLE patients. Thirty five and thirteen methods of defining depression and anxiety were reported, respectively. Metaanalyses revealed that the prevalence of major depression and anxiety were 24% (95% CI, 16%-31%, I2 = 95.2%) and 37% (95% CI, 12%-63%, I2 = 98.3%) according to clinical interviews. Prevalence estimates of depression were 30% (95% CI, 22%-38%, I2 = 91.6%) for the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale with thresholds of 8 and 39% (95% CI, 29%-49%, I2 = 88.2%) for the 21-Item Beck Depression Inventory with thresholds of 14, respectively. The main influence on depression prevalence was the publication years of the studies. In addition, the corresponding pooled prevalence was 40% (95% CI, 30%-49%, I2 = 93.0%) for anxiety according to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale with a cutoff of 8 or more. Conclusions: The prevalence of depression and anxiety was high in adult SLE patients. It indicated that rheumatologists should screen for depression and anxiety in their patients, and referred them to mental health providers in order to identify effective strategies for preventing and treating depression and anxiety among adult SLE patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A severe MD was broken out at a farm in Shandong, China, despite FC126 vaccination of the chickens at 1-day-old. The mortality of the flocks reached up to 38.3%. The infected chickens were found to have MD pathological changes, including enlargement of spleens, livers and kidneys, and tumors occurred on organs later. Samples were collected from the chickens for diagnosis. Methods: The collected samples were inoculated into primary duck embryo fibroblast (DEF) cells, and the MDV strain named SD2012-1 was isolated. In order to identify the isolate, amplification by PCR and sequencing of oncogenic Meq and vIL-8 gene were processed, the obtained sequences were compared with the sequences of reference strains, and SD2012-1 was used to challenge immunized SPF chickens. Results: A very virulent MDV isolate strain, SD2012-1, was isolated from a chicken flock in Shandong Province, China, the isolate had the characteristics of very virulent MDV-1, nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequence comparisons of Meq and vIL-8 gene of SD2012-1 with those of reference strains showed SD2012-1 had high homology with MDV strains isolated from China, SD2012-1 could break through the protection provided by HVT vaccine and HVT + SB-1 vaccine immunization and caused the mortality of SPF chickens over 60%. The immune failure occurred at the farm could be due to the improper selection of vaccines. SD2012-1 produced death later and the gross postmortem lesions of chickens died early and later were different. Conclusions: MDV strain SD2012-1 isolated from Shandong Province, China was found to have the characteristics of very virulent MDV-1, which could break through the protection provided by HVT vaccine and HVT + SB-1 vaccine, the virus seemed to have a long latent period, and cause different gross postmortem lesions of chickens between chickens died early and later. A better immunization way should be chosen to prevent infection of this MDV strain in field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Spotted fever caused spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR) is prevalent throughout China. In this study, we describe a rapid, simple, and sensitive loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay targeting the ompB gene of spotted fever group rickettsiae ideal for application in China. The LAMP assay has the potential to detect spotted fever group rickettsiae early in infection and could therefore serve as an alternative to existing methods. Methods: A set of universal primers which are specific 7 common species of spotted fever group rickettsiae in China were designed using PrimerExplorer V4 software based on conserved sequences of ompB gene. The sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility of the LAMP were evaluated. The LAMP assay for detecting SFGR was compared with conventional PCR assays for sensitivity and specificity in early phase blood samples obtained from 11 infected human subjects. Results: The sensitivity of the LAMP assay was five copies per reaction (25 µL total volume), and the assay did not detect false-positive amplification across 42 strains of 27 members of the order Rickettsiales and 17 common clinical pathogens. The LAMP assay was negative to typhus group rickettsiae including R. prowazekii and R. typhi for no available conserved sequences of ompB was obtained for designing primers. To evaluate the clinical applicability of the LAMP assay, a total of 11 clinical samples, 10 samples confirmed serologically (3 cases), ecologically (1 case), by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR; 2 cases), ecologically and by real-time PCR (1 case), and serologically and by real-time PCR (3 cases) were analyzed by the ompB LAMP assay. Data were validated using a previously established nested PCR protocol and real-time