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The impact of prior cesarean section (CS) on the pregnancy and neonatal outcomes of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) was investigated. A retrospective analysis was performed on 144 patients with prior CS between January 2013 and December 2015. The pregnancy, delivery, and neonatal outcomes of patients who had previous CS delivery and received IVF-ET were analyzed. The control group comprised 166 patients who had only previous vaginal delivery (VD) and received IVF-ET during the same period. The results showed that the basal follicle stimulating hormone level, estradiol level on human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) day, gonadotrophin dosage, duration of stimulation, retrieved oocytes, fertilization rate, high-quality embryo rate, multiple birth rate, abortion rate and ectopic pregnancy rate had no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). The pregnancy rate (40.28% vs. 54.22%) and implantation rate (24.01% vs. 34.67%) were significantly lower (P<0.05), and the ratio of embryo difficulty transfer (9/144 vs. 0/166) was significantly higher in CS group than in VD group. The risk of pernicious placenta previa and postpartum hemorrhage in twin deliveries was significantly increased in CS group as compared with that in VD group (P<0.05), and gestational age and neonatal birth weight were significantly reduced in twin deliveries as compared with singleton deliveries in both groups (P<0.05). It was suggested that the existence of CS scar may impact embryo implantation and clinical pregnancy outcome, and increase the difficulty of ET. We should limit the number of transfer embryos to avoid multiple pregnancies and strengthen gestational supervision in patients with cesarean scar.

Background: Epigenetic abnormalities play important roles in nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC), however, the epigenetic changes associated with abnormal cell proliferation remain unclear., Methods: We detected epigenetic change of ZNF671 in NPC tissues and cell lines by bisulfite pyrosequencing. We evaluated zinc finger protein 671 (ZNF671) expression in NPC cell lines and clinical tissues using real-time PCR and western blotting. Then, we established NPC cell lines that stably overexpressed ZNF671 and knocked down ZNF671 expression to explore its function in NPC in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, we investigated the potential mechanism of ZNF671 by identifying the mitotic spindle and G2/M checkpoint pathways pathway downstream genes using gene set enrichment analysis, flow cytometry and western blotting., Results: ZNF671 was hypermethylated in NPC tissues and cell lines. The mRNA and protein expression of ZNF671 was down-regulated in NPC tissues and cell lines and the mRNA expression could be upregulated after the demethylation agent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine treatment. Overexpression of ZNF671 suppressed NPC cell proliferation and colony formation in vitro; silencing ZNF671 using a siRNA had the opposite effects. Additionally, overexpression of ZNF671 reduced the tumorigenicity of NPC cells in xenograft model in vivo. The mechanism study determined that overexpressing ZNF671 induced S phase arrest in NPC cells by upregulating p21 and downregulating cyclin D1 and c-myc., Conclusions: Epigenetic mediated zinc finger protein 671 downregulation promotes cell proliferation and enhances tumorigenicity by inhibiting cell cycle arrest in NPC, which may represent a novel potential therapeutic target.

To perform a systemic review and meta-analysis of the diagnostic accuracy of PET (CT) and metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) for diagnosing neuroblastoma (NB), electronic databases were searched as well as relevant references and conference proceedings. The diagnostic accuracy of MIBG and PET (CT) was calculated for NB, primary NB, and relapse/metastasis of NB based on their sensitivity, specificity, and area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (AUSROC) in terms of per-lesion and per-patient data. A total of 40 eligible studies comprising 1134 patients with 939 NB lesions were considered for the meta-analysis. For the staging of NB, the per-lesion AUSROC value of MIBG was lower than that of PET (CT) [0.8064±0.0414 vs. 0.9366±0.0166 (P<0.05)]. The per-patient AUSROC value of MIBG and PET (CT) for the diagnosis of NB was 0.8771±0.0230 and 0.6851±0.2111, respectively. The summary sensitivity for MIBG and PET (CT) was 0.79 and 0.89, respectively. The summary specificity for MIBG and PET (CT) was 0.84 and 0.71, respectively. PET (CT) showed higher per-lesion accuracy than MIBG and might be the preferred modality for the staging of NB. On the other hand, MIBG has a comparable diagnosing performance with PET (CT) in per-patient analysis but shows a better specificity.

