左炔诺酮宫内缓释系统联合米非司酮治疗子宫腺肌病的近远期疗效分析

目的：探讨左炔诺酮宫内缓释系统（LNG-IUS）联合米非司酮治疗子宫腺肌病的近远期疗效及安全性。方法：将94例子宫腺肌病患者随机分为观察组（47例）和对照组（47例）,观察组放置LNG-IUS,同时服用米非司酮,每月1次,疗程为6个月。对照组仅放置LNG-IUS。观察两组疗程结束后、放置LNG-IUS后1、3、5年的临床疗效及不良反应。结果：疗程结束后,观察组和对照组总有效率分别为91.5%,87.2%,差异无统计学意义（P〉0.05）;随访期间,观察组的月经期、月经量、月经间期出血时间、不规则阴道流血或点滴出血的发生率均显著低于对照组,差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05）;观察组和对照组不良反应的发生率分别为21.3%和25.5%,差异无统计学意义（P〉0.05）。结论：LNG-IUS联合米非司酮治疗子宫腺肌病的近远期疗效确切,可有效减少不规则阴道出血。     

Flavonoids from the bark and stems of Cassia fistula and their anti-tobacco mosaic virus activities

Two new flavonoids, fistulaflavonoids B and C (1–2), together with five known flavonoids (3–7) were isolated from the bark and stems of Cassia fistula. Their structures were determined by means of HRESIMS, extensive 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic studies and chemical evidences. The anti-tobacco mosaic virus (anti-TMV) activity of the isolated flavonoids was also evaluated. The results showed that compounds 1 and 2 showed high anti-TMV activity with inhibition rate of 28.5% and 31.3%, which is higher than that of Ningnanmycin (24.7%). Compounds 4–7 showed modest anti-TMV activity with inhibition rate of 18.5%, 22.7%, 16.4%, and 15.3%, respectively.     

Role of Baseline Antral Follicle Count and Anti-Mullerian Hormone in Prediction of Cumulative Live Birth in the First In Vitro Fertilisation Cycle: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis

Objective

This retrospective study determined for the first time the role of baseline antral follicle count (AFC) and serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) level in the first in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) cycle in predicting cumulative live birth from one stimulation cycle.

Methods

We studied 1,156 women (median age 35 years) undergoing the first IVF cycle. Baseline AFC and AMH level on the day before ovarian stimulation were analysed. The main outcome measure was cumulative live birth in the fresh plus all the frozen embryo transfers after the same stimulation cycle.

Results

Serum AMH was significantly correlated with AFC. Both AMH and AFC showed significant correlation with age and ovarian response in the stimulated cycle and total number of transferrable embryos. Baseline AFC and serum AMH were significantly higher in subjects attaining a live birth than those who did not in the fresh stimulated cycle, as well as those attaining cumulative live birth. There was a significant trend of higher cumulative live birth rate in women with higher AMH or AFC. However, logistic regression revealed that both AMH and AFC were not significant predictors of cumulative live birth after adjusting for age and number of embryos available for transfer. Considering only one single predictor, the areas under the ROC curves for AMH (0.646, 95% CI 0.616–0.675) and age (0.648, 95% CI 0.618–0.677) were slightly higher than that for AFC (0.617, 95% CI 0.587–0.647) in predicting cumulative live birth. However, a model combining AMH (with or without AFC) and age of the women only classified an addition of less than 2% of subjects correctly compared to the model with age alone.

Conclusion

Baseline AFC and serum AMH have only modest predictive performance on the occurrence of cumulative live birth, and may not give additional value on top of the women''s age.     

Regional Brain Structural Abnormality in Meal-Related Functional Dyspepsia Patients: A Voxel-Based Morphometry Study

Background and Aims

Brain dysfunction in functional dyspepsia (FD) has been identified by multiple neuroimaging studies. This study aims to investigate the regional gray matter density (GMD) changes in meal-related FD patients and their correlations with clinical variables, and to explore the possible influence of the emotional state on FD patients’s brain structures.

