Acute Effects of Particulate Air Pollution on the Incidence of Coronary Heart Disease in Shanghai,China

Introduction

Evidence based on ecological studies in China suggests that short-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) is associated with cardiovascular mortality. However, there is less evidence of PM-related morbidity for coronary heart disease (CHD) in China. This study aims to investigate the relationship between acute PM exposure and CHD incidence in people aged above 40 in Shanghai.

Methods

Daily CHD events during 2005–2012 were identified from outpatient and emergency department visits. Daily average concentrations for particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 10 microns (PM₁₀) were collected over the 8-year period. Particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 microns (PM_2.5) were measured from 2009 to 2012. Analyses were performed using quasi-poisson regression models adjusting for confounders, including long-term trend, seasonality, day of the week, public holiday and meteorological factors. The effects were also examined by gender and age group (41–65 years, and >65 years).

Results

There were 619928 CHD outpatient and emergency department visits. The average concentrations of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 were 81.7μg/m³ and 38.6μg/m³, respectively. Elevated exposure to PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 was related with increased risk of CHD outpatients and emergency department visits in a short time course. A 10 μg/m³ increase in the 2-day PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 was associated with increase of 0.23% (95% CI: 0.12%, 0.34%) and 0.74% (95% CI: 0.44%, 1.04%) in CHD morbidity, respectively. The associations appeared to be more evident in the male and the elderly.

Conclusion

Short-term exposure to high levels of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 was associated with increased risk of CHD outpatient and emergency department visits. Season, gender and age were effect modifiers of their association.     

Arginase inhibition restores endothelial function in diet-induced obesity

Arginase may play a major role in the regulation of vascular function in various cardiovascular disorders by impairing nitric oxide (NO) production. In the current study, we investigated whether supplementation of the arginase inhibitor N^ω-hydroxy-nor-l-arginine (nor-NOHA) could restore endothelial function in an animal model of diet-induced obesity. Arginase 1 expression was significantly lower in the aorta of C57BL/6J mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) supplemented with nor-NOHA (40 mg kg^-1/day) than in mice fed HFD without nor-NOHA. Arginase inhibition led to considerable increases in eNOS expression and NO levels and significant decreases in the levels of circulating ICAM-1. These findings were further confirmed by the results of siRNA-mediated knockdown of Arg in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. In conclusion, arginase inhibition can help restore dysregulated endothelial function by increasing the eNOS-dependent NO production in the endothelium, indicating that arginase could be a therapeutic target for correcting obesity-induced vascular endothelial dysfunction.     

Differential effect of NF-kappaB activity on beta-catenin/Tcf pathway in various cancer cells

beta-Catenin/Tcf and NF-kappaB pathways play an important role in biological functions. We determined the underlying mechanisms of differential interaction between two pathways in various human cancer cell lines. NF-kappaB positively regulated beta-catenin/Tcf pathways in human glioblastoma, whereas it has an opposite effect on beta-catenin/Tcf pathways in colon, liver, and breast cancer cells. Expression of lucine zipper tumor suppressor 2 (lzts2) was positively regulated by NF-kappaB activity in colon, liver, and breast cancer cells, whereas negatively regulated in glioma cells. Downregulation of lzts2 increased the beta-catenin/Tcf promoter activity and inhibited NF-kappaB-induced modulation of the nuclear translocation of beta-catenin. These data indicate that the differential crosstalk between beta-catenin/Tcf and NF-kappaB pathway in various cancer cells is resulted from the differences in the regulation of NF-kappaB-induced lzts2 expression.     

Echinostoma ilocanum infection in Oddar Meanchey Province, Cambodia

Fecal examinations using the Kato Katz technique were performed on a total of 1,287 villagers (945 students and 342 general inhabitants) of Oddar Meanchey Province, Cambodia in May 2007 and November 2009. The overall intestinal helminth egg positive rate was 23.9%, and the most prevalent helminth species was hookworms (21.6%). Other helminth eggs detected included echinostomes (1.0%), Enterobius vermicularis (0.8%), small trematode eggs (0.7%), which may include Opisthorchis viverrini and Haplorchis spp., and Hymenolepis nana (0.4%). In order to recover adult echinostomes, we treated 2 patients with 10-15 mg/kg praziquantel and purged. Total 14 adult echinostomes, 1 and 13 worms from each patient, were collected. The echinostomes characteristically had 49-51 collar spines and 2 round or slightly lobated testes. They were identified as Echinostoma ilocanum (Garrison, 1908) Odhner, 1911. So far as literature are concerned, this is the first record on the discovery of human E. ilocanum infection in Cambodia.     

骨髓间充质干细胞对脐血CD34+细胞分化为巨核细胞的影响

目的：探讨骨髓间充质干细胞对脐血CD34＋细胞诱导分化为巨核细胞的影响。方法：骨髓间充质干细胞培养采用低糖型DMEM培养基,待细胞满度达到约80%后加入脐血CD34＋细胞在一定的培养体系中进行实验,同时以无骨髓间充质干细胞的相应培养体系作为对照,培养14 d后观察结果。实验中共观察了两种不同的培养体系：基础培养液、基础培养液＋白细胞介素-11（IL-11）。其中基础培养液为含血小板生成素（TPO）、白细胞介素-3（IL-3）、干细胞因子（SCF）的低糖型DMEM。培养后单个核细胞数采用细胞计数仪分析,CD41＋细胞和血小板检测采用流式细胞仪,血小板功能评价采用凝血酶诱导的血小板凝集实验。结果：与相应的对照组比较,骨髓间充质干细胞实验组单个核细胞数增加不明显（P〉0.05）,而CD41＋细胞和血小板数量有明显的增加（P〈0.05）。显微镜下和流式细胞仪上均可观察到凝血酶诱导的血小板凝集现象。结论：骨髓间充质干细胞在实验培养体系中可以促进脐血中CD34＋细胞诱导分化为巨核细胞。     