Whether as an important biological element or as a radioactive source/medicine, the monitoring of trace levels of cobalt ions (Co) has become a non-negligible factor for human health and green environment. Current technologies for the detection of Co are cost-expensive and time-consuming, and require cumbersome sample pretreatment process. Herein a novel sensing platform has been developed for Co detection based on the quenching of the enhanced fluorescence signal of polyamine functionalized C-dots. Amine groups at the surface of the C-dots can capture Zn 2+ /Cd 2+ to form coordination compound, which can inhibit the photoinduced electron transfer pathways of C-dots and then induce the fluorescence enhancement of the C-dots by ∼80% margin. Also, Co interacts with these amine groups to form an absorbent complex, which can strongly quench the enhanced fluorescence of C-dots via an inner filter effect. This C-dots-based probe showed a wide linear response to Co with a concentration ranging from 0.012 to 12 μM, and a detection limit of 8.0 nM and RSD of 5.7% (n = 5). Significantly, the C-Dots exhibit excellent properties, such as negligible cytotoxicity, excellent biocompatibility, low-cost and high photostability, etc., which make C-dots favorable for label-free monitoring of Co and then successfully applied to the confocal imaging of intracellular Co., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Metastasis remains the major cause of death in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Yippee-like 3 (YPEL3) plays an important role in tumorigenesis. However, its function and mechanism in NPC has not been systematically explored., Methods: We evaluated YPEL3 expression in NPC cell lines and tissues using real-time PCR and western blotting. Then, we established NPC cell lines that stably overexpressed YPEL3 and knocked down YPEL3 expression to explore its function in NPC in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, we investigated the potential mechanism of YPEL3 action by identifying the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway downstream genes using western blotting., Results: YPEL3 was downregulated in NPC cell lines and tissue samples. Ectopic expression of YPEL3 inhibited NPC cell migration and invasion in vitro; while silencing of YPEL3 promoted NPC cell migration and invasion. Further study indicated that overexpression of YPEL3 inhibited NPC cell epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and that silencing it enhanced EMT. Overexpression of YPEL3 suppressed NPC cell lung metastasis in vivo. The mechanism study determined that YPEL3 suppressed the expression levels of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway downstream genes and the nuclear translocation of β-catenin., Conclusions: YPEL3 suppresses NPC EMT and metastasis by suppressing the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which would help better understanding the molecular mechanisms of NPC metastasis and provide novel therapeutic targets for NPC treatment.

