新疆野苹果(Malus sieversii(Ledeb.) M.Roem.)植物学性状遗传多样性及相关性分析

为加强野苹果种质资源利用与研究,促进野苹果研究工作,以3年来调查收集的新疆野苹果(赛威士苹果)的129个单株资源为材料,对单果重、果实纵横经、叶片大小等12个数量性状和叶片颜色、叶尖类型等5个质量性状进行遗传多样性及相关性分析。分析结果表明:叶片颜色、叶尖类型、叶姿、叶缘、叶面状态5个质量性状分布频率较集中;单果重、果实纵横经、叶柄长、叶片长宽、可溶性固形物、干周、树高均存在较大变异,变异系数幅度为16%~51%。各性状多样性指数也较大,均值为1.9264,叶片长的多样性指数最小为1.7359;果梗长的多样性指数最大为2.0525。新疆野苹果资源拥有丰富的遗传多样性,在于果实相关性状的多样性指数高,且变异幅度大,表明丰富的遗传多样性是新疆野苹果资源的重要特征。     

Effect of Workplace Counseling Interventions Launched by Workplace Health Promotion and Tobacco Control Centers in Taiwan: An Evaluation Based on the Ottawa Charter

Workplace health promotion (WHP) is important to prevent work-related diseases, reduce workplace hazards, and improve personal health of the workers. Health promotion projects were launched through the centers of WHP funded by the Taiwan Bureau of Health Promotion since 2003. Hence, the aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of WHP programs intervention from 2003 to 2007. The intervention group consisted of 838 business entities which had ever undergone counseling of the three centers in northern, central, and southern Taiwan from 2003 to 2007. The control group was composed of 1000 business entities randomly selected from the business directories of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taiwan. The questionnaire survey included general company profiles and the assessment of workplace health according to the five action areas of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. We have received 447 (53.3%) questionnaires from the intervention group and 97 questionnaires from the control group. The intervention group was more effective in using the external resources and medical consultation, and they had better follow-up rates of the abnormal results of annual health examinations. Compared to the control group, the intervention group had a significantly decreased smoking rate in 246 companies (61.2%) and a reduced second-hand smoke exposure in 323 companies (78.6%) (p<0.001). By means of the intervention of WHP programs, we can enhance the awareness of the enterprises and the employees to improve worksite health and to create a healthy work environment.     

Rapid Bead-Based Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing by Optical Diffusometry

This study combined optical diffusometry and bead-based immunoassays to develop a novel technique for quantifying the growth of specific microorganisms and achieving rapid AST. Diffusivity rises when live bacteria attach to particles, resulting in additional energy from motile microorganisms. However, when UV-sterilized (dead) bacteria attach to particles, diffusivity declines. The experimental data are consistent with the theoretical model predicted according to the equivalent volume diameter. Using this diffusometric platform, the susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to the antibiotic gentamicin was tested. The result suggests that the proliferation of bacteria is effectively controlled by gentamicin. This study demonstrated a sensitive (one bacterium on single particles) and time-saving (within 2 h) platform with a small sample volume (~0.5 μL) and a low initial bacteria count (50 CFU per droplet ~ 10⁵ CFU/mL) for quantifying the growth of microorganisms depending on Brownian motion. The technique can be applied further to other bacterial strains and increase the success of treatments against infectious diseases in the near future.     

Predictive Value of Carotid Distensibility Coefficient for Cardiovascular Diseases and All-Cause Mortality: A Meta-Analysis

AimsThe aim of the present study is to determine the pooled predictive value of carotid distensibility coefficient (DC) for cardiovascular (CV) diseases and all-cause mortality.BackgroundArterial stiffness is associated with future CV events. Aortic pulse wave velocity is a commonly used predictor for CV diseases and all-cause mortality; however, its assessment requires specific devices and is not always applicable in all patients. In addition to the aortic artery, the carotid artery is also susceptible to atherosclerosis, and is highly accessible because of the surficial property. Thus, carotid DC, which indicates the intrinsic local stiffness of the carotid artery and may be determined using ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging, is of interest for the prediction. However, the role of carotid DC in the prediction of CV diseases and all-cause mortality has not been thoroughly characterized, and the pooled predictive value of carotid DC remains unclear.MethodsA meta-analysis, which included 11 longitudinal studies with 20361 subjects, was performed.ResultsCarotid DC significantly predicted future total CV events, CV mortality and all-cause mortality. The pooled risk ratios (RRs) of CV events, CV mortality and all-cause mortality were 1.19 (1.06–1.35, 95%CI, 9 studies with 18993 subjects), 1.09 (1.01–1.18, 95%CI, 2 studies with 2550 subjects) and 1.65 (1.15–2.37, 95%CI, 6 studies with 3619 subjects), respectively, for the subjects who had the lowest quartile of DC compared with their counterparts who had higher quartiles. For CV events, CV mortality and all-cause mortality, a decrease in DC of 1 SD increased the risk by 13%, 6% and 41% respectively, whereas a decrease in DC of 1 unit increased the risk by 3%, 1% and 6% respectively.ConclusionsCarotid DC is a significant predictor of future CV diseases and all-cause mortality, which may facilitate the identification of high-risk patients for the early diagnosis and prompt treatment of CV diseases.     