低聚异麦芽糖对模拟失重大鼠肠道益生菌以及钙代谢和骨矿盐密度影响的初步研究

目的：研究低聚异麦芽糖对模拟失重大鼠肠道益生菌的影响以及与骨钙代谢变化的关系。方法：30只雄性SD大鼠随机分为3组（每组10只）FC组;普通对照组（饲喂普通饲料）;SC组,模拟失重对照组（饲喂普通饲料）;SS组,模拟失重低聚异麦芽糖组（饲喂普通饲料 低聚异麦芽糖）,实验期21d。结果：SC组大鼠肠道益生菌（主要是双歧杆菌和乳杆菌）数量、饲料钙的表观吸收率、股骨骨密度（BMD）,骨钙含量以及骨钙素（BGP）的水平显著低于FC组,而血钙水平明显高于FC组;SS组大鼠肠道益生菌数量,饲料钙的表观吸收率,骨密度,骨钙含量以及骨钙素水平较SC组高,血钙水平显著低于SC组。结论：低聚异麦芽糖可以促进模拟失重大鼠肠道益生菌的增殖,减少股骨骨质的丢失,提高股骨BMD,增加骨形成,对骨代谢产生一定的有益影响。     

Assessment of bioavailability of soil-sorbed atrazine

Bioavailability of pesticides sorbed to soils is an important determinant of their environmental fate and impact. Mineralization of sorbed atrazine was studied in soil and clay slurries, and a desorption-biodegradation-mineralization (DBM) model was developed to quantitatively evaluate the bioavailability of sorbed atrazine. Three atrazine-degrading bacteria that utilized atrazine as a sole N source (Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP, Agrobacterium radiobacter strain J14a, and Ralstonia sp. strain M91-3) were used in the bioavailability assays. Assays involved establishing sorption equilibrium in sterile soil slurries, inoculating the system with organisms, and measuring the CO(2) production over time. Sorption and desorption isotherm analyses were performed to evaluate distribution coefficients and desorption parameters, which consisted of three desorption site fractions and desorption rate coefficients. Atrazine sorption isotherms were linear for mineral and organic soils but displayed some nonlinearity for K-saturated montmorillonite. The desorption profiles were well described by the three-site desorption model. In many instances, the mineralization of atrazine was accurately predicted by the DBM model, which accounts for the extents and rates of sorption/desorption processes and assumes biodegradation of liquid-phase, but not sorbed, atrazine. However, for the Houghton muck soil, which manifested the highest sorbed atrazine concentrations, enhanced mineralization rates, i.e., greater than those expected on the basis of aqueous-phase atrazine concentration, were observed. Even the assumption of instantaneous desorption could not account for the elevated rates. A plausible explanation for enhanced bioavailability is that bacteria access the localized regions where atrazine is sorbed and that the concentrations found support higher mineralization rates than predicted on the basis of aqueous-phase concentrations. Characteristics of high sorbed-phase concentration, chemotaxis, and attachment of cells to soil particles seem to contribute to the bioavailability of soil-sorbed atrazine.     

妇科盆腔恶性肿瘤血常规检测结果分析

目的:了解妇科盆腔恶性肿瘤血常规变化及其临床意义。方法:以无锡市人民医院2018年1月～2019年3月收治的90例妇科盆腔恶性肿瘤患者作为病例组,同期住院的243例确诊为盆腔良性病变或妊娠状态的患者作为良性对照组,选取同期717名接受体检的成年女性作为健康对照组,对三组研究对象的血常规指标进行回顾性分析。结果:与健康对照组比较,良性对照组和病例组患者的嗜酸性粒细胞百分比(EO)、嗜酸性粒细胞计数(EO#)、红细胞压积(HCT)、血红蛋白水平(HGB)、淋巴细胞百分比(LY)、淋巴细胞计数(LY#)、红细胞平均血红蛋白浓度(MCHC)、血小板分布宽度(PDW)、红细胞计数(RBC)水平降低,单核细胞计数(MO#)、血小板平均体积(MPV)、中性粒细胞百分比(NE)、中性粒细胞计数(NE#)、红细胞分布宽度(RDW)、白细胞计数(WBC)水平升高;病例组患者EO、EO#、LY、LY#、MO#、MPV水平低于良性对照组,HCT、HBG、MCHC、PDW、NE、NE#、RDW水平高于良性对照组,同时,病例组患者的红细胞平均血红蛋白含量(MCH)、红细胞平均体积(MCV)水平高于健康对照组,健康对照组的MCH、MCV水平高于良性对照组,良性对照组患者的单核细胞百分比(MO)、血小板压积(PCT)水平高于健康对照组,健康对照组的MO、PCT水平高于病例组,差异均有统计学意义(P0.05)。Logistic多元回归分析结果显示,LY#、MO#、MCHC、RDW、MCH、MCV与盆腔恶性肿瘤的发生具有相关性(P0.05)。ROC曲线分析结果显示,在各项血常规指标中,MCV诊断妇产科盆腔恶性肿瘤的曲线下面积(AUC)最高,为0.683。结论:盆腔恶性肿瘤患者的血常规指标与良性病变患者和健康人群均存在差异,部分指标与恶性肿瘤的发生具有独立相关性。