Problem: To evaluate the effectiveness and security of a contraceptive vaccine using plasmid DNA encoding mouse CRISP1 as antigen and chitosan nanoparticles as the carrier., Method of Study: Chitosan-pcDNA3.1-mCRISP1 Nanoparticles (CS-DNA NPs) were prepared and characterized in terms of morphology, zeta potential, polydispersity index, and binding capacity of pDNA. The cytotoxicity and gene transfer capability of CS-DNA NPs were assessed in COS-7 cells compared to Lipofectamine 2000(™) . Four groups of mice received three injections of 0.9% normal saline, pcDNA3.1 vector, pcDNA3.1-CRISP1, or CS-DNA NPs, respectively. ELISA was used to examine the immune responses. Fertility and mean litter size were analyzed by natural mating., Results: CS-DNA NPs have a spherical or elliptical shape with a mean diameter of 189.3 nm, positive zeta potential, and good DNA condensation. It also showed high DNAse resistance and good transfection efficiency without cell toxicity. The titers of anti-mCRISP1 antibodies from CS-DNA NP-immunized mice were significantly higher than that of pcDNA3.1-CRISP1 group. Male and female CS-DNA NP-immunized animals were recognized with a statistically significant reduction in their fertility compared with pcDNA3.1-CRISP1-immunized mice., Conclusion: This study demonstrated that using chitosan-DNA nanoparticles as the carrier can improve the immunogenicity of mCRISP1 DNA contraceptive vaccine with good security., (© 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Parkinson's disease (PD) is known as the most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease (AD). The precise pathogenic mechanism of PD remains unclear, but genetic and environmental factors are widely recognized to be associated with it. Although many associated genes have been discovered, they account for only a few PD patients. Recently, there are growing evidences indicating that patients with PD and AD share similarities in clinical features, pathology and genetic risks. However, no study has been conducted on the relations between AD associated genes and age at onset (AAO) of PD. In this study, we have detected 14 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 9 AD genome wide association studies top hit genes and 4 SNPs in 4 PD-cognitive impairment related genes among 297 Chinese PD patients. Through the linear regression analysis, we identified the significant associations of the GBA L444P mutation and DYRK1A rs8126696 T allele with the earlier AAO in PD patients, and the A allele at MS4A6A rs610932 with the delayed AAO of PD. This is the first report of significant associations of DYRK1A and MS4A6A SNPs and the AAO of PD. On account of their effects both in AD and PD, it is indicated that AD and PD possibly share some common pathways., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia (D) are frequent features of Parkinson's disease (PD) but widely disparate criteria have been used. Our understanding of the prevalence and cognitive profile of Chinese PD patients remains limited. In order to determine the frequency and pattern of cognitive dysfunction and identify risk factors for cognitive dysfunction in the Chinese Han PD population we performed a cross-sectional study in a cohort of 330 PD patients and 163 healthy controls. Five cognitive domains (executive function, attention, praxis and visuospatial function, memory, and language) and mood/behavior were evaluated. According to the Movement Disorder Society Task Force consensus criteria, up to 29.1% of PD patients were classified as PD-MCI and 32.1% as PD-D. Impairments occur in a range of cognitive domains with dysexecutive profile predominating. Healthy controls also outperformed cognitively preserved PD patients in tasks of executive function and attention. Logistic regression indicated that PD-MCI may be predicted by lower educational level and apathy. Additionally, later disease onset, longer disease duration, more severe motor symptoms and higher neuropsychiatric inventory score were associated with a faster transition from PD-MCI to PD-D. These findings suggest that all PD patients should undergo routine cognitive screening. For high-risk patients early recognition and therapeutic intervention is imperative., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A recent meta-analysis of datasets from five of the published Parkinson's disease (PD) genome-wide association studies implicated the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs12817488 in coiled-coil domain containing 62 (CCDC62)/huntingtin interacting protein 1 related (HIP1R) as a risk factor for PD. We conducted a case-control study to evaluate the possible association between rs12817488 and PD in Chinese people. All patients (515 PD patients and 518 age and sex-matched controls) were successfully genotyped using polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. We observed that the rs12817488 polymorphism is associated with PD (p=0.003) and that the genotype and allele frequencies showed a difference between late-onset PD patients and male controls (p=0.025 and p=0.007, respectively). However, there was no difference in the early-onset PD patients and controls. We found a difference in the genotype and allele frequencies between the male PD patients and the male controls (p=0.034 and p=0.017, respectively). However, there was no difference in females. Patients with the A allele were susceptible to PD in both dominant (GA+AA versus GG; odds ratio [OR] 1.365, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.041-1.788) and recessive (AA versus GG+GA; OR 1.606, 95% CI 1.194-2.158) models. Therefore, our findings support the conclusion that the rs12817488 in CCDC62/HIP1R polymorphism may increase the risk of PD in the Chinese Han population., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aims: Many epidemiological studies have shown that low bone mineral density (BMD) and atherosclerosis appear to be related. However, their precise correlation is not completely understood after full adjustment the shared confounders of atherosclerosis and bone metabolism. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the relationship between BMD and subclinical atherosclerosis in a healthy Chinese population and the difference in gender., Methods: The study population consisted of 2,487 subjects (1,467 men, 1,020 women) who participated in health check-up programs and were selected to be free of major diseases which might affect atherosclerosis and bone metabolism. Bone status was assessed by BMD in lumbar spine. The brachial-ankle PWV (baPWV) was assessed as a functional marker of atherosclerosis. The ankle-brachial index (ABI), carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGRF) and microalbuminuria were evaluated as indexes of structural markers of atherosclerosis., Results: After adjustment for risk factors, significant association was shown between baPWV and BMD in both genders (male: r=-0.084, P=0.035; female: r=-0.088, P=0.014). The correlation was stronger in females than in males, and in females, the correlation was stronger after menopause. Similarly, mean baPWV differed significantly according to the decreased BMD (normal BMD, Osteopenia, Osteoporosis). In contrast, no significant differences were observed for ABI, CIMT, eGFR or microalbuminuria with BMD., Conclusions: Independent of confounding factors, low BMD is associated with the functional marker of subclinical atherosclerosis (increased baPWV), but not with structural markers (ABI, CIMT, eGFR or microalbuminuria) among healthy females and males.

Glucocorticoids have been widely used in clinical application for anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive function. Previous study reported that glucocorticoids adversely affect the reproductive system and can directly act on ovary. Here, we found that progesterone production induced by dexamethasone requiring activation of caspase-3 which may mediate differentiation and apoptosis of granulosa cells. Further study displayed that cellular glutathione level was increased and reactive oxygen species was decreased accompanied with unchanged mitochondrial membrane potential which may contribute to the maintenance of steroidogenesis in granulosa cells treated with dexamethasone. Dexamethasone also augmented the level of anti-Müllerian hormone secreted by preovulatory granulosa cells which indicated that dexamethasone may promote preantral follicles development.