Methods

Fifty meal-related FD patients and forty healthy subjects (HS) were included and underwent a structural magnetic resonance imaging scan. Voxel-based morphometry analysis was employed to identify the cerebral structure alterations in meal-related FD patients. Regional GMD changes'' correlations with the symptoms and their durations, respectively, have been analyzed.

Results

Compared to the HS, the meal-related FD patients showed a decreased GMD in the bilateral precentral gyrus, medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and midcingulate cortex (MCC), left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and right insula (p<0.05, FWE Corrected, Cluster size>50). After controlling for anxiety and depression, the meal-related FD patients showed a decreased GMD in the bilateral middle frontal gyrus, left MCC, right precentral gyrus and insula (p<0.05, FWE Corrected, Cluster size>50). Before controlling psychological factors, the GMD decreases in the ACC were negatively associated with the symptom scores of the Nepean Dyspepsia Index (NDI) (r = −0.354, p = 0.048, Bonferroni correction) and the duration of FD (r = −0.398, p = 0.02, Bonferroni correction) respectively.

Conclusions

The regional GMD of meal-related FD patients, especially in the regions of the homeostatic afferent processing network significantly differed from that of the HS, and the psychological factors might be one of the essential factors significantly affecting the regional brain structure of meal-related FD patients.     

Autophagic Protein Beclin 1 Serves as an Independent Positive Prognostic Biomarker for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Beclin 1, a key regulator of autophagy, has been found to be aberrantly expressed in a variety of human malignancies. Herein, we employed immunohistochemistry (IHC) to detect the protein expression of Beclin 1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and paired normal adjacent lung tissues, and analyzed its clinicopathological/prognostic significance in NSCLC. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was utilized to determine a cutoff point (>2 VS. ≤2) for Beclin 1 expression in a training set (n = 105). For validation, the ROC-derived cutoff value was subjected to analysis of the association of Beclin 1 with patients’ clinical characteristics and outcome in a testing set (n = 111) and the overall patient cohort (n = 216). Our data showed that Beclin 1 was significantly lower in NSCLC tissues compared with the adjacent normal tissues, negatively associating with tumor recurrence rate (65.8% VS 32.3%; p < 0.001). In the testing set and the overall patient cohort, low expression of Beclin 1 showed significantly inferior overall survival (OS) (p < 0.001) and progression-free survival (PFS) (p < 0.001) compared to high expression of Beclin 1. In the testing set and the overall patient cohort, the median duration of OS for patients with high and low expression of Beclin 1 was 108 VS. 24.5 months (p < 0.001) and 108 VS. 28 months (p < 0.001), respectively. Furthermore, low expression of Beclin 1 was also a poor prognostic factor within each stage of NSCLC patients. Multivariate analysis identified that Beclin 1 was an independent prognostic factor for NSCLC. Our findings in the present study provided evidence that Beclin 1 may thus emerge as an independent prognostic biomarker in this tumor entity in the future.     

Noise Exposure and Hearing Impairment among Chinese Restaurant Workers and Entertainment Employees in Hong Kong

Background

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a major concern in the non-manufacturing industries. This study aimed to investigate the occupational noise exposure and the NIHL among Chinese restaurant workers and entertainment employees working in the service industry in Hong Kong.

Methods

This cross-sectional survey involved a total of 1,670 participants. Among them, 937 were randomly selected from the workers of Chinese restaurants and 733 were selected from workers in three entertainment sectors: radio and television stations; cultural performance halls or auditoria of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD); and karaoke bars. Noise exposure levels were measured in the sampled restaurants and entertainment sectors. Each participant received an audiometric screening test. Those who were found to have abnormalities were required to take another diagnostic test in the health center. The “Klockhoff digit” method was used to classify NIHL in the present study.

Results

The main source of noise inside restaurants was the stoves. The mean hearing thresholds showed a typical dip at 3 to 6 KHz and a substantial proportion (23.7%) of the workers fulfilled the criteria for presumptive NIHL. For entertainment sectors, employees in radio and television stations generally had higher exposure levels than those in the halls or auditoria of the LCSD and karaoke bars. The mean hearing thresholds showed a typical dip at 6 KHz and a substantial proportion of the employees fulfilled the criteria for presumptive NIHL (38.6%, 95%CI: 35.1–42.1%). Being male, older, and having longer service and daily alcohol consumption were associated with noise-induced hearing impairment both in restaurant workers and entertainment employees.