PCR. A positive LAMP result was obtained for 8 of the 10 confirmed cases (sensitivity, 73%; specificity, 100%), while none of these samples were positive by nested PCR (sensitivity, 0%; specificity, 100%). Conclusions: The LAMP assay described here is the most reliable among the three methods tested and would be an ideal choice for development as a rapid and cost-effective means of detecting SFGR in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Twin-arginine translocation (Tat) system serves to translocate folded proteins, including periplasmic enzymes that bind redox cofactors in bacteria. The Tat system is also a determinant of virulence in some pathogenic bacteria, related to pleiotropic effects including growth, motility, and the secretion of some virulent factors. The contribution of the Tat pathway to Vibrio cholerae has not been explored. Here we investigated the functionality of the Tat system in V. cholerae, the etiologic agent of cholera. Results: In V. cholerae, the tatABC genes function in the translocation of TMAO reductase. Deletion of the tatABC genes led to a significant decrease in biofilm formation, the ability to attach to HT-29 cells, and the ability to colonize suckling mouse intestines. In addition, we observed a reduction in the output of cholera toxin, which may be due to the decreased transcription level of the toxin gene in tatABC mutants, suggesting an indirect effect of the mutation on toxin production. No obvious differences in flagellum biosynthesis and motility were found between the tatABC mutant and the parental strain, showing a variable effect of Tat in different bacteria. Conclusion: The Tat system contributes to the survival of V. cholerae in the environment and in vivo, and it may be associated with its virulence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gout is a painful, inflammatory disease that may cause decreased function and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Limited study did not take the influence of gout characteristics and anxiety on HRQoL into consideration and there are no studies associated with functional disability in individuals with gout from China. This study aims to investigate the related factors of functional disability and HRQoL in gout patients recruited from China.Methods: A total of 226 consecutive gout patients and 232 age- and gender-matched healthy individuals were involved in the study. A series of questionnaires (the Short Form 36 health survey, the Patient Health Questionnaire, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder questionnaire, the 10 cm Visual Analog Scale, and the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index) were applied. Blood samples were taken to examine the level of serum uric acid. Independent samples t-tests, Chi square tests, U test, Spearman rank correlation, logistic regression modeling, and linear regression were used to analyze the data.Results: After adjusted demographic variables, individuals with gout have poorer HRQoL compared to healthy controls. Univariate tests presented that patients with functional disability had longer disease duration, more frequent flares/last year, more severe total pain, more number of tophi, higher degree of depression and anxiety, with a trend toward diabetes, the treatment of colchicine and corticosteroids use, compared to patients without functional disability. Meanwhile, place of residence, hypertension, DM, disease duration, cardiovascular disease, number of flares/last year, total pain, more number of tophi, presence of tender joints, depression, anxiety, currently using colchicine and corticosteroids were correlated significantly with HRQoL. Additionally, multiple regression analysis identified severe pain, depression, and colchicine use as predictors of functional disability. Cardiovascular disease, total pain, number of flares/last year, presence of tender joints, depression, anxiety, colchicine and corticosteroids use contributed to low HRQoL.Conclusions: After adjusted demographic variables, gout subjects have poorer HRQoL compared to healthy controls. Chinese gout population experiencing poor HRQoL and functional disability were likely to suffer from gout-related features and psychological problems. The results underscore the need of effective interventions including psychological nursing and appropriate treatment approaches to reduce their functional disability and improve their HRQoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backgroud: The purpose of this study was to elucidate the regulation of programmed death ligand 1 (PDL1), lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) and miR-34a in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and to explore the function and mechanism of PDL1 and LDHA as competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) in TNBC via regulation of miR-34a. Methods: Western blotting, quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays were conducted to explore the expression of PDL1, LDHA and miR-34a in TNBC and correlations between