Objective: We examined the relationship of several cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) to brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) in Chinese subjects., Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. In 2,511 Chinese adults (age 46.86±9.52 years, 1,891 men and 620 women) recruited from people who underwent health screening at The Third Xiangya Hospital, patients' CVRF [age, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), blood pressure (BP), cholesterol parameters, creatinine (Cr), uric acid (UA), glucose level and smoking] and prevalence of present disease (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease and hyperlipidemia) were investigated., Results: Multivariate analysis revealed that FMD negative correlated with age (β=-0.29, P<0.001), gender (β=-0.12, P<0.001), BMI (β=-0.12, P=0.001), WC (β=-0.10, P=0.011), systolic BP (SBP) (β=-0.12, P<0.001), fasting glucose (β=-0.04, P=0.009), total cholesterol (TC) (β=-0.04, P=0.014), smoking (β=-0.05, P=0.003), and baseline brachial artery diameter (β=-0.35, P<0.001). FMD decreased with increasing age in both genders. In women, FMD was higher than men and age-related decline in FMD was steepest after age 40; FMD was similar in men above 55 years old., Conclusions: In Chinese subjects, FMD may be a usefully marker of CVRF. Age, gender, BMI, WC, SBP, fasting glucose, TC, smoking, and baseline brachial artery diameter were independent variables related to the impairment of FMD. The influence of CVRF on endothelial function is more in women than men.

Objective: To explore the efficiency of using aromatase inhibitors during luteal phase in in vitro fertilization IVF stimulated cycles for patients at high risk for ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS)., Methods: A total of 139 infertile women undergoing assisted reproductive technique with high risk for OHSS were enrolled in this clinical trial. In the treatment group 43 patients received five consecutive doses of aromatase inhibitors (letrozole) and support therapy combined with embryo cryopreservation. In the control group 96 patients received support therapy alone. All the patients were evaluated clinically, echographically, hematologically and tested for their steroid hormone., Results: There was significantly lower estrogen level in the treatment group 2, 5 and 8 days after oocyte retrieval compared with the control group (P<0.001), There was no significant difference in luteinizing hormone and progesterone levels 2, 5 and 8 days after oocyte retrieval in the treatment group and control group (P>0.05). There were 7 cases of severe OHSS in the treatment group and 18 cases of severe OHSS in the control group. The rate of severe OHSS was not significantly different in the treatment group and control group (P=0.12). No side effect was reported in either group., Conclusion: Treatment with letrzolein luteal phase decreases serum estrogen levels of patients after oocyte retrieval,but it couldn't reduce the risk of severe OHSS.

To determine the concentration of gastrodigenin in tissue homogenates with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) , in order to study the changes of the distribution of gastrodigenin before and after combined application in rat tissues, including heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney and brain tissues. The study showed that gastrodigenin could be found in kidney, liver, heart, lungs, spleen and brain tissues. After the combined application of Gastrodiae Rhizoma and Ligustici Wallichii Rhizoma, the content of gastrodigenin decreased in kidney and liver to varying degrees, while increasing in lung and brain. This indicated that Ligustici Wallichii Rhizoma had certain impact on the in vivo distribution of gastrodigenin, an active ingredient in Gastrodiae Rhizoma, because it could improve gastrodigenin's distribution in lung and brain tissues. The study provides scientific basis for the combined application of Gastrodiae Rhizoma and Ligustici Wallichii Rhizoma in treating brain diseases.

The proteome of 21 DPA (days post-anthesis) of green cotton fiber was analyzed using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis to yield the first reference proteome map. Of 220 individual spots that were excised and analyzed by MALDI-TOF/TOF MS, 156 were identified and cataloged according to their functions. Twelve classes of proteins were identified. Many of these proteins were related to carbohydrate metabolism and energy production. Other notable functional classes included oxidoreductase, cell wall-related and cytoskeleton proteins. This study gives a snapshot of the proteome in 21 DPA green cotton fiber and advances our understanding of molecular mechanisms related to pigment biosynthesis in green cotton fiber.