Conclusion

Excessive noise exposure is common in the Chinese restaurant and entertainment industries and a substantial proportion of restaurant workers and entertainment employees suffer from NIHL. Comprehensive hearing conservation programs should be introduced to the service industry in Hong Kong.     

Polymorphism of ORM1 Is Associated with the Pharmacokinetics of Telmisartan

Background

The pharmacokinetics (PKs) and pharmacodynamics (PDs) of telmisartan varies among the individuals, and the main causes remain unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of ORM1, as well as ABCC2, ABCB1, ABCG2 and SLCO1B3 polymorphisms, on the disposition of the drug and BP change after taking 40 mg telmisartan in 48 healthy Chinese males.

Method

A total of 48 healthy males were included in this trial. Every volunteer ingested a single dose of 40 mg telmisartan, and the plasma drug concentration and blood pressure (BP) were measured up to 48 h.

Result

In this study, the area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) in the heterozygotes of ORM1 113AG was higher than that in the wild-type homozygotes, AUC_(0–48) (113AA vs. 113AG, 1,549.18±859.84 ng·h/ml vs. 2,313.54±1,257.71 ng·h/ml, P = 0.033), AUC_(0–∞) (113AA vs. 113AG, 1,753.13±1,060.60 ng·h/ml vs. 2,686.90±1,401.87 ng·h/ml, P = 0.016), and the change(%) of the diastolic blood pressure (DBP) from the baseline BP value also showed a significant difference between the ORM1 113AG and 113AA genotypes at 5 h after taking telmisartan (P = 0.026). This study also showed that the allele of ABCC2 C3972T would affected the disposition of telmsiartan and the DBP change significantly after taking the drug. However, the common SNPs of ABCG2 C421, ABCB1 C3435T, and SLCO1B3 T334G showed no impacts on the PKs of telmisartan or BP change(%) in our trial.

Conclusion

The ORM1 A113G polymorphism was associated with the PKs variability after taking telmsiartan, as well as ABCC2 C3972T. The heterozygotes of ORM1 113AG showed a larger AUC and a notable BP change(%) from the baseline compared with the wild-type.

Trial Registration

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR-TNC-10000898     

Transcriptome and weighted correlation network analyses provide insights into inflorescence stem straightness in Paeonia lactiflora

Plant Molecular Biology - Lack of structural components results in inflorescence stem bending. Differentially expressed genes involved in lignin and hemicellulose biosynthesis are vital; genes...     

甘蔗鞭黑粉菌侵染甘蔗的早期可视化观察

【目的】甘蔗鞭黑粉菌(Sporisorium scitamineum)引起的甘蔗黑穗病是我国甘蔗生产重要的病害。示踪甘蔗鞭黑粉菌侵染甘蔗的过程将有助于揭示其致病性和甘蔗抗黑穗病机制,为抗病品种的选育以及黑穗病的防治奠定基础。【方法】利用农杆菌介导的遗传转化技术对甘蔗鞭黑粉菌进行黄色荧光标记,对转化子进行配合及致病力检测,将标记菌株接种甘蔗感病品种ROC22及抗病品种中蔗1号、中蔗6号和中蔗9号并进行早期可视化观察。【结果】组成型表达的eYFP不影响标记菌株的配合及致病能力,而且黄色荧光性状能通过冬孢子稳定遗传。激光共聚焦显微观察表明,注射接种病原菌第5天,在感病品种ROC22的生长点已可见荧光菌丝及少量聚集状菌丝体,在抗病品种中蔗1号、中蔗6号和中蔗9号中可见少量单一丝状菌丝,无聚集状菌丝体。接种后35 d,在ROC22中可见大量聚集状菌丝体,但在中蔗品种中的聚集状菌丝体明显较少,而以中蔗1号最少。【结论】成功构建了甘蔗鞭黑粉菌侵染甘蔗的荧光示踪系统,并发现中蔗系列品种存在抑制甘蔗鞭黑粉菌菌丝体在细胞间扩展的机制。