them. MTS cell viability, Transwell migration, glucose consumption and lactate production assays and flow cytometry were performed and mouse xenograft models were constructed to explore the functions and regulation of the PDL1 3'UTR and LDHA 3'UTR and miR-34a in TNBC. Results: We found that PDL1 and LDHA were synchronously upregulated in TNBC cell lines and tissues. Coexpression of PDL1 and LDHA was correlated with poor outcome in TNBC. Both PDL1 and LDHA are targets of miR- 34a, and the 3'UTRs of PDL1 and LDHA both have binding sites for miR-34a. The functions of PDL1 and LDHA were inhibited by miR-34a. In addition, PDL1 and LDHA acted as ceRNAs to promote the expression and function of each other through regulation of miR-34a in TNBC. Conclusions: This study provides a new theoretical basis for a novel TNBC therapeutic strategy. Simultaneously targeting PDL1 and LDHA, which would combine immunotherapy and metabolically targeted treatments, might shed some light on the treatment of breast cancer, especially TNBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Myofibroblasts play a major role in the synthesis of extracellular matrix (ECM) and the stimulation of these cells is thought to play an important role in the development of silicosis. The present study was undertaken to investigate the anti-fibrotic effects of dibutyryl-cAMP (db-cAMP) on rats induced by silica.Methods: A HOPE MED 8050 exposure control apparatus was used to create the silicosis model. Rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: 1)controls for 16 w; 2)silicosis for 16 w; 3)db-cAMP pre-treatment; 4) db-cAMP post-treatment. Rat pulmonary fibroblasts were cultured in vitro and divided into 4 groups as follows: 1) controls; 2) 10-7mol/L angiotensin II (Ang II); 3) Ang II +10-4 mol/L db-cAMP; and 4) Ang II + db-cAMP+ 10-6 mol/L H89. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE), Van Gieson staining and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were performed to observe the histomorphology of lung tissue. The levels of cAMP were detected by enzyme immunoassay. Double-labeling for α-SMA with Gαi3, protein kinase A (PKA), phosphorylated cAMP-response element-binding protein (p-CREB), and p-Smad2/3 was identified by immunofluorescence staining. Protein levels were detected by Western blot analysis. The interaction between CREB-binding protein (CBP) and Smad2/3 and p-CREB were measured by co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP).Results: Db-cAMP treatment reduced the number and size of silicosis nodules, inhibited myofibroblast differentiation, and extracellular matrix deposition in vitro and in vivo. In addition, db-cAMP regulated Gαs protein and inhibited expression of Gαi protein, which increased endogenous cAMP. Db-cAMP increased phosphorylated cAMP-response element-binding protein (p-CREB) via protein kinase A (PKA) signaling, and decreased nuclear p-Smad2/3 binding with CREB binding protein (CBP), which reduced activation of p-Smads in fibroblasts induced by Ang II.Conclusions: This study showed an anti-silicotic effect of db-cAMP that was mediated via PKA/p-CREB/CBP signaling. Furthermore, the findings offer novel insight into the potential use of cAMP signaling for therapeutic strategies to treat silicosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Norcantharidin (NCTD) is a Chinese FDA approved, chemically synthesized drug for cancer treatment. The effect of NCTD on signaling proteins of EGFR and c-Met was systematically elucidated in current study.Methods: Two human colon cancer cell lines, HCT116 and HT29, were used as model systems to investigate the anti-cancer molecular mechanism of NCTD. Cell cycle arrest and early/late apoptosis were analyzed by flow cytometry. The levels of EGFR, phospho-EGFR, c-Met, phospho-c-Met and other related proteins were quantified by western blot analysis.Results: NCTD induced cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase in both cell lines. The early and late apoptosis was also observed. Further investigation indicated that NCTD suppressed not only the expression of the total EGFR and the phosphorylated EGFR but also the expression of the total c-Met and the phosphorylated c-Met in colon cancer cells. Moreover, EGFR expression could be mostly restored by co-treatment with MG132, a proteasome inhibitor. In addition, NCTD-induced cell death was comparable to that of the anti-cancer drug gefitinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor for EGFR, based on the immunoblot analysis of the expressed proteins after the drug treatment.Conclusions: NCTD might be a useful and inexpensive drug candidate to substitute for gefitinib to serve the treatment needs of cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Poor sleep quality is common in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and may lead to disease aggravation and decreased health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The increasing prevalence of poor sleep in RA patients is associated with adverse demographic, clinical, and