Objective: To observe the effects of Jinshuibao Capsule (JC) combined losartan potassium on some indices of early renal damage of hypertension patients of yin and yang deficiency syndrome (YYDS), such as levels of serum cystatin C (Cys C), beta2-microglobulin (beta2-MG), hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), uric acid (UA), blood pressure, blood lipids, and fasting blood glucose (FBG), and to explore their protective effects on early renal damage of hypertension patients and on the metabolisms of blood lipids and blood glucose., Methods: Totally 106 hypertension patients of YYDS were randomly assigned to two groups, 53 patients in the control group (treated by losartan potassium) and 53 patients in the treatment group (treated by JC + losartan potassium). The treatment lasted for 16 weeks. The serum changes of UA, Cys C, beta2-MG, hs-CRP, blood lipids [including total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C)], and FBG levels were measured to evaluate the renal protective effects and to assess their effect on the metabolisms of blood lipids and blood glucose., Results: Compared with before treatment in the same group, the systolic blood pressure (SBP) decreased in the two groups after treatment, showing statistical difference (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), but there was no statistical difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). The diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was not obviously declined in the two groups after treatment, showing no statistical difference. Compared with before treatment in the same group, the LDL-C level decreased obviously after treatment in the control group. But there was no obvious change in FBG, TC, HDL-C, and TG in the control group, showing no statistical difference when compared with before treatment (P < 0.05). The FBG, TC, and LDL-C obviously decreased in the treatment group more obviously after treatment than before treatment, showing statistical difference (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). There was no statistical difference when compared with the control group after treatment (P > 0.05). Compared with before treatment in the same group, the levels of UA, Cys C, beta2-MG, and hs-CRP all decreased in the two groups, showing statistical difference (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The SCr level decreased in the treatment group more obviously after treatment than before treatment, showing statistical difference (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group after treatment, the levels of Cys C, beta2-MG, and hs-CRP decreased more obviously after treatment in the treatment group, showing statistical difference (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: JC combined losartan potassium showed better effects in treating early renal damage of hypertension patients of YYDS. They could protect and stabilize the renal functions more effectively. JC could regulate blood lipids and blood glucose.

Despite the rapid development of nanomaterials and nanotechnology, it is still desirable to develop novel nanoparticle-based techniques which are cost-effective, timesaving, and environment-friendly, and with ease of operation and procedural simplicity, for assay of target analytes. In the work discussed in this paper, the dye fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) was conjugated to 1,6-hexanediamine (HDA)-capped iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (FITC-HDA Fe3O4 MNPs), and the product was characterized. HDA ligands on the surface of Fe3O4 MNPs can bind 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) to form TNT anions by acid-base pairing interaction. Formation of TNT anions, and captured TNT substantially affect the emission of FITC on the surface of the Fe3O4 MNPs, resulting in quenching of the fluorescence at 519 nm. A novel FITC-HDA Fe3O4 MNPs-based probe featuring chemosensing and magnetic separation has therefore been constructed. i.e. FITC-HDA Fe3O4 MNPs had a highly selective fluorescence response and enabled magnetic separation of TNT from other nitroaromatic compounds by quenching of the emission of FITC and capture of TNT in aqueous solution. Very good linearity was observed for TNT concentrations in the range 0.05-1.5 μmol L(-1), with a detection limit of 37.2 nmol L(-1) and RSD of 4.7 % (n = 7). Approximately 12 % of the total amount of TNT was captured. The proposed methods are well-suited to trace detection and capture of TNT in aqueous solution.

Within the past few years, the invention of next-generation sequencing has revealed several new genes associated with tumor formation and development, for example DNMT3a. This gene is an independent prognostic factor for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The objective of this study was to analyze the DNMT3a mutation in childhood AML in a single center. PCR amplification of the entire coding region of DNMT3a was performed using 23 overlapping primer pairs in 57 patients who were diagnosed in Blood Disease Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, then the directly sequencing was underwent. The results showed that no DNMT3a mutation was found in these patients including the hotspot R882. But AML1/ETO mutation was found in 10 patients, CBFB/MYH11 mutation in 3 patients, PML/RARa mutation in 13 patients, FLT3/ITD mutation in 5 patients, FLT3/TKD mutation in 1 patient, PML/RARa and FLT3/TKD mutation coexisted in 2 patients. It is concluded that DNMT3a mutations are rare in childhood AML, and different mechanisms of myeloid leukemogenesis between childhood and adults maybe involved.

This study was purposed to investigate the diagnostic value of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique for the childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The medical data of 179 children with AML (aged ≤ 16 years) were retrospectively studied, who were initially diagnosed in our hospital from April 2005 to April 2010. Through the analysis of the results of FISH, chromosome banding analysis and polymerase chain reaction, the difference and complementarity between FISH and other 2 methods for detecting the fusion genes were explored. The results indicated that the detection rate of genetic abnormality with FISH was higher. The PML/RARα probe was used in 27 AML-M3 patients, 22 out of whom were evaluated as PML/RARα positive. The AML1/ETO probe was used in 24 AML-M2b patients and all of them were evaluated as AML1/ETO positive. The CBFβ/MYH11 probe was used in 4 AML-M4Eo patients and all of them were evaluated as CBFβ/MYH11 positive. It is concluded that FISH is a sensitive method for detecting fusion genes and the results of FISH have a good correlation with the chromosome banding analysis and polymerase chain reaction. The combination of FISH with other 2 methods improves the detection rate of genetic abnormality, which is useful for the diagnosis and typing of childhood AML.