A Hybrid Approach for CpG Island Detection in the Human Genome

Background

CpG islands have been demonstrated to influence local chromatin structures and simplify the regulation of gene activity. However, the accurate and rapid determination of CpG islands for whole DNA sequences remains experimentally and computationally challenging.

Methodology/Principal Findings

A novel procedure is proposed to detect CpG islands by combining clustering technology with the sliding-window method (PSO-based). Clustering technology is used to detect the locations of all possible CpG islands and process the data, thus effectively obviating the need for the extensive and unnecessary processing of DNA fragments, and thus improving the efficiency of sliding-window based particle swarm optimization (PSO) search. This proposed approach, named ClusterPSO, provides versatile and highly-sensitive detection of CpG islands in the human genome. In addition, the detection efficiency of ClusterPSO is compared with eight CpG island detection methods in the human genome. Comparison of the detection efficiency for the CpG islands in human genome, including sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, performance coefficient (PC), and correlation coefficient (CC), ClusterPSO revealed superior detection ability among all of the test methods. Moreover, the combination of clustering technology and PSO method can successfully overcome their respective drawbacks while maintaining their advantages. Thus, clustering technology could be hybridized with the optimization algorithm method to optimize CpG island detection.

Conclusion/Significance

The prediction accuracy of ClusterPSO was quite high, indicating the combination of CpGcluster and PSO has several advantages over CpGcluster and PSO alone. In addition, ClusterPSO significantly reduced implementation time.     

Pre-Dialysis Visits to a Nephrology Department and Major Cardiovascular Events in Patients Undergoing Dialysis

Background and Objectives

Pre-dialysis care by a nephrology out-patient department (OPD) may affect the outcomes of patients who ultimately undergo maintenance dialysis. This study examined the effect of pre-dialysis care by a nephrology OPD on the incidence of one-year major cardiovascular events after initiation of dialysis.

Design, Setting Participants, & Measurements

The study consisted of Taiwanese patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who commenced dialysis from 2006 to 2008. The number of nephrology OPD visits during the critical care period (within 6 months of initiation of dialysis) and the early care period (6–36 months before initiation of dialysis) were analyzed. The primary outcome measure was one-year major cardiovascular events.

Results

A total of 1191 CKD patients who initiated dialysis from 2006 to 2008 were included. Binary logistic regression showed that patients with ≧3 visits during the critical care period and those with ≧11 visits during the early care period had fewer composite major cardiovascular events than those with 0 visits. Patients with early referral are less likely to experience composite major cardiovascular events than those with late referral, with aOR 0.574 (95% CI = 0.43–0.77, P<0.001). Patients with both ≧3 visits during critical care period and ≧11 visits during early care period were less likely to experience composite major cardiovascular events (aOR = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.16–0.39, P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Patients with adequate pre-dialysis nephrology OPD visits, not just early referral, may had fewer one-year composite major cardiovascular events after initiation of dialysis. This information may be important to medical care providers and public health policy makers in their efforts to improve the well-being of CKD patients.     

Altered plasma acylcarnitine and amino acid profiles in type 2 diabetic kidney disease

Introduction

Dysregulation of acylcarnitines (AcylCNs) and amino acids metabolism have implicated in abnormality of fatty acid oxidation in type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, it is not well known whether altered plasma AcylCN, and amino acid profiles are associated with albuminuria or diabetic nephropathy (DN) in T2D.

Objective

The aim of this study was to elucidate alterations in plasma levels of AcylCNs and amino acids with respect to the T2D patients with various stages of albuminuria.

Methods

We recruited 52 healthy subjects as control, and 156 T2D patients which were divided into 52 normoalbuminuria, 52 microalbuminuria, and 52 macroalbuminuria. Plasma 37 AcylCNs and 12 amino acids were analyzed by tandem mass spectrometry.

Results

We found that T2D with normoalbuminuria and microalbuminuria had lower shot-, medium-, and long-chain AcylCNs, whereas T2D with macroalbuminuria had higher short-and medium-chain AcylCNs and lower long-chain AcylCNs than healthy subjects. Moreover, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was a negative, independent and significant predictor of albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) levels (β = ?0.376, P < 0.001), whereas plasma Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was significantly and positively associated with ACR levels (β = 0.169, P = 0.049). Furthermore, multivariate ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed that isobutyrylcarnitine (C4) was a positive, independent, and significant predictor of ACR levels with higher odds of having T2D patients with progression normoalbuminuria to microalbuminuria [OR = 9.93, 95 % CI (3.51–28.05), P < 0.001].

Conclusions

The findings suggest that plasma C4 may serve as a potential biomarker for the early stages of DN.

     

犬小孢子菌致女性外阴脓癣1例

报道1例犬小孢子菌感染引起的女性外阴脓癣。患者女,25岁,耻骨外阴红肿疼痛半年,加重2周。皮肤科检查:耻骨外阴境界清楚的红色肿胀性斑块,触之浸润,疼痛明显;可见密集的毛囊性丘疹、脓疱,局部有波动感及脓液溢出,毛发松动,极易拔出。双侧腹股沟可及肿大触痛的淋巴结。组织病理学检查符合感染性肉芽肿表现。真菌镜检及培养鉴定为犬小孢子菌。诊断:脓癣。治疗:特比萘芬片250 mg,口服,每日1次,连续4周。服药2周后炎症基本消退,部分毛囊瘢痕形成。