psychological characteristics. However, there are currently no known reported studies related to the effects of sleep quality on HRQoL in RA patients from China. This cross-sectional study aims to evaluate the contributors of poor sleep and the effects of sleep quality on HRQoL in Chinese RA patients. Methods: A self-report survey was administered to 131 RA patients and 104 healthy individuals using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for sleep quality. RA patients completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale for anxiety and depression, the 28-joint Disease Activity Score for disease activity, the 10 cm Visual Analog Scale for pain, the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index for functional capacity and the Short Form 36 health survey for HRQoL. Blood samples were taken to gain some biochemical indicators (e.g., erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, rheumatoid factor, and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide). Independent samples t-tests, Chi square analysis, logistic regression modeling and linear regression were used to analyze these data. Results: Our results found that the prevalence of poor sleep (PSQI = 5) was 78.6% and the mean global score of PSQI was 7.93 (SD 3.98) in patients, which were significantly higher than the controls (18.7% and 3.88 (SD 1.89), respectively). There were significant correlations among synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, pain, disease activity, functional capacity, anxiety/depression and sleep quality in RA patients. Meanwhile, logistic regression models identified disease activity and depression as predictors of poor sleep quality. Poor RA sleepers had impaired HRQoL than good RA sleepers, and sleep quality was independently and significantly associated with social function and mental components summary. Conclusions: The majority of Chinese RA patients suffered from poor sleep, which significantly impairs their HRQoL. The data suggested the need for holistic assessment and management of RA patients and the importance of objective interventions to improve their sleep quality and finally to improve their HRQoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spotted fever caused by spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR) is found throughout China. During 2007-2008, 28 human SFGR isolates and 34 rat SFGR isolates including 15 isolates from Rattus fulvescens, 5 isolates from R. edwardsi, 7 isolates from Callosciurus erythraeus roberti and 7 isolates from Dremomys rufigenis) were obtained from L929 cell culture. Previous research indicated that the 62 strains of SFGR mentioned above shared not only the same serophenotype but also 100% of identity sequences of 16S rRNA, gltA, ompA, groEL and 17KD, which enabled us to apply multispacer typing (MST) to the 62 SFGR isolates in the study. Six primer pairs, which were used for typing of Rickettsia rickettsii and Rickettsia conorii, were chosen, and the results exhibited greater nucleotide polymorphisms among the 62 isolates tested. A total of 48 distinct genotypes were identified. The dominant genotype, represented by h3 isolates, accounted for 21.7% (13/60) of the isolates tested, and the remaining 47 genotypes were all unique. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all the 48 genotypes could be classified in the same clade, while the genetically related strain, R. heilongjiangensis, was close but not the same as the cluster. We concluded that the genetically diverse of spotted fever group rickettsiae strains are endemic in Chengmai County, Hainan Province, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Vibrio cholerae serogroup O1 has two major serotypes, Ogawa and Inaba, which may alternate among cholera epidemics. The rfbT gene is responsible for the conversion between the two serotypes. In this study, we surveyed the sequence variance of rfbT in the Ogawa and Inaba strains in China over a 48-year (1961-2008) period in which serotype shifts occurred among epidemic years. Results: Various mutation events including single nucleotide, short fragment insertions/deletions and transposases insertions, were found in the rfbT gene of the Inaba strains. Ectopically introducing an intact rfbT could overcome the mutations by converting the Inaba serotype to the Ogawa serotype, suggesting the effects of these mutations on the function of RfbT. Characteristic rfbT mutations were recognized in the Inaba strains among Inaba serotype dominant epidemic years which were separate from the Ogawa dominant epidemics. Three distinguishable mutation sites in rfbT between the classical and the El Tor biotype strains were identified and could serve as biotype-specific biomarkers. Conclusions: Our results provide a comprehensive picture of the rfbT gene mutations among the V. cholerae O1 strains in different epidemic periods, which could be further used as the tracing markers in clonality analysis and dissemination surveillance of the epidemic strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]