Objective: Acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) accounts for 15 to 25 percent of childhood acute leukemias. Cytogenetic information is important for diagnosis, classification and prognosis of AML. Our aim was to analyze the relationship between karyotypic characteristics and prognosis of childhood AML., Method: According to karyotypic characteristics, 128 newly diagnosed children AML were separated into 4 subgroups: patients with t(15;17) (group APL), patients with t(8;21)/inv(16) (group A), patients with -7/t(9;22)/complex karyotypes (group C) and the others (group B). Prognoses of these patients were analyzed., Results: The ages ranged from 1 to 16 years with the mean age of 7 years. 85 boys and 43 girls were included in this study. The 4-year event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were (55.9 ± 4.7)% and (69.3% ± 4.5)%, respectively. The 4-year EFS and OS of non-M(3)-AML patients were (49.9 ± 5.2)% and (57.1 ± 6.0)%, respectively. The probabilities of 4-year EFS of the four subgroups were (72.2 ± 1.1)%, (66.3 ± 7.7)%, (38.5 ± 9.1)% and (20.1 ± 12.3)%, respectively (P = 0.000). The probabilities of 4-year OS were (92.6 ± 5.1)%, (69.4 ± 7.9)%, (55.6 ± 8.6)% and (30.0 ± 12.3)%, respectively (P = 0.000)., Conclusion: Cytogenetic aberrations seen in pediatric AML had a significant impact on prognosis.

Objective: To evaluate the characteristics and treatment of ovary torsion after controlled ovarian hyperstimulation., Methods: Between Jan.2008 and Dec.2011, 5 cases with ovary torsion who underwent ovarian hyperstimulation were retrospectively studied., Results: Five cases presented intermittent lower abdominal from 1 to 38 days after oocyte retrieval. Enlargement of ovary and decreased or absent venous and/or arterial flow were demonstrated by Doppler sonography. Two torsions at left side, two torsions at right side, and one on bilateral side were observed. Three cases give up embryo transplantation, 2 cases were pregnant after surgical treatment. One case with partial torsion was successfully treated with simple conservative treatment. Two cases with complete torsion were performed adnexectomy by laparotomy. One case with complete torsion with early pregnancy was managed by laparoscopic adnexectomy. One case with chemical pregnancy was managed by laparoscopic detorsion for left side and excision for right side. Postoperative pathology of ovary tissue all confirmed haemorrhage and necrosis., Conclusions: Ovary torsion might occur after controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. The early management on ovary torsion will be benefit for preserving ovarian function.

In order to explore the diagnosis and therapy of Diamond Blackfan anemia (DBA), the clinical data of 45 cases of DBA admitted in our hospital from February 1994 to July 2011 were analyzed retrospectively. The clinical characteristics, results of laboratory examination, treatment reaction and outcome of disease were investigated. The results indicated that out of 45 children diagnosed as DBA, 14 cases (31.1%) had short stature and physical malformation. All patients had anemia with reticulocytopenia. Thirty-four patients (75.6%) had mean corpuscular volume. Eleven patients (24.4%) had macrocytic anemia. Bone marrow examination showed a marked erythroid hypoplasia in all patients. Out of 29 cases tested for fetal hemoglobin (HbF), 13 cases (44.8%) had high level of HbF. Erythroid colony-forming unit of bone marrow was tested in 25 patients, among them 12 patients (48%) showed normal plasia, 13 (52%) showed hypoplasia. The erythropoietin (EPO) levels of 17 patients were elevated. Karyotypes were examined in 28 patients, and showed all normal. The treatment was based on corticosteroids and Cyclosporine A. Thirty patients had good response to corticosteroid therapy, and 10 of them obtained a sustained corticosteroid-induced remission. Twenty cases discontinued corticosteroid therapy after remission, as a result, 15 cases (75%) relapsed, moreover all the relapsed cases still had good response to corticosteroid. Two relapsed patients suffered from aplastic anemia, one of them died of therapy failure. Six patients were unresponsive to corticosteroid, 1 of which achieved remission with cyclosporine A and the others continued to receive regular transfusions. 3 patients received iron chelation therapy. It is concluded that the clinical characteristics, complete blood count, bone marrow smear, HbF level and EPO level are useful to make a diagnosis of DBA. Most patients have a good response to corticosteroid therapy, but relapse rate is high when drug was discontinued. Patients unresponsive to corticosteroid should receive regular transfusions and chelation therapy.

Objective: To study the clinical significance of FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) mutations including internal tandem duplication (ITD) mutation and point mutation of tyrosine kinase domain (TKD) in children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML)., Methods: Bone marrow samples from 116 children with newly-diagnosed AML were obtained. Gene mutations of FLT3/ITD and FLT3/TKD were detected by RT-PCR. The relationship of FLT3 gene mutations with the clinical characteristics and the therapeutic efficacy was observed., Results: FLT3/ITD and FLT3/TKD mutations were detected in 9 cases (7.8%) and 13 cases (11.2%) respectively out of the 116 children. FLT3/ITD mutations were observed in 3 cases of AML-M3 (3/9; 33.3%) and in 3 cases of AML-M5 (3/9; 33.3%). FLT3/TKD mutations were the most common in AML-M3 patients (10/13; 76.9%). The patients with FLT3/ITD mutations had a significantly higher peripheral WBC count and marrow blast percentage compared with the patients without FLT3/ITD mutations at diagnosis (P<0.01). The 3-year overall survival rate in patients with FLT3/ITD mutations was significantly lower than that in patients without FLT3/ITD mutations (38.9% vs 64.3%; P<0.05)., Conclusions: FLT3/TKD mutations are common in children with AML-M3. The AML children with FLT3/ITD mutations present a high peripheral WBC count and a high marrow blast percentage at diagnosis and have an unfavorable outcome.

New strategies for silica coating of inorganic nanoparticles became a research hotspot for enhancing the mechanical stability of colloidal particles and protecting colloidal particles against oxidation and agglomeration, and so on. In this paper, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES)-functionalized Mn doped (AF MnD) ZnS QDs was prepared to be firsyly through the use of silane coupling agents to form an active layer of silica, then sol-gel reaction of TEOS co-deposited with APTES on the surface of resultant active layer of silica. The emitted long lifetime room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) of the resultant nanomaterials allows an appropriate delay time so that any fluorescent emission and scattering light can be easily avoided. The APTES anchored on the layer of silica can bind 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) species to form TNT anion through acid-base pairing interaction, the TNT anion species may increase the charge-transfer pathways from the nanocrystals to nitroaromatic analytes, therefore further enhance the quenching efficiency of RTP. Moreover, APTES as capped reagents can enlarge the spectral sensitivity and enhance RTP response of nanocrystals to the electron-deficient nitroaromatic and nitrophenol species. Meanwhile, AF MnD ZnS QDs also exhibited a highly selective response toward TNT analyte through significant color change and quenching of (4)T(1) to (6)A(1) transition emission. This AF MnD ZnS QDs based sensor showed a very good linearity in the range of 0.05-1.8μM with detection limit down to 50 nM (quenching percentage of phosphorescence intensity of 8%) and RSD of 3.5% (n=5). The reported QDs-based chemosensors here open up a promising prospect for the sensitive and convenient sensing of TNT explosive., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To determine an optimal insemination technique for patients suspected of high risk of fertilization failure and undergoing assisted reproduction treatment., Methods: Ninety-nine couples were treated by conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in one cycle (half-ICSI) by dividing the sibling oocytes in halves. The clinical and laboratory data were analyzed, and the rates of fertilization, cleavage, good embryos and clinical pregnancy were compared between different fertilization methods., Results: In the half-ICSI group, the fertilization rate of ICSI (80.5%) was significantly higher than that of IVF (42.9%) (P < 0.01), and so were the rates of complete fertilization failure (21.2%) and low fertilization (16.2%) of IVF than those of ICSI (0 and 3.0%). No significant differences were observed in the rates of cleavage and good-quality embryos between the two groups (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: ICSI can help to avoid complete fertilization failure, achieve more high quality embryos for transfer and improve the rate of pregnancy for patients with high risk of fertilization failure.

Objective: To study the chemical constituents in the aerial parts of Coleus forskohlii., Methods: The compounds were isolated by various column chromatographic methods, and their structures were identified by spectroscopic methods., Results: Twelve compounds were isolated and identified as chamaecydin (1), 6 alpha-hydroxydemethylcryptojaponol (2), alpha-cedrene (3), oleanolic acid (4), forskolin G (5), forskolin J (6), 1,6-diacetyl-9-deoxyforskolin (7), forskolin A (8), forskolin H (9), 6-acetyl-1-deoxyforskolin (10), betulinic acid (11), beta-sitosterol (12)., Conclusion: Compounds 1 - 3 are isolated from Coleus genus for the first time, and compound 4 is isolated from C. forskohlii for the first time.

This study was conducted to clone the prolactin gene (PRL) in Eastern Zhejiang White Geese and to investigate the PRL gene expression characteristics during egg-laying, out-of-lay and incubating periods by real time PCR. Comparisons were made respectively of concentration of prolactin mRNA in the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and ovary of the adult female geese at different reproductive periods. The result indicated that there were significant differences (P<0.05) in PRL mRNA expression between different reproductive periods of the geese. The lowest level of PRL expression was found in out-of-lay geese, higher in the egg-laying geese, and the highest in incubating geese. Furthermore, the analysis of PRL expression in different tissues indicated that the highest levels of PRL was expressed in the pituitary gland, followed in hypothalamus, and the least in ovary of the geese. There were significant difference (P<0.01) expression of PRL between the pituitary gland/hypothalamus and ovary of the geese, whereas no any difference was observed between the pituitary gland and hypothalamus (P>0.05). In summary, the PRL mRNA expression had variance in different reproductive periods of the geese.

Objective: To explore the role of TLR4 in myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury (MI/RI) by observing the dynamic TLR4 expression changes at mRNA and protein levels early after myocardial ischemia reperfusion., Methods: Male SD rats were randomly divided into Sham and IR group and the rats were killed according to different reperfusion time (0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4 and 8 hours). Myocardial changes under light microscope and transmission electronic microscope were observed. TLR4 expressions at protein and mRNA levels were detected by immunohistochemistry and realtime RT-PCR respectively. Myocardial TNF-alpha was determined by ELISA., Results: (1) Myocardial injury was observed in IR but not in Sham group and histopathological and ultrastructural changes in IR group remained unchanged up to 8 hours after reperfusion. (2) Positive TLR4 protein staining was visualized in both Sham and IR groups and significantly increased and peaked at 1 hour of reperfusion in IR group. (3) Compared to Sham group, TLR4 mRNA level was upregulated in myocardium in IR group and peaked at 1 hour of reperfusion. (4) Concentration of TNF-alpha in IR group was significantly higher than that of Sham group at corresponding time points (all P < 0.05), and myocardial TLR4 mRNA level correlated positively with myocardial TNF-alpha (r = 0.728, P < 0.01)., Conclusion: Expression of TLR4 in myocardium during early after myocardial ischemia reperfusion was upregulated and actived TLR4 might play an important role in MI/RI through promoting myocardial TNF-alpha excretion.

Altering -1 frameshifting efficiency of L-A virus in yeast T158c/S14a will result in loss of M1 virus and reduction of toxin K1, which induced a diminished of inhibition zone. According to the size of inhibition zone on methylene blue flat with low pH, a model for screening anti-viral agents was developed. The conditions of assaying killing activity by well test assay were explored. With assaying the killing activity in different pH and temperature, it was found that the optimum pH range of 4.3-4.7 and the optimum temperature range of 20-22 degrees C in this screening model. To utilize this screening model, Several Chinese crude drugs had been studied and were found Flos Lonicerae and Rhizoma Cimicifugae have anti-viral effect. Such a model was to establish foundation for high throughput screening of anti-viral agents.

Leaves of 6 plants were collected from two sites on and around Peking University campus in summer season of 2003. PAHs in the leaf-wax and tissues were determined simultaneously with leaf-wax content, tissue lipid, specific surface, and stomata density. The results were compared to investigate the possible sources of PAHs in the leaves. For both leaf-wax and tissue samples, levels of PAHs depended on plant species and were lower in the samples from campus than those from outside of campus in short distance to busy traffic, suggesting a significant influence of vehicle emission. The concentrations of PAHs in leaf-wax were 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than those in leaf tissues. While the PAH profiles in the leaf-wax and leaf tissues were similar in general, the relative contents of volatile compounds were higher in the tissues than in the wax. Negative correlations were identified between PAHs concentration in the leaf-wax and the wax content and between the tissue PAH content and stomata density.

A five-step sequential elution procedure with or without supersonic effect was tested for extraction of foliar dust from leaves of Euonymus japonicus collected at two locations of Beijing urban area. The samples were collected from either roadside or campus far away from any motor traffic. The foliar dust was characterized for size distribution, organic carbon content, and PAHs content. It was found that majority of the foliar dust can be eluted in 4 min by distill water under supersonic effect at room temperature without shaking. The amount of foliar dust on the sample from roadside was almost twice as much as those from campus, while the particle size of the former was relatively large. Large amount of coarse particles came from disturbance of motor vehicles. Slightly high concentrations of PAH species were detected in the sample from campus compared to those in the samples collected from roadside.